So... it has been several months since our family trip to San Diego and I guess I have been trying to put the second day behind me. One thing I forgot to mention was at the end of the first night. I had forgotten to bring any type of bedtime story books for my children. And bedtime without story time does not happen in our family. I think my son would have rebelled.
So we stopped at a Target near the hotel and picked up two books. One was a book I've wanted to buy, but considering the number of children's books we own, I couldn't bring myself to buy it until now. The book is Where the Wild Things Are. I was so happy to have an excuse to buy it! Plus the kids LOVE it, just like I thought they would.
So the next day ended up being an early morning for everyone. My husband, son, and I were happy to continue sleeping, but my daughter made sure everyone was up early. So we all trudged down to get some breakfast (we always make it a point to stay somewhere with a continental breakfast--I'm sure other parents can relate). After breakfast we headed back upstairs and prepared to leave for the day. I was excited because all the grandparents were coming down to meet us at the Wild Animal Park.
We made it in good time to the Park, but had to stand in a VERY long line in order to get replacements for our lost season passes. When we last moved we misplaced them and had to get new ones. Already the kids were anxious and a bit grumpy (okay, I was a little grumpy too). My daughter had fallen asleep during the 20 minute ride to the park (she definitely woke up too early) and was not happy to be woken up while being moved to the stroller.
My husband learned that the grandparents would arrive in 30 to 40 minutes so we hit the petting korral first. This is a great place to just hang out since the kids love being able to touch the animals. Then we met with the grandparents and made our way to the tram. Along the way we stopped at Lion's Camp. I think it is the neatest exhibit. Seeing the large male lion only inches away is an awesome feeling.
By the time we were in our seats for the tram ride my daughter was incredibly crabby. She was ready for a nap, but it seemed that each time she neared sleep the sun would hit her face and she would wake up or I would get a cramp in my arm and have to move her. My son was having his share of problems--wanting to stand where he shouldn't or take pictures with daddy's camera, hanging it over the side of the tram. It was only lunch time, but I wanted to go home.
Of course we couldn't go home without feeding the lorikeets (as my son would tell anyone) so we head up to get some food instead. I am so grateful for the new elevator system at the Wild Animal Park and the view from the landing deck is unbelievable! Unfortunately, the kids were not willing to enjoy anything so we continued to the restaurant for lunch.
Ah lunch... lunch entailed drinks being knocked over, screams and fights. My husband could tell I had had it and did his best to help out. Finally things seemed to calm down a bit. Near the restaurant was a new playground area so we took the kids to burn off some steam. They seemed to have a great time in the playground but then fought over the buttons on a little safari ride on car that grandpa so kindly paid for them to ride. Then we loaded them up and took them to feed the lorikeets so mommy could go home!
Both kids quickly fell asleep as we began our trip home. We had to stop in Corona for gas and, of course, the kids woke up. We knew they wouldn't sit for much longer without a stretch and it was nearing dinner so I suggested we hit the Rainforest Cafe at Ontario Mills. I told my son we were going somewhere special for dinner. His response? "Somewhere special? Maybe McDonald's?" Out of the mouths of babes...
The kids were very happy to experience the Rainforest Cafe. My daughter was a little nervous during the first mock thundershower (we were seated near the gorillas), but they loved it. Thankfully the restaurant was not busy so my husband and I could take turns leading the kids around the restaurant to look at all the mechanical animals and aquariums. At least the kids enjoyed a small version of an "animal park" for the day!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Family Trip! Part 1
On Monday and Tuesday we took a little family vacation. On Monday we traveled to Legoland. It is a place geared toward the younger crowd and my son absolutely loves it. On Tuesday we journeyed to the Wild Animal Park. The two are only about 20 minutes apart so it makes for a nice vacation.
Since this may be long... I'm only going to discuss Legoland in this entry.
So on Monday we departed at 9:30am. We had been shooting to leave around 8am. Such is life with little kids. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get to Legoland with a short stop at McDonald's in the middle (my daughter had enough of the car and needed a little stretch). The last 10 minutes were difficult for my daughter. She is not up for such long car rides. I know if we had borrowed the in-law's DVD players we may not have had such a LONG ride, but I feel bad putting them in front of a screen for a long time.
Our first objective was to get my son, B, a season pass. We decided to get B the season pass so that he can go with others--i.e. the grandparents. We chose to buy him a pass that provides free parking and 20% off food. Since it comes with one free guest pass a year, my ticket was free and my hubby got a discount on the only adult ticket we purchased through his work. My daughter was free (don't you love the 3 and younger price?).
Unfortunately for my daughter, there are not a lot of rides she can ride on. My son's first ride was the horse in the knight's realm. She loves horses and kept saying, "Ride horse!" Thankfully there is an awesome play area in the knights realm with stairs, slides, climbing nets, bridges, etc. She absolutely loved it! C loves to slide and she was pretty fearless going down the large tube slides. My son was actually more hesitant in going down the slides--he always has been more cautious.
After playing we stopped to get apple fries. I had wanted to try them for AGES and finally got the chance. They were the best treat ever! The apples are sliced into thin fries, battered, fried and doused in cinnamon sugar. They are served with a cinnamon whipped cream that was my daughter's favorite part. It was technically dessert before lunch, but hey, we're on vacation. :)
My husband and I took turns watching each child. The trouble with the ages of our children is that my son can ride most of the rides while my daughter cannot. Thankfully Legoland has various "playgrounds" for her to play in. While in the Pirate Shores area, she happily swung in the bucket swings in the toddler water area while my son road the boats. In the Fun Town area my hubby found a fun cave area that leads to a gift shop (I didn't even know it existed). Later my hubby took my son to the same area and my son was frightened the whole trip through. Oh well. There are also several stationary cars my daughter could "drive" while my son drove the "real" cars and helicopters.
There are two fun rides my daughter can ride. In the Imagination Zone there is a small train that she can ride. We rode it once entering the Imagination Zone and once before leaving. In the Imagination Zone there are also many "two-story" houses with slides. I think she went down all the slides but one. There is also a fun Fairy Tale boat ride that we could all ride.
Before leaving we let the kids play in the sand area next to the Dino roller coaster. My son rode the coaster twice, once with me and once with my hubby.
It was an exhausting day--especially since my daughter missed her nap. She went to sleep almost as soon as we got in the car and my son soon followed suit. It was tiring, but lots of fun and the kids were so good. I wish I could say the same about the next day, but I'll discuss that in another entry. :)
Since this may be long... I'm only going to discuss Legoland in this entry.
So on Monday we departed at 9:30am. We had been shooting to leave around 8am. Such is life with little kids. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to get to Legoland with a short stop at McDonald's in the middle (my daughter had enough of the car and needed a little stretch). The last 10 minutes were difficult for my daughter. She is not up for such long car rides. I know if we had borrowed the in-law's DVD players we may not have had such a LONG ride, but I feel bad putting them in front of a screen for a long time.
Our first objective was to get my son, B, a season pass. We decided to get B the season pass so that he can go with others--i.e. the grandparents. We chose to buy him a pass that provides free parking and 20% off food. Since it comes with one free guest pass a year, my ticket was free and my hubby got a discount on the only adult ticket we purchased through his work. My daughter was free (don't you love the 3 and younger price?).
Unfortunately for my daughter, there are not a lot of rides she can ride on. My son's first ride was the horse in the knight's realm. She loves horses and kept saying, "Ride horse!" Thankfully there is an awesome play area in the knights realm with stairs, slides, climbing nets, bridges, etc. She absolutely loved it! C loves to slide and she was pretty fearless going down the large tube slides. My son was actually more hesitant in going down the slides--he always has been more cautious.
After playing we stopped to get apple fries. I had wanted to try them for AGES and finally got the chance. They were the best treat ever! The apples are sliced into thin fries, battered, fried and doused in cinnamon sugar. They are served with a cinnamon whipped cream that was my daughter's favorite part. It was technically dessert before lunch, but hey, we're on vacation. :)
My husband and I took turns watching each child. The trouble with the ages of our children is that my son can ride most of the rides while my daughter cannot. Thankfully Legoland has various "playgrounds" for her to play in. While in the Pirate Shores area, she happily swung in the bucket swings in the toddler water area while my son road the boats. In the Fun Town area my hubby found a fun cave area that leads to a gift shop (I didn't even know it existed). Later my hubby took my son to the same area and my son was frightened the whole trip through. Oh well. There are also several stationary cars my daughter could "drive" while my son drove the "real" cars and helicopters.
There are two fun rides my daughter can ride. In the Imagination Zone there is a small train that she can ride. We rode it once entering the Imagination Zone and once before leaving. In the Imagination Zone there are also many "two-story" houses with slides. I think she went down all the slides but one. There is also a fun Fairy Tale boat ride that we could all ride.
Before leaving we let the kids play in the sand area next to the Dino roller coaster. My son rode the coaster twice, once with me and once with my hubby.
It was an exhausting day--especially since my daughter missed her nap. She went to sleep almost as soon as we got in the car and my son soon followed suit. It was tiring, but lots of fun and the kids were so good. I wish I could say the same about the next day, but I'll discuss that in another entry. :)
My Child's Prayer
Right now is a fun time in my little girl's life. It seems each day she comes up with a new phrase and her little personality is definitely shining through.
One of my favorite phrases she uses is when she is running as fast as her little toddler legs will take her, shouting in her little girl voice, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" Or, as she is pulling on my hand, "Let's go! Let's go!"
So at dinner a few nights ago when it was time to bless the food she says, "I say it." With a little coaching she was able to say the prayer over the food. It warmed my heart to hear her petition to Heavenly Father in her sweet, quiet voice. I'm sure it warmed Heavenly Father's heart too.
One of my favorite phrases she uses is when she is running as fast as her little toddler legs will take her, shouting in her little girl voice, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" Or, as she is pulling on my hand, "Let's go! Let's go!"
So at dinner a few nights ago when it was time to bless the food she says, "I say it." With a little coaching she was able to say the prayer over the food. It warmed my heart to hear her petition to Heavenly Father in her sweet, quiet voice. I'm sure it warmed Heavenly Father's heart too.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Saying Good-Bye
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The funeral of the prophet Gordon B. Hinckley was held today. It has been almost a week since his passing, causing much reflection on my part. He was the prophet through many of my teen years and has been the prophet during the early years of my marriage and motherhood. My life has changed much in that time, but my love and affection for this wonderful man has only grown.
So today, as many of my faith have done, my family and I tuned in to watch the funeral services. My eyes filled with tears as his coffin was rolled into the conference center. My son, noticing my somber mood, went to me and asked, "Mama, why are you sad?" Why am I sad? I am sad because this dear man will never walk into conference again, waving his cane at the crowd. I am sad because I will miss his quick wit and optimism. I am sad because I will miss him.
During the week I spent some time reading various articles regarding Gordon B. Hinckley. In one brief article it was noted that the Rexburg Idaho temple dedication was postponed by one week. And then the thought entered my mind: The Lord's work continues. How marvelous!
I am grateful that the Lord chose Gordon B. Hinckley to serve as prophet for so many years. I am grateful that I, along with so many others, was able to feel of his spirit, enjoy his humor, and be taught by him. And I am grateful to be a part of the Lord's work which, I know, will continue to fill the earth.
So today, as many of my faith have done, my family and I tuned in to watch the funeral services. My eyes filled with tears as his coffin was rolled into the conference center. My son, noticing my somber mood, went to me and asked, "Mama, why are you sad?" Why am I sad? I am sad because this dear man will never walk into conference again, waving his cane at the crowd. I am sad because I will miss his quick wit and optimism. I am sad because I will miss him.
During the week I spent some time reading various articles regarding Gordon B. Hinckley. In one brief article it was noted that the Rexburg Idaho temple dedication was postponed by one week. And then the thought entered my mind: The Lord's work continues. How marvelous!
I am grateful that the Lord chose Gordon B. Hinckley to serve as prophet for so many years. I am grateful that I, along with so many others, was able to feel of his spirit, enjoy his humor, and be taught by him. And I am grateful to be a part of the Lord's work which, I know, will continue to fill the earth.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Paulie
Christmas has come and gone. It was a fun time to gather with family and friends. This Christmas we celebrated by bringing a new member into our family. My husband and I were really done with pets for a while... but my son was crying out for a pet. Let me explain...
It all started one day when he found a fly in its last hours of life. He decided that this fly would be a great "pet". As disgusting as it was, he began to carry the fly around the house. Daddy arrived home from work and asked his son what he was looking at. My son replied that he had a fly. Daddy said to throw it in the trash at which point my son, eyes filling with tears, says, "But he's my pet."
Early December we went to get a Christmas tree. My husband and I prefer real Christmas trees and once we had our Christmas tree at home, found a ladybug that had been hiding in its branches. We made a little "house" for our ladybug and let my son revel in having a "pet" for a day. The next day my son took the ladybug out to play with it. The ladybug was rather smart and flew as far away as possible. My son, shoulders drooped in disappointed, came into the home and said (again with those doe eyes), "He flew away; my pet flew away!"
Well, Mommy's heart couldn't take too many more of those disappointing moments. My son needed a pet. But what kind of pet should we get? A meeting with my husband quickly ruled out dog (he'd ruin our new landscaping) or cat (he's ruin our new carpet). Mommy ruled out all reptiles. We decided it would have to be something that could be held on a regular basis which ruled out birds and most aquatic life. Mice and hamsters are prone to jail breaks, so we ruled them out. Our decision? A guinea pig, aka cavy.
So we suprised our children on Christmas morning with a cavy. My son was responsible for naming our new pet. At first he wanted to name it Tiny. When we went over to the in-laws for Christmas brunch festivities we told everyone it's name would be Tiny (previously her code name was Fred). At which point my son changed his mind and renamed her Paulie.
So Paulie is the newest addition to our family. The kids love her and she's not too much trouble to look after. Of course her cage needs to be cleaned routinely and I give her a fresh salad daily. We recently built her a new cavy cage using coroplast & cubes (called a C&C cage by www.cavycages.com) for which she is extremely happy. And now my son no longer longs for a pet, although he does talk of getting a crab... hmm, I don't think so.
It all started one day when he found a fly in its last hours of life. He decided that this fly would be a great "pet". As disgusting as it was, he began to carry the fly around the house. Daddy arrived home from work and asked his son what he was looking at. My son replied that he had a fly. Daddy said to throw it in the trash at which point my son, eyes filling with tears, says, "But he's my pet."
Early December we went to get a Christmas tree. My husband and I prefer real Christmas trees and once we had our Christmas tree at home, found a ladybug that had been hiding in its branches. We made a little "house" for our ladybug and let my son revel in having a "pet" for a day. The next day my son took the ladybug out to play with it. The ladybug was rather smart and flew as far away as possible. My son, shoulders drooped in disappointed, came into the home and said (again with those doe eyes), "He flew away; my pet flew away!"
Well, Mommy's heart couldn't take too many more of those disappointing moments. My son needed a pet. But what kind of pet should we get? A meeting with my husband quickly ruled out dog (he'd ruin our new landscaping) or cat (he's ruin our new carpet). Mommy ruled out all reptiles. We decided it would have to be something that could be held on a regular basis which ruled out birds and most aquatic life. Mice and hamsters are prone to jail breaks, so we ruled them out. Our decision? A guinea pig, aka cavy.
So we suprised our children on Christmas morning with a cavy. My son was responsible for naming our new pet. At first he wanted to name it Tiny. When we went over to the in-laws for Christmas brunch festivities we told everyone it's name would be Tiny (previously her code name was Fred). At which point my son changed his mind and renamed her Paulie.
So Paulie is the newest addition to our family. The kids love her and she's not too much trouble to look after. Of course her cage needs to be cleaned routinely and I give her a fresh salad daily. We recently built her a new cavy cage using coroplast & cubes (called a C&C cage by www.cavycages.com) for which she is extremely happy. And now my son no longer longs for a pet, although he does talk of getting a crab... hmm, I don't think so.
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