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San Diego

Every other year, Greg and his company go to San Diego for CSBA. There was a schedule mix up, so they have gone to San Diego the past three years. The first year I was able to attend and we stayed an extra day so I could show Greg where I grew up in La Jolla. That trip was really fun. We ate at all the places I used to eat, visited my old schools, went to the beaches we hung out at, and the best was going to see the house we used to live in. Or should I say the house that is there now. Our house was torn down and a new one was under construction, so we were able to walk around and I could describe to Greg the way our house used to look. The only things that were original was a small bench, a pine tree in the front yard (which is protected) and the steps and wall that led down to the beach.

The second year, I was a couple weeks away from my due date with Kristin and wasn't able to attend. I was so bummed because I love going back there. This year, Kristin and I were able to tag along and stay from Wednesday to Saturday. I have to say, I was really worried about Kristin and how she would sleep in a hotel room with all the noise and knowing that Greg and I were right there in the same room. She was absolutely perfect. She even slept through the train that we could hear from our room. (At some points in sounded like it was in our room) We had a great time eating out, going to the pool (heated of course), walking around Seaport Village, shopping, eating at Taco Surf, Old Town Mexican Cafe, and visiting the beaches. We were going to go to Seaworld or the Zoo, but didn't think Kristin wold enjoy it too much, so we're planning on doing it in 2 years. (the conference is in San Francisco next year...no fun)

Here are a few things Kristin enjoyed doing in the room.....

Playing in the pack and play, even when it was and wasn't time to sleep. She would stand up and flop down, wedge her paci's between it and the bed, and just roll around and laugh. I told Greg maybe I should get the one out of the garage at home and see if she'll do the same thing.

Kristin also loved playing in and out of the tub, which didn't need to have water in it for her to have fun. She first started playing by throwing the towels in, and then pulling them out on the ground. Then she decided that wasn't as fun as climbing into the tub. She went in head first and bonked her head a little bit, but I think she was so proud of herself, she smiled and laughed instead of crying.

The other thing she loved doing was pushing the stroller around the room. I bought a cheap one from Target for the trip so my nice one wouldn't get ruined by the airline, like it did last time. But I guess it's a lose, lose because one of the wheels fell off while I was walking. At least Kristin enjoyed it until I returned it.

Of course we had to go to Old Town Mexican Cafe, with the best fresh tortillas and carnitas. Kristin wasn't too sure about the multiple guitar players. She's just used to the one guitar player at our local spot El Nido. She did enjoy the food though. I also have to mention that when we went to Taco Surf (another place I ate at growing up) the next day for lunch, Kristin fell asleep in the car, so we thought we would try leaving her in there (the car seat, not the car)and have lunch while she slept. She never stays asleep in her car seat when the car stops, let alone stays asleep when we pull it out. It was our lucky day. She slept the whole time until we put her back in the car.

We also visited Windansea, a local beach, and watched the waves and the birds...if you're Kristin.

There is a place in La Jolla where some seals have made it their home on one of the beaches. You can actually walk down some steps and get pretty close to them. So the dark spots in the background are the seals.

We then visited La Jolla Shores so Kristin could get out and play in the sand. She wouldn't even walk or stand up in the sand, let alone play.

She warmed up to the walking by the end so maybe next time she'll play.

I love her little feet!

We had a wonderful trip, mainly because of Kristin's perfect behavior, and we can't wait to go again in two years!

Happy Thanksgiving

Greg, Kristin, Roxy and I had a great Thanksgiving. We decided to stay home for Thanksgiving this year. We had a great time hanging out with friends we see often, hanging out with friends we don't get to see too often, and just relaxing. We just enjoyed spending time as a family without any interferences or obligations.

In the morning we spent some time with our friend Dwayne who lives in Colorado, but came home for the holiday. Dwayne was an OBGYN and has the most amazing stories about delivering babies...especially his final delivery:)

At about three, we headed over to the Beckstead's for Thanksgiving dinner. Don't worry, it didn't interrupt Kristin's second nap because as of this past week, she has decided she doesn't need a second nap. Fun!! She stays in her crib for about an hour talking to herself, playing with her baby Einstein monitor and playing with her pacifiers...which usually end up on the ground before she's done. The food and the company was great. Kristin loved watching all of the kids and exploring.

We also went to the park to feed the ducks. Kristin was more interested in eating the bread than feeding it to the ducks. She was a little bit more interested when the white one would come up and bite my shoe and pants.

This is Kristin giving me kisses through the glass while she showered/bathed with her dad.

Here is Kristin climbing on my elliptical. This is one of the things she does on daily basis that never seems to get old. She was very proud of herself when she got on, as she would wave to me and clap for herself.

This face was just too cute not to post!

Thanks Nana

Ever since Friday, Greg has been begging me to go see New Moon. So, I finally caved and we went to the 10 am showing this morning. I have to thank Pat, or should I say "Nana" for not only watching Kristin this morning, but for watching Kristin two other times in the last week. She has enabled Greg and I to have two dinners and one movie...child free. We are very appreciative to her and so is Kristin, considering she doesn't even care when we leave her. She has a wonderful time at Nana's house playing with the Lego's. I do have to thank Greg as well, for being a champ and seeing the movie that I wanted to see on his day off. Greg can't wait until June when Eclipse comes out!

Shake It...

Lately, Kristin has really shown an interest in music. So far I am really lucky that she allows me to listen to what I want and she prefers it to kids' music. Although, I'm sure as time goes on, that will change. We listen to music a lot during the day and whenever there is a song on she likes she'll "shake it." If she is standing, she does what you see in the video. If she is sitting, she'll rock back and forth. If she is pushing something on the ground or leaning over, she'll bounce her bum up and down in the air. Also notice that Kristin is very close to perfecting the sprinkler as well. We had some friends over last night and Kristin decided to put on this show for them. I think it is one of the cutest things she is doing right now, so enjoy Kristin's dance moves and her attempts at perfecting the sprinkler.

Kristin's Walker

There are two things Kristin loves doing on a regular basis.........

The first is pushing the footrest of the lawn chair all over the backyard. She has even started bringing rocks to put on it and push them around too.

But, her absolute favorite though is the walker. Kristin LOVES this toy. She will spend large amounts of time pushing this around the house. She is a few months younger in this video, so she has now learned that if it gets stuck in the door or against the wall, she needs to walk around to the other side and push it the other way. I think this is the one toy she never gets sick of and plays with everyday.

Kristin has now added pushing Roxy's doggie steps all around the house, as well as pushing boxes, or any object that will slide on the ground. The other night she pulled a box of Kudos out of the pantry and was pushing it all around the kitchen. Roxy knew there was food in there, so she too followed Kristin everywhere she went. When Kristin was done, Roxy then took the kudos box and pushed it all around in hopes of getting a treat out of it.

So Quiet

I think every Mother knows that if your child is being unusually quiet, that most likely means they're doing something you don't want them doing. The other day, I was folding laundry in our room, and Kristin was in our bathroom. I realized after a little while she wasn't making any noise. So, I went into the bathroom and this is what I discovered her doing.

Busted, she had even taken the toilet paper from the other side of the toilet in the corner to tear it into pieces.



At first she was so absorbed in what she was doing, she didn't realize that I had caught her.