We went away two years ago just before Christmas to San Diego. It was beyond fabulous and we stayed at this swanky place. We shopped...
And ate good food... 
Surprisingly, or not... those are all the pics I have from our last weekend away. Except for one of Mr. Man mid-sneeze. I think the Slurpee pic is just so... "us". One slurpee (my favorite drink)... purchased after midnight (because they test better after midnight)... two straws.
Also, my other happy places that appear often in my dreams are:
Knapps Castle
Moab 
This beach in Wailea Maui... 
What are yours? 
Don't you just want to nuzzle that sweet chubby baby!? So, it is shortly after this time that Mr. Boy starts to walk. We hit the local Stride Rite store because the pediatrician had mentioned while chuckling, "You might have a hard time finding shoes for him, try Stride Rite." So I walked in the store and the salesman measured Mr. Boys feet and looked at them long and hard. Finally he said, "Uh Ma'am, I'm afraid we just don't have any shoes that are um.. uh.. well.. cube shaped." So, we resorted to Uggs and European type slipper shoes. Finding shoes for Mr. Boy is a BIG challenge, and we have not been able to successfully get him a pair of tennis shoes since we lucked into some hideous Sesame Street Shoes on a trip. Everytime we go to Nordstroms, Mr. Boy wants to try on the Nikes. He loves them, and begs for me to buy them. He hobbles around in them trying to convince me, "They're not too tight, I promise, it's just a little pinch, no big deal." Here is a pic from a previous attempt to get me to believe they don't hurt. 
When we take off the Nikes, his feet have red pinch marks and his audible sigh as we untie them, means No Nikes. So, he's worn Crocs and Flip Flops since he was two, with an occasional pair of Vans that are 3 sizes to big to accommodate his little cubes.
When we arrived at the shoe department on Friday, we were informed that Nikes had just come out with a Wide Tennis Shoe.
Here is Nina, our favorite shoelady at Nordstroms South Coast measuring Mr. Boy.
I took this pic while holding my breath, hoping these will fit. Seriously, I have nightmares where the kid is wearing a Tux with Crocs to his prom. Also, random side note, this kid has only worn red shirts for the last two weeks.
Hooray, they fit! He refuses to take them off so we check his feet. He knows that is where the dealbreaker always is. However, because Nina is fabulous she gets him to take the shoes off for 2 seconds, no pinch marks!! He insists on wearing them out of the store, which was my favorite part as a kid. I feign having trouble keeping up with him because he is just too darn fast with his new shoes. 
And like all our outings to Nordstroms we end it with a carousel ride.... 
Why oh WHY do I continue to torture myself by living in this ridiculous house that is so obviously not a commune for myself and the Ya Ya's. I love all my friends... I do.. I promise... and I will blog about each and every one of you at some point. The great thing about the Ya Ya's is that we have all grown and changed together... we've been young and newly married, new moms, moms to whiney toddlers, and school aged parents together. The best part, we have kids who are roughly the same age, so there usually a petit playmate for everyone... such as these girls...
Oh wait, actually they are a year apart... but the age difference doesn't seem to matter which is fabulous. They share a common love of movies and blankies. One thing they don't share is verbal skills. Little E was reciting off the history of the 19th Amendment to me during dinner and was practicing her oral test for her doctorate degree right after quiet time. Little E has a HUGE personality and is crazy brilliant. 
The Wii and the waterslide were a big hit with the other kids. Mr. Boy still asks when his "other brothers" are coming back. Bob's boys are known as Mr. Boys "almost brothers". I swear I barely saw Mr. Boy the entire day, he was too busy having the time of his life. 
One of the best things was being able to talk to Booboo in the flesh and hear her words of encouragement as I try and figure some things out. She was brutally honest and one of the things she said has profoundly impacted me. Thanks Booboo!! 
1. What is your first name? Wendy
It is on the occasion of your third birthday that I write to you. I cannot help but think back to the first few months of your life and remark at how far you have come. You are in one word, "thriving." A word I desperately wanted to hear uttered by the medical staff that helped you during those first eight months. You have overcome incredible odds to be where you are today and we are so grateful for you. 
Currently, you wear the size 4T. 
Your growth spurt has left us with boxes of brand new unworn clothing because you simply grew too fast to wear them. However, no complaints from us, we are thrilled to see you thriving. Secretly, we think it is all the premium dog food you have ingested. I have watched you wander outside and grab a tomato and a handful of strawberries to eat from the yard on numerous occasions and caught you snacking on dog food. Totally gross, but mildly comical and it will come in handy if we ever need to tell embarrassing stories about you later in life. 
You are fearless, which has made for scary moments as we watch you hurl your tiny body off tall steps. You enjoy jumping off things, tables, the jungle gym, and the bed. You rode the Matterhorn at Disneyland and laughed during the whole thing while I clutched onto you and screamed. AK, don't lose that gift of being fearless. It will provide many great opportunities in your lifetime.
This year you have discovered the joys of pretending to be a Princess. You love to watch movies about Princesses, read about them, dress up and meet them. Often people have told you, "Oh what a pretty princess you are!" and you will always correct them. "I'm not a princess, I'm AK". You have a strong sense of self and take ever opportunity to assert yourself. You will fight to get your way and are willing to take on whoever dares get in the way. You are also very girly, but also have a strong tomboy streak. You have a fascination for "didosaurs" aka dinosaurs and love to play with cars. We love your well rounded personality. For your birthday you requested at first a Princess Party, which quickly morphed into a "Dinosaur Princess Waterslide Party with Nachos". It is the perfect event for your birthday, it embraces the sweet girly, the fiercely independent personality and your fearless nature. 
This year you've becoming increasingly more social. We've thought that as a second child you would love one on one attention, however it has become more obvious that you want to play with more people your own age. You attended summer camps these past few weeks and I have NEVER seen you more happy than when you are playing in a group of people your own age.
I have watched with joy and horror as you imitate me as a mother. You aren't discriminating and imitate my good and bad behavior. I have learned not to curse or make gestures while driving this year as I caught you imitating me in the rearview mirror. I have also watched you with Baby Roller Hand and seen my moves and words imitated. It has made me a better mom, because I am much more aware of my actions. Also, this year, your language has grown by leaps and bounds. You went from uttering the phrase "Mine" to complete sentences. Last year you acquired Pink Cowboy boots because you rarely talked and pointed at them and said, "Mine". Also, our favorite phrase you said earlier this year was "Here bop!" instead of "Here you go". Your dad simply cannot get enough of hearing you utter the words "Dee-Do" instead of Thank you. 
We would be remiss if we didn't comment on your eating habits. You would be in utter bliss if you only ate bananas or ketchup. It is the only thing you actually request to eat. We were looking over an old letter from your beloved birthmom who wrote that while you were in utero she craved bananas non-stop. Also, when we pretend the banana is a telephone, that joke for the last 730 days or so has NOT gotten old. Thankfully, you still find us amusing.
A few weeks ago the kiddos attended Vacation Bible School through their school. They wanted to go and when I realized that I would have 5 consecutive nights kid free I decided it was the best thing ever. They had a Pirate theme for the entire week, and went all out with costumes and performances. The parents joined in the last 5 minutes as they recapped the scripture, bible story, and theme for the night. I was listening to the pastor tell a story that I was unfamiliar with. The pastor said, "And do you know who came?" All of sudden, Mr. Boy starts waving both hands in the air yelling "MOSES!!" as though he was answering a Ten Million Dollar Question. 
The kids.. pointing.. at something interesting and VBS related... 
Mr. Boy has been having his superheros join forces with the Disney Princesses. I didn't think Superman was into Blondes.
And AK asked Belle if she still loved the Beast...
This picture is titled, "Sugar Coma"
We spent the weekend with our cousins and new friends. All three of the girls had Disney Princess Pajamas. These folks at Disney are the REAL reason for the downturn in the economy. They are bleeding us parents, grandparents, aunties & uncles dry with all the overpriced Princess & other Disney merchandise, forcing us to foreclose on our homes and file for bankruptcy..... I'm convinced they are the reason behind gas prices too... however I can't prove it. 
Of course, ahem... since Disney Execs read this I should put a disclaimer... I could be completely wrong, and must say there is NOTHING better in the world than a little girl who wants to be a Disney Princess and a little boy who is obsessed with CARS. Ahem, especially when those Disney Execs magically come up with some free products.
