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Pumpkin Patch

Pebbles!!!  Is this not the most perfect costume on the cutest girl EVER!

I really do love Autumn -- the rich colors, the crisp air, beautiful skies . . . but why the heck is it so flippin HOT in the end of October???? I know we live in Paradise, but REALLY. 90 degrees???  Still?!?!?!  So, you'll forgive the Fall colors and pumpkins galore amid short dresses and sweaty faces. Ugh.

As odd as insanely hot weather is for the season, it did not thwart our attempts to have some harvest fun. We headed up to Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center . . . it was a new adventure for us, since I had never been there. It was absolutely HUGE compared to the itty bitty pumpkin patch in Lakeside! As you can see above, Abby sprinted across the field to the pumpkins as fast as her little legs could carry her . . . or should I say, Pebbles sprinted across the field. :) She was the talk of the pumpkin patch, by the way :)

We had fun watching her bounce from pumpkin to pumpkin, and laughed as she once again was like Daddy and attempted to dead lift heavy objects (a huge pumpkin in this case). We let her pick out a few little pumpkins to take home -- her favorite are the tiny orange ones and she is playing with them to this very day. They are funky, cool stacking toys -- and cheap too. Sweet!

The place was amazing! Not only were there pumpkins and gourds galore, but scare crows, hay rides, balloons, farm animals (geese, donkeys, llamas, chickens, roosters, horses, etc), and petting zoos. (She is still a bit young for face painting, but I can't wait for her first one!) There was even a play area where we got to build bridges and castles with handmade wooden blocks. These block sets were for sale, but $200 was a little rich for my blood -- even if I do love to support the mom and pop businesses!

All in all, Abby loved our day trip and we loved getting to see her run, play, and experience life as a 19-month old (and as Pebbles!). Yay for the start of the holidays!

Happy Halloween!!! And . . . . Yabba Dabba Doo!

Legoland (3 of 3): Play Time!

 Can I just say that Legoland is a toddler parent's dream!  First there was the Aquarium (perfect for letting your 19 month old run wild), then sweet age-appropriate rides, and finally AWESOME play areas.  Abby was loving the giant lego playground -- with everything from slides to ladders to trucks/cars.  Sweet!  She is fast becoming a slide pro, but one particular slide was a bit big . . .as you can see from the picture above, she almost did a complete 180 on the way down!  Funny!  But so glad that Daddy was there to lend a hand.  :)  He's good at that.

Abby also had a little playground run-in.  Apparently, another girl wanted Abby to move from a favored spot, so she forcibly yanked Abby's arm from the door near where she was standing . . . to which Abby responded with a very emphatic shove.  Yikes!  Life lessons learned on the playground.

Soon after the play time, Abby wound WAY down and climbed back into her stroller.  She was absolutely beat!  We walked around to look at a few more attractions, stopped by the Halloweed part (incredibly crowded!), let people admire our Pebbles (stay tuned for Halloween/Pumpkin Patch pics of the cutest costume ever!), and finally headed home.  It was a GOOD day!!!

Legoland (2 of 3): First Amusement Park Ride

Yay for amusement park rides!!!  Especially when they're designed for toddlers :)  This was Abby's very first amusement park ride EVER.  So very, very, fun!  I don't remember what it was called, but it was the Fairy Tale boat ride -- not unlike "It's A Small World," but without the song . . . thank goodness.

She was in awe (again!) of the whole experience. 

Legoland (1 of 3): Sea Life Aquarium

And once again I am painfully aware of how much I want a new, better camera :(  Sigh. ANYWAY.

We took Abby to Legoland/Sea Life Aquarium last weekend -- and oh my goodness!  We had sooooo much fun!  There was a bit of crazy weather to deal with, though.  It was no less than 90 degrees at our house when we left . . . by the time we got to Carlsbad it was rainy and 60 degrees.  What the heck?!  Good thing I randomly packed a sweater for the Little! 

Our first stop was the Sea Life Aquarium.  Starting with the first room full of "fishies!" and a tree slide, she was absolutely hooked.  It actually took about 10 minutes of coaxing (and maybe physically removing her) before we could move on to enjoy the rest of the aquarium.  We looooove slides!

She absolutely sprinted through the building, darting from one place to the other (much like a fish) in sheer glee, wonder, and excitement.. . . I think that's the best part of having a toddler . . . getting excited all over again at the simple, "has-been" aspects of life.  I had forgotten fish could be so amazing! 

The coolest part of the aquarium was the unerwater tunnel.  We walked in to that area to see sharks and stingrays encircling us.  Abby was immediately in awe.  There were even little pint-sized portals for her to climb into for more up-close sea life viewing.  So cool!  The best part was that it was a long and narrow passage, so we could just let her run free and unencumbered.  She thought she was in heaven!

The World is Her Rainbow

Abby is fussy, bored, and irritable.  What do we do???? COLOR!  And on this day, since it was ridiculously hot for mid-October, we colored on the patio and Abby absolutely insited on being clothing-free. :)  And if you look carefully, you'll notice that she is very much a lefty.  Like her Daddy, And her brother,  And her Uncle Jimmy.  And her Uncle Brian.  And her cousin Dianna (I think).  Every once in awhile, she tries out her right hand, but all her fine motor skills coloring is done with her right hand.  It's quite amazing to watch her develop.

Abby has also been talking up a storm.  When she wants to color, she runs out to the patio (where the crayons and paper are kept) and says over and over, "Color, color, color" in her 19 month old, sing songy voice.  It's too cute.  On that note, and for the sake of posterity, let me see if I can recount all the words and phrases she has mastered lately (simply repeating a word we tell her doesn't count for this list):

1. Mommy (or Mamamamamama)\

2. Daddy

3. Milk/MooMoo (cuz there's a cow on the carton of milk)

4. Hungry Mommy!  Thirsty Mommy!

5. This book (her response to, "Pick out a book, Abby!")

6. Jimmy

7. Pa and Ma (Grandpa and Grandma)

8. 1, 2, 3 (and sometimes 4 and 5) -- she uses these words appropriately!

9. "I" -- as in the letter I, she recognized it on her alphabet blocks this evening, and ran out to show us, repeatedly saying "I" -- Amazing!  Reading Dr. Suess' A, B, C book is paying off, I guess!

10. Bath!

11. Pooh-pooh

12. Stinky!  (with a big grin on her face, and holding her nose)

13. Nose, Eye, Ear, Mouth, Teeth, Hair

14. Please

16, Cheese

17. Strawberries (it's little hard to discern, but it's definitely strawberries!)

18. Color and Draw

19. Gone

20. Kitty (and meow)

21, Doggy (and arf, arf!)

22. Cow (moo moo)

23. Most farm animal sounds, but not the actual names yet

24. Water

25. Juice (although she doesn't get juice, so I'm not sure why she says it . . . .)

26.  Fries (unfortunately, she does get fries once in awhile)

27. Pretty

28. Tickle, tickle, tickle!

and of course

29. No

30. Mine

We are so proud of our Little!  It really is amazing to watch her grow, learn, and change.

Like Father, Like Daughter

They really are two peas in a pod!!!

Botanical Gardens -- Toddler Style :)

We made the BEST discovery not long ago -- the San Diego Botanic Gardens! I had read about the Gardens several months ago in a SoCal magazine that was showcasing it's awesome (and I do mean AWESOME) tree house and children's area. We finally got around to making the trek to Encinitas, and despite the heat, Abby thoroughly enjoyed every crazy, fun-filled, energetic, and exploratory minute!

This tree house absolutely MAKES the place. It's big enough for Mom and Dad to tag along, but fun enough for the little one to forget you're there :)

Ok, and despite the fact that the tree is fake, they added a million plants all throughout -- so at least it still "feels" real. Straining the whole way, Abby was so proud at making the climb up these oh-so-steep stairs to the top of the treehouse. Daddy was of course there to make it safe :)

And maybe the rope bridge was a bit much at 18 months old . . .

But the bowling set on the wooden bridge was great fun!
Giant Adirondack chairs were even fun for the adults (ok, maybe just for me -- cuz I'm a dork). Jim wouldn't sit in them, but I thought they were hilarious! At least the make a cool pic.

And then, we found the best thing EVER! A giant flower chalk board, complete with giant sidewalk chalk courtesy of the Gardens. (I'm telling you, this place ROCKS!)

Drawing/coloring is a family activity for us -- I seriously love coloring as much as Abby does (except I am neurotic about coloring in the lines :) ). Daddy joined in the fun, too because even though the heat made it a bit uncomfortable, at least the chalkboard provided good shade. Did I mention what a fabulous daddy Abigail has???

Lastly, this picture is a tribute to Jim, the former power lifter and member of the 1000 lb club. Abby was desperately trying to play tic-tac-toe with the big girls who were around, and decided to prove her mettle by lifting as many blocks as possible. Those were heavy little suckers! It appears she is just as strong and determined as her daddy. She makes him super proud! How awesome is that?!?!?!?! :)

So, for all of you with kiddos in San Diego, take a day trip to the San Diego Botanic Gardens. It's $12 well spent! And we didn't even scratch the surface . . . we'll be heading back soon for sure!

Labor Day Weekend (Still Catching Up!)

We made another highly anticipated trip to Big Bear over Labor Day weekend. Woohoo! As you may remember from a few months ago, we LOVE Big Bear. This time was even better, cuz my parents invited us to stay with them at their friend's cabin. Sweet! Cabining is MUCH better in Big Bear than staying in hotels.



The weekend involved a whole lot of relaxing, hanging out, a domino game or two, and keeping Abby entertained :) The best day was our walk on the lake/pier. So beautiful!



This was the only pic of me and Abby for the weekend . . . had to show it just to prove I was there! The down side of being the family photog.

After a 3 hour road trip and a day hanging at the cabin, Abby was super anxious to RUN. And run she did! Up and down and up and down the pier . . . :)And a few stops to look at the ducks ("Quack Quack!")

Grandma looking on at the fun . . . can you tell it was super windy???!!!

The water was COLD. But that didn't bother the Little! (Did I mention how much I lover her crocs?)

Loving her grandpa -- found the best Mexican restuarant in Big Bear, right by Snow Summit. Seriously, we are thinking of making a road trip just for dinner!

It was a great weekend!