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!

New Additions

WARNING: Lots of new PINK additions! :) Abby's favorite color is actually orange (no kidding) -- she pickes out orange clothing all the time. And she ALWAYS has to color with an orange crayon. Always. But, her room is still pink and black . . . so when I asked my friend Kristin to paint some artwork to liven up a lonely wall, it of course had to keep with the pink an black theme. And, I asked for one of Abby's favorite zoo creatures -- a giraffe. How cute is this???




I was so excited to finally get it -- and I think I talked Kristin into starting up a business. Between this one and another painting she did for her own daughter, it's just too cute not to sell!

The next addition, as you can see below, were some adorable glittery pink Converse. Ahhhh! They're so cute I can't even stand it! :) And Abby adores them, even if they aren't orange. She giggles when she sees them and then runs and runs and runs!





Lastly, and this isn't quite a new addition, but Abby has been obsessed shoe dress-up lately. Hilarious! She finally figured out how to put on the below high heel (oddly enough, they are glittery too AND were my wedding shoes!) and walked around the house for the longest time. She gets soooooo frustrated when the shoe falls off or she trips, but is determined enough that she puts the shoe back on and keeps going. Enough to make her shoe-loving mama very proud! :)

A Saturday of Fun

A few weekends ago, we had a great Saturday. It all started with the discovery that Abby's hair was long enough for pigtails!!!! Woohoo! She looks so big, especially as she rocks herself in her new rocking chair. :) We then decided to take advantage of a beautiful morning by sqeezing in another trip to the zoo. As you may have seen, we went to the zoo last month with Grandma and Granpda -- but Abby was dying to see the pandas! haha. Or maybe Mama was dying to see the pandas . . . either way, we were rewarded with up close views of the panda eating and then climbing a tree. Awesome!

To end the day, our dear friend Brooke came over to play Wii and have some dinner. Abby has decided that Brooke is simply awesome and just couldn't get enough of her.


So, between pigtails, pandas, and pretty friends, Abby had a particularly perfect day. Ha!