Disneyland

We took the kids to Disneyland for my birthday and got to stay at the Paradise Pier hotel. When I told Caleb he was so excited and couldn't stop talking about all of the rides he wanted to go on or try to go on. Before we entered the park we checked in to the hotel and right off the bat we saw Mickey, Pluto, and Stitch! Stitch hijacked Caleb's stuffed pelican and started playing around with it which made Caleb laugh but also kind of nervous not knowing if he would get it back. It was funny to watch.

After checking in we headed to Disney's California Adventure and headed straight to the Monster's Inc ride. Best first ride to go on and then we made our way over to the Disney Jr. show. Caleb doesn't watch these shows anymore but he definitely remembered them! Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Doc McStuffins all performed songs with dancing and fun interaction that he couldn't help but have a good time. He particularly enjoyed when the confetti and bubbles came pouring from the ceiling.

After that we went to Cars Land where Caleb and I shared a milkshake while waiting for our turn to ride the Cars ride. He was so nervous to go on it even though he has already been on it. He doesn't like fast rides and he was afraid of throwing up on it. He almost got off the ride as soon as we got on but he was brave and stuck through it only to have felt excited and happy that he did.

After going on all the rides in Cars Land we headed over to Bugs Land so his little sister could ride on something. Caleb still joined us on the baby caterpillar ride which I thought was really nice. It also made his little sister more comfortable to go on.

The rest of the day consisted of eating, walking around, going on a few more rides and then checking back into our hotel to go swimming and get some rest because the next morning we woke up and went to Disneyland! Woo hoo! Caleb was the last to get up to my surprise but as soon as we were ready he couldn't wait to get in. The first ride we went on was Winnie the Pooh for his little sister but Caleb liked it and afterwards he got to meet all of the characters from it. Tigger, Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore were there signing autographs and taking pictures. Poor Caleb had his stuffed pelican taken away again but from Eeyore this time only Eeyore was loving it and being nice which made Caleb smile brightly.

We spent the day going on all kinds of rides like Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Chip n Dale roller coaster, Haunted Mansion, and It's a Small World. We got to see the parade and even eat a good meal on Main Street at one of the cafes. His favorite part was playing video games in the Star Wars gallery and meeting Chewbacca. He could have stayed there the rest of the night but we had to go and check out the Downtown Disney gift shops. Caleb picked out a Hidden Mickey's book so that next time we could play a game of finding the hidden mickeys. Can't wait!

Go Red Sox!

On Labor Day we took Caleb to Petco Park to watch the Padres play against the Red Sox because his grandparents were in town and wanted to go. Caleb hates sports and hates baseball but he had no choice to go. Of course he had an attitude about it at first but still put on his Red Sox shirt to act like a fan and show his support. When we got to the game we started eating and he seemed fine being amongst the crowd and excitement of the game. He asked a lot of questions about the game and seemed to try to have an interest which was nice.

After some time he started to get bored and his little sister too so we decided to leave our seats and go to the park that they had on the first level. Caleb had his camera with him and took many pictures of the surrounding area as well as looked for bugs and animals in the grassy area. He had a great time exploring and the game was displaying on the big screen where we were so he would casually look and watch for the score to report back to me. In the end the Red Sox lost but we had a good time anyways and wouldn't mind doing it again. Caleb definitely enjoys going to games over watching it on tv.

Wild Animal Park

The last weekend before school started we decided to take the kids to the Wild Animal Park. Caleb has been asking to go and since he was starting school the following week we felt like it was now or never. He was so excited to go and was non stop talking about the animals he was planning to see there.

When we got there the first thing we did was walk through the African Aviary where various exotic birds flew around our heads and even walked next to us on the ground. Caleb immediately went to the information guide to see what the names of the birds were so he could point them out and read up on some interesting facts as well. He was so good at spotting them and calling them out by name as we walked through.

Upon exiting the aviary we came across a Lagoon that was filled with waterfalls, bridges, luscious gardens, flamingos, ducks, pelicans, and more exotic birds swimming, flying and jumping around. Caleb was in heaven and immediately ran to the edge to look in the water to see them all. Again he started shouting out the names of the birds and pointing to them as he stated facts about them. Such a little zoologist.

After the lagoon we headed up to Condor Ridge and the Tiger Trail. Caleb decided to be adventurous and take a trail that seemed to be challenging. I of course followed him and was thrilled to come upon a Tiger playing in his pool of water. Caleb was excited until he saw bees flying around in a nearby bush. He was more focused on avoiding the bees than the beautiful tiger. Quickly he rushed past and we moved on to see the Bird show. The show was so cool with birds flying over our heads and performing tricks right up front. Caleb saw birds he never seen before and couldn't contain himself when they would fly right in front of his face arms length. He said it was his favorite show.

After the show we headed to the tram ride that takes you into the heart of Africa. We saw giraffes, rhinoceros's, gazelle, and wild hog walking around in their natural habitat which was gorgeous and huge. The tram ride lasted 30 minutes and Caleb kept saying how he wished he could take a behind the scenes tour and get closer to the animals to feed and touch them. He has no fear apparently which is awesome. After the tram ride we saw the cheetah run, gorillas, bats, and more exotic birds. Caleb did not want to leave but our time had come to say goodbye. He couldn't get enough of the animals and facts they had displayed for each one. He loves to study animals and highly enjoyed observing them in their natural habitats. The Wild Animal park is good about having natural settings and not so much of the tiny spaces or cages that other animal places have. He claims to favor the Wild Animal Park more than the zoo and so we promised to bring him back to check out the things that we didn't have time for. Until next time!

Arizona

This past weekend Caleb went on a trip to Arizona with his step-mom to help a friend move. He has been talking about this trip for the longest and was super excited to see scorpions, birds, and other Arizona animals that he researched. Of course the first thing he sees when he gets there is a scorpion!

Can't imagine what I would do if I saw that outside but Caleb is brave and loves finding things like that. He wanted to hold it but of course that wasn't going to happen. He spent the few days there swimming with his friend who they were helping move and exploring through the desert looking for animals and insects. More and more he is proving to be a little Jeff Corwin and can't imagine him becoming anything else when he gets older. He loves to travel and explore looking for things no one else would dare to see or think about seeing. Such a brave, intelligent, and amazing young man!

Night Time Zoo

Recently I took the kids to the night time zoo as we had a few hours to spare and Caleb has been asking to go. When I told him we were going he was so excited he couldn't contain himself. As soon as we got there he immediately started talking about all the animals we were going to see and started naming facts about them. Overwhelmed with the endless options and paths to choose from we decided to go to the right where the koalas were since we didn't get to see them the last time we were there. We stopped off at some birds and Caleb excitedly started shouting out names of birds he recognized and reading the facts about each and every one. We ventured towards the koalas and heard them snorting around which made us laugh and then headed to the rhinos, giraffes, and wart hogs. Caleb ran off by himself to read up on each and every animal and study them a bit closer.

We saw bears, pandas, monkeys, kangaroos, hippos, birds, koalas, giraffes, rhinos, wart hogs, flamingos, and reptiles. Caleb even made friends with a quail looking bird and they were talking back and forth to eachother. It was very cute. He has a passion for birds and I'm pretty sure the quail bird knew that because he was chirping up a storm with Caleb.

Towards the end I let Caleb read up on some books in the gift shop until the night time parade started. He loves researching facts about animals. The parade was amazing and Caleb got to sit right in front where the people and animals came up to him. We were so excited and so happy. Caleb didn't want to leave but the zoo was closing. He was disappointed that he didn't get to see the bugs in the bug house because it was closed but there is always next time! Overall, it was a great and memorable night at the zoo!

San Diego Fair!

This past weekend we went to the San Diego fair. It's an annual tradition we have where we go and experiment with the different and new foods they create, visit the animals, and check out the exhibits. We don't do games or rides because we are too afraid and we end up being too tired after all of the crazy food we eat and walking through the many exhibits they have. This time when we got to the fair the first thing we did was check out the Alice and Wonderland exhibit filled with original artwork, life-sized cards and chess pieces to play with, picture opportunities with various characters from the book/film and fun props and lighting effects.

Next we made our way over to the food so we could indulge in our first meal of the day....Fried shrimp and rice balls and Deep Fried Pineapple. I have to say....both were extremely yummy and I could have eaten the rice balls all day long. Best way to start the day!

Our next meal was what I came to the fair to try and super excited about...Kool Aid hot wings and Chicken in a waffle on a stick! Both were delish and by far our favorite. Caleb couldn't stop eating it and it even came with French fries that had kool aid sauce drizzled on top. Soooo good.

We decided to take a break from food and venture on over to Caleb's favorite...the animals. Caleb was in heaven as soon as we first walked in. Lo and behold a Bug area with bug tasting and products you could actually buy! He really wanted to buy chocolate covered grasshoppers but it was so expensive and I just knew he wouldn't like them. I told him he had to taste the bugs first because I knew he wouldn't like it and sure enough..he said it tasted like the smell of hay. Yuck. After the gross bug tasting we saw rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, cows, and pigs. So cute.

It was time to eat more food so we made our way over to get some food that we tried last year and absolutely loved....pulled pork mac n cheese grilled cheese sandwiches and on the way we happened to see deep fried lemonade. Well that wasn't something we planned to try but we couldn't resist so we got one and absolutely LOVED IT. And then of course right next to it was chocolate covered frozen cheesecake on a stick and a smore's ice cream sandwich which were also extremely delish.

By the time we were done eating we quickly checked out the Bing Crosby Hall that had products to sell and bought a mop for the house and then called it a day. We were so tired from walking around and stuffed from eating that it was time to go home and crash. We had another successful time at the fair and can't wait to go back next year!

Zoo Time!

Last month I took the kids to the San Diego Zoo for a few hours in the morning to kill time before we headed to a friend's birthday party. I always love going to the zoo right when it opens because it's not as crowded, it's not too hot, and the animals are more lively and eating their breakfast. We stayed for about 3hrs and saw pretty much everything there and had such a good time. The tigers were out which rarely happens when I go, the Lions were out and up close which doesn't happen, and the polar bear was swimming and playing with his ball in the water which again....DOESN'T HAPPEN. I felt like it was a good day to go to the zoo and a good time because we got to experience the animals in a way we never get to when we go other times and it was nice to spend quality time with my kids without the chaos of everyone else. Caleb is so smart when it comes to animals that he was teaching me stuff about everything we saw and took pleasure in reading the information displayed for each animal and exhibit. We wanted to stay longer just to read everything that was there but it was time to go and I promised them I would take them to the Wild Animal Park next time. To my surprise neither of them threw a fit and it turned out to be one of the best times we had at the zoo.

Perfect Attendance and Math Awards

We couldn't be more proud and excited to see Caleb get two awards after only being at his new school for 4 months. It was a complete surprise and shock for us when we heard he was receiving them. Caleb is such a smart boy and I am so thankful I was blessed with him as my child. I never have to help him with his homework and he never has to study or make the extra effort to understand or complete his academics. Math and reading have always been his strongest subjects and it's nice to see that he hasn't stopped excelling in these areas. I don't think there is anything Caleb can't do once he puts his mind to it and these awards are proof! Great job Caleb! Don't ever stop!

4th Grade Mission Project

This brought back memories from when I was in 4th grade doing the mission project! Caleb had to choose whether to do a poster board, scrapbook, or an actual model of the Mission of San Diego Alcala. Of course he chose a poster board which was the easiest of the three and because he's not really into arts and crafts. In order to help him create the poster board, we took him to visit the Mission of San Diego Alcala so that he could learn the history and know what to write about as well as take pictures and get a pamphlet or further documentation of the Mission. Caleb was super excited and completely fascinated with the history of it and took so many good pictures while we were there. He learned a lot and was able to write up his report and create the story board with no problem. He got 97% and displayed his project at open house for everyone to see. He did such an excellent job and we are so very proud!

The Big 10!

On February 22nd, 2016, Caleb turned the big 10! It was perfect that we had just moved in to our new house that we were able to host a big party for his special day. He wanted a Harry Potter themed party so I set out to create Harry Potter decorations, treats, and games.

To begin with, guests had to enter through the 9 3/4 station to get to Hogwarts Hall.

The banquet hall was fully decorated with banners from Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff and yummy treats of Butter beer, chocolate frogs, and Pizza!

After the feast of yummy treats, the kids set out to discover which team they would be on for the festivities by going on a scavenger hunt collecting magical horcruxes and finding the sorting hat. Everyone put on the hat and picked an easter egg and wand. Inside the egg was the team name and on the wand was a tag with the name of the wand. After they found out which team they were on they received a magic spell created just for them.

We played Harry Potter bingo, guess the jelly bean flavor, bamboozled which is a gross tasting jelly bean game, and did an obstacle course. Many prizes were given away such as coloring books with markers, candy, Carl's Jr. giftcards, toys, and paints. Everyone had a really good time playing especially the bamboozled one. Some of the jelly beans tasted like throw up and dirty socks...gross.

After food, games, and prizes it was time to eat cake! Oreo cookie madness.....so delish. At the end of the party everyone lined up to enter the Chamber of Secrets to get their fortune and goodie cauldron. The mini cauldron was filled with stickers, tattoos, and candy. Caleb said this was the best party he ever had and I'm so glad we were able to give him a wonderful and memorable day for the big 10.

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