Roller coaster #2... Journey to Atlantis

Today we took a day trip down to San Diego and spent sometime at Sea World. Noah and Micah loved the Shamu Believe Show (again) and this time Noah and Jawsh went on a roller coaster called Journey to Atlantis. We weren't surprised that Noah wanted to go on (because he just had a great experience with Suzy). But Jawsh was surprised at how fast it went. There were many fast turns, high drops into water, and Noah was holding on to dear life. When Noah got off he said, "that was too fast." Will he want to ride a roller coaster again after this???

Noah's first roller coaster

My cousin, Suzy, flew in from Texas! She is getting married 1-11-2011! Noah is going to be a ring bearer so she spent some fun time with him this visit. Highlights were getting lunch at the Kogi truck, driving to Santa Monica, and eating it at the beach. It was such a nice day. Then we walked to the pier, where we let Noah choose one ride. He decided to go on the roller coaster! He barely made the height requirement of 42 inches and he was off with Suzy! I was nervous for him, but he did great. What will be his next roller coaster ride???

5

This morning we went back to the exact spot where we were married (7-24-05). Yes, it's been 5 years! Afterwards we took a stroll on the beach and had lunch at one of our favorite places, Cha Cha Chicken. For dinner, Jawsh and I ate at Providence. It was such a wonderful dining experience... we ate so many delicious things. Jawsh's favorite was the wild black sea bass with braised artichokes, candied orange rind, and basil and my favorite was the big eye tuna and kumamoto oysters! Yum! Thanks to Bubbe, Uncle Zach, and Dolly for watching the boys... where will we go next year???

Whole Foods Fieldtrip

Noah went on his a fieldtrip to Whole Foods with his summer camp. I always thought it was weird when kids go to grocery stores for fieldtrips, but it was sort of fun. The kids got to try all types of food, starting with the desserts! I think Noah's favorite part was eating the organic banana. His next fieldtrip is the Eco-Station... I wonder how that will go???

5 years tomorrow!

It's the night before our fifth wedding anniversary! I feel so blessed to be married to Jawsh... he is still ever patient and loving. And we both feel blessed to have the most wonderful boys. Tomorrow we head to Shutters on the Beach for a quick visit (no brunch this year) and then to a romantic dinner at Providence! Wonder what tomorrow will bring???

mygym with Micah

Micah has been enjoying mygym classes for the past few weeks. Since I did Gymboree with Noah, this is a nice change. mygym focuses more on gymnastics and there is a lot to do. Micah has been enjoying the trampoline and the ball pit. He also loves somersaults and flying down a zip line in a plastic airplane! Will Micah want to be a gymnast when he grows older???

Santa Monica Pacific Park

Today Noah and Kaitlyn went to Santa Monica Pier to enjoy all the amusement park rides. I got a great deal on groupon which gave them all you can ride passes. I originally bought these passes for Jawsh and Noah, but when we went Noah would not go on any of the rides with his Daddy! Of course, with "Kaitlyn Kourage" by his side, he went on all the rides with no problem. Here they are going up and down, enjoying the view of the Pacific, while Micah is on the bench enjoying his view of his older brother and cousin. Micah was a bit upset that he could not go on any of the rides, but all in good time, right???

Captain Rex

Noah's fascination with Star Wars continues. He is sort of into the Clone Wars (the library has first readers about this series) which upsets Jawsh because it's not the original. Anyway, we were at Toys R Us and even though I usually do not succumb to Noah's requests this costume was over 50% off. So, for 11 dollars, why not, right???

Pavilion of Wings (again)

It was time for our annual visit to The Pavilion of Wings. Like last year, Noah took charge of the camera and took many pictures of butterflies (and not the ground, his shoe, and his shadow like last time). He also identified different butterflies and the stages that they were in! He could work there as a volunteer! Micah, on the other hand, sat in the middle of the dirt path and played with the dirt. He also liked standing on the rocks and holding the signs. Now you might think, "oh Micah's just too young," but when I looked back at the blog archives, we took Noah at around this age and he did not exhibit the same behavior. I chalk it up to... they're just different! What will Micah really enjoy... spiders???

NHM

We took advantage of the Natural History Museum free day (the first Tuesday of every month). Noah and Micah had a great time at the Discovery Center. We also went upstairs to see the dinosaur fossils and as soon as Noah saw the teeth he said, "Mommy, that dinosaur eats kogi because it has sharp teeth and that one eats salad." Noah has a great memory, wouldn't you agree???

Bikes at the beach

We spent a few hours at Santa Monica Beach riding bikes and going to the play park. It was really crowded there today but a beautiful day nonetheless. When will we ride again???

Happy 4th!

This Independence Day was spent with family. My mom made kalbi, rib eye, and salmon and Jawsh played bartender (again) and made yummy blood orange mojitos for all to enjoy. Later in the evening, we watched the fire works in the backyard and my dad also lit a few. He was in a great mood dancing around the lights, holding Micah. Yup, Micah was not scared. But Noah was sitting in my mom's lap holding her hand over his eyes! Will he like the fireworks next year???

He did what?

I am beginning to think that my dad really loves Micah, not just loves but really loves. He bought a small inflatable pool for Micah. Now of course, Noah and Kaitlyn can enjoy it too... but it's really for a smaller kid. And if anyone knows my dad, he does not go to the store to buy things. As I was explaining to Jawsh, my dad's inner GPS takes him to only a few places: home, work, golf, LA, and occasionally Home Depot. So when I heard that he went to Wal-Mart and bought this I was shocked. As you can see on Micah's face.. he loves it. What will my dad buy next???

Gymboree (second time around)

We recently signed up Micah for play class at Gymboree. I take Micah to class while Noah is at summer camp. Micah enjoyed freeze dance and of course bubble time. Is this the beginning of enrichment classes for him???

Toy Story 3

The whole family came out for this event... Noah's first movie! Jawsh and I screened Toy Story 3 the weekend prior so he would know when to take Noah out for a bathroom break (Micah and I hung out at the mall while they watched the film). Noah had special treats like his Star Wars fruit snack and Honest Kids Fruit drink. Overall, Noah had a good time although he was scared at different points in the movie. What will he watch next???

Happy Shower Letitia

Today I spent a wonderful afternoon at Letitia's house at her baby shower. Yummy food, good company, and plenty of yellow gifts. But the gift giving would not be complete without her two loves: Prince and the Raiders. Jawsh made some onesies with the prints and I think Letitia was tickled by them. Everyone was making predictions about the gender of the baby so the question is... what will it be???

Long Beach Aquarium

Today we spent the morning at the Long Beach Aquarium, courtesy of Cousin Rebecca who sent us tickets that she won. Last time we went Micah was chilling in the Baby Bjorn watching Noah touch sharks and feed lorikeets, but today Micah got in on the action. He touched the sharks, helped Daddy feed a lorikeet, and he played in the splash zone. Noah had a great time as well... he followed directions and touched the animals with two fingers (here you see him petting the huge manta ray)! When will we head back???

Still life

The boys and I ventured to the California Science Center to check out the new wing, Ecosystems. We had a great time and somewhere between the kelp forest and the Discovery Room, it suddenly hit me how big they are. Noah's 3.5 years old and making connections about sea life, asking questions about nature, and exploring independently. Micah, 21 months, is fearless, climbing through tubes, running after Noah, and he didn't need his stroller! Towards the end of the trip, we went outside to an art space and Noah wanted to draw. He told me he was going to draw a ladybug (little did I know he had a figurine he grabbed from a station) and he proceeded to draw it and then he signed his art. Noah's first still life drawing (the yellow streak is from Micah's marker). What will he make next???

Summer Camp

Noah is signed up for summer camp at MarVista Park. He has eight friends from his preschool that are also there, so he is really having a nice time. Today they learned about lady bugs! He got to paint one (but he calls it a Star Wars spaceship) and he actually got to take some live ones home (but we let them go in the garden). What will he do next???

Micah's way

There's no wrong way to eat ice cream, right???