Saturday Train Travels

I wanted to give Rudy a morning off, so I took up my sister's offer and joined her and the boys on a little train adventure while Ru loaded up the kayak for an ocean fishing expedition.

The boys were adorably excited and enjoyed every bit of our day.

 

First stop, San Juan Capistrano. 

 Out of all the possibilities for entertainment, this is the ONLY thing Kyle wanted to do. Just stare at the empty tracks just waiting for a train (that wouldn't come for another 20 minutes)! He was too cute.

Love this coffee shop. Unfortunately, we didn't sit for long. Kyle wanted to go back to the tracks (that were right in front of us, mind you) and Gav wanted to run anywhere but where you could corral him.

So we walked over to the petting zoo where llamas abound. Funniest looking things, aren't they?

Gavie loved the animals. He signs and makes their sound, calling a llama a dog and then a horse. Close, Gav.

 Next stop, San Clemente Pier.

While Kyle and Auntie Michelle went back to stare at the train tracks, Gav and I had the sweetest, most mellow time swinging on the swings.

San Clemente holds many great childhood (and beyond) memories for me and now it's a permanent stop on our train travels and a favorite place of Kyle's.

It wasn't all serene, however... traveling with Gavin is quite the ordeal. Our 20 to 25 minute to and from trips were exhausting!! :) I had to snap this picture to show a 3 second snippet of what it is like to travel with a Gavin. This experience had me seriously questioning our future plane flights this summer. This is NOT the ideal age to fly. Michelle's face says it all. :)

Such a fun, beautiful day. Thanks, sister, for enduring the craziness to get to the sweet parts. 

Camera in hand!

Ru makes it happen again. I could write a book about how that guy comes through! Not only did he find my old camera, but he used our warranty to replace it with a different one that will actually take pretty clear photos of subjects in motion! It's so nice to have a camera again and it's even more amazing that I'm not constantly frustrated with it! Of course, that was all the camera's fault, right? Ha.

Well, to test it out, I took it with us to the park. Without posing the boys (they wouldn't pose if I tried), I caught some decent shots of them in motion. And by decent, I mean, wow can you believe the picture isn't blurry!! I can't tell you how many big moments I've lost because of a completely blurry picture.

 Kyle literally jumped off the rock and smiled before running off. And I can't believe I got that split second smile.

 Talking to Brother on the other side of the park through this underground "telephone."

Oh happy day. :)

Repeat Adventures

I don't usually continually blog about places we've already been to in spite of the fact that we go often. But, I'd like Gavin to have some photographic record that he also went to these various places and that he enjoyed them, too! So, here are some pictures from quite awhile ago. Back when I had a camera. Okay, much farther back, but who's counting?

Centennial Farm -

I love this picture for so many reasons; one being, you can see the definition of his young muscles.

These piglets were just born and quite a hit.

Aside from all the animals both common and unique (the llamas are quite unique), I love the plethora of produce and the chance to teach Kyle about how our food is grown.You can't pick off the land, but there is a produce station where you can grab what you please. Most of the food goes directly to shelters.

I loved watching the boys take it all in.

 with Auntie Michelle :)

Knott's Berry Farm -
Growing up, I'd always preferred Disneyland to Knott's, but from a parents' perspective, this place is amazing. Though Kyle would love to go to Disneyland again, being here and not having to wait for rides significantly helps him forget there even is another theme park.

The Pretend City -
Gavin's favorite thing to do is ride around in this little coupe.

So much so, that he wasn't interested in playing "at the beach" when the little, red car sits there empty and inviting.

The chicks do distract him on occasion. He has a thing for birds.

Manning the phone lines at the Dispatch Center is a hit with Brother.

While Gavin drove around inspecting Kyle's work, Kyle put up the siding on the wall of this house.

In the pretend room, we found Kyle's name as the imaginary boy who "lived there." (This changes as local families are highlighted throughout the year.)

Frogg's Bounce House -
No pictures here, but I will say that the more Gavin is able to participate, the more fun it is to simply play with my boys. You know, no watching Kyle from the sidelines while holding Gav back, or helping Gavin walk, or keeping him from impending danger. This last time, I think we climbed up ladders and slid down inflated slides for two hours non-stop. We giggled and enjoyed playing all together. Newer concept (at big establishments) and I love it!

Celebrating Daddy!

Daddy had a birthday! We had such a fun morning that started with fun decorations, some birthday music from Kyle, and quite a few of Rudy's favorite things. 

The boys loved these streamers, though Gavin stared and stared at it for a while before passing through. It's been a hit all day. 

Especially meaningful were the card Kyle made, dictated, and signed, and his present to Rudy that he'd picked out all by himself! 

Gavin kept signing "hot" while Kyle was all too eager to help Dad blow the candle out.

Mr. Giggle-bug loved Rudy's silly birthday glasses.

Later that morning, we surprised Daddy at work with some balloons and his requested dessert to share with the staff. Visits to Daddy's work are always a highlight.

It was a good day! And thanks to Michelle, we enjoyed a great night out. Happy Birthday, Daddy!!