Huntington Beach's Surf City Marathon

A few weekends ago, Auntie Ray, Uncle Ryan and Lauren came from Chicago so Rachel and Ryan could run in their first 1/2 marathon! We'd been eagerly anticipating their visit for a long time! We had a fun weekend and proudly cheered for them on race day!

Kyle doing some therapy on his Auntie Ray.

Then to the beach for a little post-run relaxation.

Ru led a kayak trip from "Mother's Beach" to Balboa Fun Zone. First trip with Ryan and Lauren.

Second trip with Rachel and Kyle.

Once we arrived, we immediately went to Kyle's favorite: the Ferris Wheel!! Heaven forbid we come without our "monies" for Kyle's ride! Auntie Ray and Lauren were kind enough to take him, so he got 2 turns!! (It's a little too high and fast for me!).

We miss our family already but really glad they made the trip!

Trekking Along

Life has been interesting lately. We've had full days with even fuller weekends. Last weekend, we had the pleasure of having Uncle Ryan and Lauren and Auntie Ray come for a visit. I'll try to post pictures about that soon. This week, Ru finds himself over halfway through his internship!!! It's super exciting to watch that finish line appear closer and closer. It was fun to get his diploma in the mail over the weekend and celebrate with his siblings. Love having that beautiful piece of paper!! I've had a frame just waiting to be filled for so many years!! :)

Kyle has grown up so much in the last month or so. It seems that way to us, at least. Two weekends ago he mastered his tricycle and rode to the donut shop then to the park, and back home without much of any help. It was so crazy to walk just behind our little boy as he took us for a Saturday morning stroll. Watching him made me feel like if I blinked, I'd see him zooming down the street on a two-wheeler or something. This week he got really into playing baseball. He loves to bat off of his Papi's homemade tee. We got him a tiny, lefty glove that he enjoys playing catch with. I can already see him at practice or something... and I hope he finds a sport he really enjoys, cause watching him play would just be too adorable for words!!

Ru and I are looking forward to a schedule-free weekend to relax and recharge! 

Tubing on Mount Baldy

Kyle has been asking to go to the snow for a long time. We've been trying to time our visit with a snowfall, but it seemed like by the time the weekend would roll around, the snow would melt. January is always a warm month, anyway, but we thought it was worth going even for some man-made snow! For a simple trip, we decided to bypass the more populated spots and instead went to a spot I've never been to on Mt. Baldy. It was just an hour and 15 minutes from our house to the lift and was kind of like finding a sweet secret spot. We were surprised to find that when we got there, we spent 15 minutes on a chairlift going straight up to get to the runs/tubing area. Kyle loved it! Though I could have used a little more security on that chair. Geesh! It's a whole other experience taking your 2 year old on a rickety old chair high above the ground!! 

Up above the clouds! 

Fortunately, there was some real snow still left.

Rudy was pretty disappointed we had to pay for this kind of snow and tubing experience (and not even allowed to bring our own sleds), but Kyle didn't know any different, so we had fun anyways!

Kyle's turn by himself!

Snowman and snow angels!

And "steam-rolling" down the hill.

 

We hiked just a bit to the other side of the ridge and found a great view of the valley. 

While sitting up here, I was thinking about how just the day before we were kayaking through Balboa Peninsula and enjoying the ocean... and then the following day we find ourselves on the top of a mountain. I'm so thankful for the experiences we're able to share with Kyle and for having an adventurous husband who initiates these types of things! Since Kyle won't take off his wristband, we're guessing he's pretty pleased with his tubing experience! :)

A visit from D & D!

Rudy's Aunt Donna and cousin Donovan came out from Chicago for a visit this past weekend. We had fun spending time together, playing street hockey, going to the beach, fishing, surfing, Back Bay hiking, and visiting with other local cousin's, David and Jill.It's amazing how fast a weekend can fly by when you're having fun! Kyle really enjoyed having a cousin/friend in the house! They were really cute together! 

Kyle loves to help in the kitchen. And it's always more fun to make something with company around to eat it!

We hit the beach both Friday and Saturday. 

Donovan on the boogie board.

Then Kyle's turn.

 

The boys caught 6 fish!

 

Kyle has a little lefty stick!!

The Back Bay's Nature Center.

 

On a natural see-saw.

 

Kyle is growing "Big and Big!"

I've mentioned before how much Kyle wants to grow up so he can go surfing with his Papa. He mentions it nearly every day, often multiple times a day. Often, after eating or waking up from a nap, he'll exclaim, "I'm growing BIG now!" Or, he'll say, "I'm big and big!"

Well, he actually is. We are so proud and excited with each new thing he masters. I thought I'd be sad and want him to stay small forever, but actually, watching him grow up is so much fun. He likes to impress us with his ability to take himself to the bathroom and dress and undress himself unassisted. He can be heard saying, "Look for the label" when putting on his shirt or pants so they go on the right way. It's so cute because he tries really hard and can really do it! :)

The latest thing that warmed my heart so much was going to his (second) 1st day of childcare at the home school campus where I teach. We tried it a year ago out of pure necessity one time when I couldn't find a soul I knew to watch my child. It did not go well. He cried for almost 3 hours until someone finally brought him to me. I could see him in the playground outside my room with both hands on his head totally bewildered and bawling his eyes out. It was terrible. Well, this semester there was just no way around it and I knew that it would really be good for him, especially since I only teach for 3 hours. So, a few days before Friday I took Kyle to the campus to get some work done in my room. We talked about "Kyle's class" and "Mommy's class" and how he'd be really close to me. We visited our rooms, noted where the bathroom was, etc. He couldn't stop talking about it and tried to leave my room a bunch of times, saying that it was time for his class. I really think going to his music and "upside-down" class has helped him be excited for the idea of a class. I had told him that his Auntie Michelle would come pick him up (since I had to be somewhere else in the afternoon) and he was super excited about that. So, the day of, I packed his little monkey backpack with a special treat (a fruit snack from Starbucks that he thinks is very special) and off we went to our school. You wouldn't even believe it was the same kid! He walked up to his room so excited to meet his "teachers" and simply said, "Bye Mommy" when I left! When I knew he'd be out at the playground I nervously looked outside and was pleasantly surprised to see him playing happily and enjoying himself. He was right by my window without realizing I was there and it was so hard to not say hi. I was dying to squeeze him and kiss him  and tell him how proud I was of him!! Then, when Auntie Michelle came to pick him up, she said he was playing and looked up, and with a big smile said, "Auntie! You came to pick me up!!!" How precious is that? And what a difference a year makes!

We are so happy and proud of him! Had to journal about what a BIG boy he was last week!

Happy New Year!

We thought we'd celebrate the New Year and our last day of vacation with a day at the beach. Ru's fishing license became valid on the 1st, so the boys and their fishing poles spent hours fishing from the water's edge. Kyle is a true beach boy. He could spend all day and never tire of the endless fun that sand and water bring. Since he has a healthy respect for the water, the place is an endless playground. It was a perfect way to welcome the new year!

The day started a bit cool with a heavy marine layer, but it soon burned off to a gorgeous "summer" day. Kyle's pole really works and is actually a bit sophisticated. Ru put his own touch on the end of Kyle's line with a skateboard bushing so that Kyle would see it and so that when he casts off at home from our stairs or in our back alley, it rolls easily back when reeling it in.This kid can really cast an impressive line. People kept coming over to tell us how amazed they were by how far he could go!! And he takes the reeling in very seriously! :) We were really proud of him. 

 Then, some fishing together.

 

We ended the day with some sand play, burials, and castle building.

Ru stayed while Kyle and I went home for K's nap. When we picked him up he showed us our dinner (Surf Perch fish).

Tomorrow, we both head back to work. Ru will be starting his FINAL internship. Hooray!! It will last 12 weeks and  involve long, long hours of unpaid labor. We will hardly see each other, but once he's done, he will be eligible to take the state board exam and get a job!! :) I'm grateful that childcare is once again (for the most part) taken care of by either my mom (Thank you, mom!!) or by a perfect "coincidence" that Ru and I will be able to hand Kyle off between opposite schedules while passing along the same freeway! Whew! It will be a tough schedule, but I'm so glad it will all work out and Kyle will be well taken care of! 

Happy 2012!