This past week Dylan did a week long camp in Avila at the Sea Life Center. He spent the week learning all about the oceans and got to spend a lot of time playing at the beach. His favorite part of the week was getting to pet a shark and ray the day they learned about sharks. He was very excited to come home everyday and tell me all about what he had learned. One thing he found very interesting is that he learned that a blue whale is about 100 steps long. Dylan also learned how to make drip sand castles. They are now one of his favorite things to while he is at the beach. He is very excited to be able to go back next summer and do camp again. We all plan on heading back to the Sea Life Center again so we can check out all the fish and critters. I definitely recommend you stop by if you are in Avila and check it out.
Today the kids were playing together on Mikes’ guitar. While playing Aubri began singing “Take me out to the Ballgame”. She sang all the way through the song once while I grabbed my phone and got it ready. I wasn’t sure if she would start singing again so I just sat for a minute and waited. Eventually she started singing again and I was able to get it on video. She had no idea I was taping or even watching her until the very end. Enjoy!
This year I decided to take the kids to the Midstate Fair. After living in this area for the past 10 years or so and never having actually been to the fair I decided this was the year to go. When we first got there, we happened across a mutton bustin’ competition that was just starting. For those of you that don’t know what mutton bustin’ is, basically they stick a kid on the back of sheep and the kid tries to hold on for as long as they can while the sheep runs across a field. It was really fun to watch, but in the end Dylan decided he didn’t want to try it. While watching the competition Aubri spotted the pony rides, so that was of course our next stop. Both the kids rode a pony and then decided it was time to get their faces painted. Aubri chose a whale but she wanted it done in Spider Man colors, and Dylan chose a dragon. The girl that painted their faces did a great job and she was super fast also. After this we just walked around and looked at everything that was at the fair. We walked through all the animals and watched a bit of a barrel racing competition. Before we left we stumbled across an area that had a whole bunch of reptiles and stuff in it, called Brad’s World Reptiles. In order to take care of all the reptiles, they allow you to take pictures with their alligator. We got in line and when it was our turn, my mom gave the job of holding the head of the alligator to me. It was actually really well behaved and just went to sleep once it was in your arms. I think we had fun and I definitely plan on going back next year. To see more pictures from the fair, please click here.
So we finally went in to have our ultrasound done with Baby #3. The kids were very excited to see the baby, but also a little confused about how the whole thing was going to work. When the Ultrasound Tech pointed out one of the babies arms, Dylan became very concerned and kept questioning if there was another one. She finally showed him both arms in the same picture and that seemed to make him feel better. When they were doing profile shots, Dylan got really excited and said “the baby has our nose”. It was a very special time for us to all share together. Where we went for the ultrasound was great. They gave us quite a few pictures of the baby to take home and they also gave the kids each their own sheet with the best pictures on them. To see more pictures of our soon to be newest little one, please click here.
This past weekend the Renaissance Festival came to San Luis Obispo. I really thought the kids would have a fun time going, so we took the kids on Saturday afternoon. They got to see a lot of people dressed up in costumes as all sorts of things. They met a really nice knight that allowed them to take a picture with him and then gave them both a dream stone. They also got to see a joust, along with a few of the competitions that knights would have competed in. After the joust, the kids found some swords that they could have their own sword fight with and they spent a while playing with those. When we came across the pony rides Aubri was ready to go. She waited very patiently in line, and then had a great time when it was her time to get up on the horse. After horse back riding and visiting the petting zoo, we stopped to watch a magic show which both the kids really enjoyed. On our way out Aubri and I both got a giant pickle to eat. It was pretty tasty and Aubri really seemed to enjoy it also. All in all it was a pretty fun afternoon. We plan on going back next year and this time planning on being there for a bit longer to enjoy all of the shows. To see more pictures from the festival, please click here.
During last years baseball season we went to one SLO Blues game. We really weren’t there for very long because both the kids became very antsy. This year we decided to go back and we ended up going to a couple of games. I think it helped that this year we went with our friends the Reese’s. The kids had fun eating peanuts and cracker jacks, rolling down the hill, practicing tricks, and even managed to get a little bit of baseball watching in. To see more photos from the baseball game, please click here.
My mom had seen an ad in the newspaper about a dinosaur exhibit at Gilroy Gardens. Knowing how much Dylan enjoys dinosaurs we thought it would be fun to take the kids. Gilroy Gardens was a cute amusement park. It was very nice and clean and we found that it had quite a bit of shade while waiting for rides. The kids really enjoyed the water area of the park. It was where we spent most of our time while we were there. Unfortunately not too long after we got there the power went out. We were told it was affecting most of Gilroy and it was out for about 3 hours. During that time there wasn’t much to do, and we eventually decided it would be better just to head home. Gilroy Gardens was great though and they gave everyone a return ticket so we will be able to go back again for free because of the inconvenience. To see more pictures from our day, please click here.
We have been talking about doing the Live Oak Music Festival for quite a few years now. But the relatively high cost and our total inexperience with camping has kept us away. But this year with some guidance from our friends, The Zimmerman family, who are Live Oak Pros we finally made it.
Live Oak is a Music Festival to benefit Public radio that is put on every Fathers Day Weekend. It’s three days of music, arts, crafts, camping and friends. The music was a great mix of Americana, Roots, Reggae, Rag time and Folk. Every morning at 8 people line up to get into the main stage area so they can lay claim to their place for the day with their low back beach chairs. If you get up to explore the kids area, or the arts for sale, or grab a bite to eat your seats are up for grabs so someone else can enjoy the show. Its an understanding that when you come back they will get up so you can enjoy your seats. Its just a really great friendly vibe from everyone there. There was a lot for the kids to do in the dedicated kids section. Aubri made her own hula hoop and Dylan got to create a rocket. They both made multiple paintings, played some ping pong and tetherball, and ran around with their friends Leo and Ruthie. They also saw a few friends from school that we didn’t even know were going.
On top of the excitement of the festival it was also our first family camping trip. We got to try out our new tent, mattresses, sleeping bags, etc… It all went even better than i expected. With the help of Maurica the tent was up in less than 20 min, and I even got it back in the bag when the trip was over. Tomi didn’t think it was possible. The kids were great. They both loved sleeping out in the tent and slept really well. They got to find firewood and roast marshmallows, which I think was the best part of the trip for them. They didn’t want to leave and I think they would both be very happy living in a tent the rest of their childhood.
Live Oak will definitely become a tradition for us that we go to every year for a very long time. It has also made us realize how fun camping is as a family and it has inspired us to seek out some new camping spots. We already have multiple trips planned for the summer. So stay tuned for more summer camping posts. See all the pics from the weekend here
Recently we took a family trip to Disneyland. We loaded up the kids and met my parents and brother down in LA for a mini vacation. We spent three days at Disneyland and we all had a really great time. It had been a really long since my brother had been there so, there were lots of new things for him to see and do. Aubri had a great time going on a lot of rides that were more her speed. Her favorite ride right now is Small World and we rode that quite a few times. She also really enjoyed the Jungle Cruise. Dylan proved to be a little more adventurous this trip. The first ride he wanted to do when we got there was Pirates of the Caribbean and he also agreed to go on Soaring Over California. He also took his first ride on The Matterhorn with Mike and Jacko and he really seemed to like it. Both the kids also really enjoyed getting their faces painted. Aubri chose to get hers painted like a puppy and Dylan went for a dragon mask. My dad and brother spent some time off by themselves and hit up some of the bigger rides. We always have a really fun time when we are at Disneyland, but I think that this trip was really special because the kids got to enjoy it with their grandparents and uncle. Hopefully we can do another trip like this again soon . To see the album of photos from this trip, please click here.
Today my family from Madera decided to drive over for a quick visit. My cousin from Lompoc also headed up to SLO and we all met at the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum. The kids all had a really great time getting together to play. Keeli and Aubri were pretty much glued together and Dylan had a lot of fun playing with Kadin. Dani even had a great time exploring on the third floor of the museum that is designed for little ones. Lexi pretty much kept an eye on all of the little ones and they enjoyed following her around. Even though it was a short visit, we had a really great time seeing everyone and we hope that we can do it again soon. To see more pictures from this day, please click here.