The zoo

Today, we went to the San Diego Zoo. Kate had a ton of fun and was sound asleep within 10 seconds of being put in her car seat to go home. It's exhausting being a baby!!

She pointed at all of the animals and said "oooooh" about 500 times. Her new word today was "wow." It was very fun to say at the zoo...and very appropriate. We saw some pretty "wow-worthy" things --huge elephants getting a bath, a baby deer learning to walk, a monkey picking his nose and we even got to pet several very stinky goats. We finished the day with a trip to the local ice cream joint in Coronado for a cup of cookies and cream ice cream. Life is good!!!

My Bear

September 10, 2008

July 30, 2009

Kate's bear from Aunt Casey did not want to stay at home all alone, so Kate brought her to the beach. After all, she has been with Kate since the day she came home from the hospital...so why shouldn't she get to be with her on her first trip to the beach?? She's been Kate's unofficial "measuring stick" since September 08. Only ten months ago, Kate fit easily in bear's arms....and now she towers over her. As you can see, Kate let bear borrow her red polka dot bikini for the photo shoot. It is sure fun to have a girlfriend to share clothes with.

We all scream for ICE CREAM!

We visited SeaPort Village yesterday and I can say, without a question, that Kate's favorite part was her first visit to Ben and Jerry's. We walked on the boardwalk, rode the carousel, saw kites and ate lunch on the water....but NOTHING came close to the ice cream. It was everywhere. I hope you enjoy the photos of her cute little white shirt and plaid pants because you will no longer be seeing that outfit!

We thought that Kate would love the horses on the carousel, but it was not her favorite. She could not wait to get off. We'll try again next year. :)

A bicycle built for SIX!

What a fun day! We went to the park on a bicycle built for SIX! Kate and Claire rode in the front with their cute little helmets on while Casey, Pat, Kyle and I pedaled. Ok, well...maybe while Casey pedaled alone...

The girls had fun and we finished our excursion with lunch at the Del. What a life!

Drinks at the Del

Last night, we met the Christensens at the Hotel del Coronado for drinks on the beach. There was a great live band and there were definitely lots of entertaining people. Kate walked back and forth about a hundred times and stopped to say "hi" to anyone that would acknowledge her! She has been taking a great late afternoon nap, so we've been lucky enough to be able to stay out until 7:00 and get her in bed by 7:30/8:00. Unfortunately, the later bedtime has not changed Kate's unbelievably accurate internal 5:30 a.m. alarm clock!! :( Regardless, it is nice to be walking on the beach before anyone else has gotten there...

Beach Babe

Kate spent her first full day at the beach today (which equated to approximately 2 1/2 hours) and now has been napping for 2 1/2 hours!! She is a very tired little lady. She loves the ocean...and can't get enough of the waves...although she wants to be a little more independent than a 10-month old baby should be. The minute we pick her up and take her out of the water, she tries to squirm out of our arms and walk back. She is not content sitting in the shallow water either...this little fishy wants to swim!! I think that we are in big trouble. Kate is very determined and strong-willed!

Yesterday, Kate got to play with her best buddy, Claire Christensen. She really looks up to her -- literally and figuratively! It is so fun getting to be in such a beautiful place...and getting to spend time with such great friends.

We're really looking forward to a fun week in Coronado. It's our first real out-of-state family vacation and so far, so good! This 75 degree weather sure beats 110 in Phoenix!