A Holiday Summary (yes, the title is just as exciting as the post)

What a month it has been! We have enjoyed lots and lots of fun, and a little bit of misery.

In the "fun" category:

1. To celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I took Row on a road trip to Phoenix. We had a great time and a HUGE thank you to Nathan who watched the kids and changed dirty diapers so that we could do some shopping. It had been a very, very long time that I had been to the mall to shop without a stroller and diaper bag. I forgot how fun shopping could be when you are not worrying about little hands touching and potentially breaking everything. We drove all by ourselves this time. Row didn't sleep quite as much as I'd hoped, so we sang the ABCs over and over again, and when that didn't work, Row watched "Yo Gaba Gaba" from my iphone the rest of the trip. The best part of this trip was the price of gas!! It made the road trip worth it again.


2. When we returned from Arizona, cousin Soren and his mom and dad came to visit us of for the actual Thanksgiving holiday. We had everyone over to the house for Thanksgiving for our first (and only) meal on our new (inherited) dining room table. I was surprised at how much I liked having everyone around and shocked at how much work it was to cook and clean-up dinner. Keep in mind and I had a lot of help and I was still completely exasted. Jon really did most of the cooking, and Darcie even did almost all of the dishes. My hat is officially off to my mom who has cooked and cleaned virtually every holiday meal for the last 40-something years.

3. Just after Christmas we somehow ended up purchasing a year-long pass to our local Lawrence Welk Resort. I know how it sounds, but it is actually a beautiful place and we have full use of the facilities, pools, waterslides, clubhouses, and all the other resorty stuff. I'll post more about this later. It really needs its own post.

4. We also made our way to the San Diego Wild Animal Park for a day of fun. Cousin Soren and his parents met up with us at the park, and we had a guest appearance from my brother who was visiting from Salt Lake for a couple of days.


Misery Category

All of the holiday fun left Rowen with an ear infection; actually a double ear infection. He's never really been sick, so this was a new experience for me. We were up all night with a fever, and ended up watching a lot of Yo Gaba Gaba (again) all through the night. The worst part of this whole situation was that Jon was out of town for a couple of days, and I was getting ready to start teaching in a new program at my same school, but different students. I ended up letting Row sleep in my bed, which worked out well for him, but terrible for me. The next day I took him to the doctor and we were given an antibiotic which seemed to help him feel better right away.

48 hours later
I noticed that Row was starting to look splochy and red, and bumpy. So, he was feeling better, but looking way worse. Apparantly Rowie is allergic to amoxicillian. We had to take him off of the antibiotic and get him a different one which seemed to work quickly. Row was back to his old self in just a few days.


I guess that sums up the holidays. We had a fabulous month (minus the sickness) and can't wait for our next break. I am already planning our next road trip to Arizona; this time it might include the Grand Canyon.

Adventures in the Desert

When we moved out here I was a little worried about finding fun things to do. We don't live completely in the middle of nowhere, but I didn't figure there would be such a wealth of things for kids to do. Rowen began his run of fun activities by going trick-or-treating for the first time on Halloween. Okay, the trick-or-treating was not an activity exclusive to the desert dwellers, but it was still local and fun.


We visited the neighborhood fire station where Row could see the huge, red trucks up close; but more importantly he could touch the wheels and exclaim, "Ohhhhhhhh!" As for me, I got to see the firemen up close... a win for everyone ;-)



We also paid a visit to the local train museum where we spent a "Day Out with Thomas". That's Thomas, as in Thomas the Tank Engine. Rowen loves trains (along with anything on wheels that moves) so this was a perfect day out for all of us. Rowen got to run crazy, climb on tractors, push buttons, run through a maze, watch Bob the Builder put on a show, and take a ride on a real train (a commuter train from the 1960's). The train was pulled by a life size Thomas. It was actually quite cute. I expected some kind of lame imitation or facade for the Thomas train, but as far as I could see it was an actual engine painted blue and equipped with the Thomas face. Rowen was half asleep by the time we got a good look at Thomas, but I enjoyed it.



If you ever make it out to the desert, I'll be happy to take you the train museum so you can experience it yourself. Thomas isn't always there, and I suspect that on other days the museum will be much less crowded. It was a great day out for all of us! Thanks grandma for watching the newspaper and discovering both of these events. Next stop, Camp Snoopy.

Yellow?

Row's favorite new word.





Other words that we hear constantly:

Papa
Dada
Mama
Jade
Car-Car
Glasses
Truck
Dog
Keys
Ice
Thank you
Apple
Cheese
Wa-Wa
No?

He says a lot of other things too, but only Row knows what is he saying. He NEVER stops talking. Ever.

RIP Dodgers Season 2008

There are no words to describe the disappointment that we feel. All I can say is, "Go, Rays!"

Pumpkin Patch 2008

Fall has finally come to the desert, and while it's still 75 degrees, we are very pleased that it no longer 110 degrees. We actually had to wear long pants and sweatshirts to the pumpkin patch, which made us feel like we were really out in the elements. Halloween is just around the corner... just wait until you see Row's costume.

Highlights and Lowlights

Several exciting things have happened in the last few weeks at our house:

Highlights

1. Our new (and only) shopping center opened in our town! I visited the Super Target on the first day that it opened. Pure bliss. Row also got to enjoy his first very blue Slurpee (how do you spell that?) all to himself so that I could shop in peace. I know, I know, bribing with food is not a good habit to get into, but it was Super Target and I had a lot of stuff to see. I didn't even get close to covering the whole store.

2. Grandma Alice is visiting us for a few weeks. It is great to have her here and a few extra full-time hands around the house.

3. J's business has really picked up. Whoo hoo!!

4. I found out that it is not the cookies, ice cream, french fries, and lack of exercise making me fat; it's my thyroid. (okay, so maybe the thyroid is not entirely the problem, but hopefully the medication will restore some of my energy and get me moving at the gym again.)

Lowlights

1. Row has been using the word, "no" for a couple of weeks now, but this week he really seems to have a firm grasp on the word and its meaning, and uses it liberally. UGH.

2. Since J is busy again, I am back to typing his reports. BORING, (but thankful for the money that results from the reports.)

3. Row pooped in the tub.

I'm Workin' It (and going to Disneyland)

Rowen and Daddy ride the carousel. I get sick on rides that go 'round and 'round.


Mack and Row stroller jousting.

Yeah, that's right, I'm workin' it.. FIVE days a week. Okay, to most people this is an obvious statement, but for me, being used to working two days a week, this whole five day thing is KILLING me. I don't know how I got up and went to work everyday for all those years because I've been doing it for three weeks now and I'm absolutely exhausted. Of course, it doesn't help that I went to Disneyland two Friday nights in a row, but we all had such a great time, that I would have gone a third Friday night if I didn't have some church obligations to attend to.
ANYWAY, I'm working my usual two days a week for my program, and then working the other three for a different program that shares our location with us. Supposedly, this will only be for a total of eight weeks, but I have my suspicions that my little gig may last longer. So, I'm busier than usual, but not with fun stuff which is usually the case.

Thanks for the Tag, Steph.

We're Dodger fans, but we loved visiting Chase Field in Arizona this summer.

Steph will no longer comment on my blog unless I finish this post. Apparently, a threatening blog comment is all I need to get on the stick and get something posted. I'm such a wuss.

How To Play This Game of Tag: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, and 3 facts about yourself. Tag people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

3 Joys
1. Sitting on the couch after Row has gone to bed and watching baseball (though lately, it's been stressful and amazingly disappointing).
2. Driving in my car with the music turned up nice and loud (on the acoustic "coffeehouse" station.)
3. Ice cream, popsicles, fudgesicles, yogurt pops.... anything sweet and frozen.

3 Fears
1. Wigs
2. Snakes
3. Mannequins (though I'm starting to get over this one)

3 Goals
1. Get the house painted before the white walls and painted patches drive me mad.
2. Get to the gym. Jon has offered me a Vespa to "lose the baby weight".
3. Meet some friends in my area, so that the women at church will stop asking me if I'm "new". Keep in mind, I play the organ for the whole congregation every week.

3 Obsessions/Collections
1. Rowen
2. Magazines
3. Dodger baseball

3 Facts
1. I absolutely hate answering the phone. I have some kind of weird phone phobia. Even if I know (and like) who it is, I have to force myself to answer it. Maybe I need to be medicated?

2. I love watching America's Most Wanted. I watch or record it every Saturday night. Someday, I'm gonna catch me a criminal.

3. I never miss a Dodger game. Truthfully, I couldn't keep up with my blogging this summer because I was sitting on the couch trying to keep up with the fast-paced game of baseball. I was afraid I would miss something if I looked down for even a minute to blog ;-)


I'm tagging Jenny and Stephanie M.

NEW POST!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JADE!

Yes, I am the worst blogger. I think I had a minor blogging break-down. As I fell further and further behind, I felt less and less motivated to blog, but today, I have good reason to blog. It is Jade's 12th birthday!!

Truthfully, I don't know her exact birthdate, but I estimate it as sometime at the end of August, so a few years ago I chose the 23rd. For those of you that have the please/displeasure to know Jade, you know that she has been through a lot in 12 years. She is my longest continous relationship, and I absolutely love this dog... for better or for worse. ANYWAY, she shows no signs of slowing down except for some minor arthritis in her joints, and I think she and her fur be with us for a few more years....

PS- I believe I have recovered from by blogging breakdown. I feel renewed, rejuvinated, and ready to tell you all about my summer that is officially OVER! I head back to work on Monday.

For Lorin

Lorin, these are for you!

I swear, I am working on new posts..

Upcoming posts...

- The most random day of unexpected events.

- Our trip to the sun.

- Please, don't take me out to the ball game.

June 14, 2008

Finally.

I don't see it; but at least someone thinks Rowen looks like me.

Thank you Megan for sharing this site. It is a lot of fun (though I don't believe quite accurate). Either way, the technology on the site is pretty cool :-) I'll be waiting to see all of your "look-a-like" meters....

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Pedigree - Free family history

So that's where you get your magnetic personality!

Though he has many, many toys, Row continues to find other interesting ways to amuse himself. In our home, the keys to our child locks serve two purposes. One, the obvious, to open our magnetically locked cupboards. Two, a toy for Row as he wanders around the kitchen and family room looking for things that attract the magnet. Today, he found the dishwasher...

This cannot be good for his teeth.

Daddy's Dish Towel

It's hard to believe that all of this is over a dish towel.

Needless to say, Row is easily amuzed.

Two posts in one!!

You all know that I am not a consistent blogger. I think I have been better lately, but I still am definitely lacking in the blogging department. So, for your reading and viewing pleasure, I am incuding two slide shows in this post.

#1- Row's Birthday Pictures: Row's party was great! We were so pleased that so many people drove from so far away to visit us and our little Row. Some people drove over 3 hours (even though they only live 60 miles away- wink, wink, Jenny). We loved having everyone over, and promise to do it again before Rowie turns two. Thank you, thank you for the wonderful gifts... he is one happy little boy :-)

#2- I took Row for his one-year picture (do I hyphenate that?) and the pictures are pure Rowen. Keep in mind that each picture that you see is truly a second captured on film. Rowie did not sit still for more than 5 seconds at a time. He spent his time running behind that backdrop, attacking the camera, running over to the toy box, and just generally running out of the shot and giggling the whole time. Grandma and I both broke a sweat wrangling Row, and I'm sure the photographer was quite exhasted by end of the session as well (yes, it takes three people to take pictures of Row).

Yea, he's about 10 inches long and has a shell...

A dark cloud has been cast over the Baynes house. Our little turtle friend is already missing. Above is the last known sighting of him. He was having such a good day that I stopped to take a picture of him so that I could text it to his proud daddy (Jon). Little did I know that I would not see him again. There is no evidence of anything being disturbed in his little habitat. I doesn't look like anything has come or gone from his happy home. I know he was only here a very short time, but we liked him instantly, and were having a great time building his habitat and making plans for and even better one. We'll miss you little guy(or girl).

Upcoming posts....

1. Row's birthday

2. Our turtle, his name, and his habitat

3. School is almost out... Yipee!!!

Too little, too late

So, the plan was to make a slide show using Row's pictures from the day of his birth, to his first birthday. However, I really just haven't had the time to put the pictures in order. They are fairly close to the order that they were taken, but the chronology certainly is not perfect. I'm sure you will all pull through....

P.S. Birthday pictures forthcoming...

10 things I love about Row.

10 things I love about Row in no particular order.


1. He's always happy and smiley.

2. His gap in his two front teeth.

3. He obsession with ceiling fans.

4. The way he laughs hyseterically as he runs away from me.

5. He has no fear of drinking his own bath water.

6. He's never turned down any kind of food. He just likes to eat.

7. He sleeps 12-13 hours a night and takes 2 long naps each day. (I know this will eventually change and I am dreading that day)

8. He rides the kiddie rides at Disneyland like a "big-boy." He sits all by himself, (next to me of course) and holds on to the lap bar.

9. I love his little curls around his ears.

10. I adore his one little dimple on his right cheek.

Happy Birthday, Row!!!

I can't beleive it, but it's been a whole year since little Rowen (oh,so slowly) made his debut into this world. Slide show coming soon...

Forclosures affect the turtle community

I have a few requirements for the animals that I keep as pets.

1. They must have fur.

2. They must have legs.

3. They must be dogs.

(I've had fish as pets, but truthfully, I'm not a "fish keeper" and I really don't enjoy cleaning the bowl. I don't plan on having fish again.)

The above requirements aside, I never want to see an animal suffer (who does?) and I can't stand the thought of animals being homeless; so our family of four has become a family of five.

While Jon was out at a vacant home today (working, not loitering) he ran across our newest addition... a little, green turtle. The turtle was just standing on the back patio of an abandoned home asking Jon to take him home. There was no water or food in site for a turtle and Jon knew that leaving him there would surely mean his death, so he sent me the picture above and let me know that a new family member would be joining us for dinner.

About an hour later, Jon showed up with his new little friend. We put him in a little storage container with some lettuce and water and watched him eat more than I thought a turtle could eat. It seemed like it had been a while since this little guy had had something to eat.

As I type, Jon has gone to Lowes to pick up some materials to make a little home for our new little friend. He's very attached to this turtle already. The problem is that we know nothing about turtles. Anyone have any advice? How about a name, any suggestions?

Take me out to the ballgame...

The appraisal business has been a bit slow lately; not so good for the pocket book, but great for family time. Our little family has been able to spend a lot of time together lately because basically, we're all home. Last week, we decided to take Row to his first baseball game. We went to Petco Park to see the San Diego Padres during the opening week of the new baseball season. Rowie actually lasted all NINE innings and had a fantastic time. He loved the jumbo screen, the cheering fans, and most of all... the french fries. It seemed like the perfect day to let him try his first fry and begin his life long battle with carbs and all things fried.

Rowen took his nine month pictures a couple of months ago. You'll notice that he is not as smiley as usual in these pictures. I guess I shouldn't schedule his appointment at the exact time when he is supposed to take his nap.

These pictures were taken a few weeks before Easter, and while we were there, the girl dressed in black taking Row's picture asked if she could use him as a model for their promotional flyer. I agreed, and Row appeared in bunny ears and a tail for our local Sears Portrait studio. He will hate me one day.

Easter Madness!

The Easter Bunny visited Rowen Friday night, so that he had an Easter basket Saturday morning (yes, I know he has no idea what an Easter basket is, or that a large rabbit delivers it to him). After rifling through the basket and trying to eat everything in it, we took off to grandma and grandpa's house.
We went to the lodge that is part of their retirement community where the Easter festivities were in full swing. We started off at the petting zoo (I seem to find myself around goats quite often lately). Then, it was on the egg hunt, where Row found only one egg, but got a kick out of tasting it, opening it, and tasting it again. Then, he found the toy inside, tasted it, and had a great time pulling it in and out of his basket.
Next, it was on to the Easter Bunny. I was a bit worried about this, but Rowen handled it like and old pro. He LOVED the Easter Bunny and was fascinated by the whiskers and the rabbit clothes of that manlike bunny. I could tell that Row wanted a good long time to really explore the strange rabbit creature, but it was time for the bunny to move onto the next kid, and time for all of us to eat lunch.
(sidenote) Our visit to the Easter Bunny got me thinking about the tradition itself. Why does a huge rabbit deliver eggs to the children of the world on Easter? Why isn't it a chicken? Why does an animal deliver baskets to children in the first place on Easter? It's all very strange, isn't it? I guess I could google these questions, but I'd rather ponder the mystery a little longer.
Row finally fell asleep near the end of lunch, so we headed back to grandma's where Row finished his nap and then spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the backyard, picking flowers and eating dirt.

A fabulous day and a fantastic memory :-) Happy Easter!!

Need I say more?

A truly perfect Disney day.

After being chained to our computers for the last six weeks, we finally took the day off and went to Disneyland on Thursday. Grandma and Grandpa were able to come too, so there were four of us available to help wrangle Row. The weather was absolutely beautiful. It was the kind of day that you always imagine on your way to Disneyland, before your dreams are shattered by the crowds, the heat, and the outrageous prices. We visited "Toon Town", an area of Disneyland that I had almost forgotten even existed, and Rowie was granted an audience with Mickey Mouse. Has anyone else waited in line at Mickey's house to meet the Mouse? It's actually a very cool experience. Everyone gets their special moment with Mickey (without all of the kids and parents jockeying for his attention) and the Disney workers are there to take pictures of the moment. Row LOVED Mickey... and of course Row tried to eat Mickey's nose.

Bridge to Terabithia

When I was a kid, I loved to read "Bridge to Terabithia", (see a previous post). Anyway, one of the great parts about being a teacher is that I get to remain connected to some of these books that I would have probably forgotten long ago. This weekend one of my students invited me to see her in the stage version of this book. This book was recently made into a movie, but I had no idea that it was made not only into a play, but a MUSICAL. ANYWAY, I took my dad to the show, since I knew he had also read the book and enjoyed the movie, and we were both expecting to see a rather amateuristic (is that a word?) show. How pleasantly surprised we were to arrive at a great little performing arts center and see an amazingly well-done musical by a children's theater company.
I have some experience with middle-schoolers and musicals, and I really have never heard a 13-year-old, pubescent boy sing remotely in tune or with rhythm, so it was with awe that I watched the the leads in this play sing like little American Idols. They were really, really fantastic.
I'm so glad I went; and so disappointed in myself for crying in a play where I was fully aware of the ending. That "Terabithia" gets me everytime!

Maybe a little attention detail is necessary....

So, for the past few months I have been receiving Real Simple magazine. I love this magazine and thought that somehow I had subscribed to it and didn't know it. Then, one day, as I flipped through the new issue, I noticed that Steph had actually sent this magazine to me as a gift! I feel like such an idiot; I can't believe I didn't notice this a little sooner. THANK YOU, STEPH!!!!

Rowen the Herbivore

Last Saturday, after being camped behind our computers for the last month, the Baynes family, including grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, and little cousin Soren headed to the San Diego Zoo. It just may have been the most beautiful day ever with the clear blue sky and perfect 75 degree weather (gotta love California in the winter). The gorillas, or course, were my favorite attration, and that baby gorilla looked an awful lot like Row (he acted like Row too).
Row, however, has a different love at the zoo.... the plants. He LOVES any kind of plant: real, fake, flower, shrub, ivy, it doesn't matter to him. He rips up the fake plants at church, and loves to pick flowers at grandmas, and at the zoo he was in botanical heaven. At one point I was holding him while I tried to spot a bear, when he reached behind me, pulled the leaves off of a fern and promtly stuck the little, needly leaves in his mouth. By the time I was done searching for what was eventually the smallest bear I have ever seen, Row had stuck several fern leaves in his mouth (without me knowing), and he was none too happy about spitting them out and having them fished out of his chipmunk cheeks.

We really did have a fun, relaxing day at the zoo, and the zoo had a great deal going on yearly passes, so now we can go to the zoo over and over again.

The picture above is the only digital picture we have from the zoo because of all of the people there NO ONE BROUGHT A CAMERA!!

Indeed, I am the worst blogger in the world

I don't know why I used the word "indeed", I just kinda like it today.

So, I talked to Steph on the phone today, which is the opposite of blogging, and she asked me (with much sarcasm) if I ever use the internet:-) The answer was, "yes" but unfortunatly, I rarely get to use it for anything fun. So, here is my latest update and a pledge to be better blogger:

1. I work... a lot.... on the computer.

2. Jon works.... a lot....on the computer

3. Grandma Alice and Grandpa Ed are visiting us from Missouri this week :)

4. Row took his first steps about a week ago.

5. Jade went to the groomer yesterday and got a much needed bath and tooth brushing.

6. Row has four teeth.

7. I need new black boots.

8. I still haven't seen a movie since Harry Potter last summer.

9. Baseball season is coming :)

10. Rowen went to the gym "kids club" for the first time last week and loved it. I
now have no excuse to skip the gym.

Irrational Fears of Inanimate Objects

Those of you that know me well know that I am terrified of wigs. For those of you that don't know me well... yes, you read that right- wigs. Now, that in itself is weird enough, but my fear of inanimate objects is not limited to wigs; in fact, it extends well beyond fake heads of hair. I am also afraid of manequins (they wear wigs and come alive at night), dolls with blinking eyes (again.. surely they come alive), and now Elmo. You see Elmo TMX is an awesome toy and I actually I feel more love for him than fear, but I am convinced that Elmo lives a life beyond the one we witness. The other night Rowen was "playing" with Elmo- by trying to run him over with his little walker- and he had little Elmo pinned against the wall while little Elmo's arm rocketed up and down trying desperately to get away. Jon stepped in to save Elmo, promptly removing Elmo from under the wheels of Row's "car", placing Elmo out of harms way onto the island in the kitchen. Then is got ugly. Elmo went into hysterics on top of the island twitching and kicking deliriously happy and finally kicking Jon's glass off of the island; breaking the glass; spilling the drink; and laughing the whole time. Frankly, it was creepy. As I type this, he stares at me from across the room, just wating to make his move. Let's just say that I'm careful to stay on Elmo's good side. As far as I know we're good friends.

Overstimulated??

We have almost no furniture; nothing hangs on the walls. In fact, just recently we bought a table and chairs for the kitchen so we no longer have to stand while we eat. Because of our "furnitureless" existience, Rowen has his own indoor playground in our family room. We hope that someday this will change, and that we will indeed have furniture instead of multi-colored singing zebras filling our home, but for now, welcome to Row's playground:-)

December Fun!

NEW POST BELOW!!!!!!!!

Slide show coming soon. New post below... finally. Better late than never :-)

In a really big nutshell

So, I took a bit of a blogging hiatus. I didn't mean to; it just happened that way. There are a whole bunch of mundane and irritating things that I could blog about (that have kept me from blogging in the first place), but I won't bore you with the details.

In a nutshell, here's what kept us busy in December:

1. Early in December we took Row to his first theme park... Sea World. Grandma, Grandpa, me and Row took a trip with my school to visit Shamuu and all of his (her?) friends. We had a great time with all of the sea creatures, but really the best show there was the dog and cat show. Seriously, it was so cute it left me a little teary (In case you don't know anything about me.... I have a very soft spot for dogs). Row slept through most of the dog show, but he did wake up in time to see the end, and then got a chance to pet a couple of the dogs from the show. Highlight of his life so far. This kid loves dogs, and came out of the womb that way. From the moment his little brain could register it, he has been absolutely obsessed with Jade and any dog that comes his way.
Even though the dogs were worth the trip on their own, I really wanted to see the Shamuu show, so in we went to the Shamuu Stadium. Those whales never cease to amaze me. How in world do those trainers get those whales to do all of that stuff. I know, I know, they have their methods and their little whistles and things, but seriously, how do you teach a whale to wave, or to methodically splash the crowd, or to jump synchronized out of the water? Amazing. Too bad Row found Grandpa's buttons on his shirt far more interesting than the show. I don't think he even caught a glimpse of Shamuu, but he sure got a good look at the people sitting behind us. I'm still singing the Shamuu song. Oh yea, the Budweiser Clydesdale are kept at Sea World, so Row also got to pet a horse that day; and what a grand first horse to pet. Those are truly beautiful animals.

2. After 7 years of faithful service, it was time to trade in my Jetta for a bigger and better model. A 2008 Touareg has joined our family. I cried when I had to leave my Jetta at the Volkswagen dealership (in the rain) it was a very poignant moment.

3. Christmas Eve my family came to my house for our first official holiday with hopes of many more to follow. Jon made a Turkey and we had a full spread. We finished the night with chocolate fondue, and opened all of our gifts as Santa was nice enough to visit early since he knew Christmas Day would be spent at Disneyland.
I was surprised that Santa was able to get to our house and bring Rowen the presents he wanted since we tried to visit him THREE different times and were never able to get near him. Santa's elves at our mall claimed there was a THREE hour wait to see Santa, and I was not about to test this theory; so to my dismay, Row did not meet Santa this year. If it truly is a three hour wait, Santa needs a lot more helpers, or else Row's only relationship with Santa will be through the mail.


4. We arrived at Disneyland after checking into our hotel at about 11:00 AM. To my amazement, Disneyland was CLOSED! There were so many dang people there that they were not letting anyone else in the park. Luckily, California Adventure was open (and never crowded) so we went there. We had corndogs for lunch (BEST corndogs in the world) and then went to hang out in the kiddie area. Rowen loved the Bug's Land, and he went on his first ride, that Heimlich Caterpillar thing. We also went into the little 3-D bug movie that they have there; where Row seemed unaffected by water and air being sprayed in his face. We were having a great day, but Grandma and Grandpa were not feeling well, so we knew that the day was going to be cut short, so we headed over to Disneyland which had reopened after people started to leave for the afternoon. We had dinner, Grandma and Grandpa left for the day, and then Me, Jon, Row and Uncle Jeff, went on Pirates of the Caribbean. We were seated right in the front of the boat which is usually great, except we knew we were going to get wet and that we would have to keep Row dry. That little Row is a trooper. He loved the ride; loved the pirates; but most of all loved...that's right, the dog holding the keys to the jail cell. He actually craned his head around to keep his eyes on that dog.
After the ride, Rowen was dry, but we were all wet, and cold, and frankly tired of the crowds, so we decided to call it a day. Jeff went home, and we headed back to the hotel. On our way back to our hotel, The Convention Center Hilton, we realized that it used to be called the Anaheim Hilton and Towers... the location of our very first prom and one of our first dates- 16 years ago.

5. Our New Year's Eve was uneventful, but New Year's Day was spent at Jon's dad's house visiting Darcie, Kelly, and little cousin Soren. It's always fun to visit with the cousins, but Rowen better watch himself as Soren is growing and growing, and will one day be able to put quite a thumping on Rowen if Row continues stealing all of the toys.

Happy New Year!!! (Did you actually read this whole thing?)