Let's have Fun!

We had a very rainy MLK weekend in So. Cal., but that was not to stop Milo from a great weekend. Fri. night we had a little play date, where he had a little trouble sharing his stuff, but mostly had a good time. Then Saturday, to beat the rain, we headed to the zoo. When we were leaving he sighed from his stroller, "A great day at the zoo." How cute is that?

Monday afternoon, amidst the downpour, he kept asking me to do stuff with him over and over and over. I guess he didn't notice I was trying to sit on the couch under a blanket and read. Exasperated, he said, "Mommy, let's have FUN." Well who can blame him.

BTW it's a little out of character for him to have trouble sharing. He got some stuffed toys recently with the plastic eyes. Murphy loves to eat those out. We were trying to keep the toys from Murphy, when one day Milo said it was OK for him to have it. He said sweeping his arms over the disaster zone that used to be our living room, "I have all these toys to play with." Cute, cute, cute!

Berry Knott's Farm

Per my Christmas wish, we escaped our little condo for two nights in Buena Park for family fun. The first night, we drove 15 mins further to Downtown Disney to eat and browse. At the Lego store, we found this "Dartha Lader" as Milo calls him. He LOVED him. He LOVED to be scared by him, until he was actually scared of him and we had to leave.

The next morning, we ate a ridiculously huge breakfast, and headed to Knott's Berry Farm. This name was hard for Milo who called it Berry Knott Farm. Even Dad once called it Knott's Dairy Farm. hahah I was told anywhere we went would be crowded over the holiday season. Not true! Knott's was practically empty with no lines anywhere. Often times, Milo was the only kid riding the ride. It was great! Here he is in the Snoopy bounce house...

Here he is alone in the spinner ride. Can you believe was a big boy he is? He had to ride alone- no helicopter mom's or dad's allowed.

We all rode the monster truck ride. FYI Knott's is great for toddlers. We spent the whole day there, but Milo and Lyman walked over to the hotel for a nap for about 2 hours. While they were gone, Mom watched two shows, and Dad and I rode 2-3 big kid rides. That was enough for our old aching bones. It took an hour for my teeth to settle back in after one ride! When Lyman and Milo got back from napping, we hit all the kid stuff, and then Lyman and I rode some more terrifying stuff. It was super fun.

Snoopy!

We stayed in the Knott's Resort hotel attached to the park to A. walk over to take a nap and B. save a ton of money on their baragin deals. You could pay extra to stay in a Snoopy suite, and Snoopy will come to your room to say good night and you sheets will have Snoopy on them. That is not worth the money, because Milo saw, talked to and hugged Snoopy three times! They are super good friends.

Here is Milo showing Snoopy his Snoopy.

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner

Our second evening we ate Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner- that meal that started it all in the 30's. I felt like I had to have the dinner to complete the experience. Milo has had all kinds of fried chicken pieces over the past 2 years, but not a whole piece. It was nauseating to watch him eat just the skin- we all know it's the evil best part- but most of us also eat the meat to balance it out.

This face clearly says he has has TOO much fat and starch. I think we all felt that way.

Vacation is over, back to eating better.

Villa

Sunday we drove to the beach to visit the Getty Villa. Mike had not been there before, but he was too sick to come. Most of the trip he rallied through his cold, but he had to sit this one out. Lyman had to watch football, but Kelly invited some friends who were charming additions to our party. Milo loved the gardens and kid room. Last time we went, he also loved the galleries for their echoing qualities, so we skipped those this time.

In the kid-hole they had these Olympic props and screen to act out your sport or battle. You could also write with a white board marker on play pots.

Here is K's special pot.

Whew!

I love vacation days with daycare! Milo went to school Monday, and we went downtown to Chinatown to have a look and then to The Standard to have a look around from high above! K has a lot more imagination for activities than I do, so I love it when she comes to visit.

Tuesday we kept Milo out of school so he could go with us to the La Brea Tar Pits. That place is really cool. Outdoors, there are big fences around the pits of tar where scientists are actively picking bones out of the tar. Very stinky job! Then inside, what they have found is on display. They have found a ton of stuff, but the museum is nicely laid out and easily seen in about an hour which is perfect for a 21/2 year old and a Daddy who is not crazy about sloth skeletons.

After the museum, the girls left the boys to a trip to Mood (Project Runway fans) and the movie "The Young Victoria" at the Grove where they had this beautiful tree.

Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad arrived the last two days of K&M's visit. We put them to work right away watching Milo the first evening so we could go to a Tiki bar and the Dresden club. Poor Dad was really sick, and had to stay in alone New Year's eve while Mom babysat alone so we could go to Lyman's gig. Now Dad is feeling better, but K & have left. Saying goodbye is always horrible, and pathetic with crying. Mom helped me keep it together on the drive home from the airport by stopping by a mall to buy new bras. Here we are in the park on a very warm and sunny Saturday with some of our best friends.

Finally the T-ball has found it's home- outside in the park is much better than my living room.