Best Babysitters Ever

I am able to post to the blog right now because Mayson is OUT!  She played and watched her two favorite role models at Seward Park today, and fell asleep the minute she got in the car.  I expect a nice, long nap time today after Joey and Hope played with her on the swings, took her on her first trip down the slide, fed her, and went swimming.  Thanks, Jen, Joey, and Hope for a great day out! 

8 Months Old

Mayson had her big 8 month birthday during our trip to California, so of course we had to do some 8 month photo sessions at the hotel, in our favorite parks, munching on strawberries, and with Mama!

 

California Adventure: San Luis Obispo

After we left Santa Barbara we drove north to San Luis Obispo where we stayed for two nights in Pismo Beach and two nights downtown.  We loved the Avila Beach area where we found some swings with a great beach view, a produce market with a farm, and great wine tasting at Kelsey Winery (thanks for the suggestion, Kelly)! We checked out another beautiful beach at Montana de Oro too.  San Luis never disappoints us.  We loved checking out the Thursday Farmers Market, the concert in the park, the tri tip sandwiches at Firestone Grill, and may have had the best clam chowder bread bowl of our lives at Splash Cafe. 

California Adventure: Santa Barbara

The second leg of our adventure brought us to Santa Barbara.  I forgot how much I love it there!  It's amazing by the water, has great weather, and a beautiful downtown with fun shopping.  We explored the captivating court house for the first time with its Spanish tiles, art, and tower view, and had lunch outside at a sunny cafe.  Mayson went swimming in a pool for the first time and loved it!  She also enjoyed sitting poolside, sipping drinks with the latest US magazine.

 

California Adventure: San Diego

We needed to get away to find some sun this summer so we joined Keri for his business trip to San Diego to kick off a week vacation in California.  Mayson was "active" on the plane, and as the flight attendant said afterwards, "You two looked busy." But once we arrived, all was great with sunny 75 degree skies.  We went for a great walk along the bay while Keri was at work, and had a great sunset view at the Shake Shack on the drive to Santa Barbara. Mayson stayed up late playing on the hotel bed, and hit some new milestones.  She learned how to eat finger food, which gave her hours of entertainment with her baby puffs, and she learned how to roll over in the middle of the night.  Now all we need for her to figure out is how to roll back so she doesn't wake up crying. 

Exploring Nature

Mayson loves walks and looking at flowers around the neighborhood.  We take an almost daily trip to the Maple Leaf park to swing and play in the grass.

First Zoo Trip

Mayson made her first visit to the Woodland Park Zoo today!  Her first big animal sighting was the peacock that walks around the grounds and displays its feathers.  Then we saw an elephant in its barn, some penguins feeding and swimming, a leopard pacing, and some flamingos that were having an argument.  She was quite enthralled with the fish tank in the indoor playground, but my favorite were the gorillas who came up to look at Mayson through the glass. 

Juneau 4th of July

We went to Juneau to celebrate the 4th, see the Stephens family, and attend Keri's 20th high school reunion.  We had great dinners with the family, and Mayson got to meet Uncle Keith and Uncle Kristin, as well as Aunt Debbie, and cousin Kyle.  She loved visiting with her grandparents and playing on her new bouncing toy at their house.  We went to the downtown 4th of July parade, and had play time at Sandy Beach and Auke Rec.  We visited the Mendenhall Glacier, and of course Bullwinkle's Pizza.  Mayson went home in true AK style with new Carhartt overalls and a hat.  We had a great time visiting with Jennie and her parents at their home and cabin, and loved playing with Jonathan, Dave, and their families!  We loved seeing the whole Juneau class of '91 crowd too of course!