My Week with Grandma

TJ was lucky enough to have Grandma come out and stay a whole week with him.  It had been the longest stretch since they had seen each other, and both were so excited to be reunited.

Grandma's carryon was stuffed with goodies for TJ.  He loved the stickers and cars from Pa, and the Jake & the Neverland Pirates toy from Aunt G.  His favorite was the 48-piece pirate puzzle from Ga.  He has been able to master the 24-piece puzzles by his third time doing it, so Grandma wanted to give him a little challenge.  It took him a few days, but after that, he was able to do the puzzle all by himself.  He's such a smartypants. :)

On Sunday, we did have to make our trip to Pier 39 so we could have lunch at Bubba Gump's.  It has become sort a tradition TJ has created.  He loves going there with Grandma and riding the carousel.  (The blue zebra, of course.)

In the middle of the week, Daddy took TJ & Grandma to the SF Zoo.  They all had a great time showing Grandma around their new favorite hangout place.

This visit was a little more mellow. TJ didn't want to do a whole lot, but stay at home and play  Grandma. And play they did. I think the two wore each other out!  TJ took a four-hour nap the day Grandma left.  We're already counting down the days 'til our trip to Colorado.  We're down to 18!

A few days after Grandma left, we finally made it out to our first Rockies game of the season.  Too bad we were surrounded by Giants fans, and too bad the Rockies are terrible, but we still had a wonderful time at AT&T Park.

The big news in our home this week: TJ is potty-trained!!!  He's being doing a really good job about it, but he was relying on his pull-ups when he wanted to be lazy.  The week he stayed home with Grandma, we kept him in undies most of the time, and when he went back to school last week, we committed to undies.  He had one little accident the entire week, and he's been accident-free for five days now!  Yipee!!!

Fun in the Sun

The three of us took a quick trip to Southern California for Labor Day.  Daddy had his annual Fantasy Football draft party in Orange County, so TJ & Mommy tagged along, and we managed to get a lot of visiting done in just two days.

It started with a fun get-together at the Berlanga's.  While the boys were drafting their teams, all the moms & kiddos hung out, talked, ate snacks, played and swam in the pool.  TJ loved playing with Sam, River, Liam, Amelia, and Jagger.  He especially loved Sam's Spider Man toys and of course, Sam's pool.  TJ hasn't spent much time in the water, but he wasn't phased at all!  He swam and swam, and slid down the slide splashing into the water.  It was definitely a challenge getting him out of there!

The best part: we were able to get the kiddos to sit in the same spots they did 2 years before, and "re-create" the picture from 2010.  (It only took a little bribing with candy!)

After a fun day with everyone, it was time to make the drive north to Nana's house.  TJ ended up passing out on the way, and he didn't wake up until the next morning.  Once he was awake, it was playtime!  TJ had fun playing with Nana & all of the toys at her house. 

We then headed back to Orange County to visit Rode, Christine and their brand new baby girl, Elle.  She is such a precious little girl, and we were so glad to be able to meet her and see the new parents!

After our visit, we headed to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana.  Uncle Justin & Auntie Ann met us there, and we all had such a great time chasing TJ around!   TJ loved exploring all the exhibits.  He especially loved the trash truck game, the airplane and the submarine.  It was nice to visit with Justin & Ann.

After dinner, we went back to Nana's house for some more playtime with Nana & Bill.  Peggy stopped by for a visit, and TJ enjoyed playing with her, too.

It was a quick trip, but we always say, it's more about quality than quantity! 

Busy Busy Busy

It’s been an extremely busy month around the Martin camp, we just haven’t had time to keep up with it all!  So, here’s the rundown:

Santa Cruz Staycation
August 4-5

We decided to take a trip along the coast down to Santa Cruz.  We had tickets to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, so we took advantage of a weekend together.  TJ had a blast.

He LOVED riding all the rides, and there were plenty for him to ride by himself.  The kid wouldn’t give up!  He was so tired, he even almost fell asleep on one of the rides.  TJ managed to take a break for some fun on the beach before heading back to ride some more. 

 

This was TJ’s first memorable experience staying in a hotel.  (The last time, he was 3 months old.)  He thought it was so fun, and he kept asking us, “Who’s house is this?”

 

The very next day, we got up, and drove 15 minutes north to the Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton for A Day Out with Thomas. We weren’t quite sure if he was going to be into it as much as last year, or if he had grown out of the Thomas phase, but he was all smiles all day!  He loved getting his face painted, getting a tattoo “like Mommy” (not quite like Mommy’s), and of course, taking a ride through the Redwoods on Thomas.  It was a great day, and a wonderful weekend away for the whole family.

 SF Zoo

August 12

The following weekend, we made our first trip to the SF Zoo.  It’s literally minutes from the house, and we can’t believe we haven’t gone before.  A special, FisherPrice Play Date is what drew us there.  One of the many things TJ is into is a cartoon called Rescue Heroes.  Billy Blazes, the firefighter in the series, was to make an appearance, so we decided to go meet him. 

The play date was fun – TJ tested out all sorts of new toys, drove some cars on the Power Wheels driving course, and loved meeting Billy Blazes.  The zoo has a wonderful children’s park, so he had a great time playing there, as well.

After spending most of the day playing at the zoo, we managed to see a couple of animals before it was time to head home.  We ended up getting a family pass, and TJ and Daddy have already taken advantage of the zoo a few more times.  They’ve actually seen animals, taken a train ride, and of course, took a spin on the carousel!

 

Schott Baby Shower

August 25

The following weekend, we took another road trip.  This time, we drove a few hours east to celebrate our friends’ Gary & Jenn, and their baby on the way.  TJ talked, not slept, the entire way there and back.  He was a little shy for a few minutes, but quickly warmed up, and stole the show.  While the parents-to-be were opening gifts, TJ stood up and started singing.  He took a few songs upon request before his little performance was over.  He’s such a ham!!!