Friday, March 30, 2012

Dora and Diego

Our good friend, Brooke, loves Dora the Explorer.  Her mom, Natalie, found out that the Dora and Diego -- Let's Explore! exhibit was coming to the Discovery Science Center in Orange County.  So, one Friday, we packed up and headed North for a day of fun!  


Kaden liked the purple planet space ship, the piggie pirate ship, and the garden most of all.








Kaden and Brooke searching the high seas on the piggie pirate ship.
















Kaden holding hands with his new friends, Diego and Dora.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Balboa Park

One of Kaden's favorite books is, Good Night San Diego.  It is a little book that exhibits all of the fun things to do in our city and Kaden gets so excited when he recognizes places we've visited.  That gave us the idea to explore all of the places mentioned in the book and recreate photos from the pages.  We started with Balboa Park.  


Kaden posing by the fountain in front of the Natural History Museum.


On Nikigator - the mosaic alligator by artist Niki de Saint Phalle


Every Tuesday a different museum in Balboa Park offers free admittance to San Diego residents.  This Tuesday, it was the Air and Space Museum and the Automotive Museum.  Kaden deemed the Air and Space Museum "way better" - I think this was because he wasn't allowed to touch any of the antique cars.



We ended our visit with a picnic lunch.  A fun day indeed!  I think I may be looking forward to this project as much, if not more, than Kaden.  Stay tuned...

Monday, March 12, 2012

Delightful Disney

As a way to jump-start Spring, we spontaneously decided to visit the "Happiest Place on Earth," Disneyland.  We left early on a Saturday morning and drove to Anaheim.  After checking into the hotel, we were excited to hit the park.  Unfortunately, due to a bomb threat, the park was closed for an undetermined amount of time.  I was, of course, quite nervous about this and wanted to turn around and go another weekend.  Kevin, as calm as ever, said we should wait it out.  We were all happy that we did, the park opened about an hour later and we had the time of our lives!


We spent most of our time in Toontown visiting with the Disney characters and exploring their houses.


Kaden's eyes lit up when he saw all of his favorite characters.  It was the type of excitement that had him running in place.  If you know him, you know that this is his sign of being super excited.  


Kaden at Toontown's Fire Department


It's A Small World


While Kaden loved all of the outdoor rides (even the roller coaster that I thought was way too old for him), the indoor rides were another story entirely.  He liked It's a Small World, but he wanted off all of the other indoor rides as soon as they started.  Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters, even Nemo's Submarine ... he was terrified of all of them.  I think it was a combination of the darkness and the loudness, but he buried his head in my chest and repeated, "all done, Mommy, all done."  I'm not sure why we didn't learn our lesson after the first one, poor guy probably thought that we were trying to torture him.  



Kaden on the rides he most enjoyed - the Astro Orbitor Rocket Ships, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the spinning teacups, and Casey Jr.'s Circus Train.


The Carousel - no matter the amusement park, this ride is always a favorite of Kaden's.  Every time he rides one, he looks up at the gears to see how it works.  I love watching him try to figure it out.  An engineer in the making?


Getting ready for the big parade - we had a front row seat!


Kisses at Sleeping Beauty's Castle


While we waited for the valet to get our car, Kaden took some time to watch some of the old black and white Mickey Mouse episodes on the television in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel.  I love the teeny-tiny rocking chairs!



We had a sleepy boy on the ride home - the sign of a successful trip!