Butterfly Frenzy

Ringing in the New Year with Justin Roberts and Legoland

I'll dispense with the "it's been a long time since I've blogged" update and get straight to it. Happy New Year!It feels great to be back to blogging!

We celebrated New Year's in a bit of a different way this year. Typically, we're traveling back from somewhere (Florida, Mexico, etc) on New Year's Eve day, and we're exhausted in bed well before midnight. This year, in our last day in San Diego, we headed over to Legoland. Yes, Legoland.

Jeff toughed out the amusement park crowds and lines, and the kids loved playing in Duplo Village. But, the main attraction on December 31 at Legoland is the New Year's Eve party for kids. Bands start playing around 2PM, and then the "ball" drops at 6PM.

We made it over to the dance floor in time for a couple of the bands, and our absolute favorite was Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players. Besides the pink tie, green shoes and overall hip clothes, his music was clever, upbeat and fun.

It was amazing to see the kids (and okay the parents too) rock out to the music. Sophie loved it. She danced with a bunch of the other kids, following along to the moves and making up a bunch of her own.

Perhaps my favorite part was the cover of AC/DC's "Back in Black" complete with hand puppet. For an ever-so-brief moment, I felt just the teeniest bit hip <noted without irony>. Needless to say, we had an amazing time, and the kids completely crashed on our subsequent, seven-hour car ride back home. Thanks Justin Roberts, the Players and Legoland!

 

 

 

California Academy of Sciences - Great Outing Despite the Crowds

With backpack and tote bag packed last night, tickets printed out this morning, Jeff and I ventured up to San Francisco with Leo and Sophie to visit the California Academy of Sciences for the first time. We knew it might be crowded but we'd heard such good things about the museum that we thought we'd give it a shot with the kids.

Was it ever worth it! The city of San Francisco has really built out the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park, and, with the addition of the Academy, it's quite a destination. So much so, that when we pulled up today, there was a line of easily 150 people waiting for the doors to open. Hint: don't get in the line unless you already have tickets!

The line moved quickly, a blessing with two kids under two, and we were inside. The building is full of natural light, thanks to the very green architecture. Here's a shot that I like to call the friendly "Death Star."

We wanted to go to the Rainforest but the line was huge and Sophie was antsy. So, we headed straight for the Steinhart Aquarium. Good call. Sophie and Leo were mesmerized by the huge gars from the Mississippi, the monstrous halibut and the extremely cool looking sea pens.

We spent quite a bit of time roaming around the aquarium, checking out the coral reef fish, the octupus and more. Both Jeff and I felt the immediate urge to travel and snorkel or dive, but, a visit to the museum may have to suffice for now!

We then headed up to the African Center to watch the penguins chow down. The actual set-up for watching the penguins and learning about them wasn't terribly optimal - "everyone move back 5 feet and sit on the floor". But, it was fascinating to learn about what they eat (herring is one key fish) and to see a 26-year-old penguin (10 years older than most).

By this point, we all needed a break from the crowds, and we were lucky to ask one of the many volunteers for a suggestion. On the third floor, we were directed to the Naturalist Center, which had some cozy spots for reading and checking out the various educational efforts. Even better, the Center opened up onto a small balcony that overlooked the entrance and the Planetarium - perfect for snacks and a little discreet nursing.

Before everyone had a complete meltdown (including this mommy who is severly lacking in sleep), we checked out the futuristic and very green "living roof." Jeff and I both expected to be able to do more on the roof, though I'm not sure what (gardening, sunning?), but there were great views and the nice smell of loamy compost.

All in all, the trip into the city and to the museum was a highlight of the last month!

Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz - fun for everyone

With my sister in town, we've been looking for fun activities that entertain two two-year olds without completely exhausting a new mommy. My sister, a doctor, mom of three and all-around amazing person, is here for a conference and is staying down in Monterey. She graciously drove back and forth to see us, but we wanted to spare her travel wits for at least a day

Surprisingly, we discovered that our new house is only 40 minutes away from Santa Cruz. And, a good friend turned us on to a couple of cool activities for kids in Santa Cruz. Natural Bridges State Beach topped the list, and we had a blast. From mid-October to March, Monarch butterflies use this area as a layover in their migration from Mexico. We were a little early to the party, so we only saw a few butterflies. Apparently, there are thousands at the peak. Very cool!

You access the butterfly refuge via a trail near the visitor's center, which has a wooden walkway very convenient for strollers and wheelchairs. There are other hiking trails that are more "natural" which we'll definitely explore another time. In addition to the butterfly refuge, there's a large, protected beach area that is a blast for kids without creating too much panic for parents. This area is huge, which means the little ones can run around and not be too close to the tidal pull of the Pacific Ocean. We were blessed with a beautiful day, and Leo did well in the sling. We plan to go back during peak season.

Surf's Up with Sophie - 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest

Helicopters buzzed and waves crashed as Sophie and I braved the 2008 Mavericks Surf Contest today. After a rough night for us and with the day starting out dreary and cold, I had second, third and fourth thoughts about getting in the car. But, I'm really re-committing to the reasons why we live in the Bay Area, including the amazing outdoor experiences available. So, off to Half Moon Bay, we went.

And, I couldn't be happier that we did. Along with hundreds of other spectators, surf fanatics, and the pre-requisite stoners, we first checked out the scene from atop the bluff overlooking the Mavericks' sets. Normally, when we hike there, we barely see a soul, but the bluff was packed. I was able to watch a couple of surfers drop in on some of the smaller waves and feel the thrill in the air as people ooh'd and aah'd at the physical and mental feats these surfers achieved. There's nothing like seeing a tiny spec of a human catch a massive, 30-foot wave and actually stay up on it!

Then, we headed down to the beach area, where we normally like to let Roxie run wild. Thankfully, I had the brains to leave the pooch behind (though she looked quite forlorn) because I had my hands full with Sophie. The harbor-side of the beach offers a mellow tide, and Sophie wanted nothing more than to race into the water...in January...in Northern California.

I finally broke down, took off her shoes and rolled up her parents. She had a ball, squealing with delight when the water lapped at the shore and loving it when she moved fast enough to get up to her knees in it. Of course, I was feeling like a terrible parent until I saw about five other kids in various states of undress wading and playing in the water.

I did manage to convince Sophie to move past the harbor so we could actually get into the maw that was the Mavericks beach scene. It was packed! Hundreds of people crowded around the big screen to see the surfers attempt to catch and ride these monster waves, which, by the way, were considered small this year! At this point, the fog had completely burned off, the sun was out, and we were stripped down to our last layers. We made it around the bend, getting a shore-level view of the contest. High tide was rolling in, so we didn't make it there very long. After a couple of close, sweep the baby up the arms, calls, we headed back to the car.

 

Now, I'll admit that I expected the worst in traffic, parking and more. Luckily, we left early enough to miss most of the traffic, and the contest organizers did an amazing job to limit traffic snarl, by turning a local airport into a parking area and having rounds of school buses drop folks off in Pillar Point. Again, could not have been happier about making the effort...which is usually the case when we do.