Candyhouse Grandpa

While up in Oregon, Dylan wanted to do whatever my dad was doing. He'd be getting in to his swimsuit and he'd ask "Is Grandpa getting into his swimsuit right now?"

We'd be getting ready for the day and he'd ask, "What kind of shoes is Grandpa going to wear today?"

Hiking stick time

On Grandpa's paddleboard. They took almost daily trips around on the lake together, Dylan perched on the front of my dad's board.

Making fires at night.

Swimming on the lake together.

Fishing.

Playing his guitar for the kids. (He's learning to play a metallica song that is just too cool).

We found them clowning around together at the Newport Aquarium.

Dylan loved spending time with his Candyhouse Grandpa.

Weekend at Nama's

This past weekend we went down to San Diego to see Ryan's grandparents in town from Florida.
While we were there, we took Dylan to the zoo, as promised when he was 'potty trained'. Now I need to preface this and say he's not COMPLETELY potty trained, but Ryan and I are. We know when he needs to go and he's been wearing underwear pretty solidly for a few weeks. We promised he could go to the zoo with his 'Football Nandma' when he could wear underwear all day.
Dylan helping his grandma and great-grandma read the map at the zoo.
Ryan's grandma and grandpa.
Dylan as 'Aqua Boy' - spending record amounts of time in the pool, until his fingers were red, pruney, and raw from the concrete!
Swimming with daddy.
Ryan with his hair a bit grown out... I'm voting for him to keep it longer from now on.

To Grandma's House He Goes!

For the first 10 days after Addie was born, my parents came down and stayed with us, helping with Dylan and stocking up our freezer with meals. Having them here was a huge blessing and I definitely had some adjusting to do with both kids last week on my own (see previous blog for how that went!)
When they left the plan was for Dylan to go up for a visit sometime in the next couple weeks before they left for Oregon again.

So, tomorrow Dylan will be going up to stay with my parents for the rest of this week, and we'll go up to get him this weekend. I know he'll have a wonderful time with his grandparents and cousins (after all, somehow my parents can make a trip to Costco fun for a 3 year old), yet I'll certainly miss having him here. That's the selfish, worrying mommy in me, I know.
Imagine what a wreck I'll be when he goes off to camp oneday, or (GASP!) college!!!

Baby Addie will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. She's been tracking with both eyes since 2 weeks and she's grown to like her baths as long as I make sure she's been fed beforehand (big, big mistake that first bath). She's sleeping pretty well at night, waking up about 3 times (every 2 hours). And as long as I don't put her down in the bassinet, she seems to be happy.

Grandmummy and Grandpapa

Like I mentioned in the previous post, my parents came down for a visit this past week.

It was a quick trip, but still great for Dylan to get some quality time with his Grandmummy and Grandpapa. My dad had a dentist appointment down here in LA, so they came by afterwards for the night and following day.
Those tender moments between grandchildren and their grandparents are so special and I'm thankful for the afternoon that we all could share. Our original plans included a walk over to the park, but it turned out to be a rainy day, so we all stayed inside. In the end, I think Dylan got to enjoy more one-on-one time with his grandparents and I'm glad for that.

We hope to make a trip up north to visit them and my sister in the next couple months. And since both my nephew Andrew's birthday and my birthdays are on the same day at the end of next month, we are planning to all meet up in Santa Barbara to all celebrate together.

Oh, and today I spent a good part of the afternoon sorting through a random box filled with old letters, pictures, and drawings I had saved from long, long ago and forgot about until today when I decided that it needed to be opened. There were letters from my best friend at 11 years old, pictures from my 5th grade Catalina trip, letters and pictures from my high school boyfriends from 9th, 10th, and 11th grade... prom pictures, dance recital pictures, calculus notes, a 12 year old's new year's resolutions, swim team pictures, birthday cards, journal notebooks, and a few of my old horse drawings. Each picture and card surfaced a flood of memories, which I later shared with Ryan while Dylan napped and the sun set slowly outside. It was an afternoon for reminiscence and reflecting on what shaped me into the person I am today.