2015 Santa Picture with Mall Santa

Here it is, Folks! Our 2015 Santa picture. I'm proud to report that there was no crying this year but there weren't any smiles either. This is the best photo we took, Parker looked terrified in all the rest. We opted to visit the Santa at Westfield UTC this year and I think it's safe to say that we will be going back to the Seaport Village Santa next year. 

Mom tips:

1. Pictures with mall Santa were more expensive (the basic package + digital copy was close to $50) and you only get a digital copy of 1 photo. With Seaport Santa you get all the photos from your session on a disc. 

2. We paid for the SantaFastPass and the workers weren't paying attention to whether or not people were in the fast pass line so we still had to wait. 

3. Mall Santa was too chatty. Clearly my child is afraid of you. Please stop asking for high fives.

4. The picture quality and photo background were not as good as Seaport Santa. 

Do you know of other good Santa photo opps in San Diego? Please leave a comment below.

I've pretty much been the worst blogger of all time the last few months. This is a fact. If you want more frequent updates, follow me on Instagram @parkerproject! 

Annual Bates Nut Farm Visit 2015

The pumpkin patch(es) at Bates Nut Farm opened last week and we made our annual trip out to Valley Center to check out the Big Macs over the weekend. Like last year, the Big Macs were not as big or plentiful as the first year we visited but we still had a great time walking among the pumpkins, taking pictures and visiting the animals. I really can't believe how much Parker has grown since our first visit! 

Mom tips:

-Go early. The light isn't great for pictures but it gets hot and crowded in the afternoons. 

-Go early. The road into Bates is small. Traffic can get really backed up.

-Bring water. 

-Bring wipes or antibacterial stuff because there aren't any hand washing stations by the animals. 

Bates Nut Farm

15954 Woods Valley Road

Valley Center, CA 92802

[They are looking more and more alike everyday.]

[Can you spot the bees hard at work?]

[Parker was not into taking pictures and posing this year. All he wanted to do was climb on stuff. So I just let him do his thing and tried to capture since budding sense of adventure in my snaps.]

[This is what you get when you say, "Smile and then we can go look at animals."]

[This persimmon tree was perfection. I may or may not have rolled that big pumpkin to that spot to get the shot.]

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Welcoming 2015

Happy New Year! I apologize that's it's been so quiet here on the blog but I'm glad to be back to ring in a new year. The past few weeks have been filled with family, friends, food, laughter and mornings of "sleeping in". It was glorious. Now we are back and I can't wait to share more photos, projects and adventures with you. 

Here are my resolutions so you guys can hold me accountable. 

Mary's New Years Resolutions

-Read at least 25 books 

-Walk Frank at least once a day

-Run 200 miles 

In other news, Parker's birthday is just around the corner and I am completely unprepared.