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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San Diego: Awesome 80s Run Nov 1

Looking for a fun way to burn off the Halloween candy you will be consuming on Oct 31? Sign up for the Awesome 80s Run! The Awesome 80s run is a stroller-friendly, pet-friendly run dedicated to the most righteous decade of all time. $40/person to register. Join me as I chip away at my goal of running #200milesin2014.

[Finisher's medal for the Awesome 80s Run]

WHAT IS THE AWESOME 80’s RUN?

Like, duh! It’s a totally tubular 5k run that celebrates the most righteous decade of all time! Travel back in time with us to the days of big hair, neon colors, leg warmers, headbands, and some of the best party music ever recorded! Dress up as your favorite celebrity or cartoon character from the 1980’s to run, walk, or skate to earn a wicked medal and other gnarly prizes!

EVENT DATE:

11.01.14 – San Diego 

 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:

*Coolest Costume Contest.

*Awesome ’80s medal for all finishers.

* Bodacious ’80s logo t-shirt for all participants.

*Live ’80s Cover Band, Dance Crews, and Entertainment.

*Rad ’80s photo props including a Back To The Future DeLorean.

* Perfect opportunity to dress up in your wackiest, most colorful ’80s gear!

RACE AWARDS:

* All Finishers will receive a Totally Awesome ’80s Style Finishers Medal.

FUN COMPETITIONS:

Fun competitions will be held on the main stage after each race. The best individual costume will be announced on Facebook.com/Awesome80sRun and additional awards will be given in the following team categories:

Massive to the Max (Largest Team)

Most Tubular Team Name

Raddest Team Costumes

San Diego: A Half Day at Balboa Park

If you Google "family friendly vacation destinations" one of the top destinations is San Diego. There is so much the city has to offer and we love being tourists in our own city. On Saturday, we took a quick trip to Balboa Park to check out the free turtle and tortoise show and ended up spending a few hours exploring the park. If you are visiting San Diego with a LO, this is a must see. There are so many museums to visit, open fields to picnic on or run through, and of course, there is the zoo.

[Tuan and Parker having lunch by the Balboa Park Fountain. I'm happy I captured this father-son moment in front of the fountain where Tuan proposed to me.]

[Matching polka dot shirts. Parker is wearing Ben Sherman and Tuan is wearing JCrew.]

[Family selfie. This is not a great photo of Parker.]

[Checking out the turtles and tortoises at the free show put on by the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society. If you are ever looking for kid friendly things to do in San Diego, check out the events page on Red Tricycle. It's my go to guide for weekend adventures.]

[There was a strict no touching policy. Parker was a little scared so it worked out great.]

[After visiting the turtles and tortoises, we walked over to the zoo and checked out tigers, hippos and pandas. I love being zoo members! Hippo butts are my fave.]

[Since we were already in the area, we drove over the Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream to celebrate National Ice Cream Day a day early. Hammond's has been receiving rave reviews and photos of their ice cream have been popping up all over my social media accounts so we had to check it out.]

[I love that Hammond's offers flights of ice cream. The little cones are the perfect size for tasting and for Parker's little hands. Pictured above are cherry royale, passion sorbet, jamocha almond fudge, mint oreo, strawberry cream and pineapple coconut cream. Pineapple coconut cream was my favorite!]

Shirt: Ben Sherman found on Zulily

Pants: H&M Kids

Shoes: Zara Kids

Swagger: Born with it

San Diego: Parker's First Visit to World Famous San Diego Zoo

Last Friday, we decided to be spontaneous and took Parker to the San Diego Zoo after dinner. For those that don't know, the zoo stays open until 9 PM during the summer. The extended hours let you see all the nocturnal animals in action, is much cooler and a lot less crowded. They also have a performance of strange people dressed as Australian critters going on for Koalafornia. I renewed our family annual membership ($104 for two adults/kids are free until they turn 3) and off we were to explore. 

Our first stop was at the flamingos and ducks. Of course we saw the ducks! Parker was really excited and kept saying "quack quack". After watching the ducks and dining on chicken strips, we made our way down to the koalas. It's been a little while since I've been to the zoo and the Outback addition was a happy surprise. The koalas were settling down for the night and Parker kept telling us to "shush" because they were sleeping. He loved the wallabies jumping around the koala enclosure. After the koalas we strolled over to Elephant Odyssey. At first he was scared but he warmed up to the elephants and had fun trying to mimic the elephant sounds. On our way out of the zoo, we saw camels and gazelles settling down for the night. The tasmanian devil was running around like it had just taken a double shot of espresso. The peacocks were squawking very loudly in the tree by the exit. It was pretty perfect. I can't wait to go again.  

*Note that the children's zoo closes at 7:30 PM. 

[I'm pretty sure I have a photo in front of the elephant bush from when I was a kid.]

Parker's outfit

Jacket: Old Navy

Shirt: Sly Fox Threads

Sweats: Gap

[So excited to see ducks]

[Mama duck and baby duck]

[Chowing down on chicken strips and ranch dip. He loved the souvenir cup.]

[Koalafornia performance. So weird but Parker liked it.]

[Blurry photo of Parker telling us to shush because the animals are sleeping]

[Daddy & Parker checking out the koalas]

San Diego County Fair 2014

The Beatles. Fried food. Farm animals. Games that are impossible to win. Live music. That pretty much sums up the San Diego County Fair. We went last Saturday and the fair did not disappoint. My main goal: check out the angora rabbits. Tuan's main goal: get a tray of Mom's cookies. Mission accomplished and Parker had a great time checking out his favorite farm animals. We were in a out in 2 hours which was perfect because it started getting really hot and Parker wanted me to wear him which made it SUPER hot. 

I also want to point out one very fascinating fact. Every year I tell Tuan I want to go see the angora rabbits and every year he says no because he doesn't want his allergies to act up (Tuan is plagued by really terrible allergies). This year he gave and we went to see the rabbit and lo and behold he did not sneeze once. Amazing right? You have been busted, Husband, and your punishment is a lifetime of visiting the angora rabbits at the SD fair.

Have a great Independence Day weekend, Mamas! If you haven't visited the fair yet, this weekend is your last chance.

[We arrived at 10:00 AM to avoid the heat, parking in the dirt lot and the crowds. The first thing we saw were these giant Beatles characters. So awesome.]

[Ahh too much sugar, deep fried everything and giant turkey legs. Normally I would be excited to see and smell everything that makes the fair so unique but this year I am on a diet and trying to be a good diabetic. It's a good thing I didn't learn about the churro funnel cake until after our visit.]

[Photo booths will always have a place in my heart.]

[Tuan and I did indulge in some Navajo fry bread. We tried this for the first time at an Indian pow wow we stumbled across in Balboa Park a few years ago.]

[Thanks to the all my sessions with the dietitian and the Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide, the sight of the Chicken Charlie's sign made me want to puke. If that's not a sign of progress, I don't know what is. Not this year, Fried Klondike Bar!]

[Hello fluffy rabbit!]

[A few years ago, I was kicked in the stomach by a goat in the petting zoo. It was terrible and left a giant bruise. I'm happy to see that the petting zoo's design has changed and that the animals are behind a fence now. This was hands down Parker's favorite part of his Fair experience. He was able to feed his favorite animal (Baa Baa) and loved it when the goats licked his hand. Best $2 we've ever spent.]

[Shameless bragging but check out my arms! I can see that they are getting more toned. Woo hoo!]

[We meet again evil petting zoo goat.]

[See that toy duck? That's a $20 toy duck because we have no fair game skills.]

[Parker's first pony ride. He loved it!]

Review of Station Tavern & Burgers

This weekend was the first in a while that we didn't have anything planned. No weddings, no birthdays, no holidays. Parker let us "sleep in" until 8 AM and we spent some time cleaning the house and doing chores. It felt really good not to have to be anywhere in particular. 

After a quick bang trim at Clip Art Salon in Kensington, we headed to South Park to have lunch at Station Tavern & Burgers. Ever been to a place that was so kid friendly that you felt weird being there without a kid? This is one of those places. The food is simple, kid friendly, reasonably priced and satisfying. They have an extensive bar menu. Almost everyone there has at least one child under the age of 5 at their table. There is a little play area with chalk boards and a little wooden train for the kids to play in. The outdoor dining area is shady and filled with long picnic tables (perfect for large groups). I failed to take good photos of the space but there are some good photos in the gallery on their website. But let's be real. We came for the tater tots. They are so crunchy and perfect with the chipotle mayo sauce. 

For those who are not familiar with the area, there are a few nice boutique shops to check out in the neighborhood after you've filled your bellies. 

Station Tavern & Burgers

2204 Fern St. 

San Diego, CA 92104

619-255-0657

http://stationtavern.com/

[Parker was hesitant at first about playing with the other kids. After a few minutes he was trailing behind a cute little girl trying to make friends.]

[My Yard Bird and Tuan's Sloppy Joe. That's right. When's the last time you had a sloppy joe?]

[Giant mound of delicious tater tots]

[After lunch we went home for naps and tickle time. I LOVE this photo.]

[Parker playing with Tuan's Beats by Dre headphones. What a cutie!]