Disney Parks with a Toddler Part 2

Did we go to California Adventure again this weekend? Yes. Are these photos from this weekend? No. These, my dear readers, are photos from Mother's Day weekend because I am a slacker. Never fear, Disneyland Part 3 will also be posted this week. Enjoy!

[Having some yogurt by the crazy colorful murals by the Mad T Party stage. It's a great spot that is hardly ever busy.]

[On our last trip to Disneyland, we rented a locker to store Parker's cooler of milk. This time we did not and it was so much more convenient to be able to grab a snack or bottle without having to trek through the park. The child care center is located relatively far away from the lockers in the front of the California Adventure park. Side note: I love our TWELVELittle Courage Diaper Backpack. It is stylish, functional and most importantly unisex.]

[In line to watch Disney Junior Live]

[Want to see a baby lose his mind? Let him watch all his favorite characters sing and dance in an interactive show. Baby. Mind. Blown.]

[Parent selfie while we waited for our table at Carthay Circle.]

[The World of Color menu at Carthay Circle. Totally worth the money. The food at Carthay Circle is the best I've ever had in either parks (included at Club 33). Make sure to book a reservation beforehand.]

[The one thing you MUST order at Carthay Circle. House biscuits, fried and stuffed with white cheddar, bacon and jalapeno and served with apricot honey butter.]

[No matter where we go Parker manages to find a duck. It's like a super power or something.]

[Parker sitting patiently while he has his portrait drawn.]

[Is this how you wear 3D glasses?]

[We took a break from the theme park and hung out in our hotel room at the Hilton for a part of the afternoon. They were able to upgrade us to a Disney view room at no extra cost. The Hilton also provides complimentary mini fridges for milk storage and will heat up baby food for you downstairs in their restaurant.]

[We tried our best to keep Parker up for World of Color. The show didn't start until 9:45 PM which is waaaay past his normal bedtime. Strategy 1: feed him an ice cream sundae from Ghiradelli. Strategy 2: go on crazy spinning rides in bugs land.]

[Everything we did to keep him up totally failed. So what else was there to do except put some sunglasses on him and start taking silly photos? Luckily he woke up in the middle of the show and was able to see a bit of it.]

Overall, I thought that California Adventure was a lot easier to navigate with Parker than Disneyland. The lines were a lot shorter for the kiddie rides at Cal Adventure (carousel, everything in Bugs Land). There were more shows and characters that he recognized and the food options are better. Like I said before, the key to making it through the day is to take it easy. Stick to your little one's schedule as much as possible so they don't get too tired or hungry. Take advantage of the services (and air conditioning!) at the childcare center.  I know it's expensive and you want to fit in as much as possible but that really just isn't doable with a little one in tow.

Follow me on Instagram: sdmama33

Follow me on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marychu33/

Happy 15 Months, Parker!

 

[Suit: Zara Kids, Tie: JCrew Kids, Shoes: Zara Kids, Shirt: Gap Kids]

 

Parker has been growing in leaps and bounds the last couple of months. He can communicate so well now and it's incredible to watch him really transition from a baby to a toddler. His favorite things to say are: doggy, quack quack, ca (fish in Vietnamese) and more. Chasing after him has gotten a little trickier since he is so fast now! He can climb on and off of things and open all the drawers in the kitchen. His appetite is ferocious and he drinks over 50 oz of almond milk everyday. Parker is very social and loves playing with other kids. I'm such a proud mama and can't wait to celebrate Mother's Day with my two handsome men at the happiest place on earth this weekend.

 



New Haircut

It took me 6 months but I finally cut and colored my hair! My bangs are doing a great job of covering up all the baby hair that is growing back from my post pregnancy hair loss. Thanks to my hubby for allowing me 3 hours of mommy time and to Klarissa at Clip Art Salon for making me feel human again. If anyone is looking for a great stylist go see Klarissa. She's been taking care of me for the last 8+ years and has never done me wrong.

[You can't tell in the picture, but I also put highlights in my hair]

Clip Art Salon

http://clipartsalon.net

4155 Adams Avenue

San Diego, CA 92116

Brunch at The Mission

It's my last weekend before going back to work! So let's make it a good one and spend as much time doing fun stuff with Parker and Tuan as possible. First stop, breakfast/brunch at The Mission in North Park. A 30 minute wait for a 3 person table wasn't bad. They were really nice about accommodating our giant stroller too. 

[The menu has a surprisingly large variety of vegetarian options]

[What should we order, Dad?]

[Wanna split some French toast?]

[Extra foamy mocha]

[Roast beef hash]

[The french toast was good but it was too much for one person to eat alone]

The Mission - North Park

http://www.themissionsd.com

2801 University Avenue

San Diego, CA 92104

Extraordinary Desserts for a Very Special Birthday

Sunday was my sister-in-law's birthday and we went as a group to Extraordinary Desserts (downtown location). Surprisingly, there was plenty of parking nearby and they were able to seat our group of 12 after an hour wait which is pretty good for an evening on the weekend. The wait staff, and other patrons, were very patient with our large group which included 3 babies. That seems to be the minimum these days. After dining on some paninis and cheese, we ordered cake and sang happy birthday to Loan! 

[Taking selfies while we wait for our food]

[I opted for a cheese plate instead of a panini. The black truffle gouda on the far left was delish.]

[Talk about getting a lot bang for your buck! The cobb salad was HUGE.]

[Eden and Parker's reaction to Loan's birthday balloon has convinced me that P needs to have a balloon themed 1st birthday party]

[P is going to be spending A LOT of time with Eden at the sitter's soon]

[Happy Birthday Loan]

Extraordinary Desserts - Little Italy

1430 Union St.

San Diego, CA 92101

http://www.extraordinarydesserts.com

NFL Preseason Starts Tonight!

I hope P knows he will be spending a lot of hours in front of the TV with his dad and uncle for the next few months!

[Parker and my BF Chris Collinsworth]

A Baby Dual - Thunder Thighs vs Tyra

This, my friends, is the equivalent of a baby dual. 

[At home we lovingly refer to Parker as TT  (Thunder Thighs) and Kaden as Tyra (because of his big forehead.]

[I hope I'm not giving away my age by posting this video.]

Our First Time at the Little Italy Farmer's Market

Tuan and I (and the Sunday Funday crew) are slowly working our way through the list of farmer's markets in San Diego. So far we have gone to the Point Loma Market (TERRIBLE! Never again), Mira Mesa (Ok but small) and Little Italy. Today was our first time at the Little Italy market and it is by far the best ones we have gone to. Tuan's mom, step dad, sister and baby Kaden came with us to the market and we ate our way through all 3 blocks of vendors. I like to think that Parker really enjoys all the sights and smells but today he mostly looked unimpressed. We were able to pick up some organic green beans, avocados, some good eats and drinks and a little wooden toy for P.

[Next time I am definitely getting some carrots]

[I just turned my green beans into baby food for P]

[Tuan wanted to get some berries but I said no because I barely finished using up all my Costco blueberries. Also, I have a delivery of wild blackberries from Washington being delivered soon!]

[Baby artichoke]

[The hubby and P strolling]

[Best. Picture. Ever. Would love to hire this guy for Tuan's 30th birthday party!]

[I think these are protea?]

[Fell in love with these wooden toys from Germany. I got P the bear. I wish I had gotten the fox too.]

[Spicy watermelon lemonade. Like a diablito without the blend. SO GOOD.]

[Bucket Artisan Pops. Very good. On par with Viva Pops.]

Little Italy Mercato

http://www.littleitalysd.com/mercato/

Every Saturday from 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM