Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

We decided to check out some 'local' attractions this weekend again and headed out to the LA Zoo. The Zoo isn't too bad. It seemed like a lot of exhibits were empty. They're building a HUGE elephant exhibit, so we weren't able to see the elephants.

We told Nick we'd be going last night while he was getting ready to go to bed. He was very excited. He wanted to see lions, tigers, elephants and penguins. No penguins either, so two out of four. He had fun though. And Mommy & Daddy got a work out - it's near Griffith Park and is very hilly. Whew!

They had a kids playground with an alligator. Here's Nick checking out his teeth.


Then giving him a pat on the nose. He did see some real alligators, but they weren't moving so I don't think they were that exciting.


Apparently the gibbons do their shopping at Whole Foods.


We lucked out with the orangutans. Just as we pulled up the the window, one of them came right up next to Nick and hung out until we left.


I think she had a crush on him - as soon as we moved the stroller away, off she went. Really, can you blame her?


We didn't get to see everything as it became WAY past his naptime. So we missed a lot of birds, the Children's Zoo and other assorted animals. I guess this means we'll have to go back!!

Oh no! Stitches!!

Well, we knew it would happen. As a our friend Dot said, we thought it would be while playing hockey, baseball or football. Not to mention, we thought it would be long after his second birthday!! But, nope. Nick's first stitches came while he was one month shy of his second birthday. And it was a result of running in the classroom, tripping and whacking his chin on the table. This happened barely fifteen minutes after I dropped him off. I hadn't even gotten back home/work when the call came in. So, off to the ER we went. As with any visit to the ER, the whole process took a long time, but we changed sceneries enough that Nick didn't go too nutty (Mommy, on the other hand, was certifiably nutso by the time we left).

Throughout most of our wait, he was asking all sorts of questions. At one point, he asked a question (I have no idea what the question was) and the answer was Doctor. After I answered him, he leaned forward and yelled loudly "Doctor!!!" Nice kid, way to get some service! However, had he known was was coming, he probably would've kept his mouth shut!!

He did really well with everything - this included a "papoose" (think Nick-burrito), a shot for numbing and the stitches themselves. He did cry, but stayed perfectly still in his "papoose" - and the big, burly orderly they had come over to help if he started thrashing about even commented about what a great kid he was & how well he was doing. Yay Nick!!

He wasn't the happiest of campers just after it all went down, but after a long nap that started in the car on the way home, he was back to normal. Asking for peaches and pears, of course. Needless to say, I let him have them.

Here are a couple of pictures - they're not too graphic. That's a little piece of pear on his lip in the first picture.




As of right now (24 hours+ later), he doesn't even realize they are there. We go back tomorrow for a 'wound check' and then back to take them out (I hope) on Tuesday. He'll be a pro in no time!! And Mommy has decided that they need a bar in the ER for parents of toddlers. It would have been quite nice to have a shot of something after all of that. Sheesh. Here's hoping that the next set of stitches will be many YEARS away!!

Choo choo!!!

So, just a few minutes away from our house is a train museum. Given Nick's adoration of Thomas & His Friends, we thought it might be a good place to take him. The museum was a kick - lots of train stuff that would have a train buff drooling. Nick was a little hesitant at first - the woman who was working turned on the train sounds, which included a loud whistle and other assorted train noises. Nick was not too sure about the sounds, as is evident in the photo below...


But after a bit, he got used to the sounds and was cruising around the museum, pointing at everything asking "whassat??" They have an actual engine, a couple of cars and a caboose. Here are Nick & Daddy on the engine.


Nick trying to "drive" the caboose...


Easily distracted by something on the floor...


Nick & Daddy chillin' on the caboose...


The next day, Daddy took Nick to the airplane museum over at Torrance Municipal Airport. I have no pictures of this *sigh* But it wrapped up a weekend of transportation fun! Hmm, I wonder if there is some sort of boat museum around here anywhere...

Brainwashing really works!

As this video proves, brainwashing really does work. Please note that the Niners get many more shout-out's than the Packers do. He even throws in a 'boo Dodgers' for good measure.



But then, of course, his mind turns back to food. We feed him. I promise. Really.

Bock, bock!

Nick does a little dance while he's eating his chicken. And then, of course, asks for peaches. What is it with this little dude and peaches? We may have to stage an intervention.



And please excuse his horrible cough. I've really tried to cut his smoking down to a half a pack a day, but it's been tough.

No Camera!!

As I mentioned in a previous post, Nick has become very anti-camera. Here is some proof. Note at the end, it is actually his little thumb that turns off the camera, not mine. Silly boy.

It also emphasizes his obsession with fruit. Peaches & pears are the fruits of choice this time.



He also needs a haircut. This, I am not looking forward to.

Cinco!!

Last night we were all playing in the living room with Nick's hockey sticks, bowling ball and pins (why does the "Mom" in me worry about the future of our living room windows??? Not to mention the fact that dear Daddy taught Nick how to swing the hockey stick with TWO hands, thus creating a much more forceful hit... hmmm...) Anyway, we were setting up the pins and counting them as we set them up. Kevin decides he'd count them in Spanish too. Why not, right? Nick caught on pretty quickly and loved blurting out "Cinco!" at the proper time.

Why is this "blog-worthy" you ask? Fast forward an hour or so later... while Kevin was attempting to get Nick to sleep last night, Nick had his head on Daddy's shoulder, just about to drop off when... up pops his head and he blurts out "Cinco!!" Head back on shoulder and asleep a few minutes later. That little brain just keeps on churning...

I need to get pictures or videos of these things. But Nick has begun to think of me as paparazzi or something. Each time I break out the camera or Flip video, he says "No Mommy, no camera" and will hold his hand up trying to grab the camera away. Like I'm going to put them on a blog or something! I mean, really. Sheesh.

Spring Training Begins

Yesterday Daddy & Nick hit up Toys R Us to pick up a few toys (always dangerous...) One of Nick's new favorite toys is his baseball & baseball tee. He is getting pretty good at it too!


Look at that form!


He also liked ordering "Mommy do it!!" or "Daddy do it!!" He found it particularly funny if the ball ended up in the ivy or on the street.


Nick was happy to retrieve the ball if it stayed on the grass. However, if it went in the dirt, under a plant, etc., he'd say "Icky yucky. Mommy get it." Humph, thanks, kid.


Other toys purchased included another type of baseball & baseball bat, bowling and hockey sticks. And Nick likes each and every one. (And, not to mention, so does Daddy!!)

Oscar Par-Tay

So we were ordered - eh hem - I mean we volunteered to host the annual Oscar Party for our So Cal friends. We were very excited to have everyone over for our first "official" party at Chez Desotell. While we still don't have the house decorated yet, at least all the boxes are now unpacked and people had places to sit. And of course a TV on which to watch the awards!!

First, and most importantly really, is the bar. I was especially thrilled when our friend Scott actually used our cocktail shaker and a martini glass! I knew I registered for those for a reason!!! We even had yummy olives to go in said martini.


Moving onto the spread. We had meatballs, cheeses, a never-ending-supply of pea salad (Seriously. We were eating it for days. But oh, so good if I do say so myself.) Above mentioned olives, yummy caprese salad (tomato, basil & mozzerella cheese), cookies, homemade apple pie and lots of other stuff that I'm forgetting.


We had to use every inch of space to hold all the goodies (partially because the bar took up a lot of space, but whatever).


And here are pictures of the crew. We had just enough room for almost everyone to have a seat.







Christy & TJ's girls, Rowan & Riley came for the evening too. It was great - they love Nick and kept him entertained for almost the whole night. Toward the end when it was getting close to his bedtime, he decided to check out what was going on in the family room.


He mostly seemed confused as to a) why so many people were sitting on his couch, b) why all his toys were moved into the living room and c) - most importantly - why couldn't he watch Thomas and Friends?


As is custom for Oscar Parties in this neck of the woods, we had a contest to see who could pick the most winners. Jon P. was the lucky winner! And, also as per custom, the loser hosts the next year's party. And guess who that is? Well, let's just say you'll be seeing a similar blog entry this time next year...