San Francisco

Back in the beginning of November we went up to Northern California to visit Chad's Grandma Jensen. She lives just a BART ride away from San Francisco. His parents watched Cole for a day so that Chad and I could explore the city without planning around nap times. This day was a blast! I really felt like we were on the Bachelor, going on this fun date, exploring a new place and finding love (without the helicopter ride). We took electric bikes over the Golden Gate Bridge, had lunch in Saucalito, rode bikes back over the bridge, cruised around Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, ate fresh crab, ate pizza at Boudin's, splurged with a Sea Salt Caramel Shake from Ghiradelli, and then took the trolley back to Union Square where we walked around downtown and then hopped on BART back to our little guy! 

The next day we went to the Oakland Zoo, it was perfect for Cole. He's been learning his animal noises and would smile and look at us like "did you hear they ACTUALLY make that noise?". Oh kids are the best. We also went to Lake Chabot and let Cole run wild, he's enjoying his new found freedom of running.  We had a great time playing games at night with his grandma and parents and can't wait to go back when its warmer and we can go swimming. Chad jumped in to give his grandma a good laugh, even though it was barely 60 degrees out.

We ended up in San Diego

Last weekend we were itching to get out of our apt and go somewhere for a night. Cole was still sick with a cold, which had cooped me up in the house the past couple of days and I was getting stir crazy.  We laid down Cole for his nap on Friday morning and Chad decided to book a hotel down in San Diego, and we were on the road by 1:00, record time for us.

We stayed at the Omni Hotel in the Gaslamp District, its walking distance to SeaPort Village, which is one of our favorite places to walk around at Sunset. It's amazing how much I enjoy just watching Cole walk around with no direction, discovering new sights, sounds, and even tastes. Life really has slowed down in some ways, and sped up in others with a child.

Another favorite spot is Old Town San Diego. Little did we know it was the "Day of the Dead" and  crazy busy with face-painted skeletons and dressed up zombies. Parking was next to impossible so we stopped at the Mormon Battalion for a quick tour to justify parking in their lot. The tortillas you can buy on the street are so authentic and delicious we ended up eating about a dozen for dinner. Between the regular, chocolate and strawberry flavors we covered a 3-course meal :)

On Saturday we met up with our friends Dave and Jill, and their two kids Chace and Ariana at Balboa Park. We had a great time exploring, riding the train, people watching, and catching up. We don't have a ton of friends with kids so it was fun having them close by to do kid stuff with, and also feel like we got to hang out with friends! Oh San Diego, we sure love you!

Shark Sighting

Don't worry this is a friendly shark, who was more interested in people's dogs than in the candy he collected. I never knew I could have more fun than when I went trick-or-treating as a kid. If you know me, you know how much I love candy, which is why Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. But having Cole has made Halloween even more fun. It was great dressing him up, seeing how he would do wearing his costume (he did great), and taking him out to a couple of neighbors.

Since he loves the outdoors he enjoyed walking the neighborhood and stopping at a few houses. At the first house we went to he got two pieces of candy and he held on to those pieces the whole night. He didn't care about anything else besides those candies (which melted in his sweaty little hands), and the dogs that barked at the doors. We then headed back inside and passed out candy to some trick-or-treaters. Chad quizzed each kid about their costume and depending on how well they answered him, AND how old they were, determined the type of candy he gave them (crackers, tootsie pops, or the good chocolate).

The Cutest Proposal!!

My younger sister Hayley was proposed to two weeks ago! Her proposal is one of the cutest I have seen, and luckily her fiance makes wonderful videos and has the whole thing recorded. Whether you know Hayley or not, this cute video is worth the watch!

Pumpkins

A couple weeks ago we took a quick road trip up to San Luis Obispo. We made a few stops along the way, but Avila Farms had to be my favorite. It is the cutest pumpkin patch, with tons of animals, cute shops, and a wide variety of pumpkins. We enjoyed the cooler temperatures, and Cole loved his new found freedom...walking. Being 1 is just so much fun!

He's a sun bather just like his momma!

Happy Birthday Cole!

Cole's first birthday was such a fun day. We had a "Let's have a ball" themed party, everything beach ball related. He loves the beach and balls, so it was the perfect combination, and the perfect way to say goodbye to summer. (Although in California we still are enjoying summer weather).

Don't bother me, I'm eating

The cutest 1 year old I ever saw

At 1 year he weighs 20 lbs 4 oz, is 30 3/4 inches tall and healthy as can be.
He repeats the words "bottle", "ball" and  "beach", still no mama. He says "whoa" when he does something cool, and "uh-oh-oh" when he drops anything. He can sign "more".  He loves to clap for himself, and when asked "how big is Cole?" he throws his hands high up in the air. He started taking his  first steps the day before his birthday.
He LOVES sweets, especially marshmallows. When we go on walks he looks for dogs constantly. Still loves the beach and wants to play in the water.
 He LOVES his grandmas, when they were both at his party he kept switching off every couple minutes. He got his first 1 year molar. Sleeps through the night most of the time, eats pretty much what we eat, nurses twice a day. We love this little guy and can't believe how good life is just 1 year later when we never thought we would survive :)