Dinosaurs and Butterflies

I don't really have to tell you that two of the greatest things in a toddler's life are the massive mystery of dinosaurs (and the obligatory growling and roars, of course) and the gentle beauty of the elusive butterfly. Recently, we were able to bask in the glory of both at the Natural History Museum.

I will say this, though, do yourself a favor and buy your tickets online prior to your visit (as I suggested but was discouraged from doing so). It will help you avoid bickering "when will you start listening to me?" texts between you and your spouse as you sit and fry in the brutal sunshine while she hangs out in the shade with the baby...I'm just saying.

It doesn't get much better than this.

California Dreamin'

One of the best parts of life on the "outside" is that when the opportunity arises on a weekday, we can venture out on family day trips that would normally be out of the question on the weekend because of our extreme aversion to large crowds of people.

As sad as I am to admit, Camille has only been to the beach a handful of times in her little life because there is nothing worse that having to plop down with only 6 inches of sand between your blanket and your neighbors'. So on a very sunny Thursday, we packed up the bambino and headed out on a salt water adventure.

Of course, it wouldn't be a trip to the beach without an incident with a pervy, lurker but what are you gonna do? I did have to resist the urge to kick him in the wedding tackle when he mentioned to his friends that Cam was going to be a "heart breaker". That is not a compliment and you are only incriminating yourself as complete douche by saying that sort of thing about a child. But I digress...

As it turns out, the ocean is quite a scary thing if you are under 3 feet tall. But even though she didn't want to get her feet wet she had a blast frolicking in the kelp piles, examining the little crabs and spreading the joy of sand all over our blanket.

Disneyland: The Unhappiest Place On Earth

I love Disneyland. From my first visit at the ripe old age of 21, I have been charmed by the phenomenon that is the Land of Disney. I love the sensory overload, the gawking people from the Midwest who can't believe that they just saw a real life lezzzzbeen, I even love the ache in the Achilles after a long day of standing in queues for a 30 second ride.

So imagine my delight when one of our dearest friends gave us park hopper tickets...for FREE! I couldn't wait to share this theme park passion with my enthusiastic offspring who has shown herself to be quite the furry mascot aficionado over the last 23 months of her life. I mean come on...this is the stuff of which commercials are made! Mother, daughter and Obbi running in slow motion through the Enchanted Kingdom. It was going to be great. And even though Carley was in the midst of a million day work streak, I began planning the next monumental moment in our child's life.

I started pumping her up on the car ride to Anaheim. Spinning tales of meeting all of her idols in the flesh..er, fur-ry stuff. She wasn't getting it, wasn't really grasping what was about to happen to her. On the tram from the parking lot to the park, a family commented on her "cute curls" (happens a lot, they are a bit like paprazzi without the flashing and we have learned to deal with all of the attention gracefully) and I responded with thanks and that she didn't know what was about to hit her. Oh if I only knew at that moment what the next five hours would hold.

Soon enough we were off the tram and through the pearly gates. Main Street offered her first glimpse at celebrity. She spotted Mickey glad handing on the sidewalk. She started shrieking, clapping and trying to throw herself out of the stroller. Thank goodness she was strapped in! I couldn't have been more pleased and prepared myself for the best day of my life. After Cam sufficiently basked in the over sized rodent's glory, it was on to the castle for the traditional photo op. See below for precious Kodak moment.

As soon as the camera was securely zipped back in it's protective pouch, our visit began a steady swirl around the toilet bowl. This demise was facilitated by my choice to start our journey with the Snow White ride since there was no line and I didn't want her to get antsy right out of the gate. What I didn't bother to notice is the the friggin ride is called Snow White's SCARY Adventures. Good one Mom! We asked the girl running the ride if Camille would be okay and she said yes, just put her on your lap. Umm, it would have been nice if she had bothered to mention that it was only 8:30 am and the rest of our day would be ruined by what was going to transpire in the next 60 seconds. In no time, Camille was gripping my hands and crying out in sheer terror. It was horrid and the fact that you are trapped in the little car for the duration just made matters worse. Nothing will let me forget the look on her little face as we walked out into the sunlight again, tears streaming down her face, wondering what the hell she had done to deserve such treatment. Kill me now.

War torn



Starting to revive

 Thankfully, the Tea Cups are next on the road so we tried to redeem ourselves by encouraging her to sit a spell in the giant tea cup meant for more photos. If there is one thing this gal loves, it is a tea party so her spirits began to lift. Once it seemed we were on the road to recovery, I suggested we give the ride a try but got vetoed by Carl whose worst nightmare is spinning around at break-neck speed with no means of escape. Even the idea of watching Cam and I on the ride made her stomach churn so she pointed the way to the Storybook Land Canal Boats and I followed (ten feet behind, of course). Things were looking up as we stood on line, thankfully distracted from the long wait by a colorful menagerie of folks who didn't seem to notice that they were surrounded by children and liberally employed expletives as they fed their kids cotton candy. I mentioned it was just past 8:00 am, right? Riiiight.



Notice the whale in the background...it has teeth...to eat us.



Well long story endless, I will summarize the trip by saying this: Rides get a big fat thumbs down from Ms. Camille, even if they feature her very favorite characters. Monster's Inc, I'm talking about YOU!

Meeting all of the Disney favorites in Toontown gets a major thumbs up.

Highlights of the trip include the nap under the Ponderosa Pines in California Adventures while Mommy and Obbi powered down ice cream bars and working as a valet in Toontown.

Thankfully, we all lived to fight another day. We will be back again in a year or so and you can bet that we will avoid that darn Snow White like the plague.

Back In The Saddle Again

So, I just heard that there are a few people that actually read my blog! Initially I was supremely flattered and then I felt really embarrassed because I haven't written an entry since April...YIKES! As most of our pals know, a lot has changed since the last time I wrote. I left my job of 13 years at the end of April and have been adjusting to life on the "outside".

Of course, in the last 4 months, Camille has basically become a different person. I think one day when I wasn't looking, she had a Freaky Friday moment with an 8 year old with a speech delay. Watching her grow up and become her own person truly is a delight. It is hard to describe without sounding like a Hallmark card so I won't even attempt it.

Here are a few snaps from our adventures from the past 4 months. I vow to be a better blogger from this day forth.

Wearing a gray mustache like grandpa's

Conducting business

Up to no good with Cousin Adrian

"where are those eye teeth?!?"



"umm, rasins...what?"



First popsicle experience