The Big 3! Oh

Garrett turned three with a party at John's Incredible Pizza Company with family. We had an excellent time, spending the whole day playing games and visiting. Highlights included the miniature golf (9 holes x 6 rounds for Garrett), the football game (somehow I managed to get my only bullseye stuck in the goal), and whack the alligators!

Since so many people were winning tickets and giving them to Garrett (Deal or No Deal was mostly Deal!) Garrett had his pick of just about any of the prizes offered. In addition to the gifts he received (not sure where they are going to go, but we are very thankful to have such generous people in our life) he picked out a car track with loops!

We spent all of Sunday playing with his new stuff, especially his Nascar track that takes over the living room and his Gator Golf. Plus we read lots of new stories and played with new puzzles. So much fun stuff to play with!

North Shore is for Relaxing

Staying on the North Shore was heavenly!

Because we are sharing a condo, Garrett is able to visit with everyone without having to go to another hotel room. Furthermore, we are about 30 feet from the beginning of the beach and maybe 100 from the water. Garrett can play in the sand, swim, go in the pool, play in the grass, all within a few steps in each direction.

We had a fantastic dinner at a local Thai restaurant. Everything was delicious, but the Curry Chicken was off the charts. Andrea bought some fresh pineapple and coconut on our drive in directly from the farmers that grew it, so much better than store bought.

Also, we've played a bunch of tennis here, which is a blast! Overall it has been an incredible vacation.

Hawaiian Adventures

We left LAX at 9:30 Thursday morning for Honolulu. The flight was rather uneventful, although Garrett wanted to spend most of the flight with Mormor and Papa! We got upgraded to a mini-van to pile 5 of us plus luggage into. Garrett fell asleep almost immediately after no nap on the plane. He slept for an hour and the whole family went to tea at the Moana Surfrider hotel, overlooking the water. Once Garrett woke up we headed to the pool, where he swam with floatees (and no help from me). Then we headed out to the beach where Garrett enjoyed building a sandcastle and splashing his feet in the ocean. We watched a beautiful sunset! We had dinner in the Morparents' suite.

Friday we had breakfast with Danielle and Justin, then headed to the Honolulu Zoo. As we entered, we saw Flamingos, which Garrett picked as his favorite of the zoo. We also saw monkeys, lizards, alligators, hippopotomus, antellope, zebras, giraffes, rhinosorus, cheetas (who walked right past the glass as we were watching), sleeping lions, black rhinosorus (another favorite), chimpanzees (who threw things and ran @ the glass), sleeping tiger, climbed to the center of a Koi pond, miniture horse, and a Komodo Dragon.

Garrett was getting tired, so we took a rest as Mormor and Papa walked to the zoo, then we all continued on to the Aquarium. The Aquarium is not especially large, but it had some beautiful coral, some interesting jellyfish, and Sea Dragons which are so unusual looking. Garrett saw some sea urchins up close, but did not want t touch them. Then we headed back for Pizza lunch and naptime. After nap we went to Nobu for sushi dinner with Danielle and Justin. I really enjoyed their sashimi tacos and rock shrimp tempura, although the sushi and rolls were rather traditional (code for boring). Still, a good time had by all.

On our walk back from dinner, Justin asked if i'd like to go surfing Sat morning with him. I had never tried it and Andrea had suggested earlier Friday that I might enjoy trying it on the trip, so I took him up on his offer. I had a really hard time trying to "catch" the waves, but had fun trying. Justin knows how to surf and caught a few long rides. I stood up a few times, but with the wave passing me by it did not last for long.



Meanwhile, Garrett and Andrea went to play with Mormor and Papa. Mormor took Garrett to the park, while Andrea and I had breakfast of Acai frozen puree with granola and bananas, with a latte. Then we bought a few gifts to take home (no peeking). Finally, we packed the car to head to the North Shore, which gave me an opportunity to summarize for posting! We've just arrived at Turtle Bay after some roadside Chicken and pineapple!

Aloha

Knott's Berry Fun Day

To celebrate a visit from Andrea's cousin from Sweden (by way of New
York), Malan, we spent Tuesday @ Knott's Berry Farm! Garrett enjoyed
Camp Snoopy, especially the Peanut House, the race cars and the bouncing
house. We are currently on the Calico Train and here's a picture of
Garrett saying hello.

Hanging out @ the Park

I took Garrett to the park while Andrea went to Danielle's Physical Therapy appointment. Such a happy boy!

New York City, Day 4 - The Exit

On our last morning in New York, we finally woke up on Eastern Time! Crystal took us to Sarabeth's for brunch. Anytime there is a line outside, you know there is something to look forward to. The brunch was very good and the ambiance fun.

Post-brunch we finished packing up and headed to La Guardia Airport. Garrett got a real kick out of the bridges in the daylight. Despite being tired, Garrett was very chipper at the airport and on the flight to Atlanta. The one hour layover was not long enough to resolve the Torts book debacle, but I have my fingers crossed for a swift return. We ate and exercised and ran onboard for the flight to California.

Because of headwinds, this cross-country flight to Ontario was the longest of the trip, but within 5 minutes of take-off Garrett had fallen asleep with his head on Andrea's lap. He slept for just over three hours while we watched the inflight movie and enjoyed his sleeping expressions. When he woke up, he was in excellent spirits and had a snack before the plane landed in Ontario.

Garrett is so excited to be home and see all of his toys. He has insisted on taking out all of his Little People, but who can blame him after being reduced to a few toys all week. Andrea and I are tired because we are adjusted (her fully, me partially) to New York time, and Garrett was the only one wise enough to sleep on the plane.

Overall it was a very fun trip, and a great reward for a semester of law school and a Spring Dance Concert completed. Tomorrow I figure out how to do my reading without a Torts book and Andrea gets back into teaching.

New York City, Day 3

Busy and productive day!

This morning we had our first meal at AQ Cafe, the casual dinning of Aquavite (a five-star Swedish restaurant). Lox and herring, plus swedish meatballs and potatoes. Then we spent some time in the Heimbold Damily Children's Center at the Scandinavia House. Garrett enjoyed the icelandic themed playroom, the Lego Blocks, and especially the Brio trains.

Next we proceeded to Radio City Music Hall. The theater is impressive with gigantic hydrolics for the stage elevators. However, the tour drags on a bit as though they felt the need to extend it to an hour in order to charge for it.

After the tour Andrea and Garrett headed uptown to the American Museum of Natural History, while I headed to get discount theater tickets (tried before RCMH, but had to come back). Got half price tickets to see Mary Poppins @ 8.

Andrea and Garrett arrived at the museum just before they started letting people in for free. I would have gladly paid for the experience, but Andrea made it up to them by buying Garrett a horse from the gift shop. I might post separately on how amazing the museum was, but suffice it to say it completely exceeded my expectations.

After the museum we headed back downtown to meet Crystal for dinner. Unfortunately her recommended spot was totally overbooked, with an hour and a half wait, but it worked out because we stumbled upon a fun restaurant, called Havana, that sat us immediately and we all enjoyed. Garrett slept through dinner, which has become his standard nap in New York!

After some delicious Cuban food, we said goodbye to Crystal at our theater and went inside for Mary Poppins. The musical must take a lot from the book as it is very different from the movie version, but that makes the experience fresh for fans of the movie. Andrea and I both agree that the first half ran a bit long and dragged a bit with plot setup, but the second half was very strong. The actor playing Burt is fantastic, acting and dancing really well and singing perfectly for the part. Without running it, he does an amazing manuever during "Steppin' Time" that had our jaws on the floor. Garrett was so good and only got antsy near the very end.

As a reward for sitting through a 2 1/2 hour show, we stopped at Toys R Us (in Time's Square) on the walk home and picked up a new car.

Tomorrow is our last day, but it has been an incredible trip. We are looking forward to a fun morning and hopefully an easy flight home.

New York City, Day 2

Central Park Day! We had lunch food for breakfast on the go and headed to Central Park Zoo. Met up with Jen, a friend of Andrea's from elementary school and junior high, who works in Manhattan and had never been to the zoo before. We saw the Sea Lions and the Seals being fed. The penguins were just hanging out, but too crowded, so we past right through to the Puffins. We had a great view of the Polar Bears; one was sunning itself and scratching an itch. Then we saw monkeys, turtles, rain forest birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, and red pandas. The children's zoo is full of barnyard animals and some cool fish.

Our next adventure was finding the carousel. Google failed me by taking us clear to the other side of Central Park (supposedly about a half mile) only to come back half way to the middle. But it was worth the walk as Garrett loved it! After a little refreshment, we found the horse carriage rides and rode through the park.

On the taxi ride to dinner, Garrett fell asleep on his Momma's arm. We had a delicious dinner at Turkuaz (Turkish food). Garrett woke up in time to have some, but he decided he preferred eggs and sausage back at the hotel. We rode the subway with Jen to the nearest stop and said Goodnight, then walked a few blocks to the hotel. Garrett is finally having his dinner while we plan tomorrow's adventure. We have too many things we want to do for only one more full day here!

New York City, Day 1 Part II

Ruby Foos was delicious for dinner. They have some really fun sushi and the company was also a lot of fun. Crystal reminded me that 3 of us at the table are CLMAs.

Afterwards we took Garrett to the M&M store and he bought a bag of all blue M&Ms! Then we walked to Rockafellor Center and took the trip to the top. The view is really amazing up there and Garrett enjoyed the lightroom too (impossible to explain, pictures and video should follow when we return home).

Central Park tomorrow!

New York City, Day 1

Slept in until Noon since that is only 9 back in CA. Took the hotel a long time to finally put us in a King room, but we are there now.

Had a delicious lunch and walked up to 5th Avenue. Garrett had a blast in Disney Store and didn't want to ever leave FAO Schwartz, although Andrea and I were expecting a bit more. Andrea found a nice sweater to keep her warm. It's a little chilly but not cold.

Dinner tonight at Ruby Foos, our favorite place when Andrea and I came five years ago (no pressure).

New York City, Day 0

Today was all travel. Ontario to Atlanta was 3 1/2 hours. Garrett was very good, but quite antsy near the end. Seemed like the longest descent in history. Note to airplane GPS makers. If it says "Time to Destination: 0:00" for 10 minutes before landing, you need to go back to the drawing board on that feature.

Garrett played tag and jumping at the airport to get out some energy. Then we got back on the same plane for the second leg of the trip. For some reason this time, we were not allowed to sit in front of the exit row with a car seat, so we had to move back. It's just funny because we had just flown across the country in that row.

Landed in NYC anf took a taxi to the hotel. So much traffic for 10:30pm. Garrett fell asleep on the ride. I was mesmorized by the mapquest display in the back of the cab. Andrea tried not to get sick from the way cabs drive in New York.

The hotel gave away our King bed, but promised one tomorrow. I transferred Garrett into the bed (he gets his own with two doubles), but he woke up and wanted to eat with us. Had a pastrami sandwich and matza ball soup from Carnegie Deli, super delicious. Garrett had some yummy mac and cheese from another deli very close. Then off to bed.

Tomorrow morning we'll explore the city.

New York, Day -1

Too much to do to get ready for our trip and I'm spending most of it playing with Garrett. Citrus Spring video is too frustrating to finish before we go.

Tomorrow will be mostly spent on the plane, so we're planning lots of games and activities to distract Garrett from the fact that he cannot run around. Wish us (and the other passengers) luck!

Spring Funward

Last Tuesday Garrett completed his first session of little kickers soccer. He is having a blast playing and his favorite game is "Hungry Hippos" where each goal is a hippopotomus and he has to remember their names to know which goal to score the ball in.

We just signed Garrett up for another session of soccer and a new activity, T-ball. We have been playing at home, but now we'll try it with a coach and teammates.

Garrett had a wonderful time in Pasadena at the Kids Museum. He got soaking wet while playing with the water toys and enjoyed climbing to the top of a giant stairway.

FYI, Andrea is in the latest Edition of Scripps Magazine. The issue features a long article about the Dance Department which mentions Andrea and her current endeavours.

PS: Thomas video finally posted

So, I promised a video of Garrett at the Day Out with Thomas, which was actually on YouTube, but never linked to the post. But now that it is down there, I wonder who will actually see it, so I'm reposting it here in case you are interested and do not scroll down to look for new content on old posts!

Happy New Year

The Cordova-Caddes' family had a wonderful holiday. We went on a cruise around Huntington harbor to celebrate Aunt Betsy's birthday.



We enjoyed family celebrations of the Christmas holiday and a trip to New Mexico with Mormor & Papa to ring in the New Year.



Then this week we went to Disneyland with Kelly & the boys and started our new soccer class!

Day Out with Thomas

We had a wonderful time at the Day Out with Thomas. Pictures on FlickR and video below.

LA Fair & Laguna Beach Pictures Loading

As I type this I am uploading some new pictures to FlickR. There are some from our trip to Laguna Beach with Sam, Darren and Eric, and also to the LA County Fair. Garrett really enjoyed the Carosel as well as the Merry-Go-Round.



Coming up this weekend, we are taking Garrett to the San Diego Zoo with Grandma and Aunt Betsy. Then the following weekend is Garrett's 2nd Birthday party! I cannot believe that he is going to be two years old already.

Busy Birthday Business

Today we finalized plans for Garrett's 2nd birthday party. We checked out a location called Wiki Waki and decided it is the perfect spot for the event. Of course we had to try it out for a few hours to be sure. Here is a video of Garrett playing Air Hockey.



Then he and Andrea scrambled through the obstacle course!



Overall, Garrett and I spent a few hours playing there. This evening we went to Grandma's house to celebrate her birthday with Aunt Betsy, Aunt Bev, Rachel and Betsy. We had a wonderful time and discovered that Garrett likes pineapple!

Bless You

This morning when I was in the kitchen I sneezed and Garrett responded with no prompting "Bess You". When I sneezed a second time, he said it again! I'm not sure where he learned it, because I always say "Guzun"... um... I always say it in German.

New Nigh-Night News

Tonight Garrett went to sleep with less help than ever before. I decided to keep reading bedtime stories longer than usual to see what he would do. Sure enough, after about 10 minutes (about half way through his Big Book of Bear Stories) he turned on his side and shut his eyes. I kept reading for about 10 minutes more (finished the book) and when I stood up he stirred slightly, but once the lights were off he relaxed and stayed asleep. He looks so peaceful when he's asleep. I would have taken a picture if I hadn't thought it would wake him. Sweet dreams Garrett.