A Drive around California

Dan and I recently decided that we sorely needed a vacation, and it seemed about the right time to really introduce Kendall to the joys of traveling.  We've been on a handful of trips with her before, but we've always had family there to assist with the chaos that comes along with traveling with a child.

We went back and forth for about a month on what kind of trip we wanted to take.  We finally decided that a car trip around the Golden State would be the perfect mix of fun, adventure, and relaxation.  It was all that and more!!

We started with a night at Harris Ranch.  Located in the middle of the central valley, we only had to drive about 5 hours before we could get out of the car.  Plus, we had heard stories about the great pool and wonderful food.

We then headed up to the East Bay to stay with my good friend, Rachel, and her two kids, Peyton and Riley.  We met up with some other Davis friends, and made some new friends, at a great bbq that my friend Sara and her husband Tim hosted, and we played with Peyton and Riley in downtown Livermore.

After we left Livermore, we headed to Tiburon for a couple of nights.  We took a ferry across the bay, and spent a day exploring Fisherman's Wharf.  We even met up with my friends, Carla and Tyler, for some ice cream at Ghiradelli Square and some beach time.

On our way south, we decided to break up the driving again with a quick trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and night in San Luis Obispo at the Madonna Inn.  Although we had to change rooms because of some cigarette smoke issues and weren't able to enjoy the rock shower, the nice people at the Madonna Inn upgraded us to a suite that was even better!

It was a great trip!  The longest vacation that any of us had taken in two years was a complete success!  Kendall saw some neat things and came home with stories and a stuffed shark that she named "Whale".  We know that our little (almost big) girl is a great traveller and I have no hesitations about traveling more with her over the next couple of months.  Yes, we have more trips planned for later this summer!

Swimming Lessons...Take 2

We just wrapped up our second round of swimming lessons for Kendall, and it is amazing how much progress she has made.  A new swim school and a bit of growing up seemed to make these lessons easier, AND mommy and daddy didn't have to get in the pool this time, which was a huge plus.  She may not be ready for any swim meets just yet, but we now have a certified fish that we can't seem to get out of the water.  She's learning the proper arm movements, is holding her breath underwater, and has little fear when it comes to jumping off the edge of the pool or getting thrown into the water...

Here comes Peter Cottontail...

A rabbit broke into our house a couple of weekends ago.  He brought candy and toys for Kendall...

...and even hid eggs in the yard for her to find...

...candy filled eggs!

Hope that you had a great Easter day too!

First Trip to Legoland!

To kick of Caleb's Spring Break, we took a trip over to Legoland.  Nick even joined us!  Kendall and I had never been there before, but it's so close that we went ahead and purchased season passes.  I'm so glad that we did!  The park is perfect for kids her age up to about 10 years old, and our passes include admission to the water park and aquarium.

BTW, the boys had ZERO interest in hanging out with us, so you won't see them in many of the photos.

We had such a great day and can't wait to go back!

Gardening with Dad

A Budding Artist

As always, things have been busy around the Weatherby house.  During the past month we hosted Dan's cousin for a week as he got settled into his new San Diego digs, celebrated Valentine's Day, enjoyed our time with Dan's Mom and Dad (Meme and Papa Steve) during their quick visit, and Dan and I took a quick trip to Las Vegas for a fish conference.  Yes, you read that correctly.

Kendall is enjoying her days at school, and really seems to be thriving.  Her vocabulary seems to double on a weekly basis and we now have conversations with 3-4 word sentences.  She also now tells short stories about her day and uses the names of her teachers and friends.  We're working on our potty training, and although it's been a slow process, things are going pretty well.  We've had one successful request to use the potty, with a few other lucky tries mixed in.  I think it helps that she's working on it at school too.  

Kendall seems to be most proud of the art that she creates at school.  Here are a couple of great pictures from last week at school:

Learning how to paint brush strokes

Working on creating lines

Is this the early work of the next Picasso?  If so, I have a pile full of it that I'll be selling on ebay in the future to pay for college.

Lani's Dress Up Day

When designing new outfits, it's always helpful to have a (somewhat) patient model...