Screw It! Let's Go to SF!

So, last Friday night, we were all at the mall shopping for nothing in particular. Just trying to kill the time. Your dad got a brilliant idea and asked your mom if she'd just like to randomly go to San Francisco for the weekend. Of course your mom said yes, so an hour later we had packed the car and we were on our way to the city. Luckily, we recently purchased an in-car DVD player for you. So, we spent most of the trip listening to Barney sing songs about loving everybody. They call a lead character like that family programming. We call that a slut. But, regardless, it kept you quite on the 2 hour drive to the city.

Upon our arrival, we went straight for Fisherman's Wharf and spent entirely too much money for some good seafood. But, it hit the spot, and made us all tired enough to retire at the Westin St. Francis hotel right on Union Square. We scored a good rate online and had an antique looking room, which was actually quite cool. After we all danced around in our underwear for a bit, we hit the hay and called it a day.

The next day we woke up and strolled up the street to find a good breakfast. We found a good joint on the corner and barely fit into the restaurant with your stroller. A few coffees, eggs, and yogurts later, we were on our way to check out Nob Hill.

After quite a hike up the hilly streets of San Francisco, you played at a park left over from 1950's. No soft plastic here, everything was metal. Good thing you didn't fall. We then checked out the huge cathedral on Nob Hill (whose name eludes me right now), and you had fun running around the church while your mom and I discussed the feasibility of elements of the Da Vinci code. Maybe Christ was never "born again"...maybe he just had a son who was "born." Hmmm...I guess we'll never know.

After that, we were off to North Beach for some quality Italian food. We continued our streak of shitty service with good food at the Stinking Rose. This place was all about Garlic. Their menu even said, "We flavor our garlic with food." They had the best garlic bread ever and some good ravioli. After leaving an EXTREMELY small tip, we were off to the Aquarium at Pier 39.

You fell in love with the sardines at Pier 39, but unfortunately that was the first exhibit. So, the rest of the aquarium was kind of downhill. But, we did enjoy watching mommy freak out during the shark exhibit. Sharks aren't exactly mom's favorite friends.

After molesting some starfish, we were off to Pier 39, where mom and dad bought hats for our upcoming Hawaii trip. You were like, "screw this!" and fell asleep, so we wheeled you up to the nearby (OK...we found out it wasn't THAT nearby) Ghirardelli square. Dad was expecting a mall of chocolate (think Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory), but was disappointed to find just a bunch of boutique shops. With no chocolate in hand, we took off for "The Cliffhouse."

Your dad is proud to have his favorite restaurant named after him. So, we took the 30-40 minute drive to the other end of SF to have a very very very late dinner at the Cliffhouse. Dinner was oh so damn good. If anyone wants the best crabcakes and salmon in the world, then you know where to go. No, we're not talking about Sizzler here. After getting drunk and full, it was time to go home as dad was too cheap to throw down for another night at a hotel.

You were a little cranky on the way home, but we made it back safe and sound. And, for heading to the city with no plans, everything turned out quite well. Maybe we didn't get a bunch of chocolate, and maybe the food was a bit overpriced, but time hanging out as a family with no agenda: that's priceless!

Ahhh...The Joys of Parenthood

We probably don't have to go into this too much, as it's pretty self-explanitory. But, we just wanted to throw in a quick note about how you butcher words and make us laugh. Here's two of our favorites as of late.

You pronounce "Bear" like "Beer." So, kind of like dad, you need your "Bear" to go to sleep.

You pronounce "Beach" like "Bitch." Ayjia, don't go near that "Beach!" Or, that's one dirty "Beach."

May the Fourth Be With You

So, last year, because Fourth of July was on a Sunday night, the powers that run the local fireworks show decided that it would be best if they ran the fireworks on Saturday night. But, your mom and dad didn't get the memo. So, we waited and waited, and when the usual crowds of people did not suffocate us with their stink - or even manage to show up - we realized that maybe we managed to screw up your first 4th of July. But, it was OK, we lit some fireworks on the street and you were entertained!

But, this year, we made the commitment not to allow you to miss the big fireworks that they let off at the local high school near Glamma's house. So, the family went down to Grandma's house for a kick ass BBQ and fireworks.

Whilte waiting, you played with a green ball and mom tried to get you to ride a bike made for 14 year olds. Needless to say, you couldn't quite ride the bike, but you sure did look cute in that helmet!

When the fireworks finally started, you were enteretained for 5 minutes and then you got bored and started to destroy everything around you. At one point, you even placated mom for the first time. You see, mom told you to look at a cool firework, so you looked, and then in a very placating tone you said, "oh wow!" You then immediately looked away and then continued your previous activity of destroying your Uncle Brother's comics because you TOTALLY didn't care what mom had just showed you.

You're so cute. Hey, we're not asking you to be honest, we just want you to be nice! It's not that dishonesty will make you a better person, we're just trying to prepare you for the working world :)

It's Been 2 Weeks, We Owe You Some Ayjia News

Well, it's been awhile. We've been busy spending money, remodeling our house, and planning vacations....hey, it's summer what are you going to do? So, here's some cool things Ayjia's been up to lately....

- Ayjia now sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star...or at least a portion thereof. Ayjia's version goes something like this: "Up Up Up Up Up Up HIGH! Up Up Up Up Up Up SKY!" Hey, she's only 18 months (3 days away). At least she's singing the right number of syllables. And, this is especially cool, becaause when she sings her version of the song, she puts her hands up in the air, looks up at the sky and opens and closes her hands like a twinkling star. Trust us, if this sounds cute, it's 10 times cuter in real life (times infiniti).

- And that's not the only thing you've been singing lately. You haven't responded much to music on the radio up until now, but recently you've been singing along to the chorus to Ciara's "Oh!" Maybe cuz it's easy, but hey, it's also a good song. Now, if only we can get you to learn Ludacris' rap in the 3rd verse!

- MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE! Yup, you've learned the word "mine!" The cup is yours, the toys are yours, the food is yours, everything is yours. The world will never be the same. Now that we think of it, you're kind of like our President. Just pick something random, clench it with your hands, and scream "mine" until the rest of the world just gives it to you so you'll shut up!

- You don't like sleeping with covers or clothes. Kinda like your parents, only they like covers.

- You have your first bedtime book! It's a Blues Clues book and your mom and I just started reading it to you every night! It's pretty cool and short. But, we're just gearing you up for the big stuff...like Lord of the Rings. Now THAT will put you to sleep.

- Your dad is a musician, so we've always wondered if he passed on the musical gene on that fateful drunken night you were conceived. It appears he has. We all went to the music store last week to buy your dad some drums (finally! Hopefully he'll stop doing his beats everywhere else now!), and dad wasn't the only one interested in all of the drums. You were playing on full size drum kits...and you weren't half bad for an 18 month old. Your dad ended up buying an electronic drumset (we dold you we were spending money!) and you love playing that as much as your dad too! Maybe you two can start a band!

S'More Outdoors Activity

What is wrong with us? Two outdoor trips in as many weeks! Well, this weekend we went camping. Plenty of pictures to prove it for those disbelivers as well. See above. Your mom and I went out and bought brand new camp gear as we didn't own a tent, sleeping bags, or any of the other items that make the outdoors feel more like the indoors. We were convinced you would enjoy camping as much as you enjoyed the ocean. We were also unsure about your dad as he had never really been camping before in his life. Would he enjoy it? What would life be like without an iPod for 3 days?

Well, let us say that camping turned out to be nothing like we expected it to be, yet it was so much more. You see, you did not take to camping like you took to the ocean. No, it took you a day or so to warm up to being outdoors. At first you were like velcro to dad, and you were a little (ok...a lot!)grumpy. But, after some s'mores, a good night of sleep under the stars, and a good breakfast (chorizo and eggs!), you were ready to go! Wait...no you weren't. After breakfast, we tried to take you on your first hike, and about 10 minutes into it, you decided to whine until you shook the mountains. Now granted, it was like a hundred and fifty degrees, so maybe it wasn't the actual hike, but more of the temperature that irked you. But, after lunch, you went on a couple of walks with dad and grandpa and you even went down to the river and threw rocks at the fish and the dogs. Damn, you love the water.

Your dad was a different story. Your dad expected a true outdoors trip. Man vs. nature. But, what he found was much better. You see, nature took a backseat to a more important subject: you. Dad stayed with you, fed you, changed you, and just spent time with you for almost every minute of this camping trip. On the second night, dad told your mom that he was bonding with you more than ever. Your mom, of course, said, "Dad, that's what camping is all about." So, instead of man vs. nature, your dad found "dad loving daughter" to be the point of camping. (Important note: mom still stayed up with you at night...there's some things dad just won't do!)

Having said that, you may have been a little more interested in bonding with grandpa. Grandpa is now only the 2nd person whose arms you have fallen asleep in (Aunt Nicole...or should we say Aunt Nasty was the first). We thought you might hate him after you watched him gut the fish he had caught! But you were cool with it, and as soon as you got home, you went straight for your Grandpa book, "My Grandpa is Great!" cuz you already missed him so much!

So there you have it. Two ways to get your name in this blog. You can either buy Ayjia something cool or you can get her to fall asleep in your arms (without using illegal substances!). Or, you can do both, like Aunt Nasty. Who, by the way, got her name from Ayjia who says "Nasty" the same way she says "Nicole" - "Nacky!"

P.S. By the way, your dad managed to sneak the iPod into the car. So, still no telling what your dad would do when not hooked up to his iPod.