Yeah yeah, I KNOW! It's been too long...

Where does the time go?

Search me, but if you find mine, would you please let me know? I am embarrassed that I haven't posted since last August and fear I may have outdone myself this time. I'll update by month and try to keep them short and sweet, with pictures (that's what everyone wants anyway... not my random musings). Enjoy and please find it in your hearts to forgive a mom her lapses in updating... AMC

July, the best month of the year!

OK, the editor will admit to being a wee bit biased as to the importance of this month, but can you really blame a birthday girl? Luc sure had a fantastic month!

Chick-fil-a: The 8th Wonder of the World?

For those of my readers that have toddlers, have you discovered the wonders of the Chick-fil-a family night? Each and every Tuesday night, the family friendly chain sets up a jumpy in the parking lot, sets out arts and crafts, and gives you one free kids meal with each adult meal. Some guy in a giant cow costume wanders around patting little kids on the head and posing for pictures. Of all the attractions, I think the Cow takes the prize. Kids follow him around like a little tribe of Worshipers of Large Fuzzy Cows. The Cow can persuade persnickety children to eat their dinners, behave in the jumpy, and not fling food across the table, all without uttering one single word. Behold the picture of the two smiling toddlers who were, momements before this photo was shot, trying to rip each other's ears off.

4th of July

We got really lucky this year and Grandma got to come visit for the 4th of July holiday. It was a three day weekend this year, so we mad ethe most of it. We picked Grandma up at the airport very early and whisked her off to a morning parade in Del Mar where the kids were the parade. We decked Luc out in a Bruce Springsteen-esque outfit and wreathed his bike in garland and pin wheels for the big parade and marched around Powerhouse Park in Del Mar. With the crazy beach-saving partiers as our audience, we stomped, danced, rode and marched around that park making as much noise as possible. We checked out the fire engine from the Del Mar Fire Department and, when we were too pooped to pop anymore, we headed home for a rest before the afternoon festivities.

The Party that Barb Forgot

After everyone had a refreshing nap, we packed up and headed for the 4th of July party at Aunt Bubba's house. Aunt Bubba's house is set up perfectly for kids; there are no exits and there is a nice circular track between the front door and the slider door. The party reached a crescendo when the little boys found Aunt Bubba's dress up box that she uses in her classroom. The boys found some butterfly wings, a rainbow wig and a NASA helmet. Luc crashed on the way home and missed the fireworks completely.

Mommy's Birthday

Liking parties as much as I do, it was a shock to discover that I did not really want to have a birthday party this year. So instead we went on a "stay"cation. We got a room at the local Four Seasons and treated our family to a nice weekend at a hotel with a pool. Luc was a little disappointed to discover that my friends were not joining us complaining, "but who is going to PLAY with me Mommy?" His attitude changed the minute we walked in the door. As Daddy was checking in, a nice man wheeled out a Radio Flyer wagon piled high with toys and encouraged him to take one. He was agog with indecision. He recovered, his Batman tops clutched to his chest, and started asking about the pool. We squeezed him in to his inflatable suit and headed for the family pool. We played in the pool for a few hours and then went back to get ready for dinner. Our room had been visited by a crew that was very kind to Luc. They left him spong letters spelling out his name on the side of the tub. They left him a pint sized terry cloth robe to keep him warm after his bath. They left him a plush stuffed froggy so that he wouldn't have to sleep alone. But the coup d'grace was his special "turn down service." Left for him on the desk was a large dinner size plate with a molded chocolate beach bucket and shovel, the bucked filled with gummy bears and M&Ms, perched on a mound of coarse sugar that looked like sand. A chocolate cupcake and his name written on chocolate on the plate completed the smorasboard. He was speechless, unable to utter even a single squeal of excitement. Had he been a cartoon character, his eyes would have popped out of his head, his tongue would have been lolling out of his mouth and he would have made some "aaroooggaahhh" noise. Between the pool and the cupcake, he is already asking when my next birthday will occur.

May -- The Month of Celebrations

Lots going on in May… birthdays, Mother’s Day, and play days! We started Mother’s Day weekend with a trip to the Quail Botanical Gardens for a Chocolate Festival. We borrowed Sadie for the day and did crafts with the kids. (Note: The duet of “I’m a Little Teapot” was filmed on the way to the Gardens) The kids had fun, though Mommy and Daddy realized how much more work two kids are!
For our actual Mother’s Day celebration, we trekked down to our favorite breakfast spot in PB, Café 976. Luc drank “coffee” (lukewarm hot chocolate) and ate all the whipped cream off his waffle. The weather was nice enough that we went down to La Jolla Shores beach to play in the sand. (Note: The soccer video was filmed on Mother’s Day at La Jolla Shores) After the beach, it was naps all around for a pleasant afternoon.

Luc’s birthday celebration began bright and early on May 18 with the 7:00 AM arrival of the lion jumpy. He jumped in it so much, that he needed a nap (and actually took one!) before the party started at 11:30. It was so hot that day that Mommy sent Daddy and Uncle Deric to Costco for another umbrella, but that didn’t bother the kids at all. They raced around the backyard, jumped in the jumpy. The ice cream cake was a hit with everyone, though it melted a bit in the heat. The kids also managed to do some damage to the piñata, but Luc’s friend Chris Hanger broke it wide open for them in the end.

The birthday celebration continued on May 20, Luc’s actual birthday. He got to take cup cakes to his friends at day care and made himself a birthday crown with a big “3” on the front. Later that day, Grandpa Art came over for dinner (spaghetti, the Birthday Boy’s choice) and more cake and presents.

Luc’s big accomplishments while turning three included starting potty training and giving up his pacifier. Luc earned three M&Ms for peepee on the potty and a whopping five M&Ms for poopoo on the potty. He is very motivated by chocolate and is doing great. As for the pacifier, the “MiMi Fairy” came to visit and took all the mimis for new babies and left a big boy present in their place. Luc loves his new Thomas the Train set and has not missed his mimis at all.

We rounded out the month of celebrations with the news that Auntie Sarah and Auntie Dan are engaged! Congratulations, we are so happy for you!

April Showers Bring … Talk of May Birthdays!

Luc is very excited about his birthday and rarely a day goes by without some planning discussion. So far, the general theme is “animals” (the specific theme varies each time) and there will be a jumpy house. And cake. And presents. You get the picture.

In an effort to distract him from party planning, we started prepping him for his new big boy room. We are moving him from the tiny room with a crib to the big room with a big boy bed. A theme change comes along with the new room and good timing too. While Luc still loves the ocean, he is heavy in to trains these days, so it is a good thing that his new bed is a train bed! Mommy painted the walls and Daddy put the train bed together. Luc slept in it the very first night without a backward glance at his crib. He has a lot more room for toys in his new room and he really likes his new bed. He is on his way to becoming a big boy!

Another distraction was a party-sized play date at our house. We invited Toler and his family over for a make your own pizza night. Everyone knows that, once you have two kids together, a few more don’t make much of a difference, so we had Sadie, Ethan, Max and Wyatt over as well! The kids got to put their own toppings on their pizzas and Daddy cooked them on the grill. I am not sure how much eating actually occurred, but the kids had a blast.

The Video Post

So I am determined to get the grandparents access to the funny videos we amuse ourselves with in our daily life the The Booger. Hope everyone enjoys these as much as we do! I did sacrifice some quality in order to post them on the blog, but I heard that my attempts to post to MySpace were not successful.

Luc takes Paris by Storm!

Yes, we really did get on a transatlantic flight with an almost-three-year-old. And survived though I think several people around us may have been rethinking their decisions pertaining to their future children. The occasion was Granny's 97 birthday (Daddy's Granny, actually). It is also Mica and Avi's last year in Paris, so off we went. Luc adjusted to the time difference well and was more or less remarkably well behaved. He ate more cheese than is good for any one person, took his first bus ride, took his first metro ride, his first pony ride, and pointed out the Eiffel Tower to us each time we passed it (Mica and Avi live by the Tour, so it was often). He loved Paris's many parks and engaged the shy French children in play even though thay just stared at him when he said hello.

Granny had presents for Luc, so he thoroughly enjoyed his time with her, and she with him. He charmed her by saying, "Merci boucoup!" every chance he got. He didn't quite understand that we were so far from home and kept asking to go to Sea World, the beach and Sadie's house. While he had fun, he was glad to come home too. The pictures tell the story better, so here you go...

The seasoned traveler, Luc B. Carner. He loved airline food. Go figure.

Luc's first bus ride, sitting next to Avi. He grew quite possessive of the buses over the week. He didn't like strangers holding on to "his" handrail. Mica and Avi live off a very convenient bus line, so we had plenty of opportunities to indulge Luc in his bus riding quest.

Avi bought Luc many tokens to the carousel at the base of the Tour de Eiffel. Luc loved every ride.

Luc's pony ride in the Luxembourg Gardens. He loves it so much that he took two rides. A little French girl befriended him on one ride.

Luc explores the piggy bank given to him by Granny. It was stuffed full of Euro coins that were used to finance his desires once back in Paris. He also helped Granny open her birthday presents and was disappointed to report that the packages contained no toys.

This picture is was Luc remembers about the Notre Dame Cathedral: there was a park outside! We said, "Luc, do you see the big church?" He looked around and said, "Where?"

Luc's first train ride. He was very impressed by the train, but liked the bus rides more.

Luc and Mommy next to Luc's beloved Tour. He also enjoyed waiving to the tourists on the BatoBus tours on the Seine as the passed beneath the bridges.

We got very lucky with the weather and got to spend a lot of time walking around Paris.

Let me explain, no, there is too much. Let me sum up...

I know, I know! What can I say… blogging has not been at the top of my list of “To Do’s” lately. But I am trying to get better about it. OK, quick recap of the last few months…

September – Fairly uneventful (at least from this far away). We had lots of family birthdays. Luc dutifully called everyone and asked if they were eating cake.

October – The first Halloween of Luc’s recollection. He decided to be a tiger and
spent weeks practicing growling and saying, “Trick or treat!” We went trick or treating at Sea World as a practice run, he had a party at day care, and wound up the celebration with trick or treating with friends Sadie and Ethan. He was a little shy at the first house, but after he realized there was candy to be had, he pushed his way up to the front of the group and even asked for more candy at several houses! Months later, he still talks about going to people’s houses for candy. We’ve worked hard to convince him that Halloween only comes around once per year. So far, he’s not buying it.

November – We packed up “Daddy New Car” (a 2007 Prius) and made tracks for Arizona for Thanksgiving. Luc had a great time as the only grandchild in attendance at Gramma and Papa’s house. He had the run of the playroom, including a robotic tool bench named “Smarty Marty”. Smarty Marty scared the pants off of Luc… so much so that we had to remove Smarty from the playroom, put him in Mommy and Daddy’s room, and cover him with a blanket. Luc would check several times a day to make sure Smarty stayed put. We enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving at Aunt Anne and Uncle Mark’s house. Luc got lots of loving from Auntie Sarah. We got to meet Auntie Sarah’s boyfriend, Dan (Luc calls him Auntie Dan), who was adventuresome enough to go to the Wildlife Zoo with us to look at Christmas lights. Luc discovered a love for merry-go-rounds and took two rides while we were there. At dinner that evening, Luc engaged Gramma in a battle of logic. The conversation went something like this:

Gramma (sitting next to Mommy in the booth, gives her a hug): “Luc, this is my baby.”
Luc (looking at Gramma suspiciously): “No Gramma. She not a baby, she a girl.”
Gramma (hugging Mommy tighter): “Yes, she is a girl. She is my baby girl.”
Luc (looking annoyed): “Gramma! She not a baby! She a girl. She my mommy!”
Gramma (holding back laughter): “She was my baby girl first. She’ll always be my baby girl.”
Luc (has had enough of Gramma, turns to Auntie Sarah): “Auntie Sayuh, tell Gramma she not a baby!”
Gramma (opening laughing now): “Luc! She is my baby girl, and your mommy.”
Luc (still ignoring Gramma and addressing Auntie Sarah): “Auntie Sayuh, tell Gramma she NOT A BABY!”
The conversation dissolved in to giggles from there. Gramma can still get a rise out of Luc by resurrecting that conversation topic.

December – Luc was amped for Christmas, constantly asking when “Christmas” was bringing his presents. Every night on the way home, we were on the lookout for “Santa” lights and he had a good time decorating the Christmas tree with his ornaments. He never noticed that we came along behind and redistributed the decorations to cover more than the bottom front of the tree. If you asked him what he wanted for Christmas, you got the same answer each time: a car, toys, and candy. We had quite a crowd for the holidays this year. Gramma, Papa and Auntie Sarah drove in from Phoenix and Uncle Deric flew down from San Francisco for some family time. Luc was thrilled with all the people to play with, once he got over his shyness. Even after all the big talk about presents, Luc was stunned Christmas morning when he saw the pile of presents that had accumulated overnight. He tore in to them, rarely flagging even when it was a present for someone else. His official Christmas motto was “No Present Left Unwrapped”. The holiday festivities didn’t leave us much time for sightseeing, but we did manage a family trip out to the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier turned museum parked in San Diego Bay. Luc thoroughly enjoyed the tour, though he watched the majority of it through his eyelids, having fallen asleep the very moment I crossed the threshold with him in my arms. He woke up in time to tour the top deck where the planes were on display. He sat in the cockpit of a plane and pushed some buttons, very pleased with himself.

January – Started off with a bang as we attended the Cortopassis annual New Year’s Eve dinner. We made it to midnight this year, but just barely! We settled back in to our normal routine and had a nice quiet month. Luc’s favorite new phrase: “I almost three!”

February – February delivered to Luc a new favorite holiday: Valentine’s Day. He really loves any holiday that promotes the shameless giving of candy. We also had the chance to watch a full lunar eclipse on February 20. Luc watched the moon “disappear” and asked what happened to it. When I asked him what he thought happened, he replied out of the blue, “The raccoons took it!” When he saw the moon reappear later as we were driving home, he remarked to himself, “The raccoons brought the moon back!” Don’t know exactly where he got this idea, but he seems satisfied with the answer, so we’re going with it for now.

June Bugs

There is no rest for the weary when there is a two year old in the house! The sheer drama associated with being two is enough to wear a person out. Luc is a young man of extremes right now… his shattering disappointment at sharing toys matched only by his unbridled enthusiasm for strawbabies.

Dolphins and Penguins and Whales… Oh My!
Mommy had a day off of work when her office relocated this month. We asked Luc if he wanted to go see the animals at the fair. He said, “I go see whales!” So, we changed our plans and took him to Sea World instead. Friday morning, he was dressed and ready to go, standing by the front door at 8 AM. Since Sea World doesn’t actually open until 10 AM, we had to explain that the whales were still asleep. Once we were actually in the park, he was so excited you could practically see the energy crackling around him. The penguins were the first stop, in keeping with his current obsession with Happy Feet. He was a little concerned that the penguins in the water were going to be chased by whales and/or seals, but once he realized there were no threats, he loved the exhibit so much that we had to go through it twice. The dolphins were a hit as well. We made it during feeding time, so they were very active. They came close enough to pet, but Luc would have none of it. We were killing time until the Shamu show, so we stopped by the sting ray and eel exhibit. He didn’t like the eels (I don’t blame him, I think they are creepy too), but he did like the other fish in the tank. The hit of the day was the Shamu show. He was thoroughly captivated by it. He stared intently during the tricks and jumps and clapped after each performance. After Shamu we hit up the Shark Encounter where he correctly identified a barracuda (he is his father’s son!). He wasn’t too sure about going in the water with the sharks, but when he found out it was a tunnel and we could stay dry, he was all over it. He crashed out in his stroller as we made our way over to the polar bears, so we decided to save something for next time and called it a day. He’s been talking about whales, penguins and dolphins ever since. Fortunately for Luc, we bought year long passes, so he can see all the marine life he can handle.

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?
The Guzman Family Reunion was held at Covina Park in mid-June. We are quite a group when all together, so we were looking forward to a fun filled day. Luc loved the park and made friends with Cousin Mandy’s daughter, Jennifer, who fed him all the cake he wanted. We saw Grandpa Art, Great Grandpa Henry, Tio Henry and lots of tias who pinched Luc’s big fat cheeks. Shawn counted over 125 people before he lost count of family members. Grandpa Art introduced Luc to the wonders of the ice cream man, so his day was a success.

Happy I Ceam Day, Daddy
Luc was awake bright and early Father’s Day morning. As we ate our cereal together, we were practicing saying “Happy Father’s Day” before Shawn woke up. Luc played along for a few minutes before correcting me saying, “NO. Happy I CEAM Day Mommy.” We drove up to Oceanside that evening to take Daddy to dinner and did end the evening with Luc’s favorite “dirt” (dessert), ice cream.

Nothing Like That Good Mountain Air
We were invited to spend the weekend in Idyllwild at a cabin owned by the grandparents of Luc’s friend Max. We packed up the car as if we were going to be gone for a week instead of 1.5 days and headed up to the beautiful mountains. Luc and Max were delighted with each other’s company and had a blast playing together. Saturday morning we packed up the boys (big and little) and headed to Lake Hemet. Daddy went mountain biking, the other big boys went fishing and the little boys threw rocks in the water. We picnicked on the lake shore and then took naps all around. More kids and families showed up that afternoon and it was kid chaos. For the record, 11 adults and 6 kids under the age of 3 are probably too many for one cabin. But everyone got along very well and the bath water was black every night… a good sign that fun was had.

What’s Ahead for July
We can’t believe that it is already going to be July, but we have lots to look forward to next month! We will spend the 4th of July on Coronado with our neighbors, Maxwell Cortopassi’s 2 birthday is July 7, and best of all, Mica and Avi come for a visit July 15. With so much to look forward to, it is no wonder the summer is flying by!