Vacation - Days 3 & 4!

On Saturday, we went to the Farmer's Market in Little Italy.  It was amazing!!  So much fun, but we had to stop at one point to share a nutella & banana crepe which was fantastic.  Lunch was at a great Italian restaurant (of course), which served standard Italian fare and reminded Joe of his mom's cooking (very good!).  After more sight-seeing in Little Italy, we ate some amazing pork tacos at an outdoor restaurant called the Carnitas Snack Shack, which specialized in pork, I kid you not.
On Sunday, Evie required a long morning nap, so after we packed up everything, we had a great lunch at an incredible sandwich shop within walking distance of the apartment.  Then we headed to Torrey Pines Beach, where we had another amazing time at the beach.  So much fun that we forgot to take any pictures!  After spending a bit of time trying to remove all of the sand from our persons, we hit the road to head back home. On our way, we saw a beautiful double-rainbow, ate a quick dinner at a sketchy burger joint, and then got caught in an insane dust storm in the desert, followed by more rain.
Thanks to Joe, who got us home safely, driving all 6 hours by himself, and even letting us girls sleep a bit in the car.  What a fantastic vacation!!

Vacation - Day Two!

On the second day of our San Diego vacation, we spent the morning at Balboa Park.  We decided to forgo any of the museums or zoo this time, but had a great morning walking around this amazing park.  Lunch was at an excellent pizza joint nearby, thanks to Sylvanna's recommendation.  And we enjoyed the late afternoon checking out some cool design boutiques in the North and South Park neighborhoods.  Dinner was at an awesome English pub within walking distance of our apartment.  The last photo was taken from our balcony.

Our First Family Vacation!

Well, we decided to take a few days and drive to San Diego for a little vacation.  Neither Joe nor I had been there for several years, or even been to a beach in quite awhile.  Previously, our vacations had been more "urban adventure" than "slow and relaxing", so this was a bit of a change for us.  Also, this was our first trip with a baby (toddler?), which was enlightening.  For one thing, babies take naps mid-day and still require a respectable bedtime schedule.  And for another, they do not recognize the valued privilege of sleeping-in while on vacation.  Sometimes, they even wake earlier than usual.  Luckily, we had the forethought to do a vacation rental instead of a hotel room, which worked out great.  The apartment even had a fabulous balcony, where we spent a good amount of time enjoying the weather during the evenings.  Anyway, it was a great trip, and here are the photos from the first day at Coronado Beach.

Evie loved the beach!!!

Afternoon at Sue's

Since Joe's Mom is back in town for a couple of weeks, we all got together and spent Sunday afternoon at Sue's house.  We had a great time, ate some excellent food, and stayed out of the heat.  And Evie really enjoyed all of the attention from her aunts and grandma!

Sunset On The Lake

Evie and I met Joe in Tempe on Friday evening for dinner on Mill Avenue.  It was still pretty early, and Evie was in a great mood, (which made for a really nice, fun and relaxing meal together).  After indulging a bit too much on dessert, we put Evie in her stroller and walked over to Tempe Town Lake.  The weather was actually decent and the sunset was so beautiful!  Evie loved seeing the ducks, and desperately wanted to get in the water.

At The Park

As it was a relatively cool morning, Evie and I decided to take a walk/stroller-ride over to the park.  After trying out the swings, Evie played in the sand for awhile.  It was really fun to watch her pick up the sand, study it, and then let it run through her fingers - it seemed an entirely new experience for her.  Eventually, she had to put some sand in her mouth to see what it tasted like, and thankfully she did not seem to enjoy that much.  Evie also found a pine cone, another object of great interest.  Then, she spotted the riding horse toy from across the sand and headed off to check it out.  It was a fun morning of discovery and exploration for this little one, and I got to watch.

Evie & Daddy

Just silliness but oh such cute giggles.. and we love her maniacal laugh near the end.

Evie Walks!! (with a little help..)