A collection of photos

Despite moments of longing for the familiarity and comfort of the Northwest, life thus far in San Diego has been rather incredible.  We spend much of our time soaking in the outside and exploring this different kind of loveliness.  

A trail steps away from the Casita, leading into the Elfin Forest.  We love to take walks through this gorgeous area, listening to a symphony of frogs, birds, and a meandering creek.

Harrison is thrilled with his new home and getting to spend much more time comfortably outside.  

Nature boy

Harrison's latest obsession:  slides

Pure determination

 Working on the farm

Checking out the horses just below the Casita

A chilly and bright day at the beach

 Hanging out at a park just down the block from the new house

Loving precious time with Dad

 Hhhmmm...boys

A House in Progress

The house in January

And thus far...

 Before landscaping and final paint job - Harrison loves playing around the construction site

Andy and Harrison enjoying time in the kitchen just after the counter tops and back splash were installed

The family on tour 

H running with keys in the "expansive" side yard...safety first!

One of several series of paint swatches

The Great Unveiling

We discovered I was pregnant in the whirlwind of the winter holidays and looking back it still feels surreal.  In mid-December, after I spent much of our scouting mission to California fatigued and feeling generally less than amazing, Andy suggested I take a pregnancy test. Although seriously doubting this to be a reasonable explanation, after 2 home pregnancy tests and a visit to the doctor, the existence of baby #2 was confirmed just before Christmas Eve.  We spent the remainder of the holidays marveling in this beautiful and surprising gift.   

Fast forward through our chaotic move and some uncomfortable mornings, and here we are!  I am currently 20 weeks along (half way) and at this point, with so many other crazy factors in life, we decided to learn the gender of our new baby.  During an anatomy scan at the doctor's office, the mystery gender was written down on a sheet of paper and placed in a sealed envelope to be opened at a later time. 

We wanted the moment of unveiling to honor both the new little one and our family, and choosing a location near the ocean seemed the most fitting.  Thus, near dusk in Del Mar, after Harrison exhausted himself playing at the park, we walked along a cliff band overlooking the ocean and opened the envelope.  This moment couldn't have been more perfect.  

  

Dad and Harrison overlooking the Del Mar beach.

The envelope please....

Side profile of baby # 2.

And without further adieu...

Life's a Beach!

Well, not exactly, but during my parents recent visit to San Diego, we found ourselves on the lovely Torrey Pines beach in 76 degree weather.  Not bad for early March!

It was a momentous day as this marked the first time Harrison's little feet had experienced the bliss of warm sand, smooth pebbles and gentle salt water.  As you can see from the photos, he absolutely loved this new adventure and we cherished the opportunity to experience the beach through a toddler's eyes.

First steps

Exploration

Sandy hands with Gigi

Walking in water

I love waves

Harrison and the ever growing belly by the sea

Making sand castles with Grandad and Gigi

Contemplation

Sorting and classifying rocks

Showing Gigi and Grandad the beach

Wildlife Safari, Botanic Gardens & Brew Pubs

The week of my parents visit provided an opportunity to start exploring a little of what our new home has to offer.  We started with the impressive Wild Animal Park (operated by the San Diego Zoo), stumbled upon the gorgeous Botanic Gardens on a trip to the beach, and enjoyed some delicious beer at Stone Brewery (just a few miles from the Casita).  

Sadly most of our adventures happened while Andy was at work or out of town, hence the absence from photos...and another excuse for repeat adventures.

WILD ANIMAL PARK

A very cool wild animal safari experience allowing you to get up close to many predominately African safari animals in a more natural setting.  The facility has an impressive collection of thousands of animals and serves as a rather successful breeder of many endangered animals for zoos around the world.  Our first visit here with Andy's parents happened to fall on a crowded weekend, and involved an incredible toddler meltdown so I welcomed the chance to re-experience this amazing place.

 Boy emerging from the egg.

Grandad and Harrison checking out kudu's, antelope and giraffes before boarding the safari train.

 One of the five baby elephants and it's mama at the Wild Animal Park.

Harrison enjoying a windy ride on the safari train.  The animal receiving Harrison's greatest attention during the safari was the extremely endangered Wild Somalian Ass.  See enthusiastic response below.

The lion lounging on his range rover.  

SAN DIEGO BOTANIC GARDENS

We stumbled upon this gem on our way to the beach at Encinitas and decided to stop by...and we were so thankful that we did!  Offering a wide variety of microclimate gardens from around the world and miles of pathways, this was a perfectly relaxing and informative way to spend the afternoon.  We all especially loved the children's garden space with well thought out interactive experiences and amazing outdoor classroom areas for little and big ones alike.  

Harrison and Gigi .

Admiring the rock collection.

Exploring the plant alphabet area.

I love H!

Playing around in forts.

Gigi and H exploring the fort.

In the music "classroom" making cool sounds.

Jammin.

Getting feet wet learning about fluvial dynamics.  

A plant from Avatar....it may eat small children.

Gorgeous container garden.

Lovely lady in succulents. 

Ahhhh....a sampling of beer at Stone Brewery.