TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

We put Finn to bed, picked up the house, secured the doors, turned the lights off and went to bed.  We had been asleep for about an hour when I heard Todd jump up and ask for the Kabar Marine Fighting knife I keep under my pillow (makes me feel safe).  Off he went into the dark, he returned a few minutes later telling me he heard something.  In the middle of explaining this to me I heard off in the distance.....

"To infinity and Beyond"

Buzz Lightyear was alive and vocal in Finn's bedroom.  I told Todd what it was, he removed Buzz from Finn's room and placed him on the kitchen table and returned to bed. 

Minutes later we heard "I come in peace", Buzz wouldn't stop talking.  Todd got back up from bed and stomped off to the kitchen.  As I snuggled deeper into the down feather bed I could hear Todd mumbling and trying to figure out how to remove the batteries, it was hilarious from my point of view.    He finally figured it out and put Buzz to rest, until this morning when Finn wanted the batteries back in.....I will let you know if we have a repeat performance tonight!!

LAST DAY

Our annual San Diego Zoo passes expire 01/31/2011.....we decided to get it one more visit on Saturday knowing it would be the last day we could go before they expired.

One of the many advantages of having annual passes is that you don't have to jam in every single animal into one visit!  We asked Finn what he wanted to see on this visit........ 

Giraffe's 

So to the giraffe's we went!!

Love is in the air....

Valentine's Day must be near!

Skyfari

This is a must for any visit to the Zoo, you fly high above the zoo with a panoramic view of San Diego....we went on it twice....free to pass holders!

Up High am I,

I've always loved a birds eye view!

Finn waving as other cars go by, my sweet boy is just like his mother, friendly and curious.

This was so much fun to watch, the zoo keeper hid treats around the zebra's enclosure, the zebra found them all, even those hidden under traffic cones. 

It was another idyllic day at the San Diego Zoo. 

THE LAUNCH

PARTICIPANTS

TODD - WILL - FINN

I told you the launch was coming and we couldn't have chosen a better day, we had Will with us Sunday while his parents were running the Carlsbad Marathon.  Whats better than 2 males launching a rocket? THREE MALES! 

Both boys listened and watched Todd intensely, 

they were excited and not too sure what to expect!

The Engine - Fire Power

(I bet Mary & Dave could have used one of these

in each of their running shoes as they hit mile 10)

In goes the wadding....lift off approaching quickly!  So glad Todd knew what he was doing, I didn't have a clue, I just kept snapping shots and enjoying the excitement in Finn and Will.

Todd hooking up the igniter

10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1

LIFT OFF

It was too quick for me, it went from 0 to 1,000' in seconds!  I had my camera on the "kids & pets" setting, didn't help.  We saw the parachute deploy and the descent back to earth, our landing wasn't spectacular....into a star pine!  

It was great way to spend Sunday morning before heading back to Temecula for more.............Soccer!  

PAINTED EARTH

Last weekend Kirra had a soccer tournament in Temecula (1 hour from home) two games on Saturday and one game on Sunday.  Saturday's games were spread apart with a couple of hours to burn between the two games, what to do....what to do? 

Paint Your Own Ceramics

I have been meaning to take Finn to Painted Earth Ceramics in Temecula for some time and knew this would be the perfect way to keep us busy until the evening game.  Painted Earth happens to be owned by my boss and his wife....in fact his wife hired me at my current job 13 years ago before she left the world of computers behind for the glitz and glamour of ceramics!!

Christy setting up our table; water bowls, paint brushes, sponge's, paints and painting tips, Finn's favorite tip...

there are no mistakes!!! 

Finn was hooked immediately, he picked out his own colors and loved squirting the paints onto the pallets.

Kayla was extremely detail oriented and immediately came up with a creative design that Finn decided to copy around the edge of his plate. 

Finn's finished plate

Kayla's finished plate

Was I right,  do you see what I see, two happy, smiling faces....we left their beautiful creations behind for their turn in the kiln where they are baked at high temperature, it was time to head back for more soccer at the Temecula Valley Tournament!!  Go Storm!

RIGHT NOW

Missing Finn

FINN IN SEPIA

 Finn has become an excellent sport spectator!  When he was younger, I couldn't get him to sit still for anything, not even with the promise of treats.  These were a few shots from the first game on Saturday, I could take photos of Finn all day long.

WARM DELICIOUS DAY

Even though Southern California has mild weather with minor variences from hot to cold, we feel like we've been given a gift whenever we have a day in January that hits the high 70's to low 80's.

Today was that day.........what to do, what to do.............to the beach we go! 

I wish I had my camera....in the rush to get out the door to take advantage of the awesome weather I forgot to pack my camera in the beach bag.  My cell phone enabled me to get at least one shot.  Kirra and Kayla having fun with the hole Kirra had dug and no that is not a wine bottle but a Martineli's Apple Cider bottle!

The colors in the late afternoon sky as the sun set was beyond words.......sometimes it's hard to believe we actually live here!

SATURDAY NIGHT

Have you ever built a rocket?  I have, in an 8th grade Science class, my rocket didn't even hit 20' while everyone else in the class soared their rocket over 250', this may be why I didn't become a Rocket Scientist.....but I did LOVE the movie October Sky, does that count for anything?

One of Todd's Christmas gifts this year was a Rocket Kit....he had expressed interest in one earlier in the year and thought it would be a fun experience with Finn to build and launch the rocket.  Being the oh so thoughtful wife that I am....I remembered his interest in a rocket which lead to last nights entertainment.

I read a few reviews on Amazon and soon found out the Estes Taser Rocket would be a good match for a Father/Son project, not too many little parts and a short assembly time.

Finn was into it immediately, Todd was very patient with Finn and even read out each step of the instructions so Finn understood what was happening next.  

Finn applying the nose of the rocket.

You will be impressed to find out that Finn even applied the modeling glue to various parts of the rocket.  Todd is always such a better parent than I am when it comes to hands on with anything from building a rocket to learning how to wash dishes.  I am always in a hurry....sigh

Ta Da

Pictures to follow from the launch, we had originally planned on launching the rocket today but unusually warm weather took us to the beach with our nieces, we stayed till sunset.  We are shooting for a launch later this week, weather permitting.  So proud of Todd and Finn's final project!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I am still here, just took a much needed break from my usual activities.  No blogging, no photo's, no diet, no schedule(don't panic, I still got on my treadmill everyday)....just absorbing the fact that we are now in 2011.  What is in store for me? To be honest, I have been extremely introverted the past few weeks, focused on all things Tiffiney...my health, my family, my career, my education....I could go on and on but will spare you the boredom.

What do you think of my new glasses?  Finn calls me Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp version).  Good Grief...what was I thinking...I look like a bug!  However, I do like the way my nose looks.  Wonder why I never noticed before how much I like my nose.....see I am focusing on me again.  Poor Toddly.

First on my list for 2011.....

find new sunglasses asap!

Happy New Year 2011....will post pictures from Christmas 2010 this evening.