strawberry picking // 25 months

It was almost 90 degrees in the OC yesterday, but that didn't stop us from lathering on the sunscreen and spending some time at Tanaka Farms. During the spring they do strawberry tours, where you climb aboard a tractor, take a tour of the farm and then pick your own fresh berries to take home with you. (In the summer they have watermelon tours, the fall a pumpkin patch and winter Christmas trees.)

The entire tour is about an hour, and Kyle did great! I was actually surprised at how much he enjoyed it. He loved climbing aboard the tractor and sat nicely the entire time, pointing out cool things he saw, like a scarecrow and a hawk. On our way to the strawberry field we made a few pit stops to try some of their home grown veggies - we got to try carrots, cilantro, onion, celery, bok choy and sugar snap peas. And would you believe that my little picky eater took a bite of every single one?! (except the onion - I spared him from that experience). I couldn't believe it! I guess he got caught up in the moment :) He liked the carrots and peas the best, which is no surprise since those are his favorites at home too.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at how much Kyle loved the tractor ride since that's totally up his alley, but what really made me smile was how into the strawberry picking he was. He wanted it to do it all by himself and looked hard to find the good ones that were perfect for his little basket. And he was so, so proud of himself when his basket was full and he carried it back to the tractor. He climbed back in with his basket, opened it up and grubbed! Shoved strawberries in his mouth for the whole ride back.

We bought some sugar snap peas from their market and headed home, where Kyle was really excited to show his dad his basket of berries and eat a few more before dinner. We can't wait to go back this summer for some watermelon fun!

Santa Ana Zoo

I love taking Kyle on "field trips" when we have a free day. Sometimes we invite friends along, but other times it's fun to do things just the two of us. Last week, we checked out the Santa Ana Zoo. I had heard that it was a smaller zoo, so we knew going into it that there wouldn't be a huge variety of animals, but it turned out to be the perfect size for a 2 year old.

One of my favorite things about my schedule is that my "free day" is usually a Tuesday or Thursday, so when we go on these types of field trips we usually don't have to fight the crowds. This particular day was a Thursday, and aside from the bus of middle schoolers enjoying their actual field trip, there weren't too many people around. We saw tons of monkeys swinging around, which made Kyle laugh, an anteater, camels and an ostrich. But the highlight of Kyle's day was probably discovering that there is a CHOO CHOO at the ZOO! He was in heaven.

We took a lunch break and then I let Kyle play around on the playground for a while (by the way, he asks that I stay down now so that he can play by himself - what the heck!) and climb in the jeep, which was probably his second favorite part since he loves playing in daddy's real Jeep at home.

When Brian comes home from work in the evening, Kyle and I love to tell him about our day. When I asked him to tell daddy what we did that day, I expected him to say "ride choo choo," but the first thing he said was "see monkeys!" So cute.

Overall, we had a great day and I'm sure we'll be back again. Parking is easy and free and the zoo is right off the 5 freeway. Kids under 3 are free and adults are only $10, so it's a pretty affordable and fun outing for mommies with young kids. 

CHOC Walk

My mom invited us to walk with her at the 2014 CHOC Walk in the Park - the hospital's annual fundraiser. I woke Kyle up at 5:30 a.m. and we headed over to Disneyland for some family time. There are SO MANY people who do this walk (more than 16,000!!!) and it raised over $2 million for the hospital. We got to walk through Disneyland and California Adventure before they opened, which was pretty fun. Kyle and his cousin Harlow liked seeing all the characters out and about and some of the rides, like the teacups and Dumbo, were running (with no one on them, of course). Our pace was about a 30 min/mile since there's barely any room to move, but overall it was a fun morning for a good cause! I just wish I would have remembered how to get to my car afterwards :)

hay!

For someone who really doesn't like driving to Irvine, I sure do make a lot of trips to Irvine Park. Maybe because it's actually in the city of Orange, or maybe it's because a ton of my friends and family live out that way...  either way we trekked out there yet again over the weekend to visit the Pumpkin Patch with Kyle's Mammie, Auntie and cousins.

My big 19 month old had tons of fun. He rode a horse, rode the train, went on a hay ride, ran through the hay maze, jumped in the jumper and climbed on pumpkins and piles of hay with his cousins, ate french fries and an ice cream cone... all on a 30 minute car nap. What a trooper!

I really like it out there and Kyle has a blast, but it's crazy to me how expensive it is. I'm sure we could do a trip without spending tons of money, but just a ride on the train (his fave) is $10 for the two of us. We ended up buying a book of 15 tickets for our family (3 adults & 3 kids) for $60 (they're normally $5/ticket), eating lunch for just under $50, not to mention 3 horse rides sold separately, ice cream cones, juice box break, a quarter tank of gas... eeek. But we made some great fam memories, and sometimes you just gotta live a little, right? :)

Knott's FTW

I've shared how I don't think we'll be going back to Disneyland until Kyle is a bit older, but we went to Knott's Berry Farm with my good friend and her little girl the other day and we had SO MUCH FUN. Camp Snoopy is awesome for little kids, even as young as 18 months!

There's a few reasons why I think Knott's is a better fit for us right now:

• I bought an annual pass (good for all of 2015) for $76. Their annual passes work differently than Disneyland - they are calendar year passes, so it makes sense to buy them in January, or before the year starts. Since I bought mine early, it was on sale (normally $96). I got in for free the day I got the pass, and if I want to go any time in 2014 before my pass kicks in it's only $9.99 admission. You can't even get into Disneyland once for $76!!! And Kyle is still free, so that's an added bonus.
• It's waaaaaay less crowded. We waited in 0 lines, they let us do the rides twice in a row without getting off, and I feel 100 times better letting Kyle walk around in front of me because I can keep an eye on him without a chance he'll get lost in the crowd. This is a HUGE plus for me because he's at the age that it's just not fun to be cooped up in the stroller all day. 
• He loved all the kiddie rides! They're right up his alley - cars, trucks, boats, airplanes. Super fun for a little boy (and girl!). 
• My friend Heather and I took turns watching the kids so we could ride the big kid rides - not as feasible at Disneyland when you have to wait 45 minutes. Kids would get restless. At Knott's during the week days this time of year, you walk right on!
• It doesn't have to be an ALL DAY thing. When you go to Disneyland, you want to make the most of your day - even if you have an annual pass. It's a process to park, ride the tram in or make the loooong walk into the park through California Adventure. That in itself is 45 minutes. At Knott's, it's easier to spend a couple of hours there doing fun stuff since it's not such a process getting in/out.
• Kyle had a blast and felt like such a big boy!

I'm still a huge fan of Disneyland - I mean, you can't beat the atmosphere, awesome shows, parades, food, characters, history, etc... but at this point in our lives I am team Knott's. I can't wait to go back tons of times this year and next!

our day with Conan

Coming to you from Warner Bros. studios... it's Brian & Krista at the Conan O'Brien show!

Well, this picture was actually taken at the most amazing restaurant down the street because to my dismay there are absolutely NO PHOTOS allowed on the lot. But I did take lots of mental notes during our husband/wife adventure, and here's a quick recap of our experience.

For my birthday in May, Brian surprised me with priority tickets to the taping. It's something the two of us have always wanted to do and I was really excited, but mostly I was looking forward to an entire day alone with my hub (our first-ever since we became parents nearly 17 months ago!). Kyle's grandma was on baby duty, and we were set to leave at 11 a.m. and not return until well after bed time.

Although traffic on the 5 sucks at any given hour on any given day, we arrived in Los Angeles with plenty of time to get a couple of cocktails and enjoy lunch. We stumbled upon Ciao Cristina and I can't say enough good things. I'll just tell you that if you're in the area you should GO THERE RIGHT NOW because everything was amazing. We couldn't stop talking about it and said we may even make the drive again one day to go back.

On to the show. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the check-in process was. I'd heard some horror stories of people who wait in line all day to see a taping of a show, only to be rejected at the door. But this was the complete opposite. Our tickets said 2:30 p.m. check-in and to arrive 30 minutes early. We got to the lot right at 2:00. Parking was easy (and free!) and there was no confusion as to where to go. Check-in was in the parking structure, which made it so easy. You get off the elevator (which clearly says: Conan - level 2) and BAM! there it is. A security guard checked our ID's and my purse, we went through a metal detector and then a staff member had our names in an app on her iPhone. We were checked in within minutes, and told that the number we received (73) was our ticket in, and that we could return at 3 p.m.

We had an hour to kill, so back to Ciao Cristina we went for another round (or 2) of drinks :)

When we returned at 3:00, the waiting area was full. We sat down for just a few minutes, and then they began calling out numbers in groups of 10. They line you up in exact order of your ticket, and then march you in a single file, well guarded line to the studio.

The walk is pretty long, but we thought it was so fun to look at all the buildings and sets. Brian said that the lot looks exactly like it does in the cartoons, and I thought it was fun to read the signs on the side of each studio that says which shows and movies have been/are currently being filmed inside. You can also see the reserved parking spots for actors of current shows; we walked by the sets of 2 Broke Girls, Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory.

Before they take you inside you're asked to wait in a holding area, where they show you old episodes of Conan to keep you occupied. This was the longest/most boring part of the day, since we were standing in what looks like an amusement park line for probably 15-20 minutes. After that, they escort you into the building and onto set and tell you where to sit.

Brian and I were in the very last row, but the studio is so small (about 400 people) that all the seats are great. (The temperature is set pretty cool, so if you're planning to go make sure to bring a sweater.) As people kept filing in, they played good music pretty loudly, which made it feel fun and exciting. About 10-15 minutes after everyone is seated the warm-up comedian comes out, along with the Warner Bros. Studios Fire Department (did you know they have their own department?!) to tell you what to do in case of an emergency, and to get you excited for the show.

The warm-up comedian was Jimmy Pardo, and he was pretty funny. He had everyone laughing for a few minutes, picked on a few people in the audience and demonstrated the Applause sign. Then he introduced Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, who are awesome! They played a few songs for us while the crew got ready for showtime, and the trumpet player went to town walking up and down the aisles. It's always so fun to see such good musicians in action.

During this time, I LOVED watching all the behind the scenes stuff. It's so crazy to think that this is just another day at work for the camera guys, the lighting guy, the make up girl, the stage manager, the band, the photographer, the security guards... and I'm sure the dozens of people behind the curtain that you don't see at all. They are all very efficient, yet laid back and seemed to be having a good time.

Jimmy explained to us that when the band starts to play the show's theme song, to start clapping because that's when the show starts. It all happened so suddenly- one minute they're jamming in the isles, and the next minute the theme song starts. Out comes Andy Richter, gives the audience a tiny wave, and then stands at the podium and starts his announcing! Again, just another day at the office for him!

Conan comes out of the curtain and it's a little surreal. We've seen him do this 100 times on TV, so it's pretty funny when it happens 20 feet in front of you. While they're taping, they play the show as it will appear on TV on the screens overhead, so you have the option of watching the live people or watching the televised version. This was fun to compare the screen and the behind the scenes when they were doing the banter between Conan/Andy and Conan/stage manager.

Our guests for the day were Michael Sheen, who was really funny, and Joe Manganiello, who "taught" Conan some stripper moves during my favorite scene of the day: 



It was also fun to watch Conan and Andy during the commercial breaks. Conan is very focused, and was taking notes or dancing a little right up until it was time to start back up. People would come out from behind the curtain to tell him something or touch up his makeup, but for the most part he would just hang out right around his desk. After the interviews were over, the guest would stay in the chair for another minute or two and chat with Conan. (I always wondered if this was an act for the cameras, but they really do stay there and talk for a bit.)

After the second interview, Conan took the mike and asked us if it would be okay for him to do a third interview that would be taped for the next week's show, and that Taye Diggs would be joining him. Bonus! Conan and Andy changed their ties for this part, and then changed them back for the musical guest.

During the musical performance by Marsha Ambrosius, it was so much fun to watch the camera guys at work and figure out which camera was "on" that I didn't really pay much attention to the singing (no offense to Marsha because she sounded great). The performance ended and Conan and Andy stayed with her band until it was time to say goodbye. After the show was wrapped, Conan loosened his tie and did a little bit for the crowd and sang a playful song and messed with an audience member. He seemed much more relaxed and friendly once the show was done! 

Since security wasn't as tight on the walk back to the parking structure, Brian and I tried to sneak in a selfie once we were outside the studio but got busted and I had to put my phone away. The entire process, from check-in to driving away, was about four hours. We had such a great time and it was a perfect date day for us.

Oh, and did I mention we ate at Ruth's Chris for dinner afterwards? I was one happy wife!

Pretend City

Kyle and I had a free day yesterday - no plans, no pressing errands, no deadlines for me - so after nap time we packed it up and drove to Irvine to check out Pretend City. I wish we lived closer to this place because it is FUN for Kyle. He loves being independent and exploring and had a blast running around and touching everything in sight. He especially loved the sand and farm areas, and had fun in the "grocery store" sharing his eggs with a little girl he befriended (and then he held her hand... hmmm). I highly recommend it for kiddos who are walking! I'm sure it's germ central, but sometimes you gotta bite the bullet, right?