Apple Picking 2014

Just because life wasn't exciting enough we had to try and squeeze in a fall ritual we hadn't yet fulfilled;)  Mercifully, Gabe had the day after our return from California off, so we were able to have a low-key resting day at home.  Our flight back was fairly uneventful. Although, by the time we got everything together and took a cab to get our car, we didn't leave Boston until 11pm which put us home just before 3am.  Lucky for us, Pacific time was on our side.

The next day, although tired, it was so beautiful out, southern California weather to be exact, we just couldn't resist apple picking.  It was a good thing too, because there weren't many apples left on the trees.  Gabe is a tall guy so the kids loved being able to reach the high apples while he lifted them up. They ate their weight in apples and got to play with the chickens, so another year of apple picking success on the books... now for some sleep:)

National AAP Conference 2014

The conference was fantastic for both parents and kids... we will definitely attend this conference again! Gabe and I attended the conference during the day and even got the chance (3 days in a row!) to eat out at an actual restaurant in downtown San Diego without the kids... we are now hooked on mexican food... too bad the Farmington area has a complete lack of that!  During the days the kids were at a "kids camp" aka daycare and boy do they love it there.  By Monday I was starting to feel guilty about leaving them in childcare for 3 straight days so we went to pick them up after lunch and we were met with screaming, crying and pleading to not leave (from all of them)... lesson learned:)

On Saturday evening the "AAP experience" was aboard the USS Midway aircraft carrier.  Lots of great food, music and entertainment.  The boys found planes that looked like all of their favorite characters from the movie "Planes". It was an impressive ship and people were lined up down the street waiting to get in even when we were leaving at 9pm!

Sunday night we were lucky enough to be taken out to dinner by Rich and Nora Tando, cousins of Gabe's who live in San Diego.  We had another gorgeous sunset to admire at the top of a building downtown, then out for more delicious mexican grill!

Monday, afternoon (after everyone calmed down from the daycare removal) we got out to explore Balboa Park.  One of James' favorite parts was walking through the "desert" park with loads of cacti.
Tuesday morning, after packing up our things, we headed back downtown for breakfast outside and one last walk along the Pacific Ocean before heading back to the airport:)

Gabe and I were both really impressed with the conference, the course offerings and what we were able to talk back to practice.  Without going into excruciating detail, we would like to share a few highlights... On Sunday we got to hear Hillary Clinton give a talk about the partnership between the Clinton Foundation and the AAP regarding early childhood literacy and early exposure to reading and language... they are doing great things based on some impressive research about the "language gap" between children who have access to books/parents who talk to them and those who don't.

Probably what has stuck with us both was a talk by Rick Guidotti photographer and founder of "Positive Exposure".  He does some pretty amazing work to destigmatize various genetic conditions (ex. albanism, downs syndrome) and is revolutionizing the way these conditions are presented in medical education (and anywhere really) by incorporating the "human" side of the syndromes.  Check out his website here: http://positiveexposure.org
 

Point Loma and Kids' Camp

After Legoland we moved to Point Loma and spent Friday exploring the area.  Our new house doesn't have quite as nice of a view, but it does have a great yard and a washer/dryer.  Friday morning we ventured out to see what Point Loma had to offer.  We stumbled upon the Fort Rosecrans Naval base with an absolutely breathtaking military cemetery overlooking the Pacific.  At the end of Point Loma there are beautiful cliffs in the park at the Cabrillo National Monument.  We thought that this would be a quick stop and maybe we wouldn't get out of the car, but we were wrong.  We had a great history lesson in the museum discussing about early explorers, the routes they took and what their ships were like... education wasn't completely lost on this trip;)

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach at Coronado.  Audrey really got into throwing the ball around (when Ben would let her) and Noah and James (and Gabe) are really into boogie boarding on this trip... how disappointed they will be next summer to come back to the southern Maine waves;)

Friday evening was the beginning of the real reason we were in California... for Gabe and I to attend the national American Academy of Pediatrics conference.  We thought that this may be a let down for the kids after all of the beaches and parks, but the first night did not disappoint!  The kids camp was like a free for all kid play place.  Professional face painting, caricaturists, video games (only active ones... this is the AAP;)), carnival games, dress up video flip books, and a dance floor with a DJ... I don't think I have to say where Noah chose to spend most of his time.  Not only did Noah dance, but he won an air guitar/dance contest... this is by far the highlight of his trip and he came home with a stuffed zebra as a prize... he has named him Zeeza.  We have some video, I think, and I will have to track down a picture, but it was pretty impressive.  So far so good with an impressive start to the conference for the kids... I am sure staying up late and waking up early due to the time change won't eventually cause some problems...