Bolsa Chica

On Saturday we went to Bolsa Chica State Beach. We have now visited all of the state beaches in Orange County where you can use your state park pass.

It sure was windy. Too windy to even set up our umbrella. This is a self-portrait I took of n and myself while D took k to the restroom.



Afterward we went to a dive-y Chinese placed called "Big Chopsticks" in Huntington. Guys, don't take a date there, but the food was pretty good, and the portions were big. It seemed like the vast majority of their business is delivery. Be careful of their delivery drivers in the parking lot, though...kind of crazy.

Inked

n's new hobby is inking himself.


k never did this. I'm not sure if it was because she didn't have access to markers at this age, or if it is just the difference in their personalities.

OC Fair 2011

According to a Google search of our blog, the last time we went to the OC Fair was in 2008, before n was born. Therefore, we decided it was about time to go back, face the crowds, indulge in some fried food and all the other stuff one does at a fair.

We had to go on the weekend in order for D to come along, so we knew it would be crowded whatever time we went. After trying to avoid the 55 South, which was jammed due to the fair and a car accident, we found our way to the Experian parking lot at 475 Anton, which has a free shuttle to the fair on weekends. This would've been fine, except the bus we were supposed to take was delayed. Luckily, we brought two strollers on advice from my mom, so the extra wait was fine (we were able to put the strollers underneath the bus).

We decided to go late afternoon/early evening so the sun wouldn't be so hot, and our plan worked for the most part.

First stop was dinner.

Australian battered potatoes, pan-fried chicken (in back), and gyro (not pictured). I mostly wanted to try the potatoes out of curiosity...not quite sure what makes them Australian aside from the flag toothpick! There was a choice between cheese and ranch. In hindsight, I should've bought the half/half combo because the cheese had some jalapeno in it...not good for the kids. However, there were more than enough pieces not hit by the jalapeno cheese, so the kids munched on those. There was a lot of batter, though...I think these were a once in a lifetime deal.

The chicken and gyro were good, but not out of the ordinary. Next time maybe we'll go for the giant turkey leg. $9.75!, but considering the amount of meat on the chicken, which was only a few dollars less, it might be worth it.

Next was the Ice Museum, which my parents told me about. This was a new attraction, I believe. The building was freezing (obviously) and they offered ponchos to people, but I came prepared with sweatshirts for me and the kids. D toughed it out in his t-shirt.







Then we saw the requisite animals of the fair.




HUGE oxen

For dessert we shared a Cow Pie...sounds appetizing, doesn't it?


It wasn't too special, just a waffle wafer topped with soft serve, some chocolate sauce and oreo crumbles. However, D and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it.

Couldn't resist taking a picture of these guys.



No rides for us this time around...maybe when the kids are older.

At the box office, I noticed there was a early bird ticket where you could get in between 10-11 a.m. for only $2, but you have to leave by noon (not sure if this was only for the weekends). My question would be how they would know if you left by noon or not? Since we only stay a couple of hours anyway, maybe that would be an option for next time.

Water Closet: Before & After

As I mentioned before, I have been on a mission to re-paint the interior of our home, which was entirely "band-aid" color when we bought it. Yes, it has taken two years to start, but I have some momentum now. It is truly addictive.

The first place I started was the smallest room, for more instant gratification.

Before:


After:

Olympic Premium Satin color-matched to Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray. Ikea Grundtal shelves. Picture is a photo collage of our honeymoon that I made 5+ years ago.

Sanrio @ Yogurtland!

During Yogurtland's cross-promotion with Tokidoki, I mentioned that I thought Hello Kitty needed to be next. Fast-forward a couple of years, and my wish came true!





According to the schedule, Hello Kitty and Chococat are the spoons available right now, with My Melody (k's favorite!) and Keroppi available August 11.




The cups are too cute.


Spoon close-up.

What can I say, the marketing geniuses got me! I didn't even have a coupon. Unheard of...ha-ha. It was still reasonable, though, 5 something for all four of us. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately as the case may be), they didn't have any merchandise available at the one we went to. I wanted to check out the keychains.

Bouncy Birthday Party

Last night I took k and n to a birthday party for our friend that is turning 5. It was held at a place that had a big bounce obstacle course, slide and ball room. Needless to say, k and n had lots o' fun. Still waiting for n to get a little bit older, so I don't have to go up the slide with him every time! (I was able to take these pictures by climbing up with n, then sliding down first.)







We had fun playing with this ball machine that shoots the balls in the air.

Hand-painting. k doesn't like having her face painted, but the hands are OK in her book. n follows suit, of course.






Happy Birthday!

Summer Misc.

Last week my mom made goldfish crackers with the kids.


We've been taking k to swim lessons on Saturday mornings. Note that n is not the one taking lessons. However, he wanted to wear these ridiculous goggles that D received as a gag gift as part of a roast.


k blowing bubbles. This was a big step for her. She was not a fan of the teacher dunking her under water as part of a game last week, but she's doing better than expected.

Lunch at Macy's Signature Kitchen with a restaurant.com certificate. Marcus Samuelson burger and Cat Cora brisket sandwich. Pretty good, though we probably won't come back any time soon. We also shared a chocolate frozen custard shake, although it didn't taste very custard-y. Must go back to Strickland's, I guess.

Great Park Anniversary

The Great Park in Irvine has been the object of some ridicule and certainly has had its setbacks. However, it does have great potential, and I hope that one day all of its dreams and plans come to fruition. Until then, we will continue to try to take advantage of all of the free events that take place there. On Saturday, there was an anniversary celebration.

A new grove of palm trees has been installed.


There was a variety of things to see and do:
n + k were all smiles during the free carousel ride.


Interesting displays




Hand-painting. (Some people were disappointed that the only option was an orange bicycle, the Great Park's "mascot".)


A sunflower potting station.

The mickey mouse mugs were cute, but not very fun to carry around the whole time. I'm glad we went early though, because the line grew to be pretty long.

Aerial acrobatics show. (I should have taken video...the stunts were truly amazing!)


Petting zoo. (We skipped the line and just looked at the camels).


Free orange sorbet in a real orange peel cup. (This was so good, especially on a warm day. A little messy for the kids to eat, but they loved it.)


A rendering of a future neighborhood planned for the park.


For dinner we ate from a couple of food trucks. The first, The Burnt Truck, we had tried before. This time we had the fried chicken slider ($2.50), Vietnamese pork ($2.50) slider and tater tots ($2). The food could have been a little warmer, but the flavors were good. The second was a new to us truck, SlapFish We had a lobster grinder ($6) and a Major Crunchy fish sandwich ($7).

We also bought a coconut water since I've wanted to try it for a while. Both of the sandwiches were yummy, the coconut water not so much. I like coconut, but the water just tasted weird to me.

All in all, a fun, but somewhat tiring outing.

Original Pancake House; Doheny Beach

In our quest to visit all of the state parks we can with our pass, we decided to go down to Doheny Beach on Saturday. On the way down we stopped in Aliso Viejo for breakfast at Original Pancake House. We have been a couple of times before, but I think it was the first time since n was born.

With our BOGO coupon from the Entertainment Book, we ordered the Apple Pancake and Western Omelette. There was no need to order anything for the kids, because there was plenty to share.




n enjoyed the syrup a little too much.

With full stomachs, we drove down to Doheny. I don't think I've been there before. There is a jetty, so the water was very calm; practically no waves. D practiced his "rough water" swimming. Did you know that swimming is his new activity now? Running has taken a backseat, at least for now.

There was a lot of interesting things to observe:

Paddleboarding


Paragliding


Horsebackriding


We were laughing because there were SO MANY people with the Tommy Bahama chairs and umbrellas from Costco. It was like everyone and their mother had one, although this picture doesn't really illustrate my point.


Also, we happened upon a promotional event put on by Farmer John's. They are donating $1 for every $10 spent on their products to replacing the grills at Doheny Beach. They were giving out free samples of sausage. We also received bags of Pop Chips, Clif bars, Honest Tea, and Fuze drinks. Folgers was there too, but who feels like drinking hot coffee at the beach? I think they are holding the event every other Saturday, at least through July. Fun stuff.