By the sea

We had an awesome vacation a few weeks ago. Juan's brother, Andres, came for a visit from Ecuador and stayed with us for a while so we took him and Marylu along with us to San Diego.I was pleasantly surprised how close it is to drive to California from Vegas- only about 4 hours. We stayed with Juan's friends the Walkers in Mission Viejo the first night and Saturday we went to Sea World. Marcus enjoyed it so much even though we sat in the splash zones during every show. He only cried a little bit when we got splashed. Most of the time he was very entertained. His favorite part was the turtle aquarium. As the fish swam right by his face he tried to grab them- it was so cute to watch. I wish I would have gotten a good video of it. We loved seeing dolphins, killer whales, sea lions and all kinds of creatures of the sea. Still, I like to see it all in the wild and I found myself missing Hawaii and snorkeling. I would do anything to be able to swim with dolphins again in the wild.
Marcus' favorite part in the whole park was the baby fishbowl. In my opinion this was genius for the little toddlers to run around in. He met some other cute fishes too.
That night we stayed in Carlsbad in a hotel a few blocks to the beach. The next day, while Juan and Andres went to a Clippers game during the day, Mare and I took Marcus down to the beach. What a fun time we had; playing in the sand, finding seashells/rocks, and chasing birds away from our picnic. Marcus ate it a few times...literally...and after the third time, and it was into the water because a wave wiped him out, we decided to pack up and head back. SO MUCH BETTER THAN GOING TO A BASKETBALL GAME! Our last day was pretty awesome. We got to see the San Diego temple and went to a beach in La Jolla where we got to see about a hundred leopard sea lions basking in the sun and some huge pelicans. Can you spot them on the rock?

smile wide and drool

I love my little man. ever since i can remember he has been dripping from the mouth like the bulldog in Rio. I think its his happy attitude and hunger for...well...food. some of his favorites include:
eggs
avocados
shrimp
chicken
spaghetti
grapes
bananas
cottage cheese
shredded cheese
granola bars
I could go on and on...he is not a picky eater.
Lately, I have felt like we are really communicating effectively. When he wants to go outside he brings me one of his shoes. Then I point to the other shoe and explain that he needs it and so he goes and retrieves it as well. At meal time when he is not happy with one of the options being thrust in his face he looks heavenward as if saying a prayer and puts his hands on his head and under his chin. I abuse this one a little too much cuz I love seeing him squirm and stress out :)
To the relief of both his parents his favorite toys are balls. Big ones, small ones, deflated ones and especially bite size ones. That might be the only reason why he likes grapes.
He is a very independent little guy. It is very hard to get him to hold your hand while walking and he has exhibited frustration when I have tried to help him climb up onto the slide or chair.
He is a fast learner and daredevil (like his mom). He loves naps, the iPhone, and food (like his dad).