Dominick's Christmas List

 

1.  Leap Frog Letter Factory Phonics – I think Dominick would really be into this and it would be something that would be able to keep his attention and grow with him.
2.       Bubble Machine and Bubbles – Dominick is SUCH  big bubbles fan so I know this would be a really big toy for him outside. He chases them and just thinks they’re so much fun.
3.       Puzzles – I really love the chunky Melissa and Doug puzzles and so does Dominick.
4.       Books – Dom doesn’t really care for us to read to him still, but he really enjoys looking at books. I also think these would fun for him since they make noise and would be great for in the car
5.       Strider Bikes – Our friends son has a strider balance bike and Dominick is such a fan. He doesn’t really get the whole concept yet, but I don’t think it will take him long. He tries to play on it every time he’s around our friends'. This is something that he will be able to use until he gets a big boy bike. I also love that he won't have training wheels so we he will be used to balancing.
6.       VTech Go! Go! Smart Wheels – We have the airport and while Dominick always takes it apart, the little vehicles we have are some of Dominick’s favorites to carry around or his take along toys for car rides.
7.       Little Tikes T-Ball Set – Dominick is a huge fan of all sports. This summer we would watch the Tigers and he would recognize it on TV and he recognizes the little baseball guy on my t-shirts so naturally he needs this t-ball toy.
8.       Little People Toys – Some of Dominick’s FAVORITE toys are his little people toys. I’m pretty sure his absolute favorite is the airplane. He LOVES the music, taking the people in and out of the plane and pushing them around the house. I think the pirate ship is a must have for him.
9.       Melissa and Doug Train Table and Train Set – Our friends have the M & D train table and train set so whenever we go over there or Dominick spends any amount of time there he loves to play with it. Right now he mostly just carries the trains around, but I’m sure in no time he will get the whole concept and be playing with it. What little boy wouldn’t want a train table?

Dominick is also getting a pottery barn anywhere chair from his Gigi and Papa. He is going to LOVE having a chair that's just his size and all for him.

Should we add anything to his list?

Our San Diego Trip

The first weekend of November (1-3) we made a trip down to San Diego. We hit up SD quite often because it's not too far out of the way, super family and military friendly, cleaner than Los Angeles and just a happy place to be in Southern California. Whenever we go we stay in Navy lodging at Point Loma. There are quite a few bases in the area, but only Point Loma (there are two different bases/hotels) allows children under the age of 12. We actually really like staying there because it's in a pretty good location to the things we like to do and places we like to go, we are able to get a room and a separate living area (where Dominick can sleep), a mini kitchen and dining area all for really cheap.

 

Ryan and I both only worked a short day. We had almost everything packed so we just loaded the car up and hit the road. Unfortunately, we didn't get on the road quite in time to miss rush hour and sat in traffic for a little while. We ended up getting to the hotel around 6-6:30. Dominick was tired and ready for dinner. When we go here I normally make a few meals to eat in the hotel and bring breakfast. It ends up being cheaper in the long run and more convenient when we have a tired child. He can eat or run around and we don't have to make sure he's behaving like he should in a restaurant or causing a scene. It works out great. So while I was warming up dinner and setting up the pack n play, Ryan was unloading the rest of the car. We thankfully got a room on the first floor (there's no elevators and we always have a LOT of stuff) so it wasn't too bad bringing stuff in. After dinner we let Dominick run around and then it was time for bed. I love that he's able to have a separate room to sleep so we don't have to turn all the lights off or be super quiet.

Saturday morning we had family pictures scheduled at 4 (with Jamie Grant Photography; if you're in the area look her up, she's AWESOME) so we knew we would have most of the day for ourselves. Ryan and I (I took Dominick) went for a quick run/workout sesh when we woke up to start the day and then got around and had breakfast. In Dominick's 14 month post I said that we hit up Sea World. We got there right around 10:30 and it was the perfect time. It wasn't too crowded yet and we were able to get up close to view everything. Sometimes we were the only ones at an exhibit At 11:45 we were passing the dolphin show and I told Ryan how I really wanted to either see the dolphins or the whale show. We were in the back of the park and the whale show was starting in 15 minutes. We hurried to the front and were there just in time. There were tons of seating available and we made sure to sit up top so we wouldn't get wet. Dominick was so into the show. He loved the music, he loved the whales, he loved everything. I'm so glad that we decided to take him because he thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent there. We stayed until around 1 and then decided to go back to the hotel. It was the perfect amount of time for his little attention span and as we were leaving it was beginning to get really hot outside and more crowded.

Once we got back to the hotel Dominick had fallen asleep in the car so we just laid him down for a nap. We actually turned on the MSU vs Michigan game and relaxed as well. I think we even may have gotten a few cat naps in which was quite nice. Dominick woke on his own just in time to have lunch and for all of us to get ready for pictures. We ended up getting lost (thanks to our "trusty" GPS) heading to the location and were LATE. We had pictures and LOVED Jamie, she was so sweet. After our photos we headed to a different navy base because they had a sale on running shoes. Ryan was looking for a pair, but didn't find what he was looking for. We did however find a heart rate monitor watch that I've been eyeing and on my Christmas list. Ryan bought it for me as an early gift. :)

Sunday we got up, finished packing, had breakfast and went on another run. It was chillier this morning so we went separately and Dominick stayed home. He got to play and he still had a good time. After Ryan got back it had started warming up so I took Dominick outside to play and run around before we had to get in the car. We went to Coronado Island, drove around, stopped at Coldstone and said see ya later to San Diego one more time. We got home around 6:30 and were all pretty tired.

I love that we are only 3 hours away from such a beautiful city; it makes living in the desert that much more bearable knowing we can go many places in such a short distance. Ryan and I have both said we wouldn't be in such a hurry to leave California if we lived there.

Happy Friday!