Visiting the North Pole

In case you haven't heard, there is a north pole located just outside of Colorado Springs in Cascade. It may not be the north pole but it is packed with rides and fun things for kids to do and see.

Tom, of course, went as a kid but hasn't been back since then. I found out they were doing a Facebook promo this weekend where you buy one admission (at $21) and get one free. Since Constance is still under 2, she would be free. So basically we could all go as a family for $21. It seemed worth it.

After looking through their website, I figured that there would be at least a couple of rides that Constance could go on and possibly enjoy.

But then Tom had the worst week of his career as an attorney this past week, in which he didn't get home until around 6 or 7 every night, had to go to court multiple times a day, and was extremely backed up on things to do on his cases (plus other random things that got dumped on him, compliments of being Jr. attorney at the firm). It got so bad on Friday that he had to miss his chiropractor appointment and rush to court to file something before it closed. I think he almost died a couple times, but luckily each time, this potion brought him back to functioning at least on zombie mode.

Tom even considered going to work on Saturday.

But then he did the noble thing and went to the north pole instead with Constance and I.

I don't think he regretted the decision much. (He might change his mind come Monday morning, though.)

We arrived there soon after the park opened. We went through the gates and there was Santa, greeting all of the visitors. We had been prepping Constance all morning by getting her excited to see Santa. But when she finally saw him, all she wanted was to turn away and hug her Dada. We even asked her if she remembered what Santa said and she wouldn't respond to the prompt. So Santa said "Ho, ho, ho" and Constance gave him a shy smile.

At first, she didn't know what to think of the place. There were lots of weird buildings in strange colors. Constance looked around with a very puzzled expression.

 Dada had a moment to reflect on his reflection.

 Then he successfully convinced Constance to take a peak into the mirror. She wasn't very impressed.

Dada and Constance threw a quarter into the wishing well.

 And Constance was fascinated by the fountains and the watermill.

 Luckily she had a Dada to carry her around to far off places.

 Including to Santa's chapel where Dada admired the calligraphy and Constance wandered around for a minute before going off to see more exciting sights.

 And in doing so, she stumbled upon the North Pole.

 We went on the Choo Choo train and Constance loved it.

 We went on the carousal too.

 She was so serious when we first set her on the reindeer and then she broke into a smile once it started moving.

 She found her dream car.
And rode it all by herself without a license.
And no one seemed to care.

Daddy wanted to visit the toy shop and the ornament shop.
So we strapped Constance into her stroller to keep her eager fingers away from all the breakable collectibles.
Daddy bought her a bee at the toy store. It seemed appropriate since she loves Buzbee on Disney Jr so much.

I went with Constance on the Dive Bombers and managed to spin around high in the air with her without getting horribly sick or dizzy. Constance seemed oblivious to the altitude or speed and her only complaint was being cold.

Then she begged Daddy into riding a giant bug with her. She rode in the driver's seat and he sat in the backseat. I think he felt similar to how I felt after getting off the Dive Bomber

I think Constance was lucky because the minimum height for most of the rides was 32" and she was just right below that. But most of the workers let her go on anyways.

Just before it was time to leave, we saw the magic show. Constance was extremely good for the 15 minute show and sat quietly on my lap taking everything in. She even exclaimed "Where'd it go?!" when a ball magically disappeared. Then she had a chance to pet the magician's rabbit at the end of the show. It took a bit of coaxing because, as the magician pointed out, a man with a lamp shade of sorts on his head was holding the creature.

We had to hurry back home for me to make it to the Just Between Friends consignment sale, but all in all, it was a fun morning.

It was definitely much more exciting than our usual pattern of waking up at 7, coaxing Daddy out of bed around 8 or 9, eating breakfast, cleaning the house, and running errands.

Maybe next year Constance will convince Daddy he should take her on the roller coaster ride.

A Day in Southern California

This past Saturday was like spending a day in Southern California. At least that's what it reminded me of.

I woke up and packed a grumpy toddler into the car so we could go to the farmer's market. It was such a weird morning because the sky was completely overcast and foggy. It reminded me of practically every morning in Costa Mesa. The only thing I was missing was the sea breeze and saltiness in the air--and my Grandma and Grandpa who were fortunate to live in a small house right on the beach.

When we lived in Costa Mesa, Mom and I went to the farmer's market every week to get produce. That was the bulk of our grocery shopping. The farmer's markets back there were pretty big with a great selection of fruits and vegetables--none of this artsy crafty stuff. I've been disappointed with every farmer's market I've been to since then.

But the one we went to in Old Colorado City was pretty good. They had peaches, melons, pears, nectarines, veggies, and boxes upon boxes of tomatoes. I was there for the fruit. Should I be embarrassed that I can eat an entire case of peaches pretty much all by myself in a week? I hope not.

Constance and I came home just in time to wake up Tom.

Then we were off to an "office party" at Tom's boss's house.

We were curious how big and fancy this house was going to be. Greg has been a practicing attorney for many years and is getting ready to retire soon. Attorneys are supposed to have fancy houses right?

Actually it was quite modest. Not much bigger than Tom's parent's house but recently updated with lots of custom features and new furniture. The back yard isn't huge but has a pool and a putting area which the kids took full advantage of.

Daddy took Constance in the pool--her first time. I was worried she would cry but she seems to have overcome most of her fear of water. Of course, it helped that Tom just let her hold onto him and didn't try and dunk her in the water like the other Dad was doing.

 Meanwhile I stood on the sidelines and took pictures. I haven't owned a swimsuit in years. Sad news for a Hawaii girl.

Constance had a lot of fun playing golf. She picked up on it really quickly.

The food was very delicious too. It was one of the best parties we've been to. Our friends definitely need to throw more parties for us to come to--hint, hint.

After Constance's nap, we decided to go to American Furniture and look for a loveseat. The seating situation upstairs is less than ideal right now. If you don't want to sit at the dining table or on the piano then the only other option is the floor, which is kind of hard.

With Tom's bad back we really needed something comfortable so he won't always have to go downstairs when he comes home from work, leaving Constance and I upstairs to conspire over a dinner of sorts.

We sat on practically every loveseat we could find in the store. They were either extremely uncomfortable or unpleasant to look at. Finally, we took the elevator to the second floor where we found this--the dream come true.

It was pricey, but not as pricey as you would expect.

After a long time of sitting on that cloud of luxury, we headed home to recheck our measurements and search for a money tree.

We're still looking for that tree.

Celebrating the End of Summer

I can't believe summer is already leaving us. After spending the last couple of summers in Utah, summer in Colorado Springs is definitely cooler, especially this year. Temperatures in the upper 90s and 100s seem pretty common if you're in Utah, but I don't remember many days here that were in the 90s. Maybe it is also the fact that our townhome is luxuriously furnished with A/C and ceiling fans. 

For me, the end of summer started last month when we had a week of drizzling rain and cloudy skies. This was actually quite refreshing for me with the extra body heat I'm packing around in my tummy. But I've definitely felt the urge to make the most of the sunny days we do have since winter seems to be just around the corner again.

Maybe that was one reason why we ended up splurging on Labor Day weekend and going out to eat at Musashi's on Saturday.

That's my plate on the right--the one with no rice. I was actually really looking forward to eating that rice but apparently Constance was famished from having to wait so long for dinner.

 Whatever didn't end up in her mouth, fell down below. We felt sorry for whoever was going to have to clean that up after we left. But again, that is what I do every day that Constance eats in her highchair.

You'd think that after eating all my rice, she would be happy. But instead, she was making this face. Tom, on the other hand, seemed quite satisfied.

We were going to take Constance to the Balloon Fest at Memorial Park but ended up on the couch not feeling too well after such a fancy dinner. Like any good parents, we stayed fixated on that couch for the rest of the evening and put on Disney Jr for Constance's entertainment.

Clearly Tom and I aren't too great with celebrating summer this year. Between the ever stressful job and wellness issues, it gets to be the end of the day and we are moving like zombies.

Constance definitely does not have this problem. The other day, she spent a good hour doing gymnastics on our bed.

She makes the most of her time at the park.

She just sits there on the edge of the merry-go-round holding onto the bar and not seeming to get dizzy.

She also finds dashing young friends at the park. This young gentleman reached out for her hand as we were walking back to the car, and she happily obliged. Meanwhile, his mom and I were fumbling with our phones and trying to capture the cuteness of the moment.

Yesterday was the last of the sunny days this week, so I took some tubs and bowls out on our deck and filled them with water and bubbles. Constance seems to have overcome her fear of water because all I had to do was turn my back and she was already soaking in the tub--clothes, diaper, and all.

Sometimes I miss being a little kid.