Post call Thrift Store find...

On my post call days I'm off by about noon (25-31 hour shift), I go home & try to take care of "stuff", shower, & nap until 2:30pm. I then pick up Ismael from daycare & try to take advantage of the few extra hours with him. Usually we spend the afternoon outside, so Ismael can run, jump, & get tired (so he sleeps through the night!).


On my way home this day, I decided to stop by the Navy Thrift Store on base. I ended up buying this swing for $2 & 2 other toys in great shape for $.50 each!! Hey, like I said before, Ismael doesn't need any toys, but hey, what a deal!!



I'm not sure where he gets it, but Ismael still loves to clean. In the bathtub, he sprays water on the tub & wipes it with the wash cloth over and over. He likes to help load the dishwasher & vaccuum & clean the table tops. Here he is going to town with his vacuum.

Weekend Fun

Did I mention Ismael loves playing in the water? Yes, we only live 15 minutes from the beach, but quite frankly it's such a hassle trying to get everything together & go. Besides, Ismael doesn't care.

Here he is showing off his new haircut while he races through the house. The wood floors makes it easy to go fast & he's mastered all the turns already. He even pops a wheelie (?) on this car.

Here he is showing off his new haircut while he races through the house. The wood floors makes it easy to go fast & he's mastered all the turns already. He even pops a wheelie (?) on this car.

Tools & The Beach

Last Friday was one of my 4 days off this month (yes, I only get a total of 4 days off the whole month), so I took advantage & Ismael & I had a great time. He started off the day playing with his toolbelt. He's still too skinny to wear it, so he has to hold onto it to keep it from falling off. We also managed to play with play dough & not eat any, yeah!
After breakfast, we went to the beach for some fun in the sun. We're about a 15 minute drive from the Oceanside beach, but there's also a great beach on the base & then there's Carlsbad, about 5 minutes south. The water was still a bit cold, but doable. Ismael really just wanted to play in the sand & watch the helicopters overhead & birds flying around.
It definatley wore him out, & on the ride home he insisted on wearing his hat like this, so I couldn't resist another photo.

Waterfull pool

So when the weekend finally rolled around, it was time to put water in the pool. It was a little chilly with the breeze, but Ismael didn't care. He loves pouring things from one container to another & dumping it out again. The problem comes at bathtime, 'cos he throws the water out of the tub!
We spent Saturday & Sunday in the pool. At night I wear him out by having him help me fill up a cup, carry it to the rose plants, dump it out & go back for more. Most of the water ends up on himself before he even makes it to the flowers, but he doesn't care & all I care about is getting him tired for bed!
You may wonder how we got the pool home, since we just have 2 little corrollas. Well, Axel tied it to the top of the car & we drove home with on the roof. Yes, we looked like idiots, but it was for a good cause!

Waterless pool

Ismael's favorite new toy is this cheap plastic pool. During the week, it's too cool in the evening to fill with water, but he still loves to run around & inside the empty pool & throw himself on the slide. We have spent many hours now playing with this empty pool, which I never would have thought he would enjoy so much.
Here he is doing a kamakazee down the slide. Hey, at least he's using the slide...he was just running around & throwing himself over the side...that is until he did it a little bit too hard & realized it hurt.

Intern-ii

After a couple of weeks as interns, we decided to get together to blow off some steam. We did that by playing some Nintendo Wii. I'm playing doubles tennis above, & they're boxing in the picture below. I must admit, it was a bit addicting, so I don't plan to ever buy one...

To toot my own horn, I did go undefeated in tennis & boxing. Ismael spent the night playing with his cousin's long lost twin's toys...

Wild Animal Park

The Wild Animal Park is connected with the San Diego Zoo, but located in Escondido, about 25 minutes from our house. It is big & spread out, so you have to be prepared to walk...a lot...

Throughout the day, they have "Keeper talks", where the zookeeper answers questions, & sometimes, as shown above, brings the animals up close & personal. Here's Ismael wanting to run up to the animal (whatever it was).

You can also go up in a hot air balloon, which we did not do, as it costs quite a bit. Here we're on a "safari" tram that shows you animals in their "natural habitats".

They also have a petting area with deer to pet & feed. Ismael loved it.

When to visit...

Anyone is free to visit anytime, but I've had several people ask for a general schedule, so here it goes...
Good times to visit: July 2-29, Aug 27-Sept 23, Oct 22-Nov 18, Jan 14-Feb 10, March 10-April 6. By "good", I mean I'll be working 7am-5:30ish M-F, overnight call every 4th night.
Okay times to visit: Sept 24-Oct 21, Nov 19-28, Dec 10-16. By "okay", I mean I'll be working 5am-5:30ish M-F, overnight call every 4th night, weekends 8-12, probably only 4 days off all month.
The times not listed above means I'll hardly see you if you visit, & when I do see you, I'm guaranteed to be very, very cranky & tired.
If/when you decide to visit, please let me know ASAP. The reason being that it takes an act of Congress for me to get a day off or even request not to be on call certain days. I have to put in my requests 3 months in advance, & once the schedule is made, it's very hard to change. Go Navy residency!! :)

All Play & No Work...

This is in the museum on base...I'm thinking of getting one when Ismael starts dating.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go... Ismael finally has some tools to use with his workbench. As you can kind of see in the background, he's not exactly lacking in toys, but hey, I can't pass up good deals!! I'm still searching for a good deal on a play kitchen...


This is his favorite tool by far. He uses it everywhere, on everything & in everything. He'll just hold it in the air & let it run. Boys...

I don't know how he came up with this, but he's had to use it on everyone's feet.

He has spent lots of time with his tools & everyday he comes up with new ways to use them. Today he was using the electric screwdriver in his ear (& then in Pooh's ear).

One week down...

One week down of orientation & training, one more to go.... This past week has seemed like an eternity. It was frustrating & very exhausting, as I quickly realized that I had to follow up multiple times to assure things were properly taken care of (you know, important things like making sure I would get a paycheck eventually). Also, I have had to readjust to getting up earlier than I would like. We have had so many briefings & training on this & that, I really don't know anything anymore. Actually, today I learned that if I want a day off, I have to fill out 4 pieces of paperwork!!! Are you kidding? So, enough of that...

On Saturday, we (interns & family) had a BBQ at the beach. Ismael really enjoyed playing in the sand & kicking the soccer ball with his cousin Drew's long-lost twin. I'll get a picture soon...or I could just post one of Drew... Anyway, the water was about 65 degrees, so our feet were all that got wet. I hear the water is great in August & September.

After Ismael's nap, we went outside for a little bit of golf. Unfortunately, his $5 golf clubs from Walmart lasted all of 15 minutes, so it was a short game.

Sunday after church, I decided to clean the lawn chairs I had gotten at a garage sale. Ismael, however, wanted in on the action & decided to wash his car- all by himself, of course. He has definately entered the stage of wanting to everything himself... Afterwards, we played a few croquet games (Ismael's golf clubs were exchanged for sturdier croquet clubs). I must report that Ismael & I beat Axel 2-1.


So, another week of painful orientation & training... tomorrow it's Neonatal Resuscitation...