Uncle Junior Fuzzy flew down from Portland for the weekend for his birthday because he wanted to have some California fun! We did our best to entertain him. Usually on Sundays, we go to church and that's about it for the day. Instead, we decided to see how much we could get the kids to do before they lost it (or at least, that how it seems in hindsight).
The boys woke up earlier than usual due to the time change, so everyone was ready and raring to go before 9AM. First stop was Griffith Park. I did not realize how gigantic that place is! For my Memphis readers, it's nearly the same size as Shelby Farms in terms of acreage. Both parks also have numerous outdoor recreation options and are popular local attractions. That's about where the comparisons end, though. Griffith Park is up on a bunch of hills so you really can't get a sense of where anything is just by looking around. It's surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods, which means it's kind of tricky to get from one part to another.
At any rate, we decided to take in the views of the city from the highest point in the park, Griffith Observatory. Because I don't know how to read signs, I paid an unnecessary $4 for parking (meters weren't in effect yet). Oh well, it was my contribution to the parks budget. We walked around to check out the scenery.
Those big clouds never did rain on us
The observatory building didn't open till 10:00 but by then the kids and their uncle were ready to move on. So, we didn't get to see any of the interesting astronomy stuff inside. Some other day, I guess!
Junior Fuzzy was itching to watch the Rams' football game (he's a big fan), so our next stop had to include TVs tuned to the correct channel, food that all family members would eat, and a place for the kids to run around. We found all these + bonus of beer at Golden Road Brewing. I was impressed that it was such a family-friendly brewery! They have this whole covered patio area with corn hole, ping pong, giant Yahtzee, and probably other games I didn't notice. And, they were playing the Rams game. Everyone had fun! There was a birthday party for a three year old going on at the table next to us. Our kids had fun running around and chasing birds with the birthday party guests.
At half time, we decided the kids needed a nap, so we headed back to Pasadena. I dropped off DF and JF at the Dog Haus so they could watch the second half of the game. (Now would probably be a good time to mention that we don't have cable, so that's why we were looking for restaurants to watch football.) Conveniently, they were able to walk home afterwards, then I made a quick Trader Joe's run. Well, semi-quick. The parking situation was ridiculous. Maybe that's normal for a Sunday afternoon?
The boys slept forever, so by the time they woke up, we were ready to get some dinner. JF is a big fan of beans. I decided to introduce him to Salvadorean food at a place recommended to me as "authentic LA," Las Cazuelas. We arrived just before 5 but still had to wait 20 minutes for a table. Sheesh! We entertained the kids by walking around outside and looking in the windows of nearby shops. Dinner itself went OK. I really find it stressful to dine out in a restaurant with my children. This meal was no different. They only ate chips, though Gibson did dip his in beans at least. They wouldn't even taste their bean and cheese pupusa, even though I called it a "bean pizza." (They love pizza.) Instead, they ate peanut butter cracker sandwiches that I'd tossed in the diaper bag in case dinner was a bust. By the end of the evening, they were both crawling on the floor under the table yelling "Doo dah! Doo dah!" (This is their new favorite word. I do not know what it means, only that they think it is hilarious.)
Let this be the record that we took our kids to do three different things in one day and lived to tell the tale! It helps that we had a 3 adult : 2 kid ratio going on, I'm sure :)
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