March 2016 – rocky mountain tot

Morning Hike in Point Lobos Park, California

Last week we took a trip to California to visit family. One of the highlights of our trip was a morning hike we took in Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. We spent the night in nearby Monterey, CA and ‘benefited’ from the two hour time difference that had us awake around 5:30 AM. The reserve is open from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. As one of the first cars through the gates, we easily found a parking spot near Bird Island Trailhead on the south end of the park. We passed by the park entrance several hours later and the parking lots were completely full.

California Crown Jewel
I read that Point Lobos is the ‘crown jewel’ of California Park systems, and I can see why. We started at the Bird Island Trailhead, and walked the .8 mile round-trip loop. Our 16 month old Cecilia refused to get inside her Ergobaby carrier, so we couldn’t make the hike long. Lucky for us, we didn’t have to go far to see gorgeous ocean vistas, beautiful woods, sea life and private sandy beach coves.

Pacific waves crashing against rocky shores

We took a quick drive to the other side of Point Lobos park by Whalers Cove to enjoy the forest and gorgeous ocean views. We could have spent all day at Point Lobos, but we continued our adventure by driving on scenic Pacific Coast highway 1 to beautiful Morro Bay for more family fun. Topping off an already great morning, Cecy napped during the whole drive down which basically made this the perfect road trip in my book. Yay!

Rainy Irish Parade – KC Toddler Fun

We went to the Emerald Isle Parade in downtown Lee’s Summit, MO on Saturday. There are several festive St. Patrick’s Day parades in Kansas City, but this one holds a special place in my heart because I grew up in Lee’s Summit. We met up with my parents and several of our friends and their kiddos. Our group huddled under umbrellas and enjoyed the colorful floats rolling by – cheerful despite the drizzle.

The weekend’s gloomy weather was a big contrast to Friday’s when we soaked up the sunshine at beautiful Loose Park in Kansas City. We played on swings and slides at the playground before heading to the pond for bird watching. After our loop around the park, we walked a little under a mile to the Kansas City Public Library – Plaza Branch for a panda themed story time and art project. The kids section of the library is gorgeous with big windows overlooking the Plaza, rows and rows of books and fun education stations.

On Wednesday we went to a free Little Rockers Concert at School of Rock in Overland Park, KS. Cecy showed off her awesome dance moves! Besides dancing we are also working on our jumping skills. We headed to Urban Air trampoline park in Overland Park , KS. On Tuesdays and Fridays they have Jumperoo from 9am until noon. For just $5 (kids 3-5 are $10) we jumped on the trampolines with other toddlers and played in the amazing playground area with tunnels, slides and ball pit.

Last week we also took an awesome tour of a local fire station where Cecy got to climb inside a firetruck and meet firefighters. The tour was fun, but it also got me thinking about fire-safety at our house. I found some Sesame Street themed materials on the US Fire Administration’s website which I think will be a fun way to talk to Cecy about a serious safety subject as she gets bigger.

KC Toddler Fun, First Week of March

I’m having serious mountain withdraws! We haven’t made it to Colorado since the beginning of January and we might not go until mid-April. What to do in the mean time? Fill our days with fun activities here in Kansas City. A couple highlights from last week:

Lakeside Nature Center: This was our first visit to the center which is located in Swope Park (right across from the Kansas City Zoo). Admission was free. We walked around and looked at snakes, turtles, salamanders, fish, birds, squirrels, rabbits and other animals that are native to Missouri – even bald eagles!

StoneLion Puppet Theatre – we attended a free event at Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas. The show was “A Jungle Out There”. We learned about endangered species.

Open Gym at Pinnacle Gymnastics in Shawnee, Kansas- This is a great way to burn toddler energy. We jumped on the trampoline, played in the foam pit, did somersaults on the floor and walked across a mini balance beam. The cost is $5 for members and $6 for nonmembers, but Cecy (15 months) attended for free.

Jazz Storytelling at the American Jazz Muesum. This free event takes place the first Friday of every month. The musicians are incredibly talented and fun. We love to go. This time Cecy didn’t make it through the whole performance, so we burned off some of her excitement on the playground across the street and enjoyed blueberry vegan pancakes for lunch at nearby Succotash – yum.

March -Festive Family To-do List

Yuck, did anyone else feel they were in a constantly revolving cycle of colds last month? I swear we just took turns feeling sick. Despite not feeling our best, we still had a lot of fun.

I enjoyed a cute family Valentine’s Day dinner at home and going to a fancy Gatsby themed event with my husband, but my favorite experience was taking Cecy to the beach in Florida. She loved kicking waves and chasing birds. This month I’m excited to:

Enjoy rising temperatures and play outside as much as possible
Time to Swing!
We had a Mardi Gras themed dinner last month with Creole black beans ‘n’ sausage (recipe) and wearing lots of bead necklaces! This month I want to celebrate our Irish heritage with a themed dinner or brunch.
Happy Mardi Gras
Visit family in California. We will be in Morro Bay which is where we took Cecy on her first hike (Valencia Peak). I’m hoping we can do some hiking again.
March Madness! For the last few years I’ve assigned restaurants to every team in the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament and that’s how we determine where to go to dinner on our anniversary in April. I’m not a big basketball fan (college basketball is huge in Kansas City) so this makes it more fun. The key is to throw some fast food restaurants in the mix so you’re excited when they lose.
Cecy’s first Easter Egg hunt.