Memorable days...

Yesterday was my birthday, the big 3-2! I woke up with a migraine (that had lingered over from the night before), so I doused my head with peppermint oil (one of the best ways to cure a migraine for me), took a shower, and had a yummy bagel/cream cheese breakfast (my breakfast food of choice as of late).

Then, we headed to the park to enjoy the blue sky and windy day in Thousand Oaks (just outside of LA). (To back up a little bit, we are staying with Owen Plant's parents, a friend of ours who is also on this tour up the Cali coast.) It has been a great little haven for the last two nights. We have our own room (living rooms are usually where we stay), a full house where we can cook our own food, a yard to play in, and a family who knows the area and can tell us where the best parks are. Oh, and they also have 2 grandsons near Ezra's age, so a plethora of "new" toys to play with and an attitude that enjoys seeing little hand prints on sliding glass doors.

Here is a glimpse of our morning at the park (photos courtesy of Cameron Hood)...

















Ezra then took a 4+ hour nap, while Ryan made me a scrumptious lunch and we lounged around. It was just the relaxing-with-the-family type of day that I love!

Before leaving for the concert, there was a special, and very delicious (wheat-free!) cake surprise...


Ezra loved blowing out the candles so much, that we had to re-light them at least 5 times.

The guys then all headed out for the concert, and Ezra and I stayed "home" to play and get a good night of sleep. We love seeing dada play guitar and sing, but getting to go to bed on time, is also a special treat we felt like we needed to take advantage of.

Back in the van...

Yesterday Ezra and I made our way to San Diego to meet up with Ryan(hood). We went straight from the plane to a 2 hour drive to LA, in which Ezra napped nearly the whole way and Ryan and I got to chat...better said, he listened to me gush about how great it feels to be back on the road. It is true, I love to travel...and being back in the van traveling north on I-5 with a blue sky backdrop just felt good.

I just spent 5 minutes looking for a post I wrote years ago when we were touring "full-time" and I listed all the things I love about life on the road, but I couldn't find it...and I don't have the patience to keep looking during this precious bit of nap time that I have left to write.

Here's Ezra snacking in the back of the van...


Once we arrived in LA, we found a great park to run around at. It was within walking distance to the venue, so Ezra and I were able to keep playing while Ryan went back to soundcheck.


But once Ryan left the park, Ezra started to get a little worried and kept asking for "Dada? dada? dada?!"...so we walked back to the venue and helped with soundcheck. Really, I'm not sure they could have done it without Ezra's help. He is a pro at unplugging and plugging in things. A perfect toddler activity, no?






We walked to dinner, Ezra loved drinking out of a straw...and thought he was pretty cool getting to dip shredded cheese in my salad dressing. The boy is all about dipping food. Ketchup, salsa, anything he can dip in makes him happy.


The show started at 8pm, which is 9pm Tucson time. Ezra typically goes to bed at about 7pm. So, I cuddled him in my carrier thinking he'd fall asleep, but he decided there was way too much of a party happening to fall asleep. The boy partied until 11:30pm (12:30am Tucson time) totally happy, laughing, and literally spinning in circles. I got him ready for bed and strapped him in the carseat for the 1/2 hour ride to where we were spending the night and he fell soundly asleep in no time. And then slept until almost 9am this morning. I think he is already getting the hang of life as a rockstar. :)