Ben's actual birthday

Although we started off the day on a low note (Zach headed off to the desert for five weeks of training) we ended up having a great day to celebrate Ben turning three!  I ran out to Peterson's Donut Corner, an Escondido staple, and picked up a few donuts for a nice, healthy breakfast.  The birthday boy got to blow out three candles before digging in.

Then the kids and I headed into San Diego to meet Lauren and Jesse for the Padres vs. Cubs baseball game.  We decided to meet near Lauren's office and ride the Trolley (San Diego's version of a subway, except it doesn't go underground) into downtown.  After filling our bellies with In N Out french fries, we hopped on the train.  Honestly, I think riding the train was the highlight of the day for the boys.  We probably could have saved some money on baseball tickets and just stayed on the train for the afternoon.

But we eventually made it to the stadium and went out to Kids' Fest, which is something the Padres have every Sunday: bouncy houses, face painting, a small field where the kids could hit and run the bases, etc.  The boys didn't want to leave that area, but I was getting tired of hauling Hannah around so we lured Dan and Ben into their seats with the promise of hot dogs.  Luckily, the area we sat in was pretty empty, so they boys ran around, over and under the seats and railings, and just generally wanted no part of actually watching the game.  We ended up leaving after the 6th inning, with the score tied at 0-0.  The game went 15 (!) innings, so I'm glad we didn't try to stick it out until the end.

After the train ride back to Mission Valley, I decided that we hadn't eaten enough terrible stuff in one day, so we hit a yogurt shop.  Whew!  Busy and fun day all around.  I'll have to think of something equally great for Dan's birthday on Friday....