Both Erica and I took Wednesday the 26th off of work and took Derek to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido, CA. It was Derek and Erica's first time going to that place and the last time I went there was when I was around 4 or 5 years old. The first exhibit we checked out was the Dino Mountain, a mechanical dinosaur exhibit. After Dino Mountain, we headed to the Journey into Africa tram tour, a 25 minute tour of animals including giraffes, zebras, rhinos, antelopes and other animals. Derek enjoyed looking at the animals on the tour. Afterwards, we ate lunch and then headed to the Lion exhibit. Our last stop was at the gorilla exhibit. By the time we made it to the exit, Derek fell asleep in his stroller. That was the very first time that he's done that. He had a blast at the Wild Animal Park!
Towards the end of Derek's birthday, we gave him his birthday gift: Tickle Me Elmo hands/gloves. He picked them out at Toys R Us a couple of weeks back. Erica baked him a cake and we helped Derek blow out his candle accompanied by wishes from each of us.
The following Saturday on August 29th, we celebrated Derek's Birthday with a party within our neighborhood community. The location was at the Winding Trails hall in Chula Vista. Our guests included family, friends and coworkers. The food was delicious. My dad hired a taqueiza taco company, where two people set up a grill, chopped up carne and polla asada and served our guests fresh grilled tacos. Also on the menu was a lechun (roasted pig), salt & pepper wings from Royal Mandarin, pancit, lumpya, lasagna, more chinese food and Derek's birthday cake made by Sumi's oven. The party started at 1PM and ended at around 7PM(even though the invitation stated 4PM). Everyone had a great time, including Derek. Despite the almost 100 degree heat, our guests and us were super stuffed. It was great to see familiar faces, family and friends. The party was a success and Derek got lots of gifts!
