California Trip

We had an awesome time in California at the end of May, and I finally got the photo albums put together! Whew! I've got several links in this post (should be in blue letters if you haven't clicked them before...), so be sure to check some of them out. Especially the ones that take you to the photos!

On the way out there, the kids did great. Our flight got delayed about an hour and a half before we boarded, so we enjoyed a walk through the airport. Once we got on the plane, we were delayed another 45 minutes, but the kids still did really good. We definitely breathed a sigh of relief once we landed in San Francisco!

On our first day there, Lisa took us to the Mission District in San Francisco for some burritos and fun shopping. Our favorite stop was 826 Valencia, the Pirate Store. This store is really a tutoring lab that helps stimulate kids' creativity and writing skills. It's really a neat place with all kinds of pirate goodies to explore and buy. Here's our photo album from Wednesday!

On Thursday it was rainy and chilly, so Oliver and I squeezed in a nap before we all headed out to Golden Gate Park and the California Academy of Sciences. They have a rainforest with all kinds of butterflies fluttering around, lots of big fish tanks, a planetarium (which we didn't see), and a really cool "living roof" that keeps the interior of the building cooler. Too awesome! Here's our photo album from Thursday!

Friday Lisa had to work, so John and I ventured out to San Francisco with the kids on our own. Keep in mind that we didn't have a vehicle big enough for all of us. We relied solely on public transportation to get us around: buses, muni trains, the BART (subway). This was an adventure all on it's own. Anyway, Friday we went to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. We loved the sea lions that hang out at Pier 39 and Musee Mechanique with tons of old-school arcade games. We were entertained there for quite awhile! Here's our photo album from Friday!

Saturday we made our way to Tilden Park to check out some redwoods and their petting zoo and carousel. It was "interesting" figuring out the bus route there and we ended up going around and around, but when we did get where we were going, it was beautiful there. Here's our photo album from Saturday!

Sunday was the day Lisa and the girls had been waiting for! Children's Fairyland!! This is a little theme park near Lisa's house in Oakland that she's been wanting to go to since she moved there. But you can't go in unless you have kids with you. So we FINALLY made it out with our kids so she could go. Good times! Here's our photo album from Sunday!

Monday, our last full day there, we decided to take the kids to the beach. The only bad thing about the beach in San Francisco is that it's way too cold to swim. But we braved the chilly ocean breeze long enough for John to build the kids a sand castle and to play in the cold waves. Here's our photo album from Monday!

On the way back, the kids did great again. We had no delays, and Oliver even slept for a bit. We had an awesome time, but it was good to get home. Evie's all ready for our next trip out there.