I think that part of my problem with updating our blog is that I get hung up on big events. I want to make sure I record them, but I know it will take a bunch of time so I don't do it. Then I feel like I can't make any other entries because I haven't covered the "big" one, so I just let it sit for a while. Well, I'm finally going to tackle it so I can move on with life :)
So, we took an AWESOME family vacation at the beginning of October. The destination: San Francisco!! It was the perfect time of year to go and it was a very do-able distance for a family road trip. You'll see we did all the touristy things and I'll point out the highlight event of our trip...
We took the scenic way there along the coast, stopping at Hearst Castle (visitors center only) and Pebble Beach (caught it right before it got too dark). It was a great drive!
Alcatraz!! I was so excited to take Jacob there because he loves to play jail and take prisoners, etc. Little did I realize that it would be a really SCARY place for a 4 year old. He finally took off his headset because the narration was scaring him too much. We really did have a good time there, he was just wide eyed and quiet. Little did we know that he would have nightmares for a few nights after that. Oops.
(This was taken at the very beginning, when they were just excited to have their own headset)
On to the Muir Woods! It was beautiful!! The redwoods were enormous; it was quite overwhelming. Here are little soldiers "guarding" the tree. The kids loved hiking around, but I felt like they were way too noisy for the peaceful atmosphere the rangers were trying to present. I guess that was a unique feature of vacationing off-season--there were no families with kids to blend in with.
Yeah for SUPER DAD!
Our cable car experience wasn't the greatest. We waited all morning to get on and then it was terribly crowded. And the kids wanted to sit inside anyway so it was more like a stuffy bus (which we did ride on later in the day--not fun at all). But while standing in line we recognized the Portuguese language being spoken. We met a mother and daughter visiting from Brazil who live right around where I was on my mission. Que legal!
Ok, the highlight and the whole reason for the timing of our trip: Fleet Week 2008! This is an annual air show featuring the Blue Angels and Canadian Snowbirds and many other airplane "tricksters." We saw the most incredible stunts--I was truly amazed. One of the coolest things was being out on Alcatraz during their practice and watching fly-bys whooshing right over our heads!! Tom and Jacob were in heaven!
We had awesome "seats" for the show, overlooking the bay.
The obligatory SF treat--too bad Allison was asleep for this or she would have been 10 times as messy.
And last but not least, a visit with an old friend. We were able to meet up with my old freshman year roommate, Jennie, and meet her husband and baby. We went to church together and had a delicious picnic in a park in Palo Alto.
An A+ family vacation in every way.
Gideon has discovered that it's more fun to climb than to eat, which he can do even when belted in properly. I returned from a quick trip to the bathroom to find this scene. At least he wants to be independent and feed himself.
Alcatraz!! I was so excited to take Jacob there because he loves to play jail and take prisoners, etc. Little did I realize that it would be a really SCARY place for a 4 year old. He finally took off his headset because the narration was scaring him too much. We really did have a good time there, he was just wide eyed and quiet. Little did we know that he would have nightmares for a few nights after that. Oops.
(This was taken at the very beginning, when they were just excited to have their own headset)
On to the Muir Woods! It was beautiful!! The redwoods were enormous; it was quite overwhelming. Here are little soldiers "guarding" the tree. The kids loved hiking around, but I felt like they were way too noisy for the peaceful atmosphere the rangers were trying to present. I guess that was a unique feature of vacationing off-season--there were no families with kids to blend in with.
Yeah for SUPER DAD!
Our cable car experience wasn't the greatest. We waited all morning to get on and then it was terribly crowded. And the kids wanted to sit inside anyway so it was more like a stuffy bus (which we did ride on later in the day--not fun at all). But while standing in line we recognized the Portuguese language being spoken. We met a mother and daughter visiting from Brazil who live right around where I was on my mission. Que legal!
Ok, the highlight and the whole reason for the timing of our trip: Fleet Week 2008! This is an annual air show featuring the Blue Angels and Canadian Snowbirds and many other airplane "tricksters." We saw the most incredible stunts--I was truly amazed. One of the coolest things was being out on Alcatraz during their practice and watching fly-bys whooshing right over our heads!! Tom and Jacob were in heaven!
We had awesome "seats" for the show, overlooking the bay.
The obligatory SF treat--too bad Allison was asleep for this or she would have been 10 times as messy.
And last but not least, a visit with an old friend. We were able to meet up with my old freshman year roommate, Jennie, and meet her husband and baby. We went to church together and had a delicious picnic in a park in Palo Alto.
An A+ family vacation in every way.