Summer's Last Hurrah - Part 2

After our time at the aquarium, we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (I guess I'm not the rocker I once was, because I don't remember complaining about the loud music in college!). Then we strolled down Pier 39. It was a beautiful, sunny upper 60 degree day. Anika and Andrew were most excited about the sea lions; they probably could have watched them (watching us) longer than we were in the aquarium. A little bite of ice cream and it was time to head home. (The only downside of the day was hitting Friday evening rush hour traffic. It took us almost 3 hrs to get home - 69 miles.)

Boats on the bay:

Golden Gate Bridge:

Bay Bridge:

Me, my kiddos, and Alcatraz Island:

Dad, his kids and Alcatraz:

Sea Lions:

Ice Cream smiles:

Summer's Last Hurrah!

Sigh! Summer is coming to an end and our life as we’ve known it is ending. Anika will start school on Wednesday and I will never have her back in quite the same way again. (Boy, I’m sounding melancholy, aren’t I?) I’m so happy for her to make this big step, but I also realize that the school schedule is now a part of our lives. So, we decided to make sure that Daddy’s day off last week was a special time. We went to San Francisco to the “Aquarium on the Bay”, had lunch at Hard Rock Café, and walked Pier 39. It was a wonderful, special day and it reminded us that we need to take advantage of the all the wonderful opportunities around us.

The Aquarium on the Bay (it is located right on Pier 39):

A prehistoric Shark Jaw photo op:

This particular section was a big draw for the kids. It had all the characters in "Finding Nemo". Anika loved pointing out. . .

. . .Dorrie. . .

. . . Marlin and Nemo. . . and their anemone.

A quick shot with SpongeBob:

Kathryn was entralled with the moon jellies:

More jellies:

These northern anchovies remind me of the fish in "Nemo" that form pictures:

Starfish:

Bat ray:

Petting the bat ray and leopard shark (It actually came up out of the water as if it wanted to be touched):

Just one finger:

Touching anemones, star fish and sea slugs at the tide pool:

Anika's New Digs

I'd been thinking about future arrangements for our kids' bed rooms (still thinking it was a 1 - 1.5 years away). SURPRISE! A friend was giving away a bunk bed so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. My thinking is that Kathryn will join Anika in this room when she is older; Andrew will move into Kathryn's nursery (since it is bigger) with the full size bed from the guest room, then the twin daybed in Andrew's room will go to the guest room (giving us much more room in there.) Andrew's current room will become a playroom. This "new" bunk is great - twin on top, full on bottom, with a pull-out twin trundle underneath. We don't have mattress for everything yet, but we certainly have time. Anika is so excited. She uses the top bunk for reading and "writing" time.

Clear the Air Space!

A very crabby Andrew had a miraculous turn around when Nathan made him a paper airplane. I can't believe how long he played with the half dozen or so creations that Nate made him. (He is still playing with them this morning!) Amazing what a piece of paper can do when all the other expensive toys sit in tubs untouched! Learning the technique:

The throw:

The follow-through:

Fire Dog

I don't think Scout is ready for fire academy yet! I wish I had a better picture of this. She sat nicely for a second but by the time I got the camera is was done. Well, at least, I got Scout on the blog:-)

Pantry Invader

I heard a noise in the pantry the other day. . . Maybe I should do a better job of keeping the door closed. . .

Playdate Fun

We've been so busy trying to enjoy these last few days of summer (sniff, sniff) that I haven't been doing a very good job at posting. Sorry! Last week we enjoyed a number of playdates with friends. It was a beautiful week last week - nice cool breezes and warm sun. (This week is a different story -- high 90s to triple digits.) We were able to enjoy time with my blogging buddies, Jen & Amy who are in the next town. It was fun to get out of town, watch the girls play dress up, laugh at Kathryn's delighted giggles over Lily (the VM family dog), and stand in awe of Jen's hosting abilities -- (she handles 6+ kids pretty well!). It was so much fun to chat over tea and see each other in person:-) Thanks, Jen!

I think the girls tried on every outfit in Ella's trunk. Anika was in heaven!
Andrew enjoyed playing outside; he even had a tea party with the girls.

Z is for Zoo

Since our failed attempt in IL, Anika has had a fervent desire to go to a zoo. So we went to Sacramento Zoo. We had a great time (and even became members!) We enjoyed seeing the animals, eating a picnic lunch, and makng it home before dinner. It was a wonderful day.

Which one is the monkey???