One Last Day Trip

On Saturday we took a trip to the snow. A trip that will be the last trip we take for a long while. In hindsight, I am so, so glad we took it. But, I was hesitant to go. I didn't want any exposure for us. We didn't stop anywhere, not even for gas. And we packed our own food. We went to the same spot we went with some friends a couple months ago. It's an elementary school, with plenty of room to roam.

When we got there, it was snowing. I always feel like things are just so much more fun and exciting when it is snowing. Connor and Isla weren't super into it, really only staying out in the snow a few minutes. Callum though, that kid was in his element. After he was done just playing in the snow, he went and played on the play equipment for a good while. Then he came back to the car for some food.

Just as we were all eating lunch, another car of people showed up to play. So we left...but we left without a chance to pee. And, well, I didn't want exposure, plus everything is closed inside, so a side of the road pee break was in order.

The trip was a good way to break up the monotony of our day to day for the past couple weeks. And it happened just in time. They closed all the state parks the next day. And then five days later, they are now enforcing a stay at home order using the police and you can't even drive somewhere without just cause. So it looks like our time of fun happened just in time.

Now to get cozy and used to being home all the time for a good long while!

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A Quick Trip to the Aquarium

^^ I always love how it looks like stingrays are staring at you

^^ Shark stare down. I actually got a series of photos of this going down. It was pretty cool.

We have been focusing so much on our move and fixing up our other house to rent that our summer feels like it's just flown by without us doing much family fun. Instead of falling into the trap of doing more house stuff (that definitely needs to be done) we decided to take a day trip to the aquarium. 

I should mention that this trip started out VERY rocky. Traffic was horrible. Like the worst ever. Add to that a screaming baby and whiny children, I was about ready to just have us turn around and head home. I am so glad we persevered though. We got to the aquarium pretty late, but given that we are members, it doesn't feel necessary to spend all open hours there to get our money's worth. The crazy silver lining is, just about dinnertime, the aquarium cleared out and we practically had the place to ourselves. It was so nice to let the kids have a little freedom to run and not feel like we were going to lose them in a crazy crowd. And they got special attention because of this too. Isla spent about 15 minutes having riveting conversations with the people overseeing the touching area. They even walked her to other areas to see other things. 

Sometimes just getting somewhere with three kids is the hardest part. Then it's all uphill from there. Though I have to admit, the trip there had me questioning our decision to head out on a 2000 mile road trip with the kids in a few days. Thankfully these kids of mine are usually great travelers (or at least good travelers…they are kids after all) and I will just chalk up Saturday to being a bit of an off day or something…whatever I have to say to make myself feel better ;)

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A Visit to Fairytale Town

 

During Ian's busy season, the itch starts coming to get out of town on day trips. It allows both of us to fully focus on each other and the kids and not all the work (for him) and house mess (for me) that we left behind. In searching for places in our area to go, Fairytale Town came up. We had been to Fairyland in Oakland before, which is the same concept. Comparing the two, I will say, I liked how incredibly clean and new mostly everything seemed at Fairytale Town. It also has a ton of bathrooms, lots of wide open space for running around and wasn't jam packed with people. Fairyland does have some rides, but I am thinking Fairytale Town tops it. 

 

 

The kids had lots of fun playing. Their favorite things seemed to be watering the garden (which, hey, maybe I should put them in charge of that at our house!) and the play boat. Though Callum looks cute in these pictures, he was all sorts of high maintenance while we were there. Which, in his defense, he was at the height of a bad cold and I am sure feeling miserable…and wondering why the heck his parents were dragging him out of the house in that state. I have to say, taking a four and six year old to something like this is a dream. They actually listen to you when you call them and they don't dart off into the crowd. It sure takes the anxiety level down a few notches. Of course, I realize the irony that we will be right back in that stage with Callum in about two years. But I will enjoy it while I can!

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Columbia State Park

 

 

^^ From the first time we busted out this stroller, Isla has claimed the footrest as a seat of her own. No Isla, it totally isn't hard having all the weight in the front and the tiny baby in the back!  

 

 

 

On Saturday, the kids and I went with my family up to Columbia state park. Fun fact, or not so fun fact, Columbia was almost the capitol of the state of California and at one time was the second largest city in the state. Kind of crazy to think, given that it seems so far up in the hills and not close to anything. But, in the heyday of the gold rush, I guess it was the place to be. Anyway, I hadn't been since I was like 15, so didn't quite know what to expect. Well, it was perfect for Connor and Isla…gold panning, building to explore, a stage coach ride.

I really enjoyed roaming around. We couldn't have asked for better weather. And I loved that not many people were up there, so I felt comfortable letting the kids just be kids and not feeling like they were getting in the way or going to get lost. Though we did some damage at the candy store, we didn't go to the ice cream place, so win for us and self control. Isla said her favorite part was "playing in the water" which was panning for gold. The kids were guaranteed gold while panning and each got a couple tiny specks. And they were plenty happy with that. Both kids played/panned for gold until we made them move on. They did it for a long time. All three kids were in such great moods all day…I'm not sure if that was because it was so fun, because of the beautiful weather, the company or what, but I'll take it!

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Beach Day

 

^^ Because throwing sand in the ocean is the best 

^^ Being buried in the sand is always a huge hit 

^^ The crossed toes in anticipation 

We took a day trip to the beach on Saturday. Its been way too hot around these parts for this pregnant lady. Like temps I was able to handle a couple months ago are now driving me insane. I keep trying to remind myself that it is always cold by December…so there is hope. But, in the mean time, I have just been a slight bit miserable. But back to the beach.

I love how the beach is self entertaining for the kids. Connor had so much fun playing in the water. He would sit down and let the waves crash on him. He would run back and forth with the waves. He would throw sand at the waves. Isla spent more time playing in the sand, but warmed up to the water and joined in on the fun. She was just a little less sure, so needed to be holding on to a hand while playing. And, I realized, I really should have worn a bathing suit…I got to sport wet shorts for a couple hours. I also realized a white shirt is not a good idea for at the beach. My entire belly area was super dirty. Oh well. Live and learn.

We stayed and played at the beach for a few hours before giving the kids cup baths from the outdoor sinks at the bathrooms (the showers weren't working) and changed them before heading on. I'm pretty sure half of the sand from the beach came home with us in my car…and my car is still begging to be deep cleaned. It was a very good day.

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Off The Grid {San Francisco}

 

^^ So we weren't totally kid free…the one in utero did tag along ;)

^^ My dinner…that I couldn't even finish…freaking smushed pregnant stomach that doesn't allow me to eat large (or really even normal) portions anymore! 

^^ Ian's dinner…the line at this food truck got amazingly long pretty much as soon as they opened. 

^^ Dessert. I can never, ever say no to creme brûlée. 

Ian's birthday was on Friday and I thought it would be fun to do something on his birthday. You know, something besides just dinner. Maybe actually go on an adventure. A while back, I heard about Off The Grid in San Francisco, a big food truck event that happens every Friday night. As luck would have it, my parents were in town this weekend and willing to take the kids for the afternoon and night. So, once Connor was out of school, we headed out. We did some shopping and walking around before heading over to the food trucks.

I had read online that it is important to get there early as the crowds get crazy quick. The real positive of getting there right after it opened was scoring a free parking spot right outside of the venue. I didn't really care about lines…the kids weren't with us and we had all the time we wanted!!! That being said, we avoided most of the lines by getting there early. Plus, we were able to find seats to sit in while eating. After eating and getting up to walk around, there were no more seats to be found. It was a fun atmosphere though. A dj was playing music. A large crowd. A good mix of people - young, old, and even families. I definitely wouldn't hesitate to bring the kids back with us sometime, though I would bring a stroller for them as I know they would get tired of all the standing.

After eating and hanging out, we walked along the water for a bit and sat on a bench with a view of the golden gate bridge. I thought it would be the perfect place to watch the sun set, but after I looked on my phone and realized the sun wasn't setting for like another hour and a half…not to mention the guys that were smoking pot nonstop right next to us…we didn't make it until sunset. It was still a beautiful place to sit and talk for a while. To watch the water hit the walls on the shore, to see the sailboats and have the perfect view of not just the golden gate bridge, but also alcatraz. Definitely a good spot. Plus, I would say we didn't miss out much on the sunset, given that we did get to see it set with the harbor in the foreground and the golden gate bridge in the background. Not too shabby.

It was a fun day. Nice to spend some alone time with Ian. Time that didn't feel rushed because we weren't needing to rush back and pick up our kids. Time that didn't have much of an agenda and allowed for us to do whatever we were feeling like doing. It's nice to feel carefree like that from time to time. And the icing on the cake was that we were able to do it on Ian's birthday.

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