Adventures in San Francisco

Last week I had to spend 4 days in San Francisco for a training.  My trip was going to take 5 days total and I just wasn't ready to be away from Adler for that long.  After all, the longest we've ever been apart has been about 20 hours.  So, I decided to find someone to come with me to hang with the kids in the city during the day  (Micah couldn't take off work for an entire week).  GRANDMA TO THE RESCUE!!!!

 My mom jumped on the opportunity to spend a week with her grandkids in San Francisco, so she flew to Reno the weekend before my training and the adventure began! 



Here are the kids playing at a park in Davis, CA on our drive to the city.



 Day 1



The kids woke up every morning and watched cartoons while eating cereal in the hotel room.



At Union Square

 

Yerba Buena Gardens Children's Park



Down the big slide!!

Ahhhhh, relaxing in the hot tub!

 Day 2

Owen was really excited to ride the cable cars!

This one was his favorite because it had a photo of Curious George on it!

At Fisherman's Wharf

Pier 39

At the Aquarium of the Bay

The sharks were Owen's favorite

I actually got to join them at the Rainforest Cafe for dinner

Riding the cable car back to Union Square

Day 3

Koret Children's Quarter, Golden Gate Park

At the California Academy of Sciences.....they also saw a rainforest, penguin habitat, and other fun exhibits at this museum.

Day 4

They spent several hours at the Children's Creativity Museum on our final day in the city.

I'm really not sure how my mom managed to do everything she did with the kids in four short days.....nor how she managed to do all of this by herself with two kids under five years old!  I'm totally impressed and completely grateful.  I'm also a bit jealous that I wasn't able to join them at any of these cool places. 

Thank you so much, Mom, for taking a week off work to babysit for me in San Francisco.  The kids had a blast and have been asking for you every day since you left!

Down & Dirty

Last week Micah and I drove to Folsom Lake in Sacramento for our first Down & Dirty Mud Run!  It was a 5K run filled with military-style obstacles throughout the race.....crawling through tunnels, wading through the lake, jumping fences, climbing walls, and crawling in 2 mud pits!  It was a very fun (and dirty) date for the two of us!

I bought a new camera last week before the mud run......an outdoor, adventure camera that is waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof.  We tested it at the mud run and now know it is also mudproof!  Micah captured the whole race with pictures and videos and made this fun movie.

Super Halloween!

Micah decided to get really creative with his pumpkin carving this year.....not just one, or two, or three pumpkins......but EIGHT stacked to make a pumpkin totempole!  It was pretty cool and attracted quite a bit of attention from the neighbors! 

Before we went trick-or-treating we had an orange-themed dinner to get us in the Halloween spirit.  Everything from sweet potatoes to macaroni & cheese to cantaloupe.

My Little Super Heros

Super Adler

Super Owen

My mom made these capes almost a year ago, and for Halloween she personalized their super hero shirts!  Thanks Mom!

We absolutely LOVE going to the west side of Carson for Halloween each year.  The houses are totally decked out and the crowds really make the night festive.



At the Governor's Mansion, there was a cool performance by a team of flame throwers.

The kid's school also had a Halloween celebration last week and got to trick-or-treat through the college.

This is Owen's class all dressed up.

Corley Ranch

Going to the Corley Ranch has become a tradition for us every fall. They offer a great Harvest Festival complete with a corn maze, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, and pig races. The kids love it!!

The pig races are always fun to watch.  This year "Bacon" won the race!

Ryder & Owen at the petting zoo.

Ryder & Owen getting ready for the little train ride

Adler was excited to go too.

Micah helping Owen with the giant sling shot!

Found the center of the corn maze (and we didn't even have to call 911 to get out)!

Owen really likes the mini pumpkins!

Pumpkin-Adler sandwich

Broken Heart

This is conversation I had with Owen in the car, driving home from school one day last week.

Me: Owen, how was your day at school today?

Owen:  Mom, my heart was broken today!

Me: What do you mean??? (as I'm ready to hurt anyone who would break my son's heart)

Owen: Scarlett broke my heart.

Me: She did?  What happened?

Owen: Scarlett told me I could never be friends with Sofia again.


I had no idea relationship drama started at such a young age!!

Cornerstone Gardens

When we were in Napa Valley earlier this month we stopped by Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma.  This place is a landscape architect's dream and I'm sure Micah is already planning a trip back there.



Owen fell asleep in the car and when we got him out at Cornerstone and put him in this giant chair, he kept on napping!



I was helping Owen spin this giant boulder.

Go Shark Bite!

Owen's first season of soccer wrapped up this morning and I have to say.....I totally enjoyed it. We debated on putting him on a team this young, but it has been a great experience. It's amazing how much he has learned in such a short amount of time. And I think it's safe to say he'll be playing more soccer in the future.

The Official Team Picture......with Eddie, Tavin, Zachary and Coach Sean

Owen's official soccer photo

I had no idea all soccer teams need a team banner.  Apparently the parents typically volunteer to make them....now I know.

Owen's cheering section

Owen, Zachary and Tavin

Owen in action

Good hustle, Shark Bite!

team pep talk

good season, boys!

Owen is pretty proud of his trophy.  It has his name engraved on it and everything.....fancy.



This video shows Owen almost making a goal......but not quite.  It's fun to watch 4 year olds play soccer!  And you can just hear the disappointment in Micah's voice.