Back to the Bay

Last week we took a much needed family vacation to Northern California to spend time with Kyle's family. We had such a great time. We are so bummed that it is over. Just to recap the fun activities: the first stop we visited were the Muir Redwoods. It was all of our first time going, and it was one of the prettiest places that I have ever seen. The girls particularly enjoyed the spots where they could stand inside of the trees. On Sunday we went to church with Kyle's grandparents and Mom and visited/relaxed the rest of the day. The next day we hit up San Francisco and went to the Academy of Science Museum. That place is always so fun and the girls especially liked the butterfly terrarium. I couldn't believe how many butterflies there were. Even though we were asked not to, Anna's dream finally came true...she touched a butterfly! To top it off, we headed over to Ghirardelli square for a much needed chocolate break. On Tuesday we went to Pfieffer beach along Big Sur. That beach was one of our favorite spots throughout the trip. Definitely will go back to that one in the future. It was more secluded and the scenery was incredible. The girls were able to touch a starfish, and of course play in the water. Tate enjoyed putting his hands in the sand, which entertained him for a while. We collected a few sea shells here and there, but it was nice just to be able to sit in the sand and watch the ocean. On Wednesday, we were able to take a short trip to Carmel to visit our favorite candy shop. After that, we went to the Monterrey Bay aquarium. Claire's favorite part of the aquarium were definitely the touching pools. That girl loved to touch the different sea creatures. On Thursday we went back to San Francisco, and had such a fun time on a boat ride around the bay. We were able to see dolphins and seals jumping out of the water. That boat ride was definitely another favorite of ours while on the trip. After the boat ride we headed over to the Exploritorium. We could not believe how big that place was. They have so many activities for little kids to do, that I don't think we even saw half of what that place has to offer. Finally on Friday, we were able to relax a little bit and spend more time with Kyle's family. Kyle's grandparents took the girls to a little amusement park close by, and the girls had a ball! That night we went to the A's game and had a great time, despite having VERY tired kids. It was such a fun trip and it was so good to see Kyle's family. The girls and Tate did such a great job with all the walking and car trips. I am already missing the cooler weather, that's for sure. ALERT: picture overload...big time!