The Great Escape

This Father & Son's Camp-out

the boys headed for the hills,

Rollin's Lake to be exact,

where they enjoyed sunshine,

pancakes bigger than Samuel's head,

and a restless night courtesy of Gabriel who

couldn't decide if he wanted in,

or out,

of the sleeping bag!

...

Alternately we girls headed for San Francisco,

our first time going out of town together,

minus the boys!

All checked in at the Hotel Triton!

This hotel is decorated with every color and pattern on the planet

- perfect for a girly getaway -

and the price was right too thanks to Priceline!

The best part about our digs?

We were literally across the street from the

gates to Chinatown!

{ Crispy Chicken Wings-Ava's favorite! }

Yummy dinner!

{ Deep-fried Salt & Pepper Crab }

Why did I order this without Samuel to help polish it off?!?

Back at the hotel,

it was time for some deep meditation...

...and some fierce martial arts!

{ Nice robes, huh? }

Wakey-wakey eggs and bakey!

Open those beautiful peepers, Sleeping Beauty... :)

After breakfast,

we hit Union Square which

meant a tour of Market Street.

...

The girls were intrigued with the SF Muni,

wanting a glimpse of the closest thing we have to a NY Subway.

S.F. Wesfield Shopping Mall...

not quite like the one at home...

 

Next up,

Nob Hill!

This was where we found the best cheap eat ever:

Bob's Donuts

Seriously delicious!

Who ate what?

Ava
The Flaky Chocolate Crossaint

Bella
She never fails to go for the classic:
Glaze!

Iris
Jelly-filled!

Me
A Giant Meringue +
A little bit of everyone elses!

Lunch in Cows Hallow was next,

even though dessert was first!

{ Do you see Ava? }

After eating,

we were perfectly situated for a major walking tour.

First up,

the marina,

where the kites were going crazy!

Then we found a tiny inlet and the girls

enjoyed some much-needed sand-time.

I loved watching Bella skip rocks.

She's so good at it now,

and I love that it's one of the many things Samuel has taught her.

"Just down the street",

or at the least that's what I told the kids

when they complained of being tired of walking,

was the

Palace of Fine Arts!

It is so, so beautiful here

and my girls make a nice addition to the place!

As we sat on a bench looking out onto the water,

a man stopped abruptly in front of us and said

in a harsh, fast voice:

"For you!  For you!  For you!  For you!"

And into each of our hands he placed an ice cream cone!

As fast as he came, he was gone!

We were startled,

so appreciative,

and just delighted

to be on the receiving end

of such a beautiful act of kindness!

Needless to say,

as we enjoyed our ice cream,

we concocted a way to pay it forward!

Details are

TOP SECRET!

Right, girls?

Next we made our way to Crissy Field!

I LOVE coming here!

I can't tell you how many times I came here as a kid!

Now I'm here with MY kids!

That never ceases to amaze me...

How did I get to be so old?!?

Before we moved on to the beach,

Ava, my super-sleuth,

found a drainage pipe with a baseball in it!

This is a huge find for a girl whose been playing catch with...

yes,

I hate to admit it,

a bean bag!

Hey,

necessity is the mother of invention, right?

{ smile }

Despite the novelty of a real baseball,

nothing compares to good ol' plain sand!

My daughter,

at her happiest...

As I was munching on Ritz Crackers I almost choked

when I saw a fin emerge from the water.

Half-screaming and chewing I convinced the girls to

gaze out on the water until they saw it too!

Yea!

I'm not crazy!

It was a dolphin swimming in the bay!

...

After all the excitement,

it was time to pack up and go home.

We MISSED our boys and

couldn't wait to get back home to them!

What to do in the meantime?

How about snag the camera and take random shots

A L L  T H E  W A Y  H O M E !

I'm surprised my battery lasted that long,
but grateful too.

It's a peek into what they see through the lense.

What's fascinating, intriguing, or just plain funny to them.

I'm in there a few times. 
I wonder if I'm fascinating, intriguing,
or the funny...

...

T H E S E  A R E  M Y  G I R L S  !

They are stunningly beautiful,
extrememly intelligent, and so, so wonderfully silly!

It's a blessing to spend some one-on-one time with them.

To talk quietly,
late into the night...

to hold hands on streets
we've never walked before...

to try something new,
together...

I  L O V E  Y O U  A L L  S O  M U C H !

Now let's go give our boys some love too!

XOXOMOM

End-of-Year Luau

Nothing says summer like a Luau,

and this annual end-of-the-school year tradition at the girls school is a must for our family! 

Gabriel was a bit bewildered at all the commotion...

...but made for a great lap-buddy.

As the girls shook...

...and shimmied...

...they completely brought down the house!

Isabella welcoming the newest member of the school, Iris! 

She starts kindergarten in the fall,

and couldn't be more excited!

These guys have a little while (thank goodness),

before they fly the nest too. 

Though in the fall,

Owen will also start Joy School two times a week for a few hours of the day.

{Sigh}

What will Gabriel and I do with ourselves?



Reading Rewards & Stomach Cramps!

Each of my beautiful daughters was awarded a dinner certificate for reading at a local restaurant.  They were super-proud of their accomplishment, and it was fun to take them out for a night on the town!

The upside:

We always have a great time together. 

Tonight was no different.

Also, the signature monster chocolate cake was a hit with the kids. 

Who wouldn't love 7-layers of incredible yummy goodness?

The downsides:

Owen decided that now was the time to

 launch crayons way high up in the sky during dinner.

Hello!

He never does that!

I was APPALLED!

And then, an hour after leaving, Samuel became super, super sick.

He vowed never to order fish from a restaurant again!

All in all, it was a typical night for the Samuel Elmers:

There's the good, the bad, and the UGLY!

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Samuel might though.

{Smile}

Ta-Da: A Mother's Day Tea!

This year we were so excited to create an elegant Mother's Day Tea for Clista, my mother-in-law. 

Together, the daugthers and daughters-in-law fussed in the kitchen to our hearts content, then donned our pearls, and arrayed the table with the fruits of our labors!

{Note how talented my sister-in-law Elizabeth is. 

She made that incredible floral print dress!}

The Menu

Petite Turkey Crossaint Sandwiches

Sun-dried Tomato & Feta Puff Pastry Crisps

Classic Scones

Chocolate Orange Squares

Chocolate Truffles

Fresh Fruit

Parmesean Twists

Crackers & Fresh Herb Cheese

Herbal Teas

She arrived under the pretenses of helping Samuel with a Mother's Day Gift for me, and was delightfully surprised!

Clista and her beautiful daughters (from the left: Rachel, Leah, & Elizabeth).

We had such a great time, and it really was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this great woman who has helped to influence us all for good.

We love you!

{Note:  Jessica, my sister-in-law wasn't able to attend but we sure missed her!}