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

We're Outta Here!

No joke.

San Francisco is this families favorite place to go. 

Whether it's for a romantic getaway

or for a family affair,

everyone,

and I mean,

EVERYONE

always has the

time of their lives!

So what better way to celebrate

the end-of-the-school year,

than a

pick-you-up-on-the-last-day-throw-you-in-the-car-and-away-we-go trip?

I tell you,

there is no better way!

That, my friend, is the way to go!

We love day trips,
but nothing compares to an ol' fashioned overnighter!

The funky decor  met with Gabriel's approval.

We practiced taking some steps but it was a no-go for a solo.

First stop:  Chinatown.

Isabella was all smiles until we saw three police cars zoom by, sirens blaring.  Then she, and we, were anxious to get off the street!

What better place to take refuge than a chinese restaurant? 

We were on the hunt for someplace good,

asking people on the street for recommendations,

when this woman and her son beckoned us into her restuarant. 

She told us we would't be disappointed and she proved right!

The kids fell in love with the giant aquarium,

and though we stayed away from ordering the seafood,

it was fun to look at.

What a feast!

With full tummies we changed into jammies and snuggled in for the night.

What peace!

If only for the crazies who went nuts jumping on the bed!

No, Ava didn't knock a tooth out jumping on the bed,

but a tooth she did lose and to her astonishment the tooth fairy came the very next day!

That fairy is amazing finding us even though we were so far from home!

Congrats Ava!

If our hotel doesn't include a continental breakfast

I always bring something along that's quick, easy, and delicious! 

In this case, buttery crossaints, powdered donuts, and hot chocolate. 

Yum!

Though the weather was brisk,

since the sun was out,

the hotel pool was fair game. 

The kids would have been terribly disappointed if we said no,

and since we're all a family of fish,

into the water we went!

Well, all with the exception of Gabriel,

who made it pretty clear he was going nowhere near the water.

Samuel and the girls. 

They can't get enough of him launching them into the water. 

Now that they're more comfortable swimming,

there's alot more horsing around in the pool!

Gabriel in his L.A. close-up.

Despite his father's pleas, Owen was also reluctant.

He's more a less a crabby lizard

who prefers to scowl as he bathes under the warmth of the son.

I love you, Owen!

There goes my boy!

Back in the hotel I stole a kiss...

And Samuel readied us for the day ahead.

We had some stragglers though,

we will NOT name names,

who took their sweet time and hindered us from getting as early a start as we would like...

It's okay,

we're all familiar with the saying:

"When you've got to go..."

Finally we hit the Ferry Market Building,

where for only $5.00 you can valet park your car for an hour.

That's a steal when you consider how many places you can visit in such a short time!

We love the sculptural water piece across from the Ferry Market Building.

It is a magical playground for the whole family to explore.

Now that we've worked up an appetite,

it's time to visit the Ferry Market Building.

So back across the street we go, "looking" both ways before we cross the street!

This is the home for all of our picnic lunch fixin's. 

I bring fruit, crackers, and cookies from home,

but we always buy our bread fresh from Acme... 

{Always a minimum of two loaves: 
One for immediate snacking; the other for lunch!}

...and indulge in a new-to-us cheese from the Cowgirl Creamery. 

This time I fell in love with the

Pimento Olive loaf and Niloufer's Creamy Panir. 

Sooo good!

What's more iconic than a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge?

I admit, I had ulterior motives steering the family here.

Samuel's terrified of the bridge,

and I thought it was high-time he got over it!

Omnimous, isn't it? 

I can't believe it: 

He is genuinely freaked out!

Owen held on to this rock for hours, and as much as we pestered him to throw it off the bridge, he refused.  Finally, as we turned to leave, the rascal threw it as hard as he could and away it went!

A magical, mystical tunnel from the old Fort days.

Next up: 

Golden Gate Park,

The Children's Playground

Water and sand features rock!

Owen's shorts would NOT stay up after they got wet. 

The poor boy has a hopeless plumbers crack!

This slide never, ever gets old.

Owen's favorite:

The Carousel

We love it too because it's dirt-cheap!

My boys are utterly exhausted.

Must mean it's time to hit the beach!

I love those baby toes!

Iris:

Sheer happiness!

Gabriel cozy-ing up a bit.

Only in S.F.



And to top it all off, over the bridge we saw a what happens when you make a S.F. Police Officer really, really MAD!  This uncooperative vehicle got an earful-and so did we!-courtesy of a very effecive loudspeaker.   Lets just say we wouldn't trade shoes with those guys for the world!

Happy Summer Traveling!