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