Trip to California

For one last big hurrah the week before school started, we took a quick trip out to California to visit Brent's family.  Although his parents had just been out our way for a visit, there's something about going to Grandma and Grandpa's house that is so magical for our kids.  Plus, it gave us a great opportunity to visit with Brent's siblings and their families who live in the area.  There is also so much to see and do in northern California.  We enjoyed visiting with family (and the kids with their Aaron cousins), hanging out at the house, walking the nearby trail, going to the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, visiting the Oakland Temple grounds and the cemetery where Brent's grandparents are buried, and more-- all in the four days we were there. We also devoted an entire day to taking a day trip with just our family to the beach and Armstrong Woods (redwoods).  It was absolutely gorgeous and a very memorable experience for our family-- the drive is always so long (13+ hours with the number of stops we make), but definitely worth it.

Sunday: We visited John & Nicole's ward in Brentwood and hung out at their house afterwards.  Angela & Joe also drove out from Roseville to visit.  The kids had a great time with their cousins, and it was great for all of us to catch up.  John & Nicole have an awesome house for kids!

 

 

Monday: We took it easy around the house in the morning, then in the afternoon Brent's mom went with us to this great park up in the hills above Orinda.   It had a real mini steam engine train that we all rode on.  Joshua had been taking a nap in the car, and as soon as we arrived, he opened his eyes to a delightful surprise-- this train ride!

 

Then we went to a petting zoo in a different part of the park.

 

 

Tuesday: Academy of Sciences

After another low-key morning, we met my mother-in-law on the Oakland Temple grounds after her shift there ended.  We ended up eating the picnic we brought right there in the parking lot, then drove into San Francisco to the Academy of Sciences.  It's a combination aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum.  The kids loved the biodome (I think that's what it was) with beautiful butterflies and birds flying all over.  There were also some creepy-looking spiders on the loose!

 

 

 

The kids also enjoyed the touch pool at the aquarium:

 

 

 

I thought it was so cool when a real diver appeared in this large tank to point out all the ocean life the guide was talking about!

 

 

 

Wednesday: Day trip to the beach and Armstrong Woods

 

Brent's parents had a long shift at the temple on Wednesday, so armed with maps, directions, and a borrowed GPS, we set off a family adventure on our own for the day.  It ended up being perfect weather to enjoy all the beautiful scenery.  The driving got to be a bit much for the kids, but we kept passing around the small DVD player we brought and plenty of snacks.  First, we stopped at Bodega Bay (famous from the Hitchcock movie "The Birds") at the Tides to eat a picnic lunch.  It was so fun to look into the water right there and see the sea lions.

 

Then we drove up the coast a bit until we found one of the great beaches to stop and explore.  It was too cold to really do anything except dip your feet in, but the kids had a blast finding shells and a tidepool and playing in the sand.  I loved the crystal blue, sparkling water, sound of the waves and seagulls, and even the beach smell!  I don't get to the beach often enough!

 

 

We kept a tight watch on Joshua every moment!

 

Next we drove about an hour inland to Armstrong Woods.  This is the exact type of redwood forest where "Return of the Jedi" was filmed, and is a lot less crowded than Muir Woods.  It was absolutely amazing there!  They had a nice easy trail that took the stroller just fine.  I had forgotten my sneakers and still did fine, too.

 

I just had to include this flashback picture from 2006, when we visited this exact Parson Jones tree!  Matthew had just started kindergarten (6), Elizabeth was 3, and Emma was 1.  It's fun to see how our family has changed in seven years!

2006

2013

 

 

Needless to say, when we got back to the house that evening, we were all beat!  We had pizza for dinner with Brent's sister Natalie and her kids, who had stopped by for a visit.  I love this picture of Joshua, who had fallen asleep on the couch watching a baseball game with Grandpa. 

 

 

 

Early Thursday morning, we loaded up for the looong drive home.  The kids cashed in their "trip points" (earned for every hour of good behavior in the car) for souvenirs at a fun toy shop in Truckee.  Short as this trip was, I am so glad we went!  I want my kids to soak up all the memories they can whenever we go to their grandparents' house.  Plus, I can never get enough of the beautiful weather and scenery in that part of California.  I love seeing all the sights (except maybe the traffic, of course)!