Victorian Christmas

Jeff and I have this routine where after a day of doing something for the kids that one or both of us didn’t really enjoy one of us says, “Did you have fun?” and the other responds with, “the kids had fun.”  And that is our very diplomatic way of saying that while we wouldn’t really list that as a top ten day, the kids had fun therefore it was worth it.  This routine played out on Sunday after a day spent at Victorian Christmas in Nevada City. 

I didn’t really know what to expect, but visions of casually strolling through adorably decorated Victorian era streets were quickly dashed when I saw the crushing crowds, the porta potties, and the icy streets.  It was not exactly what I had expected and it was one of those activities that you think could’ve been fun if you and hubby went alone, but not so much when you are constantly freaking out that you are going to lose a kid in the sea of people.  Throw in my inability to enjoy things like hot buttered rum and warm mulled wine since I am six months pregnant, add in a dash of baby on the bladder and no decent bathrooms in sight, and you don’t exactly have a top ten day. 

However, the kids had a blast.  Not because of the giant pretzel they got to eat, or the chocolates we got them, or the toy flare copters they got – nope, they had a blast because there was snow on the ground.  We weren’t dressed for snow, didn’t really expect that much snow, but they are kids and to them snow is magical and amazing! They were so excited about the snow they could barely contain themselves.  Joey said he, “gets energy just from looking at snow” and Emmie didn’t care that her sparkly red flats weren’t built for trudging through snow banks one bit! They probably played in the snow a total of 10 minutes throughout the whole day and yet they had, “the best day ever!” 

So at the end of the day, the kids had fun, and that really is all that matters. 

 

 And, this over the top cuteness happened while we were there and these pics will always be something we treasure - so again, all worth it!

San Francisco Kite Flying Weekend

The first weekend after school let out for the summer, we created a list of things we wanted to do before summer ended.  We have been systematically checking things off but needed to hurry up and get several things checked off this weekend.  So, we decided to head to San Francisco, fly a kite, see Kirby Cove, and feed some ducks while we were there! Cheri came with us and we headed to Chrissy Field and Golden Gate Park for the day.

Earlier this weekend we camped in the backyard so all we have left is the ice cream from an ice cream truck - which is surprisingly harder than you might think to complete! 

Ducks fed - check!

Picked a flower for Mommy - such a gentleman! 

Handsome rock climber.

Awesome kite flying action.

Handsome curly-cue!

Why wait for a windy day in Sac when you can head to SF and fly a kite with this view?! 

There is no way we could go to Golden Gate Park without visiting its famous playground.
Logan slid down the concrete slide on a piece of cardboard no less than 40x.

Emmie loves the ocean!

My flip flop broke so I was pretty useless - not a lot of shoe stores in the park!

Bat Watching

We heard you could see thousands of bats take flight at sunset from the Yolo Causeway and we were determined to see if that's true.  After some internet research we found out that there are bat tours you can sign up for all summer that take you on private land, but unfortunately they were all booked (and way too expensive for us).  So we researched places anyone could go, for free, and found out that the Vic Fazzio Wildlife Refuge also has a fair amount of bats.  There were conflicting reports as to where exactly to park, but we were willing to give it a shot.  

Mommy and Logan

Joey waiting for sunset when the bats are supposed to all wake up at the same time. 

Emmie

Emmie, Logan, Joey and Hunter

Since while the sun was up there wasn't a bat in sight, the kids went to explore under the causeway

Just as promised online, once the sun went down the bats all woke up.  It's really hard to see in these pics but thousands of bats were chirping and flying around under the causeway.  It was really cool and kinda creepy at the same time.  We weren't parked where they all fly out (that must be where the private tours go) but we still saw literally thousands flying under the road.

All in all a very worthwhile experience and will definitely be a summer tradition for us.

Big Basin Redwoods Camping Trip

I survived another camping trip!  This year we went to the Santa Cruz Mountains and camped in Big Basin Redwoods.  We booked this trip at the beginning of the year when we set out to explore California.  After some research we found out that this was a good "glamping" location since it has running water and showers.

We arrived Thursday and were so happy with the location!  The trees were beautiful and tall and the weather was perfect!

Emmie insisted on wearing rain boots camping.

Joey and Daddy put up the tent, but Joey wanted the tent at a different spot.  

We played lots of games while camping, including Disney Headbandz.

Of course we roasted marshmallows - which the kids love doing but none of them actually like to eat them!

This is my special s'more - jumbo marshmallow wrapped around a caramel filled Ghiradelli chocolate square.

While we banned all phone use for games, we did use the phone for photos, including these goofy shots...

At night, our nightlight was a carefully constructed glow stick chain in the tent.

More goofy pics

Clearly we had time to kill!

We played several rounds of chess.

We went for a beautiful hike, which the kids found completely pointless.  Lots of, "where are we walking to?" and "why can't we just look at the trees by our tent?"

Did I mention we played a lot of games?

Because a box to an adult is a boat to a kid.

Hot dog roasting for dinner.

Yes, that is a chicken nugget he is roasting.  It worked for him.

A game of Red Light/Green Light

Emmie didn't really understand how to play, so it was pretty much just a race.

Our raccoon neighbor.

We left the redwoods and headed for the beach before making our way home.  Our trip was just Thursday to Saturday which was perfect for kids this age and a non-camper like myself. I would definitely recommend this place for camping.  The bathrooms were not at all scary and the location was gorgeous.