San Fran

After months of planning (and debating...should we fly or drive or go on the train? Should we not go and just save the money? Should we wait till our kids are older?) we went to the San Francisco area for a long-awaited vacation! I had carefully saved some of the money I earned from teaching preschool with the hopes that we could use it on a family vacation. After realizing that just flying there and back would cost nearly $1500, we decided to drive. Our old clunkers wouldn't pass the test of a long drive through the middle of nowhere, so we rented a car (Quentin got his dream of driving a 2011 Dodge Charger!) We split the drive into 2 days each way and it wasn't that bad - it was part of the adventure! After we got home and tallied up our purchases, we realized that we were able to do the whole trip (car, gas, hotels, food, souvenirs, entertainment, etc.) for hundreds of dollars less than it would have cost just for plane tickets. Yeeeahhh!

Of course, it helped that we stayed with Quentin's uncle Mike and his family (thanks again guys!) They live near San Jose, about 45 minutes from San Francisco. We stayed with them during our honeymoon 14 years ago and it was fun to show the girls some of the things we remembered from way back then!

So...this is a long post of our 10-day vacation. Maybe it's boring to you readers, but it's a journal/scrapbook record for our family. After sorting through over 900 digital pictures, this is actually really pared down! But we had such a fun time and made some good memories!

SATURDAY, JUNE 18
Picked up rental car and left around 6:00 p.m. Drove to Battle Mountain, NV (a dinky little town) and arrived at our hotel around 11:00 p.m.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19
Father's Day! The girls had hidden their present - a Willow Tree figurine of a dad with 3 girls - to Daddy in their suitcase and surprised him in the morning. Swam in the hotel pool, enjoyed the free continental breakfast, and drove the 9 hours to Mike and Faye's house.

MONDAY, JUNE 20
My birthday! Drove to Santa Cruz and spent a couple of hours at the Henry Cowell Redwood Forest.





Went to the Wharf in Santa Cruz and ate pizza on the beach. Then the girls played in the water. They loved it!



TUESDAY, JUNE 21
Went to San Francisco to the Exploratorium - coolest hands-on science museum ever! We spent 4 hours there and only got halfway through it before it closed. So fun!!






Walked down and up Lombard Street, then drove down it.




Drove across the Golden Gate Bridge (we were going to walk across it but it was cold and windy) to Sausalito - that's what I imagine heaven to be like!



WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22
Had a quiet day at "home" with the Baker family. Swam in their neighbor's pool, had dinner and hung out.

THURSDAY, JUNE 23
Went back to San Francisco. Went to the Cable Car Museum.



Toured Mee Mee Bakery in Chinatown - we got to watch how they make fortune cookies.



Then we browsed at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf - the girls picked out a souvenir.



Had dinner at Boudin's (known for their sourdough bread) - Q had clam chowder in a bread bowl and I had a yummy veggie sandwich.



FRIDAY, JUNE 24
Drove to Fairfield to tour the Jelly Belly Factory - yum!



Had a BBQ with the Baker family, then walked around the Great Mall in San Jose.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25
Spent the day in Monterey with the Bakers. Went to Monterey Bay Aquarium.



(This is a "Leafy Seadragon" - how cool is that?!)



Went to the beach even though it was only 55 degrees out. Jason taught Quentin how to "skim."



While everyone else bundled up and watched.



Went to Dennis the Menace Park



And had dinner at Fisherman's Wharf - check out our lemony grins!



SUNDAY, JUNE 26
Headed homeward via Lake Tahoe - so beautiful! Reached Reno by 8:30 p.m. but decided to drive a couple more hours to stay in Battle Mountain.



MONDAY, JUNE 27
Drove 5 hours from Battle Mountain to home. Met Mom and Grandma for dinner, returned the rental car, and began unpacking, doing laundry, and reminiscing!

Jason and the girls


Kiera, Makenna and Callie-Dog


Kasidee's "Cage" from the dog


Kasidee and Dana


The Stephens and Baker families

Princess Festival

On June 18 (yes, I'm a little behind) we joined our cousins at the Princess Festival at Thanksgiving Point. We had gone to the Princess Festival a couple of years ago and loved it, and Kasidee was excited to be old enough to be included this year. It is a festival sponsored by "In Our Own Quiet Way," a local charity that does amazing work for impoverished areas of Kenya. While the little girls (and a few little boys!) get to dress up, meet princes and princesses, and go on adventures, they also learn that a true princess is caring and helps other people. It was a fun adventure!


WITH ARIEL

WITH "THE WICKED STEPSISTERS"

PRETTY PRINCESSES


"RAPUNZEL KIERA"

KIERA AND RAPUNZEL

MAKENNA WITH THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA

ALICE AND THE MAD HATTER

COUSINS (PLUS ONE GIRL WE DON'T KNOW!)

Princess Dance Camp

For the summer, I let the girls each choose one summer recreation class (besides swimming lessons.) The one Kasidee chose was "Princess Dance Camp." It was 3 days in a row for 2 hours each and she had so much fun. She was a little hesitant to not have Mommy there with her, but she was glad to have her preschool friend (and our neighbor) Jenna with her. They learned a little dance, made a craft each day, and had a snack each day. I wish I could have been a little one too for those days!

Today was the "final performance," and the 7 little princess were so cute and did such a good job! At the end, they were each presented with a certificate. Kasidee's reads, "The Dance Factory hereby proclaims on this 16th day of June 2011 Princess Kasidee to be an official Princess of the Royal Palace for completing princess training at Princess Dance Camp 2011." It was signed by both Miss Sarah (the teacher) and "Fairy Godmother." Pretty impressive, eh?

Independent

Kasidee, like most 3-almost-4-year-olds, takes pride in doing things all by herself. Except for wiping her bum and sometimes walking up the stairs instead of being carried, but that's a whole other subject. The other night she told me she would get ready for bed all by herself. She told me to think of some jammies that she could wear and that she would be right back. A few minutes later she reappeared with her jammies on. She said, "Was these jammies a good choice? Was you thoughting of these ones?" : )

Park Day

Even though my BFF lives over an hour away, we've been trying to put more of a priority on our friendship - we've been trying to get together each month. Our husbands and kids get along really well, and it's been fun to be able to catch up on each other's lives. Saturday they came up this way and we had a picnic at the park. Such a pleasant summer evening, and we couldn't resist getting a few cute pics:





Joshua trying on a cute hat he found:


I just love it when they get sand in their hair!

Project

I like projects. I don't mind working hard, for a long time, on something. It can even be sweaty, dirty, hard labor - like cleaning out the garage or putting in a garden. Of course, I prefer the kind of projects that transform something blah (or stressful) into something pretty. I guess that's why I love a good organization project or home improvement project.

But I don't really like the kind of projects that HAVE to be done without some sort of "pretty" or "fun" benefit to it. It's kind of like when you get your car fixed. It costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time - and perhaps hundreds of dollars later it doesn't look any different. Not quite as exciting as spending that money and time on painting a room or getting new furniture.

Well, we had one of "THOSE" projects recently. A couple of weeks ago I walked into the guest room and smelled an overwhelming BAD SMELL (not really musty, but more like a stinky B.O. smell. Yuck.) I couldn't figure it out, but when I mentioned it to Quentin he panicked. Just like he suspected, water had been seeping into that room - for who knows how long. We pulled up the carpet in 1/4 of the room and aired it out for a few days. All seems well, but we don't want this happening again. Upon close inspection, Quentin discovered that the downspout on the front corner of our house was plugged up with mud. So all that rain we got the last couple of months was just piling up and seeping into the foundation.

So...Quentin has been replacing the corrugated tubing that runs from the downspout - and he's running it all the way from the front corner of the house to the very west end of our property near our garden. He's been digging a trench about 18 inches deep all the way along the length of our yard - over 100 feet! I think I've counted at least 30 hours of hard work. And he's just. about. done. Check it out:




(The tubing runs next to our shed)


I'm so happy Quentin is such a "handy man" and knows how to do practically anything. Or if he doesn't know how to do something, he's not afraid to figure it out. And he always does it right. Yay Quentin! Anyway, he's been working hard. And this is how the girls helped out:

Magnetic Me!

So we woke up today with a free day ahead of us. After chores were done, the girls suggested we check out the "I'm Bored Basket." In there was a project to make customized magnetic "paper dolls." I had done this years ago when Kiera was little. But the girls were so excited to each have their own - little magnetic versions of themselves with tiny replicas of their own clothes! How cool is that?! So we got to work, dressing up and taking pictures. Then I printed the pics out on magnetic sheets, cut them out and voila - check it out: (Click on the pic to see it better.)

"I'm Bored Basket"

Just before school ended, I created an "I'm Bored Basket." Aside from the girls' craft drawers, I filled a basket with things I've clipped out of magazines over the years - things I thought would be fun to do someday. And isn't summer a perfect time for those "Someday Projects?" It's filled with project ideas like painted rocks, flower fairies, clay creatures, art projects, yard games, magic tricks, puppet show ideas, jewelry projects, etc. I also filled it with And I also listed fun websites (check out www.thetoymaker.com) and included a list of fun places to go. So I guess now I'm prepared. Whenever I hear "Mommmm, I'm bored!" I can point to the "I'm Bored Basket" and they can figure out something fun to do. (P.S. I also created one for me - all those fun "Someday Projects" that I haven't found time for yet. While the girls are busy doing something from their basket, maybe I can do something from mine!)

Sidewalk Chalk Festival

Yesterday, our First Official Day of Summer Vacation was kind of a bummer. Kiera didn't feel very good, so we ended up spending most of the day just puttering and hanging out around the house. We were happy to have a visit from Granny, and Kiera began perking up. For dinner we went to Cafe Rio but then Kiera started not feeling good again. So...it was a rather quiet day.

But today made up for yesterday. Kiera woke up feeling back to normal, and we were ready to have some fun!

My endlessly creative neighbor and friend Kate (over at www.mykidseatoffthefloor.blogspot.com) invited some of the neighborhood kids to a Sidewalk Chalk Festival in her yard. Lots of friends, chalk, popsicles and lemonade. And perfect weather. Just what we needed!










Then this afternoon, Kiera and her friends set up a Teddy Bear Preschool and had a blast playing. Later, we headed over to the library for a puppet show. Then we worked a bit in the yard and went to a neighborhood wedding reception outside. Now THIS is the kind of summer day we've been looking forward to!

Sleepy Head

I know a few weeks ago I posted a picture of Kasidee sprawled out, asleep, on the couch. She really does have a bed, and she usually takes a nap every day. But now that she's getting older, her naps are a little more sporadic - I never know when she's going to be tired enough to zonk out...or where she'll zonk out. The other day we had a busy day and there wasn't a quiet moment for her to take a nap. I ended up taking her for a short ride and she promptly fell asleep. But it was almost 7:00 p.m. and she hadn't had dinner yet. So I woke her up when we got home and encouraged her to eat her dinner. I put her on the chair at the counter and she put her head down and fell asleep. Poor thing - but so cute!

Snow in June?

With the crazy weather we've been having, it's very likely that we'd get snow in June. But I have a picture of a different kind of "snow." Every year the cotton trees in our neighborhood make flurries all over. Sometimes it can be quite annoying (cotton flying in every time we open the door) but I think it's kind of pretty. I always feel like I'm living in a snowglobe as the cotton just swirls around. This shows some of the cotton flying around (see all the little dots on the black roofs?):


and this pic shows some of it that has piled up in my front yard. The girls like gathering it and making cotton balls. So pretty!

Funnies

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks what my kids say is funny. But nevertheless, I gotta write it down so I won't forget.

The other day I was quietly crying as a result of some sad news. Kasidee saw me, put her arms around me and held me tight. After awhile she pulled away, looked at my face and said, "When YOU cry, MY eyes get water in them."

Makenna: "There's a boy in my class with our same last name!"
Quentin: "Oh - is it Stephens with a 'PH'?"
Makenna: "No, it's with a VH."

Kasidee: "I want to be a ballerina when I grow up. No wait - I just want to be a children. Forever."

Kiera wasn't feeling good and asked for some water. Kasidee piped up and said, "I want to give it to her!" I said, "Oh, that would be nice - thank you!" Kasidee smiled and said, "I'm a BIG sister!"

Happy Summer!

Today was the last day of school. To help kick off summer, Kiera and Makenna had a little party - 15 little girls from school watching a movie in the theater room. I realized a few months ago that, even though we've had the theater room done for about a year now, our girls haven't had an "official" party with their friends watching a movie in that room. We've had family over and some of our grown-up friends with their kids over, but not a party with just the girls' friends. So we invited a few of their friends from school over and watched Gnomeo and Juliet. Popcorn, Tootsie Rolls, licorice and lots of laughs. And lots of smiles that summer is finally here! Wahoo!

Grape Smasher

The event I've been hearing all about this whole school year finally came today. Each third grader was required to create a grape smasher. They needed to include at least 2 simple machines (lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined planes, etc.) Kiera designed quite an elaborate system that included not only 2, but 10, simple machines. With a "little" help from Quentin, they got it done. The grape was hoisted from a pulley in a little "elevator" then rolled down 3 inclined planes into a holder next to a brick wedge. Then when Kiera pulled a pin, a lever with a rock glued onto the end would smash against the wedge thereby smashing the grape. How cool is that?! Today was the big day where all the third grade classes could show off how their grape smashers work. It was fun!

Bring It On

Okay, I'm ready for summer. Finally. After preschool graduation a couple of weeks ago, I cleaned out the preschool room - it looks like a theater room now! Anyway, after that I got motivated to clean the rest of my house. You know, things that I probably should do more often but usually only get around to doing maybe once a year, if I'm lucky. Like cleaning my fuzzy blinds. And fuzzy baseboards. And dusting inside my curio. Things that no one else may even notice - but it's amazing how even though the room may not look any different than before, to me it just feels good and seems to sparkle (in my eyes anyway.)

So I've been taking a couple of rooms every day and "heavy duty" cleaning everywhere - top to bottom, inside and out. It has felt good. There might be some people who think I like to clean. It's true that I love the result of a clean house. But cleaning is hard work, and it's pretty boring too. I can easily overlook dusty blinds and a sticky floor and delve into organizing a closet or drawer. For some weird reason, I get a "high" out of organizing and dejunking. But it's the actual cleaning part that I don't like. But having preschool end and having summer around the corner has motivated me to "get 'er done." That way, maybe I won't feel guilty when I'm playing and relaxing - after all, isn't that what summer is for?! Oh sure, there will still be things to clean and projects to do, and the girls will definitely have household things to do, but now that the big stuff is done and out of the way, I'll be more likely to sip lemonade and read a book! Ahhhhh.... Oh wait. I've still got to clean out the garage. Dang.