ears
it was a good day today.
on our way home!
Well, we're on our way home from our family vacation. We stopped by Casa de Frutas off route 152 and mommy definitely wants to check it out again once Olive comes and is old enough to enjoy the kiddie land with Alexander - it had a carousel and train there! Right now, it's nap time though. Next stop: In-n-out for lunch!
Mission Dolores & Sonoma
This morning we took a tour of Mission Dolores in San Francisco and went to mass at the Basilica next to the mission. We got to see the altar of the mission and the cemetery which had a big ol' redwood tree, plus an example of a home of the Ohlone Indian (which AAA said was actually a home for the okapi - because that's the word he heard)! Afterward, we visited downtown Sonoma and ate burgers, sandies, and hot dogs for lunch at Sonoma Cheese Factory. It was SOOO yummmy!! Once we were done, we headed over to Imagery Estates Winery where daddy got to taste the entire line of wines and ended up buying a petit syrah and a cab.
It was a wonderful day of activities. Here is a pic of Sonoma vineyards on our way out and the kids picking up Rebecca's toys after they bathed and got ready for bed.
Golden Gate & The Presidio
Our San Francisco adventure continued with a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion (visitor's center just before crossing the bridge) and The Presidio, now a national park, that was a top-notch military base for many, many years. We had a really neat time learning about the different bugle sounds, walking around the grounds and eating lunch at the Transit Cafe.
cable car ride!!
The kids all had their first cable car ride today! We went to the cable car museum - called The Barn - and got to see and learn how the cable car system works. It was so interesting.
Ferry to Angel Island
Today Alexander, Rebecca, Nicholas, (and Olive) took their first ferry trip! Our destination: the Ellis Island of the west, Angel Island. It is where most Asian immigrants entered the U.S., along with Russians, Australians, and other ethnicities. It was open as an immigration facility from 1910 to 1940. It was really great to learn a little about this part of our nation's rich history - not to mention to see how super excited Alexander was to be on the boat!
hotel!!
someone is/was excited about the hotel!
If you're going to San Francisco ...
be sure to first take a nap! Ha! Here's our lil boy, just after running around the Buttonwillow Rest Area off the 5 on our way to San Francisco for our Chavarela Family Vacation. In the first picture he's using his super-power to stop the rain from falling so hard (he needs to work on that) and then in the second pic he shows just how tired he is after we woke him up at 6am this morning to get on the rode.
horse time!
Picasso potato head
I'm calling MOMA...
play ball!
Disney Transportation
Alexander got a triple dose of Disney transportation this weekend! First, we road the Monorail into the Park, then he "drove" a yellow Autopia car (just the color he asked for!) and after that, he took his first submarine ride! We had a "busy day" like Alex likes to say.
Minnie!
Christmas in September
and no, i didn't let him continue to drum on the wall, but it was the only way he'd let me film him singing!
"the perfect farm"
Go Bears! AAA's 1st Game
This morning Alexander woke up saying he was "excited" because we were going to the football game at Berkeley! We could tell he was serious by the way he clutched onto his Oski bear as he walked up to the stadium and kept letting us know he was "excited!" We stopped by the Cal-sponsored tailgate at Maxwell Field and got to stand right in front of the Cal Band as they performed a couple of songs on their way up to the new stadium. (It was pretty wonderful to share this with Alexander for mommy and daddy and, as AAA noted, "really really loud.") Then we headed into Memorial and watched the teams warm-up. We watched the game and halftime show (which AAA helped conduct from the stands) and then headed out so AAA could nap and we could meet up with Aunt JeeHee and Uncle Matt.
We had a wonderful time at AAA's 1st Cal football game. S. Utah v. Cal 31-50 GO BEARS!
Calizona Appaloosa Horse Show
Today Alexander got to see and pet some real Appaloosa horses at a horse show at the Industry Expo Center in Industry Hills, near Abuelita and Grandpa's! We had so much fun with Tia Suzi and Rebecca watching the horses walk, cantor, trot and jump courses for the competition. We even got to go into the barn and see the beautiful animals in their stables. Here, Grandpa shows Alexander how to pet Dreamer and Alex shows us how horses "clop."
don't mess with the best
cousins
