March Madness: The month of special guests - The Finale

All good things must come to an end.  I don't know who popularized the phrase, but I guess it's sort of right, or at least applicable here.  

Our last day of fun and touring with Arden, Tracy, and kids, had to happen.  It was such a blast having them here, and getting to play in our own backyard (figuratively speaking), and getting a chance to return the favor of playing host.   So much fun was had, in fact, that this poor little guy was conked out on the couch before we hit the road that day (we're talking 9:30 am peeps.  The dude was tiii-erd!)

Tracy and all the kids and I met up at the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose, which was conveniently right around the corner from their hotel.  It was a perfect rainy day place to meet up, even though my poor niece and nephew may have been at the end of the appropriate age range for this place.  But age aside, I think all 4 kiddos had a pretty good morning there, which means us moms did too!

One of the hands-on stations was making corn-husk dolls

I'm pretty sure that the water play area was the hands-down favorite for all the kids.  I was just happy I happened to be wearing my rain boots!

They also had fun at the bubble station (not that you can tell that's where they are in this pic):

And on the way out, my boys got distracted by the firetruck and pint-sized uniforms

 After our morning at the museum, we headed back up to SF for one last afternoon in the city.  We failed to make it over to Pier 39 and the Sea Lions on our first trip to the wharf, so we made one last stop on Devon's-wild-and-crazy-San-Francisco-Adventure-tour.

Adalin took full advantage of being on vacation and talked her mom into letting her do the bungee jump! 

 Good times had by all, capped off with a delicious dinner at Alioto's on the wharf.  We hope you guys come back again, so we can do it all over!

Gus decided he'd had enough at the end of another fun, but long day, and pulled up a spot on the floor.  At least the kid knows how to make himself comfortable!

 On our drive home along the Embarcadero, I got to see this sight…apparently it's an art installment on the Bay Bridge that's been there for awhile, but to this city-turned-suburban chick, it was new and exciting!

March Madness 2014: The month of Special Guests, Part 3 3/4

After staying with us for almost a week, our last houseguests of the month left, but not for WI. They moved down to San Jose for a few more days of California fun, while Arden was attending/speaking at a conference.  While we would have loved for them to have stayed with us the whole time, at least we were able to sneak in a few more days of Devon's-wild-and-crazy-Bay-Area-Adventures!

With the elder Anderson brothers both at work, Tracy and I ventured out for some fun on our own with the kiddos.  I really wanted to take the kids tide pooling, since this is one thing I know for sure they don't get to do in WI.  We headed to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach to see what we could see!

Starfish!!

Another starfish!!

That sea of gray behind the boys (or to their left) is a whole lotta muscles or some shelled animal!

A ranger was down on the beach, letting kids take a look through her telescope at the seals.  

Those white blobs way out there just before the waves are what we were looking at

March Madness 2014: The month of Special Guests, Part 3 1/2

To cap off what was already quite a week, we had a fantastic weekend, truly in Anderson style…windsurfing at the beach.  The kids were so ecstatic with our afternoon at the river on Saturday, that we returned for a repeat performance on Sunday.  It's no lake house like Arden and Tracy have in WI, but it was pretty nice being able to get to Sherman Island, Rio Vista, with a quick 20 min drive from home.  

Aden and Arjen jumped right in to the water sports

Arjen didn't skip a beat getting back on "his windsurfer"

Chasing after Dad

The kids decided building sand castles was no longer exciting enough

After a big day at the beach, the kids needed a little yoga to help them wind down.  Adalin and Arjen were pretty into it.

Gus, on the other hand, was one of these kids doing his own thing…

 On Sunday, I managed to get a few pics that really made me smile.

And then I have my wonderful sister-in-law to thank for making this one happen!  

March Madness 2014: The month of special guests, Part 3 1/4

Mixed in among the touring, were some lovely little moments among cousins, this one a particular favorite:

Arjen had been getting a little too rowdy for the older cousins (about to turn 7 and 9).  So Aden grabbed a book and carved out a little quiet space for himself on the couch.  Arjen thought this looked like a good idea, so he proclaims "I'm going upstairs to get a book too!" Okay, I think, fully expecting that he'll come back down with one of his books.  I absolutely was not expecting to see Hunger Games.  Yes, Hunger Games.  We had put a few homeless books, including a couple novels, on an empty shelf in his room.  He apparently was well aware of this, and decided that the book he needed was one that looked just like Aden's.  The best part, is that he proceeded to sit down and actually look at the darn thing like he was reading it.  The proof is in the pictures:

Day 2 of Devon's-wild-and-crazy-San-Francisco-adventure-tour:

We set out to do Fisherman's Wharf, a Cable Car ride, and Chinatown.  We mostly, sorta got that all in.  The Cable Car ended up taking way more time than we expected, between waiting in line to get on, then waiting for one empty enough for our crew to hop on for the return trip. But we got an Alcatraz sighting, lunch at the wharf, a ride on the Cable Car, a walk through Chinatown, and lucky Gus got to be stuffed into a kid-pack the whole day.  For the most part, he tolerated it quite well.  

Shameless selfie with the Rock

Not sure Gus knew what to make of the Cable Car.  Is it a train?  A bus? 

Arjen decided a nap in the mini umbrella stroller sounded like a good idea.  He'd make another trip to Chinatown, another time to see the chicken feet and dried sea cucumbers in all the store windows.  

In going through these photos, I'm realizing I didn't take many of the more interesting, tourist-y shots.  Makes for a lot of narrative, and not so many pictures of our adventures!

I swear that book was like his security blanket.  He made me carry it around in my purse the whole day!  

My tired tourists

For being 5 years apart in age, Gus and Adalin sure did have fun playing together!

March Madness 2014: The month of special guests, Part 3

March Madness at the Anderson household culminated in quite possibly the most fun couple of weeks we've had since moving into our new house.  Arden and Tracy flew out with their kids, which was the first trip Aden likely remembers (he was 2 at our wedding), and the first trip for Adalin.  It's always fun to have Arden and Tracy here, but to also have the kids was just plain special.  Our kids loved it, and I loved getting to play tour guide and try to show them how fabulous California can be!  (Well, the bay area at least, since we stayed very local).

Adalin set up shop in the kid's kitchen.  That little place has never looked so clean and organized!

Day one of Devon's-wild-and-crazy-San-Francisco-adventure-tour:
We started out for the Golden Gate Bridge.  First stop was at the Marin Headlands to show the kids the landmark they would next then walk across.   The weather could not have been more perfect for us.  It was warm, sunny, with just a slight breeze (which Arden was disappointed in, since he would have loved to get a chance to windsurf at Crissy Field).

Call me biased, but this one is kinda my fave :) 

Next up, the boys and I dropped the WI crew off on the north end of the bridge, so they could walk across, then after parking on the south side, we set out to meet them in the middle.  When I lived in SF I made many a trip across the bridge and back, but never did I get to do it on such a beautiful day, and I definitely never saw dolphins, otters, and sea lions from the bridge!  Of course I didn't get any pics, but it was pretty cool to see!

Had I been a better photographer, I would have panned a little further right to get more of the SF skyline in the background.  The kids were enjoying playing with this model of the bridge.

After our bridge tour, we set off across town, for the driving tour portion of our day, via crazy Lombard street, by Coit tower, through North Beach, past the Transamerica building, over by AT&T park (where the Giants play) for lunch at a family fave: Primo Patio.  Thankfully, the 3 youngest kids got some nap time in, so we took our lunch to go and killed a little more time driving back across town again, towards Golden Gate Park.  There, we unleashed the beasts at one of the cooler playgrounds I know of, Koret Playground. Since we adults were outnumbered 4 to 3, the phone stayed in the pocket, and I didn't get many pictures.  I did manage to get this one video though, of Arjen and Adalin on the cement slide.  Pretty sure they would've stayed there all night had we let them.  

We finally convinced the kids to take one last ride on the slide, but this was made easier by the carousel guy opening the carousel (or zoo, as Gus was calling it) back up.  

Arjen was thrilled to get to ride the Zebra!

The kids were troopers on this wild and crazy day.  Not that it was really wild, or crazy, but taking 4 kids all under the age of 9, touring around San Francisco ALL DAY, could have wound up more wild or crazy than it did.  

Since we were so close to the beach, we of course had to throw in a Sunset on the Pacific, and a popsicle from the ice cream truck that of course just happened to be at Ocean Beach.  

What, you think I'd get a picture of any of the kids here?  Yeah right.  They were too busy getting sandy and wet!

By sunset, Andrew was waiting to meet us after work, at our fave sushi joint.  It was pretty busy, so in order to not make the kids (or ourselves) wait any longer, we had to split up.  Tracy and I got to sit at the counter, with Gus and Adalin, who did an incredible job eating plenty of sushi!

All in all, it was a fantastic first day!  

March Madness 2014: The month of Special Guests Part 2 1/2

Among all the houseguests we had this past month, did I mention I started working again, and the boys started preschool?  It created quite a change around here, but a good one.  Here's their first day of school pic…tures.  Getting one shot of the two of them both smiling is near impossible these days (and not because they were going to school, they were really excited that first day!):

That first day was glorious, then every day since has been a test of my super mom powers to trust that the tears will stop shortly after I'm gone.  It only took a month, but the boys are no longer crying when I say it's time for me to go.  In fact, Gus has started wandering off to find his favorite puzzle or toy before I've even said goodbye.  Arjen still keeps it a little closer, but dry eyed at least.  And after failing to do so one day, he makes sure that every morning, we sing "our" song, which is really a song my mom created back in the days of Keane Kids.  It's a great little song we fondly know as "See you later Alligator".   So we sing, we smile, we hug, and then on our way home at the end of the day, I get to hear "I like preschool mom!" or "I had so much fun at preschool!", while Gus will still start back up with "no preschool mama!".  These kids I tell ya.  They keep me on my toes.