Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk!
We got an early start and drove to Santa Cruz for a day of fun at the Beach Boardwalk. We had anticipated it would take longer to drive to Santa Cruz than it did.  On the plus side, it wasn't crowded when we arrived, but it also wasn't open.  To pass the time, we walked around and planned which rides to try out.

As an added bonus, there was a special on ride tickets, and the boys each got a bracelet for unlimited rides for the day.  It took less than an hour for them to make up the cost!  For most of the morning, there were no lines for any of the rides.  The boys would ride, exit the corral and jump back on!

We tried our hand at some of the carny games.  The boys won a handful of tickets and turned them in for some trinkets.  

Of course, there is a beautiful beach!  There was a chilly breeze, but we rolled up our pants and played in the sand.

And then waded out into the ocean.  This was Alex and Zachary's first trip to the Pacific Ocean. (Zachary's first ocean, Alex had been to the Atlantic Ocean.)

Just as they started wading in, that little wave coming in suddenly seemed a lot bigger.

Here's what I think happened:  As the wave started to come in, Alex freaked out and turned to run back to the beach.  Since he was holding Zachary's hand, he pulled Zachary with him.  Zachary fell backward into the water.  Zachary did a fabulous job of keeping his head up, as you can see.  Alex was very upset, and was pulling on Zachary's hood and yelling "he's going to wash out to sea!" Once Phil and I stopped laughing we rescued and calmed everyone down.  Zachary was not amused.

Luckily, we had extra clothes in the car so Zachary was soon back and dry.  The lines for rides were longer, but the boys went back to a few favorites before we had to head home

Zoo Day

We had a fun day at the zoo with our best friends!

Alex, Seamus, Fiona, Zachary, Calvin and Katy!

Winter Camping

It was a boys weekend out! Alex, Zachary and Phil packed up the car and headed to Mount Diablo.  After finding the perfect camping spot, the boys pitched in and set up the tent.

Even though they worked so hard to pump up the air mattresses, I heard that one of them sprung a leak and poor Daddy slowly sunk to the ground!

All tucked in and ready for sleep.  They read books by lantern before falling asleep.

Up and at 'em! It's time for a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancakes.

Don't forget Daddy's coffee!

After breakfast they wandered around in the woods.  Fortunately, Alex and Zachary had their walking sticks.

Pine cones bigger than your head!

Eventually they packed up the car and drove a short way to Rock City.  Zachary and Alex had lots of fun exploring and climbing the rocks.

Happy Campers!

USS Hornet

Boys' day out started with a hearty breakfast at the Ole's counter with Daddy and Grandpa.

And then they went to tour the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier turned museum here in Alameda.  It is docked near the gym, and we often drive by and admire the planes from afar.  Alex and Zachary were very excited to see the planes up close.

Hopefully this is a decommisioned bomb...

Zachary might be a bit small for the helmets,

but not too small to give the orders!

Just another gorgeous view from the flight deck.

While the boys were out on their adventure, Gma accompanied me to a doctor's appointment and heard Baby's heartbeat!

Field Trip!

Today was the annual preschool field trip to the Legendary Palace in Chinatown.  We rode the bus with the class to Oakland and then walked by the shops selling vegetables, meats and seafood, and with ducks hanging in the windows.  At lunch, Alex tried the chicken feet.

Zachary is less adventurous but he did try a few different items and definitely enjoyed the noodles!

The phoenix and the dragon are prominently displayed in the restaurant.  They are on the wall behind a raised platform that is used for weddings.  They represent blissful relations.

Happy 5th Birthday

 Gma and Grandpa came to visit and help Alex celebrate his 5th birthday!

 Alex requested chicken nuggets and fries for his birthday dinner.  I threw in some tater tots and we had a yummy dinner before making our own vanilla ice cream to go with a dinosaur cake (with blue filling!).

For a special birthday treat at school, we made jello cars!