Monterey Bay Aquarium

As is their way, the boys woke up early and we had to get out of the hotel before their stampede bothered the neighbors. We had breakfast at a nice little place in the outlet shopping center and then ran around the mall area for a while. There were a bunch of little rides, so the boys were entertained.

Then it was time for the aquarium. Alex and Zachary got bracelets with our cell phone number. Just in case.
The boys entered the coral reef and became the newest display. Then they were eaten by a giant clam.

Checking out the ghost jellies.

There was a little cave for viewing the sea turtles. It was (obviously) at kid level, so kids would just disappear into it and it took a while for the parents to realize where they went. Alex and Zachary really liked being in there. Then they cozied up to an Emperor penguin.

We saw the African penguins being fed, many sharks, touched some sea stars, and explored the wave tunnel. Then we returned to the hotel for a rest before returning to the aquarium for a couple more hours. We were able to get a table in the aquarium restaurant, right by the window. They have binoculars and a wildlife identification chart which was really fun. Alex and Zachary really enjoyed using the binoculars and I think they may have even seen something through them. We definitely saw a bunch of sea otters playing by a big rock. After lunch we watched the indoor sea otters being fed, and explored the pink flamingo exhibit. Then we got our own sea otters to take home. We had to cross a sky bridge to get to our part of the hotel, and the boys liked to sit in the windows and watch the traffic. I think they were starting to fall asleep. You can just make out the aquarium at the end of the road.

Monterey

After a fun day at the Children's Museum, we continued South to Monterey. When Phil booked the hotel, we had the option of paying extra for an "obstructed ocean view" room. We declined. We did however splurge for the fancy hotel a block from the aquarium. We checked in, and discovered our room was in the other building, across the street. Check out the view.Yep, that's the ocean, at no extra charge. And, right across from Grammy's favorite vacation restaurant. Our room even had a gas fireplace that we used a lot. The boys enjoyed watching the flames, and it kept us nice and toasty warm.There was even a beautiful rainbow.And a beautiful sunset.We walked around Cannery Row a bit and then tried to get the boys to sleep at a somewhat reasonable hour.

San Jose

We decided to make a long weekend off of school into an adventure. After naps, we drove to San Jose. Our hotel for the night was connected to the Convention Center, and the boys went exploring. And found this art.We wanted to get an early start Friday morning at the San Jose Children's Museum. Before we headed over, Zachary created a new breakfast sensation: Waffle-French Toast Sandwich. I believe it had one tiny strawberry inside. Zachary is a carb-monster.
So, onto the museum. While Zachary drove the firetruck, Alex wielded the hose. And served as the siren.

We painted Alex's face with a cat nose and whiskers. Later, in the pipe cleaner art room, he made some cat ears.

There was a fun bubble room, with many different experiments with bubbles. This walkway was buckled, and when the kids walked on it, it would turn the wheel on the right. Zachary didn't like it, he found it hard to keep his balance, but Alex played on it for quite a while.

The boys also made corn husk dolls, and played in the pizzeria. There were also many other areas that we explored. However, we steered clear of the water play area....maybe next time!

Just Another Zoo Day

We met friends at the zoo for a very chilly, windy day out. The cooler weather seemed to agree with the tiger. She is rarely so visible.

Japantown

We went into the City and visited Japantown. We had gone once before, when Zachary was very little, and it was a very rainy day. Today was a beautiful day and we were able to enjoy the pagoda in Peace Plaza. Alex and Zachary put on a little song and dance show. After one of their shows a while back, we gave them each a penny. Now after their song, they come and ask us for money!

Inside, we found this nice garden and enjoyed some Pocky.We wandered around, shopped, and dined.
Later in the day, the boys kicked back to chillax.

It's a Party

The second thing Alex was sure about, was that he wanted to have a giraffe party. He found a giraffe pinata in a catalog and was determined to have it. It is much easier to find safari or jungle themes than just giraffes. But, I think we did a pretty good job of creating a giraffe party!The giraffe pinata, with the giraffe print goody bags, made by Gma.
Friends, waiting through many table adjustments and pictures for cupcakes featuring giraffes, walking through the grass.
We weren't sure about the weather when we woke up, but by afternoon, the sun was out and it was a gorgeous day. With some help from Ms. Karen, we hung the giraffe outside to begin the festivities.
The kids all took turns pulling on the strings, trying to release the goodies inside. In an unexpected, but happy coincidence, the last string was the prize dumper!Alex and Zachary really loved their goody bags. As you can see, they carried them around all day. (And since I am post dating, I can say they still do!)
We also had a yummy lunch, and a birdhouse craft.

I didn't get a picture of everyone's completed birdhouses, but they were all great. Here are Alex and Zachary's creations. Sticking to his giraffe theme, Alex added a herd of giraffes.

Happy Birthday Alex!

Today is Alex's 4th birthday! One of the things he was very certain about was that on your birthday, there are balloons tied to your chair. When he came down for breakfast, he was excited that the balloons made it!
Since it was a school day for Alex and Zachary, and a special birthday too, Gma and I went to school to help out in the classroom, making Alex and Zachary the special helpers for the day. The special helper gets to bring the outdoor cars and bikes out of the "garage", flicker the lights at clean up time, choose friends to join them at the first craft table, and squirt the soap into everyone's hands before snacks. The boys did a good job of sharing the job and both enjoyed being the helper.
After Alex's requested dinner of macaroni and cheese from Panera (of course), we had a cake with a giraffe.
His balloon cheeks from swimming class came in handy for blowing out the candles!I have no idea what this look is about. Maybe because we asked him to stop eating cake?After cake, he opened his presents, with a bit of help. Here the boys are, sitting with Alex's swag.