LHS

Zachary and Alex thought it would be fun to take Gma and Grandpa to the "science center with the dinosaurs" and we all agreed, thinking that the beautiful views of the bay and the air conditioning sounded perfect! The week had been so hot, that the whale had a warning sign so kids wouldn't burn themselves. But the fountain mist felt great!

Unfortunately, the fog on the water never fully burned off. So much for the views.
The boys don't go for the view anyway, and had a great time exploring and trying out the different experiments.

Luckily, they didn't get eaten by any dinosaurs! Although they both looked worried.

The next week, I went back with just the boys. Alex was invited to take part in a study with some graduate students! He did a great job listening to directions and answering their questions. At the end, they gave us contact information so that both boys can participate in more studies.
Alex's main mission was to go to the yard and float things down the river. He soon had a following.

It's a Party

Zachary invited his friends over for a pool party! The real theme of the party was 'swim diver' aka scuba diver, but swim diver decorations are difficult to find, so we went with an underwater fish party!
We filled up the pirate table and the pool and everyone had lots of fun playing with the water. We even had a lifeguard on duty. It was the perfect day for swimming, nice and hot, almost too hot!

We even had a couple of underwater themed crafts.

And don't forget the food! Zachary chose strawberry cupcakes.

I wasn't able to get a group shot with everyone in it. So here are a couple of different group shots, and between them, everyone is accounted for!

By the end of the party, the excitement was just too much for Zachary.
Thank you to all of our friends who came out to help Zachary celebrate, and especially to Gma and Grandpa!

Happy 4th

We haven't missed an Alameda 4th of July parade in our 5 years here. Over the years we've learned a few tricks to getting a good spot too! Once again, we spread out our chairs and blanket early and then went for breakfast. After breakfast, some of us napped, others played, and some went for iced drinks!Here comes the parade!

We told Alex that he could run out to pick up goodies that were thrown from the floats. He definitely excelled at that task! At one point he started to follow a float that was blowing bubbles off the back and we had to convince him to come back!
It was a long day in the sun, and the boys were worn out.

Happy Anniversary

Gma and Grandpa drove down to celebrate Zachary's 3rd birthday. We were able to convince them to come down a few days early so that Phil and I could celebrate our 12th anniversary. I have always wanted to take a harbor cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge, so we did! When we set sail, the captain warned of windy weather and high seas, and the possibility of not sailing out to the bridge. In the end, we did get to sail under the bridge, and it was very bouncy. But fun and scenic!

The 'back' side of Alcatraz IslandUnder the Golden Gate we go!

Can you find the moon?

And, having on call babysitters meant that for the first time since we have lived in California, we were able to watch the SF fireworks show...from our beach, less than 1/2 mile away!

Alameda County Fair

We've had a very unusual year weather-wise. There has been a lot of rain, and the rain canceled our plans of a mid week camping trip. The up side of that was a mid week trip to the fair! As an added bonus, it was 99 cent admission day and the boys were free. So without planning ahead or paying attention, we got into the fair for less than $2!
There was an exciting petting zoo, with all the standard farm animals, the highlight of which was two wallabies!
They also had ice cream cones filled with animal feed for sale. We didn't buy any, but then Zachary saw some other kids feeding the animals and was most insistent on getting some food. Most of the animals were at least as tall as he is, so I wasn't too sure about it, but he and Phil got a cone and headed back in. Within seconds, Zachary was crying and being swarmed from all sides. A deer grabbed the cone from Phil's hand, Phil grabbed it back. The deer grabbed it again, and so did Phil. The third time, Phil let him have it. Once he calmed down, Zachary announced "the animals were very very hungry. That is why they tried to eat me."
Next on the agenda was the kiddie tractor pull. Alex was very excited to get on the tractor.

Based on age, there were weighted plates in the trailer. The further the kids pedaled, a pulley system caused the weight to redistribute and make it harder to pull. If they pulled it all the way to the end, they advanced to the next round. Alex's first try was an empty trailer, which was about 250 pounds. He made it to the second round with an extra 50 pounds.
He didn't quite make it to the next round, but he did a great job, and he was ready to leave anyway.
We found a tent full of musical instruments from all over the world. Alex and Zachary had a great time playing all of the different instruments. I'd say they both enjoyed the many drums the best.

Of course there were rides and carnival games. They played a fishing game and a ball toss game and won both, and were so happy with their prizes!

Last T-ball Game

The last game of the season came just when the kids were starting to get the hang of the game. Funny how that works. Alex spent more field time chasing the ball than digging in the dirt.

Contemplating big hits and getting high fives.

After the game the kids were awarded with a certificate and personalized bat. Their snack cupcakes had little pennants with their names and numbers.

It was a fun year of learning how to play baseball. Next season he'll have a jump on the competition!

So Much Spirit

For the final week of pre-school spirit, we mixed up our shoes, wore crazy socks and had a pool party!


It was a fun end to a great year of school!