summer visit from cousin cal

aunt cory and cousin calvin recently visited from utah so that called for lots of fun activities to convince them that they want to move to california. first stop the oakland zoo where we saw all the animals and rode the carousel or in the words of william the 'up and down zebra'. 

another day we found a delightful beach in half moon bay. william wasn't too interested in the water as always but cal would have crawled right into the ocean if he'd has his way.

then onto pixieland a tiny tiny amusement park which was the perfect size for the boys. they rode the train with grandma and experienced the tea cups which they didn't quite understand.

of course a visit to the ducks near grandmas house was on the schedule. we had great timing and a woman who brings food for the ducks showed up while we were there so the boys got to feed ducks.

and lastly a visit from john, kristen, & jacob so we could get all the cousins together. we even managed a picture with smiles from all!

 thanks for visiting cory & cal. let us know when you decide to move here!

weekend in monterey

a few weeks back we joined katie & kurt for a very fun quick trip down to monterey. first stop was fisherman's wharf where william continued to hone his walking skills followed by a very tasty dinner in carmel.

william took an immediate liking to the hotel bed which was the only place he'd fall asleep (unfortunate for his parents).

saturday we packed full starting with a visit to the monterey bay aquarium. william was very impressed with the big and colorful fish and we heard lots of 'wow's' from him. he also enjoyed playing in the splash pools with aunt katie.

we even managed to take a rare family photo.

to williams delight he took the trolley (aka 'bus') back to the hotel with ben for nap time while i walked down cannery row and enjoyed some pooltime.

after naps ben and william took a swim, we all enjoyed some bread bowl clam chowder, rode bikes up the coast, and then drove home. a perfect california weekend getaway!

june recap

california continues to be good to us. we are settling in and loving the constant sunshine. some highlights include swimming in all it's forms, including a trip to the beach.

outdoor time at fathers and sons camping, a walk in the hills of woodside, and many many many walks around the neighborhood.

we also ventured to the san mateo county fair where we felt very american and william loved seeing and touching the 'big big turtle'. 

we also had our first trip to the emergency room which was no fun, but thankfully all are healthy.