San Francisco Trip Part I

I had an opportunity to go to a conference in San Francisco through my job.  Wes and I rarely leave the kids overnight, so he went with me.  Nana came to Dallas to stay with Mia and Quinn.  Wes and I had a great time exploring San Francisco.  Our hotel was in Union Square close to the conference site.  We got there early on Saturday even though the conference didn't start until Sunday.  We had most of the day to walk around.  So we walked...a lot.  We also took the street cars quite a bit while we were there.  It was super cheap.  I think we only used about $25 on public transportation while we were there.  We also took the city buses once, but I really enjoyed our ride on the cable car.  I was glad to check that off of my San Francisco to do list.  The street cars were really nice, too.  We rode one down to Fisherman's Wharf and explored that area a bit.  I got to see the sea lions that hang out at Pier 39, so I was excited.  There was a chocolate festival going on on Saturday at Ghirardelli Square, so we definitely made an appearance at that.

Then, we walked down to the beach and people-watched for awhile.  There is certainly a diverse range of people who call San Francisco home.  We saw a lot of people on bikes which included a lot of rentals.  And the hills!  They are every bit as steep as they appear to be.  We walked up to Lombard Street because I wanted a picture of it.  It's a very crooked street that crosses back and forth down a hill.  It's also landscaped and looks beautiful. 

Wordless Wednesday: Heading to Ballet

Quinn Turns 2!

Our sweet baby boy turns two years old today!  He woke up happy this morning as usual.  He took a cookie cake to school today to celebrate his birthday with his friends.  After work, the four of us went to Build-A-Bear, and Mia and Quinn picked out/made a stuffed animal.  Mia chose Fluttershy (My Little Pony), and Quinn picked a monkey.  When we went to print out "birth certificates" for their animals, we asked Quinn what his monkey's name was.  I'm not sure what his response was, but it sounded like Bobby, so that's what we went with.  He's been loving on his monkey ever since.  We went to dinner at On The Border since Q likes Mexican food (as do we all).  We are having his party in a couple of weeks, but it was fun to celebrate today as a family.  I love this blue-eyed boy!

We got him a stick horse for his birthday.

His sweet teachers had a sign up for him when we got to his class.

 They also made him a birthday hat.  He loved it and was still wearing it when I came to pick him up.

 He wanted to sleep with his monkey tonight!

Wordless Weekend: Just Chillin'

First Day of Kindergarten!

Oh, my baby girl. She started kindergarten today.  She was excited that her friend, Pearson, is in her class again.  They've been buddies for as long as I can remember.  Mia was happy to go to her new class, but she acted like she might get upset when Wesley and I started to leave.  That got to me, and I admit that I almost shed a couple of first day of school tears myself.  She and I stayed strong, though, and didn't cry.  She told me later that she had a good first day, but she couldn't remember much about it.  I guess the first day is usually a blur, anyway.  She already knows a few of the kids in her class, and I'm sure she'll make new friends quickly.  My girl isn't shy.  She will do great!  Last night I asked her the questionnaire that we also used last year.  Here are her responses:

My favorite color is:  purple
My favorite movie is:  The Little Mermaid
My favorite song is:  songs I make up
My favorite sport or activity is:  Ballet
My favorite book is:  Barbie books
My favorite TV show is:  Barbie: Life in the Dream House
My favorite food is:  cake and ice cream
My best friends are:  Pearson and Riley
My age:  5
Who my hero is and why:  Wonder Woman because she's a girl and has ropes.  I like ropes!
My favorite thing about myself:  I'm a nice person.
When I grow up, I want to be a:  chef

Kindergarten Starts Tomorrow!

Mia's first day of kindergarten is tomorrow!  To commemorate this event, I took Mia and Quinn to Founder's Park for a school photo shoot.  I borrowed an old school desk from my friend, Julie, and rounded up some props from around the house.  It was really fun, and Quinn was a little angel.  He sat in his stroller and watched us the whole time.  Mia wore my old glasses in a couple of the pictures.  I told her that she could eat the apple when we were finished, so she was happy with that!