San Francisco - 2013

We just returned a few days ago from our yearly trip to San Francisco where we crashed with Teresa, Toby, and Wren. They are such sweet friends, and they always show us a good time in the city. Unlike last year, I decided to fly instead of drive. With gas prices being so high, and a good sale on JetBlue, I think that was the way to go. Michaela is a good traveler, and the iPad is a lifesaver while we wait at the gate and during the flight.

Teresa had great ideas for how to spend time with our little ones. We toured the San Francisco Zoo, played at the playground in Golden Gate Park, explored the Exploratorium, lunched at the Ferry Building, played at another great park at the Embarcadero, had Breakfast with Enzo, painted with watercolors (for the first time!), romped around at the Tot Gym, and had lunch with another friend from high school and her little guy. Teresa also managed to fix us delicious meals, and Toby shared some of his wine collection with me. It was great fun!

Here's a little glimpse into our week:

Customize your own photo slideshow

Baby, You're a Firework!

So we have this app on the iPhone and iPad that's all about Disneyland, and Michaela plays with it all the time. Because of that, she became very interested in the fireworks show, and I told her that we could go this summer. Luckily, her grandma can get us into D-land for free!

This time, we got to share the fun with our sweet friends Teresa and Wren. We went the Monday before the Fourth of July, and the crowds weren't too bad. It was a very hot day, and we decided to go in the late afternoon after the kids had napped.

It was fun to go on some "new" (to us) rides this time. We tried Dumbo, Autopia, and Pirates. Dumbo and Autopia were hits with the kids, but I think Wren was a little nervous on Pirates. I don't blame him. It's just that there was only a five-minute wait, and it was cool in there. I hope he's not been scarred for life. Michaela didn't seem to mind it.

When the fireworks show began, we found ourselves in New Orleans Square - not the ideal place to watch the show, but there was no way we were going to get over to Main Street then. After all that excitement and waiting to see the fireworks, Michaela was kind of scared during the show. I think the loud booms freaked her out. She kept telling me "All done!" and "Go home!". But by the end of the show, she seemed to relax a bit. I think the next time we see the show, she'll be fine.

Personalize a photo collage

I'm so glad Teresa and I were able to experience Disneyland together with our little ones. Many summers ago, we were there together as cast members in Tomorrowland.

Speaking of Tomorrowland... On our way to Autopia, we saw the band playing at Tomorrowland Terrace. Michaela loves to dance to music these days, and so we stopped by for a little bit and let her and Wren boogy. Many summers ago, her daddy played music in a band there (and at other venues in the park). Wish he could have been there with us on this day, too.