Monday, December 15, 2014

All Aboard!

Spencer was home for Thanksgiving. We gathered at Lucian's parents for a fabulous meal, but someone in the family definitely stole the show. Our nephew Henry William joined the world on Thanksgiving. I wrapped up the meal prep and some dessert as Lucian's mom and siblings rushed off to the hospital for his birth. Welcome Henry!
The following Saturday was the annual pizza party. It's a great opportunity to catch up with family and allow all the cousins to bond and hang out. There are a lot!
We drove Spencer back to school on Sunday. Kyle entertained himself at the book store while Spencer and Lucian shopped.
And after dropping Spencer off, we headed to the Polar Express! The train traveled to the North Pole where a few elves got on board as well as Santa. Both kids had a great time and Kyle loved riding the train. 
This is Kyle guarding his cookie from Lucian.
Santa!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

San Francisco

Lucian and I took a trip to San Francisco. For multiple nights. Without kids. This is an epic accomplishment. We have not done a couples trip since before Claire was born. It required some great helpers and a little planning. We had a great time.

I throughly enjoyed my first visit to the city. Lucian has been before on multiple occasions, but it's long been on out list of places to go together. The weather was high 50°s/low 60°s with a little rain. (It snowed and was cold in WI)

We enjoyed some fabulous meals, did a ton of walking, and tried just about every form of public transportation the city has to offer.




On our last full day we planned a trip to Muir Woods to see the redwoods. After considering many options, we decided to rent a car that day and drive up Highway 1 as well. It really turned out to be the best day ever.

This was our stylish ride. We left the top down and ran the heat. Yes, we looked like tourists. No, we didn't care. 



The breathtaking views of the bridge were a great start.


I'm so glad Lucian likes to drive. The winding cliff-side roads were a little intimidating for me and no problem for him. The smell of the eucalyptus trees was amazing. Seriously. I'd like to take one home with me. We stopped at beaches and look outs and wherever our heart's desired.

 Our furthest stop was a working oyster farm, Hog Island Oysterthat felt like something out of a movie.
 Our feast 


The only problem with our plan was that we didn't make it to the redwoods until around 4:30. The park "closed" at 5:00. We got in for free, but it was already getting dark so we didn't have much time for hiking. The trees are amazing and I would love to go back and explore more.



We really enjoyed this trip. We're so grateful to our parents for helping with the littles while we got away.