San Francisco!!!

I was super excited when M3 mentioned that this trip would include a day in San Francisco!  Couldn’t wait!!  I had only visited there one other time and it was for a brief couple of hours on a cold, rainy February afternoon back in 2008.  This year’s trip ended up being a bright sunny day and the best part was that we were all together!

We left Casa Salsa just after 9am and watched as the temperature quickly dropped by over 40^oF!  We made a quick stop off at Wela and BobBob’s for Apricot Dream Bars – I mean, to drop off Dusty, and then we were on our way. 

The change in temps meant the donning of hoodies in the morning but that was just fine with us.   Hannah was chilly so S2 offered up her hoodie which she looked adorable in as it’s still a couple of sizes too big for her.  Some of the clothes Hannah inherits from Ro and Ree have been handed down from H2 and S2 so there is a possibility this hoodie may make a reappearance in a couple of years.  Fun!

After a quick stop at Starbucks for lunch (a first for us and it was yummy!) we were off to the Exploratorium. 

Even before entering we found a great little twirling ride that the girls all enjoyed.

While the girls were spinning we took the opportunity for an impromptu photo shoot.  LOL!  Notice that the purse has survived without being taken back.  Yes!

What a beautiful city San Francisco is! 

Inside the Exploratorium there was more than the girls could possibly see and experience in the time that we had there.  We had a number of hours to enjoy it and yet we probably visited only about 1/4 of it!  If you have to opportunity to take your children there, they’ll love it!

Playing with sand that has a large iron count in it and a couple of magnetic tubes.

This one little spot occupied them for over 10 minutes so it was easy to see that this visit would be one where the kiddos took the lead and we happily allowed them to explore at their own pace.

Tinkering exhibit.  Using the materials provided the 3 girls built the marble track you can see on the wall.  Thanks for the lift Uncle TubaDad!

At one point we moved on to the ‘pin play’ where the girls spent ages creating these awesome flowing designs!

At the magnet display, extra concentration was needed which involved sticking out your tongue.  Hee!

There was a neat spot with mirrors that created a fun visual effect.  Many would say 1 of someone is enough but not when you stand here!  Hannah’s favourite part was when we danced in front of the mirrors.  I love her creativity!

There was a lot of walking and Hannah was happy when K2 offered to give her a ride.

A final group pic of the kiddos in front of a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.

What a great time we have visiting the Exploratorium!  Hope we can return there again sometime!

I really wanted to eat in the city so we walked next door to a beautiful restaurant called The Waterfront.  It offered a breathtaking view of the Bay and I ordered Lobster Risotto which I moaned with happiness with every single bite I think!!  It was beyond delicious and my mouth is watering again now just thinking of it!  Hannah enjoyed fish and chips but I think her favourite part was the cute little ketchup bottle.

Sadly all too soon it was time to say goodbye to D2, K2, S2, and H2 as they were flying home early the next morning.   Saying goodbye to the girls was tough so Hannah gave them each a hug that will hopefully remind them of her love.

S2

H2

A final group pic of our girls all together (l to r: H2, Hannah, Ree, S2 and Ro)

and then finally we remembered to take a group picture of all 10 of us together.

This is our 2nd year that we have shared July 4th together and hopefully we’ll be able to do this again next year!

There is more San Francisco fun to share but this post is long so I’ll wrap it up here.  Suffice to say I’ll leave you with this little teaser: