Cali- Day 1

We woke up really early Saturday morning, flew to San Francisco, and arrived there a little after 10 AM PST. The girls were SO GREAT on the flight! Taylor was busy charming everyone around us, and took a decent nap. Sydney watched Dora on the iPad, colored, read, and ate some snacks.  There were no major crying episodes, no ear pain, no whining, nothing!  (whew!)

When we got to SF, Ashley, Mike, and Landon drove into the city from their home in San Jose to meet us!  We decided to "do" San Francisco in one day.  Stephen and I have both been there several times, and Ashley and Mike used to live there, so this was more for the kids.  Sydney and I had sat down at the computer last week and looked at the map of the US to see where California was, we looked at pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Bush Man (more on him later!), the sea lions, etc.  It was neat that she could comprehend translating what she saw in pictures to seeing them in real life!

So, we walked downtown, saw the sea lions, ate at a restaurant known for their Clam Chowder and sourdough bread (and boy, was it delicious!). We went to a beach area to hang out and play in the sand. We watched street performers. Sydney was amazed by what all she saw! (and no matter how many times I've seen California scenery, I can't get over how gorgeous it is!)  Plus, you couldn't have asked for better weather!  Sunny and mid-70s... perfect!

Sydney loved this dancing guy.

Sydney and Ashley

Can you spot the sea lions?

The Golden Gate Bridge

Mike, Landon, and Sydney chilling on the beach.

Waiting for lunch

After a few hours in SF, we headed back to San Jose (which is about an hour away).  We took the scenic route, and no matter where you turned, it was beautiful! 

We got to Ashley and Mike's house, which is gorgeous... it's on a really wide street that is tree-lined, kids playing everywhere.  They had a guest house in the back, right off of their deck, which was where we stayed.  They were the BEST hosts.  In our guest room was the pack n' play already set up (we borrowed theirs, one less thing to carry!), Sydney's bed, personalized snacks in a basket on the table, drinks in the refrigerator.  Baby toys and books for the kiddos to play with.  It was unbelievable!  The kiddos played in the playroom all afternoon, Ashley and Mike cooked some delicious BBQ that we ate on the deck, and we all hit the hay kind of early, around 8:30 PM PST.  We knew the girls would be calling our names bright and early the next morning...

The Three Musketeers