Sugar High

Apple Hill adventure day

On July 5, a holiday Monday, we planned a full day of fun with Grandma Hippo and Grandpa Penguin. We started out at Old Hangtown's Gold Bug Park and Mine for a trip through an old gold mine. We wore radios around our neck to hear an audio recording to better understand what it was we were seeing. It was a little hard as all the adults had to push our button simultaneously in order to try to all hear, and of course it never quite worked! The kids thought the temperature change, and the fact that REAL men had been there working a long time ago was cool... but about halfway through Lauren decided enough was enough and started worrying about how to get out. After the mine tour we took a scenic hike (they had LOTS of well marked nature trails on the property too) up to an old stamp mill. Even the small replica made so much noise that I can only imagine you could hear the full scaled version for miles when it was still in operation! Our final project at the gold mine was going to be panning - they had sluice tables set up with "gems" to find, but the kids were asking to head to the next stop, and the tables looked like giant mosquito magnets, so we decided to try that some other time! We had planned on picking up Subway sandwiches and having a picnic at our next stop - berry picking - but Mikey had an even better idea, we stopped at Lava Cap winery, bought a bottle of wine and ate our subs while drinking wine at their picnic tables overlooking their vineyard. It was beautiful! The only downside came when I wanted a picture of the kids on a lava rock and as I was explaining it apparently Ian thought I said he was going to have to sit ON LAVA... so he detonated and it took several minutes of explaining what once was hot lava was now just a hot stone! After the winery we continued on to our destination for berry picking, but where we thought would be u-pick only had pre-picked, but since it was a fudge factory we went ahead and bought some fudge and played on their wooden train. The woman at the fudge factory gave us directions to another berry farm for u-pick, Patrick's Berry Farm. Unfortunatley, everyone had the same idea earlier in the day because when we got there at noon, they had a sign up saying there would be no more berry picking for the day. Oh well! It was a full and fun day which exhausted the kids and adults alike - and we all learned something new!

DISNEYLAND!

As usual we decided to take a road trip with no pre-planning... and it was a doozy! My brother is a planner... and so it was a surprise when he followed in my spur of the moment decision making and called to see if we'd be up for a visit, then was at the airport waiting to be picked up 2 days later! Since my brother brought his 2 youngest to visit, we decided with 5 toddlers we just had to head to Disney! We left at 2am, thinking to drive all night while they all slept, which was a good theory but in practice it meant they were up at 5 with the sun and 3 hours to drive. The kids were great passengers except at our one all-inclusive stop for gas, breakfast, diapers, potty and changing from jammies to clothes, Gavin decided to take a head dive from the front seat to the parking lot. 30 minutes of Chris wanting to take him to a ER and me saying, "ehhh, he's fine" later and we were back on the road. Unfortunatly, about 30 minutes later we had our first carsick victim... Lauren, followed by Gavin (who we weren't sure if it was carsick or concussion related,) and finally Ruby. At one point I was sitting in the back of the van between the 3 frantically throwing bags/cups/shoes/etc at all of them! Once checked in, we realized that Lauren was still not feeling great, so she, Gavin and I stayed at the hotel while Chris braved the first day at the park by himself with his two and Ian. What a trooper! Just about the time I was debating taking a lethargic Lauren and Gavin to an ER, Gavin bounced back with his normal behavior of daredevilness (earning him the nickname of "Dangermouse" from Uncle Chris,) and Lauren perked up enough to be ready for everyone to get back and have dinner with us. (The next week we would find out she had a raging ear infection she was fighting the whole trip.) But the best news was that night we had a surprise knock on the door, Daddy had rearranged his work schedule and flown in to meet up with us and enjoy day 2 of the park... YEA DADDY! The second day was a whirlwind of rides, meeting their favorite characters and generally wearing themselves out. The hands down favorite ride for the girls was the rockets which we rode atleast twice, while the boys loved the cars they got to drive their Daddy's in! The best part of the trip according to all but Liam (who's favorite overall thing was driving the cars,) was meeting Tinkerbell. She signed all the kids autograph books, talked to them a little, posed for a picture, then kept coming back for more hugs!!! What a fun trip, and even with the rocky start was definitely a do-again!

Half Moon Bay

We woke up this morning and decided it was time to start the day trips again, so feeling no time was better than the present we packed everyone up, grabbed some milk boxes and loaded up. After two and a half hours we arrived at our first stop, Flying Fish grill. We had a wonderful meal, though it was more a take and go type place, the restrooms were all the way around, outside, and in the back of the restraunt then then through the kitchen... and only one bathroom at a time... definitely NOT the place for a first stop after 2+ hours in the car with toddlers with small bladders! But, we all had delicious clam chowder soup and then kids had salmon so were happy! Afterwards we headed over to Half Moon Bay State Park. The waves were huge, the chilly wind was blowing... but the kids were all smiles as they started to run, except Gavin, who doesn't remember ever being able to walk in a giant sandbox... the other kids remember my grandfather's in Florida, but not him! The kids had a ball being chased back by the breakers, until we got our first hand experience with the rip currents when Lauren lost her cup and it never came back to shore... then they were a little more cautious, as they should be. We watched the surfers, built hills for our trucks to ride through the sand, and then when Gavin started getting tired, packed up and got back in the car. Since we had decided to take HWY 5 on the way there, going over the San Mateo bridge, we decided to make a loop out of it, and drove through San Francisco for the return trip so we could take the Golden Gate Bridge, and tunnels home! All in all a terriffic day. The kids did great, even Gavin who's the one we've been fearing would make day trips, and flying trips a headache! Now to research the campgrounds we saw at Half Moon - might make another weekend out of it!

Wolves!

I so wish we had pictures... I had the camera in the car, and alas I forgot to grab it! A couple weeks ago Lauren and I went and signed up for our first Library cards... we were unincorpirated in Illinois thus couldn't get one there, and never got around to it in Boston. I must admit we're having a blast BORROWING books. We've always loved books, but for Lauren especially she's loving getting to choose her own book and be responsible for putting them back in. Our library is VERY high tech... or maybe they all are, I hadn't been in a library since Purdue! We scan the books ourselves by placing them on a special plate to check them out, then fed them through a conveyor belt outside all automated and all by ourselves, which Ian loves! But, back to the weekend. Our first trip to the library we saw a flyer announcing WOLVES at the LIBRARY!!! We couldn't pass up that opportunity so we went back last weekend to check it out. A Sacramento based rescue group called NEVER CRY WOLF RESCUES, brought 4 wolves on leash into the library. Gavin thought they were great big "OG's" and spent the entire hour we were listening and learning about wolves trying to wiggle down onto the ground and go wake up the "dog's!" The kids were awed by them and even more impressed they mostly slept through it all. Although the one did keep opening his eyes to check us all out, and one sat and smiled at Gavin for awhile while Gavin kept waving and saying "HI HI HI HI." It was a cool experience and not at all what I expected... I was thinking wolves in cages outside while we walked past.

Tahoe for Dinner!

After a couple of months of no "big" adventures (though in our house everyday can be an adventure,) and we were ready to answer the call when asked if we wanted to join our friends for dinner in Tahoe! A group of Michaels fraternity brothers get together every year for a ski adventure, and this year, we joined though not for the skiing part, just for one dinner! We headed up at naptime, though noone napped, arrived before any of the others were done with their runs for the day, so headed out for a brisk hike to see Lake Tahoe... a beautiful site, but more of an adventure than we were expecting. As you can see from the pictures we arrived at the house to a chilly afternoon... see no coats... and while I was a good Mommy and put jackets on everyone before the hike, by the time we were almost home... the snow was blinding! It was also a very hilly hike with short legs which took us an hour! We had a wonderful meal with everyone, and while it was hard to have meaningful conversations as we were running after our kids more than the other parents, it was great to catch up and see some faces from the past! The drive home was a little dicey... snow chains were not yet required, which was good since we didn't have any. If I had been skiing, I would have said it was beautiful white out coniditions. In the car, I appreciated the beauty and the fact I wasn't driving! As soon as the blizzard stopped, we hit a wall of fog... the signs warned of dense fog... but we couldn't see more than a couple feet in front of the car, so it was a crawl through the mountains. But, we made it home safely and enjoyed another wonderful daytrip here in Northern California yesterday.

Pumpkin Farm!

We spent Saturday at the Bishop Pumpkin Farm. Fortunatly for us, Grandma Hippo and Grandpa Penguin were in town to help us corral the kids, and get us professional pictures! These are all Grandpa's pictures, Mommy and Daddy took some too, but those will be in the monthly shutterfly. This was a deluxe pumpkin farm. There was a giant animal viewing and petting area with goats, geese, pigs, donkeys, lambs, cows etc. There was a hay "bounce" area, a train ride, a hay ride, a pig race, and of course pumpkins. They had the biggest pumpkins I've seen at a farm... it was a challenge for us to find any small ones for the kids to carry. 4 hours at the farm, 4 pumpkins and 3 very tired kids made for one excellent Saturday adventure with our grandparents!

Yosemite!

We went to bed last night thinking we'd go look at some properties in the bay area, woke up saying we'd go look at "big" trees, and finished breakfast agreeing we'd go where we've been saying we wanted to go... Yosemite! Amazing what a day trip in CA can be. 45 minutes later, after Mommy went crazy grabbing everything we might need, we were ready. A couple Max and Ruby episodes later, Lauren succombed to the wiggly roads with a bad case of car sickness... but as we had an extra set of clothes all was quickly fixed. Shortly after, we were entering the park, and enjoying the natural formations and spectacular landscapes! We found a nice loop for the kids to "hike," and were fortunate that the meadow we hiked was a great Half Dome photo op for the kids! They had a great time on our "adventure," and though a long day (9 hours,) it's definitely on our list of possible Grandparent destinations! (So you all discuss and decide which of you might want to go back with us!) On the way home we detoured through some Amador County wineries, though they were closed... it's another to do destination for us. A great day, lots of wonderful memories and breath taking scenery... amazing what a couple hours in the car can get you!

Apple Hill

We realized last night we had a weekend with no plans, so we decided to try out Apple Hill, an area with LOTS of different farms to visit. We went with the intention of picking something... I saw online that there were a couple farms who still had U-Pick berries, and we were REALLY lucky that one of the farms was hosting a Teddy Bear Picnic for kids. So, we got on the road this morning with the intent of bringing home something, but mostly just having an adventure! Our first stop was Patricks Mountain Grown Berry Farm where we spent some time picking raspberries and blackberries. Dad found a new friend on one of the plants, a giant praying mantis... which entertained the big kids for a little while before heading back up the hill to wash our hands, pay and get back in the car for the next adventure. With no real destination in mind, we continued on around the path past a couple of wineries a brewery and LOTS of apple orchards before spotting another U-Pick, this time apples. We stopped at Hangtime Kid Apple Orchard picked up our buckets and headed up the hill, 6 pounds and $6 later we were back in the car each munching on our fresh apples! The helpful woman at the Orchard suggested several different farms further up the road with activites for kids; a hay maze, petting zoo, etc, and mentioned the Teddy Bear Picnic, that was on my list of to look out for. To our surprise the Teddy Bear Picnic was a HUGE event. The Rainbow Orchard hosted the event and for a $5 wristband per kid, they each got to adopt a teddy bear, and a new book (though they were down to only 4 books, and none appealed to our kids), get their faces painted, participate in any of the carnival games, and play in the bounce house, plus navigate an obstacle course and visit the petting zoo. The games were fun backyard carnival games we've all done: catching the rubber duckies, cake walk, bean bag toss etc, and the kids had a blast - the only unfortunate part for our toddlers was other than the cake walk, the only prizes were pencils... but they had a great time playing, and of course were already hugging their new teddy bear friends! A little hot, a little hungry, though we could have purchased a picnic lunch, we headed to the van and home! It was a great day, and we're sure to head back again!

California State Fair for the Rides!

So, we went back! We decided not only would it make the kids day, since they were so sad we left without any rides the first time... but Daddy REALLY wanted to see those chickens (his current obsessive fantasy that will never happen at our current home.) We arrived early on a beatiful Saturday that was only in the 80's very mild for us - so the Fair was busy! We headed for the rides first - we'd learned our lesson 2 weeks before, and the kids wanted the BIG ferris wheel. All was great until they got right up in line... then Lauren started talking with Daddy about whether she really wanted to go, but she went and they had a great time! Then began the debate for the next choice, carousel, spinning dinosaurs or caterpillar roller coaster. The coaster won out, as Ian could go to (with Daddy as a seat mate.) They were all excited until the first hill, then Lauren got a little spooked and wanted off, as she was sitting by herself she wasn't quite as confident, but she made it through the whole thing and says it was great now. Ian loved the whole thing - but he's a daredevil! After the rides we picked up lemonades for the kids and I and beer for Daddy and headed back to the animals. First to see the chickens and let Daddy dream about having them run around the house, (feel free to email him and remind him we do own a BIRD DOG,) then it was on to fair food - corn on the cob, brisket sandwhiches, hotdogs, dippin dots for the kids, and funnel cake for Mommy. All in all a fabulous day... made even better by the fact we got home and all 3 had some quiet time/naps!

Camping at Hope Valley Resort

Well, we did it... we only made it one night, but we actually camped! The site was close to two hours away and perfect as it was a small camp with only a few sites there was plenty of space so I wasn't worried about my kids keeping other campers awake at night. Unfortunatly, I wasn't quite as prepared for the extremes in temperatures! We arrived just as our friends the Jolly's were signing in, so followed them down to the sites. It was a beautiful site surrounded by aspen trees on one side and a huge granite wall on the other, with a "deer" path connecting our two camps for the little ones to jump back and forth between the sites. Upon arrival in no time flat the daddy's had the pop-up ready for our friends and both our tents up, then they grabbed a beer and all the kids and took them on an adventure while the mommy's stayed back to organize and get everything else ready. We had a great time playing once the kids got back and then got ready for a spagetti dinner followed by smores! Soon after it was time for bed, so we bundled Lauren into her sleeping bag in the small tent she would be sharing with Daddy and I grabbed the boys into our big tent. Armed with buddy's, flashlights and glowsticks we read our stories and wound down. All was going well as I heard Daddy zip his way out of his tent, I laid Gavin down in his pack n' play and exited mine. We made it next door for half a glass of wine when we heard a gaggle of teenage girls heading toward us on the way to the trash and restrooms. This was too much for Gavin who awoke, but I managed to keep Ian in the tent. Grabbing Gavin I once again went back to the other site. Once Gavin fell asleep in my arms it was back to the tent.... where Ian awoke during my putting down Gavin. Both boys slept for maybe an hour, before the temperature started to plummet. Then it was me sitting in the middle of the tent rocking both of them... all the while talking to Ian who was determined Daddy snoring in the next tent was the bear we had warned lived in the woods.... or the shadows on the tent walls were bad guy spiders... or the blankets being kicked by Gavin were bad men... Finally at 5:30 am both boys passed out, and slept until 8am. Needless to say it was a VERY LONG night of which I just kept praying for a fast forward button! The next day we had a good time exploring around us, burying everything we had in the dirt, finding pinecones, making mud pies, etc all the things that are great to do when outdoors in the woods! The only problem was by naptime the tent was unbearably hot, so the boys had no chance at a nap during the day either. So, Mommy packed up the camp knowing she had hit her limit and wouldn't survive another night like the last one! But, we stayed for another delicious dinner, this time kabobs and smores then packed into the van for the car ride home. We'd definitely like to give it another go - just not sure if we try this year while the kids still remember the good stuff, or wait until next year when they are all a little bigger and know we'll be going in cold turkey again!

California State Fair!

Let me start with apologizing... the husband dropped the backpack and broke the new camera... so no pictures from today's adventures.... and it was a doozy! Go figure, the one day we HAVE the camera, and it DOESN'T work! We headed to Sacramento for the State Fair, where we joined the Smith family for an afternoon of fun. We had a fun scavenger hunt in the garden area searching for the different color fruits and collecting stamps in our passports, after which we were rewarded with a piece of fruit and a juice box - a HUGE hit with the kids! Then we went to the "livestock nursery" area to see the new baby pigs etc. While looking at the baby pigs Daddy saw a worker run by talking in her walkie talkie saying one of the cows was giving birth. So we high tailed it over in time to see a hoof hanging... and 40 min or so later out was pulled a baby bull. The little boys had long since lost attention and so left with the daddy's to go collect corn dogs on the way to the beer garden, but us women stayed around to watch his birth! I am not sure if I was happy or not that at the last minute the mommy cow turned around so we couldn't see the actual birth of the baby, but we were there. Then we headed for a quick lunch and tour of the animal barns, followed by the petting zoo and then we headed to what the kids had asked for all day... the rides. On the way, Ian on daddy's shoulders fell asleep, and Lauren (riding backwards on our sit 'n stand stroller fell asleep with her head forward only caught by the shade.) We got quite a few "awwww" smiles as we headed back up the midway. All I could think was don't let Lauren slump enough to fall straight through and onto the ground, or Michael (with a dead weight resting on his head) to let go of those feet... and WHY don't we have a working camera for THIS kodak moment!!! So that was 2 moments I would have paid a pretty penny for a working camera today! We won't mention the detonation once we got back to the car and Lauren awoke in the transfer only to realize she WASN'T getting to ride any rides... or the half hour car ride of screaming... but it was a great time none the less, full of moments and memories we shall talk of for years to come!

First day of School!

Our big boys first day of Preschool! Now to figure out what the baby and I do 3 days a week in the empty house!

Fishing take 2

We had a great time at the lake again this weekend! We tried a different part than last weekend... a little cove further from the boat traffic and had a great time floating, swimming, chasing off the begging ducks and geese and playing in the mud! The water was a little chillier than I expected but once in it was great fun - until the kids lips started to turn blue. Then we jumped out for a picnic lunch which we defended from the birds and a little bit of mud and shore time, before getting back in for one last swim before heading home. Daddy tried fishing again this weekend, and again came up empty but he did try... he has a lot to overcome with 3 shrieking kids scaring away those fish! We're in countdown mode to our first camping trip, any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated for camping with toddlers!

look mom... I have monster feet!