We hadn't been to California in two years and hadn't been to Walnut Creek in even longer, so this summer we were due for a trip! Vivian had never been, and only Lydia remembered being at Grandma and Grandpa's house before.
As soon as we pulled into the driveway, the kids excitedly hugged their grandparents and headed straight for the pool! They spent as much time in there as possible over the next week and each said it was one of the top highlights of the trip!
After three days in Walnut Creek playing with the grandparents, cousins Sam and George, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Andy, we went into San Francisco for the weekend. We stayed in a spectacular hotel in the Presidio and even got to celebrate Grandpa Mark's birthday there!
Activities included a birthday breakfast in the hotel, complete with balloons, cards, cookies, and presents; a trip to the Palace of Fine Arts (for Grandpa, Luke, Elise, Vivian, Matt and me); a museum exhibit about ancient Egypt (for Grandma Trudy, Sarah, Lydia, and the twins); an incredible time at the California Academy of Sciences aquarium and butterfly garden (and having our rental car breaking down in the Golden Gate Park parking lot, ugh! Major credit to Matt for handling all of that!); Tunneltops playground with a perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge; Mark's birthday dinner with everyone in the Presidio; and more!
Matt took Lydia and Luke on big-kid activities around the city including Alcatraz (a highlight for all of them); in a Waymo; the ferris wheel; Coit Tower; Pier 39; the Cable Car Museum and a cable car ride; on BART and more. Later, he took Elise on BART from Gma's house to downtown Walnut Creek to Target and a toy store. She thought that was great!
When we weren't exploring the city, the kids loved playing with Beanie Babies and the other fun toys at Gma's house.
Stacy drove up for our last two days in town and it was SO GOOD to see her! She's truly a friend to the whole family!
We couldn't have packed more into our week in California and had a great time. Can't wait for the next trip!
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| Luke's birthday card for Grandpa Mark (it's a picture of him holding the birthday card ☺️) Luke also included $2.50 from his own savings because he wanted to give a gift to Grandpa. So sweet! |
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| Dad and the GGB |
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| Near our hotel in the Presidio |
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| At the top of the ferris wheel overlooking SF |
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| Japanese Tea Garden |
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| Boat ride to Alcatraz Island. Luke kept on his headband from the Japanese Tea Garden! |
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| Alcatraz |
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| Making necklaces with Aunt Sarah! |
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| Ladies' lunch in downtown WC |
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| The Lindsay Wildlife Museum |
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| George and Elise |
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| Cousin pic! |
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