Disneyland!

You know how you'll see something as a kid and then when you visit it as an adult, it looks so much smaller?
Disneyland is not like that. It still holds just as much magic as it did years ago.

Here are some of our highlights.

Favorite Ride: The Carousel

Just slightly preferred over meeting princesses.

The girls get the award for "Most Improved at Waiting". They figured out how to occupy themselves as we waited to everything.
Often they did better than I.

Being with their cousins (and a cousin's friend) was priceless.

On our last night I finally got to go on some grownup rides.
Before California Screamer

After.
Don't let our faces fool you, it was ah-mazing!

Favorite post Disney activity: Swimming.

My mother-in-law took us on this amazing trip.

I will be forever grateful for all the wonderful memories we now have because of her.

Thanks Nana!

Biking the Golden Gate Bridge

The girls are sleeping after a successful first morning at Disneyland. We'll be headed back when they wake up and you can count on a post about our experience.

But for now, I've got to tell you guys about our bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge.

You totally need to do it.

Big thanks to Jill, whose recent pictures inspired me to look into the whole thing.

I started my research with trip advisor and all their info was solid.

We rented a trailer for Ruby

and a tag-along for Maia.

The girls don't ride bikes yet (not even with training wheels, I know, we're the most terrible parents ever, but listen, they've got scooters and our driveway/neighborhood is not a really great place to practice riding a bike because there are no sidewalks, but don't get me started on all the things I can't stand about where we live. {breath} Anyway, we'll probably be getting them some bikes soon) so we weren't sure how she'd do.

Listen, these things are amazing.

Ruby even tried it and while her legs aren't long enough to make a full rotation, she loved moving the pedals up and down and felt like such a big girl.

Maia let me double braid her hair that day and wore jeans (which she NEVER does) and I could not get enough of those little pigtails peeping out from under her helmet.

They said the route was beginner/intermediate and about 8 miles and I thought "perfect!" since Aleks and I work out and had just gone on a 13 mile bike ride the week before.

We made it halfway up the first hill and then had to walk, huffing and puffing as if we eat donuts while strolling on the treadmill 4 times a week, instead of biking and swimming and running.

There is a lot of uphill until you cross the middle of the bridge.

Granted, I was pulling 60 extra pounds and those bikes aren't the best, so if you're going without having to worry about kids, chances are you'll have an easier time.

When it was Ruby's turn to ride the tag-along, Maia was VERY upset. She didn't want people thinking she was a baby so I let her take some pictures with my phone. Here are two of her masterpieces.

I call this one "Road."

The bridge kept getting closer...

and closer...

until it was right there!

We made it across the bridge and once on the other side the guides told us "you'll have a nice laid-back ride down to Sausalito."

Apparently by "laid-back" they meant 25 mile an hour decent on a really narrow road.

It was exciting.

And then we come into that cute little town and the bay was glittering on our right under clear blue skies and it was like I was in Italy.

It was one of the most breathtaking moments I've experienced in a long time.

We had lunch and then took the ferry back to Pier 39.

It was the girls' first time on a ferry and I think they're hooked.

Maia just sat and stared and was quiet for quite awhile, which is pretty uncharacteristic for my little busy body.

And a trip to SF isn't complete without ice cream from Ghirardelli Square, so of course we had to visit.

The girls almost walked the entire day, but they ended up on our shoulders halfway back to the garage.

They're such good little walkers.

Ruby started throwing an epic fit in the car because she wanted to buckle herself, but the buckle was all twisted and there was a car waiting to take our parking spot so Aleks just did it for her. And then she was sliding down in her chair and being unsafe, but mostly just a pain as she was screaming at the top of her lungs and finally I said "Ruby, do we need to take you to the police? If you're not going to be safe, then maybe we should let the police handle it. I can ask these guys up here (the parking lot attendants) and they can take you."

Well, we drove up to the attendant and just before we reached him little Ruby volunteered "Mommy, I'm calm now."

Worst mother of the year? Possibly. Probably.

Especially since Aleks and I have been laughing about that incident for a couple of days.

Seriously, this day was an epic adventure.

I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to enjoy the climate and best views the Bay Area has to offer.

Oaktown

Oakland gets the short end of the stick.

Just because a few neighborhoods are errant doesn't necessarily mean the whole town is dangerous and gang ridden.

Gramps took us to a beach in Alameda.

Not only were we able to check off something from our bucket list, but also take pictures.

(By the way, if anyone has some lenses they'd like to donate, holla atcha girl)

This bucket is soooo heavy!

Collecting rocks.

Don't drop them.

Oops! Almost tripped, but was saved due to the cross body arm maneuver.

Putting all those rocks to good use.

Gramps always knows how to make a day fun. Especially when it ends with french fries.

Piedmont is lovely too. Its streets are lined with small businesses offering flowers, eyewear, Thai food, baby clothes, yoga studios, anything your little heart could want.

The fact that my gorgeous grandmother lives there just adds to its charm.

A short walk through her building and up the street led us to an ice cream mecca.

I don't know which is sweeter, that chocolate milkshake or my grandma.

We definitely share DNA.

Grandma was so sweet with the girls. Attentive, interested in what they had to say, eager to include them in her world and learn about theirs.

This place is so magical. The weather likes to show off, perfect sunny days with slight breezes, cotton candy clouds, and sunshine showering vitamin D down on its worshipers. It kind of gets annoying. 

Ok, no it doesn't. 

The scenery is astounding, the food fresh and clean, people are interesting and diverse, there is always something to do. As I get older and am raising my kids in the midwest, I am deeply grateful to be able to call this place home.

Sure all those superficial things make leaving the Bay Area difficult, but it's the family here that makes it heartbreaking.

So, while we're here we'll be soaking up the sunshine and wine, but also the hugs, conversation, and familiar faces so that we're filled to the brim with home and can last until the next visit.

Cruise ship living on land

The girls woke up at 4 am this morning.

Huge blessings should be heaped on my husband for getting up with the girls and letting me lie in bed for another hour.

Our clothes are currently covered with Lola hair, but it's well worth the occasional dog hair in the mouth for the amount of joy my girls are getting from petting this slobbery creature.

"You're have such soft fur" "what a good girl you are" "that's a sweet girl" are a constant purr from their mouths, creating a very maternal undertone to our days.

We are spending as much time outside as we can.
Warm in the sun, cool in the shade, basically perfect all the time. It explains the price people pay to live here.
I want to live here.

I'm so happy to be here.

We're all decompressing a bit.
But Kansas isn't too far from mind. Our connections, those strings that have been strengthening for the past 3 years, are tugging at us, making me feel grateful for new roots, while appreciating the old ones here by the bay.

Today we went and visited Grandpa Pappas who has recently moved into a new senior living facility. Visiting his new home was like stepping aboard a cruise ship without the hassle of packing bags and having to renew a passport.

We fed koi just outside the dining room.

We shared a delicious meal. The server even made Maia a peanut butter sandwich, no jelly, and cut up strawberries specially for the girls.

And then we used the beautiful swimming pool, which is housed in an indoor facility, with a retractable sunroof.

This was the first time Grandpa had used the pool and it looked to me like he picked up right where he left off. My 92 year old hero swam a couple laps and then we all enjoyed the therapeutic bubbles of the hot tub.

Grandpa is popular and well liked by all the residents and staff. Every hallway produced opportunities to meet neighbors and friends, each one friendly and kind.

It was a good, happy day.