1st Day of School 2013-2014

It was hard to believe it was time to go back to school already!  It had been a great summer, though it seems to go by faster with each passing year.  The kids  had fun picking out their back to school outfits and school supplies and the day was finally here.  Rian was super excited, Jessie was crazy nervous and Hayden was just a little bit bummed to see summer break end.

Off to 7th grade.

Our 2nd grader.

Rian reunited with some of her friends from the year before.  (Sage, Jordan and Vinnie).  Jessie and Kaia are on the end.

Kindergarten Open House- Jessie had fun coloring a person to look just like her, seeing where her desk was, meeting new friends and exploring the classroom. Before we left, we read The Kissing Hand, which has been a tradition with all three of my girls at the Open House.

We couldn't have been more thrilled to have Ms. Themm- for the 3rd time!!!!

After much deliberation on what to wear and trips to probably 8 shoe stores to find the right shoes, Jessie was ready for her first official day of Kindergarten. 

She had fun showing off her skills on the monkey bars before school. 

Waiting for the teacher to greet all the kids in line after the bell rang.  Have a great first day Miss Jess.  You can do it!

Hamburgers in the Ghetto/Fisherman's Wharf/Ghirardelli Square

Mike read on-line that a place called Citizen's Band was supposed to have one of the best burgers in all of San Francisco.  With GPS in hand, we set out to find it!  Little did we know, we were headed into a very seedy area of the city.  It took us quite awhile to find the place, and once we did we weren't sure what we were getting into.  Not sure that our car was safe parked on the street out front (Folsom St.) we were hungry so we headed inside quickly anyway.  It turned out to be a very cute diner with salvaged furniture and a lived-in feel.  There were vintage CB radios and postcards throughout , and the hamburgers WERE amazing.  To get to the bathroom, you had to head next door, through a recording studio/party house that smelled like funny cigarettes and alcohol.  We were glad we ate early- we decided the friendly element probably changed once it got dark outside.

Rian ordered some sort of fancy mac and cheese that had fried onion rings on top.  I don't remember much about my main course, but the cheesecake and ginger cookie whoopie pie were delicious!!!

Probably our favorite restaurant in San Francisco- we ate here three times!  The chicken fried rice and garlic noodles were mouth-watering!

We made a second trip to Fisherman's Wharf and Mike and Rian and Jessie headed back to Pier 39 and the candy store, while Hayden and I had fun at the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. No one else wanted to join us, and I was excited that Hayden was so interested in going.  Growing up, Ripley's Believe it or Not had been one of my favorite shows. 

Made entirely out of camel bone.

This portrait is made out of tiny push pins.  

Much to Hayden's dismay, I have chosen not to post a lot of the gross things she had taken pictures of while we were there.  It was a fun afternoon just the two of us.  

After we had our fun at the museum, we met back up with the rest of the gang and headed to Ghirardelli Square.  It was one of our only sunny days, so we really enjoyed walking around outside all afternoon.

We stopped along the water after enjoying a treat at Ghirardelli.  Jessie couldn't resist the sand.  

Rian got the biggest thrill out of watching the "Tree Man" scare everyone as they walked down the sidewalk.  

There was a really good reggae band that we stopped to listen to for quite awhile. 

This cute man was having so much fun getting his groove on that the lady in green couldn't resist and had to dance with him! 

Before heading to the airport, Mike wanted to make one more trip to Old Italy to the bakery.  This is one of the roads we had to travel down!  It's much steeper than it looks.  

Across from the bakery is a fun little park that the kids liked to play at.  The flowers were in full bloom. 

I love all the neat architecture and old buildings throughout San Francisco.  We had a great week, but decided that as much as we loved visiting and exploring a big city, we were ready to get back home where things were a little more low key.  Goodbye San Francisco!!!

China Town!

I was extremely excited to finally have the opportunity to take the girls to Chinatown. It was great to finally visit somewhere in which they were definitely NOT in the minority!

San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia as well as the oldest Chinatown in the United States. 

Chinatown retains its own customs, languages, places of worship, social clubs, and identity.  You can quickly lose yourself in a microcosmic Asian world, filled with herbal shops, temples, pagoda roofs, and dragon parades.  We were mostly interested in the shops, restaurants and markets. 

Sesame balls!  Everyone but Rian loves this fried dessert that is popular in Vietnam as well.  It is like a friend mochi dough exterior with some sort of cream on the inside.  

One of the Chinese bakeries. 

Having seen too many restaurants on the map to count, I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the one we finally chose.  

I do remember all the dishes were full of fresh vegetables and that Jessie was a particular fan of the soup.  

We also visited the fortune cookie factory and many of the fresh food markets.  It was extremely crowded every which way we turned, but it was a lot of fun and a worthwhile experience for the girls.

Lombard St./Old Italy

It was another cloudy and cool day, but we didn't mind.  We took the cable car up to Old Italy and Lombard St. so we could do some walking and exploring on our own.  The girls were thrilled to ride the car up the extremely hilly streets, and had their eyes opened to some of the things that take place in big cities.

Part way down the walking path of Lombard St. (The Crookedest Mile)

The street runs east to west and is famous for having a really steep section that consists of eight tight hairpin turns. 

We stopped into a church we passed along the way.......It was Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church in North Beach.  

It was absolutely breathtaking. 

The stained glass windows were so detailed and well-preserved.

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Jessie and I lit a candle and said a prayer for her birthmother in Vietnam.  Rian and I did the same.

Hayden in one of the prayer rooms. 

You could sense the history and holiness of the place. 

Down the street just a bit from the church, in Old Italy, we found Victoria's Pastry Company.  This was the highlight of the trip for Mike.  They have been in business since the early 1900's and are known for their pastries, cookies and St. Honore cakes. 

The only problem was decided what to choose! Mike ended up taking us back here right before we headed home to Colorado, so everyone was able to sample a variety of what they had to offer.  I don't think I heard complaints from anyone.

For whatever reason, the girls both found this pink wall very intriguing and decided to stand in front of it and act silly for quite awhile. 

We found some sort of garden trail off the beaten path on the way back down towards the city.  The flowers and greenery were quite impressive!