San Francisco Summer

We woke the next day to our realization of the SF summer...foggy and cold.  Notice the difference in the kids clothing?  They woke up freezing!  The kids went right for their video games first thing which made Young and I realize we needed to set up some serious rules and boundaries around the DS systems.  But it was nice to have them playing quietly while I went about the task of unpacking, washing and making out grocery lists.  (It's amazing how my husband survived two weeks with no food in the house!)

We had a ton of errands to run the first week back, one of which was getting supplies for Young's new office space.  The construction began while we were gone but was starting to take shape by the time we got back. What's more exciting than a construction site and a multiple trips to Home Depot?  And the tower they built at Trader Joes while I was shopping...they asked me to take a picture of it...

We did manage to find time to meet up with friends to play...once I tore them away from the gaming.  I had a flash forward image of Timo when he's 13!  Anyway, we met Caleb and Evan at Dolores Park...yeah for sun!  It was sunny but not super hot, but we made an ice cream run to Birite

One of Timo's best friends from Kindergarten, Maddox, was moving to Boston and they had a little going away party for him the last week before they moved.  I don't think it hit either one of them that they wouldn't see each other again until after Maddox left.  Timo kept asking to go play with Maddox and Maddox's mom text me shortly after they left about how much Maddox was missing Timo.  So sad these two boys won't go up together...but such is life in SF...people come and go.

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We also hit the library to sign up and start our reading program...we were a little late, but better late than never.  We only had a few days left before school started again....

Saying Our Goodbyes

Our last full day in NC was spent just hanging out with family.  With my brother's family crazy summer schedules (kids camps and work), it was the first time all of us got to spend the day together.  The kids made jewlery with Granny, grilled some burgers, and just laughed...a lot.

My niece, Kenzie, introduced me to the most fabulous chips I ever put in my mouth...Dill Pickle!  So yummy and apparently only popular in the south.  I haven't been able to find them anywhere out here.  So if anyone in NC wants to send me a care package...

Uncle Kevin and Aunt Angie had waited until we were back home this summer to give the kids a Christmas/Birthday gift...and what a gift it was!  Nintendo DS game systems!  Timo and Cameron didn't exactly know what they were at first, but the excitement level shot up 110% when the full realization of "video games" set in.

We had to plug them in to charge and after the longest 3 hours of little Timo's life, Kenzie and Uncle Kevin got them all set up and ready to play.  Oh boy, the world around them no longer existed.  Timo got busy with Spiderman and Cameron quickly started mastering Olaf in Frozen.

The next morning we needed to finish packing and get ready for the airport and our long trip home.  The games were good to keep them occupied while I packed...but we needed to save the battery power for the plane ride so they watched Kaylee and Kenzie's dance competition CD with Granny.

I snuck out to get one last Smithfield BBQ sammy and a bag of Dill Pickle chips for the road!

Long story but a total coincidence, my best friend Lisa Yemma was flying into NC the same day and time we were flying out.  We had plans to meet at the airport, Cameron was dying to meet her.  But, as with flying, her plane was slightly delayed and got held up in baggage claim in one terminal while we had long lines of security to get through in a different terminal.  It just didn't work out but I snapped a picture of the kids waving "HI" to her.  She was literally about 1/2 a mile away and we could get to each other...such a bummer!!

We left NC at sunset and landed in SF at sunset...it was really, really cool.

The flight home always seems way longer than the flight going and the kids were exhausted.  After a few hours of video games, both sacked right out and slept the whole way.  The woman sitting across the isle from Cameron had her light on reading and Cameron did not like that at all...so she figured out a way to have some darkness.  Yes, she is sleeping under her blanket.

We landed safely and were so excited to see Daddy!!  It was a long, long day, especially with the time change and all Timo wanted was to sleep in his bed.  It was a good visit back east but we were all so happy to be back home!

Finishing Up NC

We had a few days left and just enough time to fit in a few more activities I wanted to treat the kids with. One afternoon we went berry picking at a local organic farm close my parents house.  We picked our buckets and bellies bull of blueberries and blackberries!

 We would have picked longer but a storm started creeping up on us.  We saw the lightning and heard the thunder and decided it was time to take cover...but Timo just couldn't stop picking/eating!

 The farm had a small fresh ice cream shop so we enjoyed some homemade ice cream while the kids played checkereds and listen to the storm roll over.  Have I mentioned how much I love the slow southern life??

My parents live out where many neighbors have horses.  Each time we would dive by a horse farm, Cameron would ask if we could ride the horses.  I did a little research and found a horseback riding one and they had an open time slot.  We took Granny along with us and took our first horse rides.  We signed up for the 30min ride and it was just long enough for my poor bum!  I got to follow the kids as they were both guided but I was on my own on my horse.  But it was a great adventure and I'm already researching horseback riding in SF so we can take Daddy next time!

A little ice cream treat after with Granny...before we tried to start the car and realized we were out of gas!  I had been so focused on my GPS system each time we got in the car, I failed to notice the gas gags...opps! Thank goodness for my Dad's roadside service!!  A nice adventure to wrap up our time in NC...