We had to get up early for swim make-up lessons today so we stopped for doughnuts and ate them while the coaches were still setting up the swim lanes.
Here’s Janie’s backstroke. It’s coming along nicely.
Happy Friday!
After swim, wen had dinner at Spin. They love getting the kid’s gelato at the end.
Then we went to Target to pick up a few things.
On the drive back home, the sun was setting and the kids wanted to go to the beach for a bit. What a nice way to end the work week.
July 4th in Cerritos
Last night we drove down to Cerritos for the long weekend.
In the morning, Peanut and Leela went to the park. We also experienced an earthquake as we were getting buckled up in the car.
Back at Yai and Ta’s house, we had a barbecue and Peanut gobbled up a bunch of Thai BBQ chicken that Yai made.
All the cousins were at the house and Ta gave them all plenty to do. They had water balloons, regular balloons, and a sandbox too!
They also went on a little “hike” in the backyard jungle with walking sticks and all.
In the evening, we all went across the street to ride bikes and scooters.
As the sun went down, we drove to Uncle Johnny’s house to watch the fireworks from his backyard.
Happy Birthday, America!
Dratini!
The kids had dinner with Dratini today. Haha.
Alaska Cruise: Day 8
It’s Day Eight of our Alaska Cruise: Seattle
We woke up this morning back in Seattle. The ship docked at 7am and we were off the ship by 9.
Our driver dropped us off at Pike Place and we did some exploring this morning before our afternoon flight home.
When in Seattle, you gotta have some oysters on a half shell!
We also had some famous chowder (tried 4 kinds today!)
We found the the original Starbucks and the kids were not impressed.
The kids got some time to run around and play at the park and then we found a restaurant nearby for lunch and bathroom breaks.
The kids loved drawing on the butcher paper table covers.
Janie drew a rocket ship.
This is Peanut’s version.
Then it was off the the airport, back on the plane, and home again. What a fun trip! It’s always so nice to be with the family for an extended period of time and we saw so many new things along the way.
Alaska Cruise: Day 5
It’s Day Five of our Alaska Cruise: Sitka, AK
This morning, we woke up in Sitka and saw lots of fishing boats out the window during breakfast.
Mama and Janie went out to the deck to get a better look at the view.
At the port, there was a free shuttle that takes you into the town.
It’s a cute little fishing community.
We walked to the Raptor Center, which was a little over a mile away. The kids started out well but then 3 of them ended up on shoulders for part of the way.
The kids also stopped to pick dandelions on the side of the road.
There was a mini walking trail through the forest next to the center and there was so much to see. We saw a carving of a hawk sticking out of a tree and different flowers and plants.
At the end of the trail, we found a stream that is supposed to fill up with salmon later this season.
We only saw baby fish on one side and the other side was good for skipping and throwing rocks.
Before heading back to the ship, the kids played at the library. They had a cute kids section and they also gathered flowers for the grownups.
Once back on the ship, Mama and Janie went to the back of the boat to see what the wildlife expert could show us. We saw sealions and jellies in the water as he set sail for the next town.
If you look carefully in the water, you can see little white discs floating in the water.
At dinner, the kids had a fancy watermelon sherbet.
Here’s our towel animal for the night. We couldn’t agree on what it is.
Alaska Cruise: Day 3
It’s Day Three of our Alaska Cruise: Juneau, AK
This morning, it was business as usual. We had breakfast at the Lido Bar and then we went back to the observation deck to play.
The kids loved the “water elevator” on the ship.
One of the chess tables was free so Janie played a game with Dada.
For lunch, we ate at the taco bar that was by one of the pools.
Then there was just enough time to get in a hardy nap before we arrived in Juneau.
When we docked, the kids were excited to see where we ended up. We had been at sea for almost 2 days.
When we disembarked, we got a family photo while waiting for our dog sledding excursion to begin.
We all rode in a van up into the deep forest and arrived at a summer camp built for dogs training for the Iditarod Race. Look at all the dogs!!
Our driver and guide, Brittany, took us on a little tour and described how they train the dogs, how they get their care, and even fed us cookies and hot chocolate!
Then it was time to meet some of the dogs. There were 12 chosen to pull us today and they were all so excited to get started. One gave Peanut a giant kiss on the face.
Then we all got into a cart and off we went!
After the ride, we went to visit the puppies.
Dada held one of them while the kids said “hello” and petted him.
They also enjoyed feeding him treats!
We were all wet by the end but it was so much fun!
Back in town, the kids took one last photo together and then it was back on the boat!
Pho for Dinner
The kids chose pho for dinner tonight and they always eat well here.
It’s so HOT.
We are in the middle of a heat wave in the Bay Area and my car registered 100 degrees this evening when I picked up Janie from camp.
The kids cooled off with popsicles in the bathtub and then slept in our room because we have a portable AC unit that cools off only one room.
Happy Friday!
It’s Friday! That means swim at 5:30 and 6:00, then Spin pizza, and strawberry smoothies from Sharetea. Fun!