Visit to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center

Today we visited the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center which is part of Balboa Park.  We have been a few times and I went with my parents and brother many years ago.  Each time is well worth it and a lot is learned, by the kids and adults!  

 Checking out the fountain outside the museum.  It was hard to keep Olivier from walking right into it.

 After naps we went back and checked out more.  We stayed until closing time!  :-)

 And since I have taken photos of the boys on the "wall" each trip I wanted to do it again this trip.  It is amazing to see how much they have grown!

 And it was tricky because they are just as silly!

 But still buddies!

Sea World here we come!

Today we were off to Sea World.  The first animal we visited was the penguins.  They were very active and the kids enjoyed seeing the wide variety.  Then it was off to the Arctic to visit the beluga whales, walruses and we had hoped for polar bears but they are visiting the Pittsburgh Zoo.  Soon it was time to get to the Shamu stadium to wait for the One Ocean show.  Last time we visited, we sat in the soak zone and got more than soaked.  Anna and Mason were NOT happy about that and wanted nothing to do with that this time around.  I sat with them and the bottom of the upper bleachers.   

Olivier and Matt went to the soak zone because Olivier wanted to get wet.  He didn't end up getting soaked but he got wet and that made him happy.

Anna really enjoyed the show and was standing almost the entire time.

After lunch back at the car, we went to Sesame Street place.  The kids aren't quite tall enough to go on all the rides by themselves so we had to take turns.  Here is Anna and Dad on Elmo's flying fish.

And Dad was a good sport going on Oscar's Eel.

As we went by Elmo and Grover, Mason and Olivier said they wanted their photo with them.  It shocked me.  Less shocking was Olivier changing his mind and getting scared.  Mason went right up to Grover when it was his turn to give him a hug.

And look at that smile!

The shark encounter was a huge hit again.  We went through twice (back to back, love that there are no lines).  Then we went to touch the rays, and thankfully they were all able to touch one.

We ended the trip to Sea World with the Sea Lions Live show.  They all agreed that it was their favorite.  A huge surprise for us but great to see them enjoy something so much!

First full day of vacation!

Yesterday was the boring day driving.  Today was the first day of fun!  And what is the first thing you are going to do when you are on vacation by the beach, go the to beach of course!  Well, or because Dad said he wanted to go to the beach and it is Father's Day so we are letting him pick!  :-)

The weather was nice, not super hot blazing sun.  Anna was all about the water, not wanting to get her face wet but playing in the shallow water.  

And this little man who used to love the water with Anna wanted almost nothing to do with it and complained that the sound of the waves was too loud...

Mr. Mason who usually wants nothing to do with the water actually went in the water a bit this time.  Not for long and not much but it was nice to see him by the water!

After lunch and a nice nap, we visited the zoo for a bit.  We did a small section and the kids seemed to enjoy it once they realized there was no whining their way out of walking.  First stop was to see the rhinos.  Only one wanted to be seen though.

The giraffes were next and just hanging out.

We continued our journey around the zoo and saw a good amount in under two hours.  I thought these kola bears were cute, hanging out and getting their grub on.

Then Anna wanted to show me what the sleeping kolas looked like.

The camel with the "broken" hump was rather confusing to them.  And me too!

We ended the trip with the elephants.  They really liked putting hay on their heads which the kids thought was funny.

A girl and her dog

A little while back Anna learned how to whistle.  Ever since that time, she seems to have a closer connection to Rufus, maybe because he responds to her more, or maybe because he is getting tired of ignoring her.  Either way, it is sweet to see.  

Fire Hydrant 5K

This morning Matt and Rufus ran a local Fire Hydrant 5K race.  Rufus had a great time and Matt got a medal.  No official time online that we can find but 22 minutes 51 seconds is the time he has.  Mr. Speedy!  Here they are waiting for the start. 

 While Matt was running we played in the park.  The kids enjoyed playing on the sea animals again.

 And Olivier really liked pretending he was going for a ride.

 Of course, don't leave Anna out!

 Matt and Rufus were the 2nd to cross the finish line.  Given the staggered start we aren't sure how he did overall but all I know is he is FAST!

 The group of medal winners.

Off to 1st Grade!

Today was Anna's last day of kindergarten!  Wow...  I really am at a loss for words.  I am so thankful to her amazing teachers, her amazing principal, and the amazing program!

When we attended her Open house a few weeks ago we were pulled aside by her principal, Mr. Mayfield, and her Spanish teacher, Maestra Hernandez, and they told us how amazed they were by her work.  Anna wrote the story of Peter Cotton Tail, but she didn't do it in English, she translated it to Spanish!  The were so proud of how well she has done and excited to see where she will go from here!
Today they had an assembly where she was recognized for her writing award.  After the assembly we went to her school and helped out with the "Kinder Olympics" done at the park that is next to the school.  We didn't get any photos because we were helping but the kids seemed to enjoy it.  They had various stations where they said their colors, numbers, snap words, math, science, and shapes.  Then it was off to their teachers for their metal.

Once that was over we went back to the classroom and the teachers handed out memory books.  They are really amazing books that have photos and artwork that they completed over the year to commemorate special events (field trips, snow day, etc).  It is really an amazing book!  And her stories came home this week too.

Such an exciting time!  And she wishes 1st grade started next week!  :-)  I take that as a good sign!

Surprise on a Sunday night!!

Tonight we got to show the kids what happens when someone hits a fire hydrant... and what not to do!  Just up the block from us, on the corner on other side of the street is a fire hydrant.  Tonight someone hit it just as we were finishing up dinner.  We heard a loud noise, and I am not sure how to really describe it other than odd.  

Matt went looking around for what it might be and I went to get Anna ready for bath (she is very tired after a sleepover Friday night).  Matt had just said he couldn't find anything went I stepped into Anna's room and knew there was something outside.  I looked out her window and could see crazy amounts of water running down our street.  I also saw a small white SUV with black "trim" drive down the street kind of fast which struck me as odd given what I was seeing...  More on that in a bit!  :-)  

We all went outside and saw the water shooting up into the air.  Matt and I are both surprised the kids didn't get more excited by it.  Anna may have been but she was just too tired.  One of our neighbors mentioned that he also saw the SUV and thought it was odd as well.

Here is what all the water looked like as they tried to turn it off.  

We went back inside and soon a firetruck arrived to start working on shutting off the water.  Olivier at that point refused to go outside except for a moment with Matt carrying him.  He was just too scared.  In talking to neighbors I found out that a white Ford Escape with a lot of damage was found not far away and the driver got away on foot.

 In talking with the neighbors (it was a community event!), I went with Mason to check out the vehicle.  And sure enough, that is the car I saw drive past when I was looking out of Anna's room.  I spoke to the officer and gave him my information and he said they were working on contacting the owner who lived close by.  Not a wise idea to flee from something like this...

And the fire truck leaving as we went back home after checking out the vehicle.