Another World

After 9 years & 3 children, how do you celebrate your wedding anniversary? Well, we decided to do something out of this world and spend the weekend at Universal Studios. Why not embrace our imagination because I don't know that we could have possibly imagined our reality. We love it, but WOW! LOL

You can't tell from this picture where he looks completely uninterested, but Grant was actually a HUGE Minion fan. We had been watching the Minions dance for about 30 minutes while Jaxon & Baylor went on the Despicable Me ride with Anh, and even a huge fan has probably had enough after 30 minutes!

The older two were more excited about meeting Spongebob's friends, Patrick & Squidward.

However, everything paled in comparison to our time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Once you pass through the gates, you feel like you've been transported to Hogwarts. It's VERY impressive! The theming is incredible, and the 3 rides are definitely thrilling. My advice would be to skip the Butterbeer, though. I guess if you're big fan of butterscotch and cream soda, it might be a hit, but no of us were fans.

The superhero section of the park was a close second with the boys, and the Spiderman ride ROCKS!

Jaxon & Baylor enjoyed the photo opportunities with the superheroes & villains, but Grant just couldn't understand these guys' outfit choices. Ha!

As is often the case at theme parks, it's impossible to truly capture the magic on camera, but the real sign of a successful day is always shown by the hard crash landing when we return to the hotel. Yep, it was a good day! I'm grateful the fun & blessings still fill our days 9 years later.

A Three Hour Tour

Labor Day should NOT involve labor!

While a little uncertain at first, Grant seemed to enjoy our day on the water.

He wasn't afraid of the water at all, but at times, he was seemed unsettled by the speed of the boat.

Proof it wasn't that traumatic! The rocking motion of the boat proved to be quite soothing once the adrenaline rush wore off.

Golden Opportunity

Wanting to make the most of our time on the West coast, Anh and I planned a little parent getaway towards the end of the week. Aunt Nguyen happily volunteered to watch all six kids while Anh and I escaped to San Francisco for a couple of days with Mike and Amy. I'm not sure whether Aunt Nguyen really knew what she was getting herself into, but with a little convincing the four of us gratefully accepted the offer. Some of us (me & Amy) needed more convincing than others (Anh & Mike).

Why then are the children in photos that were so obviously taken in San Francisco? Clearly, we deviated from the original plan. I'm not sure whether our brains were suffering from a lack of oxygen due to the high altitude at Lake Tahoe or whether during one of our nights in the hot tub under the stars, we consumed a little too much vino, but at some point, it was suggested that we take the entire gang to SF and like idiots we all agreed to continue the adventure with the group intact. What the heck were we thinking?!

Truthfully, the children were extremely excited to be included, and for the most part, handled themselves very well in the bustling city. After snapping a few pictures at the Golden Gate Bridge we made our way to Union Square and checked into our hotel. Amy and I fought the urge to shop which actually required quite a bit of restraint given the plethora of stores in the fabulous shopping district surrounding Union Square. Instead, we made our way to Chinatown with the goal of finding a decent dim sum restaurant for lunch.

The boys seemed to enjoy the experience. Jaxon and Baylor along with the Davoren children seemed extremely focused on their souvenir shopping. There's certainly no shortage of cheap trinkets also known as "crap" in Chinatown. The kids were in heaven!

As we wandered the streets gazing in store windows, we researched everyone's Chinese horoscope signs so trinkets featuring the various animals could be chosen appropriately. While I am the only true Dragon in the group, Emily and Jaxon both posed as dragons with a mural celebrating The Year of the Dragon as their backdrop. Speaking of these two, they still share a very strong bond. I can see why. Emily is an amazing big sister!

We weren't entirely selfless during our stay in the city. We did sneak off for a child-free dinner at Restaurant Gary Danko as an early birthday dinner for Mike. The birthday boy certainly wasn't the only one treated. Our dinner was outstanding thanks to a warm not stuffy atmosphere and some truly incredible dishes from the tasting menu. What a wonderful experience!

We spent day 2 in the city at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Yes, they're essentially tourist traps, but kids love that sort of stuff, and everyone has to see these areas at least once in a lifetime. With better planning, we could have taken the tour to Alcatraz, but the kids seemed content to just hear the history as we gazed at The Rock from the pier. Honestly, the kids were way more excited to visit the outrageously overpriced candy store and watch the seal lions napping on the anchored platforms near the wharf.

Riding a cable car was high on everyone's wish lists, and by everyone, I do mean every tourist in the city that day. We waited for the better part of an hour in line to have the quintessential San Franciscan experience. Yet another "you've got to do it once" experience marked off the list!

Oddly enough, Aunt Nguyen and I were seated with Grant and a group of French tourists, and the French tourists were simply fascinated by baby Grant. He was looking pretty cute that day, and I'm not at all biased. The tourists were making a huge fuss over my little guy and snapping pictures of him. Seriously? Maybe I should start charging for the privilege or maybe I need to find my little superstar an agent?

Our final stop of the day is actually my favorite place, The Ferry Building. It's a "foodie" mecca! An eclectic mix of restaurants, artisan-quality food vendors, and culinary stores that to me is an absolute must-see every time we visit. You can wander the building collecting a wide variety of treats, and then secure a table outside to dine as you watch the rush of locals making their way on and off the ferries during their daily commutes. It's the perfect combination of my two favorite activities: eating & people watching!

While it wasn't exactly the "relaxing" getaway that we had originally planned, our jaunt down to San Francisco with the kids resulted in a much better experience. Sure, a little time away from the kids is a good thing, but being together as a family is always preferred. Our children always focus on collecting souvenirs while we're on vacation. However, I've discovered that memories truly make the best souvenirs. I certainly came home with quite a few and can't wait to make more with them in the future! 

It's the Simple Things in Life

If you're looking for a laid back, family-friendly place to celebrate America's birthday, then I say you'd be hard pressed to find a better spot than Lake Tahoe. If you have a boat or access to a boat, it would be perfect. We didn't rent a boat for multiple reasons, but still managed to enjoy a fabulous afternoon and evening on the shore of Lake Tahoe. The beach was PACKED which made for excellent people watching.

We spent the better part of 2 hours watching a man throw every member of his rather large family into the icy water. That includes fully clothed women, children, and even the elderly grandfather who looked like he might not survive the shock of the freezing water. Somehow, each one of them emerged from the water with a smile on their face. I assured every member of our group that I wouldn't have the same calm reaction in the event they got any wise ideas.

Luckily, the guy in our family commanding all the attention wasn't interested in drenching anyone. Instead, he was the one being attacked...with kisses. Especially by Aunt Nguyen who flew in to celebrate the holiday with us.

 Grant didn't mind all the attention one bit!

Neither did this character! In fact, all 3 boys seemed quite happy to be showered in affection by their Aunt.

There wasn't much fanfare to the day, but it was an ideal setting with the water glistening in front of us, the mountains lining the horizon, and the sun's warming rays raining down on us as we shared pleasant conversation and tasty treats with our dear friends. The fireworks display was the perfect ending to charming day. Simplicity isn't always a bad thing!

 

Giddy Up to Higher Ground

Up, up, and away we went to check out Heavenly Ski Resort and the panoramic views of Lake Tahoe from the observation deck. The gondola ride was quite an adventure. Sure, you just have to sit back and relax while taking in the scenery, but I wouldn't suggest it if you're at all squeamish when it comes to heights. Luckily, we aren't. At least, not completely. On a windier day, with the gondola rocking maybe I wouldn't say the same.

The view from the top is most certainly worth the steep ride and even steeper gondola ticket! It's a good thing the kids were free. Otherwise, we might have passed on this little adventure which would have meant...

Missing out on these views!!!! Seriously AMAZING! Simply Amazing! The pictures do not do the landscape justice. We could have stayed there all day just soaking up the beauty. The hundreds of chipmunk's scurrying about were also pretty entertaining. I'd say they dine quite nicely on the crumbs left behind by the tourists that frequent the snack bar on the observation deck.

The observation deck is located approximately half way up the mountain. So, we boarded the gondola once again to complete the ride to the top where we discovered that you can have fun at a ski resort without snow. The resort had a rock climbing wall, an elaborate jungle gym-type play structure and tubing run set up for the Summer season. Talk about fun!!!

Grant and I took a front row seat and watched as Anh and Baylor rode the conveyor belt to the top of the run and raced down on the inner tubes. A ticket equalled 3 runs. To my surprise, Baylor made the first run all by himself. Sadly, he didn't get the full experience because his weight didn't allow him to build up the speed to make it all the way to the end of the run. Anh convinced him, to tether the two tubes together so they could go faster for the 2nd and 3rd run. Woo hoo! I was definitely jealous that I was sitting this one out.

By now, you're probably wondering where the rest of the gang was during our little side excursion. Don't feel too badly that they missed out on the tubing experience because they were actually trail riding on horseback. Baylor and Grant didn't meet the age requirement. So, we made our own adventure! I'm sure horseback riding was a blast, but I definitely think we made the most of our time alone. Baylor didn't seem to feel slighted, and that's all that matters.

That evening, the group reunited and made the drive to Zephyr Cove to watch the sunset. Then, we strolled the streets of downtown South Lake Tahoe. We traded stories from the day's adventures and marveled at how we had already accomplished so much on our vacation, and yet, we still had so much to look forward to!