Playing Tourists in San Francisco

Since it was supposed to be such a nice day, we decided on a whim to drive up to San Francisco and take Ella on the pedal boats at Stow Lake. Ella knows about the pedal boats from her 1960's classic "This is San Francisco" book, as well as the more recent "Good Night San Francisco."

We also decided to use the occasion to visit one of our favorite breakfast places, which just happens to be named after our first born. Unfortunately, Ella wasn't in the mood to have her picture taken, so we have Sarah standing in instead.


Then, it was off to Stow Lake. This was an adventure in and of itself, as Golden Gate Park was packed due to the grand opening (and free) day of the Califorina Academy of Sciences. The line was literally a mile long to see the penguins and other exhibits. Unfortunately, Stow Lake happens to be fairly close to the new museum, so navigating and parking in the park was a challenge. But, we made it!

Ella couldn't reach the pedals, so Mom and Dad did all the work.



Sarah, couldn't reach the pedals either, but she looked good in a life jacket.


After Stow Lake, we felt adventuresome, and decided to take Ella to see the sea lions at Pier 39 (via crooked Lombard Street even!). We had talked about going before, but wanted to wait until Fall when all the tourists are gone. It turns out, that like the sea lions, the tourists never leave.


But, Ella had a great time watching the sea lions. She liked the "baby ones."


While we there, we happened to see one of the world's largest sailing vessels make its grand entrance into San Francisco Bay. I had read about the 289-foot Maltese Falcon in Wired Magazine and seen a piece on it on 60 minutes, but it was awesome to see in person. It's amazing what a couple hundred million dollars will buy you.

I'm One!

Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Bear!

Dear Sarah,

They say when you’re a parent, the days are long but the years are short. “They” are so right! You’re quickly turning into a little girl, no longer a baby in many ways, crawling after your big sister and letting us know exactly how you think and feel about everything. It’s a bittersweet time, since you’re the second and last baby that will be in our house and in our arms and our hearts. But you sleep through the night! And you drink milk out of a sippy cup! And you’re a year closer to not being in diapers any more! So there are many reasons to rejoice, but one big reason to sigh and hold on to you a little tighter -- you're changing so fast!



On the sweet side, you’re entering one of my favorite stages where there’s an explosion of growth in words and you're learning to walk. You haven’t exploded quite yet, but you're on the brink. You definitely communicate your needs and wants. The amount of signs you know increases every day. Baby, hat, hot and banana are the latest. Your first and only word so far is “Moo.” It’s for every cow you see, and every goat and sheep, too. Your favorite food is banana -- every time we pass the kitchen you do the sign it.



You’ll now walk holding onto my fingers for about 10 steps or so if Ella is your target destination. But crawling still gets you there faster. Your favorite game is chase, when I get on the floor and chase after you crawling. (But believe me, crawling is overrated. Ouch.)



I know you get less one-on-one time than your big sister did at this age, and I sometimes feel a bit guilty for that, but you get to experience so many more things. It's so cute to see you doing all the things that big sister does. You get two parents AND a big sister to love you. And we do love you so! And I get to say to you what my mom says to me, "You'll always be my baby!"



Love,
Mama