Aquarium of the Bay

Uh, well, uh, hello....


We went to the Aquarium of the Bay. It has a 300 ft clear tunnel to walk through inside the aquarium.

We got there in time to see them feeding the seven-gill sharks.


It wasn't as exciting as we hoped. They feed them twice a week, so they are usually full. That way they can co-exist with the other fish and not want to eat them. It also means that dinner time is not very exciting for them...

And these guys, well, I just think they look funny! And yes, so does Jason.




Here is a fish that could eat Sam for supper and not even notice.


At this point Livia was still being an angel.


Meet Nemo, Marlin, Dory and friends... (Sam was happy to see his dear movie friends.)


There was also a touch and feel portion. They are under construction, so this was their make-shift pool. It was still fun to see what star fish and crabs feel like. Sam just liked splashing in the water.

Lombard Street

Lombard Street is the most curvy street in the world I think. (and hope... it is pretty curvy.)
We thought we would get a little exercise (oh and not lose our parking spot) and walk to Lombard Street from the Pier. It didn't seem too far...

other than the fact that we were walking up several crazy steep streets. I swear they are about 45 degree angles! Thankfully, Jason was willing to push the stroller!

Here is a picture from the bottom of it. You can see how many times you have to switch back, by looking at the different levels and cars.


Happy we made it this far:


All of us were content to just look at it from the bottom... except Sam... man, I must love that kid.

We walked part way up, but he insisted on going further and further.... and further. Yeah, we reached the top, and came back down the other side. I was surprised that Sam made it that far, and then proceeded to run all the way back down all the hills we had climbed to get back to the Pier. Oh, to have that kind of energy again.... (sigh)

Pier 39

This is where we were most of the day.


Sam loved watching the sea lions. Brigham kept telling everyone Ow! Ow! Ow! just like the sea lions say.


I think Livia was a little less enthused about it all.



This is the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Pier 39. We didn't get a chance to get any closer.




And the view of Alcatraz of course.


Sam was super excited to ride on the carousel!


And not super excited to get off: (you can see Jason fighting him towards the bottom of the picture)


Brigham loved it so much, he couldn't even take time to look at the camera!


Our evening with Jared and Allyson at the Crab House. (Where the nice couple paid $50 of our bill.) And yes, my husband IS wearing a large bib.

Part III: Jelly Belly

We were in Stockton, about 30-45 minutes from Sacramental... and the Jelly Belly Factory! Yes, the Jelly Belly Factory that gives free tours!



Everyone was required to wear a Jelly Belly hat during the tour. But they said the baby was ok to not wear one.


I wasn't sure if it was because she doesn't actually have any hair... or because the hat engulfed her whole head, disabling her to breathe...

It was really cool to see how they make the beans. The flavoring section smelled so yummy! They were flavoring blueberry, strawberry daiquiri and cherry berry when we were there... it was purely delightful!

After the tour, you can walk by the sample bar and they will give you as many as you are willing to ask for. Then there is a little shop where you can buy any of their flavors... and their irregular beans they call Belly Flops. I personally could care less about the shape... I'm all about the taste! (We bought 3 bags of Belly Flops... and each picked out a bag of our own personal favorites. I'm embarrassed to say... buy we spent over $40 on jelly beans!)

Part IV: hanging out

In the back yard, they had a mini orange tree... a very sour mini orange tree!


But Sam liked to pick them nonetheless.


Our niece Rachel is as sweet and cute as can be!


Sam and Rachel loved playing together... especially on the trampoline!

Little Livi Love

A few weeks late, but here's Livia at 5 months.

Pay It Forward: In Real Life

A few days after my last post, Pay it Forward, we experienced a pay-it-forward in real life.

We were in San Franciso (on Thursday) for the day. Both Sam and Livia were doing so well, considering we were out and about for so long. We went out to dinner with Jared, Allyson and Brigham. All of a sudden, Livia decided that she was done with San Francisco. She cried and screamed uncontrollably. We tried to console her... but nothing seemed to help. We felt bad for the other people, so Jason and I kept taking turns taking her outside to help her calm down. Every time we came back in, she would start all over again. And Sam, well, he decided he needed to go to the bathroom... about 3 or 4 times. Our food came. Our food got cold. Between the two of us, we were in and out of our seats, snatching bites as we could. Brigham also was a little tired and had a few meltdowns. So pretty much everyone in the restaurant knew we were there.

When it came time to pay our bill, the waitress brought our bill and showed us a receipt. A couple that had been in the same area as us earlier had felt sorry for us that we couldn't even sit down and enjoy our meal. So they paid $50 towards our bill.

When the waitress told us that, I was so touched that I almost cried. I was so embarrassed that my child was disrupting everyone else, yet a couple was understanding and sympathetic to our situation.

It is so nice to know that there are generous and kind people out there... even in San Francisco.

Pay It Forward

PAY IT FORWARD:

"The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice--for you! This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make! (I can only hope.)
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It WILL be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be... it may be cards, a bookmark, something delicious, or a complete surprise to you (and me!)... who knows?
5. Most importantly you must offer the same deal on your blog - the first 5 people to comment on your blog get something made by YOU!"

Sammy-isms Challenge Answers

I know everyone is just so anxious to find out the answers to the quiz from a couple of weeks ago. So here they are.

1. goon-goon = finger (don't ask me why!)
2. pon-pong = Grandma, Grandpa (yes, that gets confusing)
3. bowie = butter, bottom
4. hoppy = helicopter (always said with a big smile)
5. owe-ee = Elmo, elephant, Andrew (his cousin)
6. pees = please, peas, peaches

On Friday I will try to post the answers to the Sammy-isms challenge (a few posts down).... hurry you only have a few more days... so far AJ is the winner (since she's the only who really cares about my game... and my feelings... JK.)

facebook frenzy part I

As many of you fellow facebookers know, there has been a 25 random things craze goin' on. I think it's fun to read them about others, so in case you feel the same way, here are a few interesting... and many uninteresting things about me.


1. I recently cut my hair and I think it's the second worst haircut of my adult life.
2. I have the two cutest kids in the world!!
3. Reading is not my first choice when I have a spare moment.
4. I love doing logic puzzles and playing tetris.
5. Jason and I watch way too many TV shows... but at least we do it together!
6. The most dreaded part of my day is when I have to decide what to make for dinner.
7. I am a very narrow-minded cookie baker. (I only like one recipe.)
8. My toe nails are always painted.
9. I want to ride in a hot air balloon some day.
10. I love the color red.
11. I'm finally warmed up to our dog, Maggie.
12. I do not ever want to get into a car accident.
13. I lost my wedding rings in North Dakota over Christmas at Walmart. I was on the 6:00 news and my rings were returned to me. (I truly believe the best people live in ND.)
14. I like to wear high heels because I feel skinnier. (I wish I had longer legs.)
15. My husband is more than a year younger than me.
16. I think my baby girl, Livia, has the cutest little elf-like ears.
17. I sleep with 3 semi-flat pillows every night, or I have a bad night.
18. My husband is my favorite cuddler.
19. I love that Sam (my 2 1/2 year old) kisses any part of me that I say hurts me.
20. I really want to get nice furniture this year.
21. My high school closed a year and a half ago due to a lack of students between my town and the two other towns we were joined with.
22. I grew up on a farm 10 miles away from a town of about 100 people.
23. I loved living in Argentina and meeting the amazing people there.
24. I despise carrying full milk jugs.
25. When I look at my husband and kids... I know I am one LUCKY girl!

Great Date at Eight

For anyone interested in a really fun date... Comedy Sportz is something you could consider.


This was our date tonight. It was absolutely hilarious! And it was clean! I definitely recommend it to anyone... even if it's not on a date!

The one in Provo plays every Friday and Saturday night at 8:00 and 10:15. And there is a show on Thursday night as well, but I think it is different, so I don't know if it's any good.

There are 33 of them throughout the US. For the Friday and Saturday shows the cost is $10 at the door or $8 ($1.19 for a service fee) but that way you know you'll get a seat. Our show was sold out by 7:30 when the doors opened, so I was glad I got our tickets online earlier in the day. The Thursday show is only $4.

Here is the website for anyone interested:
http://comedysportzutah.com/