a mini vacation: at the beach

We've had this frequent-flier miles credit card since I was in college.  And for several years now, the way we've done our budgeting is this: we buy practically everything with that credit card and then pay off the whole thing at the end of the month.  I tell you this only so that you know that we use it.  A lot.

But you know how many times we've actually been able to redeem those miles for flights?

Once.  (There's a slight chance it was twice.  But both those times would have been before we had children.  Which seems like a long time ago now.)

It hasn't worked out to be the best deal for us.  Of course, you don't have to redeem the miles for flights; you can redeem them for rental cars or hotel rooms or whatever.  But since we've mostly only needed flights, that's all we'd really tried to do.

This summer, fed up with our inability to translate our miles into plane tickets, we decided we'd just go ahead and redeem them for something else.  And in a moment of what I can only attribute to divine inspiration, Jim said, "Hey.  Let's just take a long weekend away somewhere.  We'll use our miles to book a room at the Embassy Suites."

And so we did.

We found an Embassy Suites about five hours from us that boasted not only the standard two room suite and cooked to order breakfast, but also a "resort-style" swimming pool.  On the beach.  We read through some reviews and discovered that there was also a great park within walking distance.  We were sold.  Since we didn't plan to do any actual sightseeing, we figured that the hotel had everything we'd need for four days of fun.  And oh, were we right!

Five hours of driving is sort of long while for little people, but they did pretty well.  John David, who -- as we've mentioned maybe once or eleventy-billion times -- doesn't much like being strapped down, protested lustily for a while before finally figuring he wouldn't win that round.  The girls read and played and tried to see the things we'd point out to them.  (Us: "Look!  Horses!"  The girls:  "What?  Where?"  Us: "Um, we're past them now.  Never mind.")  We stopped only once on the way down.  So, by the time we finally arrived to check in, the people were delighted to be freed.

Our room was on the ground floor and we opened the slider to discover that it looked out on this:

Naturally, we had to walk out and experience it up close. There was much rejoicing.

And running.

And plenty of good old playing in the sand.

The weather wasn't hot at this particular beach.  It was actually a lot like the weather at the beach in Northern California -- cool and often overcast.  None of us minded.  Not one bit.  We visited the beach at least once a day every day we were there.  (We had to split our time between the beach and the pool and the park and naps.  It was delightful.)  We didn't worry about sunburn or ocean swimming (or undertoe or riptides), because the most we dipped was our toes.  (Okay, a few of us got more wet than that, but not really on purpose.)

I think our children somehow seem most like themselves when they're left to run free on the beach.

We did some good construction, building sandcastles with the gear we'd brought.  But the girls were most impressed an abandoned has-been sandcastle they discovered -- perfect for climbing and digging and imagining.

John David loved that there was so much to watch -- his sisters, the water, the sea gulls.  (He alternated between signing "bird" and "water" the whole time we were there.  Oh, and occasionally "dog" -- when one of those would wander by.)  He sat in the sand for a bit.  He hung out on my hip for a bit.

But then he was off again, just like the big girls.  And just like them, he wanted to be near the water.

And Daddy was happy to oblige.  I went down to the water, too, but not before I capture the four of them linked together, facing the sea.  The sight of them makes my heart full.  Still.

 

picnic in the park: but not exactly a park

We've been continuing our picnic supper tradition, and it's been a big success.  A few weeks ago, though, we decided to mix it up a bit.  Rather than visiting yet another playground, we decided to visit Jim at school.  Though we wouldn't be trying out any swings or slides or monkey bars, our children had no complaints.  If that seems a bit surprising to you, let me give you a one word explanation:  fountains.

Stanford has lots and lots of fountains.  And -- at least as far as our children are concerned -- a fountain is  perhaps even more fun than a playground.  I was still unloading John David from the van and putting him in the stroller when the girls began exploring the first fountain...

I didn't manage to drag them away until their father arrived.  And we were only able to do so then because we promised an even larger fountain.  Then they skipped off, happily.  We were headed toward Green Library, where there's a big, red fountain and a tasty little outdoor cafe.  Though we'd packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids (poor Indy gets only jelly for a while longer), Jim and I splurged on supper at the cafe.  And on a treat for the girls to share -- a delicious looking red velvet cupcake.  (The cafe is totally unassuming... unless Jim had told us, I'd never have guessed you could get such tasty food from a tiny little place.  If you're ever looking for a place to eat on campus, I can highly recommend it.  Or at least the beverly hills chopped salad.)

We sat on the steps near the fountain to eat our suppers.  Truth be told, though, our kids weren't nearly as interested in their food as they were in the water.  Madeline started splashing almost immediately.

But Kathleen seemed to content to just sit and dangle her feet.  At least for a bit.

But before we knew it, they were off, exploring.  There was a shallow ledge around the outside of the fountain, and the girls walked the perimeter.

Of course, the problem with a shallow ledge is that it does end.  And Madeline found it.  The hard way.

Fortunately, we've been at this circus thing long enough to anticipate that problem.  We had a change of clothes for everyone (though Maddie Beth was the only one who needed one).  With a dry dress, she was happy again.

If the girls could play in the water, then John David wasn't about to stay away.  He needed to be reminded that he couldn't just wade out to the center.  Keeping him from wrestling away from us was no small feat!

And then the girls were off again, wading, running, exploring.

I think Jim and I had as much fun watching them as they had playing.  It was a perfect picnic and another example of why we love summer evenings at Stanford.

you're never too little to deadlift

I left some dumbbells lying around after my workout a few weeks ago, and Madeline discovered them. She desperately wanted to "exercise," too.  So, Jim decided that you're never too little to learn to deadlift.  (Even if you're wearing your Tinkerbell nightgown.)

starting with good form...

giving it her full effort

success!

It was an eighteen pound dumbbell. Since Madeline only weighs around 34 pounds or so, it was more than half her bodyweight! (Jim was quick to point out that he thinks she can do more.)

Watch out CrossFit Kids, here comes Maddie Beth!

summer at stanford

Summer is an almost magical time at a university. It sounds a bit ridiculous, I know, but summertime -- when the school is emptied of most of its students -- makes the campus seem larger and calmer and even prettier. It's the perfect time for a family of five (5.66?) to traipse about, anyway.

We seized a summer afternoon a few weeks ago and met Jim for a bit of a snack at a cafe on campus. He treated the children to ice cream. He had a soda, and I opted for an iced (decaf) coffee. We took our treats outside to a lovely little garden behind the cafe. We probably couldn't get away with that during the year, but during the summer we had the place all to ourselves.  And that meant that the littles could wander about as they pleased.  Which they did.  Extensively.

Of course, the garden's biggest selling point is the (rather extensive) fountain/waterfall.  It draws our children like a magnet.

John David really wanted to go in the water.  Every time we turned around he'd taken off his sandals and  was inching toward the water.  By persistence and sheer luck, we managed to keep him out of it.

The girls loved the garden's walkways.  Because of the greenery, they felt like they were really exploring.  It was cute.  They wandered around all over the place.

When they tired of "exploring," the girls and Jim used the ball we'd brought to play catch.  They perched on benches and tossed the ball back and forth.  And then they jumped off the benches, practicing "safety landings."  Neither of those activities could possibly have been permitted during the school year, when the garden is full of professors and students, meeting and studying!

We've been back a few times since then, enjoying the campus' quiet.  We love summer at Stanford!

summer adventuring: golden gate park

Though we live just outside San Francisco (nearer to San Jose, but still very close to the city by the bay), since moving here, we've spent an appallingly small amount of time in the city. We're not sure why, exactly, but we figure it's some combination of Jim's busy class schedule and our littles' dueling nap schedules and the basic chaos that comes of running this circus. Still, a few weeks ago we decided it was high time we started exploring San Francisco.

So, we called up some friends who live in SoMa, and we met them for a scrumptious breakfast near their loft.  The restaurant our friends recommended did not disappoint.  Jim and I loved our eggs and the kids devoured their crepes with bananas and nutella. (But then, who wouldn't?) In addition to great company, we were surprised by great weather. Though the forecast had been for weather in the low 60s, we enjoyed our breakfast on a warm and sunny patio. It was a delicious morning.

Around midday we left our friends to their own Saturday plans and headed for Golden Gate Park. We snagged a great parking spot and set about exploring the Japanese Tea Gardens. I'd remembered loving the gardens as a child, and I thought our children might like them, too. Happily, I was right.

The girls loved "exploring" the meandering pathways.  They felt like true adventurers.

The koi were a big hit, too.

And I'm sure you can imagine how excited everyone was about climbing up the arched bridge.  Kathleen led the way; she was quite proud of how she did it "all by herself."

John David and I hung out on the ground so I could take photos (and since even jogging strollers aren't exactly made for bridges like that!).   Here's a very representative photo of how Indy feels about being left to languish in the jogger while his sisters go adventuring.

Afterwards I attempted a few more photos.  Some of those worked better than others...

About then we decided that, as much as we'd loved them, we'd had enough of the tea gardens (and trying to keep John David from howling and reminding the girls to walk calmly).  Our people needed a place to run off some steam.  And what better place to do that than Koret Children's Quarter -- often known simply as Children's Playground?

The playground -- which was supposedly one of the first in the country -- features nice, big play structures, plenty of room to run, and lots of sand.  But John David was most interested in the pigeons...

Eventually, though, he and his sisters found plenty to entertain them on the play structures.  Everyone climbed and explored and slid.

John David caused a bit of a stir in the toddler section when he climbed up and then slid down the slide alone (on his stomach).  he's practically unstoppable.

Kathleen sometimes needs a bit more encouragement to try new things...

there's no holding back Madeline...

honestly, someone forgot to tell that kid he's only one year old.  he thinks he can climb like the big kids.

Finally, just as we were about to leave, Kathleen asked to try the activity that we'd been carefully ignoring the whole time we were there: the cement slides.  They're long and steep and practically a San Francisco rite of passage.  Generations of kids (including yours truly) have played on them, whizzing down the hillside on pieces of cardboard.  We'd thought that Kathleen was probably just a bit too small and too timid for the slides.  We were wrong.

She was so pleased with herself!  And then -- predictably -- just after we'd told Kathleen "last slide, honey," Madeline asked to try, too.  Mama was reluctant, but Daddy said okay.  Madeline may be smaller, but she's bolder, too.  And I think she was terrified, but she'll tell you she loved it.

And then -- before John David could insist on his turn, too -- we packed up our circus and headed home.    It had been a great day.  We're already looking forward to our next trip into the City... before the circus gets that much more, well, circus-y.

Actual Independence Day

Not surprisingly, we're a little late here.  We've been up to good stuff, and hopefully some photos of that stuff will make their way to the blog eventually...  But for now, we've finally got some pictures of actual Independence Day.  (This post title will be funny only to me and to Jim... thanks to our favorite fictional brother-sister team, Charlie and Lola, "actually" and "actual" are possibly our girls' favorite words.)

decked out in red, white, and blue!  (have we mentioned that Indy is not particularly fond of being strapped down, well, anywhere? he did have fun -- just not when we made him sit in the stroller.)

Though we loved our not-quite-4th-of-July-party, we did save some fun for the actual holiday.  We missed the convenience of the 4th of July celebrations on Schofield Barracks, when we could load up the stroller and with just a few minutes' walk take everyone for carnival rides and games and food, head home for naps, and then reappear on the green for fireworks in the evening.  (Our post-war cinderblock home might not have been the most glamorous house, but we sure loved the location!  And, truth be told, we came to love that indestructible house, too.)

This year we loaded up the minivan and found some fun just a few miles away, instead.  It wasn't a big celebration, but the festivities in Sunnyvale offered our crew just about everything they needed and then some -- a park to explore,  bounce houses, temporary tattoos (they read "City of Sunnyvale"!), and hotdog lunches (with cans of lemonade, which made a big impression!).

Once everyone was good and hot and tired, we headed home for break time.  The kids (and Jim!) spent the afternoon cooling off in the sprinkler and the wading pool.  And John David got his hands (and more, I suppose) on the red ink stamp pad the girls had used for 4th of July crafts, adding a bit more red to our red, white, and blue day.  Mercifully, it was washable ink.

We thought about letting Jim take Kathleen to see the fireworks that night, but by the end of the day, she was as exhausted as her younger sister and brother.  We opted instead for early bedtimes, a choice we do not regret.  There will be many firework-filled years ahead!

festivities leading up to the fourth

Our girls have been very, very excited about this holiday weekend.  There were lots of reasons to be excited: flags to wave, new dresses (from Nan) and ribbons (snagged at Target's dollar spot) to wear, a new sprinkler to play in, and  -- most importantly -- a party!  We'd invited Nan and Grandpa, the cousins, aunts and uncles (and even cousin Emmy's grandparents visiting from Australia) to join us for a barbecue on the third.  It wasn't meant to be a party -- not really, anyway.  It was just supposed to be a little get-together.  But our girls are convinced that any visitors at all constitute a party, and we happen to like the way they think.

Of course, a party needs a cake.  At some point in my internet wanderings I'd come across this pretty little cake, and I was determined to try my hand at it.  So, Friday we baked.  The girls were my helpers.

red, white, and blue layer cakes.  and bakers who may or may not have sampled some sugary batter...

I assembled the cake on Saturday morning before "the party."  The girls helped with the frosting, but the actual assembly of the cake was rather exacting, so they watched more than helped.  While I was busy piecing the cake together, John David dragged over a little chair, climbed atop it, and helped himself to the cake scraps.  American ingenuity at work, perhaps?

absolutely delighted with himself

Eventually we managed to clean up the kitchen and the helpers.  On a whim, we shopped the closet, discovering red and (light) blue streamers and a couple packages of balloons.  We twisted the streamers along the fence in the backyard.  The girls picked out the red and blue balloons, and we inflated those.  We were ready for a real party!  Everyone brought food (lots and lots of tasty food) and the grown-ups sat in the backyard while the cousins ran through the sprinkler, slid and splashed in the wading pool, and even played a bit of toddler-friendly baseball.  What could be more American than that?

Jim literally has to hold John David back -- otherwise he's convinced he should be playing, too, no matter who's holding the bat

her form cracks me up!

Before everyone got too tired or too, too full, we cut the cake.  To my surprise and delight, it actually worked!

not the best photograph, but you get the idea

I think we can call that a success!  At least, Madeline seemed to think so...

The girls knew what they were talking about.  Our not-quite-fourth-of-July party was a party, indeed!