Family Farm Groupon

Mom is still busy, so Dad is taking care of the blog.....

We bought a Groupon for a Family Farm nearby. They had lots of fun stuff for us to play with and on.

First we fed some goats that haven't been fed in weeks. They were a bunch of starving mongrels.


The safest place to feed goats is from back here.


Then we practiced jumping in a bounce house.


And there was a rocking horse too. I didn't have the setting right for this pic, there is a little too much light. I was fiddling with the ISO and it's hard to tell if you have it right on the LCD.


Of course the best way to go down a slide is on your belly. I taught her that, of course her mom wasn't pleased.


Someone had fun in the hay bale maze....


....and someone else wasn't as entertained by such trivial activities....


And there was a rocking horse that kept giving me a frigging heart attack every forward swing.


Family photo!

Headlines at Henry Coe Park

We went for a family hike at Henry Coe State Park on Easter Sunday. It's a pretty big park where people hike out and with the tents, fishing poles and guitars strapped to their backs. We only wandered in about a mile or so and then let the kids run loose to scare off the wildlife. Here is some of our adventure.

Boy Teaches Father to Read

Sister Teaches Big Brother to Read

World's Larges Pinecone Found

Little Wanderer Ponders "Which path is the one less traveled?"



3 Year Old Knocks Down Tree with Kung Fu

Rock Collection Grows at Exponential Rate

(Josie was making me carry rocks by the end of the hike)

Pleasant Weather Tempts Hikers

Children Practice Sulking in Preparation for Teenage Years

Josie fell as we were walking back to the visitor center. She started running downhill and fell right into a rut, banging her head on a rock. This led to sobbing for Mom and Mom having to hike uphill with Josie on my shoulders for a while. Her forhead was swollen and scabby but not horrible.

Upon returning to the visitor center, Xander and I tried to find our first geocache stash. Unfortunately the cache seemed to be missing. Granted, I've never tried geocaching before, but the hint was rather straight forward. Xander a little distraught that a stranger found the treasure first and left with it.

Mystery House

My brother and his wife visited this week. It was awesome to see some familiar faces and play many games of Euchre. Xander and Josie were beyond ecstatic to see them. There were hugs and kisses and cuddles galore. It was especially nice to see Josie not panic at the sight of Uncle Lee like she did at Christmas.

One of the few things that we attempted to do together was go to the Winchester Mystery House.

I will pause right there and insert a PSA.
Winchester Mystery House and other mansion walking tours are not appropriate for small children. There is no where to take them if they lose it. You can't give them toys that make noise. You can't give them food or drink. Just don't do it.

That being said, we tried it. Josie did not want to play 'Follow the Line of Strangers' and instead kept trying to duck under ropes. She became rather loudly upset when Chris stopped her. He followed behind the tour and tried to occupy her, but then we had to stop in a room and close the door. Chris and Josie had to join the group. Then Xander, who was walking along happy as a clam, started to lose it. The guide was more than happy to stop the tour and call for someone to walk Chris out with the kids. I stayed with my brother and wife to continue the tour.

I thought the house was pretty cool. I was a little disappointed by how some of the rooms were bare, even had the walls torn down, but they left the house alone since Sarah Winchester's death. While the architecture was crazy, it was still interesting and beautiful. Maybe I'll try to make it for a night time tour while we are out here.

Meanwhile, it was raining outside. Chris had to spend an hour in the car with the kids. He is my hero.

Mount Diablo

We headed to Mount Diablo State Park on Saturday. We should have gotten some fabulous pictures and taken a nice hike. Instead, we forgot the camera and it was cold, windy and raining at the park. I'll spare you the pictures of us sitting in the car while it rained that we took with our phone.

It took us just over an hour to get there, giving the kids and I quality nap time. Then it was up for 3000+ feet. Did I ever mention that I got car sick as a kid? I thought I was over that, but mountains definitely push my tolerance.

When we arrived at the top we found that the observation deck was closed for repairs, so no great views of the mountains on one side or the bay on the other. However, the summit was actually indoors. They'd built the building up around the summit and had a platform built so people could stand on it.


After sitting in the car for an inordinate amount of time, the rain let up. We also traveled most of the may back down the mountain to get out of the wind and cold. Chris and Xander did take a short hike.


Then we let Josie loose in the parking lot to stomp in the puddles.


My favorite view was on the way down the mountain. I love the clouds (fog) in the valleys with the little towns.


I hope we can go back in the spring. There was a postcard on display showing a field of tulips and I would love to get pictures of the kids running around there.

Headlines from Golden Gate Bridge

Bridge in San Francisco is Huge

People Walk on Big Bridge

Bridge is High Above the Water

Mother Threatens to Throw Child Into Water

Little Sister Worries for Brother's Safety

Bridge Has Cables Thicker than Child's Arm

Bridge Looks Small from Far Away

Road Trip!

X had his first non-holiday road trip on Sunday to Cincinnati. First we visited his Crazy Uncle Frank and his new baby (I had food on my fingers, otherwise I would have tried holding him up a little better):


So right before we took that picture we were eating and Xander was being fussy. I had just finished some ribs so I stuck one of the bones in his mouth to suck on. I think he liked it. Amanda was upset because he was getting rib sauce on his shirt, I defended myself with "who cares, he's quiet!"

Xander got to try out a bouncy seat. This is on Xander's Easter wish list.


Then we visited Aunt Sarah and wished her a happy birthday!


Then we visited Aunt Trisha and watched "The Princess Diaries".