California Day 12

Packed up and ready to leave the hotel 

Watching planes during our delayed departure

We made it home safe and sound! The flight went very well yet again, for which we are so grateful.

John and Mary were quiet as mice thanks to watching pre-downloaded cartoons on the iPad for the entire flight. I am adamantly opposed to children watching TV in the van while driving around town or their carrying personal electronic devices, lest they experience one moment of boredom (please don't let me eat my words some day), but I'm willing to compromise for something so unusual as the occasional and long airplane flight. Anyway, except for one incident of a certain brother pouring out a bottle of water on a certain sister's head, they behaved perfectly.

Margaret was happy for the first half hour. Then I knew she was tired, so put her in my Ergo, which signals her to go to sleep. But she was on a noisy, stimulating airplane, so instead she screamed bloody murder for 30 minutes. I must be calming down a bit as a mother (at least as regards the baby phase) because my heart rate didn't even register a blip. I felt totally calm and sat in my seat with the baby screaming and thrashing in my Ergo. After 30 minutes, she fell asleep for three glorious hours, then woke for one final happy hour before landing.

We are so glad to be back in our nest after a very successful vacation!

California Day 11

View from the tenth floor into the lobby of this hotel: those are real trees! 

There is a river full of coy meandering through the lobby!

Chris had to work in the Bay Area again today and we're down to one car now. He headed to work and I took the kids to breakfast. Then I inquired at the front desk and learned that there is a nice walk along the Bay, so I had the courtesy shuttle driver take us there. We walked from San Bruno Point to Oyster Point. It seemed very clean and safe, the path being bordered by the Genentech campus and the pedestrians guarded by a Genentech security officer riding his bicycle up and back.

San Bruno Point 

Most of the trail was bordered by large boulders which the kids walked along (slowly) rather than sticking to the smooth path.

This trip has been their first time seeing the ocean.

When I commented that a particular flower was beautiful, John answered, "I think all the flowers God makes are beautiful."

Oyster Point Marina--where the children found two baby crabs

At our conclusion, I called the nice lady driver of the courtesy van. She picked us up, took us through a nearby restaurant drive-through, and delivered me back to the hotel where we ate our lunch, the kids had Quiet Time (John napped, Mary sang songs to herself for an hour and a half), and then we were lazy bums who watched way too many episodes of Curious George.

Chris had to work past dinner time, so I decided to take the children to the hotel restaurant. Eating down there saves a 20% surcharge and I didn't think it'd be that hard. When we got there, the nice maitre d' said that, yes, we could eat in the restaurant but . . . "perhaps you'd like to be seated over here?" She pointed to a section totally outside of the restaurant, over by the coy pond. Frankly, I was relieved if a waiter was willing to come serve my table far, far away from the elegant, quiet restaurant so that I wouldn't feel so guilty about the high level of noise emanating from our table.

Unfortunately, Mary was acting like a three-year-old who has not napped but needs one. John was getting pretty wild himself, with no good reason. And Margaret's high chair had no strap, so I was trying to pin her down with my right hand, but each time I let go to use my right hand to take a bite, she'd stand up instantly. So I reached across myself, pinned her down with my left hand, and ate with my right. Even though veteran Mama had made people do potty checks before leaving the hotel room, a certain child needed to visit the restroom after we'd been seated and served, so I had to haul all the children to the restroom, assuring the waiter that we were coming back!

These are the fun times, in their own way!

California Day 10

On Monday (Memorial Day) we met my dad, sister, and the assorted gang at Cindy's diner for breakfast, then headed over to Davis Playfields Park.

Cousins Margaret, Mary, John, and Maddie

Grandpa and Margaret

A family at the park had brought its four-month-old teacup chihuahua, much to Mary's delight.

My brother-in-law, sister, and newest niece

We left the park and headed back to the hotel to pack up our room, as we would be transferring to a hotel near the San Francisco airport. Chris and I were in the bedroom packing and, when I walked into the living room to set down a bag, I found Mary beaming with happiness atop the luggage cart--with the ceiling fan spinning less than 12" from her head. This is one of the most quintessential "Mary" photos I've ever captured.

We drove to the Marin headlands to get this view of the Golden Gate Bridge, which just celebrated its 75th anniversary the day before.

Alcatraz island

We wanted to give the children a taste of the San Francisco experience so we decided that the most concentrated and convenient place for that was Pier 39.

I left the children with Chris for a mere couple of minutes and, when I returned to our meeting spot to find them, I read a text message on my phone saying that they were at the bungee jumping. Oh my. I guess this is one reason why God made daddies because I can promise you I would have answered 'no' immediately if the kids had asked me if they could try it. And who went first on this jumping contraption? Three-year-old Mary, of course.

Both kids were able to flip a few times.

I just had to laugh out on Pier 39, surrounded by the vast waters of the ocean and the fresh, blowing sea air to see that I could spent beacoup bucks to buy water and oxygen.

Waiting for a seat in the restaurant for dinner: it was cold! You could recognize the Pier's outdoor workers because they were wearing woolen caps, scarves, jackets, and long pants.

The beautiful merry-go-round

It was great fun for me to show the children the sea lions since I have such fond memories of being awed by their proximity the many times my dad brought me to Pier 39 when I was a child.

We had hoped to ride a cable car, but the line was too long for us to try it. Mama was secretly relieved, but don't tell Chris.

On our way to the hotel, we drove down Lombard Street, the (almost!) crookedest street in San Francisco

California Day 9

Aunt Erica, cousin Ethan, and our family friend Bill joined us for Mass at our beloved former parish. Sadly, the parish has no cry room so, as usual and since I appreciate a habit, I spent virtually the entire Mass in the narthex where one can neither see nor hear the Mass. I'm just really glad God values these sacrifices, that's all positive that I can say about that.

A newly ordained priest was there, so we enjoyed the graces of receiving a priest's first blessing. After a little shopping at my favorite Catholic bookstore and we were off to meet the family for brunch at The Black Bear Diner.

It was a sweet moment when during breakfast "Morning Has Broken" played over the loudspeakers. Honestly, I cannot remember when I have last heard that song. When we chose it as our concluding song at Mom's memorial, I hadn't heard it in years (decades?). Yet it played during our final family meal after Mom's memorial. Make of that what you will!

Enjoying the free sundae that came with the children's meals, wearing fabulous new sunglasses given by Nanna Linda 

 Receiving gifties from Nanna Linda

Margaret had been cooped up since waking what with breakfast at the hotel, Mass in my Ergo, riding in the car, and sitting in a high chair at breakfast, so I took her outside to walk around.

 Then we walked down to Davis' Community Park for some playground time before going to Neil's house for the kids to nap and for me to do final loads of laundry.

We took apart Mom's photo poster boards. I was struck by this photo of Mom in her early 20s: I believe I look so much like her.

Our children had so much fun playing with their two cousins Zoe and Eli.

Everyone else has returned home now except for us, who have a few more days on the road. After leaving Neil's, we went to dinner at the L----s', the husband of whom was Chris' best man at our wedding. Mrs. L. is expecting their sixth child and still managed to put on a fabulous summer meal in the back yard where the kids had way too much fun playing. And Margaret (14 months) discovered that she can easily climb a ladder of a half dozen steps up to the play structure five feet off the ground. Oh good--another one who knows how to climb.

California Day 8: Dinner

After the memorial, everyone retired to their various hotel rooms and guest quarters for long naps, much needed after so much emotional output. Everyone except me, of course! Margaret had napped on my back during the reception, so was then wide awake, negating my ability to lay down--which is always how it is, right?

We met for dinner at a local Italian restaurant, which was a positive and joyful way to end the day. (We decided Chris would stay back with John and Mary since dinner didn't start till 7:00 p.m.) 

Margaret has a real fondness for Aunt Alex, as formed when we were together four weeks ago when Mom passed away.

Nanna Linda gave us all hanging glass sunflower decorations in remembrance of Mom, who particularly appreciated the cheerful yellow flowers.

At family gatherings every few years, the sisters have always posed for this photo together, and this is the first one with the four remaining sisters: Alex, Stella, Elizabeth, Erica (the twin)