Bay Area Fun

During the years from 2000 to 2004 our family lived in the Bay Area, namely San Jose. We had four young sons (newborn, 1 1/2, 3 1/2 and 5) at the time and I guess, bottom line, I didn't take them to see many sites. (We did know of all the parks in the San Jose area though.) And oh, is there so much to see in the Bay Area! (But, it just wasn't the time in our life.)

Glenn continues to work for the San Jose company out of our home in Mesa. He visits the office every-other-month and for the past three years I have convinced him to take ALL OF US with him during his summer month trip! (Last year we went for 2 weeks! Now, that was a relief from the heat all right.)

This year we were only able to squeeze in 1 week, but it's better than no weeks at all!

Glenn and I took the boys and Emma to San Francisco one day. We traveled down Lombard Street, the crookedest street in America. Emma Lee had fun holding her hands in the air, pretending she was on a roller-coaster ride. We also went up & down Hyde Street which has one of the steepest grades in the city. Zach was a little worried; and Zach doesn't get too worried - ever! FUN!

We highly recommend the Hornblower Cruise. We did this once before when we only had three sons. (I remember getting sick for I was pregnant with Christopher.) This time I wasn't pregnant :) and had a more enjoyable time. We had a very informational guide who had grown up in the city. We enjoyed learning about Alcatraz Island. It was also fun learning about (and seeing) the Bay Bridge and of course the majestic Golden Gate Bridge!

The cruise had a wonderful lunch buffet. The boys ate well and when we couldn't find Christopher, well, he was at the fruit tray keeping himself all filled up! (Take a look at those cheeks!)

A day later I took the kids back to the Moscone Center in downtown SF. This convention center hosted the yearly Major League Baseball All-Star FanFest. Our neighbors in Mesa had tickets to this event which let us in free for the day. Here's a picture of the World's LARGEST BASEBALL!



The boys enjoyed the batting cages,



fielding balls, playing unlimited game cube, playing t-ball for the little ones, driving crazy cars,





and we all sang and recorded "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"


It was wonderful to feel the cool breeze for 7 days, but best of all to see old friends. Here's a picture of 1/2 the Peake Boys (our old neighbors that lived across the street in Campbell) and Zachary working on a cornhusk project at the Discovery Museum.



The most fun for us - THE BEACH! Whether we are with cousins or friends, the beach is the place to be!