Saturday, January 17, 2009

Winter Break

I pretty much shut down during the Winter Break. I did nothing related to school (until this weekend). I spent time with the kids and became a computer and video game addict. My latest "drug of choice" has been Animal Crossing, City Folk on the Wii. I also managed to get Jacob and Mark addicted.

I went to a couple movies, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Bedtime Stories. Both were great movies. I wanted to see Marley and Me, but never got back to the movie theater.


The boys, Jason, my parents and myself spent a day in San Francisco. We met Mark and Ari there and Mark showed us the "Full House" house. You know the row of Victorians during the opening credits.

Ari, Mark, and Jacob


To keep a promise to Jacob, we headed over the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum near Fisherman's Wharf. It was interesting, but not really my cup of tea. Definitely interesting to a 12 year old boy, however.

My Mom and Jacob



We headed over to one of my favorite restaurants The Cliff House for lunch. The food is great and there is such history surrounding the site. I always have a crab sandwich called the Ben Butler Sandwich. Then we wandered around taking in the view. I would have loved to have been there years ago when the amusement park was just down the road.


Jason and I in front of the Cliff House.







Jacob checking out the pelicans on the rocks.




My Parents near the Camera Obscura (picture by Jacob)


After lunch we went down the road (Highway 1) to Golden Gate Park. I had been dying to go to the Academy of Sciences that just reopened in September. It holds the Steinhart Aquarium, a Rain Forest Biosphere, and Planetarium. We missed the Planetarium show but we really didn't have time since there was so much else to see. It was really an all day trip squeezed into half a day. I need to go back this summer!




Jacob checking out the T-rex skeleton





Mark and Ari checking out the starfish at the tide pool.





Jacob in the Rain Forest exhibit.




Nana and Popie check out the roof of the California Academy of Sciences building.

The roof is a living roof...all 2.5 acres.

Well, that is about it! I will keep you posted and share how school is going!