Lake Tahoe

Our last stop on our trip was Lake Tahoe. We really didn't have anything specific planned for while we were there, just drive and stop whenever we want. This was my first time in Tahoe and it was beautiful. I don't know how I grew up in California and was never taken there.

We stopped and took a short two mile (round trip) hike to the Vikingsholm Castle. It was closed for the season so we couldn't go in, but we could peek in a few windows and walk around the grounds. We were so proud of Chloe because she walked almost the whole way! What a little trooper. We kept her walking by letting her find acorns to fill her pockets with.

Aaron's favorite part of the trip was driving to the beginning of the famous Rubicon Jeep trail head. He is planning a trip for next Labor day to go on it with is dad and brother-in-law. Just seeing it got him excite. Now he just has to figure out how to get everyone's Jeeps there without having to drive them 10 hours there and back.

After driving around the lake, we got to our hotel and played in the pool/hot tub until bed. The next morning we packed up and headed home. We packed a lot into our vacation and drove over 2,500 miles, but we had a great time and got in a much needed vacation.

San Francisco

In San Francisco, we spent the day walking around on the waterfront and the piers. We also took a boat ride around Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge. We ended the day driving down Lombard street.

At Pier 39, we stopped to see the sea lions and Abby was fascinated with them. She kept grabbing at the railing trying to reach them. We also found a little beach and stopped to play for a minute. Chloe liked putting her feet in the cold water and waiting for the next wave to come in. It was her first time in the ocean. in fact, it was also the first time seeing the ocean....she wasn't all that impressed. :)

The boat ride was fun because I had never been before. We went all around Alcatraz and under the bridge. It w a tour boat, so they shared fun facts the whole time as well. Did you know the Golden Gate Bridge did not get that name because of its color, but because the passage of water it spans was named the Golden Gate long before the bridge was ever even built? The kids thought it was fun, but by the end of a 90 minute ride around teh bay, they had both fallen asleep.



By the time we got to Lombard Street it was too dark to get great pictures but it was still fun to say that we drove down it...I don't know how people stand actually living on it with all the tourists constantly driving down it.

Muir Woods

I have always loved going to Muir Woods National Monument because it is sooo beautiful. I thought Chloe would get a kick out of seeing all the big Redwood trees, so we made this one of our stops. Chloe told me that she liked them because, "They were so huge!" Our pictures are not great from here because we changed the setting on the camera and it made them a little blurry...oh well!

I think this tree is kinda big, don't you?

Aaron with the kids

At the entrance

Chloe and Daddy

This tree started growing in 90 A.D. and fell in the 1930's

The trees

Chloe showing off the big leaf she found

Golden Gate Bridge

Since we packed so many fun things into our trip to California, I have decided to do a bunch of mini posts instead of one huge one. So, the next few posts will all be from our trip.

We spent a night in San Francisco and the next day we headed out to Muir Woods. In order to get there, we got to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. We stopped so we could walk over it; however, the sidewalk on teh end of the briedge we stopped at was closed, so we couldn't walk across it without driving back towards San Fancisco and paying the toll. Oh well, we got some fun pictures anyways and now we can say we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge.

My newest favorite picture of our beautiful girls.

Devon on the walkway to the bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Our Family

Driving over the bridge.

Chloe

Fairy Tale Town

When I was a kid, one of my favorite places to go was Fairy Tale Town. It is a park that is themed all around different fairy tales. Thus, when I knew that we were going to Sacramento for my cousin's wedding, I knew that we had to make a special stop. So after 9+ hours of driving, we arrived at Fairy Tale Town and had a few hours of fun.

At the entrance with Humpty Dumpty

Riding on Cinderella's pumpkin carriage.

It was pretty much the same as I remember it, just a lot smaller=). The crooked mile was one of my favorite places to play and the three blind mice's cheese was also a big hit for me as a kid. Chloe loved it all. She told me that she liked Mary's lambs (Mary had a little lamb) and Owl's tree house from Winnie the Pooh.

The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe.

In Sherwood Forest

Sitting on Mother Goose's lap

The Three Blind Mice's cheese

It brought back tons of fun memories and I was glad that we got to go!

Pumpkin Patch

We went with our neighbors today to the local pumpkin patch, and of course I had to bring my camera to document it. The weather was a million times better than when we went to Cornbelly's last week, so the kids were able to enjoy it much more. I love that I am a stay at home mom and can just do fun things like this whenever I want!

Abby

Chloe and Bentley

Chloe in the corn pit

Just us girls

The BFF's

My cute girls. What up with that face, Chloe?

Cornbelly's Corn Maze

One of the main things Tawna wanted to do while she was in town was to go to a corn maze. The weather was not too cooperative, but the sun did come out on Saturday, so we all bundled up and headed to the Cornbelly's in Lehi.

Our Family

On the cow train

It was my first time going to this particular corn maze, and I was amazed at how many things there were to do. We spent two+ hours there and didn't even get to the corn maze itself! I don't know if there was a favorite activity that Chloe liked best, but I do know of one that she did not like at all! There was a clown house that had fake severed clown heads hanging from the ceiling!!! Yeah, there should be a warning for parents before entering that kind of attraction!

On the Pumpkin Princess' Carriage

Picture with the Pumpkin Princess

Despite the cold weather, we all had a great time and it was a great way to kick off the Halloween season.

Chloe...what a ham!

Who do you think liked the corn more?

Grandma and Grandpa with Kiara