Since Dustin is switching jobs at Wells Fargo, the opportunity arose for him to take some vacation time before officially starting his new job. It didn't seem like the right time to squeeze in another big vacation, but a week at home with the kids and I would be just the ticket. His "Staycation" week was very productive and jam-packed with our usual activities and lots of fun adventures and outings!
Monday: We headed up to Berkeley for some play time at the Habitot Museum. That place is so cool! There were lots of fun activities in each of the rooms for the kids to do (painting, water stations, role play, etc.). It was a fun way for the kids to spend their morning by using their imaginations. For lunch, we headed down to Oakland for a trip to Fenton's for some good ol' diner food and an ice cream sundae that was as big as our heads. Since Dustin was with us, we risked it and snuck in a trip to the Oakland Zoo before we called it a day. We were able to see just about everything, and the zoo was practically empty so it felt like we had the place all to ourselves. We still made it back in time for Dustin to watch Lyla at her dance class. It is kind of amazing to pack so much into one day and still be able to get the kids on time, but we managed. Day one completed!
Tuesday: The morning started off with a special treat for Lyla because Dustin spent the entire morning with her at preschool volunteering. She liked showing him off and doing a little showing off herself. It was a great experience for Dustin, as he now feels a lot more connected to what Lyla is working on in school and was really impressed with her teachers and the staff. We love Prince of Peace Preschool! After school, lunch, and naps, the kids and Dustin headed down to Portola for an overnight camping trip. The thought of roughing it in a tent doesn't appeal to me usually, and it seemed an extra bit daunting in my current pregnant state. Dustin was a trooper and took the initiative to take the kids out by himself completely solo, and it went awesome! The kids slept great (although definitely didn't sleep in), and they got in a weenie roast and 1.5 mile hike. The trip went off without a hitch (if you don't count Lyla getting carsick and projectile puking in the car on the way home!). I felt extra pressure to make my night by myself count, so I treated myself to an early Mother's Day indulgence and had a nice relaxing facial at the spa. Sleeping in a big empty house wasn't very fun, though, and I was super happy to see Dustin and the kids when they got back the next morning.
Wednesday: We really packed our schedule in tight this day! Dustin and the kids got back from their campout with just enough time to take quick showers to rinse off their strong smokey odor and head straight to swim class. I usually am in the pool with Hank, so it was fun to A. not get into the pool, B. watch Hank interact with Dustin in the water instead of me, C. for Dustin to see how much better the kids got since last time he saw them, and D. for me to spend extra time focusing on Lyla (I'm usually pretty preoccupied with Hank). As soon as the crew finished swim lessons, we got changed and dried off and packed back into the car for a trek into San Francisco for a Giants baseball game. It was mine, Lyla's and Hank's first Giants experience, and Hank's first baseball game ever. It was a hot day, and the kids lasted through four innings before we even got up. They probably could've lasted longer, but Dustin and I needed a break from the heat too! It was a good game and nice experience, even if the Giants ended up losing to the Padres. We fought traffic back home and made it back with about 30 minutes to spare before Dustin had to head to his Young Men's activity for the night. I don't think we could have packed anything else, and I'm glad we had just enough time to get all of our adventures in for the day without feeling overly rushed.
Thursday/Friday: The original plan was to head to Yosemite for some great outdoor adventuring BUT when we looked at the weather forecast Wednesday night, we saw rain, thunder, lightning, and snow. Not exactly ideal weather for going outdoors with little kids. We made a game-time decision and opted to take an overnight trip down to Monterey instead. We took off as soon as Lyla got done with preschool and headed straight for the Monterey Bay Aquarium. That place is so amazing! Every time we go, I feel like we never get to see everything. This trip we got to go once on Thursday and finish up on Friday, and I think we could have stayed at the aquarium even longer! Aside from the major fish-watching, we took a short scenic hike so we could take in some great sights on Monterey Bay. There was also some local restaurant/food/shop seeking, and, of course, a quick dip in the pool at the hotel. I'm pretty sure we could have spent several more days there, but we had Lyla's soccer practice to head back for and some pending dinner reservations that we'd had on the book for months (literally). And just like that, our Staycation Week came to an end.
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