California - Day One

San Francisco began early for the Drafts crew....5:30am and we were on our way to the airport.  With an hour and halfish arrival in advance, we thought we were all set to go!

Well, that was not the case.

And in case anyone asks, no, security doesn't care if your plane is departing without you - in fact, if you tell them this information, they are more likely to move in sloth-mode to ensure that you will indeed miss your flight.

Less, I digress.  

We gathered ourselves and I gave my uplifting speech of how life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react....and, Ryan was able to get us on the next flight an hour later!!!  Yahoo!  We were off!

We arrived - Ryan took MK, Maryn and Chapman Ubering while the boys, Maddox and I took off on the BART - planes, trains and automobiles kind of day.

We arrived at our ho-n-tel (Maryn's name for hotels) and we are all thrilled with our setup for the week....it's huge and there is a place for everyone to sleep soundly!   

The hotel lobby has a cell set-up describing life at Alcatraz....

and they also have these cool candy decorations with all sorts of Easter candy.

The day began just how we all like it....sleeping in, relaxing for a bit, and then we were on our way....

 Our first stop of the day, Pier 39 2-story carousel....

 and each little girl found their favorite animal to ride....the boys went shopping for sunglasses thus their absence in this fun!  

 Ryan and I visited SF many moons ago, back when we had 2 little children.  During that trip, we stumbled upon our first Bubba Gump restaurant experience so today we decided to reminisce and take a pic of the two of us with BG.

 Sealions and more sea lions....

 the funny thing is that we saw them several times throughout our day and we all wanted to watch them every time!  They are quite fun...we even saw a little playful arguing amongst them.

 We had to keep an eye on Maryn....pretty sure she would have climbed right on in the water had we not been standing there reminding her not to climb up so far.

 

 Our day at the pier was a great way to begin our adventure!

Boudin's Bread Factory

It is a memory the boys have from our trip here a few years ago....and it didn't disappoint....yummy!  P asked if we could please come back!  Ha.  If you know P, you know he either loves what he eats or hates it....he LOVED the clam chowder bowl! It was cool to see the different creature creations made out of bread....and the Easter bunny riding along in a bread basket overhead.

 Bread bowls were a hit and it was a blessing for me to see these four chatting and laughing their way through lunch.

 Sea Lion Statues for the win....the girls loved these guys!

 Maddox loved sending her friends back home a pic of her with the sea lions in the background...

 and Maryn was our little navigator for the day!  She led us straight to the beach!

YAHOO....we all love a good relaxing moment by the water!

 The girls danced their hearts out....

 and did a few jumps....

 and then danced some more....I mean, how often does one get to dance on a beach with the Golden Gate beach as the backdrop???

 And then there was C....bless.  He looked at the pic and said, "It looked so much better in my head!" LOL  

Ghirardelli Square

 The square was the perfect little patch of grass for our crew to relax some more....

It was such a beautiful day in the city, not a cloud in the sky!

This Chapman.  She is the funniest thing.  She kind of stumbled backwards and fell down.  We all asked if she was ok and she told us, "SHHH, I seeping!" And then she pretended to snore.  

Next up, the bay cruise....the girls and I did the bay cruise while the boys took off to Alcatraz.  

 It was great fun for all of us....

 under the bridge we went....

 and then came the sail past Alcatraz.

 I am thankful the boys were able to experience this with Ryan....I've been before and thought maybe it would be too much for the girls but sailing by was just perfect for them.  

The Aquarium By the Bay

 The girls loved touching the baby stingrays and other sea creatures....

 Maddox loved the exhibits, especially the octopus eggs.

 Maryn studied the types of fish swimming in the sea....

 and the girls loved making faces with these cut-outs....

 swarms of fish....

and more faces!  Loved my time with my family today!  It was a great first day of vacation for this crew!

March Madness

March came in with a bang....first up, Colin turned 18!!

 This guy of ours is now legally an adult but in my eyes he will always be my little man trapped in a kid's body....

 We tell Colin almost daily that he is the "experiment" and the "leader of our tribe"....the decisions we make for him are leading the way for the decisions we make for our others....this parenting thing is no joke and I pray daily that I am doing it right for each of my kiddos.  

 His 18th year was welcomed in with family and friends, lots of memories shared and laughs galore!  We love this man-child of ours!

 In between birthday dinners and lunches, there was a prom date to be invited....Colin thought of all of her favorites to include during this special moment!

 In January of 2017, I became a Matilda Jane Trunk Keeper.  I am in my third season and just can't get enough of this company....so much cuteness and COMFORT to be had for all of the women and little girls around.  Chapman is often found climbing on all of the boxes and "helping" me sort through it all when a new box arrives!

 P-Man....Pryce is having a fabulous start to his first year of JV baseball at his school!  He is a starting pitcher, a third baseman, and a filler for second base as well....and his hitting is stellar.  We are thankful for this opportunity to play the sport that he loves surrounded by great leaders and the best of friends!

 Our beautiful MK

 5th grade is treating her well....

 She was recently selected to be a member of the National Jr. Beta Club...

 I am always so proud of her for keeping up with her school work, loving her friends, volunteering to do things above and beyond what is expected at school and for dancing her heart out at ballet!  

 A day at the zoo....

 we recently connected with a mom and an 11 year old little girl, Daisy, who were in GA receiving treatment for brain cancer.  During their month-long stay, we visited with them often and tried to make their time here as easy as possible.  Because we love our zoo, we chose to take them there for the day.  What a joy it was to see Daisy and my girls so thrilled with their time outdoors with the animals.  There were lots of giggles and everyone left happy!

 Chapman loved watching these turtles....we would try to distract her with other exhibits and she would always find her way back to these guys!

 My two littles are the best of friends....silliness surrounds them! Monkey see and Monkey do.

 Maryn chose the Panda because she knows MK loves Pandas.

 Daisy, Maddox, and Maryn

 The giraffe's tongue as quite impressive....

 the girls weren't really sure if they should be grossed out or excited by this long tongue coming at them for food!

 Chapman loves tigers....I suppose her father's love for the Clemson Tigers is wearing on her.

 This scuba diver was cleaning the penguin tank.  Chapman sat and watched every move and would wave to him every so often.  What isn't pictured are the penguins....usually the penguins are all in the water, diving here and there and swimming to and fro.  On this day, they were all standing very strategically on land in what appeared to be an attention pose.....and they were waiting very patiently for this scuba diver to finish his job so they could get back to swimming!

 Sweet Maddox and her friend, Daisy.  Thankful for both of them.....my Maddox has the kindest little heart and just wants people to feel love.  She had some questions about Daisy's diagnosis but that just led to her heart growing more empathy for others....

 Little bit watches everyone and takes it all in....she is the busiest little one ever and those wheels inside her head never stop turning!

 Sisters make the best of friends....

 And finally, this girl of mine may have been born in China but her love for grits makes her a child of the southern US!  She licked each grit from the bowl and then begged for more!

With everyone being in school this year, I do find myself feeling as though I am stretched.  I want to be in their lives every minute of every day but being the parent to SIX who are in SIX+ directions can make things a bit challenging.  It is good and we are thankful for where we are yet I do pray that I am able to give to my children all that they deserve....time being the most important.  These days are going by way too fast and my babies are growing up!