Our October Stay-cation

We decided to take the week of October 4th off to celebrate my dad's 66th birthday on the sailboat and enjoy some time around the bay area with friends. It was one of the best vacations ever with fabulous weather and limited travel! Tavis, Ksenia and Daniel (also 2 years old) were here from London and the boys immediately took to each other. They bonded in particular over Lawson's trains, guitar, books, and 'tractor'. Lawson was tasked with helping Daniel learn a few more words and phrases. Daniel quickly grasped the word "Lawsy" and proceeded to ask for him wherever we went. Surprisingly they were great roommates the entire time, despite Daniel's two early 5am wakeup calls. We headed down to Monterey via Palo Alto to enjoy lunch at Rachel and Robbie's house. Delicious homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches were everyone's delight. The hammock added to our enjoyment. We arrived in Monterey to enjoy the large house we had rented with gourmet kitchen, two spas, firepit, and guest house. Ethan proceeded to buy an egregious amount of food for us. His defense ... Ksenia was eating for two! We set out the next day for the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. While Daniel was still a little young to enjoy everything, Lawson on the other hand was captivated. He wanted desperately to pet a starfish and sea cucumber, his second activity after watching the scuba diver feed the fish in the kelp forest. We were all absolutely amazed by the jellyfish and he experimented with all of the water concepts in the splash zone. I personally favored the seahorses - absolutely incredible. By 3pm, Lawson told us he was tired and fell asleep instantly in his car seat on the way back. That afternoon, the boys enjoyed the local Dennis the Menace playground which had fantastic equipment and an actual train locomotive. The following day, we took a drive down to Carmel Beach, which if you haven't been is one of the most pristine, white sand, crystal clear water beaches anywhere. The boys enjoyed playing in the sand and Lawson's lips had to turn blue before he would come out of the water. Both boys slept in the car all the way home... Once back in SF, we proceeded to enjoy having the whole gang together. Activities included a special dinner out as a group, the afternoon on the boat during Fleet Week watching the air show - particularly enjoying the Blue Angels fly directly overhead. And when Jordan arrived we had a true reunion over at Lester's house and captured it with a group photo.

I for one just loved being together as a family with Ethan and Lawson. Our son has become such a charming, caring, and funny little guy. The way he looked out for Daniel and showed him around the town was priceless. He enjoys being with everyone, particularly all of our college friends, whom are lovingly coined his 'aunts' and 'uncles.' If anyone wants to take a trip to SF, let it be known that the first two weeks of October are the most beautiful. It is our Indian Summer and temperatures are in the 80s. I intend to take a week off during this time and spend it in the bay area every year! Won't you join us sometime?