First Camping Trip of the Year

 We had a great weekend here.  Tom got home on Friday afternoon, and O was very happy to have his Daddy back!

On Saturday, we enjoyed the company of friends at a party for one of our former sponsor cadets who is getting out of the Coast Guard.

Early on Saturday, we drove up to Sonoma to go camping.  O was excited about it all week, and fortunately, the campsite and the experience did not disappoint.  We all had a nice day visiting a couple wineries before setting up camp for the afternoon and evening.

This morning, we hiked in the State Park where we stayed before heading back home.  We shook out the camping cobwebs, as I considered this our camping "shakedown" for the year.  Now I have the bug, and will want to go every weekend.

Last weekend, Tom and I went to the Coast Guard Ball. We had a nice time at the "fancy dance" as O liked to call it, and he got to enjoy the undivided attention of a babysitter.

Three!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our favorite boy!!!

O had a great day today - first thing this morning he got to open presents and see the fun decorations in the kitchen.

He got a great blanket from Grandma...

A new bike from Mom and Dad...

We all had fun playing at the playground.

After playing, he got to open another surprise from Nan...

Fire Chief Olin in the house.

Back up, there's a fire in here!

And then Cake!!!

He liked the cake.

Yummmm

Monterey Bay

We took a trip to Monterey to celebrate O's Birthday and see a little bit more of the California coast.  

On the way down, we stopped at a winery, of course.  O would be disappointed if we didn't!

We also stopped at Marina Dunes, just outside of Monterey.  It is a gorgeous beach, and we had fun playing in the sand and watching the waves crash in.

On Friday, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  O had a great time.  His favorite things were the penguins and the otters.  He also enjoyed the touch pools, although he was a little wary of the critters.

We all enjoyed the jellyfish exhibit.  It was pretty amazing.  Here is is with moon jellyfish.

On Friday afternoon, while O was taking a nap at the room, Tom and I drove the 17 Mile Drive around the peninsula and Pebble Beach.  Although anything to do with golf is lost on us, the scenery was spectacular.

Before departing for home we stopped at Dennis the Menace Playground.  It was a pretty cool playground with lots of fun things to do.

Checking the structural integrity of the swing bridge.

Whee!!

Here he comes,

there he goes.

Nan!

The trip to Monterey was a great adventure!

Gondola Ride

On Wednesday evening, we took Nan for an early Mother's Day outing in Oakland.  The four of us enjoyed a relaxing gondola ride on Lake Merritt.  The gondolas (and gondolier) are from Venice, so it is a pretty authentic experience.  O especially liked the cheese!

He calls this is "wine maker hat", thanks to Grandpa!

A beautiful evening,

Happy Easter

We have been having a great time around here in Alameda!  Nan arrived last Thursday, and we have been having a great time ever since.

We had a fun Easter last weekend.  We died eggs...

And made train noises...

Chuga chuga choo choo

On Easter morning, we went to an egg hunt at Pam's house.  O had a great time looking for eggs.

This weekend, we went to Monterey for a pre-birthday trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I will post some pictures from the trip and his birthday, but wanted to get the Easter photos up!