March Tid Bits

 I've already blogged so much about all the happenings in March, it's hard to think there are anymore! But a few things, to wit:

I had no idea this is what the inside of the Bean looks like!

One of my morning walks was beautifully misty. Pictures just don't do it justice. 

It was so ethereal and peaceful.

Ireland: Did you go on a walk with Annemarie today?
Me: No, she had lunch with another friend so I stayed home and made out with Dad. 

Ireland: I regret my line of questioning...

A friend of mine was surprised to hear I use readers and asked what kind I have. I told her I have several pairs that I wear depending on my mood. I have Dwight Shrute readers:

Intellectual readers:

Old lady get-off-my-lawn readers:

I can't remember why I took this photo with Gita but I need to do that more often, for sure. 

Ireland and Brigitta went to Science Olympiad!

Even though they medaled, only the top 3 schools go to state so this is as far as they got.

Ireland was recognized at National Junior Honors Society.

Not sure if you can tell how proud I am by my cheesy smile! Haha.

Sydney really wanted to go to BINGO night at the elementary school and I admit I was in a mood. A promise is a promise so we went and it was actually a lot of fun! Glad to have some one on one time with this cutie.

Sydney got her very own dopp kit for travel and was beyond thrilled to pack that thing up for San Francisco. In case you can't tell, she's a big fan of Bubble products.

For Young Women, the girls got to personalize a Book of Mormon. I'm enchanted with Liesel's little pink bows!

Brents a fan of a beanie but I think the coloring of this one kind of makes him look like he's going through chemotherapy. Fantastic smile though!

He had a colonoscopy and luckily things are looking good! As I watch my parents age, I'm getting more and more adamant about taking care of our bodies.

Phew! That's a wrap!

Throwback Thursday - San Francisco Edition

This visit to San Francisco reminded us of our last visit when the girls were just little. Ready for some throwbacks and recreations! Here we go:

Then

 Now

Sydney then

Sydney now

Brigitta then

Brigitta now

Brigitta then

Brigitta now

Great trips both times! FIVE STARS.

San Francisco with the "Little Girls"

 I have two older brothers, an older sister and two younger sisters. Growing up we were often divided into the "big kids" and the "little girls". I've inadvertently done the same thing with my own family and I often think of them as the "big girls" and the "little girls." 

Usually it's the big girls who are getting to have another adventure while the little girls have to stick by our side, safe and sound. Liesel and Ireland stayed in California so they could go to Youth Conference with Isaac and Elizabeth. They'd fly home on Liesel's 16th birthday so no unaccompanied minor fees required! They were so excited to have more time to spend with cousins and I could tell Gita and Sydney were a little bummed. We decided to have some more fun in San Francisco before returning the rental car and heading out. 

Brent and I have both done Alcatraz and weren't too keen to do it again but the little girls really wanted to go. We found parking, tickets were available and just like that we were on a ferry to the Rock.

My cynicism melted away as we took our headphones for the self-guided tour. So many little tidbits I'd forgotten about that are just fascinating!

This window was one of the most popular to look out because of the beautiful view of the city. For that matter, the yard where they could go out and get some exercise was also rather pretty with a view of the lovely bay. 

My favorite tid bit came from Jim Quillen, Inmate 586: The yacht club, which was directly across from the island, would always have a big New Year's party. If the wind was blowing from that direction to the Rock, you could actually hear people laughing, you could hear music, you could hear girls laughing. You know, you could hear all the sounds coming from the free world, at the Rock. And New Year's was always the night we heard it. 

There were several regulations and when I spied this messenger bag with Regulation #5, I absolutely had to have it! This is going to become one of my parenting mottos.

Back at the pier, I had to snap a picture of Brent in the part of the world he grew up in, looking so cool and casual. 

We didn't visit the real seals, but we did see these!

Brent wasn't interested in fighting the hustle and bustle at Boudin's bakery but I talked him into it. We all shared a bread bowl with the lobster chowder- we've had the clam chowder before and I wanted to try something different. Oh. My. YUM! It was so delicious and creamy. Outside was damp and just a tad chilly and it was the perfect stop to warm us up. 

Brent headed back to fetch the car while I walked with the girls a ways to Ghirardelli Square. We passed some fantastic photo op spots.  

By this time we were all tired and I didn't want to cross the street to get a photo of all those balloons. The neighborhood was feeling more dirty and less safe. 

Since we were on vacation, Brigitta got a mulligan on the chocolate challenge so she picked the most chocolaty sundae she could find.

Sydney opted for a caramel

They enjoyed those outside by the steps...

...and of course we had to get photos ON those colorful steps!

Brent rolled up and there was just one more place I wanted to check out before skipping town. Mel's Diner which was featured on American Graffiti

While the menu boasted the Route 66 Burger and Lana Del Rey shakes, we settle for the bacon ranch cheese fries. 

At last it was time to go.

Chicago glittered at us upon landing and it was good to be home with our little girls.

Great Wolf Lodge

 Before leaving the hotel, we awoke and had a healthy, balanced breakfast... or not so much. I specifically told the girls to have actual food for breakfast and as you can see, there is no nutritional content here. Gita said she was counting the orange juice.

Honestly Ireland didn't do much better. There is actually a mini waffle under all that whipped cream!

We all met up at the Great Wolf Lodge in Manteca and after sorting out rooms and getting settled, we hit the water park. Oh man, for the next couple of days we had so much fun on all those slides. Cousins divided, recombined and divided again. Some could be found at the wave pool and some at the splash and some forever in line at one of the big slides. We had SO MUCH FUN!!!

Confession: I do not suffer fools when it comes to family photos. Everyone got a free pair of wolf ears and as family leisurely wandered into the lobby I was dragging chairs and coffee tables. I placed everyone and ordered them all to make sure their eyes and chin were visible (somehow Brent missed that note- he is always partially obscured in photos- AURGH!). Sorry, not sorry- I think we got a decent photo of this very large family.

Original Wuehlers

I asked them to point at the person who farts the most. 

All the Wuehler ladies.

All the Wuehler gentlemen.

I don't remember if anyone tried out the ropes course, but a bunch of us did sneak away to the cafe right next to it (pb&j sandwiches were getting a little old). Was the food great? Not really, but that feeling of family just bellying up to the table and hanging out was there and we had so much fun connecting.  

There was one slide called the Wolf Tail that was a straight drop and I told the girls if they did it I would get them one thing they wanted from Sephora. Gita didn't think twice. Liesel mustered the courage. Sydney (knowing her limits) was out. We waited at the bottom of that slide for a while for Ireland. Someone finally came down and I asked if there was a blonde girl at the top trying to get up the nerve. He told us she was sobbing. Well, I'm proud to say Ireland faced her fear and came out of that slide still sobbing, but having done it. I gave her lots of hugs and kisses and told her how proud I was. At least she had some Sephora shopping to look forward to now!

These cousins went together like peas and carrots. Usually Elizabeth is kind of a lone wolf (pun!) as a teen girl and well, we boosted those numbers with our arrival. 

I noticed Sydney and Ezra were becoming little buddies so I snuck off with them to get the interactive wands so they could do the MagiQuest game. They were so very thoughtful choosing all the components of their wands and again, cousin bonding time!

I didn't take as many photos because 1- I didn't want my phone to get wet and 2- I decided to try my hand at a video instead. We celebrated Jeanne's birthday while we were at it and I felt she might enjoy a video a little better. I'm not very good, but she liked the video and that made me happy.