We Four Bees: vacation

We spent the longest part of our summer vacation relaxing at a beach house in Pacific Grove, which is really just a short walk from Monterey and a short drive to Carmel. Our little place sat across the street from the ocean and from our front window we could see all kinds of amazing animal life, which included seals, otters, birds, and, believe it or not, whales! I wish I could have gotten a picture of the whale who seemed to be frolicking (can something as heavy as a whale frolic?) about two hundred yards from the beach that day. It was incredible.

View from the upstairs balcony

Don't you just love sweaters on the beach??

Mmmmm...I love to kiss those cheeks!!

Told you.

A really cool trail ran from outside our front door into Monterey and the weather was so nice that we were able to pack the kids up and walk about 20-30 minutes to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was a truly amazing place. We saw kelp forests, sea horses, all kinds of fish, sharks...the list goes on and on. It was really a very well-planned and well-managed facility. The trail ran by a cool little park, Lover's Point, where we picnicked and crawled out on some rocks to get close up views of sea anemones and starfish. Oh, and Ford got some running in too.

Our dear friends Seth and Olivia also graced us with their presence for part of the vacation. Yes, I know what you are thinking..."Brave souls to join that family of four in a beach house." They were brave. But I think we had fun hanging out at Carmel-by-the-Sea...

The water was cooooooold.

I know its hard to see, but that's a sea otter floating on his back.

Too much fun.

My parents have a picture of me as a
child in the exact same pose.

...briefly hiking in Big Sur (its hard to do with a two-year-old and a three month)....

These pictures were taken on the way out to Big Sur.

The trees were big.

drinking hot chocolate and coffee in the morning on the "veranda"...

....and eating some delicious seafood at Passion Fish. We were so happy to have Seth and Olivia there with us. Ford formed some serious attachments. He cried when they left and demanded that he, sans underwear (we were potty training), and I, shoeless and in my jammies, chase them across the street as they prepared to drive away so he could give them each one last kiss. What can I say? When my kid falls, he falls hard.

So this is the last installment of my posts on the California vacation. We had beautiful weather, good food, (mostly) well-behaved children and great friends...we couldn't ask for anything more. I can't wait to share pictures of Emerson's baptism and Ford's 3rd birthday party. Come back soon!

- Stacy

I've been to San Francisco several times, but this time around the weather was something that I truly appreciated. We fled the stifling Dallas heat and found ourselves in sweaters and jeans all week long. We opted to stay in a hotel down near the wharf because of Matt's early morning swim, but the location turned out to be a real godsend as we experienced our first vacation with two little kiddos in tow. The proximity to restaurants, parks and tourist traps allowed us to walk out the door and entertain ourselves for a little while and then walk a few short blocks back to the room when the kids started to fade.

Pier 39

The sea lions...gone! Apparently June is the middle of breeding season.

There were a few sea lions hanging around.

This little guy was pretty friendly.

Ford wasn't too upset about it, though.

The Buena Vista

Warming up with Irish coffees and a hot chocolate at the Buena Vista

He may look like a rascal, but our waitress said he was her favorite.

Trolley Cars

Historic Streetcars

But we didn't sequester ourselves in the touristy wharf area. We got out and about in the city, using as many forms as public transportation as we could fit into our schedule.