Camping near Trinidad

Went camping this weekend at a county park just north of Patrick's Point State Park, the beaches were beautiful and the weather was nice and cool. Spent most of the weekend at the beaches (where the boys learned how to "harvest" nori seaweed that they are for dinner)

Canoeing the Russian River

We went canoeing down the Russian River today, the kids had a great time. Beautiful views of vineyards and hills and a warm day made it perfect.

Quinn's 4th Birthday (Angry Birds)

Quinn's 4th Birthday was a hit. Jennifer made some really great "cake pops" and other assorted angry birds snacks and the kids played pass the parcel, throw the angry bird at the green balloon pig and chased the adults around in angry birds masks to name a few. Overall Quinn had a great day

Que Rico...El Mambo!

Kieran's Kindergarten classes put on a show at the wells fargo center, it was all really well done. Kieran and the other kids had a great time, the place was packed and loud which made it even more fun for them. They had been practicing this latin dance for months, his dance partner was Xochitl and they practiced together at least 3 times a week.

Geocaching

We recently started geocaching for something for the boys to do when we go out. They absolutely love it, went hiking near Armstrong Redwoods today and they found a few that were pretty far out and well hid. They traded for few trinkets others had left and found a "trackable" item that had started in Kentucky.

Point Arena Lighthouse

We spent a long weekend at the coast and rented a keepers quarters at the point arena lighthouse. Everyone had a fantastic time, and the weather stayed pretty nice the entire time for us. Our place was the left half of the building under Quinn's kite in the first picture. It had great views from both sides of the house and since the lighthouse doesn't open until 10 and closes at 330, the rest of the time we are there with only three other families. Quinn and Kieran climbed to the top of the lighthouse "all 135 stairs by themselves!", you can see them looking down the tower at us. You can also see the beautiful Fresnel lighthouse lens in the picture behind Kieran where he is cheesing it up. Probably our new favorite vacation spot, a lot to do and beautiful area.

Glass Beach & Manchester Beach

We spent a lot of time at two beaches in the area, Glass Beach and Manchester Beach. Kieran has been obsessed with sea glass since we met all the family in Mendocino two years ago and there is a beach in Ft. Bragg that is covered with it. Manchester beach is where the San Andreas fault runs into the Pacific and was right down the street from our place. It was covered in drift wood where they kept themselves entertained for hours.

Skunk "Easter Express" Train

We all rode the California Western "Skunk" Train Saturday from Ft. Bragg to Willits, a old train that runs from the coast through the redwoods that used to transport lumber. They had a special train this weekend for easter and they stopped at a station and had a easter egg hunt and brunch set up and when the kids got back on the train there were eggs hidden throughout the cars. Everyone had a really good time, although Kieran wasn't a big fan of the singing conductor. He came up and started singing a song to them and Kieran just looked at him, didn't say a word and immediately walked away (the guy just started laughing). They found a lot of eggs and enjoyed the ride, the weather was nice and there was a open car you can see great views from. Since it goes through the mountains, there were alot of bridges and a long tunnel as well.

Cherry Blossom Festival

We went down to Japantown in the city for the cherry blossom festival. Everyone had a really good time. We learned today that a small camelback holds about 7X and 5X more than Quinn and Kieran's bladders respectively. Unfortunately for us, however, they never filled at the same time. So although most of the 20,000 visitors got to enjoy various crafts and events, I was able to visit every public restroom (and a tree) in the area.

MuckDawgs

Kieran had a game this weekend. Went pretty well overall, here are a few pictures (and one video) of him playing first, then making a throw to first from shortstop. You can tell how intense the games are in the picture with the two kids chatting at first base and one of Kieran's teammates laying down to take a rest while Kieran stands around (this was during play!), but they all seem to have fun.

Sunday Afternoon

Rode the bikes up to the lakes/ponds today. Don't know if the kids or Charlie has more fun

Crabs

Kieran & Quinn went looking for little crabs most of the afternoon, they had a great time hunting them out of the rocks.

Sandy

I sometimes wonder how sand ends up all over the car, in Quinn's ear, and in his pockets for weeks at a time.

Bodega Bay

Went to Bodega Bay today to look for whales and poke around. The boys had a great time playing in the sand and mud, they went through two sets of clothes and if you notice in the last picture, almost lost Quinn's shoe in the mud (he is balancing out in the mudflat barefoot waiting for a rescue). We also saw 2 whales heading north and a few sea lions.