Goodbye 2019; Hello 2020!

What a great year!

There were first concerts for each boy,

Evan's last talent show,

Multiple performances from Luke,

Lots of traveling! Houston, the beach, California!

Our first broken bone,

The end of elementary school,
POPPY!!

Some amazing holidays

And the Christmas FLU

Goodbye, 2019! We had a great time. Looking forward to the next DECADE of fun!

Alcatraz

We spent our last day exploring the city and visiting Alcatraz. Luckily, Missy got tickets back in November!

We went exploring on Pier 39 for a little bit before heading over to the island. This selfie makes me chuckle so hard! Ian, Missy, and Evan are the only ones who head the countdown apparently. Y'all...I am still laughing.

We were able to see all the shops, take in the views and visit in the sea lions! They were fun. 

Soon it was time to board the ferry and make our way over to Alcatraz!

The ferry gave us some more extraordinary views!

Inside was fascinating. We did the audio walking tour. The history of the prison is rich.

Fun fact - they kept the shower water as warm as they could so if the prisoners tried to escape, the water in the bay would be too cold to stand. Also, there was no privacy...

and don't think for an instant I didn't threaten to leave them there....

The island also provided some terrific views. One part of the tour talked about how prisoners could sometimes hear the New Years Eve parties floating over the bay.

It was a great tour and I highly recommend it to anyone who goes to San Francisco!

We ended our day walking to Ghiradelli Square. While the lines were super long and we didn't get to enjoy any chocolate, we did find yet another brewery to refuel for our walk back.

20,000 steps later we were ready to head back home! What a last day!!

Exploratorium

We visited the cousins' favorite museum, Exploratorium, on day three. We knew we were going to drive into the city for Alcatraz but decided to brave the trip two days in a row for this amazing museum. There was no shortage of exhibits or people. It's a popular place, especially on a rainy day!

This museum requires you to be hands-on! You won't find a 'Please don't touch" sign anywhere! Especially at the toilet water fountain. Two water fountains....both porcelain...one is shaped like a toilet (which is obviously unused!) Which one do you choose? Well, you can see what my family chose.

Freeze frame water droplets or photobomb opportunity? 

No filter needed here! This monochromatic room hides all the colors. You have to shine a flashlight to reveal all them. 

Who says video games aren't social? Can they work together to win these games?

This was Imogen's favorite exhibit. This was my least favorite exhibit. Dead decomposing mice...ewww.

So many mirrors!

Evan found a drum set.

Is it hot or is it cold?? We can't tell!

There was art too! 

What does it take to power these electric items? A lot of pedaling!

Air is a pretty powerful thing.

Can color affect your mood? Put this giant glowing ball on your head and find out!

It was a terrific but exhausting day!

Views and Food!!

The next couple of days were unplanned when we got there. We decided we all needed to watch Memphis (lose) in the Cotton Bowl and football starts crazy early there because of the time zone. We broke up the day by going on an amazing hike. John and I thought it would be just a casual stroll around the hilly neighborhood. About 2.5 hours later we arrived back home. It was soooooo wonderful! We couldn't get over all the views!

Imogen was MOST excited about introducing her cousins to In-and-Out. Since Evan doesn't eat hamburgers, he missed out, but Luke rated it way high on his list of favorite hamburgers! The adults got to enjoy some beer at another brewery and some amazing food truck lobster!