Family Adventures, Fall 2014

The Bay area is incredible. That's really all there is to say. :) 

Most of our weekends include at least one big adventure; it's when we're all happiest. I'd love to teach our kids that we value relationships and experiences over possessions, and I think exploring this beautiful earth God gave us is a great way to do it. 

That said, we're still a normal family. Kids whine; Mom and Dad (but mostly Mom) get snappy. Thankfully, we still manage to surprise ourselves with some pretty great memories. 

Pictured: Beach outings (San Gregorio and Montara); a foggy drive up Twin Peaks; a gorgeous, blackberry-lined hike up Mt. Davison; Ryan's backpacking trip with his friend Matt to Carson Pass; an apple-picking extravaganza; and a detour to climb on rocks and socialize with seals at Ano Nuevo Reserve. 

Life at Home, Fall 2014

A while ago, we discovered that the key to happy weekends, for us, is getting out and exploring. So we've been having a lot of pretty amazing family adventures, while we live in such an incredible place.

But there are so many sweet, ordinary moments at home that deserve some serious air time too. I love my family!

Highlights? In no order: Christmas lights poked into boxes for hours of fun (thank you, pinterest); lots of cuddle/jump time on my bed; a case of the grumps; Chase catching a lizard on the patio, with more stealth than I knew he had in him (we have two lizards who live near our patio - Ike and Zoomy); Chase and Quinn's weekly date at my window watching the landscapers; a week of rock climbing camp (late summer); an epic lemonade stand the weekend before school started; and Trenton showing off his "student of the week" poster.