Precious!

Last night I woke Charlotte up just before 11 pm to give her a bottle. We don't normally do that but she hadn't had much to eat that day so I didn't want her to wake up in the middle of the night hungry. Really, I think I just missed her and wanted an excuse to cuddle with her.

I laid her down on the floor with her bottle like we normally do but instead of trying to accomplish something in the time it takes her to finish her bottle, I laid down next to her. We were on the floor of our master bedroom. Only one light was on so it was kind of dark and quiet. 

I laid there enamored by her. I pondered how those tiny hands were capable of holding the bottle just right so she could feed herself. How can something so tiny and new, know what to do already? How were they so capable? 

I stared at her little flat nose, and her perfect skin. I thought about how the tips of her baby fine blondish, reddish, brown hair is the same hair that was on her head when she was still in my tummy just a few months ago. I drank in the way her eyelashes appeared to shoot straight out from her eyelids yet they still had a hint of curvature. I admired her sweet chubby legs and adorable little feet. 

I wish I could ingrain all these images into my memory. I never want to forget how just laying there and looking at this gift God has given me made me feel. So precious.

San Francisco Trip - Day 3!

On day three of our vacation, we took a drive through the city to go to the Academy of Sciences. It's this great place with lots of different activities for families.

The Academy of Sciences is located in Golden Gate Park. 

Daniel especially loved the park! We arrived early in the morning. The park was gorgeous, the weather was perfect and the atmosphere was tranquil. We observed older Asian Americans performing Tai Chi as part of their morning exercise. 

The first thing we saw when we walked into the Academy of Sciences was this huge T-Rex! I've always wanted to see one of these in person and show the girls one too. 

We checked out the living roof. 

There were many more exhibits than we anticipated. I had planned on visiting much of Golden Gate Park and the Academy of Sciences before driving back to Fresno but we underestimated how much there was to do. I think we spent 6 hours inside the Academy and we still hadn't seen or done much of what was available.

Kind of hard to see but Daniel is standing next to a big boa constrictor that we had just petted.

Awwww......baby Ostriches!

I love series of pictures that show the girls' personality. Check out this one below.

There was an area called the living rain forest. It was full of different kinds of butterflies!

Daniel helped Morgan hold one by herself.

I was proud of her for not being scared.

The aquarium section of this place was worth the money alone!

We got to watch a 3-D movie about dinosaurs! 

The African section had amazing stuffed animals! Morgan checked out the lions.

And Daniel watched live penguins. 

After leaving the Academy of Sciences, we took about a 15 minute walk to the kids' playground area of Golden Gate Park.

Sweet Charlotte was beat! 

But we woke her up because we wanted her to sleep on the way home instead.

Charlotte hung out with me while big sister ran all over!

Charlotte come back! She's mobile but not because she's crawling. She scoots backwards, turns in circles and sometimes rolls.

Daniel playing with his baby girl. :)

I've forgotten to mention that a highlight of the entire trip for Morgan was the hotel. She was excited that she got her very own bed. She loved that we all slept in the same room. She just loved it in general. I appreciated that it brought back memories of me staying in hotels when I was little. I remember how exciting it was and could relate to her giddiness. I love that our little ones bring back beautiful glimpses of our own childhood!

We had an amazing time on our trip! 

San Francisco Trip - Day 2!

We visited Alcatraz on day two of our trip. Daniel has always wanted to go and I wanted to do stuff that catered to him too. As cliche as it might sound, I'm happy as long as I'm doing stuff with my family! 

The walk from the parking garage to where we boarded the boat to Alcatraz was gorgeous!

Daniel and I took pictures while on the boat ride to Alcatraz.

There's Alcatraz!

And below is the view of the city while docked at the former prison.

Even Morgan took the audio tour. Below she listened to her headphones while looking in one of the cells.

I loved watching the girls entertain each other during the trip.

 I wasn't expecting the stunning views!

Charlotte's ready to take on the world!

I would definitely recommend visiting Alcatraz. It was interesting and gorgeous! 

After arriving back in San Francisco, we ate some delicious clam chowder in sourdough bowls and then went to an Aquarium on Pier 39!

I'm so happy Daniel captured Morgan's expression. She seemed so in awe by the aquarium. She asked lots of great questions and was thrilled to look at everything. 

 The underwater tunnel is a definite highlight of this aquarium.

 We all got to touch some sting rays, sharks and starfish.

 Morgan LOVED this! We let her play in this area for at least half an hour. I loved how inquisitive and interested she was!

Our girl Charlotte :) She makes me smile.

 Okay, I have to admit that I had a moment during the carousel ride. I couldn't help but tear up as I witnessed my little girl's expression of pure joy. The sun illuminated her precious face while sweet carousel music played. Her daddy beamed from the sidelines as he called out her name every time she passed. She'd excitedly wave and say, "hi daddy!" 

 Another highlight for Morgan was when we let her pick out some candy at a candy store containing barrels brimming with treats. Can you tell she was excited?

 She picked out a piece of candy that looked like a crabby patty (Spongebob reference), a candy necklace kit and a gummy candy in the shape of a rat! To further indulge, we got some delicious ice cream before heading back to the hotel.

 This seagull sure was interested in Morgan's ice cream.

 Notice him getting closer? He actually dove for her ice cream but thankfully Daniel saved the day by literally reaching out and practically pushing the bird off the ledge! 

We got to see some sea lions lounging in the sun.

It was a great day! We experienced a ton of stuff yet it didn't feel busy or rushed.

Our highlights of the day were:

Daniel - Alcatraz 

Me - Carousel ride with Morgan

Morgan - Aquarium, Carousel, Candy Store

Charlotte - Looking at the fish in the aquarium