Fun up in the Bay Area

A few pictures (other than gymnastics!) from our trip up to the Bay Area in October. We started the fun with a trip to the Jelly Belly Factory for a tour - very cool. And boy did it smell good in there! Jelly Belly flavor heaven . . . . .

After our stop at the Jelly Belly Factory, we headed down to Livermore to celebrate Uncle Mike's birthday. We went to a place called Campo di Bocci - had great food and then played bocci ball for the first time - what a fun game! Here's team Birthday Boy with all the kids - Alysa, Kendra, Ian and Catie.

Alysa with her cousines Ian and Kendra.

Saturday we headed to San Francisco via the Bart. It was Fleet Week in San Francisco when we were there, and I don't think I've ever seen anywhere near the number of people down at the waterfront as on this day. It was crazy busy! We walked from the Embarcadero to Pier 39. First on the list was a trip to the Aquarium at the Bay. Of all the trips to Pier 39 we've had, this was the first time visiting the Aquarium. Here's Alysa getting eaten by the big shark mural:

The Marine Corps had a booth and were challenging anyone to the arm hang, pull-ups and chin-ups. Of course, our gymnastics girls kicked everyone's butts. I think they ended up with all the records for the longest hang times.

Can't say I've ever actually gone to the Miramar Air Show at home, but we lucked out and the Blue Angels were flying over San Francisco Bay. We had a prime view from the end of Pier 39.

Yes, on our walk from Pier 39 over to Ghiradelli Square, we encountered this scene. A white rat sleeping on top of a cat, sleeping on top of a dog - with a bucket for tips nearby. Can we say "sedated". There's just no other way - especially with the hundreds and hundreds of people around! I had to look closely - yes, the rat was breathing.

No visit to San Fran is complete without a visit to the Ghiradelli Chocolate Shop!

Nice view of Alcatraz while walking UP Hyde Street. My legs were sore for days!

Red Line 500 Meet

Last weekend Alysa and I travelled up to the Bay Area for the Red Line 500 meet. We had a fabulous weekend that also included a birthday dinner and bocci ball for Uncle Mike, and we were able to spend time with Uncle Mike, Aunt Linda, cousins Kendra and Ian, and also Grandma and Grandpa Ransom!! We toured the Jelly Belly Factory, and spent all day Saturday in San Francisco. I will post some pictures from the rest of our trip soon! The meet was on Sunday and Alysa had her personal best day. She placed 1st on bars with a 9.35, 2nd on floor exercise with a 9.3, 2nd on vault with a 9.0 and 3rd all-around with a 35.975! A big thanks to Mike, Linda, Kendra and Ian for coming to watch! That was the best!

Saluting the judges before her vault.

1st place on bars!!!

More Gymnastics Pics!

Here are a few pics from last Sunday's meet. Alysa had another good day - placing 5th on bars, 6th on floor and 7th all-around. I have found that gymnastics photography is hard! Low light, no flash allowed (not that it would do any good anyway). Trying to get photos of the kids while they are moving is almost impossible - unless you want blurry! So, I keep practicing at catching the poses while they aren't moving quite as much. We're off to a meet up in the Bay Area this weekend, and are also looking forward to visiting with Bryan's brother and family. Alysa can't wait to see her cousins!

Here team won 2nd place!

First "9" Baby!!!

9.075 on the bars to be exact. I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures from recent gymnastics meets. We've had three meets so far. Last weekend was very exciting, as it is a big deal to get a 9 on an event. Alysa had her best scores to date on the uneven bars (9.075), balance beam (8.95 - so close to a 9!), and floor exercise (8.875). Her vault looked good and better than the last meet, but the judges seemed to be judging hard this time around and she received an 8.35. She placed 4th on the beam, 6th on the bars, and 8th all-around. She was one happy little gymnast to hear her name called three times! Here are a few pictures from the last three meets. Enjoy!

Summer's Here!

The best $9.99 I've think I've ever spent - the classic slip-n-slide. Actually, this one was on sale for $17.99 and it has two sides so two people can slide at the same time. The neighborhood kids had lots of fun last summer on the "slide". This was the first slide outing for this year, with many more to come I'm sure! In addition to the classic slide, this year we also have the double slide, along with "slide boogies" (little blow up boogie boards to further enhance your slip-n-slide experience).


Alysa and Hayden at gramdma and grandpa's pool having some fun. Bryan is floating in the background.

What is cuter than little wrinkled baby feet after a good swim??