This is our new baby! He is 8 weeks old and his name is Scratch. He is quite the curious little kitten!
Daddy's birthday was Friday and we celebrated all weekend! This photo is from our Friday night celebration at home. 
It was another day in San Francisco. And after dropping the very excited Binky off at fencing camp, I headed over to Golden Gate Park again. But this time I made my way to the
Japanese Tea Gardens! It was so quiet and peaceful. 
Not to mention beautiful!
We brought the kids here several years ago, but I had forgotten how lovely it is.
I was there around 9:30am so the place was pretty much mine. 
This is my favorite spot. I love this Buddha. So calming and serene. 
I even stopped for some green tea and cookies. 
Binky has been going to a half-day fencing camp all week in San Francisco. 
So, Daddy and I spent part of the morning in Golden Gate Park. 
And found some new friends. 
This beauty was my favorite! 
One of Goose's chores is to load and unload the dishwasher. It is not one of her favorites! After taking out the garbage and recycling, Binky asked if he could help her. So Goose whipped out the aprons and away they went! They even hand washed the pots and pans! I had to sneak in a photo. I mean, how often will they be so excited about doing the dishes? How are the chores divided up in your house?
While Goose attended an ice skating party, we headed to the skate park with Binky. I used to bring him here a lot when he was younger. He was a little rusty, but was soon going down hills and making turns. He skated for a couple of hours! This skate park is on an old naval base right on the water. There are always lots of kids and adults on skateboards, bikes, razors and in-line skates. Everyone waits their turn and is so courteous. I was actually surprised when we first started coming at the level of respect everyone has for each other. And the big guys are always willing to fall to keep from slamming into the little guys. One guy completely flipped over to keep from knocking Binky down and then got up, came over to me and apologized for the close call! I know it is a little dangerous but these kids have so much fun! I have a feeling we will spend a lot of time at the skate park this summer!
Lisa over at 5 Orange Potatoes is having a Giveaway this Saturday! Here are some of her lovely felt goodies. Be sure to visit and leave a comment to enter!! Good luck!
We spent Wednesday in the woods. Muir Woods to be exact! We hiked a little over 4 miles through ancient redwoods and prehistoric ferns. There's a bench along the trail where we always stop to draw and write in our nature journals. Binky likes to draw the view in front of us and Goose likes to write poems and such. 
"When I'm Out In The Wild" 
We stopped at this little pool to play in the water. I love this hike! It is quite strenuous in some places, a work-out to be sure! We heard some beautiful bird songs and saw many banana slugs and chipmunks. 
This boulder in an open meadow is the end of the trail for us. We always turn back at this point but next time I think we will venture even further. I'm thinking of printing up a nature treasure hunt for next time!
Our weekend was partially spent working in the backyard. Goose loves to build things with Daddy's tools. Daddy is building a pergola for some much needed shade! I can't wait for it to be finished. I am having visions of lounging under my pergola with an iced tea in one hand and a good book in the other! Or maybe evening bbqs with friends by candlelight! As you can see Cody the dog was working real hard as well. That's his favorite mallard he is using as a pillow. 
