Boeing Museum of Flight - Seattle, WA

Our last day in Seattle and the highlight of our trip so far was definitely visiting the Museum of Flight.

Chihuly Garden and Glass - Seattle, Washington

Our first full day in Seattle consisted of this beautiful glass museum, followed by a trip to the top of the Space Needle.

Seattle, WA

The first half of our vacation was in Seattle, Washington. We rented an Airbnb house in the Fremont District with Grandma Sue and cousin Alicia.

Klamath Falls, OR

On a road trip to Seattle we stopped for the night in Klamath Falls, Oregon. We had fun swimming with cousins.

Magical Bridge Playground - Palo Alto, CA

We were coincidentally at Magical Bridge Playground with some friends while interns from Magical Bridge Foundation conducted family interviews of people that frequent the park.

Check out previous visits here:  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/04/magical-bridge-playground-mitchell-park.html  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/06/magical-bridge-playground-mitchell-park.html  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/06/magical-bridge-playground-mitchell-park_16.html  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/12/magical-bridge-playground-palo-alto-ca.html  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/08/magical-bridge-playground-palo-alto-ca.htme

John Muir National Historic Site - Martinez, CA

With the help of Auntie Theresa, we dragged Grandpa Howard to John Muir National Historic Site to celebrate Fathers' Day.

The mansion was home to John Muir, a Scottish born naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books tell of his adventures in nature. It was built in 1883 by Dr. John Strentzel, Muir's father-in-law, with whom Muir went into partnership, managing his 2,600-acre fruit ranch. Muir and his wife, Louisa, moved into the house in 1890, and he lived there until his death in 1914.

Posy Parade - San Bruno, CA

Katherine was in the Posy Parade with her school, El Crystal Elementary, in San Bruno. We watched from the sidelines so we could enjoy the whole parade.










Here's a newspaper article from the event, which included a classic car show:
http://www.smdailyjournal.com/articles/lnews/2015-06-06/posy-parade-returns-to-san-bruno-annual-tradition-brings-new-flare-in-time-for-diamond-jubilee/

Stanford University - Palo Alto, CA

We met up with our friends, the Walkers, to enjoy lunch at Veggie Grill followed by a long stroll through the Stanford campus. We even splashed around in several fountains. It was a great day!

Junipero Serra County Park - San Bruno, CA

We didn't want to go straight home after school so we made a quick detour to Junipero Serra County Park.
You can check out some of our previous visits here:
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/12/junipero-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2014/04/juniperro-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2014/08/junipero-serra-county-park-san-bruno-ca.html

San Pedro Valley County Park - Pacifica, CA

San Pedro Valley Park is a 1,052-acre area embracing the middle and south forks of San Pedro Creek, which are Steelhead spawning grounds, this park is nestled amongst the Santa Cruz Mountain range and the foothills of Pacifica. The park offers group picnic areas, family picnic sites, a self-guiding nature trail, hiking trails, a visitor center, and views of a seasonal water fall.

We spotted this park on a map and decided to check it out since it is just over the hill in Pacifica. We had a nice picnic lunch in the park. We didn't walk for very long because the paths were a little too rough for a wheelchair. The visitor center was a nice surprise and worth a thirty to forty minute break.

Bol Park - Palo Alto, CA

Mommy wanted to show us a walking path that she frequents with friends while on her lunch breaks. We stopped for quite a few minutes to visit a donkey named Niner at the Palo Alto Community Donkey Corral before heading into Bol Park. The grass was nice and cool on this very warm day.


Here's a link with more information on Niner and Perry:
http://www.barronparkdonkeys.org/http://www.barronparkdonkeys.org/

Los Altos, CA

We took a much needed break from painting our condo to grab lunch and coffee. Somehow we ended up all the way down in Los Altos. We had lunch at La Boulanger and followed it up with coffee at Red Berry Coffee Bar. Before heading home, we wandered into Adventure Toys and Teacher Supplies.

More Portland, OR

Portland, OR April 15th-18th

We flew to Portland for vacation and to celebrate the parents' 16th anniversary. The kids got to stay with Auntie Angelique and Auntie Whitney while the parents got to visit with Sir Paul McCartney. We reunited as a family the next morning with Voodoo Doughnuts and then a very filling breakfast in Lake Oswego.

Auntie Angelique chauffeured us around for the next few days. We saw things like Portland's International Rose Test Garden and Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. We stayed at Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront so we saw a lot of the downtown and the many hundreds of food trucks.

Redwood Shores Public Library - Redwood City, CA

We were an hour early for a dentist appointment right across the street. We accidentally stumbled into the parking lot of this library while looking for a city park to waste time until our appointment. We never made it to the park!

This is one of the most amazing libraries that we have been to. There are marine life themed exhibits and a fish tank with live fish. There is also Sea Link Cafe, with very delicious coffee drinks.

Farmers' Market - Burlingame, CA

We came to Burlingame for a haircut appointment at Just Kids Cuts & Beauty Market because they have wonderfully talented stylists that specialize in haircuts for children with special needs. We arrived early enough and hungry enough to enjoy lunch at the weekly farmers' market.

Coyote Point - San Mateo, CA

We recently discovered a new area in this park dedicated to Merchant Marines. We had never seen it before because we actually had to go off-roading on steep hills in the wheelchair to get there, The land for this park was at one time owned by the U.S. Government for use as a Merchant Marines Cadet School.

Apparently, there was an amusement park here at some point. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few years and was closed after being partially destroyed by fire.

You can check out some of our previous visits to this park at:
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/01/coyote-point-park-san-mateo-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/03/coyote-point-marina-san-mateo-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/08/coyote-point-county-park-san-mateo-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2014/06/coyote-point-recreation-area-san-mateo.html

Jelly Belly Factory Tour - Fairfield, CA

We were already in Fairfield to visit family so we decided to take a factory tour at Jelly Belly Factory. The tour isn't as nice as it used to be. There's no more host, just a self-guided tour. But it's still fun and worth it if you are already in the area. You can be in and out of there in about an hour unless you stop in the cafe for lunch.

During the tour you can see views of almost the entire building and see videos of the candy making process. You can also admire all of the art created with jelly beans. The tour ends at the factory store, which has thousands of flavors of jelly beans, including a new intentionally gross and disgusting category. There's also unique types of fudge and other candy. And, of course, there is a lot of merchandising (shirts, hats, toys, underwear).

Sawyer Camp Trail - San Mateo, CA

We had time to kill between physical therapy/occupational therapy appointments and an orthotics appointment so we hit this trail again. It's only a couple of miles away from CCS.


Check out our older posts from Sawyer Camp  Trail:  http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/05/sawyer-camp-trail-san-mateo-ca.html
http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2015/05/sawyer-camp-trail-san-mateo-ca_22.html

San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Mission - Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

Mission San Carlos Borromeo del río Carmelo, also known as the Mission Carmel, is a Roman Catholic mission church in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The mission was the headquarters of the Alta California missions headed by Saint Junípero Serra from 1770 until his death in 1784. Katherine was excited to see his name and a statue of him because his name is all over schools, parks and streets near our home.

The mission buildings had fallen into disrepair by the mid-19th century, but have since been restored and transferred to the local diocese to continued as a parish church. It is the only one of the California Missions to have its original bell tower dome.

Quail Lodge - Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

This is our second overnight visit to Quail Lodge & Golf Club, located in the Carmel Valley. It is a California Ranch-style golf resort with luxurious rooms that all have hardwood floors, patios/balconies and other premium features. We stayed in a large suite with fireplaces and motorized curtains.


The resort features an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts, an outdoor pool, meeting/event spaces, plus 2 on-site restaurants and a bar.

Check out our previous visit to Quail Lodge: http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2013/05/quail-lodge-and-golf-carmel-ca.html

Pacifica, CA

Uncle Scott and Aunt Lesa were visiting Northern California. They came with Grandpa Howard and Cousin Lindsey to visit us. We grabbed lunch at Rock'n Rob's Famous Pacifica Burgers and spent the rest of the time walking along the beach and trails.

San Bruno City Park - San Bruno, CA

With some time to kill before Kate was out of school, we took a nice stroll through the park. It happens to be right next to El Crystal Elementary School.

Aptos, Santa Cruz & Monterey - February 12-14

 We rented a beach house with our friends and had one of the best family vacations yet. We divided our days between Santa Cruz and Monterey, and played the most hilarious Apples to Apples board game back at the house in the evening.

Ryder Park - San Mateo, CA

We've been here so many times before that we hardly need a description. In case you missed it, check out my older post for more information: http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2011/09/ryder-park-san-mateo-ca.html

Portola Expedition Camp Trail - Millbrae, CA

Mommy was at home sick in bed. There was a short break in the rain so we headed over to Millbrae to check out this trail. It was so beautiful but we got caught in a horrible downpour when we were over a mile away from the van.

Hornblower River Cruise - Sacramento, CA

After the most satisfying breakfast ever at Tower Cafe in Sacramento, we took an afternoon cruise on the Sacramento River on the Capitol Hornblower.

Stanford Mansion & Old Sacramento - Sacramento, CA

We picked a hotel in Old Sacramento because we knew we would want to keep exploring the area. There are so many restaurants and shops there.

We also went to Downtown Sacramento. While we found out that the Governor's Mansion was no longer open to the public, but we did get to tour the Stanford Mansion. It was great and our tour guide was very nice and accommodating.

California State Capitol - Sacramento, CA

We were in Sacramento for the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Our first stop was our State's Capitol. We had a great tour by a very informed and entertaining tour guide.

Birthday Party at Sea Bowl - Pacifica, CA

The Presidio - San Francisco, CA

This wasn't our first visit but it was definitely memorable. We had a nice long walk after popping into the Disney Museum briefly. Then, we had dinner. Finally, we stopped by Starbucks for dessert and coffee.

Fort Funston - San Francisco, CA

We live so close, yet this is our first visit to Fort Funston. We didn't stay too long because it was very windy and cold. We will definitely come back to admire its beauty.


Fort Funston is a former harbor defense installation located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco. Formerly known as the Lake Merced Military Reservation, the fort is now a protected area within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Magical Bridge Playground - Palo Alto, CA

We wanted to show some cousins this wonderful park while they were staying with us overnight.

Chabot Space and Science Center - Oakland, CA

We were stuck in horrible traffic on our way home from visiting family in the East Bay. We decided to stop by Chabot to let traffic die down and ended up getting a family membership. We just happened to run into some Avalon teachers and staff, also known as The Ian Fays, that happened to be performing there that night for a special event. You can check out their music here: https://www.facebook.com/TheIanFays/

Clayton Bowl - Concord, CA

Bowling for cousin Rebecca's birthday

Pacifica, CA

And we're at Pacifica again. 

Pacifica, CA

When the Pacific Ocean is this close and you have nice weather, you just have to go often.

Happy Halloween! - San Bruno, CA

Repetto's Pumpkin Patch - Half Moon Bay, CA

Very first school field trip

Bay Trail - Burlingame, CA

We had a lot of spare time before school started so we decided on a morning walk/roll on the Bay Trail.

Ready, Set, Fly - San Francisco International Airport

The Arc, jetBlue and SFO organized a training seminar to help families with special needs to experience what it is like to get onboard a flight. This was such a great experience!

The Avalon Academy - Burlingame, CA

First day of Kindergarten!

San Francisco Zoo - San Francisco, CA

We went to the zoo today with our good friends, the Walkers. Check out my older post for more information about the zoo: http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2011/05/san-francisco-zoo-san-francisco-ca.html

Magical Bridge Playground - Palo Alto, CA

We were interviewed by the San Jose Mercury News for an article about California Children's Services. We met up with a Mercury News photographer at Magical Bridge Playground for photos to be included in the article. Here's a link to the article: http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_28713811/californias-plan-absorb-medically-fragile-children-into-managed

Sea Bowl - Pacifica, CA

We decided to give bowling a chance. It was lots of fun!

Young Eagles / San Carlos Airport - San Carlos, CA

We went to the airport to check out Kate's latest hobby, flying with Young Eagles.

Ryder Park - San Mateo, CA

Big sister Kate got to plan the whole day, which included a stop by the donut shop before Ryder Park.  Check out my older post for more information on this wonderful park: http://jillianmichelestevens.blogspot.com/2011/09/ryder-park-san-mateo-ca.html

Billiards at Shelter Creek - San Bruno, CA

Why should big sister get all the fun? We all had good laughs and horrible shots but we had fun doing it.