Look at that uniform…too cute!

n started Tiger Cubs last month and he has been having lots of fun.  It does make our weekly schedule more busy with both kids in scouting, but I think it is worthwhile.  In the bottom picture, he is holding a pinecone bird feeder that he made and hung outside.  One big difference I see is that it is more family-oriented than Girl Scouts.  An adult has to accompany the boy to each event at this age.  I am looking forward to going on some camping trips!

As is our tradition, we have been busy redeeming birthday freebies the past few weeks.  The following is a very small representation of what we redeemed.  This was a new one for us: Dickey’s BBQ, free Big BBQ Sandwich.  I chose the chopped brisket.  There were some unappetizing globs of fat, but the overall flavor was good.  The bread was a little too bready.  I also did not like how they weigh everything in front of the customer.  I watched them take small pieces off of other customer’s plates as they were serving, and that just looks stingy.  The best part may be the free soft serve vanilla ice cream machine. 

I always look forward to my free Venti drink from Starbucks.  I made sure D was around so I could share it with him.  I tried the Toasted Graham Latte.  D and I have discovered that asking for half of the flavored syrup in any drink is a good thing.  The bundtlet was from Corner Bakery.

I am excited to be a part of the #ChickFilAMomsPanel this year.  We were sent vouchers for the frosted lemonade.  I must say, this is a genius idea since they already had the vanilla ice cream and lemonade.  All they have to do is mix it, and it tastes really good!

This is the birthday dinner I made for D.  Unfortunately, we may have discovered another allergy for n: shellfish.  He has eaten shrimp before, so I am not entirely convinced he has a definite allergy, but we will have to be more careful. 

Yesterday D texted me and said he was offered four tickets for the Angels game that night from someone at work. Hmm…it was a school night, but n’s soccer practice had been cancelled earlier that morning.  It seemed like a sign!  We had not seen a game all season, so I guess we lucked out.  In all the excitement I forgot to bring my regular camera, so iphone photos had to do.

The moon was so clear.  Too bad we were not able to see the blood moon eclipse from the night before.  (We looked outside on Sunday, but it was kind of cloudy). 

We were only eleven rows back.  We have never had seats like this—amazing! 

We planned to stay for six innings, but only stayed for five innings, which was just under two hours.  It was a close game.  The Angels ended up winning over the Oakland A’s by one run in the ninth inning.  There is no way we could have lasted that long, so I do not feel bad for leaving early!  I love how we can watch our Anaheim Angels play (I refuse to call them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) and be home in less than fifteen minutes.

D’s brother recently moved to Mountain View so we were able to stay at their new place.  In the afternoon we went on a pedal boat ride.  It was nice and breezy.

We all took turns peddling.  It was quite the work out!  We were hungry and ate at Bushido on Castro Street.  Castro Street is quite the happening place!  People were dining outside on the sidewalk and it was bustling.

After dinner we stopped by Alexander’s Patisserie.  Their desserts are truly works of art!

This was the vanilla bean tart—so fancy!

Here are a couple of pictures of D’s brother’s new house.  The kids had lots of fun with their cousin.  The best part is we made it home in record time, about six hours!

After visiting D’s parents, we spent a night with D’s brother’s family in Mountain View.   On the way there, we stopped by our alma mater.  Visiting always brings back so many fond memories, especially since that is where our relationship began!  It is fun to note the changes, and to show k and n a glimpse of college life.

We parked by the newly refurbished Memorial Stadium and walked around it.  Looking back, I wonder why I did not go to more football games!  By the way, did anyone else watch the Cal-Texas game last weekend?  It was actually on a non-cable channel, so that was exciting! 

You can peek into the gym. 

I thought it was funny that the list includes “Uncut Hard Fruit/Vegetables”.  The kids were concerned because they had umbrellas on them.  We had to explain that it was only prohibited if you were going to watch a game! 

We walked through Haas Business school and used the restroom.  They probably have some of the better restrooms on campus.  Nice branding on the soap dispensers!

Ah Berkeley, even your trash cans have to make a political statement!

There was still some construction going on the new Student Union.

We saw this hat left by its lonesome.  D said it belonged to Pharell.  n said it belonged to Paddington.

Right on Telegraph and Bancroft, we saw a Chinese bakery called Sheng Kee.  I had not heard of it before, but apparent it is pretty popular in the Bay Area.  It is similar to 85 degrees, but there are some interesting pastries I have not seen before.  The prices are quite reasonable, too.

Too many choices!

The kids shared a custard bun with chocolate.

D and I shared a green tea mochi pastry with almonds.  The different textures were a delight!

We looked around the new Student Store, but ended up buying our souvenirs at Bancroft Clothing. 

I miss that Bay Area fog!

We poked our head into the new dining commons.  It looks like they have a lot more healthy choices!

We were still full from our pastries, so we bought a sandwich to go.  Why do we not have Dutch Crunch bread in Southern California??

We also made a stop at Fat Slice…at least some things stay the same.  I cannot believe that there is now a Daiso on Telegraph!

Until next time…

This is a scene we often see in the morning at D’s parents’ house. 

We ate breakfast at Bouchon Bakery.  The key is to go early in the morning to avoid lines that go out the door.

D and the kids practiced their golf swing.

k and n had fun on these swings at the local park.  Because the chains were so long, they were able to swing HIGH!

For lunch we ate at downtown Napa at a Japanese restaurant called Eiko’s.  There is also a location at the Oxbox Market, but it is just a small sushi bar there.  k thoroughly enjoyed her bento box!

k taking a picture of her food with her new Leap Frog watch from Grandma and Grandpa.  I guess she takes after me!

The last weekend of our summer vacation we visited D’s family in northern California.  For lunch we stopped by a Lee’s Sandwiches, which was the nicest Lee’s we’ve ever seen.  The prices reflected the fancier atmosphere, too, but the food tasted the same. 

For dinner, we ate with D’s parents at Fume, in Napa.  This was our second time, and it was surprisingly hopping for an early Thursday night dinner. 

Given that my second cousin had twin girls a mere six weeks prior, I was surprised to receive an invitation to her daughter’s third birthday party.  I know that I would not have the energy to leave the house, much less plan a birthday bash!

There was a stuff your own stuffed animal station.

D and I both were able to hold one of the babies.  So tiny and precious!  I think they slept throughout the entire party!

There was a fantastic cake, as usual.

k and n had lots of fun at their third cousin’s party!

n is all concentration when working on his Legos!  And yes, that is a living room that has WHITE walls in the background.  It only took D and I about six weeks, but our high-ceilinged living room is no longer band-aid color! 

The ice sculpture exhibit was cool, pun intended. 

We found our friend’s photograph in the gallery.

Charlie’s Chicken plate o’ fried food.

The kids read books for free ride tickets.  I like this ride because it saves you some walking.

I don’t feel the need to go to the fair every year, but we had free tickets, so why not?  We also parked at Experian for free and rode the shuttle.  It was very convenient—highly recommend it.