Outing with Lisa and Maddie

About a month ago I got some amazing news...my good friend Lisa was moving to the bay area with her family!  From the second I got off the phone with her, I started making a list of all the fun things we could do together and our little ones.

I met Lisa back in the Fall semester of 2002 at BYU.  I can't believe it's been 10 years already!  We both were accepted to attend the New Zealand study abroad program in Elementary Education for the Winter 2003 semster and soon became roommates with the most loving and adorable host family in the south Auckland area of Mangere.  Two years later, after we had both graduated from college and had steady teaching careers, we took a trip back to New Zealand where we toured all over the north island for a month.  I have so many amazing memories with her and truly feel blessed to call her a dear friend.

 For our first adventure together we decided to go to the CA Academy of Sciences.  I picked her and her daughter, Maddie, up from corporate housing on Embarcadero and got totally mixed up in the wrong direction.  Before we realized it we had gotten on the freeway heading back to the east bay.  It turned out to be a perfect mistake, because she had never been to Treasure Island (an island located half way in between San Francisco and Oakland; right off of the Bay Bridge.)  Treasure Island has the most amazing views of the city and bay.  It was a gorgeous day as well, with only a hint of fog rolling in from the ocean.

 Views of San Francisco from Treasure Island.

After navigating our way through Treasure Island, back onto the Bay Bridge, through the city, we finally made it to Golden Gate Park.  I love the CA Academy of Sciences.  I've blogged about it several times and have taken several people there to explore.  I have a membership that allows me to get another adult in for free each visit and have loved the opportunity to share one of my favorite places in the city.

 We arrived right in time for lunch.  Lisa's daughter, Maddie, is around 9 months old and Daxton had just turned 4 months old, so everything takes about 3x as long than normal.  It was so nice to be with someone who understands that and is flexible with kids.  We sat outside while we fed ourselves and our little ones.

 Aren't Lisa and Maddie absolutely gorgeous!?

 The CA Academy of Sciences has several different exhibits, but I knew that Daxton would love the aquarium the most...boy was I right!  The second we came out of the elevator doors his eyes caught a glimpse of the floor to ceiling tanks.  It was the most amazing thing to see him stare in awe.  The picture below captures perfectly how he stared for a good 20 minutes straight.  I can't even begin to tell you all how excited I am to teach him all about the incredible world around him, especially that of the ocean!

 I couldn't get a picture of him standing up against the glass since I still need to hold him to help with his balance, but it was so much fun to see his face light up when a fish would swim towards him.  They were beautiful, with such diverse colors.  Daxton was seriously in heaven.

While I was taking pictures of little Maddie, Lisa held Daxton.  He LOVED her!  He immediately nuzzled right in and gave her a good snuggle.  It was so cute!

 Maddie was adorable to watch.

She is easily one of the sweetest, most cheerful babies I have ever met.  She literally giggled loudly every time a fish would swim by, which was often.  She is such a gorgeous little girl and was such good company, especially for little Daxton, since she loves babies!

I love the shots of her looking into the tanks.

 After exploring the bottom floor, we made our way back up to the main floor to peer over at the albino alligator.  Maddie's giggle echoed through the entire museum as she looked over the side.  She was also smiling and laughing at everyone who passed.

 Like I mentioned before, everything takes longer when you have babies in tow, so by the time we got back to Lisa's apartment it was right in the middle of rush hour traffic.  We decided instead of sitting in the car and listening to little Daxton cry, we would hang out at Lisa's place for a couple hours to let the traffic die down.  It was so cute to see Daxton and Maddie interact.  I have a feeling they are going to be good friends over the years, just like their mommies!

 Maddie LOVED Daxton and kept grabbing him to move closer.

 She REALLY LOVED Daxton...

 You can tell from his smiles back, that he didn't complain about the extra attention from such a cute little girl!

 Maddie giving him hugs and kisses...

my heart totally melted!

I can't wait to have more adventures with Lisa and Maddie.  I love them both so much and can't wait to see what fun experiences are in store for all of us!

Thanks, Lisa, for such a fun day!

Love you!