star wars this year. mom got the only decent pictures of the kids in costume and for some reason i can't turn them. princess leia and a clone trooper. grandma came to trick or treat with us and we actually had a dry not to cold night and the kids had lots of fun. 
bread and cocoa for breakfast again! then took tony to the bart station (he had an earlier plane home). then finally to chinatown (kaitlyn had been asking all week). the kids had fun and we ended up with a few more things for the plane home! then we were off to the bart ourselves and home. 
lots of bus time on monday - we had breakfast at bread and cocoa - yum! and then off to the golden gate park. the kids spent hours in the playground - then another bus to the cliff house for lunch - extra yum! then off to play at ocean beach, managed to make it back to the hotel to meet friends, go swimming and out to dinner.
kaitlyn and matt begged to go on the duck tours on sunday. it was actually quite fun and we had a good tour guide. when the ducks went in the water he let the kids take turns driving - and they really drove - i almost needed dramine! kaitlyn didn't want to drive but matt did! lunch at boudin bakery and then we played and watched sea lions on peir 39. took torlley back to the hotel to meet tony - grab some food quickly and head back down to the piers to take out night tour of alcatraz - highly recommended!
the kids and i had most days on our own while tony was at the conference. on saturday we took the cable car down to ghiardelli square and indulges in some chocolate treats there! We played in the park - watched the crazy swimmers with no wetsuits in the bay, then we went to see the old boats on the pier and the kids did quizzes to become junior rangers there. We found our way back on a trolley and met tony, kim and rick at the hotel. tony and i went out to some of the night conference events - walking down to japantown and the kids wore out kim and rick in the pool and eating pizza!
Trip to san francisco - tony had a conference there. the first day his cousin kim picked us up and we hung out with her and her husband rick at their place in half moon bay. kim took us out to a historic old restaurant and kaitlyn and i got to wade in the very chilly beach afterward (tony hung out with matt who refused to go down to the beach). then we got to preview the half moon bay pumpkin festival by hitting several pumpkin patches. the kids talked kim into bouncy houses, pony rides, and for matt - handcuffs! she took us to the hotel in the late afternoon and we checked into our very swanky hotel (check out the bath menu!) and went swimming.
