San Jose Day Six: Redwood Forests

Gerrit hasn't really ever been to a redwood forest so we thought it would be fun to go see those.  If you've never seeen redwoods in person, they are unbelievably tall.  The forests are peaceful and beautiful.  The day we went was also pretty cold and I had decided to not pack any sweatshirts.  Oops!  This was the day when we got to spend the most time with my dad, so that was fun, too.

 Little boy, giant tree slice!

Who doesn't want to be inside a tree?

There were a few fallen trees and Miles loved being able to walk the whole length of a redwood.

My mom was nice enough to bring some sweatshirts for the kids.  It was a nice dress for Molly but at least she was warm!

Miles took his role as wilderness guide very seriously.

We loved our nature hike and our picnic even if we had to cut it a little short for rain.


We got to spend the rest of the day doing a lot of our favorite things at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  It was great for the kids to just build marble runs, cuddle and talk with their grandparents, read books, and watch a few shows.  I was on contract and had to grade papers.  I tried to wake up early and finish everything, but I could never finish everything and it was good to have a little time in the afternoon when I knew the kids were still having a great time with "Amma" (Elliott's special name for my mom).

Miles got to go to his very first Cub meeting with my mom that night.  He said it was really fun and he liked going with Grandma.

San Jose Day Five: Happy Hollow

One of our big adventures was to go see the little zoo/children's amusement park in downtown San Jose. Most of the zoo was closed because of flooding but we really enjoyed the parts we were able to see!  

 Playing on fairy tale animal statues at the entrance

 They have an endangered species carousel.  Miles at first wanted the tallest animal he could find but decided it would be more fun to sit next to Elliott.

 Elliott just loved driving this car and ringing the bell!

 Danny the Dragon has been at Happy Hollow for years and years.  I went on him all the time as a kid!

 This "big kid" playground was a huge hit!  They had a lot of great climbing and Gerrit and Miles turned it into ninja training.  Molly made new friends and Elliott went on the little slides over and over and over.

We thought the roller coaster would be closed but it opened while we were there!  Both kids loved it.


After the zoo, we headed to the bakery that was closed on Monday.  We tried some really good cupcakes (the strawberry frosting on Molly's was amazing) and I got a cookie filled with brownies.  Yum!

The kids were obsessed with dropping crumbs for this pigeon.  Smart pigeon, to stay outside the bakery!

San Jose Day Four: Jelly Belly

The Jelly Belly factory tour is a ton of fun!  I knew that I really wanted to take the kids and let them see how jelly beans are made.  My poor mom got the same bug we brought in with us and the trip wasn't as much fun for her.  She was an amazing sport!  I'm not sure I could have been as positive or friendly surrounded by food.

You also get to see a bunch of art made from jelly beans.

Playing Jelly Belly games.

Elliott is now obsessed with "beans" and was fascinated that even the carpet was covered in candy.

That's a lot of jelly beans!


Everyone gets samples.  I got a few of my favorites and then we mostly picked up giant bags of the reject "Belly Flops."

We stopped at McDonald's for lunch.  Look at these cute hamburger stools!