What does one do with twins so early in the morning? Well, shopping at a store that opens early, ie big box stores and then take the sights. The picture above is of Stern Grove.
With another break in the weather, daddy Quique headed out in the morning with the kids not knowing where. Until he saw a sign for a museum. The Randal Museum is a museum of 'urban' wildlife. Ada and Navi both enjoyed watching the animals on display and the many play rooms.
Then we all headed outside and decided to take the path up, what daddy Quique calls, 'Dog Poop Hill.'
Up and up we went. Some great views on the way.
And further up we went.
There was more to climb, but these two had to eat.
So the twins began with their gifts. And they had many to open.
Once they got the hang of it there was no stopping them. Navi opened Abuelito's gift by accident.
The next morning papa Jason went out for coffee and brought back doughnuts for breakfast.
Christmas was celebrated on Christmas Eve, as is the Lopez tradition, and the celebration started with tamales and birria (spicy goat stew).
With some family members in route to Mexico and others unable to make it to Salinas, Christmas went on. Giselle loves seeing the twins every time and the daddies are so thankful to her because she keeps them occupied.
One of the fun games they played was simple, running up and down the hallway. Ximena, in the back, also joined in on the fun.
With the breaks in the rainy weather the twins took advantage of the day and went to the zoo.
Half way across the grounds they could hear the train. So of course a train ride was in order. Navi always gets the side seat, Ada needs the comfort of being in the middle as she moves and slides quite a bit during the turns.
A special treat for a polar bear, snow. It was great for the twins to see because the polar bear was active and moving around.
Navi and Ada like to close doors. Navi especially like to close the door in the powder room, with him in it. And last night, somehow, managed to lock the door. So it was papa Jason to the rescue.
Ada and Navi had a lot of fun cracking crab with papa Jason, they liked it so much it turned into an appetizer instead of dinner.
With school and swim class closed for the holidays, what's a young Lopezjones to do? See their city of course. Today the twins braved the 56F weather and went to Aquatic Park to see the waves crashing on the beach and watch members of The Polar Bears Club swim in the frigid water. Notice Ada wearing a clip in her hair.
After the riparian excursion we moved on to Ghiradelly Square to check out the Christmas tree.
In a surprise visit to the bay area, Benji and his family came to see the twins for the day. So after breakfast - off to downtown to see the winter holiday decorations.
Benji was very excited in taking the metro, Navi could not stay still during the ride, he wanted to try every seat.
Our first stop was at the Grand Hyatt to see their miniature town display, but sadly 2009 was the last year it was put on. But there were other things to see.
The greatest thing to see was riding the glass elevators down from the top of the atrium building to see all the lights hanging from the ceiling.
Here's a little perspective on the lights. That ball of metal is over 15 feet in width and height.
After that we waited for the F-Train and took it down to Union Square. Since it was raining the twins were allowed to play in the puddles.
At the Macy's window we saw kittens and puppies that were up for adoption. Can you tell which kid this is? It's Ada.
Ending dinner the Lopezjones' decided to walk to Tom and Jerry's home who set up a spectacular Christmas display in front of their home. The twins ran into Simon, a neighbor a year younger than they.
But there were a few other houses we stopped at so the twins can check out the lights.
This is it. Every year the Christmas display is set up in front of a home. And every year the tree gets bigger as it is a real live tree.
The twins went to the Academy of Sciences today and had some winter fun. There were live reindeer on display. Special arctic exhibits and winder holiday decorations throughout.
Over the weekend the Lopezjones' attempted to go downtown and show the kids all the holiday decorations around Union Square. The MUNI metro was being as they always are, unreliable and never on time so...
Change of plans. Off too the playground.
Now that they are bigger, both are able to do much more on the play structure all by themselves.
One cold afternoon, papa Jason took the twins to the playground. Upon their return daddy Quique had prepared atole for Ada and Navi to warm them up.
Milk, flour and chocolate (kind of like a thick and creamy hot chocolate), heated up makes atole. And they loved it! It was the perfect treat to heat up those cold cheeks and hands.
Saturday morning was a day of work at the Lopezjones household. Papa Jason was in the mood to work on the garden so it was made into a family task. Ada and Navi provided plenty of help by turning the soil. They got so dirty and had so much fun doing it.
The twins and daddy Quique headed to Salinas for an overnight. First thing to do getting off the car is head to the garden. Navi was very helpful with the leaves. Ada just stood there and observed.
It was all about Abuelito that evening.
