Impromtu Play Date

Thursday was supposed to be the start of Navi's soccer practice, unfortunately because of the weather practice was canceled. So instead he invited his friend George over for a play date. They began at Dolores Park to burn of some energy playing frisbee and kicking a soccer ball around.

After they came home for a snack and had a Nerf shooting gallery contest and then Chinese checkers. Navi had a great time and was happy to have George all to himself. Ada was in her after school coding class all afternoon.

Weekend Hike

 On Sunday morning the Lopezjoneses headed to South Moon Bay for a hike. But first a stop at Pillar Point to check out what seafood the local fishermen have to offer.

Crab were the big sellers. So they bought two crabs and black cod for dinner. The boat where they bought the crabs there was a California sea lion hanging out and the fisherman had caught a giant Pacific octopus which was eating their crab catch. It was huge! Navi and Ada got to touch it.

Next they headed to the beach so start their hike. Gianluca and the twins wanted to walk along the break wall.

It was a cold day, but it was not raining. Mavericks beach is famous world wide for hosting an international surfing competition.

It was a fun place to explore the tide pools.

Then the real hike begins. Hiking up the bluffs they were offered a beautiful view of the ocean and they even got to see a herd of sea lions having out on the rocks.

Once back home, Ada and Navi helped PapaJason prepare the evening dinner. Crab!

Ski Week

The twins had this week free from school. They headed up to Squaw Valley to get some skiing done with their Nonna and cugini. Ada and Navi loved it, they went skiing every day. Temperatures were cold, but these two and their cousins loved it.

During reading time Navi fell a sleep half way through due to the fact the the night before he and his cousins spent the entire night talking, his sister woke him and everyone else at 6AM and he had a full day of skiing.

Weekend Activities

On Sunday morning, with a break in the rain, the Lopezjoneses met up with the Moretti's, for an urban hike across San Francisco. Navi was thrilled when he realized Matteo will be walking with him

The walk was directly out to the Avenues which meant traversing Twin Peaks via Tank Hill.

Which offered beautiful views of the City.

Matteo's dad, Enrico, has never been there before. It is a true hidden gem because you would not know hot to get there unless you know which stairs to look for.

After that the rest of the walk was on flat land. They even passed Gianluca's high school on the way to lunch. The walk was 1.5 hours, 4.2 miles total.

Poke Night

PapaJason prepared Poke bowls for dinner, but they were more like of Chirashi Don and Poke. It was decided that they needed to come up with a new name for this dish, but what to call it. Rice bowls, is the name the twins came up with. Rice bowls with raw fish, vegetables and sauces. Ada and Navi love this dinner because they get to create their own bowls.

Introducendo Gianluca

Saturday night Navi headed to his friend Aidan's house for a sleep over. Ada invited her friend Serafina for a sleepover at her house. That evening they had a family game night - which included Gianluca...

Gianluca is a 15 years of age boy from Parma, Italy. The Lopezjoneses read in the La Scuola bolletino that he was looking for a host family for the next 4 months. They decided to invite him over for dinner and meet him. It all worked out and on the twins' Sunday birthday dinner he joined in the fun and moved in.

The next Sunday was a family day and all five went out for a walk in the Presidio and sushi boat afterwards. Gianluca is in San Francisco for a school year on a dance scholarship to City Ballet. The dads welcome the fluent Italian at their home to improve Ada and Navi's.

Rainy Day Outing

Saturday morning there was a break in the rain and the twins took advantage of the moment and headed out for an urban hike up Corona Heights.

The Randall Museum was open, and has been for a while since their renovation, so the twins decided to go and check it out. It was a grand improvement and looked wonderful.

DaddyQuique noticed there was a drop-in science class and bargained that if they participated they would go to their favorite restaurant - Harvey's in the Castro. The twins enjoyed it, they learned about electricity and circuits and created their own cards with a light that actually worked using an LED light, a battery and copper tape.

Birthday Dinner and New Additions

 On their return from their surprise birthday trip the twins hosted a dinner with Nonna, Grandpa...

Linda, ZiaNonna and the latest temporary addition to the Lopezjones household... (not pictured, see future posting) GianLuca. Keep following the blog to know more.

Secret Birthday Surprise

 For the twins' 10th birthday the dads surprised them with a secret trip.

After dinner on Friday (the night before their birthday) the twins were told to shower and dress in clothing not pajamas afterwards. Right before bedtime they were told to put on their shoes and get in the car. They had many questions about the change in routine, but the dads simply smiled and told them to follow instructions and they would not answer any questions. Their first clue to what was happening was the airport! Their second was their boarding pass which said they were flying to Burbank. Luckily they had no idea what or where Burbank was.

 

Once in Burbank Navi began to piece it together when he heard the announcement welcoming travelers to the "Bob Hope Hollywood Burbank Airport." Outside waiting for the car that would take themto their hotel, they had a definite clue, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter advertisement. But the dads would still not confirm anything. It wasn't until they go to their hotel at Universal Studios Hollywood that they put it all together.They were able to see the themepark from their room window.

The next morning, being their birthday, they went down for breakfast at the hotel restaurant. Before being seated they were asked how old they were (kids menu cut off is at 10), the kids answered "9", but DaddyQuique was quick to remind them that today they were no longer 9.  Ada started her meal with a doughnut with sprinkles (very reminiscent of the ones in the Simpson cartoons).

As a surprise the waiter brought them a cake with a candle. This was unexpected and they both looked at us confused, but were assured they can eat cake for breakfast.

Ada and Navi have asked for years about going to Universal Studios Hollywood to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. They made it! Sadly the forecast called for rain the entire day.

But that did not stop these two from enjoying themselves. They were on cloud nine.

As a surprise UncleBrad joined in the birthday festivities! They were able to do the Harry Potter ride twice in a row.

Being big Simpson fans, and having no idea that the theme park had a Simpsons section, they were overjoyed. At Moe's Tavern they ordered up some Flaming Moes.

The rain did not let up, but it was a blessing in disguise because the lines to the attractions were small. The plan was to do all the rides in one day. Even the studio tour was great in the rain.

Many of the rides required special glasses for 3-D experiences. Some rides they loved more than others.

For lunch the twins chose to eat the Krusty Burger (the restaurant featured in the Simpsons). They were having so much fun eating in the themed restaurant because the Simpsons is their ultimate favorite television program.

Because it was their birthday, at Ada's request, they went back to the Harry Potter world for a Butterbeer. Things were pricey, but she really wanted to try it and was the only one of the group who enjoyed it.

The twins had so much fun at Universal Studios. What a great 10th birthday.

For their birthday dinner they headed to the Hard Rock Cafe, for more burgers. This time it was a table for 7! UncleBrad was their first surprise guest and then DaddyQuique's college friend James, whom they know as Poodle, joined them for dinner. For dessert, since they had cake in the morning, they enjoyed sundaes.

This was a all a great quick weekend get away that they will not forget.

But right before heading back to the hotel, UncleBrad treated the twins to a final doughnut. Cheers and...

Happy Birthday!