This evening, we celebrated Ellie’s birthday.
It’s also Ellie and family’s last night in Buena Park. What a great group photo!
Pool Day
This morning we gathered at Uncle Jason’s house and then headed to their pool.
We had water guns that we bought at the Dollar Store yesterday and the boys battled.
It looked like it was gonna be too cold at first but the sun came out shortly after we got into the pool and warmed us up very quickly.
Alaska Cruise: Day 6
It’s Day Six of our Alaska Cruise: Ketchikan, AK
We are in Ketchikan today and had just enough time to have breakfast before heading outside.
Our window is always close to the port so we placed the friends at the window so they could see out the window while we were away.
Auntie Jia got each of the littles a polar bear that hugs your arm.
Janie got a harbor seal.
We booked a trolley ride today and hopped on for a quick ride around town.
Peanut got a front seat so he could see all the sights with an unobstructed view.
We stopped near a stream and the boys enjoyed watching Ankong play with the yo-yo he bought in town.
We also went looking for bears but they were all hiding today.
Back in town, we went to Creek Street to browse the shops built right over the creek that usually has lots of salmon running.
At dinner, Peanut played a mean game of Uno with Ankong but started to make up his own rules. He also had two servings of cocktail shrimp this evening!
Here is our towel animal for tonight. Is it a duck? A gorilla? We don’t know.
Alaska Cruise: Day 5
It’s Day Five of our Alaska Cruise: Sitka, AK
This morning, we woke up in Sitka and saw lots of fishing boats out the window during breakfast.
Mama and Janie went out to the deck to get a better look at the view.
At the port, there was a free shuttle that takes you into the town.
It’s a cute little fishing community.
We walked to the Raptor Center, which was a little over a mile away. The kids started out well but then 3 of them ended up on shoulders for part of the way.
The kids also stopped to pick dandelions on the side of the road.
There was a mini walking trail through the forest next to the center and there was so much to see. We saw a carving of a hawk sticking out of a tree and different flowers and plants.
At the end of the trail, we found a stream that is supposed to fill up with salmon later this season.
We only saw baby fish on one side and the other side was good for skipping and throwing rocks.
Before heading back to the ship, the kids played at the library. They had a cute kids section and they also gathered flowers for the grownups.
Once back on the ship, Mama and Janie went to the back of the boat to see what the wildlife expert could show us. We saw sealions and jellies in the water as he set sail for the next town.
If you look carefully in the water, you can see little white discs floating in the water.
At dinner, the kids had a fancy watermelon sherbet.
Here’s our towel animal for the night. We couldn’t agree on what it is.
Alaska Cruise: Day 3
It’s Day Three of our Alaska Cruise: Juneau, AK
This morning, it was business as usual. We had breakfast at the Lido Bar and then we went back to the observation deck to play.
The kids loved the “water elevator” on the ship.
One of the chess tables was free so Janie played a game with Dada.
For lunch, we ate at the taco bar that was by one of the pools.
Then there was just enough time to get in a hardy nap before we arrived in Juneau.
When we docked, the kids were excited to see where we ended up. We had been at sea for almost 2 days.
When we disembarked, we got a family photo while waiting for our dog sledding excursion to begin.
We all rode in a van up into the deep forest and arrived at a summer camp built for dogs training for the Iditarod Race. Look at all the dogs!!
Our driver and guide, Brittany, took us on a little tour and described how they train the dogs, how they get their care, and even fed us cookies and hot chocolate!
Then it was time to meet some of the dogs. There were 12 chosen to pull us today and they were all so excited to get started. One gave Peanut a giant kiss on the face.
Then we all got into a cart and off we went!
After the ride, we went to visit the puppies.
Dada held one of them while the kids said “hello” and petted him.
They also enjoyed feeding him treats!
We were all wet by the end but it was so much fun!
Back in town, the kids took one last photo together and then it was back on the boat!
Alaska Cruise: Day 2
It’s Day Two of our Alaska Cruise: Day at Sea > Juneau, AK
This morning we were up early and the kids learned quickly that the day of the week changes in the elevator!
They also enjoy what they call the “water elevator” in particular.
After breakfast, we all gathered in the Observation Deck to play and relax.
It was rather cloudy outside most of the day but the kids didn’t care. They brought plenty of toys and games to keep themselves occupied.
We also went to the America’s Test Kitchen demonstration. Janie really enjoyed learning how to prepare salmon two different ways.
When we got back to our room mid-day, we found our basket filled with the fruits that we checked off last night on the card they placed on the table. The orange and apples did not last long before they were gobbled up.
In the afternoon, we went to Afternoon Tea in the Dining Room.
Janie enjoyed some of the English Tea and all the tasty treats on the tray.
They also went swimming in the pool, which was pretty wavy from the boat rocking back and forth.
This evening was “Gala Night” in the Dining Room so we all dressed up and had some family portraits taken.
It was really hard to get a photo of all the kids smiling at the same time.
When we came back from dinner, our room had been converted to “sleep mode” with a bunk bed and bat ray on the bed. This is so much fun!
Alaska Cruise: Day 1
It’s Day One of our Alaska Cruise: Oakland > Seattle > Holland America Cruise Terminal
Today we got up super early to catch our 7:10am flight from OAK > SEA (Seattle/Tacoma). The morning was a little wild with us being unable to find an Uber or Lyft driving to pick us up at 5:30 in the morning so Dada dropped us off with the van, we checked in our bags and got through security, and met Dada at the gate once he drove back home to catch a ride back to the airport.
These kids are seasoned travelers and did great on the short flight up.
Once we arrived in Seattle, we waited around for the rest of the family to arrive and met up with them at the rideshare station.
At the cruise terminal, all of the staff were really friendly and helpful.
Before boarding the ship, we stopped for a family photo with the bear. Yes, we bought the souvenir photo.
Once on board, we had lunch and unpacked in our stateroom. The kids really liked the ledge by our window.
Then we took a walk around the ship to explore the different levels and common areas.
We especially like the Observation Deck at the front of the ship.
For dinner, we celebrated Father’s Day in the Dining Room.
We were well on our way to Alaska and enjoying our first evening on the ship together.
Dinosaurs!
We all went to the California Academy of Sciences today!
They have a new dinosaur exhibit and the T-Rex really scared everyone.
Peanut got brave enough to take photos with the other dinosaurs.
They also climbed on top of one
Peanut also went searching for fossils in the sand.
The kids also enjoyed the aquarium downstairs and visited the touch tank.
On our way back from lunch, Toni, Thomas, AND Janie all got rides.
We also stopped for ice cream before heading back to Alameda.
The little kids had fun rolling around in the grass too.
It was an exciting day and everyone, including Auntie Jia, fell asleep on the drive back.
Sunday Dinner
For dinner, we went to Toni and Thomas’ house. It was so fun to see the kids back together again.
After dinner, the kids decorated cookie. Some needed help with the icing but they loved putting the candies on their ugly sweater cookies.
What they enjoyed more was eating the cookies!!!
Long Beach Aquarium
Ama and Auntie Jia took the kids to the Long Beach Aquarium today! They had a fun time exploring with their cousins.
They stopped at McDonald’s for lunch and each got a Happy Meal! How cool!
The kids fell asleep in the car on the drive back to the house.
In the afternoon, they all hung out at Auntie Jia’s house.
