Photography by Cheryl

After another fun filled day we ended  with a birthday dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe followed by an after dinner stroll (and more shopping) at Fisherman’s Wharf (just a few blocks from Pier 39, it’s another fun, touristy shopping area).

The Rain Forest in SF is huge, it’s 2 stories…

Yes, Syd is still snackin’…lol.  My aunt  bought her one of those twirly lollipops and she munched on it on and off all afternoon… they were acting like the gorilla here…not a fantastic shot but a memory none the less.

the corner we sat in was SO dark…this was the best I could get (lousy but it will do).  Not sure what he was looking at but I think he was watching the staff  (and us) sing to him…he was getting ready to enjoy his bday cake.  The  shot of him actually blowing out the candle wasn’t really good, so this will have to do (not that it’s so great…lol)  You can see how tired he was and the our long days were starting to catch up with him.

We were so full from dinner that we needed to walk a bit before getting in the car and heading home…so we strolled Fisherman’s Wharf…and did some more shopping…and enjoyed the beautiful view and sunset

(yes, I posted this pic a while back, but since this is where it fits in, I thought it was appropriate to re-post it)

and a quick snap of Sydney sporting her new sweatshirt…taken inside the store

On a side note, I am so bummed that this trip marked the end of an era.  Our stroller days are over.  Sigh.  Another bittersweet milestone.  We used it on this trip mainly to cart around our crap.  We did lots of walking and having a “cart” to hold the sweatshirts, drinks, the stuff we bought and most importantly  the heavy  camera bag, was quite useful and Sydney loved the fact by the end of our busy day, she could sit.  Oh well.  The next family vacation everyone is on their own for carrying their things…lol

After the boat ride we walked over to Pier 39.  For those not familiar, Pier 39, is a fun, touristy spot, with lots of shops, restaurants and various live entertainment acts.  It also has a double decker carousel and an aquarium.   Since it’s right at the waters edge, there are sea lions all around, which is kind of fun.  Fortunately, our kids like to shop in these fun types of  stores and didn’t mind strolling through…

the fake sea lions…( I do have pics of the real ones though)

I think this was my favorite store on the pier

Of course they went on that double decker carousel

And yes, we did go to the aquarium, check back tomorrow to see a few pics from there

The boardwalk is fun in the day but even better at night… I lost track of how many times they went on things but definitely many

yes, the crazy boys went on this …can’t you see them…lol

I am not necessarily a big fan of ferris wheels…but…in order to get one of the shots I wanted I HAD to go on…lol.  What us photographers do just to get the pic… ha ha.  Not bad for handheld in a shaky cart…actually no tripods are allowed on the boardwalk so they were all hand held

Matthew and Max were at the top here, Shawn, Syd and I were in the cart right behind them.  Andrew hung with my aunt…he doesn’t do ferris wheels.

So, another fun packed day… roller coasters, swings, free falls, bumper cars, sky rides, haunted house maze thing, carousel, games, and so much more.  What a blast but we had to head home at some point because the next day was going to be just as fun (and busy).