Growing Up Hertz: Day Out

It was cooler today and I was SICK OF THE HOUSE. So, at 10am we packed the boys up and our intention was to just go to the park and come back. We ended up at Lincoln Glen park in Willow Glen and I'm hesitant to rave out about this park, because I don't want it overrun!! LOL

We didn't play in the playground part today, we just played with the water feature. Yorick, of course, dove right in. There weren't any big kids hogging the water feature today, so it was AWESOME.

Phin was a little hesitant as per his usual, and since he had just woke up, he clung to daddy for a bit.

Seeing all the crazy fun his brother was having

encouraged him a little...

still warming to the idea...

and then there were girls...

I swear, I've been bitching and moaning about this photo all day... Yorick went in to hug Phin and I prematurely shot off and he hugged his brother while my camera was "thinking about" that last photo and I missed it entirely and, sure enough, there was no way Yorick was hugging his brother again.

Daddy had to constantly block Phin's escape...

Yes, ladies, that's Josh's new Billy Mays' beard. RIP Billy.

And then, of course, Daddy couldn't stand it any longer and he had to jump into the fun.

Some other interesting/cute shots I got:

So after that, the kids were tuckered out and actually were a little cold, also Phin slipped and hit his head on the concrete, he was fine, but the party was definitely over. We got in the car and I realized we were going home and I realized I was up for an adventure (after all, I had pigtails in today, dammit) and it seemed Josh was up for one and he said, "Where to?" and I said the first thing that came to mind, since i still hadn't seen it, and said, "Berkeley."

So... off to Berkeley then. We ate lunch at the most bizarre, unwelcoming Jack in the Box in the world. It had two booths, several high bar tables, 3 two person tables, so... right off the bat, not exactly family friendly. One of the booths was a handicap booth, which is the one we had to sit in because some guy was sitting in the only other regular booth with his newspaper spread all out. So we wheeled the boys up in high chairs to the other side of us (since it was a handicap booth, there was only one side with a bench). Nobody takes your order, it's an automated kiosk that takes it and it was the approximately the same temperature as Alaska in February. It was horrendous. Next time, we'll be more adventurous and pick a mom and pop stop.

We discovered our path to the university was blocked off by a massive Farmers Market which Josh deftly avoided by distracting me with pretty houses (I think he was afraid he would take it in the pocketbook if he let me out of the car at a Farmer's Market, and he was right, I was itching to get out). So we drove around the hills surrounding the University and happened upon this RAD park. So we got out to play.

First of all... it's a three story park... the parking lot level has an enclosed toddler area with all kinds of sand toys, a small playscape, some kiddo swings, and a train to play on. Then you go down the hill to the lower level, where there's a big kid playset with a hot to trot slide and a sand pit. And then the lowest level there are bathrooms and a sports field.

And the view... was amazing, this is from the toddler tier, the top level, from the top of their playscape: