A couple of days after my sister visited with her son, David, it was time for Paul's company's family picnic. We were going to Saratoga Springs, a campground and picnic area that looked pretty.
Really, what place ISN'T pretty out here in Northern California???!!
We drove the commute down to Paul's work and then took busses to Saratoga. It's located just South of Silicon Valley, between Los Gatos and Cupertino. It is unbelievable how the scenery changes in such a short amount of time. Instead of beautiful mountains and pretty flowers, you start to see tall, beautiful trees. I think these are redwood trees. It's so different that it's like being in another state!
Here we are, just entering the park.
Andrew is wearing his "soccer strip". Do they call them that here in the U.S. ? It's his soccer uniform from England, but it's for a Scottish team - the Celtics. We won't be losing him when he wears it, that's for sure!
It was a typical corporate family picnic - every imaginable outlet for the kids to try. The boys and Kathryn liked this obsticle inflatable.
You can never go wrong with a giant slide. The only problem was that John was slightly too young to slide down it! He was pretty sad about that.
This shows its age, but the kids liked it anyway. It was nice to see something so "natural" in California, not so perfectly beautiful.
That is John on the upside down "u" shaped climbing frame, while Andrew is easily spotted eating a snowcone on top of the other climbing frame. Note we were surrounded by the beautiful, tall trees!
The lines to some of the inflatables were a little long, but they had dress up clothes for the kids to wear while waiting. This is "dahrling Kathryn". Fortunately, she has zero interest in acting!
They catered delicious BBQ for us, and when the kids were done, we let them play in the (mostly) dry creek bed while we sat and relaxed together.
On the other side of the creek bed, they had one of the best petting zoos we've done. Andrew was completely thrilled (our animal lover)! He got to hold a chicken
and pet a goat, among TONS of other animals!
We finished the night on this rock climbing wall. That's Princess Kathryn, climbing in her beautiful halter dress, in her bare feet. She made it look so easy!
Megan had to work a little harder - we think it's actually harder for the bigger kids! She DID make it to the top, though. Determination will help you every time!
However, Andrew beat both of his sisters to the top, and he knew to ring the bell, although both Paul and I had completely forgotten about that, and it was Andrew's first climbing wall experience!
Somehow he knew to "swing" back down as well. He must have been studying the people in line before us while Paul and I were talking to his co-workers.
Where was John, you might ask? He was too young for the climbing wall, but sometimes a good bouncy castle just takes away the sting.
John more or less lived in this bouncy castle while the other 3 were waiting in line and climbing. You can do that when it's a company event and no time limits on activities. I enjoyed meeting some of the people with whom Paul works, and seeing yet another part of beautiful Northern California....and not making dinner, either!
Next up - a very late post about our Spring Break back in April, shortly after we moved!
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