Boy's first trip to San Francisco (and Mimi, too!)

We talk often about our move to San Francisco with the boys. They know we are moving to start a church and that people they know are moving out there as well. We pray for the city and new friends. We show them where it is on the map. However, there's a few things we can't convince them of! They are ready to receive Jedi training from Darth Vader and Yoda personally. They think the sun shines always in California. They think everyone surfs and that everyone in the movies lives in the state. So, we took them to see it all for themselves and here's their story!

Elijah could have traveled all by himself. He sat on a row behind all of us and amused himself for the 3 hour flight with window gazing, Didj games, coloring, and snacks.

After meeting up with Mimi at the airport, we went straight to Fisherman's Wharf to eat seafood then a crazy steep drive down Lombard Street...one of the most crooked streets in the country.

Mom couldn't wait to take us to what she thought would be one of our favorite spots...and it was: the park under the freeway and just blocks from where we could potentially live.

Sam took his shoes and socks off and ran straight for the sand volleyball courts. Asher was disappointed we didn't pack the basketball. Elijah went exploring around the kayaks and the channel that feeds into the San Francisco Bay.

We were blessed with a rent house to stay in while we were in the city. This is the sunset from our back window as it set over the Pacific Ocean.

Mom and dad took us boys to see the Pacific Ocean. And as we suspected, a surfer was headed out to catch the waves. See..we were right! But the beach was very different from the white sands on the Gulf. The sand? Wet and dark brown. But people don't come to the city for the Pacific Ocean...oh no, there's lots more to see and do!

We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and Mimi oohed and aahed the whole time! It was definitely big! Do you know that a crew is painting the bridge every day of the year? And just when they get to the end, they start over again!

We went to a great spot on the seminary campus over in Marin County and saw a spectacular view of the city. Mom and dad say that normally the view is covered by fog, but once again, we're right...the sun always shines in California!

How cool is this?! We're standing on the Marin County side across the Golden Gate Bridge looking back at our city!

We're not residents yet, so we did what tourists do...ride the cable cars. We rode up to the cable car museum and saw how the cables move the cars up and down the streets. They were crowded, but fun. Mom and dad told us we had to hold on, but we thought we were stable enough to keep our balance. Now, they were actually right about this!

Sam's grin couldn't get any bigger as he watched the chocolate churn at Ghirardelli! He had a hard time deciding what treat to get, but we all agreed on ice cream to enjoy out by the fountains in Ghirardelli Square.

Mom has spent months researching the schools, so part of our trip was visiting some of these elementary schools. Elijah noticed that not everyone looked like him and that some schools make you wear uniforms. Mom and dad saw ethnic diversity and that each school had an identity. Our new and dear friend, Kellie, met us at the school her kids go to and gave us a personal tour.

Asher saw all the buses and trains moving about the city and pointed passionately each time. Though the trains are subway-style, he still said, "whoo-whoo!" We got to ride the MUNI to the Ferry Building from Mission Bay and it went under a tunnel, too!

At the Ferry Building, Elijah and Sam fed the seagulls and pigeons with a loaf of bread that fell off the bread carts, while we waited for the ferry to take us across the bay.

This is our view leaving San Francisco headed to Oakland. We went under the Bay Bridge and could see the Golden Gate Bridge far away. We passed sailboats and big barges.

The coolest part of the ride was seeing these cranes that inspired George Lucas in his creation of the AT-AT Walkers in Star Wars. Can you see the resemblance?

Last, but not least, we got to see AT&T Park where the San Francisco Giants play. We love baseball and have cheered on lots of teams in our short years on earth, but are already quick fans of Tim Lincucum and the Giants. We will be able to hear the games from our neighborhood, when we're not at the games ourselves!

As of today, we are just two months from making San Francisco our new home. Mom and dad say we have to hold hands while crossing the many streets and work on walking in a straight line down the sidewalks. But we're sure that Darth Vader himself will teach us all that!