San Francisco Trip Part I: Anu Foi's House

After our amazing weekend trip to LA and Disney, our long-awaited, week-long San Francisco-Bay Area trip and family reunion was finally here!  The very next weekend after LA, we took off for California again--this time northern California and our old home in the Bay Area!  I knew we wouldn't be able to stay away for long!

Krish and Arjun were invited into the
cockpit by our pilot on the way there!
Lucky boys!

After two years, we were finally on vacation for a nice, long week!  Since we were there for so long, our trip was easily divided into three, solid portions.  The first part we spent the first weekend at Anu Foi's house with Rajiv Fuva, Lila and Diya; the second part we stayed in a rental house in San Jose for four days with Vivek Kaka, Krishna Kaki, Keshav and Vidya; and for the third part we headed to Sonoma Valley for the third-ever Shah Family Reunion!

Starting out at Anu Foi's house was amazing!  The boys had such a blast hanging out with Lila and Diya in their new house in Portola Valley complete with an outdoor basketball hoop and gigantic sand box!  The boys couldn't have dreamed of a cooler environment to play in with their cousins!

It was so awesome to see how well Krish, Lila, and Diya got along!  They are at the perfect ages to interact and play together, and we could see that Krish forged a separate relationship with each of his cousin sisters.  With Lila being the eldest, Krish loved following her lead and learning new games and ideas from her.  He and Lila also shared a similar competitive spirit and enthusiasm for games and basketball which was entertaining to see!  They really got along so well despite their competitive natures!  With Diya and Krish being the same age, they enjoyed playing games appropriate for their age together such as tag on the playground and singing songs, etc.  It really was such a joy to see them all getting along so fabulously and playing so much together!

Movie Night before bedtime! What a treat - watching
Mater's Tall Tales together! The girls got into Krishbhai's
selection!

Reading a bedtime story with Anu Foi!

Arjun was still a little younger for the big kids during this visit, but he still definitely enjoyed watching them, learning from them, following them around, and engaging in activities (such as playing in the sandbox) with them where appropriate.  Overall, he just loved being in their company!

Krishbhai sharing his love for boardgames with the rest of
the family!  He taught his cousins how to play Ticket to
Ride!  All thanks goes to Ankur Kaka for introducing
us to the game and gifting us with one of our own!

While at Anu Foi's, we also got the opportunity to celebrate Raksha Bandan as we often have with Lilaben and Diyaben in past years.  How fortunate for us!  This time, Keshav, Vidya, Vivek Kaka, Krishna Kaki, Ankur Kaka and Kabu Kaki were there with us to celebrate too!  It couldn't get any better than that…until it did at the reunion!

Orange County and Santa Monica!

While on our Los Angeles trip, we had a blast with Pranav Mama, Purnima Fui and Hemant Fua in Orange County.  Krish loved playing Connect Four with everyone using Pranav Mama's mini, travel-size Conncet Four game, and he also loved playing soccer in the family room.  Arjun also had a blast exploring inside and outside the house with Purnima Fui!  The boys have definitely been missing everyone since we left!

Hanging out in the hammock with Purnima
Fui while we had an outdoor Vegan lunch!

We were also fortunate to get the opportunity to go visit Nilay Kaka, Jessica Kaki, and sweet, baby Shanta in Santa Monica while we were there on the second day of our all-too short trip!  Krish just loves babies, so of course he absolutely adored the newest 3rd generation Carrollton group member, Shanta!  Nilay Kaka and Jessica Kaki also took us for a walk along Santa Monica Pier and for a yummy lunch at 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzaria.  We also got a chance to see their beautiful, newly renovated Santa Monica home and hang out in the amazing weather of southern, coastal California.

Krish loved playing with
baby Shanta!

Krish and Pranav Mama at Santa Monica Pier!

Momma's turn! Beautiful, sunny, California!

Whether in northern California or southern, the whole state is so beautiful and absolutely one of our favorite vacation destinations and places to live.  Needless to say, we can't wait for the next opportunity to visit!

DisneyLand!!!

It has been a busy summer in the Shah household.  Daddy spent the majority of the summer studying for his board exams, so when he recently finished them, we were all very excited to go on a family vacation together!

On the plane, looking forward to
our family vacation!

We are so proud of Daddy for all his hard work and dedication to his job and studies and for everything he does for us!  He is our hero in every way, and we love him so much!  Thus, when he proposed the idea of a mini family vacation after his boards, we jumped at the opportunity to get some exclusive, quality time with him!  And what better place to take the kids for a fun-filled vacation than visiting Pranav Mama and Disney?

We were very excited to take Arjun to DisneyLand for the first time because he is a huge fan of Mickey Mouse!  DisneyLand was the best place to start for Arjun's age since it is not as large as DisneyWorld.  The kids were in awe of all the magic and excitement around them, and despite the heat, we all had an absolute blast at Disney with Pranav Mama!  It is so exciting to see the kids' reactions and joy towards all that Disney has to offer.  From the characters and rides to the shows and parades, there is nonstop excitement around every corner.  Krish definitely looked like a seasoned Disney visitor this time, but Arjun was in total awe!

Their favorite activity, by far, was watching the Mickey and the Magical Map show.  It was the first thing we did so the boys were their freshest.  In addition to watching Krish, watching Arjun clap, wave,  sing, dance, point, and say Mickey's name during the show was amazing!  They were so into it!

As the day wore on, so did the boys' energy levels, but among our other favorite activities that day were the It's a Small World ride, the Buzz Lightyear ride, meeting Mickey Mouse and Goofy, the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, the Dumbo ride, and watching Mickey's Soundsational Parade and the marching band performances before we left.

We all loved It's A Small World,
especially Krish!

In Mad Hatter's TeaCup!

Arjun in awe of meeting his very first
character!  Neil and I immediately agreed,
"Just to see this, it was all worth it!" 

No matter how many times you get to meet Mickey in your life,
every time is just as magical as the first! Arjun was completely enamored
with him!

Disney Parade!

College Marching Band Performance!

Admittedly, we were worn and beat by the end of the day, but it was worth it!  We still look forward to showing Arjun DisneyWorld and related parks one day just like we did with Krish!  After he turns two, I think he will be able to last longer as well!

Summertime Shenanigans!

What we do in summertime in Texas:

Play Dates with our amazing friends!

Play date at Roma Foi's: Snail-collecting and making
delicious homemade ice cream!

Enjoying some rare, beautiful 70 degree weather at our
community park with Pallavi Auntie, Raj, and Ria!

Play date at our home: Making gak with Ariyan and Nyla!

Silly boys got gak stuck in their hair!

Making yummy s'mores and playing the piano!

Mommy's time with her boys!

Enjoying the rides at Sandy Lake Amusement Park!
Arjun's first time riding rides!

Daddy's time with his boys!

Dave & Busters! Krish's Favorite!

Choo Choo Train ride at Grapevine Mills Mall!

Swimming at Ba and Dada's Pool!

Play Date with our School Friends at Greenhill!

Nine of the Fourteen children in Krish's Pre-K class
playing at the school playground and having a bagel
breakfast together!  Doesn't Arjun just fit right in?

Playing at the parks!

Big brother Krish loves swinging baby brother Arjun on
the swings at the playground after basketball class, and
Arjun loves being swung by his big brother! I think
Krish looks so dashing in his Mavericks jersey when he
plays basketball, but I'm biased!

Personal Accomplishments!

Krish achieving his Purple-Orange belt in
Karate!

Krish completing his summer reading and receiving
his certificate and prizes!

Cooling off after a hot day outside!

What we do when we get home from a hot
summer day in Texas: stand in front of an
open freezer door with shirt off and ice
cream in hand.