Best thing to do after such busy preparations for Christmas - to take a before Christmas nap!!!

Next Michael helped me make Christmas cookies

Michael was a huge help - he helped me decorate the tree!! Really hoping he is just as good at undecorating...we will wait and see!!

Michael really likes watching the videos of our trips and around the house - so we made some more videos...

Michael posing by the flowers - so pretty - love how it blooms in Dec to add some color to the backyard!!

Michael playing with one of his favorite toys - a train!!

Breakfast before we take Grandma to the airport - Dad had a meeting so he just stops by the table to say 'bye-bye'

As you can see, Michael is now a pro at posing for pictures!!

Duncan missed us!!

Back home in NC with Grandma - getting ready for Thanksgiving

Our last night we have dinner at Nancy's friend's house - who has an arcade machine in his living room - how cool is that!! Mom and Michael make a good team at playing. Bye CA. Bye Aunt Nancy - we had a super great vacation!!!

Aunt Nancy is very brave and pets a shark

Quick trip to the Aquarium - Grandma tells Michael all about underwater stuff.

More photo opportunities!!

Grandma and Michael at Fisherman's wharf. Bet Grandma didn't expect to return with a grandchild 45 years after her honeymoon here!!

No better way to end a day like this than with a milkshake - YUM!!!

We had dinner in the town where Charles Schutz lived in a train car turned restaurant - how cool!!

What a great visit!!! A wonderful museum day - but it isn't over yet...

And they even had a room where Michael could start practicing his drawing - now that he was so inspired by Snoopy!!

Totally cool wall - all comic strips

You know it is a cool place when the bathroom is so cool you have to take a picture!!

Bryan noticed that even the sinks look like Snoopy!!

Aunt Nancy bonds with a friend

On to the next museum - the Charles Schulz

museum.

Another building with a cool huge train setup - Michael might never want to leave!!!

Here is Aunt Nancy modeling life under the sea

They had another building with cool water stuff - another place Michael was happy to visit!! Here he is having a lesson from Grandma and Aunt Nancy about how different shapes moved throught the water.

And of course given the location there has to be a model of the Golden Gate Bridge. Here is Michael giving it a quick inspection - how's he doing Dad??

There was a construction site too - child labor??

Aunt Nancy liked the view!!

The museum was so great - it even had a whole outside section!! There was a cool boat to explore.

Grandma and Aunt Nancy help Michael read the map.

This was Michael's favorite Clifford exhibit. Duncan saw the picture and wishes he had some bones that big to eat!!!

Museum day was BIG FUN!!! Here we all are with Clifford, the Big Red Dog!!

But the pictures were worth it!!!

This was one of the more common sights during our trip - and the most common phrase? 'Another one with MY camera!!'

As cool as the big trees were, Michael found a simple thing to capture his attention!!

Here we are at Muir woods - the trees were MUCH bigger than Michael!! It was very pretty there.

Aunt Nancy gives Michael his first birding lesson.

More good American food - IHOP...so if the I stands for International why isn't there one in Australia?

Dinner at the In and Out Burger - Nancy wanted some of the food she misses. Michael thought there milkshake was pretty good!!