A Trek North

To relieve a growing sense of wanderlust, we took a brief family trip to Oakland, California.  The timing of Jenn's work hiatus and Grandma Judy's travel plans allowed us all to get together.  Jenn's aunt Judy graciously offered to host us.  And we hit the road north!

Car DVD players work wonders to relieve a child's boredom on a long road trip.  (What ever did our parents do without them?)  But children are still children.  And Max did what most little boys would do upon being released from his car seat after five hours.

27 September 2013

At the very first rest stop, he ran around and found the first pile of something in which to play.  In this case, grass clippings at a rest stop along Interstate 5 fit the bill nicely.  I'm pretty sure that some of that grass is still hidden in the nooks and crannies of his car seat.


Oakland is a great place to visit because we have so many friends in the area.  We got together with our friends Jen and Adrian and their daughter, Alexis, for a picnic in Tilden Park.

28 September 2013

Of course, we took the opportunity to ride the steam train that runs through the park.  Charlotte and her mommy snuggled together ...

28 September 2013

... while just behind them Charlotte's daddy talked shop with Adrian.


It was a pretty low-key trip with lots of kid-friendly activities.  Following another picnic, Max and Charlotte got to play on a local playground.

29 September 2013

29 September 2013

Although we took the big highway north, we elected to take the slow road (i.e. US highway 101) south and stopped for the night in Pismo Beach, California, at a terrific hotel.  Though we had to get back home, we did stop for breakfast ...

1 October 2013

where Charlotte enjoyed her first bowl of Froot Loops, particularly the purple ones.

Then we went down to the beach for a little while.

1 October 2013

It has some pretty amazing views ...

1 October 2013

which Charlotte and Max took in together.  It was a really fun place to spend the night.  And Charlotte and Max had some pretty serious reservations about leaving, reservations which lead to a rare tandem temper tantrum when we ushered them out of the swimming pool.

But the nice thing about the slow road is that it affords so many opportunities for pleasant diversions.  One of the ones on which we stumbled was a charming pumpkin patch (just north of a winery which we also enjoyed).  So we picked out some Halloween pumpkins.

1 October 2013

Max found one that he liked, but it wasn't easy to get him to understand that we didn't have quite enough room in the car to get it home.  Unable to bring a pumpkin that large back home, Charlotte still found adventure in scaling them.

1 October 2013

1 October 2013

As you can see, this pleasant diversion offered no shortage of ridiculously cute photo opportunities!

But a long road trip is taxing even for the best of children.  And Max and Charlotte were near the end of their respective proverbial ropes by the time we stopped for a brief dinner in Santa Barbara, California.

1 October 2013

1 October 2013

Don't let the big smiles fool you!  We just need to make sure that both of our DVD players survive the trip next time.  (We had a casualty.  But, quite fortunately, Jenn had the wisdom and foresight to buy a warranty, enabling us to have two working DVD players for our next trip!!!  Word to the wise: insure any expensive electronics you buy for your children!)


Rufus reminds us that this blog isn't just about toddlers ...

5 October 2013

The title refers to our terriers, too!

--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)

Summer Summary -- Part III

Without a doubt, this was the summer during which Charlotte and Max learned about -- and learned to love! -- cultural institutions such as museums, particularly those having to do with science.  (Yes, they do their Daddy proud!)  Another of the places we visited -- and joined, of course -- was the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

18 August 2013

18 August 2013

Above Charlotte poses near one of the tanks containing several sting rays, while Max shows his love for the (plastic) penguins.

18 August 2013

Charlotte communes with the fish.

18 August 2013

The touching exhibit, featuring anemones and smaller critters like shrimp, was pretty popular.  I think they really enjoyed the tactical experience at the aquarium.  Since the Aquarium is relatively far away, I may have to be the driving force behind future visits.  I think it'll be worth it, provided Charlotte can get over her fear discomfort with the divers in the various tanks.


Speaking of tactile experiences, Max and Charlotte show off their newly-learned pizza-making talents!

28 August 2013

28 August 2013

Again, I have to applaud my wife for engaging Max and Charlotte in the production of their own dinner.  I think it's a great way to establish a healthy relationship with food and eating ... which reminds me that it's probably a good time to get them back in the kitchen to help out.


We partied a lot ...

1 September 2013

... and that obviously wears one down a bit.


Charlotte and Max got to see their first movie in a real theater!

7 September 2013

Aunt Lauren accompanied them and Jenn to see the movie Planes.  I, unfortunately, wasn't there, as I had to be in England for work.

But, even more unfortunate was the accident that Charlotte suffered while I was gone!  Below is an X-ray showing the damage that poor Charlotte suffered the day before I came home from my work trip.  Excited about playing in front of our house, she tripped and fell ... on one of her front teeth!  The purple ellipse shows the divot that she took out of that tooth.  The red ellipse shows the complete break across the root of the tooth!

7 September 2013

Long story short, the tooth had to be removed.  (Fortunately, I was home by the time that happened.)  And Charlotte was such a trooper!  The night after her tooth was removed, she stated that she had had fun at the dentist!  (Yes, my little girl is tough!)  The main trauma suffered, however, was the sudden loss of pacifiers.  I wasn't there for her first paci-less night, but Jenn and Aunt Lauren describe it as something akin to a scene from this movie.  And it's really only now that they're getting over their pacifiers (Max had to give his up, too).  Pacifiers are great, but so is an early, well-planned exit strategy!

21 September 2013

Fortunately, you can have a front tooth extracted at the age of two-and-a-half and still look as cute as all get out!  (Note the Mini Cooper mini-model I brought home from England.)  Oh, the blue ellipse on that X-ray?  That highlights an extra adult tooth that Charlotte will have to have removed one day.


Charlotte and Max attended the premiere party for the second season of Jenn's show, Dog with a Blog.  They even paused for a second to pose with two of the shows actresses and our nanny's son, Dean.  What's pretty fun is that Max and Charlotte really enjoy watching Dog with a Blog on TV!  (Well, maybe not as much as Curious George or Dinosaur Train, but Dog with a Blog is still a little beyond their years.)

20 September 2013

As I mentioned above, there was a lot of partying for Max and Charlotte this summer.


Between visitng the California Science Center, Kidspace Museum, the Natural History Musema and the Aquarium of the Pacific, between learning to ride scooters, learning to cook and taking swimming lessons and just having a great time, it was a pretty incredible summer for Max, for Charlotte and for us all!

--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)

Summer Summary -- Part II

Last summer NASA flew one of its decommissioned space shuttles to Los Angeles, California (see "Welcoming a New Resident to Southern California").  The California Science Center was granted custody of the space shuttle Endeavour.  And this summer Max and Charlotte made the trip down to the California Science Center to see it.

4 August 2013

4 August 2013

I think they were both amazed and intimidated by it.  But they definitely enjoyed it!  More than once have they asked to go back to the California Science Center.  (And, yes, they asked for it by name.)  When we go back I'll have to get some better pictures of them standing near one of the most complicated machines ever built by man.


Charlotte and Max have also spent time cooking in the kitchen with Mommy.

4 August 2013

I believe that blueberry banana pancakes were on the menu that morning.  In addition to making pancakes, Max and Charlotte have also baked cookies and created their own pizzas (including rolling out the pizza dough).  They really, really enjoy workng with Jenn in the kitchen!


And, of course, there was another haircut ...

10 August 2013

10 August 2013

... but this time Grandma Judy got a haircut, too!

10 August 2014

And I have to add that I am impressed at how well Charlotte and Max can sit still through the entire haricut these days!


Another discovery of Max' and Charlotte's was just how cool the California Institute of Technology is!  I mean, it's quite clear that it's a great place to ride one's scooter.

10 August 2013

10 August 2013

There's that neat cannon in front of Fleming House.  And there's an ATM with buttons that really beep, actually light up and make the screen flash!

10 August 2013

10 August 2013

It's a nice place to relax and have a picnic.  And there are even wild turtles to observe!

3 August 2013

More mid-scootering turtle observation ...

10 August 2013

Caltech even has nice cool (turtle-less!) pool in which to cool one's tootsies on a hot summer day ... or just splash a whole bunch!


--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)

Summer Summary -- Part I

It's been a pretty eventful summer for Max and Charlotte!  And, seeing as how I haven't documented their escapades in a while and fall is right around the corner, I thought it was high time that I summarize what's happened to us this past season.

While I was traveling in Europe, Max and Charlotte visited their first museum back home in California.  Turns out that they love museums!  Kidspace is a children's museum close to home (about 0.5 miles south of the Rose Bowl) that also has fun water features in which to play ...

5 July 2013

5 July 2013

and leaves to study!  The mission of Kidspace is to teach children about science and nature.  It's a pretty good bet that we'll return quite often.


The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles is a pretty natural draw for Charlotte and Max, as it features dinosaurs!

7 July 2013

7 July 2013

That includes Charlotte's favorite: Triceratops.

But it's not at all about dinosaurs.  There are exhibits on a wide number of aspects of the natural world, like spiders and whales.

7 July 2013

7 July 2013

7 July 2013

7 July 2013

Max was particularly fond of the exhibit which involved rocks and shovels and dirt and sifters.


Charlotte and Max rode up and down our street a lot, sometimes on their tricycles, sometimes on their scooters.

15 July 2013

By now they're both pretty adept on their tricycles and their scooters, though I do wish they would learn to make better use of the scooter brakes.


Max and Charlotte took advantage of the pool within a block from our house to take swimming lessons, too.

22 July 2013

They both did amazingly well.  And I'm particularly proud of Max for overcoming his fears and embracing the water.  Max used to have a hard time having his hair rinsed in the bathtub.  These days he and Charlotte would gladly stay in the water for hours on end!  (Indeed, they have.)


And, of course, Max and Charlotte kept on getting bigger and bigger.

28 July 2013

Here they patiently wait while we get seated for dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant.


--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)

Charlotte Meets a Neighbor

While out riding her scooter this evening ...

17 July 2013

Charlotte met one of our neighbors: a (Southern Alligator, I believe) lizard who was regenerating his tail.

17 July 2013

17 July 2013

"Nice weather we're having!," she commented to her new reptilian friend.  (I am in no way embellishing; that's exactly what she said.)

Max, meanwhile, was inside preparing for an early bedtime, as he had forgone his nap today.