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.
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| 18 August 2013 |
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| 18 August 2013 |
Above Charlotte poses near one of the tanks containing several sting rays, while Max shows his love for the (plastic) penguins.
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| 18 August 2013 |
Charlotte communes with the fish.
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| 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!
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| 28 August 2013 |
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| 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 ...
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| 1 September 2013 |
... and that obviously wears one down a bit.
Charlotte and Max got to see their first movie in a real theater!
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| 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!
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| 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!
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| 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.)
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| 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)
