A Day at the Aquarium

Charlotte and Max have become fans of Disney's Octonauts, a show about an intrepid band of cute critters who explore the Earth's oceans, seas and major river basins, coming to the rescue of whatever aquatic life is in need of assistance.  Of course, it was just a matter of time before this prompted another trip down to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

Charlotte puts on a "two-finger touch" clinic at the tide pool touching exhibit, where one can actually touch starfish, sea urchins, anemones and other assorted creatures you might find in a shallow tide pool.

3 May 2014

The two-finger touch is, of course, the best way to touch animals in an aquarium ... provided it's OK to touch them.  That's also how we touched the moon jellies in another exhibit.

 Charlotte tried her own hand at photography.

3 May 2014

3 May 2014

What I saw is on the left; what Charlotte saw is on the right.  Her photograph was, of course, that of the giant Japanese spider crab.  (And I can't be the only one who thinks these creatures were almost certainly the inspiration for those nasty, little "face suckers" in the Alien movies.)

 Charlotte also took several pictures of the tropical reef exhibit.

3 May 2014

3 May 2014

At the right is one of the nearly 200 examples of her work!  (Hey, Daddy's iPhone is easy to use!)


Near the shark lagoon (featuring small sharks and sting rays one can pet) there is a play area that has some water features where one can splash and play.  Max and Charlotte really like this part of the aquarium.  Max really, really likes it!

3 May 2014

3 May 2014

And this has to be one of my favorites among all of the photos I've ever taken of Max. 

3 May 2014

But he's a pretty photographic kid; so I've got a lot of favorites.

And not only is he photographic, but, as anyone who's spent at least 1.68 seconds with the child knows, he's very outgoing.

3 May 2014

 

3 May 2014

And he seems to find friends just about everywhere he goes!


After playing in the water, Charlotte and Max played in some water containing some bat rays (and flounders and shovelnose guitarfish).

3 May 2014

The bat rays are not at all shy.  Charlotte and Max got to touch them, putting their hands not much deeper than Charlotte is doing in the picture above.

3 May 2014

A large grouper puts on a show for Charlotte (picture by Charlotte).


Below are two creatures seen in two of the Octonauts episodes that motivated our trip.

3 May 2014

3 May 2014

There's a poisonous lionfish on the left and a leafy sea dragon on the right (picture by Charlotte).

We plan to visit the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium next month.  I wonder what animals featured on Octonauts we'll get to see!


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

The Youngest Padawans

Max and Charlotte haven't yet watched Star Wars, but clearly they're ready to join their cousins Patrick and Natalie in their Jedi training.

31 March 2014

I'm not sure why Max is holding his lightsaber like a javelin, but I imagine that that must be covered in the very first lesson.

30 March 2014

30 March 2014

Young Jedis must be in touch with and know their place in Nature.  And, as Charlotte shows, a good washing machine can be a Jedi's best friend.

30 March 2014

Jedis also require smooth moves on the dance floor.

May the force be with y'all ... always!


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

Not Gone, Just Hibernating

Anyone following our blog has probably noticed that nothing new has appeared in a while.  We're not gone!  I've just been hibernating for a bit.  And while I've said that I refuse to explain lapses in blogging (life happens, right?), I will apologize for having been busy.

With that, I'll pick up where we left off: Christmas 2013!

7 December 2013

I hope that you have seen this picture which graced our Christmas cards this year.  Jenn got Max and Charlotte to pose for this wonderful picture while we were out Christmas tree shopping (note the Christmas trees in the background).  Getting them to pose with genuine smiles isn't easy; having them say 'cheese' just doesn't yield quite the intended effect.


This year we spent Christmas at home.  Grandma Judy housesat just up the street.  And Charlotte's and Max' cousins from Chico, California, came to visit.  Here, Natalie and Charlotte decorate Christmas cookies.

22 December 2013

To occupy themselves during the baking of said cookies, Natalie, Max, Patrick and Charlotte played in our sandbox.

22 December 2013

Patrick and Natalie (and Johnny and Wren - not pictured) came back to spend some time with us on Christmas Eve.  The four cousins shared a Christmas Eve lunch together.

24 December 2013

Max and Patrick: cousins, firefighters, superheroes!

24 December 2013

Charlotte, Patrick, Max and Natalie settle in for a little movie viewing on Christmas Eve (I believe that the Lion King was on the docket that evening) whilst their parents and grandmother enjoyed dinner.

24 December 2013

Christmas Day was a blast.  I'm afraid you'll have to take my word for it, as I didn't manage to get many good pictures between all the present (un)wrapping and playing and comings and goings.

25 December 2013

But perhaps Max' sheer enjoyment of eating an entire goose wing during our Christmas dinner will give you some idea as to how fun and complete a day it was.  We honored to be joined by our friends Oren, Julie, Avi and Noa (not pictured, I'm afraid) for dinner.


We spent Boxing Day just as it should be spent in southern California: at the beach.  It was an unbelievably lovely day, and Charlotte and Natalie began practicing their Baywatch impressions.

26 December 2013

26 December 2013

26 December 2013

It really was a fantastically beautiful day, with most of us going in the water at some point (though I think only Johnny went into water deeper than his knees).  And it wasn't a day where beach attire was only barely appropriate; it was that kind of December day where you realize why your southern California-sized mortgage is as large as it is.

26 December 2013

Even the dolphins came out to play.

More soon ...

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


PS -  If you're wondering what business anyone has hibernating during weather like this ... well, I've got no good answer for you.

Three!

Yes, it has been a while, but I (finally) wanted to post pictures from Max and Charlotte's third birthday!  As their birthday fell on a Tuesday, we got to enjoy an extended birthday celebration.  Below, Max shows his appreciation for some early birthday cake on Saturday evening.

9 November 2013

And, of course, birthday cake doesn't taste quite as good without presents!

9 November 2013

Max opened up an Arnie Argentinosaurus interactive talking toy (complete with wristband remote control!) from the Dinosaur Train series.  And Charlotte got a Lalaloopsy doll (not pictured).


Like last year, we had a birthday at our local park.  And we had several guests of honor come to town: Grandma Cheryl, Grandma Judy and Aunt Lauren all flew in to attend.  Brenda and Gabby procured a Dinosaur Train-themed birthday cake, which Charlotte was all too happy to decorate with candles.

10 November 2013

Max and Charlotte both blew out the candles on their cake; I'm not sure if they made a wish.

10 November 2013

It would appear that Charlotte's fear of fire was just a two-year-old thing!


An unanticipated feature of the park that day was a huge pile of dirt: the perfect gift for any three-year-old boy!

10 November 2013

It works for four-year-old boys, too.  Reed and Ronan joined Max atop the bonus dirt pile.

10 November 2013

Not to be outdone by the boys, Charlotte also summitted Mount Dirt for some playtime.

10 November 2013

Needless to say, a post-party bath was warranted.


Charlotte, Max, Aunt Lauren, Grandma Cheryl and I went to Montrose for a little birthday shopping.  Charlotte posed astride a (mechanical) pony ... uh, ride.

11 November 2013

Charlotte and Max pose next to public art during a lunch trip to Old Town Pasadena on the day they turned three.

12 November 2013

Charlotte and Max open more presents on their birthday.  Because of the extended nature of their celebration this year, I believe that this was the fourth day in a row they got presents!  Who says Tuesday birthdays are all that bad?

12 November 2013

Two sleeping three-year-olds!

12 November 2013

Whether you came from near or far, we'd like to thank everyone who shared in our weekend and made it so special for Charlotte and Max!

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

The Halloween When Dinos Roared Again

This past Halloween dinosaurs were granted a brief stay of extinction when they visited Pasadena, California, for an evening to terrorize its people!

31 October 2013

Frightened residents shook into terror and hid behind their doors as a giant, red Tyrannosaurus Rex and a huge, purple Triceratops tromped down Marguerita Lane.  Fortunately, these particular Mesozoic reptiles were easily appeased with candy.

31 October 2013

Our dinosaurs then made their way to Oakland Avenue to see what sugary offerings were available there.

31 October 2013

 T. Rex versus giant, fuzzy spider?  I know on whom I'm placing my bets!!!

31 October 2013

This was another very fun Halloween, which is how it should be!  And Charlotte already has a costume in mind for next year ...

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

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)