Category: Family

It's been a while since I posted something about the family. That's because it's been an extremely busy year thus far and I have neglected to post on the blog. But let's give a quick update. Jameson is getting so big and really moving around now. Weighing in at just over 25 pounds, he's starting to pick up new talents like throwing balls and moving around on his own feet while sitting in his little car or on his construction truck. It's still a wonder to see how humans advance over time. Just when you think things are moving slowly, it suddenly jumps into fast mode with several new things happening at once. He also cut a new tooth and we feel there's probably a few others coming in. You have to feel bad for them when they can't express themselves verbally and there is something going on that's probably painful. It breaks your heart in a way but you know they'll...

I'm pretty sure that the title is confusing, but Jameson's education is always fascinating to me. Several months ago, we purchased various Fisher-Price toys, either that has educational or fun value. At this age, I'm pretty sure it's a bit of both because learning is fun when everything is just new and colorful. One of the toys we purchased is a pretty typical shapes blocks game. I'm guessing we bought this when he was about six months old. In a typical fashion, the goal for him at that stage was to just pick them up and drop them and really had nothing to do with putting something in a hole. In fact, the main goal was not to put anything in the bucket. But as months progressed, this simple game changed a lot. First it was keep the blocks out of the bucket and toss the yellow top. Next, the goal was to toss the blocks behind him, but he enjoyed when...

This weekend the family took another trip and this time to the aquarium at Monteray Bay. If you haven't been, it's a great place to visit with or without children. For kids, there are learning spaces set aside for some cool activities and educational sessions. They also post their feeding schedule for the animal life if want to watch the penguins eat or something of that nature. Since Jameson is still quite young to enjoy all of the aspects of the aquarium, we have definitely seen him engage more when it comes to fish, especially the bright colored ones. It may be the colors, the movement, or just the fact that you can get very close to the glass to see things. Once he finds something interesting, he really locks onto it. And the facial expression of wonderment is just too incredible to not stare at. It's quite amazing to behold. If you happen to visit, be sure to see the...

Halloween always amazes me in just how many children visit our house for candy. This year was no different when we blew through two 150-piece bags of candy, giving only one candy per child. We had a few remaining, but I estimate we had probably 270 kids come by. That's insanity. But the highlight was also getting Jameson dressed for his first Halloween. There was a lengthy discussion on what he should be. I honestly can't remember all of the things that we thought would be best for his first time around. In the end, we selected something that that was fun, hopefully was somewhat comfortable for him, and of course high on the cute factor. We only did a show off for the local street neighbors, but I think he had a good time. I'm guessing for him, I think it was mostly shock and confusion. Happy Halloween!  ...

Livermore has one of the best pumpkin patch farms during the Halloween season in the East Bay. You can find it at Joan's Farm and Pumpkin Patch every year around Halloween. Along with the pumpkins, kids can do hay rides, hit the corn maze and go through various farming museum exhibits. They also have a collection of animals such as donkeys, ponies, and goats that you can feed and pet. The farm is kept quite clean and organized for families to entertain their children. Jameson is still a little too young to do most of the activities, but we think he had a great time just exploring and looking at the animals and pumpkins. I highly recommend Joan's Farm for pumpkin picking. It's free to go and the only costs are the activities, pumpkins and feed for the animals. https://www.yelp.com/biz/joans-farm-and-pumpkin-patch-livermore  ...

The family and I had a busy weekend. On Saturday, we headed over to Campo Di Bocce with another couple so that they could meet Jameson and play some bocce ball. It's challenging to see how Jameson will handle the new location and if he'll nap at the appropriate time and duration to make the day work. After our recent NJ trip, I learned that he's more flexible than I usually think, but it's still somewhat pressuring to me to plan it out. And especially difficult for me as a person who likes to have a plan and any deviation is a problem. But, Jameson had a great time crawling up and down the bocce ball court and hanging. Melissa and I, however, were both quite surprised he didn't like the mac and cheese we ordered for him. We're thinking he probably didn't like whatever brand it was. But I must give props to Campo Di Bocce on one thing. Cannolis....