Fearless is my middle name

The last fun thing that we did in Monterey was visit Dennis the Menace Park. What a great park it was! They had a real steam engine on the park grounds and you could climb into it and yell out the window and pretend you were traveling the rails. We also played on play structures with slides and ladders and I covered every inch of every structure around.

One of my very favorite activities at this park included this enormous, green wavy slide. You had to climb a very long set of stairs to get up there, but Dad helped me while mom gritted her teeth and tried to smile while standing at the bottom ready to call 911. The first time I slid down, Dad accompanied me, but the second time I came down all on my own. Whee! That is what you must say when flying down a slide of this magnitude. All that, and I even managed to hang on to my hat too.

My second favorite activity at the park was the suspension bridge. Mom and dad say I have no fear. I took off like a shot and would toddle back and forth all on my own with mom standing at one side and dad at the other. This bridge was really high up in the air, and yes, it did SWAY back and forth as one traveled across it. No matter...there was netting on either side so I couldn't fall below. On either side of the bridge, you could run down the hill and enter these tunnels beneath. I must have run across the bridge and through the tunnels about a million times (or at least that is what it must have seemed like to Mom and Dad).

Needless to say, we visited this park before naptime and Mom said it worked like a charm. Even this Peanut gets worn out from lots of fun and activity. I know that it's hard to believe, but I must admit it is true.

See attached pics of me running across the suspension bridge, sliding down the wavy slide and exploring the tunnels.

Pretend play in Monterey!

On the second day of our Monterey visit, we went to the Children's museum. Now, I may only be a little Peanut with a short list of life experiences, but when someone says "Museum" to you I would imagine that your mind conjures up something more than a little room with a mess of old toys and other junk in it, am I correct? Needless to say, my family and I were a little bit disappointed with what we saw when we arrived, but troopers that we are, we proceeded to go with the flow, give it a chance and try to have some fun. And we did!

My absolute favorite activity at the "museum" was when I got to put on a fireman costume and "drive" the firetruck. I sat behind the wheel and said "Whoo - Whoo". I also occasionally made sure to step out to the side of the truck and check for oncoming traffic. I also enjoyed pretending to captain a boat which was supposed to be a replica of the SS bubba gump from that movie with Tom Hanks. After my boating adventures it was on to the make believe house under construction where I checked the doorbell over and over to ensure it would ring everytime the doorbell button was pushed....and it did much to EVERYONE'S amusement in the museum! I also had to check the plumbing in the house to ensure the sink worked and I would turn on the pretend faucet and make a "woosh-woosh" noise to pretend that the water was flowing properly.

All in all, it was fun, but after about an hour, we had explored it all and it was on to other things. See the attached pictures of my favorite activities and I will catch you later to tell you all of my fun adventures at the fabulous park that we discovered next.

Otters, Fish and Penguins, Oh My!

This past weekend, my family drove down to Monterey for a little vacation getaway. We had a terriffic time and mom took lots of pictures, so I am going to split this vacation into three separate posts to ensure I convey all the exciting events. I will preface all of this by letting you know that mom says I am an exceptionally good boy. I ate like a horse as usual and I took all my afternoon naps with no issue at the hotel. I even slept in this play pen thing that the hotel staff insisted was a crib. Again, I must say that mom and dad are very lucky to have a Peanut like me!! I wonder if my brother is going to be such a great little guy.

Anyway, on to my adventures in Monterey. Our first visit was to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I had a very wonderful time and I was so excited that I was almost not able to contain myself at certain points during this visit. In fact, we had to break up our visit into two shorter visits over a few days which seemed to work out pretty well. Well, give a little guy a break, I am not yet even two and I just get so excited that sometimes I get a bit frustrated and I have to take a break from all the excitement.

There was a huge 2 story aquarium with sharks and tuna and this bizarre looking ocean sunfish. Mom said she had never seen such a fish in her life. The otter exhibit was really cool and I kept calling the otters "cats". Well, they do have whiskers like a cat, you know!

The second day we got to see another 2 story aquarium in the Kelp forest and there was a diver in the tank feeding the fish. How cool is that? We also visited the tide pools where I was able to reach in and touch an actual starfish and other nasty things. The man at the touch pond seemed upset with me when I picked up the starfish and told me that a starfish can't breathe when it is out of the water. How was I supposed to know that? Lastly, we saw the penguins and all I can say is that they are just crazy. They zip all over the place and splash around...I guess mom would say they are similar to me.

All in all, I give the aquarium visit an A+ and I hope to return again soon. See the attached pictures of me having a great time at the aquarium with mom and dad.

A play date with a pretty girl!

I have a friend that I met through Gymboree and her name is Samantha. She is a cute little chick and she is a few months older than I am. Obviously, I like older women. We have such fun together and I love to see her and hang out and play.

Anyway, mom and I visited her and her mother at their new home. They used to live right here in San Ramon, but moved a bit further away just about month ago. We loved their new house and it was even more exciting as they were still unpacking things so there was a big room of boxes and other stuff to tempt my curiosity even more. They were also in the midst of landscaping their back yard, so there was all kinds of activity going on that I like to see including a man with a hammer and another with some plastic tubing installing the irrigation system.

Samantha and her mom are certainly "hip" when it comes to all the good toys. I discovered several items that were lots of fun to play with including an animal hospital that I absolutely loved. In fact, I liked it so much that mom went and bought one for me at Target. I love to feed the kitty and dog and give them shots and take their temperature. I also love to give shots to mom and dad, especially in their feet, for some unknown reason.

Samantha also had a tricycle, but one that had a really long handle on the back for mom to hold onto and steer for me. I am not supposed to know this, but one of those has been ordered for me as well. Watch out - I will be on the streets soon! My apologies to Samantha's mom for riding the tricycle all over her house, but I am sure she didn't mind.

A great time was had by all at our play date and the most exciting part of all was that Samantha and I got to share teddy grahams, goldfish crackers and milk at her "temporarily" indoor picnic table. Aren't we cute?

It's a boys club!

Well, mom and dad told me the exciting news today. Mom's ultrasound showed that a very healthy baby BOY is on the way. Yes, that is right! I will soon have a baby brother to cuddle, pet and teach all my tricks to. Actually, I don't really understand the whole concept, but apparently I gather that things around our house are going to get a little more hectic and a little more crowded very soon.

Mom and dad said they are very excited, but mom seemed a little tired today as well. Perhaps she was just thinking about how tiring it will be to run around after THREE boys (yes, I mean the large man-child and the two little ones - ha, ha). Secretly, I think she was wishing for a calm little girl that could wear little dresses and play with quiet little dolls, but she is SO GOOD at mothering little boys, it just seems to fit that another little boy Fletcher is on the way.

As Dad said it best, she will now have THREE Fletcher men fawining over her and taking care of her now. Lucky lady!

See the attached pic of me and dad thinking about our new little boy baby and brother Fletcher. Don't we look excited and happy? We are dreaming of all the baseball, hockey and football that we will all watch together ALL weekend long for the next two decades. Poor Mom, she is really outnumbered, but we do love her.

Stomach bugs and Shoe Obsessions

I bet all you Peanut fans have been wondering just where in the world I have been for the last month! I got really sick with a stomach bug and it knocked me out for about a week. Mom and Dad were concerned about me as I could hardly keep anything down and then I ran the highest fever I have ever had (101.5) for a whole day. All I did was lay on the couch with my head on the pillow, watch cartoons, and cuddle with Mommy and my blankets. No food and no activity on my part...can you believe that? Mom and dad MUST have REALLY been worried.

After I got well, just who caught my bug? Yes, that would be my mom herself. Daddy was out of town, but got back just in time for her to get really sick and have to stay in bed for 2 whole days and it also took her a whole week to feel completely well again. Needless to say we are both well again...and, of course, Dad didn't get sick!

I am back to my old self now as you can see from the attached pictures, which I might add are not the best pictures in the world, but you'll get an idea. My latest obsession is shoes, and I mean all kinds of shoes, including mom's sandals and heels. I like to walk around primarily in the kitchen as there is a hard floor and the shoes make a very loud clapping noise. My other must have accessory? Well, of course, I have a medal that I like to wear around my neck which mom refers to as my "bling bling". I think my obsession with heels and jewelry is a little disturbing to Dad, but don't worry Dad, it is just for fun. Suggestion: Click on the top picture to enlarge it to see the detail better.

Oh, by the way, the tennis shoes I am wearing in the picture are my moms....don't worry, my feet are not yet that BIG, but due to Mom genes, I am destined to have some really big feet anyway, so I am getting in some practice walking with her land yacht sized shoes.

Check back tomorrow to find out the big news. Mom and Dad find out whether we are having a little girl or a little boy "Peanut 2" at her doctor's appt tomorrow.