Monterey 2012

We had a little window of time this month to take a trip, and we went to Monterey. Whenever we travel through Vacaville we always stop at the Nut Tree. It's amazing! A play ground, train and carousel are exactly what we need after 2 hours in the car :)

We stayed in Aptos, which is perfectly situated between Santa Cruz and Monterey. Our hotel was 2 blocks from Sea Cliff state beach and it was an amazing introduction for our kids. We had beautiful weather and most of the beach to ourselves. Rhonen, unfortunately, got a little too wet from the ocean and we had to cut our beach trip short. But we compensated with the lovely hot tub at our hotel :)

the weather turned bad on the third day, which perfectly coincided with our trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I would recommend this destination to anyone, with or without children. What a beautiful place to enjoy and marvel at the ocean and it's inhabitants! Of course, our children absolutely loved it!

Jackson 18 Months

Our Jack is now 18 months old! He is proving to be quite the little character and is so independent. He keeps up with his brother very well but sometimes gets frustrated with the "accidental" bumps and bruises. But he does very well overall. And he is becoming a real ham for all of us. We think Rhonen encourages his antics by always laughing :) His language is very clear and he can commicate exactly what he wants most of the time. Currently his favorite activities include task based games and helping mommy & daddy with household chores.

He is a fantastic eater! He will try just about any food and usually enjoys what he's eating. I think his favorite food are bananas, which he eats every morning at 5am, then promptly goes back to sleep. I have spoken with our pediatrician about this and she thinks it's perfectly OK.

Jackson loves to socialize whenever we go out. He makes eye contact and engages almost anyone who will attend. We are always getting feedback about how sweet and charming his is...and he is. He also loves to dance and sing (see video below :). He loves to read books and can recite some animal noises too.

The bond he has with Rhonen is especially sweet. Rhonen is very protective of Jack and loves to play with him. I've always had the intention of putting them in the same room because i believe they should be together and it will facilitate a sense of togetherness. Jackson is getting a better sleep routine and I think within the next year they will be sharing a room.

I can't imagine this child being any more perfect than this!

Sunny Days

We might not be getting much rain, but this California sunshine is hard to miss. I love just being with the kids outside in our backyard.

Boys with Dad