Gilroy Gardens

It was the hottest day of the year so far and we went to Gilroy Gardens. Gilroy has to the be the hottest area in this valley so why we decided to go today is bizarre. Being pregnant and being hot are not fun. But Cameron loved it. Gilroy Gardens is an amusement park geared for younger children.

I was surprised that all the rides for children didn't allow parents on them. There was a carousel just for kids and parents were only allowed to put the kid on and take them off. They make you leave the area before they start the ride. This was a good thing because it makes you trust that they will be okay. I actually learned something about Cameron, (and myself) today, "She is going to be fine..."
We rode the hot air balloons, the cars, strawberries, and the train. We did not get to ride the swan boats because the line was very long and it was in the sun. We had a great time and even got a membership thinking we would come back a lot.... (well that was our plan anyway...)

We finished the day off with ice cream. It was a really busy day but lots of fun. Cameron slept all the way home. You can see a video of Cameron riding the big carousel with daddy on YouTube.

Nesting: Phase I

The Backyard!

So the need to nest has finally kicked in. My first project is the backyard. When we first moved into our house Jeff and I decided to do all the work ourselves. It was nice enough for what we wanted but never provided enough shade. Since we are going to have two kids now, I figure the backyard is in desperate need for a makeover. Cameron will be able to play back there and I'll be able to sit back with the baby and watch her.

It took talking to several contractors to find one who could do what we wanted for the price we wanted. Most contractors quoted us more than 50% of the budget we gave them. But we found GroMasters in Cupertino who not only could do what we wanted given the budget, but gave us so much more. Now we just need to pick out the plants and wait 4 weeks. Cameron is very excited and loves to go to the backyard each day to see what progress has been made. She really loves to sweep the patio each day. PJ is also very interested in the changes.

Lucky for us Frank and Diane came to visit this week. We had lots of fun looking for plants. They also helped me get Jeff on board with my nesting projects and so they helped us clean out the garage to make room for all the office stuff (the next project). Cameron loved visiting with Uncle Frank (who showed her magic tricks) and Tia Diane (who played on the tricycle with her).

Besides the plants we have to pick out a focal point for the garden. In Half Moon Bay we found a fountain we really liked so this might be easier than we expected. Cameron especially liked exploring Spanish Town, she crawled in the huge pots and played hide-and-go-seek with daddy.

Week of the Young Child

Each year the daycare participates in a national program, Week of the Young Child. The teachers plan a crazy week filled with fun extra curricular activities and this year was no different. On Monday the theme was Bugs!!!

So the day started with a face painter coming to paint all the kids up as bugs. Cameron, who was wearing her favorite butterfly jacket and t-shirt, had a butterfly painted on her arm. She proudly showed it off to everyone. Later that day they put on their bug aprons and played bug games and painted different bugs.

Tuesday was outdoor day. There was a petting zoo that came to the daycare with lots of miniture animals. There were bunnies, mini-chickens and ducks, baby goats, and pigs. The kids also played in tents and with various outdoor gear.

Wednesday was construction day. The day started with a puppet show and then the kids dressed in their construction gear and got tours of various construction vehicles including a forklift, and bulldozer. Thursday was rainforest day and the class got a visit from some tropical birds who performed on bicycles and showed off their tricks. Cameron really liked the birds.

By Friday, the kids were worn out. The theme for Friday was the city by the bay where they explored different water games and played in the jumpy house. This was by far the highlight for all the classrooms and we know this because, it was also teacher appreciation and the parents gave the teachers a two hour break so mom and dad got to play with all the kids from the other classrooms. But all they wanted to talk about was the Jumpy House!!!

Happy Birthday PJ!!!

PJ is 4 years old today. I think that is supposed to mean he is officially out of his teenage years.... We'll see... We went on a very long walk in the morning, the afternoon, and in the evening we all played in the park.

He got several new toys and lots of treats. Cameron was very excited to give him his presents. His favorite one was a juicy bone with lots of treats in the center. Cameron liked singing happy birthday to him, or at least watching us sing happy birthday for her. He enjoyed his cake most of all although he really hates the candles.

Happy Birthday PJ, we love you!!!

Nice Day to go to the park

It was another day of great weather so we decided to take PJ to play at the park. We ran into Ellie, Hannah, and her parents. PJ and Ellie played a long game of ball and Cameron hung out with Hannah in the grass.

Cameron was in a pretty generous mood and let Hannah ride in her prized pink car. Hannah liked the car very much. While Hannah was cruising Cameron played toss with Daddy. She really liked flying in the air and learned pretty quickly that she needed to hold onto her pacifier during flight.

PJ played until he was really tired. After lots of running and chasing Ellie he was ready to go home.

Swimming is back!!

Its finally gotten warm enough to go swimming. Cameron is loving it! At first she was a little hesitant but she quickly got into the swing of things. She loves her raft which allows her to float by herself.

Once she got comfortable her favorite part was jumping into the water. She would ask to get out and then quickly run back to the pool and jump in. She was good about not jumping in without me there, and she went under the water every time.

She really liked swimming to the steps and then swimming back. Of course she still needs help to stay above water but when she went under she didn't panic at all. Hannah has started taking swimming lessons too, so we got the girls together for a little swim party. They had a really good time but Cameron wasn't too happy about sharing her raft. I guess that is to be expected.

Big Girl Bed

Cameron decided that she would donate her crib to the new baby, if we bought her a new bed. So we found this really cute toddler bed for her. Cameron was pretty excited about it.

She was very anxious to help daddy put it together. She liked that she got her own alan wrench and turned all the screws. Daddy had to make sure they were all tight.

Once the bed was together, Cameron tried it out for the first time. No...not by sleeping in it but kicking the tires, so to speak. She had a great time jumping on the bed. She has been sleeping in it and has made it through the night a few times. She likes that she can get out of the bed and just come into our room rather than waiting until we got up and coming to her room. (truth is, I prefer that too).