Alex's Rendition of Do-Re-Mi

Alex's Rendition of Do Re Mi from David Chng on Vimeo.

As I have mentioned previously, Alex really likes "The Sound of Music", aka "The Female Deer".  Here is his latest rendition of Do-Re-Mi.

ToddleBop Class

Co-op buddies Alex, Will and Grace at music class yesterday

Blossoms!

Alex's little Meyer lemon tree (http://smaskensbaby.blogspot.com/2010/05/lemon-tree.html) is blooming!!  We saw the first blooms last week and now quite a few more have opened up.  They are not only pretty, but smell wonderful as well.  Hopefully this means that we will actually get some lemons from the little tree.

Biking by the Bay

Last night we went over to Alameda to take Alex biking by the bay before sunset.  It was a gorgeous night and Alex did a great job on his bike.  He found some geese, which were of course a great point of interest for him.  He was essentially herding the geese on his bike. 

San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival

An example of one of the dragon boat heads

Racers in action

More racing

A night heron sitting in the tree above us

Some tasty food from the Chairman Bao truck

Lion dancers too!

The San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival was held on Treasure Island this weekend and what a great event it was!  Over 100 teams participated in the event which had free admission, ample parking, lots of entertainment, a huge kids area and good food.  We went over early before it started to get too warm outside, as it would appear that we are finally experiencing summer now, with 90 plus degrees this weekend.  We were able to snag a nice spot under a huge tree, where we put down our blanket and enjoyed some dragon boat racing.  It was fun to watch all of the colorful boats racing.  Those paddlers work hard!  At one point we noticed that there was a night heron in the tree above us.  He seemed to be wondering what the heck happened to his quiet weekend day, but stayed in the tree the whole time we were there.  

We were able to enjoy some good food, including some from the Chairman Bao Bun Truck.  The pork belly and red sesame chicken steamed buns were tasty, indeed.  In addition to the food, there was a whole host of entertainment options, including traditional Filipino dance and some lion dancers, which we sat and watched.  There was a whole kids area too, which we never even got to, as there were so many other things to see and do.  It was great to see Shirley and her family there also, what a nice surprise!  We'll definitely be back next year for this great family event.

Bay Area Discovery Museum

Spending some time in the big tree trunk

Look here to see Alex in the tree trunk over a year ago:

 http://smaskensbaby.blogspot.com/2009/07/bay-area-discovery-museum.html

Steering the boat

Having some fun in the "living" house

Working hard to climb up one of the cool trees

Oooh....a huge nest!

Playing one of the bullfrogs

 

More hard work as a construction worker

Enjoying the view by the water before heading home

Alex and I took advantage of our newly acquired Bay Area Discovery Museum membership on Friday, which was a beautiful day here in the Bay Area.  There are so many fun things to explore and discover at the museum so four hours went by quite quickly.  The setting is gorgeous, practically at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge in Sausalito.  As you can see from the photos, Alex had fun with all kinds of exhibits.  A little lunch and some time by the water rounded out our visit, before heading home.  

Happy Boys

Tadgh sharing his new wagon with Alex.  Thanks for the ride Tadgh!

Puzzles!

Need to put Lightning together first because he is the most interesting part of this puzzle.

Hmmm.....what next?

Alex's most recent fun interest is "big boy" jigsaw puzzles.  He received a 24 piece jigsaw puzzle as a favor at Ezra's birthday party and since then, he loves to sit down and put puzzles together.  I bought a Lightning McQueen one for him the other day, which he thought was fabulous, of course.  Surprisingly, he will sit and work it out and we've found that it is a good activity to do before bed, when you want him to wind down anyway.  As you can see from the photos, he takes it all quite seriously.

Second Dental Visit

Today was Alex's second checkup at Dr. Mendoza-Sobel's office at Piedmont Pediatric Dentistry and he was a champ once again.  He really likes going to the dentist, which is awesome!  He is less shy around Dr. Lety and her staff than he is around most people, so obviously he is comfortable there.  Today he got to sit in the big dental chair for the first time and they gave him some cool shades, to keep the bright lights out of his eyes.  The checkup went well and the brushing seems to be working, so that was good to hear.  Alex came away with a cool new orange toothbrush and a special recycling truck sticker, so it was a great visit overall.  If you are looking for a good pediatric dental office, I would highly recommend Dr. Mendoza-Sobel and her staff.  They are truly impressive in their ability to work with children.  This time Dr. Lety even had purple streaks in her hair, just for the kiddos!

Apple Picking at Chileno Valley Ranch

Chief apple picker for the day

Posing with some of the loot

View to the pasture

Alex taking charge of driving the tractor

Climbing up on the large stack of straw bales

Yummmm....apples!

The hens

I just realized that we visited farms on both days of our weekend.  Had I known that we would end up going to a farm to go apple picking, perhaps we would have chosen a different Saturday activity.  This farm obsession is getting a bit out of hand.  Hee...hee!  Since Fall is here and it is my favorite season, I have been scouring the Internet to find an apple farm which is relatively close to the Bay Area.  I know that there are many orchards up in Apple Hill, but that is quite a trek, unless you are planning to go up to Tahoe and just stopping there on the way.  I found a few farms which looked like good possibilities, including Gabriel Farm in Sebastopol (http://gabrielfarm.com/), Two Rock Ranch (http://tworockranch.com/) outside of Petaluma, and Chileno Valley Ranch, which is also outside of Petaluma (http://www.chilenobnb.com/index.html).  All of the farms grow organic apples and allow you to pick the fruit yourself. 

We took a trip up to Chileno Valley Ranch yesterday and had a lovely experience.  The Gale's who own Chileno Valley Ranch were very welcoming and helpful and they have a nice spot less than ten miles outside of Petaluma.  In addition to apple picking from their orchard, which features Orin (a Japanese variety), Pinova (a German variety), Molly's Delicious and Jonathan's pride apples, there are hens, goats, cows, farm dogs, tractors and haystacks.  What more could a little boy (or his Momma) want?  Alex was really into picking the apples and was raring to go while Sally was explaining which apples were where in the orchard.  After harvesting twenty pounds of tasty apples, he enjoyed some time driving the tractor and playing on the huge stacks of straw bales in the barn. 

The primary product of the ranch is grass fed beef (http://www.chilenobeef.com/), and they sell that as well as farm fresh eggs from their hens.  We picked up some of each to go with our apples.  The eggs were a beautiful mix of colors and I'm sure they will be mighty tasty.  I would definitely recommend a trip up to Chileno Valley Ranch if you are looking for a nice trip to the country.  Their phone number is 707.765.6664, if you would like further information on hours and availability. 

Visit to Ardenwood Farms

Sheep hanging out by the wagon

Pretty nasturtiums

Alex showing off his pinecone bird feeder

Very excited about his favorite part of Ardenwood, the peacocks!

We visited Ardenwood Farm in Fremont on Saturday and Alex was quite the tour guide for Daddy, showing him everything on the farm.  Of course, the focus of the morning was aimed at where we might find the peacocks.  They roam around freely, so you cannot predict where they may be, but Alex was sure to check out every spot where he saw them on our last visit.  We did encounter them on a few occasions and as you can see, he was quite excited! 

They also had an activity where you could make a pinecone bird feeder by spreading peanut butter on a pinecone and then rolling it in birdseed.  Alex decided where to hang it outside when we got home.  Predictably, the entire pine cone was gone the next day.  I'm sure it wasn't a giant bird which took it away, but those cat sized squirrels which come to the front yard must be having a tasty little snack somewhere in the trees.  

What We've Been Up To Lately

First time out with his new t-ball set

Hitting lefty

Making a marble painting masterpiece

A good little kitchen helper as always.  Peeling tomatillos for chile verde.

Just a few random pics of things that Alex has been up to lately.  He received a t-ball stand from The Chia's (Thanks for handing it down Nat!), and has enjoyed learning how to hit the ball and run the bases.  Surprisingly, he hits as a lefty alot of the time.  We had fun painting with marbles yesterday.  A bit messy, but the results are pretty cool and obviously it is fun to put marbles in paint and then roll them around, especially if you are a two year old boy!  Alex continued to be a super good kitchen helper too.  He's my little sous chef!

Ukulele Festival in Wine Country

Ukulele Festival in Wine Country from David Chng on Vimeo.

We are always up for a good festival and we really enjoyed yesterday's find.  David came across a blurb about a ukulele festival (http://winecountryukefest.wordpress.com/) last week and we decided to check it out this weekend.  We enjoyed a nice drive up to St Helena, on yet another gorgeous California day.  The event was held at Beringer Vineyards, which was the perfect setting for it.  There were groves of redwoods with people sitting in the shade taking ukulele workshops, a whole selection of ukuleles to check out and purchase, and a lineup of great ukulele musicians to kick back and listen to up on the terrace, amongst the gorgeous old buildings, grape vines and sunshine.  We all enjoyed the music and Alex could not help but dance around to the cheerful tunes.  David took a little lesson on how to play and once again we have been inspired to pursue the ukulele.  What a nice relaxing day it was.  I always forget how beautiful the Napa and Sonoma valleys are until we get there and we don't want to come home.  The video gives a glimpse into some of the sights and sounds of the day.

Ezra Turns 4!!

The birthday boy and his cake.

Blowing bubbles with friends.

Mmmmm...cake!

Fun with the slip and slide

More slip and slide fun!

Who doesn't love some cool water on a nice summer day?

Happy Birthday Ezra!  Ezra's 4th birthday party was on Saturday, which turned out to be a beautifully sunny day in Sunnyvale.  Fun was had by all, with bubbles, a slip and slide, the great play structure, lunch and of course, cake!  Alex asked about cake every time that I mentioned Ezra's birthday last week.  He has definitely made the connection that birthday parties typically involve cake.  As always, there was plenty of friends, food and fun at the Wankel home, so it was a great way to spend our Saturday.  

Checking out the Skate Park

We went to Montclair Park on Tuesday and Alex and Johnny had to check out the new skateboard ramp.  Just give them a few years, and running up and down it proably won't satisfy them, even though for the Mommys that would be just fine.

Biking in Jack London Square

Cool!  There's a train here, ready for boarding.

Chasing the poor pigeon....even on the bike.

Taking a break to enjoy a sandwich and some fruit in front of the marina.

Here comes the train!

On a mission to find a flat place to ride bike yesterday, Alex and I ended up over by Jack London Square.  What a great place to ride around.  There's an Amtrak station with lots of trains, the waterfront with all of the boats and kayaks, plenty of birds and not too many people, so it is easy to ride the bike around freely.  Alex is getting quite good at navigating on his sporty little bike and of course he enjoyed being able to speed up to chase pigeons.  He just cannot help himself, even on the bike. 

The Rest of the Weekend

Enjoying some time bowling on Saturday night

Choosing the perfect bowling ball

Johnny rocking out on the guitar at the Labor Day get together

Tadgh, David and Alex making some sidewalk chalk art