Fairies in Oakland?

Today, we went to visit Children's Fairyland on Oakland. Mommy and daddy have never been there before. So, it was everyone's first time. We met Caylie, Nathan, Kyden and Sienna there.

Since no one in our family had been there before, we didn't quite know what to expect. Turns out Fairyland is where fairy tales come to life. There are a storybook sets portray different fairy tales. Some of them have play structures, some have real animals (daddy said the animals made him sad), and there are also some rides (not like the kind at Disneyland or Six Flags).

Each storybook set has a storybook box that you can turn on with a magic key. We did not purchase a key at the entrance, but Kyden did. So we got to listen along with him. Most of the time, Mason and I weren't very interested in the story. Good think mommy and daddy didn't buy a magic key.

One of our favorite parts of Fairyland include:

• Sliding down the Jack and Jill hill. Who knew that a cardboard box and faux grassy hill could be so fun? I eventually kicked it up a notch and did forward rolls down the hill. 
• Riding the tiny ferris wheel with Caylie. Grown-ups are not allowed on this ride. Mommy wasn't too sure how Caylie would do. But she did great!
• Po-Po taking Caylie and me for a ride on the world's shortest train. Mason didn't have the patience to wait in line, plus he rode the train with daddy earlier in the day.

We had so much fun that we didn't want to go home. Even though it's a long drive for us, I'd like to go back sometime.

Egg Hunting Galore

I love Easter! We got to do three egg hunts this year.

The first egg hunt was yesterday at grandma and grandpa's house. We got to hang out with Kimora, Kyle and Ethan. Before the egg hunt, we dyed eggs. While the rest of us dyed eggs, Mason decided to dye his hands. His hands looked like the Incredible Hulk!

After coloring eggs, we lined up to get ready for the egg hunt. Mommy gave us some rules like no pushing or fighting. We lined up in order of our age so the little kids could get a head start. Everyone except Kimora listened to the rules. Even though she's the oldest, she pushed her way past a couple of the younger kids. I guess she's competitive.

It's okay, there were plenty of eggs for everyone. Most of them weren't very hidden. They were just laying on the grass for us to find. After the egg hunt, we played and ate and ate and ate some more. We also got lots of stuff in our Easter buckets - puzzles, legos, playdoh and hot wheels.

Egg hunt number two was at Grey's neighborhood. It's their annual neighborhood egg hunt. There were loads of kids. Us smaller kids (four and under) got a head start. Like last year, there were special things to find. Instead of a golden egg, we had to look for a translucent carrot. There were two of them. Mason and I didn't find it, but Grey did! He got a gigantic chocolate bunny. I kept touching it and picking it up.

Our very last egg hunt was with Caylie in our backyard. Daddy and uncle Eddie "hid" the eggs in the back yard. They didn't do a very good job because most of the eggs were laying in plain sight. Nathan didn't get to join in the fun because he's only 4 months old and still a blob. By this time, Mason and I were pros at egg hunting. Every now and then mommy would make us walk away from an egg because Caylie was walking over to it. She's big on being fair...humpff. Afterwards, we opened up our eggs, played outside, ate dinner and took a bath.

Happy Easter everyone!

A Shark-Infested Weekend

We had a shark-filled weekend. On Friday, mommy and I went to the last home game for the Sharks. We got Logan Couture bobble heads. The Sharks had a great game! At one point in the game, people started throwing hats on the ice. Mommy explained that they were throwing their hats because someone scored 3 goals.

After the game, mommy and I went to get froyo at Yogurtland - even though it was really late. But she promised she'd take me. Since I didn't fall asleep on the way home, we made a side trip.

Today, we got to see more sharks. Not the kind that play hockey, but the kind that swim around at the aquarium. We met up with Grey and his neighbor Kelcy at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We had a great time running around the aquarium and looking at all the cephalopods in their new exhibit, Tentacles. And yes, I know what a cephalopod is. Do you?

4 Year Well Child Visit

My doctor has a new office. It's close to the hospital where Mason and I were born. Mason's been there, but today was my first time. I got weighed and measured.

• height: 41.5 in (76 %ile)
• weight: 39 lbs (75 %ile)

When we got the exam room, the nurse asked me to change into an exam gown. That was the first. Mommy's sad that she didn't take a picture. Maybe she'll have another chance next year.

My doctor came in to examine me. I played a game where I touched her finger then my nose. I was so good that she asked me to close my eyes and do it. So, I did. She was pretty impressed. I have no idea what she was testing, but it was fun. Unlike Mason, I was calm and laid back the entire time. My doctor told mommy that I was "perfect."

After my exam, it was time to have my vision and hearing tested. We tried a chart with the alphabet letters, but then the nurse decided to do a chart with a bunch of Es pointing in different directions. I'm happy to say that my vision is 20/20. However, I had to repeat my hearing test.

The nurse told me to raise my hand when I heard sounds through the headphones. When she started the test, I never raised my hand. So, she asked me if I understood the instructions. To make sure that I understood, mommy and the nurse demonstrated what I was supposed to do. After that, I got it and passed my hearing test. If I had failed, mommy would know why I sometimes don't listen.

I ended my visit with two immunization shots. I didn't cry at all. Go me!

After my appointment, mommy and I grabbed a snack at Starbucks before she dropped me off at school. I was really disappointed when we got to school because I was hoping I'd get to spend the entire day with mommy.

Homework

Now that I'm in Pre-K, I have homework. I've had it for about two months now. Mommy was surprised that I'd have homework so early in my education. Welcome to the 2010s!

It turns out that my homework isn't graded. The purpose of giving us homework is get the kids (and parents) used to the idea of homework -- having something I have to practice at home and turning it in.

So, what does my homework consist of? Well, on Friday a new assignment is added to my homework folder. It's due back on Wednesday. It's usually two sheets of paper. At the top of the first page there's a line where I write my name. It also has a place where my teacher writes the letter of the week. The rest of this page is blank so I can glue 3 pictures that start with the letter of the week.

The second page has lines where I can practice writing the following: letter of the week, number of the week (e.g. 5), and writing out the number of the week (e.g. five). I'm pretty good about doing my homework so that it's done by Monday night. Mommy or daddy encourage me to do my best, and they help me when I get stuck.