Sonoma Train Town

Sonoma Train Town is a quaint little place that was fun to visit.  Our two cowboys enjoyed exploring the mini town that's complete with a grocery store, train station, jail, church, and most importantly a petting zoo.  The tinny train transported them around a small lake, through tunnels, and over bridges.  The old west scenery was great, with everything miniaturized. To cool off Jaden and Koen ended the after noon at a nearby retro ice cream shop.

Pier 39

Every now and again the Kress brothers like to visit Pier 39.  Yea, it's a tourist hang out, but fun none the less.

Throw down at Kavya's party

Koen and Jaden went to Kavya's first birthday party, and as soon as they arrived their little eyes spotted a blue inflatable chair, dolphin punching bag, and goose float.  They immediately began tackling the toys in what can be described as a mad frenzy.  After rolling in the grass for about 30 minutes or so, and some collateral damage to her toys they finally settled down to have a bit to eat.

Shark in the water!

Koen and Jaden spent a morning at the Sea Cliff State Beach in Aptos.  The weather was perfect and they could see large shark fins jutting out of the water right next to the sunken ship.  So we decided not to wade in the ocean.

Ride in the Redwoods

The weather was nice and warm, perfect for a scenic bike ride in the Redwood Regional Park.  Koen and Jaden stopped for lunch and a quick walk in the woods.  While exploring they came upon a clearing with swarms of lady bugs so thick they looked like a mist rising from the grass.  

Camping at Coyote Lake...brrr

Marking the first day of summer, the Kress brothers headed out to Coyote Lake in Gilroy for an over night camping trip. We crammed a ton of camping gear into the Pilot, picked up the Chang twins from school, and off we went. Things immediately starting going down hill when Alexa became ill from sitting in the third row with motion sickness.  Luckily she had a cup to catch her lunch and the campsite was only a quarter mile away.

The kids and I got out at the park entrance and hiked in while Sun picked up wood for the campfire. The fresh air from the walk was wonderful and we set up camp. But things kept popping up to make our trip a trying and interesting one. Part of the tent broke when Austin and Koen were playing Kung Fu Panda. The temprature plumeted as the fog rolled in and an icy breeze kept us all bundled up. The hardest part was Jaden crying unconrollably during the night. So Jaden and Daddy ended up sleeping in the car.

Despite the extra work and suffering on the adults, the kids had the time of their lives in the wild and that's all that really matters at the end. 

Dino Terror at Gilroy Gardens

The Kress brothers and Chang twins arrived at Gilroy Gardens to have a little fun, and check out the new dinosaur exhibit preview. First we headed over to the vintage automobile race track for a couple of laps, the kids had smiles from ear to ear when they got their chance to drive. Then off to the play ground, and water features for some splashing around as the temperature started to rise. Jaden was having a great time running from his dad, and getting drenched from head to toe. Koen focused in on knocking over objects with one of the spray guns.

Finally we continued on our way to the DINOSAUR exhibit after grabbing a quick ice cream cone. While waiting in line Koen peaked into the dino area, and after seeing the animated dinosaurs began to have second thoughts about entering. We tried coddling to get Koen in, and then resorted to putting him in a stroller and using a flap to completely cover him up while the other kids roamed around the fossils. You should have seen the look of TERROR as he peeked through the little opening on the side. After all the excitement daddy explained that the dino's where not real, only puppets controlled by motors.

Ray of sunshine

After celebrating Koen's Preschool graduation with the family, the Kress brothers and their cousins Austin and Alexa stepped out to enjoy a nearby park. It had been overcast the entire day, but the sun peeked through the clouds for several precious minutes to give them all some fun in the sun.

Farm Fun

Saddle up cowboys it’s time to visit the farm…Lemos Farm that is. We packed the Pilot and hit the road with the Chang twins. What was in store was a rootin-tootin good time ridding ponies and hanging out with the goats. The weather was a bit drizzly but all in all we had a heap of fun.

Koen’s first Ferry ride

Koen took his first ferry ride and loved every minute of it. He explored the boat and watched the sail boats and scenery pass by. The cruise took us from Pier 39 to, Angel Island, Tiburon, and back again.

Chinchilla meets T-Rex

Let the learning begin…the Kress brothers put on their thinking caps and dropped in to The Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley. They did everything from climbing DNA strands, posing with a whale, viewing the globe, causing seismic activity, testing gravity, and making balls levitate in mid-air. Then they ventured down to the lower floor and saw dinosaur bones and got to pet a chinchilla in the animal/reptile room. Scenery at this place is amazing.

Board Walk

Hanging out at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for a nice lazy summer afternoon. Watching the sun the sun go down and enjoying the day.

Fly Boys

Jaden & Koen had a blast running around the airplane cockpits, sitting in a helicopter, and watching small aircraft take off from a landing strip next to the Hiller Aviation Museum. Step out side and they have a section of a 747 that you can explore.

Don’t be Silliman!

The family spent a lazy Sunday afternoon at Silliman Aquatic Center in Newark. The facility hosts a lazy river, water play structure, hot tub, swimming pool, and four water slides (two for kids and two for adults). I took Jaden down one of the children’s tube slides and much to my chagrin slammed into the bottom of the pool. I thought the tube looked a bit small. Ow!!!

Failure to Launch

We took the boys to Magic Mountain Park in San Mateo to fly their new Buzz Light Year kite (a gift from Titus & Phoung). The wind was very strong even though the park is surrounded by trees, but for some reason we couldn’t get Buzz to elevate beyond 10-15 feet. For about an hour the boys chased the kite around the field and help relaunch and drag down Buzz. This was incredibly entertaining. Finally Sun strolled over to have a look and noticed the tail was still rolled up in a rubber band. Once the band was removed lift-off was finally achieved

Rainy day at the Academy

One of the Kress brothers favorite rainy day hang outs. Nothing beats spending time at the Academy of Science in SF. They have every thing our kids love; dinosaurs, animals, bugs, penguins, a living roof, sea exhibits, white alligator, anaconda, planetarium, etc…