Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?: June 2006

Ladybug Picture of the Day

Russell gently handles the ladybug he found in our backyard

A Day at Bonfante Gardens

Russell had off from school all last week, so I took Friday off from work so we could visit Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy. Bonfante Gardens bills itself as the world only horticulturally-based theme park for children, attracting a completely different crowd than Great America or even Disneyland. It did not disappoint us.

The rides are geared for children under 10 years of age, with a good selection for the pre-school crowd. There are also many finely manicured gardens throughout the park, which was pleasing to my eyes. My only complaints were the stifling heat of a summer day in Gilroy (the Garlic Captial of the World), and the high prices on food and drink in the park. Otherwise, I was very impressed by the cleanliness and quick lines at the rides. We could have stayed longer, but Jenny and the kids were wilting in the heat. We'll definitely come back here, but only when the weather gets cooler down in Gilroy.

Russell enjoys one of the many horticultural displays at Bonfante Gardens in Gilroy

Punky looks back to see where his hat has gone

Jenny and Russell's swan boat leaves Punky and me behind it its wake

Punky was not a happy camper on the duckie paddle boat

Punky felt better when his mother offered him a kiss

Russell was very pleased with the fog-maker during the garden boat ride (note Nemo hat)

Punky and Russell: "Not another train ride!"

Russell to Punky: "Capiche?" Punky to Russell: "Hand over the milk."

Pictures of the Day

The Brewster Boys await the unknown as the choo-choo train enters the tunnel

Clutching a hot dog bun, Russell smiles as the train turns around the bend

Punky grins at the pigeon in a cage

Stand By Me

I am pleased to announce that Russell Chen has successfully mastered the art of peeing while standing up. Please join me in congratulating Russell for this remarkable achievement, which was accomplished exactly one week after his 4th birthday.

This event was one of many predicted by the prophet Nostradamus, who wrote:

The golden stream shall arc into the bottomless well,
for the red-haired first born of the dragon king.
Flush with victory he shall rejoice,
when four candles burn and are extinguished by his breath.

Creepy, eh?

A Father's Day Weekend to Remember

We started this Father's Day with a special treat for me. I got to sleep until 7:45AM this morning while Jenny chased the boys around the house beginning at 6AM. It was a nice feeling to sleep past dawn, although the Brewster Boys began hovering over me in bed around 7AM.

We had a fun day at Hayward's Kennedy Park, site of Russell's 3rd birthday and other lively weekends in 2005. Lunch was from Chinatown and consisted of Vietnamese sandwiches and hot dogs baked into buns. For the kids' amusement, there was the merry-go-round, the choo-choo train and the farm animal display to keep the boys busy and away from the television set at home. After a couple of hours, we wore out the boys so much that they konked out in the car on the way home.

At home, there was more running around in the backyard, followed by my Father's Day dinner of meatloaf and broccolini. And now, I am in the process of completing my mother-in-law's taxes for 2005.

Happy Father's Day!

The Brewster Boys take the train to nowhere

Punky observes a rabbit in its cage

Russell also enjoys viewing the rabbits in their cages

Punky and Russell go their own ways at Kennedy Park in Hayward

Easy Rider: Punky and Russell are Born to Be Wild

Happy Birthday Russell

Against all logic, Jenny and I decided to host Russell's 4th Birthday Party this weekend at home. I felt that it was important to mark the event because this was the first year that he actually understood the concept of a "birthday party" held just for him. So we had been prepping him with the "Birthdays" episode of Elmo's World and rehearsing his birthday speech: "I am four years old".

I could tell that he was very excited about the whole event. Jenny prepared lots of food for our guests, and decorated the dining room with balloons and a "Finding Nemo" theme, which is Russell's latest obsession. There weren't that many people at the party, but enough kids were on hand to provide a festive atmosphere.

The theme of Russell 4th Birthday Party was "Finding Nemo", which was highlighted by this cake

Russell mugs for the camera during the party

Punky plants a kiss on yours truly

Russell parades in front of the first guests to arrive, my cousin Lei-Lei and her kids Anny and Andrew

Punky shows his prowess at stacking party hats

Russell awaits at home for the guests of his 4th Birthday Party

Next time, I think we will just order some pizza and make a salad for our guests. Food preparation and clean-up took a long time for Russell's party.

Our party guests had a choice of several vegetarian dishes

Barbequed meats were also available to party-goers

Other guests at the party included my friends Antonio and Aivy, and Samir and Preeti, along with their children (one per couple). I haven't seen them in a while, so it was nice that we could finally get together and talk a bit in between child meltdowns and feedings.