Q: Tell us about your family
A: I am a full-time at-home dad. I have a BFA in Studio Art and am a professional watercolor artist. My wife, Archie’s mom, Danielle, is a Labor & Delivery RN in the CHOMP Family Birth Center. I grew up in Alaska and Danielle grew up in Southern California. We met at college on the east coast. After exploring the country together while Danielle was a travel nurse, we found Monterey and felt an instant connection to the peninsula. It had everything we were looking for in a home and we moved here permanently two weeks after visiting for the very first time in 2017. We decided that this was where we wanted to start a family and Archie was born in August of 2018.
Q: Tell us about Archie, what does he enjoy doing?
A: Archie loves playing outside, helping cook in the kitchen, and reading books. He can quote long passages from his favorite books and likes pretending to be different characters. He’s a big fan of tractors, trucks, trains, and fire engines. His current favorite color is purple and he says he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. Another long-term goal he is looking forward to is turning 5 years old so he can have chewing gum. He’s very friendly and outgoing, saying hello to everyone when we’re around town. He likes to go tide pooling and look for starfish. He always thoughtfully reminds me to be careful not to step on the sea anemones!
Q: how do you choose your activities?
A: I choose some activities based on what’s happening seasonally, like trips to farms for picking fruit or harvesting vegetables. I choose other activities based on Archie’s interests. One week he said, “I want to ride a boat,” so we headed down to El Estero and rode a duck pedal boat. He’s been really into trains for a while so we took him to ride a steam engine at Roaring Camp. I’m always trying to feed his curiosity.
Q. Where does your inspiration come from when selecting activities?
A: I follow a lot of local businesses on social media to stay tuned in to what’s happening on the peninsula. I like to engage in as many local events as possible. Fostering a sense of community for my son is important to me. I follow a few child craft accounts on Instagram like kidscrafts101 to spark activity ideas, and I’m a member of a couple of Facebook parenting groups like 1000 Hours Outside that are also helpful for adventure ideas.
Q: What are some of your favorite “family day” activities with your son?
A: On my wife’s days off we like family hikes at Point Lobos, Garland Ranch, Soberanes Point, and Garrapata State Park. We also enjoy beach picnics at Asilomar and Lover’s Point.
Q: What do you hope to teach your son by having these adventures with him?
A: We provide him opportunities for a broad range of experiences to help him grow into a well-rounded person. We front-load him with adventures to feed his curious mind, and I think so many more brain connections are made with experiences involving all the senses. A lot of our adventures take place outside because I believe nature is crucial for children’s physical development and emotional wellbeing. Creativity is something I really value. Exposing our son to as much hands-on learning as possible in a wide array of activities will help cultivate his imagination and encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Our goal is to help him discover what he’s good at and find his passion.
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