archshrk » Corbin

Puzzle Master

archshrk — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:19:33 +0000

Corbin has demonstrated some serious mad skilz in the puzzle arena. He loves playing with his wooden tray puzzles and is quite proficient at them. They each contain 48 pieces which represents a certain size of piece. Children’s puzzles typically come in one overall size and the number of pieces represents how small each piece is. Corbin loves his Pirate Ship Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle 48pc and his Solar Sparkle Foil Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle (although not quite as much). He also has what he calls his “zoo puzzle” aka Adventure Planet Polar Puzzle shown in the videos below. It’s not a Melissa & Doug puzzle but he loves it just the same.

I had the LED light on for the first video and you can see Corbin working on the Adventure Planet Polar Puzzle. He’s a lot more chatty in part 2. I didn’t have the LED light on in the second video so it’s a little dark but you can clearly hear Corbin talking through the puzzle experience. By this time he’s memorized the puzzle so when he asks if a piece goes in a certain location, he’s just playing a game.

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Puzzle Master

Corbin’s Dark Side

archshrk — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:44:44 +0000

I love the look on Corbin’s face in this photo.
It shows a hidden dark side as he plays with his friend.
I think he’s planning to feed the squirrels.

A couple of co-workers think he’s sneaking a beer (in violation of San Diego’s Booze Ban)

For the record, he’s drinking organic apple juice. His children’s juice box was missing the straw, hence the cup. Similar Posts:

Corbin’s Dark Side

Train Table 2.0

archshrk — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:08:30 +0000

So a couple of weeks ago I realized (again) that there are just certain limitations to the track layout options for Corbin’s wooden trains. He has enough pieces to make all sorts of designs but there are only so many ways you can make straight and curved pieces fit together on the train table. We got bridges, trestles and even the ability to make a spiral, corkscrew kind of thing. So I decided it was time to expand.

And expand I did.

Since I couldn’t afford to pay retail, I did the only thing I could – I tuned to Craigslist. And I wasn’t disappointed, well, not entirely.

So here’s what I found. The Imaginarium Sound & Light Railroad Train Table – that’s right, I said train table.

“But archshrk, don’t you already have a train table?” you ask.

“Why yes, yes I do” I reply.

“How many train tables does one kid need?” you continue

And so on, and so on. But here’s the deal. I picked up this table, complete with train set and all accessories (minus the motorized engine) for a really good price. A really good price. So good in fact that I was able to re-sell the train table by itself for the same price I got everything. Yup, the train set was free.

And what a cool train set it is. It has segments of track that make various sounds when the train passes over them (tiny buttons in the track grooves), an elevator for various wooden cars (included), a boat, helicopter and plane, as well as several train cars, a working crane (similar to the one he already has) and misc accessories to create a city (buildings, street signs and lights, and of course – trees) This train set has everything I could want – except the one thing I wanted.

This set has zero switch tracks. Switch tracks are those Y-shaped track pieces that allow you to split one track into two tracks which can add diversity to any layout without adding too many track pieces. I also wanted a couple adapter pieces that allow you to connect two male ends or two female ends (comes in handy with some layouts).

So the hunt is still on for these pieces but if you’re feeling generous, you’re more than welcome to get the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway – Figure 8 Set Expansion Pack. Corbin would really appreciate it.

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Train Table 2.0

Random Pictures

archshrk — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:55:49 +0000

I haven’t had much to say lately (you can stop cheering now). I’ve started a new website project which will likely keep me busy for a while and raising two boys fills up my “spare” time pretty quickly. So I thought I’d just share some recent pictures to keep you from thinking I’ve forgotten all about you.

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Random Pictures

Corbin Beard strikes again!

archshrk — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:06:08 +0000

One of Corbin’s favorite games is “pirates!” or “swords”.
Here’s a little sample of his swash buckling ways.

Watch the first video, then hit play on the second video immediately afterward.

Corbin Beard, aka Captain Corbin, has become legendary in his 2-1/2 years on the high seas. Thankfully, he is one of The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.

“We are the Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything!
We just stay home and lie around.
And if you ask us to do anything,
we’ll just tell you …

We don’t do anything!”Similar Posts:

Corbin Beard strikes again!

It was a Fair day

archshrk — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:11:52 +0000

A good friend of ours gave us tickets to the San Diego Fair again and this time it was worth it. Last year, we went with a group of people which turns out not to be a such a good idea when they all have kids. Nobody can come to a consensus so we spend far too much time trying to decide what to do next. Like which animals to see, how long to see them and when and where to eat. Up to four people is a good size group and one of those people has to be the decider – that is, they make the decision when no one else can or will.

Julia and her mom took the boys to the fair on Tuesday with a couple of $3 tickets we picked up. They spent most of their time at the kiddie ride area (separate from the teen/drunk adult rides). Julia got some pictures on her cell phone and sent them to me to show how much fun they were having and how adventurous Corbin was now.

So when we went on Friday, we knew what to expect from Corbin. After passing through some of the animal paddocks and getting some semi-traditional fair food, we made our way to the kiddie rides. First up was the Bumber Boats, then the Safari Train. Other rides included the Whale ride, Nascar track, Handcar track, and these two, too.

Corbin and the Flying Tigers

You may recognize the song from the Flying Tigers ride as The Ballad of Snoopy Vs Red Baron by the Royal Guardsmen.

Corbin and the Caterpillar Coaster

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It was a Fair day

Hit it!

archshrk — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:40:27 +0000

What do you call a guy that hangs around with musicians? answer
(hover over link for answer)

What do you call a drummer that breaks up with his girlfriend? answer

How do you know there’s a drummer at your door. answer

Guess what Corbin wants to be when he grows up? answer

He is quite good and very self restrained. He might have a future as a drummer, if you consider drumming a future.

All kidding aside (I do know a few drummers – they are very nice people and very talented, too) I love the fact that Corbin shows an interest in music. What you don’t see in this video but has occurred on more than one occasion is that he likes to play all parts. He runs the gamut from keyboard to guitar to vocals. He’s even reached for a violin but I don’t trust his 2-1/2 yr old hands to be gentle with that instrument. It can be a little unforgiving.

The Little Drummer Boy – By Corbin
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Hit it!

Because still photos aren’t always enough

archshrk — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:24:20 +0000

Corbin eats some Dairy Queen

Benjamin – Day One

Corbin teaches Benjamin about the body

A message from Corbin

archshrk — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:23:11 +0000

That is all.Similar Posts:

A message from Corbin

We all scream…

archshrk — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:01:20 +0000

On Wednesday, we were over at a friends house and because it was their birthday the next day we all celebrated with some ice cream. Now this was Corbin’s first experience with an ice cream cone so he didn’t even know how to eat it. Julia had to show him and even then he was a little uncertain about how to lick an ice cream cone. Eventually he got into and was enjoying the ice cream like any kid would.

You can see in the video the tentative licking but the ice cream on his face shows that he was making progress. Unfortunately, that excitement you see in the video eventually led to the end of the ice cream as he inadvertently launched the remaining ice cream onto the ground in a fit of gleeful shaking. He didn’t seem too disappointed though. I just told him to focus on eating the cone now. I guess I should have been more specific because he turned the cone upside down to eat the pointy end and the melted ice cream that remained pour out onto the floor just after we had cleaned up the ice cream scoop that he had shaken free.

Note to self: don’t turn of the video too soon or you’ll miss the best parts.

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We all scream…