Adventures in Grammy and Mom's hometown

Today Grammy and I headed to my hometown to pick up some stuff he no longer wanted. Grammy pointed out homes she lived in, as well as her grandparents. It's amazing to me how many generations have stayed in the same area. We saw the house I grew up in and walked around the property. I showed them the scariest basement ever, which isn't nearly as frightening as I remember. Sofie and Samantha enjoyed the cat most of all I think, but the abundant space was a source of enjoyment too! On our way home, we stopped by the cemetery to pay respects to my grandparents and Grammy's siblings who have passed on. We also toured the town, showing the school and landmark bridge (the town's only claim to fame that I'm aware of). Samantha listened to the stories we told and it felt good to share some history with the next generation.

Family Vacation for Spring Break 2011 Part 2

DAY FOUR: We went to Legoland and spent the entire day there. Both kids got their "driver's licenses" (Samantha was overly cautious while Sofia was so wild she never made it around the track). We saw the mini models and rode plenty of rides. Lunch was chips and an ice cream cone because sometimes that is just fun to do. We just missed the set up of Star Wars, which means we'll have to go back someday.

You'll have to visit us to see the results of their caricature portrait:

After we left Legoland we found the Carillo National Monument at Point Loma. It was a nice change of pace to be with nature and get a small history lesson. Then we got a call from family friends and managed to meet them for dinner. I even managed a quick stop at Ghiradelli's for cocoa. This is Samantha and one of her best friends, Naomi.

DAY FIVE: It was a lovely day to be outside and we took full advantage of it! We had to stop at "Bullshirt" for more souvenirs before going to Sea World. We saw all the shows, but our favorite was the dolphin show.

For dinner we went to a local pizzeria and a nice walk to the beach. No one was soaked on this trip. The kids had requested another trip to the park, so while everyone else sought shelter from the rain, we happily played in it! It was another long day, but we all had fun!

DAY SIX: It was time to head home, so we went to the beach again and walked around the Hotel Coronado. Daddy even got into playing tag on the beach! All of us sat watching the waves and while we were sad to leave, I think we were ready to come home. We just had a long flight to get there.

Everyone handled the flight home well. I sat with the girls on the way home and just as they started to get bored, we came up with a variation of 20 questions focused on animals we'd seen on vacation. The girls didn't even notice when we landed and we've been playing the game ever since!

I'm so glad that we were able to go on vacation as a family. It was a fun learning experience for us all and we were able to create a lot of memories!

Illness and lessons in gratitude

Here's the thing... it seems like at least one member of our family has been sick every day of this year so far. Today Sofia was diagnosed with RSV, which can be dangerous for younger kids. Thankfully, she's responding well to treatment. We've dealt with strep multiple times, stomach bugs and never-ending colds this winter. I know that other families have been dealing with similar ailments and I'm not going to lie - it sucks. It's unbelievably frustrating, but I'm grateful because it could worse. Both kids could have the freakish stomach bugs the same time as Daddy and I'm glad our family hasn't endured that yet. Our kids could have truly serious illnesses rather than the mostly annoying ones we've gone through. So while I would love to have some relaxing time just with Daddy, I'm still grateful that we are as relatively healthy as we are because it could be worse.

Family Vacation for Spring Break 2011 Part 1

Finally! We're on vacation! DAY ONE: At last, it was the day to go to the airport and fly away for a vacation! Our lives were chaotic and we weren't sure we were actually going for a few days. At the airport, everyone was excited and did very well. The flight was long and challenged us all, but we made it to San Diego and got our car to travel to the "island" where our hotel was. The kids were understandably antsy and hungry. They had what I termed, "excessive kid energy". As parents, our thought was get them dinner and find a playground. As we walked along the water, we noticed seals in the water which was fun. We picked up cupcakes at a shop we passed by. We listened to the concierge and ended up at a fancy restaurant, but we made the best of it and their fish tanks. After dinner and some wrong turns, we finally found a playground. Upon seeing the park, Sam yelled, "PARK!" with a measure of relief that gave me some insight into how hard travelling was on the kids. We played until dark and the kids went to bed late!

DAY TWO: We began our day with a trip to the beach even though it was very windy and cold. I was insistent that the kids be able to put their feet in the ocean. The video shows the simple joy that I was hoping for.

After putting our feet in the water (BRRRR!), the girls resumed their running back a forth. We were preparing to leave when Sofia fell and was hit by a wave. She stumbled and was hit by the next wave. By this time, Sofia was soaked. She commented that her feet were so sandy that she couldn't even check her toes! (I'm sure that someday this phase will pass!) That was priceless! After a quick change at the hotel, we were on to our next adventure at Balboa Park. There was a carousel that was irresistible to us, so we took a ride on that before going to the zoo. The San Diego Zoo was wonderful! One of Daddy's fraternity brothers and his son Andrew were able to meet us and it was awesome! The weather was cold (for San Diego at least) so the animals were more active and the zoo wasn't too crowded. It worked out perfectly! Check out the face paint the girls waited patiently for!

DAY THREE: It was raining, so we headed to the local Science/Children's Museum to prevent "kid energy buildup". The weather improved so we got some outside play too and found a park near the hotel. We finally were able to go swimming! All the pools were outdoor so we were at the mercy of the weather. We had ribs for dinner (not as good as Papa's), bought some cheesy souvenirs and visited the park on Orange and 7th again after seeing a rainbow. That was a nice moment filled with wonder and the peace that comes from being wholly present and not distracted.

This video is of the girls working together at the museum. They got on well for most of the entire trip!

School art fair and buying school spirit

Nana and Papa joined us for a night at Samantha's school. We had ice cream, bought some books and viewed Samantha's art work. She was very proud to show it off. Samantha loves school, as demonstrated by the note she wrote her teacher shown below.

The following day there was a rally for school spirit. Samantha used only her money to purchase two bead necklaces for school colors and a stuffed mascot. It was a great opportunity for beginning money lessons. Daddy and I were very proud of her because she is very sensible. It's yet another facet of Samantha.

International Women's Day 2011

100 years ago, women made their presence known by demonstrating their right to vote in this country. As women, we have since earned that and many other privileges because we didn't stop working towards equality. It is this day that is annually recognized to reflect on where women have been and what we strive to achieve.

There is one thing that will stop me or Samantha or Sofia (or anyone) from attaining our goals and that is ourselves. You have to find your way. Nothing stops me except myself and I alone am responsible for my choices. I own my decisions and I'm teaching that lesson to my girls. I'm not perfect, but they see me working on improvement every day. Maybe we hit an obstacle, but we rise up and continue on our path. We get knocked down and we get back up. I hope that I'm teaching them to work hard toward their goals and embrace their choices every single day.

Lessons of excess

I try to utilize as many opportunities as I can for "teachable moments". I'm learning right along with the kids, as we all are.

Tonight's lesson was for Sofia (and Grammy). It is don't eat too much because you will get sick (in your bed when you're ready for sleep). Then you will get sick again. And again. Kudos to Sofia for making it to the toilet after throwing up in her bed initially. I'm telling you - Sofia is smart and learning every day!

UPDATE: Sofia ended up all night due to this. The poor kid was so exhausted and slept on and off the next day with Grammy. Of course when bedtime came, Sofia had no part of it. We achieved a new record of 10:45 pm!

P.S. We miss you Daddy!

My Chinese class with Samantha

Samantha and I just finished a class on Chinese language and culture. She had a little Chinese at her preschool and was excited about the opportunity, especially because her friend Ella and her mom could join us. Our friends couldn't make it to every class, but we had fun! We learned about the history, provinces and tea in China. We made crafts and learned about some of the traditions to celebrate Chinese New Year. Samantha shined when it came to reciting the numbers because she remembered that from her previous exposure. Both of the teachers were in awe of her, as was I!




Samantha and I are still practicing the phrases we learned. She seems amused by watching me struggle to pronounce the words correctly! I'm so glad we did this! I love that we take time to do things together!

Ni hao!