Yosemite trip! Given how close we live, it might be surprising to hear that this was the first time we took the kids. My sister Sophie set up the 3-day trip, and we rented a cabin right outside Yosemite's entrance (note: it still takes ~40 min to get to the valley) Unfortunately, they only stayed one night/day, as it wasn't a very newborn friendly trip (Dylan is only 2 months).

We did get in a game of Munchkins, a trip to the Yosemite visitor's center museum, and a walk to Lower Yosemite falls together before they left. Then we went to Bridalveil Falls on our own. 

My kids love exploring ... they can climb rocks and wade streams for hours. I think it's because living in suburbia, we're usually so deprived of nature!

Day 2, James and Zach hiked Clouds Rest (didn't win the lottery for Half Dome tickets) ... which is actually a longer distance and bigger elevation gain hike compared to Half Dome. James estimate that with their detour (ie. Mist trail up, John Muir trail down), they hiked about 25 miles. The trail was considerably more empty than James recalled it used to be, perhaps because it was mid-week. Calista and I stayed back and the cabin ... drawing, workbook, and iPad games for us!

The last day, we took pictures at El Capitan before heading to Mirror Lake. We had expected it to be a 2 mile roundtrip, paved walk since that was what was advertised in the Yosemite newspaper. But somehow we got onto a parallel path, and ended up trail hiking (dirt, rocks, horse feces) for 4-5 miles! The kids enjoyed playing in the freezing, shallow waters, but by the time we got back, poor Calista had 2 blisters. Water shoes really aren't the best for hikes.

We'll have to come again to scale Half Dome and hike the 4 Mile Trail to Glacier Point! Three days really wasn't enough ... you could get through all the major sites if you rushed through it (we saw a guy lean out his car window to snap a photo), but for us, that's really not the point of visiting a grand national park like Yosemite.

And what we have been doing since coming back from Peru? Less than 2 days after our trip, Zach and I had a charity 10k to run, which we obviously did not train for. And it was part trail (if you've read my previous blogs, you'll know how much I love trail running) and Folsom was in the middle of a heat wave. The race started at 8am and it was already over 80 degrees. I was hoping the extra oxygen in our blood from our week in Peru might help us, but it really didn't. I ran it in 1 hr 13min ... felt dizzy halfway through the race and had to use someone else's water since I don't run with water and there was no water stop for miles. Zach finished in 1 hr 3 min, his personal worst, but it was good enough to snag him 3rd place in his age division.

In the evening, we had a small July 4th party at our house ... just Bev and Melissa's family. Highlight was our neighbor's fireworks, which almost rivaled those from Cal Expo.

The following day, we went rock climbing with James' friends Rad and Bill. Bill was visiting from the east coast, and Rad drove up from Santa Rosa.

Rad (and family) had to leave after rock climbing, but Bill and his boys (similar age to our kids) were able to drop by our place for a dinner play date.

Other activities include games, baking contest (James vs Jennifer), and berry picking.

Triple Crown Blackberries were good, but bummed we missed the golden raspberries ... that said, friends came through for us. Dinner play date at Melissa's where dessert was ice cream with golden raspberries that they picked a few days before!

Two dinner play dates at Tabitha's new house! We're loving their pool.  Calista is always asking to "go to Evie's house".

We also went to Rachel's house for dinner (famous beef noddle soup!) ... kids loved swimming and the huge trampoline. I enjoyed catching up with friends, as I've missed the past few get-togethers due to vacation.

Thanks to all my friends for hosting fun events this summer!

We just got back from a 13 day (11 days + 2 for travel) vacation in Peru. What a neat experience, and with kids, I'm glad we got to enjoy it at a slower pace. We rented an apartment ($90/day) that was in Cusco, but at the farther end of the main square, Plaza de Armas. This worked out well, as we were away from all the noise, but still within walking distance to the main attractions.

With 11 days, we spent a considerable amount of time just in the city, including San Blas. Especially Calista and me, since we stayed back while James/Zach went on their 4-day Inca Trail hike. We went on a city tour (half day) to visit a few sites right outside the Cusco and the Sacred Valley tour (full day) ... as well as a private tour of Moray/Moras. Here are the pictures (and commentary )!

Our apartment, a park, and "Festival of the Sun":

Our apartment (4th floor), our view from the family room, and right outside the complex.

We lived right across a children's park (Urpicha), which was a highlight for the kids. Entrance was only half a sole (~15 cents) and on weekends, we could buy ride tickets for 1 sole. It's amazing how fun parks can be without fear of lawsuits! Huge slides, see-saws, and broken down carnival rides, which can now be hand operated. Lots of litter and rust and sharp metal edges everywhere, but we went 3x times during our trip and survived unscathed.

We arrived on the weekend of Cuzco's most important celebration "Festival of the Sun". This was completely luck on our part. While I definitely do touristy sites when I travel, it was nice to stay a bit longer this trip and spend time amongst the "locals." You definitely get a better feel for the city vs shuffling from one museum or ruin to the next!

In Cusco:

We hit the major Cusco city sites on our first full day: Plaza de Armas, La Catedral  (headset tour for adults only), Museo Inka, self tour at Qorikancha (once covered in gold and the richest temple in the Incan empire!), and Monument to Pachakuteq (a 75ft bronze effigy.) Qorikancha was about mid way between our apartment and the main Plaza - we would often stop by Mega (grocery store) to pick up a snack and sit on the benches outside Qorikancha for some people watching. Well, and to catch our breath! The higher altitude does make a difference, even though we exercise regularly and I consider ourselves relatively fit.

While James and Zach were doing their hike, Calista and I visited smaller attractions that were included in our Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turistico). With the Sun festival over, the streets and plazas were much less crowded.  We went to the Museum of Contemporary  Art (20th-21st century pieces), Museum of Regional History, The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco and, Museum of Popular Art. None are must-dos (I don't think I would have even paid for them if they were separate tickets), but kept us entertained during the day. We also enjoyed walking around the handicraft markets, although we didn't buy much: a pen with doll topper (~60 cents) and alpaca gloves (~$4).

Concerned about the winding roads to Machu Picchu, one day, I decided to look a "Dramamine" equivalent. I found a pharmacy and using hand gestures and very limited Spanish, and purchased a pack of motion sickness pills. The directions were half a pill for Calista since she was only 4-years-old, maximum of 3x a day. I only knew the word 'half' from a recent cheese buying experience with James (who knows more Spanish). I used my iPhone later that night to verify what I purchased and the dosage - I was very impressed with myself since I was correct. All those childhood potluck parties, playing charades has paid off!

We all went to the small town of San Blas, where we took the obligatory touristy photo in front of St. Blas church. Then we walked around the handicraft market in the center of San Blas, where I purchased as pair of silver earrings for 40 soles (~$15) from a man making them in his small stand. I know you're supposed to bargain, but seeing how hard these artisans work and how few people were actually buying, I just couldn't do it. I'm such a sucker tourist!

We also visited the local Chocolate Museum, and went to the Qosqo Center of Native Art for a show of traditional dancing and music. 

Sacred Valley:

We went on a full day Sacred Valley tour from 8:30am until past 7:30pm! Started with two stops at outlooks to break up the long drive. James and Zachary purchased knit hats at one of the stops.

Then we visited an alpaca and llama center in Awanacancha to feed the animals. Kids were both scared but later Calista said it was the best part of the tour and wanted to go back.

Next stop was Pisaq market, one of the biggest artisan markets in South America ... Especially Sunday, where neighboring villages set up a barter market, an informal economy (again, pure luck that we visited that day) That said, not sure why we didn't see the Pisaq ruins as part of the tour?!  Zachary and I separated from James/Calista and got lost amongst the rows of stands (which all started looking very similar) We barely made it to the tour bus on time - Talk about panic! But we made it ... and just in time for a buffet lunch at Tunupa in Urubamba, overlooking the river. Concerned about getting sick (weak American stomachs and all) I skipped the sushi and ceviche ... but  couldn't resist a few small slices of Alpaca carpaccio. Next up ... Ollantaytambo, a military/religious/farming complex. The climb left me out of breath (pathetic, no?) but we all made it, including Calista. She was super proud of herself!

Final stop was Chincero, where we saw Incan structures and farming terraces framing a Colonial church. Chincero was really cold, and we saw piles of potato on the ground (to freeze/dehydrate in order to preserve them longer). We also attended a weaving demonstration (shorn Alpaca wool -> yarn -> dyed yarn ->vibrant textiles), and bought a small souvenir doll for Calista. It's probably made in China, but we wanted to support the weavers in a small way.

Moray/Moras:

We went on a private tour to Moray and Maras (9:30am-2pm) After a short photo-op outlook stop, we reached Salinas, a centuries old salt mine near Maras, which is still in operation today. It was amazing! We could see/touch the source of the warm salt water. The magnitude of the mine was incredible. I would have to say this was my favorite place to visit.

Our second stop was Moray, an archaeological site consisting of 3 sets of concentric, circular terraces with unknown purpose. It is suspected to be an Incan agricultural laboratory, possibly used to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops. It looked like something out of the show 'Lost'.

The downside of the trip was that the roads were very winding, and a private van was more sensitive to the bumpy road than a larger tour bus. Both there and back, Calista felt motion sick. On the way home (1.5 hour drive) she got sick, and we were fortunate to have a plastic bag handy. I wish I had remembered to bring Dramamine - seems like an obvious thing to pack when touring around mountains. Fortunately, aside from lack of appetite, she bounced right back as soon as we got out of the car.

Inca Trail and Machu Picchu:

Zachary and James went the 4-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu. Day 1 was slow, as the tour guide seemed to be gauging everyone's abilities. Day 2 was James and Zach's favorite - it was the most challenging, and longest hiking day. Being in/above the clouds was pretty amazing and it felt very secluded (just their group). Day 3 was a half day, as you want to reach the Sun Gate at dawn the following day. James said that it was very possible to finish the 4-day Inca Trail in 2. This is due to ~15 years of corporate indoctrination of "results orientation", which fights against experiencing the hike at a leisurely pace. When Zach described the hike to my sister after we got back, she asked, "Was it a race? How come after every day, you know who came in which place?"

More stats on the hike: http://www.llamapath.com/inkatrail4dg.jpg

Arrived at the Sun Gate and watched the sunrise! They did it!!!

Meanwhile in Cusco, Calista and I got up at 5am for our multi-step journey to meet James and Zach. Short taxi ride -> bus (1 hr 45 min) ->Vistadome train (~3 hrs) -> another bus (~30min). It was freezing when we started and hot by when we got to Machu Picchu. Definitely wear layers! We saw James and Zachary right at the entrance. Yay - family reunited! This is definitely a case of pictures saying a thousand words.

We spent the day exploring the site. Calie had a stomachache part way through our self tour, so James carried her. I think we do push our kids a bit on our vacations, but there is so much in this world that we want to see! After a day of hiking around, we headed back to Aguas Calientes for a lunch break before catching the Vistadome train back home. The Vistadome was the mid-price option, and perfectly fine for us. The lower end expedition would have saved us a minimal amount, and taking the luxury Hiram Bingham would have run us an extra ~$600pp. I don't see how it would be worth it, as the most important part is the view, which is the same for all trips. Maybe a slightly smoother or faster ride, better snacks, and an opportunity to mingle with wealthy people?

City Tour:

On our last full day in Peru, we took a half day tour covering Saqsaywaman, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay. It actually also includes Qorikancha and La Catedral, but since we've already been to those sites, we joined in the middle of the tour. I initially though we were done with ruins; after visiting Machu Picchu, could there be anything interesting and different? Saqsaywaman (which I keep wanting to pronounce "sexy woman") did not disappoint. The size of the stones here were HUGE ... the largest being almost 30ft and 130 tons. Only the biggest ones remained, as the stones were pillaged by the Spaniards after sieging Cusco. Supposedly the current site is only 20% of the original. Sad.

Next stops were Q'enqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay. Resting places, military fortresses, or religious/ceremonial sites for Incans on the way from Cusco to Machu Picchu. In other words, I don't remember. These were smaller sites, and less impressive than Saqsaywaman, although still interesting (and there's something about kids and running around amongst ruins, exploring ... seems to never get old!)

Food: What blog of mine would be complete without a section on food, right?

I was frustrated with the food almost the entire time, as everything seemed so starchy and flavorless. Take-out places didn't look too clean (I ordered a chicken across the street from our apartment and the cashier grabbed it from the rotisserie using a rag from the floor) so we thought it was safer to make our own food. Peruvian corn ... thumbs down. The dairy and meat didn't seem refrigerated enough for our standards, so we limited the amount we ate. Breads, pasta, chips, cereal, pastries, eggs, fruit, rubbery cheese (won't melt properly). It was like a %^& continental breakfast all day long. For over a week!

I do admit we played it super safe with food before Machu Picchu, as we didn't want to get sick and miss it. Therefore, as soon as it was behind us, it was time to try ceviches and cuy (guinea pig ... a rodent). We were still pretty conservative and picked high TripAdvisor-rated, touristy places. Inka Grill right off Plaza de Armas was awesome - it changed my mind about Peruvian food, which I had written off as bland. The trout tiradito with aji appetizer was so good, I ordered a second serving. Cuy tasted a lot like roast duck, but with the ROI of eating crabs. As one might expect, not much meat ... Especially for me, as I could hardly pick out meat as fast as Calista could eat them.

With success at Inka Grill under our belts, we tried Greens and Incanto, other restaurants in the same chain. The alpaca wrap at Greens was awesome (James' favorite), and while I found their salad dressing a bit too sour, I was grateful for any raw vegetables washed in purified water. Their freshly made juice is highly recommended too! Incanto was my least favorite in that family of restaurants, as I found their food (Peruvian/Italian fusion) bland ... not surprisingly, it was Zach's favorite. In some ways, I wish we took more risks and tried additional restaurants (especially earlier in our trip) ... but on the other hand, I should just be grateful we all stayed relatively healthy, and we had 3 days of good food!

Summary: This trip is definitely for a more seasoned traveler, especially if taking along young children. A lot more unknowns, and possibilities of things going wrong. We were very fortunate that none of us had acute altitude sickness - I think I may have been the worst off, as I started the first few days waking up with a headache. Calie had some tummy issues throughout the trip too (not entirely sure it was altitude related). For me though, the effort is more than worth the reward. The only thing I enjoy more than traveling to new places is sharing them with my children. Don't get me wrong ... I love resorts, Hawaii, and all things Disney (in case that wasn't obvious from our other travels!) but I enjoy mixing it up with more adventurous trips to places like Costa Rica, Peru, Spain (yes, that's a hint) ... Hmm ... I really should have taken Spanish instead of French in high school!

Day 3 ... and I have clearly gotten used to doing nothing, as I fell asleep mid-day. I can't remember the last time I took a nap, but it was probably during my maternity leave over 4 years ago, when I was waking up every few hours at night with a nursling! James says "This is normal for you - when you don't have anything to do, your body attacks itself and you shut down."  I ran with Zachary in the morning, played games and completed errands during the day, and in the evening, Calie went to swim lessons followed by a family dinner/pool play date at Tabitha and Chigme's new house. The kids had SO much fun! Calista is overly confident in the pool (she's just good enough for to be dangerous), and can swim the width of the pool now. Zach had a blast racing, diving, and shooting water guns with Erik. Erik is ~2 years younger than Zach, but on a swim team so they were pretty well matched. Calie and Evie are less than a year apart and also play well. Congratulations Tabitha and Chigme on your new home! Best neighborhood ever ...

In terms of OUR house stuff, we've accomplished the following:

• Grout cleaned and sealed (it's been over 8 years - yuck!)
• Replaced our Oriental style rug for a more contemporary grey one from Pottery Barn
• Replaced our very worn (finish coming off) rectangle table with a new round table
• Purchased some decorative pillows from IKEA, as well as a new bedding set (for Master) from Pottery Barn
• Ordered custom made glass tops for our tables (love being able to see the wood vs. using a tablecloth!)
• Replaced a small bronze light fixture with a new chrome one I've been eyeing for awhile from ZGallerie

Here's a sneak peak at our updates (photo #1 = before, photos #2 and #3 are after ... hopefully that's obvious) Interior painting, new flooring to replace all linoleum, more contemporary light fixtures and door knobs, seat cushions for our dining room chairs, a new desk, plus a major demolition to add a media center still to-do! And with Tabitha's new place only 0.2 miles away, it's like we also added a new pool and spa!

We kicked off last weekend (James/my last day of work before a 2 month sabbatical!) with a trip to Castello di Amorosa in Napa for a work celebration. James' parents drove up to watch the kids - thank you, thank you, thank you! It was an awesome party. There were buses that picked us up (and later dropped us off) at our work parking lot, which just so happens to be less than 2 miles from our home. Intel rented the entire winery.

The food was terrific ... open bar in the terrace overlooking the vineyard, buffet stations in the courtyard, featuring 3 varieties of gourmet pizzas and Caeser salad, Indian kabobs, butternut squash ravioli and steak salad, and seafood paella. There was the biggest cheese spread I'd ever seen in the Chapel, and another bar in the Great Hall. Down a labyrinth to the Grand Barrel room, there was a table full of mini desserts.

There was also a dance floor which was super crowded - I don't think the planner expected so many engineers (myself and James included!) to dance. My feet were killing me at the end of the night, so we rested by one of the fire pits drinking tea and coffee, while waiting for our bus. Definitely a good party!

The next morning, we (plus Grandma and Grandpa) went to see Calista's dance recital. I loved that it was during regular class time, Saturday morning (vs Tricks which had dress rehearsal and recital during work hours!) Also, it was super casual ... the girls could wear anything they wanted. Though we pretty much forced Calista to wear her Tricks costume from last year, which I recall ran us ~$60.

Sunday was Father's Day, and we went to Fairytale town. Zachary moaned and groaned about it, but I think he had fun once he got there. At least he was a good sport about it.

Monday, we went to the Aquatic Center, as Zachary wanted to do some kayaking. Calista protested, so we stayed near the shore and played with sand and water ... and a gazillion geese. The water was pretty dingy and very cold. It wasn't Hawaii or the Caribbean, that was for sure. As you can see, we're running into an issue with our kids having very different interests. James/I insist on doing most things as a family, but it sometimes takes prodding. My youngest sister and I are almost 7-years apart in age, and I remember my parents doing the same thing.

Today (Tuesday), we went to Story Time at the library. It was super cute ... pirate themed, songs, 3 books, games, very interactive. I felt like I was sitting in on a preschool class, but with a bunch of other moms. I think my friend Dana would have like it, but it really wasn't my thing. The kids both joined the library's summer reading program - and since we didn't have plans the rest of the morning, they buckled down and completed the program requirements in a few hours. This earned them a free book of their choice, pencil, punch balloon, and  gift cards for pizza, cupcake, and admission to LEGOLAND.

With no work or summer school, Calista is taking swim lessons every day, going on 4 days in a row. She's making progress and SO close to being able to really swim (big arms, side breath ect.) We're paying hand over fist, but I know we're going to lose some momentum with our upcoming travel plans, so we're buffering. Please, please, please learn to swim soon!

Two days into our sabbatical, and so far lots of downtime. Everything we had to cram in along with our 40+ hour work week, we can do much more leisurely. Little things like picking up the house, paying bills, laundry, errands/shopping, meal prepping ... they can all be done throughout the day vs. during a rushed lunch hour or after the kids are in bed. James and I are taking exercise classes during the day, and I've gone out to lunch with a co-worker. Felt odd to drop her off at work and go home. Almost ... guilty or maybe underutilized? I've been told by co-workers that it takes 1-2 weeks to get used to it. Oh, I am sure I can get used to this! And I'll know I've succeeded when I lose track of what day of the week it is.

We escaped from the 100+ degree heat,  spending all weekend in the Bay Area - yay!

Happy Birthday Mom and Rob (Alice's boyfriend)! We celebrated with sushi, brownie ice cream cake, spicy Cheetos, seaweed, and pho. We got to see baby Dylan again, who has plumped up quite a bit since our last visit. Sophie thinks he's fussy, but he was a good baby while we visited. In fact, she didn't want to take him out for dinner, but Eddie was lured by Pho, and I convinced them that 5 adults can definitely take on 1 baby. As it turns out, not even a peep from Dylan the entire meal. This is good news because it will increase their confidence in taking him out. It's the first step in convincing them it's a good idea to travel with young children. Especially to Hawaii for my 40th birthday next year.  

All Sunday, we played at the new Exploratorium on Pier 15/17. Thanks Rob for the discounted tickets! The kids had SO much fun - and the adults were entertained as well, since we are all big science geeks. My kids love hands-on experiments and repetition, so although we got there before opening and stayed until they closed, we only went through about a third of the museum!

We had lunch at Seagrass, the restaurant inside the museum, which ran us almost $70 ... and none of us got drinks or dessert either! It seems we can't go out for a meal for much less anymore, especially in big cities. That said, the food was good, you can't beat the convenience, and well ... I guess we could consider it a non-tax-deductible donation to the museum.

We had dinner at Il Fornaio before heading back home. To a shady 78 degrees. What great timing!

Memorial Day weekend ... Demolition Derby ...

Feather Falls hike (James and Zach are training for Machu Picchu) ...

Swim birthday party (Happy 4th Birthday Cassandra!) ...

Lunch play date with friends ... hanging out at home ...

Brunch and wine tasting double date with Bev/Mike, while the kids played with their favorite babysitter (they made sock puppets!) ...

Paddleboat and kayaking with friends, followed by a barbecue dinner play date!

Did you notice Calista's hair? ... cut 6 inches! I really liked her with long hair (this is only her 3rd haircut EVER), but it was so tangly, and she's been begging for months. I was a bit sad about it, but the new style is growing on me ... plus it's much more practical given how active we are.

This weekend, I celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary! We took 1.5 days off work and headed to wine country with the kids. The kids stayed at their grandparents for 2 nights while James and I relaxed at Santa Nella House - which incidentally is on sale, in case you are in the market for a Bed & Breakfast. First night, we dined at Applewood Inn, a Michelin star restaurant on the Russian River, only a few miles away. The Marin Miyagi oysters were seriously the best I've ever had. I think I enjoy sharing experiences with others because I kept thinking how my sisters would love them ... and when James ordered the profiteroles with homemade peanut butter ice cream, I wished I could save some for my friend Melissa!

The Inn put out cheese and wine at 6pm plus dessert at night ... so James and I woke up early the next morning for a 2 mile run/hike before the heavy breakfast. During the day, we took the kids (+ Grandma) to Armstrong National Forest. We hiked ~4 miles with decent elevation. Embarrassed to admit, I was actually sore the next day!

In the evening, we had dinner at Boon Eat & Drink. The reviews are correct ... awesome flash fried brussel sprouts. A must-order if you ever visit. Adding a photo of the card Calista made and posted on the front door ... and some eggs from the hens at the Bed & Breakfast. When I retire, I think I will get some chickens and grow my own garden ... it seems like such a neat challenge to eat only the food you 'grow'. I might have to become a low-carb vegetarian. And of course, vitamins wouldn't count as food, so I'd be able to make up for some deficiencies there. But I digress...

Ending the weekend, we met up with friends who live in the area for some ... um ... sword fighting. Zachary had some ninja-like moves such as spinning and jumping over swords, which made Tristen say,"Wow, I've never seen moves like that before!" It was pretty hilarious, not to mention a great workout!

Happy 10th Anniversary James! and Thanks!!! to the Grandparents for babysitting the kids.

So as some of you may know, Xanga may be shutting down mid-July. While I love blogging, I don't think I will move to a different site. Quite frankly, I find my blogs getting repetitive ... my kids are older (no longer babies) so not changing as much from week to week ... and with my parents both on Facebook, the value of my mindless drivel just isn't there anymore. I remember thinking to myself, 'I'll do this until they are 5-years-old'. That seemed like such a long time ago, but Calista is already 4.5-years-old and will turn 5 shortly after mid-July. The timing is really kind of perfect. A few more posts and then I'm done. Maybe I'll pick up some good books to occupy my evenings - any recommendations?  

An update for the past 2 weeks ...

We visited the Sacramento Children’s Museum (free tickets from work) and met up with Calista's friends Aubrey and Courtney.

For Mother’s Day, we went out for brunch on the Delta King, a river boat restaurant. I noticed quite a few people ask for a river view. Since we cruise somewhat frequently (and dine with an ocean view), we were okay with an interior table if it meant we could get seated faster. Happy Mother's Day! Being a mom is the best role ever; I definitely feel very lucky!

During the week, we went to see Zachary's school play "Life Cycles."

That work week was basically a nightmare for someone trying to drop a few pounds (but has poor willpower and is basically a glutton.) Three straight days of catered lunches and dinner out. Barbecue, pizza, tri-tip sandwiches ... The problem with working with mostly men, is that I get the same heaping plate of food. But I'm not 6'. On the positive side, technical conferences are the only places I've been where the line (what line?) for the women's restroom is much shorter. I did get in 2 classes of yoga (at 5:45am!) and weekend jogs, but nothing came close to touching the calories I consumed! Egads!

Last weekend, I ran a 10k trail run. Just to be clear, I'm not completely wimpy (just a little bit). I ran a half marathon earlier this year, and I've been logging 10k jogs over the weekend. But the trails and hills were brutal. I had to walk a few times - first time ever walking during a race. I almost rolled my ankle, and Er-jia fell and cut his hand. It was also mentally challenging due to the number of switchbacks; the route seemed to just go on and on and on. BIG difference between road vs. trail. I was sore for 3-4 days after. On the positive side, Zachary won 2nd in the under-12 division with a time of 55:29, placing #45 overall. He received a medal and 2 gift certificates (free car wash and free large Round Table pizza). He missed 1st place (won by another 9-year-old) by only 15 seconds! I finished in 1 hour 17 min, placing #250 overall. I'm starting to lose confidence that I will catch up to him in this lifetime.

I got my yearly haircut (4" chopped ) and went on a quadruple date to Sienna! It wasn't spectacular but still good, and a terrific value. The Chef's Tasting menu included appetizer, salad, main entrée, and dessert. All for only $39, and they took gift cards from Costco, which amounts to 20% off. Afterwards, we could not decide on a movie, so we went back to Sam/Melissa's house for games.

Also the same weekend, we had a lunch playdate with Calista's friend Cassie, and then went to see Rumpelstiltskin at our local theater. The girls loved it! And 1 hour was the perfect duration for 4-5 year olds. 

Only one more week left of school, the kids are taking home portfolios for me to filter ... I throw away most, take pictures of some, and save a few pieces every year:

Random pictures from the last two weeks!

We drove down to the Bay Area Friday-Saturday to visit my family, especially my dad who was flying back to Maryland the following Tuesday. James and my kids got to meet Dylan for the first time. It was great seeing how well my sister recovered from such a rough delivery. One-week old Dylan slept most of the time we were there, so we'll have to make another visit when he's a bit older!

We drove back Saturday night, with a stop for Mexican food to break up the drive. Sunday, it was back to our regular routine. Zach and I ran while Calista had swim lessons. Then I took Calista to Cassie's birthday party, and James took Zachary to Farhat's laser tag party. Happy 5th Birthday Cassie and Happy 9th Birthday Farhat! As we didn't have plans late in the afternoon, I took Calista to the library. We've been going more regularly lately, as I'm getting burned out from repeating the same books we have at home. Her class is doing reading logs to encourage kids to read (or be read to) ... we filled the log and added 3 additional pages! I think more creative (and patient) parents do pretend play, but that's not really our thing ... we read! All. The. Time.

We kicked off last weekend with a pirate themed Mother-Son Bingo event at Zach's school. No one we knew won anything. Well, maybe I did win because we didn't take home plastic knick-knacks, and took home a platter of leftover sandwiches instead! It was perfect because James' hadn't had dinner yet when we returned home.

Saturday ... dance, run, yoga... then we took the kids to the mini Carnival at work. Sad to say Zach has outgrown it. He complained about going and ended up bringing a book to read in the shade. Calie, on the other hand, loved it ... pony rides, petting zoo, slushies, carnival games, train rides, and bounce houses! Zach and James went to the library to catch a free showing of Wreck-It-Ralph, while Calie and I stayed at the carnival until it shut down.

(Yes, I realize her slushy is mostly ice ... I grew with my dad constantly warning the family about artificial colors and flavors.)

Saturday night we joined our friends for a Quatro de Mayo party at Dana and Dave's house. Kids had fun playing in the backyard, and the piñata was a hit. (Get it?)  Dinner was good too - fruit (best drizzle sauce ever!), taco bar, salad, and chips with a multitude of dip options! Thanks Dana and Dave for hosting!

Sunday, after Calie's dance lessons and my/Zach's 10k jog with my coworkers, we had a lunch playdate with Calista's friend Rachel. Keeping with the Cinco de Mayo theme, I made crockpot tortilla soup ... with fresh tomatoes since I'm paranoid about BPA. After lunch, we went to see Hansel and Gretel at a local theatre. Calista loves live theatre, especially meeting the characters after the show!

For dinner, we had Melissa's family over. I wandered the aisles of Trader Joe's literally an hour before they arrived. I can't even remember what I served ... I think it was a salad, pasta, and baked chicken. I probably need to kick it up a notch, but it's also good to have friends over for an impromptu get-together without the overhead of pre-planned activities and entrees. I think Zach said it best with "I like downtime. Having Alex and Nicole over is like having downtime." It's nice to have people you're comfortable with like that. Kind of like hanging out with family.

On a low point, Calista has 2 cavities between her back teeth (and 3 watches!). Yes, I know flossing is more important than brushing. Yes, we floss Zach every night and he is cavity-free minus the fused tooth (nothing we could have done about that.) But Calista's teeth are spaced so widely apart, it didn't feel necessary. Which is obviously incorrect, especially since Calista eats a lot more fruit, yogurt, and juice (sugar!). So now we're adding flossing to her daily routine. Oh well - I guess it's good we learned this lesson on baby teeth!

Big news since my last post ... I'm an Aunt! My little sister Sophia had a baby boy this past weekend.

Summary: Baby boy born via emergency C-section after 36 hours of labor; both mom and baby are fine/healthy.

Stats: Name = Dylan, Length = 19", weight = 6lbs 15oz, date = 4/20 (exact due date)

I woke up Friday morning and got a message that my sister's contractions started around 11pm the night before, occurring around every half hour. I moved my meetings to the morning and left work at noon to drive to the Bay Area. My parents (they flew in from Maryland a few days ago) and other sister were already there.

Baby's nursery ... so classic. I wish she designed my kids' nurseries! My mom made Chinese food for us - delicious. (I'm never going to drop those last few pounds! )

We (Sophie/Eddie/I) went into the hospital at ~10pm Friday night. The nurse did a triage and she was only 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. They said her contractions were irregular, but I didn't really agree with that. Anyway, they gave Sophia some pain medication and sent us home. We all tried to get some sleep, but between 2-3am Sophie decided she couldn't take the pain, and we shuffled back to the hospital. This time her contractions were much stronger (based on her reaction), lasting 1.5 minutes, and 2-3 minutes apart (vs 5 minutes when we first tried to check-in) The triage nurse said she was only 2cm and 75% effaced ... but given that it was a first baby, she should go home. I can't remember how we convinced them, but I think Sophia was looking so miserable that they let her stay. She got an epidural, and the nurse assured us that it would be many, many more hours. They recommended that Eddie and I go back home and try to get some sleep. Eddie went back to the hospital at 7am and texted me that it would still be awhile - 5-6cm, 80% effaced. He said he would text me when it was close to ready to push. I lolly-gagged at the house, but was bored .. so I decided to head to the hospital around 10am. Just as I walked in, I saw a lot of doctors/nurses swarming and my sister being pushed out in the hospital bed. I called my other sister Alice, who picked up my parents and joined me in the waiting room. At the time, I had no idea what happened - I've since learned from my sister that the baby's heart rate started dropping with each contraction ... and at one point, it didn't recover. It was probably a compressed cord, but even after shifting Sophia around, they couldn't get the heart rate back up. It went back to normal for awhile, but when the next contraction it dropped again, they made a call to do a C-section. Baby was pulled out and given an APGAR score of 4, based on his complexion, pulse rate, reflex, muscle tone, and breathing,. (3 or less is critical, 4-6 is low, 7-10 is normal). Eddie said that he didn't start crying right away. By the time the rest of us saw him, he was doing very well (retake of the APGAR = 9!). Kicking, and we all swore he was making eye contact with us behind the nursery glass window. It wasn't until a few more hours that we were able to see Sophia. She looked pretty miserable, as one would expect coming out of surgery. What a harrowing experience! But you really couldn't ask for a better ending.

Baby Dylan is really cute and alert. Very delicate features compared to my kids as babies - but he still reminds me of a baby Zachary. Dylan started nursing right away, and very well - I have never known a first time mom/newborn take to nursing as well as my sister and Dylan did. And since Sophie was a "potato" for the first day, Eddie stepped it up and became a diaper changing pro. He even gave my sister (accurate) advice on nursing and tracked nursing times/duration and diaper changes on his phone. I think that's the best thing about delivery ending in surgery. I've seen dads get pushed out of parenting by over zealous, critical moms. Over time you see them lose confidence and withdraw from being an active, hands-on parent. Quite sad. Not that my sister is the neurotic type (not at ALL), but being bedridden was a forcing function for Eddie to do even more than the average dad.

  Congratulations Sophia and Eddie! Welcome to the world, Dylan!  

Back at home, another capable dad took care of 2 kids over the weekend. Lots of playing in the backyard, board games, art, lunch playdate with Alex and Nicole, and I'm willing to bet money that they went geocaching as well. I love that in our family, either parent can leave on short notice (I think I just sent James an email while we were at work) ... and the other can easily manage the household and kids.