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Monday, 09 November 2009

End of October, Zachary went to Intel for a trick-or-treat event. He went from cube to cube, trick-or-treating. Sometimes he'll ask the person to describe the candy and question the ingredients. And once, when someone held out a bowl of hard candy (his least favorite) ... he pawed through it and finally said,"No thank you." I think we need to work on the finer details of manners! That Friday-Saturday, James' parents came to visit, and they got to see Calie walk for the first time.

Saturday afternoon, I took Zachary to see Disney's Princess on Ice with Jessica and her mom. We bought the kids overpriced souvenirs and indulged in an unhealthy lunch during intermission. And while Zachary has been to a number of live shows, he has never experienced an intermission. When it was time to go back in, he yelped,"No! I've seen it already, I don't want to see it again!"

He was quiet the first half of of the show, but he really started chatting it up after intermission. (i.e. "They'll never find Cinderella because no one will fit that slipper if they're wearing ice skates." and "The princesses are all pretending to be dead.") Fortunately, it was a family friendly event, so it was loud, and plenty of other kids were talking too.

(Bonus picture of Zachary getting a filling between his fused tooth ... took about half an hour and Zachary did great! Of course, he was looped up on nitrous oxide and watching a documentary on the Coral Reef, so it was easy to behave. Still, the dentist was impressed so I'm going to accept their compliments!)
After Disney on Ice, we went to Sherry's house for a potluck dinner. And then off trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. We went all the way down our street and then back up the other side ... a nice, brisk 1 hour walk with both kids for me, while James stayed home to hand out candy. Happy Halloween!

On Sunday, we went to Buca di Beppo for lunch, and then a dinner playdate at Jessica's house.

This weekend, we went to Tahoe Joe's for lunch. I loved their fried shrimp salad! In the evening, we went to a local sports complex to celebrate Vaibhav and Gaurav's birthday. They had pizza and a spread of delicious Indian food. Zachary had a fun and sweaty time running around ... he couldn't quite keep up with the basketball game, so halfway through, James enticed him into playing tag instead. Calie totally wanted in on the action ... but the court was too dangerous for a new walker, so we kept her entertained off to the side. She liked throwing balls and trying to catch them (0% success rate).

Happy 6th Birthday Vaibhav and Gaurav! We were so impressed by how well they played basketball.

Today we had a picnic lunch and played in the sand at our local park. The weather was perfect - cool but sunny. In the late afternoon, Sophie and Eddie came to visit. We had a barbecue dinner, and they played with Gears and Fusebeads. Which reminds me ... Earlier in the day, James followed a template to make a pretty awesome Fusebead of a Nintendo Mario. When he asked Zachary if it was the best one ever, Zachary responded with,"No, because you used a template and that's not creative. Mine is better because I made it myself." Eddie designed a Fusebead picture based off Zachary's photo after dinner. I forgot to take a picture of it, so you will have to trust me when I say ... it was very ... um ... "creative".

While Sophie was here, I finally got an iPhone (since I'm on a family plan with Sophie, she had to go to the store with me.) In other news, we are doing some minor home remodeling ... exterior paint, new kitchen sink/faucet, new shower for the master bathroom, and a custom television stand. I'll post pictures when it's done - hopefully by end of this month!

Monday, 26 October 2009

Last weekend, we went to a Renaissance Festival. It was just okay - it was a bit too hot and dusty, and I kept thinking how uncomfortable the people in costume must be. In the evening, we went to a Diwali party. Calie loved Indian food ... every once in awhile, she'll get a spicy bite and spit it out, but she can't resist going back for more. I also kept going back for seconds and thirds ... Bhavana is an excellent chef!

Zachary had fun playing with the sparklers, and there were lots of kids his age to run around with. Happy Diwali everyone!

On Sunday, I wanted to go out for Chinese food. James wanted to stay home to eat. Zachary decided the dilemma was best solved with a round of 'einey-meeny-miney-mo.' We ended up going to Red Robin, Zachary's favorite restaurant.

This Friday, Zachary's school hosted a Fall Festival event. We had a barbecue picnic lunch, and Zachary played carnival games, went on rides, and walked through a haunted house. He had a lot of fun and we didn't leave until past bedtime.

I thought Calie was a pretty cute cheerleader, waking on the astroturf under the flood flights (of course I'm a biased mother!)

This weekend, we hosted our annual Halloween party. In addition to inviting our friends, we had a few guests from Zachary's class. We kept the food very simple - grilled hotdogs and sausages. I also put out cupcakes and crackers, and a few guests also brought snacks. The most awesome part of the party, of course, is all the kids (and Paul) in costume. Without further ado ... here are the pictures!

(Note: Zachary said he wanted to be a bat this year ... I had a devils' costume from Pottery Barn Kids. I bought it for $9.99 last year. So I told him it was a red bat. In case any of you see him ... it's a BAT costume.)

It was a sunny day, and kids played both outside and in. I met some parents from Zach's class, so hopefully that means new friends for me too. One of the moms also works at Intel and proposed we get together for lunch.

The last few years, it was too chaotic (and most kids were too young) to attempt a real craft - we've never done anything more than decorating cupcakes or putting stickers on mini pumpkins. This year though - most of the kids were 5-years-old, and with helpful parents, we were able to pull off a picture frame painting (and decorating) art project.

I was pleased to hear a few of the parents say they were going to keep the frames around for decoration in the kids' room, and even in the office! SUCCESS! The only downside to the party was that Calie was very fussy - she had a terrible runny nose, and the party was right on top of her normal naptime. (In the party planner's defense, her naptime is usually pretty flexible.)
On Sunday - we carved Zach's pumpkin! James did most of the work, but the kids were cuter in pictures. Ta-da!

Tuesday, 13 October 2009

It's October already - Happy 14th month to Calie and 5.5 years to Zachary! I usually try to post every 2 weeks, but this past month our home has been plagued by viruses. We've had the stomach flu, fever, cough, runny nose, and coxsackie virus. The bright side is that we're almost 100% now ... I still have a lingering cough (like I always do) but we are healthy otherwise. Anyway, enough excuses and on with the posting!

Mid September, I took Zachary to Color Me Mine for storytime and pottery painting. That weekend, we also took the kids out for Persian food (Shahrzad) - it was really good and definately a restaurant I'd go to again. (As a bonus picture, I've included a picture of Zachary's homework below ... he made a mess of it and I was hoping the teacher would write him up ... instead he just got a star ... missed lesson on sloppiness!)

The last week of September, I took Zachary to the dentist ... the good news is that he was well behaved during the whole exam. The bad news is that he has a cavity between his fused tooth. The dentist said we did what we could - it's impossible to floss that area so it was just a matter of time - and most kids with a fused tooth similar to his had a cavity by 3-years-old. So poor Zachary will be back end of October to get a filling.

That weekend was a good one though - no one was sick and we had lots of activities planned. Saturday, my friend Dana set up a picnic potluck at Lake Natomas. I took Zachary out kayaking and enjoyed a yummy lunch. It was a nice hot day - I'm glad we got out there before the weather changed.

In the evening, we went to Alex's birthday party. It was at his house, and we had a delicious spaghetti dinner with cake (of course!) for dessert. Happy 5th Birthday Alex!

Sunday, we drove to the Bay Area and celebrated cousin Hayden's birthday. It was a Ben 10 backyard barbecue party - the kids had a great time. Happy 4th Birthday Hayden!

The first week of October, Zachary went on his first (and now last) fieldtrip without me or James chaperoning. We decided to let him go with his class and ride the school bus. They went to Apple Hill. He tried climbing a fence and kept taking off his seatbelt on the bus. We are now required to attend future fieldtrips with him - or alternatively, he can skip the activity and just stay back with another class. UGH!

That weekend, James and Zachary went to see the 'Dolphins and Whales' 3-D IMAX movie since we had free tickets. (Coworker got them for donating blood, but wasn't interested in seeing the show, so he gave them to me) I took Calie to the mall to pick up my Tiffany charm bracelet (great customer service by the way) ... I swear the girl loves that store - she was super excited/happy and no less than 4 salespeople came over to talk to her. They must have sensed a future customer!

On Sunday we went to Bishop's Farm. It was a full day event - I think we were there for 5 hours. Zachary saw the pig races, jumped on hay, rode the train, went through a corn maze ... and a sunflower maze, panned for marbles, and went down a very tall slide (a few times).

We met up with Alex and Nicole for lunch and then headed out to the pumpkin patch via hayride. Zachary walked through the patch saying,"Not ready, too dirty" ... he had an excuse for rejecting every single pumpkin until he reached the end of the patch. And there he found the perfect one. Our rule is that he has to be able to carry the pumpkin to buy it - in this case, we modified it to 'somehow get it to the hayride tractor.' He rolled the pumpkin for 45 minutes in the dusty road, dragging it to the side every time the tractor rumbled by. It was a pretty heavy/large pumpkin, so we had no idea how much it would cost. I was guessing $20-30. James said that after all the effort, we'd have to buy it even if it was $100. Lo and behold ... $6! What a deal!

This past weekend, we just wanted to recover so we kept our weekend open with no commitments. We were exhausted from being sick and Calie not sleeping well at night. I did a lot of shopping. Calie actually likes going ... she will come over to me and wave goodbye to the boys at the cue word "shopping." She reaps in the benefit via lots of matching Gymboree outfits (awesome deals recently) and copious food samples at Trader Joes. James did take Zachary on their first ever Geo-caching adventure. I think James might have enjoyed it more than Zachary. Saturday evening, we went to Yagers (bar) for dinner ... the original restaurant we wanted to go to was closed (seems to be happening alot lately ) so somehow we thought it was a good idea to take kids to a bar. Greasy, slow, and did not honor our Entertainment coupon due to change in management (even though we gave them the coupon up front and the server didn't say anything) ... we'll be crossing that one off our list!

Sunday morning, we went on a short trip to Zittel's Farm to pick up a pumpkin for Calie. With all the hoopla surrounding Zach's pumpkin at Bishop's farm, we forgot about getting one for our 2nd child. In an attempt to make it up to her, we offered to buy her a pony ... ride. She refused with a vengence (aka. screech and back arch combo), but Zachary was totally fine, if a bit bored, with it. One thing about the kids being almost 5 years apart in age ... I find that Zachary is outgrowing activities before Calie gets into them.

As for Calie milestones, she can take a few steps but still prefers crawling. She loves holding on to someone's hand and walking though. She continues to be a good eater (knock on wood) - comments on her daycare daily report have included "A lot!", "Very hungry!" and today's "Ate 3 bowls of spaghetti!" She picked up the signs for more and all-done from daycare ... a bit late since she says the word with the sign. She says "nah-na!" when she wants something, and when that something is a banana, she fools people into thinking she knows that word. Zachary is doing well academically, but is working on impulse control and making good decisions. I'm trying to teach him accountability, as he has a never ending supply of excuses. It makes being at work and at home very similar sometimes.

Sunday, 13 September 2009

Ack! It's been awhile since I posted ... which usually means I went on vacation ... and this time was no exception. We went to South Lake Tahoe with a few friends over Labor Day weekend.  But I'm getting ahead of myself ...
The last weekend of August, on Friday (my weekend starts Friday 5:30pm), I went to Kathy's house for dessert and karaoke. I was horrible at singing, but it was fun! (At least for me, and likely at the expense of those around me.) On Saturday, we went to Dylan's for dinner and a swim playdate. Zachary probably swallowed gallons of water, trying to keep up with Dylan and Jessica. Every time he swims with them, he has to use the restroom more frequently than usual. On Sunday, we went to Kaylin's birthday party - Happy 2nd Birthday Kaylin!

The week before Labor Day, we went to Zachary's school for a potluck barbecue. It was really hot that day - and there were a lot of kids running around. It reminded me to be grateful for my indoor/desk job. On Friday evening, Dana (and family) came over to celebrate my birthday. She gifted me a yummy smelling sugar scrub that she made with her mom's group, a throw blanket, a GAP gift card, and homemade ice cream. (I am pleased at how many of my friends can make ice cream. Very pleased.) We played games until close to midnight ... and then the next morning, it was off to South Lake Tahoe! My friend Karen had wanted to organize a trip early August, but that weekend didn't work for any of us ... so I took her idea and tried for Labor Day weekend. Despite it being only ~2-3 weeks in advance, I got lucky - Karen, Melissa, and Rachel all had the weekend open. We rented a 4 bedroom vacation home, walking distance from the beach and a few minutes drive to the big casinos.

My family was the first to arrive ... which made sense because we have a 5.30am alarm clock (aka Calie). Zachary was excited to snag what he thought was the coveted top bunk in the kids' room. That first day, we had a barbecue lunch, and then took the kids out for miniature golf. We also stopped by Reagan Beach ... all the kids loved making sand soup. Messy!

Saturday evening was Girl's Night Out. Karen, Melissa, Rachel and I hit the Harrah's buffet (loved the prime rib!) and then went to see ABBAcadabra ... a live concert featuring ABBA songs. I was able to sing along to almost all the lyrics, thanks to my recent karaoke practice at Kathy's!

After the concert, Karen treated me to my first ever alcoholic drink since I was pregnant with Calie. Whoo-hoo! (Actually ... z-z-z-z ... alcohol puts me to sleep, but that's not as exciting to blog about.) We danced at the bar while we waited for Vex to open. Vex was completely full and there was a huge line to get in. The club had go-go dancers, and included a few minutes of acrobatics and a topless number. I did feel a bit old because I wasn't dressed as trendy (or skimpy) as most of the 20-something crowd. On the plus side, I felt somewhat younger when I recognized a few songs (from Sophie and Eddie's wedding.)

We got back home around 1-2am; I was exhausted and ready to chuck my stilettos into the lake. Of course, that night, Calie didn't sleep well at all (Argh!). Zachary slept fine in the top bunk though ... only he and Dylan made it through the night in the kids' room.
Day 2 ... Sam and Melissa made us all breakfast ("payment" for getting the master bedroom). We had blueberry and banana pancakes, as well as bagel breakfast sandwiches. Then we packed up for a fun day at the beach (Camp Richardson.)

The kids had a blast! Forget pricey toys - give a kid a bucket and shovel, some sand and water ... and they're occupied for hours. The adults basically just sat back and watched the kids entertain themselves.

After snack/lunch, Zachary and Alex went paddle boating. According to James, it was very difficult to navigate - it wasn't until the end that they figured out how to position to kids vs adults.

And here are some pictures of Calie in her fancy swimsuit. I really hope she can still fit into it next year!

We got home mid-afternoon, and after some downtime, the guys went out for their night out. They went to the Harrah's buffet, while the girls stayed home and had dinner (thanks Karen!) with the kids. After dusk, we walked out to Reagan Beach to watch Labor Day fireworks. The kids oohed and ahhed over the fireworks, comparing them to "Saturn" and "jellyfish" and yelling out "That one was as big as Jupiter!" It was fun to see the kids so excited... and it was awesome that we were walking distance from the beach. I totally associate going to see fireworks with traffic gridlock (and the smell of insect repellent, but I digress). The guys did come back to join us for the fireworks, but then went back out again for some gambling.

Our last day of vacation was great too. Sam/Melissa opted out of sand activities and went on a nice family hike (which we'll have to do next time - Zachary actually asked about it on the drive home ... like his parents, he wants to 'do it all') The other 3 families went to the beach, where the kids made sand soup (again!) and tried to dig a mini lake (I admit it was my idea - I anticipated it taking a long time, so that I could sit back and relax). We all met up for a late lunch and by the time we were done, packed, and ready to go ... it was about 3pm.
It worked great traveling with other families. And we totally maximized our time there with the early check-in, late check-out times. We hit a bit of traffic on the way home (2.5 hr drive instead of the 1.5 hrs it took to get there) but with Calie (and me) napping most of the way back, it was pretty painless. We got home before 6pm, so there was plenty of time to unpack, do laundry etc. and get ready for the work/school day ahead!

This weekend was very low key in comparison. On Friday, I went out with my girlfriends for Thai food and a movie (Julie & Julia.) Saturday, we went to Ikea for a roll of easel paper and inexpensive wall art. Zachary played in their babysitting center for awhile, and we also had lunch in the cafeteria. Don't be fooled by their 99 cent kid's plate... it's not even enough food for a 13 month old. Maybe a Swedish 1 year old, but not my chunky American one! Afterwards, I took Zachary to a kids' gym open house, where he met up with 2 others kids from his Kindergarten class.

Monday, 24 August 2009

The Monday after Sophie and Eddie's wedding was Zachary's first day of Kindergarten! He was elated that naptime was finally eliminated. He also says recess is "1 hour and 45 minutes", but I'm not sure I believe him.

During the work week, my extended team went on a rafting and picnic quarterly. On Friday, I went out to dinner (Bistro 33) and a movie (Time Traveler's Wife) with my girlfriends - I love going out on Friday because it makes the weekend seem longer . On Saturday, I took Calie to the mall to get her 1-year-old pictures taken ... we had a great time shopping too. She literally started squealing at Tiffany's and waved when I put a charm bracelet on her wrist. I almost bought it for her, but I could envision James' disapproving glare. She wasn't a fan of Burberry though - chucked their $80 headband on the floor.
That evening, Sam and Melissa came to our house for dinner ... they actually made the dinner. Recall the box of organic vegetables I get every month? This month, we got a leek and had no idea how to cook it. So they came over and made it into a yummy soup ... and even used some of the other vegetables for a quinoa dish! On Sunday, we went to Red Robin for lunch ... what can I say ... free birthday burger. I also took a few hours to shop for myself at the Folsom Outlets, while James watched both tots at home. Now that I'm done pumping at work, and we're going to start eliminating the nighttime nursing(s), I wanted to buy some new non-nursing tops!

Early last week, Calie got sick (Roseola). James and I both missed 2 days of work to stay home with her. Thursday was my birthday and Dana took me out for lunch at BJ's. And I went out to Thai Siam for a family dinner on Friday. Happy 35th Birthday to me! Although Calie was in the rash stage by Thursday, which is not supposed to be contagious, she was so fussy that we decided not to drive to the Bay Area this weekend. (Happy Birthday Justin and Sam! Sorry we missed the party...) Instead, this Saturday, I took Zachary to a local Family Expo, while James stayed home with Calie. We ate lots of samples (cookies, fresh bread, trail mix, even tri-tip with sauteed mushrooms) and picked up numerous goodies, including a set of Burt's Bees baby samples and a Phoenix t-shirt. The irony there is that Phoenix (Zach's school) frowns upon non-collared shirts ... so analogous to not being able to use the metal All-Clad utensils in All-Clad pots, you can't wear a Phoenix t-shirt to Phoenix school.

There were a some fun kids activities as the Expo (bowling, frisbee toss, bounce houses) and we also received a pass to the nearby zoo. It was so hot that many of the animals were hidden/sleeping, but Zachary could tell me which animals were supposed to be there.
Today, we went to a neighborhood ice cream and swim party ... one of our neighbors won the Dreyer's 'Neighborhood Salute' contest and received (more than) enough ice cream for our block! Zachary had a great time - since he's no longer afraid to put his head underwater, he had a blast going down the waterslide and jumping off the ledge. Calie liked the ice cream and tried 3 different kinds. It cracks me up when she opens her mouth and says "ahhhhh!"; she gets right up in your face with her mouth wide open.

On the milestone (or lack of) front, Calie is still not walking. She took 6-7 steps the day after Sophie's wedding, but still prefers crawling. She started dropping things and saying 'uh-oh' ... repeatedly. James and I usually ignore it, hoping she'll stop, but Zachary is always right there waiting to fetch the item for her. She also has a new molar ... so 11 teeth total.