Lots of great photo opportunities these 2 weeks! Last Saturday, I took Zachary to Home Depot Kids Workshop. He made a little wooden Matchbox car holder! It was very age appropriate, as he was able to do most of it himself – but we sat with a bunch of dad construction workers anyway, just in case! Afterwards, we walked to Michaels and made a Valentine’s card. The instructor asked Zachary if the card was for “your mom or dad or maybe sister or brother, if you have any?” And he responded with,”I’m giving it to Delaney.” WHAT?! I completely accept that some day, he’s going to chose a girl over his parents – I fully believe my job is not to raise a son, but a future husband and father. But now? At 5 years old?! I was also afraid that she would break his heart by ripping it to shreds in front of him … as his mom, I want to protect him for a few more years, right? So I said,”Zachary, why don’t you just give it to someone in your family.” And my boy looks at me and says,”In a 12 hour day, I spend more time with Delaney.” OUCH!
That evening, Dana set up a birthday and baby celebration for herself at a Tepanaki restaruant. Sandy and I decided we needed to intervene … and through Facebook IMs, we planned a surprise shower. Offline, I collected enough funds to buy a group gift – a new ($300+) camera that she really wanted! Yea! She also received lots of cute outfits.
Sandy did an awesome job with the games, and I think the cake I picked up was pretty cute too! Congratulations (and happy birthday) Dana! I think I can speak for all the gals, when I say we are very excited to meet baby Maya!
Sunday, we took the Zachary to SkyHigh Sports, a trampoline place. There is a foam pit, a dodge ball arena, and a few free jump trampolines. He had a fun (and sweaty) time! I think it’s a great place to let kids run around when the weather isn’t great (ie. rainy, too hot) … and good exercise for everyone. I picked up a 10-session pass since I knew we’d be back!
After SkyHigh, we drove home and started mad cleaning for our Superbowl party. We hosted a small get-together for our friends (Melissa, Rachel, Dana, Kathy, and Bhavana) and their families. On the menu was crockpot chili and tortilla soup, made with Dana’s new Vitamix blender. I tried to keep it lighter since so many of us are watching calories!
This Friday, James and I took a half day off work, kept the kids in school, and met up with Sam and Melissa for a leisurely lunch at Ella’s. It was great! I had a tuna carpaccio appetizer that I would definitely order again … followed by a papardelle dish that received rave reviews on Yelp. It was very nice to enjoy lunch without wrangling kids or work time constraints. After lunch, James and I braved the Asian supermarket section of Sacramento … and made it back with hot pot ingredients for Chinese New Year. No car accident – yea!
Below (left) is the Valentines Zachary gave Delaney – she thanked him … whew! And on the right is all the arts and crafts the kids made at school for me/James! Zachary even made a Spanish card for James. I gave James a Wii game with 3 steering wheels (2 are back ordered.) … and he gave me a new perfume I love (Body by Victoria).
Saturday morning, Melissa and I took the kids to Lowes for their Build-and-Grow event. They made a wooden jewelry holder. Zachary gave his to Aunt Sophia.
After that, we headed to Michaels, where we bought a wooden frame for them to decorate. The kids had a great time and the frames looked pretty good (creative at least!). Zachary decided his frame would go to Aunt Alice.
We headed back home and around mid-afternoon, my sisters arrived from the Bay Area! The girls (including Calie) walked around the Folsom Outlets. For dinner, we had traditional Chinese hot pot. As suspected, Calie enjoyed the meal, especially the shrimp. And even Zachary had a small portion. After putting the kids to bed, we played a game of Bang! and 2 rounds of Ultimate Outburst. Happy Chinese New Year! (or as Zachary says “Gong Hei Fat Choy” … since they teach the Cantonese ennunciation at his school. Grrr…) 
My sisters left after a late breakfast the next day. Since the weather was awesome, I took the kids to a nearby park. 
In the evening, we had hot pot with Melissa’s family and Dana. My sister let me borrow her portable stove, and I bought double the ingredients at the Asian store so that I could host dinner for both family and friends. Dessert was (calorie-laden) pineapple cake and red bean tea. Afterwards, we chatted and played a few games on the Wii.
We had no plans today (President’s Day), so in the morning, I asked Zachary where he wanted to go. He said Fairytale Town … so Fairytale Town it was. James wanted the day to do taxes (I am using the word ‘want’ very loosely here), so I took both kids. We had a great time … left at 9:30am and didn’t get back home until 4pm!
After Fairytale Town, we decided to venture over to Funderland … a mini amusement park. Zachary was so protective of Calie the whole time, since she hasn’t really been on any rides herself. It made me a bit nervous putting Calie on rides … since at a moment’s notice, she could try to climb out. But she really, really wanted to go on them since she likes copying everything Zachary does. After the ride operators (trustworthy people, no?) assured me that they would stop the ride as soon as she started crying or climbing out, I decided to let her go. She did well! Even waved to me and Zachary when she passed us on the fish ride.
I also let Calie on the buggy ride and train …and told Zachary (another trustworthy person) to yell “Stop!” if Calie tried to climb out. I was nervous, but she did the rides!
Overall, a great 3-day weekend! Actually 3.5 since I took Friday afternoon off. 
Of course, since I didn’t log into work at all and also had a few big meals, I’m a bit worried about going to work tomorrow morning … not sure what will be scarier … the email backlog or the weekly weigh-in!
