Two Fridays ago, we hosted a Wii and barbecue playdate. Since it was a work day, the menu was boxed pasta for the kids and Costco salmon burgers with salad for the grownups. Zachary had a great time playing with Alex, Dylan, and Jesse.

The next morning, I went on a trail jog with Erjia, Jaybal, and Sam … and while I’m pretty much the slowest and most out of shape in the group, I’m pleased to report that I am seeing results. I’ve lost over 12 lbs since I started working out, and I’m more toned (squishy belly and thighs excluded) than I was pre-kids.  Then it was pack up the kids and head up to Camp Richardson (Tahoe) for camping. Perfect timing, we got there the exact same time as Bhavana and her family. Zachary and the twins played soccer while the adults set up, and then we headed to the beach. The view was wonderful and wow, it was crowded! I was so impressed by Gaurav and Vaibhav’s swimming ability – they were able to jump off the dock like the older kids.

Then it was dinner back at the camp, followed by dessert at the local ice cream shop. Ended the evening around a campfire, and it was downhill from there. One of the worst night’s sleep ever. Calie was super fussy and wanted to sleep across a James’ face. Halfway through the night, James asked me to switch places with him so he could get some sleep. I had a mummy style sleeping bag and Calie wanted to be in it, so we could not zip it up. I was so cold. Fortunately, like Transylvania, the torture ended at sunrise.

We had breakfast at the campground and then headed back to the beach while Bhavana and her family went to Heavenly for a scenic gondola ride. After lunch at the Beacon Bar & Grill, we drove home. Once again, vacation with another family is the way to go. The kids just have so much more fun! For a better experience, I would have purchased a bigger tent (Bhavana’s tent had 2 rooms!) and left Calie at home. Okay, I’m sort of kidding about that last part, but I’m thinking 3+ years old, potty trained, would be a threshold. That’s just me though; I know plenty of people who have success with babies.

On Thursday, James and I (and almost everyone else from work) went to see a movie. Our employer booked the local Palladio theaters and gave everyone a free ticket, small popcorn, and drink. We picked ‘Despicable Me’ since we like Steve Carell, and it was very entertaining! Yay for work sponsored dates!  This past Friday, I met up with Dana and her family for a casual dinner at Whole Foods. We took the kids to the outdoor playstructure, where there was lively music playing. And on Saturday morning, I took Zachary to Lowes to make a flashing UFO toy.

After Lowes, we drove up to Patrick’s Berry Farm in Camino. It was shady in the picnic area, and the kids spend most of the time kicking a ball around. We had a potluck lunch and then headed into the dusty hot fields for manual labor, which made for a good lesson about going to school and having a career. 

The kids liked picking berries this year. Unfortunately that meant, I ended up paying for some leaves and twigs, but I figured that was about right, given the berries Calie ate before we reached the checkout stand. Thanks to Sam and Melissa for setting up this fun annual tradition! In the evening, I took Zachary to SkyHigh and met up with Andrew. Since I didn’t go on my regular weekend jog, I jumped for an hour … not quite the same, but it was at least something!

 
Sunday morning, we took the kids to their first Steve Wallen class. It went um … swimmingly! What a big difference between the private classes and the Aquatic Center group lessons. It was indoors, moved at my child’s pace, and the instructor had both kids laughing many times. Thanks to my friends who recommended them! Afterwards, we picked up some produce at the farmer’s market and then headed home for Calie’s nap before heading out again for a ribeye barbecue and swim playdate at Karen’s. In all, a fun weekend with friends!

I kicked off the 3-day July 4th weekend with dinner at Wasabi with my girlfriends, followed by cocktails by the pool at Karen’s house. It was a mentally exhausting work week and I was grateful to have friends who could relate – and a husband who’s good with kids!

Saturday morning, we drove down to San Jose to celebrate Auggie’s birthday at a bowling alley. Calie liked it until she walked past the foul line and triggered the buzzer –then she wanted nothing to do with bowling. Zachary did quite well, but only because it was bumper bowling.  Chrissie made an awesome bowling cake with matching cupcakes – and they tasted as good as they looked too! Happy 7th Birthday Auggie!

After cake and pizza, we headed over to Happy Hollow. Zachary really enjoyed the playstructures and rollercoaster, but I think his favorite was the manual Roller Racer. Being a lighter kid (~42 lbs) really helped him, and he lapped James twice!

Happy Hollow had numerous rides for toddlers, and Calie had a great time too. For dinner, we all went to Spaghetti Factory – I love their shrimp salad (my order) and spaghetti with Mizithra sauce (Calie’s kid menu order that she didn’t finish and of course couldn’t go to waste!)

The next morning, we met up again – this time at Gilroy Gardens. The kids had a fun time and went on almost every single ride at least once. The water play area was a huge hit, since it was pretty hot. We were waiting in line before the park opened and stayed until 5 minutes past closing – the kids had a blast with their second cousins! 

But wait! There’s more…We had 8pm tickets to see July 4th fireworks at the Shoreline Amphitheater, which was 3 miles from my sister’s house. We decided to allocate 15 minutes of drive time to account for parking … after all, how many people would pay $17 per ticket and $10 parking (almost $100 for a family of 4) for fireworks? I’m used to free fireworks. Wow, I was wrong! Traffic was bumper to bumper and we got there 40 minutes after the orchestra started. It was a great show with live music from San Francisco Symphony and singing by ‘Elphaba’ from the musical Wicked.

When the sun set, there were 3 firework shows set to music – it was so close/loud that Zachary was initially scared and hid behind James. It was Calie’s first firework show and when it was over, she pointed to the sky and asked for ”More? More?” It took us literally 1.5 hours to make the 3 mile drive back home. I guess that’s part of the experience – sitting on blankets on the lawn watching fireworks and getting stuck in traffic … if only I brought some Off! insect repellent (DEET anyone?), I could relive my childhood July 4th experience. The next morning, we met up with my sister Alice and Sebastian, who treated us to brunch at Crepeville (thanks!).

Then it was nap time for Calie and iPhone games for Zach on the drive home. That evening, we went to a pool and barbecue playdate at Jessica’s house. We always have such a fun time at their home – we’re grateful to them for hosting dinner and inviting us to splash in their pool. As a bonus, I also get free camera advice from Jeff!

 
On Thursday afternoon, James and I went to Dave&Busters. Our company rented out the arcade/bar and in addition to food and 2 drinks, gave everyone a game card. The $20 card lasted a surprisingly long time.  We didn’t finish our cards or redeem our (2000+) tickets, so we’ll have to go back in the future … plus we received some good coupons. Hmmm … it is possible to be working hard and hardly working? Lots of work sponsored events lately!

 
The following day (Friday), James and I went to Shahrzad for our date night – yummy and authentic Persian food (at least that’s what my coworker – who’s Persian – told me.) Saturday morning, we went to Lowes to build a ball-in-cup game, and then we headed to the Bay Area again. This time it was for my sister Alice’s birthday.

Alice planned an awesome Hawaiian Luau party – complete with hoola hoop contest and themed food, including barbecue pulled pork, Spam musubi, pineapple, and coconut cake. For party favors, the men received shell leis and the ladies got flower leis with a matching hair clip!

When the sun set, James took the kids the Sophie’s house, where we were staying the night. I got to sit around a fire pit with my sisters (and their friends) and watch ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’. It was hilarious – I love awkward moments and that movie had plenty of them. Hooray for weekends with sisters! Happy 33rd Birthday to Alice!

We took it easy on Sunday … walked around the local farmer’s market with Sophie, made a lunch out of the food we purchased, and then drove home. In the evening, we had Alex and Nicole over for a casual dinner and playdate.