School started since the last time I posted, 3 weeks ago. Zachary really likes his new teacher – yay! And if you’ve ever wanted to feel like a superior parent, I’ve enclosed a photo of my 2-year-old eating raw fish (hamachi.) Everything in moderation, including our mercury intake!

The first weekend after school started, we went to Lowes visit to build a bug box. Then my sisters came to visit for an early birthday celebration (mine!) We all went to Dave & Busters to play games … using the same token cards we got from a work event in July. I have no idea how much was on those cards, but they really lasted. Sophie got the all-time high score in Whack-a-Mole (no cheating either) … and the ‘Deal or No Deal’ game was surprisingly exciting! We had over 3000 tickets, but there was nothing of interest in the prize redemption store – not even for a 6-year-old. We saved our credits in hopes they will restock with better items, or maybe we’ll just lose the card and/or forget about it.

In the evening, my sister’s treated me to Mulvaney’s in midtown for dinner. The restaurant had great service and even gave us a special menu with a birthday message. Thank you Alice and Sophie for coming up to celebrate! Happy 36th Birthday to me!

Later that week, Dana took me out for Mikuni’s. I deviated from my normal order of sashimi and indulged in a specialty roll, drenched in yummy (and I am sure calorie-laden) sauce. Thank you Dana! For my actual birthday on Friday, James and I went out for dinner (Fat’s) and a movie (Inception.) That Saturday, a few coworkers and I had a surprise birthday party for my pre-reorg manager… Happy 50th Birthday Steve!

That weekend was also ’Opening Day’ for our city’s youth soccer league. It was basically a lot of bounce houses and a few vendors selling food and soccer related paraphernalia. Luckily, we got there early because the lines for bounce houses got long pretty fast. On Sunday, we went to Ed and Lori’s for dinner … salmon barbecued/smoked on cedar planks. I think it was the best grilled salmon I’ve ever had. They have a huge backyard, and the kids enjoyed playing outside.

This past weekend, Calie went to a trial class at Trick’s gymnastics. I’ve heard great things about them – however, the class Calie went to was mostly free play, which she gets plenty of at daycare. I later found out it was ‘creative week’ and usually, there’s more guidance. We may have to do another trial class before making a decision – I really want something that’s for Calie since Zach has soccer. Speaking of soccer, Saturday was the seeding tournament. There are 3 groups in his age division based on ability/experience. Since Zachary (and quite a few of his teammates) are new to soccer this year, they defaulted to the 3rd group. The purpose of the seeding tournament is to move teams, if needed, to the appropriate group. They played 3 games … and after a tie and 2 loses, they stayed in the 3rd group. All the boys (and more importantly the parents!) were good sports. Zachary practiced kicking off and on all weekend - I really hope they win at least one game this season! One of the boys’ mom is a great photographer:

My sister made the team banner, which solicited tons of compliments – thank you Alice!

In the evening, we went to a small zoo fund raiser event. Dinner was samples from Olive Garden, Granitos, and Cupcake Cravings. There were a few live animals, 2 art projects, live music, and docents on-hand to talk about their displays. We recieved a goodie bag, which included a coupon for a free Round Table Pizza.

Zachary and Calie continue their Sunday swim lessons – both are making good progress. Monday and Wednesday evenings are reserved for soccer practice, and starting mid-September, there will be Saturday games. Homework has started again, but fortunately it’s just review. Yep … summer is over, and we’re getting into the school year routine.

On top of kids and weekend activities, work has been very busy the last 3 weeks … 5 full days of meetings and 4 days of classes (1 down today, 3 more to go in Santa Clara tomorrow.) Lots of catered/working lunches and two dinner team builders (Bistro33 and Scott’s Seafood). Exercise has, unfortunately, taken a back seat to work and family life and I’ve gained 2lbs (which doesn’t sound like much, but I only lose 0.5-1 lb per week). My ‘Largest Loser’ team at work has only 1 month to go. I’m 3.5 lbs from my pre-baby weight … can I do it?!

Last weekend before school starts! I made the most of it and took Thursday and Friday off from work. Zachary’s school was closed during the summer camp to school transition, and I figured I’d keep Calie home as well. Wednesday … Zachary’s first soccer practice. It was so hot (yes, I complain a lot about the heat here!) but I was able to sit in the shade to watch. Zachary did better than I expected, although he did kick the ball into the parking lot twice, and I’m pretty sure it was on purpose.

Thursday, I met up with Chrissie and her family at the Jelly Belly Factory. We’ve stopped by in the past before, but always on a weekend when the factory floor was shut down. This time, we got to see the factory in action. The kids really enjoyed watching the Jelly Bellys move on a conveyer belt, get coated with flavor/color, go through quality control (irregulars get sold as “Belly Flops” for a fraction of the price), and then get packed for shipment. Of course the free sample bar was a huge hit.

The kids had a great time – and traffic was good so we got there 5 minutes before they opened. By the time we were done with the tour, the line wound around the building! We grabbed lunch at the cafe and then headed home – perfect timing with Calie’s naptime.

In the afternoon, I took the kids to work … but just the parking lot. It was Diversity Day and there were booths that showcased the different diversity groups at work. There was also painting and rock wall climbing activities. Between James and me, we received $20 worth of food vouchers, so we enjoyed Indian, Iranian, and Mexican food while listening to music and watching dancers on stage. With our last $5 voucher, the kids shared a double scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone!

Friday was a light day. We met up with Dana and baby Maya at the outlets. Otherwise, we played in the house and backyard. The kids and I made cookies – tasty, but unevenly cooked due to the wide variety of diameter and thickness. Poor quality control. Then in the evening, we met up with Dylan and Jessica for Concert in the Park. We basically set up a blanket on the lawn, listened to a band play classic rock hits, and let the kids run around with a soccer ball and frisbee.

Saturday was Calie’s birthday party. In the morning, I took her to a free trial Gymboree class … it was good, but too similar to what she was already getting at daycare. At the same time, James took Zachary to Home Depot to build a school bus pencil holder.

In the late afternoon, we had 6 families over to celebrate Calie’s 2nd birthday. We kept it really simple … a barbecue dinner followed by a traditional Chinese fruit cake.

For decor, I just hit the Dollar Store the day of the party. And as for gifts, we asked people to just give her what their child has outgrown. Calie has so many toys already and most of my friends have kids older than her – it just didn’t make sense to buy anything. She did end up with a few new items, but she also got some great hand-me-downs. Hurrah for reuse! Kids had a great time playing outside – and fortunately, our backyard is almost completely shaded after 5pm.

Sunday, we took the kids to swim lessons and then had more swimming (plus lunch) at Bhavana’s house. Delicious homemade Indian food – so yummy! Calie asked for “more” and even Zachary had a bowl of biryani. I wish I knew how to cook like that!

After lunch, we had a fun time playing in the pool. Kids vs adults … water balloons, water guns, and just plain splashing and pushing people into the water!

After we got home, Sophie and Eddie came over for dinner on their way back from Tahoe. They stayed at a bed & breakfast in Tahoe this weekend to celebrate their 1st wedding anniversary, and went fishing early in the morning. Sophie caught a lake trout! After a complicated fileting process using on online tutorial, the trout was seasoned (lemon pepper) and grilled for dinner. It smelled very fishy and attracted a gazillion flies, so we were initially concerned … but it was delicious! Happy Anniversary Sophia and Eddie!

Last week was pretty busy – in a good way, although mornings and evenings were harder with James in Oregon for a 3 day business trip. On Monday, my friend Sandy, who was on vacation from her busy pediatrician schedule, set up a lunch with a few of her girlfriends at Bidwell Street Bistro. It was a nice break in the day! Tuesday, I had a soccer meeting … Zachary is on a soccer team (Warriors) this year for the first time, and I signed up to be the team parent. Since James was out of town, I had Zachary’s after school teacher over to babysit. Wednesday, I took my extended team (18 people) out to Fats for a team builder lunch. And after work, Melissa and Sam invited me and the kids over for a dinner playdate. I had a delicious rueben sandwich and homemade berry dessert! Talk about indulgences!

Thursday, my weight loss group at work went to SkyHigh for an airobics class. It was pretty fun – and a great workout. Definitely on my list for future girls night outs, as they are open pretty late. Friday after work, I took Zachary to his classmate Alex C’s birthday party at the Aquatic Center. Happy 6th Birthday Alex!

Saturday, James went hiking (Mt. Tallac) with some friends followed by a bachelor’s party, so I had the kids for the day. Fortunately, we had some fun plans. In the morning, we went to Folsom Lake for jetskiing and a potluck lunch. Larry invites a group of ex-HP employees every year, and it’s always a lot of fun. Thanks Larry! The kids enjoyed playing in the sand, and I even took both kids out for a ride.

After lunch, I took the kids to the state fair. It was SO hot and crowded. The first 1.5 hours were frustrating. We were parked so away from the entrance, I forgot my cooler of snacks at home, and I generally dislike crowded hot places. The restroom stop was the worst, with me and 2 kids plus a stroller in one stall – I swear it took 10 minutes, and I was sweating from maneuvering both kids, trying to prevent them from touching anything. Then we stood in line for 20 minutes for a disappointing dinosaur exhibit. I was ready to call it quits and probably would have left had I not planned to meet up with Bhavana and Karen. And boy was I glad – we met at the reptile exhibit, which was in the shade with water misters. The kids liked the snakes and turtles almost as much as Karen did.

We then headed to the farm animal area, and the boys fed a horse. Then it was off to see fish, followed by a food exhibit, where we ate fresh fruit – we were supposed to ‘play’ with it, but it felt too wasteful. After letting the kids run around and a few more exhibits, we had fair food for dinner while enjoying live music. Yummy fried cheese curds!

Of course, there were the rides. The boys loved the rides! Poor Calie wasn’t tall enough for any ride except the monorail. She had a minor fit because she wanted to go on a ride with Zachary. In fact, the next morning I heard her crying again and telling James,”Guh-guh ride…” It’s tough to be a little sister! Anyway, we had so much fun, the kids were behaving, and the temperature was reasonable, that we did not get home until 10:30pm! (Parenting at it’s best, eh?)

Sunday was Calie’s birthday. We decided on a low key family day, with no gifts. After swim lessons, we had dimsum at one of Calie’s favorite restaurants (Asian Pearl) for lunch. Then it was off to Artbeast, Calie’s favorite place (with air conditioning) to play, where we met up with Tabitha and her family.

Since we didn’t buy gifts, Zachary made her some necklaces there. For dinner, we went to BJ’s … I love their wedge salad and they give free Pazookies on birthdays. Calie’s eyes lit up, and she knew exactly what to do when the cookie ice cream dessert came out with a lit candle on top. It took her a few tries to blow out the candle, and she was so happy and proud of herself when she finally did it. She loves being the center of attention!

Happy 2nd birthday to Calie! It’s kind of crazy to think at one point, I only wanted one child. Calie completes our family. At 2, she is talking in sentences, in the middle of potty training, and enjoys dancing. She’s excellent at pretend play and loves babies. She is a lot more particular about what she wears – and she always notices when I change necklaces or earrings. As for spatial and problem solving skills, she’s not even close to where Zachary was (I think she’s just now completing puzzles Zachary finished before a year old.) She’s not as stubborn or persistent in trying to figure things out, but prefers to get Zachary to do it for her … that’s what big brothers are for, right?  

Speaking of the big brother, I can’t believe he starts 1st grade next week – wow, the summer has flown by this year! Today, we found out who his teacher will be (Ms. Schafer – hurrah!) and that he would be in the same class as Alex U (double hurrah!)