August 9, 2010

• 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!

  

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