March 11, 2011
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Last Saturday, I took Zachary to his basketball game while James took Calie to dance. Afterwards, Zach and I went to Lowes to make a pullback race car.
Then it was off to Jenny and Danny’s baby shower … it was originally a family event, but Calie fell asleep right before we were supposed to go. And since James was staying home, Zachary couldn’t pass on an opportunity to play card games with daddy. Jenny looked great, especially for being due to April – although she admitted she couldn't wait to start disability leave next week (I totally remember that feeling!)
The food was delicious and included fried egg rolls, rice noodles, shrimp spring rolls, and beef kebabs. We played bingo, estimated the number of lollipops in a jar, and guessed Jenny’s waist size. Sadly, I was within half an inch, using my own waist size. I hadn’t talked to Uyen and Jackie for a long time, and they filled me in on their recent African safari trip. What an amazing experience – living in tents and seeing wild animals in the vast savannah. And while there is nothing better than seeing your kids’ faces light up at Disney or a relaxing family trip to Maui … I also look forward to the day we can go on more adventurous vacations like that! No rush, but it’s definitely on my to-do list. Fun baby shower and good opportunity to catch up with old friends - Congratulations to Jenny, Danny, and big sister Megan!
On Sunday, after swim lessons, we drove down to Napa to meet my parents and sisters. My parents were visiting from the east coast to bury my Grandmother’s ashes in San Francisco, with my Grandfather. They were staying with my youngest sister, who is in between jobs. (Congratulations to Sophie on her new position at Facebook!) Our first stop was V. Sattui, where we had a picnic lunch of freshly baked bread and artisan cheeses.
The weather was perfect for eating outside and running around on the lawn. After lunch, we headed to Calistoga to see the Old Faithful Geyser of California . Despite living so close for 14 years and visiting wine country numerous times, I’ve actually never been there. It’s definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.
There was an eruption every 5-10 minutes, which made for great photo opportunities, and there was also a pasture area with sheep, goats, and 2 llamas. My kids have a general fear of animals (possibly encouraged by me … “Be careful – they BITE!”), but Zachary did feed a goat and Calie watched them from afar. We had a good time getting together with family, and returned home by dinner time. Great weekend!
The following Friday evening, I took Zachary to BounceTown to celebrate John’s 7th birthday. He was very excited about the pogo stick we gave him (his mom, maybe not so much.) Happy birthday John!
Saturday morning, James dealt with a walk-through at our rental property, while I occupied the kids at Home Depot, making race cars. Since we were in the area already, we drove to Eco Station, a nonprofit environmental education and exotic wildlife rescue center. The main entrance area had a wall of insects and also numerous pens with turtles.
There was a children's play restaurant to keep the kids entertained while waiting for the hourly tours. The tour guide took us through a reptile room (complete with 2 Burmese Pythons!), an extremely noisy parrot room, and a model storm drain to the aquatic room. Both kids got to pet an Egyptian cobra and Calie held a hermit crab. They also had some kids participate in feeding the animals.
On the way back, I remembered that Lakeshore had craft activities for kids on Saturdays, so we stopped in to make Mardi Gras masks. We got back in time for Zach's late basketball game.
Sunday was swim, playing at home (it was raining pretty hard), Monster Mini-Golf, and dinner at Piatti's with Melissa and Karen's families.
This Tuesday evening, my girlfriends and I went out for dinner (40% at Jinju Sushi!) and a $5 movie (Adjustment Bureau). Yummy food, entertaining movie, and a much needed break during the work week!
From a milestone standpoint, Calie is 2.5 going on 13. She uses phrases like “Come on”, “Too bad, so sad”, “That’s cool,” and “I’m not talking to you.” It might be because I am 36 going on 13. When you tell her a joke, she’ll want you to tell it again (and again and again) so that she can answer the punch line. She’s made it clear that she prefers that I wear dangling earrings and that studs are “yucky.” One afternoon, I was playing a game with her, and Zachary asked to join us. Calie looked up and said,”No. This is a game for 2 friends. Not 1. Not 3. <holds up 2 fingers> Two friends only.” We were pretty disappointed in her exclusive, cliquish behavior. In an attempt help her see the other side, James started playing a game with Zachary. And when Calie asked if she could play, James replied with her exact response. She started bawling and collapsed in tears! Empathy lessons are hard for 2-year-olds. On a more positive note, she can draw a basic happy face and rainbow … and at preschool, she is starting to write/trace letters and numbers.
(They do SO much art at school ... my recycle bin is getting full!
)Zachary’s first new permanent tooth (bottom left molar) is about halfway in. Also, Sunday evening, at dinner, he commented that his front tooth felt funny. His first loose tooth! I wonder if it’ll hang on until he’s 7, about a month away. And you know the family should talk more often when you find out your son is representing his school at the local Math Bowl competition through the school newsletter. There were evaluation rounds in class, and Zach secured the 2nd seat. Knowing his fascination with numbers, my first reaction was to ask,“How come you didn’t get the 1st seat?” Hm. I may be more of a “tiger mom” than I care to admit ... ROAR!
Comments (1)
$3 for wasted wishes!!! So sad. So funny.
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