October 3, 2012
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Greetings from Baltimore! The time difference is giving me some time to update my blog. Of course, I’ll be paying for it dearly tomorrow when I get up for a 7am (4am Pacific time) meeting.
About 2 weeks ago, James and I went on a double date with Bev and Mike at Tapa the World. Lots of tapas and seafood paella … capped the night off watching some belly dancing at the hookah bar next door.
Saturday, after dance class, I took Calie to her Swim School’s Customer Appreciation day event. They had pony rides, face painting, as well as a ”petting zoo” with goats, kittens, and dogs. The best part was the free 30 minute private swim lesson. Unfortunately, Zach had a soccer game and couldn’t take advantage of the free class. Calista and I ended up getting our picture in a local newspaper (Zoom)!
That same evening, we went to JP’s 40th birthday party at his home. It started as a potluck dinner, which included families.
Then the kids went home, and the real party began. John set up a full bar, installed a pole in his living room, and built a stage for 2 go-go dancers. I was home with the kids, but James said it was a really fun party with a good vibe. Happy 40th Birthday John!
On Sunday, Melissa and my family met up at BJs for lunch. Then we were joined by Karen and her family for a Cirque Chinois acrobatic show. It’s so nice to have a small (but new and nice) theatre near us; there was even a little art gallery.
On Tuesday, I took half a day off work to go on a field trip to Apple Hill (High Hill Ranch) with Calista’s class. We toured the apple pie, caramel apple, refrigeration, and sorting facilities. We also went on a short hayride, and saw fish jump around in a pond as they were being fed.
Thursday through Monday, James flew to Vegas for JP’s Vegas 40th Birthday Bash. Activities included Buffet of Buffets, a peep show with Holly Madison, the show Absinthe, and lots of bar/club hopping. I don’t know all the details, and that’s probably for the best. I’d post pictures, but you know what they say …While James was out partying, I was still able to log 2.7 miles of jogging on both weekend days. Zach ran with my jogging group (and led the whole way) while Er-jia pushed Calie in a stroller. What a great group – I wouldn’t have gotten any exercise all weekend if it weren’t for them. Saturday morning, I took Calie to 2 dance classes back to back because with soccer games and travelling, she needed to fit in a make-up class. As did Nicole. So it was perfect. The girls took 2 hours of classes while Zach and Alex played games in an empty studio room.
(In case you were wondering,the above right is a population density map Zach made … for fun. See, we do have lots of downtime!)
After dance, we went to a Family Expo, where the kids made bracelets, planted vegetables, jumped in bounce houses, watched dancing and Tae Kwon Do demonstrations on stage, and generally walked around to the various vendor stalls collecting swag.
Free passes to the zoo were handed out at the Expo, so of course, we had to walk though the zoo. And since we really didn’t have any plans until evening, the kids played at the near by park until ~4pm.
Saturday evening, I invited Tabitha and Chigme over for dinner. I had planned to make a big salad and bake an apple cake (using the apples I bought from Apple Hill … and um … a few from work), but they surprised us by bringing all the fixings for sushi rolls. Wow, thank you! We need to invite them over more often! The kids had fun too since our kids’ ages match up pretty well. Actually, even better, Evie is a year younger than Calie, so we found someone to pass down her 3T Gymboree outfits.
After the kids’ swim lessons on Sunday, we visited the farmer’s market … heirloom tomatoes are in season! And ending last weekend, we had a dinner playdate with Cassie. So when life gives you tomatoes? We contributed a caprese salad with basil from our garden; it was a hit!
While James was out of town, I had the kids watch some shows while I cooked. Zach would always chose a BBC documentary, much to Calie’s dismay. She knows more about the artic and coral sea than most 4-year-olds, and it’s not by choice! Calie selected a Charlie Brown cartoon. I walked by at one point, and Calie said, wrinking her nose in disgust: “She (Lucy) is mean. And why are they (other characters) all laughing?” I laughed, and she continued with,”Why are you laughing, Mommy? It is not funny.” She is so anti-bullying. I could have really used a friend like her in middle/high school. I never taught her about how bad bullying is … so maybe it came naturally or maybe she learned it from school. I’m pretty sure it was at least reinforced at school. So my wise friend Sandy was very right, when she said “It takes a village”. I’m glad my daughter had good teachers, and regular exposure to positive role models outside of just her parents. Ultimately, I’m proud of her for recognizing that something is wrong, and having the confidence to speak up. I’ve had 2 families at school come thank me for her actions the past few months: The mom of a classmate with autism that Calie sticks up for, and the parents of a new boy that she actively seeks to include in group games. She pretty much rocks. (Her brother is pretty neat too, but I’ll save further bragging for another post. I don’t want to annoy and lose my readership
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