So … what’s been going on the last 3 weeks?  To type it all out would take too long and risk TLDR status, so this blog will be light on words but heavy in photos.

First topic … FAMILY

My parents flew in from Maryland to visit over the holidays for 2.5 weeks! My sisters drove up the first weekend, and then for Christmas weekend, they came up again with brother-in-law Eddie. James’ parents also spent Christmas day with us; just a 1 day visit, as we already had a full house.

Lots of fun presents for Christmas this year, with highlights being custom photo books and Thing 1-2-3 shirts!

On New Year’s day, Alice and her boyfriend Rob visited us. It was the first time Rob met my parents, and he made a good impression! We think he might be her best match yet (should she press her luck or cash out?) We definitely had good quality time with family this year, and I’m glad the kids were out of school so that they could spend the whole time with my parents. One of my hopes is that both Zachary and Calista will grow closer to their grandparents.

Second category … FRIENDS

We spent some time with friends over the last few weeks. We went to Alex and Nicole’s pajamas party, where the kids played games and puzzles. We had to leave before cookie decorating, which was probably a good thing since we overstuffed ourselves with their delicious brunch … I can never resist a smoked salmon spread!

James also went to the annual Baco Christmas potluck and gift exchange. And our neighbors organized the annual neighborhood sleigh ride again. They opened up their garage and put tables of dessert out. There was also a craft table for kids, as well as a popcorn maker (yum, so much better than the microwaved variety!) Out on the driveway, they put out a fire pit so that we could make S’mores. And of course, we rode around the neighborhood in a horse drawn “sleigh.”

Right before the end of the year, we had dinner at Veronica and Paul’s house: salad, tri-tip sandwiches, and a delicious dish of scalloped potatoes. For party favors, we took home 2 bags of lemons from their backyard trees – thank you! With holidays are over, our weekends in January (and February!) are starting to book up. While I loved spending time with family, we’ve been missing our friends too!

Third … FOOD

What holiday would it be without food, right? I love to eat, and I especially love my mom’s cooking. There is just something comforting about eating the meals I grew up with. And I hope I don’t come across as a braggart when I say my mom makes the best Chinese dishes ever! AND she can come up with new meals by mixing and matching whatever I already have in my refrigerator. I made four meals over the holidays, and where I lack in talent, I tried to make up by using pricier ingredients. My main courses included king crab legs, lobster tails, and prime rib (x2).

We also went out a few times. My parents treated us to Yummy Kitchen (Chinese food). At one point, my dad craved a burger “in the $6-$10 range” so we went to Zachary’s favorite restaurant, Red Robin. I bought their promotional $50 gift card to get a $10 bonus gift card for free. Anyway, there was a 30-40 minute wait for food, which didn’t seem that bad considering how busy they were. The waiter apologized profusely, and I told him I totally understand they might be understaffed over the holidays. I guess my politeness paid off, because the manager came over and said they took care of the bill for us … all $57 of it! Wow, what customer service. We will definately be back again … obviously, as we still have $60 in gift cards.

I also took my parents to Mikunis – my mom’s favorite was Pepper Fin, and I gorged on Spicy Dream sauce … I can seriously eat that with a spoon. Rob treated our family to Olive Garden when they visited. We ‘got our money’s worth’ of soup and salad. I don’t what it is about their salad – it’s really simple, no extraordinary ingredients, yet so addictive!

Final section … FUN!

The evening my parents arrived, was Calista’s preschool holiday show, where each class sang a few songs. It was very crowded, but I was able to snap a few decent photos (considering the circumstances):

While James and I worked, my parents took the kids on daily walks to the park, where they played and had a small snack. The kids had a great time with my parents, swinging, throwing balls/Frisbees, and climbing trees. According to my parents both my kids are extremely cautious – this is probably due to my threats about falling and “cracking your head open.”

Other fun include outlet shopping with my parents and sisters, getting a massage with my mom, and yoga. I bought a $10 for 10 days yoga pass for myself and my mom. It was not exactly Bikram, but they kept the room warm (~90F). My mom thought it was torture. Feeling motivated by the amount I sweated (releasing toxins, right?), I took both my sisters the following day. Alice learned her lesson, but Sophie and I went the following weekend too … and brought Eddie. So 3 sessions for $10, not too bad.

One big theme to our holiday weeks was games. As a family, we love games … new games Quirkle and Stone Age were huge hits. We also played Bohnanza, Ticket to Ride, Scrabble, Smath, and did numerous puzzles.

The weather the entire 3 weeks has been great – brisk but sunny. We went to the Nimbus fish hatchery one day to feed fish, walk around the museum, and do a very short (1/4 mile) trail walk near the American river. Since it was a light work week, I watched Top Chef at night. I’m not sure why I like watching the show … I can’t taste their food, and it’s not as if I’m improving my own cooking skills either. At this point, I’ve spent close to $100 on downloading Top Chef episodes … with nothing but exhaustion at work the next day to show for it.

So there we have it. This week I took my parents back to the airport. My mom had cleaned the entire house (messy again), did our laundry (big pile now), and peeled 2 kiwis for us (both eaten.) They had a safe flight, and all 25 lbs of lemons made it too. I already miss them – THANK YOU Mom and Dad for visiting! Now it’s back to our regularly programmed schedule, With Calie getting older, wanting play dates and now dance lessons, managing the logistics of 2 kids’ activities is more challenging. I’m going to have to be more selective with what we commit to, and how we spend our time. Hopefully, those of you we don’t see as often will understand. With that said, I hope 2012 is a happy and healthy one for everyone – my friends I see often and the ones I catch up with online!

Ended November watching Twilight midweek with Melissa and Kathy. I had never seen any of the previous movies nor read any of the books. And to top it off, I am not a big fan of the supernatural. But I went and to my surprise, it was very entertaining – perhaps I am yet another middle-aged woman, reliving her youth through teenage love stories.  Or maybe I just like silent, pasty men. 

Friday, for our Q4 quarterly, Marissa (best admin ever!) and I set up a photo scavenger hunt, where the winning team got to donate $300 to the charity of their choice. It was hilarious! We had men in makeup, people climbing into trees and cribs, hanging upside down on play structures, and getting 13 cents of gasoline. (Note: Walmart management does not like it when you change prices.) We had to ‘check in’ by noon at Red Hawk casino, and one team missed it by a minute - DISqualified! We enjoyed a lunch buffet, and some folks did some gambling as well. One of my team members took home $1000! Great team builder - thanks to James’ team for the idea! 

After “work” that same day, I organized a girl’s night out to celebrate Melissa and Karen’s birthday. Sandy, Rachel, Dana, Melissa, Karen, and I went indoor rock climbing, followed by a late dinner at Land Ocean, where Kathy joined us. While I really enjoy rock climbing, I am terrible at belaying. I’m the most uncoordinated person I know, and I space out. I’m sure my partner Sandy could have climbed higher if she had more confidence in my belaying skills. On the other hand, I took lots of risks, lunging and swinging all over the rock wall (and sometimes air), knowing I was in the hands of a skilled physician (“OFF DUTY!”).

After climbing, we headed to Land Ocean for dinner, as it’s one of Karen’s favorite restaurants in the area. The filet mignon was good, but nothing extraordinary. The pork chops were amazing though – I’m definitely getting that next time. The service was terrific (especially for Rachel, who likes bald men), and we were treated to complimentary sides of vegetables as well as 2 birthday desserts. Happy birthday Melissa and Karen! 

While I was out cavorting with the girls, James took both kids on a Polar Express train ride. The tickets sell out very quickly, especially for the coveted evening times, but fortunately, Zach’s friend Christian was able to reserve 3 for us. The kids wore pajamas, read along to the Polar Express book, drank hot chocolate, ate cookies, and visited with Santa, who gave them each a jingle bell ornament to bring home.

Zach suspects that they did not actually go to the North Pole due to the short duration of the ride. I’m not sure he was convinced by James’ explanation of how time slows down when you move faster (approach the speed of light).

Saturday, Alex and Nicole came over in the evening so that Sam and Melissa could go to a Micron holiday party.  We had pasta for dinner, and then James and the boys raced Mario Kart, while the girls and I painted wooden fridge magnet ornaments. Around 8:30pm, we started our bedtime routine.  

I was impressed by how independent Alex and Nicole were, getting themselves ready for bed. After 3 water breaks (everyone), 2 timeouts (my kids), and 1 drama escalation (Calie power trips by withholding friendship), the kids finally fell asleep. 9:15pm. All 4, on the floor, in sleeping bags in Zachary’s room. They look so angelic when they sleep!

Sunday, I hosted a games playdate at our house. Zachary had Alex, Kaitlyn, Nolan, and Jackson over. Calie invited her classmate Ava … and Jack and Nicole came for “free” with their older siblings.  We played board games, had a spaghetti lunch, and decorated a gingerbread house! Another one of those relaxing, stay-as-long-as-you-want playdates – love them!

Midweek, I hosted my annual holiday potluck. With a team of 23 employees, 5 contractors, and a few special invitees (my manager, ops manager, and admin), we had quite a crowd! I do love entertaining and meeting all the spouses and children though – I hope I can keep this tradition going even as the team grows bigger. (I may need to do some research on fire codes)

The following Saturday, we went to Intel’s Family Holiday event. The kids got to write/decorate letters to Santa and do crafts (paper links, bookmarks, pinwheels, and coloring). All the kids received a goody bag with snacks and toys. Zachary and Calie did great with Santa, answering all his questions and smiling for the pictures.

We had to leave after only an hour to take Zachary to a Basketball Jamboree, so we skipped face painting (yuck), movies, and story time. It’s Zach’s second season playing, but since he changed schools, he also changed teams. He met his new coach and teammates, and played 6 10-minute games with other teams. Go Celtics! (And yes, I volunteered to be team parent again.)

That evening, we attended the 2nd annual Lai Family Food Network challenge. The winning entree this year was Rachel and Jeff’s hot and sour soup. But then they admitted it was”restaurant quality” … so the Cincinnati ribs won. Well deserved, although there were quite a few excellent dishes this year. I know how much effort goes into planning a big get-togethers, so thank you Sandy and Neuzil!

The girls put on a performance for the grownups- it totally reminded me of the shows my sisters and I did when we were younger.

Sunday, we went to Austin’s birthday party at the aerospace museum. We had never been there, and the kids and a blast (no pun intended … maybe). Katy Kakes made the most awesome cake ever – space, Buzz Lightyear, Angry Birds, and Star Wars themes all rolled into one.

There was a new area with hands-on challenges for kids (and adults), which is where we spent the most of our time. Kaitlyn and Zach did a great job collaborating on the puzzles. They didn’t figure many of them out (they are really hard!), but they put in a good effort and didn’t seem discouraged. Hurrah for good life skills. There were a few model planes to sit in (can we say photo op?) and a flight simulation ride that we put Zach and Kaitlyn in.

There were also real planes outside to walk though, and afterwards, we played in the space themed park. It was so generous of Sherry and Oliver to invite the whole family. We had a full day of fun … Happy 6th Birthday Austin!

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend! Thursday morning, we drove to Sonoma county to spend Thanksgiving with James’ parents and pick up Zachary. Zachary had such a great time there … he played board games, ran model trains, watched silent movies (okay, maybe that wasn’t a highlight), and helped his Grandma with a 1000 piece puzzle.

Unfortunately, due to the rain, he was unable to take advantage of their huge (by California standards) backyard. For dinner, Mom#2 prepared a traditional dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and vegetables. Thank you!

The following day, we went to visit Rad and Danielle at their new house. I loved all the woodwork, vaulted ceilings, and tile work – and their backyard deck is perfect for entertaining guests. I left my jacket there on purpose in hopes of getting invited back. Zachary and their son Tristen had a good time playing Battleship and Mario Kart (Wii) before we headed down to the Bay Area. Congratulations Rad and Danielle on their new home!

We had a second Thanksgiving dinner with my sisters at Sophie’s house. What a feast! Highlights included a golden turkey, Alton Brown style and lobster mac cheese with truffle oil. Very gourmet … and more importantly, delicious. I met Alice’s boyfriend Rob, who seemed like a very nice guy. (Isn’t that what the neighbors always say after a major crime? “He seemed like such a nice guy…” Hmm.)

After dinner, we went to Global Winter Wonderland, which was in the Great America parking lot. It was quite an interesting display of light sculptures. Most were made of wire and colored cloth, but there were 2 sculptures made of tea cups, spoons, and rice bowls. There was also a huge vase … at first, I thought it was made of pieces of glass, but upon further inspection, I realized it was made out of small bottles of colored water. Incredible!

There was an indoor area, which featured vendors, a small stage where groups performed cultural dances, and a Santa. It was not very crowded at all, and with only 3 families ahead of us, we got our obligatory 2011 Santa photos. What a relief to have that out of the way … my intolerance for standing in long lines increases exponentially with age.

On Saturday, James took the kids to Dave and Busters, while Sophie and I outlet shopped at The Great Mall. I picked up a new pair of super stretchy jeans at Joe’s, as well as a few items for a gift exchange. In the afternoon, we went to Aunt Aileen’s 60th birthday party. Zach and Calie had a fun time playing with cousins Auggie, Hayden, and Samantha.

We also got to meet 3-month-old Audrey for the first time. What a sweet baby …  don’t believe anything Chrissie posts on Facebook, this girl is an angel. Happy Birthday Aunt Aileen and Congratulations Chrissie and Justin on your new addition to the family!

On our last day, we went to the local farmer’s market to pick up the best salsa I’ve ever had (from Swank Farms.) Then we drove to San Francisco for the Dicken’s Christmas Fair in Cow Palace. The event was very well done with many costumed characters – we wish we had dressed up! Scrooge was running around, there was a clan of chimney sweepers, and couples milled the streets in suits and ball gowns. Zachary and Eddie played some carnival games, we watched dancing, and Zachary learned a gambling game from some 19th century bums (yes, I had to look that up.)

There were some fun photo ops, and the kids dipped candles to take home. For lunch, my sisters treated my family out for dim sum as a belated birthday gift – thank you! As normal, Calie showed her dominance over animals by eating jellyfish, octopus, shrimp, pork, and duck tongue, while Zachary choked down some sticky rice and a plain steamed bun. After our late lunch, we headed back home with no traffic at all (not that I would know … I was in a food coma while James drove.)

I hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was as wonderful as mine. I truly have a lot to be thankful for … a close family, wonderful friends, an awesome career, and great health to enjoy it all to the fullest! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

 Special post of some of our favorite pictures from Chhimi. (Minus the family photo that we’ll send for Christmas ) THANK YOU Jigme and Tabitha!

I love the fall/winter season so much, I tend to get camera-happy … so once again, a lot of photos!

The last week of October brought Zachary’s school jog-a-thon, where he ran 29 laps in 30 minutes. Only one other 2nd grader in his class beat him … that kid was SO fast! I was seriously impressed! I took Friday afternoon off to volunteer at the jog-a-thon fund raiser, and then headed to Calie’s preschool for their annual Harvest Festival. The kids dressed up and visited stations set up in the playground to play carnival games and make crafts.

In the evening, Melissa and I took the kids to ‘Night of 1000 Pumpkins’. The kids trick-or-treated in Old Town, and we had dinner at Chicago Fire. After dusk, we walked down the street to see all the carved jack-o-lanterns glowing in the dark.

Saturday, Zachary had soccer game #8 … the team lost, but Zachary scored his first goal! There was a big cluster of boys, but Zachary used his spinning skills and avoidance of eye contact to confuse everyone, move the ball to the side, and kick it into the goal between the goalie’s legs.  After the game, we had lunch at Red Robin, his favorite restaurant.

In the afternoon, I took Calie to FallFest in Old Town. We visited vendor booths. Calie got her face painted, bowled, and jumped in a bounce house.

For dinner, we hosted a playdate with Alex and Nicole. I love the new Whole Foods, which opened this week. We grilled organic grass-fed filet mignon, tequila lime shrimp, and beer bratwurst for dinner. Sam found a recipe online, and baked broccoli with garlic (SO much better than steamed!) Dessert was a variety pack from Icing on the Cupcake. Good thing Sam and I jogged before dinner … because that cancels out about uh, a bite of a cupcake, right?

At night, I met up with Karen, Karen’s mom, and Rachel at Color Me Mine to paint pottery.  They had a Midnight Madness event, where for $10, we could paint from 8pm to midnight. There were drinks and snacks set out, and games throughout the night. All pottery pieces were 25%, and I won a $10 gift card!

I decided on painting a Christmas Sleigh, which I’ll make into a candy holder for my desk at work. (Hm. Potentially dangerous since I have weak willpower. Perhaps I will make it a cough drop holder instead.)

Sunday, we took the kids to a local 1 mile fun run. It was a free run, with the kids getting t-shirts, goodie bags, and snacks. However, it was rather disorganized – the kids had to loop around a field twice, and then go through a gate to complete the race. Zach got lost, which ruined his time. I think we’re going to stick with official 5ks in the future. When we got home, the batteries for the kids new car were charged. So the kids washed the car and took it for a spin around the neighborhood. Thanks Ed and Lori for handing this down to us – the kids love it!

In the afternoon, James and I took the kids to Disney on Ice. We won “Rock Star” suite tickets at work, which meant we got to sit on padded chairs with counter space to eat our overpriced popcorn (made less overpriced by sharing with our suitemates and taking advantage of the unlimited free refills … 3x.) The kids were riveted. They loved the show, which included old favorites like Snow White and Peter Pan, as well as the recent ones, Tiana and Tangled. I thought the Lion King story was done especially well. The suite this year was front and center – Hurrah!

Also this week, Zach got an award for his paper on diversity -  although I have to admit everyone got an award due to lack of entries! (Note: It was pajamas day at school. I fully admit to being a slacker parent, but I do make sure my kids are changed out of pajamas before driving them to school. At least most of the time.)

On Halloween (Monday), Zachary’s soccer friends John and Zihou came over for dinner before heading out to Trick-or-Treat together. I remembered our first year in this home and how long it took to go up and down our street with Zachary. Not anymore. He and his friends ran to all the houses in our neighborhood and then made their way into John’s neighborhood. Two hours straight … we didn’t get home until after 9pm.

Calie only went to a few houses, but Zach agreed to pool their candy together. They kept the M&Ms and Skittles – all other candies went to work with me/James. We had a lot of leftover candy. Partially because our house is after a turn to a busy street, but I think the real reason was our miserable rotting pumpkins. We had carved them too early and combined with the unseasonably warm weather, they were flat out decomposing. People probably associated crappy pumpkins with expired candy. (NOT true – we handed out a very respectable 2 fun size candy bars, purchased *this* month at Costco!)

Wednesday, my college friend Paolo was on my campus for a meeting (his office is usually in Massachusetts), so we went out for lunch. Indian buffet – just like old times! Thursday, Zach’s soccer team had their end-of-year party. The trophies literally came in the day before – whew! We kept it simple and just had a family pizza dinner at Mountain Mikes. The Coach spoke about each player and handed out trophies and certificates. I said a few words about the coach and gave him a card (plus a gift card) signed by the team. We still have 2 more games, but this date worked best – every single player was able to make it! I closed out the team finances this year at 40 cents under budget.

Friday, we had Zachary’s parent/teacher conference. She pretty much said what we knew already – no issues at all academically, but has trouble following social cues and challenges authority. She suggested we find ways to help him (i.e. have him parrot back what we asked him) instead using my more direct (infraction = discipline) approach. I’m definitely open to trying it, as the stern consequences are very tiring and aren’t working as quickly as I want.

After work, Kathy, Melissa, Dana, and I celebrated Sandy’s 40th birthday at The Kitchen!

It was probably my least favorite menu (not a fan of swordfish and the lamb was very fatty), but the company could not be beat! Plus, they had raw oysters and Sandy got to go up “on stage” to help Randall cook. No one from our group had ever been called up before, and Sandy made sure it was a good show – It was the biggest fire I (and from the look on his face maybe also Randall) had ever seen! Dana loved the soup and got *4* servings, as well as *3* servings of their homemade ice cream. Impressive! Happy 40th Birthday Sandy!

Saturday, it was freezing cold during Zachary’s 9th soccer game. They were ahead until the last quarter, when the other team scored 3 goals to win the game. (No that photo is not out of chronological order – I bought it for $5 after Halloween. And it comes with a hat and wand too!)

After the game, Zachary went to teammate Christian’s house for a playdate before coming home for a photo shoot playdate. My friend Tabitha’s husband loves photography, and I offered my family as subjects if he ever wanted to practice. To my elation, they took me up on the offer! Sherry, Tabitha, and their families came over … I served pesto tortellini, grilled garlic butter shrimp, and Korean barbecue marinated chicken for lunch. We pulled out a bunch of dress up clothes and took a gazillion photos. Calie absolutely loved it – she would get changed and run out to the backdrop announcing “Your best model is here!” So many expressions and poses! We ended up with over 500 photos – which I will post later in a separate entry. No doubt we have our holiday card photo in this stash. James is so happy that we won’t have to go to Picture People to get family photos this year. Thank you Jigme! Calie loved playing with Evie, so we will have to invite them over again for a future playdate soon.

In the evening, we went to Jessica’s 7th birthday party. What a fun event – the kids decorated their own chef’s hat and apron, and made mini pizzas for dinner. They also played musical chairs and ’draw-the-peperoni-on-the-pizza’ (which seemed quite risky because it involved blindfolding a child and giving him/her a marker.)

The best part was that instead of typical kids’ party fare, the adults had homemade Chinese food. Beef noodle soup was the perfect dinner for a rainy evening. Happy 7th Birthday Jessica!

The evening I flew back from Chicago, Zachary went on his first sleepover. His friend Jackson’s birthday party included dinner, a sleepover, a pancake breakfast, and a trip to Dave & Busters for arcade games. What an awesome celebration – Happy 8th Birthday Jackson! It felt strange (and a bit sad – ack! He’s growing up!) to be home and available to play with him, but have him not be there for such a long period of time. Calie was absolutely beside herself for not being invited to the birthday party. The original plan was for us to take her out to dinner, but she protested. I threatened with “If you don’t come with us, then we’ll leave you at Kids Camp and go to dinner by ourselves.” She perked up and said Kids Camp was her “party”. She settled for eating pizza for dinner and playing for an hour at Kids Camp, while James and I tried a new Thai restaurant. Impromptu date. Win-win. (Hm. Pretty sure it’s a parenting fail when neither kids want to spend time with you!) 

Sunday morning, we did get some quality time with Calie -  with James and I both trying to lure her into our activities; basically 2 adults tripping over themselves vying to play with 1 kid because there was nothing else to do. My make-a-pot-pie activity won, and James was relegated to folding laundry. A literal “winner winner chicken dinner”! 

Jackson’s mom dropped Zach off around noon. Later in the day, because the weather was just so awesome, we took a family trip to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery. It was good to get out, but  Zachary said, “What’s so fun about feeding fish?” While there are definite advantages and I wouldn’t have done it any other way, as Zachary gets older, I’m facing the challenge of finding family activities that are fun for kids almost 5 years apart in age.

Wednesday after work, Zachary’s school hosted a Math Fair in their cafeteria, with math games at each lunch table. As you can imagine, Zach did pretty well – math is his specialty. He even tried the Middle School table, but fell flat on his face when stumped by the Pythagorean theorem. For shame! It seems quite a few after school events are on Wednesdays, which is very fortunate for us since Zach still has soccer practices on Tuesday and Thursdays.

This past Saturday, Zachary’s soccer team tied game #7. After the game, we went to a Whole Foods Grand Opening event. There were numerous tents with vendors giving out samples of food, a small hay maze, live music, and free train rides. It was a decent event, but way too crowded for my taste – standing in long lines for small morsels of food is not my style.  I’ve grown impatient in my old age and prefer to shovel in copious amounts of food while sitting down. I can’t wait for Whole Foods to open (this week!) – it’s my favorite grocery store.

That evening, we held our annual Halloween party! I debated long and hard about the guest list. Now that the kids are older, they have their own friends. Do we invite both kids’ friends? Hold 2 separate parties, one for each child? Limit it to those who’ve invited them to playdates? Do I invite my friends? Should I limit it to the people who have hosted us in the past year? I ultimately decided that since I host playdates year round for the kids, I would invite MY friends. Many of them have kids who are my kids’ age, but some don’t – and hence I don’t see nearly enough. Calie spent the afternoon make cupcakes, decorating the house, and making spaghetti monsters (hotdogs with spaghetti “legs”)

We had a GREAT turn out! There were some impressive costumes this year – Star Wars, pirates, dinosaurs, fairies/princesses, Hannah Montana, a cowboy, and even a big robot! The favorite by popular vote was Rapunzel/Tangled (see middle photo below):

For food, I kept it very simple. Chips/dip and vegetables for appetizers … spaghetti with a side of fresh bread and garlic butter for the main dish …  cupcakes and brownies for dessert. The spaghetti monsters were a hit, with quite a few kids asking for 2nds and 3rds. As the kids (and their appetites) get bigger, we’re going to have to remember to make more food!

The weather was great and our play structure got some good use. The kids also played basketball and soccer in the yard until it got too dark. The craft for this year was a monster picture frame that the kids decorated with glow-in-the-dark stickers. Actually, when I bought it, it was a light switch plate cover.

Full discloser: Two days before the party, I realized that over the years, light switch styles have changed and the cover would no longer fit (no wonder the kit was on sale!) I used my old scrapbooking oval cutter to create an opening to fit a wallet photo, asked people to bring a small photo to tape behind the oval, and cut up a few promotional business card magnets. Voila! Magnetic wallet picture frame for the fridge. Whew, good save, right?

It was a fun party, and I was glad I kept it my friends instead of hosting just another playdate. Hurrah – thanks to everyone who came … especially those who dressed up. It makes a huge difference when people put in the extra effort to make the party festive!

Sunday, we went to Dave’s Pumpkin Patch. In past years we’ve gone to Bishop’s but our schedules just didn’t quite align with our friends’ this time.  Lured by a Groupon, we decided to try a different place. For $27, our family of 4 received 2 pony rides and gained entrance to a kids playing area (hay bounce/maze/pyramid, sandbox filled with corn kernels) and corn maze.

I liked how it was smaller, more contained than Bishops, but the pigs at this farm smelled horrible and there were flies all around them. Also, the hired help were a bit more … well, let’s just say the guy leading Calie on the pony let some profanity fly out of his mouth while he was talking to another worker. A better parent would not have tolerated it, but Calie didn’t hear – and even if she did, she’s old enough to know that there are different rules for what adults and kids can do/say. I just shrugged it off.

In summary,  Bishops is a much bigger, cleaner, and more family friendly pumpkin patch.  But I was getting burned out from going there year after year. And the highlight for Calie were the pony rides (not available at Bishops) and Zachary preferred the variety of pumpkins available at Dave’s. He also cheered for the pumpkin cannon, but found it wasteful: “It’s like killing a pumpkin for no reason.” 

Since I read reviews that the food at Dave’s wasn’t very good, we headed to Hot Italian for lunch. Wow, our family can now pack away 2 whole pizzas … and 4 scoops of gelato. Bummer, no leftovers!

We carved pumpkins in the afternoon out on the patio. Zachary carved his first ever pumpkin:

Since I skipped last weekend, I jogged Friday after work and both weekend mornings. Sadly the quote “there’s never been a calorie deficit I couldn’t eat myself out of” rings true for me, and I’m still up 4 lbs compared to last year. Oh well. If I cared more, I’d do something about it.

It’s the middle of October already! Autumn is my favorite season, and it always seems to fly by because we’re so busy with school, soccer, and other fun seasonal outings. This year has been no exception!

First weekend of October … Saturday was a jog with coworkers followed by soccer game #4 (loss). Afterwards, we went to the Folsom Family Expo. Since we got there so early (Zach’s game was 9am), there were no crowds at all.

The kids got to jump in the bounce houses as long as they wanted. Then we went through vendor booths to pick up freebies and coupons (including free tickets to the Folsom zoo), and make kids crafts. The weather was gorgeous as we strolled through the zoo. We had a quick lunch at Smashburger before heading home.

For dinner, James and I went on a date to Back Wine Bar while the kids enjoyed pizza at Kids Camp. The kids like playing at Kids Camp – and on select weekends, they provide free meals. A great deal, especially when combined with coupons!

On Sunday, we went to Apple Hill. The websites listed the orchards opening at 8am, but most weren’t fully open until closer to 10-11am. My favorite by far was High Hill ranch. They had pony rides ($6) and a pond to feed fish/ducks (50 cents). The Fudge Factory, with playground and fudge samples, was located right next to them. Abel’s Acres was pretty good too … the kids enjoyed their surprisingly challenging hay maze ($5).

Boa Vista was a disappointment though – they were basically a big farmer’s market grocery store with lots of vendor stands. Nothing interesting for the kids. We picked up an apple pie and brought it to Alex/Nicoles’s house for dessert. Dinner was a light salad so that we could indulge in more pie. Thanks for hosting Sam!

The following weekend, James ran a charity 5k – and placed 3rd in his age group with a time of 24:45. Then we went to soccer game #5, where we beat the other team so badly, we had to hold back our offense. Zachary didn’t understand the rule, so there was a good lesson about sportsmanship and not making other people feel bad. It’s good to win, but not to crush the opponent … at least not at this age. After the soccer game, we went to the Safetyville Fireman’s Chili Cook-off charity. Despite living in this area for almost 15 years, I had never been to Safetyville. What a cute miniature town!

We tried a variety of chilis, watched a helicopter land, and the kids got to experience dousing a fire. One activity required kids to answer questions about fire safety. Calie’s answer to “What do you do when your clothes are on fire” was “Take them off.” Hm. We need to teach her about stop-drop-and-roll! 

Sunday was the Intel 5k, and there was a big turnout. Calie completed the kids 1/4 mile fun run. I did pretty well (for me) by crossing the finish line in 30:45 (the 5k not the kids run … just to clarify). Since we’re in the middle of soccer season, Zachary was in good shape and came in at 24:57.

Unfortunately, he fell in the ‘under 15′ age group and was beaten by 11, 13, and 15-year-olds. Just for fun, Zach and I ran home after the race, adding another ~2 miles to our 5k. It was great exercise, and exciting to race against my coworkers.

After the run, I took Calie to Zahra and Zayan’s birthday party at the Folsom zoo. She had such a great time – they had face painting, an art project, and the kids got to meet/pet a ferret and a rabbit. Calie was elated!

After the party, the kids got to run around the zoo and see all the other animals. Reshma and her husband made all the food (including animal shaped mini cakes), and the favor was homemade Play-Doh with an animal cookie cutter. How creative! Happy Birthday Zahra (4) and Zayan (2)!

We took advantage of our new patio set and shady backyard for dinner!

Monday, I took my extended staff out to lunch … my managers and ops manager joined us, and the team was so big that we needed 3 tables. I ordered authentic Chinese dishes; what better way to role model risk taking, right? (I heard that some people went to Jamba Juice or grabbed something else to eat in the cafeteria later – ha!)

Wednesday through Friday, I attended the Society of Women Engineers conference in Chicago. Wednesday morning, I walked Zach to school, and he ran in just as the classroom door was closing. Then I worked from home for awhile before heading to the airport. I had forgotten that I was in Terminal B, a newer unfamiliar terminal which required taking a tram. I hustled to my gate and got into line just as my row was called. I flew into Chicago Midway, took a taxi to my hotel, and decided that I had a fighting chance of making the evening’s river cruise. I booked my flight before I knew about the cruise, and figured I’d miss it, but my flight got in a bit earlier than expected. The boat was going to leave earlier but waited for me. So I got to have dinner with my friends/coworkers while enjoying the Chicago skyline. It reminded me a bit of Boston. I do miss big cities. 

Thursday, I went to seminars. After “work”, Kathy, Galina, and I went to South Coast Sushi for some delicious and creative rolls. In a half hearted attempt to burn a few calories, Kathy and I swam 10 laps in the hotel pool after dinner (BTW, mom was wrong … you don’t throw up if you swim after eating.)

Friday was more seminars, including a 3 hour workshop. For dinner, Kathy and I treated ourselves to one of the highest rated restaurants in Chicago … Les Nomades. It was very good (although I still prefer the lardo at The Kitchen). My favorites included the amuse bouche of mushroom soup with truffle foam, the tender diver scallops, and the perfectly seasoned beef filet in shallot sauce. Since it was a more refined and perhaps a bit old fashioned (most of their clientele were older) restaurant, photography was not allowed. I had to be discreet and turn off my flash – hence the fuzzy photos!

It was great fun rooming with Kathy – I haven’t spent as much time with her recently since I’ve been busy with kids activities, and she’s been traveling so much. Despite our lifestyle differences, we actually have a lot in common! The only downside was that we talked so much at night, we struggled to get up the next morning. The time difference didn’t help … although I have to admit our first seminars were ~10am. My flight back home was 6am Saturday morning. Driven by my fear of being late (not unfounded given my recent close calls), I got up at 3am after only 2 hours of sleep.

Back at home, James handled soccer practice, dentist appointments for both kids (no cavities – yay!), and soccer game #6 (tie.)

The second half of September … Friday after work, we went to ‘Gators on the Green’ at Zachary’s school with music, carnival games, food/books for fundraising, and competitions: balloon toss, tug-of-war, and sack races. This was his first schoolwide event and wow, there are SO many more people compared to private school.  (below right, photo of card Zach made for his teacher)

Saturday was pretty low key. Morning jog, followed by soccer game (lost), soccer team photos, and a trip to the mall to get my unstable iPhone replaced. Since I was at the mall anyway, I did some shopping for new clothes too.

I kicked off Sunday with another morning jog, and then took the kids to the Sacramento Children’s Museum. What a fun place … not nearly as big as the one in San Jose, but similar in concept. My kids are pretty simple and tend to do well with open ended play, so we stayed for most of the day. (Made for lots of photo opportunities!) 

I really appreciated how the museum respected diversity and was thoughtfully built to accommodate differently abled children. I decided I would show my support by purchasing a membership. When I shared my day with Sandy later that evening (at Sergios with Melissa), I found out hers was one of the founding families! My friends just keep impressing me with what they do – what can I say, I surround myself with the best.

The following Saturday, after Zachary’s soccer game (lost), we went to SunSplash. It was a company sponsored event, and included free arcade games, mini golf, laser tag, go-karting, lunch, and of course water slides.

At under 48″, Zachary was limited to 4 big slides. Calie played in the kiddie play structure and slides area, and the whole family did the lazy river and wave pool. It was fun, but the signs around the park (“no refunds for long lines”) gave me the impression that lines were … well, unreasonably long during public hours.

After a playing in the sun all day, we grabbed dinner at Dos Coyotes, and the kids fell asleep without any complaints by 8pm. James went to John’s Mardi Gras party that night – Happy Birthday JP!

Sunday, we celebrated Alex’s 7th birthday party with lunch at his house and Kinect games. Zachary was so happy to see some of the boys from his previous school, it made me question (again) whether we should have changed schools. But I digress – the kids had a fantastic time … what’s not to love? Video games, Beyblades, cake. Happy 7th Birthday Alex!

In the evening, we had 2 boys from his soccer team over for a dinner playdate.

And WW40? James got the whole week off work, while I was in 2.5 full days of face-to-face meetings, including a dinner team builder at Macaroni Grill. I can’t complain though, as James was quite productive during his time off, and I loved not having to hustle the kids to school every morning. He organized a day hike to Tahoe (Loch Leven) with some of his coworkers. And Friday, we had Melissa and Rachel’s family over for dinner: a ‘would-you-like-some-lettuce-with-your-tomatoes’ salad with grilled sausages and pesto pasta, and chocolate ice cream for dessert. It was the last week of Thursday farmer’s market at work, and I will definitely miss the ease of stocking up on fresh vegetables midweek.

Last day of August, I celebrated my 37^th birthday with my girlfriends at Sergios, a cozy Italian restaurant. The food was great – I had the Antelope Osso Buca, and there were many other entrees I wanted to try in the future. Thanks to my girlfriends for taking time out of their busy schedules to celebrate with me – especially Karen for organizing the dinner and Kathy for the delicious cake!

Friday after work, we went to Sam and Melissa’s house to check out their new entertainment center (and eat some pizza).  I’ve seen other people try to retrofit the old style TV space for the newer flat screens, and I could definitely tell the difference between a professional vs DIY job. Very, very nice!

Sunday, I went on a 4 mile morning run with my coworkers and Zachary. Earlier this year, I was consistently faster than Zachary, but now that soccer practice has started up, he is beating me again. Ugh. It’s depressing how much faster he can ramp up compared to me … and I don’t think 37 is that old either! Anyway … I digress. After the run, we drove to the Sonoma Coast. Salmon Creek beach was overcast and a lot colder than I expected. It was quite beautiful though, and it was nice to not worry about how much sun we were getting.

Zachary enjoyed running away from the waves. We hiked up and down sand dunes, and James dug a big hole with the kids. The highlight was when a rogue wave washed someone’s belongings into our hole … which swirled around like a washing machine (top loader) until everything was buried! After a few hours of playing on the beach, we headed to James’ parent’s home. Zachary and his Grandpa stayed home for frozen pizza while the rest of us went to Thai Pot for dinner. Calie’s favorite was the Tom Yum soup!

The next morning, we made a pit stop at the local farmer’s market before heading home. That evening, we had a few of Zachary’s soccer friends over for a barbecue dinner. Zach had a good (and very sweaty) time playing with Andrew, Christian, John, and their siblings.

Labor Day was pretty laid back. Zach and I went to EDH for a morning jog with Sam. Then we had a Labor Day BBQ playdate, where Zach and Calie each got to pick 2 friends to invite. We’ve been enjoying smaller get-togethers lately, where I can actually socialize instead of run around playing hostess.

I’ve been getting freebie vegetables from one of the stands at the work farmer’s market for being a loyal customer. The previous week, I received a few stalks of lemongrass and an Asian squash I was not familiar with. So Tuesday at soccer practice, I gave them to Sam … who turned it into a grilled lemongrass chicken dinner with side of opo and Chinese broccoli stirfry. Somehow this power couple is able to host dinner on a school/work night. Only downside is that we had to leave early to get the kids to bed, and they definitely wanted to stay longer to play with Alex’s new Kinect!

Good thing I brought over Pinkberry because dragon fruit was not my favorite dessert! ~shiver~

A few pictures of Calie … while she plays with princess dolls, she wants to be a super hero. And yes, that’s what she wore to school, pretty much all week.

Since my sister Alice is living in Las Vegas (20 minutes from the strip) for a month for job training, my parents, Sophie, and I decided to visit over the weekend. We had an awesome mini vacation – it had been too many years since we spent time together, just the 5 of us. Sophie and I flew in late Friday night, within 5 minutes of each other.

Saturday: First stop… Stratosphere. We took an elevator to the observation deck, but due to lightening, the outdoor viewing area and rides were closed. We got our money back, and the view was pretty decent from inside anyway!

Next stop … Adventuredome inside Circus Circus. We opted out of the rides, but had a blast with the midway games. I can’t remember the last time we laughed and cheered each other on so hard!

We worked up quite an appetite with all the jumping and screaming, so it was the perfect time to head over to Rio for their Village Seafood Buffet. Everything was delicious. I loved the fresh sashimi, and the crab legs were sweet, unlike some of the cheaper buffets I’ve been to. The dessert spread was probably the best of all the Vegas buffets I’ve eaten at. Highly recommend their carrot cake and creme brule.

After the buffet, we headed to the Palazzo to see the ‘Jersey Boys’ musical. It was a fun show (story of the Four Seasons) with lots of great music and good looking actors. You might think we headed home after the show, but you’d be wrong because my parents are real troopers who have more energy than most people their age. We went to Freemont Street!

There was a stage, where bands played 80s music. And the street was covered with a video screen, so it was hard to tell it was dark and past midnight.

Sunday: The next morning, we went to Chinatown for brunch at KJ Kitchen. They had authentic Chinese entrees like spicy beef tendon, duck tongue, and blood tofu (pinyin) soup … and yes, we ordered those dishes.

Then it was off to Madame Tussauds, where I’ll let the pictures tell the story:

We spent the last few hours before heading to the airport at the outlets.  My flight was delayed and I got home close to midnight – refreshed and ready to head to work the next day! (Not really)

Back at home, James took the kids to Alex’s house for a Kinect playdate and pizza dinner on Friday. He also took Zachary to his first soccer game of the season, where the Mighty Midgets won 3 to 2. No goals yet, but he’s more aggressive this year and attempted three times.

Saturday evening, James took both kids to Arielle’s Pirates and Mermaid themed birthday party at Tricks. Happy 7th Birthday Arielle! And Sunday, the weather was nice so James took both kids to Fairytale Town.

In summary – my family and friends ROCK!