Mid-May, Alice and I took Sophia on a 3-day weekend trip to Vegas to celebrate her 30th birthday.

Day 1: All 3 sisters flew in to Las Vegas and met up at the airport. (Wheee!) We checked into our hotel, the Vdara in City Center, which we nabbed at a great price thanks to Kathy’s recommendation to use Hotwire. The Vdara is a unique hotel on The Strip, as there is no smoking and no casino. There was a kitchenette in the room, complete with small fridge, a pretty big sink, and 2 burners. Obviously with so many nice restaurants, we had no plans to cook … but I took note of it since I usually travel with kids.

First stop … The Cosmopolitan for a buffet lunch at The Wicked Spoon. The salads were so good, as were the steamed mussels, mashed potatoes, and fried chicken. Thanks to Kathy for the recommendation! After lunch, we went to the Miracle Mile shops. I usually shop alone, and it was great to get feedback on what to buy. Then it was back to Vdara to change and head out to the MGM to watch Ka. What an incredible show … I was mesmerized the whole time. Highly recommended. Post show, we grabbed dinner at China Poblano at the Cosmopolitan. It was good, but pricey for a casual, sit-at-the-bar place.

Day 2: On our second day, we went to the Mandarin Oriental for spa treatments. As I could not pay close to $200 for a massage when I get them locally for under $50, I signed us all up for a new experience: Hammams (Turkish baths). It was very relaxing. In short, you lie down on heated granite in a large steam room and someone bathes you … complete with massage.

We stayed over 5 hours at the spa, making good use of their steam room, lanconium, experience showers, vitality pool, and lounging areas. It was especially relaxing since we basically had the whole place to ourselves. We were so hungry after our spa treatments, but had dinner reservations at Picasso that evening, so we grabbed light mid afternoon appetizers at MOZen.

Picasso was located in the Bellagio shops area … which was right next to our hotel, through a walkway. We all decided on the 5-course Prix Frixe. While the appetizers were absolutely delicious (lobster salad, dayboat scallop over a potato puree, seared fois gras), I was disappointed in my main dish. It was a grilled fish with some steamed vegetables around it. Nothing special. Alice’s lamb dish did taste much better, but I could also easily see it on a less expensive menu. (Yes, I guess I do have a habit of eating other people’s food!) Good experience, but given the plethora of restaurants in Vegas, I doubt I’d be back (as a side note, I also think that of Joel Robuchon.) Post dinner, we walked around the Bellagio gardens and marveled at Jean-Philippe’s cakes. My sisters insisted we play “The Mermaid game” slots before heading to bed.

Day 3: On our last day in Vegas, we held our luggage at the hotel. For brunch, we hit The Buffet at Aria. It was okay – a pretty typical Vegas buffet, and the crab legs were frozen. They had great kimchi and carrot cake dessert.

Then it was off to the outlets for more shopping! My big find was a black Michael Kors bag, marked down almost 75% off! We shopped (and shopped and shopped) until it was time to pick up our luggage and head to the airport. Due to storms, flights were significantly delayed, but it worked in my favor because I was able to get on an earlier standby. What a great weekend. It had been way too long since our last sisters-only vacation. They are THE BEST! Happy 30th Birthday Sophia!

The only downside to the trip was that I lost my iPhone. I had it while calculating the tip at Picasso, and it was gone by the time I got back to our hotel. I called both Picasso and The Bellagio, but it was not returned. Unfortunately for the thief, my iPhone may not be as valuable as s/he hoped. The case has a few small cracks, and there is a pretty significant audio issue (can’t hear the phone ring). Also, it was dropped into a bathtub in Hawaii last year, which invalidated the warranty. And as opposed to the typical 4 number password, since I had work email on my phone, it was a 9 character alphanumeric password. Oh well. It could be worse. Since I’m only a few months away from renewing my contact (and being eligible for a new phone), I opted to use James’ old iPhone 3G for the time being.

Back at home, over the weekend, James’ parents visited. He also took the kids over to Sam/Melissa’s for dinner one evening. It was great relaxing and spending quality time with my sisters, knowing that the kids were also having fun back home. Of course though, no pictures. James is not as snap-happy as I am.

The evening after I flew back, Melissa, Karen, Rachel, and I went to dinner at Ella’s to celebrate Sandy’s promotion. I am always so thrilled and inspired when mothers of young children advance in the workplace. Congratulations Sandy – you deserve it! Thanks to Melissa for organizing the get-together and treating us all to desserts!

Friday, my team went to Vintner’s for wine tasting, appetizers, and to mix a batch of red wine. We’ll be back in a few weeks for bottling … and more drinking. 

Later that night, I caught the movie “Bridesmaids” with my girlfriends Sandy, Karen, and Rachel. What a crass movie – exactly what I needed after a week of crazy budget and roadmap deliverables at work!

Saturday, James and Zachary ran another 5k. It was a smaller race (slightly over 200 people) and not very organized … the 5k was more than 5k, and the path was not clearly marked. The people organizing it were very  friendly though, and the entry fee went to support victims of domestic violence. Zachary placed 1st in his division, and James placed 3rd.

Since we were in Roseville, we decided to redeem our Dave & Busters coupons ($20 worth of free play). On the way there, we saw that there was a Safety fair across the street in the mall parking lot. We stopped to walk around … kids jumped in bounce houses, and we visited the various vendor stalls. Chick-fil-a coupons for a free chicken sandwich, drink, and waffle fries took care of lunch. We did eventually make it over to Dave & Busters and played family favorites … Wheel of Fortune, Deal or No Deal, 21, air hockey, skeeball. On the way back, we redeemed McDonald’s coupons for free yogurt parfaits, which were very good! In summary … we went to Roseville and did a bunch of free stuff.

That evening, we celebrated Joe’s birthday with a barbecue at Joe/Sara’s home. The kids had a great time running around outside, playing basketball, writing with sidewalk chalk, playing soccer, and jumping on their big trampoline. Happy 40th Birthday Joe!

Sunday, we took it easy. I ran with with coworkers in the morning while James took the kids to swim lessons. Then I took the kids to see the Disney documentary “African Cats” followed by more free McDonald’s parfaits (we had 4 coupons!) Late afternoon, James took the kids to the park to play in the water while I ran errands … in preparation for our next vacation!   

The last Friday evening in April, Zachary and I walked to his school for a Mother/Son Barbecue BINGO event. We ate veggie dogs (seemed less yucky that hotdogs) and dessert, then played a few rounds of BINGO. Neither Zach or I won, which means we actually did win because we didn’t have to take home any plastic toys. (Who me? Sore loser? ) Saturday morning, the kids took a makeup swim class. Then it was off to Kids Day at Hagan park.

We got there a few minutes before the event started, which is intentional. We use our ability to get out the door quickly to avoid crowds. I’m not sure why we seem to be able to get out the door faster than most families with small children. Unfortunately, it may be due to our weekday morning fire drills to get to work on time! Anyway, the park was pretty empty when we got there … the kids got to climb on recycling, fire, garbage trucks. With no lines, Zach and Calie played in bounce houses and partook in lots of carnival games and art/craft activities.  

We picked up numerous freebie activity books, fruits, cookies (from a cake walk), and even 2 nightlights! How fortuitous, as Zach’s nightlight just broke a few days ago. Lunch was pizza and kettle corn, while watching a magic show. We walked over to the petting zoo barn for a quick look and then spent some time at the park play structure. By late afternoon, the park was crowded and the lines were insane, so we left.

In the evening, we invited Sam and Alex/Nicole over for dinner. It’s so easy having them over because their kids are well behaved and play well with ours. I made roasted lamb for the first time. Marinated with lemon zest, Dijon mustard, rosemary from my herb garden, local honey, minced garlic, salt, pepper … roasted for 2 hrs and served with red wine reduction au jus. Yum! After dinner, we took a 5.5 mile walk to Pinkberry for frozen yogurt. Totally earned that dessert! Kids got to bed 2 hours after their normal bedtime – oops.

Sunday, after swim lessons, we went to Sam’s for brunch … yummy smoked salmon spread, chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit.  The kids played a few games, including Apples to Apples and a Dr. Seuss variation of Twister. Later, James and Zachary opted out, but the rest of us went to see “Rio”. I was prepared to leave if Calie got fussy, but she did great!  Her first real movie theater experience, complete with popcorn! I thought it was a very fun movie, great for families. There were a few chasing scenes Calie deemed ‘scary’ but it was just a passing comment (I.e. she wasn’t terrified, no nightmares, never mentioned it again after the movie). End of the day, we went out for a family dinner at Cafeteria 15L. They had great mac cheese but neither kids cared for it. I can’t figure them out – it’s MUCH better than Red Robin mac cheese but I guarantee both my kids would argue against that!

There were numerous kids’ activities on the Friday before Mother’s Day. In the morning, James went to Zach’s school assembly where once again, Zach was one of the last kids to get citizen of the month. They said “He made improvements from where he started at the beginning of the year”, which is hardly a compliment! Anyway. At 11am, Zach had a math bowl competition, where he represented 1st grade for his school. He placed 3rd (out of 14 kids, 7 schools.)  At the 1st grade level, it was basic arithmetic and patterns, and for the top kids, it was a matter of who could buzz in fastest. Since we are slacker parents who never used flashcards or practiced for the competition, we figure his advantage was due to video game reflexes.  I was actually more pleased that he didn’t cry or accuse other kids of cheating than the fact he received a medal. And call me a bad mom, but I like that a girl beat him; his ex-classmate Claire placed 2nd. That said, he was very happy about getting a medal and wanted to go back to school (instead of having lunch with his parents) so that he could show his classmates.  

After lunch at Freshii with James, I went to Zachary’s Mother Day Tea at his school. The kids sang a bunch of songs, then each child gave their mom gifts, followed by dessert and iced tea/lemonade out on the patio. Zachary drew a picture of me which he claimed, “Looks a little better than you really are.” He also wrote a paragraph about me, which commended me for playing games with him, making pesto pasta, hugs, kisses, making money at work, and taking him on vacations.

Then it was off to Calie’s Mother’s Day event. It really wasn’t an event, as much as eating snack (which included a cookie) with the kids. Calie gave me a hand painted blue jewelry box – I had planned to opening it Mother’s Day but she was too anxious for me to see what it was. What a Friday –  thank goodness for flexible work hours! In the evening, James took the kids to Sam’s for a barbecue playdate while I hit the mall and then had dinner at Crush 29 with Dana. Can’t beat good conversation while dining on ahi tuna!

 
 
Saturday morning we hit Home Depot and Lowes for their kids’ building events – the kids made a tulip planter that held a potted plant and a vase with a red chalkboard heart. Then we went to Sutter Street revitalization celebration in Old Folsom. There was a classic cars display as well as live music and dancing, but not much else. My personal opinion? To really revitalize, they need to limit the number of antique stores. We stayed for lunch at Chicago Fire as we love their deep dish pizzas!

(Perhaps 2nd-rate characters are more approachable because while Calie didn’t want anything to do with most of the characters at Disneyland, she ran towards the Berenstain Bears, gave them hugs, and posed for photos.)

Later that evening, we invited Sam and Alex/Nicole for dinner at our house, as Melissa was still stuck in transit from Israel.  I made fresh shrimp and pork spring rolls. The kids played volleyball outside and ended the playdate making Mother’s Day posters. Unfortunately, my allergies,which have been worse this year than any other I remember, turned into laryngitis … and by Saturday night also a sore throat and cough! Ugh.

Sunday, for Mother’s Day, Zach and I went on a 5k run. It wasn’t chip timed (smaller turn out), and I suspect the 2nd mile was shorter than it should have been, but it was still great to get some exercise. Despite not running in weeks due to allergies, I ran the whole way with a time of slightly over 30 min. Zachary won 1st place for his division (under 11 boys) with a time of ~27 minutes. James and Calie came to cheer us on, and my coworkers Jaybal and Er-Jia ran the 10k!

In the afternoon, James took the kids on a picnic lunch and swim class, while I ran errands … which included shopping for myself! (Plain Ts and $15 shorts from Old Navy … I’m quite stylish.) Later that afternoon, I took Calie to Color Me Mine, where mothers received free studio time and a heart frame. Calie painted a cupcake plate. It was fun to have some quality mother-daughter time, but I question the aesthetics of both our pieces. I wonder how many reminder phone calls we’ll get if we “forget” to pick them up.

For dinner, the family went to Blue Nami … free appetizer and dessert  in honor of Mother’s Day. They also had 50% rolls. Eh. I still prefer Mikunis and Jinju. The Blue Nami rolls had way too much rice for my taste. And while I shouldn’t complain about a free dessert, it was a bunch of cut up melons with whipped cream, Fruity Pebble sprinkles, a Saltine cracker, and 2 Pocky sticks! I should have taken a photo, it was so bizarre. Just because it’s Mother’s Day doesn’t mean the dessert has to look/taste like little kids made it!
 
Now … off packing for a 3-day sisters only trip to Vegas to celebrate Sophia’s 30th birthday.

Finally – the spring break post! The Friday before spring break, we went to see Zachary and his classmates sing patriotic songs out on the turf. Afterwards, we joined Alex and his family for dinner at Chicago Fire.  

And Saturday was Calie’s first real dentist appointment … she did great… no cavities! Zachary did well too, but unfortunately one of his permanent teeth was coming in behind 2 baby teeth. Since we were driving to Anaheim right after the appointment, we scheduled his extractions for the following weekend.

Day 1 (Saturday): We initially reserved the Disney Theme Home from Sunday-Friday, but since the house was available earlier, the owner asked if we would like to stay an extra day. Uh … YES! We got to Anaheim around 6pm. The home was amazing! Everything was decked out in Disney décor. There was a playroom with arts/crafts, a Wii systems, cars, Disney dolls, play kitchen, and rock band area with karaoke machine. In the kids’ rooms, they had their own TV and dress-up clothes. There were was a wall of candy (eat as much as you want), a huge gumball machine (owner left 4 quarters for the kids), and a tote of gifts. Zachary got a plush Mickey Mouse and light saber, Calie received a Cinderella doll and lunch box. Both kids got a note pad and pen, as well as 6 sticker filled Easter eggs. All based on their favorite Disney characters – how thoughtful!

The kids got dressed up for Downtown Disney, where we had dinner at Naples. The kids usually like pizza, but they didn’t care for the margherita at Naples so we took back lots of leftovers (yay for having a kitchen). We walked out of the restaurant just as fireworks were starting. What a great start to our vacation! And best of all, since we had an extra day, there was no rush to prepare for an epic theme park day … we crashed when we got home because we could unpack at our leisure the following day.

 

Day 2 (Sunday): On our ‘bonus’ day, the kids played at the house. There was so much for them to do, that a few times when I asked the kids if they wanted to play a game with me, they said, ”Not now, maybe later.” I spent part of the afternoon, lying out by the pool reading celebrity gossip magazines. It was nice not being needed for awhile!

That evening, we went to Goofy’s Kitchen for dinner. Totally worth it. Of all the character dinings, I recommend this one the most. We met a lot of characters … which made for great photos ops without standing in line at the theme park. We did NOT see Mickey, but the kids didn’t care. Calie was afraid of most characters, with the odd exception of Minnie Mouse (“Oh, she is sooo pretty. She has a pretty dress.”)

Since Zachary’s birthday was this month, Pluto presented him with a chocolate cupcake. The food was quite good; my favorite was prime rib and Yukon mashed potatoes. And yes, I did try the peanut butter and jelly pizza!

Day 3 (Monday): First day at the theme parks! Since Disneyland opens an hour earlier than California Adventures, we went there first. We woke up bright an early and stood with the crowd for the rope drop – it reminded me of a 5k race. As we walked down Main Street, the band struck up a peppy tune and Calie gasped,”That’s my favorite song!” She was so excited! First stop was Indiana Jones, a new ride for Zachary, as last year, he wasn’t tall enough. We used the rider swap option so that both James and I could go on the ride while the other waited with Calie. Then it was off to California Adventures. First stop there … Toy Story Mania! Great ride. And the lines were SO short! Almost every ride was a walk-on or under a 10 minute wait. The only exception was Soaring Over California … which was worth the 35 minute wait, especially since Zachary could go twice (once with each parent using the rider swap ticket.)

 

JP was also visiting Disney, so he met up with us for Tower of Terror, Monsters Inc. rides, and the Muppets 3D show. By the end of the day, we did every ride and show we could (Zach is still too short for the big California Screamin roller coaster) except the Disney Junior show and the Animation building walk through.

We had dinner at Wine Country Trattoria, which gave us VIP viewing of the World of Color. The entrees were pretty good … I enjoyed my lamb shank in pinot noir sauce and James’ beef tenderloin was delicious as well. The kids’ meal (pasta) was pretty blah though. I’m glad Calie (under 3) was free because it was a struggle to get both kids to finish the one dish, and I don’t blame them. (I know what you are thinking. Yes, I tried a bite of everyone’s food!) Before World of Color started, we checked out ElecTRONica, which was basically the Hollywood Backlot area transformed into a TRON themed dance club. We didn’t stay too long, as it was loud and not too entertaining for the kids. Instead, we headed to our VIP section for World of Color early to secure a good spot.

 

World of Color was amazing! I wasn’t a huge fan of projecting images on water (same trick I’ve seen from Fantasmic), but I loved the use of brightly colored light to make the water look like glittery paint. It was like Bellagio fountains, but much better and in color. Unfortunately, Calie missed most of it. Despite going to the earlier show (9pm), she was way too exhausted and couldn’t keep her eyes open past a few minutes.

Day 4 (Tuesday): We let the kids sleep in the next day since they had such a long day yesterday. We still ended up getting to Disneyland within 30 minutes of opening. We ran to our favorite rides, Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters and Space Mountain. I was very reluctant to stand in long lines, knowing we still had our early entrance day ticket, so we opted to wait on the Matterhorn, Nemo submarine, and basically all Fantasyland and Toontown rides. Since we had extra time with the 4-day pass, we went on a few “lower priority” rides I’d never been on … the canoe ride, a trip to Tom Sawyer’s Island, and a sailboat cruise.

We had dinner reservations at Blue Bayou, the restaurant overlooking the Pirates of Caribbean ride. Good meal … a refreshing salad with gorgonzola cheese, followed by crab cakes. Kids also enjoyed their cheesy pasta and traded their sides of carrot sticks and fruit with each other (I’ll give you one guess who ate the carrots and who ate the fruit! My kids are too predictable and in a culinary rut!)

Day 5 (Wednesday): We started the day with the Nemo submarine ride at Disneyland, and then headed to California Adventure for lunch at Arial’s Grotto. I would have to say Arial’s Grotto was the least favorite of my Disney sit down meals. The food is best described as average wedding food. A choice of tri-tip, fish, or chicken over rice pilaf and steamed vegetables. The dessert was the best part of the meal, and included a white chocolate conch seashell. They did not have Rapunzul! Her appearance alone would have made the meal worth it, as the line to meet her at Disneyland was over 90 minutes. At least Calie did meet her favorite princess, Cinderella! (Maybe it was a good thing she hasn’t seen the movie ‘Tangled’ yet.)

I would not recommend Arial’s Grotto unless you have a child who is obsessed by princesses. And if you do go, I suggest asking for a non-booth seat. We were seated in a booth, and it was a bit annoying getting out for photos. After lunch, since we were already at California Adventures, we went through the Animator’s building and watched the Disney Junior show. We had originally decided not to do the Grizzly Run as it was a bit chilly, but since we brought ponchos in case it started raining (it didn’t), we made a last minute decision to go for it! Whoo-hoo!

Day 6 (Thursday): On our last theme park day, we used our early entrance ticket to get into the park at 7am. With hardly any lines at all, we went on The Matterhorn, all the Fantasyland rides, and the Toontown rides, Calie was so excited to ride her first ever rollercoaster in Toontown (“I AM big enough!”) She raised her hands like everyone else at the begining of the ride, but after the first drop, clung on for dear life!

 

James’ friend Christy’s family drove up from San Diego to meet us. It was their kids’ first time at Disneyland so we went on all the major attractions again. We had lunch while watching the Jedi training program. Despite wanting a complete break from work, I was in the middle of hiring, so I had to check work email periodically. Since it was down to compensation, I wasn’t able to pass off  the task to any of my staff members. I made my final offer in line at the Buzz Lightyear ride, and just hoped for the best.

 

We knew we had really ‘done it all’, when we went into the Innovations building … a walk-through that never made it on either James’ or my list in all the times we’ve been to Disneyland. They really need to update the displays, because quite a few of the ‘innovations’ are now commonplace, even outdated.

 

We ended the day with Fantasmic followed by the nightly fireworks. We arrived late, so terrible view for me, okay view for James, and excellent view for kids sitting on shoulders.  I didn’t mind since I’ve seen both shows multiple times before, and this time, Calie stayed awake until the very end.

  

Day 7 (Friday): Our last day! The kids played at the house while James and I packed. We pulled out of the driveway and got back on 1-5 a little after 11am. With only a lunch stop at McDonalds (kid burned off some energy running around the play structure) and a dinner to-go stop at Starbucks, we reached home about the kids’ regular bedtime. As we pulled into the driveway, Calie teared up and said,”This is not Disneyland. Go back!” She braced herself against her carseat and refused to get out of the car until we reminded her that there was an egg hunt the following morning.

The vacation flew by! I could not believe a week went by so quickly. I think it’s because it went so smoothly. This was our first vacation without lugging a diaper bag in many years. We used Fast Passes and iPhone apps to minimize wait times, and had reservations at some nicer restaurants to break up the day. There were no meltdowns, the weather was good (60-70s), and we got to experience everything we wanted to. Wow! J (And the offer I was working on was accepted … got the good news on the drive back … yay!)

Saturday morning, we headed to the Folsom Eggstravaganza for their annual carnival and egg hunt. Calie did extremely well, being a 2.5 year old in the 0-2 field, and Zach fared better than expected with the 7-10 crowd. Lots of candy, and *8* coupons for free corn dogs. (Time for a work team builder lunch?)  Afterwards, we drove to Sam/Melissa’s house for their annual brunch and egg dyeing playdate. This was extremely timely, as we had no food at home. They made a great spinach quiche, butter lettuce salad, hummus dip, and put out a smoked salmon spread – yum! Thanks for hosting!

 

  

Easter Sunday, my friend Tabitha organized a potluck playdate at the park. Each family brought a dozen eggs per child to hide around the pavilion. It was very windy, but the kids had a fun time, and the food was really good. Especially the homemade barbecued Tandori chicken and tea eggs!  We spent the rest of the day just relaxing around the house and playing in the backyard.

 

Monday, I took the day off from work to take Zach to the dentist. He did great! One tooth came out right away (it was already very wiggly, and we probably could have pulled it ourselves) but he said he could feel the other one twist out. What a trooper – I was sitting there, nervous and scared for him! Afterwards, we ran some errands, then had lunch and played a round of Battleship before heading out for a 3 mile walk to pick Calie up from school. And there we have it … Spring break 2011. Now back to work so we can pay for our next vacation!

The weather has been absolutely great the past few weeks, and almost every day, we’re out playing in the backyard. First weekend in April, Sam and Alex joined me and Zach for our morning 2.5 mile jog. Afterwards, I took Zach and Calie to Home Depot to make a flower planter. As it turns out, they were hosting a spring festival. I resisted their free donuts while the kids split one. They made the flower pots, filled it up with dirt, and planted an unlucky flower (unlucky because chances of living past a week is extremely low.) There was also a clown who made Calie a balloon Arial, and Zach a balloon shark.

After lunch, we went to see Dylan perform in his first play “The Princess Frog”; It was a very cute show!

In the evening,we had Alex, Nicole, and Dylan over for a dinner playdate. Grilled zucchini, Sam’s salad, and pesto tortellini. The boys had a great time playing basketball outside, and Alex stayed later to help build one of Zachary’s birthday Lego kits.

On Sunday, after swim lessons, we took the kids to Sierra-at-Tahoe for snow tubing, sledding, and playing in the snow. It was sunny, and there was still plenty of snow from the past few weeks of rain. Fortunately, it wasn’t very crowded, and we went up/down the hill many times.

Both kids really enjoyed playing in the snow. Last year, Calie was very tentative and didn’t even want to step in it; what a difference a year makes! (Well, I guess when you’re 2, a year is half your life…) Thanks to Karen for lending us the boots. Next year, we’ll be signing the kids up for skiing or snowboarding lessons.

Tuesday, I participated in a lunch time walk sponsored by work (you could win a $75 gift card … I did not win.) The 30 min walk did not make up for the Jinju sushi I had for dinner with Karen and Kathy though! We continued our girls night out after dinner with a $5 movie “Source Code.” It was very good, but I may be biased since Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the movie.

Wednesday was Zachary’s actual birthday – and all he wanted was to play basketball in the backyard and then have mac and cheese at home for dinner. He even declined going out for ice cream or a cupcake – definitely did not inherit my gluttony gene. Happy 7th Birthday Zachary! I love that boy.

This past weekend, I set up a playdate at Pizza Rock. For $6, each child could make their own pizza … and the $6 could be applied to any entree. James and I shared a very delicious thin crust pizza with gorgonzola cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, and prosciutto. The best part was that so many of our friends could make it – thanks Sandy, Melissa, Bhavana, and Rachel for joining us!

After lunch, since it was less than a mile away, we visited the Crocker Art Museum for the first time. They have a family/kids event every few weeks, where a docent discusses a piece of art with the kids and leads a craft project inspired by that piece. The kids were interested in touring the museum longer than I expected, and we went through almost every display. Zachary was especially interested in the year pieces were made … the older the more exciting! 

In the evening, I helped organize a farewell party for Bhavana and her family. They are going to Malaysia for 2 years (for Vish’s work) and a group of her close friends wanted to send them off in style. We rented a church hall, catered Indian food, and organized a party for them, complete with a delicious tiramisu cake.

We will definitely miss them and look forward to their return. What a wonderful experience, especially for their boys. Safe travels! (Check out the twin’s mohawks below)

Sunday, James took the kids swimming while I ran with my friend/coworker Erjia. Unfortunately, these 2-3 mile weekend runs are not doing much to counteract all the dinners out … I have almost 4 lbs to lose again to get back to my pre-kids weight. Ugh, just in time for tank tops, shorts, and swimsuit season too. I really should not have had 2 slices of cake the night before.  In the afternoon, I went to watch Sandy and Melissa at their ballroom showcase … each of them showed off 4 dances. What an great show, a cumulation of almost 6 months of hard work. I have no idea how they keep track of all the steps - Bravo!

Post showcase, we went on a family bike ride, and then my family joined Sandy and Melissa’s for dinner at Piattis. We had a private room with one big table, so it felt almost as cozy as eating at someone’s house, except no one had to clean up, cook, or do dishes. And since kids eat for free, the price was right too!

Last but  not least … Congratulations to Dr. Natalie for passing her board exams! With a very energetic 3-year-old, a baby, and a husband that also works full time (make that overtime; he’s also a doctor) … I am just so impressed.

And speaking of capable gals, Calie is now playing teacher. She sets up areas to play, such as blankets to jump in, and then tells me “You’re a good listener so you can go first.” She also quizzes me on colors and shapes and animals. She will either praise me with “Good job!” … or when I pretend to mess up, “No. The answer is <word>. Let’s all say that together <says the word slowly, over pronounces>.” She sings songs which require participation and rotates between me, James, and Zachary (who is a great sport playing along). She even sets up art stations, which mostly consist of pretending to paint our hands and making prints on paper. Quite the character, and I’m just loving this age! I hope she never loses her sense of confidence.

This past Friday, there was a work celebration at the DoubleTree hotel in Sacramento. The theme of the party was Hollywood/red carpet. Dinner was a feast … carving station with prime rib, turkey, salmon … 2 tables of desserts including both a dark and white chocolate fountains … made to order pasta bar … spread of salads and appetizers … and my favorite, a long table of Indian food with 2 curry sauce fountains. There was also a bar made entirely of ice, so of course I had to order a drink. Plus, I couldn’t let 2 drink tickets go to waste! Fortunately, I bought my dress online, and it was a bit tight … otherwise I would have had another plate (on top of the 2… or was it 3? … I already had.)

There was a dance floor and DJ in the downstairs ballroom. Upstairs, there were numerous casino tables and a green screen, where people could dance and show up on projected screens in front of random backgrounds.

It was a fun night to celebrate both James and my work accomplishments. As a bonus, James’ parents came up to babysit, and the kids got to spend quality time with their grandparents. So basically a free date night … I was about to say minus the gas it took to get there, but I won a $50 Chevron gift card that more than covered it!

Saturday evening, we hosted Zachary’s 7th birthday party at Monster Golf. It was a few weeks early (his actual birthday isn’t until April 6th), but we wanted to avoid potential spring break vacation conflicts. I bought the most awesome cake ever from my admin’s friend (http://littledelightscupcakes.blogspot.com/) … homemade chocolate cake with an Angry Birds scene. For fun, I used trick candles … but they don’t make them like they used to. A few puffs and all 7 candles were extinguished. Boo-hiss!

We kept food very simple – pizza, vegetable tray, strawberries, cheddar puffs, and goldfish crackers. (20 bananas were too green to serve … I see banana bread in our future ) For dessert, we had mini cupcakes, vanilla ice cream, and obviously birthday cake. After dinner/dessert, the kids headed out for 18-holes of Monster mini golf. They had fun playing what seemed like a cross between golf and field hockey!

At the end of the course, we handed out favors … 2 glow bracelets, a snack, and 50 tickets redeemable for junk, I mean prizes, at the arcade store. We had a bigger than expected turn out due to baseball being rained out … but aside from being a bit crowded in the party room, I enjoyed having so many of his/my friends over to celebrate. And thank goodness it wasn’t at my house since we had over 50 guests! The only downside was that since it was Monster themed and dark, it wasn’t appropriate for toddlers – we’ll have to catch our friends with younger kids at Calie’s party later this summer!

Zach made out like a bandit, as our friends are overly generous … Happy 7th Birthday Zachary!

(Grandparents got him Mindstorms … brings back memories of working at MIT’s media lab. Am I a total geek to say I am looking forward to teaching my kids how to program?)

The next day, after swim lessons, James’ cousin Chrissie and her family came over. The kids played basketball, soccer, and climbed all over the swingset. Since it stopped raining, we grilled ribeye steaks and peppers for lunch. I love it when extended family comes to visit. Last but not least, congratulations to Chrissie and Justin on baby #4!

Two weekends ago, after work, we went out for a family dinner at Bistro 33 (thanks Lisa for the gift card!) followed by cupcakes at Rockin Cupcake Cafe. The kids sang karoke for a free mini cupcake: “Down by the Bay” (numerous verses) by Zachary and “ABCs” by Calie.

On Saturday, we celebrated Nicole’s birthday at Bounce U. After rain all week with no end in sight, it was a great opportunity for the kids to run, jump, and bounce off some cooped up energy. Happy 4th Birthday Nicole!

After Nicole’s party, Calie napped while I took Zachary to his basketball game. He made his first basket ever! He’s not naturally athletic, but he loves the sport and never gave up all season (this was game 9).  He ran across the court, looking at me with a huge smile as if to say “Did you see that?!” I yelled back “I saw it Zach! Good job!” I know there are kids that score a gazillion baskets a game, but Zach isn’t one of those kids. He had to work hard and practice every weekend – and that basket meant a lot to him (and me!)

Sunday was Jack’s birthday. Unfortunately, Zach woke up complaining of a headache so we opted to keep him home. Too bad, as he missed out on a very fun magic show. A magician came to the house to entertain the kids, and Jack was the perfect assistant. I was so impressed by how animated he was ‘on stage’ – what great smiles! Happy 4th birthday Jack!

It was good we kept Zach home, because his headache was followed by vomiting and a high fever. He ended up missing 2 days of school. Fortunately, no one else in the family got it <knock on wood> , which is very surprising given that 9 out of 17 classmates were out sick that week. Seems like a very contagious virus.

The following work week was pretty brutal … 3 days of all-day meetings, and I had to present at 2 of them.  I have to say though, I put some focused effort on my presentations and they’re much improved compared to the last quarterly review. My staff is also more experienced in putting together content for me.

(Macaroni Grill dinner team builder … great to see coworkers from Poland, Mexico, and India again – and Thanks to Arturo for the personalized shirt!)

Friday, late at night, I went to play Mahjongg with Sam, Melissa, and Karen. I won a few hands! So here’s the problem … we play progressive (great idea), which means every time you win a hand, you need one more point to go out. For example, after winning 3 hands, you need a minimum of 3 points to go out, and after 4 wins, you need at least 4 points. Having never won more than 1 hand, I was pretty confused on how to score and stalled the game numerous times. I’m going to have to play more to increase my pace!

Saturday, we celebrated Maya’s birthday at her home with 4 different kinds of pancakes, fresh fruit, and of course birthday cake. It was a pajamas party – perfect for a cold drizzly day.  Happy 1st Birthday Maya!

(Reunited with ex-teammates from HP: Fernando, Jenny, Chia, and Eli!)

In the afternoon, Zachary had his last basketball game of the season. James and Calie came too this time, and he scored another basket! YEA! All the boys received personalized water bottles as end-of-season gifts. After dinner, we went back to Rockin Cupake Cafe. Meh. Last time, we had the whole place to ourselves, but this time there was a birthday party and seating was extremely limited. Since the cafe was small, I don’t think they can comfortably handle a birthday and additional customers. One of the previous cashiers said kids could bring report cards for a mini cupcake, but the owner informed us they decided not to do that promotion – she still gave out the mini cupcakes, but it was a bit awkward. Oh well. 

Yesterday, I took the kids to swim class in the morning, and in the afternoon, Zachary went to celebrate Rohan’s birthday at a local sports complex – Happy 7th Birthday Rohan!

Ending the weekend, my girlfriends and I indulged at ‘The Kitchen’ for Rachel’s 40th birthday (oops, did I say that out loud? I meant 28th.) It was one of the best menus out of the 6 times I’ve been. For starters, if you can believe it, I had raw oysters for the first time in my life. Very fresh tasting …and in Sandy’s words “like the ocean!”

My favorite dish was a Thai inspired bisque, but I also thoroughly enjoyed a fried poached egg, and a steak in cabernet sauce … heck, might as well add a link to their entire menu! Of course, the best part was that after weeks on end of work and kids’ activities, I got to enjoy excellent food with some great gals. Happy Birthday Rachel! 

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.

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 2^nd seat. Knowing his fascination with numbers, my first reaction was to ask,“How come you didn’t get the 1^st seat?” Hm. I may be more of a “tiger mom” than I care to admit … ROAR!

(What another blog so quickly? Why yes, I am procrastinating … folding laundry can wait!)

 

 

 

 

 

First week of February, I went to Austin for a recruiting event at University of Texas. I chose Austin since I have friends living there, and I figured the weather would be decent (haha). Let’s start with the positive side of the trip. I flew in Wednesday night and checked into my hotel before it got too dark. My friend Carol picked me up at the hotel, and we went to visit our other college roommate, Natalie. Jason (Natalie’s husband) was at work, but I got to hang out with 3-year-old Anderson and meet 4 month old Donovan. Since it was the kids’ bedtimes, Carol and I didn’t stay too long before heading to ‘Texas French Bread’ for a late dinner.

The next morning, I stopped by my cousin Dave’s house since he lived only 10 minutes from my hotel. I was able to catch Jiseon (Dave’s wife) for a few minutes before she had to rush off to work, and I met their 18-month-old son Alex for the first time. I worked in my hotel room most of the day, with a lunch break at  Mushashino for sushi with Natalie and Carol. 

In the evening, I attended a networking event and banquet for women engineering students. Unfortunately, most of the students at the networking event were looking for internships and I was targeting to fill permanent positions. l was still hopeful for the Career Expo on Friday though. As luck would have it, because of a snowstorm, the career fair was canceled! The entire University of Texas was closed. I wasn’t able to get on an earlier flight so I spent the day working in my hotel room and airport. What a disappointment! Although, given the circumstances, I should be happy I got home safe before the weekend.

That weekend, in addition to dance, basketball, and swim, we went to the mall. The weather was beautiful, and our original plan was to go to Fairytale Town or the Sacramento Zoo… some place outdoors. Unfortunately, we had no idea it was free museum day and the roads were congested. Since saving $20 wasn’t worth fighting the crowds, we decided to go a different day and walk around the mall instead. The kids rode on a carousel, played in the kids area, and we had lunch at the food court. Eh.

Sunday morning, Zachary and I ran a local 5k race. Since Zachary runs faster than I do, we had him pace with my friend Erjia. I ran it in 30:42 and Zach finished in 25:50.  He was the only 6-year-old to complete the 5k, and if it weren’t for the 11-year-olds in his age division, he would have placed 4^th. It was a fun race, with Super Bowl food served afterwards … pizza, chicken wings, chips/dip etc.

Zachary’s friend John from his soccer team invited him to a Super Bowl party that day, so I took him and Calie. John’s parents are huge Steelers fans – they served ham with a special barbecue sauce they had shipped from Pittsburgh, sausage with onion/peppers, and pierogies! The weather was perfect and the kids had fun playing in the backyard. The only issue was that since they had a pool, I constantly tracked my kids and wasn’t able to socialize. That and the Steelers lost.

Two weeks ago, work was really busy, and my manager took his team out for lunch at Fat’s. On Friday, I hosted happy hour at Tahoe Joes for my extended staff – we needed it! Saturday, James and I took the kids to Lowes to build a heart shaped music box and played out in the backyard. The weather has been amazing for Februrary.

In the evening, we went to a Sierra Trail Dogs crab feed fundraiser.  The food took a long time to come out and the kids (and James) got restless, but it was important to me to support one of my staff members. That and I like seafood.

Sunday, I was treated to a gourmet lunch by Sam and Melissa. They invited my family, Ed/Lori, Sandy, and JP over for herb crusted filet mignon, 3 root vegetable puree, and asparagus. For dessert, they served homemade raspberry sherbet topped with a heart shaped sugar cookie, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Delicious! I am all about using my calories wisely these days and that meal was definitely worth it!

In the evening, Bhavana and I took Dana out to dinner at Mylapore for her 40th birthday – Happy Birthday Dana! 

Dance, basketball, and swim continues – and while the kids enjoy those activities, it makes it harder to plan full-day family events. We never made it to Apple Hill last fall, and we have yet to hit the slopes this ski season. I need longer weekends!

So what did I do the rest of January? The kids continue their weekend basketball practice/game (Zach), dance class (Calie), and swim lessons (both). I try to jog 2x a week in a halfhearted attempt to lose the 3.7 lbs I gained over the holidays. 

A few weekends ago, Karen, Melissa, John, and I (with our families) got together for dim sum at Asian Pearl. I was totally craving Chinese food after seeing Melissa’s chili crab pictures from Singapore. After we got back from brunch, I met up with Tabitha at the Little Gym open house for a few hours. We did not win any raffle prizes, but the kids had fun doing gymnastics and eating cheese/crackers. As usual though, all the classes of interest were during my/James’ work hours. Oh well!

The next Friday, James and I attended Intel’s Winter ball. I wore a dress Kathy gave me with my Louboutains. I weighed myself that morning and was only .5 lb away from my goal weight (135lbs), so I decided it was close enough to earn by shoes back.  We left the kids at home (obviously) with their favorite babysitter and for the first time, Calie said goodbye without crying. Yay for little milestones!

There was dancing and eating and drinking. My friends Rachel, Karen, Bhavana, Sherry, and Tabitha were there with their husbands, as well as Peter, Aishwarya, Damon, Troy, Greg, and many other coworkers. Dinner was chicken and beef filet over mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables … typical hotel wedding food. I thought it was pretty good, but I tend to be very forgiving when I don’t have to cook. The dancing was fun, especially the Bollywood numbers Bhavana requested; so many people got on the dance floor! While I lasted longer than I expected, I am confirming that there is no such thing as comfortable 4” heels no matter what the price tag.

The next day (Saturday), we had a few of James’ friends over for dinner. I made parmesan spiral pasta, a green salad, and chicken Caesar burgers (Rachel Ray recipe.) We had Baskin-Robbins mint chocolate chip ice cream cake for dessert. It was a very good turnout considering I planned it so last minute!

Kids started by playing outside (new basketball hoop) and moved indoors once it got dark. There was a very clear gender division amongst the kids – the girls played together in Calie’s room and the boys all wanted to race on the Wii. Late into the evening, the adults played a few rounds of mahjongg.

On Sunday, I took the kids to Bounce U to jump off some energy, followed by running around at Lembi park. In the evening, I took Calie out for sushi, where at the end of the meal she proclaimed,”I love it. Come back.” I am so pleased to have someone in the family enjoy food as much as I do!

On another positive note, I found the perfect massage place (Golden Hand Massage). They are located about a mile away from my home and take appointments up until 9:30pm, which means I can go after the kids are in bed. It’s one of those foot reflexology places that also do full body massages … a full hour for less than $35! The last place like that I went to, the masseuse smelled like cigarettes so I never went back. I’ve also tried making appointments at Massage Envy, but I’ve been unsuccessful the last few times getting day-of appointments. Retrospectively I’m glad because this place is less expensive and my new masseuse Lucy is great … plus she speaks Mandarin so I get to practice my spoken Chinese!

 
 
Tuesday, Melissa and Dana (and their families) met up with us at Red Robin for dinner. A few of my friends went to see ‘True Grit’ after dinner, but the idea of watching a western was not appealing at all, so I passed. The following day, John and Sam took James out for a birthday dinner at Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ. Unfortunately, for James’ actual birth date, I was enroute to the east coast (see previous post), but his coworkers treated him to lunch at Thai Paradise to celebrate. Happy 39th Birthday James!

 
 
On Thursday, Sam and Melissa invited James and the kids over for dinner at their house. Neither of our families have relatives living nearby, and it’s nice to have friends who help support the ‘single parent’ when their spouse is traveling. I’m so grateful for their friendship! James did an excellent job (as I expected) with the kids while I was away – he took Zach to get his basketball team photo taken, went to Calie’s dance class and  Zach’s basketball practice/game, and attended a fun playdate at Rachel’s house. Not to mention the house was clean and a load of laundry was done, plus he was working on a major work project after the kids were in bed. What a guy – I couldn’t ask for a better role model for my kids.

Sunday morning, James took the kids to swim class while I unpacked my luggage and restocked groceries. Then to give him some well deserved time to himself (well, for work), I took both kids to ArtBeast. I thought it was a good idea since the weather was cold and rainy, and apparently so did every other parent in the area. Unlike past Sundays when we’ve gone, it was very crowded! The kids had fun though. Zach made *5* beaded necklaces for Valentines’ Day gifts.

While I was was bummed to miss Rachel’s dinner playdate (multiple dishes of Chinese food made by Rachel’s mom vs dry airline pretzels), I was glad I got back in time for Karen’s crab feast at CF Chengs that evening. That place was amazing – you buy your own fresh (live) crabs and they cook it for you for a nominal fee. The spicy garlic dish was my favorite.  James’ opted not to go since he doesn’t appreciate the ROI on eating crabs, so I took Calie and joined Sandy, Karen, Rachel and their families. I was late because I missed my exit, but since I eat quickly, I more than made up for lost time. Note to self: Next car must have GPS. As I sat in my parked car on the side of highway 160 with a 2-year-old in the back seat and an “Exotic Dancer” neon sign flashing nearby, waiting for my iPhone to reroute me, I concluded that not getting a GPS system in my car was one of the dumbest decisions I’ve ever made.

 
Last but not least, happy 2.5 years to Calie!