Oh, I Could Write a Sonnet....

Well, not really, because Easter was not eventful enough to give you the required fourteen lines (and, which scheme to follow... Italian, Spencerian, English, Modern?) Besides, there were no bonnets to provide a rhyme for sonnet - just a couple of cute girls who had fun running around a yard full of eggs. First at church, looking for plastic eggs full of Oriental Trading's religious finest, then at Grandma's, searching for the eggs they had dyed the night before (and a few special extras from the Easter Bunny).

Again this year, Hallie assumed the important role of fashion consultant (a task that entailed agreeing to look at a catalog tossed to her by Mom and informing the buyer if anything caught her eye). She decided that pink was 'last year' so blue was the way to go. It was all of her choosing and it is quite obvious she knows what makes them look good. All the kudos from the church crowd had to be handed over to the big sister who wanted to be dressed like her little protegee. After the service, the 1-5 yr olds waited at the gate to be let in to the egg hunt. As you can imagine, the 5 yr. olds are only there because they would be mowed down if they were in the bigger hunt, so their bags seemed to hold a greater bounty than those of the toddlers. Though Hallie was with a Kindergarten friend, she was very good about allowing some of the little kids to find some eggs. She even directed a couple children other than Anna toward the 'hidden' treasure. She was very good about not taking the obvious finds and running interference when a bigger kid got too close to the little one trying to make it over there. It sure would be nice for Hallie if, next year, the older children show the newbies the same courtesy (but we won't put all our eggs in THAT basket).

After church we made our way to Grandma's party with Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Mike and 'Auntie' Madolyn. Since more guests were coming, the Easter Bunny (as directed by the team of Auntie and Uncle Chad) had a good amount of time in which to hide the eggs (which had magically traveled from one fridge to the other). The delay was no problem for the girls since they hadn't had a chance to tear around the house for a while. When Grampa arrived we began to hunt for the eggs - luckily, Mrs. Bunny had remembered to count the eggs beforehand. Shortly after the hunt began, Mom's cousins John and Michael arrived as did Uncle John bearing See's chocolate bunnies (only for the girls..mmmm). He didn't hand them out until after the eggs were safely abed. Smart guy! He got them each a different color bunny which made life SO much easier. Of course a taste test was necessary and it was tad more difficult to get the bunny away from Anna than Hallie. (Later she would ask for her "chu-loc-lit, Daddy?" Hallie got a kick out of the fact that she could have a bigger morsel than could her sister. Miraculously, the dresses remained chocolate free - though we made sure they were machine washable. Soon, a diversion was created so we were able to rescue the earless bunnies and bring the hunt to a close.




















The eggs had been sorted and counted and survived several trips into and out of the baskets. Hallie was so tolerant of her little sister and thought Anna very cute, trading between the two baskets to get the colors she liked. She is such an unselfish little girl and such an awesome big sister!










The celebrating came to an end after the perfect Easter ham with trimmings, a birthday dessert for Mom (thanks Auntie!) and presents. It was an absolutely perfect day; relaxing, beautiful and memorable. Thanks, Grandma for a wonderful party!

Who'd Have Thought?

Did you know our girls are amazing?  Did you know that they're brilliant?  How about vivacious, charming, affectionate and generous? Or, creative, witty, quick and strong?  Oh... and did we mention loquacious?  Who'd have thought it?  Us... have talkers with a fierce (our new word resulting from watching Project Runway) vocabulary? We'll give you a minute to recover from the shock - go ahead. (Unfortunately, a few years' time will bring sarcasm to the list - have you met us?)  Seriously folks, we've got some pretty special and hilarious kids here. Sure they can be trying, but their transgressions are SO minor in comparison to those of the charming children of others' that we see out and about. It is so rare, however, that an issue can almost surprise us into overreaction because we forget that they're as young as they are. That's that reality check for overconfident and prideful parents. You know the one... you are busy being complimented by someone or, are telling the poor soul who asked, of the amazing thing junior did and junior decides to eat something off the sidewalk? OK, they haven't done exactly that but if you're a parent, you've seen it in action.


Though we know you'd love to read each and every moment of genius and hilarity, here are our picks for this month...


Hallie - One day, I asked her what she did after school and she said they watched movies but she didn't watch both - she drew pictures during the first one. When I asked her why, this is what she said. "The first one was Sponge Bob and I know you and Daddy said it's not an appropriate show. I watched Diego when it was over because we've watched that at home." She is reading like a third grader, loves her teachers and greets everyone by name with a bright smile and a cheery voice. My coworkers all tell me how Hallie just brightens their day when they see her on her way to class. Recently, when Dad was telling her he loved to give his girls hugs and kisses, she said, "Daddy, I'm not a big fan of the kissing. But you can kiss Anna - she hasn't gotten as many kisses as I have because she's new." Also, when she and Anna were counting cars, (no, not cards - we're not in Vegas) Dad shared the fact that Aunt Suzie taught him how to count. Hallie asked him why and if they didn't have schools when he was little. She is currently learning to tell Knock-Knock jokes. What a kid!

Anna - Like her sister before her, Anna is now adept at ordering a restaurant dinner. Usually it's at Denny's - kids eat free on Tuesdays and Saturdays - and occasionally Red Robin if she's feeling adventurous. The waitress at Denny's is familiar enough to the girls that Anna is pretty comfortable. Given the picture menu, she will say "Ummm....I would like......" and always orders grapes for her side dish. She also says things like "May have some pickles Mommy?", "Daddy, I told you..." , and tells us just who it was that was the cause of her ouch report from school. A few nights ago, when heading to the shelf for a book, she turned with her hand in the air and said, "Wait, Mommy, I be right back." She is also learning to understand Farsi and Chinese at preschool but, except when she points to parts of her body, we have no idea what she is understanding when the teachers are giving her a few parting words.


Together - They sing, march and dance - in the car, or in the living room - read and draw like crazy and try to make you laugh. Those, we understand - sounds like Mom and Dad. They like to help, are good eaters and they both choose broccoli over any other vegetable for dinner, except....get ready... SPINACH! We're stumped. They're great, but we're stumped.

A bit of advice.....Always cc yourself

Though it falls into the category of superstition, a very important lesson was learned - and at the very outset of the new year. Here it is.... ALWAYS cc yourself.
Knock wood, we are going to experience our first full week back to work and school - all four of us. Since a couple of days after Christmas, we have been battling colds, croup, walking pneumonia, a new and nasty unnamed virus, and bronchiolitis - with Anna bearing the brunt.
It seems that someone forgot to inform us that adding a child to the equation adds 183% more cooties to be shared amongst the closest relatives. Furthermore, it was NOT in the manual, that, as a result, more children mean more medical apparatus being brought into the home. It need not be mentioned that our vocabulary relating to the areas of legal drugs and virulent diseases increases tenfold. (I still pose the question, "How do I scrapbook 'My First Steroid'? "
Now, the proud owners of a breathing chamber and a portable nebulizer, we are thinking of starting a special drawer in the house dedicated solely to respiration and the improvement thereof. After all, we still have the humidifier (cool mist of course) saline drops (Rock on 'Little Noses') inhaler WITH spare Albuterol - oh and let's not forget the little bulby things from the hospital (aspirators, you know) Oh yeah, and when Dad starts to wheeze again we'll drop whatever we end up with in the drawer, too.

At this point, we are healthy and strong, well hydrated and keeping the recommended BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet down. Above all, we truly hope you enjoyed the good health we originally wished, and continue to do so. We certainly appreciate the wishes that came around to us while we were under siege.

So back to the advice which cannot be stressed enough! When sending out the truly heartfelt wishes for health and happiness be it at Christmas, Hanukkah or the new year - email or snail mail - always cc yourself!

It Never Rains in Southern California

Yep folks, there are reasons we live in Southern California.  OK so we had rain for three days and mudslides ALWAYS follow wildfires - duh!  But, come on!  There are actually people who feel sorry for those of us who are planted here.  They act as though we are either just too stupid to leave or that we're in some sort of purgatory. They're afraid of earthquakes and would 'NEVER be able to stand it here'.  I guess it's all relative but I can't imagine sitting around in a bathtub with a mattress over my head just WAITING for a trip to Oz.  And then, let's not forget the weirdos who live here - you know, the fruits and nuts?  I guess we're some of 'em because we'd take it all with a side of earthquakes now and then to be near all the great things we have here. Of course, we frequent Disneyland, the zoos, aquarium and Sea World as regulars but we've got great museums, botanical gardens, theatres and incredible and diverse cultural experiences. We don't have enough time to expose our girls to it all as fast as we'd like so we try to take it as it comes.  There is, quite literally, an event of interest every weekend.

This weekend we took advantage of one 

of the first events of the year.  Though we are years away from bundling up for a night on Colorado Blvd. with the girls, we can still go see the main attraction - the floats!  Dad had to pretend that he didn't get held up at a signal the night before as the floats drove through our neck of the woods to Pasadena and he was a good sport.  Since we all had been sick from Christmas on, it was nice to get out in the crisp, January - feel sorry for us again here- 68 degree day.  

As always, the parade entries were beautiful and amazing and made mom long for those Christmas weeks in high school and college when she spent dawn 'til dusk in the float barns. (She only recently came to the realization that, while she and her friends were having the time of their lives, they were really giving their parents a break while school was out of session) They didn't have to worry about us as long as they didn't know how high on the scaffolds we were.  Anyway, it's hard to be walking around the floats and not comment from experience - we all hate those people who try to let everyone know how much they know, right? At least there was an excuse in Hallie asking mom 'what made all the different colors' and 'how they get the plants like that'. She thought it was particularly funny when she learned that mom spent a good week coming home with calluses from cutting straw flowers and onion seeds glued to her socks (and they NEVER come out).  It also is hard to see the floats as new when the frame is recognizable as a float from your decorating past.  Ahh, but the photos from 1985-1991 show the truth (and the trophies!)  All in all, it's a one of a kind experience to be part of the Tournament of Roses in any way. 

So, pity us - and our shaky sunshine - if you must, but we will always look forward to any time when we can be up close and personal to one of our many great  and unique 'SoCal' opportunities.  (Nobody who lives here says that, by the way)

Christmastime was here

It was actually a very calm and relaxed Christmas for us this year. We had the pleasure of spreading out our family celebrations so we got a little break between school letting out and the holiday as well as have a good amount of time to spend with each family group without having to rush off somewhere or having so many people around, no one knows what is going on. We looked forward to all the events quickly filling up our calendar and were curious to see the changes in both girls from last year to this. Our main goals were to get and decorate a tree, make it through the last week of school with sanity intact and stay healthy through Christmas night. We made it, though we should not have time-stamped the health because we almost always meet our deadlines - good or bad. All in all, it was a fun filled holiday with some quite memorable experiences and surprises.

Looking for a tree was the first order of official holiday business but by the time we went out to get one, even Home Depot was calling it quits. We were only a day or so later than usual in beginning our search but that, combined with the drought made for slim pickin's.

So in the true spirit of Christmas, we went out on an 80 degree day, ended up at the first place we started and paid way too much for a our Douglas Fir. At least it

was a lovely tree - not just because we need to justify it either. It was a perfect shape, freshly cut and unwrapped, and had been sitting in a trough of hose water with a bunch of other 'secret trees'. At least they tied it onto the car for us. We brought it home and decided that the decorating would happen late enough that we could finish school but soon enough that we wouldn't be taking everything off again. The girls had fun hanging the ornaments though to look at the design, you'd think that the tree had only one side and was only three feet tall. The Christmas magic was truly in the air that night however... by morning the tree had sprouted a few more sides and and grown by at least three feet! It also had a trim since Mom needed some boughs for a class project - but, hey, more room for presents underneath!

The school festivities began with the Book fair/Breakfast with Santa where both girls enjoyed a good sized pile of pancakes and sausage before joining Santa for a photo op. Santa was very happy to see the girls and reminded them to be

VERY good since he has known Mom and Dad personally for many

years and we have an understanding. (Santa also took us out once for great Mexican food at El Tepyac for 'Manny's Special' but that's a story for a different time) Anna almost smiled and Hallie promised to be good.

They really almost always are, you know. Santa insisted on a picture with Dad and after the PTA ladies stopped staring, we headed to the library to choose some books and let Mom get started with her shift at the register. Dad and the girls headed out to visit Grammie and celebrate Daddy's birthday with her.

The following few weeks were filled with projects, crafts and rehearsals for the school holiday program. We received a letter informing us that Hallie had been chosen to perform as a toy soldier in one of the numbers sung by the Kindergarten classes. We had to be sure she had enough combinations of white shirts and black pants to get through dress rehearsals and performances - she and her teacher made the hat, and be sure she knew all the words to the songs. The songs were easy - keeping the white shirts clean...not so much. She took her role very seriously and, as a result of her interpretive soldier moves during rehearsal, the others picked up her step and jazzed it up a little. Most important though, she had a great time, did well and loved Kindergarten that much more.

Once school was out for the holiday and we didn't have to worry about getting 

everyone to bed on time, we took an evening drive to check out another holiday tradition.

Each year a local neighborhood shows an incredible display of Christmas lights. Each block has a different theme and each household raises its electric bill to new heights. 

We took another quick trip to Disneyland to catch the Christmas parade and ride It's a Small World Holiday one more time (and we were very glad we did since we then were all sick and everything was taken down before we would make it back). So even though we didn't do much else, it was worth it to watch the girls bobbing their heads, singing along and dancing to the parade music. Hallie asked Anna if she thought it should be Christmas at Disneyland all year long and received a resounding baby "Yeah!" Mom was secretly pleased but pretended to side with Dad who is not a fan of that plan.

Our official Christmas celebrations actually began on the 23rd of December. We had the great pleasure of meeting our new niece, Jessica. She was here, with her mom of course, to share Christmas with her family and celebrate her Baptism. Not quite 3 months old, she was sweet and quiet and nicely complied when her Aunt was holding her for the first time - quiet and napping. The service was nice, Hallie and Anna made it through about 20 minutes and played in the hall until it was time for the reception. Jessica showed her familial trait of extreme intelligence by snoozing for the duration of time those nice old people came poking around - she didn't make a peep. After our time at the church, we headed back to Grammie's for lunch and Christmas presents.  

Hallie kept wiping her brow with a "phew" as she explained to everyone that now she had 

"TWO babies to take care of.  First there was Anna and now comes little Jessica!"  Anna was more interested in the kid-friendly set up Grammie has going on and only got a little jealous when Mom was holding Jessica.  Our new niece was enthralled with Hallie's reading of the new book we gave to her and she was this attentive for the entire length of the story!

  It was a very nice visit with Aunt Suzie too but like any new Mom, she knows who we all really want to see (she knows we love her) And, as it turned out, the day and time was perfect for us because we had the next family gathering later that afternoon about 20 minutes away.  As it so happens we have a LOT of family and they all expect to see us every once in a while - imagine!  We had a nice visit there as well with all those aunts and uncles and cousins, oh my! More great food, a gift exchange (during which Hallie chose to keep the gourmet cheese basket) and special treats for the girls from Aunt Patty.  We even lucked out on the way home - the girls didn't sleep so they went to bed properly in their own beds.  A Christmas miracle. 

Christmas Eve was on our own this year so Mom decided to try a turkey and Dad took the girls to church.  They actually sat through part of the service and waited the rest out until it was time to pet the Christmas animals in the courtyard.  A cow, donkey, llama, goat, sheep and a few rabbits patiently allowed themselves to rubbed and petted while children and chickens scurried around their feet.  Hmmmmm.... probably didn't have hand sanitizer outside the stable though....

After church and dinner, it was finally time to prepare for the big night.  Hallie remembered everything that we needed to leave out for Santa and his reindeer and placed it all just so on the table.  She then reminded us about the 'Santa Key' she needed to hang on the door so Santa could get in (for those of us who have no fireplace).  She also commented that Santa might like walking inside after bouncing down the other chimneys.  Santa did indeed show his appreciation by remembering the items requested by the girls (Anna did it telepathically, we think) and threw in a few surprises as well.  Hallie got to show it all off when Grandma and Auntie and Uncle Chad came over for brunch and presents.  Hallie was thrilled with her watch and admired it while Anna zoomed around on her new ride on toy.  We then rested, took our traditional wreath to Rose hills and 

went to Grandma's for Christmas: part 3 - dinner and , you guessed it, more presents.  We also had an extra treat in sharing Christmas with Uncle Chad's mom and dad.  It was another fun, non-cranky day AND everyone made it to normal bedtime again!  (Not as exciting when it appeared to be in preparation for the sleepless nights of the cold afflicted days to come)

As always we are happy to have the family so near and look forward to each opportunity to share our lives for just a little while. We hope your Christmas was just as blessed.

...and to all, a good night!