The Sky's the Limit

This week we had a really fun and unique opportunity that, quite frankly, we would have missed had we not had a kindergartner. Hallie's elementary school (a.k.a. Mom's work) held one of several 'Family Reading Nights'. Typically, and ESPECIALLY on Fridays, Mom is done with work and opts not to participate in the evening activities. It is rare for her students to have any extra involvement beyond the school day so, unless help is needed, she calls it a day. (Note: This will no longer be the case as she has been elected by PTA to be Red Ribbon Week Organizer/Chairman - check back in October and watch her stress level rise) At this point Hallie doesn't always remember that there is a school function since she just plain enjoys being with her family so we come off easy, but we decided this sounded fun. As a bonus, Mom got some much needed classroom time since we hung out until Dad and Anna brought dinner and, Dad got to surprise his students who were there earning community service hours.

The evening began with a trip to the Star Lab planetarium (an inflatable dome in the cafeteria) for Dad and Hallie. Inside, they listened to the guide and watched the constellations above while learning of the different 'stellar' perspectives had by Asian, Native American and Greek traditions. An exciting announcement came shortly after the star gazing began, and we were notified that the International Space Station would, within minutes, be passing almost directly over the playground! We all hurried out to the grass and waited until gradually it came into view. SO COOL! It traveled quickly and blinked its way across the sky to the North of us to the gasps and cheers of the crowd. So the picture is a tiny speck and the video is the tiny speck moving (and blinking). We know what it is! Speaking of tiny specks, another point of interest is the photo that leads off this entry. It is a picture of Saturn. Yes, ACTUALLY Saturn. The nice man with the telescope held our camera to the eyepiece and got this great shot. Its pretty amazing, though the picture doesn't do it justice. We've all seen pictures and posters but this was actually it - rings and all! It looked like a perfect little sticker until the eye adjusted and flickering stars could be seen as well. Several other displays and additional telescopes were set up on the field so we had plenty to see on the way to an activity-filled library.
With 3-D glasses at the ready, we were amazed at the 'really real looking' planets posted around the room. We learned more about the planets' appearance and positions in the sky from a JPL volunteer who was wonderful with kids. Readers were on hand to share stories of galaxies beyond and craft stations were set up for us to make our own shooting stars.The girls had a great time and Mom and Dad enjoyed the night out as a family. We're so glad we spent that last little bit of end-of-the-week energy to share in this very successful school event and experience Hallie's continued wonder and love of science.




This was not our first adventure in space at our school either. In 1998 we had the pleasure to meet (and acquire the autograph of) space shuttle pilot Maj. Steve Lindsey. Not just any pilot, but fellow alum and brother to Auntie's piano teacher - oh yeah, and the guy piloting John Glenn back on his return to space!

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)