Another first...

K's bottom left middle tooth is loose! She had both daddy & I wiggle it & we confirmed. She's a little worried about losing her teeth, but also excited for it to finally happen. If anyone knows of any great books about losing teeth, let me know. I think we need a trip to the library! We might be singing "All I want for Xmas is my Two Front Teeth" this holiday season.

1st Day of First Grade

K was ready & excited this morning. She had set aside new clothes that she got for her birthday. We painted her nails last night to match the outfit. A little dark but she loved the new color – purple! She had a new (non-princess) pink camouflage backpack & matching lunch bag. Both kids went to bed early last night. 7:30! They were well rested this morning and even I got to sleep in a little. Felt great to have a nice relaxing morning where the kids got to sit and eat a little breakfast before we headed out the door. Its not that they don’t eat, they just take it with them to their school or before school program.

Bubs even had something to look forward to today. His longtime friend, our playgroup friends that we’ve known since both boys were born, was starting at his preschool today. He was so excited. Daddy & I are a little apprehensive though. This could mean trouble having them together. They are 2 boys with LOTS of energy. The teachers have been warned that they might need to sit on opposite sides of the classroom. I just hope I don’t get “that” call from them!!

Today, I dropped off Bubs first and then took K to her school. I felt like it was my first day too! I wasn’t sure where to go, but we both quickly found out. We went out back to the playground to find the classroom. That is where the kids drop off their backpacks in large bins, lunches in another bin, & school supplies in another bucket. And then they stand on their number and wait for the teacher to open the door & welcome them in. Of course, today we were early so K played with her friend Hannah who was sad to find out that K wasn’t in her class. Apparently she had talked to a number of kids that was in K’s class. I am pretty happy with who we got for her 1st grade teacher, so far I’ve heard a lot of good things about her. We found out that her teacher wasn’t there today, she unfortunately had to go out of town for a funeral. K will get to meet her on Wednesday. At 8:30 the door opened up & the sub invited all the kids into their new classroom. K always has such a smile on her face. The parents stayed for about 5 minutes & then I gave hugs & K wanted Eskimo (nose) kisses. Then the parents were off for coffee & muffins in the multi purpose room. This year I actually new 2 other moms there & we chatted for a few minutes before I headed off to work. It was a good morning. I can’t wait to hear how K’s first day of 1st grade was. Here’s to another new school year!

Easiest Bedtime Ever...

Last night before 8pm, I was down the hall & over heard Bubs talking to daddy. He was in the family room and he said, “I’m tired, I want to go to bed.” I took him to brush his teeth and then he climbed in bed. I pulled up the covers and kissed him good night. And the great thing was that both kids were in bed & P & I were back on the couch shortly after 8 to watch a movie. Not once did Bubs come out of bed after that. It started to become this habit of his that he would come out 1-3 times with a reason. (I’m scared, I heard something, I’m not tired) I wondered if he was feeling ok? This morning, he was so proud of himself. “I stayed in bed last night. I’m a good boy. I’m going to bed tonight when I’m tired.” I’ll cross my fingers and hope that its before 8!

Bubs' new phrase...

Bubs woke up early Saturday morning - 6am - and I tried my hardest to get him to go back to sleep. He came in bed w/ P & I, tossed & turned and kept me up. So then I took him back to his room, turned on his music & laid in bed w/ him. Still, no sleeping for either of us. He wanted to to watch TV. He also always wakes up hungry and wants to eat right away. What finally got me out of bed was, "Mom...my mouth is hungry...." I couldn't stop laughing. Once again last night he said it again. He is always hungry & always wants a snack before dinner. We are never ready to eat when he gets that instant hunger pang. I suggested he eat a Mandarin orange & instead, he suggested to me "what about carrots?" Most definitely! Carrots it was. And the carrots helped fill his hungry mouth.

Happy 8.8.08

Congratulations to my brother's wife's sister & her husband on the birth of their twins today!

Boy - 6 lbs 15 oz

Girl - 4 lbs 15 oz

Almost 12 pounds of baby. The boy was bigger than both K & Bubs each who were each a day late. Amazing & beautiful.

Also - today, the start of the Beijing Olympics! Happy Friday. Have a great weekend.

1st Soccer Practices

K in action!

Bubs on the ball.

Our little tough guy isn’t so tough at times. Wednesday night (8/6) Bubs had his first ever practice for an organized sport – Soccer. It was a clinic for Under 6 & 7 year olds. He made the cut off by a few days so he’s probably one of the youngest guys out there. It was a clinic so there were probably 50+ kids & some coaches out there. They divided the boys up into smaller groups close to their ages, but it was still very overwhelming.

Here's a picture of him on the field. Daydreaming? Trying to figure out what he's supposed to be doing. There is the freeway off in the distance, maybe he was mesmerized by the cars racing by. It was frustrating to watch. The boy who is so full of energy at home. Running around the house at a hundred miles a minute, comes to the sidelines after 3 minutes of being on the field. "I'm thirsty." Here's some water, now get back out there & go after the ball. And so he goes. Until he runs, trips and falls down. Stands up & starts bawling in the middle of the field. Of course, the 4 & 5 year olds keep playing around him & Daddy tells me to let him be, he'll be ok. The coach on the field comes to his aid & I feel like the mean parent. (meanwhile, the pack of kids around the ball end up in another direction all on the baseball field!) We take him off the field, he wants more water & then convince him to go back out there. More tears come. "Nobody will give me the ball" Of course not! No kid at that age really passes do they? And then the next complaint "My sides hurt" I think he might have had cramps from all the water he drank. So he didn't want to run around anymore & wanted to stand by the goalie. He doesn't quite get it that there is only one goalie on each team. The little goalies told him that he had to go out after the ball - and once again, bubs had more tears. I've never seen him sob & cry so much. It broke my heart & only frustrated daddy. I had to remind daddy that he's young. Hopefully we will look back at these moments in a couple months and see how he's grown & learned more about the sport. I just hope & pray that we have not traumatized him to the point that he doesn't want to get back out on the field. Once practice begins with a smaller group of kids, hopefully he'll be more comfortable.

On the other hand, K went out the next day, Thursday, & met her team of 12 girls in the Under 7 group. This was also her first time playing soccer & surprisingly, she seemed to enjoy it. She's learning & trying all the skills. P & I were really proud of her. We had also tried to pump her up to show Bubs how much fun soccer can be. They are the Precious Gems. How fitting is that for our little princess. I had to borrow some big shorts from Bubs for her to practice in. I wasn't sure it was appropriate to go out on the field in skorts. I'm sure there will be more exciting info to come. Stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Bubs!

Today our little man turns 4! It took him 6 months to remember what age he was at 3. I was shocked to hear him announce that he was 4 today. And to my surprise, the first question he asked me, "Mommy, does that mean I get to go on the tree house today?" Yes! There is a tree house at his school up a little ladder. Only the kids 4 and older are allowed to go on it. He remembered & today he gets to go up! It's really surprising what is important to kids & what they remember. I'll have to ask him later, how it was!

Bubs, We hope you have a very Happy Birthday! Mom, Dad, & K love you very much!

The hardest part of a vacation...

...is getting back into every day life.

We just got back from this family of 4's best vacation ever - a 7 night Disney Cruise to the Mexican Riviera! One week away from cell phones, computers, work, school, everything! Even Daddy, who didn't really have anything positive to say before the trip, had a blast! We have already even mentionned one day trying to do it again. Like 3-5 years from now when the kids are a little older. There is so much to do on the Disney Magic - for all ages.

I don't have a lot of time right now, because of my 300+ emails, but I do want to mention the part I'm having a hard time with right now.

Bubs has come out of his room 3 times crying because all he wants is to go back on the cruise. He is so sad it breaks my heart. As I was putting both kids to bed, they each mentionned something they already miss.

K misses our servers. Addy from India, our head server would try to bring us anything we asked for. The first night she asked for pizza without sauce but unfortunately it was already pre made. But, the 2nd night, he had some brought in special just for her. Every other day he brought her pasta without sauce, just butter. Last night when she didn't like the Mickey shaped ravioli's, he brought her raw carrots with ranch. Unfortunately she won't be seeing that type of service in this house! He & his assistant Marijya (from Croatia) were wonderful. She remembered every night to bring the kids their new favorite (chocolate milk) but only 1/2 a cup per mom!

Bubs misses the towel figures placed on our beds every night after turn down service. By some Disney magic, our hostess placed an origami like towel figure on bed. They were shaped like a monkey, stingray, swan. Amazing figures and the kids got a kick everynight seeing what would be left! Unfortunately I can't re-create that one either!

Its 8am. Time for bed. Going to schools & work tomorrow is going to be so difficult.

Fireworks

After the ceremony there were fireworks & my tough little boy, who never seems to have a fear of anything - turns out, is afraid of fireworks. Here he is, laying down on the ground(still next to his new friend), looking away from the firework show. Poor guy, all he wanted to do was go sit in the tent. He did not get to enjoy the beautiful sky filled with lights! - While Kealy enjoyed every minute of it!

Relay for Life in Dublin - a success!

I just had to show everyone a screen shot of our successful Relay for Life - for the American Cancer Society. All the totals are not showing up online just yet, but our Team is #1 - TEAM OASIS, and I personally made it to #5 by raising $1425 of my $2000 goal.


I would like to thank everyone for their support & donations.


Although the weekend was HOT, the kids, Grandma & Grandpa S. & I cooled off with water guns & water balloons. There was some wind, so that helped circulate the air & cool off our wet bodies.


There was a Luminaria ceremony in the evening to remember those who have lost their lives to Cancer and to honor those who currently battle the disease. As we were preparing to sit down to watch the slideshow, we looked around for Bubs. Not a single person around had seen him sneak off. I looked up to find him where we were headed (cement steps/stairs) to sit & watch the presentation. He was already there, sitting between 2 young girls around 10-12 years old. He had a big smile on his face, just chilling between his new friends. I walked up to let him know we were looking for him. Apparently he had pointed & told the girls that his mom was down there by the tents. He knew where we were, but we had no clue about him! And then when it was time for the slide show, we made space for him to sit by the family, but he went right on back to sit between the girls. What a flirt! At almost 4??? What are we in for?

K is moving on!!

To first grade! Her school held a Kindergarten promotion on Friday the 13th. Grandma & Grandpa M, 2 cousins, brother, & mom & dad all came to watch. All the kindergarteners sang songs & one by one they walked across the stage to receive their certificate. It was also 3rd trimester awards & she received a Citizenship Award. Congratulations, K! We are all so proud of you.

Happy Birthday, K!

6 years old yesterday. I'm having a hard time believing that we have a 6 year old. My age so far has not affected me, but this has been in my head all the past week. SIX! Unbelievable. Yesterday it was even more clear when someone asked her how old she now was. She always likes to show it with her fingers & she put up 5. Realizing she was short, she had to put her cup down & put up one more finger from her other hand. She's moved on to showing her age with 2 hands! I guess the next milestone will be double digits!

She had the birthday she asked for yesterday. A Chuck E Cheese party. The first party outside of the house. Also the cheapest place around. I just thought for age 6, lets invite her friends. So we invited our playgroup & neighbors - the playgroup she's been in since she was about 6 months old. Her friends, her best friend, & siblings. That totaled 18 kids! No way could we have pulled that off in our house. This was the best, no preparation required party. I feel bad, but I didn't even make the cake. For the kids & parents, I bought a cake from Costco. I didn't feel too bad though because it tasted good & she got to pick it out. Chocolate cake, chocolate filling with white frosting topped off with of course, a Princess. For an hour she was off with her coins & friends playing games. The last 1/2 hour she ate pizza, had cake, danced with Chuck E Cheese & took some photos. She had a smile on her face the entire party. That is of course until we had to leave. Tears because 1. we were leaving & 2. she just got kicked in the face climbing behind someone up the play structure. (No marks today though - she's fine!)

Her birthday carried on all day with another party from 3pm-5 for a 4 year old friend (who also attended her party!). We got to ride the caboose of the Sunol Train from Sunol to Fremont & back (20 min each way). It was fun for the kids, but with all the excitement of the day - we were exhausted!! I must say it was pretty easy getting them to bed last night.

Today K woke up and went to school for the first time as a 6 year old. Is it possible that I actually see her older in my eyes? She is definitely growing up!! Sometimes I'm afraid its just way too fast! Wasn't I just holding her in my arms in the delivery room? She was only 5 lbs 13 ounces (a day late too!) how could she now be 43 lbs?

And reading her own birthday cards! Way to make us proud!

Happy birthday, K!
We love you, Mom & Dad

Where has my princess gone?

Up until last week, I could probably count on my 2 hands the number of days that K has worn pants this school year. She's always been a little "princess" getting all dolled up on a daily basis. Only dresses, skirts or skorts. Every time she wore pants everyone made a big deal about it. And one day she went to school in tears because I asked her to wear pants. I'm such a mean mommy!

Its been 4 days now - and she's only worn pants! What has happened? She seems to like attention. I'm wondering if all the attention about her wearing pants is what she enjoys! I can't seem to get anything out of her. I asked her if she'll ever wear a dress again. She doesn't know. I wonder if someone said something about her wearing dresses? Kids can be mean. I hope thats not the case.

Her 6th birthday is next week. I told people who asked for ideas that they can't go wrong with a dress. Oh no! Hopefully when the weather gets hot again, she'll realize that pants are not comfortable in the heat. I'll let you know how this progresses...

Piggy Bank

Just when I thought I had nothing new & fun to write about, my son gave me a big laugh this morning.

As we get out of the car this morning at his school, he asks me if I have money for the piggy bank, "my school's piggy bank." I had to think about it. What was he talking about?

And then it dawned on me! It had to do with events from yesterday when I had to pay K's tuition for after school care. Hers is due before month end, so I wrote the check & asked her to remind me to turn it in. Well, there I was asking K for something & Bubs was feeling left out. He said what about me, mommy? I'll get yours (I think I said tomorrow), but I really meant later this week, because its not due & late until the 5th of June. Remind me tomorrow, I asked. Ok & we got on with our morning.

He was reminding me to "pay his school's piggy bank!" I said no I'm sorry kiddo, I don't have it today. Thank you so much for reminding me. We will pay it, I promise. Just let me just transfer funds first!

My kids are COLD?!

So when I wake up this morning and decide to make the kids yoghurt, strawberry, banana, milk & ice smoothies. They drink them all up quickly & ask for seconds. I have all the windows open in the house to bring in the cooler morning air. Then K complains about being COLD. I say no way, enjoy the cold. Its going to be hot real soon. And sure enough, its 9am & I'm ready to close up the house. Window, shades & all. We are about to head to the park! Have a great weekend.

It's HOT!

2 days of triple digits & now evenings that don't cool off. Its HOT! We've managed to cool off during the week, at work & school. I'm not sure what we'll do over the weekend. Our house is hot! We need to get out. Unfortunately we don't have A/C. Every year we talk about getting it & then we manage to survive the handful of unbearable days. Maybe next year..? I am planning to take the kids to a local park with water play tomorrow morning. But plan to be home by noon. After that, we need to find someplace cool to hang out. I'm off to try to cool off!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the mom's out there - Hope you had a great Mother's Day! This was one of my favorite's! Both kids were so excited to give me their presents. They made their priceless gifts at school. Bubs - painted a flower pot & it came w/ 3 pen flowers. He brought that home Thursday & had to open for me that night because he was so excited. It's perfect for my desk at work. He also painted a popsicle stick frame & they put a picture inside. He was so excited to have me put it up on the wall. K made me a placemat & a small step stone that says I "heart" U. We took it right out front where she helped pick the spot & we put it right next to our walk. All her cards were handwritten & she was so proud of herself. She's reading & writing more every day. She is so excited w/ each new word.

We met at a park this afternoon w/ Daddy's side of the family. The kids played in the sand & on the structure most of the afternoon. We BBQ'd & relaxed. Weather was nice - a little windy, but I guess we are lucky it was nothing like next weekend is supposed to be - 90's! We even all got in a little football game. I impressed myself with a few catches! K even got into it. It was a mixed game of guys, girls & kids. Lots of fun. We should get that going more often. I realized how really out of shape I am! Daddy says he doesn't want to hear me complain about how sore I am tomorrow. I think I'll be ok! Better get the kids off to bed. They look like zombies right now.

I wish my Mom & Grandma a very happy Mother's Day. I miss you guys! Hope to see you soon. Goodnight.

Back from Las Vegas!

Every time we get out of town, or have company, I really slack on blogging. Sorry! I was on vacation -physically & mentally. Last weekend we drove the kids to Las Vegas to visit my Parents. It was the biggest family gathering/reunion that I can remember. The occasion - my dad's 60th birthday! And of course everyone else that was born in the year ending in 8. We had my cousins daughter born in 08, my brother in 78, my cousin's son in 98, my dad & his friend from Germany in 48, my uncle & another friend 38, & my grandmother in 1918. Not sure if I missed someone. I'm sure I'll hear back if I did. I think we all had a blast. I know I did. Lots of family, fun & food. It was a real quick trip though - arriving on Friday & leaving Tuesday. I already want to go back again & actually get in some sightseeing. The Hoover Dam, the Lake, some shows. Right now, I'm just recovering from all the partying & getting back into the daily grind. Mom & dad - we had a great trip, thanks for everything, (including the corrections)! See you soon!

April Fool's Day!

I’m not one to tell jokes well & I can’t even lie w/ a straight face. Yesterday someone at work got me good. A single friend/coworker told me she was moving & putting her 2 week notice in on Monday. It was completely believable & I was bummed. One of the few people at work I confide in was leaving! April Fools. When someone plays a joke on you, you just want to go out & get someone else!

K has dance class on Tuesdays, so I leave work & pick her up. Although yesterday I called daddy to ask where he was – he picked up Bubs & was just about home. Well, would he mind getting K? I was stuck at work & I wouldn’t be able to pick her up in time. What was the big deal? Well – the Mets game was on & he says “I’m trying to watch the game!” April Fools! I had to sneak that in fast before he got mad. I got him & yes, I would go pick up K.

After I picked her up, I asked her if they talked about April Fool’s Day at school. And if anyone had played a joke on her. She said a boy told her inside the classroom that there was a ladybug on her shoulder. He said "April Fool's" but she said she didn't believe him anyway because they were inside! And then she asked me if we had a whoopie cushion. Now how does a 5 year old find out about that!? They read a book about April Fools at school & she wanted to play a joke on her dad & brother. Sorry, no whoopie cushion in our house - I'll have to think about that one.

We did it!

K & I cut our hair today to donate to Locks of Love.

http://locksoflove.org/

K got her hair cut by someone other than mommy for the first time! We went short! Its going to take me some time getting used to - at least for me. K already loves her new do. She can't wait to go to school on Monday to show it off.