New years eve 2012
12/15/12 Our 1st Northstar Trip for the Season
Halloween 2012
At Mathis' preschool, they do not refer to Halloween as Halloween. They call it Imagination Day, and they encourage kids to not dress as licensed characters. I went to Mathis' school that day to watch their costume parade and performance.
When Mathis was in the Pre2 class, he was the one of the only kids who would sing during the class performances. So, I was surprised when Mathis barely sang, like the other kids, during the Imagination Day performance.
That night we went trick or treating with Hannah. We went out for an hour and made our way back to our house, where Beck and I stayed to pass out candy while the rest including Mathis kept trick or treating. The best costume we saw that night was a young teen dressed as a UPS driver that transforms into a UPS truck. Below Hannah and Maile are dressed as Cat Woman and a black cat, but Hansel thinks they look like a couple of ninjas.
When Mathis was in the Pre2 class, he was the one of the only kids who would sing during the class performances. So, I was surprised when Mathis barely sang, like the other kids, during the Imagination Day performance.
That night we went trick or treating with Hannah. We went out for an hour and made our way back to our house, where Beck and I stayed to pass out candy while the rest including Mathis kept trick or treating. The best costume we saw that night was a young teen dressed as a UPS driver that transforms into a UPS truck. Below Hannah and Maile are dressed as Cat Woman and a black cat, but Hansel thinks they look like a couple of ninjas.
Weekend before Halloween 2012
For Halloween we ordered Beck's costume from Amazon. When we got it, we found out that the costume was the wrong size. The packaging listed the right size but the costume itself was clearly for a teenager. We wouldn't have been able to get another in time for Halloween,so the Saturday before Halloween I took the kids to a party store in Redwood City to get a costume.
The next day we took the kids to California Ave for some pre-Halloween trick-or-treating. While there we ran into an Ohlone family whose kids are in Maile and Beck's classes. At the end the boys climbed into a fire truck.
The next day we took the kids to California Ave for some pre-Halloween trick-or-treating. While there we ran into an Ohlone family whose kids are in Maile and Beck's classes. At the end the boys climbed into a fire truck.
10/21/12 Alena's Pumpkin Carving Party
On 10/21/12 I took Maile to her classmate's pumpkin-carving party. We started out carving pumpkins, then the kids did a donut-eating game. Kind of like bobbing for apples but more sanitary.
Then the kids walked down the street to visit a neighbor's horses and capped it off with a pumpkin hunt in the front yard.
Their backyard was big with a play structure in one area, lots of grass, and great areas to explore.
Then the kids walked down the street to visit a neighbor's horses and capped it off with a pumpkin hunt in the front yard.
10/19/12 California Academy of Sciences
Hansel was in Chicago for a School of Rock conference, and Maile and Beck had the day off from school. So, I took all three kids to the California Academy of Sciences. Since it wasn't a national holiday or the weekend, it wasn't very crowded, mostly school kids on field trips.
In the rainforest, we saw some cool insects.
After the rainforest, we walked through the aquarium.
And then checked out the albino alligator, walked through the African hall and a couple of other exhibits.
We also took a couple of pics outside on our way back to the car.
In the rainforest, we saw some cool insects.
After the rainforest, we walked through the aquarium.
And then checked out the albino alligator, walked through the African hall and a couple of other exhibits.
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| This picture makes me laugh because it looks like Mathis' head is coming out of Maile's back. |
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| Earthquake exhibit |
10/14/12 Zoppe!
| On Saturday, 10/13/12, we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory in Redwood City for dinner. We saw there was some kind of tent set up down the street, so we checked it out after dinner. It was a family circus, not the comic strip but an actual family circus. We checked it out online and decided to go see it the next day. It was definitely up close and personal and the only animals were trained pets, so no guilt over circus elephants and tigers.   |
10/14/12 Astrid's 5th Birthday Party
On 10/14/12, I took Beck to his classmate Astrid's 5th birthday party at the My Gym in Palo Alto.
The party started at 9:30a on a Sunday, so we were one of the first ones there.
Beck's class is a K/1 class, so there were a lot of young kids at the party. Beck and his other 1st-grade buddies were probably the oldest.
The party started at 9:30a on a Sunday, so we were one of the first ones there.
Beck's class is a K/1 class, so there were a lot of young kids at the party. Beck and his other 1st-grade buddies were probably the oldest.
10/12/12 Hulk smash
| We tried to get a head start on Halloween costumes by checking some out at Target. |
10/7/12 Olivia's Birthday Party
On Sunday, 10/7/12, Maile had a birthday party for her classmate, Olivia. Hannah was invited, too, since she knows Olivia from being in K/1 together. So, we carpooled with the Yaus. It's nice when they are old enough to be dropped off and it's even nicer when they can go with a friend.
The party was at Sky High, a trampoline place. Maile's first time there. I knew she would like it.
The party was at Sky High, a trampoline place. Maile's first time there. I knew she would like it.
10/6/12 Harvest Festival and Art Center Re-Opening
The first Saturday in October was Ohlone's annual Harvest Festival, which is the largest fundraiser for the school's farm. I signed up to help with the first shift of T-Shirt sales. I thought it would be straight-forward and not that busy.
The t-shirts were brown with a rooster even though the farm no longer has a rooster. The school had to give the rooster away after a neighbor complained about its cockadoodledoing. I ended up buying one myself. I figure if I'm trying to encourage other people to buy one, I should buy one, too.
While I was doing the t-shirt sales, Hansel was taking the kids around to all the activities. I joined them at the Rummage Sale after my shift ended.
We went home, had lunch, and then Mathis had his nap.
On our way to the Harvest Festival, we saw that the Palo Alto Art Center was having its Grand Re-Opening, so I took the kids to the Art Center after Mathis' nap.
Outside of the center were some cars covered in art.
When you first walked in, there was a display of all the entries for the new logo and how they narrowed it down to the final new logo.
In the various rooms, they had different art activities set up. We walked by them first to get an idea. Then, we saw a performance was going on outside, so we went to watch that. After the performance, we went back in and did a number of the activities. The first was printing. The print they made read "Listen to your mom. Be friendly to people. Don't pull people's hair." Words to live by.
They also made some pottery. The 2 on the left are Mathis' and the one on the right is Maile's. Beck was still working on his. You can see his hand behind Maile.
The t-shirts were brown with a rooster even though the farm no longer has a rooster. The school had to give the rooster away after a neighbor complained about its cockadoodledoing. I ended up buying one myself. I figure if I'm trying to encourage other people to buy one, I should buy one, too.
While I was doing the t-shirt sales, Hansel was taking the kids around to all the activities. I joined them at the Rummage Sale after my shift ended.
We went home, had lunch, and then Mathis had his nap.
On our way to the Harvest Festival, we saw that the Palo Alto Art Center was having its Grand Re-Opening, so I took the kids to the Art Center after Mathis' nap.
Outside of the center were some cars covered in art.
When you first walked in, there was a display of all the entries for the new logo and how they narrowed it down to the final new logo.
In the various rooms, they had different art activities set up. We walked by them first to get an idea. Then, we saw a performance was going on outside, so we went to watch that. After the performance, we went back in and did a number of the activities. The first was printing. The print they made read "Listen to your mom. Be friendly to people. Don't pull people's hair." Words to live by.
They also made some pottery. The 2 on the left are Mathis' and the one on the right is Maile's. Beck was still working on his. You can see his hand behind Maile.
9/28/12 Girls Weekend Out
For our second annual Girls' Weekend Out, we decided to go to wine country. We had done a day trip 3 years back when Diana was pregnant and Mathis was 8 months old, but only Diana, Leilani, and I stayed overnnight. Everyone else just went up for the spa and dinner.
This time around everyone who could make it was in for the whole weekend. I'm sure even longer if we could have swung it.
Joyce B, Caroline, Vicki, and Ann were the first to start the weekend with a nice lunch in Sonoma at The Girl and the Fig. Lei and I made plans to leave Palo Alto around 2p. On our way up, the four gals let us know they were heading to the Napa Outlets and that we should join them. Lei and I figured we'd hit the outlets on Sunday and were kind of anxious to get to the house, so we headed straight to the house.
Lei and I got a quick workout in and just as I was about to jump in the shower, Lynna called (Lei's phone). The code for the main gate, the same one Lei and I used, wasn't working. Luckily, she didn't have to wait too long before a car came to exit. We later found out there was a day time code and a night time code.
Vicki had texted saying they might go straight to the restaurant without changing because they were on a shopping roll. But they ended up going to the house first. With all the arrivals and getting settled in, we all left the house late. Diana was going to be the last to leave the bay area, so she was going to meet us at the restaurant. We, including Diana, originally were worried that she'd be late to dinner, but she ended up getting there over an hour early while we ended up being 1/2 hr late.
They seated us at a table that was taller with taller chairs, which made us feel special. The dinner was good. Some of the items were on the salty side but everyone was very satisfied.
The next day a number of the girls went for run. After they got back we lounged around the pool, where we talked about a bunch of stuff and came up with a new product -- pre-printed Chinese sticky notes to put on objects around the house to learn Chinese.
Then, we went to brunch at a restaurant just down the street from us.
Afterward, most of the girls went to the spa while Vicki and I went for a hike.
We had timed it so we would have plenty of time to shower and get ready for dinner. However, as we were about to take our shower, Vicki found out that there was no hot water. She noticed the lack of hot water that morning but it was after a bunch of people took showers, so she figured we just ran out.
After we thought we lit the pilot light, we high-fived each other, and went off to take cold showers.
We ended up being a little late for dinner, but we got a parking spot right out front that I backed into in one shot.
This dinner was awesome. Basically each course had two different dishes. Every other person had one of the two dishes. You would eat half and then pass to the person to your left. So, we ended up trying 10 different dishes. And they were delish!
After we got home from dinner, Joyce discovered we still did not have hot water. We looked at the pilot light, and it was out again. After relighting it again, we noticed that it light wasn't lighting the ring (burner?). By this time it was already past 11p.
The next morning we enjoyed the sticky pudding we bought from the brunch place and spent a lot of time texting the owner about the water heater.
All the gals except for Lei and I went to downtown Napa while Lei and I went to the Napa outlets. We had lunch there and then made our way from Ann Taylor Loft to Max Studio. At Max Studio we saw Diana and Ann. My main goal was to find some pieces I can wear to work and cardigans. It's amazing how hard it is to find cardigans that aren't the standard button up v-neck and crew neck.
It was a great, relaxing weekend, except fot the hot water heater although that had its moments, like when we thought we had re-lit it.
Can't wait til next year.
This time around everyone who could make it was in for the whole weekend. I'm sure even longer if we could have swung it.
Joyce B, Caroline, Vicki, and Ann were the first to start the weekend with a nice lunch in Sonoma at The Girl and the Fig. Lei and I made plans to leave Palo Alto around 2p. On our way up, the four gals let us know they were heading to the Napa Outlets and that we should join them. Lei and I figured we'd hit the outlets on Sunday and were kind of anxious to get to the house, so we headed straight to the house.
Lei and I got a quick workout in and just as I was about to jump in the shower, Lynna called (Lei's phone). The code for the main gate, the same one Lei and I used, wasn't working. Luckily, she didn't have to wait too long before a car came to exit. We later found out there was a day time code and a night time code.
Vicki had texted saying they might go straight to the restaurant without changing because they were on a shopping roll. But they ended up going to the house first. With all the arrivals and getting settled in, we all left the house late. Diana was going to be the last to leave the bay area, so she was going to meet us at the restaurant. We, including Diana, originally were worried that she'd be late to dinner, but she ended up getting there over an hour early while we ended up being 1/2 hr late.
They seated us at a table that was taller with taller chairs, which made us feel special. The dinner was good. Some of the items were on the salty side but everyone was very satisfied.
The next day a number of the girls went for run. After they got back we lounged around the pool, where we talked about a bunch of stuff and came up with a new product -- pre-printed Chinese sticky notes to put on objects around the house to learn Chinese.
Then, we went to brunch at a restaurant just down the street from us.
Afterward, most of the girls went to the spa while Vicki and I went for a hike.
We had timed it so we would have plenty of time to shower and get ready for dinner. However, as we were about to take our shower, Vicki found out that there was no hot water. She noticed the lack of hot water that morning but it was after a bunch of people took showers, so she figured we just ran out.
After we thought we lit the pilot light, we high-fived each other, and went off to take cold showers.
We ended up being a little late for dinner, but we got a parking spot right out front that I backed into in one shot.
This dinner was awesome. Basically each course had two different dishes. Every other person had one of the two dishes. You would eat half and then pass to the person to your left. So, we ended up trying 10 different dishes. And they were delish!
After we got home from dinner, Joyce discovered we still did not have hot water. We looked at the pilot light, and it was out again. After relighting it again, we noticed that it light wasn't lighting the ring (burner?). By this time it was already past 11p.
The next morning we enjoyed the sticky pudding we bought from the brunch place and spent a lot of time texting the owner about the water heater.
All the gals except for Lei and I went to downtown Napa while Lei and I went to the Napa outlets. We had lunch there and then made our way from Ann Taylor Loft to Max Studio. At Max Studio we saw Diana and Ann. My main goal was to find some pieces I can wear to work and cardigans. It's amazing how hard it is to find cardigans that aren't the standard button up v-neck and crew neck.
It was a great, relaxing weekend, except fot the hot water heater although that had its moments, like when we thought we had re-lit it.
Can't wait til next year.
9/22/12 Two Birthdays
So, on 9/22/12 we had two birthdays that day. Maile had a birthday in the morning for one of her first friends at school, Kevan. It was at Laserquest, and it was Maile's first time there.
When you check in, the players give a code name. Maile said "Maile." I tried to give her ideas, like if you could be a superhero what would your name be. But she said she just wanted to be Maile.
I went in with her to hear the rules, which was in a completely dark room. I think to get them adjusted to the dark.
We had planned to pick her up at 11a at the start of the lunch portion of the party, so we could all go to Tyler's 3rd birthday party. We found out from Maile that they played two rounds -- the first was every man for himself and the second was kids vs Dads (some Dads were just as eager to play as the kids). For the second game, Maile chose the code name of Anika, the name of a friend also at the party. Need to work on Maile's creativity.
Tyler's party, as we expected, was a lot of fun -- bouncy house, awesome play structure, good eats, and great people. I love Mady's smile in the photo.
When you check in, the players give a code name. Maile said "Maile." I tried to give her ideas, like if you could be a superhero what would your name be. But she said she just wanted to be Maile.
I went in with her to hear the rules, which was in a completely dark room. I think to get them adjusted to the dark.
We had planned to pick her up at 11a at the start of the lunch portion of the party, so we could all go to Tyler's 3rd birthday party. We found out from Maile that they played two rounds -- the first was every man for himself and the second was kids vs Dads (some Dads were just as eager to play as the kids). For the second game, Maile chose the code name of Anika, the name of a friend also at the party. Need to work on Maile's creativity.
Tyler's party, as we expected, was a lot of fun -- bouncy house, awesome play structure, good eats, and great people. I love Mady's smile in the photo.
9/21/12 Endeavor in the Bay Area
So, the space shuttle, Endeavor, was flown around the bay area before making it's permanent home in Los Angeles. When I exited Moffett on my way to Mathis' preschool, there was a line of cars at the start of the exit ramp on their way into Moffett field. There were also cars all the way down Moffett until Middlefield. Good thing I was going away from the air force base.
My co-worker, who normally works at home on Fridays, came in to watch the spectacle since we work very close to Moffett. At the time the shuttle was supposed to be flown over Moffett, we made our way outside. You cannot see Moffett from where we are and we didn't want to miss anything in case the shuttle was flown right over Moffett, so we walked to the end of our street, where a lot of people were gathered in the Violin Memory parking lot. There were even families.
After waiting 10 minutes or so, the Endeavor finally arrived. Kevin got a great shot. It looks like a toy model. We waited around for a few minutes afterward to see if it would circle back. But when all the helicopters starting flying into air space, we figured it was over.
The plane didn't even fly over Moffett; it flew by it. I felt kind of bad for all the folks who went to Moffett and waited for hours, but it was exciting for us and a nice break from work. When we walked back into the office, we found out that the shuttle flew right over our building.
My co-worker, who normally works at home on Fridays, came in to watch the spectacle since we work very close to Moffett. At the time the shuttle was supposed to be flown over Moffett, we made our way outside. You cannot see Moffett from where we are and we didn't want to miss anything in case the shuttle was flown right over Moffett, so we walked to the end of our street, where a lot of people were gathered in the Violin Memory parking lot. There were even families.
After waiting 10 minutes or so, the Endeavor finally arrived. Kevin got a great shot. It looks like a toy model. We waited around for a few minutes afterward to see if it would circle back. But when all the helicopters starting flying into air space, we figured it was over.
The plane didn't even fly over Moffett; it flew by it. I felt kind of bad for all the folks who went to Moffett and waited for hours, but it was exciting for us and a nice break from work. When we walked back into the office, we found out that the shuttle flew right over our building.
9/16/12 Palo Alto Moon Festival
Every year the Parent's Club of Palo Alto and Menlo Park (PAMP) host the Palo Alto Moon Festival at Mitchell Park, and like last year Beck's Kung Fu studio was going to perform at the festival. Beck did it last year when he was part of the Little Dragon group (3.5.-6 yr olds).
He wanted to do it sign up for it again this year. This time he would be performing with a group using a cudgel, a long wooden stick. They said they would be performing at 4:30p but to get there by 4:15.
We got there at 4:15. Beck waited by the performance area while the rest of us explored the Festival. As we were walking to the booths, I noticed a registration table and wondered what it was for. We walked right into the booth area and started looking around. The first booth was actually for Mathis' school, which has a preschool and elementary campus. So Mathis gave a big Mommy-encouraged hug to the preschool director.
There was a petting zoo and a pony ride as well as a number of arts-and-craft booths sponsored by various organizations. At one of the booths they were giving moon cakes out for free, which both Hansel and I thought was peculiar (the free part, that is).
At 4:30 we decided to go find some seats and I went over to see Beck. We saw some folks whose kids were also going to perform and found out that the festival actually cost money. Kids were free but adults were $5. Last year admission was free (I think). Now I understood why there was a registration table and why there were "free" moon cakes.
After waiting for 1/2 hr, the kids finally performed. Beck's group was the third group. The form ended up being a little different from what Beck had been learning and practicing, but he was able to follow along just fine.
He wanted to do it sign up for it again this year. This time he would be performing with a group using a cudgel, a long wooden stick. They said they would be performing at 4:30p but to get there by 4:15.
We got there at 4:15. Beck waited by the performance area while the rest of us explored the Festival. As we were walking to the booths, I noticed a registration table and wondered what it was for. We walked right into the booth area and started looking around. The first booth was actually for Mathis' school, which has a preschool and elementary campus. So Mathis gave a big Mommy-encouraged hug to the preschool director.
There was a petting zoo and a pony ride as well as a number of arts-and-craft booths sponsored by various organizations. At one of the booths they were giving moon cakes out for free, which both Hansel and I thought was peculiar (the free part, that is).
At 4:30 we decided to go find some seats and I went over to see Beck. We saw some folks whose kids were also going to perform and found out that the festival actually cost money. Kids were free but adults were $5. Last year admission was free (I think). Now I understood why there was a registration table and why there were "free" moon cakes.
After waiting for 1/2 hr, the kids finally performed. Beck's group was the third group. The form ended up being a little different from what Beck had been learning and practicing, but he was able to follow along just fine.
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| Great shot even though it's blurry. |
Mathis' Tummy Hurts
Mathis often times cries a little bit in the middle of the night usually from a nightmare. Last night started off the same, but then we quickly realized it was something else. He said his tummy hurt. He was crying and holding his tummy and saying over and over things like, "mommy, owieee, ouch, my tummy hurts." Hansel and I were feeling hopeless about stopping the pain. I suggested we turn on the TV to help him forget about his tummy, to which Mathis replied while crying, "But what if it doesn't work."
Ohlone fundraiser
Aug '12 Trip to Carmel - Part III
I figured on Monday we'd go to Monterey Bay Aquarium and Point Lobos, but Hansel said he was kind of sick of the Aquarium since we'd already been there quite a few times. Maile was also ambivalent about the aquarium, but Beck and Mathis still wanted to go. So we decided to split up -- I would take Maile to Point Lobos and Hansel would go with the boys to the aquarium. I was glad we split up this way because Maile's more Daddy's little girl and Beck and Mathis are Mama's boys, so it was nice to just spend time with Maile.
I found out at the park entrance that they don't take credit cards, and I didn't have any cash as usual. So, we parked outside of the entrance and walked in. This limited us to only walking close to the park entrance. The lack of cash also meant I couldn't buy a park map. So, I took a photo with my phone of a big park map, which came in handy. I was able to pick out trails that would maximize our time there.
I had the camera, which was working again (after it had stopped working when we tried to take a picture of Point Sur), so we only have photos of Point Lobos and no photos of the Aquarium.
In the afternoon we went back to Pfeiffer beach. On our way there we again tried to take a picture of Point Sur, and again the camera stopped working. It was as if someone was preventing us from taking pictures of the point?!?
On our last day, Hansel came up with the idea of going to Santa Cruz. We walked around Pacific Ave and had lunch there. As we were leaving, we saw these two guys help themselves to the breakfast potatoes Hansel had left behind. Conveniently for them, we had sat outside.
We then made our way to the boardwalk. We first walked the pier, where we saw some sea lions resting, and then we went to the boardwalk. We walked to the kiddie ride section. After Hansel and the kids took off on their train ride, I headed to the entertainment area to get us some seats for the free Chinese acrobats show. On the way there, I bought a deep-fried twinkie and deep-fried oreos for us to share.
After that we headed home. We made it home in time to meet up with the Yaus for dinner and figure out school stuff since it was going to start in just two days (Aug 16!).
I found out at the park entrance that they don't take credit cards, and I didn't have any cash as usual. So, we parked outside of the entrance and walked in. This limited us to only walking close to the park entrance. The lack of cash also meant I couldn't buy a park map. So, I took a photo with my phone of a big park map, which came in handy. I was able to pick out trails that would maximize our time there.
I had the camera, which was working again (after it had stopped working when we tried to take a picture of Point Sur), so we only have photos of Point Lobos and no photos of the Aquarium.
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| Maile looks like a tween here. |
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| Pfeiffer Beach |
We then made our way to the boardwalk. We first walked the pier, where we saw some sea lions resting, and then we went to the boardwalk. We walked to the kiddie ride section. After Hansel and the kids took off on their train ride, I headed to the entertainment area to get us some seats for the free Chinese acrobats show. On the way there, I bought a deep-fried twinkie and deep-fried oreos for us to share.
After that we headed home. We made it home in time to meet up with the Yaus for dinner and figure out school stuff since it was going to start in just two days (Aug 16!).
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