Christmas Time

Christmas was a very busy time these past few days. On Christmas eve we finished decorating the gingerbread cookies that we had started a few days before.

Gina also busied herself with creating an appropriate place for Santa to visit. She covered a box with a tablecloth, put out a plate for cookies, as well as an apple, a book of poems, a Sudoku puzzle with a pen in case Santa needed a break from present delivery, some incense and a cup of milk. The extra cup is from Dylan. It was quite an elaborate set up.

Later in the afternoon, Nana and I took the kids to Christmas Eve mass for the children's mass which always includes a short live action recreation of the Christmas story. For once we arrived early enough to get a decent seat. Usually we are far in the back with the kids constantly clamoring that they can't see. Gina and Andrew both sat quietly the whole time while Dylan fell asleep in my lap half way through. After, it was back to the house for a crab dinner, Gina's favorite. The boys instead requested grilled cheese sandwiches.

Vic and I were up for a while assembling and wrapping presents.

It seemed really early when the kids came bounding in at 7am. We held them off for a while with their stocking gifts but then they were anxious to get the big presents. Gina was very excited about her Webkinz animals. Here she is with Chocolate the Reindeer. She also got a yellow Zumbuddy which is a pet for the webkinz animals.

Gina also received a blanket in a bag, something she had seen in Old Navy a month ago. I had warned her that it looked like the stores were sold out, but I happened to go to one of the stores when I was out one night and found one!

Andrew of course got Legos. He had requested a Lego Power Miner set.

and Dylan got a scooter, though his head is too big for the helmet that I got to go with it. So he has been having fun riding it indoors. He could use Andrew's helmet but I think he is enjoying zipping around the house first.

After a fairly quiet afternoon, Alice and Steve came over for dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and roasted brussel sprouts. I also made lemon bars for dessert. Then it was time for round 2 of present opening.

Andrew got Legos and then more Legos... Happiness is a 5 year old with 5 new boxes of Legos.


The kids also got a digital camera from Alice since she had received a new one for her birthday. All three, but especially Dylan, have been having a ball taking pictures of everything and anything.

Gina also received a kids version of the first part of the Odyssey. She finished it in a day and has been telling us all about the adventures of Odysseus. Now she can't wait to read the second part.

Overall it has been a very fun Christmas.

Christmas Tree

Every year we seem to wait until the last week before Christmas to get our tree and this year was no different. We went on Sunday to pick it out. Gina found a tree that was fairly short and skinny; she insisted that we get it. After looking at a few bushier ones, we also agreed that smaller might fit better in the corner space of the living room.

It took another day to get it up with the lights on, but once it was ready, the kids were excited to decorate it. I got to sit back and hand out the ornaments while they put the ornaments on the tree. I did rearrange a few to the top afterward. They remembered a few from last year and it was fun telling them about some of the ornaments I had inherited from my grandmother.

Andrew's Dance Class

Andrew loves to dance. One time we were at a restaurant and there was some jazz music playing. He could not sit down, instead he was up dancing next to our table. A parent at the kids school started a hip hop class for the kids and I talked Andrew into trying. He seems to like it when he is in class and he always says he has a good time right afterwards, but just before class he complains that he doesn't want to go. There are six boys in the class and several other moms tell the same story.

Today there was a short demo of what the kids have been learning. It was fun to watch Andrew ham it up in class.

Rainy Night Concert

Tonight the kids had their last holiday concert. This one was outside. It had rained lightly all afternoon but for the concert, it stopped. The kids were bundled up for the cold but it wasn't too bad. I tried to get a final video of Gina starting off Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer as well as the rest of the song. I got it and you can see both Gina and Andrew in the picture though there is a lot of background noise from the traffic in the street.

Holiday Concert

Today Gina and Andrew had a choir concert. Gina participated in this choir last year and really enjoyed it. Andrew also seemed interested and was willing to give it a try. There were weeks he was reluctant to go but afterward, he always said it was fun. A week before the performance he was very unsure that he wanted to sing in front of so many people, but with the promise of a Bionicle lego kit, he was ready for the challenge. After the last practice, their teacher Juliette told me not to expect too much from Andrew as he tends to be very quiet and hide behind Gina. For the performance though he did great. There were certainly times he seemed to more mouthing the words than singing, but he did sing and participate. It was fun to watch.

The big surprise was Gina. Towards the end of the performance she got up the microphone by herself and started singing the beginning of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. It was something they put together at the very last practice. Juliette asked if anyone knew the words, and only Gina volunteered. I was definitely proud that she had decided to it, though she was very shy about it afterward.

Gina's Hair

I love Gina's hair. It is thick and wavy and it gets very curly when wet. Because it is so thick, it also tangles very easily and there have been many tears over getting it brushed. Putting it in a braid at night has helped eliminate most of the morning tears. Gina of course would love to have fine, straight hair. Usually she insists on having it in a braid or pony tail, but occasionally she lets it fly free.
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Big 3yr Old

A couple of weeks ago, Dylan turned 3. It seems like we have been talking about him turning 3 for the past 6 months. Every time we mentioned his birthday coming up, he would mention that he wanted to go to Jakes for pizza and video games. So that is where we went for dinner. Of course it was also the last weekend of soccer and Jakes was filled with soccer kids and their parents but we were able to stake out a corner for all of us. Dylan and Andrew had a great time playing the race car video game and buying trinkets and stickers from the machines.


Then it was back home for cake and presents. Dylan couldn't wait to open his presents and the other kids tried to help of course as well. I made a lemon cake for the occasion but I guess it has been a while since I've made a cake because one layer was seriously undercooked. I cut out the gooey middle and the rest was good.


The day after his birthday was Dylan's first official day in his new preschool class. So I made muffins topped with lemon frosting for the occasion. Somehow they managed to fit three candles on top of a mini blueberry muffin.

The following weekend we had a small party at the house with some of his friends. They had a great time playing in the house though Gina and Andrew quickly got bored of all the preschoolers. Dylan had requested a rainbow ice cream cake again from Baskin Robbins which made it easy.

Thanksgiving

This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house. We certainly had a lot to be thankful for this year. My sister Alice broke her leg less than two weeks ago and she returned to her apartment two days before Thanksgiving. She was lucky that it was only her leg that was hurt, and though it will be a number of weeks to recover, her leg should be fine after it is healed.

I didn't make anything fancy or different this year. I roasted a turkey, made stuffing, gravy, and mashed potatoes. Gina insisted on helping me make the mashed potatoes even though she doesn't like to eat them. Here are the boys helping me make a pumpkin pie. I made a pecan pie the night before. It was fun having the kids help out and I need to make an effort to include them more in the kitchen prep.


Dylan spent some time with Alice on the couch asking questions about her leg. She mentioned that the bone was broken and he piped up: Like a skeleton?

The kids loved taking pictures with my camera so here is one that Gina took after dinner. Vic's friend from work, Emre is on the left. Gina was very industrious, making crowns out of the yellow birch leaves for Alice and myself and insisted that we wear capes as well.

The kids weren't really into the dinner part of the evening. Dylan and Gina snacked all afternoon on chips and olives and weren't interested in dinner when it was served. Andrew had pasta with red sauce since he doesn't eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. After dinner Dylan through a fit over something which escalated into a full blown tantrum. He was on the floor screaming and kicking, his face turning bright red from the effort. Vic finally carried him into our bedroom and he continued for another 20 to 30 minutes. Alice had to explain what a tantrum is to Emre who is from Turkey and hadn't encountered a screaming 3 yr old since coming to the states.


The day after Thanksgiving, we went for a visit with my cousin Mollie and her husband Andrew. Their son Declan is only six months younger than Dylan. It was great catching up with Mollie and Andrew and seeing their new house. Dylan and Declan had a grand time playing chase through the house. They even tried a game of hide and go seek but they both need some work on the rules of the game.

Andrew is now 5

A catch up post:

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew turned 5 years old. And for his birthday he got legos, more legos, and still a few more lego kits. Luckily their arrival was spaced out. He has become very proficient in following the directions to put the kits together, but once they are finished, they get taken apart for new creations. He also got several rocket kits, appropriate for someone born on the anniversary of the first moon walk.


A week after his birthday he had a party at our house with a few friends. We had his preschool gymnastics teacher, Teacher Nick, come with his gymnastic equipment and a jump house for the entertainment. It was a hot day but luckily our yard is fairly shaded in the late afternoon.


After playing in the yard and in the jump house, it was time for ice cream cake, topped with a hot wheels racer car.

1st Day of Preschool

Today was Dylan's first day of preschool. He has visited a lot when we have gone to pick up Andrew but that is not the same as staying all day long. We have been talking about it for several weeks and we visited the classroom three weeks ago. As we walked in, he started to demand to be carried. I had my arms full of the stuff he needed for the day so he had to walk, fussing as we walked along. Once we got to the door, he didn't want to go in so I carried him in and showed him around a bit. I finally had to leave him crying with one of the teachers (a teacher who had Gina as an infant and preschooler and Andrew when he started preschool). I knew he would be fine but it is always hard to leave them crying.

I picked him up in the late afternoon. They were playing in the garden and when he saw me, he bounded over with a big smile on his face. Apparently he had a fine day though he sounded grumpy when he described how only one boy got to paint. I think he will be just fine.

Letterboxing

Since we were going on vacation in Montana for a week, I wanted to come up with some different things to do with the kids. My dad lives south of Missoula, about 5 hours from Glacier NP and 5 hours from Yellowstone. It is a very pretty area called the Bitterroot Valley but unless you love to fish, it isn't obvious where to take kids for fun. Several friends have tried letterboxing where you get clues to track down a box containing a stamp that is used to record that you found the box. I got directions for two letterboxes before we left.

The first letterbox was in River Park in Hamilton, about 20 miles north of Darby where we were staying. It looked like a nice park on the outskirts of town. The park is also a moose habitat so there were also signs with information about the local moose and warnings about what to do if you encounter one. The directions took us along the river with a lot of "walk 120 paces toward the river". It worked most of the way but at the end we couldn't find the willow tree in the clues. It was a very pretty area to explore though and the kids had fun throwing rocks into the river. I'm sure they were making enough noise to keep any moose from coming in our direction.


The part the kids loved best though was playing on the swings after the long walk.

The second letterbox was along Lake Como, closer to Darby. We had already walked along the trail on a hike several nights before so we just followed the same path. Dylan was fascinated by all the motorboats on the water. We found the rock slide area, and then the tree with four trunks, 9 paces to a broken rock, a short climb up the rocks and voila, there was the box. However, I had managed to forget to bring a stamp pad or any kind of writing instrument to record our visit. So we settled for a picture of Gina holding the "Gone Canoeing" stamp that was in the box.

Theater Camp

For the past two weeks, Gina has been going to theater camp and she has been really enjoying it. I wasn't sure how she would like it since she didn't know anyone else, but every day when I would pick her up she would say it was fun. Each day they start out with classes on improvisation and other games and then in the afternoon, they work on their lines for the play, make the sets and props and work on their costumes. The play for this camp was Thumbelina and Gina got the part of Dora the Dragonfly, one of Thumbelina's friends. At the end of the two weeks, the kids put on the performance at a local park. Some of the kids were very enthusiastic about their parts. Gina knew all her lines though she sounded a little wooden. When she would practice at home, she would only say the lines without much expression or she would be very goofy about it. She loved singing the song at the end though and showed a lot of expression. In the end, she excited about doing it again next summer.

Good bye Preschool

Today was Andrew's last day of preschool. He has been looking forward to this day for weeks, mainly because as he told me: You don't take naps in Kindergarten. He will miss his best friend Colin though. They both light up when they see each other. It is really cute. His teacher made him a crown too for the last day since he won't be in preschool to celebrate his 5th birthday.

Three weeks ago was the preschool graduation ceremony. It is a very low key event. The kids sing a few songs, the director says a few words and then they hand out the certificates to the kids and flowers to the teachers and staff. Half of the kids have been together since they started in the Infant I room.

And in two weeks, we start all over again when Dylan begins preschool. He can't wait.

Off to Grandmothers House...

This past week Andrew got to go to Sacramento and spend three days with Nana. Gina has done it the last two years, but now since Andrew is almost five, it was his turn. He was very excited and asked about it for days before hand. Part of the anticipation was the promise of going shopping for new legos but I think he was also excited about doing something that so far only Gina had been able to do. He enjoyed the trip. He told us all about going to Vic's ice cream parlor, playing fetch with the cats and watching a Star Wars movie. On the third day, he was ready to come home. I guess he missed Gina and Dylan because he started pestering them almost immediately.

Last Day of School

Yesterday was the last day of school for Gina. The last day of the school year is always a little sad but this year, it was also the last day for one of her two teachers. Here she is with Jennifer who is leaving. For their end of the year gift, Gina made each of her teachers a bracelet with beads that she especially picked out. Jennifer's was a large blue bead with flowers surrounded by smaller blue beads while Marile's was three beads made from abalone shell surrounded by small silvery beads since they studied the ocean at the end of the year.


Marile (above) doesn't usually come on the last day (she gets too teary eyed) but she did this year for Jennifer. Marile loves playing the piano and taught the kids numerous songs throughout the year. So the last part of the morning was spent singing all the songs they had learned. One mom who was in the classroom was very sad as her daughter had spent two years in the class and now her son was finishing up his two years. The class is a 1st grade/2nd grade combo class so Gina will be in the same class next year as a 2nd grader and 10 new 1st graders. Gina enjoyed the year and it will be fun to see her in the same class as a second grader, showing the new first graders all the ropes.




What Rainbow Fish Learned

A big part of the end of the year was the class play. The kids told the story of Rainbow Fish but then interspersed the play with the facts that they learned about their ocean animal. Gina was a sea otter and was pleased that she learned the scientific name, Enhydra lutris kenyoni. The kids made their costumes and most of the scenery. It was a lot of work for the parents too. I saw one of their practices three days before the performance and they were still pretty rough. Even the morning of the performance, they did a quick run through with a lot of misses. But for the actual performance, they rose to the occasion and did a great job. It was really impressive and the kids were so proud of themselves.
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Soccer Season

Last weekend was the last game for the spring soccer season. Gina's team was the Blue Jays and she had a lot of fun. Her team started out the season on a roll but kind of fizzled at the end. I think Gina may have scored one goal during the season but she improved on dribbling the ball up the side. All of the girls were still learning to spread out and pass the ball so most of the time there were two or three blue shirts surrounding the ball with no one to pass to. Gina definitely enjoys the game and is already asking about the fall.