Summer days at the library

We live within walking distance to our city library so we visit a few times a week. The library has a small children's section and the first thing the kids like to do is play with the blocks. After they play with the blocks, Micah heads over to the shelves and takes out all the Curious George books (he knows that they all have yellow bindings) until he finds his favorite book, Curious George Makes Pancakes. Then he proceeds to sit down and "read" the book. Noah likes choosing books at random and asking me to read to him. I can't wait until they will be able to read independently... when will that happen???

Art in the Streets

Today we went to MOCA to see Art in the Streets, the first major U.S. museum exhibition of the history of graffiti and street art. It was really interesting to see the development of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the global movement it has become today. Noah brought his little sketch book and drew some art inspired by ROA and Snake I and also took pictures with a digital camera of things that he liked (just like his Dad). It was such a huge exhibit that my senses were overloaded by the time we left. Will Noah get into art like his Daddy???

6

This morning we went back to the exact spot where we were married (7-24-05). Yes, it's been 6 years! As we explained our wedding day and told the boys how our loved ones were there to celebrate Noah said, "I wasn't there. Was I in your stomach?" It was too cute. In the evening, Jawsh and I celebrated at Osteria Mozza. We had a wonderful dining experience... we ate so many delicious things... our dinner started with the figs wrapped in pancetta, grilled octopus with celery and lime, then we had the linguine with clams with pancetta and spicy Fresno chiles and Garganelli pasta with ragú Bolognese. I was so full after the primo but Jawsh continued to enjoy and ate a whole Orata wrapped in fig leaf with extra virgin olive oil. We ended the meal with roasted peach and hazelnut cake (which I had room for). Yum! Thanks to Uncle Zach and Dolly for taking the boys to see Winnie the Pooh and Pitfire Pizza... where will we go next year???

Do you feel lucky???

There is an Obon Festival held every year near our home at the local Buddist Temple. The festival has dancers, food stands, games, and jumpers. One of the games called Taiko Drums, has a bag full of maybe 20 keys. Each participant has three tries to get a key that will unlock the drum. Well, Noah was one of the few who was able to pull a correct key (it was the second one he pulled) and he won a blue light stick (that he calls Anakin's light saber). Should I take him to choose lottery numbers???

Underwood Farms

Today we went to Underwood Farms with a few friends from preschool. The kids had a fun time feeding animals, going on rides and picking fruits. Noah did most of the picking when it came to the cucumbers, raspberries, and peppers whereas Micah did a lot of the eating off the vine (he loved the raspberries). It was a nice day at the farm... when will we head back???

Micah's baby

This is one of Micah's babies. It's a dog that Noah named Bolt. Sometimes he likes to put Bolt in a backpack with wheels and push him around room to room. Other times he likes to put him in the bed to take a nap. And then there are the few times, he likes to read books to Bolt. The books Micah gravitates towards cover one of two areas: Star Wars or food. This particular day he was reading about food to Bolt, his baby. Too cute, right???

A not so quiet activity

Micah usually wakes up about 15-20 minutes before Noah on any given summer morning. He usually pops out of bed and goes straight for his bins where he will make a lot of noise with his kitchen play set. After continually asking him to do something else, something quieter, he went for the Toy Story puzzles. There are 24 pieces and at first I thought he was randomly shoving pieces together, but he actually could solve the puzzle! I was surprised to say the least, but very happy that he found one puzzle that he enjoys quietly. This particular puzzle, Toy Story with Buzz, is his favorite and we are now missing Buzz's face so in the morning, he puts 23 pieces together and then wakes up his brother to find the last piece. A not so quiet activity, huh???

Summer soccer camp

Noah and a bunch of his friends from preschool signed up for AYSO soccer camp. All the coaches were from the United Kingdom (Noah's coach was from London). Noah had such a great time. He woke up excited every morning, he put on his own gear (including those shin guards which is not so easy to do) and he loved going to camp. I'm feeling the pressure of signing him up for AYSO during the regular school year, but I don't know if we're ready for that commitment just yet. Will Noah be the next David Beckham???

Camping

Today we went camping at Malibu Creek State Park with the Hassan Family. This was our first camping experience as a family and it was so much fun. The boys were so excited to sleep in a tent! The first day we went hiking, swimming in a creek, went to a night education seminar on space, and had a great Korean barbeque dinner. The next day we had Nagat's famous crepes to start off the day and then we went hiking and swimming again. It was really fun and the next time I hope we can do two nights... when will we go back???

Huntington Library

We were back in Pasadena today at the Huntington Library. We went with some friends from Noah's preschool. The kids had a great time in the Children's Garden although it was very hot. When will we head back???

Kidspace

Today my mom and I took the boys and Kaitlyn to Kidspace Chidren's Museum in Pasadena for Family Free night. Kidspace provides creative environments that inspire learning through self-directed, interactive experiences and play in the arts, sciences and humanities. There was a lot to do and I wish we could of stayed longer. The kids really enjoyed going on the bikes probably because there were tracks painted on the ground. Noah wanted to ride his own, while Kaitlyn was kind enough to take Micah with her since he was having trouble riding independently. When will we head back???

Happy Fourth!

We spent the day in Ontario with family. The kids played in the mini pool and later we enjoyed Korean barbeque. We watched the fireworks pop in the sky and we lit some small ones in the backyard. Noah and Kaitlyn liked the sparklers but Micah was very hesitant and stayed in my mom's lap. Will Micah like the fireworks next year???

Beach bums

Today we went to the beach with Kaitlyn and Co. It was overcast but really a nice day for the kids to go and play. They loved catching sand crabs, going in the water, building ditches, playing frisbee, and flying a kite! Whew... what a day! On top of that, Noah received his first surf lesson from Daddy. He practiced balancing on the boogie board, how to get up from lying down flat, and how to stand in the right position... so fun to watch. When will we go back to the beach???

First pets

Tonight Noah and Micah received their first pets... two betta fish also known as Siamese fighting fish. These fish were the party favors from their friend's birthday party. This was the first "live" party favor they ever received and hopefully the last. I was not really enthused about keep these fish but Noah fell in love at first sight and named his "Dory." I think Micah forgot that he received the fish and chose the name "Nemo" under the pressure of Noah. So now we have one in each bathroom and we feed them one pellet everyday. Dad cleans their little fish bowl and hopefully they don't die. If they did, Noah would probably pull a Rudy Huxtable and want a proper fish burial... will they survive???