Happy New Year

Happy New Year!!! We enjoyed a quiet evening at home, drinking Martinelli's apple juice. What will 2012 bring???

Solvang

Today we went on a spontaneous day trip to Solvang, CA. Solvang means "sunny fields" in Danish. The city was founded by a group of Danes who traveled west to establish a Danish colony and is home to a number of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark in California. The architecture of many of the facades and buildings reflects traditional Danish style. We ate authentic Danish food like medisterpolse (sausage), frikadeller (meatballs), and of course, aebleskiver (pancake balls with powdered sugar and raspberry jam). We also went around the town on a surrey which the boys really enjoyed. It was such a nice afternoon biking to museums, eating ice cream, and enjoying the nice sunny weather. It was a great way to end the year, wouldn't you agree???

Take your head out of the sand, come to Ostrichland!

On our way to Solvang, we stopped at Ostrichland! It is a small farm off the side of the road. The highlight of our visit to Ostrichland was feeding the ostriches and emus. The landscape on which they roam is quite lovely and seeing them walking about on the plain that resembles their native desert is like being in another place and time. Noah was apprehensive at first, but Micah wanted to grab the bucket and feed all the birds by himself! Once they warmed up to the animals, they wanted to feed them again and again and again! Jawsh remarked, "This was an interesting stop along the way, something we will always remember but not necessarily have to do again." To which Noah replied, "When we come back with Kaitlyn we will do this again." So, I guess we will do this again with Kaitlyn if she ever goes to Solvang with us in the future... Noah is a thoughtful cousin, wouldn't you say???

Last night

Tonight we celebrated the last night of Chanukah. The boys loved opening their final gifts for the year and I think Jawsh and I are officially partied out. When Chanukah and Christmas overlap there is an extra dose of blessings, food, and presents!!! Next year, Chanukah falls before Christmas so it will be better spaced out. The boys had a great time with family and friends and we look forward to what the new year will bring... what will be our New Year's resolutions???

7th night

Tonight we celebrated the seventh night of Chanukah with Bubbe, Uncle Zach, and Dolly. We had a great evening at Bubbe's house eating good food, opening gifts, and playing games. Noah loved playing Dreidel with Bubbe and he spun gimel a record amount ten times (or so he claims) which made him very happy. Uncle Zach also set them on their path to rock stardom with their first real guitars! What will the last night of Chanukah bring???

Merry Christmas

This Christmas we are so thankful that we can celebrate with family and friends. Most of the family was in Korea so Billy's closest friends came over to break bread. We had a delicious holiday meal which consisted of prime rib roast, sweet and mashed potatoes, mac and cheese (and a bunch of other tasty foods). Jawsh made latkes (now a third time) and by far these were the tastiest. They were a big hit. Earlier in the day, we took the kids to see the movie, Arthur Christmas, and then we made gingerbread houses. And of course, the kids had a great time opening their gifts. Noah's favorite gift was the Legos Star Wars and Micah loved his green light saber. What will Christmas bring next year???

4th night

We celebrated the fourth night of Chanukah with Grandpa, Uncle Zach, Delee, and Kyer. I made Barefoot Contessa's matzo ball soup and brisket while Jawsh made the yummiest latkes. There was a lot going on in the kitchen but it was well worth it. The boys had a great time running around while the adults had time to eat dinner. What will the next night of Chanukah bring???

Happy Chanukah with the Shields

The tradition of the Smith-Shields Chanukah celebration continues to year four! Last year they came to our place and this year we headed to Simi Valley. It was so much fun catching up with everyone and watching the boys play. The guys made two types of latkes: sweet potato and russet potato and they were both delicious. Kyer, Noah, and Micah got along very well, however, at times there was two ganging up on one. It's so nice to have the families together. When will we see them again???

2nd Night

I just had to post these adorable hats the boys received from the Davis Rubins. Oh and how they loved those honey sticks!!! Isn't this just too cute???

1st night

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah and the boys are very excited. They have been singing, Chanukah Oh Chanukah, for the past several days and Noah has been reviewing the rules of Dreidel. As the boys get older, we are able to explain more about the origins of this special occasion and the holidays have more meaning to them. As we run errands, Micah is always the first to find a menorah and shout, "Chanukah Mom!" and Noah quickly corrects him by saying, "No Micah, that's a menorah!" What will these 8 nights bring???

Disney on Ice

Today I took the boys and Kaitlyn to see Toy Story 3 at the Staples Center. I didn't know what to expect since I have never been to an ice skating show, but it was fun. The kids loved seeing all their favorite Toy Story characters and it was pretty cool to see how the movie translated onto the ice. When will we go back to the Staples Center again???

Bye Daddy

Jawsh flew to Reno to visit with Uncle Steve and the rest of the Reno Family. We dropped him off at LAX in the morning and then I headed to preschool to drop off the boys. Micah, who usually sprints to the playground and forgets to tell me goodbye, was stuck to my hip all morning. I think he thought that I was going to leave him as well. Eventually, we were able to distract him with his friend and I made a mad dash to get out of there! How will Micah react when he sees Daddy again???

Mr. Valentine's Nature Class

Today the preschool had a very special guest, Mr. Valentine and his animals. The boys got to touch a Wallaby, a Kinkajou, reptiles (like a bearded dragon), frogs and snakes. This time around, Noah held the tarantula and got to pull a web from it! Micah also touched a tarantula, but he would not get near the snakes. Will Micah hold one next year???

LACMA

Today we spent some time the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA. Jawsh was really interested in the Eames installation (a full-scale replica of the Eames living room), which was a key component of the exhibition "California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way. Micah was asleep in the stroller and Noah liked walking around and listening to the headphones set around the exhibit. Afterwards we went to see Jeff Koons' 10-foot "Balloon Dog (Blue)" and some other interesting work. Our hope is that Noah and Micah will appreciate the arts and enjoy various forms of art.. wonder what they will be into???

Korean brush painting

Of course, we had to stop at the Boonne's Children Gallery, inside the Korean art galleries in the Hammer Building. The kids learn about brush painting and Korean art. Noah and Jawsh were focused on the brush painting whereas Micah was into mixed- media using the brush paint, colored pencils, and markers. When I asked Micah what his piece was called, he replied, "Paint." The next time he finished his piece, he called it "Art." My literal little boy. Wonder if he will get into paint as much as his Dad?