Huntington Gardens

Today we met up with Joel, Kristie, and Linnea at the Huntington Gardens. It was a hot day but we enjoyed the beautiful landscape. The kids had a great time at the watering holes and running through the tunnels while the adults played catch up. When will we meet up again???

Happy 60th Grandpa

Today we went to Grandpa's house to celebrate his 60th birthday! When I asked the boys what they wanted to buy Grandpa for his birthday, Noah replied, "Grandpa wants Lego Star Wars" and Micah said, "Chocolate." I think they must of heard, what do YOU want for your birthday? We had a nice time opening presents and eating Sprinkles cupcakes. What will the boys get him next year???

Yee Haw!

"Ride like the wind, Bulls-Eye!" Who is that quote from???

Date night

Date nights seemed almost impossible the past few months. With my many evening meetings at Noah's preschool and Jawsh's art classes, we exhausted the services of Uncle Zach and Dolly. Who could we leave the boys with to go out on a Saturday night? Well, I made an arrangement with one of my friends at the co-op and we decided we would watch each other's kid and swap the following Saturday. So Micah went to S.C's house and Noah went to Grandpa's and Jawsh and I went to Bouchon! It was such a great dining experience... we ate so many delicious things. Jawsh's favorite was the salmon prepared with three different types of radishes and my pork belly was pretty tasty. Where will we go next???

Playdate

Today Noah's dreams came true... his friends came over for a morning playdate since we had the day off of school in observance of Cesar Chaves. The boys loved playing with the superheroes, painting, and of course, talking about Star Wars. When will we have another playdate???

International Day

For the past few weeks, Noah's co-op has been learning about different places in the world. Each parent volunteers to expose the children to a new culture and today I got to teach the children about South Korea. I brought in Korean Shingo Pears, I taught them how to make kim-bap, and afterschool each child got a rice cake larger than the size of their face! We played a matching game with Hwatoo cards and the children also got to paint Korean fans. I really enjoyed exposing the kids to part of Noah's culture. What will I do next year???

REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival

Today we ventured to downtown LA to check out the 6th annual REDCAT International Children’s Film Festival (located next to the Disney Concert Hall pictured above). We saw short animated films from Germany, Canada, and the UK. Micah did pretty good sitting through the show (he got antsy during the last film) and Noah really enjoyed the shows. It was a great family outing. I would like to go next month before the festival is over... will that happen???

Tumbling class- session 2

Noah completed his second session of Tumbling class. He is learning so many things: tuck jumps, balance beam, and straddle flips! One of Noah's favorite things to do is the bars. I signed him up for his third session... what else will he learn???

Noah's haircut

Today we went to get Noah's haircut. It's been a long time since his last haircut and even though I like his long silky hair we knew it was getting too long when I could braid it! Here is his new look... pretty cute eh???

Date with Bubbe

Noah got to spend some one on one time with Bubbe. Here is what he described....

"I went to the new park that Bubbe took me. And then Bubbe took me to lunch. I ate a hamburger, milkshake and it was a new flavor, and then we played PacMan. I saw a dog race. They put them in a box and when they say go they run and then they get dog food. I asked two people can I pet your dogs and then they said yes. Next time it's Micah's turn to go with Bubbe because he didn't got a chance to go with Bubbe."

I'm not sure if this is 100% correct... only Bubbe can corroborate the story... but milkshakes, dog races, and a park sounds like fun, don't you think???

Swim time

Noah is taking swim lessons at the Santa Monica YMCA with a few of his friends. It's so nice that he is able to learn this skill with a bunch of his buddies from preschool. Here they are in the locker room right before they head out to lessons. How will they react to the instructors???

Another blessing

We were on our way to preschool when my front bumper was hit after two cars collided (one ran a red). The car pictured is NOT my car, it's the one that hit me after it hit the car that ran the red. This blog entry is entitled "Another blessing" because we were rear ended about 6 months ago, and like that accident no one was severely hurt. Thank God. Now we have to deal with the aftermath of insurance and fixing the car, which is not how I want to spend my time, but again, a blessing that we are all okay. Can anyone help me avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time???

Pasta day

Noah learned how to make fresh pasta at preschool today. It was so much fun watching the kids make and then eat their pasta! Isn't it cool that his preschool does activities like this???

Cinderella!

The boys and I went to Disneyland for a few hours today (since we purchased annual passes, I am determined to go at least once a month)! We spent most of our time in Toon Town but we did get to go on rides that they love like Buzz Lightyear. We also went to the Star Wars Jedi Training Show where Noah was chosen again, this time fighting Darth Maul. As we were leaving we saw a line forming to visit Cinderella. The boys were in awe of meeting this Disney Princess and I have to say she was very sweet. She asked the boys many questions and you could tell they were enamored by her. When will we make our way over to California Disney???

Who am I?

This is a toss up... I think he looks like Carl from the Pixar movie Up (when he was a kid with the glasses)... Jawsh think he looks like one of the minions (the little yellow guys) from the movie, Despicable Me. What do you think???

Emma

Here is a recent picture of Emma in Halmoni's kitchen. She is saying a few words now and she loves seeing the boys. She still won't come to me if her parents are around but she will give me a kiss! When will she say the boys' names???

Dress-up

Noah likes to dress up with his friends as knights in preschool. The girls often dress up as princesses. Nature or nurture???

Happy Birthday Daddy!

This evening Jawsh and I went out to dinner and movie... we are such amateurs. It's been so long since we have been out on a Saturday night that we were not expecting the crowds at dinner or the theaters. We went to the Westside Tavern, before 6 PM, and were very lucky to score seats at the bar. We tried to get tickets for True Grit, but it was sold out, so we went to see The King's Speech. We came home to Uncle Zach, Dolly, and the boys who were watching a movie of their own and then we sang Happy Birthday to Daddy using a Chanukah candle... what will we do next year???

Daddy's Day

Jawsh wanted to spend part of the day at MOCA. The show, Suprasensorial: Experiments in Light, Color, and Space, is the first museum exhibition to situate pioneering Latin American artists among the international canon of those working with light and space. The five large-scale environments on view exemplified the artists' embrace of light, color, and space as art materials as well as their interest in forging a new object-viewer relationship. The boys had a great time going through the exhibit. What will we see next???

Candyland at JANM

The Japanese American National Museum is located next door to MOCA. Since we were in the area we went to the Target Free Family Saturday: Candy Land exhibit at JANM. The boys got to make candy leis and print their faces on chocolate lollipops. We also got to see the Zen Garage show featuring some cool artists. Here are the boys holding their lollipops in front of David Choe's Custom Monster Scion. When will we go back???

Who am I?

An evil comic book villain who does things according to his own twisted sense of logic, and does not desire money. If there was one thing that he did desire, it would be the power to instill anarchy into Gotham by any means necessary. Make up artists spent hours on the late Heath Ledger who portrayed this character but Micah was able to get the look after eating toast and jam... who does Micah look like???

Who am I?

A tennis prodigy, who is secretly in love with his adopted sister, Margot. He ends his successful tennis career with a nervous breakdown on court in front of thousands of fans. The character wears a headband and trademark Fila polo. Luke Wilson played this part and shaved his head... something we would never do to Noah... which character does he look like???

Just hangin'

Noah loves to get on the rings at the preschool and just hang... sometimes he tries to swing... but most of the time he likes to hang... when will he learn how to go across???

Sesame Street

Today we had a nice outing with GGA, GGT, and Bubbe. We went to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana where they had a special exhibit featuring Sesame Street characters. Noah and Micah enjoyed Baby Bear's Mini-Mart and Grover's Dance Party. It's been over a year since we visited this particular museum... when will we go back???

The boys' room

The boys are finally in their own room! They love their new Star Wars bedding and their own space. It's been quite a transition but we're almost there (we still need to finish closets and decorate the walls). Here they are napping in their room, aren't they precious???

Disneyland

I took the boys to Disneyland today... it was fun. We went on a few rides in Fantasyland but the rides that the boys love the most are the Mad Tea Party and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. They like the Teacups because of the spinning and they love Buzz Lightyear because each person gets a blaster to shoot alien targets. When will they want to go back on Small World???

Abby

Music Teacher Abby comes to Noah's preschool on Tuesday mornings. She always brings in a new interesting instrument to share with the children. This week she brought in a Saz from Turkey. Noah got to pluck at the Saz but Micah passed. What instrument will Noah want to play when he grows up???

"It is your destiny..."

Earlier this week, Noah told us that he was ready to fight Darth Vader. We have been to the Jedi Training Show at Disneyland several times, each time with him refusing to raise his hand to participate, so we were excited that he wanted to do this. We dressed him in his Jedi costume and we ventured off to Disneyland. Noah was chosen to go up and he was center stage right next to the Jedi. He fought Darth Vader and received a certificate afterwards... what will be the next fear he conquers???

Congrats Suzy!

Here is a great shot of Noah and my cousin, Suzy. Noah was the ring bearer and he held the rings that were attached to an orange camera (Suzy and groom Mike are photographers). Noah did a great job walking down the aisle! It was a sweet modern ceremony that brought me to tears... when will we see Suzy and Mike again???

Year of the Rabbit

After the rehearsal dinner, we went for a walk down the strip and walked to the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. The kids loved walking around and we got a semi-good photo of 4 out of 6 (not shown, Baby Daphne and Emma). It was great to get all the cousins together. When will see them again???

Picasso

We had a wonderful dinner at the Bellagio Hotel at the Michelin star rated restaurant, Picasso. My sister was watching the boys and we were able to enjoy a few hours by ourselves among good food and art (of course, all originals). When will we go back again???

Tumbling class

Noah is taking a Tumbling class at the local Y. I have been waiting to sign him up for this class because it will help him with his coordination! Parents are allowed to sit in the first week of classes, so I got to see him do jumps, lifts, stretches, somersaults, and other various things... but my favorite part if when they finish an exercise they have to stand straight and lift their arms straight into the air (as if they just dismounted from the vault). It's the cutest thing. What else will Noah learn???

White Elephant

At the Christmas gift exchange, I chose Star Wars pancake molds. I thought it would be easy to make, but it was actually pretty time consuming. I have noticed that Williams Sonoma recipes have very specific directions, which I can follow, but the pancakes just took too long to actually make. I don't know when I'll make them again, so I hope the boys enjoyed them! When will I bring out the molds out again???

Happy 2011

Happy 2011! We ate traditional Korean soup and afterwards Noah, Micah, Kaitlyn, and Emma bowed to Harabujee and Halmoni. They received money, symbolizing good luck and good wishes. 2010 was such a memorable year, what will 2011 bring???

Felix and the boys

The Reno Rubins have three adorable cats... Sampson, Brutus, and Felix. Felix, being the youngest, was very playful with the kids and Noah was very proud of himself that he could pick him up. When will Noah start asking for a pet???

Reno: Day 2

The agenda today was to get the boys out in the snow. We took them sledding with Uncle Zach, Mary, and Aunt Julia. We had a great time. The boys started off going down with adults and then eventually we just let them go down with one another. That evening we had another family dinner and the boys just loved being in the house. Noah even said that he didn't want to leave... How will he react when we have to depart???

Reno: Day 1

Today the boys had a great time hanging out at the Reno Rubin abode. Aunt Julia took the boys out back for a nature walk to the creek and as soon as they got there, Micah instinctively started throwing rocks while Noah tried to get as close as possible. We also took the boys to a small play park to ride and swing. In the afternoon, we went to the Nevada Museum of Art and when we left it was snowing! It was amazing to see the boys reactions to the snow. Later that evening, we had a great dinner with the whole family and then Uncle Steve took the kids out to play in the snow. What will tomorrow bring???

Friendly skies (again)

Micah's second trip on an airplane went really well... we flew to Reno to visit the family. The trip was smooth thanks to the boys' dispositions and Uncle Zach traveling with us. It was nice to have an extra set of hands to help! Micah was so excited to be on the plane and even more excited when they handed out mini-snacks. Micah munched on his snack saying "mmm, pretzel baby." Noah was in the row across from us with Dad playing his new DS. Now we know that we can take the boys anywhere! Next stop: Maui. Anyone want to join???

Merry Christmas

This Christmas, we had a delicious holiday meal which consisted of prime rib roast, green beans and bacon, sweet and mashed potatoes, four cheese mac and cheese (and a bunch of other tasty foods). We were also serenaded by Noah and Kaitlyn who sang, "We wish you a Merry Christmas." And last but not least, the adults played White Elephant gift exchange (I came home with Star Wars pancake molds and Jawsh got fragrance diffusers)! What will Christmas bring next year???

A gingerbread house

Today we spent the day with Cathy! We had lunch at Pitfire Pizza and had a blast hanging out. Cathy brought over a gingerbread house to complete with the boys. Micah lost interest pretty quick, but Noah worked very hard alongside Cathy. Isn't this great???

California Science Center

Today we ventured to the California Science Center with Y.H., V.D., and A.C. We had a great time going through the Ecosystems and various exhibits. The kids liked the Discovery Rooms and we all liked looking at our thermal output. In this photo, I am holding the camera and Noah up with one arm (Micah was napping in the stroller). Cool, don't you think???

Welcome Back Zach!

Uncle Zach is back from Louisiana! Will he like his Barefoot chocolate cake???

Central Library

For years, I have been saying that I would like to visit the library downtown and today we finally did it! Sure, it was raining... but it was well worth it. We only stayed an hour (we had to feed the monkeys... I mean boys...) so we hit the second floor, Children's Section. As a teacher, I was in awe. So many wonderful books, art, kid friendly furniture... everything was so inviting... If I was alone I could of stayed the whole day. The boys loved reading in the amphitheater and of course Micah gravitated toward, "No David" while Noah liked "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." We definitely have to come back again... the question is when???

Hi Asante

Today I got to meet Asante for the second time... the first time around he was about three weeks old and sleeping soundly in his crib. Fast forward to a few months and he was wide awake and hanging out with Micah (Noah was at school). Micah liked saying his name when prompted and Asante just took it all in. He is such a cutie pie (look into those deep eyes) and I can't wait for him to be mobile so he can play with my boys. When will we see him again???

Nice!

Have I been naughty or nice this year? According to Hanukkah Harry and Santa Claus... I have been nice! With my new Kitchenaid mixer, I have already made a few of Barefoot's desserts, like her chocolate cupcakes, chocolate cake, and homemade frosting. I even make my own whip cream which the boys love eating with their challah french toast. I can't wait to use the dough hook and make some bread... wonder how that will turn out???

8th night

Tonight we celebrated the last night of Chanukah with friends from Noah's school, the H Family. Nagat and I have become good friends and there is never a dull moment with five kids running around. Noah likes to play with E.H. and Micah loves to play with Y.H., all while Baby Yexplores. When will we break bread again???

Mr. Valentine's Nature Class

Today Noah's preschool had a very special guest, Mr. Valentine and his animals. Noah got to touch a Wallaby, a Kinkajou, reptiles (like a bearded dragon), frogs and snakes (including a Desert King Snake). This time around, Noah was not interested in the insects (he refused to hold the tarantula and the scorpion) but he was very much into snakes... I wonder if he'll want one when he gets older???

Happy Chanukah with the Shields

The tradition of the Smith-Shields Chanukah celebration continues to year three! Last year we went to their place and this year we hosted. It was so much fun catching up with the family and watching the boys play. Kyer and Micah got along very well, so I think we have best friends in the making. When will we see them again???

4th night

Tonight we celebrated the fourth night of Chanukah with Bubbe, GA, GT, and some of Bubbe's close friends. We had a great evening at Bubbe's house eating good food, opening gifts, and playing games. Now that Noah understands the rules of the games, I think he enjoyed playing Dreidel and Go Fish with GA and GT more than the gift opening! When will we see them again???

Happy Chanukah

We celebrated the first night of Chanukah with Grandpa. We had matzo ball soup and latkes for dinner (well the kids had pancakes). Noah had a wonderful time singing "Chanukah oh Chanukah" with Grandpa. Noah is also old enough to understand the Dreidel Game and it was fun watching three generations spin for chocolate gelt. What will the next night of Chanukah bring???