Space Shuttle Endeavor

While the Space Shuttle Endeavour flew towards LAX, Noah's classroom was outside cheering the plane on as it flew over the school.  A few miles away, Randy's Donuts was busy making shuttle donuts in honor of this event and I was on my way to pick up the last two for my boys.  Here they are holding their shuttle donuts... a moment in history symbolized by a donut... does it get any better than this???

Noah's first fieldtrip

Noah's first field trip was to the LA Zoo.  He was very excited to ride the school bus along with 45 other kindergarteners and 30 parent chaperones... yes, 30 parents volunteered!  In all my years of teaching, I have never had that much turnout for a fieldtrip, which shows just how involved the parents are in this class.  Noah was in a group with a bunch of his friends and it was super enjoyable because the weather was cool.  Where will they go next???

Celebrate good times!

Today we celebrated both Micah and Bubbe!  We had a nice dinner and Bubbe made awesome Batman Cake Pops for Micah which Noah devoured!  I sewed the apron that Bubbe is pictured in and I was so relieved that she liked it!  Wonder what cooking class she will wear it to???

Happy First Birthday Liam!!!

We celebrated Liam's first birthday. Jawsh made an incredible slideshow that reflected upon his first year of life, games were played, and the food was enjoyed by all. A highlight of the evening was the Toljabee. Laid out in front of him was a stethoscope, pencil, thread, basketball, and money. It's said that the child's future is predicted according to what they grab and Liam grabbed the money (signifying riches).  Wonder what he'll be when he grows up???

Brown Bear

I volunteer in Noah's class on Thursday mornings... today the kids were reciting the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?  Noah had the part of the red bird... this is such a classic Kindergarten moment that I had to snag a photo with my phone.  I can't express how lucky I feel that Noah is in this class, in this school, at this moment... will Micah get in???

Checkmate!

Noah is learning how to play chess after school in the Chess Club.  Jawsh and I debated whether we should hold off but Noah has a penchant for games.  Research shows that chess players show greater confidence, develop problem solving skills, logic and reasoning, develop mental discipline and concentration while learning good sportsmanship and strengthening rudimentary skills.  All great things, so why not???

Fun at the Fowler

A nice perk living so close to UCLA is the opportunity to visit the Fowler Museum.  The boys and I headed there to make their own crazy critter mask combining their favorite animals drawing inspiration from Fowler in Focus: Curious Creatures from Mexican Popular Arts.  Noah decided to make a zebra/ butterfly and Micah chose to create a peacock/ cat.  I think the get their creativity from their dad, would you agree???

4

Today we celebrated Micah's 4th Batman birthday at Giggles and Hugs.  It was a pretty relaxing evening for me since the venue provided all the entertainment.  The kids danced, played, were led in games, and the main attraction was the magician!  Micah loved it when the magician pulled cookies out of Noah's armpit!  I can't believe that Micah is already 4 years old... where did the time go???

Eve of the 4th year

Micah turns 4 tomorrow... I can't believe it...  I can honestly say since he started preschool 4 weeks ago he really has turned a leaf.  When I respond to his question and say, "no" instead of whining he says, "I don't mind."  And his preschool teacher told me that he told another kid, "if you are mean to people, I won't play with you."  Micah has started writing his name independently, he knows his letters and sounds, and his drawings are really improving... my baby is almost 4.  Where has the time gone???

5773

We had such a Happy Rosh Hashana in Reno because we could spend time with Great Grandpa Art and Great Grandma Tina.  We enjoyed a lovely dinner by Aunt Julia (Micah ate 3 bowls of matzo ball soup) and the boys enjoyed dipping their apples in honey.  We attended family service at the temple and the boys got to hear the shofar.  Jawsh and I also had the opportunity to spend time with GGA and GGT in their new home.  When will we see everyone again???

Catfish cove

The boys went down to Catfish Cove with Uncle Steve and Daddy to skip rocks across the water.  The boys walked through marsh and Noah explained it like this, "the mud tried to eat our shoes."  It's so beautiful and peaceful here and I hear that there is a lot of catfish in these waters... when will the boys learn to fish???

Cabin time

We flew to Reno, Nevada to go back east and head back to California to stay at Uncle Steve's cabin for one evening.  Micah loved helping Uncle Steve gather wood while Noah practiced his swing hitting branches off trees.  In the evening, the sky was so clear we could see the Milky Way galaxy and I saw two shooting stars.  The boys love spending time at the cabin and  are already asking, when are we going to go back???

Micah at school

Micah's day at school consists of outside play and then indoor activities.  I remember when we first learned that a third of the day was outside that we thought it was too long, but now that I am older (and hopefully a bit wiser) I see the importance and benefits of just letting the kids play.  Micah loves playing with his friends, S.C. and L.T.  as you can see on his face... he is a happy boy.  Once inside, the kids can choose to do art, play with manipulatives, or a whole set of other activities (i.e. kitchen, dress up, etc).  This is such a special year for Micah because he is no longer in the shadow of his older brother, but defining his own place at his preschool.  What will we learn about Micah this year???

Another 5K

Back in July, my friend wanted to run a 5k... fast forward to today.  It's time to run said 5K but I have not trained at all!  I decided to run it anyway and I had two goals... not to walk and not to come in last.  I hit both goals running 3.2 miles in 36:39 minutes.  I thought I did okay until Micah said, "what took you so long?"  Noah was excited to watch me run and now he wants to do a race... when will we sign him up for a kids' run???

Team X

Noah is playing his first season of soccer.  He was very accurate in practice and kicked the ball into the net. But once he started playing in the game, he was on the periphery of the action... not wanting to commit and waiting for the ball to come to him so he would not have to go after the ball.  It was very fun watching him play today... how will he do in his next game???

Micah's first day of school

Micah was excited to return to preschool.  After going with me to drop off Noah for the past few weeks he was looking forward to playing with his friends.  No longer will I hear the words from the backseat of the car, "Noah is at kindergarten and I am not in preschool.  That's not fair, Mom."  As you can see, Micah was very happy to be back at school with his Show and Share toy in hand.  How will preschool be without Noah this year???

Noah at school

Noah's kindergarten is really unique... the classrooms are combined with two full time teachers and two aides.  There are a lot of parent volunteers so there is usually an extra 5 adults helping!  I volunteer on Thursdays and the kids work in small differentiated groups.  With so much going on, it can feel overwhelming but the teachers know exactly what they are doing.  The kids were finishing up an apple unit where they had to cut the apples to make applesauce.  Here is Noah, as you can see, focused at the task at hand!  He loves his school and chooses to attend kindergarten over any other activity (such a good sign).  He was a big fish in a small pond in preschool and now the tables have turned... what will we learn about Noah this year???

Pier fun

The boys enjoyed going to the pier over Labor Day weekend.  Auntie Cathy scored us some tickets so how could we pass this up?  The kids loved going on all the rides and Jawsh was a trooper and went on  with the boys.  Noah loved the roller coaster and Micah is itching to grow.  When will Micah be tall enough???

Palm Springs

This Labor Day weekend we went to Palm Springs.  It was a nice little get away... the boys enjoyed swimming with Dad and Noah liked going down the 60 foot water slide.  When will we go back???  

Beach day!

A day at Venice Beach was just what Micah needed!  Even though the cast was taken off yesterday, Micah kept asking me if he could get his arm wet and if he could touch the sand.  Poor guy... I guess having the cast on for three weeks really affected him.  It was so nice to watch him play, splash, and even get on the boogie board while I dragged him around.  When will we head back to the beach???

Freedom!

We have been counting down the days to Micah's cast removal.  It's been pretty difficult keeping this cast dry (we already had to go in and change it once) and I'm just really glad that Micah can now enjoy his final days of summer.  The cast removal was pretty quick and his x-rays looked great.  What will Micah want to do now that his arm is free???

Color Me Mine

Color Me Mine was another activity that Micah could participate in with his cast!  I can not wait  until tomorrow when we can finally take the cast off.  What will his arm look like???

Who Am I?

Jawsh and I went to Back To School Night.  I am so glad that we were both able to attend because we really learned so much more about the school.  When we toured Noah's class, we received a book that Noah worked on for the past few days.  Here are a couple things that Noah shared about himself:

1.  I have a little brother.  His name is Micah.  I was so glad that he mentioned him.
2.  My favorite bugs are spiders. I like the fastest ones.  They are blue.  I did not know this!!!
3.  I like playing with my legos.  I like to watch movies.  I like going to the Lego store with Mom and Dad.  I knew this!
4.  When I grow up I want to be... I'm figuring that out... like a Ninja!  Really?  What happened to all our talks about becoming a real estate developer or surgeon???
5.  I like to eat watermelon, grapes, bananas, pizza, and ice cream.  This sounds about right!
6.  I like going on the monkey bars and I like playing handball.  What handball?!?  This is a new kinder thing for sure!

What else will we learn about Noah this year???

Cat by Noah

Noah is now taking Korean language class on Monday and Wednesday afternoon for two hours.  At first, I was concerned this was a long time for him (especially after school).  But I saw that his class does a lot of art while learning the sounds of the alphabet.  And it turns out, going to Korean School is his favorite part of the day.  He likes being in his class and he made the observation that he is the only "half Korean" boy in the class and that everybody else understands what the teacher is saying except for him.  This made me feel a little bad because I could be speaking to him more in Korean, but Noah is resilient and he told me, "If I don't understand what the teacher is saying, I just say, excuse me can you say it in English?"  And after checking in with his teacher, she said he was "doing fine and says excuse me a lot."  Will Noah learn how to read Korean better than me???

34

Today is my birthday.  But now that Noah is in school, I just went about the usual business of dropping off and picking up.  Micah and I did enjoy one of my favorite salads at Nordstrom and then we went to eat Korean food for dinner.   34... what will this year bring???

Fourth tooth

Noah lost his fourth tooth in the back seat of the car!  I was talking to someone after school next to the car while the kids were getting in.  Noah, trying to get my attention, flailed his arm, which hit  his own chin, and then his tooth fell out!  Then he really needed to get my attention because he wanted to get out and show his teacher, Cathy, who was still at the gate!  The lower right lateral incisor is out!  I can't believe this is #4 baby tooth!  Here we are later that night celebrating with a milkshake.  When are those top teeth going to come out???

Storytime

Who said story time could only be at the library?  Today we were at the mall where they had a kid's program set up with story tellers, tattoo artists, and crafts for kids.  Micah really liked his stars and he also wrote his name on his pencil bag (I assisted him with the "a" and the "h").  What other activities can I find that qualifies as "cast-friendly"?

Cast friendly activity

This is an oldie and a goodie... baking chocolate chip cookies with mom.  Micah enjoyed helping me measure out ingredients, but I think he enjoyed eating the cookie a bit more.  Look at that smile, wouldn't you agree???

First day of kindergarten

Noah has been anticipating this day for a while.  He woke up to find a kick-off to kindergarten present, a book entitled "Kindergarten," a card explaining all the fun things that happen there, and a new Ninjago backpack and lunchpail.  Noah was excited but you could also see that he was apprehensive.  We walked him to the yard where he saw some familiar faces (from a kinder playdate a few weeks prior) and then his teachers came and they were off.  He didn't cry and was fine walking to class.  I teared up just a bit, but we are thrilled that Noah is in this school and feel so lucky that he can be part of this community.  What will his first day of school be like???

Storybook cooking

Noah starts Kindergarten tomorrow and Micah starts preschool in three weeks, so we decided to enroll Micah in some classes so he had some things to do while Noah is in school.  One of the classes we enrolled him in is called, Storybook Cooking.  His teacher, Julia, reads books and then does an activity with food.  Today they read, "How Are You Peeling?" and then made fruit kabobs (notice Micah's cast covered).  She invited Noah to join in since he was there watching.  I wonder if Micah will like this class???

Legoland

Do wishes come true???  If you were to ask Noah and Micah their answers would be a resounding, "yes!"  Today we went to Legoland with Grandpa Barry and Grandma Lauren.  Since we slept at the Sheraton Hotel (and used the private entrance that connects to the park) we arrived bright and early.  The boys got to ride the most popular rides and we really liked seeing all the Lego creations.  Grandpa Barry and Noah went on some exciting rides that had them in the air and Micah loved getting on his first roller coaster, The Dragon.  A great day... hot... but nontheless great!  What will the boys wish for next???

First cast

With the cast comes some changes...  for instance, it's not waterproof so we have to cover it up at all times when Micah is eating, in the bathroom, washing hands, and don't get me started on the bathing.  And although we were planning on separating the boys' beds soon (the mattresses were directly next to each other) now that he has a cast on, we needed there to be more space.  Noah was thrilled, Micah not so much.  So Micah received a hypoallergenic bear at Build-A-Bear and then promptly chose to cover the bear up in Spiderman gear and then name him "Spiderman."  Oh and let's not forget his accessory, a sling!  So Micah is now sleeping with Spiderman and they both have their arms wrapped up.  Isn't that darling???

Goodbye Summer Sounds

We went to the last Hollywood Bowl Summer Sounds performance, featuring Trio Ellas, a mariachi band comprised of three women in tall red heels.  It was the perfect remedy to lift my spirits (and Micah's spirits).  Music has a way of touching the soul and I was seriously feeling so upset by what happened yesterday, that it helped to take my mind off of it.  The boys enjoyed the character of Mr. K and wanted to take this picture.  What cultural music will they feature next year???

The first fracture...

and hopefully the last. We were at the Petersen Museum racing Hot Wheels on the track.  The boys would run back and forth to hand me cars to drop down the track (too high for the kids to reach) and on one of the runs, Micah fell.  He fell bad.  He started wailing and screaming.  I knew he was upset but I didn't think anything like a fracture had happened at this point.  He calmed down considerably, but was still crying and even the offer of a milkshake didn't help.  I called his doctor's office and also went to urgent care and found through x-rays that he had a distal radius fracture.  My poor baby and his dominant arm!  He's in a splint and sling now and will be casted tomorrow... what are we going to do???

La Brea Tar Pits

We ventured to The Page Museum by default.  I wanted to go to LACMA today to see Levitated Mass but  it was closed.  So, we kept walking east on Wilshire and found ourselves at what Micah calls, "ewww... it stinks here."  We walked by the pits which smells like fresh tar and then walked through the museum.  The kids enjoyed parts of it but they were eager to head to the Petersen Museum... when will they want to go back???

The adventure continues...

The boys and I headed to Venice Beach for a nice afternoon.  Micah got hit by a wave early on so he sat out and Noah started playing with a group of kids who were trying to body surf.  As I was watching Noah, I noticed that he started mimicking the kids and he started body surfing!  He didn't catch every wave but the ones that he did catch were so fun to watch.  It's moments like these that I am reminded how fast time truly passes.  What will Noah learn how to do next???

Filipinotown

We were driving to Ktown from Olvera Street and found ourselves in Historic Filipinotown which makes up the southwest portion of Echo Park.  The boys loved playing at the park where the Gintong Kasaysayan, Gintong Pamana mural is located.  The mural depicts over 5,000 years of Filipino and Filipino American history and it was very beautiful.  I loved the fact that there was no graffiti anywhere inside the park area.  I think Jawsh would love this... when will we go back???

Olvera Street

This is the last week of summer for Noah so we wanted to have some new adventures.  Today we went to Olvera Street and we visited the Avila Adobe which was built in 1818 and is considered the oldest standing residence in LA.  The kids were not that impressed with the house but they loved leaving and heading to Mr. Churro.  It was pretty interesting to see how they preserved the Avila House, when will we head back???

Yum

Peaches off Halmoni's tree... can anything beat that???

Liam

How could anyone not love this face???

Time with Cousin Seth

After tennis camp, we met up with Aunt Julia and Cousin Seth in Santa Monica.  It was great to see Seth... I can't believe how tall he is and how much he has matured!  He could climb all the ropes and he was helping Noah climb the kiddie ropes.  It was a nice afternoon and we hope to see them again soon... when will that be???

Speech with Debra

Today was Noah's last speech session with Debra.  She has been helping Noah for the past few months and it's time to say goodbye.  Noah needed some support with three sounds (k,g, and s) and she worked wonders.  He hit all his speech goals and she said he was one of the quickest kids that met their speech goals.  Noah really enjoyed all the speech games he played and I think he will miss her and her pumpkin prize box.  How will Noah do in Kindergarten???

Wild Wonders

We went to an animal show called Wild Wonders at the Santa Monica Library.  The animal presentation showed many different animals such as crocodiles, possums, snakes, and a kinkajou.  Micah was chosen with a few other kids to touch the kinkajou and he was thrilled.  Will he want to work with animals when he gets older???

Tennis

Noah and Kaitlyn are in tennis camp this week.  They are both enjoying their time there.  Noah seems to like it a lot and according to Kaitlyn, "he is the best player."  It must be nice to have a fan, huh???

Let's go fly a kite

We went to Seal Beach with Bubbe and Aunt Julia.  We all had a very nice time.  The boys liked flying kites with Aunt Julia and playing in the waves.  They are looking forward to going back to her house in Reno... when will we visit???

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

While Noah was in Gymnastics camp, Micah and I spent some time at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook.  Micah counted the stairs as we went up and he got to 32 before he wanted to turn around.  What will we do tomorrow???

Gymnastics camp

Noah and his good friend were in Gymnastics Camp all week.  Noah worked on his coordination, motor development, and he got to enjoy the gymnastics equipment.  Noah loved tumbling and jumping in the pit.  This was his first all day camp (9-3) so he was very tired when he got home!  How will Noah react when he's in Kindergarten all day???

7

This morning we went back to the exact spot we were married (7-24-05).  7 years!  We once thought that we would come back to Shutters on the Beach and re-create the moment... eat the same dinner (or get as close as we could) and spend time there.  But in reality, we took the picture and then left to eat lunch at Gjelina Take Away.  For our anniversary, Jawsh and I ate at Manhattan Beach Post.  It was definitely not the most romantic spot, but we really loved the food!  Where will we go next year???

Levitated Mass

Jawsh took the boys to check out Levitated Mass at LACMA.  Michael Heizer created this 456 foot long slot with a 340 ton granite megalith.  This piece demonstrates the expanse of art history from ancient traditions of creating artworks from megalith stone to modern forms of abstract geometry.  Noah and Micah were impressed by the size of the rock and Jawsh liked the idea but not the execution.  When will I get over to LACMA???

AYSO International Day

Today's theme was International Day, so the boys wore their South Korea soccer shirts and represented!  Don't they look so cute???