Kings Hawaiian

Summer days are flying by and we wanted to take advantage of the longer days so we went to Torrance to eat at Kings Hawaiian.  The boys really enjoyed the desserts and Jawsh was able to eat the Dole Whip because it is dairy free!  Three boys smiling are better than two, don't you think???

Micah at the GMG

This was Micah's second time in the annual chess tournament.  He performed well, 5-2.  We were very proud that Micah played.  He also received scholarship money from his performance last year.  He had a fun time and we hope that he will play again next year.  Will he want to sign up???

Grand Match Gala

Noah is the reigning chess champ for his grade level for the past three years.  First place for three years in a row is some feat.  He was nervous about the tournament but he did well...  10-0.  Although his school did not take home the win, he was very happy to receive this award.  Noah collected scholarship money that he won last year and next summer he will also receive money for this win.  Will Noah make enough to go to college???

Beach Boys

The boys had a great time at the beach today with their friends.  They played football, boogie boarded, and loved having an ice cream on the beach.  It doesn't get much better than this, does it???

AYSO Soccer Camp

Week 2 of summer was filled with AYSO Soccer Camp.  The boys had some friends at camp which was nice so they could play together since they were placed on separate teams.  They have been participating in this summer camp for many years now and they look forward to it every summer.  Will this be their favorite sport???

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the BEST daddy in the world.  This year we had dinner in Ontario.  It was so hot that we had to have a cool treat at Pinkberry.  We love Pinkbery now that they have a dairy free option for Jawsh.  Now he can enjoy eating dessert with the boys.  What will we do next year???

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the BEST daddy in the world.  This year we had dinner in Ontario.  It was so hot that we had to have a cool treat at Pikberry.  We love Pinkbery now that they have a dairy free option for Jawsh.  Now he can enjoy eating dessert with the boys.  What will we do next year???

Foraging

Today we celebrated my friend, S, birthday by going foraging.  She invited a small group of people to hike through the Los Angeles State Park with Pascal Bandar, a Belgium forager who works with the top chefs in Los Angeles.  It was an interesting afternoon of eating dehydrated crickets, fermented roots, and bug poop!  I wonder when we will have another experience like this???

Goodbye Expander

Noah has a great reason to smile... his expander was removed this afternoon.  No more hard to reach crevices to brush and special floss to use.  He said he mouth felt "weird" now the the expander was out.  Phase 1 is almost complete and braces will be coming off in a few weeks.  I wonder what his smile will look like ???

Tennis Camp

Noah spent his time at tennis camp his first week out of school.  He enjoyed playing with J and P for the week.  He learned many new things and different types of strokes.  Will he want to play tennis more regularly???

Jog-A-Thon

Noah enjoyed running the Jog-A-Thon this morning.  I ran with my class and challenged him to beat my laps (which was 9).  Noah ran 12 laps and had a great time.  What will it be like next year???

Jog-A-Thon

This year's Jog-a-thon theme was: Find Your Path!  The kids had to run as many laps as they could.  Micah said he had a great time and enjoyed high-fiving everyone.  He ran 10 laps.  How many will he run next year???  

Game Day- The Claw

Micah's culminating project was the designing a claw game.  He had to design and research the history of the game.  His project (seen behind him with all the kids in line) was one of the largest projects and the most popular. Micah created the game using recycled materials and he made a hook using a paper clip  which could grab a toy.  The kids loved playing it.  What will Micah make next time???

Game Day- Toy Porsche

Noah's culminating project was making a toy Porsche out of recycled materials and a research report on the history of the Porsche.  He was very proud to show his work.  It was very interesting to see what each student created based on their interests.  What will he design next time???

Happy Memorial Day

This Memorial Day, I took the boys to Los Angeles National Cemetery.  It was so packed that we were rerouted and we could not enter the cemetery to pay our respects.  Afterwards, we went to the beach to ride our bikes for the first time.  The boys did a nice job not crashing into anyone on the bike path.  It was a really nice relaxing day and we are so thankful that we have the freedom to do these activities.  When will we do this again???

Wattsy

I found Watts in 2004 in a Watkins Park in Watts.  He was just a little pup.  I remember picking him up and looking at that little face and I called my mom to see if she would be willing to take a new puppy.  Thankfully she said yes.  That night, Watts stayed in Jawsh's apartment and the next day I drove him home to my mom's house.  It felt like yesterday.  Watts is such a wonderful dog... when will we visit him again???

Piano Recital

The boys had their piano recital at a local Santa Monica coffee shop, Unurban Coffee.  The boys played three songs each.  Micah played: New World Symphony (Dvorak), Duke of New Tork (Traditional) and Canoeing in the Moonlight.  Noah played Turkish March (Beethoven), Aria (Bach), and Auld Lang Syne (Traditional).   The boys played very well and they memorized all their songs which was very impressive.  When will they have their next recital???

Red Sox- Tiger Award

Micah really enjoys playing baseball with his friends but he had an up and down season.  Now that he is at AA level and the kids are pitching to the batters, Micah has not been as successful at hitting as he would like.  He would strike out during the regular season but during the playoffs he hit a double and got a RBI.  At the end of the game, he was awarded the Tiger of the Game.  He was very excited.  Will he want to play baseball next year???

Dodgers

Micah had a great opportunity to see the Dodger game with his friends from school.  They had really great seats and plenty of snacks to eat.  Micah loved the free hat and all the fun he had with his friends.  When will we go to the game as a family???

Happy 40th

Happy Birthday to Jawsh's best friend, Jay.  They have been friends since childhood.  I wonder when we will all get together???

GT

Today was the unveiling of Grandma Tina's headstone.  It was so nice to be surrounded by the whole family to celebrate and remember the life of Grandma Tina.  We feel so blessed that the kids have such wonderful traditions and family to rely on.  When will we see everyone again???

Icecream with GA

We made it to Reno for the unveiling ceremony for Grandma Tina.  We came into town a few days prior to the ceremony and had a chance to spend some quality time with Grandpa Art.  He picked us up from the airport, took us to lunch and then we went to see a movie together.  The boys also got to share an ice cream from McDonald's with Grandpa Art, which they were very excited about.  It was nice to spend some one on one time with him before the whole family arrived.  When will we spend some more time with him???

Hammer Museum

The boys are taking a Korean Language class Westwood for 8 weeks which is located next door to the Hammer Museum. Jawsh drove them to class but headed to the Hammer first to check out the installations.The boys enjoyed the art and they also played a few games of ping pong in the courtyard.  I have not been to this museum since last summer, so I will have to visit soon.  When will we go???

Topanga State Park

The boys went to Topanga State Park for their field trip to learn about the Tongva People who once inhabited the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands.  They were a hunter gatherer society.  The boys learned how they survived and had opportunities to recreate how they lived.  Jawsh had the opportunity to chaperone this field trip and he was very impressed by the field guide expert.  In all the years that I have lived in Los Angeles, I have never been to this state reserve.  When will I visit the park???

Picnic

For the past five years we have been attending the annual Rancho Co-op picnic hosted by the boys' preschool.  It was a fun afternoon with plenty of good food and friends.  The boys enjoyed spending their time with the W boys.  Even though they go to separate schools they still enjoy spending time together when we see each other.  Will we hear back next year???

Open House

Open House is one of my favorite events at school.  I love going into the boys' classrooms and seeing all their work in class.  Although we're at the same school, I rarely have time to go into their classroom so it's nice to see everything they are working on.  This year was special because I only had one classroom to visit since the boys were in the same class... next year will be different.  What will it be like then???

Baby Brady

Micah really wants to be a big brother... he loves being in charge of little people like my cousin's son, Brady.  The whole lunch, Micah liked sitting next to Brady and playing with him.  When will we see them again???

Sports Authority Commercial

Micah had a special opportunity with his baseball team to be cast in a Sports Authority commercial.  He was on first base for most of the shoot.  He said it was a long day and his favorite part was the snacks (and getting out of school early). Will this start his career???

CPK Chefs

The boys went on a special tour of CPK with their classmates.  They had the opportunity to make their own pizza and tour the kitchen.  They really enjoyed walking through the back of the kitchen and making their pizzas, but the part they enjoyed the most was eating!  They also had a chocolate brownie for dessert.  This was a great experience for the kids.  Will this be an inspiration for Micah to open a future restaurant???

Happy Easter

We had our annual Easter egg hunt at my parent's house.  The kids really enjoyed looking for eggs and were even happier when they cracked them open to find candy and money.  Last year, my Dad started hid money which changed the friendly hunt to an all out competition.  This year was no different except for the fact that he hid a $100 dollar bill in the egg shaped like Darth Vader's helmet.  He thought no one would find it because but Micah found it right away.  In true Micah fashion he asked to split the $100 five ways and he shared with everyone.  What will happen next year???

Koons 2

While Noah was sketching the balloon dog, Micah spent sometime sketching Koons' Rabbit.  Micah really enjoyed sketching the Rabbit.  It was great to observe him looking at all the shapes and interpreting that to the page.  What will Micah sketch next???

Koons

After our time in the Infinity Mirrored Room, we walked around the museum and the boys sketched an installation from Koons.  Noah really enjoyed sketching the balloon dog...  what will he want to sketch next???

Infinity Room

Today we went back to the Broad and got some time in Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room.  It's a mirror lined chamber housing a dazzling and seemingly endless LED light display.  They only allowed two people in at a time so Micah and I went in together.  There was water around us so we had to stand on a small platform.  It was a fantastic experience that I hope I get to experience with Jawsh and Noah... when will we go back again???

Korean School Cooking

 

Micah and Kaitlyn are taking Korean language class together at the church.  Today their class focused on Korean cuisine.  They made breaded chicken and then they got to enjoy eating all together. I really liked this aspect of the class.  What will he learn to cook next time???

Triplets

Today was Twin Day but the boys decided to be Triplets.  J,P, and Noah drew their alter ego characters: Charles, Fred, and Timmy that Jawsh helped design it to go on their shirts.  They had a great time wearing the shirts today.  What will they come up with next year???

Triplets

Micah and his buddies on his team decided to wear their uniforms today for Twin Day.  Don't they look so cute???

Two Sport Athlete

Micah is our sports guy... he's playing basketball and baseball.  It's been busy because he has practice for one sport and then a game for the other. He enjoys playing both sports and it's fun cheering him on.  What sport will he play next???

Game night

Tonight we went to the K House to have a game night amongst friends.  The boys had friends to play with while the adults played Cards Against Humanity.  It was so much fun.  When will we get together again???

Open School Day

Today was Open School Day.  This is a day where parents teach about their culture in the classrooms.  I enjoyed teaching in the boys' classroom last year, but now that I am a teacher at their school, I was unable to go to their class.  I did enjoy dressing up with the boys and  representing our cultures.  We also brought in bagels and lox and rice and seaweed.  What will we bring next year???

February Boys

We celebrated the February birthday boys at lunch at True Foods and dessert at Superba.  These two have such a great relationship and I hope that Noah and Micah will also remain close when they get older.  What's the secret guys???

Breathing Light

I'm still sick so I missed out on the opportunity to see James Turrell's installation, Breathing Light.  The boys had a great time with Jawsh and it's so nice that they can bond over art.  I hope that the boys will look back at their childhoods and remember all the great art they saw with Jawsh.  When will we go back to LACMA???

Friends

Today the boys went off to meet old friends.  It's been quite a while since they have seen Kyer.  They met for lunch and movie, Kung Fu Panda 3.  After the movie, the boys went to the playground to run off some energy.   They had a great time.  When will they see him again???

Happy Birthday Dad!

For Dad's 39th birthday we celebrated with dinner at Osteria Monza.  It was a delicious meal and everyone really enjoyed it.  Happy Birthday to my dearest husband... wonder what he wished for???

Today Jawsh starts his new adventure... he will be focusing on his art for the next year.  There will definitely be some big changes occurring and we're looking forward to taking this journey with him.  What will this year bring???

Giant Robot Biennale

We ventured to the Japanese American National Museum to view the Giant Robot Biennale.  We saw some favorite artists like Kozyndan and James Jean.  The boys did some sketching and afterwards, they enjoyed some boba walking around Little Tokyo.  When will we see our next show???

Puzzle Time

The boys just finished their 300 piece robot puzzle.  What puzzle will they complete next???

Karaoke

The boys went to G's birthday today and had a great time singing songs.  Here they are singing, Everything is Awesome, from the Lego Movie.  Although they appear to be very focused, they had a great time.  I wonder if they will want to sing karaoke with me???

Happy Birthday Jack!

We had the special opportunity to host J's birthday party since he will be moving to Singapore in a few weeks.  The boys had a great time playing and going on a Scavenger Hunt.  The sleepover was a huge success and I'm glad that we were able to do this for him.  When will we see him again???

Mandoo Time

Micah wanted to go to Halmoni's house to make mandoo for the new year.  This is a new years tradition so he was super excited to wrap the filling.  Afterwards,  my mom cooked soup and fried the dumplings.  It was delicious.  When will he cook with my mom again???

Happy New Year 2016

Happy New Year!!!  Tonight we went to the Westerfield Home to have dinner, game night, and to bring in the new year (at 9:00PM).  I wonder what our new years resolutions will be???