South Coast Botanical Gardens

We have really enjoyed walking at the South Coast Botanical Gardens.  It's just far enough away to feel like we are going somewhere and it's so expansive that we have plenty of room to walk and enjoy nature without others right next to you.  We enjoy walking the perimeter of the estate and my favorite garden to walk through is the Rose Garden.  Every time we go to the gardens, we notice something new.  Micah especially likes finding the rabbits and Noah and I are on the look out for the blue peacock.  We haven't seen it in a while so we have an increasing prize pool for the first person who sees it.  I think the prize pool is up to $40 now.  Who will see the peacock first???

Brothers = Buds

 It's been a while since I've seen the boys side by side on the same bed...  this made my heart so happy.  Through the pandemic, the boys have been together 24-7.  They are in the same room while taking classes, they eat their meals together, and they spend all of their free time together on walks, playing tennis or skateboarding.  They are together a lot!  But even though they are together all. the. time. I am so happy that they have one another.  Even though they are in different Zoom sessions, it's still nice to have a real person next to you like you would in class.  And even though they argue, it's still nice to have someone to argue with someone face to face.  These two are definitely buds.  Will they be like this as they get older???

COVID 19 Vaccine

Today I received my first COVID 19 vaccine.  I signed up for the Forum and was able to drive through.  It was about an hour wait because there were so many cars.  I was happy to sit through the line because that means there are a lot of people who are getting the shot which will make it better for our community in the long run.  At this point, I think the schools will be reopening soon so I hope that I will be able to get fully vaccinated before I return.  What will that be like???
 

Hang Out, Do Good

The boys have been continuing their Jewish studies with Rabbi Diane over Zoom.  She recently shared about a non-profit organization that helps the unhoused and hungry called "Hang Out, Do Good."  The boys made lunches and we also included a kit that contained socks, chapsticks, and face masks.  It feels good to help others.  Will they continue this good deed???

Palos Verdes

Sometimes it's nice to take a drive just to get away...  and we have found that we enjoy the drive to Palos Verdes.  The boys can spot Catalina Island and it's just a really nice scenic drive.  As we look out the window, the boys will share stories from their experiences in 5th grade at Catalina and remember some of the good times they have shared with their friends.  It's been almost a whole year since they have seen their friends so we know that they miss them a lot.  We are hoping that the COVID 19 vaccine will be made available for teens soon....  when will that be???

Happy Valentines Day!

This morning I made challah french toast shaped into hearts for the boys.  Then for lunch they had heart shaped grilled cheese sandwiches and then for dinner we ate Mongolian food made with love by a good friend.  All of the meals were an expression of love.  It's important for us to remember that, especially when we feel so isolated.  It's good to celebrate the holidays that pass as it helps break up the monotony and reminds us of the good times, wouldn't you agree???

Happy 44th

Happy 44th Birthday to Jawsh.  Micah put the sign up but since we did not have enough b and p letters, he had to be creative with the spellings.  It's a weird time that we are celebrating birthdays in quarantine and not able to be together with family and friends but the boys and I tried to make this day special for Jawsh.  Happy 44th... what did Jawsh wish for???
 

Viruses

Micah has been learning about viruses in science and was tasked to make a bacteriophage.  He learned about how a virus can infect and reproduce which is so apropos with all of the news about COVID 19.  He made the top with paper origami and placed it inside a toilet roll with paper clips on the side.  He seems to enjoy science very much.  Will Micah have a future career in the sciences???
 

Family walks

 

This is a typical day for us.  After a long day of Zooming with our classes we take some time in the evening to enjoy a socially distance mile walk.  We have our normal walk which takes us to a small trail and then out to the fountains where we can see ducks and turtles.  There are so many people out feeding the animals that they like to swim up to us in hopes of getting some food, but we never have any.  We are incredibly blessed to live in this community to enjoy all of the trails and the boys are so blessed to have one another to keep each other company. As much as I like to think of the positives, I am ready for us to go back to normal.   When will that be???

Crazy for Kamala

It's so nice to have something positive happen right now and we are so incredibly excited that Kamala Harris is the Vice President of the United States!  How amazing and uplifting!  We watched the Inauguration and have been following all of the headlines.  We wished that we could have been there in person but we will hopefully be there in 4 years when the Biden-Harris team is re-elected!  What will the world be like in 4 years???

Diversity

We are really glad that Noah is taking art this year.  It gives him a different way to express himself and the course work requires him to work off of the computer!  Long gone are the rules of limited screen time, as the boys have all of their assignments, books, and classes online.  It's pretty hard to determine if they are online studying or doing something else, now that they are in the room with their AirPods in their ears and the door closed.  What is going to happen when they transition back to school???

Music Appreciation

Jawsh has tasked himself to create a Music Appreciation course designed by him to teach to the boys.  There have been a few sessions so far and the boys seem to enjoy it.  They have heard music from Mozart, Beethoven, Claude Debussy, and George Gershwin to name a few.  I wonder what genre they will listen to next???  

Ahead in the Clouds Puzzle

Jawsh made his very own puzzle entitled, "Ahead in the Clouds"  It is a 1,000 piece puzzle with lots of pink!  This has definitely been a challenge for the boys but they are motivated to complete this task because their Dad designed the puzzle.  When will they finish the puzzle???

Kenneth Hahn Park

 

The boys and I went to Kenneth Hahn Park to take a walk.  We are really fortunate to have some of the cleanest and prettiest trails in PlayaVista but it was nice to venture off to a new part of town.  We barely scratched the surface walking around Kenneth Hahn and we hope that we will be able to take longer hikes on the more popular trails in time.  We are still social distancing and staying away from crowds so it has been challenging to find popular walking trails that do not have a lot of people around.  When will COVID 19 end???

Harry Potter 3D Puzzle

The boys received a 3d Harry Potter Puzzle this past holiday season.  It was definitely a challenge to build up and connect pieces of cardboard that could easily rip.  Even through the frustration, they persevered and were able to complete the Hogwarts grounds.  Jawsh then made a short movie with a Harry Potter mini figure flying around the castle.  What puzzle will they work on next???

Happy New Year

This has been some year.  We are hoping for a new year full of good times with family and friends and hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel.  This has been hard but we want to remind ourselves that we have so much to be thankful for.  What will 2021 bring???

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from sunny California.  The boys woke up to Christmas in our home for the first time in a long time so it was definitely different.  They opened their presents, had cinnamon rolls, and then we went out for a 2 mile walk.  It was warm and sunny and we were thankful that there were not a lot of people outside this morning.  Another holiday has come and gone and we are really looking forward to the day where we can be with friends and family... when will that be???

Drive by Santa

Micah and I drove to Ontario to drop off presents for the family.  It was definitely sad to not go in the house or see family.  We literally left the box of presents at the front door and then as we drove off Micah called Liam to tell him to retrieve the presents.  Liam wanted to see us but we drove back to LA.  Micah was really sad but we know that this is the right thing to do, especially because of COVID.  Anyway, this is a different year and we will get through it.  When will we see our family again???

 

Harry Potter 3D

We have been on a Harry Potter kick these past few months.  Micah read the entire Harry Potter series in a matter of weeks for the first time.  Then we watched the films and allowed the kids to finally watch the last few movies.  For Chanukah, we bought Micah the Harry Potter 3D puzzle set so the boys have been steadily working on constructing the wizarding world. Micah also received the Harry Potter Advent calendar (see Lego on the map) and he was happy to get the Durmstrang ship.  When will they finish this puzzle???

Holiday lights

Tonight we drove through Westchester looking at the holiday lights while listening to Mariah Carey's Christmas album and drinking hot cocoa and eating candy canes.  It was fun to drive around the streets with different themes like the gingerbread street, snowman street, and candles.  This was one of our favorite houses...  gingerbread sporting UCLA and Caltech gear.  Who knows... will Noah be wearing these sweaters in a few years???

Happy Chanukah

 

Happy Hanukkah!  Noah received his own menorah from Bubbe so we had two beautiful Hanukkiahs at the table.  It was a quiet celebration this year but we were grateful to Zoom with family and wish them a Happy Hanukkah...  will we be able to celebrate together next year???

Treats

Gluten and dairy free banana muffins and a cold press helps Jawsh get through the work day.  We miss the days when we could walk to Blue Bottle for a mid-morning drink but grateful that we can enjoy it at home.  What can I bake next for him???

Chocolate Tasting

Cool Shul had a chocolate tasting as part of their Hanukkah celebration over Zoom.  It was very interesting and we learned a lot about chocolate and how it is grown and cultivated.  It's a pretty long process from bean to sweet treat and now we have more of an appreciation for chocolate and chocolate makers.  Will this inspire us to try different chocolates???

Sip and Paint

This evening I participated in a Sip and Paint class with my co-workers for our holiday party.  It was not as relaxing as I would have liked but I came away from the evening with a deeper appreciation for artists.  I can't even remember the last time I painted... when will I paint again???

HBD Noah

Happy 14th Birthday To Noah.  We drove around dropping off goody bags to his friends that was filled with candy from the turn of the century.  Later in the evening, the boys sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed Krispy Kreme doughnuts and then they went online to an Escape Room situated in Nikolai Tesla's lab.  This has been some year with virtual celebrations... I wonder what they will remember from these milestones???

Korean Friendship Bell

Sometimes it's fun to be a tourist in your own city.  We went south to Long Beach to see the Korean Friendship Bell.  We took a drive down the coast.  It was much bigger than we anticipated and the structure was ornate and reminded me of Seoul.  The bell is situated on top of a hill with views of the glistening Pacific Ocean.  It was quite breathtaking and windy!  When will we visit again???

HER-story

 

Tonight... Kamala Harris made her-story!  She has broken through so many glass ceilings.  She is the first Black, South Asian, and female Vice President!  It was so poetic to hear her speak tonight and I felt some real positivity and healing in a way that I have not felt in a long time.  I was so happy to share this moment with the boys (Micah is to my left and Jawsh is to the right of me).  I wish we could travel to Washington DC for the inauguration...  it would be so amazing to be there just as we there in 2008 when Obama was sworn in for the second time.  What will the future bring???

Happy Harris-ween

Our family tradition of dressing up together continued!  Jawsh made paper cut outs and we took a picture together proclaiming:  Happy Harris-ween.  In the evening, we showed the boys The Addams Family (circa 199) and Micah went out our front door and knocked on it a few times to go "trick or treating."  This was definitely not as eventful as previous years, but we hope that with new national leadership things will change soon.  What will Thanksgiving be like this year???

Halloween Haunts

The cousins had a good time making their gingerbread Halloween Shacks.  They were online together goofing, creating, and presenting to one another.  Micah got super silly and spread black frosting all over his face proclaiming he went through "puberty" and the girls had a great time screaming at one another.  They also played a “minute to win it” game, where they had 1 minute to cover someone in TP to look like a mummy.  The boys were unsuccessful.  At the end of the evening, they enjoyed playing Minecraft with one another.  This was a crazy Halloween get together but I think the kids had a great time.  What are we going to do tomorrow???

Cantaloupe as Carbon

Yet another school project... this time Micah made a carbon atom with fruit.  He felt so lucky because his teacher chose him first to choose the element he wanted to represent.  He wisely chose Carbon with an atomic number of 6 (unlike Noah who chose Phosphorus last year that had an atomic number of 15).  The best part of Micah's project was that we could eat it when he was done taking the picture!  What project will he have to complete next???

Who am I???

Another school project... Micah painted a pumpkin in the likeness of...  can you guess???

Boo!

For the past 6 years, we have spent Halloween with the V and K families. This year will be different.  There are no costumes, no trick or treat, no parties, no get togethers, no silly games...  so this year it was really important to me to BOO these families.  I picked up some Krispy Kreme donuts and we left them on their doorsteps with the note, "no tricks, only treats."  I miss my friends, as do the boys, and hope that we will come out of this pandemic stronger.  What will Micah want to do on Halloween???

Rock the Vote!

We are taking a deep breath and hoping for the best.  As we drop off our mail ballots weeks before the election, we have heavy hearts.  We know that the way things have been, especially this past year, are not the way it should be.  We believe that science is real, we believe in equality, we believe that no person is illegal, we believe diversity makes us stronger, we believe Black lives matter, we believe love is love.  We believe that we can make a change.  What will happen on November 3???

HBD Liam

Happy Zoom birthday to Liam.  He is now 9 years old and as funny as ever.  He loves his family fully and declares Micah to be his favorite cousin.  We hope all of his wishes come true... we wonder what he wished for???

HBD Micah

Happy Birthday to my Dimple Cheek Boy.  He woke up to birthday streamers, presents upon presents, and of course, his giant birthday donut.  Micah is our talented, loving, smart, baby boy. He has an inner GPS and a knack in the kitchen.  He is easily embarrassed if Jawsh or I are in his Zoom (this is how I know he is knocking on the door to his teenage years).  We love him so....  what will this year bring???

Rollercoaster Project

Just because we're in a pandemic, it doesn't mean the boys have stopped their school projects.  Noah was tasked to make a rollercoaster and he actually did it!  It's definitely not a sight for your eyes but it is functional and the marble can also take the upside down loop successfully which showed Noah that kinetic energy, potential energy, gravity, and friction all work together.  I was pretty impressed.  Will Noah use this experience as an engineer??? 

Birthday Quarantine

Micah is knocking on the door to his teen years.... how is 12?  This year, Micah wanted to celebrate with his friends and his cousins so he had two Zoom parties.  Micah met with his friends and they played a Simpson trivia game where they unlocked their own mini briefcases to find a sprinkled donut, Simpson stickers, and candy, candy, and some more candy.  Then Micah had another Zoom party where he played an escape room with his cousins.  Afterwards they all ate Dominos pizza and had Korean strawberry cake together over Zoom in their respective houses.  I thought it was really interesting because cousins from Chino Hills to Denver, were experiencing this all together.  This is one nice thing about the pandemic... the boys are spending more time with their cousins which has been really nice.  What will Noah want to do on his birthday???

Fender rocks

LAUSD partnered with Fender to give students the opportunity to learn how to play music during the pandemic.  Micah received an electric guitar and Noah received an acoustic guitar for FREE!  The boys have music lessons twice a week and are learning how to play a new instrument.  I am so thankful that they have this opportunity to learn and grow.  What song will they learn how to play first???

BLM

 

In hopes of contributing to the Black Lives Matter movement, Jawsh and Zach, created a small batch of custom shirts.  They raised over $500 to donate to BLM LA.  I am so incredibly proud of these two... aren't you???

Murals

Noah is taking Advanced Art at school and he was tasked to look for murals around our neighborhood.  As we drove to the Rabbi's house to pick up Hebrew books, we asked the boys to look out the windows.  We were so surprised to see so many murals!  We knew they were there, but just taking a moment and looking really opened our eyes to the diversity of art all over the walls from a 5 mile stretch from Playa Vista to Santa Monica.  Noah would hop out of the car a few times to take a picture with a mural or two, and this was one of my favorites.  A bear lounging makes me feel so happy... does it do the same for you???

Beachtime

The boys love the beach... I'm so thankful.  They had a wonderful time swimming and boogie boarding and for a moment, I forgot that we were in a pandemic.  Isn't that wonderful???

South Coast Botanical Gardens

I read that the South Coast Botanical Gardens limits visitors and is so large that social distancing is easier to do at this garden... and I would have to attest that it is true!  We came to the gardens and were so blown away by the beautiful landscaping, plants, flowers, and sculptures.  It's very close to Palos Verdes so the air quality is really nice and we enjoyed spending time there.  The boys are starting to play Pokemon Go so they liked finding Pokemon while we walked.  When will we visit again???

UCLA Sculpture Garden

 

We decided to head back to a part of the UCLA campus that Jawsh is very familiar with... north campus!  The north campus houses the arts, media, humanities, and public policy whereas south campus houses the math, science, medical, and engineering buildings.  We took a walk through the Sculpture Gardens and Jawsh showed the boys where he spent most of his days as an undergrad in what is now known as the Broad Art Center.  Will the boys want to attend UCLA???

Happy 15

We went back to the exact spot we were married (7-24-05).  15 years!  We are still coming back to Shutters to reminisce but this year was definitely different.  We did not enter the hotel to take a picture up on the terrace as we usually do, the summer boardwalk was quieter, and we did not go inside to dine.  It was still nice to be there but we decided to pick up some cold brew dairy free ice cream for Jawsh and we headed home.  The boys made us appetizers, dinner, and we had the ice cream for dessert.  This was definitely a new way to celebrate 15 years, but I am so thankful to celebrate this milestone with Jawsh.  What will we do for our 16 year anniversary???

Braces

Even through the pandemic, orthodontic treatment must continue but thanks to technology, Noah can now scan his braces from home!  Isn't this crazy? This is how Dr. Waldman follows up with Noah!  What will be next???

Nightly walks

 

We are really lucky to live in Playa Vista because there are over 20 community areas to walk.  Today we walked by Playa Vista's Central Park next to the Bandshell.  It's well landscaped and there are plenty of trails that allow us to stay socially distant from others.  We definitely miss the summer concerts and the sounds of kids playing but it is also a nice quiet walk that allows us to just enjoy the moment.  Where will we walk tomorrow???

UCLA Botanical Gardens

 

As a graduate student at UCLA, I never knew there was a botanical garden on campus!  Jawsh received his degree at UCLA and in his 5 years, he had only visited once.  So, today we ventured to the UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden.  It is 7.5 acres of frost free plants organized into themes such as desert, aquatic, mediterranean, and Hawaiian areas.  There were many trails and a small creek running through the garden with many people lounging on the grass or benches.  We enjoyed our time there but there was a Korean unicycle at that was cycling through the trails so we did our best to avoid him.  We had a nice time walking through the garden and it was a nice change of scenery for us.  When will we visit again???

Omelette

 

Back in the kitchen, Micah made an omelette with Chef Yosses.  Micah added jalapeños and onions but he did not like it.  He still prefers a plain omelet with ketchup.  Oh well, we can't win them all, can we???

Black American History

In lieu of the annual Westchester Parade which was cancelled due to COVID-19, we caravanned with the W Family and we drove around the community to look for Black American History signs.  I created a scavenger hunt bingo board and we drove around for about 1.5 hours reading the history of Americans who have made a difference.  This was definitely different than watching Micah walk through the parade with his Championship soccer team or All Star baseball team, but we enjoyed our time.  When will our holidays go back to "normal?"

Smoothie Time

Thanks to the UCLA culinary class, Micah has been learning from the former White House pastry chef, Bill Yosses.  Mr. Yosses showed the students how to make healthy smoothies instead of drinking soda and junk food.  Micah made three types of smoothies:  ginger/turmeric/pineapple, blueberry, and green apple/green tea.  Micah actually enjoyed drinking the ginger/turmeric/pineapple, which was very surprising!  This class has exposed Micah to new flavor combinations and has encouraged him to try new foods.  What will he try next???