Firefighters

The annual Firefighter visit came to the preschool.  Micah loved climbing in to the fire engine and wearing the Captain's hat.  Will he want to be a firefighter when he grows up (I'll take that over a barista)???
(Super duper cute picture to come)

International Day

Today was International Day in Noah's class.  I brought in a Korean fan for the kids to paint.  As you can see Noah represented part of his culture.  Noah requested that I bring in a Jewish activity next year... what could that be???

Go Nets!

Basketball season officially ended today.  Noah was a starter in the last game and he was very excited.  He was really focused on defense and he set really tight screens for his teammates.  I can honestly say that he wasn't the best player on the team, but he really did improve.  Basketball is a game that I really enjoyed and I am excited that Noah enjoys it as well because this is the one sport where I can actually understand all the terminology.  What will Noah play next???

V-Day

Valentines Day...  Noah chose to hand out Ninjago valentines and Micah chose to pass out Spiderman cards.  But Noah had a special Minnie Mouse Valentine present for his friend, Nora.  And he also included her in his homework.  Isn't this adorable???


"This Valentine is for my friend Nora because she is nise.  She is my preescool frend.  She likes swinging on the monkey bars and she runs fast."

36

Jawsh is 36!!!  We went to one of Jawsh's favorite restaurants, Short Order.  It was too bad that Noah was in school so he could not join us, but Micah loved having all the attention to himself.  Afterwards we went to MOCA Pacific Design Center which was very interesting.  I have never been to the Pacific Design Center and it was such a beautiful space.  Later in the evening, Jawsh and I had a romantic dinner in Venice at Piccolo.  It was such a nice day and I am so happy that Jawsh got to enjoy all the great food and parts of LA.  What will we do next year???

Future barista

Micah loves coffee.  I blame it on Jawsh because he always lets Micah help make espresso.  Last year, Micah was the only child in his preschool class that identified the scent of coffee grounds (in the 5 senses lab) as "Americano."  While we were in Huntington Beach, we went to Portola Coffee Lab for some coffee.  It looks like a scientist's lab because there are beakers and baristas in white lab coats.  Micah loves coming here to watch and he said, "when I grow up I want to be a barista" (Noah says, "ninja").  Where are all my future MDs???

Micah is a-MAZE-ing

While Noah is in Korean class, Micah and I have been working on his letters and sounds.  He is still getting the hang of writing but he has been blending and I can officially say that he can read cvc words.  He is excelling in math as he is able to count past 100 and he is independently writing his numbers to 30.  Micah needs some encouragement staying focused except when it comes to mazes.  He is amazing and can finish them quick.  Here he is staying focused at the task at hand.  When will he start kindergarten???

First t-ball game

Micah's first t-ball game was... exciting. There were many tears shed by the players.  I think every child cried at least once but this is a very young team of 4 year olds.  Will he want to play next Saturday???

Go Kings!

Today we went to the Toyota Sports Center, the official training center of the 2012 Stanley Cup Champions, for Open School's ice skating fundraiser.  This was the first time the boys ice skated.  Noah was terrified of falling so there were some tears shed in the beginning, but once he fell down, he realized that he would be fine.  By the end of our skate time, he was skating by himself.  Micah was not that intimidated and  enjoyed ice skating so much that he asked if he could take lessons.  Will Micah be the next Wayne Gretsky???

First basket of the season

Noah made his first basket of the season!  It was an unexpected baseline jumper.  He was so proud of his shot and afterwards he received a sportsmanship award.  Look at that smile, doesn't he look so proud???

Noah's Reflection #5

Inauguration Day

We knew that it would be crazy, crowded, historic, full of energy, etc... and it was all these things and more.  We ventured out a few hours before the ceremony and we were so far back (but at least not as far as CNN) that we had to rely on the jumbo screen to see what was happening and Jawsh lifted Noah onto his shoulders so he could have a better view.  It was amazing to hear President Obama's speech and afterwards we decided to head back to my sister's place (where Micah was) and to forgo the parade because there was just too many people and of course, it was cold.  We know that this was a special moment in history and we feel so happy that Noah could experience this.  When he is older, he will be able to tell his children that he was at Obama's second Inauguration!  How cool is that???

The National Portrait Gallery

Chuck Close created a pair of images on tapestry capturing his expressions.  It was so cool to see this up close and then to enter the President's Portrait Gallery.  Again, Micah referred to the Presidents as "Mitt Romney" and we had to clarify again that Mitt Romney was never elected as President.  When will Micah differentiate between all the white faces on the wall???

Noah's Reflection #4

Washington National Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, known as the Washington National Cathedral is the sixth largest cathedral in the world.  We had lunch nearby at a yummy restaurant called 2 Amy's and walked over a few blocks afterwards.  An interesting tidbit, in the 1980s, while the west towers were under the construction, a sculpture competition was held for children and a drawing of Darth Vader was sculpted and placed high upon the northwest tower.  The choir was singing, "America the Beautiful" and the boys were very solemn.  Noah said a prayer for his "kind dad" and Micah said a prayer for his "kind mom."  The magnitude and breathtaking beauty of the cathedral reminded me of Westminster Abbey.  When will we take the boys to London???

Noah's Reflection #3

Smithsonian Mall

Today we had such a wonderful day.  The weather was in the 40s and although it was cold, it was bearable.  We walked the National Mall and went through The National Gallery of Art Sculture Garden.  Then we went to the National Museum of Natural History where we saw fossils, the Hope Diamond, and the Insect Zoo.  The boys really enjoyed Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards exhibit as well.  We had a fun time, can't you see the look on their faces???

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Memorial

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is located in West Potomac Park in Washington DC.  This was my favorite monument and I loved hearing Noah read some of the quotes on the wall.  My favorite that he read:  "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."  Who can argue with that???

Noah's Reflection #2

"Washington C"

Micah used to say "Washing Machine" and now he refers to the capitol as "Washington C" (hopefully he'll get it right before kindergarten).  My sister suggested we visit some of the memorials at night because there would be less people and also because there were some designed to be viewed at night.  The kids loved the Lincoln Memorial, but our favorite was Martin Luther King Jr. (see next picture post).  Jawsh has a link to Lincoln because they share a birthday, February 12, and they are both upright, just, and moral men.  Isn't this a great photo???