Snowboarding

Today we headed back west into California, to Soda Springs, the longest running ski resort.  The boys took their first snow boarding lessons and had a great time.  Jawsh also got a chance to snow board while Aunt Julia and Grandpa Art skied.  It was such a nice day sitting out on the terrace watching everyone go by.  When will we go snow boarding again???

Rubin abode

This weekend we went to Reno to visit the family.  The boys were so excited to go to the Rubin home and see the cats since they did not get a chance to come to the house at their last visit.  As soon as they came over, they went to visit with the cats and then got down to business making s'mores outside.  What will we do tomorrow???

More cousin love

This was the last day we spent together with the cousins.  The girls had been all over Los Angeles and their last day, they just wanted to come over and play.  They had a great time playing soccer in the backyard and spending time with one another.  We hope that they look back at these days with fondness.  The boys can't wait till we go to Las Vegas so they can spend more time together!  Will Liam be taller than Sophie by then???

Object Parade

Noah had such a wonderful time making his object, an electrical power box, for the Object Parade.  In the last 25 years, there has never been an object that had a functioning door so this was a first in the history of Yellow Cluster.  Noah was very excited to perform his part and he did an awesome job.  When he opened the panel, the audience gasped!  After the show, I had Noah and two of his friends come to my class for a Q&A.  What will Micah want to be if he gets into Yellow???

Universal with the cousins

Today we ventured to Universal Studios with the cousins.  The boys were very excited because they have been anxiously waiting to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  As huge Harry Potter fans, this place did not disappoint.  We wish that it was a little bigger but it was still really fun to walk around.  Hogwarts Castle was amazing and the Butterbeer came two different ways (frozen and regular).  We did not get to spend as much time here because the kids wanted to go through the rest of the park, but it was a great experience.  When will we head back???

Skateboarding

While Micah plays baseball, Noah is learning how to skateboard.  He chose a skateboard with an illuminati symbol (where did he learn about that?) and he got all the appropriate gear.  We also found out that he wears the same size helmet as Jawsh!  Will he want to keep this up in the next few months???

Cousin love

Sophie and Daphne bring so much joy to our family. They were here on a family vacation and we had the opportunity to get together for dinner at my parents' house. The kids had a great time playing and running around in the back. Here is a great shot of all of them... when will see them again???

Happy 40 Uncle Bill

We celebrated Uncle Bill's 40th birthday today! Emma and Micah baked him this very blue sprinkle cake.  Wonder what he wished for???

Love you Watts

We miss you, Watts! RIP 2004-2017
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Yesterday, on the same day that Chuck Berry passed, we lost a beloved family pet, Watts, an Australian Shepherd mix. Watts was an abandoned puppy at a park in south central LA, where Kim found him, then took home to her Mom, where he lived a great life and grew from a tiny white and gray furball to a full fledged friendly wolf. Watts was incredibly intelligent, loyal and affectionate, with a wisdom in his eyes that spoke volumes. And when my boys were born, and my nieces and nephew too, Watts was both protective and gentle. He joins the pantheon of great canines, along with Goldie and Hopps.

Read-A-Thon

The School Readathon is pretty amazing.  The students read over 50,000 minutes combined!  This year the theme was Tangled Tales.  Each student collected playing cards of their teachers photoshopped on top of a favorite story book character.   The students were all on one team and unlocked challenges every week.  Since I love the Harry Potter series, I chose Harry Potter.  Micah and I both dressed at Harry Potter on the Tangled Tales dress up day.  Noah was uninterested in dressing up... which is just another indicator that he is growing out of all these activities. What will the theme be next year???

Daddy Date

Noah and Jawsh went to see Finding Neverland at the Pantages Theater.  Before the show, they went to Connie and Ted's and had a yummy brunch.  Will Noah remember these special days when he gets older???

UNICEF art auction

 Jawsh donated two paintings to UNICEF's Art Auction which took place in Venice.  It was a lovely evening full of a lot of great art, free food and wine, and music. We had a nice time viewing the art and enjoying the beach breeze and we saw that one piece was bid on.  It's nice to know that his work is going toward a good cause.   Will he donate more work again???

Pastry window

Jawsh and I ate dinner at Scopa Restaurant before heading to the UNICEF art auction where Jawsh had two pieces on auction.  They sat us at the Pastry Window which is seating only for two and close enough to give guests glimpses of the kitchen.  It was a great place to sit because it was private, romantic, and unique!  Will we get another chance to dine here again???

Object parade prep

Noah's working on a project to build a 3D object that you can find in the city.  Noah chose to do an electrical box.  His project is pretty exciting because in the past 25 years of this class project, there has never been an object that has an attached panel that can open.  Here is Noah attaching wires to his panel.  We asked him if he also wanted to add functional lights but he declined.  Will his project look like an electric box when he finishes???

Happy Birthday Unc Z

 We had such a good time celebrating Uncle Zach's birthday at the Rose Cafe in Venice! We enjoyed dinner and dessert!  Wonder what he wished for???

MOCA

Today we ventured as a family to check out Printed Matter’s L.A. Art Book Fair.  This is a unique event for artists’ books, art catalogs, monographs, periodicals, and zines presented by over 300 publishers. It was interesting to see all the different works but it was also overwhelming.  There was so much to see that it was hard to focus.  I don't know if I would want to do  this event as a family again next year unless there is a Hot Mess booth.  Will Jawsh present some printed work next year???

Baseball season

  Micah told me that he did not want to play baseball this year.  I  could understand where he was coming from because last year he cried because he struck out a lot.  When I asked him why he didn't want to play, he responded, "it's too hard."  If he had said, "it's boring" or "I'm not interested," I wouldn't sign him up.  But because he said, "it was too hard" I had to sign him up again.  I want my boys to persevere and I want them to know that they are not going to be the best at every thing they try.   And most importantly, I don't want my kids quitting when it gets too hard.  How will this season go???

40

Happy Birthday to my dearest, Jawsh, who turned 40 today.  We had an amazing time in Palm Springs and headed back west to dine at the Tasting Kitchen.  We sat upstairs and had a great meal shared with our two loves, Noah and Micah.  This picture was taken by Noah, who wanted to capture this moment on camera.  We enjoyed the food, the wine, and afterwards we headed to Blue Star to pick up some amazing donuts.  What will this year bring???

Cabazon Dinosaurs

Yes, we are "those people" who made a stop at Cabazon for the dinosaurs.  And yes, those two pictured above, are "those people" who paid an admission fee to go into the Cabazon Dinosaur Park.  According to the sources above, it wasn't as bad as they imagined, and they even got to climb all the way up the T-Rex to his teeth!  Now that's what I call, cool.  Will we stop again???  No.  But I have to wonder... did Noah and I miss out???

Joshua Tree

In honor of Jawsh's 40th birthday, we headed east to Joshua Tree.  We didn't know what to expect other than gorgeous views of nature and it surpassed what we imagined.  We headed to the park early and walked the Hidden Valley Trail which looped for about a mile.  The boys loved climbing and jumping off the rocks, and Jawsh felt the spirit of Ansel Adams and took a lot of black and white photos.  It was a crisp beautiful day for a hike.  When will we do this again???