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???