Dog lover

Micah is our champion dog lover... here he is holding Ricky.  Since the passing of Goldie, Watts, and Peanut we miss having dogs at Halmoni's house.  I wonder if she will get a new puppy soon???

Cheers to home ownership

As the boys sleep in their new room... Jawsh and I sat on the balcony enjoying a glass of champagne.  It's remarkable... I can remember our first night in our apartment off Federal #104 eating shrimp scampi on boxes because we had no table.  Tonight we are in our new home, enjoying our glasses of champagne, on our ice chest alas we have no outdoor table.  Funny how things change yet seem to stay the same way.  As we enjoyed the sounds of the frogs from the nearby creek to the stillness of our new reality... we are so blessed to be doing this life together like this... I wonder how the rest of the year will be???

First night

Noah's 11th birthday... our first night in our new home... sleep tight boys... what are you dreaming???

Magic show

Tonight we took the opportunity to see a free magic show in Santa Monica called Magicopolis.  We had a wonderful time watching the show and there was a lot of audience participation so it was fun to see the family being pulled up to help the show.  When will we go to our next magic show???

Happy Birthday Noah!

Happy birthday to Noah!  He's 11 years old and I can't believe how time has flown.  Noah is definitely changing from a boy to a preteen.  He can be moody at times and want space and then he is asking us to buy him a Lego set at Target.  Jawsh says to always buy the Lego set because there will soon be a day when he no longer asks.  We can't say enough about how proud we are of him... he is everything a parent would want in a child.  Happy birthday dear Noah... wonder what you wished for???

Universal

I spoke too soon... what more could they want???  Another amusement park!  We ventured to Universal Studios and the kids enjoyed faster and bigger rides than Legoland.  They had a great time on Jurassic Park at night (which is even scarier than in the day) and they loved the Waterworld show!  Will the boys remember these great times with their cousins when they get older???

Legoland

We are so blessed that we get to see our Denver cousins a few times a year!  It was a great day at Legoland but we definitely missed Jawsh.  The kids had fun going on all the rides and just hanging out together.  They had their fill of sugar, lego, and rides... what more could they want???

Eat cake!

Noah decorated his birthday invite which we placed on his birthday cake.  Happy birthday to my 11 year old baby.  I wonder what he wished for???

All In

Noah is turning 11 next week and we decided to celebrate his birthday a week earlier since all his friends would be on Thanksgiving vacation.  We took the boys to see Justice League and then we went to Hop Doddy for dinner.  The boys really liked the movie and they especially liked Flash.  After the movie, we went back to the house for a slumber party.  What time  will they go to bed???

Knotts

It's always a great time with the V boys!  My boys are very fortunate to have such a special friendship with J and G.  J and Noah have been to school since kindergarten and although Micah is one grade above G the multi-age classroom has given them the opportunity to be in the same class!  Today they ventured to Knotts Berry Farm, where the boys experienced their first rollercoaster with a loop:  Montezuma's Revenge (which was also my first rollercoaster loop).  I was bummed that I wasn't there but at least D sent me video!  I wonder what their next big ride will be???

Rock climbing

While Micah was at a friend's birthday in West LA, I decided to take Noah rock climbing.  Noah's Harabujee climbed mountains as a young man in Korea, so I know it's somewhere in him.  It was really amazing to see him persevere throughout the session.  In the beginning, he was very hesitant and he could barely get up the wall.  But after taking a few breaths and composing himself he got up a little farther each time.  I told him that it wasn't about getting to the top, but about surpassing his last stopping point.  I think this helped him because each time he passed his previous stoppage point, he was excited and motivated to continue.  By the end of the session, Noah had scaled three walls and reached the top of each one.  Proud parent moment.  Will he want to take more classes???

Student council

Noah is a Student Council Representative for his classroom and now he is running for the office of Secretary.  He created these great posters on his own and he has a speech ready to read.  Even though he is running unopposed, he still has to garner over 50% of the votes.  As a student body officer in my day, I am very proud of Noah for taking this step.  Will he want to continue leadership in junior high???

Chess champ

Noah came in first place in the chess program at school with a record 14 checkmates this past quarter.  He was very humble while accepting his award and we were very proud looking on.  Noah has had a great time playing chess, developing strategy, skills, and confidence.  Will he continue to play next year at his new school???

Happy Halloween

Noah wanted to be a mummy this year and so we decided we would do Classic Halloween Characters.  Micah was the cutest Dracula and Jawsh grew out his beard to be a werewolf and I wore my black dress and bought a $5 hat to be a witch.  We had a nice time at the K House and the boys also enjoyed watching the Dodgers play in the World Series.  After the trick or treating, the boys made an impromptu Haunted Garden.  Will they want to trick or treat next year???

New home

We purchased our first piece of property in Los Angeles!  We are now a part of the Playa Vista community which is a new urban place to live.  We feel so fortunate to have won the lottery to have the opportunity to buy in this new building.  We are moving from a home to a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo.  There will be an adjustment but we are excited to live in a new community with many parts, access to pools, walking distance to stores and much more.  We look forward to what the future brings...  now the question is what are we going to do with all our stuff???

Mommy and Micah

I was so happy that I was able to chaperone Micah's trip to San Diego.  We had a great evening hike and enjoyed learning so much about all the animals.  Micah got to sleep in his tent with his friends and I slept in a tent with my friends.  It was a special experience.  I wonder if we will go back as a family???

Roar N Snore

I had such a fun time chaperoning Micah at the San Diego Wild Animal Park Roar and Snore!  The boys had a great day exploring and had so much fun at the camp.  The night hike was memorable and the next morning was absolutely beautiful.  Jawsh attuned with Noah last year and I would love to do this as a family... when will we make time to go???

Art

The boys have been going to Otis Art School for art class.  Here they are learning about color and pixels.  Can you guess which one is Noah's and which one is Micah's???

Art time

Art time...  this is time that Jawsh likes to spend with the boys.  What are they all drawing???

Noah's apple pie

This is Noah's attempt at making an apple pie.  He has been asking to learn how to bake apple pies so that everyone can enjoy them in the family.  It was delicious!  What will he make next???