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???