Chess Smiths

Noah has been working hard to develop a program called Chess Smiths.  It is a two-week introduction course to the basics of chess.  He had 3 students join and he met them over Zoom for 1.2 hour sessions.  It is really nice to hear Noah be so encouraging to his students and to watch him prepare all of the slides that he is using to teach.  Will his students enjoy the game of chess???

F9: The Fast Saga

We hosted a celebratory movie screening for Noah and his friends who completed middle school and are off to high school!  The Cinemark rents out theaters for private parties so the kids watched F9: The Fast Saga.  It was so nice for the kids to reunite.  When will Noah see his friends again???

Homemade Icecream

Homemade vanilla ice cream was the first attempt Micah made in our new ice cream maker.  He did a great job making the ice cream.  Then we made Jawsh's coconut ice cream.  What ice cream flavor will we make next???

Swim Team

Now that LA County is in the yellow tier, which is the least restrictive, due to low COVID 19 rates and that the boys are vaccinated, we felt conformable enough for them to rejoin the swim team.  The boys have not really swam in such a long time but they were surprisingly fit when they went to their first practice.  We were amazed that they swam so many laps in one hour.  They were definitely tired after they finished, but they felt accomplished.  When will they return to training for the Junior Life Guards???
 

Nara at LACMA

For Father's Day, Jawsh wanted to go to the museum.  Our first re-entry into the world of art took us to LACMA to view the work of Yoshitomo Nara.  He is a Japanese artist and his work was influenced by his memories, music, and literature.  We viewed his expansive collection that spans over 30 years and there were so many of his personal sketches!  There was so much inspiration to view.  What are the boys inspired by???

Emma's World

Finally!  After 16 months the boys were finally able to enter Halmoni's home!  Since Emma and Liam are too young to get vaccinated, the boys wear their masks indoors.  Kaitlyn was at volleyball practice so the boys hung out with Emma and Liam for most of the day.  Emma painted their nails and did their hair and they played all of the old games they used to play like Hide and Seek.  Now that they are much bigger they are finding that they don't fit in the same old hiding places.  It was a fun day being back with the cousins... when will we visit again???

Galaxy's Edge

After much contemplation, we took the boys to the happiest place on Earth with one destination in mind... Galaxy's Edge.  We made reservations for Disneyland, timing it with their COVID vaccinations to ensure that they were fully vaccinated before we ventured into the amusement park.  But right before our well in advance planned trip, California lifted the mask mandate!  Even though we were all fully vaccinated, and it was a hot summer day, we still wore our masks all. day. long.  The silver lining was that the park was at 35% capacity so the boys could ride all of the rides that they liked.  They also got to ride Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run where they were both the pilots and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.  An unforgettable experience was  building their own custom lightsabers at Savi's Workshop and trying Luke's blue milk at The Milkstand.  It was a very memorable day... what summer adventure will we try next???
 

Tennis

For the past year, we have been playing a lot of tennis.  We especially liked reserving a private court near our home since LA County was in a high tier of COVID 19 transmission.  The boys took to tennis well and Noah became more interested in the sport, declaring that he would like to play in high school.  Since we just play casually, it was time for Noah (and Micah) to have some direct instruction so they started lessons with Coach Byron.  We hope that Noah will reach his goal to make it to the freshman team.  Will he make it in the Spring???

Car Parade

Over the weekend, Noah's school had a 8th grade car parade so the students could pick up their certificates from the school.  Noah saw a few of his teachers and ended up seeing a friend who was a few cars behind us which was a nice surprise.  In a year full of the unexpected we are glad that there was some sort of closure for Noah this 8th grade year.  He worked incredibly hard all the while dealing with social distancing and not seeing friends.  What will this summer have in store for him???
 

Happy Promotion Noah

 

In a year of school closures, the 8th grade promotion was also cancelled and celebrated from home.  We watched a virtual culmination where Noah was honored with the Gold Principal's Award for maintaining a 4.0 GPA all 3 years in school.  He was also voted 8th Grade Best Hair and he received the Most Improved from his Art teacher.  But Noah's dreams came true when he got to eat his own 6 inch Susie Marble cake!  He was very happy.  We are proud of all of Noah's accomplishments... what will high school bring???

Getty Villa

We went to the Getty Villa this afternoon!!!  It was our first outing in a public setting in over a year and it went okay.  We avoided all of the buildings and stayed in the garden the entire time.  We found a cool marble bench and the boys spent some time sketching.  It was a really nice visit.  When will feel comfortable going inside???

Just us

It's been a very long time since Jawsh and I got to spend some time together alone. Today we left the boys at home and we went to the South Coast Botanical Gardens. We took our time in the Rose Garden, smelling every rose, and then we walked along different paths.  It was a really peaceful day.  When will go out again???
  

Vaccines

Today was a very exciting day.  The boys received their COVID 19 vaccines!  Jawsh drove them to the Forum and they were able to get their shots.  When Jawsh sent me this picture, I felt this cloud lift off my shoulders.  I didn't even realize it was there.  This pandemic has taken a toll on, not only the kids, but us parents as well.  I have been so worried and concerned but I will say thanks to modern medicine, I am feeling so much better.  I hope that their friends will also get their vaccinations so they can all hang out together.  When will they be able to see their friends???

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers in the world who love their children with all of their heart.  The boys made me wonderful cards with illustrations.  What will the day bring???

Vaccine

I am so happy that  Jawsh was able to get his vaccine shot.  We have been concerned about Jawsh and Noah because they have asthma but I am so glad that we have one less person to worry about.  I hope that the kids will be approved to have a vaccination soon!  When will that happen???
 

Back at work

I am back at work in person with the students in the morning and on Zoom in the afternoon.  I didn't know what to expect today so I tried to be prepared.  I purchased a well fitting mask, had a plastic face shield, and also a portable microphone so the children could hear me clearly.  I am sure that it was weird for them to see me like this in class but then again everything is weird.  Keeping the students 6 feet apart is challenging but they have been really great about wearing their face masks.  What will it be like next week when they have to COVID test on campus???

Hello Cousins!

 

It was so nice to finally hang out with the cousins at the park.  Our stay was not as long as the kids would have liked but we were all grateful.  Kona was so happy to see us that she kept barking, jumping, and started to pee out of excitement. The kids played basketball and soccer and had a great time.  When will we head back???

Lunch Buddies

This is a behind the scenes shot of the teacher teaching class!  This will the last week we see our students over Zoom so we are all having lunch together.  Micah likes to make me lunch so I enjoyed a sandwich and BBQ chips.  I will miss the days of having lunch made for me.  What will they serve tomorrow???

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Happy 70th Birthday to Grandpa Barry.  We got to swing by to wish him a Happy Birthday.  Later in the evening, we sang and watched him open presents over Zoom.  We can't wait until we all get to share a meal together again.  When will that be???

Happy Easter

It's been a few years since the boys celebrated Easter with the cousins.  Three years ago, Liam was hospitalized with a head injury, and the last two years we have been in a pandemic.  The boys were pretty disappointed that we did not see family but the 12 inch golden egg filled with candies and coupons helped their mood.  It was a quiet Easter, just like the other holidays, and we are looking forward to celebrating again.  Which holiday will it be when we get to celebrate with family???