Oh, Christmas tree

Last year we celebrated Christmas over Zoom.  This year, the kids wanted to be together and decorate the tree so that's what we did.  I love decorating the tree because there are so many old ornaments that remind me of a special time in our lives.  This year, my sister allowed Kaitlyn and Noah to pick out new (tacky) ornaments to represent each kid:  Micah's ornament was a bucket of fried chicken and Noah's ornament was sushi!  Go figure.   What will Christmas be like this year???

 

15

Happy 15th birthday to Noah.  Today is not only Noah's birthday but it is also Thanksgiving!  My mom made seaweed soup for his birthday and for dinner we had all of the Thanksgiving fixings.  Last year, we celebrated over Zoom but this year we did not invite our extended family to keep the gathering smaller due my Dad's health and possible COVID exposure.  Noah was just so happy that he got to celebrate his birthday with his cousins.  Cousins are our first friends and we are really thankful that they are close.  We have gratitude that we get to spend time with one another.  What did Noah wish for???

Hello cousins!

We finally had the opportunity to meet baby Harper!  She is 8 months old and so adorable!  Atticus is now 3 years old, but the last time we saw him was on his 1st birthday.  We kept our visit short and stayed masked the entire time.  Noah and Atticus had a great time playing with his train set and hopefully it brought back memories for Noah who loved Thomas as well.  When will we see them again???

Magic Mountain

Noah was pretty adamant that he did not want to do anything for his 15th birthday.  It could be the age, the time, the circumstances.  But I continued to encourage a celebration with his friends and he finally agreed.  Noah and his friends went to Magic Mountain for the day and had a great time.  We drove back before dinner and they had dinner at Hop Daddy which they really enjoyed.  Happy Birthday to Noah!  I think he would say that I made the right call on this one, wouldn't you say???
 

Boo!

I thought last year was it.  Family costumes were over.  And I was ready for it.  But the boys surprised me this year... they were down for one more year!  It started organically... Micah wanted to dress up for school (so he wouldn't have to dress out for PE) and I suggested a panda onesie.  He agreed.  Then we were invited to an outdoor Halloween get together and Noah and Jawsh were open to dressing up too.  They thought of other bears and then we remembered that the We Bare Bears had a human character, a Korean girl, who I could be!  It all sort of worked out... even though this reference is obscure to many, it made sense to us!  Will this be the final year of family costumes???

 

Unraveling Again

Unraveling Again...  This is one of Jawsh's larger pieces measuring 36x48 and one of the most intricate in detail.  This has been a labor of love as he works full time and then tries to find time to create his own art.  What will his next piece be???
 

Mini me

This is a first.  My student, L, made a mini pumpkin in my likeness.  I found this to be so funny so of course, I had to take a picture.  Will this ever happen again???
 

Club Volleyball

Volleyball is a new sport that Noah loves to play.  It all started with his high school not allowing tennis to be counted for PE credit due to some restrictions.  He signed up for 6th Period Volleyball to receive credit and to hold that PE spot for tennis in the Spring, and then he ended up really enjoying the game of volleyball.  The Coaches really encouraged Noah and after attending a clinic he tried out for a club team to gain some experience.  Even though he has never played an actual game of volleyball, Noah was selected to join the team due to his potential and skill set.  After some lengthy discussions, we allowed Noah to join the Santa Monica Club Volleyball Team.  What position will Noah play???

Soccer

COVID 19 took a toll on all of us... and it still does.  But most notably, Micah was not allowed to play in his final games with The Blue Jets in the Spring.  This was such a hard decision but we explained our reasoning and he understood.  Now that he is fully vaccinated, we are able to revisit soccer again and this time Micah is playing with his old coaches and a few friends.  This is not the same as The Blue Jets, but Micah is just happy to be on the field.  He plays Center Defense and he looks great, especially considering he took months off from playing soccer.  What type of season will he have this year???

13

Micah is now 13 years old!  Where did the time go???  Here are his top 13 things that he enjoys: guitar,

music, family, sports, games, friends, beach, soccer, dogs, food, cooking, movies and reading.  He is enjoying his 8th grade experience and making more friends.  What will this 13th year bring him???

 

43

This is 43. What will this year bring???

First day of school for the 17th year

This is my 17th First Day of School as a teacher and it is one of the weirdest yet.  We are teaching at a time where all the students on our campus are unvaccinated and where it is impossible to keep the distance between students 3 to 6 feet apart.  We are in a pandemic teaching and we have to do our best to keep the students safe, engaged, and happy.  This is no small feat.  My partner teacher and I wear aprons to keep our belongings near us... like band-aids, hand sanitizer, phones, and pens.  There is so much to keep track of that it can be really stressful.  The students I am teaching did not go to kindergarten or first grade for the majority of the year, so this is their first experience in school which is a big transition.  What will it be like this year???

First Day of School- Freshman Year

Noah is starting his freshman year at Venice High School!  I can't believe that he is in high school!  We are so fortunate that Noah is going to high school with a handful of good friends and that his schedule was programmed a few weeks prior so he was ready.  It took Noah about 45 minutes to get onto campus but at least he waited in line with his friends so that helped.  Noah is 6'1'' and in high school!  Where did the time go?

First Day of School- 8th Grade

It was Micah's first day of 8th grade!  It was a weird start for a weird year!  Micah had to wait in line for about 20 minutes to get scanned with the Daily Pass to enter the school.  The Daily Pass ensures that the students have a recent negative COVID test and they have to answer that they are in good health before they enter the campus.  Micah never completed his 6th grade year here and missed 7th due to COVID, so starting this 8th grade year will be interesting.  I hope that he sees some familiar faces and that he has a good time.  What will the first day of school be like for Micah???

Bubbe's House

The boys love going to Bubbe's house and spending time there.  She sets up their space and they like being able to eat in front of the tv!  Now that the boys are getting older, they can help more and they had the task to vacuum her garage.  They did a great job!  They also enjoyed eating all of her baked goods.  The boys had fun bouncing between her house, GA's house, and Uncle Steve's house.  When will they get a chance to visit again???
 

Time with GA

After our trip in Yosemite, we continued northward and visited family for a few days.  The smoke from the fires made it difficult to enjoy the outdoors but the boys had a great time spending time with GA playing cards, solving puzzles, and listening to old stories.  We feel so lucky that the boys penpal with him and that they got to spend time with him face to face.  I hope they never forget having pancakes made for them by their 94 year old great Grandpa.  When will we have our next visit???
 

The Ahwahnee

The Ahwahnee Hotel shines as Yosemite National Park's distinctive upscale hotel and it has been booked for over a year.  It seemed impossible to get a reservation but by sheer determination and constant website checking, I was able to book not only the hotel for a few nights but also a cottage!  It was a nice experience staying at the hotel because of the stunning interior design and architecture.  I also loved that there were hardly any people around in the hotel which made me feel so much safer.  We ate at the Ahwahnee Dining Room which was a contactless buffet where mask wearing was required except while eating.  Due to my concerns about the dining room, we were moved to the perimeter table next to a grand piano that kept us safely distanced from all the other tables which was amazing.  The next night, we moved into the cottage and we learned that we were staying in the exact cottage that President Obama stayed in!   As soon as we walked in we saw his presidential photo and excerpt of his speech.  The evening in the cottage was calming and very nice.  When will we return to Yosemite???

Lower Yosemite Falls

We were so lucky to see that the Lower Yosemite Falls still had water at this time of year!  It is the 5th largest waterfall in the world.  The boys ended up hiking over boulders and slippery rocks to make it to the actual falls.  I decided to stay back and I sat on a bench under some shade until my phone rang and the boys face timed me from the falls.  This was not an easy trek by far but the destination was worth it because the boys loved feeling the mist of the waterfall hit their faces.  When will they have another adventure like this again???

Fun with the W Family

Out of pure coincidence, we were in Yosemite at the exact same time as the W Family!  We had such a nice afternoon hanging out with the W Family.  The boys swam in the Merced River and we revisited the Yosemite Falls.  Then we went to the village to have a pizza dinner.  It was a busy day and it was so nice to share this memory with friends.  What are the chances of that happening again???
 

Curry Village to Mirror Lake

This afternoon we rented bikes and rode through Curry Village to take a loop to Mirror Lake.  At this time of year, the lake was completely dry but we still had a nice time bike riding.  It was pretty hot outside so it was nice to bike ride instead of walking through the trail.  The boys really enjoyed riding fast and cruising with the wind in their face.  It's been such a long time since we went bike riding so the old saying is true:  once you learn how to ride a bike you never forget.  When will we go bike riding again???