Summer Days

This summer I've had the luxury of being home because I'm still on sabbatical. It has been such a treat to get this time with both my sons and my nieces. Our days are pretty laid back, and vary from hanging out at home, to park visits, to watching movies, running errands and whatever else strikes our fancy that day. Whether it's mundane or something more exciting, I feel so fortunate to have the gift of time to spend with these kids. Here are snapshots of our day to day.

Grocery shopping with mommy's helpers

Snack break at the park

CPK lunch with the cousins

Brunch!

Play date for the best buds

Kiddie amusement park fun

Train ride

Fun in the sun

Swimming lessons

Goofing around at Ikea

We all scream for ice cream!

Celebrating Lola's birthday

Quality time with the cousins

Lunch time

Massive ice cream sundaes

I jokingly referred to our days as "Camp Titi" (Titi being the name my nieces call me) and "Camp Mommy" since the kids were with me every day. I read somewhere that you only have 18 summers with your kids...sure doesn't seem like much in the grand scheme of things! I will always remember this summer of the sabbatical and all the fun memories we made. I hope they do too.

March candids

Cruz brought home a stellar report card! His teacher had many nice things to say about him, including that he is kind and hard-working. He is also one of only 3 kids in his class that are reading above grade level and is in the Accelerated Reading program. I'm a proud mama! I told him he could choose a treat for his reward, and he chose McDonalds.

Lucas rocking minion glasses, a party favor from a recent birthday celebration we attended. Hilarious!

One evening, Lucas disappeared from the dinner table. When I went to find him he was secretly eating dried mangoes that he snagged from the cabinet! This kid!

Only thing prettier than a rainbow...

Is two rainbows!

Here's Cruz on "crazy hair day" at school. He didn't want to spray paint it this year, so we just made it spiky and haphazard.

Lucas is often the first and last one at the table. No exception at the birthday party we recently attended!

This is Lucas' idea of coloring. I'm doubtful there was any paper involved.

There is nothing sweeter than this - my two boys often hold hands when we're driving in the car. Lucas usually initiates it and Cruz always obliges. I hope they will always have this love and affection for each other. It melts my heart!

Valentine's Day 2014

Yesterday was our 3rd annual family Valentine's Day celebration and it was so much fun! You can take a look here and here if you want to see what we've done in the past.

Before I start on yesterday's festivities, I wanted to share a picture of the gorgeous flowers my hubby sent me on Monday. I love that he sent them early so I got to enjoy them on my desk at work all week long. I'm not particularly a fan of roses, but these beauties are so classic and elegant.

But back to Valentine's Day - I kicked it off by making Cruz's favorite coffee cake that he's been asking me to make for a couple of weeks now. It's actually a mix in a box from Trader Joe's and he's a big fan. I baked it in a heart-shaped pan for the occasion :)

How fun is this pan!

Coffee cake and strawberry smoothies

Since I'm the kindergarten class room parent, I also got to plan their Valentine party. I decided to make mini strawberry and cream muffins and individual snack mixes for the kids to munch on. The muffins are perfectly sized for their little hands and as an afternoon snack. I kept the snack mix pretty simple with just pretzels, plain Chex cereal, mini marshmallows and Valentine M&Ms.

Strawberry & Cream muffins

And of course, what's a class Valentine's Day party without some Valentines to pass out? Cruz gave all his friends one of these cards and a small box of temporary tattoos.

Power Ranger themed cards

Delivering his Valentines

My co-room parent had a great idea for the party activity: the kids each made their own bird feeder using a heart-shaped piece of cardboard, smeared with Crisco and then dipped in bird seed. We added a piece of ribbon and the kids had a bird feeder ready to take home and put out for the birdies! I love being able to participate in his class parties and to see Cruz as a student. It makes me realize how independent he's become and how he's found his own niche among his peers.

After school, Cruz and I headed over to his pal AJ's birthday party. After a couple of hours at the party, we skedaddled back home so I could get started on our V Day dinner. Earlier in the day I stopped by the store and picked up some mylar balloons to decorate our dinner table. Cruz set the table with our Valentine plates that we reuse every year - I love their bright colors and how they help set the atmosphere. I bought the boys each a book and a small candy treat, and I put these at their seats.

Feels like a party!

After decorating, I got started on making our dinner - braised short ribs and polenta, plus heart-shaped pasta for the kids. Once I got the short ribs in the oven to cook for the next couple of hours, Cruz made one of his favorite desserts - brownies! With sprinkles!

Chocolate lover

Here's a picture of the short ribs after I took them out of the oven, after 3 hours of braising. I wish you could smell this picture, it was so fragrant and mouth-watering just looking at it. To die for.

Heaven in a pot

The short ribs were delectable, tender and melted in your mouth. Who says dinner at home has to be boring? This is what I would want to eat if I was at a restaurant on Valentine's Day, so I made it myself. Lawd have mercy, it was good! You can find the short rib recipe here.

Brownies taste better when they're shaped like hearts

My loves

Peek-a-boo!

 

I told Cruz that Valentine's Day is all about celebrating our ability to give and receive love. I hope Cruz and Lucas know how much they are loved by so many people, especially their mama. I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day, however you spent it!

Indian Springs Nostalgia

Last weekend we took a day trip to Calistoga which you can read about here. After lunch that day, we drove another block from the downtown area so I could stop and snap a few more pictures of a place so near and dear to my heart:

Indian Springs today is a small resort of cottages, a mineral pool, mud baths and other spa services. It has been a fixture in the town since the late 1800s and has managed to evolve with the times. But let's go back to the years from about oh, say 1983-1994. The golden years.

Every single summer during this time period, my family and I would make the drive up to Calistoga from Vallejo, winding our way up Highway 29, with the windows rolled down and the wind whipping through my mom's Buick Skyhawk station wagon. We would leave in the morning with our bathing suits and towels packed, and a yellow plastic picnic basket filled to the brim with homemade lunch and snacks. We would make the 40 mile one way trip, several times throughout the summer, sometimes with the 4 of us, but mostly with just me, my mom and sister. The funny thing is, my mom was afraid to drive on the freeway and usually avoided it altogether. But somehow the road to Calistoga was different and she made the trek without reservation. We would spend the whole day swimming at the pool, pausing for lunch in the grassy picnic area, then again in the afternoon for a popsicle break.

 

Indian Springs is where my sister and I taught ourselves how to swim. It's where we took our summer guests, including our extended family. Nearly all of my first cousins on my mom's side has spent many a summer day at "Calistoga" (our blanket name for the pool), even those who live in Washington! It's where we first ventured into the deep end of a pool. It's where we held contests to see who could hold their breath underwater the longest. It's where we did handstands and somersaults, trying to outdo each other. It was our place.

Where I learned to swim

Upgraded but still the same

Then on one visit, we were informed that the resort was under new management and no longer open to the public. Only spa and hotel guests were allowed access to the pool. It was like getting slapped in the face. Disappointment is an understatement. It was losing a part of our childhood, and a place that had become so interwoven into our family's tapestry of memories. Today, I lament that I cannot take my sons to this pool and give them a tangible glimpse into my own childhood. Despite that, I recall so much happiness, laughter, and simple contentment when I remember "Calistoga", and I savor the memories. Indian Springs will always have a place in my heart.

First Baby Tooth to Go!

Oh man, talk about bittersweet. Cruz lost his very first baby tooth the other day. It was an exciting day but on the inside I thought "waaahhh, my baby is growing up!" Such is life. 

Look at that happy, handsome, gap-toothed face. I just love him.

 He actually already had a little bit of a gap next to the wiggly tooth, so upon closer inspection it looks like he may have lost two, but it really is just one.

I could not believe how itty bitty the tooth was!

Is that a tooth or a grain of rice?

Marveling at his tooth

At his last dental cleaning, they gave him a tooth box for just this occasion.

Cruz said to me "I'm so excited my tooth came out, now I'll be rich!" When I asked him how so, he replied "oh you know Mommy, the tooth fairy gives you money for your teeth. Like $10". Good luck with that kid, we're in an economic recession, haha!

Putting the tooth box under his pillow

The next morning, he found a friendly note from the Tooth Fairy, encouraging him to stay away from too much sugar, and keep up the good work brushing and flossing. She was quite generous still and he scored 5 buckaroos :)

And just like that, another milestone reached. I can't keep up, SIGH.

Art and Mochi

A recent drizzly Saturday brought us to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. It was the first time for all of us. While I knew Cruz would be fine in a museum, Lucas, my spirited little toddler, was a risk. However, I am a firm believer in not restricting the whole family to places and activities that only a 2-year-old would enjoy, so off we went.

What'cha lookin' at Kuya?

Contemplating

The museum is a good size, not too big and not too small. We weren't able to see all of it but covered more than half of the exhibits. It was somewhat slow going getting through the museum since we had to explain so many of the displays and art to Cruz, which was a challenge in itself! But we managed and the kids had a great time. By far, the kids' favorite exhibit was the hall of weapons. They oohed and aahed over the daggers, swords and other sharp objects, like only little boys do.

Little warriors

A highlight of the day was watching a traditional Japanese mochi pounding ceremony. We learned that this is typically done at the New Year and to celebrate special occasions such as a wedding or birth of a child. There was also a master artist who specializes in Japanese calligraphy who did a demonstration. It was very much like performance art and was really interesting to watch.

Creating a piece for the Year of the Horse

Then came the fun part - watching the mochi pounding, accompanied by an amazing group of Taiko drummers. It was interactive too and Randy joined in the fun!

Mochi pounding by the professionals and the audience

And then the really fun part - eating the newly pounded mochi. YUM. It was warm, pillowy soft and had a delicious toasty flavor. It was so fresh and mouthwatering.

Looks like a chicken nugget but it's mochi alright

After a couple of hours at the museum, we spent some quality time with one of our dearest friends April. Our family loves hanging out with her, and being a fellow foodie, we always share a meal when we're together. This time we had dinner at one of our favorite places in the city, PPQ Dungeness Island. You can't go wrong with anything you order here. Since we are smack dab in the middle of Dungeness crab season, naturally we ordered a whole garlic crab. And barbecue pork. And garlic noodles. And crab fried rice. And sea bass. Oh and green beans. Oh yes, and a cabbage salad. We were a little hungry that day.

Just looking at this makes me hungry again

Another fun family day in the books!