Lions, tigers and bears oh my!

This past Christmas we received a family membership to the San Francisco Zoo from our great friends, the Kroll family. IMHO, this is the BEST type of gift our family or our kids can receive - something that gives them an experience and allows us to create happy memories. Needless to say we were thrilled to receive this generous gift!

Despite spending a lot of our recreational time in the city, we have never visited the SF Zoo before, so it was exciting for all of us. Unfortunately, Randy couldn't join us on our inaugural visit since he was working, but my sister and family tagged along for the fun. I was especially excited for Lucas because he is already an animal-lover and I couldn't wait for him to see the animals in real life.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, brilliant blue skies and full sunshine to warm up the slightly chilly air. I couldn't have asked for better weather. Our first stop was the majestic giraffes which we were all in awe of. They were so graceful and beautiful in person.

While Lucas seems to love all animals, he gets especially excited by birds - here he is inside the aviary - so funny!

 

Cruz and Jessie trying to avoid bird poop

Inside the old Pachyderm hall is now a dinosaur exhibit. It's very educational with a lot of hands on things for kids to learn about dinosaurs. The only problem is the permeating old stench of elephant dung...I could only take it for so long!

Newly hatched baby dino

Making dinosaur tracks

Seeing a rhinoceros for the first time (for both of us!)

Me and my little koala bear

Such a fun day!

Wild things



Goofballs

There is a huge showstopper of a fountain in the zoo and it was the perfect place to take a break and snap some pictures. My little guys are growing up so fast, I can't help but take tons of pictures so I can alway look back and remember them at each stage in their life.

Me and my boys

 I love, love, love this picture of the 4 kids. I am so thankful that they have each other and are growing up side by side. I hope they will always stay close and be like brothers and sisters.

We spent the whole day at the zoo and still didn't get to the Children's Zoo with the carousel and petting farm. But I guess that's the beauty of having a membership, we can go back any time we want. We'll definitely be making return trips, especially since Randy wasn't able to join us. It's such a great way to get the whole family "unplugged", enjoy the fresh air and have quality time together, while also being educational for the kids. Talk about a win-win!



Playing with his zoo souvenirs



Jessica's 7th birthday

We celebrated my youngest niece's 7th birthday recently with a Hawaiian-inspired party. Not only do Jessie and her sister love vacationing in Hawaii, they are also Tahitian dancers so the island theme was very appropriate.

Jessica is funny, quirky and super sweet and I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays to come!

The adorable birthday girl

Centerpieces

It's not a party without cake

Super cute banner made by my sister

The festive party room!

CD favors of island grooves

Dad and his daughters



Me and my big boy



Cheeese! Rockin' his Kuya's old Hawaiian shirt

Jessie loves her baby cousin

Cute little girls plus a photobomber

Proud grandfather

How cute are my nieces?!

Villanueva Four

She gets it from her "Titi"

Dad and his grandkids

The Great Cruzini

Straw hat + superhero cape + wand = Cruz's version of a magician. I love his imagination.

Validation

Saw this on the wall at preschool, and felt instantly validated as a mother. There is an often used quote that says "there is no greater treasure than to love and be loved". Of all the things in the world, this is the only treasure I want to give my children, and when I read this, I feel like I've done just that.

Pancakes and Pajamas

In celebration of the letter "P" (the current letter of the week at preschool), it was Pancakes and Pajama Day. Now that's what I call casual Friday.

No Daycare, No Problem

We have been extremely blessed to have an amazing daycare provider who has taken care of both our boys. Ms. N is loving, caring, flexible and completely accommodating. There is nothing sweeter to a working mom!
A few weeks ago Ms. N told us she needed to take an emergency trip to the Philippines for a family crisis and would be gone for two weeks. Not gonna lie, although I supported her family commitment 100%, I had a panic attack thinking of what we would do for two weeks without our life line! Luckily I was able to call on our "village" and my mother-in-law and Kuya Maynard came to the rescue and were able to watch the boys for us for several days.

For my part, I took yesterday and today off. I have a very demanding project at work right now and it is less than ideal to be out of the office, but I quickly put things into perspective: I am super lucky to work for a company that allows me the flexibility to take care of my family, no questions asked. And what's so bad about being "forced" to take time off and spend it with my kids? Maybe this was life's way of telling me to slow things down and enjoy the present.

So for our "Thursday Fun Day with Mommy" (yes I named it that) I took the kids to Habitot, for a playdate with Cruz's best bud Doren. Here are some pics from our fun day yesterday:




They take their jobs seriously



Lucas enjoying his first visit to Habitot



Can't go wrong with water play



Snack break



Everyone was done snacking except for one

The kids had a blast and on the way home, Cruz told me he "wished we could have days like this more". That was enough confirmation for me that even the unexpected curve balls can be made into positive experiences and I just need to let go and enjoy life as it happens.

To the Library We Go

Truly some of my fondest childhood memories are the regular trips we took to the public library. Vallejo had two libraries, the smaller neighborhood Springstowne Library and the larger John F. Kennedy library. My parents took us to both branches depending on other errands being run that day, and to this day, walking into a public library brings me a sense of peace and comfort. My sister and I are still big readers and I have my parents to thank for that foundation.

I started taking Cruz to the library when he was about 2 years old and we make an effort to read to him and Lucas every night. There are tons of articles out there in cyberspace extolling the benefits of reading to children, and I agree with all the reasons (check out the big ticket items here if you're interested). But for me, it boils down to much simpler reasons each night: I love sitting nestled between my sons in our pjs, freshly showered and winding down from the day. I love "unplugging" from technology and the rest of the world, to read about how plants grow, or a day at the beach, or an animal's silly adventure. I like talking about the pictures and hearing their take on the stories. It's another way for me to give my undivided attention to my kids and let them know they are loved.


This past weekend I took Cruz to get his very own library card - I think we were both equally excited! At nearly 5 five years old, Cruz loves becoming more and more independent so this was right up his alley.



Waiting for the librarian to finish a call and help us!



Success!

 Now to find some new books to read!



Hmm, wonder what this one is about?

Meanwhile, as Cruz browsed for books, I had my hands full with Mr. Lucas who was on a mission to get to a jar of crayons in the center of a table.



Got 'em!



My little climber who loves to stand on tables

 Before checking out our books, we spent some time playing in the Children's Area with puppets, puzzles and read a few books.




Lucas the animal-lover found a farm puzzle



Checking out the puppets

 Finally we checked out our books. I showed Cruz how to line up the barcodes on the books with the red laser reader and hold the book in place until he hears the "thump", to let him know the book has been checked out. He got such a kick out of this part!



Standing on a stool to reach the checker


I hope Cruz and Lucas will continue to enjoy reading as they get older, and I hope that our trips to the library will become a treasured memory for them just as it is for me.