Pinkies and Popcorns

This is my favorite time of year... all of the trees are blossoming and there are beautiful colors all around.  Since this is now our third spring in the central valley, the kids all know how much I love all the blossoms and so they point out all of the "pinkies" and "popcorn" we see as we drive along...

Kara has been my assistant basketball coach and the season ends on Monday after the league tournament, but Kara will still be playing basketball until her tournament in June.  She's proud of her one-handed-good-form shot and on her own will ask to go outside and practice.  Kara got a jersey, which ended up being number 30.  Sho came home and explained they didn't my have my old basketball number or his basketball number, so she randomly got 30.  Kara replied that she wanted 30 because that's Stephen Curry's number and he's a really good shooter.  Wow, who knew she was paying attention when we watch basketball on TV.  Sho and I were both very proud.

Ben is continuing to read his Star Wars books and is ready for kindergarten registration next month.  He loves building ships and vehicles out of Legos and has all the sound effects to go along with his creations.  Today at dinner Sho told Ben that he could not do movie quotes while sitting at the dinner table... but I know Sho's probably smiling inside that Ben, just like Sho, can remember these random movie quotes and makes himself laugh when he recites them.  

Jason is talking non-stop.  And usually very loudly.  I was gone for two days and I felt like his speech changed so much while I was away... He is big, just a big kid.  He runs around yelling, if he has his sword he's swinging it and if he's without sword, he's channeling his magic powers through his hands and directing it towards people, taking them by surprise.  Jason's voice is precious... I love his little voice.  Especially when he's responding to say "I love you too."

Just like this sweet spot of perfect weather and beautiful blossoms, I know this time is short and we must enjoy it while we can.

Snow and Sand... What a week!

I'm a little late in getting this posted... but Anna, Marc, Evan and Justin came to visit on their way down to Los Angeles over President's Day weekend.  So on Sunday, we took a trip to the snow.  It was Jason's first time going to the snow and he enjoyed making little snow balls and playing.  Ironically, I think he was too warm to want to play too long.

The kids did a little sledding down the hill and were cooperative to let us capture a few pictures...
 

But I think they enjoyed sitting down and eating snacks the most!

Since I had to work in Los Angeles the next Sunday, Sho and the kids met me in LA and we spent the weekend visiting Rafi, Jen, Maya and Cy at the beach.  I cannot believe it was warm enough for the kids to be in bathing suits in February!!  That's southern California weather!  Of course Jason thought we were in Hawaii.  Didn't want to burst his bubble.

Happy Valentine's!

Everyone was excited to go to school today... Valentine's Day parties!  Who doesn't love decorating their own personal mailbox and opening mail?  Especially when there are candies and stickers and pencils! 

Hope your day is full of love and sweet surprises!

Finally... Snow!

It seems like Ben has been asking all winter when he can go skiing again... and for so long we had to tell him there just wasn't enough snow.  He keeps saying he wants to teach Tantie how to ski.  With the recent rain and a Monday off of school, we decided to take Kara and Ben to China Peak for a day trip.

Despite a few first run jitters and Ben fighting off a fever, both of the kids did a great job and had a lot of fun skiing.  

Before we left for the day, Sho helped the kids build their own little snowman.  Ben said it could've been Olaf from the movie Frozen, but our snowman didn't have hair.  Kara said that we probably won't see our snowman the next time we visit because at night the snowmen get together for a party.

Now that they've got their ski legs back, I think we're ready for a ski trip with Tantie!

Enjoying Time

It seems like the last month was jam-packed and things are a little less crazy right now, so it's nice to take advantage of the moments of free time we have!

The weather was so nice on Thursday and since Ben and Jason did not have school, we went to play at the park.  To our surprise, they were doing some work on the sidewalk and we spotted a sitting construction vehicle, which for Jason, is like spotting a movie star.  A must take photo opportunity.

Jason is talking up a storm these days.  He is very expressive with his words and expressions and you have to be careful, because he can say anything you say and he can tell the truth!  Recently, after a few hours at Grandma and Pampa's house, I asked if he had been a good boy or a bad boy and his reply was "Jason not bad boy... Pampa bad boy.  Jason good boy."  So I then had to ask my dad what he had done while I was gone... Jason likes to spend his free time running around the house with his foam sword and "shield".  He also learned how to ride our little motorized vehicles, and he's proven to be a pretty skilled driver. 

Ben has done really well with learning to read his sight word flashcards and today he started reading the Star Wars phonics books that Santa brought in his stocking.  It was pretty exciting to hear him read a full sentence.  We've been talking about kindergarten registration which is coming up and he asked if he can bring his book so that he can show Mrs. Harrell that he can read.  Ben is super happy to build and play with his Lego creations, complete with sound effects.

Kara was happy to return to school and to see all of her friends.  Somehow I have become the girls JV basketball coach at her school, even though she is four years away from participating in school sports.  Kara has been at every practice so far and will likely be my assistant on the bench during games.  Soccer season is over, but she's continuing with ballet and has basketball on the weekends.  So between school, practices, lessons and homework, the poor girl isn't left with a whole bunch of free time.   

Unfortunately I don't have any photos of Sho and myself snowboarding or eating at any new restaurants, but we definitely enjoy and appreciate all the time we're able to spend with the kids and we'll take our late-night watching of Top Chef on DVR any day.

Last Hurrah

It's been a very busy and fun winter break and we had to get one last trip in before the kids go back to school... We made a quick trip to San Francisco and in less than 24 hours we saw Uncle Gregg, Uncle Bill, Tantie, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Ross and Bachan and Jichan...

On Saturday, we visited the California Academy of  Sciences... and later that evening Sho and I went to see The Book of Mormon.

And thanks to an advertisement we saw on a bus driving by, we found out there was a Star Wars exhibit in San Jose and we decided we had to stop on our way home.

It has definitely been a fun-filled, action-packed winter break... who's ready to go back to school?  As Jason would say, "Me, I do, I do!"

Racing into the New Year

It seems like these last weeks have just flown by...

It was the Hawaii trip, then we headed straight into Christmas, and then it was prep for the Rose Parade and New Year's!

I had a few days of scheduled craziness in Pasadena, and then Sho brought Kara and Ben to Bakersfield, where did a parking lot exchange and then the older kids came back with me to Pasadena for a few days of fun.

They got to see the floats up close and learn about what makes these floats to special and beautiful...

They got to see "mommy's work" and read some of the dedications on the roses...  and Kara received many compliments on her tiara, which has now replaced her silver headband that she used to wear almost daily.

We visited the Natural History Museum, since the kids have been asking to go back for two years.  We saw the dinosaur bones, the gem stones, the gardens and spent time in the science lab...

And then we decided to see "Frozen" since Ben didn't get a chance to see it as part of Kara's birthday gathering with her friends. 

On New Year's Day, with beautiful southern California weather, we watched the parade with all the other Donate Life supporters and cheered for our float!

And then we hopped in the car and headed back to Kingsburg so we could celebrate New Year's with the rest of the family.  I can't believe there is just one day left of Kara's winter vacation!!  If you think I look tired.... I am.  Pictures do not lie.  I finally got to come home and sleep in and I awoke to a good morning kiss from Jason... Life is good.

Here's to a wonderful new year!