It's March Madness!

Along with the blossoms, NCAA basketball makes March my favorite time of year!!  Before we had kids, Sho and I would spend the first round of the tournament watching all of the games and eating salami and cheese... and we decided we should include the kids in our little tradition.  Though we don't have enough free time to watch all the games, we still need to eat, so we let Ben and Jason partake in eating in front of the TV while we watched Dayton beat Ohio State (which Sho happened to pick in his bracket).

Everyone seems to have the basketball bug... Kara is working on her shot and dribbling with both her right and left.  Watch out, Stephen Curry!

Ben, who a few months ago could only dribble about five times consecutively, was so proud to dribble 215 times in a row this morning!  He then asked Kara, "could you do that when you were my age?  I might be the first one."

Even Jason wanted a piece of the action.  He's such a big kid, I'm sure he'll be knocking 'em down soon... other kids, that is.

The other madness happening is the preparation for the Parlier Food Bazaar.  Pampa, Grandma and Sho joined the other members of the church as they prepared box lunches.  Rather than get in the way, the rest of us stayed at home but went to visit and see the craziness.

Just like college basketball season, I wish these days would last longer... So we cherish each "shining moment"!

Future Cougar!

Ben has been waiting, literally, for years to be able to go to school at Clay... and today he went to Kindergarten registration to make it official!

Ben was able to show Mrs. Harrell all that he knows and prove to her that he's ready to be a Cougar!  We can't wait!

A Glimpse Into the Future

The Zarates came over on Friday and the kids had a blast!  Though the kids range in age from Leila in 3rd grade to Jason in pre-pre-school, they play well together and have so much fun.

Kara and Kiara became fast friends last year in Kindergarten and watching them together in this little pink Jeep, it's hard not to think of them as high schoolers driving around town...

Let's hope that not all of these are signs for what the future holds!

At least not too soon... But one thing is certain, we have found great friends in the Zarates and we look forward to many more family playdates!

Day On the Farm

On their day off from preschool, Jason and Ben spent the morning at Grandma and Pampa's house.  While Ben was inside, Jason motored on the tricycle...

until he found a rake and started working.  He was so happy to be outside in the perfect weather, working in the field.

I asked Jason if he would be a farmer and he replied, "Yes, I a farmer."

The only thing that got him inside was the promise of grape shave ice!

Ben approved of his root beer and coconut combination, which has been his favorite for awhile now.  Don't tell Kara how much fun they have while she's at school!

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!