Picking Up Where I Left Off

Let me just sneak right in here and act as if I've been maintaining this blog of ours...
Ha! Just kidding. I know I'm guilty of neglecting our site, so I'll try to provide the Cliff Notes version of our family's activities.
Ethan is all done with preschool and will start kindergarten in July. I was really, really, really, really sad. I mean REALLY sad. He's growing up so fast. On top of that, Melanie will begin preschool in September. She's not a baby anymore! Time is flying by so rapidly.
We didn't have any plans for the summer, then suddenly, our calendar filled up fast. We've been to Discovery Kingdom, courtesy of Andrew's family (Ethan's BFF), numerous playdates, a few children's museums, and a couple of overnight stays in San Francisco at Auntie Chiyo's place. We're gonna miss doing that after she moves out.
Kathy, Kara and Cameron visited from Idaho and we had fun spending time with them. They even joined us and the Martinez clan to watch the circus. The kids had a blast and are still talking about the things they saw. All of us grown-ups, on the other hand, spent most of the performance feeling sorry for the animals and performers. Though entertaining, the circus left us with the lump-in-you-throat-and-blah-in-the-pit-of-the-stomach feeling that lasted through dinner.
This week, we're going to help Chiyo pack up a couple of boxes and help Auntie Kiki prepare for JJ's 2nd birthday. In couple of days, our kitchen is going to turn into a bakery and hopefully we'll be successful in creating an awesome birthday cake. Ethan and I are going to watch Lion King on Thursday. JJ's party is on Saturday and we leave for Germany on Monday. So much for not having any summer plans...
In the spare moments between our funfilled activities, I signed up to be a Scentsy consultant. Check out the products at www.scentsy.com/smiyai.
Happy Day to all the Dads out there. Pics of our morning's celebration will be posted soon.

May 2009: Race for the Cure

Ethan's last day of school. I was having a good ol' time partaking in the celebration. After I took this silly pic of myself, my emotions got the best of me and then the waterworks began. It's a milestone people!

Ethan discovered some packages from Nana (wink, wink). Funny, because the address is printed in MY handwriting. Ahem.

Surviving a hot day. Strangely enough, not many hot days thus far. See, global warming IS real.

Mel fell asleep on the dog's sleeping area while eating a banana. I was wondering why she was so quiet.

Discovery Kingdom. The kids pressed their faces up against the glass looking for whatever creature this exhibit featured. Then, out of the foggy water, this walrus appeared to the dismay of the 2 two-year-olds. Poor Sarah and Melanie! They were freaking out, terrified and crying. It was hard to hold back the laughter while we comforted them.

The kids checking out the elephants. Mmmmhmmm. That's our girl kickin' it with Ethan's homies.

Rockaway Beach.

Ethan calls this the "everybody can love anybody" flag.

Dynamo Donuts. Apple bacon maple donut. Of course, the kids' favorite donut happens to cost $3 each.

Twin Peaks. Ethan was kinda nervous.

Bay Area Discovery Museum.

Golden Gate Park Carousel.

She was eating a sandwich.

Ethan took this pic.

Randall Museum.

Yerba Buena Gardens.

Coit Tower.

That's right Ethan. He's such a tourist.

Picturesque view from the top of Coit Tower at dusk.

Habitot Museum, Berkeley.
Berkeley Rose Gardens. "Yook Mommy. I pose!"

Sea lion at Pacifica Pier.

Taco Bell right at the shoreline. It is designed for surfers to walk up and order so they don't have to take off their wet suits, as feature on Travel Channel, or Food Network, or one of those channels. We didn't eat here, though. We found a Filipino restaurant and got our ethnic grub on instead.

This one is dedicated to Daddy for Father's Day. He hasn't seen this til now. Melanie climbed into our bed after Jeff came home in the morning from night shift and decided to sleep in. The picture doesn't show it (thank goodness), but both their bellies were exposed as they slept back-to-back.

Cultural Awareness

Yesterday we took a drive out to Napa per Ethan's request. That's where he wanted to go instead of Disneyland. No joke. I know what you're thinking. I put him up to it, but I didn't. I swear! So, we packed a picnic for lunch and drove by his future chef school (Culinary Institute of America) because he reminds us time after time that he wants to be a chef/baker when he grows up. He got his free Capri Sun at the Sterling VIP tasting room, sampled/purchased salami and cheese at Dean and Deluca, picked our dinner spot and led the way to Kara's Cupcakes for dessert. He's not brainwashed, just cultured. That's what I tell myself - just go along with it, will ya? If this paints the picture a little bit better, he pretended to be a Jedi the whole day with an invisible light saber in hand wherever we went. Melanie had a great time following her big bro around with her pretend light saber, too.
We saw these wood carved pigs at the store and admired their rustic beauty. I picked one up to peek at the price. $58.

Mommy: Wow. That's a lot of money for this. And it's made in the Philippines. Definitely overpriced. Hey Ethan, these pigs are made in the Philippines. Do you know who's from the Philippines?
Ethan: Um, yeah. Nana is from the Philippines. Hey, maybe she made these when she lived there!

By this point in the afternoon, I was pretty inebriated from hours of wine tasting so I was extra amused, as in, ROTFL/LMAO. I emailed my mom and told her all about it. The boy is way too funny!

Sterling Vineyards Terrace. Despite the numerous times we've been there, we never get tired of the photo-ops at this particular spot.

Jeff and Melanie. We were riding the aerial tram at Sterling back to the bottom of the hill . The 25-30mph winds made the ride extra interesting!
Beringer's remodeled Rhine House. Ethan and Melanie love hanging out at the vineyards with Daddy while Mommy spends a moment or two in the tasting rooms. My poor Ethan and his rice bowl haircut. He won't let us spike it up anymore, so this is what it looks like when it's flat. Nice!

Many wineries have catered to families, which is probably why Ethan likes to visit so much. Here at St. Clement, the kids played in a special spot made for young ones. The manager sent them to the back of the property with a bag to pick oranges from their trees.

Easter Sunday at Grandma/Grandpa's house.

The Kite

After dinner, I took the kids outside to burn off the last bit of their energy. Ethan made a kite with a paper bag and proudly ran all around the cul-de-sac. Our neighbors felt so sorry for him and said they would buy him a real kite. LOL! He has 2 real ones, but this one is homemade. I had no idea what he was doing with all of the craft supplies and this is what he was working on. Also, here's a glimpse of Melanie's true colors.

Check Out Dem Orbs

I have been able to raise healthy kids thus far. Not too shabby, huh? But when it comes to plants, that's another story. More specifically, from a plant's standpoint, a horror story. I've shamefully witnessed orchids and other greenery wither away in my care. When Jeff and I first moved into our house, Lolo (my grandfather) gave me 3 calamansi (Filipino citrus) starter trees. He said, "Mmmm. Derrr. You hab 3 tries por your calamansi tree." I flunked all 3 times. Then I found this at the Filipino market. Behold, a calamansi tree bearing fruit in my care. (Cue Hallelujah chorus...right...about...now). See the white floral budding thingamajigs? Yes more souring agents for pancit, seafood, or whatever our pallets call for. Yippee!!!
So, with that said, my confidence has boosted tenfold in the green thumb department and we started our little makeshift greenhouse (train table converted to seedling tray holder). In partnership with our neighbor, we are preparing for a garden on the far side of our backyard. Edible landscape. I could use some advice at this point. I have tons of questions for those who know a little somethin' somethin' about gardens. Like, when can I transfer the calamansi tree into the ground? Do I have to wait until it's dormant? Please all school me with your botanical knowledge!!!

March Rhymes with Starch

Title courtesy of Ethan.

This month has been filled with fun activities including field trips and sunny afternoons in our cul-de-sac. Unfortunately, we lack innovation in the creativity department, hence the brief blog entry. Maybe because today we are all sick in some way, and for some reason, I'm the only one with a fever. Ethan and Melanie have runny noses and Jeff is sick of taking care of everything.
Jeff and I planned some sort of budget Disney adventure for next month and we told Ethan all about it. After our long-winded description, Ethan expressed, "But I don't feel like going to Disneyland because I don't like boat rides." *?????* He doesn't like boat rides? He won't even go on the It's a Small World ride? Then he explained he likes home best,wants to go to other places and he likes to sleep in his own bed. What a kid. I guess we'll wait for Melanie's request for Disneyland, which I'm sure will be sometime in the near future.

3/11/03: Ethan and Melanie at the school playground. Childhood looks like so much fun.

3/4/09: These two look guilty of something. "We didn't do it."

3/4/09: When the the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...Ethan on a tour of California Pizza Kitchen with his class. They made their own personal pizzas.

Snow Day

As part of a Christmas gift from a Secret Santa (you know who you are and we thank you so very much) we took the kids to their first ever snow experience. We could not have asked the mutha of mothers-Mother Nature-to set up the day any better to play in our favor. The sno-park had a fresh layer of powder and the sun was out. The winds were mild and the roads were bare for a Saturday. We had a blast and the kids absolutely LOVED it. With Reno less than an hour away, we decided to have a buffet dinner to finish such an incredible day. The kids fell asleep in the car and we made it home to sleep in our own beds. Thank goodness for Starbizzle. Sounds crazy, to drive to and from Reno in a day, but Jeff said that's what his family used to do when he was a kid. But that's not how the Olegas rolled. We always stayed the night. Sometimes we stayed at Circus Circus, but usually, we stayed at the Sundowner. LOL!!! That's across the street. To an Olega, that's practically the same thing. No offense, Olegas, 'cause ya'll know it's true. Oh, memories...

Love is Sweet so Floss Daily

Nana calls from Germany as often as possible to tell Ethan and Melanie of her love for them. The love of a grandparent, however, cannot be expressed by words alone. Nope. According to the Grandparenting from Germany Handbook (written for and by Nana), the best way to affirm such love is via confection delights. Ethan and Melanie received a package from Nana the other day. Note the box and the contents piled between the kids. That's ALL candy. Ironically, I was on the phone with Nana after the kid's visit to the dentist this past weekend. I explained that my diligence in brushing the kids' teeth twice a day, frequent flossing and flouride was not enough to prevent cavities. I was so frustrated. I went on and on about how Jeff and I were going to take drastic measures and brush their teeth 3 times a day instead of 2 times. Then a moment of silence. Then Nana says, "Uh, well, um, I sent a package...I told Ethan...um, yeah, you might not be happy with what's inside." Then she snickers, "hehehehe." LOL!!! Btw, the gummy bears/candies from Germany are the best. I mean, that's what Ethan told me. That's right. According to Ethan. And Melanie enjoys the creamy centered chocolate sticks. Good stuff. You know. That's just Melanie's opinion. Better than Godiva she says.