Little Toddels

I've never seen any evidence that Tod existed before the age of about 30. He doesn't own any pictures of himself from before that. Yesterday I asked his sister if she could send some pictures of him. I'm dying. 

Curse old cameras and their owners. The oven is perfectly in focus. Tod isn't. Still ridiculously cute.

Budding artist.

Tod's dad. Dead ringer.  He's a very handsome man, even in his 70's.

Hot Date

The ladies I dance with recommended I try out the cafeteria at the local Hare Krishna temple. They said it's delicious, healthy vegan food, ayce-buffet* style. (I just made up an acronym...AYCE = all you can eat. I'm a super hipster.) Saturday night Tod & I were kidless so we decided to hit the town. I told him I was interested in trying the Hare Krishna center. He looked at me with stars in his eyes and expressed likewise enthusiasm for trying something unique...both gastronomically and culturally. I was glad my partner in crime was up to an adventure and not insistent on finding the nearest steak house...yawn.

It was a blast. We ate some interesting and delicious food.




We were also schooled in Hare Krishnaism, which was good because I've never been clear on what it is. Turns out it's part of the Hindu faith and is a chant or mantra that helps bring one closer to their supreme being. It also brings happiness to the chanter. Tod memorized the chant. Swears it's doing wonders for him. ;) Since Hindus believe in reincarnation and are on a quest for enlightenment and perfection of their soul, this chant is important to them.


After dinner, we went upstairs to the Hare Krishna gift shop. So many beautiful things to look at. I've oft felt slighted that I can't wear beautiful Indian silks. I mean I know I could, but not without looking like a fool/poser. I guess I'll admire it on others until one of these lives I'm reincarnated as an Indian... :)

We purchased a few items. They had some frankincense and myrrh in their incense section and we got some to use in our Christmas program this year. The ladies behind the counter were very nice and very good little missionaries. They told us all about Hare Krishna and their teachings and they gave us a free blue book. :) We accepted it graciously and are thinking of wrapping it up to put under the Christmas tree for whichever kid is the naughtiest.


Dang, isn't he hot?! So in love with that boy!! And I gotta tell you...he's perfect for me. We were cut from similar cloth and are having a ball on our journey together. And bee tee dub, the book won't actually be someone's lump of coal. We'll put it on our book shelf and smile each time we remember our fun night together. We might flip through it also, from time to time, to glean the goodness it contains.

Band Rocks

When we moved to our new town, we registered the kids at their new schools and Ana, who began middle school, chose her top three electives. Art, Spanish, computers. In that order. She was put in band. When she found out she cried. Ana hardly EVER cries. She was so disappointed to have to take band. AND we were told that it was the only elective left. She had no other options. What's elective about that?

I was also disappointed. For some legit reasons and some ridiculous reasons. For one, I knew that Ana having instrument practice meant I would have my own homework trying to get her to practice. This is her 4th instrument and I know that she's not the kid that is just going to pick it up and play out of sheer desire. Beyond that, I knew that band would require a whole slew of expenses (instrument rental, performance attire, etc) and I (here's the shameful part) had an honest to goodness fear of Ana heading toward that slippery slope to geekery. Well, school started and Ana attended a couple band classes. I was preparing a very good argument to present to the principle about public education being free, so they can't impose an elective on someone that requires potentially hefty expenses (tuba rental, for instance is $80/month). I rarely throw my parental weight around in my children's educations, but in this matter I was prepared to step in the boxing ring.

Well, after about a week in band, she decided she really liked the teacher and thought she might really like to give it a go. I was still VERY resistant and kept telling her that I thought I could get her out of band if she had any hesitations. I really wanted her to get into a different elective. She became insistent that she wanted to try it. My argument went something like this: "I am not going to pay all this money for band expenses and then have to nag you every day to practice your instrument. You are not playing in the band unless you can promise me that you will be diligent and proactive in your practicing. If you aren't then I am beating  you over the head with your instrument and then taking you out of band." She assured me she REALLY wanted to play and would be a good little practicer.

I made her write me an essay stating her determination to practice and then I made her sign it in blood. Just kidding about the blood part. Okay, so we were square there. Then they had instrument selection. Ana initially chose the saxophone. She wanted it soooo bad. Ultimately, though, the band teacher chose who plays which instrument. Ana didn't get the sax and was selected to play the most difficult instrument. The french horn. She was a little let down about this. Someone had told her about a very cool girl that played sax in a jazz band and I think Ana had an illusion of becoming that girl. Plus, she knew that french horn was going to really challenge her and she wasn't interested in that big of a challenge. Oh well. French horn it was.

It wasn't long before Ana became the chou chou of her teacher. Chou chou is pronounced shoe shoe and means cabbage in french. It also, for some reason, means teacher's pet. He raves about her all the time. He can't believe how good she is. And his praise fits the pattern of her previous music teachers. She has played piano, guitar, violin & now a brass. I'd like to think she got her talent from yours truly, but the fact is I can't even read music. I'm a total musical nim wit. Wait, now that I think of it I've never taken an instrument. I've never, ever given it any effort. Perhaps I'm a very talented musician too. You know, I am pretty sure I am. Hmmm. I think I might take up piano. And voice. And guitar. But not a horn. I haven't gotten over my fear of being a band geek. Oh wait, this is about Ana, not me.

Okay, anyway, Ana is rocking the french horn. And it's a pretty cool instrument. Look how pretty it is.

We named Ana's horn. It is obviously female with all those beautiful curves and since she's French, we thought she'd make a perfect Genevieve. 

Ana had her first band concert last week. She did really well, despite the fact that she FORGOT her music. She was able to borrow some for a couple pieces, but had to wing it on a few others. She did great, though. See for  yourself. (Sorry for the low qual camera phone video & pic. I forgot my real camera).

I'm as proud as a peacock. And I think I'm over my band prejudice. At least for my daughter...

Eat, Drink and Be Mary

This post, incidentally, is not about my mother.

It's about my daughter.

We went to our ward Christmas party last night and Lily disappeared when they called the children up to participate in the program. When I looked up on the stage and saw her (see her, kneeling on the 2nd row)....

...I was reminded of the time when she was just itty bitty and we had a Christmas program at Grandma & Grandpa Z's house. Ana and her cousin, Grant, were supposed to be Joseph and Mary. Lily protested, hoping she could be Mary. We thought she would happily agree to be an angel, since 2 year olds should be ecstatic to be an angel, but she refused. She threw a fit. She wanted to be Mary and nothing we could do would convince her otherwise. I couldn't pull Ana from her lead roll without causing more upheaval.

So we had two Marys.

I was probably frustrated at the time that Lily was disrupting the plans we had made. It's a very happy and heart warming memory for me now, though.

Don't you just want to eat her?

 I had to dig through old boxes all morning to find these old photos. I ran into many other cute pics and thought I'd include a few from some other Christmases.

 

All the Grandkids circa 2002(?) with Josh

A & L in a stroller in Frankfurt, Germany 2000. (This was technically a few days after Christmas) Eww! I can't handle the cuteness.

Chubby little bunny

Ana's first Christmas

Feather boa and pink high heels. Every four-year old girl's dream gift.

Silly Faces

No kid likes to wait for their food to be prepared at a restaurant. It's veritable kid torture. Well, my kids have taken to snapping really horrible and unflattering photos during the wait, as evidenced below....

Anyone who knows him knows he's digging the arm of his glasses into his ear. Ha!

And winner, winner, chicken dinner.....

Don't you just want to paddle their little behinds?!

How we gave thanks in 2010

We invited anyone who could come to join us for Thanksgiving. My Mom & Jeff took the bait.  There was a massive blizzard going on in Idaho/Utah, so I was grateful to be here in the sunshine, but it did delay the arrival of our guests. They arrived in the evening, rather than the morning on Wednesday.

The first thing we did was stop at In-N-Out for dinner. My mom's mouth is currently out of order due to dental work she's having done, so she couldn't have a burger. OH WAIT. She hasn't had one since she was 5. She had what she would have had anyway...fries and a shake. Jeff, however, was like a hog in fresh poop over his meal.

On Thursday we opted to feast at Disneyland. No cooking, no clean up and it was pretty delicious. We had a great time.

The kids buffet was full of NON Thanksgiving items, such as this PB&J panini (it was totally delicious, btw)

After dinner we strolled through Downtown Disney, then saw Tangled. I was expecting a stinker with this movie, as I'm usually disappointed with recent Disney films, but we all LOVED this. It was great. 

Hot parents in their 3D shades.

Saturday we made our obligatory stop at Happy Nails. It's Jeff's favorite thing in Los Angeles.

Afterward we did a little browsing and had what I like to call Garlic Knot Rolls of Love and Death from C&O.

Seriously. You haven't lived until you've had these. They're outrageous (thus rolls of love) and probably the worst, most UN-figure flattering food on earth (thus rolls of death). Pleasure seekers everywhere....C&O or bust!

After making sufficient pigs of ourselves, we strolled the beach & had some frozen yums at our favorite little ice cream shop before dropping the parents off at the aeropuerto.

It was a wonderful holiday. Bring on another one! (I think I have like 3 weeks until Christmas...what the?!?!?! I better get cracking.)