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We actually did not have to wait too long: I planned to leave on the Sunday following graduation. I felt it was the best way to get Keegan not to think about leaving his friends. We did, however, find the way to squeeze in some extra fun before the trip.

On Saturday morning, bright and early, we met with Sara, Alyce and Betty to watch Monsters University, the sequel of Monsters Inc. Keegan was very excited, even if he had to give up his normal Saturday morning TV time. The movie theater had a fun display, and kids could climb on a stool and made their own ID card.

Keegan wanted to sit on the top row, which was great, so the kids could freely move around. Sara brought some snacks and water (oh-oh) and we thoroughly enjoyed the movie. It was actually pleasant, even for adults.

The rest of the weekend was mellow. I obviously had a lot of packing to do, so Matt tried to entertain Keegan as much as he could. The new, two lanes slip and slide definitely helped.

By Sunday I had pretty much packing under control, so were were ready to head over the airport around 6pm. We flew British Airlines again, which I love, in part because it leaves at night (=more time to pack and more sleep on route).

Keegan had his second passport issued: quite a difference 5 years makes! It is funny because the Italian passport will not expire till he is 10, so he has 5 more years of using his baby picture. Ready? Italy, here we come!

The very anticipated, waited and dreaded moment arrived: Keegan reached the end of his preschool year. I am not sure who feared the moment the most; Keegan has been talking about it for a couple of months, expressing his sadness at leaving. I did not feel much better: after all, I have been dropping him off or picking him up there for the last 5 years…Despite our initial doubts, I have to say, it turned out to be a really good school, especially this last year. His teacher, ms. Jill was incredible and he really flourished in her class.

Graduation preparation started at the end of May, when the kids received their Reading Medals. We have been keeping track of all the books we have been reading, and any kid who reached the goal of 200 books received a medal. Keegan blew them out of the water, with 277 books read (mainly because I am a very fastidious record-keeper). He was very proud.

After the ceremony, the kids posed outside for a class picture. They all wore the “friendship t-shirt”: they placed their hand-prints on each other’s shirt. Very cute.

Then it was off to Chuck E Cheese…and of course Matt was the designated chaperone. It was a fun, and well deserved trip. Now, if only I could get Keegan to actually try to do some of the reading on his own…I guess the medal rewards parent’s reading skills.

May was also the time for graduation pictures. I have always said that having graduation in preschool is dumb. I still stand by it, even after having my own child: by the time the kids are in college, graduation will have lost some of its impact. Plus, does anyone ever fail to graduate preschool??? Anyway, I can’t deny they are very cute, wearing their caps, and who knows if we are going to see a college graduation anyway.

The last few days were fun: diorama making and just playing with friends.

Camren, Elliott, Rozelin, Van and Keegan

Then the day finally came. We all received an animated digital invitation.

The ceremony was held on the last day of the regular school year. For us, it was even more bittersweet because it was also our final day at Bay Park Early Learning Center.

We started by taking pictures everywhere, upon Keegan’s request. He really wanted a memory of his school.

the outdoor area entrance and slide and shed

the dress-up house

the ball area

the bike area and the garden

the tables and his detached, multi-rooms Golden Lions classroom

We also took a picture of the last project they worked on: the volcano.

We brought a nice orchid plant to Ms. Jill. We worked together to make the “thumbprint-hearts” bookmark. I can’t take creative credit, but I was impressed I was actually able to find the time to do it.

That afternoon, under a beautiful sun, we gathered for the ceremony itself.The director, Ms. Gail, came out first and made a few remarks, and then Ms. Jill, who commented on how interesting ( and challenging) that year had been: 10 rowdy boys and only 3 girls. The exact words she used were:

” It was a fun, energetic year… I have learned a lot…and I’v became a better teacher because all that I have learned…”

So, basically what she said was that it has been exhausting! And who can blame her?

Then, as the music, the classic he Pomp and Circumstance, started, the kids walked in and lined up.

Adorable! They immediately performed the song by Luis Amstrong, What a Wonderful Life, using sign language. Of course, Keegan (and Van to some extent) started goofing around, while the other kids were trying to sign the song. Ms. Jill had to come out and remind Keegan to behave. Why is it always my child? It was even more obvious since Cathy, the girl right in front of him, was doing such a great job.

Then it was time for diplomas. Each kid went up to Ms. Jill, who shared some of their hopes and dreams. I guess Keegan wants to take care of seals when he grows up! I never heard that one before. Matt was a few minutes late, but he made it in time for watching him receive his diploma.

Then it was time for another song and this time all the kids sang it.

Then it was off to refreshments, and goodbyes.

Goodbye ms. Deborah

Then we all got inside, led by  collages for each child, hanging on the walls. It was fun to see and read what the kids have created.

Ms. Jill played a long slideshow, that showcased some of the best moment from this year, and also some really early moments for some on the old-timers, like Keegan and Julia. It was so strange to see two or three year old Keegan.

I have to say I was able to keep it together up to that point, but after seeing other moms crying, I broke down too. It was sad to have to say goodbye to so many people I shared so much for the past 5 years.

goodbye ms. Jill

After saying goodbye to all the parents, and promising to see each other for play-dates during the summer, we took one last photo outside before leaving.

Fortunately, that night Keegan had a Parents’ Night Out at the pool, so the fun atmosphere helped him to focus on something else, and the mini-date helped me too. We had many great memories, and that is what will stay with all of us. We will try to keep in touch with his best buddies (and our favorite parents), and hopefully, the transition to kindergarten and the new Montessori school will not be as hard.

Father’s Day weekend is here. As someone else recently asked, I wonder why Mothers only get a Sunday, while Fathers get a whole weekend, but regardless, I am more than happy to celebrate our super guy.

We started off, as always, with the party at Keegan’s school. Keegan was excited to have Matt there, and there were hot dogs, chips, fruit and drinks…honestly, mostly for the kids. Not too many adults feel like eating at 3.30pm. Ice cream, however, was a different story. They had the infamous water balloon toss, and for once Matt get out of it unscathed.

Matt had a stressful week, so he started off the weekend with some well deserved rest.

This year Father’s Day fell on the same weekends as our anniversary, so we had a double celebration. On Saturday we went to the San Diego Fair. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed spending some time outside, for once free of the marine layer that has been present most of the month.

Keegan got totally exhausted and slept almost 2.5 hours, something we have not seen in a very long time! Whataver was left of the afternoon was spent playing around and reading.

When Keegan finally went to bed, it was time for our Anniversary Celebration. We had a wonderful dinner, and reminisced about our past 11 years together. It was amazing to see how much we still think alike.

Happy 11th Anniversary to us!

On Sunday morning, Keegan got up bright and early, very excited about the day. Of course we let dad sleep, and I got up with him. We watched a movie, then we “baked” some banana chocolate chip bread/muffins. Once again, I get confirmation on how I suck at cooking. Even with a pre-made box I can create something that does not look good at all…at least it tasted OK.

When dad woke up, Keegan could barely contain himself…he was so excited. He really wanted Matt to open the gift I got from him: a funny book called Darth Vader and Son.

And of course, he also really wanted to try the muffins!

After breakfast, I called my own wonderful dad to wish him Happy Father’s Day. Well, in Italy Fathers day is in March, but it is harder for me to remember in advance, so June it is.

After some playing, we had a nice pic-nic in Mission Bay. The weather was nice, if a little windy but what else is new? We ate, then Keegan and Matt played froggy catch on the grass.

Then we all lay down in the sun, making up outrageous stories…well, since I am not the most creative story teller I did borrow  from a movie or two, but Keegan could not tell anyway. (-:

At home, Keegan went to take a nap, and I tried to catch up…He woke up pretty early, still looking tired, but he did not want to sleep anymore. So, while I finished up what I was doing, he went in the living room to drink his milk…and the house went quiet, too quiet for quite a long time. Of course I am not one to disturb the quiet, but after more than 20 minutes, I went to investigate…so I first went outside, where Matt was reading…and he had fell asleep in the lounger. Then I went in the living room, and here he was, Keegan, all wrapped up in his soft blanket, sleeping peacefully!

like father…

…like son

They were too cute!!!!

Once they both woke up we played and read books. We offered Matt to go out for dinner, but he wanted to BBQ instead, and whipped out a great dinner for all of us. What a great guy.

So happy Father’s Day to a really exceptional dad. We are lucky to have you Matt. We love you!!!!

We came to realize that Keegan is definitely 100% boy: from the toys that he plays with, to the rough way he plays, you can definitely feel the male energy. I won’t even dwell on his comments about how much he likes girls, and how he want to see girls naked when he grows up (oh boy, we are in trouble), but it is fun to watch, especially for me, since I have never had the chance to be around lots of boys growing up.

Case in point: we took him to a special fundraising event, Touch A Truck, and he absolutely LOVED it.  This is the official event description, and they could not say it better:

This family-friendly car show is a sure hit with kids and parents alike, as all the vehicles are open for you to climb in and honk the horn! From military vehicles to monster trucks, Harley’s to HumVees, classic cars to emergency vehicles, big rigs to construction rigs – we’ll have it all and more. Touch A Truck will include two live music stages, roving entertainment, Star Wars Characters, Shamu and even Ronald McDonald. The funds raised at this event go to childhood cancer research.

We arrived in the morning, just before the first of the two Robosaurus’ shows. What is Robosaurus you ask? It is half machine half dinosaurs, a huge chunk of metal that spits fire and crush cars in two, before throwing them to the ground. You can watch a video of Robosaurus in action to get a feel for the action.

It was awesome, seriously. Keegan get a little bit scared at first, but then enjoyed it so much we watched its encore presentation. So we started and ended the show with it.

Besides mutant dinosaurs, Keegan got the chance to climb over tons of vehicles: from police cares, to military armored machines…

…to huge, loud, honking trucks

…to mom’s favorite, cool sports cars.

It was LOUD, but it was a blast.

Keegan also shows a great interest in number and mechanical things. Hopefully this will last. Once I moved my ancient Mac G4 to the garage, ready for recycling, he could not wait to take a peek inside. Fortunately Matt was handy, so he could explain him what is inside.

He also loves fun rides, and once again we took him at the San Diego Fair. Once again we bought the wristband that allows unlimited rides, a great investment that paid off within the first 20 minutes. Just like last year, we arrived at opening, to score a convenient parking spot. So we started checking out the animals, and watching the pig race: the highlight of it it the final swim of Swifty, the  cute piglet.

getting excited for the pig race

go Swifty, go!

Finally it was ride time! We spent 2.5 hours in the area!!! Keegan remembered all the rides and was finally tall enough to go alone on pretty much all of them. yeah! This year’s favorites were the rides he could not go on last year, at least for the most part.

ready to go…

I am flying…

The slides are always a big hit, especially the long, twisty one.

Another new favorite: the frog hop

Despite all his ‘boyness”, though, he is still a very sweet, sensitive little boy. He often runs over and tell us how much he loves us; he give us huge hugs and kisses for no reason; he is sympathetic if we are tired or have to work late.

He stops to marvel at everything and makes us look at the world with different eyes. He actually stops and smell the roses (or in this case the weird Ficus’ flower)…

During a recent visit at the zoo, despite the amazing new Koala’s exhibit or the majestic elephants and leopard, the animals that captivated him the most was a duck walking around the zoo with her ducklings in tow. He followed it forever…

I really hope that, as he grows older, he will keep both sides of his personality: maybe he can toughen up a little, but I really wish he will never lose his sweetness and empathy.

We are coming to the end of Keegan’s preschool year. While we are all sad to say goodbye to his friends and his school, I have to say that Keegan had a really good time this year. I have said this before, but his teacher, Ms. Jill, was great: warm, but firm, smiling but strict, and especially very warm and encouraging. He learned so much from her. The day was structured, and he had the chance to do art, projects, learning, computer and many activities. He even had his first taste of homework.

One of the things Keegan really enjoyed was bringing home “pets” from school. He would take them places, and sleep with them, and watch tv with them on the weekend.

First was his hibernating animal, a squirrel he name Squirly. Yes, once again, broken pants we can’t throw away…

Next, it was the turn of the class’s pets. Each came with a couple of books, and  a special blanket. First off was Drake the dragon, who got to come to Target with us…and not too many other places, since it was so HUGE.

Keegan did manage to find some space for him in his bed, together with his other three animal friends.

Where is Keegan going to fit?

Then it was Horton’s turn (from Horton’s Hears a Who). Surprisingly enough, Horton was pretty small, so he went to a hike in Penasquitos with us and at the skate park, and of course he played with us at home too.

Then we brought home Huggly, a small green monster, that appears to be a character in a computer game he plays at school, and a series of books. I liked Huggly, since he was small and easy to bring along. Huggly accompanied Keegan at his haircut place and he followed us at the restaurants afterwards.

For each of this animal, Keegan had to write a small journal entry, explaining what fun activities he did with them. Even though, Keegan only had to write his name and come up with the content, every time was a struggle. I am not looking forward to the real homework, even though we started explaining him that homework and going to school is his job.

They are also planting and tending to a small garden just outside their room. They planted: Sunflowers, tomatoes, strawberries, beans, oranges, and cilantro. We already tasted the green beans…delicious!

Every week, they have a different theme at school. One week the theme was bugs. The did lots of activities, including handling real worms for their small compost bin to use in their garden. The also made ladybugs wings and had a big bug dance.

They built their own Magical Creature from the same components, and it was amazing to see how the same elements could be combined in so many different combinations.

working hard on his bug creation

his finished bug

the class gallery

One other week they learned all about the rain forest, and built their own version inside their classroom. My favorite is the sloth.

Huggly was there too…

Even free play is a lot of fun. I never know what I am going to find when I pick him up and in what state he will be. Some days they do mud rivers…

…some day are in full sugar rush after a sweet snack.

One other great project was the wild animals’ dioramas. The kids painted a a shoe box and chose a wild animal. Then they recreated the environment the animal lives in and placed the animal in a box. It was fun. Keegan chose a snake and created a desert scene. Ms. Jill brought in a succulent to stand in for the cactus.

During the whole school year, Ms. Jill strongly encouraged pre-writing and pre-reading skills. She asked us to read a book everyday and to record the title on a sheet to turn in at the end of each month. If you turned in your sheet, every month the kids got to choose a small prize. The goal was to read 200 books, at least, by May. If you did read at least 200 books, the kids would get a medal and then the whole class would go celebrate  at Chuck E. Cheese. Of course, Keegan loves to read, (or at least to be read to) so we easily reached that number. In fact, we recorded 277 books and he was the kid who read the most. He was so proud…beaming, at least from what I could see from the video Matt shot. I had to go to work, unfortunately, so I could not be there…but I am not sorry I missed Chuck E. Cheese. We tried to capitalize on that moment, hoping he will enjoying excelling, even when it will be up to him.

Of course the medal should go to the parents who read all these books and recorded their title, right?

After the awards ceremony, all the kids all posed for a group photo with the friendship t-shirt they painted themselves: all the kids put their hand-print on each others shirt: what a nice memory!

Then, they were off to play. They had a blast.

Keegan and Brady, zoning out during the game

It is easy to understand why Keegan is so sad to leave: they definitely have a great time at school, and they learn lots too. The school we chose in desperation when he was 4 months old, turned out to be the best choice we could have ever made. I hope that, once he is over the sadness, he will keep the memories of his preschool dear to his heart. I know I will.

Once again, this year we decided to grow our butterflies. Keegan really would like a pet, so that was my concession. (-: We only got 5 this time, but it was still very fun. One of the caterpillars was much smaller than the others, so we ended up having and watching butterflies for quite a while, almost two full weeks.

Once again, they arrived in a cup, filled with food. And once again they did not do anything but wiggle and eat (and poop, as Keegan promptly added). They changed skins multiple times and finally hung upside down as chrysalis. This is when we moved them in their mesh habitat and waited.

Finally, within a week, the first 4 emerged as beautiful Painted Ladies butterflies. We enjoyed watching them flutter around, and we fed them sugar water and fresh flowers.

We waited day after day, hoping the last, little one, would emerge, but to no avail. They were in their pavilion for so long (almost a full week) they started to mate. It was interesting explaining Keegan what they were doing. We settled on” they are kissing and getting married”. Keegan noticed that, together, they formed a heart shape.

Finally, worried they would try to lay eggs inside, we released them in the front yard. This time they were ready, and flew right out. One one needed a little help, and Keegan was happy to lend a hand.

It was a pretty sunny day, and we had many plants in full bloom: it was as if we brought them to a Las Vegas All You Can Eat Buffet, and they lingered a while, flying from flower to flower.

Keegan smiling next to “his” butterfly, enjoying the jasmine in the garden

Keegan was a little sad, but we still had one left. And sure enough, just as we let the others go, the last one came out of her chrysalis, and we got to enjoy it for many more days.

This Spring has been particularly chilly in San Diego. April had many gray days, and the temperature rarely made it to the 70s. I know , I know, it is still amazing weather compared to many other parts of the country or world, but still it’s a little of a bummer for San Diego.

However, we still found plenty of fun activities to do. In fact the “bad” weather has its advantages. For example we were able to find a prime parking spot in downtown La Jolla. We took a nice stroll, under a light drizzle, and went to Children’s Pool, now firmly in the hands of lots and lots of sea lion and seals. I will not get in the controversy about this, but it has been an ongoing battle between environmentalists who want the seal to stay, and others who want them to go. So far the seals are winning, in part helped by the fact that would cost a huge amount of money to clean up the beach for human use. Bottom line it is really cool to see them relaxing on the beach or rocks, with cormorants keeping them company.

By the way, do you know how to recognize a sea lion from a seal?

1. Sea lions make very loud, barking noises.
2. Sea lions have actual external ears
3. Sea Lions have large, developed front fins they can use to “walk”

Keegan love to watch seals and sea lions rest with their pups. You get an awesome view from the curved walkaway overlooking the beach. Very cute, if a little smelly.

end of the walkaway. Watch out for the big waves
 

Under gray skies we talk a walk by the coast and had a picnic inside Matt’s truck, overlooking the ocean. Keegan was well equipped for the weather with his monster hood and jacket.

We also found the time for another birthday party. This time was Brady’s turn, a good friend of Keegan’s from school. He had a super heroes party, with a bouncy, games and extra costumes to try on. Keegan wore the captain America’s costume. The best part of the party was when some of the Avengers (Hulk, Captain America and Thor) came in. They were actually friends of the family, but it did not matter. The kids wrestled them on the bouncie and chase them around. Captain America even presented the cake to the birthday boy.

There was also a pinata, which is always fun.

May brought a little better weather: not as much marine layer as usual, probably because the temperatures remained pretty low. We will cheer to that: it is a good trade off.We did have a couple of beautiful, warm, cloudless weekends though. In one of them we went to visit Cabrillo Natural Park. We timed it pretty well, for once, and got there shortly after low tide. That is the perfect time to go, because Cabrillo is famous for its tide pools. We carefully threaded though water and slippery rocks, and got to admire the amazing sea life. We saw fish, crabs, hermit crabs, anemones, and all kind of other creatures.

We played  on the beach, and admired the weird looking rocks.

We even spotted a lobster tail (or claw, I am not an expert).

Isn’t this place amazing? It does remind me a little of the italian Riviera (Liguria).

After the pools, we took a short hike, made much longer by Keegan’s whining, and we headed to the lighthouse. It has been only used for a few decades, since they soon realized tit was getting engulfed in fog more often than not, but it has been preserved, so you have the chance to see how a family from that time lived. Amazing how they managed to live in such cramped quarters, in such isolation…Quite interesting.

Keegan really enjoyed the spiral staircase and looking inside the lamp. All this excitement made Keegan so tired he asked if he could sleep in the car…which meant he did not sleep at all at home. Well, naps are getting a lot more hit and miss, so we are transitioning to “quiet time”, with limited success, so far, but we are still learning…

Besides exciting weekends, Keegan keeps on doing his usual activities. So far, swimming is the only constant. I can’t say he is thrilled about it, but, living in San Diego, we feel is essential for him to become a strong swimmer, especially if he wants to surf or body-board one day. It has been already three years, and he has improved a lot, but he needs to be a much stronger swimmer to face the ocean. So we keep on going, despite his complaints. There are two things he really likes about swimming lessons though: Parents Night Outs, when he gets to watch a movie, swim and eat pizza with other kids at night time and…Isabella. She is a 12 yo Portuguese-American girl that used to swim in his class. She is now at a higher level, but swims at the same time as him. She is always so nice to him, and always likes to hug him and he has quite a crush on her.

Well, there is one thing I can say about Keegan. At least at this time, he seems to be VERY  interested in girls. One day he told me he can’t wait to be a grown up so he can see girls naked! Not sure how much he says this stuff just for effect, but seeing his reaction to, and fascination for a half naked Beyonce during superbowl half time show I think we are in trouble…

It is hard to believe this is already my 6th Mother’s Day. I do enjoy this day because I can really stop and think how lucky I am to have such a wonderful little boy as a son…now, this does not mean he does not drive me crazy at times, but he is still healthy, happy and fun, so I have to be grateful.

I started the weekend early with a nice massage on Friday: it was last year’s gift from my guys…better late than never. Then, Keegan’s preschool had a special party for all mothers. It was nice to see all the other moms and eat some delicious sweets. I also got to bring home the present and card Keegan worked so hard to make for me: a nice pot he painted, planted with daisies.

It was inside a decorated paper bag and accompanied by a sweet card. I could not believe Keegan actually drew us in it. I assume I am the one with the long hair. Not quite sure why I don’t get to have a body while he does, but it is all right.

The weekend was nice. I started it by calling my own mom to wish her Happy Mother’s day. Then it was my turn. Unfortunately Matt was not feeling well, and he rested most of the weekend, but he still managed to prepare a nice Mother Day celebration for me.What a trooper!

This is what I saw as I woke up from my morning nap! (-:

He got me some pretty, and deliciously smelling flowers, and bought me a beautiful blown glass vase from Guatemala, which Keegan picked.

I even got a wonderful Jade necklace from Brazil, also chosen by Keegan. And, as he noticed, when it is closed, it is shaped like a heart.

As is now tradition, we took our mom-son picture together. I should string them all together to see how he has changed. Of course, I always look the same. (-:

once again, with more cuddles

The rest of the day was quiet and relaxing. Keegan behaved the whole day, which was the best gift. It was a good Mother’s Day weekend. Matt celebrated me even more the following weekend, when he pampered me with an awesome French Toast breakfast and delicious dinner. Who am I to say NO to an extended celebration?

I am definitely lucky to such wonderful guys in my life! Thank you for making me feel so loved.

We are very behind in our blog, but Spring has been very busy work-wise, so we will try to catch up as we can.

First up: Easter Time! Easter fell at the end of March this time, which is maybe why we did not have too much time to do anything exceptional: no special eggs hunts, no special activities. Keegan is not a big “crafter”, so he did not care much about painting eggs or doing other season related activities.

As always, on Thursday, they had a nice Easter party at school, which included an egg hunt, games and the magician Easter bunny, who surprised them all by making a real bunny appear. Well, it was the same trick he used last year, so Keegan was expecting him to do it again, and he was not disappointed.

The kids had fun and got to bring home their eggs, including the ones they colored and painted at school, in a rabbit-shaped bag.

On Friday, I had my mini-spring break (basically a 4 day weekend). Easter here is not a holiday, so it was a real Spring break for me:Keegan went to school and Matt wen to work, so I got a lot of work done and even managed to get my car in for its 10,000 check up. In the afternoon, our neighbor Kelton came by, and the kids rode bikes and played at our house. We all ate pizza and ice cream together, and by then the kids were exhausted.

Easter weekend was fun: we went to the Safari Park in the morning and painted some eggs in the afternoon.

Again, not too much effort was put into it, but we can’t have Easter without painting eggs. Keegan could not wait for the egg hunt morning so he was a little out of control at bedtime…he was so excited! At nighttime we prepared everything: filled the eggs, made the basket, etc. and stuffed everything in a closet.

Keegan woke up early the next morning, but we convinced, barely, to wait till after my nap to go look…I needed the time to go and hide the eggs. Matt told him that if he saw the Easter bunny he would scare him away and he would not leave him anything. That worked, even though I don’t know if he really believes in the Easter bunny. Once he told me he knew it was just a guy in a suit…

When I got up, a couple of hours later, Keegan was ready to go and ran to the front yard. Please note his pants: yes, they have holes on the knees, and no, we are not neglectful parents! Keegan LOVES these pants, and so, even if they have huge holes he wears them at home.

Even though we only fill enough eggs to fit in the small basket, we also have some oversize ones to put in a bag. We also got him a toy he has been asking for months, the McQueen Falcon Hawk, basically an oversized car with retractable wings. Honestly, I really did not want to buy it because it is an overprice chunk of plastic, and I totally expected to get bored of it within a few weeks (which is exactly what happened). However, I have found it at more than 50% off, so I guess I had to buy it. Of course I made sure Keegan knew that that was the only reason why we got it, since we had been telling him it was way too expensive.

counting the jelly beans…fortunately he does not over do in the candy department

Matt made us a delicious brunch with eggs, potatoes, veggies, and a cool eggs-shaped corn bread. Delicious!

So, it was a great, mellow Easter, and watching keegan search for eggs and open to see his surprises makes it always worthwhile.

Once you move to Southern California, you often hear this cliche’:

“It is great to live here because you can surf in the morning, drive through the desert at lunch and ski in the afternoon.”

This saying, quite overused, is technically correct. While I have never done all this in one day (I did drive through Joshua Tree to go skiing before though, so it is 2 out of three), we experienced something similar over two consecutive weekends. As a corollary, I would add, the weather is quite interesting here too: going from winter to summer in a matter of days or sometimes hours.

During the last week of February, we woke up to hail, such a rare occurrence we had to take a photo. It is a little hard to see, but you can notice the small ice balls on the chair.

The next day was rainy, and on Friday it was sunny and warm. This was a good thing, because we left at lunch time to go to Mt. Baldy, driving though classic, dry, southern California terrain. We stopped in Ontario for the night, like we did last year, at our favorite Hotel, Embassy Suites.The Ontario location is particularly cool, as we mentioned, as it is decorated with modern and contemporary furnishing instead of the typical, cheesy decor. It still has all the amenities of a standard Embassy Suites, such as free happy hour and breakfast. So we get a suite, with a separate sleeping area for Keegan, and we can pretend we are in a boutique hotel, like the ones we used to go to before Keegan was born. Win win.

We arrive early enough that Keegan and Matt got to jump in the heated pool.

The next morning, after a nice free breakfast, we leave for Mt. Baldy. We drive through winding roads with spectacular views, and finally make it about an hour later. It is quite windy, but the chair lift is open, so we head up the mountain for our inner tube sliding session. The same storm that brought hail to San Diego, brought lots of fresh snow, so no need for cannons this time. It was a beautiful sunny day, and was a lot warmer than the forecasts predicted, which was a nice surprise. As soon as we made it on top of the mountain, my boot fell apart…but we did not let it stop us or ruin our trip. With a little piece of duck tape we were all ready to go.

We had a great time: Keegan even ventured down the slope by himself, in his own inner tube…until the time he fell out the tube we were riding together while it was spinning. I could not hold on to him, and he flew right out. He did not really get hurt, but it was done with riding alone for him.

When we were too tired or dizzy from sliding, we took breaks and played with the snow.

After a couple of hours, at the end of our sessions, we took the chair-lift down and got back to San Diego. We were home by mid-afternoon, so Keegan had plenty of time to play with his cars.

What else can we do on a weekend in San Diego? The following day we went to visit the  Aircraft Carrier Midway Museum. It was cool to see all these planes, and explore the living quarters and command rooms. Keegan loved trying out the real planes.

What makes this visit more surreal is that the museum is right across the bay from another, still in service, aircraft carrier, stationed in Coronado.

The weekend was now over, and we could not squeeze the surfing/beach in. We had to wait till the following weekend. It was another beautiful sunny day, and the perfect weather for a beach morning. Granted, the water was a chilly 55F but Keegan tried to brave the cold with his spiffy wetsuit.

He did not last more than a few minutes, but it did not matter: there is always plenty to do at the beach, like building sandcastles or climbing on dad.

Snow? Check. Museums? Check. Beach? Check. What is left to do on the weekends? Amusement and recreational parks of course!

You would think that, living here, Keegan would be so excited when the weekend comes to go to all these fun places. I mean, so many other kids get to spend the winter indoors and don’t have all the amazing range of activities he has available to him. You would think he would be grateful and happy about going places. You would think…but not Keegan! Most of the time we have to literally peel him off the floor where he is playing with his cars. He whines and protests and even cries at times when we say: “we are going to Seaworld!” Granted, he usually has a blast when he is out, and he is grateful we went, but the “getting him out of the door” is a huge job.

We don’t give up, though. We try to go out every day, at least in the mornings. I definitely don’t want to spend the whole weekend cooped up at home. And we do have an amazing array of choices. Seaworld is often a favorite: just like us, many of our friends have memberships, and it is so close to us, it is easy to go, even if for a few hours. The shows, especially the dolphin shows are always a hit, but every time we go, we manage to do slightly different things. If we go with friends, the Sesame Street Play Area is a mandatory stop.

playing with Alyce and Betty

Of course there are always lots of animals to see. Some are costumed actors…

…other are real.

Keegan’s favorite, the two-toed sloth

One time we got there early enough to see the flamingo being walked to their bay location. It is quite an experience to see them so close, just walking by.

Another park we really like, and we usually visit in the cooler months is the Safari Park. The end of March it is probably getting close to the end of the season for us, as temperatures easily soar into the 90s and 100s in the warmer months.

The first stop is always the petting zoo, where Keegan can pet the goats.

Keegan also like to watch the aquatic animals and ducks and to play in the different small structures scattered around the park. This was the large replica of a bird’s nest.

We also try to make it to the African Tram, that allows you to see many African animals in a semi-open enclosure. We see giraffes, rhinos, different kinds of antelopes, birds, buffalo, zebras, and so on. On the way to the tram, we always pass by the lion’s enclosure. This time a lion and a lioness were sleeping right up to the glass. Pretty cool.

End of March is also the best time to go to the Park to see the famous butterfly exhibit. The park receives hundreds of chrysalis and it let’s the beautiful butterflies flutter around in an enclosed, tropical environment, filled with the most amazing flowers and plants (and lots of people). This year they had a great system of assigned timed tickets, so there was no line. It was beautiful. We spent more than 20 minutes admiring these amazing creatures.

Talied Jay Butterfly

Also, all of us had a butterfly land on us, and linger for a long time. Matt was first one to have a guest: a beautiful Blue Morpho landed on his shoulder. I love these butterflies, because from the outside they have interesting patterned brown wings, but when they open them, a beautiful bright blue color is revealed.

Next up, Keegan had one landing on him. The little guy stuck around for a long time. We could not see the inside of his wings, but I think it was also a Blue Morpho. Keegan was so excited.

Finally, one more Blue Morpho landed on me, and hung to my shirt.

And as we were leaving the exhibit, just before being “frisked” to make sure the little critters would not hitch a ride outside, one more butterfly landed on my shoulder. This time, it was a Postman. We took a quick photo and made sure she flew away. What a great experience. We will definitely come back next year.

So, cliche’ or not, we love living in Southern California! And one day, I will surf in the morning, drive through the desert at lunch and ski in the afternoon.

March flew by, and it was an intense month. Matt and I both worked really hard (and April is not looking any better), but we also were able to squeeze in some fun times. We had two date nights, a regular sitter night and a Parents’ Night Out at the pool: we went to see Bad Religion in a smoky (blast from the past) dive club, and it was very fun. For a couple of hours, we went back to the time when we were just dating. Matt also celebrated me on Woman’s Day with some beautiful flowers.

On March 17 we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, an Irish holiday (any excuse is a good one to have an unofficial holiday). And even if we had no green beer this year, we still had fun with it. We read a fun book on the topic, courtesy of our local library, which linked St. Patrick’s legend with the Loch Ness Monster legend.

We also made green cookies, of course.

Keegan, however, had a lot more fun at school, during the whole week. They looked for their mischievous leprechaun, Shawn O’Brien, but never caught him. He left taunting notes and on Friday his treasure of candy. They made art inspired by shamrocks and even made leprechauns’ hats. I made my contribution by buying Keegan a green shirt.

Oh, yes. Here in San Diego we have an extra season, birthday season. For some strange reason, most of Keegan’s friends were born between the end of January and the end of March, which means that we have an orgy of parties in these two months. 9 kids, mainly from school, celebrated a birthday during that time, but fortunately not every one had a party.

We started with Kenzie’s birthday at the end of January. Next up, Van, Camren and Elliott combined their special days and had a group party at…Pump It Up. However, it was a Star Wars Themed party. As always, Keegan had a blast on the bouncies, but the best part was when Darth Vader showed up, accompanied by its infamous music. He was shorter than I expected, but he was cool.

Darth showing his soft side by giving away stickers and tattoos.

The kids loved it, and were more than ready to pose for pictures.

Keegan looks fierce. Don’t join the dark side!

The three identical, hand-made cakes were Star Wars Themed too. I am surprised that all three kids agreed on a common theme. I guess it is the power of Star Wars.

The following week, it was Rozelin’s birthday party. She also wanted to have it at Pump It Up, but it was not available (we had to reserve almost three months in advance), so the plan B was Chuck E Cheese…and this is where I draw the line. I positively hate that place. So, it was Matt’s turn to go: in all honestly, he does not mind it as much, so it is a win-win situation. Kenzie was invited also, so Keegan loved to pose for picture with his “girlfriend” / future wife and the birthday girl (and the creepy, gigantic rat).

Next up: Jada’s party that was held, you guessed it, at Pump It Up. Fortunately, Kelton was invited as well, so Keegan was not shy and started playing on the inflatables and jumping around. This is my favorite part of the party: I get to talk to other adults while the kids, aside for the occasional potty break, or crying fit, entertain themselves. It still does not make it fun, but it makes it at least bearable.

…and this is Pump it Up group photo number 4!

…having snacks with Kelton and Eilen (Alyce’s friend and also Jada swim partner)

We had a couple of weeks break, and then it was Julia’s Pool Party. It was probably one of my favorite ones, maybe because it was not at Pump it Up…She only invited Keegan from class, but Kenzie and Victoria were there too, so Keegan was excited. The water was pretty shallow, and very warm, so he jumped right in. Matt “volunteered” to get in the water, but to be honest, it was the dads who got wet, while the moms talked.

The pool, The Plunge, is right on the beach in Mission Beach, and it has a beautiful mural.

They also had a bouncie and an inflatable slide, one of the biggest hit of the party.

Sliding was fun, but not quite as much as splashing people with a very high pressure hose.

We got a Julia’s dad to volunteer so all the kids took turns.

We had our own private deck and we feasted on the largest pizzas I ever seen, veggies, and of course ocean themed cupcakes.

After more than two hours of fun, it was time to say goodbye. Kenzie and Keegan walked hand in hand to the parking lot: the cutest couple ever. Keegan is looking forward to seeing her new house and especially her horses.

Our neighbor Markus’s party was the last one of the series: no more parties till summer or fall. It was a more mellow event, held at their house in the mid afternoon, with the obligatory bouncie on the front yard and a worm shaped piñata (which was almost impossible to break). No photos for that party…too busy drinking wine. I think this should be a must for a kid’s birthday party: an abundance of adult beverages…

Well, we survived another year of birthday bashes…and with Keegan starting a new school after summer, I foresee a steep decline in the sheer number. I don’t see this as a bad thing at all. (-:

We had a fun Valentine’s Day (more like a week +) Celebration this year.

We started with a Valentine’s Day party at Jennifer’s, organized by Lina. We made, well, I made, some cards for the kids with Keegan’s assistance. Since getting him to write or even sign anything is a huge chore, I got him to sign one card, then I took a photo of him holding it with one hand, while holding a lollipop in the other. Then I made the photo into cards, adding a real lollipop. I think it turned out really cute.

At the party, there were 5 kids in all, but they sounded like many more. A nice potluck buffet and cards exchange kicked off the celebration. Then is was off to the dance floor for the kids, to burn off some energy. The biggest hit was of course GunGun Style by Psy, the insanely infectious, crazy runaway hit. The kids got crazy, jumping around everywhere.

Then it was time to settle down, and the kids played a fun game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. The modern version of this old favorite really made it easy to play: it included self-adhesive tails, mask and board.

And after a few rounds, the kids were off to make up their own games. It all worked out well: no major fights or whining. We even got them to pose for a photo.

For Keegan’s school party I had the brilliant idea to bake cookies for his friends’ goodie bags…which meant Matt had to help out since I am totally inept at it. Sorry for volunteering you! Keegan helped too, rolling the dough and decorating our creations with frosting and sugar, and they turned out great. In fact we kept a few for us.

The following day, Matt surprised me with a wonderful display on the kitchen table: amazing orange and yellow callas, a nice card and two small packages. What a nice way to start the day. Keegan got dressed in his new Valentine’s Day shirt… a little cheesy, I know, but he does like Star Wars lately, especially because his friends are really into it.

my little hearth breaker

We grabbed his goodies bags, and off her went to school. He had a great time: each kid had decorated a cereal’s box and they filled it with cards from their classmates…all rigorously anonymous of course.Modern Valentines today: bring enough for all the kids and teacher, sign them, but not address them…

Then they had a Valentine’s day lunch, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pink fruits salad, etc. so Keegan barely ate anything at all. But he definitely made up the calories in sweets.

Since Valentine’s Day happened on a Thursday, we had a quite celebration at home. When Matt got home, we exchanged the gifts and cards, while snacking on a heart shaped Caprese mini salad.

Keegan got some books and little toys. He was excited.

Our real, adult Valentine’s celebration was the next day. Keegan was at the Parents’ Night Out at the pool and we had an early dinner at a great Spanish restaurant in Pacific Beach, right behind Matt’s old apartment. So, beside great food and conversation, we also took a walk down memory lane…I am so fortunate to have found my Valentine!

Even if not strictly related to Valentine’s Day, a few days before, Keegan had his 100 Days party: a party to celebrate the 100th day since the beginning of the school year. All the kids and the teacher wore their pajama to school, and they had lots of 100-themed games. He came home with a cute 100 Days crown, adorned by, of course, 100 colorful cheerios.

What a clever and fun way to get kids interested in Math and counting. And Keegan has been definitely all about numbers in the past few months: he counts everything, tries to add and subtract numbers and the pre-math activities were the one that caught his attention the most when we visited the Montessori school…I am keeping my finger crossed this interest will last.

The year started up in high gear. After the official end of the holidays, and my oral surgery behind me, we started our regular routine. It had been pretty cold, and quite rainy, so we tried to take advantage of any sunny weekend. On one of these chilly, but sunny weekends, we took Keegan to the Safari Park (the old Wild Animal Park). It had been a while since we last came, and this time we took the tram tour, to see some of the African Animals. We were lucky to drive by during feeding time, so we saw giraffes right outside our tram.

After the tour, we had lunch on a bench overlooking a canyon, with a lion and two lionesses lounging around. What a view!

Keegan wanted to go to the petting zoo to play with the goats, and spent a lot of time spinning the world (fountain) around.

January also brings around my birthday, and while I don’t enjoy the thought of getting one year older, it is always nice to be celebrated. And my boys surely spoiled me! This year, it landed on a Thursday, and so we still had to go to work and school. Matt, however, set up the table with presents, cards, flowers and a balloon, so it was a wonderful surprise for me when I got up. Keegan, however, was not happy (and this is an understatement) when I told him I would not open the presents till evening, but surely calmed down when I read the card he “wrote” with dad. It was very sweet. I had a mellow day: it was the first day of a new class, so it was pretty easy. As an added bonus, it was the first day the temperature hovered above 70 since December 11! Nice, this is the San Diego I love. At night time, when Matt arrived, we had the long awaited celebration.

Matt got me a beautiful garnet and silver necklace, and books, and I even received some beautiful flowers from my parents (to complement the gifts they sent at Christmas). Between all the good wishes from family and friends, virtual and not, the gifts, and the overall pampering, I felt very special.

The celebrations continued: the following day, I had lunch with my colleagues, and at night, Keegan went to the Parents’ Night Out at the pool again. So, he had a blast for three hours, and Matt and I had our mini date, eating appetizers at our favorite Argentinian restaurant. We also had a proper dinner date the following week, and we tried an Italian Restaurant right behind Keegan’s school. The food was all right, but we still had a fabulous time, and no talk about Keegan or work was allowed. At the end of the meal I ordered a Limoncello, the lemon liquor usually served in a small shot glass…well, I had to take a picture of this particular restaurant’s version. Italian restaurant or not, this is still America, and every portion is super-sized. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad to get my money’s worth, still, I found it hilarious.

My final present was my day off for Martin Luther King, when Matt went to work, and Keegan was at school, at least for one more year. I thoroughly enjoyed it: even if  I mainly caught up on things,  but I also got the chance to have a nice conversation with a friend I have not talked to in ages. So, a perfect day indeed.

Martin Luther King’s Day was also the day for the Public Inauguration’s Ceremony for Barack Obama, and I took the chance to take a picture of Keegan during the swearing in, to compare it with Obama’s first inauguration photo…WOW, things have changed. Different tv, different entertainment center (but still IKEA)…oh yeah, and Keegan is a LOT BIGGER too. It is almost incredible to think that at that time he would not really talk yet, and now we can’t stop him from gabbing. (-:

Talking about 5 years old Keegan, he still loves going to school. His new teacher, Ms. Jill is great and he loves her (and so do we). She is loving, fun, affectionate, but also firm. The kids are learning a lot. One of the programs she started is the Mystery Guest: every month, one parents come in and reads to the kids. His/her identity is kept secret till his/her arrival. I went in December and Keegan was very excited. In January, Rozelin’s mom, Ms. Yadira, came to read. She is also a teacher at the school, in the infants’ room, and she used to be Keegan’s teacher as well. She really likes him. The kids had a great time, and especially enjoyed the special treats she prepared.

January also means the start of the birthday season. For some reason, we have a glut of birthdays between January and March. It all starts with Kenzie’s birthday. Even if she is not going to school with Keegan anymore, and she moved to Ramona, she remains close to him and the other kids…and they still want to get married one day. We are now at 7 kids, 5 horses, 1 cat and 1 dog. And according to Kenzie, they will be all living in their old Clairemont 3 bedroom house, with all their kids, animals and Kenzie’s sister and husband. Good thing Kenzie wants to be a doctor when she grows up. Anyway, the party was at Mission Bay, on a beautiful, warm sunny day. The kids had fun running around, chasing each other and playing with kites.

They all had a picnic on the grass while the adults talked and enjoyed the day.

There was cake and cupcakes. It was nice to see them all.

We had been also very busy with our re-financing. I know it hard to believe we were willing to go through it again, after how badly it went last time, but the rates were so low we could not miss our chance. So we spent most of the month just gathering papers, signing, and especially getting the house in the best shape it could be for the appraisal, which went really badly last time around. I know that in theory it does not matter, but a clean house looks better maintained and in better shape than a messy one. It was lots of hard work, and the house never looked better. I guess that was the side benefit: it forced us to get organized. Well, at least it all paid off: the appraisal price was higher than expected, so we got the rate we wanted and some cash back.

Check out the living room. Never been so tidy! I should be doing staging…

So January started 2013 with a bang, and we are looking forward to a great February.

2012 is officially over and we are excited to welcome a new year. Since the world did not end in December after all, we will try to make the best of this new beginning. 2012 had its share of challenges and difficulties, but it also brought us a lot of great things, such as the trip to Maui, my US citizenship and my first election. It also brought some important dates, including our 10 year wedding anniversary. It is a tough act to follow, but this is exactly what I am wishing for the new year: I want a quiet year, with no big events.

2013 started well. Once again, we started the year with some cuddles with our “not so little anymore” guy. I do enjoy these moments as I know we are getting close to the moment when he won’t enjoy snuggling with us anymore. Fortunately, though, for now he is quite a softie, and loves “coccole”.

We enjoyed our last day of vacation with a visit to the Science Museum in Balboa Park.Once again we have not been original, and it was quite crowded, as it was free for residents on that day. We even met our neighbors there. It was fun anyway. We had lunch outside next to big fountain and I had to beg to get a photo of my little guy on New Year Day.

In the afternoon, we played with the new toys and did scientific experiments, including Keegan’s favorite: the colorful, erupting volcano.

We started our normal routine the following day, and it was nice to begin on a short week: Keegan got to see all his friends again, and play in the gym bus and even got a private swim lesson on Thursday. It was a particularly short week for Matt and I, though, as I had my scheduled oral surgery on Friday. Everything went well, and I was pretty much out most of the day. Thanks to painkillers, though, I did not feel much pain.

Well, this does not really fit with the quiet year I am wishing for, but I am chalking this off to the past year dragging on.

On January 6, we officially closed the Holiday season with the arrival of the Befana and its stocking. Keegan was excited to find it hanging on his door in the morning, and he was happy to see the Mouse from his book he has been wishing for.

We had a nice day. I rested most of the weekend, and Matt took Keegan out to play at the park both days. By Sunday afternoon, the storm that arrived in the weekend seemed to be almost gone and we enjoyed the first rainbow of the year: I want to take it as a good sign for 2013.

We are looking forward to what this year will bring, and I am especially excited to witness all of the transformations Keegan will go through, including the start of a new school in the fall…whatever will it be.

We are wishing you all a wonderful year and sending you all our love.

Buon Anno 2013!