Summer of her life

While it hasn't been my ideal summer: it went too fast and I didn't get to spend all that time with the girls, they've had a wonderful 10 weeks.

It started with their ballet recital. Samantha and Al starred as Annie and Daddy Warbucks! The next week followed with theatre camp--Alyssa's first time. Then we and a quieter week with swim lessons followed by a week of stay-cation activities. The girls then asked for two weeks at vacation bible school, which they loved! And we've wrapped it up with three weeks of Summer ballet intensive where both girls found out that they've moved up to the next level. Oh the squeals of delight!

In the middle there my brother, Kevin, and his girlfriend, Tara, took Samantha camping in Big Sur. I can recall less than 12 hours after Samantha was born, Kevin was holding her for the first time and he said "I can't wait to take her camping and to teach her how to surf." Now that she's 9 he figured that she was mature enough to spend a few days away from mom and dad and head 2 hours away.

I missed her, but not for one second did I worry--she was in good hands. So they drove down to Andrew Molera to camp, played in a nearby river, hiked, and, best of all, she got to paddle out on Sand Dollar beach on a long board with Kevin and ride the waves. She stood for a few and fell more often than not.

When she came home she was full of stories while Kevin and Tara looked a little beat. Heck, it's hard keeping up with a 9 year old's energy and appetite!

Kevin brought along a GoPro camera to film Samantha's firsts. He wasn't able to catch her standing on a board because he didn't have the camera mounted, but this was enough . . .

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall. I was elated that she got to experience these things.

Here is a short video of Samantha's firsts in Big Sur:

Stay-cation Day 4: San Francisco

We decided to take a break from driving on Wednesday and stuck around home. I had an unplanned doctor's appointment in San Jose so the kids and Al rented a movie and hung around the house.

We figured we needed our endurance for Thursday--our walking legs for San Francisco.

We headed up early so that we'd hit the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park when it opened. Traffic was a bear and we were a bit later than expected, which worked out well because my brother and his girlfriend met us there. They live in SF and both work in the bar-tending/dining industry so their work schedules keep them up very late or early, whichever your perspective.

We took our time around the gardens. The gardens were a bit smaller than I remember, but perfect for the girls.

After we made it through the entire gardens Tara wanted to take us to the top of the DeYoung Museum. It doesn't cost to ride the elevator to the top of Hamon Tower. From there it is a 360 degree
view of the city. It was mostly clear and a breathtaking sight.

We then picnicked on the lawn at the Music Concourse. It was surprisingly warm and still.

After lunch we drove to one end of the park, near the carousel in Koret Children's Quarter, to play soccer. We spent two hours kicking around the ball with the kids. Our friend Chelsea even rode down to the park after work to join us for a little ball. I think we wore out Tara and the kids. Fantastic day!

Tara, Alyssa, Samantha, and Chelsea

Stay-cation: Day 2 Santa Cruz

We extend our coastal theme in Day 2 with a trip to Santa Cruz.

We headed to Wilder Ranch. They have amazing bike trails, but we decided to use our legs. We have two new bike riders and didn't feel they were ready for trail riding just yet.

Wilder Ranch is an old dairy farm that used to supply the Santa Cruz mission, among others. They still have horses and chickens on the ranch.

The old buildings and barns are really cool, but a bit unnerving when the swallows start flapping around your head!

We spent about an hour walking around the grounds. I'd like to go back on the weekend when they do reenactments of full dairy farm production.

We then headed down to Natural Bridges State Park. This has been our favorite beach in Santa Cruz. It has the beach, of course, trails to the Monarch butterfly gardens, and amazing tide pools. It was a bit cooler than we expected so the girls decided that they'd play in the waves up to their knees.

An hour running in the surf is all that was needed to wear them out. We did try the tide pools but the waves were crashing a bit more forceful than we were comfortable with. The low tide didn't coincide with our visit.

Afterwards we set off down Mission Street and thought we'd carry on the California Mission tour to the Santa Cruz Mission. This must be the smallest mission. It was a bit disappointing after being in the Carmel Mission the day prior, but the gardens were very peaceful.

Stay-cation: Day 1 Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea

Samantha on the fireman's pole

We did it, we did our first stay-cation and survived. The kids loved it and we loved it. We got to sleep in our own beds, made a picnic lunch every day. We even spoiled the kids with Capri Suns and chips and they were content, which is the most important thing.

Day 1 started with a trip to Monterey and Carmel. We actually didn't know what we might do, but as both Al and I lived there in our college years, we knew that nothing was lacking as far as natural entertainment.

Alyssa on the rock wall

We started with a picnic at Dennis the Menace park. The girls love this place and I loved it as a child too. It's got just about everything from an amazing roller slide (which is a killer on adult tailbones) to a large rock climbing wall.

Sometimes I find myself missing Monterey, but then I remember the fog. And truthfully, we live only 50 minutes away, and now get warmer weather and fog only in the morning.

After the kids were hot, sweaty, and sandy, we drove down into Carmel-by-the-sea and headed to the Carmel Mission.

In fourth grade, the Catholic school students in our area study the California missions. So this coming school year Samantha will have a report about a mission along with a replica of said mission. We thought we'd get a head start.

We could not have asked for a more stunning day. If we were millionaires we'd have bought a house there on the spot. It was about 68 degrees and clear! Not to mention that the mission gardens were overflowing with color (The dahlias were as big as my head!), and then there were the most wonderful smells.

I must admit that I had a hard time controlling my emotions when I walked through the doorway of the old adobe. The history, the culture, the church, all of it caught me off guard. I haven't been there since I was in fourth grade.

Alyssa wanted to go into the church and sit in the pews. She was hoping we were there to hear Mass. She was very disappointed when she found out we were there just to explore.

Samantha and I were dreaming about sitting in the old "sala", which was full of 200-year-old books.

All in all, a fantastic day, beautiful and peaceful.

The girls are out of school . . . I should be saying "Yipee", but as a working mother I find it challenging. They've been too sedentary thus far and I don't like it. Although I have to admit: my oldest has bronchitis and it's been super windy (25 mph) for days. That doesn't lend itself to much outdoor activity.

At dinner on Sunday night I laid down the rules:

• Mom is working and when there is a sign on her door that says "Quiet", we leave her alone.
• The girls will help Dad (who is between jobs) to clean the house throughout the week.
• The girls will read everyday. (Workbooks will come a bit later--I wanted to give them a week to enjoy).
• The girls will have a morning routine with no TV past 9 am and a maximum of 1 hour of technology time.
• Grooming and bed making are a requirement.

(I think I also need to incorporate an outdoor activity or exercise, other than ballet, once a day.)

We have the next five weeks scheduled with Theatre Camp, swim lessons, (two weeks!) of bible camp, and a stay-cation in there too. 

I'm looking forward to the camps because the girls will be occupied all day and exhausted when they come home. They begged for the two-weeks at bible camp--how could I argue with that. I'm looking forward to the stay-cation. I'm thinking a visit or two to San Francisco to play at Golden Gate Park and to walk the Japanese Tea Garden and some time in the waves in Santa Cruz. I am going to try to keep it a secret from the kids so they'll be surprised each day. 

Now that gets me excited! I need a job with a summer vacation, but I do love my job, so I guess this will do. Shoot, I've got a sweet summer schedule that has afternoons off on Friday, can't beat that!

6 Weeks Post-Transplant

My mom is doing well. She's able to venture out to the store in off times. We've been taking 2-mile walks daily. She's getting her hair back slowly, too. Pretty soon the maintenance side of this whole transplant will be in place. She'll have to have the Aredia every three months and then Revlimid, maintenance chemotherapy, sometime after that. I can't recall how often she'll need that.

She hasn't had the sickness like she did after last transplant, but there is a certain amount of sensitivity or taste-shock (I'm not sure what to call it) that comes along with it. Taste is very intense post transplant: mints taste really strong, spicy things are magnified, and sweets are beyond intense.

We're planning our annual girl trips: Arizona and Las Vegas already. I was surprised when my mom asked if me and the girls were still planning to go see my Grandparents for Easter break--she wants to come too! I would have taken the 9-hour drive without her, but I would much rather she come. This has been our tradition for at least 4 years now and I can't imagine missing it. While she won't be able to come join us in the water for the daily visit to the swim center, I'm hoping that she'll be ready to jump in and play when we head to Las Vegas this summer.

I took vacation this week because the girls have Thanksgiving break. I wasn't prepared for it because I didn't read through the school calendar. It's still hanging on October! Thankfully, I had some vacation left over. It's challenging to work at home when the kids are fighting in the other rooms.

We haven't done much this week, which has been nice, although the kids are often bored. The girls have been helping me prepare some dishes for Thanksgiving and some of our "Harvey meals."

I'm anticipating that there will be quite a few occasions when I'm too tired, exhausted, or emotionally overwhelmed with my partial-week single-parent life. So I've planned to make several meals this week and freeze them. From meatloaf to carnitas to curried veggies and chicken, I'm preparing for more than a few weeks of sanity helpers.

We even put up the Christmas tree and got out the more challenging or time-consuming decorations. I knew that we would be too busy, and I've already stopped feeling guilty about putting it up before Thanksgiving. This year, it was a necessity. I didn't want to feel rushed or overwhelmed.

Next week Al stats a new job and Harvey rehearsals on the same day. We're also trying to get out last appointments in before the end of the year so that they hit this year's deductible. And I finally get to see an Orthopedist in two weeks. I am anxious to determine the next steps--to get me out of this pain funk and on the road to healing. I really miss painting. For now, we'll take this last week--the calm before the storm--and be grateful for the quiet and lazy days together.

Las Vegas -- Part 3

Last year I found a Natural History museum off the beaten path. The kids liked the hands-on exhibits and we enjoyed learning about Egyptian mummification. We thought we'd head back there this trip and start from the opposite end, but we never made it. Instead we found the Springs Preserve thanks to some clever billboard advertising along the interstate.

This place was incredible. There were at least three museums on-site that we were able to see: the Origen Museum, the Nevada State Museum, and the NV Energy Sustainability Gallery. The Origen was about the origin of Las Vegas. There were some hands-on exhibits for the kids like a Pueblonian stone grind to make flour and a mock-flash flood where they stood on a platform and got their feet wet.

The Nevada State Museum was definitely hands-off, but very interesting nonetheless. The kids got to stand next to a mammoth skeleton, stand under stalactites, watch holographic miners talk about life in the mines, and listen to atomic bomb testing. This wasn't necessarily their favorite museum, but they appreciated it and they were very well behaved.

The Energy Sustainability Gallery was incredible. There was so much to see and do and so much to learn about green living. The gallery specifically related to Nevada, but it was enlightening nonetheless. I really enjoyed learning about how much gas and energy is used to produce glass versus plastic and how much energy is used to recycle them. The girls enjoyed playing in the life-size kitchen replica and with all the energy arcade games. I'm hoping they learned by osmosis, although much of it was over their heads. It was really a hands-on museum for adults.

We spent 6 hours exploring the Preserve in total. We did eat at their Springs Cafe, which is run by the Nevada Culinary Institute. The food was delicious.

Next time we head back to Las Vegas I would love to see the remainder of the Preserve: the Desert Gallery and the Gardens. It's well worth the visit and so beautiful.

Las Vegas -- Part 2

I wanted to make sure the kids got to see some amazing sights on the strip, nudity and drunks not included, so I researched the different casinos to see what they might like. It was too hot for anything outdoors during the day so I decided on the Bellagio Gardens and Fountains. The kids enjoyed the giant snails and birds, while we adults enjoyed the displays and the variation of flora.

There were two giant snails which were each covered in 1500 cut flowers. There was a lot to look at and enjoy despite the small area. The gardens change every season and I'm sure it's beautiful.

Afterward we endured the 104 degrees to watch the fountain dance in the moonlight for just a few songs. Then Alyssa started to melt so it was back to the resort for some ice cream.

Las Vegas -- Part 1

We took our second Girls Only vacation to Las Vegas--four generations: my girls, me, my mom, and my grandma. It was a great, low-key week. 

This time my mom and I decided to break up our driving by stopping overnight in Bakersfield. We figured the kids could play in the pool and then crash. It was a 3.5 hour drive to Bakersfield and then another 4-4.5 hours to Las Vegas. It was such a terrific idea and really did take away a lot of the stress of driving 10 hours with two little kids. We made it Las Vegas around check-in at 4:45.

We borrowed a family friend's time share at the WorldMark Tropicana. It slept 6 and had a really nice open floor plan. The kids really liked the breakfast bar. 

Me and my girls dressed up for our night out.

When we stay at a resort/time share we come prepared. We had each meal, including breakfast, planned and prepared. We brought two ice chests (big and small) and came home with them nearly empty. It saves on expenses and ensures that the kids eat well. We did eat out for lunch in Las Vegas once, but we saved our big bucks for Michael Jackson ONE.

This is the second Cirque show my girls have seen (they're 5 and 8) and absolutely loved it! There is so much to see during a show and it keeps them interested the entire show. This time we got there extra early and they got special treatment--6-inch booster seat and ear plugs. There are no bad seats in the house. 

The girls loved the music and the dancing so much they've been playing "Michael Jackson" since we got home. They dressed up like the Cirque dancers and then danced to MJ Wii. And my grandma loved the show too. There was definitely something for everyone and every age.

There is so much to do in Las Vega that doesn't involve gambling and partying. It can be a very fun place with kids.  

Surprise!

Today Al and I surprised the kiddos with a trip to Happy Hollow 

On the Frogger

Park and Zoo in San Jose. They thought they were going to have to go shopping all over San Jose.

Singing to the sleeping goat

Happy Hollow was around when I was a kid, but it's changed so much since then. With the times, you could say. The rides are are their speed. And there is the zoo and petting zoo when Mom and Dad are tired of the rides.

We spent three and a half hours there until the 90+ degree heat started to get to all of us.

Girls' Vacation

This year we took our first four-generational girls' vacation to Las Vegas: Great-grandma, Gammy, Me, and my two girls. We had a blast!

My mom and I drove and Grandma jumped an airport shuttle from Arizona to Vegas. We arrived Sunday and Grandma on Monday. But the time we got up and dressed and ready for the pool on Monday, Grandma's shuttle was there.

We stayed at Cancun Resort, Las Vegas, a few miles off the southern end of the strip. It was relaxing for all of us. The girls enjoyed playing in the pools and Samantha loved the water slides. Alyssa was a few inches too short for the water slide. She cried a lot at first but they have a Mayan waterfall, so we played in that instead.

We did drive down to the strip once in the day and walked around for a little while. The girls were having a hard time in the heat--107 degrees--so they didn't last long. But we did go back at night and enjoy one of the Cirque de Soleil shows, Mystere. It was amazing and I loved that none of them had seen Cirque before.

My girls can't wait to go back. They've got it planned for next summer already!

Some candid pics of Grandma and the girls following along to a dance video: