Category Archives: holidays

family, holidays, trips

Fresno/L.A. Christmas: Done! (Oh, and Happy New Years too!)

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Is it too late to say Happy New Years? I can’t believe that was almost a week ago! We headed to Fresno on December 26 and planned to leave “early”, but got on the road around 11:30 a.m. As I was saying in one of my recent posts though, Maia is really getting used to our world, and it showed in this road trip. She slept for the first hour-and-a-half and then hung out peacefully in the car until we stopped for lunch in Los Banos. Then we preceded to have a relatively mellow ride the rest of the way. Until this point, we hadn’t had an extended car ride like this where Maia wasn’t screaming the saddest sobs you’ve ever heard for almost an hour. We had a great afternoon with Grandma Jennie and Uncle Michael, and finished out the day by watching Pixar’s Wall-E. We’re probably some of the last people on earth to have watched this movie, and we all thoroughly loved it. It was amazing how much of story could be told with almost no dialogue, something that really appealed to Keana.

The next day we had Christmas, opening lots of gifts and enjoying a generally mellow day, followed by a great turkey dinner, courtesy of Grandma Jennie. Aside from being with family, one of the best things about traveling to someone else’s house for events is not having to worry about food. I feel like many of our days just consist of planning meals and eating, interspersed with sleeping. So with Grandma on all the meals, we actually had time to relax and just play and visit; it was great! Both the girls absolutely love playing with Grandma and Uncle Michael, and Michael is still in school up at Evergreen, and we rarely see him, so it was a treat indeed.

The next day we headed over to Grandpa Robert and Nana Cin’s to keep the Christmas cheer flowing. They are always very hospitable and we can always depend on amazing food and plenty of it. It was great to catch up with them and the girls had fun running around and playing while we visited. We probably could have used a couple more days in Fresno to spend with family there, but we had to hit the road once more for our last stop: Los Angeles.

Getting out of Fresno proved harder than we thought. MIchael took off early for wisdom teeth removal, so we had the house to ourselves to pack up and attempt to find everything to pack. We did pretty good packing and decided to just get breakfast on the road, and as we were putting the kids in the car, Sarah realized she locked her purse in the house and we didn’t have a key. So we called Jennie and luckily she and Michael were almost done, so we went to get a quick bite to eat and gas. Of course the guy at Starbucks forgot one of our sandwiches, so once again, as we got the kids strapped in the car, we realized this and I had to run back in to get the missing sandwich, which hadn’t been made, so it was five more minutes, which is about 2 hours in kid time. During this time Maia had decided this was all bullshit and began to cry. And at this point, none of us blamed her. We headed back to Grandma Jennie’s house and got the purse, and miraculously made it out of Fresno. This did not bode well for our 4 hour trip to L.A. But actually, it was another miraculous day of travel for Maia. She and Keana slept for a couple hours and we made it all the way to Crenshaw without having to stop. We grabbed a quick lunch and headed the rest of the way Seal Beach for Hokama/Uno/Yoshimoto Christmas.

This was the first time the Japanese side of our family was all together since our wedding, so it was pretty special. Auntie Helene and Cousins Helen, Stan, Riki had never met the girls, and Great Nana and Granddad Hokama (from Hawaii) had never met Maia, so it was a momentous occasion indeed. Grandpa Jon made this all possible by orchestrating the rendezvous, and his wife Susan and their girls Grace and Lilli also flew out from Denver. Of course Uncle Peter came down from Santa Cruz, so with the exception of Auntie Julie, Uncle Lance, and Cousin Sasha, we were all there. Oh, and due to crazy schedules we were unable to see Riki, so that was unfortunate too. But we basically hung out in Seal Beach until New Years Eve when we headed to Disneyland for the Keana and Maia’s first visit to the magical kingdom.

Disneyland was in-sane. By 2 p.m. the park had sold out and you could tell on the inside. Lines for rides probably averaged 60 minutes and you could barely walk anywhere. As you can imagine with a one and three-year-old, there were some stressful times, but as a whole it was a lot of fun. We all had to split up because there was no way to keep 11 of us together in that mess, so Maia, Keana, Sarah, and I set out for kiddy rides. We rode King Arthur’s Carousel, Keana rode the Casey Jr. train and the Dumbo ride with Grandpa Jon and Grandma Susie, then the four of us rode the Pirates of the Caribbean, and Storybook Land. Keana really wanted to go into the whale’s mouth and I think she really enjoyed it. Maia did great and was only slightly scared on Pirates. As the day went on, the park seemed to get impossibly more crowded. Somehow we all were able to get a table at the Plaza Inn for dinner, after which our Quadripod had to head home. The girls were so strung out from Disneyland they couldn’t sleep, so they played around in the hotel room to unwind and we rang in the new year with Uncle Peter. What a day.

On New Years Day we headed over to Great Auntie Helene’s house where we celebrated with Helen and her new husband John, Stan, Great Nana and Granddad, Grandpa Jon and Grandma Susie, Aunties Grace and Lilli, and Uncle Peter. It was a lot of fun and we all got caught up, remembered visits to L.A. that Peter and I had had as kids, and played music together. It was really a great time and made me realize how important it was to me to stay in touch with our Japanese roots. Sarah and I both think it’s especially important we make the effort for the girls so they can know about this important part of where they come from.

On January 2nd we hit the road once more, and it took us about 9 hours to get home. A very long drive but very worth it. And so ended Christmas Tour 2008. It’s a ton of work to travel so much with the girls being so young, but the great time we had with all the various family more than made up for it and we hopefully look forward to much more time with family in 2009. Happy New Year and good night!

family, holidays

Quadripod Christmas: Done! (almost)

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Well, it’s almost over. I’d say Christmas day has been a success and it’s still going. The girls eagerly arose this morning, Keana swearing she heard Santa and reindeer last night, and couldn’t wait to investigate for clues, specifically presents. So we all rushed out of bed and headed upstairs. Sure enough, there were plenty of clues left behind by Santa and his helpers.

Last night (Christmas Eve) we celebrated with a super-fine rib roast followed by peach cobbler, and bedtime for Keana was easy for once, with the promise of reindeer bringing gifts as soon as she fell asleep. I know, it’s a little coercive, but hey, it’s fun for her and it works. Admittedly I was useless and fell asleep on the couch as Sarah wrapped gifts. It’s been a rough couple days with our busy schedule and everyone being sick and it made me sleepy, so I checked out. But Sarah saved the day—as only a mother could I suppose—and got it all taken care of for the morning.

So we opened gifts this morning, had a delicious cinnamon roll snack courtesy of Great Grandma Jacquie, followed by our traditional biscuits and gravy. Maia, Sarah, and I took a nap as Keana crept around the house, playing with all her new stuff. After Maia and I woke up, Maia, Keana, and I continued to play as Sarah slept. Today’s a little bitter-sweet as we can’t exactly lounge about since we have to pack for Fresno and L.A. Christmas, but it shouldn’t be too bad.

Laundry’s in the washer, Keana and Maia are running around without their shirts off cause they’re hot, and it’s almost time to heat up the rest of that kick-ass roast. So, Merry Christmas to everyone out there and we’ll see you after Christmas Tour 2008.

family, holidays, trips

Peterson Christmas: Done!

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If I didn’t already mention this, we have six Christmases this year. You can’t have too many right? Or can you? Anyway, we all met at Great Grandma Jacquie and Great Grandpa Vic’s for Maia’s first Peterson Christmas on the 21st. Maia was around last year, but she was only 3 weeks old—and Keana was sick—so we had to skip out last year. But we were there in full force this year. Keana had a blast playing with her second cousins McKenna (9th grade), Cassidy (6th grade), and Riley (4th grade) and I think Maia had fun too. She wandered from room to room charming everyone in her cute little Christmas kilt. It was the first time Uncle Vic, Kristie, and the cousins had met Maia, so I think that was pretty special. It was a great time, as usual, and we had lots of laughs and of course the girls got tons of gifts. It’s great to have such generous family since we don’t really have the resources to buy Keana and Maia all the fun things they get this time of year. Aunt Janet had to work at 6:45 the next morning, so we all took off a little earlier than usual (around 8 p.m.). It was pouring rain on the way home and both girls fell fast asleep while Mama and Papa debriefed the night.

It was a lot of fun, but just as Keana and Maia were recovering from their flu/colds, Sarah and I picked it up and had tough days on the 21st—though I don’t think anyone really noticed—and yesterday as well. I think we’re all on the mend though, just in time for Christmas and our tour of lower-CA. Next stop will be Fresno for a little celebration with Grandma Jennie and Uncle Michael on the 27th, and Grandpa Robert and Nana Cin on the 28th.

Well, Keana’s been asleep since 7:30 and Maia is finally done unfolding laundry, trying on tank-tops, and rolling around on the ground with Miko, and has reluctantly fallen asleep as well, so I must hurry and enjoy some “free” time (read: update the rest of this website and sort pictures).

development, family, holidays

Christmas whirlwind

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It’s the four days before Christmas and I think we can all feel the madness creeping in. On top of that, little Maia is really going through it. She has a little bit of the flu too—yes, the magic of puking—but there’s been a lot of other developmental things going on too. She’s been walking up a storm and seems to be enjoying her mobile independence. She has the occasional fall, always does a great job catching herself, gets back up, and waddles on. Maia has four teeth poking through on the top and four pretty well established teeth on the bottom. She’s also been waking up in the middle of the night for a couple hours to party which has been tough, especially since she really only wants Sarah to put her back to sleep. All that being said though, things are getting easier. It’s the little things like her holding her arms right to get shirts and jackets on and being a little calmer while being strapped into her car seat. I guess those little things really show that our little Maia is getting used to the world.

Maia has also been getting better and better at communicating and clearly shows she understands something like, “Do you want to go upstairs?” with a nod and a smile. She also says “see-saw” quite clearly and a very audible “pull-draw” from her favorite rocking activity that’s accompanied by:

See-saw, pull and draw,
Old man, dull saw,
Green wood, hard to cut…
Fuzza-wuzza-wuzza-wuzza

Maia’s also learned to call things “hoT” with an emphasis on the “T” when she feels heat coming from it. And while in Texas, she gained an affinity for the Happy Birthday song, and requests it by singing the first couple notes from it (followed by a huge smile and a little rocking). Maia is also getting better at imitating sounds and actions we make. In fact, Keana often sings Ariel’s song from The Little Mermaid and Maia’s sweet little voice can be heard echoing the tune.

And Keana…our Little Miss Thang. Exuberant as ever, she can’t wait to open any and every present. Her verbal skills never cease to amaze us, along with her comprehension. I often forget she’s not even four yet and have to check some of my expectations and just let her be a silly, goofy spaceball. Just like with Halloween this year, I think the whole Christmas thing is sinking in. I must admit too, that last year we got sucked into her youthful magical spell and fell into telling her about Santa and Rudolph and flying reindeer and she was so excited at the prospect, that we just went along with it. So yes, she can’t wait for Santa and thinks maybe she’ll hear the reindeer on the roof because they’re so big. She’s also vigilant about reminding us to open the Advent calendar and loves the little pictures and countdown to Christmas. The fact that we have divided family as well has spoiled her, because we celebrate several Christmases; this year the total reaching six! We Celebrated with Tia and Grandma Jennie last weekend since Tia’s going on her honeymoon over Christmas this year, and we celebrated with Grandma Linda, Grandpa Sam, and Uncle Peter yesterday and today since G&G are out from Texas. Tomorrow we head down to Great Grandma and Grandpa’s in Los Altos for Peterson Christmas, and Keana is really excited to see her cousins McKenna, Cassidy, and Riley. THEN, we have “actual” Christmas just the four of us, and head to Fresno on the 26th for Christmases 4 and 5 with Grandma Jennie and Uncle MIchael, and Grandpa Robert and Nana Cin (respectively). THEN we head to Seal Beach because Great Nana and Granddad are flying out from Hawaii and they’ve never even met Maia yet, so that will be a treat. Grandpa Jon and family will be out there as well, and we’ll probably get to visit with Great Auntie Helene, and third cousins Helen, Stan, and Riki. So we’ll finish the Great Christmas tour of 2008 with a bang in SoCal, and ring in the New Year down there as well.

It’s a little daunting, but we’ll make it fun and of course, that’s what makes this time of year wonderful anyway. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that we finally decorated our porch with lights (below). What sold me on it was Keana saying, “We have to Papa so the other kids can enjoy it!” And that big ball of lights in the center is Super Sphere, a Longs’ special that’s 100 hundred lights of pure glory. We bought if for our first Christmas party six years ago and it has finally realized it’s full potential (I think).

So there you go. The Christmas whirlwind is in full effect. See you at the end…or maybe before.

birthdays, development, family, holidays, trips

“Firsts” in Texas

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My head is going to explode. I mean so much has happened since the last time I wrote, I either have to just list it all in boring chronological order, or write an epic novel. But maybe there’s an in between.

Gettin’ There
I think the last time I wrote we were headed to Texas. I had a work trip in San Antonio from 11/19-11/22 and Sarah, Keana, Maia, and Uncle Peter flew out that Sunday afternoon/evening to meet me on our way to Fredericksburg to see Grandma Linda and Grandpa Sam for Thanksgiving. What a day that was. I called Sarah first thing Sunday morning to check in and make sure she was doing okay. Packing for three people is no small chore, especially when two of those people are actually monkeys that need constant supervision while climbing and crawling all over the house, whisking everything you’re trying to pack away. So I called and found out that Uncle Peter was AWOL. He was supposed to be there the previous night, but didn’t make it out of Santa Cruz and said he’d be there first thing Sunday morning. Here it was, three hours before needing to leave for the airport, and no Peter. After many calls in all directions, Peter surfaced and made it to the house just in time to pack up the car and head to the airport. I was a thousand miles away in San Antonio and couldn’t do a thing, so I tried to enjoy the day with mom and Sam. Their flight landed around 10 p.m. and we spent another hour picking up bags and getting the car seats strapped into the mini-van rental. (SIDE NOTE: I pretty much hate mini-vans. Call me vain, but I hate the way they look and it seems like every jackass on the road either drives a mini-van, a Hummer, or a Prius. But let me tell you, this Toyota Sienna was spacious, easy to drive, had two side doors that opened and closed automatically/remotely, and we easily fit seven people—with two car seats—in it. Sarah was totally won over but I still can’t quite get over my vanity.)

It was another hour+ to Fredericksburg and Maia cried the whole way. She was more than over it. Miraculously Keana fell asleep and rest of us were beat. We stayed at a friends guest house that was outside of town and in the middle of the countryside. It was beautiful with lots of deer, windy roads, and millions of stars visible at night.

Maia’s First Birthday
On Tuesday, November 25, it was Maia’s first birthday. In attendance were Grandma Linda, Grandpa Sam, and Uncle Peter. During the day we went into town for the first time and enjoyed some cowboy boot shopping and the quaint offerings of Main St. Fredericksburg. The girls took a little nap in the car on the way home and Grandma LInda and Grandpa Sam came over to the guest house to cook the birthday meal. Poor little Maia was so tuckered out from the day’s adventures, that she fell asleep before pie and candles, so we enjoyed them in her sleepy absence. Not exactly the pomp and fanfare that some first birthdays hold, but it was certainly one filled with lots of love and of course the novelty of celebrating in a small town in Texas.

Maia’s First Thanksgiving
For Thanksgiving we enjoyed dinner with our hosts Rex and Marylou at their house, which was right next to the guest house we were staying in. They had their nieces over and one of their friends from their ballet company, another couple that had transplanted from California and their son from Santa Barbara, and our clan. It was a great dinner with the usual tonage of the traditional foods, and Maia and Keana enjoyed roaming all over the house, Maia holding on to just one of our fingers for balance. The evening ended a little abruptly when their dog Weasel nipped at Keana’s ankle and made her cry, so we took a sad and tired Keana back to the guest house. I laid with Keana while Sarah put Maia to sleep, and Maia fell asleep without a hitch, but little Miss Keana was too amped to fall asleep, so we let her watch cartoons while we sat with Uncle Peter in the freezing cold drinking beers and relaxing. It was too cold to really sit outside for long, so we called it a night and brought the now VERY sleepy Zooba with us.

Maia Walks
On November 27, 2008, while we were at Grandma Linda’s house, and while Sarah was talking on the phone with her mom, Maia really walked on her own. She was do excited. She walked in circles and walked between Sarah and I, squealing and laughing with pride and excitement. It was truly amazing. She had been practicing for weeks holding on to just one of our fingers, so her balance was really good and she did quite well, right at first, all on her own.

Other Events and the Wrap Up
Other activities while visiting in Fredericksburg included great visits and meals with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Peter, a trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s property where they will be building their house, visits to the town, a great brunch on an outdoor patio at Silver Creek with live country music (solo guitar, singing), and some of the best burgers we’ve ever had anywhere at Porky’s and the Alamo Springs Cafe. Man, those burgers were amazing and we will honestly miss them. Okay, moving on.

The trip home wasn’t too bad. We flew back with Uncle Peter so three adults and two kids is just about the right ratio. Of course the girls were tired, but a nice layover in Denver allowed us to get dinner and run around a bit which was very helpful. We landed in Oakland just before 8 p.m. and as always, it felt great to be home. It was a great little Texas adventure we definitely look forward to going back for future visits, especially when Grandma Linda and Grandpa Sam get their house built!

development, holidays

Halloween: taking it to the streets

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Halloween will never be the same. I know a lot of parents get their little ones out trick-or-treating as soon as they can walk, but in our house, things are different; or should I say things were different. Not to say anything is good or bad, but I think we always figured what’s the rush? The girls will have plenty of Halloweens to get cracked out on candy, so why rush into it? It wasn’t until this year that Keana even asked about trick-or-treating, so I think our timing was fine. We always had fun carving pumpkins and making Halloween music videos to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, but this proved to be the year to step things up.

I came home from work not knowing what to expect. Sarah had been trying to see what Keana wanted to do all week, but the concept of Halloween was still a little vague for her I think. As we debated what to do, we just asked Keana if she felt like trick-or-treating. She replied, “Is today Halloween?” and once we said yes, she lit up and went about busying herself with getting dressed up. Sarah had already gotten together a princess outfit, but of course Keana wanted to dress herself. Needless to say the white, men’s undershirt she chose for the dress had to be supplemented a little, but it was clear we weren’t winning any costume battles. This girl had been dressing herself up since she was one and it wasn’t going to change now, especially not on Halloween!

The funny part was Sarah and I didn’t know what to do. Should we dress up? Is it not fun to be plain-clothed, or is it better to just dress normal and not to be the lame, half-assed-costumed parents? Keana seemed to think we should all dress up, so we went scraping around for something halfway decent. I decided to be a cowboy, but once Keana saw that cowboy hat, she had to have it. With that, the princess thing was kind of out the door and my option was gone. Sarah couldn’t decide, so we opted out of the costume, leaving the limelight where it belonged- on Keana. And of course, through all this, poor little Maia was left out. To be fair though, she didn’t show much interest and Keana didn’t dress up her first Halloween either, so she wasn’t exactly left out.

Anyway, as we’re getting things ready, the group of little neighborhood kids come to our door and we pass out candy and jump on the wagon. Keana wasn’t quite ready, and having no cowboy boots, she decided any boots would do, so she slipped on her pink, kitty-faced rain boots. Pretty awesome. I throw Maia in the sling, grab the camera and flashlight, and follow Sarah and Keana out the door.

Overall it was pretty fun and Keana seemed to really enjoy it. She was a little shy ringing doorbells and saying trick-or-treat, but she was so excited and had so much fun. We were really glad that we ended up going out and it was another example of how your kids will let you know when they’re ready for something new, and you better be ready to jump to when it happens.

Of course there had to be a little exploration into the night’s spoils when we got home, but it was really fun to see her face light up at her first Snickers bar. Even though we’ve heavily moderated the sweets in Keana’s life so far, there’s something truly delightful about how a kid’s face lights up when that sweet, savory, sugary goodness hits the taste buds.

family, holidays, trips

Going to San Diego

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7/4/08, 9:55 a.m.
We did it. Keana’s sitting by the window, playing with her doll, Sarah’s sitting in the middle nursing an almost asleep Maia, and I’m holding down the aisle seat, writing. We got out of the house around 7:40 a.m. for our 9:40 a.m. flight to San Diego to visit Tia and Ryan. It wasn’t actually too bad getting all the gear in the car, to the shuttle that took us to our gate, and finally to check-in. Once we unloaded the car seats and suitcase, it felt like it would be a piece of cake getting through security, and it was! And here we are, flying. Just one our till touchdown. I’d say at this point, the hardest part has been keeping up with Keana’s endless barrage of questions, which we’ve been more than happy to answer. How exciting it is to fly with the insight of kids.

7/6/08, 8:25 a.m.
Keana’s on the couch making up stories, Maia’s playing on the floor with Sarah, Ryan’s making us breakfast, and Iana is getting a little extra rest (she did, after-all, just have an appendectomy). Our trip has been amazing so far. When we landed we headed to Iana and Ryan’s house and after lunch took a short nap. After nap-time we headed straight to the beach, and o say Keana was excited would be a drastic understatement. That girl loves the beach and we love taking her and it was even more fun with Tia and Ryan. It was fun to see Keana warm up to Ryan and ask him to help her jump in the ocean. And little Maia just hung out on the blanket in her good-spirited way. We stayed for a couple hours and were barely able to pry little Keana from the beach. Promises of returning the next day and the next were the only thing that comforted her in the end.

Ryan bbq’d some great burgers and we all enjoyed each other’s company until bed time. Fireworks were going to start around 9:30, but Keana seemed so tired we thought it best to just put her to sleep. The thing about Ocean Beach though is that it is a party spot. The clusters of apartments and the close proximity to the beach definitely attracts the under 35 party type. So on the 4th, the parties started early and by 9 p.m. just about every block had a strong contingency of burachos. This made it hard for Keana to fall asleep so when the fireworks started we got her out of bed and went on the porch to see them. It was Keana’s first firework viewing and Iana and Ryan’s first 4th together, so it was pretty special all-around. Keana was in awe and full of questions. “Why are there fireworks?” “Are they going to get us?” “Why are there fireworks?” Try explaining that one to a 3-year-old. The display was awesome though and Maia enjoyed it from the sling as well.

7/8/08, 11:20 a.m.
We made it home. Our flight was slightly delayed yesterday, which, of course, was lame, but we all persevered and both Keana and Maia handled the five hour trip like champs. I was quite proud to be traveling with Team Keana yesterday and was extremely happy to be home, back in our own domain.

7/9/08, 10:00 p.m.
But let’s backtrack a little. Saturday (7/5) in San Diego proved to be a great, mellow day. We all had breakfast together and headed straight to the beach. Keana was definitely more into the water than the sand, but there were brief moments of knocking down sand towers interspersed with jumping in, and running from the ocean. Considering how much Ryan was lifting Keana, I hope his lower back is doing okay (though I think it was good practice). Maia, Sarah, and Iana mostly hung out on the blanket as Iana was still taking it easy after her appendectomy that had just taken place four days earlier.

We headed back for lunch and naps and since Maia and Sarah “slept in”, Keana and I went to the beach just the two of us. We jumped in the ocean and Keana really liked having me throw her in the air over my head when the big waves approached. We also had a blast chasing each other around, but had to pull ourselves away from beach bliss to go refuel on some of Ryan’s grub. And man was it good! Probably the best beef short ribs I’ve ever had (thanks Ryan, and now we have expectations, so watch out).

We wrapped up the evening watching some amazing footage from the BBC’s Planet Earth, answering all kinds of questions from Keana about “why?” along the way, as fish swam, alligators preyed, and wildebeests ran. Little Zoob was so tuckered out, she fell right asleep and we weren’t far behind.

On Sunday we hit the strip in Ocean Beach for a little shopping and then Sarah went to a cranial sacral appointment to work out some kinks. Iana and I entertained the kids while Ryan play chauffeur. When Sarah got back we had some lunch, had some naps, and then guess what? Headed to the beach. Another great evening at the beach, just the four of us, while Iana and Ryan caught their breath back at the apartment.

And as all good things do, it finally ended on Monday. Early that morning Ryan headed back to work in Long Beach, but not so early he was alone. While he was getting ready in the bathroom, Keana had to pee, so I helped her pee in a saucepan in the kitchen. The funniest part was that right before he walked out the door Keana said, “Ryan, I have to tell you something. I peed in your pan.” Classic! Iana and Keana hit the beach one last time while Sarah, Maia, and I packed.

As you read earlier, our flight was delayed, but only by about 40 minutes, so it wasn’t too bad. Even after days of fun at the beach with Tia and Ryan, the girls still had enough in them to endure the flight home and almost the entire car drive from the airport. Again, I was honored to be traveling home with my beautiful ladies and was proud to be a part of Team Hokama’s great adventure to San Diego.

holidays

An amazing Father’s Day

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Sunday was a superb Father’s Day. As usual I woke up with Keana around 6:45 a.m. and hung out, sleepily, with her downstairs, to allow Sarah and Maia a little extra sleep time. Sarah and Maia woke up around 7:30 though, and as my first special treat, I got to sleep an extra hour until about 8:30 while the ladies worked on breakfast. The dad’s day morning grub consisted of Belgium waffles with fresh raspberries/strawberries, homemade whipped cream, and maple-pecan sausage. Good stuff. We lounged around a bit and then headed out to the garage for gifts. Keana couldn’t contain the secret all week, so I actually knew what I was getting, but nonetheless, I was still really excited. Underneath a blanket in the garage was a brand new Weber barbecue! I’m old school and like my barbecues simple, no gas, no frills, so this was perfect. Plus it came with a handy bucket that attaches to the bottom to catch the ash and embers—rather than an open tray where everything just falls out—sometimes on the ground- so it’s actually safer, which, with two kids…why not, right? My chimney had also rusted through, so I got a new one of those and some leather barbecue gloves which are awesome. It was the perfect Father’s Day gift for me.

We grabbed some burgers for lunch and had a fabulous nap-time. Woke up, fired up the new barbecue, and grilled some New York steaks, accompanied by green bean bundles wrapped in bacon and mashed potatoes. We followed it all up with berry cobbler and vanilla ice-cream. Sarah did an amazing job planning the menu for the day and admitted that she had thought about just having meat dishes all day, which would have been great, but green beans wrapped in bacon aren’t bad either!

At the end of the day, after we put Keana to bed and as Maia went to sleep nursing, I thought about what a lucky man I am to have a beautiful wife that works as hard as Sarah does, who knows me so well and takes the time and energy to honor what I do for the family. And of course what amazing, smart, funny, beautiful girls we have in our lives, making the day what it was- a fun, special, and unforgettable Father’s Day.

family, holidays, trips

Home for the holidays

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This year, “Home for the holidays” really took on its true meaning for us. I mean, we had three Christmas celebrations with three different portions of family in three different locations, but we spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s at home, in OUR house, just the three of us. Was it a little selfish? Maybe. Was it fun, amazing, and wonderful? Yes.

I took two weeks off work which was just barely enough. We celebrated Christmas with my Mom’s family on 12/22 and had the usual great time with the Petersons at Keana’s great grandparent’s house in Los Altos. She adores her second cousins (which are closer to her age than mine). They’re still years ahead of her, but lots of fun. And now that Keana is walking, running, and talking, she’s just a like a “real person” to them now, which means running all over the house, passing out gifts together, and sharing gifts- at least for a moment or two. At dinner she sat on Great Grandpa’s end of the table and even got him to play a little game of “I’ll throw my toy on the floor and you pick it up for me” which lasted longer than I thought it would. It’s good to see I’m not the only softy for those baby-blues. Keana also enjoyed a nice dance session with Great Grandma Jacquie after dinner. Great Grandma kept an excellent beat and Keana obliged with some nice shakin’ of the tail feathers. Keana was having such a blast that night that we couldn’t get her to go to bed and she stayed up till almost midnight.

The next day we spent time with my immediate family for a mellower Christmas celebration. Keana had a great day walking around in Grandma’s shoes and playing on the floor of the kitchen while dinner was being prepared. She loves to say, “Boots are walkin'” which often spawns round after round of the song, “Those Boots Are Made for Walkin'” to which she dances and calls out for more verses at the end of each previous verse. She never gets tired of dancing to that song. That night while opening gifts we had a great time with tons of laughs. Pretty much any time we get Uncle Peter in the mix, laughter is never far behind, and we all feed off of eachother’s stories and laughter until the night is late. Christmas Eve morning we packed up our loot and headed back to the east bay.

On Christmas Eve I bbq’d some New York steaks to get our stomachs prepped for the amazing rib roast that Sarah fixed on Christmas. Sarah and I also made biscuits and gravy for a special Christmas breakfast. And because it was just the three of us, we moved at our own pace, opening gifts all day long and Keana got a chance to enjoy each gift as she opened it, before moving on to the next. I also felt that we really had time to enjoy eachother and especially Keana which was something new for a big holiday event such as Christmas. Eventually the last gift was opened, only bones were left on the table after dinner, and it was time for Ms. Keana to don her PJs and sleep out of her second Christmas and on towards the new year.

The next day we packed up our gifts and our cooler and headed to Great Grandma Bev’s house—which overlooks Millerton Lake outside of Fresno—to celebrate Christmas once again, this time with Sarah’s immediate family. We spent a couple days up there and had lots of fun, including a great dance party with Keana leading the way, paying tribute to the recently deceased Godfather of Soul, James Brown. We also had a chance to make a visit to the snow up by Shaver Lake and it was gorgeous—bright and sunny and clean with fresh snow. Keana’s very first encounter with snow was tentative. She did walk a little on it, with the help of Tia Iana and Rachael, and Sarah was able to feed her a little bit to try it out on the tastebuds. So it was a fun, new experience and I’m sure she’ll dig the snow to a much higher degree when she’s older.

On 12/29, once again, we packed up our loot, said our goodbyes, and hit the road back to the east bay. Keana’s break-down, complete with tears and screams of “I hold your hand!”, an hour from home was a clear signal that she was ready for a break from our holiday tour schedule.

In the following days the new year approached and started without much event. It was amazing to think back on 2006 and remember the major life events that took place. Here’s just a few:

  • Keana’s first steps (and subsequently running, jumping, and more dancing)
  • Keana’s first birthday
  • The beginning of sentences
  • Keana’s first plane ride and trip to Hawaii
  • Our second wedding anniversary
  • Grandma Linda turned 50
  • Great Grandma Ellie passed away

365 days is a long stretch. And given the fact that most major events in life, good and bad, happen in split seconds, a year is bound to be packed full of both. Day six of 2007 is coming to a close and we can only look forward, ready to laugh, cry, walk, crawl, and dance through the other 358.

Happy New Year and good night.

family, holidays, trips

Babies don’t care about holidays

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Keana does not care about the holidays…yet. Some people out there may be getting a little worked up over that statement, so let me explain. Holidays are really for us adults and older kids. It’s for those who realize how important getting family together is, even if for just one day. But it’s also a time for us to express and recreate all the traditions and expectations that surround the holidays—for better or worse—that we’ve learned and assimilated for ourselves through our lives. I think Keana sees things differently. I think Keana is excited to see our extended family any time and there just happens to be some random pumpkin on the porch—which, by the way, someone totally messed up by cutting holes in it—or everyone makes a big deal about eating turkey instead of the chicken and rice she requested. But as a whole, I think she just takes everything and everyone in stride, at the moment, and enjoys (or doesn’t enjoy) things as they happen. There’s no expectations or sense of tradition and I think that’s pretty cool. It’s so fun to see Keana still really new to this world taking one day at a time, and hopefully she’ll grow to love and understand the traditions we create together. Or, I guess it’s always possible she’ll grow up hating our family traditions and once she turns 13, when November/December rolls around, she’ll dress in all black, swear she’ll disown us when she turns 18, and refuse to get in the car to go to so-and-so’s house for “one more stupid, pointless holiday celebration”. I truly hope it’s the former and not the the latter. Anyways…

Unfortunately we just couldn’t see all the family this Thanksgiving. This year we drove to Fresno with Sarah’s sister Iana (Tia) to be with Sarah’s family. Thanksgiving day we saw Grandma Jennie, Grandpa John (our hosts), Tia, Great Uncle Jim and Great Aunt Christina, second cousin Shawn, Great Aunt Blanche, second cousin Shanti and his girlfriend Alysa…and I think that’s pretty much it. Uncle Michael got stuck in Olympia where he’s attending college because plane ticket prices sky-rocketed. It sounded like he was going to have a typical college tofu-no-stuffing-kegger-video game-potluck Thanksgiving—which I’m sure was fun—but we did miss him. My family (Grandma Linda, Grandpa Sam and Uncle Peter) went over to our friend Rhonda and Baptiste’s house for Thanksgiving in San Jose, so we had to settle for the holiday phone call instead of actually seeing them. I’m not sure what Great Grandma Jacquie and Great Grandpa Vic did (or the rest of the Petersons), but hopefully we’ll get to spend Thanksgiving with them next year.

Speaking of great grandparents, Sarah’s Grandma Ellie passed away very early Thanksgiving morning. It wasn’t entirely unexpected and we just imagine her somewhere wonderful and peaceful with the love of her life Charles and all the other family and friends that have gone before her.

The day following Thanksgiving we had a great visit with Sarah’s Dad Robert and his wife Cindy. They are always great hosts and Keana had a blast playing in the backyard and with all the little treasures that Grandpa found for her. Eventually she got so sleepy that she drifted off to Nap Land and had a nice two-hour nap which gave the rest of us a chance to catch up on the last year. Once again we were reminded of how fast time seems to be flying by.

Saturday we packed up and headed back to the bay. It was great to see everyone but we we were very thankful to be home. Then, tonight, Grandpa Jon flew in from Denver for business and took the three of us out to dinner in celebration of my upcoming birthday. It was fun getting caught up and we are thankful that he’s out here so often on business.

It’s been a week filled with family events, a little road trip, and great food. I think it’s safe to say Keana’s second round of holidays are shaping up nicely, even if she doesn’t know she’s supposed to care about them yet.

(look for November pictures in the upcoming weeks)