Cayucos

Cayucos is a small coastal town about 3 hours south of Santa Cruz. We arrived there on Thursday afternoon to the house where Maude and Case were house sitting for their friends. Within minutes, we were off to the beach that stretched as far as the eyes could see. We saw the sun setting into the pacific ocean. "Where does the sun go Mommy?" asked Momo. "To Thailand!" was my reply. There is some truth to that, I guess.


The next day we explored the town of Morro Bay, just a few miles south. We played on an even bigger beach, went to a small aquarium, had fish and chips outdoors, and ice cream as a treat. That evening, we snacked on delicious cheese and bread and wine as we watched the sun go down. "It's going to Thailand," said Claire as we marvelled at the colors eminating from the setting sun.


On the way home, we travelled up the coast on the famous Pacific Coast Highway 1. Maude, Case and the dogs came with us half way. We stopped to see the sea lions resting on the beach.


Two little pups had just been born, and there was one female in labor. It was wild to see the baby inside moving about. After visiting the sea lions, we had to make one emergency stop as Momo got car sick. You see, the road is very twisty. And if the view wasn't one of the best in the world, we would not have chosen this route to go home. I felt for the little man as my own stomach was churning as well.


Our lunch destination was a place called Nepenthe, a restaurant perched up on a cliff with the magnificent view of the California coast line. We were lucky to have a beautiful day with not a single cloud in the sky. We hoped that Maude and Case felt that it was worth the twisty drive to have lunch with us there.


We parted after lunch with our friends, they were heading back to Cayucos, and we were going back to Santa Cruz. The kids napped part way home and when they awoke, they recognized that we were getting close. "I am very glad to be back home," said Claire. "I am, too!" said Momo.

Off to Cayucos

We are taking off for a little coastal town called Cayucos tomorrow. Our friends Case and Maude are house sitting for their friends down there. They invited us to join them, so we thought it would be fun to take a little family trip to a new town. They will have their dogs with them, Linus and Tori. Our kids will enjoy the pets, and spending all day at the beach. And we will enjoy the company of our friends. We should be back home just before the start of 2007-- a year promising to be full of adventures!

Merry Christmas

It felt like the kids' first Christmas this year since the last two years they really were too young to be excited about the festivities. Nick, Terry and Anders came down to share the holiday with us this year. It has been nothing but fun! The kids did their best at waiting for the right time to open the presents that tempted them so. We lost count of how many times we had to remind them to be patient. "Patience means wait," said Claire after each attempt of asking to open her presents.


We spent Christmas eve on the beach with a picnic and Christmas morning at a homeless shelter giving presents to the children there. The kids seemed to enjoy making others happy. They were for sure very happy to get to open their own presents once we returned home: cars for Anders, excavator for Momo, bears for Claire. We reminded them that they were the luckiest kids around.


Oh yes, we also celebrated Nick and Terry's 4th anniversary last night with a Bouche de Noel. I think they were happily surprised and the kids were even more surprised to get cake for dessert!

San Francisco Part II

We spent last night in San Francisco as a family. It was an excuse to see our friend Steve and to be in the big city during the holidays. The rain greeted us, but we tried to not let it ruin our night.


Once we met up with Steve, we took the cable car from one end of the city to the other and back again. With no nap all day (quite unusual), the kids were half asleep by the time our ride was over. We thought food may help, and found a delicious and beautiful restaurant called Le Colonial. It was almost too beautiful to bring in two children, but they assured us that they didn't mind. We all enjoyed great pseudo-Vietnamese food and headed back to the hotel.


The children loved having uncle Steve read to them their bed time stories. And we woke up to sunny blue skies in the morning!


After wandering about Union Square post breakfast, we headed for the SF zoo. Uncle Steve met us once more to ride the steam train with Momo. We ended up spending several hours at the zoo before heading home to Santa Cruz. On the ride home, both children complained about wanting to go back to San Francisco.


Claire said she wanted to go back to our SF 'home.' We reminded them that we didn't have a house in San Francisco, though it would be nice if we did!

Vacation

When Jim is on vacation, I am on vacation, too! Not that my jobs are difficult (my full time job as a mother to 3 year old twins, and my second job as an acupuncturist), but with Jim around, things are a little more fun for everyone.

Today was his first day of a two week holiday break. We leisurely spent the morning here and there. We went to the gym, lounged at a coffee shop, and played at the beach. We can't ask for any more on a vacation day, can we?


Plus, it's grandpa Dave's birthday! He would sure enjoy the sun out here in California today. Though it's not balmy, I am sure it would feel like summer to him.


Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Gingerbread House

Today the kids made 'gingerbread houses' at school. They didn't quite use gingerbread cookie dough: that would be too time consuming for a class of 12 preschoolers. So they used grahm crackers instead, which worked just as well. They decorated the houses with all kinds of candy and marshmallow. I am sure that was their favorite part of the project!


I got to see the finished products at the end of school. Claire proudly said that she was saving the candy for later so that Daddy can see her complete house. I was proud that she showed a little patience! There is one more day of school this week, and then school will close for two weeks. How will I keep the monkeys entertained during those days?! We have actually made our own real gingerbread houses, that I can do. I will have to get creative and come up with some fun projects for them. We will all be happy when school is open again!

Holiday Lights Train

It is that time of year! Lots of festivities in Santa Cruz to help us feel the holiday spirits. We rode the Holiday Lights Train last year and had a blast, so we thought why not do it again this year. The children were none too happy that we woke them up early from their nap in order to get to the train in time. They even claimed that they didn't want to go! Imagine that!


It was a cold night and a little rainy. We got there in time to take a seat in one of the covered train cars. The train runs through the city and a little bit into the woods. It makes one stop early on in the 50-minute journey -- to pick up Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus from a train station. Claire got shy and hung on to us like a little chimp when she heard Santa was climbing on board. She was just fine when Santa said Hi to her and gave her a candy cane.


We sang Christmas carols, had popcorn and hot cider, and marvelled at the holiday lights and christmas trees that we can see along the way. "The Holiday Lights Train was fun guys!" Momo announced after we got back in the car. Now we wonder what kind of Christmas treats there will be in Boston next year.

Momo Stories

"Can you take a picture of me, Mommy?" says Momo as he was waking up from nap. He was cuddling with Brown Cloud, and was in an especially loving mood. "Of course, I can," I said, surprised at the request. So I took this photo which ironically shows his two loyal loves: Brown Cloud and steam trains.

Later in the evening, there was another memorable moment. Claire was walking on me, you know, massaging my back. Then she asked, "Mommy, why does you back always hurt?" How was I to respond? "I am getting old, I guess." I said. Momo was drawing next to me, and in response to what I said, he grumbled " I wish you could be new, Mommy."

I thought I would share them here: our innocent children and their stories. I so wish I could be new, too! But again, who am I to complain?

After rain

Rainy season has arrived Northern California. It rained all day yesterday, and cloudy all of today. The kids were playing out in the back patio using the rain water that their kitchen utensils collected over night. About a year ago, I drove by a house that had some large toys sitting in their front lawn with a FREE sign.


One of them was a play kitchen that I knew our children would enjoy. Today before nap time, they were out there making soup and construction sites. It's one of those toys that can occupy them for a long time, which is always a good thing for everyone. Before they had to head inside,a little friendly slug visited them.


Lately the kids have been enjoying looking for slugs and worms in the woods. But after this kind of rain, these critters will show up anywhere!

San Francisco

I just spent 48 hours in San Francisco with Terry, my lovely sister in law. The weather was not promising: they predicted the first two winter storms of the season back to back. It did rain quite a bit, but we got lucky with breaks of bright blue sky and sun. We stayed at the beautiful Omni Hotel near Union Square. The magic and comfort of staying at a hotel was enough of a treat, but we had to take it further. One of the many activities we planned was dining at delicious bistros, and the first one we visited was "Citizen Cakes". Terry had researched it and reserved it for a Saturday lunch. It is located in Hayes Valley neighborhood, an unknown territory to me.


I was impressed by the displayed baked goods as we entered. But what blew me away was their donut balls. Literally the best bites of donuts I have ever had. Warm and soft and deceptively light, the donut balls came with a side of vanilla frosting and strawberry jam. Every bite was a taste of heaven. I think Terry would agree with me on this one.


Before Citizen Cakes, we visited the Titanic Exhibition at the Matreon. The simple story of an unsinkable ship that sunk was actually told in an interesting and captivating way. The artifacts from the shipwreck were quite impressive. Some pieces were in perfect condition after almost 100 years on the ocean floors.

Of course being a girls' weekend get away, we needed to shop and watch sappy movies. And that's just what we did! The Devil Wears Prada and The Holiday were the perfect movies for the weekend.


So, we did at lot. We slept a lot. We exercised a lot. We talked a lot. We shopped a lot. And none of that would have meant anything had I done it with anybody else. Terry was the perfect person to spend my 48 hours with in San Francisco this weekend. The memories that we shared will always stay with me.

What will always stay with me, too, is the faces of my children when they saw me as they woke up from their nap. I wonder if they thought they were still dreaming. "Mommy!" they said, with the sweetest smiles I have ever seen. "You are back, Mommy!" Though I must say I just spent the best 48 hours in a long time, coming back to my family was equally the best feeling I have felt in a long time, too. In this case, everybody wins.

Reading

"I'll be the grown up," says Claire. "Okay, I will be the baby," says Momo. And he puts his right thumb into his mouth as Claire opens up a book. "This is George. He's a good little monkey..."


Claire can recite some books word for word as though she could read the pages herself. She's in the phase where she would rather read to you than to be read to. Unless it's a book that is brand new to her and she needs you to read it just enough times for her to memorize the words. Once that happens, forget about reading to her, because she becomes the 'grown-up', and she will read it to you. Momo knows all the words, too, but still prefers to sit on your lap and be read to. But be sure not to make any mistakes, because he will correct you word for word as well!

Tree

For being a Buddhist, I quite enjoy Christmas trees. I like the lights illuminating from it at night. Something about it makes me feel at ease, and at peace with myself and the world. For the first time in their life, our children have their own Christmas tree. We went to a tree farm this weekend, somewhere in the Santa Cruz mountains, and searched for the perfect one. Little did I know that we were going to be searching for a tree with half the county. Well, it wasn't that bad, but it was rather crowded. There were lots of families with little kids just like ours, running around big and small evergreens. It was actually quite fun. We looked for something on the smaller side as our house is small, and also something that can fit into the back of our car.


We decided on a small Douglas Fir tree that cost us more than I would like to share here! But it's beautiful and the kids love it. Momo declared that it was "perfect." We came home, put it up, and decorated it with old ornaments that I have saved from years past. We kept the lights on until we all went to bed. "Is our Christmas tree still here, Mommy?" asked Momo as he awoke from his slumber this morning. Little guy even has his train tracks around the base of the tree so that his trains can run around it. It must be a bit magical for them, this tree thing... We promised them a little bit bigger of a tree next year. The tree will grow as you grow, we told them.

Love

There is nothing like dressing up your kids to please yourself! Well, it actually seemed to make them happy, too. I found these pajamas on sale in their size, and could not resist. Tonight after bath, I thought, why not put them both in it?! They hardly ever look like twins dressed up anyway. Claire eagerly picked 'I Love Dad' pajamas, declaring all the way through the dressing part how much she loves Daddy. Momo seemed equally happy with his 'I Love Mom' choice.



Speaking of love, there is not a stuffed animal more loved than 'Brown Cloud'. Even the name has a story behind it. About two years ago, Ginny gave a white bear to Claire. The bear came with the name 'Cloud'. It took a long while for the children to notice this bear. And it was Momo, not Claire, who took a liking to the lovable animal. He loved Cloud. He took it everywhere with him, until one day, Cloud was no where to be found. Momo was sad, needless to say. But time heals, as you know. So weeks passed and we were able to live without Cloud.


Then one of our trips to San Jose, we stopped by a store named Momo House (no joke) that sold cute Asian-made toys and trinkets. They had a bunch of stuffed animals in one corner, and one of them looked just like Cloud, but he was brown. Momo picked him up right away, and like a long lost friend, he hugged him and asked if he could bring the brown bear home. How could we resist? We asked him what he was going to name this bear. "Brown Cloud," he said. And so began the life of a very loved bear.


Claire has a Brown Cloud, too. She got it as a gift when she was first potty trained, some 9 months ago. And she loves it quite a bit as well. Sadly, we haven't seen her Brown Cloud in a week or so... She thinks that he is playing a good game of hide and seek with her... Perhaps I will have to find a replacement that may show up under the Christmas tree in a few weeks time.

Birthday

Claire (Dara) and Miller (Momo) are three today! We started out the day with a peaceful visit to St. Joseph's Monastary in Corralitos. It is my favorite church in this area. Hidden amongst the apple orchards and vineyards, this Italianesque monastary is home to the cloistered nuns called the Poor Clares.


Jim used to be the doctor to these nuns, and so we have always had a special connection with the place. It was a beautiful way to start the children's birthday. The two were well behaved during part of the mass. Once they got restless, we came outside to run around a bit before coming home to a little celebration.


Their beloved nannies Marjorie and Madeleine stopped by to wish them a Happy Birthday. We munched on cupcakes and told stories of the baby Claire and Momo that we knew. Their eyes and ears perked up as though they were listening to a tale of someone they didn't know.


How fast three years have gone by, and yet they have been the fullest, most eventful three years of our lives! Tonight we look forward to attending a play at UCSC, Sleeping Beauty. And so begins another wonderful year...

Grandparents Fun

Grandma and Grandpa MacDonald are visiting us this week. We had a fun time in Sonoma over Thanksgiving with the Mathisons, and now we are back home in Santa Cruz.


We have already taken them to the Train Deli, played a bunch this afternoon, shared a meal and some books.


We have a few more days with grandma and grandpa -- many more great memories await us! Three years ago today, these very same grandma and grandpa were here anxiously anticipating the arrival of these little monkeys.


Three years later, the children can sing for them, read to them, and make them laugh. They sure are enjoying their grandparents and they hope the reverse is true!

Almost Turkey Day

I expected a much bigger crowd at the market today. It was on the mellow side, surprisingly. Maybe people have already gone on their journey to be with their loved ones.


The market was in the mood for turkey day, nonetheless. Happy signs and stuffed turkeys greeted the shoppers. I didn't need to get a whole lot of produce since we are heading up to Sonoma to be with our family tomorrow. But it was fun to walk through the market with the spirit of the holiday in the air.


And there was even a hint of Christmas! This time of year, several farm stands make their own holiday wreaths for sale. Some are quite creative, making you feel like you can make anything into a wreath if you just put it in a circular shape! Maybe the kids and I will try to make one this year. For now, we are going to enjoy our family gathering as we get closer to another big day - the kids' 3rd birthday!