Breaks

So, where were we . . .

Ah yes, the kids had fall break last week, which coincidentally was the same week that Brian had to head to Seattle for some training. So it was just the kids and I left to entertain each other . . .

I don't think we had a quiet moment the entire week, as we went to the museum to see the new dinosaur exhibit, swam at the pool a couple days, went to a luncheon at a friend's house, and had several playdates with various buddies. We also managed to squeeze some cleaning and grocery shopping in there somewhere before Brian came home too . . . we didn't want him thinking we were complete bums all week. :)

Speaking of Brian, his time in Seattle wasn't all that bad either . . . even though he was there for work training and was forced to stay on base for part of the trip, he still managed to squeeze in a Mariner's game, hung out with some good friends of ours from our Sacramento days, had dinner with his Uncle Roger and Todd, and he even got to spend a couple nights in nice hotels right in downtown Seattle. Needless to say, I think his break from Hawaii wasn't too bad.

Despite the fun we had here at home, on Friday both kids informed me that they never wanted to do fall break again and didn't want to ever miss school. And by Friday, I probably couldn't have agreed with them more. So after a weekend of enjoying Brian's return, they headed back to school yesterday, much to their relief. Both kids absolutely adore their teachers and have lots of friends, old and new, to make school that much more fun. I couldn't be more happy with the school situation this year.

We also resumed swimming lessons for Zander, which we hadn't done since last spring. It is amazing how much progress he made over the summer, especially with his confidence, so we figured we better squeeze one more session in before the teacher takes his winter hiatus. Charley is also becoming a pretty darned good swimmer these days, which will fulfill Brian's life-long wish that they both become fish in their spare time.

On Sunday I will be racing my second 5k, and shortly after the race I will be picking up my Aunt Marge and Uncle Mike from the airport . . . which means lots of pool and beach time for the kids and I, and lots of golf time for Brian (Uncle Mike just happens to be a golf pro). Good stuff comin' up.

Oh, and a description of the week would not be complete without mentioning "Oreo" (a/k/a Jack). We found him running around lost when we were on a walk by our house this past weekend, and after asking a few neighbors if they knew him, we decided to take him home and try and track down his family. After a phone call to the humane society and a posting on Craigs List, "Oreo" and I snuggled up on the couch and became fast friends. In fact, I told Brian that if nobody claimed him, I didn't think I could let him go. However, about 10:30 that night, I got a call from a very distraught woman who had seem my posting on Craigs List, and it turns out she was the dog's mommy . . . and his real name was Jack. Our love affair was short lived, but it was a fun one.

That's sort of all the logistical stuff around here. Charley has recently become quite intrigued with learning how to read, write words, and do simple math all on her own, so we are pretty excited by her enthusiasm. In fact, it seems quite contagious because Zander is seemingly trying to follow in her footsteps, especially with the whole reading thing. They are also both at that phase in life where they ask a million questions a day about the world around them, and their imaginations are all over the place. Charley seems to naturally be very imaginative, but I can see her influencing Zander in that department too. They are each other's best play buddies, and even though there is no shortage of squabbling around here, I couldn't have asked for a better pair of siblings . . . I guess the whole thing of having two kids 20 months apart is finally paying off. ;)