December Happenings

It has been a busy month, and I haven't gotten around to blogging much!  It seems like each year december just flies by faster and faster.  Here are a few things we have been up to:

Jason's Birthday
Jason celebrated the big 37 back on Dec 5.  As per usual he enjoyed his favorites, crab and ice cream cake for dinner.  We actually celebrated a day early as both of us were on call on his actual birthday.
Do you think Alaina liked the cake?

Rain
In case you haven't heard, we have been getting our fair share of rain around here.  I think we have logged over 20 inches since Thanksgiving.  It has really greened everything up, and last I heard our water reservoirs are filled again so that is great news.  We took a beautiful hike to a waterfall nearby (I will save those pics for another post) and have been doing our best to stay dry.  Here's a pic of the "creek" in our backyard--which is normally just a trickle!

Santa
Ethan and Alaina have had two visits with Santa.  Ethan has a blast both times, asking for Legos, video games, and skis (?).
Alaina wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.  Maybe better luck next year!

Delayed Cards
Our Christmas cards are severely delayed this year--hoping to get them out by new years--the photographer (unbeknownst to us when week booked) took over 2 weeks to "edit" the photos...The cards are being printed now, but who knows when they will arrive for us to mail out.  Oh well.

Emerging Literacy

Ethan is at a very exciting developmental stage: he is learning how to read!  He started learning "sight words" in kindergarten a month or two ago.  Now he is getting really good at simple books.  It is really so much fun to watch this progress.  The more he learns, the more self confidence he builds.  The process is quite amazing when you stop and think about it.  

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a very nice holiday.  Headed north to Sonoma to celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa Greenberg.  They made a huge feast, which was very tasty.  Somehow even tastier as leftovers the next day!

Ethan and I attempted a turkey cupcake cake for dessert.  It didn't turn out as nice as the recipe pictures, but it did vaguely resemble a turkey.  Ethan enjoyed eating it anyhow.

We stayed in Sonoma on Friday, and headed back in the evening, after a quick stop to pick up our Christmas tree.  Today, we have been decorating the house for Christmas.  This year's new ornament: one we picked up in Turkey last July!

Alaina: Jump, Swing and Sing

Alaina has become a new girl since she started preschool.  First of all, she is much more used to school now, and gets excited when we pull up.  Secondly, she has learned to nap there (a miracle!), which has also helped a lot.

She has three new tricks she has learned:
Jumping...Just like Ethan this began as a bend the knees and stand up fast move progressing to a true jump.  She is actually getting pretty good at it now.

Singing...she loves music!  Her favorite tune is the itsy bitsy spider, and if you sing it to her once, she will ask for "more spider", guaranteed.  She also really like the ABCs and walks around singing "her" version pretty often.

Swinging... on anything that looks like a bar with her hands like a monkey.  The other day we were walking down the street by this bike rack--she ran up to it and turned it into an instant swinging bar. I have to say, she has a good amount of upper body strength for her size.

She is in a very cute phase right now, except she also has learned to use the word "MINE", which is unfortunately another consequence of school (or perhaps having a big brother).  She has also started occasional 2-year old tantrums, which we are quickly learning to ignore.  She is growing up fast.

Happy 70th Birthday, Grandma!

Last week, my Mom turned 70!  We were able to go out to Chicago for long Veteran's day weekend, and celebrated with her a bit early.  Funny enough, I had a conference for work in Chicago the Friday through Sunday of last weekend, so I extended my trip, and Jason and the kids flew out on Saturday to join us.  We all stayed downtown Saturday night.  Jason did a great job being Mr. Mom while I worked, and enjoyed some downtown sights with the kids.  The kids, of course, loved riding the "El" train.

We all enjoyed deep dish pizza for dinner Saturday night at the original Pizzeria Uno--Yum! Sunday afternoon we headed to the suburbs, and spent 2 nights at my parents house.  Most leaves had fallen, but a few trees had some lovely fall color!

 We celebrated Mom's birthday on Monday night with Jeff and Janice.

We had a nice, but short visit, and although the "polar vortex" had not yet descended on Chicago, the kids thought it was pretty cold.  Thin California blood, I guess!  They will be in shock when we return for Christmas!
Happy 70th Mom!

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween celebration yesterday.  It was nice that Halloween was on a Friday this year, not a school night.  During the day I headed to Halloween parades at each of the kids schools.  Due to rain, both "parades" were inside.

First Alaina.  Her classroom dressed as starfish.  Alaina was not happy...and I basically carried her through the whole parade...she is a sensitive one and I think that all the people were really overwhelming to her.

Next I headed to Ethan's school.  In kindergarten, they get to wear their own costumes to school.  This year, Ethan was a teenage mutant ninja turtle.  Funny that these are back "in" as I remember them being really big when my brother was Ethan's age.  Grandma and Grandpa Greenberg also made it to Ethan's parade.  Afterwards, we joined his class for a small Halloween party.

For trick-or-treating, Alaina changed costumes into a butterfly.  Unfortunately, part of her costume went missing, so she was half of a butterfly.  Cute anyway.

We enjoyed dinner at the neighbors and then some neighborhood trick-or-treating.   By 7pm or so, both kids were exhausted and we called it a night.

Going Green

As a part of our home remodel, we had 220V plugs put into our garage.   This summer, when the lease was up on my car, we decided to put it to use:  I am now the proud owner of an electric car!
We got a Nissan Leaf, mostly because it was the most economical, and had a back seat big enough to comfortably fit the kids.  I use it as my commuting car--I get about 85 miles/charge, enough to get me to work and back with about 40 miles to spare each day.  I charge each night when the electricity is the cheapest, for about $1/night.   As an added bonus (and the real motivator in going electric for me), I get to use the carpool lane and pay a reduced toll on the golden gate bridge each morning.  So when you add it up, I am coming out ahead--both financially, and for the planet!  And I really don't miss stopping at the gas station to fill up each weekend.

Soccer Mom

Well, I have officially become a soccer mom.  Boy, does that make me feel old!  Ethan is doing kindergarten fall soccer.  He is a member of the Mustangs...and they have a 1-1 record so far this season.
While Ethan is still working on the basics, he really seems to love playing and practicing.  And the games a pretty entertaining to watch.  Go Mustangs!

Alaina starts school!

This is a belated post--I have gotten behind.  In the beginning of September, Alaina had her first day of "school"--the same preschool that Ethan attended.  Alaina joined the "Lamb" class.  It has been a bit of a ride--at first she seemed great.  Then, she realized that we just left her there.  For awhile, she would scream as soon as we pulled into the parking lot.  It is getting better now, but she is still not completely adjusted.   She also has not managed to learn how to nap well there, so that has been pretty exhausting for her.  She routinely falls asleep in the car on the way home--making for a very cranky dinnertime.  Finally, she managed to get two bad colds in two weeks with high fevers, one of which she managed to pass on to her brother and I.  Ugh.
So, all in all, it has been a bit of a disaster.   I am trying to not lose sight of the fact that it is great for her to socialize, get messy and learn a school routine.  I think we are close to turning the corner....I hope!

A Tribute to Sister Ann

Yesterday, we lost another member of our family.  Sr. Ann was my dad's aunt, and was 91 years old.  She was the last remaining of her 5 siblings, having been preceded in death by Louis, Joe, Stephen, Carl, and Madeline.  She was a nun, devoting her life to the Catholic Church and the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.  She was also a scientist, holding a doctoral degree.  At the time she studied biology, I can imagine that there were very few other women getting advanced degrees in the field.  It makes me proud to think that she was a trailblazer of sorts, advancing the education of women in a time when so few pursued higher education.  She spent most of her career teaching biology to other learners at Cardinal Stritch University.  When I think of Sr. Ann, I think of someone who was humble, kind, and very generous.  The world was a better place because of her.  I am so sorry that she is gone, she will be truly missed.

A visit from the tooth fairy...

Last week was a big week for Ethan.  He made it through his first week of kindergarten, and on Thursday night, he lost his first tooth.  

That night, the tooth fairy, "Margaret" came for a visit and left him a dollar.  Pretty cute.

Alaina, on the other hand, continues to sprout baby teeth.  Her four canines are coming in now..she has quite a mouthful!

First Day of Kindergarten!

Today was a big day--Ethan's first day of kindergarten.  We have been anxiously anticipating this day for a long time.   Jason and I both walked him to the school--we feel fortunate it is only 3 blocks away--and dropped him off with his teacher, Mrs. Peters.  His class is called the "yellow ducks".  I was a bit teary-eyed...he is growing up.

Getting to ready to walk into class, waving good-bye:

We sent him to the after-school program that he will attend.  When we came to pick him up, he didn't want to leave...a good sign.  He enthusiastically told us that his day was "very good".  Unfortunately, I couldn't get much more out of him than that, but I guess I will have to be satisfied.  We will see how tomorrow goes!

Europe Trip-Part 2

After we left Jeremy we headed to Turkey for 10 days.  Everyone asks, "Why Turkey?".  Answer: it is the only place we could use our frequent flier miles to fly back to the US.  And why not?  I had heard some lovely things about the country, and Jason and I love a good adventure.

Our first stop was Cappadocia.  Cappadocia is a region in Turkey well-known for its strange geographic formations--rocks that have been carved into mountains and chimneys.  The rock has a unique property in that it can be hollowed out to make caves.  Historically a center of Byzantine Christianity, thousands of homes and churches are carved into rocks or underground.

A highlight of Cappadocia was a hot air balloon ride.  Taking a ride is a popular tourist attraction there, and every morning the sky is literally filled with hundreds of balloons.  Apparently the weather is just right for them, and they do give a birds-eye view of the rocks.

After Cappadocia, we headed to Istanbul.  Istanbul is a beautiful, chaotic, and vibrant city located on the Bosphorus Straight between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.  Half-European, half-Asian, and historically very interesting--again an early site of Byzantine Christianity, and later the capital of the Ottoman Empire.  Now the country is 95% Muslim.  We were fortunate to visit during Ramadan, and got a sense of the holiday.  Geographically, it reminded me of San Francisco--hilly and surrounded by water, with several suspension bridges.

Istanbul highlights included visiting the Hagia Sopia--originally a Church built in 537, and then converted into a Mosque in the 1400s:

We also enjoyed the Topaki Palace--the center of the Ottoman empire, the Blue Mosque, and of course shopping!  Lots of interesting things to look at in the Bazaars.

Following 3 nights in Istanbul, we headed to the Mediterranean to cool off.  We considered taking a boat tour of the coastline, but decided instead to stay at a small hotel right on the coast outside of Oloduneiz.
 The ocean was beautiful, and cliffs went right to the sea--it reminded me of Big Sur, except the water was warm enough to swim in.

We returned to SF relaxed and rejuvenated.  But that didn't last long!--we have only been back a few weeks, but it feels like years ago!!

A Tribute to Sid Cooper

Last Sunday morning we lost a member of our family.  Sidney Cooper passed away from renal failure at age 89.  Although he has been sick for a long time, we were all pretty shocked and, of course saddened by his passing.

We had his memorial service today, and were reminded by many who spoke what a special person he was:
A member of the "greatest-generation", a World War II vet, a navy man who served most of his duty from 1943 until the end of the war in the Pacific.   A husband of 68 (!) years to his wife Ruth, who he loved dearly.   A father to three children, a grandfather to five, and a great-grandfather to two.

Over the past ten years, I got to know Grandpa Sid pretty well.  I feel so fortunate that I did, as he was such an important part of Jason's life growing up.  He always greeted me with "What's doin kid".  He loved watching sports, reading, and just shooting the shit.  And, he was a legendary back-scratcher.  The Greenberg boys have a thing with getting their backs scratched, and Grandpa always obliged.  Even Ethan enjoyed getting his back scratched by his Zaidie.  In fact, when we told Ethan the news, his response was "Oh!  Now I can't get my back scratched by him anymore...he was the best!"
He was pretty special.  And he will be missed dearly.

Europe Trip-Part 1

Jason and I had a wonderful trip to Europe in July.  I am going to divide the trip up into separate posts because it will take too long to do one long one.   First stop: Brussels.

Jeremy moved to Brussels just about a year ago.  Ever since he moved, we were looking forward to going out for a visit.  It was finally time!  We arrived early on Saturday, and he and his girlfriend Coralie, took us around his stomping grounds.  We toured downtown as well as Jeremy's neighborhood.  Jeremy knew all the great restaurants, so we had some fantastic meals.

Jeremy's apartment 

(Just like home except the 14 ft ceilings!)

On Sunday, we headed to Bruges, a small town about an hour or so east of Brussels.  Coralie's family has a cottage there.  We spent two nights at her place.

The highlight was taking a bike ride through the countryside to neighboring towns.  It was a beautiful day and everything was so green.  A lot of fun!

We returned to Brussels on Tuesday after checking out the North Sea in the morning.  

Back in Brussels, we enjoyed an evening out with a bunch of their friends.
Saying goodbye to Jeremy was difficult, we had such a great time with them!