Nurturing the Budding Scientist

1. This post is written for Tia Sonia and Uncle Meter, the science geeks in the family.
2. Apparently, Sam is a science geek as well as he enjoys anything that has to deal with experimentation, dead things, explosions, chemicals, and space.

We went to the California Academy of Science yesterday and Sam had a blast. We took in a show at the planetarium, explored the rainforest, navigated through the aquarium, watched an albino alligator for an eternity, visited the Galapagos Islands, stood in a snow storm and learned about snakes.

By the time we left, I feel like I went through all of my high school science courses. It was exhausting...my brain can't handle all of that information.

Alas, the photos:

Villain or Superhero?

Not one to lag behind her brother, Izzy wears not one, but two, costumes around the house.....I don't think even she knows which one she prefers:

Accessories

Someone in our household really enjoys accessorizing.....

Centennial Celebration

Sam's school recently celebrated their 100th day of school. This is a BIG DEAL...I have no idea why but they made hats, counted things in groups of ten, brought in objects that numbered 100, and had a party. I'm guessing the celebration revolved around the beauty of math but since I'm an English teacher, I let it be. Sam came home with several things but the prize went to this worksheet (please click on the picture for a laugh):




Yup, you read that correctly....Sam would prefer 100 sisters over 100 kisses.

I'm thinking that's not gonna happen.

Nope, no sirrrreeee.

Cherub Love

I decided to show my love for my offspring and my husband through, what else, food. This year, I made them little heart-shaped cakes with my homemade frosting. They got to decorate the goods....


"Before" shot of said cake:




"After":





Consumption process:






And I get a "thumbs-up" from the offspring:





Happy Valentine's Day from my cherubs.....

Pint-Sized Darth Vader

Ever since Sam and Izzy saw the Darth Vader Volkswagon Superbowl commercial, there's been a lot of mischief at our house. Mostly, Sam goes around trying to make things move with his hands by implementing "the force" on various objects. According to Sam, since he doesn't have the entire Darth Vader costume, his powers don't work. Isabella, however, does not care about getting the full costume; she will implement "the force" no matter what part of the costume she has on.

Here, our pint-sized Darth Vader attempts to use "the force" on her mother:





Below, the oranges wouldn't come to her so pint-sized Darth Vader had a showdown with the chair.


Apparently, implementing "the force" really exhausts a person....



These feet couldn't hurt anybody:

Northstar vs. Superbowl

We had two invitations for Superbowl parties this weekend and we ditched them both.

We opted for a 36-hour trip to Tahoe and some fun in the snow. Now, let it be known that my Cuban background does not bode well in frigid temperatures. However, our trip to Northstar in Tahoe was not only lovely, but warm. While I thought it would mostly be a nightmare, it was the complete opposite. Let me explain why I thought it would be "nightmarish":

1. None of us had ski clothes...and by "none" I mean Izzy, Sam, and I...as in 75% of our household. Ahem.
2. I wasn't completely certain I could handle both kids by myself at a ski resort.
3. I didn't plan for this ahead of time (i.e. I didn't do research to find out what the hell we would do when papa bear wasn't around) I'm a teacher. It goes against my nature to not have a plan of action.
4. The sleeping arrangements were questionable.....as in, where are we going to sleep for the trip?
5. I had mani-pedi appointment on Saturday for 3pm and I was sooooooooooo looking forward to it.

Well, rest assured, Northstar has the answer to everything:

1. They have a kid's ski store with everything you could need and you could buy or rent clothing...cha ching.
2. It is an insanely kid-friendly place. If you are single, you don't go to Northstar. You go to the Ritz-Carlton up the mountain.
3. There is so much stuff for kids to do, I was tired just thinking about it.
4. We had an apartement for the four of us. Yes, you read correctly, an apartment. It had a full kitchen, fireplace, bathrooms, etc. It was our home away from home.
5. There was a mani-pedi joint in the village shopping area. I didn't go but had we stayed one more day, I woulda been there. For sure.

Alas, our 36-hour ski vacation was a dream. We ate, drank, slept, and skied. Sam had a private ski lesson and he knows how to ski better than anyone in the family. Below are our adventures:

Exploring:





Lodging:




Play:





Resting area:



Gondola ride:






Waiting for Sam's ski lesson to be over:




Sam with his new gal pal, Christie:





Next week's agenda: skiing

Faux Hawk

It was Spirit Day at school today.

Sam wanted a Mohawk and a Mohawk is what he got.....







I need to get this kid an agent. Stat.

Wood Worker

We have a craftsman in our house, people! I'm certain he will be opening up his own wood shop soon. In the meantime, here are some of his masterful creations: