Play ball!

The first sport I loved was soccer (football). Then I loved basketball. Now I love playing T-ball.




















I practice every Tuesday after school and have a game every Saturday. I've already played four games, and even Coach Dan says I'm getting better every time. We don't actually keep score, but Coach T says we have won every game. (Mummy thinks he would say that no matter how we played, but I think we really have won.)


Here are some videos of me playing T-ball:

• Catching the ball
  
• Hitting the tee
• Hitting the ball
  

Sometimes we play our games at Barry Bonds Junior Giants Field. It is right on the Bay next to AT&T Park.


This is our team, the Richmond Giants, in front of the Bay Bridge and McCovey Cove (where the San Francisco Giants' home runs end up).

Another day at the park

Our weather has been slightly confusing lately. We've had gorgeous sunny days and cold foggy days, sometimes both in the same day. This is how the kids like to spend the gorgeous sunny ones.

He's no Ansel Adams...

...but imagine the skill Mr. Adams would have developed if he had taken up photography at the age of 3!

Alexander has been snapping away since he received his camera as his final prize for being completely potty trained. I recently downloaded 400+ photos when the camera started beeping that its card was full. There were some blurry photos, some completely black or completely white, and many repeated shots of seemingly the same image. But I was surprised at how well Alexander understands some basic concepts of photography.

Take photos of what you see

Try the same shot in different ways

Take photos of what you love

Take photos of what is important to you
(nickjr.com)

Get close to your subject

Don't be afraid to change your camera's settings

Catch your subject off guard
(when playing Candyland)

And occasionally,
hand your camera over and give a big smile yourself

Not just any bread

I'm happy to report that my fever is gone. I have been to preschool and the library and the park. My appetite is not quite what it was and I tire out earlier than I used to. But I'm almost myself again. Was it thanks to the Motrin? Was it the superb care of my loving parents? Did the virus just run its course?

I think that I can thank the healing properties of Irish brown bread.

Our friend Leona néni gave us a kit for making Irish brown bread. We kept waiting for a chance to make it all together. When Mummy and I were housebound due to my fever, we decided that it would be a good thing to do even if Jaja wasn't home to help us.

Here I am getting ready to bake. I have my apron on. My hands are clean.

Why is Mummy wasting time taking pictures? Let's just bake!











Now I'm pouring the mix into the bowl. I poured it in a little too quickly and it made a big white cloud. I found that very funny.

Then we added water and stirred and stirred.










It's ready for the oven.

I get to pose with it for the picture, but Mummy won't let me put it in the oven. I'll be careful, really I will.












As we expected, Jaja was annoyed that we made the bread without her. She got over that quickly, once she tasted a slice. As you can see, it made her smile.







I love you, Leona néni. Thanks for the yummy bread!
I like it with butter.
by Alexander

When I'm not housebound

Alexander has had a fever on and off since Friday night. It may have broken today; we'll see what the morning brings. I have been feeling a bit housebound as a result.

A few weeks ago, I dropped Alexander off at preschool and set out to run some errands. I happened to be driving along the Great Highway and realized that I wasn't really minding the road as I kept checking out the view. I pulled into the next parking lot, grabbed my camera, and went for a short walk.


I was surprised at how black the sand still was, but otherwise all I saw was peace and beauty.


With fresh air in my lungs and my mind cleared, I set off to complete my errands. I returned to pick Alexander up, feeling both refreshed and productive.

Back to the zoo

I had been a bit nervous about returning to the San Francisco Zoo after the Christmas Day Incident. Since many of the exhibits have been fortified, and the kids have been asking to go, I finally agreed to take them during Spring Break. We went on the Monday, as it was forecast to be the nicest day of the week. It was beautifully sunny at home, but as we drove closer to the zoo we saw the fog and I wondered if it had been a mistake.

Here is a photo taken on our way into the zoo next to a photo taken from the same spot on our way out of the zoo. We had a lovely time, and the sun was shining brightly by the time we left for home.




















When we arrived, we felt jealous of these lemurs, huddled up under the heat lamp. Where was our heat lamp?


We particularly enjoyed seeing the giraffes as they were very close to us this time. Usually the giraffes seem most intent on eating. This time they were slightly more focused on each other, with quite a bit of flirting going on.













Here is a tiger photo from our previous visit to the zoo. It may actually be the tiger who is no more. Although I did zoom in, I really did feel very close to the tiger at the time. Below is a photo of the children in front of the current lion exhibit. You can see the reflection of my flash on the glass behind them. We may have felt safer, but I think something is now lost in the experience with the concrete, glass, fences, and distance they have added to the exhibits.




















Many of the animals had just been given their food, so we watched them eat.


The peacocks were out all over the zoo. Some of them spread their feathers for us. This one just seemed to be posing. He held still in that spot for quite a while.


The kids had some playtime too. We rode the carousel. Charlotte mastered the rings at the playground. They climbed on various animal statues.


They became quite silly after posing for too many photos, so I knew it was time to head home. Overall it was a fun visit.

Happy Easter

We would like to thank our friends Patrick and Cristina for inviting us to brunch on Easter Sunday. We had a lovely time, and the kids really enjoyed playing together.

Alexander, Ethan, Fiona, Clayton, Charlotte, and Henry searched for Easter eggs, played stomp rockets until all the rockets landed in the neighbors' yards, rode tricycles, popped bubbles, and played the drums. Julia slept like a baby while all of this was going on!


Charlotte loved her new Easter dress from Najm and Najp. The matching sweater was left behind once the sun came out, but it looked cute on her in the morning.

She got a kick out of the chocolate that melted in the sun, but loved the Easter egg hunt anyway. It was her second one of the weekend.


She also enjoyed being the "big kid" of the bunch (along with Ethan).

Alexander loved his new Easter clothes when they arrived. On Easter morning he refused to wear them, insisting that they were too small, and throwing them in the szennyes (laundry). I finally realized that by "too small" he meant the sleeves were short. I did not fight the clothing battle that morning and he chose a turtleneck and his wool vest from Christmas. We look forward to many even warmer days when he will find the Easter outfit "just right".