Back to school again!

The children have been back in school for about three weeks now. We are slowly finding our routines again. It's about time that I post our photos from their first day of school.

The first-grader


The third-grader

They expected to be upset that they would not see each other at lunchtime or recess. The only day it was a problem was the day I accidentally packed them the wrong sandwiches and they could not trade with each other. Charlotte didn't mind Alexander's peanut butter sandwich, but he was not happy with her turkey and cheese!

Walking with nature

John Muir once said, "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." When Robi bácsi came to visit us in June, we had a great time walking at Muir Woods National Monument.

Here are some pictures I took of the trees:

The trees were so big that we could even fit inside some of them.

Thanks for visiting us, Robi bácsi. We hope to see you again soon.

Szent István Piknik

Last Saturday we went to the Saint Stephen's Day Picnic at the Hungarian Mission in Portola Valley. It started with a horse show, which the children both enjoyed. As soon as it was over, they wanted me to promise to bring them every year!

We all agreed that this was our favorite horse.

The children were quite entertained by the huszár who sliced through the watermelons!

After the show we enjoyed a delicious Hungarian lunch. Alexander took one bite of his bread, and showed me that his tooth was bleeding. We had it out in a second, and he was much happier after that.

We also had a chance to meet up with friends: Erika and her family from Monterey and Emese from Toronto. Then Charlotte had some excitement too, as she won a prize in the raffle, a beautiful photo taken in Sedona, Arizona. Then it was lángos time, and we were all happy!

The Tahoe World Cup

We were at Lake Tahoe during the last few games of the World Cup. Fortunately our house had a nice big television so that we could enjoy watching the matches together. Our house also had a foosball table, and while we were there we had our own tournament, which we called the Tahoe World Cup.

Everyone played, including Mummy and Grandma! From the beginning the assumption was that Daddy would win. We all played our best, hoping that an underdog would emerge.



We all had fun, but Daddy was crowned the winner and took home the Tahoe World Cup trophy (a coffee mug decorated with a photo of Lake Tahoe).


Charlotte and Alexander also played their own tournament, a best-of-21 series. It started out one-sided. Then Daddy gave some lessons, and it finished almost even. They each won 10 games and were tied 9-9 in the last game.

Here they are playing for the final point.

Although they couldn't both win, they did discover a new favorite game and have asked if we could get a foosball table in our house. We don't have room for one. Since we have returned home, they have rediscovered Alexander's Soccer Guys game and have enjoyed playing with that in the absence of a real foosball table.

Where's the sunshine?

Back home from Lake Tahoe, we are experiencing San Francisco's coldest summer in 40 years. We always expect cold and fog in the summer, but not this much. So we will continue to post about the warmth and sunshine we enjoyed earlier, elsewhere.

Here are a couple shots of Charlotte and Alexander having fun on the shores of Lake Tahoe.


On this day we drove up the East Coast of the lake. It was beautiful, but many other people were out enjoying the lake as well. We could not stop because we could not find parking. And the children really wanted to find a swimming beach.


After being turned away from a private beach, we were directed to Hidden Beach. The pictures do not show the disappointment we all felt to discover that you had to climb down boulders and jump into deep water. When I have strong swimmers in a few years, I'll consider it. This year we just enjoyed the view and returned to the car to continue our search for a sandy beach with parking.

Lake Tahoe Fun

We are enjoying family time in South Lake Tahoe. It is warm and sunny and fogless here, unlike the weather we left behind in San Francisco.




We had so much fun playing minigolf that the children are asking every day if we can go again. Fortunately we have learned not to keep score. There are fewer meltdowns that way.






Yesterday we took a scenic drive to Emerald Bay. It was a gorgeous day, and we enjoyed the beautiful view.


After a while, the children were bored with just looking at the sights. Some silliness ensued. Silliness is much preferred to melting down!!













Then we walked to a waterfall. One by one I took Charlotte and Alexander over to touch the water and feel how cold it was. Before I knew it, they both had both hands in and were playing and having a great time. I was relieved that they were content to splash around where it was flat and safe.













The view from the waterfall was beautiful. It was lovely to sit and appreciate the sights of nature, of children having fun, and of the family photographer documenting the sights for future enjoyment!

Now I like to swim

I could play in the bath for hours, if only they would let me. The swimming pool is another story. Usually I prefer to stay dry and watch everyone else swim. In December I finally went into my Keresztpapa's pool for a little while with Mummy. So in June she was very surprised to see me splash and play and "swim" as easily as if I had been doing it all along. It's quite fun. I don't know why I didn't try it sooner, but I'm glad everyone was patient with me. Now I'm ready.


I especially like swimming with my Keresztpapa. I like to hang onto his neck and do the kicking myself. Sometimes he will only hold my hands in the shallower water. Then I get a bit scared, but he always holds onto me.

This time we also discovered the diving sticks. Sári likes to dive under the water to collect them. I like to throw them in for her. I just use my feet to get them myself.


Sári has taken swimming lessons, so she is already a braver and better swimmer. Later this summer we will both take more lessons and get even braver and better!