Ski Week Mini Staycation

Last week was our "ski week." A full five days off school for the kids and, with Sumie able to take a few days off early in the week, a chance for the whole family to get out and have some fun. We opted for a staycation this time around. I figured it would be easier for me to fight off the kids at home than in a rental or hotel room.

Even before the ski week hit, we'd been busy. Inspired by the Space-X Heavy Falcon launch, Kuri insisted that I build him his own. Here's our rendition in very, very basic Legos.

 Our Valentine's day was made extra special with a bouquet designed by Kuri.

On the Sunday before ski week, Sumie suprised the kids with chocolate chip muffins and kindly made me some almond flower pancakes. So sweet.

We then headed out for a local park where Mimi and I practiced tennis. By the end of our session, we pulled off an eight hit rally. Huge success (for both of us, honestly).

Of course, Kuri and I got out for the occasional drive.

We watched the Olympics and rooted for Japan...

...and for the US and Korea, complete with flags Mimi made with chopsticks.

 We saved some money making our own pizza...

...and naturally, we did our Japanese homework (there is no ski break for Japanese school).

During our staycation, we attempted to explore some of what the Bay Area has to offer. A trip to the Academy of Science was well received (but so common, we didn't get pictures). We did try something entirely new, though: the Hiller Aviation Museum. Here, Mimi and Kuri got to sit in a Blue Angels cockpit.

All three kids learned how parachutes catch wind using a wind tunnel table...

 ...and learned how to land a 747 at SFO (with a little help from Papa).

The practice was fortuitous as outside the museum, the kids were able to take the yokes of a real 747!

 

Mama and Mari decided to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Later that week, we put our newfound aviation knowledge to use flying our balsa wood planes up at the neighborhood school.

Mimi and Kuri also hit another local park, Memorial Park in San Anselmo, but this time just with Mama. Papa and Mari had decided to take a nap.

Even with all the park visits, there was still plenty of time for snacks. Mimi used a special Japanese kit to make her own waffle treats.

And the sugar intake didn't end there. With the temperature having dropped it was time for an evening fire, and that, at least to the kids, meant marshmallows.

Thankfully, Mimi cleaned up rather well.

Over the weekend I decided to break out my FujiFilm X-A1 camera. I'd never been that happy with it, but decided I'd flash the firmware for the camera body and the lens to see if it would make a difference. It did.

The kids and I had a lot of fun snapping shots in the backyard...

...and, once again, at a park. Mimi had fun pushing her baby sister.

Mari attempted to play in the sandbox, but wasn't that happy with the resulting dirty hands.

She much preferred playing peak-a-boo.

Even Kuri jumped in.

After so much play, Mari needed some re-energizing apple sauce.

That evening, as the temperature dropped once again, we warmed ourselves up with some soup. 

All told, it was a lot of fun. So much we did that wasn't even covered here - a sleep-over and Grandma and Grandpa's, a lunch date alone for me and Sumie. Maybe we'll be better at taking pictures on our next staycation. We'll definitely do it again.

Extraordinary Ordinary Week

The last week, and two weekends, were nothing out of the ordinary. There were no vacations. There were no parties. Sumie even had to work on Saturday. And yet, looking back over the past nine days, they were oddly rather great. It's a bit baffling, though in retrospect, I think I have the kids to thank for making our little adventures - nothing more than 20 minutes from home and most of them taking part in our family room or back yard - memorable.

Two Sundays ago, we decided to head out Tennessee Valley Road in Mill Valley for a short hike to the beach with friends. Mari, noting the sunshine before we left, prepared herself.

It's rather astounding that after four years in Marin we'd never taken this roughly two mile hike out to a gorgeous, secluded beach that is only 15 minutes from our home. We'd been missing out. The trail was even, easy, and smooth enough for our little stroller. Reaching the beach, we came across a swift stream that had cut its way through the sand to the ocean. This was a perfect playground for the more adventurous among us. It's amazing how cold simply does not matter when you're presented with a beach... and you're seven.

As Mimi gamboled in the sand and water, Kuri and Mari huddled under their jackets, snacking on the sandwiches we'd prepared and spilling goldfish crackers everywhere. 

The beach really was a stunning sight - one which my pictures do absolutely no justice. We'll be back soon, with sand toys and kites.

Back at home, and bathed, we prepared for the week ahead. It would be a standard one. Sumie would work, the kids would have school, and I would continue my role as the child wrangler / chef / mr. fix-it. There were a few fun surprises throughout the week, though. Kuri spent an afternoon lining up his cars - showing off his ocd side. He was quite proud of the final presentation, though also rather devastated when Mari destroyed it.

Mimi is becoming a better big sister each day. In the midst of preparing dinner, I stepped into the family room to find that Mimi, unprompted, had decided to guide Kuri through a color-by-numbers workbook. Over half an hour of no arguing and no screen time. That's priceless.

On another night, Mimi and Kuri took inspiration from Mari, who likes to wear her favorite blanket as a cape, and they all became superheroes. Mimi, as she is wont to do, took the imaginative play a step further, forming a superhero school, complete with jumping off the couch exercises that would make your cape flutter in the breeze like a Teen Titan.

The weather, which had been a bit cold, finally swung back to traditional Marin February: sunshine and highs in the mid 60s to the low 70s. And that meant bubbles in the back yard (though not for Mari - I can only take so much mess).

The week done, we headed for Saturday. Sumie had a work conference in Berkley, and Mimi, as always, had Saturday school. Mari, Kuri, and I pottered around the house and then packed up for a trip to the small farmer's market at Larkspur Landing. There we bought some incredibly fresh, sashimi grade fish and some smoked salmon. After returning home, and a nice long nap for Mari, we then set out to retrieve Mimi in San Francisco. All morning, Kuri had been badgering me for a trip to the park. Upon our return home, I obliged.

I can't help but think of "A Hard Day's Night" when I look at this picture (and remember all the running around and rolling down the hills).

Mimi, continuing her big sister development, took Mari down the slides and pushed her in the swings.

And we all went down to explore the creek, our favorite part of the park. Sadly, it was still too cold to jump in the water and hunt for fish.

Earlier in the week, I made stuffing for gyoza (Japanese potstickers). On Tuesday, after Sumie came home from work, she gathered her helpers...

...and together they constructed 50 gyoza as their papa cleaned up in the background. 

We only got through about half of them for dinner that night, which worked out perfectly for our Saturday dinner. Hamachi (yellow tail), Sake (salmon), Maguro (tuna), and fried salmon skin paired with rice and gyoza. The only thing we were missing was miso soup.

For once, the kids ate all their food.

Sunday, our only genuinely free day, started out right with our monthly papa-son outing to Cars and Coffee. Mimi declined to go with us this time, saying Mama and Papa's bed was just too warm. It was definitely Kuri's lucky day at C&C. A Lamborghini afficionado, he was overjoyed to find there were no less than five there that day.

While a massive Lambo fan, Kuri definitely didn't turn up his nose to the Ford GT we saw...

...and he even appreciated the symmetry of our parking space. Two 911SCs sandwiched between a trio of BMWs. Not bad.

That afternoon, the whole family headed down to Tiburon to walk along the water at Blackie's Pasture. Mari and Mimi took a photo on Blackie's memorial statue...

...but Kuri just wanted to sit on a rock.

At least his sisters eventually agreed to join him! 

All told, it was two weekends and a full week remarkably like any other, but also remarkably memorable. Again, I know I have these three to thank for it. I just hope they're as well behaved this week. We'll see.