Hell Week and SMART Train Weekend

Last Saturday (was it only last Saturday, a scant eight days ago?), our family began what we thought might be one of our Hell weeks. These come from time to time for us - Sumie will be on call with a tremendously hard patient load, the kids will be sick or daycare will be off, and there will be little opportunity for us to connect outside of the five minutes before falling asleep. Well, we did indeed just get through one and, happily, we got through relatively unscathed.

The Saturday before last began normally, with Sumie taking Mimi down to Japanese school, but would end in something Sumie had never undertaken - a camping trip on her own. That morning, with Mimi and her mother in SF, I took Mari and Kuri down the street to our local car show. This was Mari's first ride in the Porsche, and she absolutely adored it! And Kuri loved the fact that, for the first time, he got to eat in the car (sadly, it ended up being popcorn. Ugh.).

If you look closely, you can see them both in there!

Mari's trip inspired her to relive the journey in her own way. Before we knew it, medical droid 2-1B and his charming lady Squirrel were heading out for a date in the 1980s Carrera speedster.

Sumie and Mimi survived their camping trip (having a great time along the way), and I ended up enjoying a night goofing off with Mari and Kuri, who have their own very unique dynamic (they tend to run very hot or very cold together). Sunday eventually came around and we attempted family nap (though that was less successful).

On Monday, I sadly had to attend a funeral for a family member up in Sacramento. I couldn't bring the kids, or get them to daycare, so Grandma and Grandpa kindly filled in for us, driving out early on Monday morning. It was a fortuitous arrival, though, as they learned it was Grandparents Day at Kuri's preschool. They returned about an hour early for pick-up and got to seem him receive a Mori-Mori Badge for good behavior...

...and they got to watch Kuri and the other kids sing songs, eat lunch, and share the cookies they'd baked earlier that day.

We closed out Monday night with a family dinner for which Grandma and Grandpa had brought all the fixings. Poor Sumie, whose call list was brutal, didn't make it home in time, but at least she got to kiss Kuri and Mimi goodnight. Little Mari was worn out from her first day at back-up care and wanted bed, loudly, by around 7:30.

With Mari's daycare off for the week, we'd managed to secure back-up care on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but that left Tuesdays and Thursdays as Papa and Mari days. These are actually quite a bit of fun, at least until our somewhat manic after-school schedule kicks in. Wrangling a 1.5 year old while your other two kids are swimming, doing gymnastics, or singing is not the easiest job. Thankfully, at least at swimming, Mimi was able to keep an eye on her baby sister.

Mari also became fascinated with her sister's goggles, both up...

...and down.

The week wore on. The days were, overall, manageable, but only just. I have to thank my kids for helping us through, though. Here they are after Mimi's gymnastics (which was 1.5 hours of Mari chasing for me), all cuddled up on the couch as I cooked dinner. Overall, they tend to offset the challenges they throw at us with ridiculously redemptive moments of cuteness.

By the time Saturday rolled around again, Sumie (after a tremendously tough week) kindly granted me a kid-free reprieve. She offered to take all three kids into SF with her and to hang out with Mari and Kuri while Mimi studied hard at Japanese School. Mari and Kuri were fascinated by the lining up process at the start of the day...

...and found plenty of things to do on their own in the school library.

Even Mari worked independently (for a while).

And me? I was left to my own devices here in Marin. I decided to hit up a bunch of garage sales (no real luck there) and then, struck by a wild hare, set out for Sebastapol for some of the best bread in the world at Wild Flour Bakery. That meant taking out the 911SC. And that meant coming home the long way on Highway 1 past Tomales Bay. Couldn't help it. After all, my license plate reads "SC4HWY1," so I had to go out there. It was a three hour drive, without music. Just me and the road (and delicious carbs on the passenger seat). My kind of zen. 

We all arrived home around the same time, took a short rest, and then headed over to a friend's house for a pool party. We'd only planned to stay for a short while, but as these things often go, we ended up having a bit too much fun and before we knew it, our dinner plans were out the window. That was OK. Marshmallows, the wonderful food they'd prepared, and the bread I'd bought earlier that day, readily filled the gap.

On Sunday, we decided to take the kids on a bit of an adventure. The Sonoma-Marin Area Rapid Transit (SMART) train was finally up and running and the kids, who happen to be citizens of the most train-crazed nation in history, couldn't wait to try it. Our initial plan was to ride up all the way to Santa Rosa.

Kuri eagerly looked for the train, like a typical New Yorker.

Mimi proved herself an old-hand at riding standing up. Maybe all that time in Japan and New York has left an imprint.

Mari, though, wasn't quite as experienced as her siblings. We quickly decided to cut our trip in half and stop in Petaluma.

Lucky for us, though, there was a massive antiques fair going on.

That meant plenty of browsing for Papa, but more importantly, shaved ice for the kids...

...complete with umbrellas. Mimi and Kuri were ecstatic. Well, at least until Kuri spilled his halfway through.

Mari, always the precocious one, was far more interested in her mother's Arnold Palmer.

We had lunch (which is always a mixed experience with these three) and then continued to browse for a bit. Mimi and Kuri found a perfect set of Adirondack chairs for themselves. Thankfully, we took the train, so Sumie and I had an out.

At the end of the day, we boarded the train and headed for home. We'll probably take it again, but maybe wait until Mari's a bit older. We'll see how Japan goes in November.

It was a bit of a hell week, but when all is said and done, it's a hell I can definitely contend with. It's not always easy guiding these three kids along their little paths, but it's always rewarding, and surprising. Thank you Mimi, Kuri, and Mari for helping your parents make it through.

Fun Times - Beyond Your Normal Productive Weekend

For the first time in my life, the message on my fist sums up the weekend. I was not expecting it - neither the message nor the weekend.

The weekend began, thankfully, after 7:30am (thank you, Kuri!).  As Mama enjoyed some much needed rest, Papa prepared some toast and yogurt for the munchkins.  Mimi did quite well...

 ...and Kuri, well, he did just fine in his own way.

They ate most of their breakfast, but I think both would've preferred the donuts from last weekend. Sorry, kids. Maybe next weekend.

After breakfast, Kuri continued trying out his new steps. He's still hesitant, but he's using his feet more and more.

He's even beginning to negotiate turns. This time he's making for his big sister's room to nab something she'll probably immediately demand back.

With everyone fed, dressed, and exercised, we headed over the local YMCA to sign up for the health club. Mimi needs more swimming time and I, well, I need more time in a gym regardless of what it has to offer.

Having made a commitment to family health, we went out and got burgers for lunch (yes, this family loves irony). Soon Kuri went down for his nap.  Mimi and Mama to get some girl-time in at the local mall. There's nothing Mimi loves more than shopping with Mama. That, and riding in coin operated helicopters.

Left to my own devices, I tackled my main project of the weekend: replacing the fuel injectors in the 911sc. It's a pretty straight-forward project - it took less than 2 hours from start to finish - but if you've ever done this, you'll know just how difficult it is to reach the two injectors on either side of the front of the engine (by the fire wall). Thankfully, when I finished, the old girl fired up right away, didn't explode, and ran better than before. All this with only minimal bruising.

Later that night, we went for a haircut for both kids. Both survived (despite some energetic objections from Kuri). Mimi and I then washed the Porsche upon our return home, in the dark, to get it ready for Cars and Coffee.

Sunday began with a quick drive up to Novato for Cars and Coffee. As both kids didn't feel like attending this time, I'll save that for a bit later. I know most of you would rather see kids than cars, so we'll move straight on to the afternoon.

Mimi's preschool arranged for an ice skating outing at the Yerba Buena ice rink in San Francisco. We were fashionably late (read: 1 hour), but that worked out well because my feet, legs, and back could only take a full hour or so of supporting a 4 year old on the ice.

After a few strenuous objections from a fearful Mimi when she first hit the ice, she soon found her stride. One end of the rink was sectioned off and had buckets for the little ones to hold on to as the built their confidence. Mimi loved this.

 Before long she was sliding along all on her own.

She even developed enough confidence to give it a go without the buckets! This lasted about 12 seconds, but it was a huge step forward for my cautious little girl.

Mimi had a great time, but I think she was more proud of her skating gear than her actual accomplishments on the ice.

Hungry from skating, the fun times continued at Samovar, a tea room and cafe in the Yerba Buena center.

Mimi tore through a scone, as well as a good portion of my duck sandwich.

 Kuri hung out with Mama, enjoying some water of his own...

 ...and the butternut squash dumplings, which he's reaching for here. Note the position of his sippy cup. Why this must be constantly inverted directly over his pants, our remote controls, or phones, I have no idea.

As the meal was wrapping up, Kuri and Mimi decided to play king of the mountain on top of a large umbrella base. Kuri was quite into it.

 Mimi, well, let's say she was not quite as enthusiastic.

Walking back to the car we passed the waterfalls.  Here we are up top...

 and here's Mimi peaking at Mama down at the bottom from behind the falls.

As we prepared to leave, Mimi tossed a coin in the fountain and made a wish. World peace? Success? Health for her friends and family? No. Mimi wished for toys.

Back at home, both kids reflected on the busy weekend with pen and paper. Kuri is just beginning to draw on his own.

 He's really starting to get into it.

 But I think that's because he loves to follow the lead of his big sister.

Back to Sunday morning. It was amazing turnout at Cars and Coffee. I missed having Mimi or Kuri with me (I'll definitely bring one of them next time), but I did get to see some amazing cars. There was a stellar Jag on display (I think this one is a XK120, but not sure).

 A BMW i8 hybrid was there, the first I've ever seen in person.

 The back end on this car is pretty phenomenal.

 There was a pristine Chrysler 300...

...and a breathtaking Mclaren MP4-12C.

There were even a few cars I could potentially afford, like this perfect original Mini, complete with sunroof.

The star of the show, at least for me, was this modern Corvette resculpted into a 1963 Stingray homage. It really was gorgeous.

Once again, my little 911SC was present, just thankful to have such remarkable company.

 It was a tremendously busy, but also tremendously memorable weekend. All thanks to the two little ones below who, as I look at this picture, I realize are growing up all too fast.