Fish Flags 2007

Fish Flags 2007
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

It was the 30th anniversary of the Nikkei Matsuri festival in San Jose's Japantown -- and our third anniversary of attending with Helen.

For a glimpse of how she's measuring up to the fish flags,
click on the link

Shaved Ice Paradise

Shaved Ice Paradise
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

It was another hot day so we indulged in shaved ice -- a combination of bubblegum (guess who's choice...) and passionfruit.

CPA Fountain

CPA Fountain
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

And finally, to celebrate Uncle Ian's birthday, we saw the full Ballet San Jose production of Middle Kingdom Ancient China. As wonderful as it was to see the rehearsal, it was even more magical to see it with costumes and elaborate sets. Here is Helen at the intermission, after she had introduced herself to the ushers. She can be quite endearing these days.

Electric Scooter and an Unusual Garden Hat

Electric Scooter
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

When Earth Day rolls around, we know it's time for the Guadalupe Gardens Spring festival. This particular event didn't fit the usual pattern. For one thing it was blazing hot. And, instead of picking out plants, we spent our time trying to pry Helen away from the electric vehicles.

Bluegrass Serenade

Bluegrass Serenade
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

I was reminded of attending this festival two years ago. Helen was so small, and in awe of everything.

A day in the life at the mall

A day in the life at the mall.
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

I swear that a month ago Helen was wearing a 7.5 shoe. She’s been complaining at daycare that her shoes are too tight, so off we go to Nordstroms. Sure enough, within the span of mere weeks, she is a solid 9. We went to a party over the weekend with a 7-year-old who wears a size 11. Geepers!

Vans

Vans
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

A lot of boxes came out.
A lot of boxes went back.

Finally, the perfect pair of shoes emerged. Helen’s eyes lit up immediately. It’s a 1980 flashback for mama... VANS!

And boy, do these dogs run.

Shoe Bliss

Shoe Bliss
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

“Thank you mama!” A spontaneous hug is bestowed on the giver of pink vans. The shoe department pauses to soak in the moment. The credit card is flashed, a balloon exchanges hands, and the happy family proceeds to the food court to celebrate over a corn dog and lemonade.

Where's Helen?

Where's Helen?
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

We thought she was with us.

It is no small feat to keep track of a hide-and-seek maniac. After all, the whole world is just one big hiding spot.

Wait a minute! Are those pink vans poking out of the belt display?

You know it's nap time when...

You know it's nap time when...
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

...you can’t remove your child from the Calvin Klein linen display.

Middle Kingdom Milieu

Middle Kingdom Milieu
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

We received a special invitation to see a rehearsal for Ballet San Jose’s “Middle Kingdom – Ancient China”. Helen and her friend Jonah sat Indian-Style just a few ballet slipper feet from the action. Needless to say, they were mesmerized, and were happy to stay throughout all three acts without the benefit of live music, or costumes. The dancers were stunning. There were so many fun parts for the kids – (Helen liked the fans, Jonah like the swords...) but the part I liked best was when 12 dancers impersonated a different animal in the Chinese Zodiac. Wow. To top it off, Helen got to meet Zhang Jing a dancer from Shanghai who came to San Jose two years ago.

Taking Cover in the Land Down Under

Taking Cover in the Land Down Under
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

We popped in on Baba today during a photo shoot. Chris is working so much these days that we have to find time together whenever and wherever we can. Unfortunately, this particular visit reminded me of the "visiting Dad's office" scene from "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" with Helen leaving a wake of destruction in her path. It made for a short visit, but on the up side, she made friends with darling Ben who found Helen cute enough to tolerate!

Posing with the Loonies

Posing with the Loonies
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Loony is sort of how we felt as we drove in the pouring rain to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. Although we did get pretty wet at different points in the day, overall it was well worth the trip, especially since we had discount tickets.

Liz the Elephant and her new friends

Liz the Elephant and her new friends
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

There were many opportunities to interact with the animals given the light crowd. Liz the elephant was a favorite. We stood inches away as she got a bath, and then later had a chance to feed her a snack. Helen got a kick out of seeing her down a few bunches of bananas, peels and all.

Dumbo in Flight

Dumbo in Flight
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

And then there were the pretend animals like Dumbo, who were lots of fun too. As we listened to the Velveteen Rabbit tonight before bed, it was interesting to hear Helen work through her current fascination between what is "real" and what is "pretend". It's lovely to witness the sense of wonder that exists when one believes that anything is possible.

On My Way to Find Eggs

On My Way to Find Eggs
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen's first egg hunt...

I'm amazed how hard wired these traditions are. Without any explanation at all, the competitive spirit kicks in and kids instinctively know that they are to fill their baskets with as many eggs as possible, as quickly as possible. When Helen realized that some of these eggs were filled with chocolate, she systematically began to trade out the old fashioned kind for the plastic ones.

Kline Family Easter

Kline Family Easter
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen was especially happy to spend Easter at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We made special arrangements with the Easter Bunny so he knew to come to King City instead of San Jose.

Fun with Deviled Eggs

Fun with Deviled Eggs
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Clearly, the Martha Stewart gene didn't get passed down to me.

Thank goodness for grandmas who can do things like make deviled eggs and beautiful bunny cakes.

Big Bunny Cake

Big Bunny Cake
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Wait a minute...

Did someone say BUNNY CAKE?

Time out -- time for a taste!

Big Bunny Fun Run 2007

Big Bunny Fun Run 2007
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

A family tradition is born -- the Big Bunny Fun Run in Cupertino -- or, as the locals affectionally call it, the "Funny Bun Run" -- ;) As many other moms have noted, the Easter Bunny is considerably less threatening than Santa. Helen was quite eager to meet the bunny, and was also very curious about why the bunny was wearing tennis shoes... Nothing gets by this kid.

Eat Lots of Carrots

Eat Lots of Carrots
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Afterwards, there was more meet-and-greet with the bunny, as well as snacks.

Seeing Helen scarf down a whole carrot with the stem attached made me wonder why we bother to buy the carrots that are neatly cubed in a bag... Clearly, this is much more fun.

Spring Skiing

Helen's First Chairlift
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Our third and final trip to Tahoe this season was a total sucess. Helen rode her first chairlift (high-speed quad, no less) all the way to the top of "Vista" and rode the green all the way down in thanks to our newly borrowed harness from Elle.

Helen's Bungee Bounce

Helen's Bungee Bounce
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

But that wasn't all. Not only did Elle inspire bravery on the slopes, but she also tempted Helen to try this bungee swing.

It only goes as high as you can push with your legs, so it really functions like a trampoline with straps.

Elle's Bungee Bounce

Elle's Bungee Bounce
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

This was the image that converted Helen.

Goggle Girls

Goggle Girls
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Elle has played a big sister role with Helen from day one, so it was wonderful to see the girls enjoy each other in a whole new way.