Holiday Recap

It's been a busy week, we just got back from SB and a great Christmas holiday. The kids had a blast and were thoroughly spoiled with many presents. It was beautiful in SB and a good time to relax and forget the pace of 'normal' life. Here are some pics of the week.

SB Sunset from my mom's house.

Dad and me and his new place.

Katie with her new Barbie.

Andy soaking up the excitment of Christmas.

Nana showing Andy how to be silly.

Jen showing some surprise at her goodies.

We also had the opportunity to spend some time with the Shubies and the Hulls. This was a real treat for me as I haven't been able to be together with thier familes in far too long. We celebrated profoundly and had a grand time. Thanks Shubys for the awesome meals and hospitality!

Mara, Vic and Jen.

Shuby and Sando dominating at Guitar Hero on PS3.

The little Andy's taking a nap.

The three Amigos...

...and the spawns of the trio.

Merry Cristmas everyone. Ill try and get more photos up this week and catch up on some other great pics we took. We have a lot of fun activities and guests this week that I plan on sharing with you.

Early Presents

We decided to hand out a few early gifts this yesr to the kids. Mainly because one of Katie's was just too big to hide anywhere! Say hello to the Barbie Island Princess Musical Vanity Dollhouse Jewelry Something-or-other. And for Andy, General Grevious Lego Spaceship. They seemed pretty happy... Have a look at the pics and judge for yoursself.

Traditions

In the Sandwisch family, we have some traditions. Clearly the longest lasting tradition that I can recall is the annual reading of "The Night Before Christmas" on each Christmas Eve. I have been prepping the kids this year by reading the story each night before bedtime so that we can get in the mood and get some familiarity with the story. We have probably read it 5 times now and I think they already have every line memorized. They especially enjoy this version since it is a Pop-Up book and they excitedly wait for the line-cues, as I have trained them not to do the pop-up pullie things until the corresponding line in the story prompts them to do so. In the end, I think the best thing about this story is they way in which it illustrates Santa, both visually and in the narrative. I can see 'belief' in the kids eyes as I read the parts describing Santa's appearance and how he fills the stockings.

Good pre-game for the big night!

Capn' Jack

Tonight was pirate night. ARRRRGH MAYTE! No TV, no computers, just a few swabbies and some buried treasure. Andy has this great Jack Sparrow outfit from gma that he loves to wear and the kids and I play the "Hot and Cold" game to see who can find hidden Barbie jewelry (treasure). I must admit, it becomes a bit strenuous saying "WAAAAAR-MUR" like a pirate over and over but it's still pretty funny.

Lazy Sunday

Sometimes the best days are just the lazy days. Today started with some pancakes and Legos, followed by a little girl vs boy time. Andy and I hung out and watched some Star Wars and Charger Football, while the girls were off to battle the other shoppers at the stores. We finished the afternoon with a family wide nap, and then a drive through the Del Mar Light Show. Pretty good stuff. I need more days like today.

Open House

It was Open House again at the kid's school tonight. We are really starting to get to know the school and the teachers now, and I must say, it brings some level of security seeing the same friendly faces when we go to school events like this for the third year in a row. It was also fun to see some old class photos that Katie's previous teacher (Andy's current teacher) had from when Katie first started. She was so SMALL! Once again, I am hit with another reality check that life goes by pretty fast -- gotta cherish these moments.

Of all the gifts...

Andrew's class had a special assignment today. Each kid was asked to take home some blue construction paper and ask their families, "What would you give baby Jesus for Christmas?" The pieces of paper would then be glued into a rings to make garland for the school tree.

I found it an odd question to ask. Isn't one of the key points to the story of the first Christmas about not needing anything fancy to have the most incredible experience? Needless to say, when it came my turn, I decided (after thinking for a bit) that it would be really hard to shop for baby Jesus. I finally settled on getting him a Baby Bjorn carrier.

Here is what the rest of the troops came up with:

Jen: "A hand-stitched cozy warm blanket"
Katie: "A gold and silver cup and cradle"
Andy: "A hard plastic red lightsaber"

Picture Time

Yep, K&A got thier pics taken at the local photo place. It's amazing how a child's smile can cover-up pretty much any naughty crimes of late.

Speaking of late, I have been working late too much. Time to take a break, cmon' holidays, hurry up!

First Tree

Tis' a a year for many holiday firsts for us. You are now looking at our very first Christmas tree! We spent the day yesterday listening to holiday music, putting up the tree, hanging lights and decorations, and getting well into the holiday spirit. I continue to develop thankful appreciation for the women in the family that hold onto things like ornaments and keepsakes. I was quite surprised at the amount of ornaments that we had dating back to the early '70s. All this nostalgia had me looking at my house with a little more value, things felt a little more like home than they have before.

Elf'd

OK, this was too funny not to do...

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9592478060

(Thanks Mike & Rachel for this!)

Thanksgiving

I realize this is more of a Halloween pic than a Thanksgiving pic, but around here, every day is Halloween. This is how we spent Thanksgiving, with some good friends, a lot of turkey, and about 20 wardrobe changes from the dress-up box. It was our first Thankgiving here at home by the way! Jen worked real hard to make our first feast a memorable one, and I must admit, she did an amazing job. Turkey with all the trimmings, and we even got to use our china that we got at our wedding.... (First time ever lol.)

Hardly Working

Katie has become increasingly interested in having her own 'work area' so she can color and cut-out things. She sees me working from home sometimes and I think she wants to replicate the 'importance' of having personal space when she is concentrating on something. (I think she just likes the idea of having a work space that guarantees some level of "you can't interrupt me, I'm busy working") I guess I need to think a little more about the impact of saying that to my kids when I am working at home...

So when Nana offered this little roll-top desk, it seemed like a great fit for Katies needs. She really gets into her coloring and crafts and especially loves her new desk. Thanks nana! This is nana's desk from when she was a littel girl, and was also used by TL and your's truly.

We were up in SB this weekemd. Got to see Nana, Papa, and Great Grandma. Highlights: Natural History Museum, Dinner and Woody's, and Ice Cream and McConnel's.

My favority mispronounced word of the week: Andy saying "Aliens", pronounced "LAY-LIE-ENS".

Oh one last quick story, tonight I'm giving the kids a bath. Katie says, "Andrew, pretend you are a boy in ballet and put your arms like this..." (She poses like a ballerina while sitting in the tub.)

(Andy looks at her confused and then his eyes get big as a new idea enters his brain...) Andy replies, "No Katie, pretend I have a lightsaber, and it's stuck in my back and I'm dead."

Charades

Tonight:

Me: "Hey guys, lets play Charades. It's where you pretend to be something and we guess until someone guesses right."

Kids: "Yay!"

Me: "OK, I'll go first..." (Pretends to be an Elephant)

Andy: "Erua-phunt!"

Me: "That's right, OK your turn Andy."

Andy: (Thinks for a few seconds, then takes the center stage of the living room.)

Andy: "I'm a Lion, RRRRAAAAAAWR!!!"

Me: "Ummm, a LION!?!"

Andy: Yeah!!!

Katie: (Whispers in my ear giggling) "Daddy, Andrew dosen't listen very well."

Sing Sing

Today, Katie had a special Thanksgiving Pageant at her school. She sang 3 songs with her class for the parents to enjoy. I swear I'm not being one of those parents that thinks their kids is the best when I say, "she really was the best". No really! (To be honest, I can't say with any certainty that there were any other kids in the pageant, as I spent the entire time watching Kate and taking pictures.)

Unrelated story: On the way home, Andy said something funny:

Andy: "Dad, Obee Wun Kenobeee is a good guy and Genwal Greee-vus is a bad guy right?"

Me: That's right.

Andy: "But sometimes Obee Wun Kenobeee cares for Genwal Greee-vus."

Me: "What?"

Andy: "He takes care of him"

Me: "What are you talking about?"

Then I realized that Andy had taken the dialogue in the movie too literally... At one point Obi Wan says, "I'll take care of General Grevious". Classic.

You are never too old to be a Jedi...

Grandma Kari came to visit recently and help us out with Halloween. (Anyone who knows Kari, knows that Halloween is one of her favorite days of the year) and she helped us make the most of it. In addition to giving mommy and daddy extra rest during the week (which we really really appreciate!) Kari was all over the decorations, sweets, and costume preparations -- and especially the all important light saber training exercises.

We also picked up Star Wars Episode 1 this week. Katie got a little bored with it after Queen Amadala stopped showing up with her fancy costumes, but Andy was riveted throughout the entire show. He is at that age where he is constantly asking questions during the movie to where I can't even follow what is going on due to all the inquisitions...

"Is he a bad guy?"
"Is she a bad guy?"
"Are they bad guys?"
"Is dat a good guy?"
"Is dat Jen-Wal Greeeee-vus?"
"Is dat Obeee Wun Kenobeee Daddy?"
"Where is Luke?"
"Ann-I-Kun is Darth Vader right daddy? But hes not a bad guy yet right?"

Where the Sidewalk Ends

We dug out the ol' Shel Silverstein Where the Sidewalk Ends book this week. We had read some of the poems to Katie when she was younger, but Andy had not yet heard them. The book has been quite a hit with the kids, especially "Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too". Andy finds the concept of three guys in a flying shoe so hysterical that he cant stop giggling for about 15 minutes after the story has been read. This incites some mania in Katie as well, and is making the whole bedtime story reading experience more than a little rambunctious.

The kids usually select the stories/poems based on the pictures along side. Some of the pages however, don't have any pictures. I was flipping through these overlooked pages after the kids went to bed, and noticed one poem that resonated with me, and made me feel a little younger than I normally do each day, and I thought I would share it with you all...

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Comfortable with her PC

Katie has a laptop in our home office that she uses to visit various kid sites. She really enjoys the interactive element and is able to navigate all over a site and play games, etc. It's interesting considering she can't read yet, but the 'intuitive' elements of the internet are a language that she completely understands. She spends a lot of time at PBS Kids and at the Barbie site.

This picture was taken on Sunday (Game day as can be see from the Charger Jersey), I guess Katie got a little bored with the game and decided to check-out on me. She did inspire me later on when she came out to watch the second half. Andy was still napping and the Chargers we losing at that point... Katie decided that if she ALSO wore Andy's jersey that she would be showing extra spirit and that it would help the Chargers win. So, she put on 2 jerseys, one of top of the other. Sadly, her rallying effort was not enough to prevent the Vikings from clobbering the Bolts at the end of the day. :)

Encore

Well, since I had so many nice comments about Katie's costume, I thought I would post a little encore. Here is a second shot where she is pretending she just lost her glass slipper (notice the expression and the shoelessness.)

Beauty and the Sith

Here they are, Darth Vader and Cinderella. We sure had a fun time trick-or-treating last night. I was surprised at how into-it Andy got. This is the first year where he really grasped the concept of Halloween. He was CHARGING from house to house and did not want to stop, even after completely filling his candy bucket with goodies. Needless to say, we got tons of treats, and must have visited at least 30 houses. Fun fun fun.

Halloween!

We're going out Trick-or-Treatin tonight! Here are our pumpkins. Tomorrow Ill post some picks of the kid's costumes...

Fire Update

Its looking like the fire is getting contained now, at least the one near us. People are starting to return to thier homes. Thanks for all your emails and concerns.

More Fire

Wow, lots has happened since yesterday.

Fires are raging. It's scary down here. 300,000 people have been evacuated from north county. The Ramona fire (Witch Fire) has now burned clear to the coast and is threatening Del Mar. We have friends here who have evacuated from thier homes. Rancho Bernardo (where I work) is burning.

So far it looks like we will be OK, but you never know, and the winds keep blowing. The fire is about 10 miles north of us right now. We are safe now. Ill update more as I know more.

Good web coverage and maps are at:

http://www.cbs8.com/

Fire

Santa Ana winds blew hard today, up to 60 MPH+ causing a number of fires to start across California. Scary stuff for those of us who live out here, as pretty much anyone who has been a resident of CA for 5 or more years is bound to have expeience with some kind of fire. This week marks the 4 year anniversary of the Cedar Fire that wiped out 2,300 homes in SD.

So this afternoon when we saw the conditions and the massive smoke, we were understandably concerned again. We have been watching the news channels for info, and it looks like the closest one is in East Ramona (20 miles away). While the winds are moving it in our direction, so far things are looking pretty good for us and the communities in its path. Hopefully things will be brought under control soon.

The pic above is a shot in the other direction from our house, toward the setting sun over Mount Soledad. The amount of smoke is very thick and creates an eerie dark setting that is a continual reminder of the raging fire eastward. The smoke stretches across the county today. Hopefully Ill have good news to post tomorrow.

Summer 2007 Slideshow

Had a chance to put together the Summer 2007 Slideshow. Clink on the pic below or link to the left to check it out. Enjoy!

'Love' that Hair

So when the world seems stressful and bleak, just link to this little picture.

This is what I have come to know as a 'heart braid'. I'll be honest, I didn't even know they existed until I had a daughter. Now I have determined that they are the coolest thing in the world (to her) and make her feel extra beautiful and ultra-special. I have to admit, I am starting to understand this.

Katie got treated to her fancy hair dew in preparation for a special princess-party this last weekend that I was told she thoroughly enjoyed. While the girls were off being girly, Andy and I set-up our own play-date with my buddy Stan and his 3-year-old, Charlie. We spent the afternoon playing video-games, wielding light-sabers, and eating pizza. I'm not sure who had more fun between Andy and Katie. Actually, I'm not sure who had more fun between Andy and me!

And away they go...

I really wish we had some neat national geographic quality pictures of the butterflies taking flight today but sadly it wasn't in the cards. Every time we got one on a finger and got it to the top of the habitat, they would quickly take-off. I guess they couldn't wait to get some freedom. Katie was totally into it, practically grabbing the little guys in an effort to get them to walk on her hand.

As you can guess from my tone, we released all the butterflies today. I am happy to report that there were no fatalities and all our little guests made it off into the wild blue without any incidents. I must admit I am sad to see them go. It was a nice change of pace having them around and watching them change from day to day.

Thanks again Nana, we really enjoyed this.

The Great Escape

No pics in this post but I have an interesting update from the butterfly front.

I left a small crack open in the netting as I was putting some new flowers in the habatat yesterday. Apparently one of the inmates was ready to make a break for it, and quickly fluttered out into the living room within seconds seeing the opportuity. We raised all the sirens and alarms, spotlights, you name it. Kids were running around yelling, chasing -- chaos rained supreme.

We finally gave up trying to catch the little guy and gave him some space as he was visably agitated and fluttering madly the closer we came.

Later that day, I was working outside fixing the side gate and Katie came out with the butterfly on her finger. "Look daddy!" she said with a big smile on her face. No sooner had she uttered those words than the butterfly took off and made for the sky. Katie was suprised but not sad as she watched her new pet escape.

We plan on releasing the rest of them tonight (they have all hatched now). WIll give you a final post soon.

Butterflies Day 12

Ta Da!

After a few days of quiet transofrmation, our butterflies have emerged! It's been quite an amazing thing to watch, reminding us that there is a lot of magic around in the world, all around us. Sometimes all you have to do is stop an pay attention in order to see a miracle.

We are feeding them flowers with sugar water on top, and they seem pretty happy with the menu. We still have 3 sleepy-heads tat have not yet hatched and we expect them to come about within a few days. Our plan is to then take them out back and finger-escort them in to the great wide open. We will keep ya all posted...

Jedi Viking Commando

This is my son. He is a warrior.

Not just any warrior mind you, a rabid Jedi-Viking-Commando warrior. With sharp teeth and a penchant for accidentally spitting while he makes "SHZZZ SHZZZ SHZZZ" laser sounds.

His Armor: Viking Rainment, 100% Poleyester -- $7

His Helmet: World War 2 General Issue Infantry, Reinforced Plastic -- $3

His Weapon: Blue Star Wars Lightsaber, Very Deadly -- $9


Finding him wearing all this and NOTHING else on underneath -- Priceless

There are some things money just can't buy.

Butterflies Day 11

Pretty amazing. In a matter of hours we watched 6-7 of the little buggers climb up to the top and make their cocoons, all at the same time. It was as if someone rang a bell in there and they all said, "OK, time to go!" As you can see, one little guy is a bit behind the rest, hes been hanging, but no cocoon yet. We are excited for him to 'wrap it up' so we can transfer them to the habitat. This is likely the last pic you will see of the little plastic cups...

Butterflies Day 9

The transformations have started! When I got up this am I went over to our little friends and noticed that one of them was neatly wrapped up in his chrysalis. The others are also hanging upside down and shaking in a weird way... I guess they shake-it up when it comes to makin'a cocoon...

Butterflies Day 7

Its gettin creepy in there...
Hmmmm, I seem to havin some problems uploading pics... please stand by.

Butterflies Day 5

As we continue to follow the thrilling saga of the Sandwisch butterfly experiment, I am happy to report that the little fellas are doing quite well. They have nearly quadroupled in size and are quite active. They are also making some webbing stuff and climbing the sides of the cups. Neat stuff.

Oh and Katie claims that hers are larger than Andrews because they eat more and are older... like she is.

1st Day of School

Andrew had his first day of preschool and Katie is in the classroom next to him. Andrew will be going Tues/Thur mornings and Katie will be there 4 days for a Pre-K enrichment program. They are both doing well and enjoying playing with their friends and meeting their new teachers. We are in good hands at La Jolla Presbyterian Preschool. Trying to get a good photo was quite a challenge especially on my crutches.

Happy 65th Birthday Mom!

Grandma Kari was kind enough to spend her 65th Birthday taking care of me. So, I set up a few things ahead of time to try to make her day a little special. The kids gave her a mouse pad with a picture of them on it. Grandma likes to call this photo, "the quadruplets." Grandma enjoyed her birthday cake exactly the way she wanted it, "lots of flowers which means lots of frosting". We also treated her to a nice arrangement of flowers, a few chocolates and a yummy dinner from CPK. Thanks for celebrating with us.

Thank God for Grandparents

Well, since Steve was working and I was no fun lying around recovering, the kids were lucky enough to have Grandma Kari and Grandpa Dick to take them around. It was their last week before school. They hit several parks in the area, spent time baking cookies, planted new flowers, rode bikes, went swimming, took Andrew for a physical, played dress up and hair salon(Grandma re-created Princess Leia hair for Katie), ate several donuts (Thanks dad), toured the Natural History Museum and walked the San Diego Zoo. Here are just a few photos to enjoy. They all had a lot of fun despite the kids having a little cold. Unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa are still recovering at home from sinus infections. Grandpa says the goodbye kiss from Katie was still worth it despite the sickness.

No Fun Ankle Surgery

I have a quite a few photos to catch up on with everyone. As many of you know, I had ankle ligament reconstruction surgery earlier this month. It has been a long and slow healing process but I owe so many thanks to Steve, My Mom, My Dad, Katie and Andrew. I couldn't have gotten through this time without you. Oh, I guess I should thank Dr. Marshall for making sure I woke up from the surgery. Let's just say I don't like going under. I have been doing a lot of sleeping and lying around. Andrew decided to curl up next to me during one of my naps. You can see my cast in the left corner of the photo. The surgery was three weeks ago but staples and sutures have been removed. I still have the same cast but hope to continue to gain more mobility and am desperately trying to get off the crutches. PATIENCE!!!!!!

Butterflies Day 3

Spunky little buggers are puttin on some weight!