Violet Turns 11!

Our Violet is now 11 years old! She's fully a "tween" now, between a kid and a teenager. Here she is on the morning of her birthday, with her waffle in one hand and the birthday badge from Nan and Pop in the other. (And her face mask, on a lanyard, around her neck.)
 

Violet had a full school day on her birthday, but after school, Melanie and Liana came over, and Cora led them in a D&D adventure. It was Melanie's first time playing.

Cora takes her role as DM (Dungeon Master) seriously, and we even went to Hobby Lobby to buy these pretty little bottles to put "potion" into.

Violet asked for a cookie cake, which we enjoyed after we ate orange chicken from Mandarin Wong, her favorite.

Happy Birthday!!!

This reminded me of the time Violet helped Cora blow out her candles, when Cora turned six.

We love this girl! 

Weekend Fun

It had been a few weeks since the kids went to the airsoft field, but the stars aligned and they were able to go on Saturday.

Pam took these cool pics of the kids. 

The kids all came over in the evening for some pool/spa time, and then we watched Knives Out again. Such a great film.

Bring on summer vacation!

Violet spent her weekend nights in her favorite bed, on the couch. 

The new cat bed made for a soft pillow...

...until the rightful owner returned.

*rightful owner is a disputed title*

On Sunday, we checked our a new bakery in a new multi-use development in Old Newhall, across from the library. Loaf offers Japanese pastries featuring super soft and fluffy dough, and popular lavender lattes. We enjoyed what we bought!
 

Friends Make Life Better

Our school's Foundation paid for this fun enrichment night - a Zoom painting party, with a guided art lesson, all supplies included.

Because the lesson took place the night before Melanie's birthday, Violet and I went over to their house for a painting/birthday celebration.
 

It was neat to see how all the children put their own artistic spin on the sea turtle.

With our children in some sort of schooling, JT and I were able to get together for breakfast for the first time since the craziness began.

We had breakfast in Montrose and then took a walk, and ended up in a high point in a park with this view of downtown Los Angeles. 

We ended our time together with afternoon coffee - perfect! 

We shared lemons from my parents' tree with our friend Jenn, and she gifted us this delicious lemon blueberry loaf. Oh my.

It didn't last long!

I sent Jenn this pic, and asked if she offered free refills.

Weekend Work and Play

Stace installed his finishing touches on our school library loft treehouse project this weekend. He had a great vision to finish off the nooks by facing the wood edges with what looks like tree bark. 

I'm biased, but I think it's stunning! The only slight trouble is, we don't know when students will be able to use it because of crazy Covid rules.

The project is dedicated to the family that passed away three years ago in a car crash; Saachi loved reading.

We celebrated by going out to lunch with Kelly and Yass on Sunday - haven't seen them since November, sadly! It's such a relief that indoor dining is open again. We went out for sushi, and Stace enjoyed everything he tried! 
 

Back to Big Bear!

The girls and I did something totally spontaneous over Spring Break. Our friend Jeff invited us to join them - the next day - on a short trip to the mountains to get in one more day of skiing. 

Stace couldn't drop work that quickly, but he was happy for the girls to ski again, so he was fine with us going. So, on Wednesday, Jeff and Jenn booked a house and we packed up and left!

The house we rented in Big Bear was amazing - since it was still available, and midweek, we got a great deal. It had a loft with some games for the kids, a hot tub on the deck and a SAUNA inside! I never knew I needed a sauna, but now, it will be on my list of must-haves in any rental house. 

(The night that Jeff and Jenn and I enjoyed the hot tub, it was of course chilly when we got out, and it was LOVELY to warm up in the sauna after our cold walk indoors!)
 

We had some wildlife, too - a child left the sunroof open in Jenn's car, and in the morning we saw raccoon prints on the outsides of the cars, and a mess of a leftover jam sandwich on a seat! This little guy was still hanging out across the street.

We also spotted a coyote on the street, and pretty Stellars Jays.

Jeff took Cora and the boys to Snow Valley, a different ski resort than the one we went to in March. This one was less fancy, and less expensive. The snow is now all man-made, since it's been a while since it snowed for real (and it's in the 60s in the day!).

Violet didn't want to go skiing, but then, for the last few months, she hasn't wanted to do much of anything that brings her out of the house. We tried to have her go, but she then got sick at the rental place, so I went and picked her up.

Cora really enjoyed her day. She and Zach were up and down the runs, all day long, since it was so empty on an April Thursday.

Here's Cora and Dylan. 

Cora tried some jumps - why not, it's her second time on skis! Once, she hurt her knee, and took some time to rest (and eat lunch). But she did land one once!

Cora took this from the top of the mountain - beautiful! It was surprising to see so much snow on some of the mountains, 

Meanwhile, Violet felt better after lying down for a while, and we three ladies went out for a wild burro hunt. Jenn's friend had told her about the wild burros, descendants from burro races in the 1950s.

Later, we enjoyed a charcuterie board in the backyard by the fire pit.

When everyone got home, Cora and the boys needed to relax - they were exhausted! We later played a little pre-dinner Trivial Pursuit.

We made a few stops on our way home Friday - a park with a zip line, a little nature walk and a part of Big Bear Lake with a cool-looking island.

It was a great couple of days! More memorable than sitting at home would have been. And we're happy Cora was able to ski again.

Return to the Magic!

After being closed for a year, Magic Mountain reopened this past week, just in time for Spring Break! Cora was so happy - she's been missing her thrill rides big time. 

The park is limited in capacity, so you have to book a reservation in advance. My mom booked for us, and you're allowed four slots per reservation. Violet didn't want to go, so I took her to Liana's house for the day. My mom, Cora, her buddy Zach and I spent the afternoon in the park on Tuesday.

After riding a few rides and drinking through their water bottles, the teens decided to try a Monster energy drink for the first time. I thought it was pretty nasty, but they enjoyed the caffeine/sugar burst of energy.

After riding the rides, which are at limited capacity and frequently wiped down, Cora and Zach spent some time in the carnival game section. This was a first for Cora, but Zach is a competitive kid and definitely enjoys the games.

Here, he's celebrating winning this round.

Zach played baseball, so he was able to smash two of the plates with ease. See the ball falling here, with pieces of plate? Cora didn't have any luck knocking the plates off, but she was better at the soccer game.

No surprise!

Big-time winners here, folks.

I look forward to more trips to Magic after school the next couple of months, as the junior high gets out at lunch time.
 

Easter Sunday

We celebrated Easter with church and family on Sunday, including a little backyard egg hunt. 

Here, Melanie is showing Eloise a tiny pompom chick toy.

Ellie also got to meet the mice properly - she touched Copper so gently, with one baby finger. So cute!

Violet took it upon herself to fill the eggs - it's lovely that she's still excited for egg hunts!

Such a cutie!

My dad recently found a bin of old photos and memorabilia from his parents, including this fabulous photo of newlywed Grandma and Grandpa and some of his Navy buddies. It was taken at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., but no date is listed. The friends signed it, and Grandpa wrote "Your undeserving husband Jerry." Grandma wrote, "me!!!" Such a great snapshot of young love in the early 1940s.

Dad also found a folder with Christmas letters they wrote to the family in Michigan not long after they moved to California in the 1960s. I deeply enjoyed reading my Grandma's humor as she updated their loved ones on their lives, including my elementary-school-aged Dad.

Stace and Lisa at Easter, 2021

I convinced Violet and Cora to wear dresses to church, since it was Easter Sunday. And I even managed to get a photo back home, before Cora changed back into her normal clothes.

They get along so well most of the time! Emphasis on "most."