D has an earlier release time on Fridays for the summer, so we’ve been trying to take advantage of it with some mini adventures.  Last week we attempted to go letterboxing.

Our first step was to fuel up at Jamba Juice.

We followed the clues to the “Northpark” letterbox since it was close and did not seem too difficult.  We were able to follow all of the clues, down to finding the duck couple that lives in the canal.

I think we did find the spot where the letterbox was originally hidden–“the tree with 3 trunks”–but it was not there.  That was not surprising, since it was first hidden in 2008.  However, I think that k enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.  n, on the other hand, was tired out by the end of our walk.

Guess we’ll have to try another one.

Last week I took the kids to Beckman High Orchestra’s free spring concert.  I am not super into classical music, but I’ve always admired people who play string instruments.  I used to want to play the cello for some reason.  In high school I did have stint in a “studio orchestra” playing trombone.  Unfortunately, we had to leave a bit early because I had a coughing attack that could not be stopped.  k seemed interested, but n—not so much.

I had to try to stop his snoring at times so as not to distract the other members of the audience. 

One interesting thing I learned is that Beckman has a Korean PTO and Chinese PTO.  Who knew?  Is this the norm in Irvine?

This morning, k lost her first baby tooth.  She was eating her breakfast, watching Caillou with Nathan, and exclaimed, “I think part of my tooth came out!”  (Turned out that the whole thing did come out). 

I gave her this tooth pouch that I made a while back with this tutorial.  This one is pretty cute, too.  I guess I should start making one for n too.  Growing up so fast…sniff…sniff!

Last week k went to our local fire station with her girl scout troop.  Siblings and parents were invited so I brought n along too. 

k was called on to demonstrate the strength of the fireman’s steel toe boots.

I think it was good for the kids to see what a firefighter looks like with all of the gear.  It might make the kids a little less afraid if they ever need to be helped by a firefighter.  Can’t imagine wearing 60 pounds of gear in raging heat.  Thank you, firefighters, for all you do!

Unfortunately, the truck was getting new tires, so the girls only had a brief look.  Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and really seemed to enjoy interacting with the kids.

Here are the top five theme parks in California based on attendance… #1 Disneyland (16.1M) #2 Disney California Adventure Park (6.3M) #3 Universal Studios Hollywood (5.1M) #4 SeaWorld San Diego (4.3M) #5 Knott’s Berry Farm (3.7M) D+L have been to all of them. k has been to all except Universal Studios. n has only been to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. We need to bring n to either SeaWorld or California Adventures soon!

May and June are busy in terms of celebrations for our family.  We combined Mother’s Day and my dad’s birthday last weekend.  We brought the Tuxedo cake from Costco. 

It is not easy to wrangle the grandkids for a picture.  This was the best I could do.  Happy birthday, Baba!

It is pretty amazing to think that I have lived in the Los Angeles metro area for 10 years now. I lived in L.A. for 1 year just after college and have been living in L.A./Orange County for the last 9 years. This metro area has been home for longer than any other metro area in my adult life! Since I have been in SoCal for so long and I do enjoy living in the O.C., I have felt compelled to start rooting for SoCal sports teams. Here are my official favorite teams by metro area: S.F. Bay Area: Cal Golden Bears, 49ers, Giants, Warriors. Los Angeles/Orange County: Angels, Clippers, Chargers. Indianapolis Metro: Indiana Hoosiers. The Angels baseball team is a easy choice as they play in Orange County. Choosing the Clippers is a little tougher since they play in L.A.; however they did play in Orange County in the 90s. For football, I am hoping L.A. gets a team, but I am not holding my breath, so for now the Chargers will have to do. I still like the city life in NorCal better (i.e. S.F. vs L.A.); however I do enjoy the suburban life in SoCal better. (e.g. beaches & bike paths). So I will consider the battle a tie. I have come to realize that my favorite metros are S.F. and L.A. (sorry Indy and Sacramento). Indy gets my nod for third place as it has a nice downtown and is a great sports town.

I know what you’re thinking—again?  Well, we are determined to get our money’s worth, and the kids are not sick of it yet, so why not? 

Sombrero Hat ride—KBF’s version of the Teacups

D was able to go on the Ferris Wheel for the first time.

We also saw Schroeder.  D accidentally called him Linus (because I accidentally called him that), but the helper corrected him.

We have not seen very many of the shows, so we watched the Wild West Stunt Show. 

D wanted us to sit in the “Splash Zone”, front and center.  It was actually refreshing since it was warm.  It made me think about the fact that my parents would never have us purposely sit in the splash zone at Sea World, or wherever.  Maybe when k and n grow up they won’t want to sit there and they’ll tell their kids, “Grandpa used to make us sit in the splash zone!”. 

This is n after being splashed. 

Last month I was chosen as a host for a Keurig House Party.  I’ve done other House Parties before, but D was particularly excited about this one.  We’ve had the same coffee maker that we received as a wedding present 9+ years ago.  It still works perfectly fine, but now we are on the Keurig bandwagon.

This is the new Keurig V500 (there is also a V700 model) that we received.  D has dubbed this the “nicest appliance” we own.  It uses V cups, not K cups, (though I’m not quite sure of the difference), has controls for size, strength, and temperature and can do hot or iced beverages.

We were also provided with a nice assortment of varieties to try.  (I also purchased some using a nice discount).  We now have enough coffee to last us a year.  We had a tasting party with our small group.

Last Friday was busy, but fun.  After dropping off k at school, n and I went to Tanaka Farms with my moms’ group. 

We haven’t been in a couple of years, so I think it was still “all new” to n. 

Not too sure about the sugar snap pea…

Happier with the strawberries!  I think the Tanaka Farm tours have become increasingly popular, as the strawberry fields look much more “picked over”.  We did manage to get our fill, though.

After picking up k from school I helped chaperone at a Teddy Bear Carnival for her Daisy Troop.

After picking n up from my parents’ house we went home and hosted our small group.