JoeSanDanLiz

Dan’s Tenth had Mario, Darth Maul and Heelies

Feb 122012

Tenth came on a school night so we celebrated with a cake and ice cream and presents and then went to his favorite restaurant, which is the rest of the family’s least favorite, Applebees. He ended up getting some more Wii games and accessories, a cool Mario Kart Knex race track that he had to build and some Heelys. A couple of weekends later to celebrate we took three of his friends to go see Star Wars Phantom Menace in 3D and eat lunch at Fuddruckers.

Skylanders Cake

Birthday Boy

A couple of monkeys

Boy Becomes Better and Better at Basketball

Daniel, Sports No Responses »

Feb 042012

Daniel has been playing in the Dublin Jr. Warriors basketball league for six weeks now and has gone from being mostly afraid of the ball to becoming of his team’s best rebounders. His team is named the Rockets (which still wear Warriors uniforms, because all teams do in this league) and is at a big disadvantage because they have the fewest players, 7, while other teams have ten. They are also the only team where every member is playing organized basketball for the first time. The other teams have more experienced players and many are just the same teams that played last year. Despite this, while they have yet to win a game, they have progressed from getting blown out by 30 points to being able to keep the games a bit more respectable.

Poor Racoon

Wildlife No Responses »

Jan 062012

Our neighbor Yvonne came to our door to warn us about what seemed to be a sick or rabid racoon in front of our house. Poor thing could barely sit up and was being harassed by a whole bunch of squawking crows. I called animal control but when they got here, the animal had already gone to hiding in a storm drain. But, while we were talking, it came out again and was caught. They said it either has distemper or rabies and would have to be put down. Sad, but better than dying in the storm drain and stinking up the neighborhood I guess.

Elizabeth Has a Fishy Seventh

Aquarium, Birthday, Elizabeth, Fun No Responses »

Jan 042012

Given the option to have a party, Elizabeth chose to go the Monterey Aquarium instead. The only couple of days available where both I and the kids had off was during Christmas break, so last Thursday we packed up the car and headed south. First we stopped in Santa Cruz and were surprised to find a really fun indoor mini golf course at the Boardwalk. It was pirate themed and the decor came close to the standard of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We all agreed that it was the best miniature golf course we’d been to. Dan and I rode the Giant Dipper and then after a merry-go-round ride and lunch, we continued down the coast to Monterey. We renewed our membership then spent the afternoon and evening watching sea life. A pizza and cake party in the room followed. The next day we did more aquariuming before heading back home.

Yesterday on her actual birthday, Elizabeth wanted ice cream instead of more cake, so after school we all had some and she got a couple more presents. She now has new Crocs and a pink Razor scooter to replace the one she grew out of. She’s been riding the scooter every chance she gets.

Birthday Pictures are here

Christmas Time

Beau, Daniel, Elizabeth, Holidays, Joe, Sandy No Responses »

Dec 282011

Christmas time this year started with a trip to see Santa and ended with two kids playing with way too many toys. I had to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so Sandy had to keep the kids busy by herself and did a wonderful job. On Christmas Eve, they made gingerbread people and a gingerbread house, and got treats ready for Santa and the reindeer. Christmas morning was spent opening gifts and getting ready for work. Dan got a Wii game he wanted. Liz got an Inkoo doll to draw on. Sandy got a purse, iPhone case and some crafting supplies. And I got a whole bunch of games and a kid-drawn control tower shirt. Even Beau got some gifts to open. The rest of the day was spent playing with new toys and rolling sushi. We had a pot luck at the control tower with turkey, ham and way too much food. We hope everyone has as great a Christmas as we did.

Christmas Pix Are Here

Dan and Liz Get School Awards

Award, Daniel, Elizabeth, School No Responses »

Dec 072011

Daniel and Elizabeth both got school awards, Liz for being a good author and illustrator, and Dan for academic achievement. Both got the awards in a ceremony that Sandy went to but I couldn’t because of work. The ceremony surprised us since it came so soon after we got back from Hawaii. We are so proud of both of them.

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves, Leaves, and More Leaves

Beau, Daniel, Elizabeth, Life in General No Responses »

Dec 062011

So a relaxing Thanksgiving week in Hawaii was immediately followed by four straight days of picking up leaves. Before we started raking them they covered our whole back yard. In the front yard, it was so windy while we were gone, the leaves were in a big pile several feet deep up against our neighbor’s driveway. We blew the back yard leaves into a fun pile that Beau, Dan, and Liz loved running through and jumping into. Eventually we used our mulching vacuum blowing machine thingy to get them into more that 20 big green trash bags. Since only two or three bags fit in our green waste can, it will take us months to dispose of all of them.

Ginormous Pile

Beau Helping

Halfway Done, but Kids Take Time to Play

One Last Look Before They're All Gone

Swimming with Fish, Eating Fish, Watching Fish, and Saying Goodbye

Daniel, Elizabeth, Food, Herbert, Iris, Joe, Jordan, Miles, Sandy, Wildlife No Responses »

Dec 022011

Of course, we had to go to the beach on our last day in Hawaii. And as we were getting done swimming and playing in the waves we saw a fish jump out of the water just a little off shore which I guess made us hungry. So we piled into the car and headed over to Nicco’s fish market (recommended by Miles) and had some really yummy lunch. Dan skipped the fish and went for a burger and that was good too. While walking around the fishing piers near the restaurant, we were shocked to see a ray swim by that was nearly as big as a fishing boat. Then, on our way back to the house to pack, we stopped near Aloha Tower and watched some of the tropical fish that usually hang out there. We spent the night saying goodbye to Jordan and Miles and the next morning saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa. We got to the airport early and ate lunch and explored some nice gardens that we always knew were there, but had never visited before. Then it was home to the chilly Bay Area where we had to rush the kids to bed to get ready for school the next day.

Our last Hawaii photo album is here.

Shopping, Beaches and Turtle

Daniel, Elizabeth, Fun, Iris, Joe, Sandy, Wildlife No Responses »

Nov 292011

We finally got to the beach yesterday after wanting to go since we got here but being too busy doing other stuff. First we went to WalMart to get some kick boards and slippers, then we spent a lot of the day at Ala Moana Beach Park, which is wave free and kid friendly (although you can still see waves breaking and surfers beyond the reef). For lunch we went to Grace’s Inn which is my favorite plate lunch place and had gigantic portions of chicken, beef, rice and macaroni salad. Dan had a hot dog, and Liz had some fried saimin.

The next day we and Grandma went to Ala Moana center and we were amazed how every time we go there it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. We got lunch from Shirokiya, the Japanese department store, and took it home to eat.

After that we headed up to the North Shore to try to see sea turtles that supposedly regularly sun themselves on the beach. But when we got there, there were 30 people all standing in the water and on the sand around a turtle that looked like he might have come ashore if wasn’t so crowded. But we got to see him swimming and got some pictures. Then we celebrated with some shave ice on the way home.

Some pictures are here.

Crafts, Food, Football, Remembrance and Disney

Babette, Daniel, Elizabeth, Fair, Food, Iris, Joe, Jordan, Miles, Museum, Sandy, Sports, Wildlife No Responses »

Nov 282011

We really packed in the Hawaii activities this weekend starting by going to a very crowded craft and food fair on Saturday with Grandma and Jordan. We saw tons of shirts and jewelry and other fashion items and tasted a thousand different types of food. We left with some trinkets, some li hing kettle corn, and some dead animals preserved in resin. Dan got an octopus and immediately named him Bobby Flay because he thought Bobby Flay might have made some good calimari with it if he had gotten the chance. Elizabeth got a gecko, which was appropriate since she’s been chasing lizards and geckos since we got here. Jordan got a hermit crab. We went to Sam Choy’s for lunch, and Miles joined us to watch Hawaii beat up on Tulane for dinner.

On Sunday we brought flowers to Punchbowl Cemetery where three of Sandy’s uncles are interred and where Jeanine had spread mom’s ashes. It is a very beautiful location.

After that we toured the grounds of Honolulu City Hall, Iolani Palace and the State Capitol. Then we went to the Arizona Memorial but were kept from actually going all the way to the site because high winds made it too hard for the boats to take us there. We still went through the museum and were able to look across Pearl Harbor to see the memorial and the battleship Missouri. Dan, Liz and I were impressed by this giant snail, but Jordan didn’t understand why since she sees them that size all the time.

We then drove out the new Aulani Disney Resort on the West side of Oahu. It was lacking in Disney-ness in lots of ways and while very pretty, it could have been a Hyatt or Marriott. Still Dan was impressed by the river pool and water playground and wants to stay there some day. This time we just ate at the hotel buffet which was very tasty but also very expensive. I still can’t get to sleep at 1:30 a.m. because I ate so much. Now I’ll have to tone down the eating for the rest of the vacation.

Saturday and Sunday Hawaii Pictures are here.

Happy Thanksgiving From Hawaii

Daniel, Elizabeth, Herbert, Holidays, Iris, Joe, Jordan, Miles, Sandy, Sports No Responses »

Nov 262011

We got to spend Thanksgiving this year with Grandma and Grandpa and Jordan and Miles in Hawaii. We had some great turkey and prime rib and ahi limu poke along with lots of other goodies. When Elizabeth and Daniel and Jordan weren’t eating they were torturing the neighborhood lizards, and there are lots to torture. They keep catching and releasing them, relishing each catch and lamenting each release. We also went to the Bishop Museum and saw the renovated Hawaii Hall which was impressive and got to play with lots of science-y stuff. Later we went to watch the University of Hawaii beat the University of Pacific Tigers in a really close, really fun basketball game. (Made more fun by all the snacks) Next it’s a Christmas craft fair and the UH – Tulane football game. Some pictures are here.

Blog Update Destroys JoeSanDanLiz.com

Computers 2 Responses »

Nov 182011

Well, so much for keeping this as a scrapbook, diary or chronicle. When I tried to put Halloween pictures on JoeSanDanLiz.com, the WordPress software decided that if I didn’t update, it wouldn’t let the site be seen on iPhones any more. That was important to me so I did the update. Of course I wasn’t smart enough to back every thing up so when the update failed, all of the previous entries were lost, maybe forever. There was no restore. Luckily all I lost was the ramblings attached to the pictures and movies. I still have the pictures and will post them back up, but that will take time, since I must do each one individually. If I can find what was written I’ll include it, otherwise most past entries will just be photo albums.

Elizabeth has Whiskers

Elizabeth No Responses »

Nov 132011

For the second time in less than a year, Elizabeth needed to be rushed to the emergency room. This time for stitches to her chin after she fell off her bike in the back yard. (Last time it was because she split her lip with her tooth.) I was getting ready for work when Sandy remarked that Liz was riding her bike really, really fast in the back yard. I thought nothing more about it until I heard screaming and ran out to find that she had scraped her chin open on the cement. After a long ordeal that involved lots of crying and screaming and cajoling and soothing she ended up with half a dozen stitches across her chin. She wouldn’t let the doctor work on her (she was afraid of the anesthesia injection and I would be too, that needle was GI-NORMOUS) until Dan, who said he has dealt with her before, bribed her with a toy paid for with his own money. If she wouldn’t agree to stay still they were going to have to admit her to the hospital, put her to sleep and then do the stitches while she stayed overnight. But, she did eventually let them sew her chin up and we then went toy shopping. Dan didn’t have to pay and even got something for himself for being so helpful. Elizabeth says she has a beard now since the stitches sticking out of her chin look like whiskers.

Checking in at Kaiser

Not Happy Waiting for Treatment

Whiskers

Post-traumatic Happy Elizabeth

The Great Time Sucking PS3

Fun, Gadgets No Responses »

Nov 102011

So we finally got a PS3, a purchase prompted by mainly the release of Star Wars on Blu-ray, and it has been hogging up lots of my time. The PS3 Formula One 2011 racing game is fantastic, at least for me, and even is more awesome to watch than the real life races, AND I get to drive. We indavertenly missed the Raiders beating up on the Chargers Thursday because we spent the whole day watching the Lord of the Rings on Blu-ray. Chores, web-surfing, tv-watching, and interacting with my family have all taken a back seat for a while.

Dragon of the Opera

Daniel, Elizabeth, Holidays No Responses »

Nov 022011

This year Daniel was the Phantom of the Opera and Elizabeth was a Dragon. Elizabeth was a dragon before, but she really loves wearing the costume, even when it’s not Halloween, and jumped at the chance to show it off at school and trick-or-treating. Mom made some adjustments to make it fit better and look just a little more awesome. The “season” started with a trip to the pumpkin patch at an old farm in the hills of Livermore. Then on the Friday before Halloween there was a school parade. We carved and decorated pumpkins on Saturday and then on Halloween, Sandy and the kids went trick-or-treating while I handed out candy. There’s an album of Halloween pictures here.

And a video of the parade here: (it works best for me if I start the video, then pause it and let it finish loading, then play it…or you can just download the actual video by right clicking this link and saving it to your computer)

Honor Student Daniel Redux

Award, Daniel, School No Responses »

Sep 292011

We’re so proud of Daniel’s getting a STAR testing honor student award tonight. Last year Daniel’s school spent a whole week taking California’s Standardized Testing and Reporting exams. Some kids did well in the Language Arts portion and got awards, some kids did well in the Math portion and got awards, but Daniel did well in both. Everything up to here has been written before (see here). Now having done it two years in a row, we are doubly proud of him. Great job Dan.

On Stage Getting Award

Award and Trophy

Nineteen Years with my Beloved

Anniversary, Joe, Sandy No Responses »

Sep 282011

Sandy and I celebrated our 19th anniversary today. We kind of celebrated our 18th too since we skipped it last year because of my mom’s funeral. For lunch we shared a wonderful meal at a sushi restaurant and we took the kids to celebrate at a brand new California Pizza Kitchen at the mall. Then we went home, finished homework and got to the kids to bed early for school in the morning. More romance probably was in order but hey it’s a school night. It’s just another day to remind me how much I love Sandy and am so happy to have her in my life.

Babette Remembered

Anniversary, Babette No Responses »

Sep 232011

I have many great memories of my mom, who passed a year ago today, but one thing she told me when I was growing up stuck with me. She told me she didn’t care what I did with my life just as long as I was happy doing it. Because of her wisdom, support, and inspiration I now find myself very happy with my life. I have a great family, wonderful friends, and a job that pretty much has me doing the same thing I was doing when I was five playing in my room; looking down at little vehicles and making them do things, only instead doing it from the edge of my bed with matchbox cars, I’m doing it from a control tower with airliners.

Every day, I think about my mom and miss her. But I always am remembering things she’s done or said to me and those memories keep her here with me.

Dan and Elizabeth are Keeping Me Young

Uncategorized No Responses »

Sep 152011

For my 48th birthday, I was feeling kinda old and a little blue for some reason. But my family pulled me out of my funk by first taking me out for lunch and later by getting me presents and cake and ice cream. They also took me to Rockin’ Jump in Dublin, which is a giant trampoline warehouse, where we all had lots of fun, despite my pulling a muscle in my shoulder and Elizabeth twisting a knee. Of course I was the oldest one jumping and maybe the second oldest one in the whole building. A few days later I got a plate that Elizabeth made me. (I have to be extra careful with it since I dropped a mug she made me earlier.)

Waiting for Dad

Birthday Boy

Open It Already

Awesome Dad Plate

A Day NOT at the Races

Amusement Park, Aquarium, Daniel, Elizabeth, Food, Joe, Sandy, Sports No Responses »

Aug 302011

I got the weekend of the IndyCar race in Sonoma off work so I talked the family into going with me and staying in hotel up there. But then I realized that they only agreed to go to make me happy. So i surprised them and we went to Monterey instead, stopping at Gilroy Gardens on the way down. It was a fun weekend of rides, and food, and visiting the aquarium. Pictures of the trip are here. After we got home I watched the race on TV and it looked hot and boring, so it really worked out for the best.

Celebrating Sandy!!!

Birthday, Sandy No Responses »

Aug 282011

For her birthday, Sandy got some iPhone (puzzle) apps, Hello Kitty pajamas and slippers, some thongs (with arch support) and a pedometer (to replace the one we lost at the Orange County Fair). There was cake and ice cream and we all went to Eddie Papa’s for dinner. Elizabeth and Daniel both had lots of fun picking out and giving her her presents but had even more fun eating the cake and ice cream. Happy Birthday Sandy.

Decorating a Birthday Card

Making a Wish

Big Eyes

Opening Cards and Presents

Kitty Pajamas

Cute Hello Kitty Slippers

Back to School

Daniel, Elizabeth, School No Responses »

Aug 232011

Boy summer was sure short. It’s already back to school time and for the first time with first grader Elizabeth going at the same times as fourth grader Dan. Finally Sandy gets some time where she’s not always having to keep the kids busy all day. Now we get to look forward to homework every night again. Yippee!!!

Leaving For School

Lining Up For First Grade

At Her Desk

Even More Dinosaurs

Daniel, Elizabeth, Joe, Museum, Sandy No Responses »

Aug 172011

On the last day of summer vacation, we went to the UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. They had a dinosaur animatronic exhibit that worked out to be a nice follow-on to the dino bones we saw in LA the previous week. In addition to the dinosaurs, there were lots of other little science displays and exhibits and beautiful views of the bay area. While we were eating lunch there, some UC students came and got Elizabeth to play in some learning experiment. Fun, but small place. I’d say Daniel and Elizabeth are probably getting too old to come back unless it’s for a class or something. Click here for a whole gallery of pictures of the day.

Dino Bones and Rib Bones

Daniel, Deanna, Elizabeth, Food, Jeanine, Joe, John, Luke, Museum, Olivia, Sandy, Wade No Responses »

Aug 122011

The dinosaur exhibit at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History was pretty impressive. Lots of bones including a complete t-rex named Tommy. We couldn’t help but compare it to the Dinosaur Resource Center we visited a couple of years ago in Colorado. LA’s is much more elaborate and well laid out for display than the one in Colorado, but the one in Colorado really emphasized research, science and preservation of the fossil specimens over making them look pretty for visitors. The kids had lots of fun and were truly impressed, except for Olivia who seemed to prefer the pretty rocks in the geology section over the dinos.

After the museum we went back to our hotel where John, Deanna, Wade, Jeanine, Olivia and Luke joined us for ribs and chicken. There was far too much food and I’m still feeling full writing this a few hours after my last bite. It was wonderful to see so much of the family together again and we need to do things like that more often.

Lots of Food, Lots of Fun

Daniel, Elizabeth, Fair, Food, Jeanine, Joe, Luke, Olivia, Sandy, Wade No Responses »

Aug 122011

We tried deep fried everything almost at the Orange County Fair. Jeanine, Wade, Luke, Olivia, Tura, and joesandanliz all took the van to the fair where in addition to trying deep fried artichokes, butter, kool aid, corn dogs, cream cheese, bacon fries and potato skins, we also had popcorn, crepes, shrimp cocktail, a pickle and probably even more stuff that I forgot. We also looked at farm animals, took some turns trying to win prizes (Elizabeth got 5 stuffed animals, Daniel got 2), watched a motorhome demolition derby, rode ponies, looked at millions of exhibits and went down a big slide. The kids were so tired by the time we got home, but no where near as tired as the adults were. Lots of pictures are here.

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