Planting

I started this post last week, but somehow the week completely got away from me and all I could do was upload pictures. Hopefully, we'll be doing a whole lot more gardening today with the arrival of my mom, the gardening wizard.

We are planting. I know, I know, it's the end of June. But, it has been an unseasonably cool spring here and, well, you can't plant if it ain't ready. I started throwing tomatoes in the ground as soon as the dirt was unloaded. The drip system isn't finished yet, but some things just can't wait.

Jasmine jumped right in, planting some marigolds (a week later, her poor little flowers are looking rather peaked).


I kept her clear of the veggies until it was time to water them, because I want them to produce so badly. Is it too much to ask to have a fresh tomato from one's own garden?
Eventually, Jasmine found her spot in the dirt.
We'll keep track of the garden's progress this summer and if anyone wants to offer gardening tips, don't hesitate.

Party in the Park

Last year I started participating in events around town that would have never interested me before--you know, things that involve bouncy houses and screaming, over-tired children. It took me that first year with Jasmine to realize how fundamentally different my life was going to be from that point on.

Now, I look forward to these events, for the obvious reason that nothing brings me more joy than to see my sweet girl having a good time and to see her embracing things that she wasn't able to do last year.

The Obstacle Course.




The Party was the climax of an unusually action-packed day for us. Jasmine had a speech assessment in Sacramento in the morning followed by a swim lesson in the afternoon. We were on the go from 8:00 in the morning until 8:30 at night. I even had to wake Jasmine up from her carseat nap for her swim lesson:

Mama: Sweetheart, it's time for your swim lesson.

Jasmine: Right now?!

Mama: Yes, believe it or not, right now in the middle of your nap.

I would call that a scheduling faux pas of the highest order.

Why I love Wednesdays

Wednesday is family night at the gym. I try to never work late on Wedn. and Shane and Jasmine meet me there for our "family night out." Jasmine knows that Wedn. is gym day and we all look forward to it. Now that the warm weather is sticking around and the evenings are light, we get to do fun things like this...
Here's Jasmine, running to get her goggles after realizing that her new friend, Grace, is in the pool too.
Can you see a little goggled face in the background? That's Grace, a 4 1/2 year old, also from China. Pure serendipity that we have met her at the gym. We all seem to gravitate towards the pool at the same time. Grace is an inspiration to all of us, swimming under water across the length of the pool. I asked her if she was part fish or mermaid, but she denied that was the case. With Grace's influence, Jasmine put her face in the water for the first time tonight and started blowing bubbles. We can't wait to show off at swim lesson on Friday.

The downside of these fun evenings is that Jasmine gets to bed waaay past her bedtime. I feel pretty guilty about it, but it's our only day of the week that works out this way.

Our weekend couldn't have exclaimed Jasmine any more than if we had a neon sign in front of our house. After all, 1 playdate a week is a pretty good average for us. But this weekend? We had a house full of cousins (OK, I know it's just 2 of them, but these 2? Fill up a house.).

After returning home from our super-fun swim date at the gym, Jasmine managed a brief nap before round 2--her cousins from the Bay area. My brother decided that he just hasn't been busy enough lately (a 70th birthday celebration in Florida, camping at Yosemite and a weekend workshop), he opted for a fourth weekend away from home to pay us a visit. Our good fortune.

These girls know how to tear a house apart.

They know how to catch lizards and chase butterflies.

They like to share their toys and teach Jasmine all their big girl tricks.

They say please and love to eat.
When we went to the park today, I had one simple request. Because as a mom to one, I find it hard enough to get a good photo. But for these 3? Always on the move? I tend to give up getting any action shots. All I asked was for one simple photo where they all looked at me...
But the creme de la creme? Frenchie (not in this photo) brought her smallest bike, as a loaner, for Jasmine to ride. On loan until she has kids of her own, at which time she would please like it back. Here she is, carefully watching her oldest cousin for tips
The proud borrower of a big girl bike.

And now I need to think of a new birthday present, since this one is a done deal. For now.
Oh, and if this hasn't been a busy enough weekend? Emmy came over for a playdate. In the midst of all the chaos, these 2 still found time to take a breather and paint together. If you look carefully, you'll see the lizard in the bucket, one of 2 captured this weekend and relocating to Los Gatos, with the expectation that they will like each other enough to...mate...and lay eggs.
Jasmine and Emmy are only one month apart, but you wouldn't be able to tell by this picture. Seriously, if Jasmine's growth doesn't slow down just a tad, I will not know how to explain to people her actual age. Does she look like a child not yet 3?

A new friend

Several weeks ago J and I were swimming at our gym when we spotted another mom/child combo that looked suspiciously similar to us. Never one to shy away from making new friends, I approached them and we got to chatting. Before long, the girls were holding onto a noodle, kicking their way around the pool.

Isla (pronounced EYE-la) lives up in Tahoe with her parents and is 3 1/2 years old. Her parents sometimes drop into our town for tennis tournaments, hosted at our gym. We promised we'd try to get together the next time this happened.

Yesterday Isla and Jasmine had their first playdate. Here they are in the locker room after having a swim. A rare moment of stillness, trust me.
Because it was more like this the rest of the time. The girls were somehow convinced to put their clothes on and play in daycare while the parents all went about various physical activities.
Have I mentioned how much I love our new gym? Besides babysitting, 2 swimming pools and a hot tub, they also have a playground. And since joining in January, I have met 3 families with children from China. Since we don't have a local FCC group and we traveled to China with our friends who live on the East coast, I'm always on the lookout for children and families that Jasmine can identify with.

I had the good fortune of being able to hang out with girls while Isla's parents played their tennis matches.

A lunch break. Why is it that someone else's lunch always looks better than your own? 3 year olds are funny. Sharing is optional--it can happen with complete abandon or discerningly. I witnessed both, but let's just say they aren't going to starve.
Next stop for Isla and Jasmine? Tahoe. Can't wait.