April

Pictures: the boys, the girls, the snail race, and video of Nina trotting after the turkey.

"Mom! He's being so nice to me! I think he's in love with me!"

"I want to invite Colin, and George, and Rachel, and...I want to invite ALL of my friends over to my house for water balloon toss!"

What a wonderful weekend to be a mom; what a perfect weekend to be a kid in Sacramento.
The flowers are in full bloom. My morning run was permeated with the delicate scent of jasmine, freesia and honeysuckle and orange blossom. While I ran, Nate and the kids found a snail, named Superhero by Kai, to entertain them. Nina loves finding, watching, talking to snails and roly-poly bugs. She wants to lift up bricks and look at all the crawly things underneath.
Friday Nina and I strollered and Kai rode his bike all the way to Bertha Henschel park (such a perfect park we will surely miss). A man standing by his truck parked in the fab 40's looked as if he was going to ask me a question. He said, "When you have time, you have to take a picture of this." (pointing at the kids) "They are absolutely beautiful."
Kai wore his bike shirt, I filled his back pocket with TJoe's cheetos, thinking he'd snack all the way there. If food is around, he eats it, so he cleaned out those pockets, riding with his right hand from pocket to mouth, then we were on our way.
Nina held out until just before the park. She was ooohing and aahing at squirrels and sounds of dogs barking. Had to set her free for awhile in the 40s to hunt for ladybugs and chase flies.
Stopped on the way to the park for a bagel with pb and honey for kids; cream cheese for me. They didn't eat theirs but ate mine. Nina wanted creamcheese by the spoonful. Had no idea the kids liked the stuff.
On the way home we stopped at East Sac Hardware (another spot we'll miss...who doesn't love a neighborhood hardware store?!) and bought some cucumber plants. Kai is really excited about our mini-garden: a few tomato plants, one pot for zinnia, and one for green beans, and one for mint+basil. First thing in the morning, last thing at night, and throughout the day he wants to check on the plants. For several weeks now! It's exciting for me too, everything is actually growing, beans are sprouting.
Such was our friday. And a beautiful saturday followed with a parade in Davis. Nina and Arjun danced to marching bands, Kai went nuts too. (He still says his fave is the trumpet.) In the afternoon Collin and Elyse came over for water play, and I chatted with their mom (love her; straightforward, no-nonsense Dutch girl and Collin gives Kai a run for his money).
And a beautiful sunday followed. Kids played with neighborhood kids all day; had a very urban afternoon of biking to the hospital parking lot to play for a few hours. Kai FELL ASLEEP ON THE COUCH when we got home. Took a Roahenesque sunday evening drive and came across a bunch of wild turkeys in a very residential neighborhood. Nobody else thought it strange. Nina and Kai went nuts chasing one; Nina didn't want to stop.