Barnes and Noble has a great Summer Reading Program for kids grade 1-6! Kids just need to read 8 books this summer, and they will get a paperback book of their choice for free! Makes me wish James was a little older (but I'm quite happy at the stage he's in right now!) :)
Here's How It Works:
1. Kids read any 8 books.
2. Kids use the Summer Reading Journal to tell us their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs it when it's complete.
3. Children bring their completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 29th & September 2nd, 2008.
4. We'll give them a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.*
Last Sunday, Dan, James, and I went on our first big family vacation - Las Vegas, baby! James had his first airplane flight ever - and to my delight, he ate on the way up and down, and slept the whole time in between! I guess I can't brag too much - it was only a one hour flight, after all. ;)
The weather in Vegas was as it should be - hot! But because it's spring, it wasn't triple digits flaming hot, so James and I were able to stroll along the strip, check the hotels, and go shopping in the new Planet Hollywood "Miracle Mile" shopping mall! Our main reason of going out to Vegas, however, was for a magic conference. While Dan spent a majority of his time at the conference, James and I did get the opportunity to hit up the strip, shop, and see a lot of the sights. Ah, such is the life of Dan Chan Magic Man and Kat the Acrobat!
While we didn't get to stay at the Bellagio, we did get to stay at the Orleans. It's not too far from the strip and there is a shuttle bus that goes to and from the strip every 15 minutes. James especially liked the fact that he not only got to swim in the bathtub everyday, but he also got his very own king-sized bed to sleep on for three nights! Talk about luxury!
I wonder what he's thinking. Either it's "look at me and what face I can make!" or "I'm majorly constipated, leave me be."
James is complete with his first full week of dining on solids, and it's exciting for me to say that he appreciates trying new foods like Dan and myself! So far, his menu consists of:
4/16 Rice Cereal
4/18 Carrots
4/20 Haricort Verts (fancy talk for green beans)
Deciding not to be a big hypocrite who feeds my kid salads and wheat germ while I snarf down Big Macs and french fries, I decided that whatever James eats, I have to eat. In other words, if I can't even stomach it, why should he have to eat it? This is good for both of us because there is little that I wouldn't eat (or at least try out) outside of eggplant or beets (eggplant because I'm allergic to it, and beets because they're just plain disgusting) and because having James eat healthier means Dan and I would eat healthier. An added bonus is that if I made all of James' baby food and froze it in little blocks, we wouldn't have to spend $0.50 per tiny jar of pureed "whatever I can make".
Oh. My. God.
"I cannot tell you anything that, in a few minutes, will tell you how to be rich. But I can tell you how to feel rich, which is far better, let me tell you firsthand, than being rich. Be grateful...It's the only totally reliable get-rich-quick scheme."
-BEN STEIN, actor comedian, economist
Having finally finished Schulz, I started a new book the other day called thanks! How the new science of gratitude can make you happier. It started making me think how many blessings God has showered Dan, James, and me with, and how much I tend to take things for granted.
It's funny how it's so easy to find things to complain about. The house is a mess. Haggling customers are always disrupting dinner. The computer is monopolized all day. Health insurance is too expensive. There's too little work. There's too much work. Why are people perpetually dissatisfied with what they have when there are so many things to be thankful for? I began to think about things while I was taking my shower today, and began to realize how blessed my family and I really are.
Dan and I have been so greatly blessed with work lately. While I don't always enjoy work because of the driving, the stress from performing, and most importantly - the sheer amount of time that Dan is on the phone and internet having to deal with haggling customers (people seem to always call when we're out for a meal!), it seems like the poor economy hasn't effected us and we are constantly getting more and more gigs. We live comfortably and can afford to get what we need, to eat what we want, and have the freedom to have a schedule few people have.
We're also blessed as a family; James has been bringing Dan and me so much joy each day. It's not hard to see how much we love him (I think that for every post I make, there is usually 3 for James!), and although we lose a lot of sleep, have a lot of stinky diapers to go through, and have little time to ourselves, I just can't imagine life without him. As a couple, Dan and I are prone to arguments, can get bored with each other, and like to pick on each other at times. While he can "be a butthead", he's also sincere, devoted, helpful, and hardworking. I really enjoy when we reconnect each day in a romantic way - whether that means a pot of yellow tulips as a gift, or a quick peck on the lips and hug.
Many of us take our extended (for lack of better word) families for granted. I thought about when my sister and I used to live under the same roof - we bickered a lot, didn't talk much because we saw each other all the time, and pretty much acted like it was no big deal to hang out - in fact, I would rather hide in my room than go shopping with her. Now that we're living under different roofs, I look forward to seeing her and actually enjoy running silly errands with her. I also realized how hard working and funny my parents can be.
I'm probably going to have to finish the book before I can really see the full scope of what I'm missing - but for now, I'm just grateful for the little things I noticed in my 10 minute break from it all.
It never ceases to amaze me how fast James is growing. At times he seems sooooo tiny and that he's not growing fast enough - I want him to start sitting up, crawling, walking, talking, dancing, eating and doing all those "big boy" things
Guess who learned how to copy mommy and hum?
I'm sooooooo stealing this from Northerngeek's Blog - but this is the easiest way to get my family to actually look at something online without having to send send multiple emails/make multiple phone calls. Either way, total props to Northerngeek - his blog is a lot of fun to read if you like tech history, tech stories, tech products, and of course, random geekiness. Geekiness is cool!
ANYWAYS - omg, check this out - a PINK HELLO KITTY Darth Vader!!! **GLEE!** My nephew is going to have a fit when he sees this!!! hahahahahhahahhahhhhaa! It's like Darth got the ultimate girly makeover! bwahahahha!
I know these rolled out on May 25, 2007 - but because I know my 6-year old nephew is into Lego Star Wars, here it is:
Today while driving through Palo Alto, Dan and I saw something pretty cool: an R2D2 mailbox! The Netflix that I had was in the other car, so I couldn't stuff anything into the box, but I did get to take a picture of it. Super Cool!!!
It's finally arrived - the blue blazing summer hot performances. I hate 'em! The performances themselves are the same - it's just that the weather is terrible! Dan and I had 2 shows today and I thought I was going to melt into a puddle of sweat on the floor! But it's the price we pay to escape the fluorescent cubicle jungle, I suppose. Ah well.
So today we had two pretty fun performances. The first was at an absolutely gorgeous house in Livermore. The two story house was in a court located right next to line and lines of grapevines. The family practically had their own vineyard view from their backyard! One the guests looked pretty familiar to me - he was an older, cheerful looking gentleman. After the show, we were talking to the mother who hired us and joked that we originally thought that we had a famous sport commentator hire us when we received her deposit - her husband's name is Joe Madden and we mistook him for John.
"John? Oh, that's my father-in-law over there - want me to introduce you to him?"
Lo and behold, that friendly looking old chap sitting there watching us perform and who was now kicking back watching his grandkids get ready to swim was none other than the John Madden. Out of respect for the family, we didn't take any photos - but it was pretty cool to share a few sandwiches with the family at their house and teach their grandson a few tricks. All in a days work for Dan Chan the Magic Man and Kat the Acrobat, I suppose!
We couldn't hang out too long because we had another show to attend to in Palo Alto, so we bid our adieus and began our next long drive. The next house was a more modest looking than the house we saw in Livermore, although initial looks can be deceiving. After the show, we were invited to hang out, have some snacks, and got to take a peek in the house. Downstairs, this family built a theater room, complete with a wooden ticket taking booth! It looked like the booth in the picture to the left, except a little smaller. Again, out of respect for the family's privacy, we aren't posting photos. Seeing the uniqueness of the homes today made Dan and I think - what will we do with our house in the future?
Dan already envisioned a room with a theater stage complete with spotlight, surround sound, and full video recording capabilities. I have a little more modest vision of a huge kitchen complete with convection oven, gas burner/grill, and sun room connected (complete with herb, fruit, and vegetable garden in the back!)
After all the performance fun, we stopped by Stanford shopping center for some R&R and OJ until James decided he had enough fun today - then we went home. It's so nice to be home after such an exciting day!
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Jamie said:
[this is good]I love when you post pictures of James, he's a doll baby. read more
on I Veto That, Madam! -
northerngeek said:
[this is good]lol...stealer...I'm glad that you like my site...thanks for throwing it in read more
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grrrace said:
that first pic, he looks so little compared to dan! but then the scrolldown... where he's sitting up on his... read more
on It's amazing how fast he grows...
fun! :) glad you guys had a good time. :) read more
on Viva Las Vegas, Baby!