Sr. R update

This space is my comfort zone. Not many in my day to day circle know that I blog, and I hope it remains that way. As long as I'm not discussing what I wrote here in personal life, I'm fine. I need this space and that space to be separate, for my sanity.

The last I posted about the kids was in my new year post. 

So let's begin with 2019.....

At the beginning of this year, the daughter was in 2nd grade, and she had an easy year, and a mellow teacher. I had some concerns with her progress, but in hindsight, as I write this today, I am SO glad she had the year she did. Her teacher was very kind and loving, a bit forgetful and not on top of things all the time, but it was only 2nd grade....the daughter had the best year socially and emotionally. 

She loved playing basketball through spring, continued her swim/kathak/keyboard lessons, and spent a part of her summer break at our local gym, where they learnt so many new games, sports skills, team building aspects, and in general, had an active TV free time. It was her first summer break going to a proper summer camp, and I'd say it was pretty good. 

We took the kids to Yosemite during Spring break. If you ever want to visit this gorgeous paradise on earth, early Spring is THE BEST time. The waterfalls are at their roaring best, there is greenery all around, and there are far less crowds than summer/fall time. We had booked a heated cabin right in the valley, under half dome - we were 7 people in one cabin, and we had the best time at the perfect location. 

The mist trail in Yosemite is the most popular trail - the hike starts at the Happy Isles Trail head, climbs up to Vernal Falls, then Nevada Falls, and then continues to the iconic Half Dome. We took the kids all the way upto Nevada Falls - I was very proud of them because its a tough trail, misty (that's how it gets its name) with patches of snow when we went, and quite a bit of elevation gain. The kids were champs!!

The next day, we took up another challenging trail to upper Yosemite falls - we couldn't go all the way to the top as its a pretty long and tough hike, but we climbed enough to get fantastic views and a great workout. 

We also went to Bridalveil falls where we all got drenched while soaking in the beauty and the roar - these falls have a very small window during the year where they are full, and we went at the perfect time to experience it. 

When I came to US in Jan 2000, Yosemite was the first national park I visited during Spring break of 2000, and I did the mist trail to Nevada Falls back then for the first time. It was a nostalgic and memorable trip for me this time, being able to experience it again with the kids and husband after all these years. 

In July, we took another road trip to the Pacific North West, driving from Folsom to Vancouver through central Oregon and Washington, and covering the Oregon Pacific coast on the way back. I will do a separate post on it, but it was SO BREATHTAKING and memorable. This was our third national park road trip in a row, having done Death Valley and Zion last November during Thanksgiving break. It's a bit more work for husband n I to plan and execute these trips, but these are the kinds of experiences I dig and cherish, so the extra effort is worth it. 

In August, kids started the new academic year. For the first time, they are now at the same school so one pickup and one drop-off for us HURRAY!! 

The daughter has a Gujarati teacher (Ms. Patel) this year....she was pretty excited to be in her class. She's been okay so far - I won't write much here as this is a public domain, but it's going to be an interesting year for me as a parent. But school is school, and she is only in 3rd grade, and I try not to take too much stress about academics at this point.

She took a break from soccer last year but is back at it this year. She's not great at it, but I love that soccer forces us to get outdoors on the field three times a week, and gives her much needed outdoor exercise as well as team playing skills. She continues her swim (she is at comp level), she did competitive basketball tryouts and got selected so basketball comp training just started this past Sunday, and she also started vocal singing lessons with her brother. We've taken a break from Kathak as we tried 2 teachers so far, and both got pregnant and stopped teaching. At this point, there is no activity other than soccer that I have to drive them separately for, and that has been a big blessing for us in terms of logistics. 

Arts, Sciences and Sports are the three top things she loves. Although she says she is not fond of dancing, after every performance on stage, she asks me when is the next one? The social aspect of hanging out with girlfriends, listening to new songs and learning a choreographed routine brings joy to her....

She is also a big foodie, and given a choice, would spend all her free (or busy ;)) time in the kitchen. She loves chopping vegetables, running the juicer, adding spices to curries that we cook - I want to take her interest to the next level in 2020 and teach her a few basic recipes that she can independently cook. Her top choice is brownies :). But we will add in some healthy items too. 

Oh, she is also now into Harry Potter. We are taking it slowly, she is yet to watch the movies, but she has the entire set, and will slowly finish it. We are going to London next summer, so Potter world is on the list to visit for her. I can't wait for her brother to join her in a year or so.....and we will become Potter maniac household for few years. 

By the grace of God and blessings of everyone around us, she is growing up happy and healthy!!