Dinosaur Train Guest Stars

Sometime last year (not sure when since everyday is a blur but I can say with certainty it was last year), I took the kids to the Jim Henson studios to a promotion for mommy bloggers. I thought we were going to preview their new show Dinosaur Train and the kids would sit in the audience. But it turns out, they actually wanted to use our kids for a brief explanation clip after the animated segments. I brought Sam into the recording studio as well but the director took one look at him and asked me how old he was. I said, "almost two," which the director repeated back in a mocking tone. "Does he talk?" he asked. "Not that well, but he can talk," I replied. The director turned to Sam. "Sam, can you say Tyrannosaurus Rex?" Sam looked at him blankly with drool coming down his chin. I immediately picked up Sam and said, "Never mind."

Anyhow, the girls almost didn't pull it off. It was really intimidating being in that big room with all these hot lights on them and a stranger asking them to say words that weren't part of their everyday vocabulary. The director almost kicked out our whole group but decided to give them one last shot. Here are the results (if you just want to watch the girls' segment, move the timeline to 3:50).

Two Worthy Causes

There is a five year old boy of Korean descent who needs to find a blood marrow matching donor. Please consider joining the bone marrow registry. Click here to join and a registration kit will come to you. All you need to do is swab the inside of your cheek and send back the sample. Or, if you are like me and joined the registry so long ago you don't even remember when or where you did, then chances are you have moved and the registry does not have your current contact information. Click here to update your address. I couldn't imagine if one of my kids were sick like this. It makes me feel bad for being such a foul-mood mom when they really are such a wonderful gift.

If you live in LA county, please consider signing this petition. LAUSD is going to cut 50% of its arts programs in 2011 and the other 50% in 2012. Help to convince the school board this is a critical mistake. My girls love art so much and to think that there won't be a formal art program available to them at all in school makes me upset. If you are willing to go an extra step, send an electronic letter to our superintendent. All this takes two minutes and hopefully it will make a difference.

No Surrey for Sammy

I got the weekend off from my grueling PB job last weekend so we decided to go to Santa Barbara for the day. It was our first time going and the weather was perfect.

We started off with a leisurely lunch outside.

Then we decided to rent a surrey. Poor Sam wanted to drive and pedal all by himself. So he cried for 75% of our time on the surrey. I held him after a while and even then, it took him a good 15 minutes to calm down. My iron man had to pedal for all of us because having Sam in my lap and trying to pedal was like trying to bike uphill on the 10th gear. Of course, Chang didn't think I was pulling my weight anyway and said it didn't really make a difference whether I pedaled or not. So I didn't and enjoyed the ride with the kids.

We went to the zoo afterward and the best part was this tiny astroturf hill. Kids were "sledding" down the hill on cardboard scraps.

We waited about in an hour long line to ride on a 10 minute train ride.

After the zoo, we went back downtown and rode the carousel.

The girls were really sweet to each other for most of the day. We had a great time and was back home in time to put them to bed just a little past their bedtime.

My Adorable Kids

I don't know what is wrong with me these days but I just think that my kids are so adorable! Maybe it is because the girls are back in school after a two week vacation. Or maybe it is because I know that I am done having more babies so I am just trying to enjoy every second of Sam's baby stages.

Sam's language development has been increasing these days. He doesn't have a lot of words but like Elysha at this age, he is learning phrases more than single words. For instance he says, "It's a drum!" Instead of just saying "drum."

Today, in the car, he called out "mama?" and when I responded to him, "Yes?" He just said, "Ummm..." then silence. Two seconds later, "Mama?" Again, I replied, "Yes?" And again, "Ummm..." Elysha does this to me all the time, but eventually, she would figure out what she really wanted to say. For Sam, however, "Ummm" is what he really wanted to say.

One phrase that he has been saying for a while is, "Mama...where are youuuuuuuuuu?" He repeats this over and over as he wonders around the house looking for me. What a sad statement about how little I actually play with him during the day that he has to go around the house calling for me.

He completely mimics the way Chang brushes his teeth. He stands on the step stool at the sink, grabs his toothbrush, brushes his teeth, turns on the sink, rinses his toothbrush, taps it on the side of the sink, put it away, grabs a cup, turns on the sink, fills the cup up with water, takes a sip and spits it out. For a while, he would drink the water, but he has finally learned to spit it out.

He also has been singing the Barney song all the time these days. "I love you, You love me." Although it sounds more like, "I oh ooo, oooo oh eeee!" At least he has the melody right...

The girls are going to be on TV (unless, they get edited out)! But we got a chance to meet Lisa Henson (Jim Henson's daughter) and the other producers and creators of a new PBS Kids show coming out this fall called the Dinosaur Train. It was kind of stressful but cool.

International Friends

Being in LA is great because we get to meet so many people from all around the world. I randomly met a family who lived in Australia and was visiting LA. The mom and I kept in touch via email and then last July, they moved out to LA. It was supposed to be for longer but because of the economy, they had to return home to Australia last month. We got really close while they were here but now I feel like I have a very good friend on the other side of the world. We'd like to go visit next winter, if it all works out.





















Sam goes to music class once a week and we have become friends with this little boy whose mom is from France. She has a beautiful accent and speaks to her son in French. Sam and his little friend hung out together at the Grove the other day and they had so much fun. They might need to move back to France too so I'm really bummed.

We're so blessed to meet so many cool people from all around the world but it's always so sad to think of them leaving.