Gilroy Gardens/Easter weekend!

Shomir, holding Emma, next to Lily, and with me and Anne on the other side of "Garlic Gil"

I had the most wonderful two days off I've had in a while! Maybe part of it was not having to work for two days in a row! I'm now going into my fourth week of this L and D rotation (2nd week of nights) and am really beat; however, one of the perks of being on nights (besides more deliveries, which I got last week [yay!], and no rounding w/ the attending [only prerounding]) is having all day Saturday and most of Sunday (until coming back at 6:15 p.m. for night shift) off!

I had post-nights Friday clinic, which was quite draining (and where I realized I have to refer one of my pts, pregnant with twins, to the OB dept. b/c they are too "high risk" for us to follow :(), but then went home, slept a couple hours, and then got up to head to Millbrae, CA (just south of San Fran) to where Shomir's sister Marie lives with her husband Adam and three kids, Anne, Lily, and Emma. On the way, we made a stop at a wonderful and renowned Chinese place, Hong Kong Flower Garden, where we ate some yummy braised frog and so didn't make it to the house until the kids were in bed, but we ourselves were beat so hit the hay early after a bit of socializing.

It was a good thing, because we needed our energy for Saturday, which was filled with an expedition to Gilroy Gardens (/Bonfonte Gardens), this Family amusement park with rides tailored for young kids in a botanical garden setting (where Circus trees abound), in Gilroy, which is the garlic capital (of CA/the world? I'm not sure. I remember driving through the town with Amy when we returned from Monterey and it really does smell of garlic!).

It was a great time! Weather was gorgeous, scenery beautiful, and we had fun on the kiddie rides (well, with the exception of the Mushroom Swing, which Anne loves but which, every time, makes the adults nauseated. I was the lucky nominee to ride with Anne this time and I was definitely green for a good half-hour afterwards). I took a bunch of pictures! Enjoy!

Shomir on the Merry-Go-Round Anne near the frog fountain

Anne with (my favorite!) the Banana Split Swing. This (like those Viking boats) was scary, even for me!The Swan boats
Family boat ride

Marie and Adam with Emma (all you can see is her bow!)

Dolphin hedge

The smaller girls (Lily on the left, Emma to right) with Gil

Lily the monkey
Shomir with Emma

Saturday night, a babysitter watched the girls while the "adults" went out for AMAZING Indian food at Roti. Mmm. Made me think of JB's cooking :) Then, this morning, we awoke to find the girls already at it at their Easter Basket search. I even got one! After abstaining for sweets for so long, I think I should have taken it a bit slower with the a.m. chocolate, but Cadbury Cream Eggs are just sooooooooooo good.

We headed off to church, where there was beautiful brass music, and then back home for ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and lunch outside in the backyard. And, of course, there was an Easter egg hunt.

Here's Lily with her goodsAnne with her full basket

It was such a great time. We tried very hard to get a "group" picture before Shomir and I headed back to Sac, but with three kids under 7, that is a tall order. This (sadly) was the best result. It's me on the chaise, Adam's cousin Nicole and husband Reuben, Marie holding Emma, and Anne in the sundress.

Ah. Weekends are so glorious. I can't wait until NEXT weekend, too, when Laura and Tony will be here (they come Thursday! So excited! Gotta think of fun things to do!) :)