Just Like Big Bro

 Check out these cute videos of little brother mimicking big brother.

Deck cartwheel

Garage spins 

I love seeing these little guys play together.

Bar Mitvah

On Saturday, we attended the Bar Mitzvah of Elias, the son of our friends Courtney and James. Neither Kelvin nor I know many people of Jewish faith, and it was the first celebration of this kind to which we'd been invited, which is a huge deal in their religion (the ritual marking the coming of age of a 13-year-old), celebrated much like a wedding day! We had to bring out our best clothing (and thankfully had some to fit the boys, although Iver was reluctant to don a tie and jacket) for the occasion.

The special day started in the morning at the Temple (Synagogue) Beth El in Eureka, with a long (almost 3-hour) service, in which Elias was celebrated, blessed, presented with the Tallit (prayer shawl), processed with the Torah scroll (heavy!), gave a speech, and during which different friends and family members read (sung) many scriptures in Hebrew from the holy book (Aliyot).  Between the non-familiar traditions and language, we were pretty lost (Iver decided to take a nap halfway through the service), but still found it very interesting (we had left Niall, who was already napping at the time we had to leave, at home with K's parents).  It was followed by a Kiddush luncheon with bagels, lox, toppings, and fruit.

 

All dressed up, ready to go

 

 

I didn't get many photos (I wasn't sure of the rules in a synagogue so was very hesitant but saw others taking photos so I jumped in), but here is one of the boys, who (along with the men) were encouraged to wear yarmulkes during the service.

This is a shot of Courtney holding the Torah scrolls and Elias following with his prayer shawl, which was a family heirloom presented to him by his grandfather.

 

We had the afternoon off (Niall and Kelvin napped), and then in the evening, we attended the reception/party in Eureka.

All dressed up and lovin' on Pep, prior to leaving

 

Some pre-reception family photos, which actually turned out well!

Papa with his youngest

Brothers

This guy is a ham

 

  

(Wild child)

We dropped off K's parents at the airport just before leaving for the reception.

The grandparents really enjoyed their visit with us!

The reception was held at the Ingomar (private) Club at the Carson Mansion, which is a beautiful Victorian house (built in 1885) in Old Town Eureka and former home to one of Northern California's lumber barons (William Carson). 

We enjoyed appetizers, drinks, dinner, and dancing before bringing our overtired children home about two hours before the festivities were set to end.


What a day! Shabbat shalom. Mazel tov, Elias!

Humboldt Bay Social Club

To celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary, Kelvin and I got away for an evening + overnight locally while his parents graciously picked up the boys from school and watched them overnight. 

We had a nice dinner at Arcata's Campground restaurant, and then headed to our lodging at Humboldt Bay Social Club in Samoa, a coastal peninsular area south west of Arcata. 

The lodging venue, open since May of 2017, is on the site of a former WWII blimp base and then municipal airstrip, and sits adjacent to Samoa Drag Strip, a historic racing grounds that hosts street-legal races in the summer months. 

There are multiple quaint rooms on the "Samoa Field" side, as well as other lofts and cabins in Oyster Beach (a hub of vacation rentals) across the road. 

We were lodged in Bunk 9, which had bunk full-sized beds and a cozy sitting area, but without a private bathroom (which was fine-- I didn't see another soul using the shared shower and bathroom just down the hall). The room was complete with complimentary snacks, beers, and coffee, and the Lobby Bar (on site of the former hangar) was just a short hallway away, serving drinks, snacks, and fresh oysters. 

We wandered around the grounds in the evening light, checking out the DIY-barbecue stations, outdoor games, and vintage lounge areas, as well as the outdoor Bath House with a large claw-foot tub.

 

These "beach wagons" were free to use if we wanted to go down to the dunes.

Vintage trailer-turned coffee station

We both slept amazingly well, although our bodies still wake us up at the time that our kids usually do, circa 5:40 a.m.  I enjoyed a morning jog on the drag strip, in-room coffee, a hot shower and some watching Wimbledon time before we headed back home late morning to rejoin the family.

It was a nice little getaway, and a really neat place to have so close (20 min) to home.

Happy July Week

For our family, the first week of July has a lot of things to celebrate.

Kelvin's Dad's birthday is July 1st and he was still up here for the big day.   Iver made ông nội a very nice card.
 

 

Loving on his grandsons 

Kelvin and I celebrated our eighth anniversary on July 2nd (see separate post on our little getaway).

On July 4th, we went to Eureka Old Town's Fourth celebration, which was a nice place to walk around on a sunny day.

 We enjoyed some beach time in Samoa, where the boys had a blast in the waves and sand.

 

 

 

 

  

Watermelon was a hit

 

 Iver enjoyed running in and out of the waves and enlisted ông nội in his antics (only one of them fell in).

 

Niall wasn't so thrilled about the water...

... but enjoyed toddling on the sand

Happy birthday, ông nội and U.S.A.!