Sweet Unicorn Dreams!

Iver is really into unicorns (and all things rainbow-related).

When we asked him if he wanted a new backpack for "Kindergarten" so he could pass his old cat backpack down to Niall, he requested one with unicorns on it (and he got it).

Niall officially outgrew his crib (escaping constantly) a couple of weeks ago, so we moved him to the full-size bed which was already in the kids' room (formerly Iver's bed). Iver has actually been sleeping in the guest room for the past several months which has worked out well, as he goes to sleep a bit later and often wakes up earlier than his still-napping younger brother (now that we're in a great place with family sleep, we really don't want the kids waking each other up!), and we haven't had any guests any time in the recent past nor are there plans for the intermediate future.  However, we really would like the boys to share a room and sleep (they did share a room for some period of time, but I can't remember exactly when or for how long), and we thought that this was a good time to try to re-visit the arrangement.

We considered getting bunk beds, but Iver got a bit gun-shy after he remembered the story about auntie Vanessa falling out of her loft bed as a kid and preferred a closer-to-floor-level bed (we figured two full-size beds also allows some flexibility if we have other guests or sleepovers in the future). Iver was enticed by the thought of special unicorn sheets for his new bed-- here they are.

One of his sweet teachers, Cila, knowing how much he likes unicorns, gifted him this unicorn nightlight, which complements the room decor well (since Niall loved it so much, she even got him one, too!).

Gloria, another teacher, also got him a water bottle, which he keeps at school. 

It's been a couple of nights of pretty peaceful room-sharing and sweet (unicorn) dreams for the kiddos!  We hope it continues!

Holy Snakes Sunday!

We had lovely sunny weather this weekend and went for a neighborhood stroll on Sunday which was rife with critters!

Iver (who was riding around with Niall in a wagon) spotted a "green thing" crawling along the road, and asked to get a closer look... it was a praying mantis, which he'd never seen before!

On the same walk, we saw three additional snakes. I've seen the occasional salamander or critter on walks, but never had I seen so many reptiles on one walk.

One was splayed across the sidewalk on the hill up from our house, with its guts out, from unknown causes (? a hawk or other). It appeared to be dying, but was still moving a tiny bit.

Niall was fascinating and still talks about the "snake with its guts out."

We saw another tiny one slither across our path into a wall crack.

And then, right in front of our own house on our return, we saw this striped one making its way across our lane.

Kelvin's parents were really freaked out at seeing pictures of the kids so near these snakes. To be honest, I am not very keen on reptiles, and don't know much about snakes except to avoid the ones with triangle heads (we were scared by a rattler a few years ago hiking in Willow Creek). I'm pretty sure that these were all harmless garter or other snakes, but I am sure glad they were outside! I can't believe we came across so many all on one walk!

A letter to my oldest son on his first day of Kindergarten ("Zoom School 2020-2021")

Dear Iver,

You are a brilliant, spirited, now-kindergarten-aged student who has shined brightly in your young life.
From the rapid-fire way you flew into this world five and a half years ago,
to the 4:40 a.m. daily waking time you maintained for years as a toddler,
to the energy with which you hurtle through each day
and the strong opinions you've held about sleep, food, play, clothes, music, and more...
you are destined to succeed as a student, and as a lifelong learner and determined leader,
blazing your way over hurdles and persisting through hard times,
and will be someone who will undoubtedly change our world for the better
as you grow into an adult.

I was so excited for you to start your first year of formal "school" this year,
as I remember fondly those awkward but exciting times of starting class after summer. 
I couldn't wait to see how you would blossom in such an environment, 
one which brought me so much joy as a nerdy young girl (and for decades since)
and which would allow me to re-live the grade school experience again
now as an adult and mother,
through the eyes of a (my own dear) child looking towards your future.

When, back in the spring, we were all told to stay home and wear masks, I grieved
that you may not remember your preschool teachers' and friends' faces
and that you would not be able to witness the full smiles of those that love you,
or that you'd feel the weighty loss of not being able to a library or playground for a very long time.
You have shown me that kids are resilient and adaptable,
that they are incredibly capable and versatile learners;
you remind me daily that you are okay despite it all (and we will be, too),
and that masks don't hide love.

So while I have cried and wallowed in Zoom gloom and doom
that your introduction to your kindergarten teacher and elementary school today
was to be through headphones and a glowing screen, without me or your father by your side,
but which was facilitated by the heroic childcare teachers that have helped to raise you
into the kind, loving, and smart being that you are
and who have allowed us to keep working to keep our community healthy,
you continue to smile at being "allowed" to use technology
that was previously a special weekend perk, 
and are making the most of staying connected and learning virtually "at a distance,"
even though we wish it were another way.

And despite the chaotic nature of this historic and devastating year,
and the overwhelm of coordination of schedules, log-ins, passwords, connectivity, and screens,
of interpersonal disconnection and disruption despite our privilege to have virtual contact,
and though I am having a hard time swallowing my grief
and hiding my tears for you and for all the young children of this world,
for the unjust theft of this year for school and for your childhood 
and of not having things be "normal," and developmentally appropriate,
for none of this being your fault, 
yet for you having to bear the steep price of the failure of the adults in this country
to keep you and all people safe,
you teach me that "normal" is an ever-moving target,
"normal" is what you know and make of it,
and we can forgive, forget, and keep bouncing back.
I despair that you are being asked to carry the burden,
in the most unnatural and unfair of consequences
of your elders not playing by the rules; 
however, you show me that
we will make it to the other side of this,
stronger, knowing more, 
one day at a time.
I grieve the loss of your in-person kindergarten experience,
but through this shared trauma,
we are (I am) being taught so many important lessons
about how to get through what life throws at us 
and to be okay with all of the "unknowns"
as, while all of these adjustments seem hard, 
they're not impossible.
Sometimes kids can be the best teachers for adults.

It won't always be this way.
Someday, you will have your first "real" day of in-person elementary school,
and I will cry tears of joy, pride, and of celebration,
rather than those of disappointment,
as I drop you off with a backpack and your hopeful smile, 
into the rooms and arms of your capable grade school teachers
and alongside your peers and potential new lifelong friends.
One day in the (with hope) not-too-distant future, 
this will be a memory, 
a small speed bump in the long educational road ahead of you,
and just part of history which other kids will learn about in schools.
You will be again able to play, mask-less and free,
learn closer than six feet apart from
and be "allowed" to hug your friends and loved ones,
and your (our) journey of "normal" learning will continue
and whatever our "new normal" life looks like will go on.

Your energy, 
your passion,
your strength,
your persistence,
your hunger for knowledge and truth,
your desire to grow and make things better for others,
and your simple daily joy of just living in the face of such challenges
keeps me going through it all.
In this unprecedented year of "firsts," and one which we will never forget, I sincerely hope you had a wonderful first day at "school," my sweet kindergartner.

I love you always,
Mom

Check out the amazing board that our childcare did with Iver! Their sign rocks!

(One of these days, both of our boys will be in "school")

Exotic fruit-a-holic

 Both of our kids adore fruit, especially tropical fruit like mangoes, rambutan, and longans!

Kelvin's parents sent up some longans (which we actually can get sometimes from an Asian grocery store in Eureka), and Niall was incredibly enthusiastic!

He's really good at biting off the flesh and spitting out the seeds!

Cutting strawberries at school

Fruit popsicle!

Niall helped Kelvin grocery shop for Rambutan (called "chom chom" in Vietnamese). We even found some Mangosteen last weekend!

Showing off his big post-fruit-meal belly!

Yum, yum.

18th, 19th, 2020 - A Year for Women

This is a historic year on many accounts. This week (August 18th, to be precise) marked the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which enfranchised (white) women to vote in this country, after a 70+ years' long effort propelled by the convention in Seneca Falls.  How wonderful would it have been to be celebrating the centennial of (some) women's suffrage (as black women didn't get afforded full voting rights until closer to 1965 although black men were technically enfranchised with the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870, although not without barriers to actually exercising their right) in this country with appropriate representation, like with a qualified woman holding the office president or being a current presidential nominee?

Obviously our country is not quite there yet.  I just finished feminist writer Rebecca Traister's excellent book "Good and Mad," in which she chronicles women's historic struggles for representation, freedom from oppression and sexual violence, and the fury which, especially in light of the outcome of our 2016 election and #MeToo, will lay dormant no more. Traister is a wonderful writer and I am proud to join her in being one of those "angry American women" trying to channel the "righteous fury of under-representation" into progress and activism (and not just blog-ranting). I sincerely hope we are amidst a huge sea change in the culture around women's place in all workplaces and in all levels of government so that true representation of our interests can become a reality.  Why did it take 150 years since the founding of our country to allow women to vote (something which I think we probably now take for granted!)? How can women make up more than 50% of our country's population, yet make up less than a quarter of congressional seats and never have been represented in presidential or vice presidential elected leadership?  (Of course we know why, and this is why we're mad).  Women are practical, empathetic, consensus builders who overwhelmingly will prioritize children, health, family policies, and education, and we will all be better off with them making the big decisions and the laws! We would be much better off during this current pandemic if we'd had HRC leading us (Trevor Noah recently interviewed her remotely in his "Late Night Socially Distanced show" and asked her, "What are you doing with your time? You know, besides going around everywhere saying, 'I told you so, I told you so....'?" :))

I am thrilled  at the selection of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden's running mate for the position of Vice President, which was announced last week. While I have been behind Kamala for a long while, as she is a whip smart, savvy, personable, and engaging woman of color who has represented my home state in the Senate and before, and would make a a great president (I even have a bumper sticker from having donated to her campaign), it's true that our country built on racism and (white) patriarchy may sadly still not quite be ready for a woman (especially of one of color) to be the actual presidential nominee or president-elect. Nevertheless, my sense of the winds of change in this country (if we can combat vote suppression of minorities and elect diverse officials) is that we are not far away, and that is incredibly exciting and gives me a small amount of hope in such dark times (and I cannot wait to see her debate Mike Pence). I don't know if Kamala herself is THE future of our party and our country but she could very possibly be just a 77-year-old heartbeat away from the presidency if we get things right this election year, which I will happily take as a win and progress for all of those citizens who feel like their voices have been silenced and gone unheard. I would be thrilled to vote for her (or any other progressive and qualified woman, as my favorite candidate was Elizabeth Warren) for not only the supporting role but the head job itself. I wasn't a huge fan of Joe Biden as the most qualified Democratic candidate this year, but I am all in for getting him elected now and especially proud of him for understanding our current cultural and historical circumstances, and having the backbone to put a eminently qualified woman like Kamala at his side on the ticket if she couldn't actually be leading it. How amazing could it could be for all the little girls (and boys) of color in this country, including those of African-American or Asian/Indian descent (like I am!), to see someone like them, and the first such woman ever, holding higher office?

 

Many experts call 1992 the "Year of the Woman" in light of the historic election of women to higher office in light of multiple sexual harassment claims, continuing the strong feminist work of prior decades.  If Donald Trump was the result of the angry white-lash to our election of Barack Obama (sadly, our only non-white-male president in the history of our country), let the tears of women's grief and anger of the past few years nourish those seeds and make 2020 and beyond Years of WOMEN (and, with hope, lots of women of color) in response!

Crater Lake

Even though during the last couple of months of this "pandemic" summer, we have been exploring outdoor spaces close to home, we had not ventured out of our county or more than an hour from home in over five months.  

The kids had a school closure day early this month that came at the end of our previously requested paid time off  (where we had planned to go to Orange County to see K's family but cancelled due to COVID). After careful deliberation, we decided to take a short less-than-48-hours' road-trip north to Crater Lake in Oregon, which is about five and a half hours from us. I know that some people will judge or possibly shame us for having left the county/(state), but also that others have done far more congregating and socializing or traveling in the last five months than we have done in our at-home life since the pandemic began, in which we have been very strict. In fact, I debated whether or not to even post publicly about our short excursion, but decided to go ahead here, as I like to look back on/reference past trips and pictures on this blog and I feel comfortable with our decision by the precautions we took. I can assure you that we were extremely safe during our trip, spending our time either in the car or hiking outdoors, staying in a private AirBnb apartment with a lockbox entry for two nights in Medford (and sanitizing high-touch surfaces), bringing our own cooler of food and child potty, wearing masks except for our photos, staying well away from others, and physically distancing at all times. Despite seeing many Trump-Pence signs in rural southern Oregon, we did not feel unsafe at all during the trip or that we were doing anything high-risk.

While we've launched several road trips to Oregon (the Oregon Coast, Southern OR/ Ashland area, Portland, and Bend, mostly pre-kids) from where we live now, the last time Kelvin and I had visited Crater Lake was a decade ago in 2010 on a trip up from Sacramento to visit the coastal redwoods (in an area which we have now lived for nine years!) and where we snowshoed in May! 

  

While this was a bit of a whirlwind trip with a lot of driving (think: listening to the Hamilton soundtrack on repeat) relative to "doing stuff," the riverside [Smith, then Rogue Rivers] scenery really was lovely (despite being curvy at times-- Dramamine, which has helped Iver, is great!), and it was very much worth it. The mountain lake caldera and Rim Drive, which is inaccessible as much as eight months of the year due to snow, was stunning. The views we had, and pictures we took (with a borrowed selfie stick) were incredible, and we enjoyed some warm summer weather (and water playtime) to boot-- it was a perfect time to visit and very easy to social distance.

We saw our friends the elk north of Orick

Crater Lake is Oregon's deepest lake (1932 feet) in the caldera of Mt. Mazama, while it's not the state's biggest. It also forms the state's only National Park (and one of our country's oldest). It can be visited in the late summer with driving around 33-mile Rim Drive, which encircles the lake, and stopping at various viewpoints and trails (while snow is present most of the rest of the year as it was in May 2010).

First, we stopped at Watchman Overlook. It was actually windy and cold when we got there (at close to 8000 ft)-- we wished we'd had on pants and more layers!

It was an extremely clear day, and we could see the snow-capped peak of Mt. Shasta, over 100 miles away near Redding, California.

We hiked a short but steep and empty trail to Watchman Peak Overlook.

From this viewpoint, we had great views of Wizard Island.

We got some beautiful photos, except for some sunspots due to the hour of the day (we hear that this spot is even lovelier at sunset). The lake has a stunning blue hue. 

We finally made use of a hiking backpack that Wendi passed down to me years ago! 

While the above pictures are what I like to post, this is what a lot of our photos look like:

We drove around the southern rim of the lake first, and saw some waterfalls.

We parked at the trailhead and hiked to Plaikni Falls (which is Klamath Indian for "from the high country," as the falls originate from melting snow high above the volcano).

We ate our packed lunch at the trailhead after our hike.

While Pepper wasn't allowed on most trails, she did enjoy coming along on the trip with us.

 We took some photos by "The Pinnacles," which are interesting looking rocky formations found down a spur road, when the day had warmed up considerably (and we were farther from the lake edge).

Cloudcap Overlook on the eastern rim of the lake also provides beautiful views and is on the highest paved road in Oregon.

Niall was napping in his carseat by this point in the afternoon, but the three of the rest of us popped out of our parked car for some photos.

These are "flag trees," so named as they're shaped by the direction of strong winds.

On the return, two-hour drive back from Crater Lake to Medford, we stopped by Diamond Lake (which still felt cold!) but then found warmer Lost Man Lake with day access, where the kids splashed in the shallow, muddy water while Pepper and I panted on shore.

On the way back home from Oregon the next morning, we stopped at Jedediah Smith State Park to visit the Smith River for the first time. 

Like the Trinity, the water was very green and clear, and we got some good snapshots amidst the water time (and a riverside packed lunch).

We are thankful to have been able to do a sweet summer jaunt to see some truly spectacular sites north of us while staying safe and distanced. Everyone needs to see and visit Crater Lake sometime when this pandemic is over (and August is probably the best time!)-- while a bit difficult to get to unless you live in Northern CA or Oregon, it is truly a magical gem of natural beauty. And now we're hunkered back down for the indefinite future but will have our special memories of our only real "trip" of summer 2020!