Celebration Chinese New Year 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Mommy's Trying to Get Some "Pre-Kids" Game Back

After 4 years of virtually no golfing, this mommy is starting to get some of her golf game back! That's right, this week, I pulled out my golf clubs for the first time in quite some time, and Mike and I took to the driving range after putting the twins into our neighborhood's hourly kids' play center. Upon further reflection, it's actually funny, but there are so many interests/areas/hobbies in my life that I can clearly define in terms of "pre-kids" and "after-kids", and my golfing is one that definitely fits nicely into just such categories. There was a time - "pre-kids" - when Mike and I would go golfing together on average once a week, sometimes more. Then, pregnancy and the early years of tending to twin infants quickly pushed many of mommy's hobbies and interests to the back burner for the better part of 4 years. And, golf was one of those to move to the back burner.

Well, slowly but surely, I am beginning to rediscover some of my former interests. And, discovering them with my husband again, which is a wondeful thing as well! Oh, sure, those interests and hobbies will still be tempered by the needs and priorities of Paige and Taylor (those will always come first) but now that the twins are 4 years old, and far less needy of my direct and ever-present involvement, I am slowly starting to pursue those things which were part of my "pre-kids" life. Here are just a couple of the pictures taken while we were at the driving range this week:

What A Way to Spend A Monday

Sunny. 65 degrees. Two great kids. All the time in the world to play and have fun. Not a bad way to spend a Monday...

Visting with Momo & Poppa from New York

Spending time with grandparents who come to visit can be rewarding for kids, and grandparents hopefully have a blast too! I know we had a blast having Mike's folks visit us last week. Now, let's face it, our parents (both Mike's folks and my folks) really come to see our little ones, not Mike and me. Ha, ha, ha. And, Mike and I think that nurturing the special relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren is important, so we decided to really encourage their time together, without mom and dad around, by taking a 48-hour hiatus to Oregon on the latter part of the grandparents' stay. It was a wonderful getaway for Mike and me, and it was a chance for Paige and Taylor to spend one-on-one time with their grandparents! Their aunt Karin also came to stay for the couple of days Mike and I were travelling, and that too, is always a good time for Paige and Taylor. It was like a special "Grandparents, Aunts and Kids Day" while mommy and daddy were away...

Outings with the grandparents are certainly special, educational, and provide invaluable memories. We traveled into San Francisco for dinner one evening, we toured a wonderful children's museum in San Francisco, we enjoyed ice cream at Ben & Jerry's in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco, we traveled to Amador County to explore some wide, open spaces (oh, okay, and to do some wine tastings), and the grandparents took Paige and Taylor to the zoo one day too which is always a real treat for Paige and Taylor! Even our cookout one night in the backyard became a moment to celebrate the special relationships between generations of family. The memories to last a lifetime! I have posted a series of photos below highlighting our past week...enjoy!

Visiting with Momo & Poppa from New York - An Afternoon in Amador County