Bro Gang

Bobby boy now has some friends in the neighborhood. A couple houses down one way is Ryan, and a couple houses down the other way is Zuhair. They call each other Bro. So they are the Bro gang. 

Zuhair is in Bobby's school too (but not in the same class). Today coming back from school Bobby boy told me he and Zuhair met at recess and decided they will play at his house after school. I nodded, but then I protested, "I was not consulted when this program was being made". So Bobby boy smoothly reminded me, I was not actually invited (since I'm not in the Bro gang)! Because I'm not a boy! (Eye roll)

Not A Snow Day, It Was A Snow Week

Last week was momentous here. Last Friday night a cold weather system was going to take the temperatures to a deep dive. There was a significant chance of freezing rain and snow flurries on Saturday. Chance of snow is music to my ears! 

It rained sleet all day Saturday.  But no snow. Then late night on Saturday and then Sunday, there was finally some snow. Everything was white outside. It was bitter cold. Dulce was the first to explore but then after a couple minutes came running back home. I wondered if Dulce remembers last year. 

Last year it snowed several inches. There were snow ball fights. Bad people (Bobby, Haana) had ganged up together to get me with snowballs! Their alliance feel apart when i responded with vengeance and snowball prowess! Then we all snowballed Dulce doggo together. But he put his long legs to good use and was able to dodge most and take off galloping. Only to return with full speed and wagging trail. Nana (maternal grandpa) came out to play in the snow too! Later, Raj, Bobby boy and little miss Haana tried to put together a snowman. But Dulce, in his excitement jumped on it and that was the end of that snowman. Later we all built another one in our backyard. A bigger better one. And this one had a cap, a scarf and a carrot nose. Only, Dulce doggy took off with much of his nose soon. Nana and nani took pictures with our snowman, as did we all!

This year was different though. It was more sleet than snow, so it wasn't snow-fight-worthy! But Bobby boy's friend Ryan's mom came by and offered to take them sledging in a small sledge she had! The boys played outside, sliding their bikes and scooters on the ice! Bobby even tried to fall so he could slip and slide on the ice! I wasn't so hot with the prospect of slipping or sliding, thank you very much! 

Little miss Haana was getting a bit stir crazy by Sunday, so proposed we walk to a Boba tea place around the corner. Usually just a 5 minute walk from our place. But i wondered if it will be open in such a weather. She insisted she's already checked online. So off we bundled up and went. Later Raj and Dulce doggo joined too. Doggo enjoying running around as always and ferreting bunnies in the grass wherever we went (he catches none). It took us a good 20 minutes to reach the Boba place in the snow and ice. And that's when we found the place was closed!! Ha ha, no surprise there! We then turned around and started our trek back home. 

The ice stayed around for several days and in fact still lurks around on walkway corners. The school was closed from Monday through Thursday! Both Bobby boy and especially little miss Haana have never smiled so broadly in the evenings everytime we got notified 'school is closed tomorrow'! I stayed home and worked from home which seemed extra busy! I might need a recovery day on Friday after this week! But we parents congratulated each other on school reopening on Friday! It really was a fri-yay! 

Not the usual snow day of this year, but a fun week nevertheless. Of course immensely grateful for power,  heat and water at home. 

The Very First Interview

Yesterday little miss Haana had the very first interview of her life! She has auditioned before, but this was the first interview, really. 20 minutes. 

On the previous night we talked at the dinner table about what kind of questions she can expect and what she wants to talk about during the interview. I expected to eavesdrop during the interview obviously. I even knew where i wanted to position myself during the interview so i can hear everything but I'm not on the camera. A fly on the wall location. I will be sitting on the chair next to little miss Haana's table in her room.

The next morning it had snowed slightly and Bobby's friend showed up wanting to play outside. I was helping Bobby put on his snow pants, then snow jacket, then socks, shoes, gloves before he steps outside. But by the time i was done with him and headed upstairs, the interview had already begun and I wasn't in my eavesdrop location!!

The door to her room was almost shut but just a slightly ajar. I decided the camera must be on her, so I will be able to quietly sneak in and go along the far wall of the room to sit on the chair without being visible on camera. I got down on my hands and knees just to be safe. Surely the camera is focusing higher on her face and the wall behind her. But just as I was creeping through the door on my hands n knees (mortified to even write this, but in reality not at all out of character for me at home), little miss Haana laughs during the interview and says "Hello mother!". I knew I had been made. It probably didn't help that i was wearing a bright red jacket that could be used to stop 4 way traffic!. So i got up on my feet and waved a hello (and goodbye) and got out of the room and moved the door to close (but still slightly ajar as before). I sat outside the door on the stair leading up to her room, listening in to the interview. After a few minutes Raj hissed at me from downstairs, asking me what am I doing sitting there. I gesticulated I'm listening to her. He shook his head and disappeared, only to come back in a couple minutes with a cup of chai for me to sip sitting on the stairs.

Soon it was over and miss Haana came outside giggling. She said she knew I was right there cause she could hear my chai cup from inside. We started talking about the interview but Raj called out that he wants in on all the scoop too. So we headed downstairs. Little miss Haana couldn't stop laughing as she started to tell Raj how mom was caught on camera during the interview crawling into her room, and how the interviewer could see mom crawling in too! And how hilarious it was!! They all laughed. We all laughed. In fact the image of seeing someone crawling in to the room, on hands and knees, during a meeting is hard to shake off!! Can you imagine?! I'm part mortified and part can't stop laughing at that picture! She says she'll never let me forget it.. (groan!)

Doggy Play Date

Most days nowadays Bobby boy plays with Dulce after dinner. They play tag. Sometimes they run behind the same toy. Dulce lets Bobby grab the toy from him and run away, and then he runs behind Bobby wagging his tail in excitement! Sometimes when Bobby grabs holds of a toy and refuses to play with him, Dulce barks. His friendly bark. "Come on, throw it now!", he seems to be saying. 

Dulce is a good dog! 

The 2025 Goodbye

December 2025 holiday season was great! We spent it chilling at our around the house. 

For the end of the year, Bobby had a Christmas musical at school. All the kindergarteners were reindeers!!

Bobby went on mid morning or late afternoon walks with Dulce prancing in tall grass with his antler headband, looking like a legit reindeer! 

Before Christmas little miss Haana had planned a secret santa with her friends. So we planned a holiday party with most of her friends and their parents. Menu was created, and this time, little miss Haana set up a restaurant store front online, so people could scam qr code on their phone and also place their food order. The order would arrive at the tablet set up in the kitchen, with the item reqested, special instructions and who it was for! Staff (me) could then hand deliver the food once prepared! It was super fun!! With endless chai and mimosas!! Thoroughly enjoyed it!!

Little miss Haana and Bobby boy put together the ginger bread truck with santa in it! It was so reminiscent of the little blue truck series they both love!

All of us played varying degrees of part in building a batch of lego Christmas ornaments for the christmas tree. 

Like every year, Elfie continued to hide in pain sight around the house, but he was discovered way too easily most days!!

Little miss Haana and I started a new tradition of mother daughter (or is it sisters?!) coffee-and-a-book date with each other. We go to a coffee place!

For Christmas, little miss Haana and Raj had a bake off where they each made a puff pastry and I was the judge to decide which one is the best! I was so enjoying my drink!

Little miss Haana and I cooked together from scratch (with no scrimages or full blown fights) for Raj's birthday dinner. It was an east Asian cuisine - Japanese miso soup, vietnamese fresh spring rolls and Cantonese crispy fried rice. 

We had our annual goat biryani and curry also all from scratch courtesy Raj for the new years' lunch! This was a long lunch because everyone wanted to take just one more tiny serving. 

But somewhere during the holidays I decided to renew my friendship with art. I've been wanting to make a new piece for awhile. We visited a nearby park one afternoon and the slanted rays of the sun against the majestic trees is just what i needed! Asked little miss Haana to take some pictures. This is what I'm going to make, i decided. With heavy artistic liberties, of course! When I finally got around to it, Bobby boy decided he wants to paint too. 5 year old Bobbys are not easily dealt with when they want to do something. So i had to relent and hand him the loaded brush. And again and again! Bobby did quite a bit and little miss Haana came and added some of her magic on the top right portion. 

In the end, it was a fun fun thing to do, and it turned out beautiful courtesy of both little miss Haana and Bobby boy, it was a joint effort!

The holidays were a fun fun affair!!

I Made It

Upon finding her new lunch box and sidekick soup container don't quite fit her lunch tote bags, little miss Haana found an idea of making a lunch tote. And so she immediately embarked upon making a lunch tote for herself. Bobby boy hung around with her, helping her in any way he could. There was an issue or two that cropped up but were addressed. And a few hours later, voila!! She had her very own lunch tote!! And she posted on the family group, three of my favorite words from her "I made it"! :-D

Santa Ples Don't Eat This Truck

Bobby boy had seen this package of gingerbread truck a while back, and we had bought it. Just before Christmas Bobby and little miss Haana worked on it together to build the gingerbread truck. It reminded me of little blue truck story series we read often!

Having seen how we are supposed to leave cookies and milk for Santa, Bobby left a note on front of the truck for Santa. 

It read "Santa pleas don't eat this truck"!!