crocodile park

typically i would not visit a place like this (asian zoos/animal parks are not known for being very humane) but for the novelty of live animals you can see up close, we just went ahead and did it!

perfect scale

at the "ancient city of siam" there are replicas of all the great thai monuments built in smaller scale. this one, a temple, was perfectly sized for kids to climb though doors and windows.

first days in thailand

feasting on jenny's mom's cooking, jenny, tony and natalie join us for touring in ayutthaya, elephant feeding, and buddhas at ayutthaya.

mahala and emeline go skating

we went "ice" skating at the fairfax pavillion this weekend and we were surprised at how many times those little bodies could fall!!! we went with our good friends nikki, brady and emeline. it was synthetic ice (yum) but it worked just fine for the girls' first skating experience. by the end mahala's cheeks were completely rosey from the hard work she was doing and she did not want to stop. noble was too young but drank hot cocoa on the sidelines with the dads.

Happy Holidays 2009!

Season's greetings to you! We hope you have had a wonderful year and are looking forward to an even better 2010. This year has brought many changes as many of you probably know. We finally finished remodeling our house and sold it. Fortunately the Berkeley market remained strong and it was sold quickly. We moved to Fairfax, a small town about 30 miles northwest of Berkeley. Although we were hesitant to move from Berkeley for so many reasons, we have really enjoyed settling in here.

Douglas has had the biggest adjustment since Berkeley has been his home base since 1985. But now he enjoys a slightly easier commute with no bridges. Things are well at San Quentin, relatively speaking. The mental health department just moved into a new building so now he is set up in a nice office with bay (and, of course, prison) views.

I have not managed to find a job since moving but I am enjoying a break after the big move. Noble is still at home with me most of the time so that keeps me fully entertained. I have also been spending time in Mahala's class for art and cooking. I also continue to master the art of allergen-free cooking for the sake of Noble who continues to have his many food allergies.

Mahala has started kindergarten now and, to our surprise, she immediately loved it and adjusted well. She took Bharathanatyam (Indian) dance lessons this year and hopes to do gymnastics and soccer next year. She continues to be my sous chef - cutting fruit, taking charge of the mixer and cracking eggs. She dislikes pink and princesses, enjoys playdates without mommy and her relationship with her stuffed sea otter has gone from constant physical attachment to almost total neglect, unless someone else touches Ottie, at which time we get to see jealous rage (Noble knows just how to push her buttons). Mahala got her first adult molar earlier this year and has her first wiggly tooth!

Noble has recently started preschool. He goes to two partial days each week, and is still adjusting. He is a happy kid and the family clown. He is very talkative but you need a code book to understand him. For example, the letter "s" usually comes out as "l" (he eats 'loup', wears 'lirts' and 'leeps' in his bed!). We all find it pretty amusing and that's probably why you might find Mahala sounding like a two-year-old. Noble completed potty training, loves wearing his new hand-me-down pink rain boots and eats only because he wants to grow tall enough to ride his new balance bike.

The kids share a room and a bed which seems to have worked out pretty well. Sometimes they fall asleep holding hands but then again, sometimes Mahala walks out of their room and says "he's talking too much" or "he kicked me." They have begun playing 'let's pretend' games (e.g., "we're building a boat out of pillows") which is really sweet. Mahala ususally makes up the rules and for some reason he usually follows them. From this role play they have developed two formal games: "Buckamelicuck" and "Gamaicga." Don't worry if you can't pronounce it-it's their special language.

We have had a great year with lots of time off to go to India, Las Vegas and San Diego with my family and Lake Shasta and Los Angeles with Douglas's family.

We hope to be in touch with you throughout the new year. I am always available at sheebapeter@hotmail.com and Facebook. Douglas is at douglaspfrank@hotmail.com. For live action of some crazy kids we are also on Skype. So besides this blog, there will always be a way to find us!

Merry Christmas, Season's Greetings, Happy Hannakuh, Happy New Year and all the rest!

With much love,
Sheeba, Douglas, Mahala and Noble

christmas at the esparzas

we had a wonderful christmas down in newbury park with deena, gil and the boys. we arrived the day before, as did grandma and papa. by christmas dinner, gil's mom, david, karen, kayla, and david, geri, chuck, cami and colette, as well as grandma georgia, susie, bob, amber and ryan had joined us.
grandma and papa with our gracious hosts, gil and deena

cousins playing 'spoons'....kayla, kendall, david, colette, mahala, spencer, tanner and camille

always abuse for cousin tanner!