November 2021

Family fun
—We did get around a little bit this month — a couple of unmasked meetups with friends, unthinkable earlier in the pandemic (and soon to be walked back, in the endless pingponging of risk and risk assessment that has ruled these last couple of years, ugh). We went to the Carneys’ for an afternoon, staying mostly outside, for a late lunch/early dinner; we hadn’t seen all of them together in a really long time, so it was a fun hang. We also spent an evening at the Patels’, *indoors*, which was really freaky at first but we got used to it; we had homemade Indian food that even Lukas ate, had a few cocktails, and played with their dog — for a  little while there, it felt like old times!
—On the home front, one of Lukas’s birthday presents came to rule everyone’s free time: a Switch game called Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I am the only non-player; the other three constantly jockeyed for access, swapped tips and tricks, and pursued their own main objectives. We know of several other households in the same boat — nearly every member of Blade Team and their families, for starters; listening to them all talk about the game is pretty hilarious, I tell you what.
—The Van Gogh Experience: We went with Grandma & Grandpa to a traveling event in downtown San Jose that was a sort of multimedia immersive exploration of Vincent Van Gogh’s art. It was really, really cool, even if the kids were ready to go before we were. 

—Thanksgiving: Thanks to the vaccine, and people locally behaving themselves (getting vaxxed — 86% of those eligible — and wearing masks), we were actually able to have the grandparents over for the afternoon and evening (a sofa bed I’d gone to a lot of trouble to acquire wasn’t delivered in time, so they volunteered to sleep on the couches — what a couple of troopers!). We had the traditional menu, we watched the Macy Day Parade, we ate till we nearly burst — it was a good, good holiday together. 

Lukas turns 10!
The little guy hit double digits this year! Yaaaaay! I decorated his place for breakfast (with big red balloon number “10”, like Annika’s rose gold “14”), and went to get donuts before everyone else was up. It was a weekday, so we had to hustle off to school, but that also meant he got a day of being the birthday kid at school, so! Grandma & Grandpa stopped by later with gifts, and then we had burgers for dinner (grilled by Daddy, at his request), cake, and presents; his favorite one by far was the gigantic grey blanket Annika crocheted for him, which he later told me made him feel safe at night because it was “like a big hug from Annika!” d’awww …
The weekend before, we had his Blade Team birthday party on the school grounds. We served hot chocolate and coffee in the airpots I got for Annika’s party, along with cupcakes and snacks, and had everyone bring their lightsabers from Sam’s party the week before; we gave out Jedi robes as party favors, and just let the kids run around for a couple of hours. Everyone had a blast, and all of us parents were hoping that this new kind of low-key party would stick around even after covid eventually fades out. 

Lukas life
It was a pretty big month for Lukas, and not just because of his birthday. We started with an early out week (for parent/teacher conferencing); he and I took a bike ride in the drizzle one afternoon, with fall color ablaze in the air and crispy leaves crunching underneath. Another day was a playdate with Ben; one afternoon was our PT conference with Mrs. Carvajal (which went very well, including her telling us that Lukas had informed her, apropos of nothing, that “Manir is a good kid!”); and highlight of highlights, one afternoon was the day Ami and I took Lukas, Manir and Amira to the Fairgrounds for their first covid vaccination!!! It felt like this day might never come — but we were all so glad it did. The kids hyped each other up, to get through having to get a shot — it was so sweet. And now they’re half vaxxed! Woo hoooooooo! (Of course Lukas came home early from school the next day with a headache, which meant we had to get him tested AGAIN before he could go back … but still, I’ll take it.)
—Birthday boys: Since nearly everyone Lukas knows is a TK kid, they all have their bdays Sept-Nov. This month, in addition to his own, Lukas got to go to Manir’s (Blade Team) birthday, and Sam’s (Blade Team) birthday just a week before his own.
—Lunch with the teacher: Manir won a game at the class Halloween party, the prize for which was a lunch with Mrs. Carvajal, and he chose Lukas as the friend to bring. They had a great time, including getting It’s-Its for dessert.
—Chess and basketball: Among the few non-Zelda entertainments Lukas is interested in were chess — which he picked up the rules of pretty quickly, and taught to me — and basketball, an after-school program every Monday with Ben and Manir. The old NJB Red Blazers team reunited!