February 2022

Family Fun
The biggest headline this month was that we decided to pull Annika from the school trip to DC and Philadelphia; she never wanted to go in the first place, she was so noncommittal that her friends who were going ended up picking other roommates, and then when I saw the list of who *was* going (which included several of her enemies), it was the final straw. So we got our money back, and … sent it to the Walt Disney Travel Co. for a return trip to Disneyland in April! We spent a lot of time watching the Winter Olympics; the kids were much more into it now that they’re a little older (and have seen Cool Runnings, lol). We did Super Bowl Sunday on our own again (thanks to the surging number of covid cases in our area, we weren’t comfortable being indoors all day with guests) but stayed in contact with the Carneys and did the prop bets (which Lukas won, again!). And then of course, there was Valentine’s Day, which mostly means me decorating their breakfast places and them both getting treats and valentines at school from their friends. 

Ski Week getaway
So, since we weren’t going to Tahoe or sending Annika to the east coast, we put together a little getaway for the break week: We drove down to Santa Cruz and checked into a hotel, then spent the day at the Boardwalk. The next day, we hit Mission Santa Cruz (it was closed, but we wandered around and took some pics), then the Mystery Spot; R. and I have been there, 15 years or so ago with Sauce when Mason and Ethan were toddlers, but the kids hadn’t yet, and it was so much fun! We had a great tour guide, and the optical illusions (or magic, whatever) were as mysterious as promised (side note: there were a couple of times I felt actually nauseous, it was so weird — I don’t remember that happening 15 years ago, so I’m blaming my age!). Then we drove down to an airbnb I’d found in Moss Landing, right on the ocean — windswept and cold, but gorgeous area and really nice place. We had an awesome seafood lunch at a place right on the Monterey Bay, then made dinner at the condo and played Cards Against Humanity (Family Edition). The next day, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium; they required masks and proof of vaccination, so it felt safe enough for us, and it ended up being SUCH a fun time! An evening of Mario Kart Uno, and the next day we headed home. To close out the week on an up note, we went to La Fondue — sort of a delayed birthday dinner for me and long-planned treat for us all. It was really really nice to be able to do something like that, after being kept home for so long by stupid-ass covid; La Fondue had outdoor seating and required masks when not eating, so again, it finally felt safe enough to do. Yay!!!

Activities and such
Lukas and his friends managed to orchestrate a day at the Lake Cunningham Skate Park, where they all kind of dared/encouraged each other to try skating feats they probably wouldn’t have tried otherwise, and chased each other around the bicycle pump-track like little maniacs. Annika and Raina were partners on a lengthy and very involved geometry project that somehow meant going to the Children’s Discovery Museum downtown several times to take and re-take some highly specific pictures. Speaking of academic excellence, Annika earned a Student of Excellence certificate for her 4.0 gpa — way to go, babe!

Quotable
Annika, upon hearing the story of how Lukas sustained a jammed finger during recess at the playground from some kid jackassing around: Just tell me an address and give me a knife.