Our first day at Universal was the day before Thanksgiving. It wasn’t all that busy (at least not compared to the next day, or to the times we’ve visited Disneyland), and we had plenty of time to wander around the Harry Potter section of the park. True fans of the books and movies have tons to geek out about there: Walking through the gates to Hogsmeade, you really feel like you’re part of the wizarding world. We went on several rides (including Zoe’s favorite, the 3D – and very realistic - Forbidden Journey ride), but to me they were almost beside the point. Just looking around and being immersed in the surroundings was worth the price of admission!

-M

When we heard last year that Universal Studios down in LA was opening Harry Potter Wizarding World, we knew we’d have to take the girls someday. Zoe’s 10th birthday turned out to be the perfect time to do it, and the four of us headed down last Tuesday and wound up spending two days there. I have tons of photos to share; for now, here’s one of my favorites – of the girls holding their wands.

-M

When Zoe was quite small, I asked her when she’d want me to stop bouncing and singing to her each night; her answer, after some thinking, was when she turned ten. At the time, it was hard to imagine her ever being that old – she was so little! And yet, here we are, facing a huge milestone of a birthday. Zoe is ten years old today.

I’ll post a full update here soon, but for now I’ll share a few photos of her from over the years and quickly reflect on what what November 23, 2006 means to me. Having Zoe plunked on my stomach that Thanksgiving night (11:11 PM) was the best moment of my life – despite her crooked nose and funny little face, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And becoming a mom and learning from a girl who often seems wise beyond her years has been humbling, exhilarating, exhausting, and amazing. I learn from her almost every day, and I can’t wait to see what kind of (gulp) woman she grows into and how our relationship evolves over the next 10 years.

Oh, and as for our nighttime routine? I stopped bouncing her long ago, but she recently amended her plan and still wants me to sing my lullaby (which I made up when she was a baby) to her every night. She said I can stop when she turns 18.

-M

My favorite photo from Zoe’s party…

-M

More photos now from Zoe’s slumber party, which included (along with hotel-themed activities) a trip to a local sewing store, where the girls made their own PJ bottoms. And did the girls sleep at all? Let’s just say Zoe was very, very tired the next day.

-M

To celebrate her upcoming birthday, Zoe decided to throw a hotel-themed slumber party. She and her dad set up Hotel Browdy, which featured a restaurant, spa and five guest rooms; made Hotel Browdy shirts; and prepared room keys, hotel maps and a check-in stand for guests. I was impressed with their creativity and level of detail and couldn’t help but wonder: Could a gig in the hospitality industry be in Zoe’s future?

-M

Avery’s class has fourth-grade buddies that periodically visit to help out with projects – like a recent measurement-focused one. And look who Avery chose as her buddy?

-M

I asked Avery tonight who her favorite teacher was. She thought for a minute and then said, “You. You teach me something every day.” Awww…

-M

Avery was sick again this week: Her strep cleared but a few days after her last dose of antibiotic, she came down with a fever again. She has spent a lot of time at home these past few weeks (luckily she’s a good patient) but in between bouts of illnesses she got to take a field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science at Berkeley and participate in a Fizz! Pop! Wow! worshop there. As described in the school newsletter:

“After a full and rich unit on solids, liquids, and gases, students had the chance to combine a variety of solids and liquids,” says teacher Rachel Klein. During the workshop, second graders experimented with green chalk, beans, rice, baking soda, cranberry juice, lemon juice, water, and vinegar to see which ones fizzed and bubbled. “They tested their results using four of their five senses (no tasting!)” adds Ms. Klein. “We also blew up a balloon with the gas we created by mixing vinegar and baking soda.” The workshop was a fizzy and foamy—yes, effervescent—conclusion to this science unit!

Glad she didn’t miss it.

-M

I left town shortly after my last post. No, I didn’t flee the country (though I considered it) but instead went to Chicago for a dear friend’s wedding. I was away from the family for three nights: That’s kind of a long time for us, but the girls didn’t seem to mind. They reported that they had a lot of fun because “Daddy says ‘yes’ to more things than you do,” and they each had plenty to do. Among other activities, Zoe ran a race, planned her upcoming birthday sleepover, and finished a major project on Native American art (due today), while Avery had her last soccer game of the year, followed by a team party.

-M

Avery’s soccer season is rapidly coming to a close; her last game is next week. It’s been a good season overall - the Quidditch Queens have won several games, learned the importance of teamwork (through passing, etc.), maintained super positive attitudes and, most importantly, had lots of fun.

-M

Last month the four of us volunteered at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. Our time there was part of Zoe’s fourth grade tzedakah (charity) project, and she also put together a poster with photos of our volunteering and facts about the food bank. Here she is presenting her work at school on Wednesday.

-M

One day last week, Avery and I were home together and she kept asking me for things (“Can I watch this show?” “Can I have this to eat?” etc.) After I answered “yes” to what felt like her umpteenth request she responded, “Thanks, Mama. You’re so agreeable today.” The surprise in her voice indicated that perhaps I’m not always so agreeable, but I’ll still take her compliment!

-M

Some more photos now of our Halloween adventures, which began that afternoon with some photos (of course) and trick-or-treating at stores and restaurants on West Portal Ave. We then came home to give out the thousands pieces of candy we do every year; Zoe loved spending time at her post at the end of the stairs and was eventually joined by friends who helped her pass out candy. It wound up raining a bit, but even that didn’t ruin our good time!

-M

After a week of having a fever (and one negative rapid strep test), we found out that Avery did indeed have strep. The good news was that we got antibiotics on Monday and she was feeling well enough to go trick-or-treating that evening; our Halloween tradition could continue!

I’ll share more photos in a bit, but here’s one of my favorites. Doesn’t look like a sick kid at all.

-M