You've got mail

I made postcards for Kayla and for my lolo and lola.

Mommy helped me write on them.

Then my daddy helped me put stamps on them to mail out.

Have you sent a hand-written note to someone lately?

Ooops

Imagine your mom.  Imagine your mom really tired from work and all she wants to do is take a nap.  But no, she still has to deal with your shennanigans and do chores at home.  She bathed you, got you dressed, and then prepared your dinner. She took time to steam broccoli and she made you yummy omelette.  She was going to let you watch "Toy Story" too during dinner.  As she was looking for the DVD, you tried to be helpful and took your plate from the kitchen into the living room. Then it happened.

You tripped or something and your dinner landed on the living room floor with ketchup splatter everywhere. Imagine this action in slo-mo...your mom whipped her head around and saw what happened. She wanted to cry.  You cried. Then she yelled at you.  Last thing she wanted to do was to clean this up.  She rubbed her temples knowing it was an accident.  As you cried on the floor, she quietly cleaned up the mess while mumbling something about someone's-laughing- out-there-and-it-ain't-her.  She took you and washed your ketchup-splattered hands. Then she gave you a long hug. She fixed the living room, set her own omelette down in front of you, and told you to eat. She then loaded "Toy Story", made toast and coffee for herself, and left the room.  It was quiet for the rest of the evening. Sorry mommy.

Mud Run 2010

Guess what my parents like to do in their spare time?  Play in the mud.

My parents, auntie and uncle participated in the Merrell Down and Dirty Mud Run in Lake Castaic benefiting "Operation Gratitude", a charity which supports our troops overseas.

Here's them still smiling because they still haven't seen the rough terrain and military-style obstacles they have to go through.  Heheh..

During the briefing before the race starts.  Do you like my daddy's 'fro?

Waiting for Wave #8's turn.

This is the last mud bath they had to crawl through.  Nice!

Here's what it looks like while running the trail and where they encountered walls, net climbs, and mud, and more mud with people hosing them down.

Just mud. Their shoes are pretty yucky with muck inside at this point.

Steep uphill climb.

Oh just more mud and water.

Hooah!

Acting goofy at this point because they're really tired and caked in mud.

After wading through really cold chest-deep water in Lake Castaic and going over more obstacles into the finish line, it's time to wash up.  All hoses are in use, so many people just went back in the cold lake to get the mud off everything.  My daddy is funny sometimes.

They made it!  They came home all sore, bruised, and scratched up, but happy as can be.  In a couple more years, I can join in on the fun!

Most photos courtesy of auntie's mud and water proof cam.

Earth Day 2010

Today is Earth Day. 

 Here are some easy things you can do to help our environment:

1) Use reusable water bottles or reusable mugs to bring to the coffee shops

2) Use reusable bags when shopping

3) Ride a bike or walk instead of driving a car when you can

4) Recycle when you can

5) Plant a vegetable garden (see ours below)

Thank you for taking care of our environment.

Choo-choo

Mommy: Did you just put a baby on the train tracks? 

Maya: Um, yah.

Boat Cruisin'

Today is a special day. It's my auntie's birthday.

Waiting to board the catamaran in Santa Barbara, Ca.

All aboard.

With lola and lolo.

And of course uncle, Kayla, and auntie.

Hanging out at the front of the boat.

We saw sea lions and also dolphins!

Lola and lolo just having a good time.

Happy Birthday, Auntie!  I love you!

Family Trip

We're on a family trip.

Two cars, two grandparents, two sets of parents, and two toddlers.

Long drives mean long naps.

Trip with us kids mean our stuff kinda take over every space available in the car even our mom's laps.

Our parent's gadgets are usually whipped out...

and coffee creamer containers are offered to tie us over until our meals are served.

But it's great to have a cousin to share trips with.  We keep ourselves entertained to let our parents have a little bit of a break.

Knotty

I'm learning how to tie my shoes.  Kinda frustrating because I end up with a massive knot.  I don't know how you people do it.  One day I'll learn.  Need to keep practicing. 

Education for Peace

Imagine that you live in the most remote places with the harshest conditions on earth like, say, the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.  There are no grocery stores, Target, McDonalds,  Toys R'Us, nor a boba tea house.

Image courtesy Central Asia Institute

Imagine that there are no schools available especially for girls.  If there are tent schools, you may have to walk miles and miles to attend.  Once you get there, you would sit outside and learn your lessons for the day that way. Your teacher is always at risk of getting kidnapped and hurt because of what he does. If there is even a structure to call a school, it is also at risk of getting bombed or burned because of what it stands for. There are no luxuries of nice books, paints, art supplies, toys, nice lunch, comfortable cots to sleep on....nothing.

Image courtesy Central Asia Institute

No desks, no pencils...most of the time your teacher scribbles lessons on the ground with a stick. Then one day, an American mountain climber, Greg Mortenson, stumbled into one of these remote villages after he attempted to climb K2. Then realization hit that none of these places really have proper schools to educate children. That's how it all started...the Central Asia Institute was born.  Their mission is to promote and support community-based education especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Image courtesy Central Asia Institute

These places are so remote that to build a school, lumber has to be lugged up rough terrain by people or animals.

Image courtesy Central Asia Institute

Since then, hundreds of schools have been built to help educate children especially girls.  Here's the Lalander School in Afghanistan. 

~ ~ ~

You're probably wondering why I'm talking about something that's thousands of miles away from my 3 year old self.  I am concerned because my generation will bear the burden of the results of the war that is now being fought there.  Girls have been treated second class citizens and have not been given the opportunity to be educated.  In countries where the Taliban has a hand in most things especially in these remote places, educating young girls is essential to ensure that the future generation will have educated mothers who will guide them in the right direction. With educated mothers, it probably is less likely that the furture generation will get involved in extremist activities.  My thoughts are with my toddler counter parts in Pakistan and Afghanistan where everyday is a struggle.  Many of them will face a bleak future. I am grateful for what I have and pray that they too, will have the same opportunity like I do someday.

Image courtesy Central Asia Institute

Here's a book called "Listen to the Wind" that's a cool read for us young ones.

For you adults, you might want to check these out.  My mom read "Three Cups of Tea" last year and is finishing up "Stones into School".  "Three Cups of Tea" is now required reading for the senior members of the U.S. Military and also at West Point Academy.

To learn more about Central Asia Institute or interested in donating, please go to:

http://www.ikat.org/

https://www.ikat.org/pennies-for-peace/

Ouch Report

It's boo-boo time.

I got an ouch report today at school.

I was running and I decided to do a body slam face first on the playground sand at 4:15pm.  Cuz' that's what tough 3 year old chickies do. No, really, it was an accident. I mean who wants to eat sand on a good day? Well...I do know some kids at school who do.

I busted my lip nicely.  No stitches required.

I also scraped my knee real good.  I got to use my mom's pretty ice pack and use the cool bandaids she keeps.  Cool! 

Bike Ride

My mommy stayed at home today because she's sick.  She usually leaves way early for work before daddy and I even wake up.  But today, she saw us off as daddy got us ready for our bike ride to school.

I love bike rides!