Jocelyn’s Second Grade class took a bus-train-walking field trip to to Stanford University today, and I was able to go along while Karen and Felicia went to preschool. We took the VTA #63 bus to the CalTrain station, and hopped aboard for the ride to Palo Alto. And then we walked. A lot. Anyway, it was fun.

The highlight of the trip was probably the visit to the top of Hoover Tower, from which you could see the entire campus and beyond. It’s always fun to show Jocelyn the place where her parents met, even if it is hard to point out Branner Hall from above.

The kids also enjoyed visiting Auguste Rodin’s “Gates of Hell,” located in the Cantor Art Museum’s famous Rodin Sculpture Garden. The sculpture is very impressive, and the kids enjoyed taking pictures with it, especially when adding their own anguish to the scene. Although I think the primary attraction was getting to say ‘H-E-double-hockey-sticks’ without any parental upbraid.

Can you find the wild African Cheetah in this picture? How about the wild American ones?

On Saturday, we made our long-awaited trip to Safari West, a wildlife preserve located just north of Santa Rosa. We spent the night in tent cabins, and got to see lots of incredible animals up close … very up close. Jocelyn and Kiana joined Karen, David, and Ange for a safari experience across the park, where we got to see giraffes, zebras, antelope, and a trio of real cheetahs. The up-close exposure to these animals was really amazing — they were right next to our safari jeep most of the time, and they weren’t to far away from our sleeping quarters, either. If you’ve got Flickr privileges, you can see the whole Safari West photoset.

And after the wild time we had in Santa Rosa, we went to Roseville for a little rest and relaxation.

It’s her birthday! Kiana is five-years-old today, and we’re happy to celebrate.

Her family hosted a party on Saturday, and we were able to share dinner and presents afterward. To celebrate her growing imagination and her preparation for kindergarten, we put together a Charlotte’s Web present pack, including a plush Wilbur-esque pig and a radio-controlled Charlotte. We also found a special edition copy of the book by E. B. White with a spiderweb pendant. And her present includes a promise gift of tickets for her family to see the upcoming production of Charlotte’s Web by the Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose.

We’ve got two pictures to share from our incredibly busy weekend, which included Sunday’s visit to the SJPPNS Carnival, where Felicia had a chance to play the snare drum, backing up our good friend Tyler who was on lead vocals. Moses’ daddy Abraham played the guitar, too!

Felicia also participated in her first-ever Cake Walk, in which she was a first-time winner! Here she is posing with the big blue chocolate cake she choose without any hesitation what so ever.

Well, it held so much promise. Jocelyn had even dubbed it “Russia Day.”

Jocelyn joined two of her friends from dance class to perform in Booksin Elementary School’s annual Student Talent Show earlier today. They performed a “Russian Folk Dance” with tambourines that they have been learning at Center Stage Dance. This was a shortened version that they performed in front of their peers — twice — and they did a great job!

By sheer coincidence, Karen was scheduled to have a morning conference call with business associates from Russia before going to the Talent Show. And Jocelyn was hoping she could play something vaguely Slavic at her weekly piano lesson to complete the Russian Trifecta. Unfortunately, the conference call was canceled and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture was beyond the scope of one pianist. There was a remote chance that my morning Rotary meeting might have included a program or funding opportunity in Russia, but that didn’t pan out either.

Anyway, it was fun to think about.

Of course, there are lots of great reasons to get young children enrolled in preschools and elementary schools … but one of the best is the helpful assistance these institutions provide during the days before Mother’s Day.

Not to suggest that I’ve shirked any of my responsibilities, but it is comforting to know that teachers have my back. For example, take Jocelyn’s Mother’s Day gift for Karen today:

She used her computer time at school this week to design a large folded card with cute computer graphics and a personal message:

M – Magnificent
O – On top of things
T – Talented
H – Honored
E – Enspiring
R – Really Fun!

As an extra bonus story … I was trying to write this post this morning, but couldn’t figure out the official name for the type of literary tool Jocelyn had used to create the words on the card. I was searching for acronyms and anagrams to figure out that word to use … and then I thought I should maybe ask Jocelyn. Better than any internet search, she told me right away, “It’s an acrostic poem.” And yes, it is. Thank you, Mr. Martinez!

And, Happy Mother’s Day!

Felicia started her own ballet class a few months ago, and she’s been eagerly anticipating the big Center Stage Dance Mini Show all week, after we decided on Monday that we would join in the fun.

The girls in the class performed their usual routines, including “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and everyone’s favorite “Belly Wobble” during the 15 minute show, which included on costume change and this chorus-line pose at the end. That’s our own little ballerina on the right.

Our family’s commitment to our local Rotary Club and to Rotary International is an important part of our identity. The girls enjoy attending events, and appreciate the value they bring to our community.

In Friday night, the Rotary Club of Campbell & San Jose West hosted a recognition dinner for 2007 Paul Harris Fellows, in honor of charitable donations made to The Rotary Foundation. This is a picture of David pinning a PHF pin to Karen’s shirt. The girls attended the dinner, too.