The Modaresi-Beal Family

To Rock Hill and back

2012-02-16T21:05:00.000-05:00

Since Irysse passed away on Saturday, her visitation was on Monday night and her funeral was on Tuesday morning. I already had too many appointments on Monday, but I was able to get a half-day off on Tuesday and make it up to Rock Hill for the family gathering after the funeral. My mom made it to the visitation and said the line was out the door. I wish I hadn't missed the funeral, but my main purpose was to be tehre for Lisa and help her in whatever way I could, so I just cleaned up a bit, got her water to help you maintain her breastmilk (yes, she's been breastfeeding a baby throughout this whole disastrous situation), and generally just visited and talked and listened. I think her family is going to be lost without Irysse for a while and will never be the same. But, on Tuesday and Wednesday, they were pretty much functioning well and in decent spirits. The sad thing was that Tuesday, Valentine's Day and the funeral day, was also Bill's (Irysse's husband's) birthday. He wouldn't let anyone celebrate it until the next day.
Lisa is staying until this weekend with her dad. Her brothers both live in or near Rock Hill with their families, and Bill is often helping out with grandkids, so hopefully he'll be busy and surrounded by family often. Still, I'm sure that house feels empty to him now. I was planning to stay til Wed afternoon, but Gabriel called me at 11 AM and told me that now Cyrus was vomiting (Kai had been vomiting before) and Kai was having diarrhea. Poor Gabriel, he's missed SO much work today. I got right into the car and drove back, so I was able to let him get a little nap (he'd been up all night with Cyrus) and spend some quality time with the kids.
I hope Lisa and I can plan to joint trips to Rock Hill on the same weekends in the future. I want to help be there as much as possible. Since Tita will be in town in March, I'm lobbying for her to come back then.
Hope it works out.
-Shirin

Wednesday morning at the Urgent Care center with Lisa and Josie. Poor Josie seems to have had a drug reaction to the Ampicillin she was on. No more penicillins from now on! (This is the only picture I have from my visit. I wasn't in a picture-taking mood).

I'm so lucky to have such a good daddy for my kids.

This was the first time I ever left Kai overnight in 20 months of life and only the 3rd or 4th time I've ever left Cyrus. I sure did miss them, but I LOVED sleeping all night long, waking up late in my parent's house, and having no one to take care of for one morning. Wow...just amazing.

Tonight after work, reading books before bath time.

Kai still has a bit of an attention span deficit for long books, but Cyrus is all ears.

Glad to be home. Can't wait for Tita to get here and enjoy these precious bubsies.

Some videos of my boys

2012-02-15T20:34:00.000-05:00

This is especially for those members of our families that really miss our children and want to see them growing and playing. Here ya go!
-Shirin

The boys pretending to be frogs.

Nothing like sliding on mattresses to occupy the morning.

We waited a LONG time for a check up at Kai's urology office. I marvel at how they can just play and play with little plastic figurines.

Playing at the McDonald's playground.

3rd Annual Nerd Weekend (NeWk)

2012-02-12T22:36:00.001-05:00

We've had two other Nerd Weekends before. The second NeWk was in February 2011 and the first NeWk was June 2010. Kai wasn't even alive for the first one, though he was almost full-term in my tummy, and he was a baby for the last one. Now that he's a toddler, he had a lot of fun trying to say everyone's names and getting tickled by all the guys. Cyrus, also, is a year older than last time, and sat with us while we played games and did lots of playing with the guys as well.

Gabriel always takes a long time to prepare all the games and activities schedule ahead of time. I work on the menu and we both prepare the house as best we can for the addition of 5-6 extra men for the weekend. It's a little crazy, but we had a lot of fun.

My weekend was colored by the death of my best friend's mom. It was hard for me to be here when I knew the Crimmins' were mourning her loss in Rock Hill. I felt torn about driving up there as soon as heard the news, but since I definitely have to be at work for a busy day on Monday, I decided to just wait and drive up there Tuesday to help with the funeral stuff. I hope I can be of help to them. That means I won't get to have my Wednesday off with the kids, but this is a dire circumstance. I think I'll probably leave them home in the capable hands of Gabriel and Tamala.

Since Nerd Weekend get-togethers have been so much fun and such a success annually, the boys are now trying to figure out to create more themed weekends. One of the proposals was "Martial Arts Weekend." I think not.

-Shirin

Clayton playing the Kung fu game on the xbox kinect.

Breakfast on Saturday morning was huevos rancheros, toasted bagels, fruit salad, and hashbrown casserole. Yum!

Gabriel had to rent this table and chairs for us because our kitchen table was being used. For what, you ask?

A LAN party, of course. (Local Area Network party).

They usually were playing the same game all together, but sometimes more than one computer game was going on at the same time.

I am going to try to keep Cyrus away from video games as long as possible, but on this weekend, it was impossible. He loved to sit and watch them all trying to fight each other (I hope he doesn't take it seriously!)

We did have a few women in the mix. In the grey, you can see Olga, Clayton's wife who is pregnant with his first baby (a boy named Ethan, due June 9). Helen, in red, is my neighbor who stopped by for a few minutes.

For dinner on Saturday, I made homemade salsas verde and roja (red and green salsas). It was my first try and they turned out fabulously. Watch out world! I can now make salsa.

And look who actually made it...James, Gabriel's childhood best friend! He and I store all of Gabriel's memories in our brains.

They haven't seen each other in person in several years, but they picked it right back up where they left off. He's currently working for an insurance company in Jacksonville, FL, though he might go back to school for a Ph.D in psychology one day. We hope we'll see him again soon.

They introduced me to my first role-playing game on Saturday night. It involved a lot of dice.

I really didn't know what to expect, but it was much like I would've guessed: a bunch of guys that develop characters based on dice rolls and creativity going through some situation or story.

Bren was a rich old guy in a wheelchair, I was a mildly attractive lawyer from Belarus, Clayton was a pilot, James was a book store clerk that worked for Brendan, David was a big dumb cop, and John was a tribal leader. It was a bit random.

We had to solve some mystery involving a haunted house in Boston. It took WAY too long for me and I left early to go to bed (I knew I had to wake up before 7 AM with two little boys).

The game master.

The rich old man, enjoying a cup of Persian tea.

This morning, I thought this was so cute. Bren and Cyrus, each with one earpiece, were playing/watching a computer game (Contra) together. Cyrus really loves his uncle Bren.

Kai decided to join them for a little while too.

Cyrus telling Bren where to go.

We're lucky to have a family member in Athens. I wish all the rest of them were here too.

Playing poker this afternoon.

Bren looks serious, but I think David won most of the money.

Irysse's obituary

2012-02-12T19:14:00.001-05:00

ROCK HILL – Mrs. Irysse Crimmins, 61, passed away Saturday, February 11, 2012, at home surrounded by her family.

The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, February 14, 2012, at Greene Funeral Home Northwest Chapel. Burial will be in Forest Hills Cemetery.

A native of Brooklyn, NY, Irysse made Rock Hill her home since 1979. This is where she chose to raise her family and to work as a Critical Care Registered Nurse at Piedmont Medical Center. Even after living 30 years in the south, Irysse never lost her Brooklyn accent until ALS, “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” took away her ability to speak, then to walk, then to eat and then to live.

She is survived by her husband of 39 years and 8 months, William Crimmins of Rock Hill; two sons, Steven and wife, Devon Crimmins of Waxhaw, NC and James and wife Tanya Crimmins of Rock Hill; one daughter, Lisa and husband Daniel Morris of Hoboken, NJ; five grandchildren, Brendan and Marc Crimmins of Waxhaw, NC, Kassidy and Camden Crimmins of Rock Hill and Josie Morris of Hoboken, NJ.

The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, February 13, 2012 at Greene Funeral Home Northwest Chapel, 2133 Ebenezer Road, Rock Hill.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Mrs. Crimmins’ name to The Alexa Good ALS Foundation, PO Box 12248, Rock Hill, SC 29731; or to St. Anne School, 1698 Bird St, Rock Hill, SC 29730.

Condolences may be made on line at www.greenefuneralhome.net

RIP Irysse

2012-02-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

Irysse, after 22 days of hanging on, finally passed away this morning. She was surrounded by family and chose the way she wanted to die. For that, I am glad. I'm going to drive home Tues for the funeral and to be with the Crimmins'. She will be missed by so many people, including me. Rest in peace, Irysse. I love you.
-Shirin

Hiking on Wednesday

2012-02-10T22:56:00.001-05:00

This Wednesday, the boys and I had a great time. We went to Cyrus' gymnastics and then played at the park before going to the doctor's office for Kai's 3 month post-op check up. We wasted over an hour of our lives there, before meeting Gabriel for lunch and then going to the park to play. We went off the beaten path and went exploring in the woods. It was such a pleasure to be outside looking at nature in the cool air with my two little buddies. It reminded me of my grandma.

-Shirin

Waiting for gymnastics to start.

The little girls on their mom's lap behind Kai are twins.

Off to the park with a few of the gymnastics moms and kids to slide and play.

About to go down together.

At the doctor's office, Kai was mad at me.

He really wanted to get a wipe out of my purse and I told him no.

So serious.

Later in the day, looking at the ducks in the pond.

Loving the ducks.

Kai had a sticker on his head all afternoon.

Crossing the bridge with cool shadows.

Looking for something to explore.

What? Pet waste?

Getting off the beaten path.

Our troop leader.

We made it to the ivy-covered woods. How beautiful.

Where to, Mommy?

Riding the horsey/tree log.

Kai asking for his ball back.

Loving the outdoors with my buddies.

Serious faces. They remind me of Persian pictures my dad has.

Trying to sneak away.

After this, we walked til we reached a fence and followed it back to the park.

It was a dog park and the dogs were very interested in us and we were interested in them. What a fun adventure.

Cyrus telling the story of Peter Pan

2012-02-08T20:59:00.000-05:00

I have a great video of myself when I was about 5.5 years old, talking to my Uncle Ken about the story of Peter Pan. It's one of my family's favorite videos of us and I am amazed at my precociousness. Here is a 4 minute video of Cyrus' version of the story. If you hang in there til the end, you'll get to hear whether he'd like to grow up once day or stay a little boy like Peter Pan.
-Shirin

Super Bowl Sunday

2012-02-07T21:39:00.001-05:00

We had a fun day at home, followed by a meet up at Loco's with Brendan to watch the Super Bowl.

I was only a little sad that the Patriots didn't win (I love Tom Brady).

-Shirin

This was how Sunday started out with some make-shift mattresses made into a slide.

Craziness ensued.

Climbing...

...careening down...

....tandem running...

...and collapsing at the bottom were all seen frequently.

Whoa!

Look who can write his name!!!

He refuses to write them the way I try to teach him, but he did a pretty good job nonetheless.

Isn't this bad luck to have an umbrella open indoors?

Luckily, their mom is a skeptic, so I don't care.

A little football before the game to get the kids excited.

Cyrus was the quarterback, Gabriel was the receiver and Kai was the...referee?

Little Tom Brady?

At Loco's with fun Uncle Brendan.

He's so silly.

Reading books after dinner.

Hugging my sweetheart.

I had to tickle him for a real smile.

Kai got tickled too.

Gabriel, meanwhile, was above it all.

Bren's happy to finally not be the youngest boy around.

Making Kai laugh. Happy Super Bowl, everyone!

Kai and I as models

2012-02-06T14:09:00.005-05:00

Bren's friend, Melissa, just published a paper about the levels of stress hormone (cortisol) in babies and mommies as part of her Ph.D in Psychology. She needed a mommy and baby for the photograph and asked me and Kai to participate. We were happy to oblige.
-Shirin

Wednesday with my boys

2012-02-04T14:08:00.002-05:00

I really do cherish my Wednesdays at home with these guys. I wish I could do this half the week and work the other half of the week. Maybe, one day...

-Shirin

Who says only girls get to dress cutely?

Precious.

Getting ready to head out for Cyrus' gymnastics class.

After gymnastics, we went to storytime at the library, which the boys really like.

We then headed to lunch with Gabriel and to the park for raisins and playing.

It was a little cloudy, but the weather was uncharacteristically warm and lovely.

I love Kai's curls.

Gabriel wants to cut them off.

I'm not ready for the curls to go away.

Such a climber.

Kai sliding.

Whee. He is putting his finger in his mouth a lot..I think it's new teeth coming in.

I hope he stops that soon. What a good way to get sick!

Running across the bridge.

Kids all seem to love the bridge.

What a goof.

Cyrus debating whether or not to jump from this height.

Looking dubious.

I counted to three to help him. One...

...two...

...three!

My big boys on their big swings.

After that, we went to Full Bloom for another storytime, with our friend Melissa.

The boys sat on blankets and listened to stories (sort of).

That evening, we went home and had dinner with Gabriel. He took off his work shoes and socks and saw that half his toes were dyed red. We still haven't figured that one out.

My beautiful kitties in all their splendor.

They sleep with us every night until they get too rowdy and I get up and lock them in the bathroom.

Why do we all make our families into stick figures?

2012-02-03T21:35:00.000-05:00

I don't understand the attraction except that it's cute and celebrates the people you love most in the world. Well, I would never put this on my car, but here it is on my blog. I saw some stick families on Google that just went on and on and on...
-Shirin

Pictures from our visit to RH

2012-02-01T18:01:00.002-05:00

I had a busy weekend in Rock Hill, going back and forth from the Modaresi to the Crimmins house several times daily. But, it was nice to see everyone, despite the sad circumstances.

-Shirin

My wonderful parents cooking for us.

Cyrus hamming it up for the camera.

Is he a boy or a duck?

The boys playing basketball with a little help of the chest on the deck.

Don't know what to say about this weird picture.

Cyrus must've gotten one of his "four-pointers."

Holding Lisa's baby, Josie. She's 6 months old now and very sweet.

I french-braided Kassidy's hair (Jamie's daughter who is Cyrus' exact age). It was so fun to pretend I had a little girl.

Lisa, her mother-in-law, and her family friend, Lynn, outside in the Crimmins' drive-way talking to Irysse (in the wheelchair) before taking the family and Irysse to the lake.

Their new van to transport Irysse's wheelchair.

Dan's dad playing with Steve's (Lisa's brother's) dog Pancake. There was a lot of extended family and friends visit Rock Hill, because Irysse told them to all come before her funeral because she'd rather see them all now. She is clearly a very loved person. Their house has been full of people for days.

Home

2012-01-29T09:10:00.001-05:00

We are home for the weekend (I mean my parent's home in RH). Lisa's family and friends are all holding vigil with their sick mommy in the center, and I've spent a good amount of time there. I'm feeling glad to be able to see her and tell her goodbye but so sad and wearied by the terribleness of having to watch your loved one die. I'm grateful I haven't had to do this before. I'd wish it on no one.
We head back to Athens tonight.
-Shirin

Chillaxin

2012-01-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

I had a quiet weekend last week, after working Saturday morning. Then, this Wednesday, the only thing we did was go to Cyrus' gymnastic's class and then play at the park. So, we've been pretty low key lately, but I can't complain. We're happy just chillaxin' together.

-Shirin

Playing with Tinker Toys and snuggling this weekend.

Kai is clearly the artistic type..almost to a fault!

His doctor said he has the fine motor skills with a pen/marker as a 3-4 year old, but I don't think a 4 year old would write all over his face.

Earl, Gabriel, Cyrus, and Satin, watching something on Sunday, probably Shrek 3.

Gabriel told Cyrus he needed some snuggles and this is what he got.

Kai is getting more independent and demanding in his older age. Here he is mad that I won't give him my camera.

Satin and Earl love each other.

But, they always end up biting each other.

Uh oh...look who came to visit!

The boys go nuts when they see him walk in.

Just riding their Brendan horse.

A pile of Beal boys.

So funny.

Now it's Gabriel's turn to tickle Cyrus while Kai and Brendan chat.

Today I cut Cyrus' hair. It needed to be done.

It's not perfect, but you can't tell when it's dry. Notice all the purple marker on Kai's belly? What am I going to do with him?

25 Questions (by Cyrus)

2012-01-24T20:52:00.002-05:00

What is your favorite color? Green

What is your favorite toy? Elephant at Nama and Baba's

What is your favorite fruit? Grapes

What is your favorite TV show? Shrek 1

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Cookies....corn

What is your favorite outfit? Monster drummer shirt from Pap pap

What is your favorite game? (Asked to go into Gabriel's closet and picked up so he could point to his favorite, he immediately pointed to Settlers of Catan!)

What is your favorite snack? Barbars

What is your favorite animal? Sock monkey

What is your favorite song? Twinkle twinkle little star

What is your favorite book? Dora goes to the library

What are you thankful for? You (Mommy/Shirin)

What is your favorite cereal? Clifford Crunch

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Run

What is your favorite drink? Lemonade and water

What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

What do you like to take with you to bed at night? Glow worm

What do you want for dinner on your next birthday? "I don't know, corn?"

What do you want to be when you grow up? A big witch with poison apples to throw, "real" ones.

What's your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Run around and play

What's your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Play with her

What's your favorite thing to do with Baba and Nama? Make muffins

What's your favorite thing to do with Pap Pap and Grandma? Go outside and see Mickey Mouse.

Losing my second mom

2012-01-23T22:02:00.001-05:00

Irysse, Lisa's mom, has been like a second mom to me since I was 5 years old. Lisa was my kindergarten bestie and continued to be my best friend until this day. When we were kids, Lisa's mom came to our soccer games, had us over for sleep-overs, and made me yummy sandwiches. When we were older, she hired me as her dog sitter, had us over for family game nights, watched me try on wedding dresses, and tried to sneak spaghetti with meat sauce onto my plate to give me a little protein. She called me "my Shirin." I love her.
She's been battling a disease called ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) now for several years. It's a terrible disease. A disease with no hope of cure and no real treatment, other than trying to delay the slow degeneration of nerves over time and help with movement, swallowing, and breathing. I've watched this vibrant, talkative, and vivacious woman slowly lose her ability to do many things she loved, like talking and eating (especially chocolate). Throughout it all, her attitude has been positive and she's done as much do enjoy her remaining months and years as anyone could. As much as it sucked, she's handled it with such grace and her close and loving family has been with her throughout it all.
I've dreaded this time when it finally got to be too much, for we all knew it would come eventually, but it has finally happened that she is not going to accept any more treatment. What a brave decision she has made and I understand it, but I am also just so wracked with sadness and grief for her and her family. I'm heading home to RH to be what little help I can over the weekend. Please keep the Crimmins family in your thoughts. It's a really hard time for them right now.
-Shirin

A few more videos of the boys

2012-01-22T18:15:00.000-05:00

Cyrus and the other kids warming up at gymnastics this Wed.

As I was sitting with the kids this morning, I realized that Kai was "reading" me this book.

Kai loves football. He calls it "bu-ball." And, now he can catch it.

Talking to third graders at the elementary school

2012-01-20T21:28:00.001-05:00

The public elementary school in Toccoa had me come talk to their 80 third-graders this morning about veterinary medicine. It was a daunting task, but I had such a blast talking to them about a topic I am passionate about and a topic they were very enthusiastic about too: animals.
I did a 25 minute presentation on different types of vets, animal welfare/care, and how to become a vet with lots of pictures. Then we did a Q and A session and they asked questions like, "My sister's dog has one ball," "Do you know a dog named Mary Jane," and "What if a dog lost all four of its legs?" I actually felt pretty prepared for that kind of thought-process after living with Cyrus these last few years and took it in stride.
I was very impressed with the school for doing this series on animal health and welfare. The kids had already had several talks about how to care for, feed, and shelter animals properly. The kids also seemed to already know a little about fleas, heartworms, and spay/neuter stuff. They were sharp little kids and missed nothing. The teachers did their best to keep them at a quiet roar and on their bottoms, but it was OK that there was constant chatter, because I was constantly asking them questions and quizzing them on what they knew.
At the end, I did a little animal/zoology quiz and gave out prizes. They got really stumped on the "What is the most intelligent animal in the world?" questions (humans, of course). They answered every animal in the world, including "ape," "gorilla," "chimpanzee," and "orangutan." They just couldn't seem to make the jump to "human" until I gave them clues.
I think I'd love to do this sort of thing again. I'm not sure how much they'll remember, but I hope I left them with an impression that animals need healthcare and should be well taken care of. It's great to have a chance to influence these kids positively at such a young age and I am so glad it went well. Here are a few pictures.
-Shirin

As you can see, I was in a big auditorium with a lot of kids.

They had their hands up a lot, as you are witnessing here.

I talked about pets' needs...

...and what kind of stuff they go to the vet for...

...and why they need to be dewormed.

I talked a lot about parasites, internal and external, and got lots of "eeeeewwwwwssss."

I probably see fleas every day of my work life and they are something we know how to prevent, so I really wanted to drive home the point. (Essentially, don't go buy a flea collar at Wal-mart because it DOESN'T WORK).

I also talked about overpopulation and spaying and neutering, a topic they all seemed to have heard about, to my delight.

I also calculated that they would take 15+ years to be able to earn their DVM from this point in school. I don't know if they really understood how long that was (almost double their age right now).

My tech, Susan's, dog came to be a living exhibit of a great little dog.

Stella, a bull terrier, LOVED all the attention. She was perfect for the visit.

Thanks to Susan for bringing her and for taking pictures. :)

Zach brought his dog, Jasmine, too, but she was too nervous to mingle with the kids. She was plenty cute, though.

A good Cyrus-phase and thoughts on parenting

2012-01-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows us well knows that we absolutely love our first son but that we have definitely struggled with him since he was born. How so, you may ask? Well, in the first year of his life, the main trouble was with sleep resistance and being excessively demanding with nursing and attention. In the second year, it was all about resisting our authority, demanding his independence, and not wanting to sleep in his bed. In his third year, we have struggled to have him behave well in all circumstances and to obey our commands.
I feel sure many parents of young children might say this all sounds normal, and maybe it is, but we have always felt that Cyrus has been more discerning, demanding, and defiant than average. On the up side, I know that at least some of this stems from his intelligence and confidence, both traits that will make him a successful person some day. However, when one's three-year old tells his mother he plans to disobey her again no matter what she says, that kid's mother feels that something must change.
Upon the advice of my dad and some reading we've done, we have learned a lot about parenting in the last 3 years. Kai may never be quite as challenging to us, since we have weathered our first storm already. As Kai approaches age two, we are seeing tell-tale signs that he is no longer our perfect little chilled-out baby. He hits us when he's frustrated, he says "no" and shakes him head over and over, and he will throw food when he doesn't want it. But, that stuff is a walk in the park; we feel ready for it this time around.
As Cyrus has gotten older and we've continued working with him, we have seen a slow but consistent trend towards better and better behavior. He often stops himself from having a tantrum and informs us, "See, I'm not going to whine. I'm going to say 'Oh well."' We even practice things like telling him to go to the bathroom, give us his toy, or saying no to something he wants. He likes doing it because we compliment his good-behavior afterwards...so simple, yet it took us long enough to get to this point.
My greatest feeling of success has come from watching him teach Kai how to behave. Gabriel and I both know that if we want Kai to do something he doesn't want to do, all we have to do is tell Cyrus to ask him to do it. If Cyrus will do it, then that's what Kai wants to do as well. It gets him into trouble sometimes, but it's an invaluable tool in teaching Kai how to behave (like when the older dog shows the younger dog how to potty outside).
I wish I could download all my knowledge into the brains of my friends who are all starting to have babies now, but I'm pretty sure every kid is different and they will just have to learn it all themselves the hard way. However, if anyone ever feels they have a defiant child, they will know who to talk to.
-Shirin

Kai's 18 month well-baby visit

2012-01-18T20:25:00.002-05:00

**This is a THREE post day, so be sure to see the other two below**

Kai turned 19 months old today. He's saying SO many words, some of which I'll try to record below, more for my own benefit than yours. He's using spoons and forks for eating and running and climbing everywhere. He seems almost certainly right-handed. One of his favorite activities is throwing any and all balls. He also LOVES to draw and color, much more than Cyrus ever has. He even holds the pen/pencil with a perfect grasp and can color in the lines. Dr Martin saw him doing it today at his doctor appointment and said, "Wow, he's got amazing fine motor skills at this age. Even some four-year olds can't do that." (He was filling in tiny circles I had drawn for him).
We also wondered how he matched up to his peers size-wise, since he's remained pretty ginormous in all categories so far. We were not disappointed. His weight was 31.4 lbs (>95th percentile), his height was 34 inches (90th percentile), and his head circumference was 20.5 inches (>95th percentile). Maybe there are Viking genes in my family and I just don't know it.
-Shirin

Some of Kai's cuter words. (First written phonetically how he says them and then translated).

Mamoo= Mommy
Yut = Yuk
Yot= Socks
Yaya= Cyrus
Ty= Kai
Dow= Cow
Da da da doooo= Cock a doodle doo
Bady= Belly
Pap (whispered)= Pap pap
BaBA (emphasis on last ba)= Baba
Bat= Back
Butt= Butt (he likes that word :))
Mow= Meow/cat

There are many more, but those are the ones that come to mind. He's much better at following commands than Cyrus was at this age, primarily due to us being better parents, I think. We don't take no for an answer, which he is now saying ALL the time. He has started to hit us when frustrated as well, but we're working on teaching him to be gentle like we did with Cyrus. Poor Cyrus. He was our guinea pig. We definitely know more about how to mold a baby into a real human being the second time around.

Cyrus' gymnastics class and a busy day

2012-01-18T20:14:00.000-05:00

Today was a fun and busy day. We went to gymnastics class, which Cyrus still LOVES, headed to the library for storytime, went home for lunch and a nap, headed to Kai's doctor's appointment for his 18 month visit (even though he just turned 19 months), and then went to another storytime class and the park before heading to the Grit to meet Gabriel for dinner. Whew! What a day.

-Shirin

Cyrus on his mat during warm up.

Cyrus "looking" at his teacher like she told him to.

Waiting in line with one of the girls from his class.

Cyrus swinging on the bar.

Kai watching with envy.

Swinging before jumping into the tub.

Visits with the Henrys

2012-01-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

Remember our friends, Denise and Nowell, who we knew from vet school? Denise was my classmate for 4 years and is now a vet and her husband, Nowell, is a computer guy who sacrificed his career for 4 years to live with her in Athens. She had Cailyn on May 12, 2008, just three days after Cyrus was born and both kids went to Tamala's together for over 2 years. We have a lot in common with them and really were sad when they decided to move to Orlando for an excellent job opportunity for Nowell.

But, luckily, they live not too far from Gabriel's parent's house, so we've gone up there twice now during the last two Christmases to visit with them and this past weekend Denise and Cailyn were in Athens for a house-related task and came over to play and visit. It was great to see them.

I should mention that they have since had another baby too, a little girl named Loralei. However, I was totally crazy and didn't take any pictures of her cute 6 month self when were in Orlando, so I will try to steal on off of Facebook.

-Shirin

At Chuckie Cheese's in Orlando.

They loved this picture game where they were drawn.

Then we headed over to a restaurant for dinner and chatting.

Cyrus and Cailyn chatted too.

Mostly really silly stuff that made Cailyn giggle and giggle.

This little girl was there too, but I was distracted and didn't photograph her. Denise says she's a chubby Cailyn. :)

In Athens on Sunday, we had Denise and Cailyn over for dinner.

The kids picked right back up where they left off...this time with lots of snakes and lizards.

Of course Kai had to be in the mix too.

Running around.

Cyrus almost always wins the race because he goes before I say "go."

It's always nice to visit with good friends.

Since Denise and business to deal with on Monday, we had her drop off Cailyn in the morning (MLK Day) to hang out with Gabriel and the boys. I was at work, of course.

Gabriel builds the best tents and we had promised Cyrus we would build him a tent.

Is he King Aurthur in his tomb?

I wonder what was so funny.

Gabriel sent me these pictures while I was working and they made me happy. Each of the following is of Cyrus setting the silly-face standard and the others complying.

I like Kai's versions the best.

Next silly face.

Nice tongues.

Nice goggles, kids! Hope to see them again soon.

A fabulous Wednesday (gymnastics, storytime, and anniversary)

2012-01-14T20:59:00.000-05:00

This past Wednesday, January 11, was a very special day. It was my and Gabriel's six year anniversary, and it was also my mother-in-law's and sister-in-law's birthdays. Additionally exciting, it was the first day of Cyrus' new gymnastic's class and my normal day off. Quite a list of accomplishments for one humble Monday, no?

I'm glad to report that, other than some squabbles about cleaning, Gabriel and I are still happily married and enjoying our lives together with kids and real jobs. It's harder work than I ever would've expected, but it's also very satisfying and excited to be raising kids and part of a family unit of our own. We were lucky enough to have a date night, thanks to Melissa coming over to play with the boys. All in all, a great day!

-Shirin

Bundled up and on the way to watch his big brother do gymnastics.

Tough guy.

The awesome set-up at Bishop Park Gymnastics. Cyrus kept asking if he could go out there to play before class.

Soon enough it was time to get out there. His teacher, Miss Alyssa, was in the orange t-shirt and guided the kids around the activities well.

Poor Kai, watching wistfully on the sidelines.

This is where the moms and the younger kids/babies were relegated.

The lady in the pink was the other leader/teacher and she had them all warm up. She asked them if they knew what that meant and Cyrus immediately answered that the sun was what warmed everything up.

All the kids had little mats they sat on and carried around with them (see the videos below).

As you can see, there were many more girls than boys.

I was jealous of all the cute leotards that my kids never get to wear.

Running back to the mommies.

We packed ourselves up and headed over to storytime at the Athens Clarke Public Library. You can see Cyrus up at the front, sitting in his white shirt.

The teacher sings songs, does puppets, reads stories, and does counting. Cyrus eats it all up.

I think he was asking her if they could do the mouse-house game, where they look for mice in the houses.

Kai was content to just sit in my lap in the back, just like Cyrus used to.

Then, out to the library to put on a puppet show.

It was already noon at this point, so we met Gabriel downtown for lunch.

There are finally some Vietnamese restaurants in Athens (two of them), so we went to the one downtown for some Bahn mi sandwiches. If you've never had one, you HAVE to try one.

We also got to tell Daddy all about gymnastics.

Ready to eat!

Mmm...tofu bahn mi (hoagie, spicy mayo, carrot and daikon slaw, cilantro, and tofu or meat). Yum!

After Vietnamese, we headed to Yoforia for frozen yogurt and fruit.

It was Cyrus' treat after being such a good boy at gymnastics.

Fast forward 6 hours and Gabriel and I are eating AGAIN! We went to The Last Resort, one of the best restaurants in Athens.

Happy Anniversary!

Home to find our boys rapt with Melissa reading a book.

Cyrus gymnastics videos

2012-01-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

Like I blogged previously, Cyrus LOVED gymnastics class and did everything his teacher told him to. Here are a few videos. Sorry if some are bumpy. I was trying to hold onto Kai at the same time and he wasn't happy to not be doing gymnastics.
-Shirin

Cyrus learning the ropes.

Practicing his skillz.

Cyrus doing his obstacle course like a champ.

Gymnastics class for Cyrus

2012-01-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

I have lots of pictures and a couple videos of Cyrus' first gymnastics class yesterday, but I just don't have time tonight. My nose is stuffy and I'm about to get achy. So, since I have a full 10 hour day ahead of me tomorrow, I am going to go crawl into bed now.

But, I promise to blog about this soon. Cyrus had SO much fun and was SUCH a good listener and follower that I just couldn't help but be proud of my first born son. I just was so excited about him starting gymnastics and the fact that he loved it made my day.

Poor Kai wanted so badly to go out there and join him, so it was hard for me to keep him happy and watch from the sidelines, but the class didn't welcome wobbly little toddlers. That was for another day and time. I can't wait til the videos upload and you guys can see how much stuff those kids were doing. It would've been my paradise as a kid.

-Shirin

What a mess!!!

2012-01-09T21:36:00.001-05:00

You know how when you organize something, you have to make MORE mess before you can clean it all back up again? Well, boy, you will see what a real mess really is below. I decided this weekend that I'd had it and I wanted to finally get rid of the baby toys and other toys that aren't being played with from the last 3.5 years. Yes, this is the first time I've done this since Cyrus was born. Not Kai. Cyrus. I know...it was long overdue.

Well, it was a disaster and it took me all day Sunday, since I had to drive up to Toccoa to check on a patient, but it was worth it. Their room is much roomier now and I'm happier when I walk in there.

Now, off to bed to catch up on some much needed rest.

-Shirin

I took all their toys out of their toy wagon and weeded through the stuff. Most of it will stay, but all the baby toys are going. Anyone want them?

The boys enjoyed seeing all their toys spread out before them.

Gabriel also decided to go through the books and get rid of duplicates, damaged books, or books we don't like. Bye bye Froggy books (you stink!).

Aaaaaaaahhhhh. Sigh of relief!

This makes me SO happy to have a cleaner house. Please please please let it stay that way! (Yeah right).

Finally home (for more than a few hours)

2012-01-07T21:18:00.001-05:00

Whew...since I arrived home on Wednesay, I've been gone for work 12-13 hours a day until today, Saturday, when I was gone instead for 7 hours. But, I'm finally home for a little while. So glad I will finally get a day off tomorrow, even though I know this has been a short work week. I guess vacation just got me used to being with my kids/family all day long, which was awesome. Well, we're having some fun together now.

-Shirin

Gabriel getting attacked by two little spider monkeys.

They love wrestling.

Cyrus about to get spun around in the air.

Ready...

.....set....

....wheeeee!!!

Now, it's Kai's turn.

Wheee!

Meanwhile, Satin lay nearby, unconcernedly chewing on his Christmas toy from Nama.

Earl chillin'.

He uses his ears a lot to interpret sensory stimuli, since his eyes are only so so.

Cyrus with his cheesy smile. We're working on a more natural look.

He wanted to showcase the stuffed lemur they have from Auntie Tita.

This is Cyrus' real face.

Love these three people.

Daddy and Cyrus.

You can get his smile with a little tickling.

Happy to be home.

We're home safely

2012-01-04T20:55:00.001-05:00

Traveling always makes me feel like I need a vacation from my vacation, but we had a fabulous time in FL with Gabriel's family and it was a great trip...well worth the drive. We got home in time today to do some lounging and general organizing before getting the kids to bed and getting ready for work tomorrow. It's gonna be hard to get up and going. We're used to Pap pap taking care of the kids all morning while we slept in!
-Shirin

Snuggling on the couch and doing laundry.

Silly boy climbing all over the place.

Kai leaning on Cyrus who isn't sure he likes the arrangement.

Anyone who has met Kai recently knows he's very "Mommy-oriented" right now. Lately, he's started caressing my face and giving me kisses (over and over and over). See below.

He's so funny that he'll give me a kiss and just stay there for 10 seconds. It's hard not to giggle.

Sometimes his mouth is open and he's just breathing on me. I just laugh and laugh.

I just love him. It's good to be home.

We're off to bed early tonight to get back on a work schedule. Happy New Year! I have a few more pictures to post from FL, but that will have to wait til another day.

Lots of funny Cyrus quotes

2012-01-03T14:00:00.000-05:00

Kai:

Me (upset at Cyrus for taking something from Kai causing him to cry): Kai, what's wrong with you?

Cyrus: Me! Me!

Me: Cyrus, you are what's wrong with Kai?

Cyrus: Yeah!

Some of my favorite words Cyrus has coined:

1. Paw paw = his favorite blue blanket he sleeps with and loves

2. Bar bar = his favorite date/nut bars called Larabars

3. Get outta here, rump = His favorite silly thing to say to me or Gabriel
4. Hey Big Head= something he says to anyone who says hello to him.
5. Last day= yesterday

Fat:

Gabriel: Are you going to eat lunch?
Cyrus: No.

Gabriel: Why not?

Cyrus: Because I'll get fat.

Gabriel: Why will you get fat?
Cyrus: When your stomach is empty, it makes you fat.

Driving:
Me: Tomorrow, we're driving to FL to see your Daddy's family.

Cyrus: Daddy's going to drive?
Me: No, I think David is going to drive. We're going to be in the big van together.

Cyrus: Morgan will be there; I want him to sit next to me.

Thanksgiving dinner:

Me: We're going down to FL for Thanksgiving.

Cyrus: What will we eat?

Me: Mashed potatoes and tofurkey and green beans and sweet potatoes and bread.

Cyrus: And carrots?

Me: I don't know, maybe.

Cyrus: I LOVE carrots.

Mommy vs Daddy:

Cyrus (in bed with Gabriel in the hotel): Where's Mommy?

Gabriel: She's in the other bed.

Cyrus: I want to get into bed with Mommy.

Gabriel: Sure, you can get into bed with Mommy.

Cyrus (getting out of bed and whispering consolingly): I love you too, Daddy.

Pants:

Cyrus (in the hotel): Let's go eat breakfast.

Me: OK. We'll go as soon as your daddy get his pants on.

Cyrus (going over to Gabriel): Daddy, do you have your penis on?

Gabriel: She said "pants."

Cyrus: She said "penis." "Put your penis on."

Waffles vs Pancakes:

Gabriel (waking up Cyrus): Cyrus, I made you some waffles with applesauce.

Cyrus (very grumpily): I told you PANCAKES.

Fish bread?

Cyrus: Why was my sandwich a fish?

Me: It was made on bread shaped like a fish.

Cyrus: Why?

Me: Well...because it's like a little fun fish friend you can eat.

Cyrus: I don't want to eat my friend!

Pigs:

Gabriel (playing with Cyrus): Oh, hello, little pig.

Cyrus: Hello (jumping around and holding his crotch)

Me: Go pee pee, Cyrus.

Cyrus: No, I don't have to.

Me: Yes, you do.

Cyrus: No! Pigs don't go pee pee.

Gabriel: Yes they do.

Cyrus: No, they don't have penises!

Fruit vs juice:

Cyrus: Daddy's making me a fruit plate!

Me: Wow.

Cyrus: It has blueberries and pineapple and bananas.

Me: That sounds yummy.

Cyrus: Yeah....fruit is yummy AND healthy.

Me: That's right.

Cyrus: Juice isn't healthy because it has too much sugar in it.

Me: Yeah. It's better to just eat fruit instead of drinking juice.

Cyrus: Yeah, but Daddy just poured some not-healthy juice in my water.

Kitties:

Cyrus: Look. The kitties are sitting on the piano.

Me: Yeah.

Cyrus: They're trying to bite my whole house!

Liar:

Cyrus (in the backseat): Where's Mommy?

Gabriel: She's driving in front of us in the silver car.

Cyrus: But she said she would follow us. She LIED to us!

Guessing game:

Me: I'm thinking of a male person.

Cyrus: No! A person isn't male. A male is a bird, like a cardinal.

Me: OK, then, I'm thinking of a man.

Cyrus: Is it Daddy?

Me: No. It's a different man.

Cyrus: Give me a hint.

Me: No, you ask me questions and I'll say "yes" or "no."

Cyrus: Is the answer "yes?"

Animal guessing game:

Cyrus: What's got two feet and big skin?

Me: Um....most animals have four feet.

Cyrus: No, it has two feet.

Me: OK, well then I think you're an ostrich.

Cyrus: No, I'm a chimpanzee.

Me: Oh yeah. They have two feet.

Cyrus: Yeah, and big skin!

Lights:

Gabriel (driving through downtown): Look at all the lights in the trees, Cyrus. It's beautiful.

Cyrus: Yeah. They must be having a Christmas!

Brain parts:
Gabriel: Cyrus, why aren't you talking?
Cyrus (pretending to be disabled): Aaahhh, I lost my cerebellum. I can't talk.
Baba: No, no. If you can't talk, you have injured your broca.
Cyrus: Aaah, I lost my broca. I can't talk!

Toothbrush comedians:
Gabriel: Can I brush your teeth tonight, Cyrus?
Cyrus: Will you sing a funny song or will you sing a song that isn't funny?
Gabriel: I'll sing a funny song. (Proceeds to sing a made-up Sponge Bob song).
Cyrus (very serious): That wasn't funny.
Gabriel: OK. I'll get some new material.

Bacteria:
Cyrus (after a recent conversation about brushing teeth): Look, look, Mommy! They are talking about bacteria on dog's teeth too (pointing at the TV)!!!

Mistake:
Cyrus (middle of the night): My tummy hurts.
Me: Do you have to vomit.
Cyrus: Yeah.
Me (rushing him to the bathroom): OK, vomit in the toilet.
Cyrus (1 cough): No vomit. I made a mistake.

Mommy?
Cyrus (walking out of his bedroom in the morning): Mommy was killed.
Gabriel: How do you know?
Cyrus: Because I was sleeping with her and when I woke up, she wasn't there.

Spelling?
Me: Gabriel, did you give the boys their V-I-T-A-M-I-N-S yet tonight?
Cyrus: No, we haven't had our vitamins tonight.

Delusions of grandeur:
Me (talking to Gabriel): Well, I officially saved a cat's life this morning.
Cyrus: Me too!!!

Geography:
Cyrus: All aboard. You're on the dinosaur train. Give me your tickets.
Me: OK, here are my and Kai's tickets.
Cyrus: Stamp, stamp. OK, we're there.
Me: Where did we go?
Cyrus: Japanese.
Me: Oh, you mean Japan?
Cyrus: No, Japanese. Japan is that place near China.

Cheese:
Gabriel (growling): Oh no, I've become a monster.
Cyrus: I'm going to slay you.
Gabriel (growling some more)
Cyrus: Give me money so I don't slay you.
Gabriel: Why do you need money?
Cyrus: I need to buy cheese.
Gabriel: How much money do you need?
Cyrus: Million.
Gabriel: Why do you need so much cheese?
Cyrus: I have a big dog.

Liquor:
Cyrus: What kind of store is that?
Gabriel: It's a liquor store.
Cyrus: What's liquor?
Gabriel: It's a drink adults sometimes drink.
Cyrus: I wish I had some liquor. Do you drink liquor?
Gabriel: No.
Cyrus: Why not?
Gabriel: I don't like the taste.
Cyrus: I like the taste of liquor!

Lord of the Rings:
Me: Cyrus, did you like the movie?
Cyrus: Yeah.
Me: It's based on a long book, called Lord of the Rings. One day, I'm going to read it to you.
Cyrus: Does it have that big eye in it?
Me: Yeah. That's the eye of the bad guy. He doesn't really have a body.
Cyrus: Why doesn't he have a body?
Me: Well, he's a spirit, sort of. He's still alive but doesn't have a body. He's just an entity.
Cyrus: What's an entity?
Me: Well, it's kind of like something that's there but doesn't have a body and it's not a person.
Cyrus (thoughtfully pausing): That doesn't make any sense.

House cleaner?
Cyrus: My house is so dirty! I've got to clean it.
Me: Why is it so dirty?
Cyrus: Because my son messed it up.
Me: Oh, you better clean it.
Cyrus (a few minutes later): Look, my house is so clean!
Me: Did you clean it?
Cyrus: No!
Me: Then how did it get clean?
Cyrus: Santa came over and cleaned my house!

New Years in FL

2012-01-01T21:18:00.001-05:00

We're down in FL for a 5 day visit for New Years/Christmas celebrating. It's a long drive, so we usually do a hotel stay half-way down. We left Friday night at the kid's bedtime and stopped more than half-way down at about 1:30 AM. Luckily, Gabriel can drive that late without getting sleepy. I, on the other hand, fizzle out by 11 PM at the latest and am sleeping in the car along with the kids. It's always such a relief to get settled down in the hotel room (when we finally find a vacant one) and get some Zs.

Cyrus and Kai love being with family. Saturday morning, we were up, showered, and dressed by 8:30 AM and heading the rest of the way to FL. We got to Gabriel's parent's house before lunch and hung out, talked, and napped. Morgan was there, so Cyrus immediately had his best buddy to run around and play with. They are just such good playmates, with only a few skirmishes here and there. Then, Casey and Janice came by and picked us up and took us to the Tampa Lightning hockey game, where the Bolts were playing the Carolina Hurricanes. Surely, Gabriel and I were the ONLY people there rooting for Carolina. Well, our team lost, to the joy of the Lightning fans, after which we headed up to the roof to listen to our very own brother (in-law) DJ the after-party. We had a good time dancing and talking and looking out over the Tampa skyline. We got back to the house before midnight and I'm such an early bird these days that I didn't even see the ball drop...I was in bed by 11:30 and so glad to be there. Traveling is tiring!

I'm much more alert this morning, and we've had a great day at home with Gabriel's whole family. We just got back from a delicious Chinese buffet that has TONS of vegetarian options, so I'm stuffed and happy. Happy New Year from FL!

-Shirin

Waiting at the hotel Sat morning for Gabriel to bring up the car.

Silly boy in the backseat.

Our trusty driver.

Immediate playing ensued when we arrived.

Yay! Pap pap and Grandma's house!

Opening some Christmas presents.

Christmas on New Year's Eve.

Cyrus getting tackled.

Kai checking out Morgan's tongue while Brendan ponders philosophical questions.

Brendan modeling his "Forever Lazy" jumpsuit from Janice and Casey.

There's even an opening to go potty! :)

Cyrus and his bestie, hanging out in the backyard.

I wonder what they are talking about.

Three precious boys.

What a mixture of genes these kids have: Filipino, Persian, Austrian, German, and Italian to name a few.

Best buddies.

I can get them to stand there, but I can't stop the silliness.

More silliness.

Kai looking through the screen at his two role models.

They thought he was so funny.

Playing tee ball outside.

Brendan taking Kai for a spin.

I was amazed that he was able to steer so well with one arm while holding a 30 lb baby with the other.

Cyrus and Kai got an even BETTER rocket launcher from Brendan this year.

Check out the rocket in motion!

Over in Tampa at the hockey game.

We had really good seats, courtesy of Casey's promoter hook-up at the rink.

A rare no-kids outing for us! (That means Gene and Rita were taking care of all three grandsons for us...what great grandparents!)

I love almost any sports game, just for the electric energy, cheering people, and food!

Upstairs at the after party with DJ Mingle Mixx.

Killin'.

We had an amazing view from the roof.

With my fun sister-in-law and my awesome hubby.

Tampa Bay!

Dancing with Janice "like we didn't know anyone," as she put it. :)

This morning, I caught Cyrus destroying his tower, mid-kick.

Pap pap and his mini-me.

Late morning with lots of family in the kitchen, talking and grazing on lots of food. When you have a DJ in the kitchen playing good music, you end up doing.....

....the conga!! Ha ha. How funny is that? We had a blast.

Pap pap took the boys out to drive around in their tractor today too.

Cyrus and Morgan have gotten much better at steering since last Christmas!

Then, it was back inside for story time with Pap pap. He makes up lots of stories, this one about a bear.

Rapt story-listeners.

Christmas in Athens

2011-12-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned that I love Christmas? Well, I do. And, now that I'm in my new-ish role of "Mommy," I especially am focused on making my kids' Christmases special and fun. So, for the first time in Cyrus' life, I bought him some Christmas presents. I know it seems strange, perhaps, that I waited so long, but I have never felt he really cared or was old enough to truly care until this year. Plus, he has doting grandparents on both sides, so he got plenty of presents without me spending money we didn't have. Oh yeah, and I think it's also significant that this is my first Christmas with a real job in, like, forever.

David P. was still in town, so I actually got some pictures of the four of us opening presents and doing our first family-of-four Christmas at home, thanks to him. Tomorrow, after I get off work, we head down to FL to spend some good quality time with Gabriel's parents and extended family. Can't wait for our third Christmas this year!

-Shirin

It's funny, but when I saw these soft blue and green Christmas blankets, I instantly knew that my boys would love them. And, they do.

Handing out gifts one at a time to savor and slow the process.

I can't remember why Gabriel was making this face, but it was significant.

Watching my little bubsy open his Thomas the Train puzzle. He loves puzzles too.

Kai checking out his Cookie Monster stickers while Cyrus opens his Sesame Street workbook.

Gabriel and I saw this book on sale at Borders months ago. Gabriel wanted to get it for someone but really just wanted it himself (plus, he's the geekiest dad we know). I told him to buy it and I'd keep it til Christmas, at which time I would wrap it up. I knew he'd forget about it and he didn't even remember that he had picked it out til I reminded him (his memory is paltry). He LOVES the present he got himself (of course!).

The hit of the night was the play-doh pizza-making kitchen.

Getting to work on our pizza. (Please note just how terribly messy our house can be, even after it was clean just a day or two before...kids...what are we to do?)

Kai shredding the cheese after Cyrus made the crust.

There are all those cool molds for toppings, but all Cyrus wants to do is make more and more pizza crusts.

Can you tell I love this toy too? Yum! Play-doh pizza. Merry Christmas and FL, here we come!

Two videos

2011-12-28T12:52:00.000-05:00

** This was a 2 post day. Be sure to see the other post below.**

Cyrus telling the story (sort of) about his favorite movie Shrek 4. If you don't have kids or haven't seen it, Shrek For Ever After is a very cute movie about those same characters from the first ones (Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots, Dragon, etc) with a new character, Rumplestiltskin.

This is also a video from a long time ago that just finally uploaded. It's Kai on Versed (like Valium) before his surgery. He was funny.

Teaching my children

2011-12-28T10:31:00.002-05:00

I never wanted to have daycare kids. I grew up with the ideal of a stay-at-home mom. My mom was always with us for years when we were little and was always teaching us things. We were potty-trained by 18 months and reading and writing before first grade. My dad even started teaching me the principles of algebra in kindergarten, so I really feel like I have a lot to live up to with my own kids.

Since I do have daycare kids and I'm not home all the time due to being a career woman as well as a mother, I really have to try to supplement their education and cognitive and language skills when I'm home with them on Wednesdays and the weekends. Luckily, both children LOVE to read and learn, so teaching them is fun as well as rewarding. (I should also say that their caretaker is very good about teaching them, reading to them, and giving them projects, so they are also getting education at her house).

Right now, Kai is in the process of learning animal sounds, words, and how to color and manipulate objects, like blocks and toys. Cyrus is in full-fledged learning mode: he is adding, subtracting, learning how to spell words, doing art projects with scissors and glue, singing songs, counting, learning about nature, and in imagination land with making up stories and acting out his favorite scenes from books and movies.

Everything I read says one of the most important factors in a child's life as far as them succeeding and doing well in school is the reinforcement they get at home from their parents. So, we're trying our best to do our part to help these two little heathens become good and intelligent citizens of this world.

-Shirin

Kai reading his favorite animal book. He can say sounds for many of them and loves to point to them over and over so we will make their noises and say their names.

Art time one Wednesday morning. Coloring and sculpting. Cyrus was never that interested in coloring when he was this age, but Kai LOVES to draw.

Getting out the modeling clay.

Serious about coloring.

Me teaching Cyrus, Earl, and Satin about coins, time, and fractions.

I think the fractions were a bust...but I may have been a bit ambitious.

Cyrus doing his math matching puzzles on Christmas morning.

He also can be a good photographer, albeit cutting off the top of my head sometimes.

Christmas in RH

2011-12-25T11:38:00.002-05:00

While shorter than we'd like, we have had a wonderful time here in RH for Christmas. We're leaving later today to go back to Athens so I can go to work tomorrow. Gabriel has all week off with the boys, so anyone who wants to come visit, I'm sure he'd love adult company.

Wednesday, my day off, we plan to do our own family Christmas in Athens, and then at the end of the week, we head down to FL to spend New Year's with my in-laws in Lakeland. We always do a lot of traveling during this time of year, but it sure is lovely to be with so much family. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Christmas?

-Shirin

My parents have been sick (courtesy of Kai 2 weeks ago), so they didn't have a tree up this year. Nevertheless, the pile of presents on the coffee table drove Cyrus crazy til we got to start opening.

They got lots of books and other toys from Nama and Baba.

My dad got Cyrus some magnetic letters and watched Cyrus write his name with them.

Cyrus also got some matching cards that involve addition and subtraction, and we've already play with those twice since last night.

My mom pulled out some of her old Christmas decorations, including this Santa doll that I used to play with as a kid. I also loved to put his boots on.

These cute wooden chairs are from the days when Tita and I were this young! They are still in great condition.

Cyrus loves math.

Showing Kai his new music toy from Nama and Baba.

A happy Cyrus, getting another present.

Have I mentioned how much I love Christmas?

Stockings for the four kids.

A peanut granola bar!

More yummy things.

Cyrus sharing with his little brother.

Just hanging out, eating a Larabar.

Blowing bubbles with Baba this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Nama, Cyrus, and I played Trouble.

Noooo! Cyrus just knocked my piece back to the start.

Baba with his quarter-Persian grandson. They look just alike.

Playing Ranger Rick and the Forest Fire game. I love that Cyrus is finally playing board games with us.

Kai's trying to learn too.

Merry Christmas. Tita, we miss you!

Merry Christmas in RH

2011-12-24T14:22:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, from my family to yours. We drove up for the weekend with my parents for Christmas. I worked Friday and I have to work Monday, so we could only manage a short trip, but it feels great to be home for the holidays. We're eating Persian food, watching Christmas movies, and planning to open presents tonight, as is our Austrian tradition. We'll have stockings in the morning.
Merry Christmas!
-Shirin

Visit from Beth

2011-12-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

My bestie from vet school, Beth, has been in Portland, OR for the last 6 months. She's working out there and living with her boyfriend, David. It was great to see Beth again this week when she was home for a visit. I miss her a lot.
-Shirin

Eating at our favorite Thai place downtown.

She's just got her hair straightened for the day and it looked so long to me.

Cyrus showing Beth his favorite music video with the people getting their skin painted.

-Shirin

A potentially deadly accident with Earl (he's OK)

2011-12-21T12:01:00.004-05:00

We are pretty sure we are keeping Earl and Satin, those precious kittens that came from my clinic, both rescued by my boss, Dr Amy. They are almost completely indoors, but I've started letting them out for a few minutes when the boys and I are outside watching them. I'm a firm believer that outdoor cats are in much greater peril thank indoor cats, but I also see terrible obesity in my indoor cat patients (and some outdoor cat patients too), so I think it's good to let them out for some exercise.

This morning started out normally and, after breakfast, I let the boys and kitties outside for a few minutes. The cats were doing their normal thing, milling around in the front yard and the kids were throwing balls and playing with the tricycle, when I went in for a moment to grab my breakfast sandwich. When I came outside, the cats were missing. Cyrus saw them up in the tree by the parking lot and I went over and realized Earl was TWO STORIES HIGH in this tree, trying to chase a squirrel. Have I mentioned that Earl is mostly blind? He has a little vision in his left eye and that's it.
I went under the tree to try to help him or catch him, but he fell right before I could get to him and landed on the cement and ran back towards the house. Completely freaking out now (and in the rain), I climbed up the tree and lured Satin back down to make sure he was safe. Then, I got the kids inside and started looking for Earl. He was NOWHERE to be found. I was about to lose it, just imagining him lying under some bush, bleeding to death. I was running around frantically with a bag of cat treats, calling and calling for him in the rain and then back inside.
Finally, I found him under my bed. I listened to him with my stethoscope, just to make sure he wasn't drowning on his own blood internally and got him out to watch him walk. He had a little bit of blood on his feet and mouth, but he walked out just fine, albeit with a left rear limp. I immediately got him into his cat carrier, got my kids into the car, and drove Earl to the UGA Vet Teaching Emergency Hospital. By the time they examined him, he was looking even more normal and walking a bit better.
My old emergency/critical care teacher, Dr Brainard examined him for fractures of the jaw or long bones and didn't find any. Whew...only a cat could fall that far and only have a ripped toenail. Since we want to be sure he doesn't have any pelvic fractures, I left him there for x-rays. I'm not religious, but please send Earl some healing vibes. I hope to go get him this afternoon and bring him home. Poor baby.
Since this happened just a few days after Satin almost got eaten by a dog outside (in front of my eyes when the dog got off of his leash from my nice neighbor, Rosaria), I just don't think these cats are going to be allowed back outside again.
-Shirin

Heading to UGA.

Earl fell from the yellow text (up in the branches).

Back home, feeling fine, and regal on his C3PO chair.

Home with sick kids again

2011-12-20T16:12:00.001-05:00

Well, they aren't as sick as they have been. But, they are still getting over their upper respiratory infections and now have both developed conjunctivitis (pink eye), something they DEFINITELY can't go to daycare with. I think they may have given it to me too, but I started myself on Kai's drops the second I felt anything going on in my eyes, so I am probably already getting over it.

I hate to miss work. I feel lazy and like I'm trying to stay home and do nothing when I call in sick, but there was just no one else to take care of them or take them to the doctor and Gabriel is in the middle of launching his first draft of their vet software and simply can't miss a day right now. Sigh...I have until tomorrow to get them better enough to go back with the other kids. They are actually feeling a lot better but this pink eye just has to go.

-Shirin

I asked Cyrus to show me his eye and this is what he did.

And this. See how red his left eyelid is? It's swollen too.

Having art time this morning before going to the doctor.

Kai loves to draw and color. His left eye was much worse than this before I started his drops and they are much better now.

A long cute video

2011-12-19T21:00:00.000-05:00

Kai and Cyrus dancing, Cyrus teaching Kai how to jump, and other silly stuff with Gabriel and the boys.

Weekend visit with David P, Bren, and Melissa

2011-12-18T22:19:00.001-05:00

David P, Gabriel's good friend, came to stay with us this weekend. Last night, Brendan and Melissa came over to spend some time with all of us and the kiddos. Melissa, a developmental psychology Ph.D student, is SO great with the boys and brought over some "I Spy" cards and a box of puzzles for Cyrus. I made some soy dogs, baked beans, and other sides (along with David's coleslaw) and we had a good ol' American dinner. Good times.

-Shirin

Just two guys, eating some cookies.

Doing some I Spying.

Reading Llama Llama, Mad At Mama with Melissa and talking about how the baby llama is so rotten to his mama. (I'm glad Cyrus is so horrified by that fact).

Kai is also a little bookworm, though he often just sits close by the reader and reads his own book, in this case A Mudpie for Mother.

Meanwhile, the guys were playing xbox and watching funny commercials on TV. See my beautiful Christmas tree? I only have ornaments on the bottom half due to kids and cats. Sigh...I just got my Aunt Martha's ornaments in the mail...I wonder if they would be safe on my tree?

Little Satin listening to Melissa reading Is Your Mama a Llama?

Sick baby(s)

2011-12-17T19:21:00.001-05:00

Poor baby Kai. He started coughing last Saturday and has progressively gotten worse. On Wednesday, my day off, I decided 4-5 days of coughing and fever warranted a doctor's visit, even though he had still been eating and acting OK for the most part. He did eschew his breakfast Wed morning, which was one of my cues that all was not OK with him.
Dr Martin heard pulmonary wheezes during his physical exam and attributed it to either 1) respiratory syncytial virus, 2) mycoplasma, or 3) reactive lung disorder (asthma precursor). He tested negative for RSV, so we put him on some antibiotics for mycoplasma and steroids for lung inflammation. We also did some nebulizer breathing treatments for a while, though he doesn't like them and it's a pain in the butt.
He's much better today (Saturday) but still coughing and somewhat snotty. However, his fever is gone and he definitely feels better.
Last night, Cyrus woke me up, shivering and feverish. Sigh. And so, the cycle continues...
-Shirin

Very sad, snuggly baby

How he looked Tuesday night. :(

At the doctor's office, doing Kai's first breathing treatment.

Work---(warning: graphic pics)

2011-12-14T15:43:00.001-05:00

This is a post about a challenging case I had a few months ago. I couldn't write about it at the time, because I felt too worried about him and didn't want to talk about the case til I knew he'd be OK. Now that I have seen him a few times after treatment and know he's OK, I finally feel ready to write about this.

Long story short, a sweet 2 year old Rottweiler (let's call him "Rebel") presented to me on an emergency basis on Monday morning. His mom said he was fine the night before when he was let out, but came home bloody and limping. She was worried he'd been hit by a car. Once we x-rayed him, we realized he had actually been shot in the back legs. His right one had luckily only been grazed, but his left ankle was COMPLETELY shattered. I could see right into his joint. It was terrible.

In a perfect world, he should have gone to an orthopedic specialist who could've tried to get the infection under control and then fused the bones together. It would have been a big ordeal, but his leg would probably have been saved. Since this world is anything but perfect, all I could offer Rebel's owner was leg amputation of the broken leg and repair of the soft tissue of the grazed one. He was lucky the bullet didn't break both of his legs, because I would've just had to put him to sleep. He needed to have at least 1 functioning rear leg. At over 100 lbs, I was concerned about his ability to walk on only 3 legs, but dogs usually do so well without their "spare" fourth leg, so we went ahead with the amputation.

As far as amputations go, it was harder than usual, since his leg (and blood vessels) were SO much bigger than a small dog's or cat's. Whew...I think I used 3 surgery packs' worth of hemostats (clamps). But, it was done and we got him through it. He was kept on some very strong pain medications for several days afterwards, which led to some complications (not eating/not going to the bathroom, etc). Once he healed up a bit and the pain meds were decreased, he recovered well and went home.

I've seen him a few times since the surgery and he's doing great. The owner is doing a good job of putting him on a diet, since he needs to stay thin for all his remaining legs to last as long as possible. Last I heard he was able to go outside more and more, as his mom felt more comfortable with his healing. It was a hard case for me in several ways, including doing what I had to with limited funds, but I'm so glad that I was able to save Rebel's life. He has (potentially) another decade of life with a mom who loves him.

-Shirin

Can you see his ankle/heal/hock? It's shattered.

Another view of his shattered ankle. You can see where the bullet just plowed through the bones and broke the whole ankle.

Starting the amputation with an incision mid-thigh.

It was pretty bloody, but most amputations are.

I got sprayed.

Trying to get through all those huge muscles, very carefully, one at a time.

It's off!

The final result, about 4 hours after I started. Whew...that was exhausting.

Once it heals and has hair growing over the incision, it'll be a lot prettier. His other leg had to get sutured up in front of the knee, but that was nothing compared to the amputation.

Recovering post-op on a bed of towels with some morphine dripping into his IV.

Poor guy...connected to all his tubes. I had a picture of him after he was healed and was running around again, but I don't have it on this computer, so I'll have to add it later. Take my word for it: this beautiful boy was up and running around again a week or so later.

Visit from Nama and Baba

2011-12-11T15:13:00.002-05:00

I so rarely have a weekend in Athens when I'm not working, so this weekend at home has felt especially decadent. My office Christmas party was Friday night, for which Gabriel and the kids drove up. Then, Saturday at lunchtime, my parents arrived for a nice, relaxing visit. Kai has a little cold, but otherwise, we're all in good form and we've been cooking/eating and playing games all weekend. Gabriel and I even got to take a little nap this morning while my parents watched the kids. There's probably no better present than that for us sleep-deprived parents.

-Shirin

Nama and the boys are always good for some story time (in inflatable Star Wars chairs, I might add).

My dad fixed my Christmas tree lights that had shorted out earlier in the day.

I had to take a picture of my amazing salad: romaine lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, sweet peas, artichoke, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, celery, and freshly chopped avocado. We ate it with my dad's awesome fesanjoon (sweet walnut/pomegranate stew over rice) and garlic vinaigrette.

Happy to see her grandbabies.

Kai showing Nama his Christmas tree.

Playing Catan, our favorite game.

Gabriel decided to build on all sheep resources and then tried to get us to trade him for other stuff all game. Once he got a sheep port he did OK, but I planned a bit luckier and trounced them all (except my mom who almost won).

Cyrus is a triple-threat (singing, playing, and dancing). He got us all in the mood to play Rock Band on Xbox.

Playing a dancing game on Xbox.

Kai has decided that Baba is just awesome.

Reading a book together. Poor baby has a snotty nose and a pretty terrible cough.

Nama reading to her little dragon.

A bunch of my favorite people.

Christmas tree

2011-12-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

I finally got my Christmas tree yesterday. Cyrus was so excited about it but was asleep in the car when I rushed into the freezing wind and asked the guy for a $20 tree. I always use Gabriel's grinch-y-ness to my advantage. I ended up paying $25 for a $40 tree...the biggest one we've ever had. Since I've been known to hack the top half of a cedar tree off and drag it home for a Christmas tree, that's not saying much, but I'm still short ornaments since the tree is so big. I'll probably pick some more up on my way home.
I don't have any final pictures up yet, but I'll work on that soon. (The picture is of Earl sleeping under our lovely tree...he just loved that thing).
-Shirin

Thanksgiving in FL

2011-12-04T18:00:00.000-05:00

We went to FL to celebrate Thanksgiving with Gabriel's family, as we always do. We stayed at the Holiday Inn in town and drove the 25 minutes into the country to Sam's house every day. The hotel was great and we often had breakfast there for the kids before going to Sam's house for the family breakfast.

The kids had an absolute blast playing outside with their cousin Morgan and all their extended family and family friends. It's a paradise for nature-lovers and gamers to be running around with Nerf weapons playing games and sports all day. It's a great group of Gabriel's friends, family, and family friends. What an awesome holiday tradition.

We had our first annual Survivor competition, complete with tribes and tribal councils where we voted people out. Hopefully, Brendan will edit the video from the competition and I'll have an actual Survivor McAlpin Season 1 show to post on the blog soon.

In the hotel, before heading over to Sam's.

Enjoying a treat of pancakes over at Sam's house.

Over at Sam's with Pap pap, watching the big boys place basketball.

Gabriel, David P, and Brendan vs Casey, Pogo, and David R (the last two are Bren's close childhood friends).

Three tough characters looking on.

Laughing at silly Uncle Sam behind me. Thanks Sam!

Uncle Casey pushing around the boys in their "Jeep."

Our motley crew, getting ready to compete in the Survivor game.

The little tag-alongs, building a sand castle together.

Brendan refereeing David's choke hold.

During one of the Survivor challenges. Ashley's new boyfriend, Dustin, is on the right and was a real trooper when we threw him into playing with all us seriously competitive players.

Starting a "Hunger-games"-esque competition between Cyrus and Morgan. If you haven't read the Hunger Games series, I highly recommend that you do.

Ready, set, SWORD FIGHT!!!!!

Sam, David R, and Pogo, watching with interest.

Then, it turned into a two against one battle with David P.

What's an uncle for, if not to teach his nephew how to shoot a Nerf bow and arrow?

David and Gabriel, taking a rest from the game and talking about who knows what. Debating? Survivor strategy? Football? Food?

My budding little fighter. I can't WAIT til my kids can actually play strategically with us in the woods games we play. They are gonna have a fantastic time.

Kai, trying to master the rope climb.

Thanksgiving was indoors, but I helped with food and kids, so I didn't get many pictures of the people, food, or trivia game that followed. Oh well. Here's a good one of Mammaw and Cruz.

Pap pap and his mini-me.

Cyrus and Brendan are thick as thieves.

Morgan and Janice caught snuggling.

Kai, coveting Emily's ice cream.

Cyrus and Morgan, coveting Brendan's pie.

Kai, coveting my rubberband.

Morgan + Cyrus = silliness cubed (Hence, Morgan licking Cyrus' face in this picture).

Wrestling little cousins. I forsee many years of this to come.

At the bonfire. I'm not sure about Morgan, but this was definitely my boys' first bonfire.

Sitting with Uncle Casey and Aunt Janice and waiting for roasted marshmellows.

Don't want to give away much, but we also held the finals of our Survivor game around the bonfire.

Some of the members of the jury.

Thanks to all my in-law family for such a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday celebration. It was well worth the drive.

"Dammit, Zombie" for your viewing pleasure

2011-11-30T20:51:00.004-05:00

This was made by Brendan and his friends, Melissa and Ali. They wrote, acted, filmed, directed, and edited. They worked on it for 4 months and put a lot into it and I think it's awesome. Several members of the Modaresi-Beal family are extras, so keep your eyes open. It's in 4 parts about about 25 minutes total.

-Shirin

Home safely

2011-11-27T21:27:00.002-05:00

We made it back home from a fabulous Thanksgiving celebration with Gabriel's family in FL. We're heading to bed early since we're a bit sleep-deprived (we chose fun over sleep several nights in a row), but I will post about it later.

I will say that I might even have a video to show soon of our first annual Survivor McAlpin challenge, which I didn't win but did place 4th in. More to come...

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

-Shirin

Funny things Cyrus says

2011-11-21T21:05:00.003-05:00

I've been lazy and not written down half of the hilarious things Cyrus comes up with, but here's a sample of them that I have actually written down when I've remembered to.

-Shirin

Lazy:

Me: Oh man, one of our neighbors didn't clean up their dog's poop. Gross.

Cyrus: Why didn't our neighbor clean up their dog's poop?
Me: Because they are lazy.

Cyrus: What's lazy mean?

Me: It means they don't want to do anything.

Cyrus: I'm not lazy. I go poop in the toilet.

Marriage:

Cyrus: Are you and Mommy family?

Gabriel: Well, yes, we are, but we only are family because we got married. Then we had you boys.

Cyrus: Now we're a family?

Gabriel: Yes. One day you will get married too.

Cyrus: With Mommy?

Gabriel: No, she's your mommy.

Cyrus: With Tita?

Gabriel: No, she's your aunt.

Me: Cyrus, one day you are going to marry a man or a woman. Which one do you want to marry?

Cyrus: A man.

Me: A man? Why do you want to marry a man?

Cyrus: Because I love men!

Cannon=candle?

(at the park):

Cyrus: Run Mommy. We're pirates and we need to get onto that other ship.

Me: OK, let's go.

Cyrus (arriving at the "ship"): OK, now let's shoot a hole into the other ship with our candle. Boom! Boom!

Me: Ok, let's shoot a cannonball at the other ship. Kaboom.

Cyrus: Yeah, we hit him with our candle!

Cyrus already knows how to talk to women:

1) "Mommy, I like your hair. It's so soft."

2) "Mommy, you look cute."

3) "You're crazy. I like it."

Giraffes:
Cyrus (pretending): Look, there are three giraffes.
Gabriel: Oh, wow.
Cyrus: We should ride them. One for me, one for you, and one for Kai.
Gabriel: OK.
Cyrus: Well, Kai is too little. He'll ride a giraffe when he's older.

Friendly greeting:
Cyrus (to everyone at the park): Hi. My name is Cyrus. That's my mommy and this is my Kai.

View of Mommy:
Cyrus (to Gabriel): Look, I'm Mommy. (Then, imitating my voice): "I want coffee!"

Holiday confusion:

Gabriel: Cyrus, tell Mommy what you saw at Wal-mart.

Cyrus: I saw a Christmas tree.

Me: Wow!

Cyrus: Yeah, it was there for Halloween.

Question:
Cyrus: Daddy, I want to ask you a question.

Gabriel: OK.

Cyrus: My question is....." I want Mommy."

Neighborly conversation:

Cyrus (talking to some random neighbor): Hello.

Neighbor: Hello

Cyrus: What's your name?
Neighbor: "Jacob."

Cyrus: What's your last name?

Making it real:

Cyrus (grabbing a plastic blue spider): Can we take this downstairs?
Gabriel: Yeah, it's a cool spider.

Cyrus: Yeah, we should make it real.

Gabriel: How do we do that?

Cyrus: We have to go to the store and get something...like a wand!

Strong:

Cyrus: Daddy, you are so strong.

Gabriel: Yeah.

Cyrus: Are you so strong that when I hit you, you say, "Not ouch?"

What he thinks we do all day:
Gabriel: Cyrus, what is Mommy's job?
Cyrus: Veterinarian.

Gabriel: That's right. What is my job?

Cyrus: Taking care of computers.

Day:

Me: How was your day today?

Cyrus: Nothing.

Me: No, not what did you do today. HOW was your day today? Was it a nice day?

Cyrus: It was a mean day.

Mailman:

Cyrus: I got a letter from the mailman today.

Gabriel: What did it say?
Cyrus: Dear Cyrus, I want to play with you and have fun with you. I can't wait to see you. Love, The Mailman.

A few cute sayings:
1. (As I approach his feet with socks): Hurry, my feet are about to shiver.

2. (Before a meal): I'm hungry. My tummy is about to rumble.

3. (Waiting for water): My tummy is rumbling; I'm so thirsty!

What an imagination!

Cyrus: Daddy, I want to ask you a question.

Gabriel: OK

Cyrus: My question is, "Do you have a mommy butt?"

Gabriel: What is that?

Cyrus: It's a drink.

Gabriel: What kind of drink?
Cyrus: A drink that has a pelican in it.

A fun morning at home

2011-11-20T13:00:00.004-05:00

I finally have a day I don't have to work. Yay! Gabriel and I actually just chilled out last night and watched a movie and, this morning, we all got up together and walked to Waffle House for breakfast. Then, we walked home and let Gabriel take a nap while me and the boys played outside and got dirty and wet and had lots of fun. It's exactly what I needed.

-Shirin

My sweet family.

In case we forget their names, they are on their hats.

Such a serious eater. He ate 2 scrambled eggs, 2 slices of wheat toast, a pile of grits, a tomato slice, and some orange juice.

Orange juice was such a treat for this happy little guy.

Mo' money, mo' money!

Kai doing sign language. This means "all done." He also does the one for "hungry" and "more."

My bench buddy.

Back home and into the big wet leaf pile.

Waist deep in leaves and loving it.

Kai kept getting stuck and asking for help. See that mud puddle behind the pile?

Kai got a little too muddy. He's not crying because of the mud. He's crying because I made him get out of the puddle.

He got over it and we rode around on bikes and tricycles and played hide and seek. Then, they pretended to eat berries.

And threw berries at the camera lady too.

I let Earl and Smootz out to play for a little while too.

My precious.

They got so dirty that I stripped them naked and gave them a bath right when we got into the house.

Ready for more food, playing, and fun!

Working like a mad woman

2011-11-18T21:08:00.003-05:00

No time to blog. Heck, I didn't have time to eat lunch today. I sustained myself on doughnuts until 5:30 PM tonight, when I finally had a chance to sit and eat while writing on charts of some of my sick or emergency cases today. I'm finally home and about to go to sleep so I can get up tomorrow morning and drive back up there. I sure am earning my vacation. Hope I have some energy left for the Thanksgiving festivities in FL.

-Shirin

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

2011-11-15T21:29:00.004-05:00

We're home again and back to the grindstone. This morning, Gabriel had to be at his conference early so I dropped the kids off at daycare and went to work a little late. Then, since we weren't too busy today, I got to come home a little early. Would that all my work days let me see my children this much.

Since I just got back from a 3 day weekend and plan to head back out for more vacation around the real Thanksgiving holiday, I am working a LOT this next week while my boss takes off some much needed time with her hubby in CO. Starting today, I will the only doc and will only have 1 day off in the next 8. Sigh...it'll be worth it when I'm off 4.5 days straight and having fun in FL next week. I'm keeping my eye on that prize.

Until then, I'll likely be working more often than not, but I can't complain. I'm happy to have a job and happy to be able to celebrate holidays with both my and Gabriel's families.

-Shirin

The boys were great for the return trip, which I did by myself with them, since Gabriel had to come back Sunday.

We had a good time waiting for Gabriel to get home (right before bath time, hence the naked bottoms).

I also played dress-up with Kai, just for fun.

He wasn't sure he liked it. (Check out that new molar on his bottom right). Poor crying little pea pod.

Tonight, we had a fruit picnic on the floor (pomegranates, banana, and tangerines) and got sticky and sweaty running around, hence more naked pics. I love Kai's curly blond hair.

Big bubsy.

Medium bubsy with Micro bubsy. (Gabriel was testing the camera).

Trying to feed Cyrus a banana...but he only had eyes for pumpkin raisin bread and Flinstone's vitamins.

Drunk on banana and water.

Cyrus claimed he had superpowers with his gloves on. He said his power was throwing balls at cats and that he didn't have to say goodbye to his neighbor, Lucy, because he was a super hero. He's having some mighty strong delusions of grandeur...I might have to hide those gloves.

Thanksgiving in RH with Ricardo, Daniel, and Shirly, et al

2011-11-13T16:37:00.005-05:00

Another post today! (See the other one below). We've been very busy, so I've been busy posting pictures, like a true blogger.

Today some very good friends came to visit. Ricardo, Tita's ex and a great family friend, and (independently) my dear friend, Daniel, from college came to visit. Daniel's good friend Shirly also came along since she was down in Columbia with him for their business school reunion and the USC/FL game. She's so great with the kids and very interesting to talk to.

We met them while we were walking around the neighborhood and ended up playing in the leaves and with the football/soccer balls they brought the kids for a long time. Then, we headed back to my house for some Persian food and Thanksgiving leftovers. It was a great time.

-Shirin

We stopped by and saw Lisa and Dan as they were leaving to do errands while we were walking around the neighborhood.

Me, Tita, and Ricardo walking around the neighborhood, waiting for Daniel and Shirly to arrive. (Disregard the falling baby).

Loving the grass in Lisa's front yard.

Playing in some beautiful yellow leaves.

Burying Tita.

Roar!

Shirly and Tita getting acquainted.

Daniel and Kai playing soccer.

Cyrus took this picture as Daniel ridiculed me for getting my 3 year old to take the picture.

There he is. Some of my favorite people are in this picture.

Thanksgiving in Rock Hill with Lisa and Tita, et. al

2011-11-13T11:36:00.005-05:00

We're going to be in FL for the real Thanksgiving holiday, so we are spending this weekend (plus Monday for me and the kids) with my parents and sister in Rock Hill. Lisa and her husband, Dan, and her baby, Josie, were also kind enough to come down the same weekend, so we've all had a lovely reunion and have been spending some time at one another's parents' homes (in the same neighborhood, conveniently enough).

Lisa has 2 little nieces that are the exact same ages as Kai and Cyrus, so it's always a kid-tastic time when we all get together. Yesterday, my mom, my sister, and I got busy with the cooking and had Thanksgiving dinner ready by late lunchtime. Together we've gotten very efficient and proficient at getting all the food cooked. Tita almost always peels the potatoes (and she let Cyrus help this year), I usually get the stuffing started by chopping the onions, celery, and bread, and my mom often does the sweet potato casserole. The tofurkey, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce are anyone's job. Then, my mom always makes the mashed potatoes and I always make the yeast gravy.

Gabriel heads home today and I will be driving home with Kai and Cyrus tomorrow. It's been so nice to have a few days of relaxation with my entire family, including Tita, all the way from San Francisco.

-Shirin

Kassidy came over with Lisa and played with Cyrus. They really seem to like each other.

Baby Josie looks a lot like her daddy.

Two of the Thanksgiving chefs.

The cranberry sauce guys.

Lisa's family and some extra family/friends went on a walk/parade around the neighborhood.

Me and Irysse.

Irysse and her three daughters.

Most of the kids (Cyrus and Kassidy in the double stroller, Josie in her stroller, and Camden in the single stroller on the right. Carl and Katie on the left are the kids of a close family friend, Mandy.)

The livingroom chaos with all the kids playing.

Back home with Nama reading books.

Tita reading books.

Baba and Kai talking this morning.

Recent videos of the kids

2011-11-12T11:48:00.003-05:00

Kai saying "bye bye" to the cars on the highway.

Gabriel and Cyrus trying to feed each other (imaginary) gross things and trying to gross each other out.

Cyrus playing "Daddy" with his baby doll. I loved seeing him bathe, dress, swaddle, and kiss the baby doll good night. He has a good roll model with Gabriel.

Kai saying "pop" when Tita blew him bubbles.

Kai loves dancing and spinning in circles as much as his big brother does.

Cozy day at home

2011-11-10T21:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was one of my cherished Wednesdays at home with my boys. It's a day of rest, snuggling, and catching up on cleaning for me. I just HATE it when my house is messy, which means I'm pretty much always miserable, at least when my feelings about my surroundings are assessed. I do let go of that misery to just enjoy play time with the kids, but I really really enjoy having Wednesdays to sweep, mop, disinfect all the crusted-on cereal pieces from the table, and vacuum the cracker crumbs out of the carpet. People tell me to get a maid, but I really actually need one every day if we're going to keep the mess at bay...and I don't have that kind of money. I usually try to go out and about on my Wednesdays with the boys, but yesterday, the only thing we did out was going to the playground. Otherwise, we were home, reading books, cooking, eating, and playing. Oh, and we all took a big group nap, which was awesome for me (once Cyrus decided to stop yelling and actually go to sleep).

After we got home from the park, we had a big family dinner with Gabriel, Brendan, and Melissa. I had put some black bean chili in the crock pot and had already made cornbread muffins, so it was easy just to steam up some broccoli at the last minute and serve the simple-yet-tasty dinner. The kids love Brendan and Melissa, so it was a good time for all.

Tomorrow, we head up north for a RH Thanksgiving with my whole family and some good family friends. I can't wait.

-Shirin

My two daily companions.

Along with these two kitty friends as well. They come home with me from the office and the kids love them, as do I.

Melissa reading to Kai.

My little shaytooni boy attacking his silly uncle.

Perfect day for chili and cornbread.

Kai's words at 16 months

2011-11-09T07:41:00.007-05:00

Kai is still behind Cyrus in his speaking development but he's doing great with increasing his vocabulary and learning how to express himself more clearly all the time. Since I recorded Cyrus' first words for him, I feel it is only right for me to record Kai's too. Poor second child always gets shafted. Well, here's my attempt to be fair.

-Shirin

PS He also has 4 molars coming in.

Kai's list of words at 16 months.

Bye bye= bah bah

Water= wah

Cat= dah

That= dat

Book= boo

Door= door

Diaper= bah-per

Daddy= dah dah

Teeth= deed

Ball= bah

Dog= dah

Neigh= naaah

Woof= woo

Quack= wak

Banana= nah (while pointing at banana)

Bread= beh

Nite nite= nah nah

Uh oh= uh oo

Bite= bye

Roar= rohr

Meow= mow

Boo= boo

Mouth= mou

Nose= no

Butt= buh

Head= heh

Hat= hah

Hot= (whispered) haut

Quick trip to Atlanta and the ZOO!!

2011-11-06T20:36:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, after I got off of work at noon, we (Gabriel, me, and the kids) and David P, loaded up the minivan and headed down to Atlanta to stay the night. Today, we all got up bright and early, so that I could head downstairs in the Marriott conference center for my vet CE (continuing education) at the GVMA conference and the guys and kids could head over to the Atlanta zoo to have fun until I got out.

I hate that I missed the kids' first visit to the zoo, but I am glad they got to go and that they had a great day while I was learning about veterinary law and anesthesia. I got some good information I hadn't known and did some networking, which is always nice.

We're back in Athens and getting ready for another busy week. At the end of this one, we head to Rock Hill for an early Thanksgiving with my parents and sister. Yippee! Life is busy, but it is also good.

-Shirin

Thanks to David for borrowing his friend's minivan, we got to travel in spacious style.

Gabriel happy in the van with sleeping babies.

We stopped by our favorite vegan Chinese restaurant in Atlanta, Harmony. The kids were a little riled up from being in the car, so Gabriel and I had to take turns taking them outside, so it wasn't the most relaxing meal.

But all the delicious food was terrific.

Today at the zoo, the kids saw a bunch of animals for the first time. In this case, they are looking at.....

...FLAMINGOS!!!

They also got to see real gorillas up close.

So amazing.

Up close and personal with a gorilla statue.

I don't think they were supposed to climb on the statues.

I think this is an antelope?

Checking out the meerkats, which were my Grandpa Fred's favorite animals.

Kai, the climber.

In the reptile house. I'm sure everyone thought David was the real father of this blond baby.

Gabriel and David said the petting zoo was a lot of fun because the goats could've cared less about kids petting them and were really friendly.

Kai, just one of the goats.

Cyrus learning how to brush a goat.

Trying on hats in the gift shop.

Cyrus and Kai came home with some neon green and pink flamingo hats. I chalk up Gabriel's eclectic taste to his interesting personality. :)

They look adorable, though. Thanks, Zoo Atlanta, for taking care of my family while I was at my conference.

Long, tiring week

2011-11-04T20:50:00.002-04:00

I must be fighting off a cold or something, but I'm SO tired tonight. It might be related to Cyrus waking me up most mornings at 3 AM to pee or tuck him in (insert something random in the blank) or give him a stuffed animal. I also think it's my 12 hours days (10 hour work day + 2 hours commuting round trip). It wears me down, no matter how hard I try to sleep enough and foresake any fun time or house-cleaning.

Hence, I've been a rotten blogger and have pictures and posts I'd like to write, but am just too tired and weary for any of that. As my dad and I talked about tonight, I'm paying my dues as a young veterinarian. It's hard work and I just have to accept it. Here are two sweet photos from tonight before the boys went to bed.

-Shirin

Kai reading before bed on Gabriel's life.

So sweet.

Cyrus dressing himself before bed. He usually insists that we put his clothes on despite being able to do it himself, but tonight he was a big boy. Look how proud he looks.

Tomorrow morning, I head back up to Toccoa for work and then come home so we can head over to Atlanta for a night of vacation and then a conference for me on Sunday. Night, night.

Brendan's movie premiere

2011-11-01T20:52:00.004-04:00

Gabriel and I had an absolute blast last night on Halloween, dressing up with the kids and going to Cine to watch the premiere of "Dammit, Zombie." We are so proud of Brendan (along with Melissa and Ali) for making this short film, on which they worked every Sunday since June!

The room was packed and the audience loved it. Here are a few pictures from the event.

-Shirin

Kai, the skeleton; me, the Asian girl; Gabriel, the army medic; and Cyrus, the dragon sans wings waiting for the movie to start.

Cyrus had never popcorn before and thought it was a real treat.

Brendan, in the black suit against the wall, was the MC and introduced the movie to everyone before it started.

He was also one of the starring male protagonists in the film (that's him on the screen, smoking a cigar and looking tough).

Some of the humans trying to get to safety.

Melissa, the leading female protagonist, did a great job.

Brendan with Tamar, another one of the actresses from the film.

Gabriel chatting with some of the cast members after the film.

Poor tired baby, out past his bedtime.

"Dammit, Zombie" premiere

2011-10-31T21:34:00.003-04:00

Brendan's short film "Dammit, Zombie" just premiered tonight in Athens at Cine. Gabriel and I were lucky enough to be invited for this costume party campy film extravaganza. I was amazed to see a packed house of at least 50-60 people, all dressed up for Halloween and super-excited about the zombie movie they were about to see. I only have a few photos from us dressing up before the show tonight. I'll post the rest later. Congratulations to Brendan, Melissa, and Ali for writing, filming, directing, and editing an awesome short film!

I can't wait for the sequel.

-Shirin

I was a blue-haired Asian girl for Halloween. Don't judge; I literally created my costume within 5 minutes of getting home from work at 7.

I also helped Gabriel dress up like an army medic in about 5 minutes as well.

Thumbs up to my little dragon, who had a great time at his uncle's fabulous movie premiere and asked me tonight if he could watch it again in the morning.

Brendan turns 30.

2011-10-30T12:29:00.004-04:00

Gabriel said yesterday that he couldn't believe his younger brother was turning 30. I guess it happens to the best of us. We were really grateful to be included in his plans for celebrating, and Melissa and I organized an art project and presents at my house Saturday evening and then dinner out at Brendan's choice, Inoko's (Japanese hibachi and sushi restaurant).

The art project Melissa arranged was awesome and it was really cool that all of us got to add to it once we were together. (See pictures below). I also really enjoyed a reason to go out with other adults and have a fun eating experience (with the chefs setting fires and throwing their knives around). It was a bunch of fun for me and Gabriel, even though we brought the kids with us. They were troupers and stayed out way past their bedtimes without meltdowns and really were in awe of the onion volcanoes and knife antics of all the chefs.

Happy birthday, little brother. Being 30 wasn't bad at all.

-Shirin

Brendan admiring Melissa's cool and creative present.

Her masterpiece before we added our own artwork to it.

The planning meeting before getting started.

Then, we all got to work. Cyrus added his hands and Kai his feet.

Allie, Melissa's good friend, drew some zombie hands, which are very appropriate since their zombie movie premieres tomorrow night.

Melissa also brought over some modeling clay for Cyrus and Kai.

Taking a brotherly shot before leaving the house.

Brendan's tsunami.

OH NO! Bren has zombie hands!

At Inoko's, awaiting our personal chef.

After a delicious dinner, we all got some red velvet cupcakes (I didn't get pics of the candles and blowing/wishing part).

Cyrus got a few bites of Gabriel's cupcake and was in hog heaven, as you can imagine.

Kai just drank some of Uncle Bren's beer (just kidding). Shortly after, we whisked two tired boys off to bed and hit the hay ourselves. Happy birthday, Brendan!