Goodbye Salon Cinco

Happy summer solstice! I can't believe it is already this part of the year. I am enjoying the long days of sunshine with sunset after 8:00 pm. Miles is enjoying his hours of free play and mornings of sleeping in. He is officially finished with kinder and in the building feeling his 1st grader self.

It's amazing how much has changed since Miles' first days at NVLA. His first days in October were rough. We debated whether or not we were doing him a disservice transferring him out of our neighborhood school to the charter. But 8 months later, Miles is as happy as can be and has grown so much. He reads in Spanish, writes paragraphs in Spanish, and can pretty much get by with basics. It was definitely a challenge for him to adjust to a new school, new environment, not to mention learn in a language he was not familiar with but he has already shown so much perseverance and progress.

His last days of school were a bit tough when he realized that he was no longer going to have Maestra Ortiz as his teacher. He looked panicked when he learned that he would no longer have the same classmates and be in a different classroom. But with every change that Miles has undergone, he shows us how resilient he is. So I'm not worried like I was earlier this year. Guess I'm growing up too!

Some of Miles' Kinder memories....

NVLA annual Walk-a-thon

 Connolly Ranch field trip

 Brushing the donkey.

She was so sweet and enjoyed all the attention & affection from the students.

 Miles and two of his buddies, Andrew and Miles M. at playground Fantastico.

Miles' Kinder graduation

Hope You Enjoyed Mother's Day.

Miles spent his Sunday morning planting terrariums for the mamas in his life. He also decided to keep the smaller one for himself. Truly appreciate this kid who made me Mama Feelgood!

Happy Spring!

Miles has been busy ever since his Gramma & Papa have moved to Napa County! Miles has also been busy with Homie since he's moved in with us a few months ago. Since then, they have started a band...check it out...

Caine's Arcade

This kid is amazing! Thanks Aunty Christina for sharing this. Miles was definitely inspired...

Caine's Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

Napa Trails

It's been nice and sunny (mostly) in the Bay. We've been taking advantage of the weather and spent at least one day hiking outdoors each week. Homie and Wicket have been enjoying these adventures with us too!

We were pretty excited on the first day of exploring this trail.

They found a sun dial.

Another week we went, Homie came along.

We found mushrooms growing everywhere.

Wicket and Homie even enjoyed some time off leash and met some furry new friends.

Miles was calling these moss-covered rocks, spirit rocks.

They felt on top of the world!

Mike Dream Exhibit @ the I-Hotel

Mike "Dream" Francisco is a legendary aerosol artist who had passed away over a decade ago. He was innovative, creating styles, and also conveyed political messages in his art. It's great to be able to teach Miles about Dream and who he was, seeing how Miles is proud to hear that he is also Filipino. It was a perfect exhibit to take him to also because he has been getting into writing and developing his own hand styles.

Mike Dream Exhibit is happening until April at the I-Hotel. The I-Hotel is a historical landmark, being the place that housed many Asian Americans, specifically Filipinos during the early 1900s. It was pretty cool to take Miles there, even though he may not understand the significance of the place just yet. 

Miles does, however, understand "Power to our People!"

RIP Mike Dream, TDK.

Our Beloved Snupe...

Snupe Elacio (1994-2012)

After over 17 years of having my lil brother, Snupe in our life, it was time to let him rest. It's been a challenging week but one full of reminders of life's impermanence and also new life lessons for Miles.

Snupe has been Nanay's baby since I was 14. I pretty much grew up with him. He was pretty choosey of who he would let carry him and I feel pretty lucky that he always let me hold him. When Nanay use to work graveyard shifts at a care home, she would take him along. He would look forward to going to work with her, helping her make her rounds, checking up on all the seniors and barking at Nanay to let her know when a senior was up out of bed and needed assistance.

Going to work with her gave him some kind of purpose. He also loved the car ride. On the way home from a ride, he would get up and look out the window once we'd pass the curve along Meadows Drive. He knew he'd be closer to home.

His favorite food was a hamburger from Mcdonald's. Nanay insisted on feeding him that for years. Maybe that's what preserved him for so long?! But his last years, he got healthier, eating a lean diet of home cooked meats and rice. 

Snupe was also annoying at times--such a little brother. His breath was so bad but that didn't stop us from loving the boy. He also was not very welcoming to N9na when he came into our family. When I moved back home for awhile, he would scratch on my door once Nanay went to work, wanting to sleep on my bed with me. Sometimes, I'd get so annoyed with his scratching that I would say, "Snupe! Go to mom's room." And then I'd hear his little feet prancing away, following directions. But when I'd let him in, which was most mornings, he would come in, stretch out, and smile his toothy smile.

I've missed that.

And I've also missed hearing him knock his water bowl around, communicating to us that he was thirsty.

Ever since I became a mom, I had less time to spend with Snupe and Homie. With Nanay in the P.I., it forced me to spend time with them. Haha! Having to go to the house in the mornings to let him out, feed him, and change Snupe's diaper. I would spend a few hours there before work to pet him.

I'm thankful for that time. It really was precious time.

It's hard to say goodbye to someone you love. When does that get any easier? When someone passes, apart of you dies with them. With Snupe, apart of my childhood has died. But I am truly grateful for the company and love he gave us--especially to my mom. He made her happy and relieved her of stressful times. He has done that for me as well.

Last night, Miles said a prayer wishing for Snupe to be in heaven. He also talked to me about what happens when we die, thinking about Snupe:

Everybody has a time, mommy. We just never know. I just have to be thankful for right now because we never know. I wish I could go back to when Snupe was younger and heal him. But it's ok because he's not in pain anymore. I told Grayson that we were sad about Snupe. He told me that he knows how it feels because his two old dogs passed away too. He just wants us to know that it will be ok. We just have to take care of Homie now. And if something happens to Homie, we will just have to get a new dog!

SF Weekend

Last weekend, Uncle Bob & Aunty Cheryl took the boys off of our hands (thank you for the break!) and had a sleepover followed by a day at the SF Zoo. Miles waited as patiently as he could, anticipating his adventure with Dengs and Bobawts.

Miles loved it. He came back talking on and on about being at his old stomping grounds, playing Pokemon, eating French candy, and checking out the wild animals. His favorite animals at the zoo were the gorillas because "they are like humans." Justin got to hang out with Uncle Arjuna and do the guy thang and I got to spend the day with my LFDV crew. Amen to "ME" time....

(pictures via dilutedspace.com)