Easter and More

Rohin – you continue to amaze us at what a four year old can accomplish.  Your intellectual ability to learn is really quite amazing.  You are now able to write your name – Rohin and recognize many of the letters and numbers when you see them. You are now even taking books and guessing what they mean.  Recently, mommy bought picture books that ask questions (e.g. where does the helmet go, which of these Is not a fruit, etc)… and you know pretty much most of them.  Daddy went to a kindergarten seminar the other day and all of the items on the checklist that 5 years are supposed to do, you already do them at 4.  You’re very conversant now and have a great memory (you can sing A, B, C songs, Doe a deer, and We got the beat (courtesy of mama).  Even last night, daddy was sing “Johnny Be Good” and you  were already to join in and sing with just a couple times through the song.  You love to draw and are really good with shape recognition – and drawing a hypnotic swirl.  You love to ask penetrating questions about why things are and also like to take things like pliers and act like you’re happy daddy with cutting weeds.  You love the jungle gym and are a HUGE fan of Great falls park, where you love to play on the mountain climbing section  (especially if daddy pretends to be a monster) and love to slide down the fireman poll.  So onto a couple memories:

Let’s start off with Easter – which was a blast.  The weekend before – you and mommy went over to Chucky Cheese with mommy, where you had a blast playing with the video games.  You really like riding on the truck and taking pictures of yourself riding with Chucky Cheese.  Though, you’re now getting interesting in games like ones where you can race or the fire fighter game. We then hoped in the iron horse (our car) and drove down to Ticondergoa farms – home of the outdoor slides!  They had their annual easter egg hunt going on and our children were real  contenders J.  Imagine, 75 children gathered for one gigantic easter egg hunt.  Daddy sat down with all of you and reminded you to not follow other children – he recounted a story when he was a child and used to chase other kids – who would pickup the eggs first!  You were a trooper Talin and went right to work picking up eggs.  Everyone did a great job and came back with three huge basketfuls of candy! Your basket was brimming over – I think you had a really good strategy lined out.  You also go to see the easter bunny.  The rest of the afternoon was spent going down slides, bouncing on the big bouncy hill and climbing up in the wooden fort – which you and Rohin really enjoyed doing.  The following weekend, we went over to Grandma and grandpa’s for Easter weekend – where you got to dye easter eggs (pink of course), and we road on the gator – and got our big easter baskets from the easter bunny.  You seemed to really love the gummy worms the best and quickly figured out how to find the eggs that sounded like they had gummy worms inside.  The rest of the weekend – we spent time on the gators and walked through the words – where daddy build you a little lean to fort – that you enjoyed sitting in.

We also recently went to Jovin’s birthday party – which was a blast.  Batman even came – ok, well, long story – it wasn’t really batman – but a pretty overweight dishelved version of him.  But we had a great time.  You loved riding on the train with Talin and Aeowyn at Burke Park Lake and also riding on the Mary Go Round. We spent the afternoon have a little impromptu dinner in the median strip in the parking lot with some of your closet friends. 

Rohin – you’re now to the age where mommy and daddy are going to start blogging about our experiences and stories and how they might relate to you.  You’re ready for that.  I have to talk from Daddy’s perspective for a minute because it’s really important to share this.  Two right now – one was recently we were downstairs and you were talking about my grandfather’s chair and we talked about death – and what happened to my grandma – and you asked if we will one day die.  Such penetrating questions for a 4 year old.  Daddy was almost in tears talking about this.  But one thing I want you to know – even at this age Rohin – is that while death is a certainty in our life – so is love.   Love is the binding force across space and time.   While one day, we will face this in our lives – I want you, Talin and Aeowyn to know that love is never broken.  Your faith in God, as mommy and daddy are teaching you, is your ability to understand this – your ability to believe and have faith that there is more to life than life.  Your mother and I often talk about this – but the universe(s) (I believe there are multiples) – is incredibly vast – beyond our comprehension.  That when we do pass one day – we’re going to be amazed at how incredibly beautiaful, complex and simple it all is.  And the love we share as a family endures.  You won’t read this for many years from now – but it’s important to remember that love and faith are your armor for the hard battles that you will face in life.

Another item I need to talk about is when I attended the kindergartner prep class at Westbriar – they talked about the story of Jack and Bean Stalk and modified it to talk about Jack and his mom preparing him to climb up the stalk – and dealing with the fears and concerns of the unkown.  I have to tell you that I was one of those dads, holding back tears at the tought of you going to school next year.  You’re my big boy and I love you so much – we always want to protect you and always want the best for you.  But as someone once told me – from birth, as a parent, we must practice letting go.  I find myself preparing to once again let go of you, to let you become the boy and eventually the man that you are destined to be.  Mommy and daddy will be sharing our stories with you in hopes to help guide you’re and protect you.  But I write about my feelings here because as your daddy, I won’t be able to talk with you about this.  I will be totally encouraging, loving and excited about your next step because you need that from your mom and I.   Watching you grow up, transports me back to when I started kindergarten. Even at my age, I can remember taking the bus to school, the people, the environment, the other children that I encountered.  I loved my elementary school and thrived in it.  I hope that I can provide you the same opportunity that I was presented with – the ability to love your life as a child, to enjoy the environment, to be safe, to be excited, and to have fun without growing up too fast.  Mommy and I will do everything we can Rohin to guide you and protect you on your life’s journey that is taking off in full speed.  It’s a pleasure and an honor to be your father Rohin.  

Happy February

Rohin – you’re becoming such a big boy – it’s amazing to see how incredibly mature you are for a 3 year old (almost 4). You really have come into your own. You are quite the artist and are very good at drawing (even with multiple pencils at one time) and can even write some of the alphabet (e.g. A and R). Your language is excellent. You are very excited about gardening and always ask if we can light a Bonfire. You and Talin are so helpful – you both even bring in firewoord for daddy to light the fireplace. You also are a huge lover of picnics and always ask mommy to take you on a picnic after she picks you up from school. In terms of games, you love to say “Do Do – DI DI” – I’m not sure what this game is – but you seem to enjoy it. You always play a game with Talin where you pretend to be a kitty cat. You also now really love to play with Aeowyn and try to pick her up all of the time – while she protests typically. You are very helpful Rohin and always are willing to help with cooking or cleaning. Mommy and daddy are so proud of you!

Happy 4th Birthday

Hi Rohinder - it's been a while since we had an opportunity to update the blog -- but Happy 4th Birthday! You're such a big boy! Daddy was remembering the other day when he could hold you in his hands practically and you would snuggle right on his chest. Now you've turned into this incredible little boy - so thoughtful, sweet, kind and intelligent!

So let's talk about your big day. First the night before, mommy and daddy stayed up late and decorated the house for spring, with all the Easter stuff and streamers to celebrate your big day. Mommy made delicious cup cakes! For your birthday -- you had so many different parties. When you got up in the morning, you went to school and then went with mommy on a date day out to Chucky Cheese. Mommy had wanted to take you to Toys R Us to buy toy, but you wanted Chucky Cheese! You had so much fun playing there with mommy. Afterwards, you bought a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake (your favorite cake now) and came over to Great Falls Park where you met up with the rest of the family and Tha Tha. We celebrated in style!

The party continues this weekend when all of the grandparents come over and we have all of your friends and family to one of your favorite places in the world -- the sports bounce.

BTW -- I had to include this other picture of you the other day -- you drew this spider with side walk chalk (you're a big fan of side walk chalk and carry it in your pocket). You've got some great artistic skills.

Two other things to note about you turning 4. One -- you now get two vitamns (yum)! Two - you love to climb on EVERYTHING and over everything (including baby gates), and Three -- you are so affectionate -- you love to give hugs and kiss us when we leave for work -- it's adorable.

Happy 4th birthday our little son. I hope you know how incredibly proud we are of you! We love you so much!!! Mommy & Daddy

Merry Xmas & Happy 2012

Merry Christmas my big boy and happy new year to you! Another year has drawn to a close and what an incredible year for you and for our family. Let’s dive into it then – you’re getting close to 4 years old now Rohin and are wearing 4T clothes and size eleven shoes. You and Talin just got a pair of spider man shoes that light up (which is the 2^nd pair you have had btw). You really are so very helpful around the house and mommy and daddy are so proud of you. You love to reason things out and to talk to us like you’re an adult Rohin. The only times you get upset with mommy and daddy is when we don’t treat you like an adult! You love do also love to pretend to be baby Aeowyn everyone in the while and say “guk” or “feed me” as a way to get a little extra parental attention. You dress yourself routinely, brush your own teeth and are very responsible. You and Talin love to play the kitty cat game and meow and carry on (which is very cute). You also love to throw all the pillow off the sofa and jump off into them. Outside this fall, the key word has been “bonfire”. You and Talin go out with daddy and collect firewood and then we have little bonfires out by the river. We even cooked out over the open fire one night!

As for Christmas, Santa Clause really took care of you kids this year! For starters, I have to say we picked a really small tree this year for you guys, which worked out great. All of you worked together to decorate the tree standing on your step stools. This seemed to have taken off the fascination with Christmas ornaments – we can all thank mommy for this brilliant idea! This year, leading up to Christmas, we also read our advent calendars and you boys opened the windows in the calendar. Rohin – you always wanted to open the star! For Christmas eve, we had over Ammuma, Thatha, Savitha and Sadhana and Das uncle and Provanti. We had a big indian meal for Christmas eve and had so much fun together! Then late on Chirstmas eve, Grandma and Papa came over and spent the night. When you all woke up the next morning, there was a huge pile of toys. Toys from Santa, mommy & daddy, from each other, from your grandparents and aunts and uncles – it was pretty amazing. We opened presents from 7:30am to about 3:30pm in the afternoon. Your favorite present Rohin was a wooden firehouse and firetruck. You still love Fireman Sam – so this was a big hit for you. You also got a dump truck and dozer, which fed into your fascination with construction vehicles. You also seemed to really take to a Tupperware container that grandma gave to you and loved this duck hunting game that you got from Thatha that was pretty well destroyed in 5 minutes or less. On Christmas day, we spent the time outside riding around on cars after we finished presents and topped off the evening with a great dinner. We had ham and filet mignon, seafood casserole, crab dip, etc… We watched Christmas movies (the barney Christmas special was a bit hit btw). Over the holiday we also went over to the National Harbor and looked at an indoor ice sculpture show – which was really neat, but super cold (the temperature was 19 degrees inside). Cold and Rohin don’t typically go very well together little boy! You were ready to get out of there. But we had a lot of fun that day.

We rang in the New year very calmly this year. We were home with ammuma and thatha and Sadhana with us and just had a really nice dinner. On New Year’s day, mommy and daddy hosted a big party of all of your friends – Jovin, Bella, Raquel, Sophia, Adam, -- it was so much fun! 2012 looks like it is going to be so much fun! This past weekend, we spent two days outside as the weather was simply gorgeous. You and Talin and Aeowyn played outside in your cars and helping to build the bonfire. Daddy got out the chainsaw and cleared part of the property line – which you all loved seed the chainsaw. All three of you drove on daddy’s lap – which probably isn’t going to last much longer as you all are getting so big! It was so much fun being outside. We also had Ms. Salini and Sandeep come over with their children – and we all warmed ourselves by the fire and you all played in your cars until night time. Even then you had your flashlights out. Also over this weekend, you started kicking the soccer ball around (quite well), which mom and dad didn’t know you knew how to do it. You said you “love” soccer – so that was fun to learn.

In school Rohin, you continue to do very well. You are a little bit of an introvert, but a great leader. Talin is joining you this week in your classroom – which I think you two will enjoy very much. Mommy and daddy both hope Rohin that you are enjoying these years and each day is filled with true happiness – because certainly that is how our days have been having you in them. We love you and look forward to a wonderful 2012!

Thanksgiving in Brooklyn

Sorry it took a while to write Rohin. For some reason, I skipped a blog entry for you. Let's make it up then! Lots and lots of things to talk about. First I have to tell you that you like to say this. When I ask you for example how many vitamins you might want -- you would say "a lot and a lot". Your o's still sound very british, which is really cute.

So let's start with Thanksgiving. We went up to New York with Mommy, daddy, Aeowyn, Talin and you all traveled up in our car on a 4 hour trip to a three story Brownstone townhouse in Brooklyn were we stayed with Maria Auntie and Chris Uncle and their children (Ava and Layla). We stayed in the basement, where you slept in a crib next to mommy and daddy and the boys in another room next door. You loved playing in the house and were all over the place. You and Talin loved the upstairs playroom with all of the toys and occupied yourselves exploring the house. You were particularly fond of playing in the outdoor trampoline and would jump out there for the longest time. We visited the Brooklyn Children's museum one day -- where you loved making pretend pizzas and the Afria room. We also went to the macy's day parade -- where you loved watching the floats. You were on daddy's shoulders and Talin was on mommy's and Aeowyn was on Savitha's shoulders. At the parade, you pointed up to this tall building to daddy and said "look -- it's a princess" - of the woman in a robe watching the parade from her hotel room. We also went to Harmony park, which we later found out was the same playground that Knuffle Bunny frequents... On Thanksgiving night, we went over to Lulu Auntie's house -- where you and Talin and Aeowyn were angels. You played music and played monster so nicely together. We had a wonderful dinner together with our family and friends (about 30 in total). We then packed up and came home that Sat. We had perfect weather -- it's been almost 70 here recently.

When we got home, this past Sunday, we decorated for Christmas and are gearing up for Santa's visit. You are a HUGE fan of the electric train. You and Talin (and Aeowyn to some extent) take turns driving the train. You and Talin also were a big help in decorating and really helped put everything out this year.

Personality wise Rohin -- you're such a sweet little boy. You're very thoughtful and caring and wise beyond your years. Recently, when daddy wanted to put you to sleep (but you wanted mommy to) - you said - "Daddy, I love you but I want mommy to put me to bed". Or another recently was when we were riding in the car and when the navigation voice interrupts the DVD --you always tell daddy! You're also very inquisitive Rohin and love to ask questions and want explanations about things. This is a great quality in life that will serve you well. You sense of exploration and your wisdom are true gifts Rohin!

School wise, it was a tough couple weeks. You missed almost a week recently when the hand, foot, and mouth disease wiped through our family. Then the holidays. So you haven't exactly been begging to go to school but continue to do really well. You apparently play with Maggie and Lilly quite a bit and love to play outside. Your teachers compliment you on how great you're doing. You know all of your ABCs now, can count almost to 20 and are getting the hang of your numbers., You are now showing a lot more interest in reading and writing. You said today that you wanted help to write a note to Savitha auntie. You also can recognize letters pretty well know -- particularly - R, O, and T. You also love books and have a great attention span when read to. We even made it through the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

Otherwise, you do eat well. You love your green veggies and fruits but still not a huge meat eater (chicken is your favorite). You do love your cereal and pancakes as well and milk is your favorite beverage. You love to play outside in the yard with Talin and cook up all kinds of games. You tend to be the mastermind of many of them and enlist Talin's support. You love to drive around with Talin the little gator.

We're very excited to be spending another Christmas together Rohin! You're getting big so fast --it's scary. We're very fortunate to have such a wonderful son in you. Happy Thanksgiving and we'll write back at Xmas time.

Earthquake & Floods End the Summer

Well Rohin -- it was quite a busy summmer with a big bang at the end -- we had a 5.8 earthquake today August 23, 2011! It was really unbelievable to see the building shake. Everyone was safe though. But it's amazing that we have had two earthquakes in little over a year!

About two weeks later, in early September, we had so much rain that the roads around our house were flooded out. We had about 7 to 8 inches or rain in a single day, which flooded our creek across our back yard and along the side and front. Our mailbox was even under water. Mommy and daddy couldn't make it home that night and had to spend the night at a hotel and came home the next morning. You, Talin and Aeowyn stayed with Giovanna. Rohin -- you were very curious about this and asked often about what happened with the flood and how the police officers wouldn't let us come home :).

In other news Rohinder, you're growing up to be such an awesome little man. Mommy and daddy are so proud of you. You just finished up school for the summer and have really adapted well to your new school. The teacher always talks about how helpful, kind and smart you are. You and Talin are in school together and love to play with each other. One new game we've all been playing recently is the three little pigs. Mommy or daddy chase you and Talin around and say little pig little pig let me in -- and you say "not by the hair of my chinny chin chin"... It's great fun! You guys love to play monster now too where daddy or mommy chase you all around the house. You also still love to play outside and to help drive the lawnmower and love to drive your little gator.

You are really also doing so great in school -- you're so focused. The other day you were playing with mommy upstairs and building mult-level bridges! You also still love to read books. TV wise, your favorite show is Fireman Sam -- you and Talin play together outside riding around in the mini gator and pretending to rescue people.

Rohin -- you're such a loving little boy. You love to hug on Talin and Aeowyn and always

You're a great reader Rohin and love to read books with mommy and daddy. You sometimes even take books to bed with you at night. You really liked these books called Knuffle Bunny and also have really gotten into doctor seuss books -- like Wocket in my Pocket. You know almost every word by heart.

You are really also doing so great in school -- you're so focused. The other day you were playing with mommy upstairs and building mult-level bridges! TV wise, your favorite show is Fireman Sam -- you and Talin play together outside riding around in the mini gator and pretending to rescue people.

Eating wise - you're a great eater and love pasta, chicken, peas, string beans, broccoli, and salmon.

We had such a wonderful summer, we're sorry to see it end already. recently, we visited grandma and grandpa at the farm one weekend. We had a great time visiting with them and rode the Gator and visited a really quaint town called Chestertown, where we walked through the farmer's market and had lunch together. You and Talin were memerized by a man playing a banjo, harmonica and another man that was playing bass. On another weekend, we had a very special Indian holiday that we celebrated over at Ammuma and Thatha's house. All of our friends were there -- and you and Talin played all over the house, playing "monster" and jumping off the bed.

Well, off we go into the Fall of 2011 Rohin. We love you so much!

Summertime

Rohin, we’re so sorry that we haven’t updated your blog for a while. It’s been a pretty busy spring. SO let’s see – since May – we had Talin’s birthday, we went to Charleston, South Carolina, and we had Aeowyn’s birthday party.

Let’s start with you for a moment. As we look at your first school picture, all we can say is what an incredible little man you are becoming. It’s seems like yesterday that you fit practically in the palms of our hands. You’re now 3 years old and so wise beyond your years. Every morning now, you get out of bed, rip off your diaper, clean yourself up and put your clothes on (though in fairness, you do put your underwear on backwards but tell me it’s ok). You brush you own teeth at night, you’re always willing to help mommy and daddy and are really a wonderful big brother to your brother and sister. You and Talin play and play together.

You love to read books and know almost the end of every sentence in “There’s a Wocket in my Pocket” and always enjoy reading the words Constantinople and Timbuktu in the book Hop on Pop. You love to play outside and enjoy riding on your car. We recently had wild raspberries grow in the back yard and you love to pick them with Talin and Aeowyn.

You’re a good eater and like chicken and vegetables – still not a big spicy food fan (but we’re working on that). You say the cutest things one time – like one time when you’re kundi hurt, -- you said – daddy I need a bandaid for my kundi. You love to cuddle and ask why ALL the time – which is awesome. That will serve you well in life later on son. I hope you, Talin and Aeowyn always have a sense of wonderment about this world.

The trip to Charleston was really incredible. We rented a house on the beach in Charleston when we went to Chet uncle’s house. You guys loved playing on the beach. You also were in Chet’s wedding as the ring bearer and did a GREAT job. You walked down the aisle, gave daddy the ring, and then sat down and ran back over and gave me the pillow (I think you thought you forgot J). You ran around the hall that night and were just so delightful – mommy, daddy and you had a great wedding night. The rest of the time, we spent on the beach!

When we came back, we were in birthday season and celebrated at JW Tumbles for Talin’s birthday – where you had a great time (more details in Talin’s blog) and then for Aeowyn’s – we had another big 1^st birthday party – where you were very excited about the three inflatables that we had (more on Aeowyn’s blog).

July is coming up Rohin and you will be starting a new school. You are growing up so so fast – it’s actually scarey. You’re a wonderful little boy and mommy and daddy are so excited to share the year ahead and watching you grow into an equally incredible little boy. We love you Rohin.