Summer Birthdays and First Day of School

 Kirin turned 8 and Milan turned 11 over the summer and thankfully still put up with my baby quilt photos without too much grumbling

First day of middle school (6th grade) for Milan - riding his bike to school!

 

First day of 3rd grade

Epic Summer 2023 Trip to India

 We had an epic trip to India in June/July 2023.  It was Kirin's first trip and Milan's first that he remembers.

Early on in our trip, we visited Elephanta Caves.  This involved taking a ferry from the Gateway of India and dodging the monkeys who wanted to steal our things (the one pictured took a member of our group's water bottle!)

Milan got to indulge his passion for public transport - we rode the Mumbai local trains, an overnight train from Valsad to New Delhi, the Mumbai and Delhi metro systems, and a double decker bus along Marine Drive. 

 

(Some of us were happier than others after having slept on the train all night)

 

Subway aficionados may know that the Wheaton metro station in Maryland has the longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere (230 feet).  Well, it turns out the Janakpuri West metro station in Delhi has the longest escalator in India (51 feet), so we had to ride it.

We got the best seats on the double decker bus, front seats on the second level, which gave us a panaramic view

 

 

When Milan heard there was an AC version of the Mumbai local trains, he knew exactly what he wanted to do on his birthday

 

 

In addition to the monkeys, Kirin enjoyed seeing a baby camel and the cows in Dharampur 

 

 

We did some sightseeing in the searing Delhi heat

and then visited the iconic Taj Mahal

 

 

Of course, these photos leave out the most important part of our trip:  spending quality time with family.  We enjoyed seeing everyone after many years and look forward to visiting again!

Snow and Sun in the Spring of 2023

 We took advantage of the massive snowfall this year a few times and the kids learned to ski

  

Kirin made a 3D maze out of legos

  

He also participated in the science fair this year and wrote the board all by himself (with some assists on content from dad)

 

 A beautiful day at the beach in Pacifica

 

Milan played little league this spring and his team made it all the way to the finals! 

 

 

Last day of 2nd and 5th grade! 

 

 

Milan had a special promotion ceremony and is off to middle school in the fall!

But today, we are headed to India for an extended visit with family and some sightseeing.  Stay tuned for more about our adventures!

The Winter Deluge of 2023

We had many a day with rain, rain and more rain which led to moments like these

 

 

Amidst the rain and wind that befell Northern California this winter, we had some memorable milestones

 

Kirin got his first glasses, and Milan took home a trophy at a chess tournament

Kirin dressed for success while taking his cousin on a college tour

Kirin takes several minutes arranging his bed fort every night on the top bunk these days

 

 

The school assembly featured the 2nd graders doing sign language and the 5th graders reading a book to the audience

We went on our first ski trip and had amazing weather, great company -- and no broken bones!

Ringing in 2023 from Houston

 We spent the last days of 2022 in Houston visiting family

Milan and Kirin looked like giants next to their little cousins

 

 

Milan got to ride another transit system, we played in some fountains, visited the space center, and went ice skating at the Galleria

 

 

We had lots of fun with our Houston family who made us feel at home!