On Ryan's side of the family, the kids have 2nd cousins that are real rock stars. Not the music kind, but the scaling rock walls kind. Their 2nd cousins, Elizabeth and Emily, compete regionally and nationally in bouldering and lead climbing. So, that makes them absolutely rock stars. Western Regionals were held in our area this year, so the family went to watch the cousins during qualifiers. This was sometime Jan this year.
The competitors have 4 problems to climb, with each climb having 4-5? minutes to complete their climb. They are judged and given points for various things... a flash (complete route on first try), a top (complete route, but takes more than one try), points for highest hold reached, etc. And the climbers sit with their backs to the route while other climbers climb. This way they don't get to see the route or beta beforehand.
Liz.
Emily.
These competitions are interesting. The routes, the way it is scored... it's like a whole different aspect of climbing than I am used to. Outdoors used to be the proving grounds, but these competitions bring about it's own style.. flashy, dynamic creativity.
The kids have spent some time with their 2nd cousins and they just love being with them. Obviously for our rock climbing family, it's nice to for the kids to have their 2nd cousins as role models.
Here are the kids all over Emily when we got together for grandma's 90th birthday. It helps that they are being entertained by an IPhone. Electronics are just as addicting to them as candy!
A preview into how teenage years will be...
And grandma's 90-years-young. Not sure when they took this photo, cause once the cake was out, Emilia was all over grandma... and the cake!
We did not have any grand plans this holiday season. Initially we wanted to do another family bouldering trip, but the weather scratched the idea out. So, we opted for the next best thing... gym hopping! In between work, holiday stuff, family visits... we spent our own family time at the gym. And occasionally with Roger, who has become our best rock climbing buddy for these outings!
--> LA Boulders
First up, was LA Boulders, the LA.B. We met up with Roger there on Christmas Eve to check out the LA.B, a bouldering only gym.
Since there wasn't much else going on, all of us were happy to spend the day climbing. We were there for about 5+ hours, and closed the gym. LA.B is another established Touchstone gym. It is decent, spacious gym with lots of variation of climbs. Fun to climb in, but nothing really spectacular that stood out.
View from the 2nd story of the top out boulders.
Roger and Ryan working a V5 problem.
Kiddies usually take about 4 hours of doing any thing but climbing before they warm up and climb. I brought water painting materials for them to work on. The gym didn't stand out as being too kid friendly. Even the beginner climbs, the V0s, were still set in a way that would be too reach for little kids.
--> Cliffs of Id
Next up was the Cliffs of ID. Yes, we liked ID! Check out the panoramic of this place! Aggressive and varied features throughout the gym with well set routes. Lots of space for the kids to hang around and run, as well as lots of room to work different climbing areas.
We hit the Cliffs of ID the day after Christmas, Dec. 26th. This place is not officially opened yet as this is a brand spanking new Touchstone gym. They soft opened the bouldering section while the rope area is still under development. When we walked into this place to sign in/pay/etc, the person working the front recognized us immediately. Apparently a lot of people that were climbing at the LAB on Dec. 24th, came over to ID on the 26th, like us! This validates we are not just obsessed, but normal climbing folks.
We can count on Roger to climb with us! Yes, he came out again the day after Xmas, to do a 5-6 hour climbing session at ID. Roger and Ryan, once again, figuring out a V6 overhang problem.
Liam just chilling around.
There were a few awesome easy rated V0 climbs that were very kid friendly. The kiddos really liked this one route that they kept climbing over and over again.
I unfortunately did not capture a video of Emilia working another V0 climb that was challenging for her. It was a great climb and I'd say a "real V0" for her. She kept trying it over and over again and got frustrated at one section, the crux of the climb, where she couldn't figure out how to make the next move. The frustration is real as she would be on the verge of tears saying "I can't do it". With some encouragement from Ryan, as well as her own determination to get this, she finally accomplished it on her own. That moment of accomplishment is a pretty awesome. She was beaming as she got high-fives all around. These little lessons of climbing... they help to build various aspects of character. This was a proud parent moment.
--> Mesa Rim
So, this wasn't exactly our family time, but worth mentioning because the kiddos have an amazing 2nd cousin that is a National star rock climber. Liz came down to stay with us for a few days while she attended a competition training camp at Mesa Rim to help prepare her for upcoming Divisional and National bouldering competition. I don't know much about the competition scene, so it was interesting for me to learn about the details and to get to watch her during mock competition trails while she was here. Anyhow, Mesa Rim recently opened a world class training facility and these are my first looks at it.
Liz doing her 3rd climb at the mock competition.
Liz waiting for her 4th climb, with her back facing the route. Competitors have to sit facing away the routes so the do not see any beta (info) on the climb they are to work on next. The competitors have a time limit, I think 4 or was it 5 minutes to complete a climb. Then competitors rotate to the next climbing.
Liz's turn up, and she flashes it!
Emilia is still a good 2+ years away before we can see if she'll take to rock climbing in a competitive way. But having Liz as an example is a good influence!
--> Behind the Scenes : Sakurada 2015 Holiday Card
This year, and future years to come, I want the kids to be an active part of holiday traditions. The kids helped put up and decorate our Charlie Brown tree (while only managing to knock it over twice). They also assisted with putting up a garland of holiday cards strung across our living room window. When it came time for getting our holiday cards done, I also wanted them to have a hand in it. So this year, we went back to the basics.. homemade holiday cards, which also made for great craft time! (Also reason as to why we're late!)
Kids at work.
--> Year in Review : 2015
2015 was another typical busy year (I know.. it's a re-occurring theme every year!), juggling various schools, work, and activities on top of basic responsibilities. It has had its ups and downs, struggles and joys, successes as well as failures, and always, always never enough time.
Kids with their Charlie Brown Xmas tree & presents.
Emilia started kindergarden this year, and she loves it. The social butterfly walks into school and gets greetings from everyone. It's pretty amazing to see her personality shine in an environment that is her own. Liam has had to learn to be in preschool without his older sister. It took a little bit, but now Liam has found a few best buddies to play super heros with. While the kids each have their own lives and school environments, Ryan and I are still learning how to be supportive parents and to be involved in our kids' community - volunteering for school, meeting other parents, etc.
Camp/Climb Trip May,2015
In spite of juggling everyones' schedules, Ryan and I have been able to somewhat maintain regular rock climbing. Though I'm sure it is at a sacrifice of time for possibly something else (friends, family, sleep, food-lunch/dinner times). This year we were able to do a couple of family camping/climbing trips (Priest Draw in Flagstaff,AZ and Kraft Boulders in Red Rocks, Las Vegas) where we spent days climbing and hanging out at the boulders. At times when climbing outdoors just didn't fit either due to weather or timing, we would tour rock climbing gyms, sometimes meeting friends or famous climbers along the way.
Aside from us, there was lots going on with our friends, family, and the world. Lots of heavy stuff to think about and really reflect on life and what we can do in spite of things that seem out of our realm. The Syrian refugee crisis, the terrorist attacks, both my kids had lock down drills at school, military friends that were deployed as we followed in snippets of their experience and their families, grandma passing, and news of reoccurring cancer to Emilia and Liam's cousin Luke (age 15).
Luke, Spencer, Emilia, & Liam, 2012
--> Important Sidenote : A Request
The best present the kids can have is a chance to have a future with their cousin. I don't know who reads this blog (other than grandparents) but by chance we do have friends and family reading, Luke really needs a bone marrow match. Please please consider being a bone marrow donor and help spread the word. The test is easy, simply 4 cotton swabs of the inside of your cheek.
Obviously 2015 had a lot going on around us that really brought us back to evaluating life, values, and our priorities. How do we go about teaching our kids resilience through fear and hardships? Appreciation for the simple basic joys of life, and not to take what they have for granted?
The "Less is More" motto has resonated a lot recently... less stuff, less distractions and more doing. The kids actually are a lot better than adults about that and they teach us a lot. They already have minimal toys and spend most of their time MacGyvering things to fit their imagination. They get excited when they see a puffy funny shaped cloud, or a moving train while we are driving on the road. On our camping trips, we give them a shovel and nature is their sandbox and play yard. So for 2016, the goal is to get the parents inline with the values we stress for the kids. Luckily the rock climbing life style fits in very well with this. =)
Kids, shovels, and the outdoors.
This quote that I came across Facebook one day sums it up, and as 2016 starts up, this is a continued focus.
"Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself."
-Gregg Braden
Kids painting the inside of a paper bag. (Thanks Carey for the great idea!)
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Maya Angelou
Happy Holidays everyone! And wishing you all many simple, ordinary moments that take your breath away in 2016!
As usually, life became overwhelmingly hectic which stopped the ability to keep this updated... so, I'll try to do some catching up.
Continuing from our summer road trip to NorCa, we made a very brief pitstop to see a few family. It was, as always, short, sweet, and never enough time.
The kiddos and their cousins were like two sets of two peas in a pod. Emilia with cousin K, Liam with cousin E. I loved watching the kids play and interact with each other, esp Liam and cousin E. Last time around, they were still too young to really play together. Now, they had a great time playing with the toys they both like - cars, trains, and anything with wheels.
The big kids got in on the action and had some fun too.
Double twinsies.
All the kiddos with the big kid.
Emilia loved playing with cousin K's toys... luckily cousin K is pretty good at sharing.
Christmas is always really fun with my family, and when we go to visit, Christmas lasts for the entire time we're there. This time, we visited for a week and every day was packed with good food, kids playing and having fun, and just good ol' family catch up. The down side was that by the end of the week, all of us were so exhausted, it took another week of catching up on sleep and getting the kids back to a routine.
When all the kids get together now, it's always a little crazy, hectic, but very fun! It will be even more so next year as the new two babies in the family will be old enough to join the older ones. Emilia was non-stop playing with all her cousins. So much that she skipped her nap at times and went to bed crazy tired every night because she just wanted to keep playing. She hung out with cousin K, same age as her, and the two were like two peas in a pod.. playing/fighting over the same toys, sharing the same snacks, doing the same things together. It was really cute.
She also loved hanging out with the older cousins, especially cousin BitBit, who would show her the ropes on whatever kid-shenanigans they were up to. Here they're doing some sort of activity pages with stickers. Em was all smiles the whole time being able to do what the big kids were doing.
Liam, about 2 months old at this time, was a trooper in the holiday fanfare. The trip was not the easiest for him or us since his schedule was interrupted. This made him revert back to waking up every 3-4 hours for feedings at night and lots of cuddle time during the day (aka non-active, no exercise). Liam was quite happy though to have so many people hold him and give him a shoulder to cuddle up and sleep on. Liam and cousin E are the same age, and here they both just chill side by side with their uncles.
Em is now old enough to understand the concept of gifts and opening presents. This was fun to watch as she would slowly rip the wrapping paper and see what toy she received. There were so many toys around since there are a lot of kids, Em also liked getting into the other cousin's toys. A little fighting is always guaranteed.
It was really great to see Em getting along and being with her cousins. Em and cousin BitBit were almost inseparable the first few days. BitBit loved having Em follow her around and in turn, BitBit took to her like an older sister, playing with her and guiding her.
Lots of stimulus overloading for Liam. At least he had his pal, cousin E, to hang out with. Here they are again, just chilling together.
A week was too short, and yet too long, to spend with family. I hope my kids will grow up and share alongside their cousins just like I did when I was young, even though getting together like this is not as frequent as I'd like. The hanging out portion felt too short, but the exhaustion of being off-routine was too long. It was a good end to 2011, and we're looking forward to 2012!
Thanks family, for hosting and accommodating us through crying babies in the wee hours of the morning, making great food and family meals, giving such thoughtful and fun presents, and most of all, doting and caring for our kids!
I grew up as an only child, and my parents taught me that in my culture, cousins are just like brothers and sisters, and family always is fa...
About
Ryan and Connie officially began our journey in life together (wedded bliss) on August 1, 2009. This blog chronicles our journey through whatever life throws at us.
On February 27, 2010, we welcomed a new addition to the family: Emilia Ying-Zhi. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs 2 oz, and measured in at 19-3/4".
Liam Noboru joined the family on October 20, 2011. His fighting weight is 7 lbs 4 oz with a length of 19-1/2".
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