Ben Bahman Shahrokh

Collecting Leaves

2011-11-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Weather was nice on Tuesday (about wit60s) and kids wanted to help me collect leaves in the backyard. I was able to collect a small amount, before they got hungry and wanted to eat lunch. While the Mac & Cheese was getting ready, we spent a little more time outside taking pictures while kids were able to make leave angels and had more fun throwing leaves in the air.

Three Rock Stars

2011-11-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

Kids treated us to a special rock song that took lots of musician attitude and special skills to play different instruments. Nathan appeared to be the lead and counted to five each time to coordinate the effort. Matthew was the drummer as well as the lead singer. Maya played the piano and occassionally the xylophone.

Ringling Bros Circus

2011-11-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

Matthew spent a good evening with his Mom & and Grandparents, enjoying the Ringling Brother's circus in Rosemont. He met with his den members from the Boy Scout of America.

Halloween

2011-10-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

Kids this year went trick or treating with grandma, grandpa and uncle Wes. They got lots of candy and enjoyed their time. Maya learner to say "My CANDY", emphesising that she wants to cary her own candy.

Oct 9th - Visit of Zoo

2011-10-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

We started the October by visiting with Jack, Laurie, Mariann, Chrissy, Mom and Wes. We met at the Naf Naf Grill in Naperville for lunch. I specially enjoyed the rice and the camel sign they had on the wall. Later on we went to a park and kids played for a few hours. On the 9th we went to the Brookfield zoo with train. Mom and uncle Javad took the train from Naperville and we got on in Downers Grove. At the zoo we rode on the tram and kids got very tired. Train ride was based on Nathan's request. That same Sunday there was a maraton in downton Chicago and the return train was very crowded. We all had a good time and were exteremly tired when we returned home.

Aug 14 - Mom's BDay

2011-10-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

This year to celebrate Mom's birthday, we went to the Brookfield Zoo. Uncle Javad was able to join us as well. We had sandwiches at the Zoo and also visited the bears' island. Later on we had cake and tea at Mom's place. Nathan managed to break Wes' Wii that thought us not to get one until kids are a bit older.

Matthew's 1st Day of School

2011-10-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Augest 24th was Matthew's first day of school. Now that he's in frist grade, he goes to school full day and says his favorit activities at school are lunch and recess. On the 26th students and their families were invited to party at the playground in the back of school.
Pizza was provided by the Skuddlebutts. Kids enjoyed ice creams, popcorn, soda and ran after each other. Dad and Nora were able to join us as well.

Matthew's 7th Birthday

2011-10-23T09:15:00.000-07:00

This year Matthew had his birthday at Enchanted Castle in Lombard. He invited his friends and everyone (including me) had a blast. Matthew was a king and wore a crown for the whole time we were at the place.
Kids chose a parent and made mommies out of them, using toilet papers.

Photo Book from Shutterfly

2011-05-17T08:22:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

March for Babies

2011-04-18T12:40:00.001-07:00

Overall we had a good day at the March of dimes yesterday, despite the chilly weather the walk was a success. My parents, Mina, uncle Khosro & my father and mother in-law and our friends Natalie joined us for the walk. Kids took turn sitting in the wagen, but when the wind took off my Dad and I were hugging them. Matthew walk almost half way this year, I think he was discouraged by the weather. Afterwards, we had a few hotdogs and then except for uncle Khosro, everyone else met back at our place. Linnet made lentens soup the night before and we each had a cup of the warm soup with some lunch meat sandwiches. Later on we had strawberry shortcake and tea for desert, in honor of my father-in-law's birthday. So far, kids are well and didn't catch a cold from our walk yesterday.

First half of April

2011-04-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

So far this month we visited with family and returned to our normal routine after our trip. Kids received NouRooz gifts and understood the celebration a bit better.

We found out that we have at least a raccoon in our attic and paid a professional to remove them. John from ACE Animal Control setup a cage by the vent that raccoon got into our house and last night she got caught. He's currently upstairs removing the animal and next will set a cage around the vent to prevent future accidents. He'll then visit the attic to remove any babies that are there and assess the damage they've done to the attic. I guess this raccoon is lucky, I like the wild life otherwise not sure what would I have done with her after spending close to $400 on removal fees.

Feb. 27th - Sydney's Temple

2011-03-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday we visited the Baha`i Temple in Sydney and met old friends of mine from my days in Pakistan. Bahman, Roya, Farshid, Rohi & their mother Parvaneh khanom, were among those we had the pleasure of meeting. We also met with Kamran's old friend Chris and Freida who promissed to visit us this year on their trip to US. I caught up with my friends over the lunch, at Hungry Jack's that was very similar to the Burger King's. Kids played and we talked for hours. Later on that evening we attended a party in grandma's honor at Kamran's friends' Peyman & Nina. We spent the rest of the night packing up in preparation for our trip back.

Feb. 26th - Canberra

2011-03-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, we visited Donna and Michael at their new place in Canberra. Food was excelent and eveyrone enjoyed themselves. We went to the pool with the kids and I had a very nice nap by the pool. Michael brought popcicles for the kids while they were at the pool. Matthew (as well as other kids) enjoyed the chocolate fondue Donna set up for them. We took many fun pictures with Ardeshir and family and left for the Sydney. On the way over, we stopped at the Baha`i centre and had dinner and enjoyed the Ayyami-ha program there.

Feb. 25th - Taronga Zoo

2011-03-02T14:11:00.000-08:00

We visited the Taronga Zoo with my cousin Niloofar. There we saw a lawn clock that was about 5 minutes behind and coo cooed every 15 minutes. We also saw a Tasmanian Devil, Pelicans and attended two shows about birds and seals. Matthew had fun at the children's zoo and found new friends when he pretended he was driving a golf car.
Later on that evening, Kamran gave us a ride to uncle Jalal's place and later on his own. On the way over, we stopped at a local beach and enjoyed a beautiful scenery of the beach and city.

More of Blue Mountain

2011-03-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

After seeing the three Sisters, Kamran took us to a very nice waterfall and an observetory where we could see all the sorounding areas down below. Later on that evening, Matthew received a Lego StarWars from Kamran and we had dinner with Ardeshir and Pooran (down) at a Persian restaurant. Matthew substituted white rice for dill and had us Awwed by the way he expressed himself.

Feb. 24th - Down Under

2011-03-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

We went to the Blue Mountain with uncle Kamran and Grandma and saw three Sisters (down center). We also went on two cable car rides that both were thrilling. The first one had a glass floor in the middle that opened up as the car moved and the second one had a 35 degree drop to the land below that took our breath away. We walked many trails and even saw an old abandoned mine.

Feb. 23rd - Down Under

2011-03-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

Uncle Kamran gave us a tour of the city. We left Manly port with a ferry (top right) and visited Sydney's Opera House first. There were two luxury cruise liners docked. We saw Queen Elizabeth departing from the port. Its loud horn caught us by surprise. We also noticed a group of people walking on the top of the bridge (top left).
We then walked to the Sydney Tower and had lunch at the food court near by. The tower had a similar setting as the Sears Tower and uncle described buildings close by the tower along with their history. We also saw placed he lived, worked and studied. Matthew liked giant Lego sculptures at different locations and took pictures with them (lower left). We also visited Wildlife World and the Aquarium near by, where we saw some Australia's most poisonous snakes and spiders. Some of the most exciting sites were walking under neat of pools of water and seeing many sea animals including manatees, shark, and later a mechanic shark.
We ended the day with a ride back with the ferry and saw the sun go down by behind the Opera House. Uncle and Aunt bought us some nice pizza, that was stuffed inside Turkish bread. It was equally interesting and delicious.

Feb. 22 - 3rd Day Down Under

2011-02-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

We went to Fairfield with uncle Javad and bought some more souvenirs. Had lunch at a persian restaurant that we all enjoyed the food. Matthew and Linnet went to a library around the corner from where we parked the car and they were able to find a persian section in the children's section. I also took a picture of a public toilet that seems something out of Futurama! We visited with the cousins and family and after the good food auntie Shahnaz made us yesterday, eat good cooking of auntie Jhaleh. We acted silly a bit at the end of the night taking pictures sitting on the couch that made everyone laugh.

Feb 21 - 2nd Day down under

2011-02-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

We gave the local mall "Warringah" a visit and bought most of the stores! We also visited uncle Jalal and his family and spent more time with grandma and had fun with the cousins.

Feb. 20th - First Day in Australia

2011-02-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

After sitting on a plane for 16 hours that BTW wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be, we arrived to Sydney. Baggage claims and customs took less than 20 minutes, that made me extra happy. We felt the humidity of the air outside as soon as we got off the plane, and boy did it feel right. We were greeeted with uncles Kamran, Javad and Ardeshir, aunty Shahnaz and cousins Anisa & Adib. Cousins took bounch of pictures that I have to remember to ask for before we go back home. We got to Kamran's place, talked to Mom and Dad to make sure the the kids were all right and then Matthew and I, went to visit with Uncle Jalal. On the way back to Kamran's place, Anisa gave us a ride to Coles that really sounds like Kohl's, but really is more of a grocery/general store. That was our first encounter with Auzie malls.
We spent the rest of the day visiting with family friends and taking kitty naps here and there. Matthew played the whole day with his cousins and new friend Deon. We really enjoyed the food and company. Invited lots of new friends to cme to the US and give us a visit.

Beginning of February

2011-02-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty bad snow storm, that was complicated by a power outage. Kids and Linnet spent the night at my parents while I was at work. Morning travel was easy since there was not a lot of wind to blow the snow around. It took Linnet and I more than half an hour to clean up the driveway, so we could bring our car into the garage. Kids were crying patiently in the car!
On the 13th Maya had her first haircut given to her by her Mom and grandma Shahla. Between Matthew playing his start wars game and Nathan giving a cream cheese tombs up, I'd say we had a happy start on this month. There is also a picture of Maya helping grandpa Iraj pushing a cart to the elevator.

Another Trip to the Zoo

2010-11-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Wesley's birthday this past weekend. We all enjoyed the dinner and cake.
Yesterday, I took the kids to the zoo with the help of my dad and Linnet's mom. The weather was nice and we all had fun. Matthew and Nathan dressed up as zoo keepers. Nathan also dressed up as a lemur. Before we left the zoo, we went for a ride on the carousel. After we got home, we enjoyed tacos for dinner and ice cream for dessert with Linnet.
Today, Maya was walking by herself. At bedtime, all five of us had fun singing and dancing to "Ring Around the Rosie", "London Bridge" and "The Hokie Pokie". Nathan was so excited to "fall down" that he couldn't wait until the end of the song. Maya was able to hold our hands and dance with us too.

Trick or Treat

2010-11-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed the kids' costumes this year more than ever. We planned for Nathan and Maya to be garden gnomes and Matthew wanted to be the red power ranger. Nathan's costume was small for him (he grew up fast) and besides he didn't like wearing the beard that went with the costume. At the end he wore a green dragon costume. Maya wore her garden gnome costume and changed into her princess dress after her dinner.
We also enjoyed carving pumpkins and putting them to display on our front porch. We also visited our families and friends in Naperville and Lisle and took pictures with them.
For Linnet's birthday this year we went to the Brookfield Zoo and had a ball. Kids cooperated in taking an awesome picture on the bails of hay displayed by a giant pumpkin (in the middle).

First Half of August

2010-08-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

The first week of August we went to a baseball game at the Kane County Cougar's stadium. This was a TGIF event from the Systems' Department at Nicor. Kids enjoyed all activities, specially the fireworks. This was Maya's first time at a baseball game. On Saturday we went to Ralph's World concert at the Morton Arboretum. We danced a bit and sang along, and everyone enjoyed jumping up and down.

Our 2nd Trip to the Train Museum

2010-08-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

We started the month of August by taking a short trip to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois. Even with the hot weather and direct sun light, we had fun. Specially since this time, grand parents and little aunt came with us.
Later on that Sunday we stopped by the near by Donely's Stake House. The restaurant was right next to Donley's Wild West Town that we will visit soon.

March of Dimes

2010-04-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Past Sunday, my Mom and Mina joined us in the walk for babies or better known as March of Dimes. The event was sponsored by Nicor and few other businesses. We walked for more than 6 miles that took us over two hours, but I hardly broke a sweat. Matthew walked the whole time and I told him how proud I was that he could finish the walk by himself. I could tell that he enjoyed walking with Mina and my Mom. I suppose walking with a few hundred people, helped him stay focus. Nathan walked part of the way, but he mostly sat with Maya on the strollers we brought with us.
Maya was able to eat while we walked, but didn't take a nap until we got to our car. We finished the event with eating hot dogs, getting baloon sword and jumping in a dragon! Overall, it was a fun activity and I sure was happy this year it didn't rain.

1st Half of March

2010-03-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

So far, the first half of this month has been very busy for us. Linnet is working 20+ hours per week, and with the weather getting warmer, kids want to go out more often. They of course need an adult supervision!
Matthew had a Dady day at his pre-school, where I saw his developments. I got a tour first from his teacher and then from Matthew. He showed me almost everything in his classroom, and ate my two donuts. We also took a picture with his teacher. Maya began to crawl backwards, and is getting better at keeping her balance and does not fall forward, when tries to crawl. Thy boys have so much fun playing with her and making her laugh.
We also visited the Brookfield zoo, I think this was Maya's second visit. I think Nathan enjoyed the visit more than anyone else. He gave up his sandwich to Matthew, so he can play a bit more. All of them loved to visit with the animals. Bahareh was kind enough to go with us, and gave me a hand holding Maya and running after Nathan when he chased the geese. We were all tired after we got back, and kids fell asleep in the car. I'm sure the second half of the month will be more fun, specially we have the NouRooz to be prepared for.

February Snapshot

2010-03-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

A lot happened in the month of February. We had a surprise visit from my aunt Jhaleh and cousin Arsalan from the land down under. We had a weekend together that sure was fun for us, and hopefully they enjoyed it too. We visited the Navy Pier and the Sears tower ( I still like to call it Sears! ), and my first time visiting Skydeck Ledge. We visited the CC's pizza, and Matthew enjoyed few games at their arcade. We also visited downtown Downers Grove and the ice sculpture festival, as well as watching the Avatar in 3D. I thought it was way over rated!
Nathan and Matthew received their treadmill and amazingly still excersice on it. Maya won every one's heart by her big smiles, and her favorite new game was to get piggy back rides from her brothers.

December, already gone!

2009-12-27T22:36:00.000-08:00

Even with this month almost gone, there are a lot of updates I can still mention; besides our painful trips to doctors and feeling sorry for kids in pain.
Matthew had his sing along at the Preschool and told everyone about the Baha`i faith. He made me so proud, after giving a little presentation about how the holidays are for him. He was unprepared, yet stayed focus on the subject.

We started Maya on solid food and she had half a banana for the first time, last evening. Nathan had his first snow sliding and we all had fun with the gingerbread house. Kids enjoyed the candies more than anything else and the 20 minutes of this project's short life, we laughed all the way!
Nathan, more than everyone else enjoyed putting the candies on the house. I think his formula was "one on the house, two in my mouth!"
We also enjoyed visits from our families during this month, and great cookies our families, friends and neighbours provided for us. Now I can start my new year's resolution, one week earlier!

November Summarized

2009-12-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

Most of these pictures were taken in November at my Mom and Dad's birthday party. We bought a chocolate cake from Portillo's and everyone enjoyed it. It was lucky that Mina was present, as she's rarely seen these days (busy with school.) Bahareh had a very nice candle that looked like a cake top. Looks totally awesome in picture!
Pictures of my Mom and Dad with the kids were taken today at our place.

Halloween & Birthday Parties

2009-11-09T22:31:00.000-08:00

So, I'm writing this blog well after Halloween, Matthew and Linnet's party. This year we held Matthew's party at a Gymnastics GYM in Naperville. Matthew invited his friends and everyone had lots of fun playing. We had a small party for Linnet and Matthew the weekend after I return from my short trip to Lawton, OK. In the above collate picture, Matthew sang in his class on the Friday before the Halloween. This year Halloween occurred on the Saturday and after helping out Mina with her car trouble, I joined the family and our friends Michelle and Rich on our little candy picking journey. It was nice to meet our neighbours again and see the kids having fun. Kids wore their pumpkin customs and Linnet and I went as farmers. We wore signs Linnet made that said "Shahrokh Family Pumpkin Patch".
At night we went to my parents' condo and raid their neighbours too. Overall, this year we had a more special Halloween.

A picture with my children

2009-10-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, I decieded to take a couple of pictures with the kids for company's annual family picture book. They co-operated for most parts and we loved these pictures too.

Trip to the Quad Cities

2009-09-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

We had our first family trip (with all three children) past weekend. It was an adventure within an adventure. Nathan and Matthew were excited at first and Maya was sleeping, but soon she needed to be fed and Nathan needed to sleep. The last hour of our four hour trip, was very noisy to say the least. Upon our arrival to Cleveland, we received a special welcome and hospitality that melted away the pressure we felt during our short trip (specially in our heads and ears.) Linnet knew the Finley family through their daughter, Janene from undergrad school. They let us stay at Janene's late grandfather's house, that is used for their guests. Right after we arrived, Matthew and Nathan started playing with the Piano. Believe it or not, listening to the music they played was much nicer than their screams in our ears.
The next day, we went to the Family Museum in Bettendorf, one of the Quad Cities in Iowa. Matthew and Nathan were soaked at the end and had to be changed to new clothes. We had lunch at Culver's and were off to visit the John Deere Pavilion in Davenport. Matthew and Nathan enjoyed getting into so many different trucks. Since Maya was quiet, I have to assume she like the museum as well. Nathan had fun pretending to milk a cow and having his picture taken as a farmer in a tractor. We then proceeded to a walk by and a ride on the Mississippi river, and we met Ryan (Janene's fiancee). After that, we met with Janene's parents at the Shed Machine restaurant. While Maya was feeding and Nathan snoozing, Matthew went with Janene's parents and Ryan to take a tractor ride, or as he put it "a hay ride". Janene's father was kind to ask the driver to stop by our car to pick us up. We went one time around the restaurant and then stayed put until it was our turn to be served. During this time, Janene's Dad helped me take a picture of Nathan on a red tractor, and Matthew posed with different sculptures and old farm machines.
The food was as good as the presentation we received in the restaurant. Nathan's chicken tenders came in a little tractor, and we also admired the adjustable leather belt on the toddler seat. Janene's Mother kindly held Maya, so Linnet and I could enjoy our food. After Matthew was done with his food, he asked Ryan to go on another tractor ride with him. Later on he told me they went on two rides back to back and that he wanted to go on more. Overall, we had a very nice time at the restaurant and I didn't have to reach into my pocket, as Janene's father paid for everything.
We had a visit of the local mall that evening, where we got ice-cream (Ryan paid for that). Matthew and Nathan enjoyed a ride on the carousel in the mall, and we all head home. Visited with Janene and Ryan a bit, where the kids played piano for everyone and went to bed well after their bedtime. The next day we left Davenport for Downers Grove after the breakfast that Janene had provided for us. The kids enjoyed watching a DVD of their favorite show, Phineas and Ferb. I was stopped by a cop along the way, for going 10 miles over the speed limit. We ended up at my parents, watched the pictures and videos and caught up with everyone. It was rare occasion, since both sisters were present.
As you can tell, we were due for a vacation and although short, this was a very nice one!

Mina's White Coat Ceremony

2009-09-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

On August 28th, we attended Mina's White Coat Ceremony at Chicago State University in Chicago. It was a nice event, with two of the faculty treating us to songs. We are all pleased that she is attending a university to accomplish her PHD and fulfill her goal of becoming a pharmacist. After the ceremony and refreshments, we visited Mina's dormitory. She was excited to show us around. We were also chased by a bee, and got lost trying to find I-94 to get back home. We all arrived at our place and enjoyed a little BBQ with corn on the cobs.

Visiting with an old friend

2009-08-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we met with an old friend. We visited with Christy Lawson at my Mom and Dad's after their devotion program on Saturday. Although, this was a short visit, but we really enjoyed spending time with her. Christy teaches in China and this was our first visit with her in two years. I am not sure if Matthew really remembered her, but he was excited also.
I was on-call this weekend and so stayed up late on Sunday performing my duties. Linnet was nice and let me sleep in for few more hours to catch up with my sleep.
Matthew spent the night at my Mom and Dad's. They visited with their friends in Aurora and had lots of fun with Matthew. He did not want to leave their house this morning and kept saying that he wanted to live in their condo for a year. They came over, and we all left for Koorosh and Elham, for their sons' birthday party. Mina was moving to her stuff into her new dormitory, so she did not go with us. Everyone had a blast. I specially enjoyed the great food and fantastic hospitality of our hostesses.

Augst in one picture

2009-08-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

August was a busy month for us, Nathan and Maya visited their doctor and received shots. Matthew started his new pre-school in Naperville. Nathan started walking and had his first experience walking in the backyard. This was an special event, since he had to wear shoes to walk in the backyard. Recently, Maya has been sleeping longer than 2 hours at night, that is a big relief for Linnet. Nathan also learned some signs to tell us where he wants to go and whether if he wants more of something. I still think it's adorable when little kids start using sign language.
We visited downtown Geneva and enjoyed our first visit of Sonic (fast food restaurant). I think overall, we were satisfied customers. We had our first picnic with our three children and had a very nice long walk in the park by the river. The picture in the middle of the image above, is taken at this park, where Matthew and Nathan were excited to see so many cargo trains pass by, above the river some few miles to the south. It seems that I had their attention, but really, they were watching the trains pass by. On our return home, we visited the same Sonic restaurant and got some cold beverages. Matthew told us that he really enjoyed his orange slushy shake.
The picture that I am semi visible in, is a courtesy of my boy Matthew. I noticed without any official training, he has a neck for taking pretty darn good pictures. This picture however, is a bit fuzzy due to his little finger slipping over the lens of our camera.

July Summarized

2009-08-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

July was a very exciting month for my family and I. This picture probably can summarize most of the events that happened in this month. Nathan's first birthday and Maya's birth, our family has grown and now I enjoy spending time with them more than ever. We were able to visit a few places with Maya and boys are happy about having their new baby sister in the house. Although, she eats and sleeps most of the time; she visited the Brookfield Zoo, Cantigny, Morton Arboretum and her first restaurant Omega. I remember Omega in Downers Grove being the first restaurant Nathan went to as well.

We are grateful for the big hand our family gave us with the kids and are looking forward to spend more time with everyone in the near future. Family in Australia and Iran, as well as the family in the US.

First Visit of Cantigny

2009-07-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today Maya had her first visit of Pediatrician and in honor of her, I got a Tetnous shot too. Although, I don't think the nurse had to give me a lolly!
After visiting with Mom and Dad in Naperville, we went to Cantigny in Wheaton. Stayed there until the mosquitoes started bothering us. Matthew and Nathan, really enjoyed the Tanks and the model of the park to be viewed from above a glass surface.
I think we'll visit the park again soon.

We Survived the First Day!

2009-07-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

So, Linnet and Maya came home yesterday and with the help of our parents, everything went smoothly.
Today was the first day we rolled without the training wheels. It was fun and sometimes crazy. Linnet and I, switched holding Nathan and Maya, and in between I had to ask Matthew to literally stay off my back!
Nathan seemed a bit confused or jealous, I couldn't really tell. We both felt bad for him, as he wanted to play with the bouncy-seat Maya rests on. The trouble was that Maya was in the seat and Nathan wanted to pull her off of it, by pulling her fingers. When holding him, he doesn't feel like a baby anymore!

New Addition to our Family

2009-07-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Maya Parvaneh (Butterfly in Farsi) was born today at 11:36 AM CST. She is 6 lbs and 14 oz, and 19 1/2 inches long.
Maya shares the same birthday as Nathan. She was born exactly one hour after Nathan, in the same room (1114). The same nurse and doctor who delivered Nathan, deliver her.
She weights the same as Matthew and has the same height as Nathan.
Linnet called me 4:00 AM at work, and told me that her contractions were getting closer to every 10 minutes. I left work, and was able to pick up my Mom to watch the kids at home, while we were in the hospital. She patiently babysit for us, and we're grateful for her help and Linnet's Mom as well.
So, since Maya is technically was born one hour later than Nathan, they are not Irish_Twins. Nathan and Matthew visited their Mom and baby sister this evening.
They both were happy to meet their sister, although I don't think Nathan understands he'll receive less attention.
Linnet requested a Jamba Juice smoothie, that I will bring to her to the hospital tomorrow. I am exhausted and need to reboot!

Cougar Game

2009-06-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

We received invitation from Nicor for a match between Kane County Cougar and a team from Wisconsin. Everyone enjoyed their time at the game. It was Mina, kids and my first visit at the Cougar's and our first live game.
Both Matthew and Nathan had many sweeties and we ended up buying more than we planned from the vendors who visited us at our seats. Matthew got very close to the players from Wisconsin and chatted a little bit with them. There was also a photographer who took some pictures of Matthew.
Matthew also found a few friends of his own and ran with them up and down the stairs for a while. He ran off a couple of times, and it was challenging to catch up with him. One time he stopped to say hi and shake hand with Cougar's mascot, but didn't want to take pictures with him. It reminded me of out visit of the Disney World last year, where Matthew was trying to figure out where the zipper on the costumes were!
Everyone that I talked to, was happy that it didn't rain while we were at the game; though, we didn't stay for the fireworks at the end. The kids and Linnet were exhausted and I didn't want to overwhelm them more.

Breakfast with Nathan

2009-06-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Sharing my bagel with Nathan, has become a routin in my life. I enjoy sitting down and having breakfast with him.
Cleaning up his messy face is a small price to pay.

Grandpa Abdu'llah

2009-05-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of grandpa that I remember before I left Iran. Enough cannot be said about grandpa, but he was the only family member who wrote to me.
Anyone who knows me, is aware that I am not good at responding by writing and seldom call, but grandpa wrote to me regardless of my shortcomings.
He always had this elaborate artistic way of explaining events that I felt I never left home.
Last time I talked to him, he barely spoke few words.
Miss you grandpa.

I'm here

2009-05-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have a chance to fire up my blog!
My intention to start this blog is to post news about my family and share their pictures and videos online.
Hopefully, I will do a good job and my son can give me an A!