C and I watched Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. I think he's a thoughtful, intelligent and caring man. I hope he can hold fast to his beliefs this term. Later in the day, as we were driving, C and I talked about how it was also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. C's class learned some march songs of the Civil Rights Movement in his music class last week with Miss Jackie. He was singing, "We Shall Overcome" and some song I didn't know, that has "Yonder mountain" in the lyrics. I was impressed. Then he told me that if he was a white person who was alive when MLK was, that he would also march with them. #proudmama

How lucky am I to have these two jewels in my life? My treasure chest is filled with laughter, love and kindness. They are two handsome soccer-playing string beans. They torment me with dirty socks and made-up languages.

C has been practicing kung-fu for over a year now with Silver Dragon Kung Fu (formerly Tat Wong). He loves doing all the moves, chopping the air, flipping people, blocking, hitting and kicking. While he loves to perform bathroom mirror kungfu, sometimes he doesn't want to go to his classes. I'm not sure what the hesitation is, but I think it has to do with his always having to leave a playdate to "go to kungfu" - what a drag!!!

Despite his recent requests to quit the classes, I am hoping that a private lesson with Sifu Alex Cardenas (see man wielding swords to the left) will reignite his dragon's fire! Alex is an amazing fellow. He has that magical ability to lead a class of wild youngsters, maintain control, teach them life lessons and make them laugh at the same time. His pep-talks to the kids inspire me as well!

It took us a long time to get out of our pajamas today. I'm still taking down xmas decorations and unpacking from our Memphis trip. It was C's first chance to really get into his new presents. 

The blue sky beckoned though and we finally made it out by 2. I jimmied his bike and my 90's rollerblades into the car and we headed to Ocean Beach. (via the Submarine Center in West Portal). The Great Highway was closed to traffic - I suppose because sands had blown into the pavement, though I'm not really sure, and we skated and rolled down the street.

The ocean was incredibly calm and the day was rich with shades of blues & grays and the golden light of a late winter afternoon. The paths are too bumpy for roller blades, but C rode like a champ across the open lanes. We stopped to take in the ocean and sit in the sand. C said that he had a business called the Pacific Workshop and that he was going to turn regular paper into sandpaper. He followed up with a demo: burying a piece of paper in the sand, hitting the sand with a large chunk of rock, and then extracting the distressed paper, which indeed had a rough surface. "See, I made sandpaper!"