Biking on Two Wheels

Recalling a video from my childhood, I thought it would be fun to sort of reenact it this summer when we went home... only this time starring Priya. I asked forced my Dad to go outside and push her around on the two-wheeler while I videotaped the whole ordeal.

I may have actually been expecting a bit more success since she wouldn't dare throw around the sassy attitude with Pappy that she usually reserves for Mom and Dad. No sassy attitude, but no matter how much encouragement we offered... she really wasn't into it. Lots of the footage included her on the bike with her feet on motionless pedals while my Dad pushed her around the yard. Sorry Dad, you were a real trooper.

Disclaimer: This video shows partial nudity*, so please use discretion when viewing.



* Apparently partial nudity was perfectly acceptable for girls of a young age in the Fredneck of the 70's.

Diwali Performance

Last night was the culmination of hours and hours of weekends spent practicing with other 6-8 year olds the art of Indian dance through Bollywood songs spanning the 1960's to the present.



Here is Priya in her 6 minutes of fame... she's the one in the red top and blue skirt. The music montage has 5 songs, she's dancing in songs 1, 3 and 5.

The Song I Can't Get Out Of My Head

Priya is performing in the Diwali show tomorrow night and she'll be dancing to a portion of this incredible song.



I tell you what... the Punjabi folks really know music and dance. It's my favorite Indian style of music. The beats, the rhythms, the uninhibited people that express it; I don't know what it is, but I just love it. I have no clue what they are saying or what the lyrics mean, but I can't stop singing along. We had a family dance session to this song tonight in the basement... fun, fun.

For those of you who like to be turned on to new music I thought I'd share this little ditty with you. Enjoy!

Dinner Conversation

Priya started the joke-telling at dinner tonight with her favorite knock-knock. It's the only one she remembers and she thinks it's really funny. She laughs everytime she tells it, and I pretend to think it's funny.

Priya: Knock, knock
Mommy: Who's there?
Priya: Interrupting cow
Mommy: Interrupting... (before I can finish)
Priya: I'm interrupting you.

Not to be outdone, Sanjay started with his jokes which are, as you can see, very much his own creation.

Sanjay: Why did the lights cross the road?
Daddy: I don't know.
Sanjay: It's hard isn't it? (small giggle) I'll give you a clue. There was a red one, an orange one, a yellow one, a white one, a green one and a blue one.
Daddy: I still don't know... why?
Sanjay: Take a guess.
Mommy: To get to the other side?
Sanjay: Yep, that's right.
Daddy: That Mommy's smart, isn't she?

Sanjay: How did the lights cross the road?
Priya: They climbed?
Sanjay: Yeah... they climbed what? It starts with a "wuh", a "w".
Mommy: Wall?
Sanjay: No... "wuh".
Priya: Water? Window?
Daddy: Willow Tree?
Sanjay: No.. a "w", like "wuh".
Mommy: We give up, what is it?
Sanjay: A wadder

Knowing that we could also choose words that start with "L" would have opened up a lot more options. Forgot that for Sanjay, L's and W's still sound the same.

Blog Anniversary

So, it's been a whole year since I started this nonsense. Looking back, I see that much has changed. A year ago Sanjay was working on potty-training and calling my iPod an iPie; Priya was just starting to correctly pronounce "breakfast". I'm glad that I've discovered yet another way to record our lives. As adults, my kids will be able to splice their childhood together from the picture boxes, scrapbooks and now this... my journal with occasional pictures.

All Dressed Up With Nowhere To Go

Last week Sanjay had his school pictures and while he was looking snazzy, I just had to take a few photos myself. He really cleans up well, this wild child.

Happy Diwali!

Tonight we celebrated Diwali by having a potluck dinner at our house with some close friends. The mouth-watering menu follows:

Appetizers: Vadai with Sambhar and Coconut Chutney, Aloo Bonda
Main Dish: Rasam Rice, Cabbage Poriyal, Green Bean Usili, Saag Paneer, Pooris
Dessert: Rava Ladu, Besan Ladu, Jaggery Balls, Brownies

The kids actually managed an organized game of Monopoly and we all enjoyed each others company. We went to bed far too late and with overly full stomachs. Hope all our friends and family on the other side of the world enjoyed the day as much as we did.