October already??

Been drinking from the firehose for the last 2 months now! Navigating transitions and new responsibilities - as welcome as it is, is extremely hectic!
First my boss quit - little notice, no warning; yippie - right?? yeah - for all of 2 days .. until it struck me that I was not just getting his title, I was the recipient of his legacy.. the good the bad and the ugly! Then there's more transitions at work.. people resigning, new hires, all amidst the biggest product release of my life so far! (atleast that's what it feels like right now!)

So, work-life balance is largely tilted in favor of work these past 2 months. Still, we've managed to sneak out small pockets of time for some family fun. There was a trip to Yosemite - A's 1st time there. We camped at the housekeeping camps - right by the river. Needless to say, she had a blast, with two of her favorite pastimes... covering herself up in mud from head to toe and then washing herself off in the river :) Then there's been one too many trips to Gilroy Gardens too... we are availing their $10 entry for adults promotion to the fullest! A has a really good time there. All the rides are catered towards young kids and A got a taste of her 1st solo roller coaster ride (it's where the kids sit in a fish themed chair and the ride goes round and round, up and down a little - not bad for a kiddie roller-coaster 'eh?) She absolutely LOVES the carousels. Dragging her out of the park is an art.. I have to neigh like a horsie and claim that "I am soo tired.. I wanna sleep now".. repeat for cows and fishies.. and any other animal that catches her fancy! On the way back, she has fallen asleep in the car every single time - in less than 10 minutes!!

We've also taken an immense liking to the petting area at the nearby Ardenwood farms. The farm animals are a hit with A.. and these days they have a pumpkin patch right outside the farms.. A LOVES 'pumpkin parties!' I gotta get her something for Halloween still!!

Oh another big development is that we've started A with her swimming lessons (finally!!) She has taken to it like.. a fish to water :) There was one class in the middle when S put her head down in water for a sec or two.. a few times. The following session was not so good.. she clung to him.. wouldn't let go! So he backed off a bit and resumed just playing around... floating on water (shleep on paapaa as A likes to call it)kicking around the pool! She is back to giggling and grinning! It's very fulfilling to see her have soo much fun.

And in all this rush, it's Diwali already!! I haven't had the chance / energy / time to prepare anything yet. I still plan on making 'lellow laadu' (besan laddu) for A... and rava laadu for myself ('coz very recently I realised that it's been a while I ate those and I reallly used to like them a lot! Post marriage, those short trips to India end up catering to jamaai raja's taste buds - who doesn't quite fancy these like I do.. and now there's poti dear... mera number kab aayega??) I feel horrible that I made my mom feel bad by bringing this up with her last time we chatted. But then, there are some complaints jo tum sirf apni maa se hi to lagaa saktey ho - no?