Happy Diwali

It is always difficult when Diwali comes in a weekday and you are in the USA. They should declare it a holiday at least in Cupertino!

Wishing you all a wonderful Diwali!

May this Deepavali bring you light and joy.

They made the Deepams (Dia's) as part of their art class. The little one is going through the "conscious phase of posing for photos" now that she is a "tween" aka "big girl"! 

As far as I am concerned, they will NEVER be big girls.

They are growing up though. Finally did a collage of them in a third nice dress this year..

Cannot believe this year is coming to an end in a few more weeks. Have to post a lot of thoughts and pictures. Will get to them before end of the year. 

For now, time to enjoy the sweets and savories made by MIL, and enjoy the smiling faces all around! 

Happy Deepavali! 

Mini me..

We had a quiet fireworks celebration in our backyard. Wanted to have a few pictures of this. So I set up a tripod and had the camera on self timer.

The first few round of sparklers was marked by me constantly requesting that all four of us start around the same time and look into the camera etc. Always get good shots with the black background, so I push for pictures.. 

After the third photo the little one yelled "Appa, I want to enjoy vedichiying the pattasu! So just come here and do this with us!" 

I promptly switched the camera off and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the pattasu vedichiying! (crackers bursting).

Watching the little one enjoying the fireworks with such intensity brings back so many memories of me bursting crackers as a kid.

If there is a "pattasu" gene, it has definitely been passed on to the next generation! 

Happy Deepavali

We wish everyone a very Happy Deepavali !

May the coming days be filled with the light of knowledge for all of you!

Happy Deepavali

Wishing one and all a very happy Deepavali!!

It has been a busy few weeks with a lot of travel thrown in. The good news is that between all the hectic work, went back to the Yoga room. The hand has healed nicely.

Deepavali was made fun thanks to some last minute Target shopping for clothes, some yummy treats made by MIL yesterday and today (including some Deepavali Marundhu) and a short 30 minute celebration today with family in backyard with fireworks.

We also had two nice parties over the weekend where the kids had fun with fireworks and rangoli!

Some pictures..

Cannot believe another year has rolled by!

Yet again, a wonderful Deepavali to all..

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To do Pooja or not to do Pooja ... that is not the question!

Technically there is no Deepavali for the family, what with my Grandpa and my Aunt (periamma) passing away last year.

When you get down to explaining it to a 5 or 8 year old, especially a five year old and go

"we don't have Deepavali pooja this year"

LO: why?

me: Because we remember your great Grandpa and I remember my aunt

Jr. : because you are sad? We are sad too when we talk of Great Grandpa!

Me : Not really. Just to remember them.

LO : But now we are sad because grandpa is now a god "AND" we don't celebrate Deepavali! (she made the "and" the punchword)

Me : hmmm.. we still get to eat the good stuff that Paati will make and you get to play with fireworks.

LO and Jr. : (all smiles) OK!

So Grandma made her usual good eats and San got us some mathaapus and we had some quiet fun for 15 minutes total in the backyard! Enough to make the kids say "that's enough. let us go back in!". The outside temperature helped with that decision.

In India this would never happen. 15 minutes of fireworks and we call it done? Never!

My brother and me would start a good 15 days before Deepavali and go on for another day or two after Deepavali was done..

Guess that was another time another place altogether... but I was there for a few minutes earlier today, transported by the smell of the smoke and the sparklers...

Jr. is still scared! Her mother and grandma defend her by saying things like "she is a docile kid" etc. etc. when I challenge her to be a little bolder and continuously frustrates me. Who knows, maybe in time she will learn to love sparklers?! The funny thing is she is scared of the initial burst when the thing catches on fire. Once it is past that point, she is happy to hold it and watch it go.

The little one needs no telling. She is like a tigress.

Couldn't keep her still for the photo!

Grandma joined in for a minute within those 15 to pose for this photo..This photo meets all ISO Grandma 9000 standards she set for me before taking the picture..

"We should know it is me, but my face,dress etc. should not be prominent" she said. "No problem, pannidalaam (that can be done)" I replied with the air of the Sathyam studio photographer who told my parents "yes that can be done" to any request they make simply so he could be done with us in those good old days!

Then the kids were down to the last few sparklers and daddy decided it was time to do some quick photo experiments..

We just set the timer and captured all the fun..

This whole plan to do the sparkler thing was about to be abandoned because daddy got called to work earlier today and we lost our internet connection at home from 2-6! We now have high speed internet though. Just choose the wrong day to upgrade I guess.. luckily things got sorted out just in time for me to return home and do this.

We had a wonderful time eating and sparkling.. we pretty much did everything except the prayer and the new clothes. With four birthdays coming in the month of November that isn't an issue either. The kids went and thanked "Kollu thatha" for watching us from above and making the evening worthwhile.

Hope you all had a wonderful Deepavali !!! We did.

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