Do or do not. There is no try!

The Next Generation

And so it begins....the next generation is here. Congratulations to Shalini and Brandon! That's all the news I have now.

After a gap of almost 5 years, I am back! Please follow this blog for updates

Aaaahhhh....Summer is finally here

After what seemed like a really long Winter, Summer has finally made an appearance. We had to turn the AC on this week - the temperature reached an uncomfortable 88F with close to 100% humidity. Uggghhh!
Anyway, the change in season means more time outdoors - yard work, activities for the kids and sometimes, doing absolutely nothing at all! Basically, a "Take it easy policy".

My "Thambi", Dr. Deepak Devarajan D.M.D (not to be confused with D.D.S), spent this week with us. Sanjay was done with school by Wednesday. For the rest of the week, the boys - D, S and K - just hung out. As always, it was a pleasure spending time with him. He and I also went out acouple of evenings, after the kiddies were tucked in. There is a new Sushi place nearby (new to me anyway) and the micro brewery in Downers Grove had some interesting Summer brews on Special! Renu has to take a certification exam soon and she wanted the house to herself to study.

I found these pictures in the camera - all taken in April, May and June.

AprilMayJune2008

Kartik's First Birthday

Kartik turned ONE today. We are celebrating his birthday with friends and family on March 22nd.
We did buy a cake for Kartik (Vanilla and Chocolate with a K inscribed on it). It was a small cake, just for the four of us.
Until today, Kartik was only taking tentative steps, as he learned to walk. He started walking with confidence today. I have a video of his first steps. It is a large file. When I figure out how to share it (possibly on YouTube), I will post instructions on accessing the video.

Here are some pictures taken today.

Kartik - First Birthday

Kartik at home January 2008

Kartik and I were clowning around when I realized that I had not taken any pictures of KAR-boy in a few weeks. I could not let January 2008 pass by without taking any pictures!
Renu was loading some dishes into the dishwasher when he decided to climb in!
Some of the pictures are reminiscent of Sanjay at the same age.

Kartik_January2008

2007 Christmas morning

Sanjay went to bed a little leery of "Santa" - not sure if he would actually deliver his presents by morning. Needless to say, when he woke up in the morning, he was thrilled! Santa delivered!

Christmas 2007

Party at home - December 2007

It had been some time since the "cousins" got together and after much planning and coordination, Renu and the other ladies organized a pot-luck lunch at our place.

Here are some pictures from the luncheon. The lunch was excellent and the company was just as good!

December 2007

Some pictures of the boys

We were clowning around at home - all the boys anyway!

Boys at home

Kartik at home

Snow Day!

We got some snow last week. Since it was still fresh, it was good to play around in, making snow angels and a Snowman. The Snowman ended being less than a foot in height! So you may have to strain to see him in the white background.

Snow_Fun_Dec2007

Thanksgiving

We stayed fairly local this Thanksgiving. Travelled to Gurnee to meet our friends Raj and Ritu for dinner on Thursday. I made a Pasta Salad and Roasted Potatoes (is that spelled with an 'e'?).
On Friday, Shalini and Naru/Shylu/Rohan came to visit. Here are some pictures. Enjoy.
The boys played a lot and really enjoyed each others company.

http://picasaweb.google.com/anandran/November_2007?authkey=w7Ja0Qg3wyw

Kartik at Home

These pictures of Kartik were taken at home. He looked smart in his big boy shirt and pant.

Kartik - October 2007

In the last photo, you will see Kartik near a potted plant. There are no picures after this one because the resulting mess had to be cleaned up before Renu's return!

Enjoy!