Welcome Franklin

I don't think I wrote about our newest member of our family, Franklin.  Franklin who we call him Frankie is a tiny and furry kind and he has cute little nose that sticks out from his burrow when we call his name.  He has two black eyes that are perfectly placed for maximized cuteness.  He makes Grace jealous when we talk to him sweetly.  She has this look of "humph!!" with her mouth tightly closed and a little frown.  She is a funny chubby cat.  She doesn't like when kids are all over her but misses it when Frankie gets attention from them!

Frankie is a Dwarf Roborovski Hamster.  His kind is from a Kazakhstan region and although I can't imagine hamsters living in the wild, they apparently do.  He is smaller than average hamsters and moves very fast.  I am not sure he will ever be tame or we many not have time and patience to make him one.  He used to hide when we get near the cage, but now he comes out to get a sniff at us when we call his name.  It might be as tame as he gets at least for now.

The way I told kids about how I "met" Frankie at PetSmart next to my Trader Joe's went like this (some parts of it is fiction):

So, I went shopping at Trader Joe's and after buying groceries, stopped by at PetSmart next door to buy Grace's canned food. While I was walking towards the cat section, I passed by cube displays of small pets.  There were many different kinds of rodents and bunnies moving, eating and sleeping in their cages.  I got curious and took a closer step and then I saw him.  He was pressing his cute tiny hands against the glass staring at me.  His eyes and my eyes met and I fell in love with him.  And that's why Frankie came home with me unplanned.   Just because I walked in to pet shop to buy cat food and fell in love.  The End.

It is true, I walked in to PetSmart to buy cat food and it is true I passed by the small pets display.  That day, I was in a strange mood to do something I wouldn't do normally.  I guess I felt adventurous.  I was looking at different kinds of hamsters and noticed how cute they were.  My parents had several hamsters in replacement for their absent daughter and they brought joy to my parents.  I also remembered how much my kids asked for a hammy whenever we came to a pet shop.  I went to the care supply area and noticed that the cages and care packages were on sale. It was a sign.  I am taking one home today, I thought.  I asked the store clerk which kind of hamsters they recommend.  The care taker said the Robo hamsters are not biters and they are easy to care.  It's not that Frankie was staring at me but rather he was the slowest to escape from the care taker's reach. He was put in a small box and came home with me!

Mike came home early that day before the kids did.  I didn't tell him of course and when he saw the bright cage, he was surprised.  He couldn't wait to see the kids reaction when they come home.  I went to pick up the kids at school and told them they have a surprise waiting at home.  They walked faster than usual and were excited to find out what it was.   When they saw the cage and a small box, they were ecstatic!  They couldn't believe I brought home a hamster.  Sean couldn't rationalize me buying a hamster after all these years of begging.  He kept asking me "how?"  "why?" so I came up with the dramatic version of the story.  It needed that bang because it was too good to be true. 

Sean has been cleaning his cage every week and doing a good job it.  Frankie goes on a "walk" every other day on the hamster ball and runs around the living room and kitchen.  Grace cares less about him and she completely ignores him.  Frankie is part of the family now and we are glad I had a sudden epiphany that day to bring him home!

Fall is Almost Gone!

Wow, I can't believe it is in December already!

I know this blog has been quiet lately.  I love to write and get my inner writer out in the big Internet world, but I just haven't had the strong motivation for it lately.  I think I am starting to feel drowning in all the social media engagements.  I have never been active in social media sites, but with my work as a photographer, I am supposed to be diligently posting my photos and advertising my work.  It is not so easy to do that for me.  Looking at other photographers' websites and social networking sites makes me feel overwhelmed.  I am not sure why I feel that way and why I tend to shy away from posting my work on the Web.  I take it as a sign that I am not ready to get there yet.  After all, I have a lot on my plate with Noah's ABA therapies being every day.  My kids are growing up and they are facing new emotional challenges which require my attention as well. 

I do love this blog and I will keep posting no matter how long it takes.  The healing power of writing has been my savior through the hard times.  Aly is shaping up to be a decent writer, actually an awesome writer, who chooses her words carefully in writing.  She writes stories, usually about friendships and adventures of animals with some intricate expressions.  I am encouraging her to write and write away as she pleases.  So, I want to do the same for myself.  I should write as long as I can and it feels so good to write my feelings as I type.

Well, as for the happenings in the fall... Halloween was fun.  It was a bit rainy and cold but the kids did the usual trick or treating around the neighborhood.  Kevin took his boys plus Sean and Saya with him to make the rounds and I took Aly.  We were supposed to meet up somewhere but that never happened as Kevin's team went quite far to collect humongous amount of candies!  Sean's bag was so heavy, he had red markings on his palm.  He also picked the only candies he liked so all 7 pounds of good stuff.  Saya also collected so much that she almost couldn't carry it.  Aly and I walked around in rain and hit some houses in the neighborhood, but Aly was so spooked by the scary house in the corner, we didn't go that far. The scary house has scaled down on decoration but their youngest son, Jayce, who is in middle school invited his friends to swing around the fake chain saws with masks on to scare little children.  Aly was terrified, she wouldn't even go near the house.  Poor kid. 

They had class parties and I attended Sean's and Saya's parties.  Sean didn't dress up for school party since he is too old for that kind of stuff he says, but dressed up as a character from Star Wars (forgot the name) for trick or treating.  Noah became a Mafia Boss again and he looked hilarious in it.  Actually, I think he really enjoyed wearing it and wooed the therapists and fellow students at his private therapy school.  Some staff came out from the office just to see him.  He was that funny.  Aly became a black cat.  That girl just loves cats and she might become a serious cat lady someday. I am hoping she gets married to a human though...  Saya became a wolf girl and she looked pretty cute in it.  She attended her class party in her costume and I think she was the cutest one out there.  None of my girls are into any girly princess stuff anymore.  I am glad but a bit sad at the same time!  They are in animal phase for a while now and I suppose they will move on to tween stuff soon.  I don't think I am ready for that! 

Sean has been acting like a mouthy teenager lately.  He has had a rebellious streak from before, well since he was two, but now has the teen twang to it.  Oh boy.  I was thinking, so this is what people say about teens being difficult.  He is quite dramatic and says thnings like "this is the worst day of my life!" or "I am the unluckiest kid in the world!"  I guess I have to do some reading about how to handle those annoying teen outbursts.  He tells me that I am annoying and if I tell him that "no, you are more annoying," then it becomes a really silly childish arguments between a 40-something and a 10-year-old...  It is quite sad, really.  His hormones aren't active yet so I just can't wait to see what happens when he is going through puberty...

Twist Film Festival 2016

I had an amazing opportunity to be a photographer for a film festival celebrating LGBT independent films in October.  I have always been drawn to the LGBT community and I think it is because many people I met in the past who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender were very lovely people.  America is advanced in many things but the discrimination against minorities, both gender and racial are yet to prevail.  The stereotyping is terrible here and it is to the point the average American is convinced Asians students are geeks and gays are sexually flamboyant in nature. I am offended with what is on TV most of the time as it is helping with the generalization.  No, I was actually terrible at math and no where near being a teacher's pet.  It did help me in college though since my professors always assumed I am a good student, but I hated the fact that a lot of people still treated me like I am a helpless Asian girl.

The attendees at TWIST seem very nice.  There were a lot of smiles and supportive atmosphere throughout the event.  I took photos of a premier of "Retake", which is a bitter sweet story about a man's plight of longing for his lost lover and how a young escort helped him be freed from the painful past.  I met the producer, Sean Mandell, who hosted a Q&A session after the showing.  He was a very handsome man and I stared at his face for a few seconds which made the situation a bit awkward.  It is true the best dressed and most handsome are on the other team!   The movie starred Tuc Watkins from Desperate House Wives and Devon Graye from Dexter.  I had an option of leaving the theater while the film was showing, but I really wanted to stay and watch the film. I enjoy watching independent films.  I can tell that the movie makers poured their hearts and souls into the film.   I was able to capture the happy atmosphere of the premier and I think the organizer liked me photos.

I was also invited to take photos of a dance of workshop of an amazing dancer named Lady B.  She is a transgender female dancer who specializes in soulful burlesque dance but in particular, twerking.  The workshop was titled Twerkshop and I was very excited to take a part in this event.  So excited that I decided to study a bit about Lady B.  I found a TED presentation she did at her university and I was very moved.  You can watch her presentation here.  She is amazing!  You have to watch it! 

The workshop was a lot of fun.  She welcomed me like I have known her for ages and the attendees were having a lot of fun.  I wish I could join in and dance, too.  I could not help but smile the entire time because it was an honest whole-hearted fun everyone was having.  It really doesn't matter if you are straight or gay, we were born to grow and conquer our challenges, find happiness, nurture it, and grow some more until we pass.  All the difference we have amongst people makes this world a big fun and interesting place to live. The word UNITY does not mean to act the same way.  I have a problem with people who want others to think and behave the same way as themselves.  Our civilization has come a long way.  Let's keep learning and lend our ears to people who are from different circumstances as you are.  Sure, it's not an easy thing to do to be out of the comfort zone, but a little effort can lead to a brighter future for all of us. I felt great being able to help the LGBT community.  I was happy to expand my community and gain a very valuable knowledge and experience with a group of wonderful people!

Aly the Soccer Gril

Aly joined a local soccer club this fall and it was one of the best decisions we made this school year. She had taken a skills class at a local soccer gym in early spring, but wasn't into it so much.  Since her friends joined the soccer team, she decided to try it again.  It's a popular soccer club in the area and many children from our school are members.  Their uniform is blue with yellow designs and Aly picked #12 for Seahawk's 12th man. 

The coaches were two Dads from the team and they did a great job motivating and making the practice fun.  Aly looked forward to her twice a week practice and never complained about playing in the rain.  October this year was the wettest October ever recorded, so the girls were wet and cold on many practice nights. 

Almost forgot! The team's name was Tigers.  Pre-tween girls love cats and it's one thing they all agree on.  I wasn't surprised they picked the big cat as their team name.  The Tigers was a  pretty tough team. They only lost three games out of ten.  Each girl played hard and they were eager to get on the field. Aly isn't an aggressive type but she is a fierce defender.  She has a great footwork and kept up with her opponent well.  I was impressed with how much she has grown as a soccer player.  By the end of the season, she was a valuable team member who tried her best on the field.

The Tigers tied the final game against a tough team from Mercer Island.  It's always nice to be in a strong team and win frequently.  It certainly boosted the girls' confidence level and they were driven to keep their good record going.  The most valuable gift they received though was the bond they gained as they played together.  They also became quite strong physically and mentally.  Aly used to get tired quickly when she ran, but she now manages herself to push harder without complaining.  It means she became tough mentally as well.  Sports and physical fitness are important for a person's overall well-being and I am glad Aly is on the right track.   She wants to keep playing soccer in the winter, but I put her and Saya in swimming.   It's starting tomorrow so they are very excited about that as well.

She already misses being with her soccer team, but glad to claim her Monday and Wednesday back for more free time.  I miss hanging out with soccer parents and coaches though.  We are looking forward to being in the team next year!

Noah Positive Changes

Hello everyone!  Not much activity in the blog lately and it may seem like I am going to abandon it, but I will work harder at keeping this blog alive.  I care about this thing like my own baby, my 5th child.  I only realize how far we have come as a family by reading this blog myself.  If not for the blog, I will never be able to remember the funny little things my children used to do or say.  My kids will have a little chronicle of their lives saved and I hope they appreciate it in the future. 

I am happy to report that Noah is doing tremendously well with the start of the ABA therapy.  ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis and it is a repetitive behavioral modification program which works very well with the children on the autism spectrum disorder.  For example, if Noah whines when he can't get a turn, the therapist would have him say "I want my turn please" and when he says it independently, the therapist would let him have a turn.  It's like having him memorize what kind of things he could say or do to get the outcome he wants.  It's a good starting point for someone who is not verbally fluent in a language. 

Vivian, Noah's ABA therapist, has been working with Noah since early October.  Since then, he learned to ask "what's that?" and verbalize things that he never said before.  It's awesome!  The changes happened so fast that we are baffled at his ability to pick up information very quickly.  And... drum rolls please... he is potty trained!  At first, Vivian had taken him to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes and he would go sometimes but not all the time.  When he did go, he received a reward (a small marshmallow for example).  I put 20 minutes timer on and took him to the bathroom when it beeped.  It sure was hectic at first, but gradually he began to hold the urine longer.  All I have to say now is "Noah, please go potty," and he happily runs upstairs to the bathroom and sits, pees, wipes, flashes and washes his hands!  I am so proud of him.  That goes for #2 as well.  He does it all by himself.  Honestly, he was running out of size for training pants and I was wondering what to do if he gets bigger.  I am so thankful for Vivian and the others who were very patient with him. 

He sees his ABA therapists five days a week after school.  That means my busy schedule even got busier! The therapy is at the town next-door, so I have to haul all other children in the car to drop Noah off.   I arranged Sean's swimming during Noah's therapy and I am going to put the girls in the swimming lessons also.  Aly has her soccer (which is ending soon) and Sean ended his basketball lessons a couple of weeks ago.  Saya is still enjoying her gymnastics classes on Saturday mornings and this constant juggling of schedule is keeping me on my toes.  I am pretty tired by the end of the day and that is probably why I have been absent from this blog! 

I am very thankful though that my children are thriving and Mike has a job.  I won't be able to be this agile if I had to work full-time outside.  The work at an big IT company can be very stressful, but he is trying his best everyday.  I am glad I married an honest and hardworking man (who is quite handsome in my opinion).  I really have nothing to complain about!

Evergreen State Fair

How I am ever going to catch up to current stuff?

Going to state or county fairs reminds me of my youth when friends and I visited them in the past.  In small town America, it's an event everyone looks forward to and people splurge on.  I was surprised that they had county fair in Durango, Mexico as well and it was almost identical to the American version except for food, merchandise and music of course. 

Taking kids to the fair can be very expensive but decided to take the three kids (Noah stayed with Nana) because they could not stop talking about it ever since they saw a commercial for it on TV.  We decided to go to Evergreen State Fair in Monroe instead of the bigger fair in Puyallup since it is closer.  The parking was way easier and the traffic was lighter, so I am glad we chose to go to Evergreen.

The kids wanted to go straight to the ride area and we let them choose three rides of their choice.  Buying the unlimited wrist bands would have coasted us $90 and it didn't seem right.  Sean immediately chose the fastest and scariest rides.  That boy is a thrill seeker.  I am not sure if he is really my son.  Aly couldn't decide for a while.  She would decide on one thing then change her mind while waiting.  It took a while for the girls to pick but they chose some kiddy rides. 

There were many game booths covered with giant stuffed animals and other prizes.  Many people were proudly carrying their win and I am always surprised how much money people are dropping at those games, rides and food.  Fair foods are a little different from regular fast food.  They serve exciting items like elephant ears (deep fried flat bread) or chocolate covered bacon to satisfy the hyped fair-goers.  Everything about the fair is noisy, the food, colors and sales pitch.  It is a bit too much for sensory sensitive individuals, even for me who can handle crowd and noise. 

The kids had a lot of fun though.  They enjoyed looking at animals and were not happy when we had to leave.  There were more animals to look at but we ran out of time before getting to the barn.  They reluctantly followed Mike and I to the exit but at least the girls were with sticky face and hands from their cotton candy.  They couldn't complain.  Sean soaked up all the excitement and was in trance.  I would say they had a very good day. 

School Year 2016 - 2017

Here we are, one grade up and Sean's last year at the elementary school.  The 5th graders looked so big and almost like a different species of children when Sean started school.  He is not exactly big and tall compared to some but he definitely is approaching the pivotal age in his life, a pre-teenager, a tween!  He is quite skinny but his shoulders are wide.  He is hopeful to get Daddy's big muscle, but he needs a big boost on male hormone for those.  He wants to be cool but still calls me Mommy.  He is in fact wearing a PJ with "Mommy's Little Monster" stitched on the shirt.   Still cute but it's the while-it-lasts stage.  He won't let me hold his hands anymore though.  Mom's not too cool anymore...

Sean was once again lucky to have his best friend in the same class.  He was happy that some boys from his group were able to remain together, too.  They often play a game called "laughing game" during lunch, which is a game of telling a funny joke or acting silly to make people laugh.  No wonder he always fails to finish his lunch.  He was not exactly happy the school started again, but so far enjoying school.  5th grade is a busy year with many projects and learning an instrument in band and orchestra.  Sean picked band and he chose clarinet.  I am yet to hear him play at home, but I believe it's going to be loud!  I am determined to have him participate in school activities this year to make the most out of this year. 

Miss Alyson is a happy girl. She is happy to be a medium kid and she likes her teacher a lot.  She made lots of friends and enjoys going to school.  I haven't seen her being so positive before.  She says she is one of the good kids in her class and the second tallest.  She grew tons during summer.  She is about an inch and half shorter than Sean.  He is very concerned she may become taller than him soon.  The 3rd grade is a big year because it's the year they begin taking standardized tests on math and reading.  Alyson isn't found of tests, but she will need to get used to taking them.  I hope her happy streak continues and enjoys being a 3rd grader.  She may become taller than me in a couple of years... 

Miss Saya had a rough start to her 2nd year.  She was so nervous about school, she convinced herself that she is miserable during school.  She was not being social which surprised me because she is usually an easy going girl.  I was worried about her for a while until a switch went on about three weeks into school and she was happy again.  I didn't know a change in environment can affect her so much.  She is feeling more pressure in her life and wants to be a good and successful student in her class.  It's wonderful that she wants to be her best, but she will need to learn that it's ok to fail sometimes.  It's going to be a hard lesson to learn because she is a perfectionist.  I am glad that she is enjoying her school now.  She exclaims every morning that she loves to go to school while Sean and Aly give her a cold stare!

Noah's transition to new school year was pretty smooth.  It surprised me how much he was eager to begin school, perhaps more than I was.  He often woke up in summer demanding in bed for his school bus to come pick him up.  When I told him there is no school, he cried.  He was wanting the routine and structure the school provide since the summer days are often without a routine.  I was happy he likes his new teacher and his para-educator.  The struggle he has is the medication.  He started taking a medication for his impulsiveness (ADHD stimulant medication) and calming agitation (anti-psychosis medication) in late summer. He was initially responding positively with increase in verbal communication, but soon started to be more anxious.  He was covering his ears often and preferred to stay in his bed all covered up under his favorite blanket.  We decided to taper off the ADHD medication due to his decreased appetite, anxiety and lack of sleep, but taking the anti-psychosis medication solely made him eat like a little piggy.  He was constantly hungry gobbling up any food he can put his hands on.  At first I was happy that he was finally eating, but quickly realized that it was not a healthy type of hunger he was experiencing.  So, we are in the process of tapering that off currently.  The doctor recommended another type of anti-psychosis medication, so we are going to gradually add it. 

I am very proud of all my children for striding forward to face the challenge and joy in their new grade.  I am involved at school this year as well perhaps even more so than previous years.  I volunteer partly because I like to see my children at school, getting to know their teachers and friends.  It's going to be another busy year and I hope I do OK as a parent - making sure I don't miss any events and due dates.  I am going to have the kids participate in as many projects and programs at school as possible this year.  After all, this is Sean's last year at his elementary school and last chance to make fun memories.   How can be that possible... my big boy's growing up!!