Happy 5th Birthday, Sean!

The kids had fun running around freely in a big play structure.
The attendant leading the jungle animal game.

Sean's Diego cake - we gave him and Noah a GFCF version.

Note the girls' face. They couldn't help it!

The cake was a hit amongst the kids and adults liked tiramisu and chocolate ganache.

Sean likes all the presents he opened so far.

It's hard to believe my little boy turned five yesterday... Five sounds like such a big number for my little boy, but he is growing up so fast and left the toddler days for good. It's the age where the memories stick for a long time, so all we wish for him is to have a healthy and generally happy year.

He's been anticipating the Saturday's big event for the longest time. I've used it to bribe him to go to bed, I used it to threaten him if he doesn't obey me... "If you don't go to bed right now, maybe you wouldn't get a Diego cake at your birthday party!" and that is all I had to say for him to jump in bed. Sean and I used to go visit the QFC in Crossroad Mall to look at the pictures of the Diego cake before going to see Jessica on Wednesday. He was so excited he could hardly wait.

The party was a big success! The birthday boy and the guests played at the play area at the YMCA for the first 50 minutes or so and then moved on to the party room for a cake. All his favorite friends were there and he could not be happier. All the children looked like they were having fun, too. They were all busy playing and I didn't see anyone looking bored. The gals at the Y came up with a jungle animal game where they play a jungle themed music and when they stop, the children must imitate an animal they call out. The kids had fun dancing and imitating the animals. Some kids were jamming pretty hard and looked pretty funny.

Amy worked very hard to decorate and set up the party room. I was busy running around, chatting with parents and taking pictures. The room looked great with Diego decorations, blue and orange streamers with some balloons. The table was set with Diego plates and party hats. I lined up a chocolate ganache cake, tiramisu and apple pie for adults. I also made fresh salsa in the morning, so served with tortilla chips. Starbucks coffee is a staple in my parties now. It comes in a box and ready to serve! Very handy!

We lit five candles on the much anticipated Diego cake (24 cupcakes under Diego decorations) and we sang happy birthday song for Sean. He was smiling big and could not be happier. When the time came to blow off the candle flames, he inhaled deeply and released the air. However, he wasn't blowing out air with the typical o-shaped mouth, so the air didn't have much force. He had to blow for many times before he was able to blow off all the candles. The girls sitting next to him, Aly and his friend Leslie were trying to help by blowing air, too, and Sean didn't much care for that at all. The last two was the hardest and he kept getting closer and closer to the candles to the point his eyes were crossed. And since the air wasn't coming out from his mouth much, it was full of air. That's why he looks like a cross-eyed monkey in the picture. It was very funny and everyone was laughing. I wished I had video taped it.

I think he had the best birthday ever! I could not be happier either looking at his candle lit face, completely focused on the cake and flames with such innocence. It's great being five! He received many gifts from his friends, Nana and Pinky and us. We let him open only a few presents per day so that it is not too exciting for him. Nana and Pinky sent him a magnetic puzzle set that he can make lots of different shapes with. He will have hours of fun with that. We got him a blue bike and he loves it. So far, all the presents he opened are big hits.

Next up is my birthday, but who's looking forward to getting another year older? My Mom's in denial that her daughter is turning 40 next year and Mike's giving me a smirk about it. Sean says I am 27 so, that is ok with me!

I will write about Aaron's visit in the next post!

The late snow and count down begins!

Sean insisted on wearing a scarf and hat.

We mixed colors to make more interesting colors and kids enjoyed guessing what the color might look like.

The snow storm #2 arrived the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday evening and covered everything in white. It is unusual since it's almost March and I was ready to exchange my snow tires to the regular ones. I briefly had a vision of Sean wearing a party hat looking sad because no one showed up to the party because of snow. Hmm...

Sean really wanted to play outside with the snow, but I wanted to make sure his coughs improve by Saturday. He was not a happy camper, looking outside the window with a sad face. It would have been fun in fact to play around in the snow... Suddenly, my idea light came on in my head and thought "why not bring the snow inside?" I pulled out two big storage bins from the shed and grabbed a shovel. I busily filled the bins with snow and took them in the kitchen where I laid several plastic picnic mats. I threw some small shovels, cups and containers in all sizes and the kids quickly gathered around to play! Saya could not believe how snow could hurt her tiny fingers and kept touching it and staring at her hands. Sean built a tunnel and Alyson was busy making "ice cream". Noah wasn't into it and left after giving a few pat. Later when the kids started to get bored with it, I pulled out food colorings and stained the snow. We played for a long time making rainbows and mixing up all the colors. They had tons of fun.

The snow day means nothing gets done around the house, but we had a good time even if we could not go outside. The preparation for the party and Aaron and Tina's visit could wait another day, couldn't they? I sure hope so!

Crafts and New Chores

The day two of the mid winter break was like reaching farther into a cookie jar and my fingers touching the crumbly bottom to grab a broken cookie. There are no perfect round ones left and I have to reach for another one to satisfy four cookie monsters ready to throw a riot any time because they are flat out bored and cannot contain themselves!

Luckily, Malawaina came for an ABA therapy in the morning with Noah, so I only had three children to keep busy in the morning. I bundled them up in winter coats, fleece hats, and gloves and went to Crossroad Mall to buy party favors for Sean's party on Saturday. I always do a little pep talk before we go into a store "no running, no screaming, no begging!" but it's only on their mind for about first 30 seconds into the shopping trip. "Mommy, buy this one!", "I Need this", "This is mine!" they almost compete each other with their demands. Today at the craft store, Aly and Sean were hugging a huge Easter egg, pink and blue ones respectively, and decided they should be allowed to take them home. I think Sean even had an Easter bunny ears on his head. Apart from laughing inside, I knew I better get the heck out of there before they find more stuff. And they did... Sean found a Lightning McQueen flashing light and Aly a pink princess flashing light... They both squat down and wouldn't budge and was getting read to scream. I was able to convince Sean to give it up, but it took a store clerk talking to Aly for her to give it up. That is why I don't like shopping with multiple kids!

In the afternoon, we did two crafts to kill time. That kept them busy for a little while. I also decided to give chores to them and Sean started a new chore titled "kitchen helper" today. He helps me heat up food in the microwave, serve rice, and pour drinks into the cups. To my surprise, he took it super seriously and did a fantastic job! Aly really wanted to be a kitchen helper, too, but I told her that she is a diaper helper and she can help me change Saya and Noah's diapers and throw them away. I think they were more interested in doing the chores than crafts. So, my new bag of things to do with kids is chores. I will keep them short and simple so that they will feel like they are very good at it.

And... it's snowing outside! I was so busy with the kids, I peeked out the window at 6:30 pm and noticed the snow then. Hope the snow won't be too bad because Sean's really looking forward to the party on Sat...

Mid Winter Break~

Noah and his pal at KidsQuest. The photo is blurry because I took it with my cell phone.

The public schools in Bellevue are out this week. That means, Sean and Noah don't have anything pretty much all day everyday and that means I have to be more energetic and creative to make sure the kids aren't bored and picking up fights for fun. I took four kids to the KidsQuest Museum and spent about two hours playing with a hundred children crammed in the small space. Noah might have been a little scared because all he did was cling to this statue of a raccoon by the entrance and he didn't move very far from it. That was very convenient for me knowing where to find him, but I felt a little bad for him. It was busy and noisy in there. Aly, Sean and Saya spent most of the time at the water play area and managed to get themselves wet despite the waterproof aprons.


We encountered a Mamazilla following her son around about 3 years of age retrieving toys for him and making sure his experience there is as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. Apparently, Aly took a toy the boy was playing with and I saw her demanding Aly to return the toy to her son in a pretty rude way (like an angry customer demanding her money back kinda way). I quickly went over and asked her what is going on and she said impatiently, "your daughter took the toy my son was playing with!" I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I didn't tell her my opinion, but really? Shouldn't her son be mad instead of her? There sure are all sorts of Moms out there!



Today was only the day one and I am hoping some green tea would boost my energy up tomorrow to survive another day with four energetic kids!

Busiest Month of the Year

Saya loves to paint but also makes a huge mess!
She likes to brush her own teeth but not a fan when I do it.

Watching Jason work in the front today.

The area untouched on the left is going to be my veggie garden! Jason's going to build a cedar box for me!

This is one of the twins' birthday presents from us - a cute market stand! I thought it might encourage pretend play and communication with one another, but all they did the day1 was fight over it...

Every February, I feel like my profession is a party organizer. One party done and another to go. This year we are renting a venue for Sean's birthday party, which is going to be at our local YMCA. The birthday boy and the guests will spend the first 45 minutes playing in their kids' play area with a big play structure and the second half at their multi-purpose room (that's where I come for my Bollywood dance class) eating cakes. There will be around 20 children and 22+ adults, so it's going to be a fairly large party! I am glad I am having it out of my house.

Sean picked Diego (Dora's cousin) theme this year, so we are having an adventure/fiesta/animal rescue party with lots of colors for decorations. He's been eyeing for a Diego cake they sell at QFC and I had been torn between letting him eat it as an exception (it has milk and wheat) or sticking with the diet. Last Wednesday, I went to talk to the cake decorator at the store and asked her if I could bring my own GFCF cupcakes for Sean and if they would decorate with GFCF toppings. To my surprise, she said yes! I was so relieved and told her she couldn't guess how happy Sean would be! QFC Crossroads, you guys rock!

Apart from collecting things for the party, here are the things we did last week:

Monday - Sean took some chocolates for his classmates for the Valentine's day celebration. V-Day is a serious business in American schools! It's all about pink and red hearts and Sean collected so much candies and chocolates, he had to carry them in a separate bag. It was also Noah's first day of his preschool at Phantom Lake. The bus service didn't start until Tuesday, so I drove him to school with Aly and Saya. As I handed squirmy Noah to his teacher, I spotted Sean. He found me and did that shy smile, tucking his chin in. Noah didn't cry, he actually ran inside the door and never looked back! Amongst other must know things about Noah, I wrote to the teacher that he runs off without being aware of any dangers. I hope I didn't sound like a worry-worm Mom...

Tuesday - The twins had a 3 year well check with Dr. Uyeno. Noah was 35 pounds (75%) and 38 1/2 inches tall (75%) and Aly was 36 pounds (90%) and 42 inches tall (97%). I was a bit worried about Noah being small, but he is not a small kid according to the numbers. He still struggles to eat though, so I need to find a good feeding therapist for him. Oh, and he took his first school bus to school. He was clinging to me as I boarded the bus and cried when I strapped him in to the chair. He looked so little and terrified. A little less frantic than how Sean was though, so I didn't worry too much!

Wednesday - Nothing special went on that day. Sean was very oppositional and loud. We all wondered why that was and came up with the conclusion that he didn't get a good night sleep.

Thursday - Aly had the Japanese class in the morning, so Noah, Saya and I went shopping during that time. Malawaina got sick, so Noah didn't have a morning ABA at home. Sean was a little off again, his body moving constantly and acted very agitated. His best pal came over for a playdate, but they didn't play as well as other times. I just wish I could plug him into a computer of some sort and analyze what is going on in his little body! Can someone invent one please!?

Friday - A busy day for me. Mike dropped Noah off at a therapy school in Issaquah in the morning and I went to pick him up with Saya and Aly. I went to Costco with the girls and forgot to pick up a couple of key items because I was rushing. After picking Noah up, we dashed home to pack his snack for school and put him on the school bus on time. We took it easy in the afternoon - Sean had a good time playing with Ian outside digging the huge pile of bark we bought. We are covering the front yard with it where we pulled out overgrown bushes.

Today - Jason came over and worked on the front yard. Aly and Sean spent a lot of time outside "helping" Jason spread the bark around. It was a sunny but a cold day!

Twins' Happy 3rd Birthday!

Noah and Mike at NICU.

Alyson a few minutes after birth.

Birthday lunch on their birthday. They like McDonald's chicken nuggets, so I treated them.

A birthday cupcake in the afternoon! Sean, Saya and I sang the birthday song to them.

Sean enjoyed the party, too, playing alongside Japanese kids.

Aly said "wow!" when we brought out the Tinkerbell cake!

I hope in the future, Noah won't measure our love based on the size and appearance of their cakes!! Noah, we love you equally!!

The kids were in the zone, opening presents. Sean was "helping" Noah open his presents.

Alyson was very focused on the new treasures she collected!

Noah thought he would let others open presents for now and return when everything is ready to play - a smart move!

So, it's been three years since I started this blog and three jam packed years since my two red faced monkeys were pulled out from the womb by Dr. Graham's secure hands. Mike and I were happy and scared at the same time and felt very alone looking at the hard journey ahead, caring for an active two-year-old boy and newborn twins. At that time, I could not imagine getting out of the fog for a very long time, but we discovered that people can quickly adopt to any new situations! We figured out what works for us and here we are, celebrating the twins' third birthday~! It sure goes by very fast, especially in a large family like ours.

We had a small party on Saturday with Japanese friends from Aly's school. I didn't want to throw a large party this year because I didn't want to overwhelm Noah and myself! I also didn't want to occupy our friends' two weekends in February for two birthday parties since Sean's is on 26th, hence focused on Aly's friends from her school. I felt a little odd for not having our other close friends at the twins' party, but I think it worked out pretty well in the end.

We had a very nice Japanese speaking party with cute little Japanese children. It was kind of funny Sean exclaimed to the guests "This is an English house! No Japanese!" The mothers must have wondered why a little boy was fuming like an old man. We had about eleven children, including two sets of twins. The Moms had a very good time chatting about school, Japan and the kids. I like all the mothers and their kids. The children got along very well and happily played together.

The cake Aly requested was Tinkerbell cake. I ordered it from QFC and had them make as cupcakes. They lined up twelve cupcakes on the bottom and spread icing on the top as if it's a sheet cake. I tasted it and it wasn't too sweet. They did a very good job with it! Noah is on GFCF diet, so I made a special gluten free chocolate cupcake without milk. He ate it very fast, so he must have liked it! Alyson looked very happy when everyone sang her a happy birthday song. Noah looked content but his eyes were fixed on the flame and he really wanted to touch it if he could (and he tried).

I asked the guests not to bring any presents as I felt bad since they are twins. But some of them brought anyways and it was very nice of them! I didn't prepare goody bags and I regretted that. We chatted and chatted, the children played and played until the toys were evenly scattered across the floor in the playroom downstairs. It was a moment of reflection. We do have too many toys!!

I think the twins had a very nice birthday this year. Now that they know what birthday means in a kid kind of way like having a party and it involves presents and a birthday cake, it's going to be a little different from next year. We were very happy to see their big smiles and the fact that we survived another year raising twins!

Aly's Rollercoaster Day

I took this picture right after she told me she pooped in the toilet! Amy did her hair and she was the cutest little thing!
Angela, Brandon and Steve, an adorable family who also moved from Northern Calif right after we came up here.

Sean and Aly were pretty good, but they were getting pretty bored towards the end.


Aly waiting at the urgent care in Bellevue Children's Hospital. She didn't want to let go the tissue even though I told her she doesn't have to hold it anymore.

Waiting to be stitched up!

A reward for being brave and pooping in the toilet!

Today was an interesting day. We had a plan to meet our friends Steve, Angela and their son Brandon at Noble Court for a dim sum lunch. Amy came to watch Noah and Saya as I could not imagine taking all four kids to the busy restaurant. Right before we were about to leave, Alyson decided to go use the potty and she did it!! She pooped for the very first time in the toilet! I was so happy when she had the big grin. She was so proud of herself and I was, too! She couldn't wait to tell Daddy what she did, so we hurried to meet Daddy, Sean, and the Dills at the restaurant. We had a nice lunch and we stuffed ourselves with yummy dumplings. It was nice catching up with the Dills as it's been a while since we saw them last.

After lunch, we all went home and played Kinect together. The Dills are avid Kinect players, so they played like second nature and beat me in Dance Central! Things were going well until I heard Sean and Aly fighting over an elephant toy downstairs. They were both yelling and then I heard a thug and saw Alyson curled up on the floor screaming. I rushed down and her face was covered in blood!! I was ready to pass out seeing my little girl in such state. She had a big gash on her forehead and was bleeding a lot. Sean threw the elephant toy (a machine that blows out air, so it is heavy) and it hit Alyson's forehead. I became kind of useless and Mike stepped in and took care of her. We applied tissue paper on her forehead to stop the bleeding and eventually it stopped. We decided it would be best I take her to the emergency room, so off we left. I talked to her on the car and sang her songs to calm her down. She was calmer than me, though, being very still and quiet. Her surviving instinct kicked in maybe and I was just impressed how composed she was throughout the ordeal. She was very good at the hospital, too, and remained calm even while they were stitching her up. In the end, she received six stitches and she didn't shed any tears after the initial shock. She even peed twice while at the hospital in the toilet!

To reward her, I took her out to dinner and got her a scoop of "pink ice cream" she's been wanting to try. It's just a strawberry ice cream from Cold Stone, but she put some gummy bears in it. She was a happy little girl at the end of the day. When we got home, Sean apologized to Alyson and they made up. She even pooped again right before bed and what a champion she is!! Today, I saw a strength in her which was beyond her age. She's got a great survival skill like me and ability to control emotions. She is going to be a beautiful, strong and smart woman someday!!

Sean, Sean... What to do with him!? Sean is very impulsive and often has hard time understanding what the consequence might be. He also has a hard time understanding people's emotions, how they might feel if he hurt them. Daddy had a long talk with him and he does feel bad about what happened. I need to talk to the ABA therapist and psychiatrist about it and get their professional opinion.

To tell the truth, all the screaming and negative behavior happens because Sean still has hard time expressing himself using language. This is my latest discovery about Sean after close observation and thinking... Sure, he talks a lot and he's pretty much caught up to his peers in terms of how many words he uses in a sentence and using more complex grammar. But I do realize that he often asks same questions over and over again and talks about similar topics every day. When he does talk about his emotions, he sounds clumsy and the words he spits out are like a poem. I have to think about it for a minute to process what he really means to say.

The other day, he said "Mommy, why did you make me?", "I don't want to be made Mommy" and finally said "I want to disappear". What he said broke my heart and I am teary as I type this. What I understood was that he is not happy with himself and frustrated by how he is. He came to the realization that he has hard time controlling his emotions and has difficult time being in tune with his own feelings as well as expressing them in words. To others, he may look like an attention seeking spoiled little boy, but he is the most complex and fragile little person who needs a warm and strong set of hands to support him. We have a lot of work to do, but we'll get through it. Yes, I made him and I will make sure he'll be the best person he can be no matter what the obstacles may be. It's my responsibility as a Mom and boy, I do take it very seriously!!

Random Pictures from my phone

It's just going to be photos and a video today~

Sean, Aly and I went to Party City to buy some Diego party supplies for his birthday party. I was looking at something and when I turned around, Sean was standing with Diego mask on. He startled me a bit!

We took the kids to the Kids Quest in Factoria one day. We became a member there, so we go there quite often now.
Grocery shopping with Saya and Noah while Alyson attends her Japanese class. I go over speed limit in the store driving the cart when I shop with the kids.


I will not be doing this for a while - Costco with four kids on my own. It was... interesting...

Noah went to tour the school and meet his teacher. He will be starting his preschool on 2/14!

Video of Saya throwing fit!