Mid Winter Break 2013

Girls like to help me cook.  They helped me make hamburger patties.

On a hike in Watershed Reserve.  Sean found lots of mushrooms.

Early settlers harvested trees in this woods to build homes and railroads.  They cut out holes to insert planks to use as step ladders to climb big trees to cut.

Sean is in his element whenever we go outdoors.  He is often hard to catch.

How tall is this tree?  You have to look at it from all angle!

I love the moss covered trees of Pacific Northwest.   It reminds me of Twilight.  If only good looking strangers are running around.

We took the kids to Hyak over Snoqualmie Pass today.  They had so much fun playing in the snow.  Saya was crying all the way home that she wanted to go back to play in the snow.

Saya looked like a baby snow bunny.  She was bouncing around clumsily and just plain cute. 

Sean was so happy to play with snow.  He was complaining that it hasn't snowed this year and it worked out that we went to where the snow is.

We did a lot of snow fight.  Daddy managed to throw a large snow ball in my purse and I wasn't too happy about it.

Girls attempting to get Mommy.  Their snowballs are so fragile, it never makes it to the target.

He was at bliss.  This boy loves being outdoor.

Sean admiring the snowy scenery and dreaming about visiting it again soon.

It's that time of the year again.  The school break in February adds more chaos to an event filled month.  Noah's therapy schedule didn't change much and so were the girls' school, but Sean was wide open for a week.  His usual "what are we going to do next?" was on a FAQ of the week and I kept him busy as much as I could.  We did playdates, hiking in the new trail, bouncy house, YMCA and snow play.  Now I am exhausted!!  No wonder I can fall asleep on the couch even when the kids are bouncing off me.  The kids had a good time though and played a lot with each other.  Sean was happy he had extra time to play with his sisters.  I think he feels left out since the girls are very close and they play together in Japanese.  He interacted with them very well this week and Aly started to speak more English.  I love seeing my kids play together.  As hard as it is, it's nice to have all four kids close to me when they are out of school.  It will be back to normal from Monday until Sean's birthday on Wednesday.  I have to make 30+ cupcakes for his classroom to share with his friends.  He has gone back to the GFCF diet again since he was starting to act more anxious.  GFCF baking, here I come (again). 

Happy 5th Birthday, Aly and Noah

Aly opening her present from Nana.

Aly with Nana on her birthday.

Nana with Noah on his birthday.

We had a cupcake on their birthday.

I baked their GFCF special birthday cake with Aly's favorite character on it on Saturday.

Noah ate two birthday cupcakes (I lined up GFCF cupcakes underneath).

Aly was so happy and the trouble I went through was well worth it in the end!

Our twins turned five past Monday!  I remember how small they were, using only finger tips to change their preemie sized diapers.  Now they are big chubby cheeked 5 year-olds full of energy.  Their personality and looks are so different, it's hard to believe they are twins.  I hope they will always have a special bond between them. 

Alyson is a tough little girl who went to Japan with grandma and lived away from us for eight months.  She is shy but very much in tune with her surroundings and people's feelings.  She likes to play with her stuffed animals and is a great playmates to her little sister.  She also looks out for her twin brother and feels protective towards him.  She is often the first one to tell me if Noah is happy or upset.  "Mama, look Noah is giggling!" she happily reports to me.  We love you Alyson and glad to have you back.  You are a big girl now, but I still can see your round baby face when I look at you smile.  Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Noah is a very special boy with adorable smile.  Everyone who knows him comments how cuddly and cute he is.  It's his baby face and aura that almost has the same effect as hugging a fluffy puppy.  He is an emerging talker now and can request an item using speech.  He can now say "I want yogurt please!" and we are very proud of him.  He is a gentle soul and easiest going amongst his siblings.  He loves to hug people and being tickled.  He would say "more tickle"and already giggling in anticipation.  Noah, I know you are a smart boy and we believe in you.  Someday you will tell us what you have been thinking about all these time.  You have so many people who care about you and jump with joy whenever you make a progress.  What a lucky person you are.  We love you so much and thank you for teaching us to be patient and respect individual uniqueness.  Happy Birthday, Noah!

Reptile Zoo

This long snake was moving around and entertained all of us with cool move like this one.

This turtle had a nose like piggy's.  It looked weird.

Saya not so impressed.  She was giving the pig-nosed turtle a dirty look.

Aly touching a baby turtle.

Saya liked the hissing cockroaches.  Whaaaat???

On the second Saturday of February, we went to visit the Reptile Zoo in Monroe.  It was a rainy day and we were bound to do something indoor.  Sean invited Nana to come along and she came along with us.  Noah stayed home and played with Malawaina.  He really enjoys the time with her and she does, too.   She helps him learn to talk as well and impressively, he started to talk more.  The power of connections!  I cannot be happier with his Saturday playtime with her. 

Monroe is past east of Woodinville/Duvall area and I've passed this area twice before when we went to hike in the Cascade and when we went to Granite Falls on the New Year's Day last year.  It's nice to get out of the busy suburb and drive unfamiliar road for a change.  We easily found the zoo and were greeted by a big chameleon by the door.  It was quite humid and warm inside unlike the cold outside.  The building is old and a little smelly, but I had no expectation of it being fancy.  There were tanks after tanks with snakes, lizards, turtles and alligators all crowded in one wing.  They are not my type of animal and the only thing that moved were the turtles and some snakes.  The rest were frozen with occasional blinking and I wondered how would you find an enjoyment having them as a pet.  Sean was quite impressed though but the girls had the "icky" expression most of the time.  Saya was afraid to snap a picture with them behind.  They allowed the guests to hold a snake for a photo, but Sean didn't want to do it.  I didn't even ask the girls.

There was another wing on the other side of the building.  This side housed some more turtles, a big alligator, and many unusual insects.  The kids were intrigued by big tarantulas and they could not resist looking at them even though they were afraid of them.  Saya thought the Hissing Giant Cockroaches were pretty.  I thought she is crazy!

Nana and Mike grabbed a barbecue take out from a barbecue stand  in front of the zoo.  The waitress at the deli they go to recommended them.  We also stopped at a Korean supermarket in Lynwood to buy some Asian grocery items I needed to get.  It was Nana's first time to go to an Asian store and she had fun looking around.  The kids were tired and not in a cooperative mood.  We kept losing one kid after another in the large store and Nana commented "no wonder you prefer to shop by yourself".  Ditto!! 

We had a nice outing and made another fun memories together.  We will do this again sometime!

Fate of Pine Chick

After having her a little over a week, Pine Chick became a part of our family.  She would greet us in the morning by the front door asking to be fed and she ran towards us when we step out from the garage.  She kind of grew on me.  The neighbors also thought she was cute and fed her whenever they were out.  She was becoming quite a neighborhood chicken.  I worried about her safety at night whether she will make it through the night away from predators' eyes and keep herself warm in the cold rain.  One day around the dusk time concerned that she didn't find the corns I left for her in the front porch, I walked over to the side of my house to see if I could find her.  As I approached the side, I heard her making noise.  I kept looking behind the bush, but I could not find her.  I then heard more noise from right above me and sure enough Pine Chick was perched up on the maple tree.  She was looking at me as if saying "what are you doing here?" and tried to come down.  I told her to go to bed and stay safe and left her alone.   Who knew chickens sleep on a tree?

Lucky for Pine Chick, a kind lady who is a friend of our neighbor's took her in.  The new owner is called "a chicken lover" and already owns several hens.  The neighbor said she even sends out Christmas cards with the portrait of each chicken.  I wanted her to be adopted by an owner who knows well about chickens since they can be difficult to get along if they didn't grow up together.  Sounds like Pine Chick is in good hands.  We did consider taking her in, but our backyard is not landscaped yet and of course, I am a super busy Mom of four. 

Pine Chick is gone, but the kids still talk about her.  We sure miss that pretty chicken with fluffy head.  I've heard that chickens are smart creatures and I now know for a fact.  She used the power beyond her innate instinct to connect with people who are willing to help her.  What a clever little thing she was.  It was an experience worthwhile for all of us.  Thank you Pine Chick for giving us the opportunity to take care of you!

Violin Concert at Volunteer Park

I've been living in Seattle for 7 years now, but I had never been to Volunteer Park until last Sunday.  Takumi, a fifth grader in my neighborhood, invited us to his graduation recital from the Suzuki Method Violin School he was studying at.  The concert was held in the auditorium of Seattle Asian Art Museum located in Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill neighborhood.  I took Sean with me because I wanted him to learn to appreciate classical music and to show him that children can be excellent musicians if they practiced.   We drove through streets of colorful shops and cafes and turned into the leafy Victorian neighborhood where the park is located.  We were greeted by a classical brick water tower which almost looked like a fort.  The park was built in late 1800s and it has lots of history.


We rushed inside and seated ourselves because we thought we would be late.  We saw some familiar faces from the neighborhood and waved at them from our seats.  Takumi was amazing!  He played like a professional classical violinist.  The other children who played together with Takumi were impressive as well.  I played piano as a child and never achieved anything like they have already.  Sean was impressed as well, but he was feeling a little nervous and couldn't stop moving.  So, we left at the first intermission.  I was very glad we had a chance to listen to Takumi and his friends' performance.  They made me want to play piano again.

We had a little time before we make it home on time for the Superbowl, so we decided to look around the park.  There was a big reservoir in front of the museum.  We could see the top of Space Needle on the other side.  It seemed there is a big incline between Capitol Hill from the waterfront.  I imagined the people and horses trying to make the trip up from the bottom of the hill.  What a trip it must have been!

Sean spent some time looking at the man made lake and Space Needle, doing the usual happy dance.  We then walked towards a large greenhouse we saw when we parked the car to check it out.  It turns out it's a botanical conservatory which was built in 1912.  As soon as we stepped inside, we were greeted by the moist warm air.  My camera fogged up and had to keep wiping the lens.  What a pretty place it was.  Bright colors of tropical plants and flowers were a great contrast to the deary winter-scape outside.  There were four areas and Sean liked them all.  He enjoyed looking at the cactus room in particular. 

We missed the first three minutes of the game, but we had fun watching it with Nana.  I wasn't into the game this year, but enjoyed food and doing whatever else I liked to do while watching.  We had a very good Sunday thanks to our wonderful little friend Takumi and his family.  We found another gem in Seattle and I am now motivated to introduce music to the kids.  You can't go wrong with music! 

Chinatown Bound

Amy gave each kid a good fortune egg.

We sat at a table in the back and just hang out.  The performance didn't start until much later, so we just sat there people watched.

I am not sure what it says on their banner. 

A hair salon with interesting looking wigs.

The hair cut was $7, but hmm no thank you.

Girls were finding their favorites in the museum's gift shop window.

A Chinese restaurant in an old building.

I had a plan to visit the International District in Seattle past Sunday with my friend Daminda who is a talented photographer.  I've decided that I will play with my camera more this year, actually reading on techniques and trying out all the setting on my Rebel.  I had a brief love in college days with 35mm black and white photography with manual Cannon, wheeling up my films in my pitch black bathroom and developing my own prints under the red light in the shared dark room.  I loved the whole process.  The prints I made were 100 % all mine, after choosing the best in every process.  I haven't played around with any of the photo editing programs and that is something I need to learn.  Maybe it will give me the same satisfaction I felt when developing the photos myself.

Initially, I was planning to go by myself to meet up with Daminda in the city but Noah's former Therapist, Malawaina, was able to come watch Noah, so Mike decided to join me and take rest of the children with us.  I felt bad for Noah, however Noah in a crowded downtown isn't a good idea.  He is a runner and escape artist.  He would just disappear in a matter of minutes.  Sean was super excited to go visit Chinatown.  It is close to his favorite building in Seattle, The Colombia Center.

I texted Amy the night before to see if she will be in the Chinatown as well.  Their Mien New Year festival was on the same day in the area, so we decided to go see her.  We parked the car a bit far since the streets were full with visitors.  Unfortunate thing about Chinatown in Seattle is that there are a great number of homeless people with alcohol or drug addiction problems living on the street or in century old hotels which are now low-income housing.  As we walked, we were followed by a drug addict begging for money.  Very sad.  We were very happy to arrive at the venue safely and see Amy at the door.  Unfortunately, her Mom Chio just had a surgery and could not attend this year's festival.  It would have been nice to see her, but I am glad to hear she is recovering nicely.  We saw many pretty girls dressed in traditional Mien clothing.  Girls in their traditional attire look genuinely beautiful in any culture.  Their smiles were beaming and I am glad they let me take their pictures!

We walked back to the main part of Chinatown and decided to walk around for a short while.  There were some interesting stores and we enjoyed window shopping.  We stopped by at a Chinese barbecue place to grab pork for dinner.  The building was very old (probably built in early 1900) and the ceiling was very high.  They built a second loft floor to add more seating space, but unfortunately there was no one else at the restaurant.  I was thinking maybe we should have gone with our regular barbecue place a few blocks away.

We had a fun Saturday exploring Chinatown with the kids.  We passed Wing Luke Asian Museum and reminded me that I should take the kids there sometime.  Maybe next year.  I don't think the younger one is ready for a museum other than children's kind.

Pine Chicken

Poor Grace, she can just smell the chicken!

Sean and I built a chicken nest with cardboard, but the chicken didn't like it.

Sean loves to spend time with the chicken.  He was watching the chicken for nearly 45 minutes.

She sort of looks like she is going to a carnival.  She is a Polish Hen and bred for the show in Europe rather than for their eggs.

About a week ago, a trio of junior high kids alerted me that there is a chicken in my front yard.  I walked over and sure enough, there was an unusual looking chicken doing chicken walk.  I was on our way to pick Sean up with the girls, so I had to leave and thought the chicken would be gone by the time we got back.  Well, I was wrong.  He or she did not leave our yard and here we are with a chicken one week later.  Sean named her Pine Chicken because she (or he) has feathers on her head looking like a top of a pineapple.  We call her Pine-chan or Pine Chick for short.  I posted on our neighborhood website to see if anyone is missing a chicken, but I have not received any response yet.  Hmmm...  I called the local Humane Society, but they wouldn't pick her up.  What to do?!  In the meantime, she found a makeshift home in our front yard somewhere and greets us every morning for food.  Pine Chick does not crow and it has no large wattles, so we think she is a hen.  The city of Bellevue does not permit the ownership of roosters, so it would be a bad news if it is a rooster.  The chicken is very friendly and she might think she is a human because she always tries to get into our house.  Grace and Pine Chick would stare at each other over the patio window and Grace has the most exciting time in recent years chicken hunting over the window.  Poor old Grace!  She is starting to grow on me.  The first thing to do would be to determine if Pine Chick is a female or male.  If she is a girl, maybe we may build her a nice chicken coop and raise her in our yard??  Who knows.  Four kids, a cat and a chicken?  That does sound interesting!  Stay tuned for the fate of the lost chicken...