Last Photography Assignment

My photography class ended yesterday and I am a little sad about it.  The class was only five days in total, but it became a part of my life.  I used to never at least in recent years carry my camera with me while doing my usual errands, but I started to.  I didn't want to miss any photo opportunities since I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to photography.  I am constantly looking for photo subjects and materials when I am walking or driving around.  Easily transformed.  I guess I really do like taking pictures!

The last assignment was to take pictures of something that is red.  The theme is very broad and open which makes it quite hard to narrow down.  I initially wanted to take pictures of food like kimchee and my friend's husband's red car (he is a mechanic and has many customized cars), but I ended up buying two red balloons for the girls and went on a photo shoot session at the nearby farm. 

The photo shoot went OK, I usually get lucky with photography.  It was in the late afternoon and the sun was drawing long shadows and making pretty colors in the sky.  The animals were gone but I only went there for the historic barn.  The beautiful white barn was built in 1930s and it's a photographer's dream.  Nothing speaks country than a barn and and it being white makes it a great backdrop.  The barn didn't disappoint me especially with the soft afternoon sunlight.  The girls were good models, too.  We all had fun out there.

The instructor liked my pictures.  He particularly liked the shadow piece.  He stared at my picture for a long time and that was a good sign.  In the class, each student show their assignment work on a big screen.  We critique each piece and give advice and what not.  No work is perfect, so it is good to get opinions of others.  It teaches me to be more watchful when editing next time.  When the class was over and thanked the instructor for his help, he told me that he thought I outshone in the class and I am very good.  That just made my day.  Yes, I will keep taking pictures now thank you very much!  I am so grateful for this opportunity and I will definitely become the best photographer I can be.

Alyson's Birthday Party

The kids' birthdays always creeps up on me and the twins' are the worst because it's usually near the Mid-Winter break, right before the Valentines, while I am still in the recovering mode from two 3-day weekends in January (and Christmas, too).  Before you know it, I am calling around birthday venues frantically leaving urgent messages for their ASAP attention.  It's a good thing though I don't get lured into booking an expensive party packages at kids birthday places.  By the time I panic, all the birthday time slots are taken.  We had Alyson's birthday party at home again this year.  We got lucky five little girls could join us even though I organized the party very late.  In the end, it all turned out perfectly.  No big crowd and cute little girls.

Alyson was so excited about the party.  I decorated the dining and living room with princess themed decorations and our house transformed into a fine party place instantly.  They sell party decorations at reasonable prices and it's an easy set up done in five minutes or less.  A great deal in deed.  This year, Alyson requested a Grace cake.  Grace is our fat cat and it's my first time sketching the cat and putting her on the cake.  I had a nice big picture of her, so I took some time drawing her face on a piece of paper.  Then I traced it on the cookie sheet so that I can trace it again and fill in with thin colored cookie dough to make a very thin Grace cookie.  To make her more realistic looking, I tried creating different shades of brown and gray.  The cat doesn't look much like her but it does look definitely like a cat.  I was pleased with how it turned out.

Mike took a day off for me so that he can take Noah out while the girls are over.  Sean had the sports camp so he was gone until 4 pm.  The little guests were quiet at first but they soon loosened up and were running around pulling toys out of every compartments in Aly's room.  They were having lots of fun.  I like Aly's friends because they are just so innocent and cute.  I don't know if I would feel the same way in three years when they start to get some attitudes but they are an adorable bunch for now.  I am happy Alyson has lots of friends and the friends like her.  All I want for now at her age is having fun at school.  I think she definitely is doing that and I am glad.

The girls were impressed with my cake.  They were wooing and wowing and Alyson looked very proud.  It's a lot of trouble to make a specialized cake like that but their smiles made it all worthwhile.  They liked the taste of the cake, too, except for one girl. She doesn't like strawberries and I put strawberries and cream as the filling.  Some of them asked for seconds and one of them was Alyson.  She likes it when I make cake with fresh whipped cream.  When the first parent came to pick his daughter up, the little girl got mad at him.  I guess she was having a good time and doesn't want to leave.  Very cute!  One little girl stayed back for a while since her parents had an appointment to go to.  It was perfectly fine because we played some board games together.  I had a good time playing the games with the girls.  I have to play more with my kids.  I'd forgotten how fun board games are.

I would say Alyson had a perfect little birthday party this year.  I met a Mom of one of the little girls who is Japanese.  She stayed with us during the party so we were able to chat while the kids played.  She is a lead violinist at Seattle Symphony Orchestra and a very nice lady.  I would imagine she worked very hard to get to where she is and it is inspiring to meet someone like her.  As a Mom of four, I tend to forget about my passion, shrinking behind the mountains of laundry and the wild living mess chasing me, but I must never miss the direction of where I want to get to.  Where or what is it?  That is an another big question. 

Mid Winter Break

We had a playdate with our friends and had Ben and Jerry.

We went to a park in Issaquah that had fun long slides.  I am surprised all the bumping didn't hurt them.

The kids schools are out this week for their Mid Winter break.  It happens to be during the busiest time of the year with Valentine's day and the birthdays of our three kids.  We put Sean in a sports camp to keep ourselves sane and we are glad we did.  His best friend Parker also signed up for the same camp therefore he is loving it.  Of course anything involving the word "sports" gets him excited these days. 

The girls and Noah spent a lot of time with me this week.  I made sure the girls speak more Japanese since they are home.  Saya has forgotten so much Japanese, she can't really speak well anymore.  It's sad because she and I were good Japanese speaking buddies before kindergarten.  For Alyson, since she spent a long time in Japan when she was four, it comes back quickly for her. 

Noah has been getting in plenty of troubles.  He is such a mischief, I need to come up with some kind of nickname for him like Curious Norge.  He used to be called Nora the Explore, but his naughtiness is beyond Nora.  He needs to be watched constantly otherwise he would make a huge mess.  For example, he would open the fridge and try to drink Milk out of a big jug.  He cannot lift such a heavy thing successfully, so he spills Milk all over the floor.  Or the other day, I heard some thumps coming from outside and realized Noah was tossing his things from the second floor bedroom window!  He pushed out the window screen and he was sitting on the window sill throwing things like pillows, books, stuffed animals etch... as he pleased.  Thank goodness he didn't fall!  I had to get the big stroller out to retrieve everything he dropped.  He knows it's not something he should be doing, but he might do it impulsively again for fun.  That is the challenge Mike and I face since he temporarily forgets how important it is not to do certain things. 

We just finished celebrating Alyson's birthday with her friends at home today.  Needless to say, I am exhausted!  Little girls are cute, but they can be pretty noisy and sure can make a big mess.  They are all well behaved children though.  I am impressed how well mannered they are.  I will write about her birthday party in the next post.  Did I say I am TIRED?  Let's say my eyes are bloodshot! 

Happy 7th Birthday, Twins!

It's hard to believe my tiny twin babies are now seven years old.  It's sad to say that their infant and baby days do seem like a long while ago.  Thank goodness for all the pictures I took.  Without them, a lot of details of their early days would have been buried deeply in my memory, never to be retrieved ever!  And... I want to commend myself for writing this blog for so long.  This blog started in wee hours of the night in-between the newborn twins' feedings.  My Mom was helping me with the twins in the morning to early afternoon, so I've decided to not sleep at all overnight instead of trying to catch a little sleep here and there.  It was a lonely time when everyone else but twins and I were sleeping.  In a dimly lit room, I fed them every few hours, burped them and changed their diapers, each round taking about an hour and half to do all.  After I settled them to the crib, I opened my laptop and started to type and I didn't feel so lonely anymore.  It has been seven years from those days and I cannot be more proud of the healthy and happy children they have become.

This year, their birthday fell on Wednesday.  On Wednesdays, I go to Noah's school to help Noah's teacher.  It worked out because I needed to drop the snacks and cupcakes off for Noah's birthday celebration at school.  I remembered last year in Mrs. Hubert's class that Noah enjoyed celebrating with friends and cake so much.  I really couldn't skip the cupcakes for him even though the current trend is making celebrations at school "healthy".   Mrs. Edwards gave me a project material for me to prepare and I got busy in the workroom right away.  I had to cut many things including nearly 100 hearts.  By the time I finished and delivered the items to the class, they'd already ate the cupcakes.  Mrs. Edwards told me he really enjoyed the birthday song and sang it himself.  I have no doubt he did that since he sings the song at home, too.  He is a funny boy.  Noah, although you are a late bloomer, I do see a lot of progress you are making.  I am your Mom and I know, so very confident, that you are going to come out of your shell very soon.  I can see it in your eyes that you are aware of things so much maybe too much and that makes you a little different from others.  I love you so much and I am so proud of you that you enjoy learning at school.  Happy 7th birthday, my baby boy!

Since I was at Noah's school, I couldn't go to Aly's class celebration.  They wouldn't allow cupcakes (they do but hint not to), so all we did was for Alyson to take some special items to share with her class.  It's a strange tradition here: the birthday person gives gifts to others.  Alyson was so excited for her birthday and she has been in such a happy mood.  She is a very smiley and happy girl to begin with, so being happier means a little bit hyper-active to say the least.  She has gotten so tall lately, she really doesn't look like a first grader.  She is taller than half of the kids in Sean's class.  Sean seems to have slowed down in growth and I started to think Alyson might pass Sean's height.  That would make Sean definitely jealous.  Alyson is determined to let her hair grow as long as she could thanks to Rapunzel.  She doesn't even want to cut her bangs.  She and Saya are best friends and I am so glad I had that last surprise baby for both of their sakes and mine.  They are so very cute together.  Alyson, you make me feel so happy with your bright smiles.  You are so pretty I like to watch you and you often ask me "what?"  I love your cute round face with sharp eyes.  You are a great artist and you inspire Saya to draw and write better.  You were the smaller one but look how big you've gotten!  Love you with all my heart!  Happy 7th birthday, my pretty girl!

Sigh... This is how I get old.  By the time they are in teens, I will be in 50s!!  Time please slow down.  My mind still thinks I am in 20s.

Noah's MRI and EEG test

I have been a bit nervous about the day Noah gets tested for seizures and get a MRI scan of his brain.  That was yesterday (Thu, 2/5).  We got up super early since the check in time was at 6:45 am in Seattle.  Since Noah was not supposed to eat or drink anything before the procedure, I am glad it was early in the morning.  We waited for a while before we were invited in to the pre-surgery room.  I was quite impressed with the facility at Children's Hospital.  The surgery area was like a huge metropolis of pre-surgery rooms, nurse stations, surgery rooms, high-tech machineries stationed neatly in the storage area... it was very impressive, but at the same time reminded me that there are many children fighting with the serious illness out there.   I am thankful that Noah is otherwise healthy and can lead a happy life. 

Noah was very curious and wanted to explore the area, but thankfully the pre-surgery room had a glass sliding door and he could not escape.  He changed into the hospital gown and handled it very well.  He didn't like the blood pressure machine very much though.  We waited in there for a while but once the doctor came, we were quickly guided to the surgery room.  The surgery room reminded me of the room I had the C-section with the twins and Saya.  The blindly bright florescent lights made everyone in the surgery room look like angels (they were wearing white gowns).  I put Noah down on the bed and he was visibly getting a little scared.  I assured him that he is doing a good job staying calm.  I kept talking to him sweetly to distract him but when they showed him the mask, he started to panick.  We had to pin him down to put the mask over his mouth.  That was a bit distressing for me.  They'd warned me that it is hard to watch and it was.  I told him to breathe and he did a good job.  Soon, he started to turn his head left and right and they told me that it is a reflex thing before they fall asleep.  Soon he collapsed into their arms.  I wanted to cry and I may have cried a bit.  It was very hard to watch.

I tried to find my way back to the waiting area but honestly, I got lost!  The hospital is bigger than it looks from outside.  The surgery area itself has four different sections like green, blue, red and yellow areas.  The nurse told me she used to get lost when she first started to work there. I decided to grab a bite to eat at the cafeteria.  I saw a girl about 13 in a wheelchair with perhaps some growth stunt disability.  I saw her and her family earlier when I was checking Noah in at Admission.  She smiled at me then so I smiled back.  When I saw her at the cafeteria, she smiled at me again.  She had the kindest smile on her face and she made me feel more relaxed.  As I sat and ate by myself, I thought about how a smile can be a powerful force to bring joy to people.  That little girl even without a single word made me feel happy.  It was an insightful breakfast thanks to the little girl!

The buzzer they gave me beeped and that meant it was time to go back to the pre-surgery room to meet Noah.  They wheeled him in on a bed.  He was very sleepy and didn't want to get out of bed.  He had some sticky paste on his hair from the EEG test.  I gently woke him up but he refused to get up.  I had to pick him up so that I can change him back to his clothes, but it wasn't easy.  He used all his power not to stand up and started to scream.  He was extremely cranky!  I managed to change him, but now he refused to sit on the stroller.  A nurse tried to help me buckle him in, but he was like a board and wouldn't sit down.  I told the nurse, I wild carry him and push the stroller.  She looked at me like I am crazy, but I had to.  So, I drove the stroller like a drunk driver bumping into everything in the way while carrying an almost 7-year-old in one arm.  It's amazing what Moms can do.  The strength and power come from something other than muscles. 

We safely got back home but he was still very cranky.  I had to hold him on the couch for a while.  Noah's MRI and EEG adventure ended smoothly other than the post surgery grouchiness.  I don't want to put him through this again any time soon!  Now we wait for the result.  The neurologist wasn't very quick to respond with my previous questions and I am hoping she won't take too long getting beck to me.  I hope he is seizure free and his MRI come back normal.  I am anxious to hear the result but I most likely have to go over the findings with the specialist so that I can understand what it means.  Good job, Noah!  You did it my boy.  Good job for me, too, for handling it well!

Photography Assigment #2: Patterns

Here are the pictures I submitted for my assigments this week.
What do you think?  I am happy to say that I am getting a lot of positive feedbacks from my instructor and classmates!

Super Bowl Heartache

As an Osaka native where Hanshin Tigers professional baseball team resides, I know how crazy some sports fan can get.  When Tigers won the world championship, a bunch of die hard fans jump into a dirty urban river in the heart of Osaka.  The city tints its color to yellow and black for the team and retailers jump in and have special sales in hope that the hyped fans would go on shopping spree. 

Being in Seattle during the football season reminds me of my hometown in that sense.  As the season progressed and the Seahawks improved its game, the city changed color to blue and green everywhere.  Saya's kindergarten teacher played Seahawks Uptown Funk on Youtube and the kids danced and sang every Friday morning.  That is when I volunteer so I had fun watching a bunch of five-year-olds dancing cutely.  The children of Seattle are groomed to become the 12th man, the hardcore fans who feel like they know all the players personally.  I follow several players on Instagram and Facebook and honestly, I feel like they are my little brothers or cousins.  How crazy is that!?

So, when the Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl this year again, we were ecstatic!  We were so excited, the whole two weeks after the divisional win were like a big carnival.  People wore Seahawks' jersey like uniforms and we felt very much like a big Seahawks family.  I can even say that people were nicer and friendlier to each other at stores etc...  That's how excited we were and could not wait for the team to nail another Super Bowl win again. 

The big game was a good game.  We were pretty equally matched I would say, nothing like last year's Denver Broncos.  I do not recall the details but we were winning until the fourth quarter.  Two minutes left on the clock and it seemed like that was the end of it.  Mike reminded me about the last game against the Packers.  We did make two touch downs in three minutes then.  I didn't think we could repeat the miracle win again, that was a very special thing I thought.  At two minutes left in the game, they punted and we got the ball.  Russell Wilson throws the ball and Jeremain Kearse catches it (I think) quite a distance away.  That gave us a high hope.  Maybe we can drive the ball down and make a touch down.  One miss after that, but then Russell makes a pass to Marshawn Lynch and he runs to the five yard line!  Still one minute left in the clock and we had plenty of tries left.  Wow, this is it, we are going to make a touchdown!  We all thought that all of us, even the Patriots. 

However, the terrible thing happened when Russell threw the ball for the last time.  The ball was intercepted!  The worst scenario ever!  My heart sank deep and Mike just collapsed on the couch.  We had it and we lost it...  It was the most heartbreaking football moment for all of us.  It was such a shock that it still kinda hurts to look at a picture of Seahawks' players even now.  We are still very proud of all the Hawks players because I guess the win doesn't matter so much.  We know they are capable.  The best team in the NFL!  We have a special bond with the players here since they are very community oriented people.  I mean, Russell Wilson visits sick children at Seattle Children's Hospital every week on Tuesdays.  Even this week after getting back from Arizona, he made the visit and lit up the childrens' spirit.  Richard Sherman with his big charity and it seems like almost all of them have at least one charity set up to help people in need.  I am not sure if all the other NFL teams are like that but I feel very proud of my team for using their celebrity status to do good.  That makes total sense to me and that is something I would be doing if I were famous, too.

So, it was not a easy reality to swallow, but we are stronger as a community because of Seahawks and that I feel is the real win coming out from this head banging sport.  Sean sure is hoping to become a professional football player and he told his teacher he is going to win five MVPs.  I heard another student say "it's good to dream big!"