Aly's Royal Week

Noah at his school playground

Of course, Mike has to do this.

Football season!  So far Seahawks are kicking butts.  Mike made some chili and it was good! 

The story boards I made for Aly's class.  I had lots of fun making them!

Aly at lunch.  She explained the rules.

Aly during recess.  She was playing with a jump rope,

Kids playing at Noah's school.  They have a nice play area!


 

The weather in Puget Sound has fallen into the typical autumn pattern, seeing more rain and clouds mixed with some sunshine here and there.  We wear light to medium jackets in the mornings and I desperately need to change the kids' wardrobe to their fall/winter collection.  Aly keeps picking the summer sundresses to wear to school and she looks a bit out of place.  I started to bake again and it must be the season.  I bake when the squirrels collect nuts.  I am trying to lose weight at the same time, so hopefully it all works out miraculously.

I look at my kids and they have grown quite a bit during summer.  Sean is much taller and his built is starting to become more boyish rather than just skinny.  I feel his chest and it's thicker than how I remembered.  Aly's arms are longer and stronger, too, and her legs shot up like bamboo trees.  She is only five but she is taller than most second graders in Sean's class.  She certainly is the tallest one in the class and she looks like someone who is repeating kindergarten. 

Speaking of Aly's class, I went to speak to the kids in her class today since it was Aly's royal Parent's Day.  It's Aly's royal week this week and she has been taking her favorite things to share in her class every day.  I knew how it works since Sean had his royal week last year.  This time around, I made a story theater boards and read the story of "The Rolling Rice Balls".  I spent many hours making the story boards and I must say they turned out perfect!   It was a lot of work, but enjoyed making them.  If there is a profession for just making classroom materials, I will probably be a very good at it. 

Aly was very excited to see me.  The kids in her class were very adorable and I think they enjoyed my presentation.  I also taught them how to say hello, thank you and good bye in Japanese.  They did very well.  I sat with her at the lunch room and got to see how they are during lunch time.  They were all chatting around and didn't seem to be eating much of anything.  A few adults were patrolling around the tables and they looked like prison guards.  I stuck around until recess and spent some time playing outside with her.  It was fun to spend time with her at school.  I think she will be ok!

We have experienced a few sniffles this season already and getting ourselves ready for the full on cold season.  I hope they will not get major sickness this year.  I had this urge to bake again tonight, but I think I will go to bed early tonight.  I have been sleeping around 6 hours per night, which is not enough for me.  I will post again soon with some photo shoots of  beautiful families I had pleasure working with!

Akimatsuri - Japanese Autumn Festival

Aly didn't want to be near the giant Hello Kitty, but Saya didn't hesitate!

Trying out Kendama game.

Trying drums.

I know exactly what Saya's thinking.  She is wondering why Anpanman's hands are not a round ball just like in the cartoon.

Sean was very curious about Japanese dancing.  He wondered around like a lion in a cage around the dancers as if he wanted to join in.

Kids each got water balloons called yoyos.

With Ken-san

It's that time of the year again!  It's one of the perks of living in an area with a large Japanese population.  I took Sean, Aly and Saya (sorry again Noah) to a Japanese fall festival held at a nearby community college a couple of weeks ago.  They have lots of booths selling and displaying Japanese related goods and services and many performances such as Japanese Taiko Drums, dance, and demonstrations of Martial Arts are presented across the campus.  Kids get a taste of what a Japanese Matsuri (festival) is like since they have traditional festival game booths and by listening to cheerful harvest dance music in the background.  I get goose bumps listening to the drums and Japanese flutes.  This year, somebody's ears and eyes perked up, too.  Alyson exclaimed, "I know this song!  I danced at this at school in Japan!" and "I know how to do this.  Grandma showed me how!"  It was so neat to see Alyson has a found memory of the real Japanese festivals in Osaka, just like I do. 

The girls wore Jinbei (a traditional casual clothing in Japan) and they looked adorable.  Sean was too cool to wear his and didn't want to wear one this year.  The kids were excited to find Hello Kitty and Anpanman walking around.  I bought a print from a local artist whom I am a fan and took a picture of him with the girls.  His Japanese pop art is quite popular here in the Northwest and I am slowly collecting his works.  I am excited to frame it and put it in the kids' playroom next to his other work I bought a year before.  We stayed there for quite a long time and we were pretty exhausted by the end of the day.  We were ready to hit the couch when we got home and rest our tired feet. 

We are looking forward to visiting the festival next year.  We hope Noah can come with us next time!

Settling In

Saya was helping me clean up the other day. 

We are starting to find the nice rhythm of new routines now that we are in the second week of school.   We were nervous about how it is all going to work out, but I think it's going better than I thought.  The morning is early, everyone gets up around 6:00 am or sometimes earlier but as they say, early birds catch more worms.  I am getting more stuff done and energized to accomplish my goals of the day.  I do have to go to bed earlier and no more late night blog updates, but I tend to waste more time working on my computer anyway.  So, all in all, it's going great.

Alyson is doing better at school and she is definitely speaking more English at home now.  It's amazing how quickly she is absorbing.  She mentions some of her classmates' names and she seems to be having a lot of fun.  Unlike Sean, she actually tells me what she did at school with excitement, so that is very nice.  Today, she played with Sophie, Lucy and Christian.  Alyson will have her royal week next week where she gets to play a princess the entire week.  Sean did that last year and I went and talked about Japan in his class.  I am going to make a Japanese story board and read Japanese folklore, I've decided. 

Noah seems to be having fun at his new school as well.  I met his teacher, Ms. Hubert, at the curriculum night and she seemed very nice.   His class room is big and bright with several different areas for books, pretend play, sensory area etc... and looked like a bigger version of his Phantom Lake preschool.  There are eight students in his class and there is a para-educator assigned to every two kids.  Visiting the school and getting know the teacher eased my mind knowing that Noah is in good hands.  We are lucky to live in an area with the advanced special education system.  I am looking forward to building a strong partnership with the teacher and her aids to help Noah achieve his goals - hopefully talking by the end of the school year!  I must say, he has grown so much in the past six months and we are very hopeful, he will learn to talk. 

Sean transitioned to his new schedule and grade level smoothly.  He still has behavioral issues at home, but it is getting less.  He is a good student and a friend according to the teacher.  I see him interacting more with his classmates when I drop him off.  He even tells me who he played with that day which didn't happen much before.  I am not too worried about him at school, which is a good thing.   I am looking forward to seeing him at school occasionally since I will be able to volunteer during the school hour this year!

Saya and I are having lots of fun spending more peaceful time together.  I am finally finding time to go to the gym and have been working out at our fabulous luxury gym a couple of times per week.  I also have time to sit with Saya and teach her reading and writing.  She started to take gymnastics on Wednesdays and she enjoys learning summersaults and hanging on the bar.  She insisted she wants to wear a leotard just like her classmates, so I got her one.  I can't wait for her to wear it and pat her bottom.   Saya gets the best of it since I am already feeling sad that she is going to be a kindergartner next year.  I am determined to have a very special year with her!!

First Day of School 2013

We went to a park in Issaquah for a picnic the day before school started.  It was relaxing and we had a very good time!

Old train depot in Issaquah

Picnics are always a hit!

This was in response to my pointing my camera at her.  She is so funny.

About to walk up the hill to go to school.  They were excited and nervous!

Sean said "Don't be scared, I will hold your hand."

Aly's classroom.  Miss Lowy on the left.

Sean's class.  The teacher said there are 28 students.

Our adorable Noah still sleepy heads out to school at 7:20!

It's bitter sweet to see your children grow up.  The twins, the chubby cheeked chuckle monkies, are  already kindergartners this fall.  The big boy Sean is a tall and handsome second grader now and I can just imagine how quickly he will be on his way to junior high.  He only has three more years before he becomes a junior high schooler (the last grade at Spiritridge is 5th grade)!

I was a little nervous for the school to start after the long lazy summer.  Noah goes to a special education school near Factoria and his bus comes and picks him up at 7:20 am.  That means everyone has to go to bed earlier to wake up at 6:30 am.  Sending him to a public school vs. private therapy/home school has been the topic all summer long amongst my therapy Mom friends.  Some of them opted for home school, but having had a great experience with the public integrated preschool, I wanted to give it a try.   Noah all dressed up for the first day, he left a little nervous, clinging to Daddy's arm before boarding the bus.  But, he seemed to have had a very good day!  He came home pretty tired but happy. 

And then there is Miss. Alyson.  She is known to cry and scream whenever she goes to a new school.  I even told the IEP coordinator that she would probably cry.  I was preparing for the hard good-bye at Aly's kindergarten class the first day.  She walked in with me and the teacher greeted her and asked her to find her name tag and seat.  So far so good, I thought.  She sat down and started to color the coloring picture with crayons.  She looked nervous, but seemed very composed.  As I stood in the back of the class, she asked me if I could stay by her side.  I told her that I can't and said good bye to her.  I waked away immediately, knowing she could cry any minute if I stayed any longer.  I turned back to check on her and she was busily coloring.  Success!! I was very happy that she was brave. 

Sean was very excited that Aly is a fellow student at his school now.  He was about all smiles on the first day and actually forgot about his own worries about starting second grade.  He would asked her "Are you scared, Aly?" and comfort her that the school is a nice place and her teacher is good (Aly's teacher used to be Sean's teacher last year).  I think that helped him calm his nerves down as well.   I am very proud of Sean for being a good big brother and tackling down the first week of school like a champ.  His new teacher is a male youngish teacher and Sean likes him a lot.  The teacher said Sean is an upbeat eager learner and it sounds like he is improving a lot every year.  I think he is going to have a great year this year.  He is already starting to mention his classmates' names, who he played with, during our dinner conversation.  That is a great news since he didn't often talk about his classmates at home.

The littlest girl and I are going to have lots of fun as well this year.  She will continue studying at the Japanese preschool and she will also begin gymnastics this Wednesday at a local gym.  She and Aly are taking a ballet lesson at their Japanese school as well and they are beyond excited about it.  They want to be a ballerina when they grow up.  I want to put the kids into music, but putting four kids in after school activities prove expensive!  I will have to get better at photography soon and start earning some money!

So, the first week of school was a success!  We are exhausted, but surviving!

500th Post!

I made it!  The last post was my 500th post since I started this blog five years ago.  This blog was born in a midst of sleepless nights when the twins were newborns.  I stayed up all night taking care of the babies and worked on my blog in between feedings.  The blog has helped me pull through some of the roughest times and still is a place where I come to clear my head and become more appreciative of my life.   It also helped me rediscover my passion for photography as well as writing.  I will keep going as long as I can.  Maybe it will be a nice little surprise gift to my kids when they are grown.  It certainly has been for me!

Roadtrip to California!

The pictures are in random order.  You can tell we did a lot!

 

 

Dave's hearty breakfast on the grill.  Life can't get better than this.

Dave's nephew Jacob who was just a teen when we last saw him.  Look at him now!  I can see why my kids are tall.

Kids and Dave at the zoo.  It was starting to get pretty hot (about 80s) and my kids couldn't wait to get back home and swim!

Kids spent hours and hours swimming until their skin were pretty mush all wrinkled up.  I asked Dave if it's ok for a person to stay in the water that long.

Marge, she retired once but went back to work when she was given an offer to work as a director of imaging department overlooking 150 employees!  Way to go, Marge!!

We really liked Debbie and Tony's house, too.  I wonder if Sean got the design talent from their great-grandmother's family.

Flower girls - they cannot resist picking flowers.  Marge gave in to their persistent attempt to pick her flowers.

Saya and Debbie.  She really enjoyed being with Debbie.

Happy time around the campfire.  Sean now wants one in our backyard.

Sean and a chicken at the zoo. 

Beachy kids.  They could have spent hours playing on the beach,

 

Wow, what an adventure it was!  One day in my deep thought decided that I wanted to go visit Mike's cousins in Northern California.  After much planning, the best scenario that worked for us was for  me to drive with three kids, Sean, Aly and Saya,, the total of whooping 780 miles each way!  There was no way I can drive it in one day, so we stayed overnight at Medford, OR in a nice little motel by the highway.  Mike decided to take four days off and spend quality time with Noah.  I wanted to take Noah, too, but he will require my full attention and it wasn't just safe.  Maybe next year!

The drive part wasn't too bad.  I think it's easier to be the driver than the passenger.  The children were fine watching their favorite DVDs and whined minimally.  I planned out the trip like a tour guide and picked out several parks to stop for breaks.  I made sure there is a playground to get those energy out of kiddos.  I think it worked beautifully!

I was quite impressed with myself that I knew the way to get to Dave's once I got off the highway.  Mike and I used to visit them very often and I guess my brain remembered.  I smiled big once I saw their terracotta colored vacation style house jumped in my sight.  Cousin Dave was standing by the garage and Jake, his nephew, greeted us with a big hug (literally a big hug as he is nearly 7 feet tall)!

The kids greeted their uncle Dave and they scattered into Dave's beautiful backyard.  They were excited to finally arrive after the long two day journey.  They immediately wanted to get in the pool, so they changed to their swimsuits and splashed around until dinner time.  Dave and his wife Marge have a beautiful home.  Dave is a talented builder and built the house 12 years ago.  It was perfect back when we last visited, but he made more improvements such as building a stone-walled gas fire pit and working on building a new workshop, kitchen, and office.  I guess a great craftsman never stops their pursuits. 

We had a fabulous dinner grilling chicken on Dave's famous grill and the warm weather, purple sunset, great wine and company were just so perfect.  The children got a lot of compliments from Dave that they are good eaters for eating the chicken and rice.  It was just all round a pleasant evening, seeing the cousins we love and feeling good about getting out there doing things I've never considered doing - driving 1500 miles by myself with three kids!!  The night ended with the classic smores over the fire pit which became Sean's highlight of the trip. 

The girls slept together on a queen bed where Mike and I used to sleep when we visited.  Sean and I slept in a room next door on a separate twin bed.  I was tired, but I couldn't sleep all night.  I was unreasonably worried about the kids falling from the bed and I ran to the girls room whenever I heard a noise.  When Sean changed the position, I jumped out of bed ready to catch him.  I must have been overtired! 

The next day, Dave and Marge took us to the Folsom Zoo, a small well-maintained zoo in the city next door.   It reminded me slightly of Boise Zoo and Issaquah zoo, but it certainly looked better funded.  The animals were mostly native to the area and the main attraction was the black bear.  They looked innocent in the peaceful cage setting but one of  their free roaming peacocks got in to their enclosure and the bears quickly changed to the wild mode and started to attach the peacock.  The lucky peacock got away, but that must have been the excitement of the year for those bored predators.  The girls held Dave and Marge's hands as they walked and looked very cute together.  We enjoyed the visit to the zoo.

We spent the afternoon swimming and napping and I bragged to Dave and Marge later that I napped three times, by the pool, on the couch and up on the bed.  A tad different from my home life!  The time seemed to pass a little slower and it was nice to not matter about what to do next.  I guess a true vacation should be like that.  We had another nice dinner, Dave's famous tri-tip on his grill.  Perhaps 10% of the reason I wanted to come was to eat Dave's grilled meats.  He is a killer grill guy and I am wondering how I could train Mike to be like him.  I had a restful sleep that night, my body finally surrendered to the fatigue of several sleepless nights. 

On the final full day in California, we drove up to Lake Tahoe to see Dave's sister, Debbie and her husband Tony.  Debbie and Tony built a beautiful house up on the hillside of south Lake Tahoe with a view of the endless rows of pine trees and the lake.  The cabin-like design and décor of their house beautifully matched the surrounding and it was another eye-opener for our little architect, Sean.  He was just amazed how his uncles could create something so complex and complete.  They became inspirations to him, I am sure.  Aunt Debbie was so sweet to the kids.  She bought some toys for them in advance and played with them talking to them with her gentle voice.  The children quickly felt comfortable with them and had lots of fun playing.  After the delicious chicken and roasted vegetable quesadillas and uncle Tony's yummy guacamole, we headed out to the beach.  I followed Debbie's car to the touristy area of Tahoe and she swiftly guided me to where I should be parking.  Dave thoughtfully paid for my parking fee, too, and I felt so much cared for. 

The kids had a blast at the beach.  They slowly shed their clothes off as their little clothes got wet.  We didn't take their swimsuits and alas they were in their undies in a short while.  Aunt Debbie went in the water with them and they were squealing as the wave splashed up.  Saya found a bunch of little seashells.  I didn't expect to be hanging on the beach of Tahoe and it was such a big bonus.  Thank you, Debbie and Tony, for planning a fantastic day for us.  The drive back to El Dorado Hills took a while since there were many vacationers returning home.  It was another feel good day and felt a little sad that it was our last day in California.  I was so happy to finally make it back to California after the long 8 years.  They are Mike's cousins, but Dave and Marge are like my aunt and uncle.  I promised to come back more often and bring the whole family the next time.  Thank you so so much, Dave and Marge.  It was so nice to see you and spend time in your beautiful home!

The drive back wasn't so eventful, which is a good thing.  The kids were well-behaved for the most part and we arrived ahead of the schedule in most pit stops.  I was a little disappointed by the restaurants in Medford.  The service at both Applebee's and Red Robin were awful and it ruined my image of the city.  The hotel was OK for the price, but the whole city seemed a bit tired like it had seen a better day.   And... I felt like I am the only Asian out there.  People stared at me a lot like when I lived in Pocatello Idaho and that made me feel a little uncomfortable. 

Well, I learned that there is a whole wide world out there to enjoy if I am willing to be brave and suffer a little.  No pain no gain has been my life's motto unlike those optimists, but I get a firmer step forward when I do take the leap.  I feel energized and ready to tackle the rest of summer and the new school year.  Bring it on!!

Renaissance Festival

We decided to do something different and went to the Renaissance Festival on Saturday with friends.  I have so many pictures and they speak better than words!  We had a super fun day as you can see.