School Carnival

Sean and Aly's school had a fundraising carnival at their school on Friday.  I am sure I'd mentioned this before, but their elementary school is AMAZING!  First off, their building is only three years old and has the aesthetically pleasing and practical design through out.  I like their resource room which is the neatest and the most organized room of its kind.  It makes things so much easier for teachers and volunteers to get their jobs done since they are always well stocked and neatly organized.  I get very annoyed when I volunteer at Noah's school because their resource room is a mess!  We are very lucky to send my kids to awesome schools regardless of a small resource room hunch at Noah's.  They are top rated schools in a top rated school district in the State!  We got lucky considering we didn't research anything about schools when buying our house eight and half years ago. 

Where was I?  Yes, the school carnival.  It's one of the biggest events at school and the one that involves the most preparation.  There were about 20 games run by parent volunteers, ruffle drawings for big prizes, food trucks, cake walks, it was a chaotic but fun event for everyone.  I volunteered to run the ball tossing game and I tried to be as fun and cheerful as possible.  I think the kids had lots of fun at my game :-).   My kids were all over the place and seemed to be having a very good time.  I just didn't see them very much.  Mr. Reimergartin was wearing a tutu and a tiny hat on his head.  He looked very cute and told him he should keep the hat. 

The school is ending very soon and I feel sad a little since I worked very closely with the teachers this year.  It's touching to be able to see my children, their students, grow and learn the new skills together.  Sean struggled this year with his inattention and anxiety and Mr. Reimergartin and I worked as a team.  We talked about his week, what worked, what didn't, the progress he made and how he was rewarded etc... and I am just very thankful for the sincere concern and effort he put in for Sean.  This year was very special to me and was an eye opening year to see first hand how a successful school is run by both teachers and parents working together.   It's another proof, it always takes effort to create something marvelous! 

Good-bye Training Wheels ~ Alyson

May was a bike to school/work month in Bellevue (maybe elsewhere, too) so kids have been riding their bikes to school whenever they can.  Alyson, seeing her classmates ride their bikes without training wheels, was gaining a little courage everyday to ditch her training wheels.  She started practicing riding sans training wheels since last week on our driveway.  When we bought this house eight and half years ago, this type of activity was what we imagined doing on our long driveway.  It makes me smile to see my little girl with an over-sized pink helmet and tutu focusing so intently to master her big girl bike skill. 

I was very impressed with Sean because he was so sweet and patient with her.  He cheered her on saying "Aly, you are doing it!  Good job!!" and did demonstrations for her.  He watched her patiently on the lawn while she practiced and gave her advice when she was having a trouble.  I could not be happier seeing him so gentle and being very brotherly towards his sister.  Maybe neurotypical big brothers are often like that but for Sean, it was like a gift.  It was so special and I will always remember it.  I think Alyson will also. 

Now Aly is a big girl bike rider!  She only fell once or twice and she can now circle around the driveway for a long time.  When Sean learned how to bike without training wheels, he wanted to keep riding forever.  Alyson also felt the same way and wanted to keep on going if it wasn't dinner time.  I am very proud of her new achievement!  She is blossoming in America despite my initial worry when she returned from Japan.  Hooray for Alyson!

Sean's First Camping Trip

 

 

Sean and I went on a camping trip to Hood Canal on Memorial Day weekend with friends.  I've been wanting to take the kids to camping but for a girl who only went camping a few times back in college days, it was a long leap to conquer.  When my friend, Jen, asked me if we wanted to join them on a camping trip, I knew it was my best chance to break into the big wide world of camping.  Jen is an avid camper and has tons of experience camping solo and camping with kids.  I had a tent, but that was about it.  I made a list of all other gears I need for the trip and in the frenzy, went to REI flagship store in Seattle, Sports Authority and Costco.  Surprisingly, I made most of my purchases at Costco.  They sold better quality things at cheaper price.  Perfect! The food was another big item I had to plan and prepare.  When I was all packed up, I had a big international sized suitcase full of things, Sean had his carry-on style suitcase with his things, an ice chest with food and drinks, and a Rubbermaid tub with snacks, dry foods and cooking tools.  Mike's little CRV was fully loaded and Sean sat squished on the backseat.  The good thing was that the camp site wasn't too far, only an hour and half southwest of Bellevue.  The weather forecast wasn't in our favor with chance of rain, but we were all excited to have the best time anyway.

The camp ground was crowded and it was a bit different from what I was used to in Idaho.  It was not very private, but in a way it felt safer.  It was right on the Hood Canal and we could see the canal from our camp site.  There were relatively clean bathrooms and showers close by, so it was convenient.  We set up the tents first and got our sleeping situation squared away.  My tent is a 4 person tent and is super easy to set up, so even I could do it by myself.  I hauled in my huge suitcase which probably took over one third of the space in the tent and inflated my airbed.  Jen and Kevin were busy setting up their big 10 person two room tent and their two queen air beds.  In the meanwhile, the boys collected some firewood for the fire.  In many ways, I was so glad Jen and Kevin were experts at camping.  They swiftly made fire and set up the cooking station for us to make dinner.  Jen made a yummy hamburger and it tasted so good to eat outdoor under the tall pine trees.  The boys were having so much fun running around being boys, pretending they are Ninjas or treasure hunters.  Sean exclaimed "I just found a piece of history!" and we all laughed.  Kevin's special s'mores were delish as he is very particular about the marshmallows.  They have to be golden colored and sagging from the skewers!   I've always burnt mine and thought that was the way. 

We were cold the first night and I was uncomfortable as Sean kept pushing me towards the edge.  The second night was much better as we were dressed warmer and knocked out from the fatigue.  Jen and I were busy most of the time preparing for the next meal or taking care of the boys, but we found some time to sit around the campfire and talk.  It was blissful watching the fire dance and listening to the wood crackle.  I think I know why avid campers are addicted to camping.  There is something about it that is mind cleansing.  Sean had a really good time hanging out with his best buddy.  Now that I have done it with one kid, I think I will take the girls with me the next time.  I think I need to buy a bigger tent to fit two queen size mattresses.  What a healthy dose of fun!  Washington is a beautiful state and we have so much to explore. 

Girrrls Trip to Portland

Hello!  It feels like ages since I last posted.  May is flying by so quickly and alas it is almost June!   How is it that Aly and Noah are graduating from Kindergarten in three weeks?  It seems like their school year started not so long ago.  All Mommies are talking about summer camp plans and that very organized ones already booked their kids into a program or two.  Well, I am no way one of those people.  Some things will never change no matter how hard I try!  I will be scrambling to find something last minute, but that is for me to stress over later! 

My good friend Jen and I went on a girls weekend away trip in mid May to Portland.  I was very much looking forward to this trip because both of us are so busy with family, we hardly have much time to chat without being interrupted by our children or schedule.  The last trip we took together was in March last year, so it was long overdue.  We always have tons of kids-free fun, but we learned from the previous trips that we should avoid overeating and go easy on walking (let's say I almost threw up in Jen's car for eating too much and our husbands had to baby us after the trip, since we were too tired from walking all day).  We were skeptical if we could stick by our words, but we were too excited to care.

After checking into the hotel near downtown, we walked over to Washington Ave. where there are rows of foot carts (food vendors on trucks) are located.  I really wanted to try a Guam food cart which was featured on TV, but that one was a bit far from the main part of downtown.  Maybe next time!  There were many vendors to choose from and we walked around to get the sense of what they are.  Jen picked a famous fish and chips shop and I settled on a Greek cuisine.  It was cheap and delicious!  I wonder when Seattle is going to have a centralized food cart spots in downtown.  I started seeing more trucks around town, but nothing like in Portland. 

We walked around town a bit and shopped for clothes for us.  Not for kids but US!  I rarely get in a mood to shop for my own clothes but without being pressed on time and no nagging children around, it was a perfect situation (or a perfect storm).  No sales tax in Oregon helped, too, of course!  It is now certain that 80s fashion came back in trend.  As survivors of 80s fashion, it made us laugh to see balloon pants and Guns and Roses T-shirts at the store.  

We were hoping to go to Pok Pok, a Thai restaurant that won James Beard Award, for dinner but the wait was two hours long.  So, we decided to walk over to the noodle house owned by the same chef a few blocks down the road.  We were glad we did!  The shaved pan fried rice noodles were delicious!  We also had a dish called Dragon's Egg, which is a duck egg yolk buried into ground pork.  It was delicious and I vowed to try making the same thing at home.  I am sure Mike won't mind it.  The best part was finding Salt and Straw, our favorite ice cream shop on the same street as we headed out to the car.  They make the best unique ice creams in the whole Pacific Northwest in my opinion.  I had to stick with my favorite, pear with blue cheese ice cream where as Jen tried dandelion ice cream with ricotta cheese.  Sounds strange?  I beg you to try it!  They are so good, I dream about it. 

We shopped some more the next day at the Premium Outlet mall the next day before heading home.  We did it!!  We didn't overeat or exhaust ourselves!  We did spend a bit on ourselves, but we saved on our food bill, right?  I am looking forward to our next trip next year.  We love our family, but sometimes we need to get away to refresh!  Thanks for the best Mother's Day gift ever, Mike!  (Yes, it was on the Mother's Day weekend!)  Now I am ready to be the sweet Mommy and wife you all want me to be.  Maybe... for a little bit...

Saying Goodbye

The last gift: I made this vase arrangement for Jerry and visited him for the last time.  I never imagined that he would pass away that day.

Jerry left comical notes often.  This one was on his gate.  He had a great sense of humor!

Today (5/8), I lost a very dear friend of mine.  I was honored to be there for him until his last moment.  It was hard seeing him so frail, but we as a human need to be there for each other in difficult times.  Jerry was a kind soul with a witty sense of humor.  I've known him for as long as I've lived in this neighborhood, but we became close a several month ago after his cancer started to take a toll on his body.  I volunteered to walk his dog since he couldn't anymore and we occasionally visited and talked.  He was a quiet man, but he had a depth of the deepest ocean which was a treasured discovery for me.  I felt that we connected very well and understood each other even though we led a very different kind of life. 

Jerry lived alone in his small 1930s cottage two houses down from us with his beloved beagle, Ripley.  He was a very private person and kept to himself most of the time, but gladly visited neighbors when invited.   We invited him for dinner on 4th of July last year and had a good meal together.  He never got married and enjoyed a quiet life with his dog. 

We miss you very much, Jerry.  I am so glad you chose me to be your friend and spend the last moment together.  As I promised you, I will ALWAYS remember you.  I hope you understood me then when I was speaking to you, holding your hand.  You looked very beautiful as if you grew wings and flew away.  I trust that you are with your loved ones in Heaven.  Life is beautiful and precious.  You were a beautiful human being.  Rest in Peace Jerry.   

Amy Baby!

One day I got a text from Amy, our former nanny, that she is expecting a baby in June.  I almost fell off my chair!  My Amy who in my mind is still a college kid (who is a full-time first grade teacher in Seattle) is having a baby!  It made me feel old, more so than on Sean's 8th birthday!  I am so happy for her and her fiancé and cannot wait to meet the cute little baby.  I know one thing that baby is going to have for sure - hip and stylish clothes!  Amy was my fashionista and I always looked forward to seeing what she decided to wear when she walked in.  Saya also enjoyed her shoe collection since Amy was a self-claimed shoeholic and owned many different shoes.  Saya as a baby and toddler was equally fascinated by shoes and tried on every single shoes Amy left by the door.  

They are not going to find out the gender until birth and the whole family and friends are making their own guessing bets on boy or girl.  In my humble and unreliable opinion, her fiancé looks like a father to a little girl however, Amy's vibe is a boy.  So, I am torn and have no clue!  Congratulations Amy star!  You are like a baby sister to me and I am so excited to that you are starting a new journey of Motherhood.   You will be a great Mother - I know for a fact because you took an excellent care of my babies.  You could even handle twins at 23 years-old!   So, go have that baby and enjoy every minute!  You know how quickly babies grow up.

The pictures are from the baby shower at the end of April.  I took the girls with me and we had a very good time, not to mention lots of good food.  The girls thought their candy station was the best thing ever and had lots and lots of candies.  I was so happy to see Chio, Amy's Mom, too.  Amy's family is amazingly kind and I admire them very much.  I hope we can build a warm and caring family like them. 

Happy Birthday, Saya!

 

 

My baby girl turned big five in the last week of April.  The surprise baby is not a baby anymore but she will forever be my baby.  She was so excited to be five and thought being five would mean she is going to be half of a grown-up.  She thought she would earn lots of privileges like eating ice creams whenever she wants to (that is a grown-up privilege, isn't it?) but that is a wishful thinking, Saya! 

We opted to not having a party this year for her since I was too slow to organize one and kind of tired of having kids' parties at home.  Instead, I took the three kids (not Noah) to an overnight stay at an indoor pool resort, Great Wolf Lodge, about an hour and half south of Bellevue.  It was a big surprise for them and kids were stunned like they won a jackpot.  I wish I had captured their reaction on a camera!  I picked up Sean and Aly at school at 11:45 and they had no idea where they were going.  I had already packed their luggage so we went straight to the resort after school.  Saya didn't remember her last visit to the resort since she was only about 2 years old.  The kids loved it of course and I was just plain wiped from being a chaperon to three excited children.  I mean, Sean woke up at 5 am, ready to swim!

The highlight of Saya's birthday must be (I hope) her cake.  I baked a sponge cake with strawberry cream filling.  The decoration was her favorite American cartoon character from Little Pet Shop series.  It took all of Sunday morning, but it was worth it.  I love making cakes for my babies.  Spring is a busy time for baking for me with three kid birthdays.  She received gifts from Mom and Dad, all her siblings, Nana and grandma.  All the gifts were spot on and that made Alyson very jealous.  I think she was crying much of the time while Saya was opening her presents.  She is only a year older after all.  I forget that because Alyson is very very tall. 

I think Saya had an excellent 5th birthday.  She is such an one of a kind type of person and brightens my day everyday.  I love you so much Saya!