Soph's Family Circus ^_^

Hello Kitty & Canadian Geese ~ Abbie's Favorite things!

2012-01-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

Abbie's Dream Comes True! She's Surrounded by Feathered Friends!

After I had recovered steadily from the lap surgery, it was time to go back to the routines in life....which included taking Kobee bird for his quarterly wing/nail trimming! Abbie faithfully came with me every time, so this time I decided to give her a BIG surprise!

Help! Don't Peck My Shoe!

En route to an appointment in Lake Forest, I got lost one time and ended up in a residential street. I peered to the right and was amazed to see glittering water with Canadian geese all over the place! It was a beautiful duck pond filled with hundreds of waterfowl!

Let Me Try to Pet You.....Slowly......Slowly........Touch down!

So en route to Omar's for Kobee bird's trim, I stopped at the pond and took out a 4-lb bag of Mizuri Avian Maintenance pellets (super healthy, super expensive) we had leftover from our adventure with Quacker duck. Abbie was thrilled and I believe that pictures/videos speak a thousands words (^_^) ~ Voila! And watch out for Hungry, Honking, Poopy, and People-Chasing Geese!

After our fun feeding fest, we took Kobee to Omar's, then had Abbie's favorite Teriyaki Chicken Bento at the Japanese restaurant next door!

Over the Martin Luther King holiday, we also went to Abbie's friend Ailie's 7th Birthday Cooking Party! Abbie loves to cook and I'm slowly building up my courage for her to 'help' me in our kitchen! Here, she was able to make and bake with help from 'real' chefs! She made the first Hello Kitty Pizza I've seen in my life! It's really cool!!

Abbie's Hello Kitty in the works! Chef Abbie loves making it!

Voila! Hello Kitty after going thru Refiner's Fire! (^_^) Delicious!

According to Abbie, the pizza tasted REALLY good!
Next time, let mama try a bite (^_^)!

Going to Kiddie Birthday parties has become a rite of passage for kids and parents alike! Though life is busy/hectic, we take this time to especially bless and celebrate their special day as they grow in beauty, wisdom, and in the Lord's love and care. May the Lord watch over all of our Loved One's Little Ones! (^_^)

Abbie and the Birthday Girl ~ Ailie! (^_^)

A Baby Cousin ~ Our Kids' First Experience with a Big Bundle! (^_^)

2012-01-18T12:58:00.000-08:00

Siblings Hold Baby Cousin Elie!

Yeay! I'm a Big Sister!! Elie is 6 weeks old!

On Martin Luther King holiday, the kids and I visited their baby cousin Elie and 4.5 yr old cousin Kyle! They were very excited to see their cousin for the first time! Auntie Debbie looked great and worked hard around the clock to care for baby Elie and family!

Uh-Oh, What do I do??? She doesn't look too happy!?!

There, Now I'm Getting Good at Baby holding!

The kids held a REAL baby for the 1st time in their lives [except Caleb, who held Abbie 6+ years ago, but I think he forgot (^_^)!] Caleb was worried at first, but then became quiet good at holding baby!

Glad we got a picture of ALL 4 of them together!

1-2-3- FLIP!!

It's so fun to crawl on Auntie Debbie's Sofa!

The Kids loved playing on the sofa with Kyle and hanging out together! We all had a delicious lunch afterwards!

Grandma Kathy proudly holds Sweet Grand-daughter Elie!

God bless you sweet Sister and family! Congratulations and you are all in our prayers! It's a tough stage but it is the biggest blessing from our Lord. You are in our prayers!

Eliana 18 hours old! She's a Beautiful Cutie Pie!!

We thank the Lord (and Sis Debbie!) for a brand new baby to hold and love!

Abbie learns how to change a REAL baby's diaper!

Wow, Happy New Year! (^_^) Christmas Staycation was a Blessing!

2012-01-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2012, Sweeties! I cannot believe that 2012 is already upon us! The last few weeks was a blur because I was preparing for the Da Vinci to pluck out the tangerines on my ovaries!

Kids passed their Yellow Belt Test!

Thankfully, with everyone's prayers and love, everything went smoothly! Besides the anesthesia which was enough to knock out an elephant, the unpleasant side effects (throwing up on hubby), and purple fist-size bruise on the belly button area, all the scars are slowly recovering!

Caleb Joins Winter NJB (National Jr. Basketball)

3 Monkeys had a GREAT Staycation!

Hubby took really good care of us during our staycation! For the 1st time, I began my 'Eat~Read~Nap~Watch TV' pamperd lifestyle and loved it! The kids loved having daddy take them to karate, Souplantation, Hugo, and many days of hiking together!

The best reward of their exploration was the discovery of a creek in the trails just 1.5 miles from our house! So though this is a very different Christmas for our family, we were very blessed, in fact more than ever!

We had 11 straight days of delicious and healthy foods from neighbors, church pals, and even college buddies from New York!

One of the many delicious meals from Loved Ones!

(^_^) By day 4 post op, I was already sweeping (slowly but surely) our living room while my 3 monkeys sat and enjoyed Trader Joe's popcorn watching TV!

Mom sweeping as 3 Monkeys ate (Mom not shown)

Though our ceiling leaked water from the bath pipes upstairs, we were blessed that they were taken care of during our staycation too!

Kitchen Ceiling Raining Water

Caleb's Wall (by bathroom) openend to fix Bath Pipe

Life's biggest blessing is truly being with your loved ones, and knowing that they care and are here for us.

Welcoming Sweet Niece Eliana! Our December Baby!

May you have a blessed and adventurous 2012! ~(^_^)~ Thank you for your Prayers, Encouragements, and Fattening me up over the holidays!

Memorable Thanksgiving Time with Grandpa Lynn & Grandma Sunny (^_^)

2011-12-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving we had a very special time visiting our beloved Grandparents....Grandpa Lynn and Grandma Sunny!

Lunch time at the Restaurant was very Special! Happy Grandpa here!

Since we arrived on American Soil in 1982, Grandma and Grandpa welcomed us and took us in like their own grandchildren! I remember the special times we've spent together, visiting their lovely home, getting baptized in our South Bay Covenant church, and the countless holidays we've spent together with them!

Dearest Grandpa Lynn turns 95 next Monday! We love you Grandpa! Happy Birthday!!!

My siblings and I treasured growing up under their godly example, love and guidance. At the time, there were no Sunday school programs in the church we attended, so Grandpa and Grandma decorated their RV into a Sunday school classroom! Grandpa wore his super handsome blue-striped conductor outfit and hat, rang his bell and hollered, "All Aboard!" Then we'd take out our 'tickets' and he would punch in our weekly attendance cards!

Preparing for our Photo Shoot in the Lobby! (^_^)

Grandpa Lynn loves massages! Praying for your back, Grandpa!

Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma, for your unconditional love! It has been 29.5 years since we met, and we are blessed that we grew up and are now together again this Thanksgiving season!

Praying for one another was a very Treasured time in this trip! We received special blessings from dearest Grandpa and Grandma, just like in the Old Testament times!

Kids also received blessings from Grandpa Lynn ~ What a special time!

We thank the Lord for you!! The Lord bless you both richly, and watch over you every moment of every day! We love you!!

The Joys & Jostling of Raising Musically-Inclined Kids

2011-11-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

Rainy Recital Day 2011

In our family, piano-practicing has always been a "challenge" (euphemism). Caleb would call it torture . And declaration of war begins when the words, "Give me a time! What time are you going to practice?" shoot out of my mouth. It seems that every mom struggles with the same exact predicament in the afternoons, after the kids had come home from school, had their snack and watched reruns of Arthur yet another time.

Caleb plays our new piano for the 1st time!

I'm not sure how Caleb pulled it off this time, and the minimal time he puts into piano playing (~8 minutes a day) perplexes me. The piano teacher always says that he 'did good', and I wonder how that could happen? During recital morning, Caleb still played super-off -key, hard-on-the-eardrum, and honestly unbearable melodies which he is to present to the world 5 hours later! Daddy and I both fear that the teacher will soon fire him as her student for decimating her good reputation as one of the best teachers in our area.

Surprisingly, we were able to hear Caleb play the WHOLE song, without mistakes on every other note, from beginning to end, for the 1st time in his recital yesterday! This is probably our last time too, as it would be uncharacteristic for him to reiterate his 'old' songs after the Big R Day has ended. Good thing we have this video to look back on when we are old and gray (if blogspot doesn't fold).

Speaking of music, he also started learning Clarinet in his band class this year! I bought a super good deal neon green clarinet on Amazon.com that turned out to be a total dud. I couldn't even put the clarinet parts together, and when I did (an hour later), I discovered I bruised my right thumb doing so too! Caleb was bummed and feared lagging behind (since we are returning our dud), so he sadly decided to default to choir instead. However, our wonderful band teacher encouraged us by lending us his last 'district clarinet', and Caleb was able to catch up right away and enjoyed playing clarinet!

He plays at home (without my nagging) 'just for fun' and learned songs that were not even taught yet! As he grows up, I pray he will take this talent with him when he ventures into adulthood, and use it for enjoyment as well as an offering to our Lord!

Happy Birthday Caleb ~ Happy Thanksgiving Everyone ~ Welcome Home, Yammy (Piano)! (^_^)

2011-11-21T11:24:00.000-08:00

Caleb is DOUBLE-DIGITS "BIG 10" !!!

This is a busy month for us, as we were thrown in for a lot of decision-making with whom, where, when, and how my laprascopy surgery for those nagging ovarian cysts would come about. Thankfully, God made all things work together, as He always had!

So I decided to celebrate Caleb's Big 10 Birthday earlier, since we weren't sure when my surgery would be (perhaps Thanksgiving week, when Caleb's real birthday would be).

So I ordered the very FIRST ice cream cake in our family's history! And Baskin Robbin's Oreo Cookie Ice Cream cake was the best! I did learn, however, to not order cake 2 weeks in advance without checking the forecast first, because it was FREEZING when we ate the cake on party day! Nonetheless, it was great!

The kids loved singing the song, and Caleb cut his own cake for the 1st time! We also invited our special guest, Kobee Bird, to the party! The kids made party hats which looked super cool on Kobes!

~ Kobee not happy about his homemade party hat ~

Caleb got a cool, 'timely' gift (in light of my upcoming Operation, I suppose...)....and I've been wanting to get one of these games since I was a kid!

Good preview of what's to come (for mommy)!

Hubby enjoys games we didn't have as kids!

It was always on commercials, and families extracted 'parts' from the patient's body. So daddy and kids had a great time!

Bummer! No ovaries here!

We got our new (well, used....like nearly 20 yr old!) Yamaha piano 2 days later! We sold our sweet little piano and bought a very beautiful and well-cared for Yamaha U30 from our friend's dad, a professional tuner and piano seller! So that will hopefully motivate Caleb to hang on for a few more years! His recital is coming up in a few days!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Though our life may not be always smooth, but we know that with God and loved ones, nothing is too difficult to face! I am thankful for each and every one of you!

p.s. Surgery date turned out to be in December and not Thanksgiving week! It will take place 4 days before Christmas so I have lots of time to reflect about loved ones, this past year...and watch TV (^_^)!

Thankful that God provided loved ones with wise counsel too! Instead of having to remove 1 ovary, I was referred by good friends to a laprascopy specialist who could spare my girly parts! Yeay! (^_^)

~ Sophie's Choice ~ This Halloween ~ Stand Up 2 Cysts!

2011-10-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

Surprise Package from My New York Monster Pals ~ FrankenGeorge and JuJu d'witch!

This October was a super adventurous and spooky month for Soph .......and it's not even because it's Halloween! It is because every year around this time, I am haunted by the scare-your-pants-off tradition known to the medical community as the "Well-Woman's Exam" which includes the not-so-delightful boo boo exam, pap smear, and pelvic ultrasound. Honestly, this is not a practice that makes us ladies 'well', but we do them anyways....

Surprise "Boo" treats from a secret neighbor at my doorsteps!

This year, I switched to a new OB/Gyn. Last year my previous Ob/Gyn already hounded me about doing fibroid laproscopy, but there wasn't enough evidence. This year, my new Ob called me 4 days after my visit to let me know that my ovarian cysts are pretty big ( two of them ~5cm) and advised getting a CA125 blood test to rule out ovarian cancer and to consider laprascopy.

Caleb and Abbie got their Orange belts this month! I asked the
kids/hubby for advice about possible laparascopy,
and both of the brave kids said, "Get the surgery mommy!"

So hence I began my journey to decide what to do with the 'treats' (or tricks?) inside my tummy. It has been only 2 weeks but I've got really good responses, advices and encouragements! Praise the Lord! Below is my letter of thanksgiving and prayer to all my beloved! God's grace and your love are sufficient for me, Thank you all (^_^)!

On Oct 17, 2011, at 5:12 PM, Sophie Tsai godluvu99@yahoo.com wrote on her email to beloved:
Hi Sweeties!
Thank you for being my wise counsel & prayer warriors the past week as I search within (literally and figuratively) to best handle the 4 'tangerines cysts' & 2 fundal fibroids in there. I've decided to 'Stand Up 2 Cysts' and cut them out! That's Soph's "Decision 2011"!
Reason: (1) Hemorrhagenic cysts have the potential to burst/rupture anytime, which will stain my carpets, make a mess, and force bystanders to rush me to the ER.
(2) The cysts may enlarge even more and we don't know whether the goodies inside are benign ...or.... not so benign . So if I leave them in there, come next October I will be emailing you ALL the SAME question AGAIN! Too scary and not a good Halloween trick! So let's go ahead and do it, and spare my beloved from extra google work & stress.
(3) I have nothing else better to do on Thanksgiving week this year, so I plan to sit/lie around all day and watch TV . Hopefully I can get the surgery early that week (~I've written up a 'battle plan' to bring to my OB about when/what/where/what method to remove my 6 "treats" inside ~).
Added Bonus: Keeping me home will save hubby $$$! No "Black Friday" shopping for me this year!

Also I've utilized my little "Sophie's Fleece" . I asked the Lord last Monday (when I didn't want the laparoscopy performed), that "Lord, if having the surgery is the better way to go, then let 75% of my counsel be to go ahead and do it". Astonishingly, of all the medical & friend community that gave definate yay/nay responses (either professionally or from experience), 95% said, "DO IT! We're behind you 100%!"

Although this is not the biggest decision in my life, as I've made that years ago ( To Receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and give my life for Him & His purposes ), it is indeed one that required a little more time, energy, and introspection than usual.
I am thankful this Thanksgiving season that I have All of you to go on life's roller coaster with (um...whether you wanted to or not ). Please take GOOD care of yourselves too and get check-ups regularly! You are special to me and may the Lord continue to bless and use you powerfully in the lives of your loved ones!
Hugs!
Soph
Sometimes we may not have all the answers,“But That's Okay ~ Because God DOES!” (Soph ~ 10/17/11)

Yummy Birthday Lunch for Sister Debbie!

~ Abbie Girl's Surprise 6th Birthday Party ~

2011-09-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

This year, because we are lazy and Back to School is always super chaotic, we told our 5.5 year old Abbie that we will not be doing a birthday party for her. It takes time to sink in, so I made sure I started telling her this months in advance. She seemed happy to be hanging out w/us for her big 6 (provided we give her lots of yummy food and little gifts from mommy and daddy).

Of course, things never go as one planned. 2 weeks ago, hubby in his happy moment, decided, "Hey, why don't we have Abbie's friends and parents come over for a surprise party? We're already going to the Awana (kids' fellowhship) training for leaders (that morning & afternoon) with them anyways! So we sent out the Evite and were thrilled almost everyone could come!

So on Saturday afternoon (we celebrated 2 days early), we took her to Sam Woo and Diho bakery to pick up tons of food and cake. She was suspicious when I walked out with a big pink box that usually only contains cake (in Diho tradition). "Why do you have a cake in there, mommy?" asked Abbie. "Umm....." replied mommy. "Ok," I fessed up, "We're celebrating your birthday in 1 hour!"

That evening, she had a blast with her girlfriends and their siblings! They made up 'cheers' which were funny, and had a good time eating the cake! The moms and dads had a great time bonding too!

Thanks everyone for coming down after an exhausting/sleepy day of training! I've never done surprise parties before and it's almost impossible to hide things from your little ones (she already discovered 'Princess and the Frog' plates and cups in the trunk).....but it was fun to try anyways (and a good mental exercise in addition to my daily juggling act)!

That night after the guests left, our usually low key and mellow 9 yr old boy (big brother) had an unexpected meltdown because of the hoopla of sister's party....so hubby and I may secretly plan a small party for him too in November. He's had a few small celebrations in the past few years, but having a Thanksgiving birthdate is tricky because people are on vacation all week!

He never whined about having a party before (a pretty good kid!) but I think it won't be a bad idea this year, since a few close friends will help him socialize more and he can enjoy his buddies' company on his big 10! Besides, daddy and I like to eat and chat w/the parents of these precious kids too! So here we go as we continue our family circus/chaos. Next year, we will definately take a year off from parties (hosting them, that is)!

When the Lights went out in Ladera....

2011-09-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 2nd day of school, and all was well. It was a typical day, and after picking up the kids from school, we headed to Taekwondo class just down our street. In the middle of 'Hiya' flykicks, suddenly the A/C and lights went out. We found out that the whole Pavillions plaza had lost power. Then we found out the whole Ladera, then south OC, down to Mexico and even parts of AZ had lost power/phone connection!

Even antisocial hubby came out to chat, since the house was pitch black!

We spent pretty much the afternoon doing homework and housework, because after the sun goes down, we'll be sitting in darkness! We had cold leftover chinese food with cold rice, then went outside to hang out with neighbors. All the neighbors had gone outside to chat 'cuz it was hot and getting dark, so it was like a big party!

I met neighbors I never knew, as many people moved in and out this past year. We marched down our street and shared our ice cream sandwiches, as they were melting and not likely to last for too long, just like manna!

My buddy Suzanne couldn't get Antibiotics 'cuz CVS was closed!

Hubby took 1.5 hours to get from Oso parkway to our home, and so were the dads on the block. So us moms chatted, some of them breaking out the wine and cookies. The kids played basketball and chatted, and at the end of the night, surrounded the only electronic device still kicking ~ thanks to dear Blake and his iPad.

The kids had the opportunity to learn about what life was like in grandparents' generation, and the simplicity of it having no electricity, TV, computers, cell phones, or other things that consume our days today. We learned the simple joys of chatting with our neighbors, and just 'being'.....as we were on the same boat that day. We have so much and yet we often miss out on the most important ~ time and bonding with loved ones and neighbors! So yesterday, we tasted the goodness of friendship and the kids will remember this day for a long time!

p.s. Thankfully, power was restored after about 8 hours (11+ pm to be exact), and my mooncakes (and food in the fridge) survived!

First Day of School & Mooncakes!

2011-09-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

This was the long awaited DAY! The kids were excited and so am I ~ They are finally starting school! We were blessed that our beloved neighbor Katie dropped off 2 surprise cookie packages for the kids to give to their teachers!

For Mrs. Cameron, from Caleb

For Mrs. Schofield, from Abbie

The morning of 1st day of school:

CAleb rides into the horizon...ur...sprinklers, as he casually leaves for 1st day of 5th grade!

Caleb couldn't wait for me to drive him and sister, so he decided to take off at 7:25am to be one of the first kids to arrive at school!

Abbie and I had a hard time finding parking space, but glad we made it in time!

It's so hot and crowded mommy!

There was a HUGE crowd, and it was already 79 degrees at 7:50am!

Abbie's classmates all had new backpacks! So cute!

The kids love going back to school, and all the excitement of new teachers, friends, backpacks and schedules were shown on their faces! Some mommy friends were a bit anxious, but I know that slowly they & their kids will enjoy a smooth a smooth routine after the hustle and bustle of week 1 of school!

Professional homemade Green bean pons!

We topped off the night with homemade mooncakes (Green bean pon) made by my college friend Daisy's mom & dad! It's SOOO delicious, addictive, and I look forward to eating them every year at Mid-Autumn Festival! Abbie LOVES eating them (and all chinese foods, even chicken feet!), though she's an ABC kid!

SO yummy, mommy! More please!

This year this Chinese holiday falls on 9/11, which is another memorable day in U.S. history. As we gather 'round the table with loved ones for dinner and mooncakes, we also thank those who sacrificied themselves to give us freedom (And Jesus ~ who sacrificed himself to give us eternal life! Yeah!)

Happy Back to school week and Mid-Autumn Festival!

After 15 years ~ We're back at UCSD ~ Where Hubby and I fell in, then out, then back in Love!

2011-09-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

It was very exciting to have our church retreat at UCSD! I remember stepping into the same Muir parking lot as a clueless freshmen 19 years ago around this time! It's wonderful for the whole church (well, 250 of them!) sleeping in the same place and eating at the same cafeteria that hubby and I ate back in 1992!

Many things changed in UCSD. For one thing, the not-so-tasty "Top of the Quad" had changed its name (twice), now it's "The Pines" (or Stewart Commons). It's VERY delicious, like restaurant grade...not dorm food when we had to eat simply for survival.

There were many new buildings added to UCSD too, and pieces of art (that looks kind of funny), but helped bring in revenue for the school as they are the "Stuart Collection" (and you can become a member to support them)! We scavenger hunted with a few familes on Saturday afternoon to the 17 different points of interests, and it was fun to reflect on the good ol' days (scary days, academically...in hubby's words). (Secret: We dated 3.5 yrs, broke up for 2 weeks on my graduation week in June 1996, then got back together again!)

The kids enjoyed living in the apartment that likened my apt (I stayed at the dorm at Muir, and apt at Warren college). Abbie expressed interest in going to UCSD, 'while Caleb says he'll go to UCI (where did he get that idea?). The food is excellent, and if the kids come here, they won't come home to eat my cooking!

We had an inspiring time, and the message recharged and challenged me. God was telling me to not fear but just obey, and share what He has done in my life, esp. during my insomnia & postpartum depression days. I surrendered and told him I am willing, if He wants to use me. 2 hours later at the 'The Pines', Eugenia (the coordinator for Elderly Fellowship at our church) pops out of nowhere and asks if I can share about my encounter with the Lord during my postpartum days.

If you ask me, I'd say God works REALLY fast and in mysterious ways! For 1.5 years I've resisted sharing (public speaking, yikes!) to a crowd of people, because it's too disorienting (and no one talks back and forth with you). But I know that I love Jesus more than my 'face', so I'm preparing now and getting ready for next Thursday's sharing. Pray for me guys!

Soph and UCSD pals (Wendy, Julie, Mark) ate at our house a few days before the retreat! Ju's hubby George
was my Cerritos high school friend! What a small world! We had a precious get together!

This retreat is one of the most powerful retreats I've gone to in a long time. I'm thankful for this opportunity to know my Heavenly Father and brothers and sisters in a new yet familiar setting! May the Lord continue to guide you all!

Lessons from my Super Duper Sunflower! (^_^)

2011-08-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

This summer I didn't pay much attention to my sunflowers because we had an enormous vacation planned...3500 drive from here ending at Vancouver/Victoria Canada and back! Unbeknownst to us, our sunflowers grew gigantic without any human help! They grew true to their name, "Giant Mammoth"!

I remember the one in the yard came from a tiny seed smaller than the size of my pinky fingernail....and when we left for our trip, she was just 2 feet tall. When we returned, she was up to my shoulders! Now she's 1.5 story tall!

Soon (3 days later), her head got so big that she was leaning forward with her head bowed! This struck me as God's way of reminding me that, "When you start to have a big head, you must learn to be humble!"

And it never ceases to amaze me that....Sunflower seeds...DO come from Sunflowers! I just never knew where they were, exactly! Abbie and I noticed that when you 'de-face' the sunflower head by removing little yellow follicles, inside you get a huge geometrically symmetrical sunflower seeds placed in perfect rows! It showed me how thoughtful God was in giving us delicious foods after we get to enjoy the flowers from which they come from! So we tried them! Abbie LOVED eating them, and she closed her big eyes as she enjoyed the crisy yummy Organic sunflower seeds!

This summer roller-coastered between heat wave and cool windy days, much like the stock market fluctuations we've recently experienced. But between all these uncertainties, I've begun to look for the ups amidst off the the downs. Without the scorching heat, we would not have the gigantic, breathtaking Sunflowers, nor scrumptious sunflower seeds to nibble on today. Nor would the beautiful yellow finches and fat (scary) juicy flourescent-green catepillars come and visit (devour) our delicious, super sweet red tomatoes)!

Our yucky visitor

Sweet Healthy Snacks

Super sweet tiny tomatoes

Grape tomatoes

Yummy strawberries

On Your Mark, Get Set, SPARRRR!! (^_^)

2011-08-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is the first week the kids officially begin Tae Kwon Do!

It's exciting because it's a sport the kids actually do together, and since they love fighting so much, I decided to let them do it professionally. Speaking of fighting...... Lately I got to thinking....why do these sibs fight & bicker so much? Yet when one of them is not around, the other mopes around looking sad/bored! I guess that's the sibling 'dance' - the constant ebbing and waning of feelings. At home and with each other, they feel safe to unleash their lowest and highest emotions, without fear of rejection or judgement. It is in the home where people accept you as you are, and you don't have to act like class talent, super scholar, or star athlete. Hence, this summer I've learned to also accept that the sibling duo will continue to test one another with their 'true self'. After all, home is where you can let yourself all hang out, and family memeber still love you for the way you are!

So this ATA Martial Arts training, twice a week, will help 'bond' the 2 peas in a pod.... The class consists of a good combo of strength/endurance exercises, learning respect for others, learning self-control and responsibility, and socializing with other kids too! So we will take on this challenge for 1 year, and see how it goes! Good-bye to Ballet for awhile, and watch out world...for my 2 karate kids (Abbie especially)!

This Summer is So hot! Here is Abbie's alternate karate wear

One problem I do see (drawback for moms) is that the kids (well, Abbie) know how to block me (and kick back) when I try to swat her when she misbehaves! Maybe I should take mommy karate to counter her attacks!

Happy Birthday dear Brother Davy!

2011-08-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Brother Davy, Sister Joan, and Sweet Sabrina ~

Happy Birthday, Davy (In Taiwan, where you were born ~ right now it's your birth day ^_^) ! The Lord bless you and your family richly!! May your dreams and Birthday Wish come true!

As you continue to serve the Lord, remember that He loves you with all his heart and life, and has in store for you unimaginable plans and gifts!

We had a great time at your home! Thank you for the seafood fest, and for showing us your beautiful finches, Koi fishes, fig trees and magic tricks! We love chatting with brother Philip too!

God bless you! Have a Very Happy Birthday! God bless your family!

Emmanuel,
Sophie, Mark, Caleb and Abbie

Cirque De Soleil Siblings ~ Caleb & Abbie's 1st Circus Camp

2011-08-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through Orange County Register, and an ad from Cal Elite Gym's caught my eye: "Circus and Aerial Camp, Fun for Kids of All Ages"! I though...."Hey, it's a very good deal and my monkeys can go together!" I even took the extra precaution to call the gym and ask them if a 9 yr old Boy would enjoy this special kind of camp. The teenage receptionist cherrily answered, "Of COURSE your son will enjoy it!! Sign him up NOW!" And so I did. To my surprise on day 1, we were greeted in a small room with 2 female gym teachers and 17 girls whose ages ranged from 6 to 14! There was NOT a single boy in sight!

Hiding my surprise, I nonchalantly told Caleb that, "Oh, the boys may arrive TOMORROW. Have a good time kids!" And ran as quickly as I could. I wasn't bad actually. When I picked them up 3 hrs. later, they actually all had a great time! They even went up fabric ropes like they do in Cirque de Soleil, and climb up high trapeeze and did aerial stunts!

I was surprised that they actually did things that you see in Ringling Brothers, and Caleb was balancing on a huge ball like the elephants on "Curious George" episodes! It was a super fun 5 day camp, and the experience will surely be another unforgettable one in the kids' memories. Though it was a very unusual camp, and Caleb was a bit on the minority when it came to gender, the two siblings learned to cope with different arrangements and adapted super well!

On the last day of camp, they did a "Surfin' USA" Show, and Caleb ended up being the Top Dude, enjoying his spotlight, albeit short-lived, as "Mr. Lifeguard"! Hey, now THAT is every guy's dream!!

Summer fun continues w/Uncle Steve & 2 Karate Kids!

2011-07-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

After the trauma of being car-bound with 2 wild rivals (ages 9 and 5) on our super long trip 2 weeks ago, I decided to take the ultimate step of discipline (too much love at home!) and enroll both kids in ATA Martial Arts! They both were very excited going to the trial class and begged to enroll right away! I think that will be a good place for them to work out, learn self-control, self- defense and build confidence. What's great is that they can both do fun/constructive things together (a bit trickier and not doable in more gender-defined team sports like baseball and ballet....)!

The ATA Martial Arts combine Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Kung Fu, which is very different from other similar types of martial arts. And they have hundreds of locations in the U.S. (and outside). If we go to Vegas or other places this coming Christmas, the kids can train there too! Very cool (^_^)!

We had a fantastic fun visiting Uncle Steve last weekend too! He bought a really cool professional camera and started a new hobby in photography! He captured on his photos sweet moments of (and between) the siblings that were too quick for me to ever catch!

This is my camera....you can see the blurriness (^_^)

I was so touched by the beautiful pictures and emotions inspired from the looks on the kids' faces! Thanks for a great time, bro! Keep up the good work, your hidden potential was officially revealed last Saturday!

Sibling love!! Gonna blow this one up to 8 X 10 and put on our wall!

My favorite picture of me this year!

Abbie's eyes were glowing!

I could feel the coldness of the water on Caleb!

Abbie learns to swim from daddy

~ How I Survived our 3500 mile, 14 day AmeriCanda Excursion & Came back in 1 Piece!

2011-07-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

Downtown Seattle

Chaos #1

After 14 days of living out of our suitcases in 10 hotels and 3500 miles later, I've come to the conclusion that traveling with kid siblings(of any age combination) will be the hardest challenge you will face in your lifetime.

Obtaining 2 B.S. degrees (us), an MBA (hubby), purchasing 3 (and later selling 2) homes, giving birth without epidural (yours truly) and working a combined 25 years in the pharmaceutical/medical device industry seemed like a cake walk compared to our refugee-style Exodus Northbound (while trying to keep the kids from dismembering, scratching and spitting incessantly).

Sister Vs. Brother

Our dear friends Peter and Linda have also joined us in our "Mission Insanity" (or we joined them) as we planned and executed our plans to go up to San Francisco, Medford/Portland Oregon, Seattle/Samammish Washington, and Vancouver/Victoria Island, Canada.

Our Friendship deepened as we helped each other in this Exciting Trip!

Chaos #2

As with any family, if there is potential for drama in a family of 4 (8 potential ways to bug the 3 other family members simultaneously), then double the family on the trip and you get 16 ways for sheer chaos (ok, bliss too, but that's 30% of the time).

Precious moments of OUR 4 PRECIOUS babes

Stephy's Great Aunt planted HUGE, sweet Cucumbers!

The relationship of our kids with their Roadtrip Siblings fluctuated back and forth between honey-sweet hugging n' coloring sessions (Abbie and Stephy) to Stop-LOOKing -at-Me!!! blood-curling, ear-piercing shrieks (Abbie vs All kids) to "I'm Bored What do I do?!!!!" mantra + pestering by a 9-yr-old boy with permanent angry face every day, esp. when his blood sugar dipped (every 2 hours, it seems, and most pronounced at ~5:15pm). But at the end of the day, they all chat blissfully with one another, just like siblings with biological parents!

A Happy Caleb at his favorite place on this trip ~
Vancouver night market (Potato Crisps on a stick is yummy)!

The waterfalls in Oregon was spectacular and breathtaking, and was anticipated to be the highlight of hubby's customized Iteinary. Without a doubt, Life succumbs to Mutphys Law, and as we all hiked and snapped away with our cameras, hubby reluctantly lagged half-mile behind supervising pouting boy who tantrumed.

Boys lagging behind

I don't know how people in the olden days have 6-8 kids and still manage to keep them all alive and reasonably healthy. We had only 4 kid combined and I still can't get their names straight.

Our super limited-in-food-choice Boy only tried what he was familiar with, looked cosmetically appetizing, or is stir-fried and Chinese-food looking, making our food stops even more challenging.

We are thankful that in the hotels we stayed with kitchens, Uncle Peter cooked delicious teriyaki chicken, fresh wild salmon (cooked in 2 sauces) pasta, and other delicious dishes....especially fresh seafood from Pikes market, like Ahi Tuna sashimi! We were definately spoiled!

Salmon cooked 2 styles with Pasta!

Ahi Tuna Sashimi

Chaos #3

Though it was 22% play and 78% labor (chauffeuring/chasing kids/fumbling thru maps and GPS/loading unloading suitcases/waiting or looking for lost family members) --- it was indeed the most memorable trip of the decade!

I pat myself (and hubby) on the back that we all came back in 1 piece! Well, come to thunk of it, Caleb lost some skin when he missed a step and landed face down on the hotel doormat (which had the texture of a toilet brush).

Walking in the rain at Seattle Hatchery was fun for Caleb!

However, with TLC and faithful application of Neosporin and Cetaphil cream by hubby, and professional medical exam by our 3rd set of traveling pals, Wayne and family, Caleb got the ok to party on!

Big Group picture at Craigshorn Castle, Victoria Canada

Good thing that boy's face scarred and peeled off nicely by day 14 of the trip (though lil' sis re-scratched the scar after boy teased her in the car on day 10), so luckily we saved big bucks on scar beautification procedure for our boy (and you are most welcome, future wife!)

Outside 40 degree Underground Cave, Oregon

Chaos #4

It was a blessing to visit my cousin Amy and her family, after 13.5 years (and 5 kids later, between both if us). Cousin Amy lives by Sammamish Lake, and tall, majestic trees, trails, and lake (Beaver) surrounded us when we took her cute Jindo dog 'Yuni' for a nice walk out in the woods.

After hanging out at cousin Amy's lovely pad for 2 days, hubby was tempted to retire in Washington, AND getting a Japanese dog (Jindo/Shiba Inu types). The disclaimer of Seattle-living holds true, however... It does take getting used to....living in cloud-covered gloomy-foggy wet-rainy conditions for prolonged days. Even my 5-yr-old and aforementioned canine niece spends 90% of her waking hours lounging sideways with closed eyes. We are happy to report she is now anxiety med free, since Seattle man and beast face the same sun (and seretonin)-lacking crisis.

I think Cousin Amy must have raided her local Trader Joes and Kirkland Costco, because the delicacies and homemade entrees and desserts could've fed 3 Chinese tour buses, or the 5,000 in Jesus' days, as a matter of fact. We felt super blessed by the warm reception, walks, talks, and meals we all shared together.

All things considered, it wad worth the hair-pulling, headache-inducing, torture-by-whining-3500 mile trip. We stayed in every hotel about 10 hours, including sack time. The kids ebbed in and out of harmony and division, whining and laughing. Most precious is the beauty we've experienced along the way - in the majestic nature before us, and in the hearts of those traveling with us and those we visited. Thank you for everything my dears!! The Lord bless and keep you until we meet again!

~ Flying Back in Time ~

The date was July 1988, and big bro Daniel and I were sent by dear mama on a vacation to Seattle and Vancouver/Victoria Island! I was going into the 8th grade, and big bro into 12th. He took this picture for me at Sunken Garden in Buchardt Garden!

Here's Soph at 13.5 years of age!

I brought this picture so I can find the same spot on this trip....and take a picture of myself in the exact same spot....23 years later!

It didn't work exactly as planned at first, since Abbie did her best to take a pix of me from way up there!

An elderly lady saw us and decided she will take the pix...for both of us!! Here I am at 36.5 yrs old!

I told Abbie, "One Day, Bring Your Daughter or son to the same spot and take a picture here too!"

The Final Chaos (or "Saving the Worst for Last")

Our beeline journey from Seattle to Sacramento (750 miles) in 1 day proved more painful than I had originally envisioned. It didn't help that the kids were already shrieking, spitting and scratching each other and this all happening just 5 minutes into the 22 hour jouney home (at the freeway entrance).

Then by hour 2, Abbie was melting down and crying over big brother's singing (pig butchering) voice and screamed for him to not sing "her song". By the time we reached Oregon/Wa border, I was considering jumping onto a flight from SF to John Wayne airport and abandoning our zoo on wheels.

Cute, bold, begging raccoon in Seattle Beach fronts

Traveling with kids, esp. long rides and lots of walking (more than 15 min., by their standards) are not feats for the faint-hearted. One fixed on punctuality and control is not adviced to attempt the aforementioned activity as it is potentially (and in reality) hazardous to your (mental and physical) health and causes unwanted neurosis.

Two fruits NOT mentioned in the book of Galatians that beared inevitably were the Fruits of Flexibility and Fruits of Forgiveness.

Super-Charged Iterinary for the past 14.5 days!

Every 3 minutes, someone will annoy, cross, bite, scream, or throw something at someone else. You have no choice but to stick it out 'cuz there's no way to get out of it (^_^). We were tempted to put Abbie on eBay (buy it NOW!!) and throw out the misleading GPS when the girl destroyed the car DVD player in a moment of rage.

Abbie loves taking pictures of Queen Victoria and Duke Impersonators

Hubby contamplating the meaning of life ~ in front of Victoria Parliament bldg

I have begun to admire Moses deeply for not leaving a single whiny Israelite behind after 40 years of complaining (about food choices, weather, traveling companions, lack of entertainment, etc.) but merely tap the rock a tad more forcefully than instructed. I realized still have tons to learn from him !

So Beautiful here! Love the trees and Swinging bridge!

As I type on my iPhone now (July 16th ~9 am), my kindergarten graduate is screaming at the top of her lungs unwilling to stop her tirade. We, however, need to keep driving another grueling 7 hours until we arrive home. Truly, only with Gods supernatural grace and strength, can we stand firm and march forward boldly in our marriage and parenting adventure!

23 years later, I return with a hubby and 2 kids! (Kisses at Abbie's request)

Post Scriptus: On this trip, we've entered 40 degree F caves, crossed super narrow/fragile swinging bridges, hiked up waterfalls and braved freezing top deck of ferries. All these are metaphors of the seasons and challenges we face or will soon face in life (single, married or parenting). Just when we feel like we cannot bear it a minute longer, the tour, hike, ride or trip.... Is Over! Parenting young kids is the same too, though at times it feels like an eternity!

Seattle Renaissance ~ Free Breakfast in Bed !!

Going down the elevator in Seattle Downtown Renaissance hotel, the kids were fighting over elevator button "L" as I nodded apologetically to the lady sandwiched between the kids and me. She smiled sympathetically and said,"My kids are 14 and 12...and they still do the exact something!" I said, "Woh! I thought we were almost out of the woods!"

Rainbows en route to Sacramento from Seattle

But when I pondered and counted Caleb's birth year, I realized he only has 8 yrs left in captivity (I meant, in our care)! Then, like the baby orangoutangs and elephants we saw in the IMAX 3D movie in Seattle Science Center....he (and soon sister) will be released into the world.

This blue jay waited 1.5 hours for a tidbit from our picnic

They will grow wings, then sprout roots to raise their own offsprings before our eyes! Like the IMAX movie....they were "Born to be Wild", and will one day enter society too!

This squirrel enjoys a peanut from the kids

The trouts, salmons and cohos in the hatchery were inspiring to behold....working hard to 'fly' and jump up the fish ladder in order to spawn their eggs. All of them had scars and scratches from their hundred mile journeys back home to spawn their eggs, then rest in peace soon after! I admire their courage and determination, and pray that we too, will do our best to rear future generations the same way.

Trouts at Oregon Fish Hatchery

So we only have a limited time to model all the good stuff and not mess them up too much while under our roof :0) So let us all "Add Oil" and keep pressing on doing what we are called to do, with God's help!

Our Bat Kids

Bon Voyage and hope that this helped (or discouraged/delayed) you as you plan your well-routed or spontaneous cross-country road trips. No matter how you plan....as in a wedding ceremony.....something interesting/unexpected will always happen! Thanks for Reading and Happy Summer!

African Daisy at Buchardt Garden

Sweet Visits with Cousin Amy, Stephen and the 3 Kids! (Brian, Beverly, Brendon)

2011-07-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

I felt so blessed to be able to see sister/cousin Amy after 13.5 years! We had 5 kids (between the 2 of us) during our time apart, and kept busy in the home (^_^)! We called/wrote each other, but seeing and hugging her in person brings the biggest joy! I love you!

The brother/cousin team clicked and played very well right off the bat! I just noticed….they even wore the same colors!

The sister/cousin/friend team did well together by taking Yuni for hikes! Good teamwork!

The Kids had their very own tables! Cousin Amy served them, plate by plate, from the adult table where we ate. I am so touched by her generous heart!

Our good friends, Linda and Peter, traveled with us. They are also our Friday night Awana kids’ camp coworkers! We all ate in Cousin Amy’s house. Their kids loved eating and playing with the kids’ cousins!

We walked by a lake, and the boys loved skipping stones on the waters while the girls enjoyed taking Yuni to the doggie park!

Cousin Amy and family treated us to a Royal Reception! They even dished out their wedding fine Chinas! We used up ALL of their serving plates/bowls! Thank you for the super delicious foods and the blessings you’ve showered on us!

Brendon’s cute expression looks a lot like Cousin Amy in this picture!! Want to give him a big smooch!

Brian went to Mission camp (great job, sweetie! First mission trip!) the next day and daddy Stephen went on a business trip. So we missed them the 2^nd time we came over! Hope you guys can come over to our home soon!

And we had more the following week, as Cousin Amie embraced us with delicious homemade cheesecake, pastas n’ more!

It is so fun to watch the kids play! Abbie loves Yuni and being at Auntie Amy’s!

Abbie loves coming here, and is in love with Yuni and cousins! Caleb loved hanging out w/cousins by the firepit, hiking, and walking in the rain!

Abbie LOVES this T-shirt! We washed and she wore it right away!

Can’t wait to see your whole family again! HUGS!!!! Thank you for your Hospitality and Love!

Random Recipes (^_^)

2011-06-30T19:06:00.000-07:00

Our Food This Week (^_^)!

Saturday night (7/16): Hubby cooked chicken thighs (4 pieces). After boiling and dumping yucky blood water, he then added chicken broth and shitake mushrooms (from Costco, in a plastic jar). Then boiled Juen-Yii brand noodles (99 Market) and we had yummy homemade Chicken thigh noodle soup! (Sometimes we add fish/pork balls to soup, or dried scallops for sweeter taste).

[Weather in CA: 85 degrees this week (*_*)!! Hot!]

Sunday night (7/17): Hubby loves white-cut chicken (Chinese style chicken) dipped in diced garlic + soy sauce. So he boiled chicken thigh with bones (8 pieces, also purchased from Costco), dumped out blood water. Then he used a new pot putting chicken thigh inside new water + chicken broth to cook some more (to drink soup, 2 ways to eat!).

Put fully cooked thighs into fridge for 15-20 minutes to cool. Then take out and eat with garlic (diced) put in small bowl with soy sauce. The soup (now chicken thigh soup including broth) is yummy and good for Seattle cold weather to warm you. hubby and kids’ bodies.

We would eat 1 veggie dish to go along w/meat dish, so that night I cooked spinach from H-Mart. I always do the same: Peeled, garlic cloves cut in ½, stir fry veggie, sometimes add a little chicken broth and some salt, and a little bit of white pepper. It’s hot here this week, so I bought Korean Kim Chee to go along with the dinner, very appetizing! Wish I can learn to make it (but too lazy, haha).

Lunch (7/18) ~ The next day hubby went to work, and I was lazy to cook new dishes. So with the thigh broth (from Sunday night), I just added Costco wontons (very good! Chicken and Cilantro flavored mini wontons!), fish dumplings, and some spinach to the brother. Then boiled noodles and that was our lunch! (We sometimes also buy Dah-Jong Peanuts & “Red-Burn” [hong shao] Eel in a can from 99 Market or H-Mart to go with our meals).

(Monday night 7/18 ~ we just ate leftovers from the night before)
_____________________________________________________________

Tuesday 7/19~ Tonight, there was nothing to eat, so I had to cook (*_^). I found a bag of ground pork (~1.5 or 2 pounds), so I defrosted them cooked it with diced garlic cloves and some sliced Shitake mushrooms (from Costco, soak mushrooms in water for 45 minutes beforehand). As I was stirring, I added a good amount of soy sauce and some rice wine. Then I added sliced celeries (you can also add sliced bamboo strips, or sour-pickled ‘swan tsai’) and Monopoly dice-sized ‘Red Burn’ (hong shao) Tofu pieces (or alternatively you can use 5-Fragrant ‘Woo Shan’ Tofu Gan cut in strips) and stir fry some more.

Finally, as the meat/tofu is getting brown, add some water, lots of Oyster Sauce (generous amount, taste to see if flavor seeped into tofu and meat) and some chicken broth (if too dry). Cover pot with lid and let flavor sink in. Small fire for about 7-8 min. and you’re ready to eat!

For veggie dish ~ Stir Fry ‘Empty-heart Veggie’ (Kong Shing Tsai). I put in garlic cloves, stir fry with veggie, add salt, a tad of chicken broth, some “Hondashi fish powder” (very yummy!), and a little white pepper. Ready to eat!

Side dish (‘cuz it’s so hot again, 86 degrees!) ~ Home made Pickled Cucumbers (everything from H-Mart)

Slice cucumbers, add some diced up garlic cloves, add some Vinegar (used for sushi/California roll type), then some Sesame Oil and a little bit of soy sauce. Mix, put in fridge for 15-20 minutes ready to eat! (^_^)

This is Caleb’s favorite dish! We went to Keelong, Taiwan for mission trip and one of the children’s ministry mom (who worked at &-Eleven) in

Taiwan

gave us the secret recipe!

This can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner (with or without rice, not too salty).

The mom in Taiwan gave us the secret recipe! Shhh….this is the way they make them at 7-Eleven! Try them!

Since we go to 7-Eleven a lot in Taiwan, Caleb fell in love with Tea Leaf Eggs! (And daddy spoiled him by cooking this every 2 weeks, so he eats this for breakfast most days! I need to get him to try new foods to survive in college/marriage!)

Use Da-Tung Rice Cooker and you will have yummy eggs the following morning! The rest of the eggs you can put in Tupperware and refridge. The sauce from the tea leaf eggs can be used to cook/boil with Red Burn Tofu or Five Fragrant Tofu, Chicken heart/gizzard, Seaweed (from 99 market, boil out the salt in seaweed first) or any Loo Way (marinated dishes) you like! (^_^) Then you won’t have to cook meat dish for the next day or so.

This morning I had my usual milk tea powder mixed w/boiling water….in the very comfy to lip feel of Starbucks mug by my beloved sister Amy! Shay Shay!

Happy beginning of Summer Vacation! Kung Fu Panda & Quacker Duck (^_^)

2011-06-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

Today is Day 3 of PandaMania VBS! Woohoo! (^_^)

Happy Summer! It's the first week of Summer Vacation for the kids and so far we watched Kung Fu Panda 2, visited countless fast food joints, and joined our local church's "PandaMania Vacation Bible School"! (^_^) I even 'tricked' the kids into doing the housework for me today, bad mama! I told the kids that we'll do a "Wipe Out Competition" ~ They Wipe, and I sit Out!

I can't believe that Quacker has been here for a whole month now! She arrived on May 28th late night and we now can't imagine life without her!

How could a little feathered 3-pound bundle touch so many hearts in so few days? During these 4 weeks, we taught her how to dig for bugs, snails, slugs; eat earthworms; dive for minnow fishes (thank you Petsmart!), and be hugged without protest (thanks to Abbie's perseverance)! We may bring her to our church VBS this August, headed by dear hubby! The theme is "Home Town Nazareth ~ Where Jesus was a Kid!" I'm sure there were ducks walking the streets during those days!

After the first week, hubby told us that we can keep duckie. At that time, I knew that she is here to stay! I just have to keep my eyes on her so she doesn't run off, fly away, or get retrieved by our neighbor's Laborador! Good thing our parrots Kobee and Jubee didn't get jealous, and were still chatty after their new waterfowl sibling joined us!

Happy End of June, everyone!

Duckie Soup for the Frazzled Soul 心靈鴨湯 #2 ~ The Prodigal Duck!

2011-06-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

Duckie flew away this morning!! Too much practice flaps like this!

It is only 8 days since Quacker squeezed all 4 pounds of her little body into our lives....and I thought our daily routine has just begun to take a semi-predictable form...

Until today....

After starting my "Duckie Soup for the Soul" 心靈鴨湯 online book.....2 days ago....she almost made me end my book (of just ONE chapter) today! This morning I was taking out the trash cans....and she followed me as quickly as her wobbly little duck feet could take her....And in a moment of panic, sensing she may not catch up to me....

Quacker shows off her flight feathers as she stretches her wings!

I heard a big helicopter-like flutter....and she propelled over my head (and I could sense cold air + quacking above me), glided past my college buddy Dzung's side wall, and landed on his side yard/driveway!

This is Quacker duck happily escaping! (Photo courtesy of yahoo)

I ran over next door to be greeted by Quacker, who also ran towards me hastily! She was probably surprised that she could fly (but actually, after 8 days of wing yoga and practice flaps, I should have known she's on the brink of lift off)!

Duckie grooms herself proudly after her morning flight, unbeknownst to the fact that
I was already sharpening my scissors for the "GREAT CLIP"!

So off I go to my google search of "How to clip your duck's wing". Abbie woke up in time to hear me retell the story of our flyaway pet. After observing Quacker carefully, she told me, "Quacker looks sad today.....maybe you scold her too harshly?" The she helped me video as I try to catch Quacker and clip her wings!

What did I learn today?

1) Cherish the Moment ~ you never know how long you have someone (feathered or not) with you!

2) Don't Procrastinate ~ sometimes it's too late when something so important needs to be done/taught now ~ like clipping wings (and trimming bad habits) before my baby grows up too fast and leaves home! Or simply....telling our family and friends just how much we love them (and forgive them....if tensions exist)!

Loved ones, our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to have a close relationship with us. If He speaks to your heart, seize the moment and don't ignore Him! My good friend who batled depression since teenage years....received Christ 9 months before she passed away, at the young age of 40. I am comforted knowing that she is with the Lord today. With our future in God's hands, we have hope knowing that we will be with our Lord, and we will reunite with our believing loved ones! Let us cherish each day, and each person in our lives, as our days and health on this earth are unpredictable and fleeting, until Christ returns!

Duckie Soup for my Beloved's Soul 心靈鴨湯 #1 ~ When Ugly Duckling Got Saved!!

2011-06-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Our daily "Hug" and "Head Massage" Session! (Self-snapped lop-sided picture)

Today is the 7th day since we've had Quacker, our 8.5 week old Mallard duckling! When she arrived 7 days and 12 hours ago, she was not a big hit with hubby. In fact, he railed at me from upstairs as we introduced Quacker into our home (after sleeping in the hallway inside her crate all night). She's not an indoor duck, but I thought it'd be good to kick off her 'first morning' home with a hearty indoor welcome!

Our brownish, loud, slightly wild, sloppy poopy bird scrambled around the dining room floor, quacking and screaming at everyone she encountered! Hubby hollered to get her outside, and it began to rain precisely at the moment Abbie, Quacker and I got jettisoned out into the yard ....

I almost returned duckie home the next day, thinking we can't have her here if hubby's not completely ready (though Abbie and I've been hinting for several days of our upcoming duckie-sitting mission)! Of course, after 7 days, the situation took a complete 180 degree turn!

Today ~ still on a Sunday morning, we let out and played with duckie outside in the yard. She saw a spider strolling across the lawn and ran full force and snatched the critter into her bills, nibbling contently! Hubby was amazed, and declared that 'she's a keeper' if she could eat these pests ESP. his most dreaded enemy ~ Mr. Cricket! So apparently, Quacker has made her way into our home...and our hearts!

Duckie was a cast-away, an "Easter photo studio prop", in fact! She was mail-ordered for $4 by the photo shop to take holiday pictures with kids, then destined to be thrown into the wilderness with little chance of survival. The farmer's wife learned of her fate and kept her and 3 siblings from their formidable fate.

Quacker and siblings (and Ursula the white duck) at 4 weeks!

Through Craiglist 'farm and garden' section, I learned that Farmer Lana was looking for "Duck Sitter"! What perfect opportunity for us to bring a special life into our family (as Abbie's been begging for one for months!), and learn to appreciate God's creation (and supplying our own eggs....if she lays!)

So last Saturday night, duckie found herself in a crate, carried to our home as a 'party favor' after we attended the farmer's 9 yr old daughter's birthday party! The farm she lived in had lots of animals, but it was a bit crowded and ducklings ignored people and only flocked together. Her life changed dramatically in the past few days, and for an 8 week old duckling, she taught me a lot!

Quacker ~ 2 hours before we took her home

We all, like Quacker, have waddled astray. We are alike in many ways than we can imagine! It may be our ill-fate as castaways in a family which ignores/overprotects us, our not-so-appealing looks, our health issues robbing us of joy and hope, our poopy attitudes/relationship tensions with others, our weird temper, or the mess we get ourselves into, separating us from the love we could have shared with our loved ones.

Whatever it may be, however miniscule we feel, remember that there is someone out there who loves you so much that He willingly and without any regret gave His life for you. Even if you feel like you're only worth a couple bucks, or half a penny (as sparrows were in the olden days), remember that your Father, your Creator, knows your every thought and how many hairs are on your head.

Milk from a cup!

After duckie arrived, she lived a life of Princess Quacker. She is handfed by servant girl Abbie, with delicacies like Uncle Peter's gourmet pasta, premium Costco salad, chinese opo and empty-heart veggie, fresh milk in a cup, sweet cherries and home-grown blueberries!

Chinese veggies ~ Yum!

She has her own "Safety 1st" tub, a brand new pink Toys "R" Us kiddie pool, fresh hay and pine bedding, and daily hug-sessions and head/neck massages!

I love my tub!!

When we respond to the care and protection of our Heavenly Father, our life takes a turn for the best! When we were destined for depression and rejection, Christ comes into our life and takes us under His wing. We may not be pretty-looking or 100% healthy, but we are joyful, confident, and relaxed, knowing that the One who made us, gave His life for us, and loves us unconditionally, will take care of our every need.

He even counts our hairs AND collects them in a precious box (just as Abbie did with Quacker's feathers!), to enjoy and treasure, not because of our beauty, but because of His love and affection for us!!!

Abbie collects and counts the feathers which fell from duckie's tummy!

Sophie's Choice Eggs 酥肥鴨有機蛋~ Debuting in Fall 2011 (or Summer 2012)!

2011-05-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

One of these 6-week old Mallard duckies will be ours next week!

What do you know?! Sophie 酥肥鴨 is laying her own eggs! And...Abbie 鴨比 will be my "farmer in training"! 11 years ago, hubby and I, along with Kobee and Jubee bird (then 11 months and 6 months old, respectively), moved into our Farmhouse style, Plan 3 Shea home.

Jubee ~ Our Yellow-Naped Amazon girl who doesn't lay a single egg BUT has tons of fans

who loves to hear her sing 'Opera' ! She loves to chat ~ in English, Chinese and Spanish!

Kobee ~ Our Non-Egg-Laying but super cute African Senegal

Jubee "speaking" at last year's Vacation Bible School

We decorated the house with pix of farm animals, roosters, and birdhouses around Christmas break in Y2K, then had Caleb the following Thanksgiving (hence, the bird houses lining our kitchen cabinet never got painted)!

Somehow....after 10.5 years, we did end up with a bird farm!!

Never did we imagine that we would really end up a having a funny farm (or at least a feathered-farm)!

~ Farmer Soph's Business Card ~ This is All for fun, not earning, as we only yield at most 300 eggs a year!

Last summer I started becoming interested in chickens....not sure why or how.....Maybe the kids are getting older and I'm starting to have more time on my hands. But whatever the reason, I started ordering catalogs from McMurray Hatchery and became passionate about owning backyard chickens. I even called our association to see if it's okay, and they (sounding confused), said, "Well, I guess......it's ok! As long as they are 'common' animals." Now, are ducks common...or exotic here? Wall Street Journal says more people are keeping ducks and chickens as pets! Of course, the shipping cost of these poultry pets dampened my passion quickly ($40 to ship, not including the birds!), so I let it go for almost a year.

This bird business is just an aside... You can't really earn $$ with eggs (^_^) Just the poultry feed costs $45!

But I guess some things are meant to be, because lately I've been stalking the OC Craiglist again...especially the "Farm and Garden" section. I looked for chicks and ducks, which were only available in Norco and Riverside area. This past week, I came upon TheraPony Lana's FB site, and saw that she had a "Duck-sitting" request! (^_^) How cool was that? You can babysit 6-week old ducks (so they get used to being with people) AND maybe keep them if you (or your kid) gets too attached to duckling! So next week, we will embark on our Duck-sitting mission! Maybe May-May (our new duckie's name....Reason (1) She's adopted in May ~ (2) She is Abbie's little sister "妹妹". This is the closest "little 妹妹" (sibling) I can humanly give to my 5 year old Abbie, as we've already closed shop!

Got this in 2001 ~ I guess it forshadows our future! Due to economy, eggs are no longer 5 cents a dozen!

I'm praying hard that if duckie and us bond well....Voila! Instant Pet! Kobee and Jubee will enjoy teaching duckie how to talk, sing, scream! But this is just for fun. If May-May and our future chick (coming August 2011 or later?) never lays an egg, we will still love them dearly! Just like Kobee and Jubee....who never layed anything CLOSE to an egg...are our babies and always will be....even if they scream and bite and cry like the kids all day long (^_^)!

Our Family Room paining since 2003 ~ Truly a Farmhouse!

Our Chicken and Moo Moo Kitchen decor.... since we moved in!

I remember when we first decorated our farmhouse home, 10.5 years ago, I made all the furnishings "farm-friendly". Now I think it is starting to look like a REAL barn! Of course, it's not a big transition, 'cuz we already have 2 chickens in the house (Hubby's a 41 year old and Abbie's 5 ~ both born on the year of the Chicken)! This will be a good experience, as the kids (and I) will learn about where our essential foods come from (not packaged nicely in supermarkets) and appreciate nature and God's creation!

Got this at Big Bear ~ Haha, that reflects the occupants of our Farm home!

So here's our new adventure! If you are interested in 100% organic, free-range chicken or duck eggs, get ready for some super healthy, mouth-watering eggs coming your way! I'm also renting out our feathered friends to help eat away the pests and provide natural nitrogen-rich fertilizer for your yard! (^_^)

______________________________________

Post Scriptus (June 1, 2011)

The first day of duckie's arrival was very tumultous, as hubby couldn't wrap his head around the idea that there's a BIG (not the small baseball-size fuzz-ball you see on Sear's Easter photo shoots) duck in our home! And duckie is SOOOOOOOOOO loud! She "Honks" like an ice cream truck horn when she's unhappy! When Abbie leaves her to go into the house, she makes sure the whole street hears about her disapproval!

She quickly stole ALL of our hearts, and thankfully we didn't have to return duckie the next day (as hubby was very not thrilled when faced with a BIG living bird he's used to seeing at Sam Woo, peacefully hanging there, looking delicious and not staring/quacking at him all the time!

Today is Day 3 of Quacker (named by Lana's little girls) Stay here, and even Hubby is enjoying living like a farmer! He told me he let Quacker our of her crate and she followed him everywhere, not wanting him to go inside! She sits by the door of our sliding back door and "hangs out" with us. I think she makes the Perfect Guard Duck!!!

This is the farm that Quacker came from! The bunnies and ducklings are "Party favors" for all the kids who go to the Emily's 9th birthday party!

Life is Full of Surprises (^_^) Soph's Little Garden

2011-05-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Our Dwarf Sunflower ~ Looks like Lion's Head!

I was surprised to find this in my purse this morning...

Happy Abbie & mama Sophie picture!

And of course....a parenting advice from Abbie too!

I guess when the kid is in a good mood, she's super angelic! And I'm no longer labeled 'tiger mad mama', at least not today.

Mammoth Sunflower grew from seeds....keeping in pot so slugs don't eat these sprouts!

Having a wonderful start today, I went to work (as pink lady, or copy cat, for the front office). Coming home, I noticed something interesting! The blueberry plant that I was getting ready to return to Lowe's.....had something BLUE grow on it! I looked closely, and lo and behold....there was ONE blueberry that actually looked edible!

Abbie tasted the blueberry......and from her response....you will know if the blueberry was sweet....or.....not even close!

This year's blueberry crop ~ TWO blueberries!

Also, though it rained a lot, I noticed the tomatoes growing too! It's green (and I'm not planning to make green fried tomatoes) and seem to be thriving! Woohoo!

~ Early Girl Tomatoes ~

Unknown kind of tomato ~ Came from Last Spring's seeds (^_^)

This GrapeTomato plant resurrected from last Spring's batch!

My Lavender from Home Depot looks pretty depressed and limp....I thought they were supposed to make you feel energetic and relaxed! It should give itself a dose of its own fragrance! I guess I'll keep an eye on it and see if I can make it happier...maybe re-locate it elsewhere?

Lastly, I was surprised to see a fully red strawberry! Usually they are eaten by bugs by the time they are halfway red. Well....no surprise, I turned over the PERFECT strawberry and saw that....someone already took a BIG bite! I plucked it and gave it to Kobee bird..... lucky bird! This is May gloom this week....hope that the weather will warm up so we can enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of our labors!

My perfect strawberry ~ with a hole in it (*_^)

Oh, and we also got a baby Tiger barb named....Tiger (ok, not too creative lately), and a teenager Silver-Tip Tetra (Tippy) to replace the 2 tetras I accidentally sent to Jesus with over-clean water. They are growing like weeds too!

Tiger ~ the Tiger Barb (they say these guys nip fins, but he's very friendly!)

It took me 20+ shots to get a clear one of Tiger and Tippy (^_^)

The Mommy-Daughter Dance ~(^_^)~

2011-05-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

Abbie's Famous Mother's Day 2011 Card (drawn at school)

My friend Shirley's email address is t2tangle....and I realized it's so true, even in relationships like mother-daughter ones! (^_^) It really does take both of us to make our relationship sweet (or bitter, or whatever flavor we feel like on any given day)!

I remember last weekend, when Abbie presented my "Mad Mama" Mother's day card, I didn't know if I should laugh or cry! I asked her why she drew mama mad, and she said, "'Cuz you're always scolding me!!" I can't believe I am portrayed like "Tiger Mom" ~ though I AM born on the year of the Tiger ('74)! I looked like an asian Miss Piggy, with arms crossed at hips AND angry eyes too!

Abbie and I made Strawberry Jello w/diced Pears yesterday!

The funny thing was, my mom and sister (and all the family) came down for Mother's day lunch at our place, and I showed them the picture....and they said, "Yeah! Abbie drew it so well! It DOES look like you!" Now they ARE my real mom and sister...right? I guess they're siding with grand-daughter/niece.......now that I'm no longer cute and chubby (big chubby pear was my nickname)....

Our buddy Tim shared how hard it is to be a mom on Sunday's Mother's Day Message. Go Tim, you tell 'em bro!

My friends all thought it was pretty funny, and this is probably the day we get our "Report Cards" as a mom. I let that slide, figuring she's getting me back for not buying the hamster ... or the "My Little Pony" gift set that she's been begging for lately........

This morning, I was surprised to wake up with a crayon-drawn picture next to my bedside. It was a drawing....and it had the word "LOVE", and actual HEARTS drawn around 2 people resembling....me and Abbie! Lo and behold........it looks like we're holding hands and are on good terms, SMILING too! Imagine that?!

I love you 蔥油餅 ~ somehow the pix won't turn around (^_*)

I cooked her a special breakfast (thanks to Auntie Grace's yummy dough).... Chinese Pancakes ~ 蔥油餅~ which reflected my joy, appreciation and Love for her as well! (^_^) When she woke up, she was stunned to see her favorite breakfast WRITTEN on the plate, literally! So I guess in mother-daughter (or ANY!) relationship, sometimes we do things with funny or not so funny intent, but at the end of the day, we're all family and we can laugh at the things/days to come because we learn to love, forgive, then love again!

~ The kids sang a Mother's Day song in Taiwanese (above), and another in Chinese ( below!!) ~

Our Wonderful Mother's Day Celebration (^_^)!

2011-05-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

It was so wonderful to host mommy Soph's family this Thanksgiving again! Thanks to all the family for driving all the way down to Ladera! Yeay!

We were excited and Abbie helped set up "Barbie Hostess Station" as we awaited our guests! We prepared the food beginning at 9am, and looked forward to Grandma Kathy, Auntie Debbie's family, and Uncle Stephen's arrival!

There were 4 baseball games going on today, so it's perfect for gathering and celebration!

Mama Soph's cooking is very unpredictable ~ so I'm vey thankful everyone still ate lots of my cooking! We had yummy corn, cucumber salad, veggie, and soup dish! Auntie Debbie drank 5 bowls, I'm so proud of her! Hubby cooked his special Steak and sis brought yummy roast chicken and BBQ pork. Brother Bruce said grace, and we dug in!

Kyle had fun playing with his cousin Abbie....as he's into "Thomas the Train" stage! He's grown bigger and is super special and huggable! We only had 1 clear family picture taken by Uncle Bruce.... Thank you Uncle Bruce! We miss you Uncle Dan!

Grandma baked cookies w/Abbie for our dessert...Unfortunately, I misread the directions and put in the WHOLE stick of butter instead of just 1 tablespoon! So it becamse choco-chip syrup! Good thing we had fruits from grandma and Auntie Deb!
So thankful for a Wonderful mother's day gathering!!

~ Mannix Peacemakers ~ The Heroes in Our Lives

2011-05-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

The 31 Nobel Peace Prize Presenters!

Today I attended Caleb's "Peacemaker Presentation".... And as I entered the Hall of Champion, I heard the song "Hero"....and witnessed our kids in Mrs. Mannix's class march up the stage elegantly. It suddenly struck me as a "Graduation-like March"...and if we fast-forward to 2019.....near this time....Caleb and friends will be graduating from high school!

Seeing the kids so well-rehearsed and proper up there made me cherish the 8 years left of Caleb's time in our home (assuming he'll be living in a dorm in college (^_^)....But if he's at Saddleback, great!). I will really treasure the times our kids spend in our care!

Caleb mumbles his way through his speech as "Albert Schweitzer"

Caleb was "Albert Schweitzer", though he spoke super softly and quickly... so I still don't know much about 'ol Al! (^_^)

Is it just my kid, or are other kids too shy to take pix with mommy? (^_^)
The right top corner is what Albert Schwarz looks like in person. Should have given Caleb a Mustache!!

The kids sang SUPER well, like professional choir children on Christmas Eve! All of the Mannix Maniac parents are super proud of them!

Ok, they looked sleepy ~ It was a long program! Good job for sitting so long!

Kids sat patiently and listened to their friends share their Nobel Peace history!

Keep up the great work, kids! We love you! 29 more days of school! (Today is 5/11/11)!

Miss Julia and Friends did really well! Proud of you all!

(^_^) Thoughts from an Inexperienced "9-Yr-Old" Mom! ~ HAPPY Mother's DAY!! ~

2011-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Time really flies! I can't believe it's May already! The kids graduate from 4th and Kindergarten...in 6 weeks!

My 3 kids (41, 5 and 9 yrs old) (^_^)

Mother's day is here again! I used to expect things and gestures from my 3 kids (one of which is 41 years old)....like commercials always cajole and entice consumers......"Give mom the best because she deserves it". But now, after 9+ years of motherhood, I realized that Motherhood is actually a GIFT from God!

Of course, there are days when I feel like hiding from all the responsibilities and emotions of motherhood, like this Tantrum session from dear Abbie last week (see video....then you'll feel a little better about your kids' gentler-by-far fussiness by comparison)...(^_^)

But I look back at the past 9 years, and realized that Caleb is half way through his 'home life' with us! In 9 years, he'll be off to college! "Off To" could be down the street in Saddleback college (which is not a bad idea ~ economical and we see him daily!), or across the country (3,000 miles away?!). So putting things in perspective made me cherish the moments. Sometimes they fight and scream....making me want to run and hide in Mission Hospital for a couple weeks....but other times, they are as compatible as lego pieces, like the surprise 'Duet' we heard last week from them!

Yesterday it was so touching to see Abbie make 'homemade biscuits' for me and Caleb ~ as an afternoon snack.

Homemade biscuit is SO yummy! (^_^)

Baking together is what I rarely do with her, 'cuz I'm super lazy and it's easier/cheaper to buy the voila~ ready made pastries. But this Mother's day, on her school-craft mother's day card, she wrote the following:

Never knew that she loved eating almond jello!

I realized that doing things with her, and sharing our love for pastry, sweets (almond jello!) and life (and Totoro cartoon) together....is what will last forever in her young mind.

Abbie makes Almond Jello (^_^)

Today we are going to surprise Mrs. McLaren (Abbie's Kinder teacher) with YUMMY Almond Jello Abbie wrote about on her school Mother's Day Card! Mrs. McLaren never tasted them before so Abbie made some for her ! (^_^)

One day, she may continue the 'tradition' with her own kids....and I will sit back and enjoy the fruits (or desserts!) of my labors!

Happy Mother's Day everyone! I love you! (^_^)

Apparently.... All the fuss and homework tantrums (and sticking to it) paid off! Abbie aces the Word StudyTest!

Abbie showed me the card she made at school ~ And I looked MAD! I asked why she drew mama that way and she said, "Because you're always mad at me"! (Notice the arms crossing at hips!)
After her explanation, she laughed HYSTERICALLY ~(*_^) ~ The worst thing was, my mom and big sister BOTH thought she did a GREAT job of depicting me in my "Mad Face"! Arent' they supposed to be on my side?? (^_^)

Abbie is officially addicted to Totoro as I was in college!

*** Ok, last picture, I promise ***

24hrs X 7 days ~ Our Way Too Long Spring Break in Vegas (*_^)

2011-04-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

Valley of Fire!

This year for Spring Break, hubby packed us all up to go to Vegas.....for 7 days! Joe somebody at work had a good deal.... 7 days in Grandview Hotel timeshare for $300. So what's a penny-pinching family like us to do....but to go for the full 168 hours?

Our friend Sam took our side view ~ very interesting!!

Caleb loves hiking!

Luckily some buddies from church also went to Vegas for a few days, so we had dinner with them on Sunday, and the next day we all went to Valley of Fire State Park together!

~ Grandview Buffet ~ This is where the pounds come in...and Stay!

I was surprised Valley of Fire was the 1st State Park in Nevada!

Valley of Fire is very beautiful, with majestic red rocks all around. We were captivated by the breathtaking view, and the kids loved chasing the chipmunks around and climbing the surprisingly well-tractioned rocks!

It's funny ~ during our family picture, ALL the kids ran over to take pictures with us!

Warning: This Video may cause dizziness in many viewers (^_^)....or is it just me?

Caleb and I rarely take pictures together (or he won't let me), so I enjoy this "on the cliff" moment. Sometimes our mother-son relationship is 'rocky', but through it all, I thank God for the opportunity to watch a little baby boy grow to a little man in just short 9 years!

The next day we went to Hoover Dam, which was a very short excursion. After all, how long can you stand there and look at a dam? Nevertheless, it was fun and good to get out of the one-bedroom, half-kitchen apartment (^_^).

This bridge was completed Oct 2010 so people can see the view of the Hoover Dam

The Dam's view from the new bypass bridge

Caleb hangs over a ( pseudo) cliff near Hoover Dam

The Red Rock Canyon State Park has 19 hiking trails and is very beautiful as well! Our first "Discovery" hike was a 0.7 miles long, rocky hike and we ended up at a beautiful waterfall.

We passed several bushes en route and discovered lots of "catepillar nests", where many baby catepillars squirm around in their stringy caccoon-like homes. Really cool (and kind of gross)!

Kids pose for pictures along the Discovery Trail

Doesn't the pose look EXACTLY the same?

Caleb hikes with daddy at White Dome trail in Red Rock Canyon

The rest of the vacation was a blur, as we began to fight after several days of being cooped up in the hotel watching reruns of Sponge Bob Squarepants and iCarly... But nonetheless, I am thankful for the opportunity to share good (and even boring) moments with my loved ones. We had 4 buffets in all, and now I'm working on losing the pounds (which is quite easy, since I'm currently on antibiotics for 10 days.....and have no junk food appetite). Hubby is already planning on our summer vacation....'while I'm still doing laundry and unpacking from our 2-weeks-ago-trip!

Chaparral's Jog-A-Thon was as Festive as Ever! (^_^)

2011-03-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

This year, our Princpal Joe continued to promote a very healthy activity on campus called "Jog-a-Thon". The kids continue to run for 26 minutes (or walk, if they run out of gas)..... and there are water stations they can stop by to get drinks. This is good because the kids get used to running and exercising with their friends, a terrific physical and social activity!

Another Mannix Maniac Moment!

Caleb was accompanied by his classmates and all the 4th graders at Chaparral, and even the teachers (and daddy Mark) joined too! It was great to see them run so well and Caleb ran 20 laps (6 laps = 1 mile)! Hubby Mark chats with Mrs. Mannix in the video....good job guys!

I enjoyed watching father, son, and tons of kids exercise and enjoy life together. These are the times we can spend with them carefree, when they still WANT to hang out w/us. It will be hard 30 years later for them to run leisurely with us (imagine how busy their schedules would be....just like us now!). So I'm savoring every moment. The class picture was super wonderful too! Mannix Maniacs were all in blue and Mrs. Mannix said their team name was ironic since the kids are all very gentle and super nice!

Mrs. McLaren lines up the Runners!

Abbie's class ran 2 hours later....And before they began, Mr. McGann showed them some interesting moves...

Mr. McGann, are you showing them how to break dance?

Abbie had a blast as this was her very first Jog-a-Thon! Mrs. McLaren stretched and did 'Jumping Jacks' with them before the race began!

She was very excited as she began to run her first lap and also see her 3rd grade buddies from Mr. Trager's class come cheer them on too!

I was taking videos at first, but was later dragged into running with them as well..... I realized how little I had been running the past months and was soon out of breath AND sore for days afterwards!

The class picture was super cute too! Thanks for all the hard work everyone!!

Caleb's Class "Boot"!

Abbie's Class Boot!

Principal Joe & Office Staff Boot!

Visiting our dear Uncle Davy's Workshop(^_^)

2011-02-27T10:23:00.000-08:00

Abbie draws "A Giant Leaf" for Uncle Davy

Last Autumn (2010), our buddy Peter told the AWANA kids (Friday night church camp) and parents that we have a special guest speaker, Uncle Davy Liu, who will share about his life! We were very excited and mesmorized by the amazing life story he shared with us. As a child, he didn't do well in his studies or music, and felt like an outcast among his peers, God had a plan for him that he did not know at the time. In Jr. high, Davy and his teachers noticed that he was surprisingly skilled in drawing.

Caleb at Uncle Davy's workshop ~ Go Uncle Davy!

After being chosen as 1 of the 8 (out of tens of thousands of candidates) to be a Disney Animator at only 19 years of age, he excelled at his animation drawings (such as Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Aladdin, Lion King, and Atlantis)! But after 10 years, sensing a bigger purpose, he gave up his lucrative income & career to start Kendufilms, a faith-based film industry making (magnificient & breathtaking ~ in my opinion) animated biblical movies, for God's glory.

Caleb poses for his caricature by Uncle Davy!

After sharing and book signing that night, I prayed for him and his family. He has a big vision, and it takes thousands to pray and support his ministry. I emailed him letting him know that I can help him edit, translate, whatever, if he ever needed the help. And he replied. So we began emailing articles back and forth, translation, editing, any work that needed polishing.

Caleb the Baseball player ~ and daddy Mark in the back!

On the Sunday before Valentine's, we were invited to his home for hot pot. We met his lovely wife Joan, 14 year old daughter Sabrina, big brother Phillip (from Taiwan), and Mary & Helen who help out Davy in his ministry!

Abbie the Mermaid & her friend Flounder!

The kids were super excited when Uncle Davy told them to visit his workshop, and began drawing caricatures of each of them!

The kids loved playing with Davy. He was not only a kind, patient, gentle artist, but he was also a funny and skilled magician too!

Davy's encouraging gift ~ His hand-drawn calendar! Let's keep serving Him, brother!

We will continue to pray for his family and ministry, and support him in any way we can. God is in control, and we just need to trust, love, and serve Him, one fine day at a time. Later that week, I was asked to join the team as public relations, translation, and editing gal.

When I graduated from college, I was doing 'drug work'....so, from Pharmaceutical, to Parenting (9.5 years ago at the moment of baby Caleb's arrival), and now to Publicity, my life has turned a new leaf. I needed a Giant Leaf of Faith, and I pray that God can help me take that big step of change and transition. Change is always difficult, but I am very excited to be in this ministry of sharing Christ with the world. A few days ago I had heart palpitations all day and night....Perhaps it is unconsious stress, but I realized that I needed to let Go and let God take the rein. This is His ministry, and He loves every person in this world more than I can ever love them, and I only need to do my part.

Though it is formidable, and the future is unknown, but I know that God is soverign, in control, and will take care of everything. By your prayers, we can move the hand of God, and trust that He will bring those who do not yet know Him ~ to Himself. Thank you for faithfully following and praying for me all these years. The Lord bless you as you live each day for His glory as well!

Mama Soph's Day Off (26 Hours ~ to be Exact) ~(^_^)~

2011-02-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

Soph returns afte 26 hours Off!

This is the day that I had been waiting for ~ My day off! A few weeks ago, I asked hubby to book me a hotel so I can have a mini-vacation, a special treat for 9+ years of hard work as mommy! And so he did! It was something new for the whole family, as I've never been away for more than a few hours since Caleb was born (well, except the week that I was hospitalized...see January 2010 post about my adventures in the hospital)!

Soph's Hotel in Foothill Ranch

The kids were excited and nervous (perhaps unsure of how the day would be without mommy), and Abbie said, "Yeay! I won't need to eat veggies when mommy's not here!"

So Sunday afternoon, I met with my college buddies Julie and Daisy at Spectrum's "Corner Bakery". After that, it was cold and windy, so I decided to go to "The Balcony" to have hot pot. The Shihlin Herbal Pot is REALLY good! I even saw Maggie's family and Wayne's family stroll in for dessert, and they were surprised to see me eating there. Sam asked if I was REALLY eating by myself (no secret rendezvous?), and I assured him that I was....and the empty bowl (previously filled with hot pot veggies) across from my table was no one else's but mine (^_^).

I didn't do much ~ watched Weather Channel that night (^_^)! And MSNBC.

Then I went to Courtyard Marriott, which was nice and cozy. I videotaped the hotel so hubby could see what my room was like (and that he did a wonderful job reserving this place)!

The next day I packed up (after missing breakfast 'cuz I got up too late) and left the hotel for Souplantation. It was a fun and relaxing 2 hours (of eating and reading the whole week's newspapers). Surprisingly, an hour after lunch and shopping at Walmart, I saw my sis in law Jenny's car in the Souplantation parking lot! So like a stalking paparazzi, I parked next to her car, took a picture, left a note on her windshield, then fled the scene.

Hi Sis!! Soph was here too!

It is indeed a small world! I guess one better not do bad things secretively....because there's always someone out there who knows us! On the other hand, I think that's God's way of saying, "Here's a little reminder that wherever you go, I am with you!"

I came home and Abbie took a picture of me. Hubby did a great job with the kids! They ate yummy BBQ pork and empty-heart veggie from Sam Woo, and Caleb even learned new songs on his recorder!

So I learned that kids and hubby are very flexible and sometimes letting go and letting them bond together will bring us moms surprises and rewards! I'm thankful to hubby for the wonderful break! Being a mommy is no easy task, as we try everything we can to influence our kids, 24/7. Taking a step back and recharging myself really helped me see that God is really in control of everything. I just need to do my part, do my best, and maintain a balance in time with God, myself, family, and work! (^_^) Happy Relaxing, mommies!

Snow on the mountaintops outside Marriott

Happy Valentine's Day ~ Surprise from Hubby (Literally ~ A Miracle)

2011-02-14T21:05:00.000-08:00

Today is definately a very surprising day! I heard someone enter the house around 5pm, which is very atypical! Fearing it is a burglar, I tiptoed to the stairway to find my very own hubby, carrying lots of Costco purchases, one of which is a huge pack of T-bone steak! As it turned out, he wanted to surprise me (which is literally, a miracle, for those of you who know him long enough)!

Since we started dating 18 years ago, I've already come to the realization that hubby doesn't do holidays. Not Valentine, anniversary, birthdays, anything like that. He doesn't want Hallmark telling him when to love his girlfriend/wife. Hence, I've grown accustomed to enjoying little things each day brings. So today, I'm very thankful that hubby slipped out of work at 4pm to buy and cook me yummy steak (hope boss is not reading this!), and I'm thankful for the little things he does for me every day!

Me in my PJs, not knowing he'd be home w/a surprise dinner!

When we were eating the steak, or actually, chewing through the thick layers of it, hubby said, "Boy, this steak is super tough! I'm losing my touch cooking this thing!" I shot back, "Maybe it's just a reflection of the state of our marriage!" Hahaha! I guess some days we have tender steaks and some days we have tough ones, but most importantly, we enjoy and appreciate the heart behind the beef! (^_^)

Kobee bird imitates hubby's "kettle sound" whenever he boils water for his tea. He had been doing this several years ago. Lately we've been inviting him to join us for dinner (not as entree, but as a guest!) so we are happy to hear his super cool imitations again! (^_^)

My Little Leaguer ~ Caleb the Tarheel, Go!

2011-02-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

Caleb began his new Spring baseball season! Time really flies... I can't believe he's in his 3rd year of Little League already!

I'm thankful that I have a sweet boy (and girl) who loves life, works hard (in school) and plays hard. Watching him enjoy the love of his life ~ baseball ~ makes me realize that God created everyone with different passions, interests, and talents. Whatever they are, if we use our gifts for the Lord, and enjoy what we do for Him and others, then our life is meaningful and abundant.

Go Caleb ~ Go Tarheels! Enjoy the process, not the result or score. The friendships you cultivate , the challenges you face, the trials you endure, will shape and mold you into the vessel that God will use some day.

Love you and enjoy what you love too!

Happy Chinese New Year 兔 You! (^_^) 2011

2011-02-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Dearest Friends and Family ~(^_^)~

Happy Chinese New Year! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by! Though it's not as festive as it is in Taiwan, we are blessed to have Chinese New Year here in Southern California (as seen by the yummy rice cakes, decorations and new year candies everywhere in 99 Market) ,and in Chinese school too! Today we celebrated with poems, singing, dancing, lion dance, and chinese new year snacks!

We enjoyed watching Abbie and Caleb's chinese classes recite New Year's poems too!

We saw puppet show which reminded me of childhood times when we watched them on TV (and our parents watched them on street corners)! We are blessed for these programs as it gives the kids a glimpse into our childhood and the chinese culture ~

New Year's Snack!!

From Chinese New Year Celebration 2011 (^_^)

Celebrating my Parent-in-Law's 金婚 50th Anniversary! (^_^)

2011-01-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

We had a very wonderful and touching 50th Wedding anniversary celebration for mom-in-law Esther and dad-in-law Caleb!

Thank you all for coming to mom and dad's 50th Anniversary! (And for those out of state, for your prayers!) We are super blessed! It's great to have bros and sisters in God's family who have been with us all through the years!

Big brother Samuel shares about family life with mom and dad

Below are different videos I was able to take in the midst of slight chaos . The kids were excited and nervous at the same time! aleb practiced 2 songs for a few weeks, and on the BIG DAY, as grandparents requested, played them as people were ushed into the sanctuary of our church. He appeared nervous, but we were so proud of him for playing the songs (Mission Bells & "Love is Patient") to bless grandma and grandpa.

All the kids and grandkids sang "In the Garden", mom's favorite song, to surprise her! Grandpa joined us too! Abbie can't read, but faked reading the song sheet quite well (^_^).

Stephanie did a wonderful slideshow which made me feel like high school again with the cool songs she incorporated into it! Joshua and Sarah also played clarinet and violin, respectivelyand we loved the music they shared!

Joshua plays clairnet for grandparents

After the service, we had tons of good food catered from chinese restaurant and a special "Lechon" roast pig too! We were blessed to have 350+ people attend the party, so many that when I got to the "lechon" tray, only a pig head was left! (^_^)

Thank you all for your help and for making this party so memorable and touching! We are blessed by all of you, especially for your prayers!

Hiking at Walnut Canyon & Snow Day on Christmas Eve at Flagstaff

2010-12-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

From Christmas at Sedona 2010

Thankfully we have pictures of our beautiful Walnut Canyon and river hikes!

Montezuma's Well

We saw Montezuma's well as well!

On Christmas eve, we drove up to Flagstaff because hubby called and found out there was 1-inch of snow.....so we went and played with snow by the side of the road! The kids even got pretty snow gloves (esp. Abbie's pretty purple one....$20!) Everyone had fun, esp. when they attacked me (the photographer) viciously by plummetting snow at me!

We also tried to make a snowman but it didn't work out too well....not enough snow! They made snow angels on the ground too!

8 day Sedona Christmas Escape (^_^)

2010-12-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

Montezuma's Castle in Sedona, AZ

This year's Christmas we have decided to go to Sedona, AZ. People asked, "Do you have relatives there?" or, "Are you guys going skiing in AZ?" But our answers are, "No.....we just got a good time-share deal from the coworker friend!" It was just $288 (including tax) for 8 days! So though we're not sure what we'll do there....besides eating lots of snacks, homemade soups/noodles/ spaghetti/curry rice, and maybe hiking alittle....we packed our belongings and headed out for our 8 hour drive. It rained when we left on 12/18, and it rained and flooded on our way back on 12/25, and from what I saw on the weather channel, it was Noah's Ark in Southern Cal the whole week we were gone!

The kids watched LOTS of SpongeBob! I watched my chinese soaps w/laptop right below

Unfortunately, we disovered we lost one scandisk containing days 1-4 of our trip, so our "Toozigoot" native ruins pictures and Sedona mountain/river pictures went missing. But thankfully we still had hubby and boy's hiking pictures, our Montezuma Castle Nat'l Monument pictures, and Red River rock hiking pictures too!

Daddy and Abbie by the river

The kids fought most of the way to and back, and in the hotel as well. That was also why I hid myself in the bathroom hot tub, enjoying rare luxuries of hot baths alone. When I stepped out of the tub, my head felt heavy and I decided to get some water. I went to the kitchen and 'while pouring water, slumped over on the granite countertop. Hubby rushed over and brought me to the bedroom where I felt oxygen go inside my head agan as soon as I laid down. I guess it was anemia + elevation + dehydration! So remember to drink lots of water and eat carbo before diong baths!

Hubby with big mouth hollering at mommy lying down (by Abbie)

Hubby stood by the bedroom door and barked continuously at me "Drink more water! Eat pineapple cake! How are you doing? Get up, drink water!". In my confused state, I was conversing with myself about hubby's behavior...."I know I'm dizzy, but I'm NOT DEAF!". Later he explained to me that this (barking) was the proper way to speak to victims of unknown state of consciousness, and he learned this in CPR class. So I suppose I should forgive him for breaking my eardrums because he was just following protocol. (Above) Abbie drew a picture of him screaming commands at me while I laid in bed, and her looking on nearby. What an adventure! Good thing the rest of the trip went relatively smooth (except for the kids fighting every 6-8 minutes)!

One of 3 pictures of me in the entire trip (^_^). And not sure why all pix are in panoramic view!!

~Happy Birthday Jesus~ Presentation by our Sweet Little ones!

2010-12-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas my sweeties! (^_^) It is so touching to see how innocent and earnest the little ones are as they sing beautiful praises to our Lord Jesus! Yes, His birth is the reason for the season!

In the first video, you can see the kids came into the chapel (after Uncle Time's introduction) 'while they sang the Chipmunk Christmas song....so cute!

What is even more heartwarming are the angelic smiles of love, anticipation, nervousness, and joy in their parents faces! As I beheld the parents surrounding me, I realized that God also smiles joyfully at us as we worship Him from deep within our hearts and souls!

Each little child you see in these videos.... is flourishing today not haphazardly, but because someone is pouring out days, months, and years of unconditional love, endless labor, unspoken sacrifices, sleepless nights, and daily pains, tears, fears and cares! The moment we became parents, we experienced for the first time what it feels like to wear our hearts....on the OUTside!

Only with God's love and strength are we able to persevere and train our kids up the way he should go, since we are so limited and weak ourselves! (^_^)

(^_^) God bless you, mommies and daddies, as you devote your time, energy, sleep and your ALL to your children! Happy Birthday Jesus, and Merry Christmas everyone!

Here is the photo Album of the singing presentation. (^_^) Enjoy the pictures!

Kids' Christmas Presentation (^_^)

2010-12-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

This year, auntie Erinn led the kids (1st - 6th graders) in the Christmas program! Today they had an early Christmas presentation we had fun watching the short skits and also hearing the kids sing! Everyone sang super well!

The first song

Kids getting antsy...

Third song...

By the last song, Abbie apparently had enough of singing (she is 5 yrs old, so shouldn't be in this singing group...but auntie Erinn made a kind exception since she practiced w/big brother Caleb weekly at children's worship).... ~(^_*)~

Abbie turns back at audience ~ apparently running out of batteries...

She started to do some hilarious things....like looking SUPER annoyed, crossing her arms, tucking her clothes in, and poking Rebecca during the super long presentation. We were there since 9:10am so she was pooped out. It was so fun to watch them!

Super funny last song...

Good job everyone! Merry early Christmas! Happy birthday Jesus!

Go Gladiators! Hubbies are in Pseudo-Wipe-Out!!! (^_^)

2010-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

We're waiting for you, to join us ain Gladiator Run 2011!

Today is a super special day!Hubby and 8 friends (4 coworkers, 4 church buddies) have been training for this special "Wipe Out" event for several months! Even our dentist buddy Tommy had taken this day off, in order to slush around in the mud!

Uncle Edison is truly on "Survivor" mode!

It was super cold and overcast this morning, and even drizzled too! The "Incredible 9's" made their way through the 12 obstacle 5K course, in mud, waters, walls and fire, so that we can bring to you this daredevil adventure, LIVE, from Irvine, CA!

Hubby's hiking (or wine-meat) friends ~ Coworkers at Alcon!

Edison, tommy, hubby Mark, James and Victor! Smiling proudly before race...haha....wait boys, you will suffer!

It was worth the long weeks of waiting, the waking up on a freezing cold morning, the paparrazi-like pursuit to capture our hubbies in action ~ and finally being able to witness our hubbies transform into mud monsters before our eyes!

Mud Men Crew 2010! Victor is still struggling 'while the boys take their celebratory picture.

Mr. Victor makes it to the finish line!

Below are the events in chronological order...so without further ado, I shall let you witness the exciting events for yourselves! (^_^)

We had lots of fun watching the videos of our men falling and sliding, flying through fire, and swimming across muddy trenches ! Thanks Victor and Carol for your hospitality! (^_^) What a memorable day!

Our life on this earth likens this obstacle course....
Sometimes it is smooth and easy, but many times it is filled with unexpected obstacles, muddy situations, and fiery trials. It is a blessing to have friends who love us at all times, and wonderful brothers (by birth or through Christ) who walk/run/stand with us during challenging times! Proverbs 17:17 ~ soph's paraphrase (^_^).

The Lord bless you richly, my fellow siblings and teammates, as we run this life's unpredictable & exciting course together! One day we will be arrive at the finish line, and even if we become muddy and slimy, Jesus will be there with outstreched hands, ready to hug us and bring us to the Heavenly home He custom made for us!

Recession Decorating at Christmas Time! (^_^)

2010-12-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

Hubby won this Santa Bear for me when we were dating....18 years ago!

Today I woke up with major back pain. Why? Because yesterday we (Abbie and I) decorated the front yard with Christmas lights and decor! It took me (a very non-engineering-minded gal) more than 2 hours to wrap all the lights around the front porches, garage frame and tree....

Abbie proudly stands with Mr. Bear & Pals

Mr. Elephant from Big Lots

This year I decided to save $$ and not buy another head-rotating reindeer, after donating my 7 year old Rudolph the Rusty Reindeer.....We will just have Mr. Elephant from Big Lots out on the lawn.

It may seem like a small task to deck one's yard with lights, but for me, it's a hefty task because non-left-brained-me couldn't figure out which way to connect the bizillion light sources so that they will actually ALL light up! I almost gave up half way!

Santa Bear was with us ever since Caleb was born!

Half of this blanket-light is broken, but I hid it in the back of the fence!

First time I hung lights over our garage, and lazy me used Scotch tape!
I consider it a big accomplishment 'cuz we saved $$ on mechanical lifts!

Hubby said I should wrap the lights around the WHOLE tree! Isn't this
supposed to be the guys' job? I'm glad I survived wrapping lights on just the tree trunk!

I couldn't get the lights to work 'cuz I didn't have enough plugs (^_^)! Had to use my fish tank connector...sorry fishies!

After an afternoon's hard work, we can sit back and enjoy the fruit of our labors....for 23 days....then we get the joy of taking them ALL down again!! It's tough work, but somehow the millions of it still do it faithfully year after year! All for the love of our little ones (and big ones too!), and spreading a little festive holiday ambience!
Happy Almost Christmas everyone!