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 (^_^)
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!!) ~
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!!
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!
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!
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!
