Christmas!

One day as we were driving in the car in early December, Fei Fei asked me how many days to Christmas. I decided to do a counting game with her. I told her that, from the day we were in, there would be 18 more days to Christmas. 

"How many more days to Christmas if it is tomorrow?" I asked. 

"17 more days!"

"Good job!" Very surprised that she could answer that, I went on to ask, "how about from the day after tomorrow -- how many days are there left to Christmas?"

"16 more days!"

"What about from the day after the day after tomorrow?" I asked one more time.

"Christmas!" She shouted excitedly. We all had a good laugh, and from that point on, shouting "Christmas" randomly became a fun game for her.

For some reason this year I was more excited to decorate our home than previous years. On one Sunday afternoon I solicited Fei Fei's help for the task, who was more than eager to participate. We pull out the little tree and the ornaments from the basement that were packed away in boxes. These ornaments came from good friends and from my Dad, who used to work as a designer in a Christmas ornament company when he first came to Hong Kong in the early 1980s. He made many musical instruments and musical notes. Last year when he and my mom came to visit, he donated the lei that he received as a gift from Hawaii to our tree as well.  He designed a sculpture of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the Father of Modern China, for the city of Honolulu to be placed in a memorial park near Chinatown, and in November last year my parents went to Hawaii for the opening ceremony. Dr. Sun Yat Sen received his democratic influence in Hawaii during his teenage years before he returned to China to complete his mission for a revolutionary new China.

So the tree has become a giant souvenior display of many places from many people.

"I remember how Daddy did this last year," Fei Fei said as she maneuvered the tree branches, "and I can do it all by myself."

We used to string the lights around the tree, but this year I wanted to string them along the walls of the house. There were pretty blue and white lights. As Fei Fei was putting the tree and the ornaments up, I was standing on a stool hanging the lights close to the ceiling. I wanted to be reminded again about the lights I saw in a vision when I first came to know Jesus ... 

I was staying in a community house, The Dock, during the Sophomore winter break. I was taking an English class to fulfill the general requirement. On this particular evening, I was sitting in the kitchen writing letters, while some people were playing worship songs in the living room. As I was listening to them singing, I could feel the loneliness inside my heart. All that I was experiencing in my life up to that point -- loneliness, fear, stress -- became that much more pronounced in the atmosphere of worship. All of a sudden, I felt that I saw thousands of candles lit up around the kitchen ceiling; the warmth, the light that beamed from them was so attractive to me. As one of the people came into the kitchen to get a drink, I couldn't wait to ask where their joy came from. Later on it became a lengthy discussion and answer session about my doubts for years. That night I came to know the source of that light for the first time.

After all these years, I felt the need to once again remind myself, and now also to my children, the wonder when I first saw the light...

"At the cross, at the cross

where I first saw the Light

And the burdens of my heart rolled away

It was there by faith

I received my sight

And now I am happy all the day"... as the famous hymn sings.

May we welcome Christ like little children, counting down to the days to celebrate His birth. May we never grow tired to come, to the feet of the source of all joy and grace -- the light of the world. May his glory and radiance push away all darkness and shine brightly in our hearts and minds. 

Merry Christmas.  

Dry Crust, with Thanksgiving

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet

than a house full of feasting, with strife.

Proverbs 17:1

This was the perfect description for our very peaceful and quiet Thanksgiving this year. We did not go down to Maryland and Virginia to visit with Mark's family this year. Instead, we decided to stay home and perhaps invite friends who were around to join us for Thanksgiving. As it turned out, all the people we invited could not come, so it was just us for the holiday.

I had planned to make a simple dinner with Asian style food, since Mark and I don't really mind staying away from the traditional food choices. To be a little more festive, I decided to bake a fresh pumpkin bread from scratch to add to the meal. My friend Elizabeth once made a very tasty pumpkin bread--the smell and the texture of the bread just stayed in my mind after I tried it! So, I decided to embark on an adventure on this holiday. I was so excited about it.

Mark scooped out the pulps and the seeds in the pumpkins we had with Fei Fei, who was so happy to be able to help. Since it was the first time I handled dry live yeast, I followed exactly the directions from the recipe. I mixed all the ingredients together and was excitedly waiting for the covered dough to rise near to the stove. Still, it didn't rise for another half hour.

Eventually I put the dough in the warm oven after I phoned my friend's house for help. By this time dinner was ready (Chicken soup with carrots, ginger, goji berries, and Chinese dry sweet plum; potstickers; stir fry veggies, and rice). We sat down to enjoy the meal, being so thankful for a peaceful and harmonious day together. Mark had extended time to play with the kids which was great. He has been so busy working on his studies every day. It was at this time that I thought of the verse from Proverbs 17:1, being thankful with the simple meal we had, while having no idea about the dry crust part.

After dinner I checked on the dough. Aha! It had finally risen double the size of the original dough!!! I took it out and exclaimed to everyone about that. Fei and I both loved touching the soft and warm dough, though it was sticky to our fingers! I then took out the dough and punched it down as the direction says, rolled it into a bread-like shape and divided it into two loaves. I put them back into the oven for another hour to wait for it to rise again.

Finally it was the moment to bake them, and by this time Fei Fei and Jun Jun were both ready for bed. They were sad that they didn't get to try the fresh bread. I promised for great pumpkin bread in the morning. As the bread was being baked, the house was filled with the most delightful aroma of pumpkin, and most of all, the feeling of something home-made. We had some light jazz music going on, candlelight lit in the simple center piece for the dinning table, and it was a wonderful ambience for the festival.

A table of simple joy

The sweetness of life

When the oven beeped, I took out the two most beautiful things--the dark brown, freshly baked pumpkin bread from scratch!!! I felt that I have already baked myself in them for the last 5 hours, with all the anticipation. They didn't rise as high as my friend Elizabeth's, but I thought that's just fine. I put my hands on them. They felt so warm and comfortable. And the way they were shaped looked like two honest old leather boots to me--keeping me warm in the winter. 

I couldn't wait to slice a piece to try, remembering the taste just like the one from Elizabeth's house. It didn't quite taste like that. The crust was a little dry, and it wasn't as sweet. Later Mark said that maybe it had something to do with being in an oven for 100F when the dough was rising, rather than being in a lower temperature. But, I don't quite care about that. I am so proud of these two beautiful things from my oven, and I have grown a lot of appreciation for home-baked bread. The effort putting in for the kneading, the creativity of rolling it into different shapes, and the joy of seeing something being made in front of my eyes are all marvelous experiences.  

As I put my hands on the fresh warm bread loaves, I thought about what Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35a) I wonder what it must have been like back then, when he was in a room full of people when he was talking about the True Bread of life.  Maybe he was even holding a loaf of bread just like this one (perhaps a little moister). It was a moment of worship for me, standing in the kitchen and touching these warm leather-boots-like wonderful things. 

The next morning, everyone enjoyed the long-awaited pumpkin bread from mom, with different kinds of spreads on top. I was so glad that my family is my faithful support for all sorts of food I experiment with. And this Thanksgiving will probably be one that we will always look back on and smile upon.  

Si

I have been wanting to update the blog since we came back from Hong Kong/China about all our adventures there. Struggling with time management to do this is another job to accomplish before I can get down to business. I did not, however, anticipate that when I am ready to blog again, I would be writing about the loss of a good friend, Si Lee, who died suddenly with a heart attack during his sleep one week ago. He was only 48 years old.

One of the last conversations I had with Si was three Sundays ago. After the Sunday service at the community center Si asked me about the blog. He said he didn't know that we keep one, and when he found out about it he read all the stories there. He told me that he really liked them. I told him that I have really been enjoying writing about my kids, and that it's been so relaxing for me. He noticed that I haven't updated the blog for a while, and urged me to write some more. When it was time to leave, I yelled out to him as he was walking to the parking lot, "I will keep you posted about the blog. It will be updated soon." Those words and enthusiasm of the conversation were still so vivid. Only the person is no more. 

Mark and I knew Si somewhere around 2001 and 2002. We were part of the same small group with our church, prayer groups, and we worked regularly on setting up the worship service area and music/sound board ministries on Sunday mornings at the Munson Library in Amherst. Through these contacts we got to know each other. He had just come from Chicago to join his parents to live, having gone through some rough changes in his life, and now not knowing what the future would hold here. I had just left my second job and was also trying to figure things out in the midst of confusion and frustration. One time we were talking about how our former lives seemed to be so successful when we had so much to be proud of, and then life would change and suddenly we were in the dark valleys. It was hard but good to have someone to share these experiences with. At times I could the pain that he was bearing was so great that he would not talk about it, but just keep it to himself. I could also see him working hard on being light-hearted around people. Only God knew how frequently his heart had come before Him for strength to go on for another day and hope for the future.

I will miss Si. It still just doesn't seem real even after the wake and the funeral that took place this week. I am comforted knowing that he has finished the journey in this life and is at rest, free of all sorrows and pains. I will look forward to the day when we shall meet again in Heaven.   

Farmers Market

Lately I have been taking the kids to the farmers market on Saturday mornings at the Amherst Common. I love getting fresh Chinese vegetables from the only one stall there, all the way at the end of the market line, while Sophia enjoys getting her banana chocolate chip popsicle from the little stand as a treat. Jun Jun usually sits nicely (most of the time) in his stroller, totally engaged in watching people, kids, dogs, and everything surrounding him. 

Something about being able to walk and browse fresh produce, be it vegetables, flowers, fruits, bread, etc. in an open air setting, is just so relaxing and refreshing. I must be remembering the daily practice of going to market streets when growing up in Hong Kong, except that the environment here for the market is much better than the urban city, the concrete jungle. Something about being able to connect with people face to face while browsing the produce, purchasing, and dialoguing is so important to the health of a human soul. 

I came to the Chinese stall and was glad to see that they have baby bok choy and Chinese chives.

"Fei Fei, can you say A Ye Ni Hao?" I asked Sophia to greet the saleslady at the stall ( the phrase means "hello auntee", for Chinese children are supposed to address all grown ups either auntee or uncle, whether they're related to the family or not).

"A Ye Ni Hao." Fei Fei greeted her confidently. She did not seem to resist speaking Chinese, which has been occurring lately, often with complaints like "I only know a little bit of Chinese", or "I just like to speak Spanish and English". I have tried not to force her to speak it, but with every opportunity I have for her to interact with Chinese people here I would subtly encourage her to do so, even though it means holding my breath inside and anticipating my daughter resisting the initiation from the mother.

The Chinese saleslady responded with a broad smile, impressed that she can speak Chinese. She went on to tell us her name, and Sophia told her her name in Chinese as well (this time not Cinderella, but Luo Xue Fei). It was all very natural, almost like she forgot that she was speaking in Chinese with a stranger, but just speaking it like she has always known it.

"Fei Fei, look what good Chinese you spoke! Let's go get a popsicle for a treat!" I was quietly cheering a hurray in my heart--for her and for myself.

Later we also got a couple slices of pizza to munch on under the big trees at the common. The cool breeze kept the kids happy. We played a game of hide-and-seek behind the tree trunks, and then it was time to head home. I am glad to come to the market at the Common as another place to go with the kids. This used to be my favorite place when I was in college living in Amherst, and I feel that it has returned to my life again. And even better, now we have popsicles for treats and games to play afterwards.

A Walk in the Woods

Last week I celebrated one of my happiest birthdays. It was nothing earth-shaking, just very relaxing and carefree, which equals happy. In the morning Mark took Sophia to POPS (Papas of Pre-Schoolers). Jun Jun slept till 10am so he didn't get to go out. I decided that it would be nice to spend some precious one-on-one time with him. After breakfast, we leisurely cleaned up the dishes, did a load of laundry, and I took him out for a walk in the woods by Shattuck Road.

It had been raining for a few days, so on that particular morning it was cool but dry. The air was moist due to the rain, and the vegetations were lush after the wash. I put Jun Jun in our jogging stroller and headed for the rugged part of Shattuck Road. These days Jun Jun loves going out. Whenever I say, "let's go outside", he would bring his shoes over to me and signal me to put them on for him. Sometimes he also tries to reach the doorknob to open the door. Once he is outside, he would be like a bird let loose, totally embracing the great outdoor with all his enthusiasm. 

We walked along the road, admiring the smooth lawns, the various shades of green beaming from trees, moss, shrubs, ferns, and the rich texture of all these landscape that open up for us from the many little houses tugged in the woods. There were birds singing above the trees, and sometimes a few residue rain drops fell on our heads when the breeze gently brushed through the trees, making a soothing "shhhh" sound. Occasionally an airplane flew over us and disappeared in the clouds. Jun Jun would look up and try to hear where the sound came from. 

At one point I stopped in front of a bunch of wildflowers by the road to pick a blue flower to Jun Jun. 

"Wow-wer", he said, practicing one of his first words, as his pudgy little fingers held tightly the tiny flower I gave him. Then, bringing it to his mouth, he tried to blow it, recollecting all the memories of himself blowing dandelions with Fei Fei on numerous other walks we have taken together. 

More wildflowers appeared along the road, which excited me. I picked a few of them and handed to him. Very interesting, he tossed the others aside with "disdain", and just held fast to the first blue flower he received. I think this shows something about his personality and character, though still too early to determine until he's more grown. 

After about 45 minutes of walking it was time for us to go home and make lunch. I long to go back to the woods with my little ones and soak up a full body of green again.

Pet Caterpillar and Rescue Breathing

Fei Fei has been wanting a pet for the longest time. Mark and I are in no place to have one, other than taking care of the two we already have. So one day Fei Fei found a caterpillar outside of our house, and she excited claimed the caterpillar as her "pet", after our friend's daughter, Jayden, who also has a love for caterpillars. Under Mark's instruction, Fei Fei put the caterpillar in a small box, furnished with leaves, twigs and grass. She even asked me to poke a hole on the lid of the box so that the caterpillar could breath. She fondly named her Cinderella, for she had a blue stripe across her body. 

On another totally different occasion, I got a book for First Aid for Infants and Children when Jun Jun turned one, who since a few months old has experienced more falls than Fei Fei (my self-comforting reasoning for that is that it's normal with child #2). I thought that a book like that can be handy at home. 

Ever since I got the book, Fei Fei has been so interested to read it and learn all about bandages, rescue breathing, how to take care of nose bleeding, wounds, etc. One time she even practiced CPR on her stuffed animals when we were reading this book together. I thought this was a perfect learning time for body parts and medical knowledge. 

Last week there were a few days that were just brutally hot, and Fei Fei had left her "pet" outside on the deck. The next day, we found that pet caterpillar had died, probably due to heat (or maybe starvation). Fei Fei was very sad about that. We talked about giving her a burial in our yard. Then she said, "but I can do rescue breathing for her!" I tried not to laugh while being so touched by her love for her "pet". Then she asked me questions like, "does caterpillar have a mouth? A heart? A lung? A face? did her heart stop beating?" And I looked at her wide eyed, because my brain normally doesn't think of such topics. 

So, the moral of this story is that I realize I don't know much about caterpillars, and I'd better do some research about them before another rescue breathing situation comes up! Before I know it, my list of things to investigate is getting longer. 

you're Ok, Jun Jun

Jun Jun and Fei Fei are playing a lot more together now, which is so good to see. Fei has emerged beautifully to become a big sister (most times) to her little brother. She likes to help watch if he is putting small things into his mouth, make up games that they can play (though she gets so upset when Jun wracks her plan), and she is also learning to use words to encourage him. The other day we were outside playing and Jun fell down. I watched from a distance what she would do. She yelled from a distance, "you are ok, Jun Jun." I was very pleased that she did that for him.

The toddling Jun

We have noticed that Jun was already able to walk when he was one year old, but his hesitation was holding him back. Sometimes I could see him thinking about the possibility to walk, but instead crawling was still more secure. At 13 months, almost the same age as Fei Fei, he started to take his first, then second, then many steps. Since the end of April, he's gained more and more confidence to walk, falling down at times as he tries to catch a ball or his big sister, but he would get up right away. With his arms arching back like a bird ready to take off, he just goes, shifting his center of gravity from one leg to the other (as Mark analyses). His walking has gotten so sophisticated now that he can even turn around an object if it's in his way. I joked that when Fei Fei learned to walk, she was more like a dinosaur, crutching her arms in front of herto maintain her balance.

His confidence level has also grown in his speech. There is still no clear words that he is speaking besides "ma ma" for "more more", or "da da" for practically anything. But his desire to communicate is so fun to watch. The other day he threw something on the floor. And then he started to try to tell us what happened, with hand gestures wiping his tray table and pointing to the floor: "da da da...zzzzzzzthhhthhthssss....da da da", with a big grin on his face. 

Even with limited speech, he manages to interact with all of us. At dinner table he would make silly sounds with his lips to get Fei Fei to copy him, and most of the times she would actually follow him. And realized it is not appropriate to do so, she would speak in a "stern" voice, "no Jun Jun, No spitting at the table!" It didn't occur to me that sibling interaction happens so early. Then when he sees his favorite blueberry jelly, whole milk yogurt, or fruit of any kind, he will make sure that Mark and I know that he wants it NOW :)

Time to Climb a Tree!

During the winter Fei Fei asked about climbing a tree, and I told her that when the snow melts she would be able to do that.  The first time she climbed a tree was in May 2006, when she was two. We went to celebrate a friend's birthday, and outside her apartment there were many beautiful trees just beginning to have leaves. So Fei Fei did not hesitate to get on one of them and had a great time trying all positions to get on the tree. 

Throughout the long winter months she has been patiently waiting for the opportunity to do that again. I think that experience was so great in her mind that she couldn't wait to do that again. Last year, everything was just like a blur with the new baby and adjusting to life back in the States after being gone for nearly four and a half months, we didn't have the chance to check out a tree to climb. 

Finally the snow has all disappeared, and last Friday when Mark brought Fei Fei and Jun Jun to Eric Carle Museum for a story time, Fei Fei was able to find a nice tree to climb. She was so excited because this was the moment she had been waiting for! She was on it for only a short while, because they had another show to get to in the Museum, but she was very satisfied and came home to tell me that she had climb a tree that day.

Fei Fei and Jun Jun outside of the Eric Carle Museum

I was such a tree climber once. I remember seeing pictures of myself sitting on a tree branch at my grandmother's house in Guangzhou, China, probably at the age of two or three, making a funny face much like what Jun Jun is making now. 

Sitting on a tree outside of my grandmother's house in Guangzhou, China

In my first elementary school I remember there was a large tree reaching out of the school yard walls, and I used to climb on it for fun. One time I felt down from it and landed on the solid sheet of ice on the ground (It must have hurt for me to remember this detail). I remember getting on a large tree during one visit to Macau with my aunt Kelly, and we both swung our legs. While I was studying in UMass there was a tree that I liked to climb, outside of Crabtree dormitory that overlooks the basketball field for the Northeast Quad. I liked to sit up there and watch people playing ball, or just lie down and stare at the stars at night. 

Maybe one of these days I will climb a tree again with Fei Fei. It would be such a bonding experience for us, and I will tell her all about the trees I used to climb too.

April

Wow, I haven't been updating the blog for a few weeks now! :) April seems to have been so busy, with birthday celebration for Mark's Gramma who turned 103 years old on April 10, another dear friend Marie Stone's birthday that same weekend--she turned 86 years old, the nice weather and the daily outing with the kids (Jun Jun got a little squirting pool for his birthday, so he's been trying it out on the sunny days). It feels so good to be able to go out and play in the sun. Feels like the winter has been so long and Spring finally showed up all of a sudden, and I didn't even miss it!

There's always so much to write about for each single day of our lives here, and sometimes I feel that unless I have a big chunk of time I can't write anything, or unless I have this or that in place I can't write. Hence I don't write at all, and every time when I see the old stories I go, "yikes, got to go update this. I just wish I have the time... "

I think the beauty of a blog is that it doesn't have to be perfect; it's just real time, real place and real me.  That's been stretching for me, to let the perfection go and to be comfortable with what I have that maybe imperfect (but in whose eyes), that it may not be an essay but just plain me talking. So, here I go, being thankful that at the end of a long day I still have the strength to sit here and do something I like, and not too tired yet to scale a mountain of the mind. 

Tomorrow is another day. Maybe I will go running again. Maybe Fei Fei will have more than one play date. Maybe I will get to go to the post office and mail off the package for my cousin's new baby in China. Maybe I will even make the steamed Chinese eggplants for supper again that Mark loves so much. Maybe I will hear more news about Andrew's surgery and be thankful that he and his family are alright. Maybe I will learn more about the 101 ways to stay healthy I just read from the Women's Health magazine, and be motivated to implement a few starting tomorrow. Maybe I will also go out and pat the new baby grass Mark put in that's sprouting out on our lawn (I am heeding his advice to go do something with my hands for the Earth regularly; it's allegedly good for my emotional and mental health :). Maybe, like Fei Fei (aka Carmella Cinderella) says, we will have many adventures...

Life is so full. Embrace it today :)

Paint Play Together

I signed up an art class for Sophia for the month of March in Eric Carle Museum, and it has been one of the best things for both of us. We came to the Museum's bright and open art and craft studio every Friday morning, and we sat down to paint with brushes of all sizes, tools ranging from combs, brayers, plastic forks, dabbers, and mediums such as watercolors, oil pastel, tempera, glue, cardboards, pencils, etc. Sitting by large tables covered with brown papers, we were given papers to put our creations on. It has been so therapeutic for me, for one hour a week to just sit and play with the brushes, being served by the art instructor with different choices of art mediums. I pictured myself as if lounging in the business class on an airplane, indulging in the visual stimuli of colors and textures with fine services. The best part was, I didn't even need to clean up after all the fun. 

Week 1 started out by learning about the concept of primary and secondary colors. Then we explored mixing the colors with the brushes to create more shades of colors. Sophia was fascinated about how new colors were created when blending them together.

"Mama, what is your favorite color?"

"I like brown, gray, black, white... and really, I like many colors."

For the next few weeks Sophia created many shades of browns and grays in her drawings, and I just love them. In one drawing we even sprinkled salt on it, and then rubbed it when it was dry. The salt left interesting texture to the colors. In another week we swished brushes and brayers on big pieces of papers, then used oil pastels to draw on it. We also created a large cardboard painting/sculpture with a caterpillar eating a leaf, while wild berries and other fruits drizzled around. It was interesting to notice how Sophia just painted without thinking too much about it, while I caught myself being careful and contemplating what colors to use next, what pieces to put down on the paper. It was a great experience to learn to let go of the control and just be child-like, "just do it". 

One week I also observed how Sophia learned to build connection to her surrounding through painting. She made a friend named Penelope in the class. One time Penelope drew a train track using her colors. Sophia wanted to do the same thing, so in her drawing she also made a train track but with different colors and compositions. In her mind that was her way to relate to her new friend. Penelope went on to make a drawing of snow because it started to snow outside, and Sophia also started to put snow flakes in her drawing. This time she noticed how each drop of the paint can stay on the paper like a bubble, or a water drop. Later on she created a painting with the question "what happens if I put lots of water bubbles on the page and then mix them?" It was very beautiful.

Sophia sitting next to Penelope, both busy with their work

 

These paintings will probably be put up somewhere in our house, just like what we have done with many other of her art work. We are two parents obsessed with collecting photographs and Sophia's art work, from dots to lines to patches of colors to scissor-cut shapes, stickers, stories made out of the pictures, etc. Maybe one day when she is older she can look back to these childhood drawings and see her own journey of building connections with the world. 

Friendship Week

This week has been so fun. Our friends John and Pauline came to visit from New Jersey, along with their kids Reuben and Joshua. We have some common friends in the area that go back to more than 10 years ago, so the last few days have been good times of catching up, hanging out, eating good food, etc. With friends together food is always involved :) On Sunday night, the husbands watched the kids while the women went out for a nice meal at Judie's and chatted until the restaurant was closing. On Monday night we went out to see "Miss Pettigrew Lives for Day". It was a very good story and we loved it. I was beside myself to think that I had gone out two nights on a row with girlfriends!! 

Tuesday through Thursday another group of friends, Peter, Gemma, their children and one dog also came up from Maryland for a visit. We have known them through the student fellowship while we were in UMass. Their children are now so big and tall. Sophia bonded immediately with all the children, especially their dog, Coco. She would sing lullaby to her when she was taking a nap on the floor. 

Everyone at the Dock for dinner

Gemma and Jun Jun posing by the trampoline 

On Thursday morning Gemma, Mari and I had breakfast together.  These special moments with veteran wives and mothers have been so rejuvenating to me. It has made me appreciate these friends so much more. They are women who are strong when they are weak, who are down-to-earth practical while dealing with the stresses in life. I am thankful for the gift of real friendship.

Jun Jun is 1 year old!

I can't believe how quickly one year has gone by and our baby Jun Jun is turning one! It feels just like yesterday that he was born in Hong Kong. The other day I was just telling the story of his birth to a couple of friends, and the memories of it is still so vivid. Some time I will h

ave to write down our experience in Hong Kong and particularly related to his birth. 

To make this one year old birthday celebration special, I had taken pictures of what we did that day to document this important event in Jun Jun's life. 

In the morning my mother called to sing Happy Birthday song in Chinese to Jun Jun. Fei Fei joined along. She now can sing it in Chinese too. Jun Jun watched the phone with great interest. 

Jun Jun at the doctor's office for the one year check up. He loves playing with the toys there. Heis now 22lbs 3 ozs, over 30 inches long and very healthy. After 2 shots and numerous tries for blood drawn from his arms, he was completely wiped out and was fast asleep on the ride home.

I bought a second hand rocking horse for Jun Jun as his first birthday present. I have always had the memory of myself as a baby riding on a rocking horse with my cousin in China, and I have always thought about getting a little horse like that for my children. When I saw it in a thrift store, it just caught my eyes immediately. Fei Fei and Jun Jun both had a great time riding it together. I think this toy will stay with us for a while.

Fei Fei decided to help make Jun Jun's birthday cake (really it is birthday corn bread). She has become really good at helping me mix and stir. In the afternoon, Fei Fei decorated the birthday corn bread with colorful cake pens, calling it The Machine. She carefully put 5 candles on it, because ever since she turned 4, she has been thinking about turning 5 and everything is about 5, including the number of candles on Jun Jun's birthday bread. 

We sang to him, who gazed at us and the candles with huge amazement. He was just so mesmerized with the light. 

Happy Birthday to our sweet little prince.

Two Firsts

Between today and yesterday we are having two Firsts in the house: Jun Jun turned 1 yesterday, and Sophia is going to her first sleepover tonight at the Wooleys. We have had quite an excitment going on here. Will post more pictures about Jun Jun's small but cozy birthday. He rode on the wooden rocking horse I got him and loved it! And Sophia insisted to sleep in her sleeping bag last night...she's bringing that to the sleepover tonight!

The "Bigger Kid"!

“Mama, since I'm a bigger kid now, I can put myself to bed. I will read books to my hippoy.”

Tonight when I was bathing Jun Jun, Fei Fei (Sophia) came in to the bathroom and gave the big announcement. I was a bit surprised about this, since bedtime reading has always been our ritual since her babyhood. She brought three books into the warm bathroom, sat down on a little chair and began to practice reading to her baby hippo and Jun Jun. Her ability to just create stories seeing pictures from the pages are amazing to me. Many times she would choose to make a different story from the ones she has heard over and over.

Somewhere in Sophia's mind she has decided that growing bigger and becoming 4 would mean her becoming more like a grown up. That explains the daily morning discussion about how she would like her hair done,how she would like to get dresses, what to eat, letting her zip up her coats, etc. When I do let her have her way, for example, doing her hair, she would tell me, “Mama, thank you for letting me make my own decisions.”

Sophia, in her funky hairdo, was making her own peanut butter jelly bagel sandwiches with tangerine slices...

Her mannerism also seems to change just like overnight. When referring to younger kids, she would say, "they are still toddlers, but I'm already 4". Ages seem to be making a much bigger distinction to her now. Since she's very interested in princesses these days, she would proudly declare, "when I was toddler, I was Belle. When I was 3, I was Snow White. But now I am 4, so I am Cinderella."

While I have been fascinated by this Big Kid phenomenon, I have been thinking of ways to reap some benefits of it. I would suggest to Sophia that since she's 4 now, she can be more responsible to her toys, her clothes, her "babies"--stuffed animals in her bedroom that she has affectionately given names to. I told her that since she is a mom to them, she can't be forgetting to take them home after bringing them out for a ride, a walk, or take them back to her room if they are downstairs or in the mudroom.

But once in while, when she feels the Big Kid thing isn't quite as fun and she wants to be lazy, she would tell me,"my babies are getting bigger. They can take care of themselves sitting in the mudroom."

So, after I finished Jun Jun's bath and we were about to get upstairs, I asked my Big Girl, “ tonight you are going to put yourself to bed, right?” She thought for a second, then smiled to me, “Mama, I still want you to put me to bed.” Somewhere else in her mind, she still knows that she is my little girl.

Rain and Snow

One morning a few days ago Sophia and I were sitting in the kitchen for breakfast as usual. It was a very rainy day. I had just finishing doing emailing, and I remembered one friend wrote, "rain, rain, rain, rain" at the end of her email to me. So at breakfast I started casually singing the repeated words of "rain" to the tune of Pachobel Canon in D. Sophia, while eating her favorite cereal in the whole world now (Kashi's Heart to Heart!), began to join in to sing. Without knowing the tune to the Canon, the words she started to create for the tune fitted perfected to what I was singing and to the harmonic nature to the song. She began to sing, "Snow is melting, melting, melting" repeatedly while I was singing "rain, rain, rain, rain". As you know the Canon has so many different variations to the melody, so I just kept singing the "rain" word in different variations and she continue to add to that. It was a very wonderful and magical moment for both of us.