Science

 We had our butterflies hatch from their chrysalides this past week! The kids have been filling out diagrams and drawing pictures of the caterpillar/butterfly development. We learned from an Insect lore booklet that the caterpillar waste is called frase. We also watched a YouTube clip about what is happening inside the chrysalis... Basically, the outer skin of the caterpillar turns very hard and crispy, while the inside dissolves and then reforms within about 1 week time span to form a whole new digestive system, wings, antennae, etc. Very amazing! https://photos.app.goo.gl/G48yH4y1iiU1cMRr7

A boy and his dog

Lambchop toy didn't last long...

A few weeks ago, we adopted a dog.  Some of you might be thinking, "But wait--didn't you just move a few weeks ago?"  Yes, we may or may not have gotten a dog one day after our household goods arrived. :)  As spontaneous as it may sound, this goal has been a long time in coming. I remember when Lo Lo was born, our landlord in Massachusetts had just gotten a dog that he was calling his "Baby" (which I, having just given birth to a real human child, thought mildly ridiculous).  He remarked that he and his wife weren't ready for a child yet; too much commitment.  But Jerry and I have always felt the opposite!  We could easily imagine having children right away and carrying on with life.  For example, children are allowed tenants at most apartment complexes.  But dogs aren't.  A dog has always seemed in the long-term goal list.  More of a capstone accomplishment than a whim to enter into lightly.  And apparently we have arrived!  

 Meet Kuma (Japanese for "bear" which is a cool name, the title he came with when we adopted him).  He is an awesomely unique solid black purebred German Shepherd Dog.  He can destroy a fluffy squeaker toy in seconds, shred a tennis ball in minutes, and became our loyal protector in a few days.  The first night he visited our home, he pretty much ignored us.  His gaze was fixed on his owner at the time, Mister J.  I love this aspect of the breed; German Shepherds are adoring to their families and aloof with strangers.  It makes me feel special to be the recipient of highly selective love.  He isn't like the labs and goldens who are friendly to a fault; Kuma intimidates most people when they first meet him.  I take him jogging and feel invincible.  I sleep at night with peace knowing Kuma is nearby watching over us.  More than once, people have asked me if he is a wolf, including my next door neighbor, who is a canine aficionado and breeds mastiffs.  Yes our dog fights through the fence with the beefy neighbor dogs.

Probably the most delightful part about dog owning at this stage in our lives is that the kids are young enough to be wholly enamored by their canine buddy.  They spend most of the day tagging along together, playing ball, brushing, cuddling, and "teaching tricks" to Kuma.  They have taught him such useful commands as "Lick," (he will lick a hand) and "Cross the Street."  (He walks across the street on a leash).  Kuma comes everywhere with us, waiting in the car if he isn't allowed in a particular store, but coming in if it's a store like Cabelas, D&B, or PetSmart.  He sits in the front seat of our little Nissan Versa Note--because it is the only part of the car he will fit in.  He pokes his head out the window while we drive.  I've also had him in the back of my dad's big Dodge pickup truck a couple times, and he gots a lot of honks and stares.  He is such a gorgeous, striking dog.

Because Kuma is a classic GSD, we are needing to constantly reinforce training.  He has a strong prey drive, and could play fetch for hours--but we are cautious to break up the ball throwing with obedience practice.  For example, when he brings a ball back to be thrown again, I first have him sit, lay down, or shake a paw before I throw the ball again. We are still working on him leaving slack in the leash while walking.  He stays a lot closer to me off-leash than on-leash, ironically.  I'd also like to see him be a little less barky, but don't have much hope of training out that part of him.  He is a German Shepherd afterall.

Anyway, we are totally thrilled and feel like all our dreams have come true.  Oh, and I should add that Jerry and I are referring to ourselves as Kuma's "Mommy" and "Daddy."  It really does feel like we added another kid to the family.

Father's Day Cake

The kids and I made Jerry a Father's Day Cake, Chinese style.  It had six eggs, two cups of cream, and only about one cup of sugar in it.  Oh, and lots of fruit.  The kids even cut the fruit, spread the custard filling, etc. Also, I made a second version of the cake with just me decorating it:

We gave this one away of course.  I was so proud of how it looked, how could we eat it all by ourselves?  ;)

Hijab Mini Version

We live in a diverse area, so it isn't uncommon to see women in hijabs, the traditional Muslim head covering.  Babies don't wear them--except for my baby.  :)  She was crying about the wind blowing her hair into her face (her hair has gotten so long!) and I'd forgotten to bring a clip or hair tie for her.  Handily enough, I had a scarf to remove from my neck which held her hair back in a most capable manner.  I was impressed how well it stayed in place, even with her romping around the playground.

Donuts and Danny the Dragon

We used to live across the street from this darling amusement park/zoo so of course we got a membership and went countless times.  Now, we live an hour or two away (depending on traffic), so we won't be renewing our membership.  A few weeks ago, we went for what is probably the last time.  I felt nostalgic and decided it was worth braving the crowd to wait in line for the signature "Danny the dragon" ride.  It turned out to be 45 minutes in line.  The kids got a little boisterous, but Jerry played games with them and we all endured relatively well.  I must seem to obsess about it, but can I yet again mention how the crowds in this area put a damper on all there is to do.  Traffic, parking, waiting in line...when I think of our time in the Bay Area, the word "suffocation" is prominent in my mind.  Who knew I'm actually a country girl at heart??

Another line we waited in recently: the Donut Line! For National Donut Day, or whatever it's called, we stopped by Krispy Kreme and the kids loved watching the glazing line. This line was only about 30 minutes long? :)  Sorry; I'll stop complaining now.  We really did have fun and it was all worth it.

What I Love about the Bay Area embodied in one photo

Sometimes (aka most times) I would relocate almost anywhere else in the US if given half a chance.  The SF Bay Area is expensive, crowded, and frustrating on a variety of levels for this Idaho girl.  But I know if we moved almost anywhere else, these are the points I would most likely miss:

1. Best Climate Ever: We can hold birthday parties in November at a park and not need to have backup plans in case of inclement weather.  Yes, the above photo was taken in mid-November at Lo Lo's 5-year-old party during which all the kids spontaneously splashed in a creek and half of them went shoeless.  Now that it is March, it feels positively summery, but when summer officially arrives, it won't be much hotter.  It is almost always a good day to be outside here in the Bay Area.  I love it.  
2. Diversity: My son's good friends in the photo above are Thai, Japanese-Mexican, and some other interesting mix...remind me to ask her mother next time we chat.  And this type of ethnic/racial diversity happens naturally in nearly every group setting in the Bay Area.  It feels like a spot of heaven, making me imagine how it must be someday when we come home to Heavenly Father with peace between all people of the earth.  
3. Friends: we have moved three times in the Bay Area, and in each place, made remarkable friendships.  True, wonderful people reside anywhere.  But it's been a blessing that in the Bay Area there are enough job and school opportunities that we would never have to leave the area if we wanted to avoid uprooting our family entirely.  We could always stay geographically within an hour or two radius.  Does that make sense?  For example, we are still geographically close enough to stay in touch with old friends from the two previous moves.  Anywhere else we have lived, the moves have necessitated us going geographically too far to ever see our old friends again.  At this birthday party pictured above, we had 8 attendees from Lo Lo's former preschool--plus 4 "new" friends from our new neighborhood.  I like the idea of not having to really say "good-bye" when we have to move again.  The Bay Area increases likelihood of that happening.  

So there it is.  My three loves of this area.  I honestly could add a few more, like having awesome beaches just a few minutes drive from our home, or the Chinese culture appreciation opportunities, and hmmm...what else.  I have to keep reminding myself what there is to love here.  Because we're feeling pretty stuck here for the time being...

Christmas Break

We did not travel or have Jerry take vacation time this holiday season. But our holiday was still bright. I collaborated with my siblings and parents to do a "Family History/Genealogy Calendar" which turned out to be one of the most meaningful projects we've ever done as a family. So I felt close to family, even though I was geographically not near most of my family. Jerry and I have kids that are old enough now anyway that we can have Christmas with just the four of us and it feels exciting.

Baby Ro is hilarious these days.  She loves bandaids, for one thing, which is a curiosity to me because Mr. Lo has always abhorred them (as well as hating stickers, finger-painting, and anything else...sticky).  Anyway, Ro burns through about a pack of bandaids per week, so I get casual about just handing her one when she shows me an imaginary injury.  In that photo above, Ro had asked for a bandaid at bedtime, saying her eyes were hurting.  I figured her eyes were just hurting from being tired, but unthinkingly handed her a bandage in her crib to pacify her and then left.  She fell asleep quietly like normal.  When I got her in the morning, I found to my chagrin she had a bandaid on one eye and was crying--not because she wanted it OFF, but wailing that she wanted another bandage to cover her OTHER eye!  I finally gave in and let her do it. Yes, she stuck them both in that exact placement all by herself.  She smiled the sweetest look of contentment afterward.  About an hour later, she asked me to take off the bandages, saying "Take off--see a little bit better."  Of course she screamed horribly when the adhesive pulled at her eyebrows and eyelashes.  But then said simply, "Thank you, Mommy."  Two-year-olds really are funny, funny, funny.

We made gingerbread (graham cracker) houses at a special library program on Christmas Eve.  Jerry wasn't there because he had to work.  :(  Note Baby Ro has a bandage on her forehead.  No, she did not get an injury on her head.  She just stuck that bandaid on for fun.  Other interesting places she has put bandaids: her ear, her hair, and her toes (taping all toes into one bundled package).  Sidenote: I was proud of Mr. Lo during the gingerbread project because he only ate Hershey chocolate, marshmallows, and pretzels--not any M&M's, gum drops, candy canes, jelly beans, etc. because we are doing a strict "NO Red 40/Yellow 5 artificial food dye policy" for him.  He has a clear behavioral reaction to those toxins.  He's remarkably self-sustaining on this dietary change, carefully asking anyone who hands him a snack, if it looks red/yellow/orange/green/purple etc. "Can you check the ingredients please?"  And sometimes when I've told him in a moment of weakness, "Oh, you can have a little food dye something or other," he says, "No thank you."  He has learned to feel the negative effect of the food dyes on his emotional state and tries his best to avoid it.  I'm so proud of his personal integrity to do that.  His preschool teachers tell me he is careful even at school when I'm not there, always asking before eating the snack to check if it has any food dyes.

Another activity we did during Christmas break was visit a local fun spot, Hop N Play.  It's too expensive for "everyday" fun, but since Jerry was working so much and all our friends were out of town or visiting with their own families, I got desperate and had to take the kids somewhere.  Lo Lo loved this oompah loompah inspired playplace.  He is athletic, strong and daring.  He did all sorts of gymnastics and romping around at this outing.  Ro seemed a bit overwhelmed by it at times, but had fun too.  I don't have many pictures because I was trying to keep a close eye on the kids to make sure they were safe.

The last fun activity we did during Christmas break was a visit to our local zoo/science center.  Why yes my kids were doing outdoor water play in December.  Gotta love California.  Ro and Lo could have stayed at this sand/water table for hours, but I dragged them away to look at the otter feeding.  We had a friend join us at this activity and had lots of fun.

Cake 4 Kids

This 17 yr. old girl requested "cheerleader brownies" instead of a cake.  When I googled it..."cheerleader brownies" are "pot brownies."  Hmmm...I'm as drug-free as a person gets.  So I found some cheerleader themed cupcake papers and pics that looked like megaphones to use as decoration.  Three different varieties of brownie, because she didn't specify and "brownie" has a lot of options!  It's hard to pipe lettering on a non-smooth surface.  

The past year, I had a goal of baking once per month for the charity Cake4Kids.  I can't get the link to work. so just go to www.Cake4Kids.org.  While I skipped a couple of months, I did some other charity baking to make it all even out so I feel successful in reaching my goal. Here are some of the results (not necessarily all my favorite success stories, but the photos that I could locate quickest).

Apple cake with real caramel topping.  I free-handed the logo.  

These cupcakes were the only submission that earned me a "thank you" and report back from the social worker.  She said the 7 yr. old boy was thrilled with his requested LEGO cupcakes, carrot cake just like he asked.  

First time doing fondant.  I love it, but don't have the KitchenAid to help me make it on a regular basis.  No, I am not going to try hand-kneading the stickiest mixture on earth (marshmallows and Crisco).  I'd add a nice big eye for the middle "Mike Wyzowski" (sp?) layer if I were to do this cake again.  

top view through the cake box plastic looks cool.  :)  Like a nightmarish sunflower.  :)

An "emergency cake" i.e. the night before delivery was due, the other baker got sick and I accepted the last-minute role to fill-in.  So I wish I'd had time to pick up a soccer form pan from the cake library.  It's harder to free-hand soccer pattern than I first thought.  Pretty much everything about cake decorating is harder than I thought.  

This one was for my visiting teachee's kids, not the usual Cake4kids foster/homeless recipient.  Her twins were turning 2 and I begged her to let me do the cake.  She said, "the only word they know how to say is DOGGIE, so they'd love a cake having something to do with a dog."  And I love how this one turned out.  Very cute!  

This has been a very rewarding hobby. However, it has also make my family eat 10 times more baked goods than we otherwise would have consumed, because I tend to always bake a little extra, or do a "practice cake" if trying a new technique, etc. So I think I'll be taking a bit less cake decorating projects for the year 2015. Maybe try for every-other-month?

homeschool musings

Christmas cards/letters are not happening this year, mainly because we moved this past September and I'm still reeling. Do we ever have a year when we do NOT move?? We are all still adjusting and truthfully I've been battling some depression/anxiety flare-up. It doesn't seem to matter how many times we move, I'll always feel overwhelmed about having to get new doctors, dentists, shopping places, schools, congregations, friends, favorite parks, libraries, etc. So I've noticed this past move went better for a month or so, because we kept strong ties to Santa Clara. I kept driving an hour each way to take Mr. Lo to school out there, because we'd already paid tuition for the term and loved the school so much. But now that we no longer go back to our old neighborhood on a regular basis, I've started to feel the reality of the move sink in. Ugh.

My kids with two of the "joy school" classmates on my day to teach

Lo Lo did FOUR different schools in 2014. We did a homeschool "joy school" type of co op January through May, followed by Wilson Parent Participation Preschool in the Fall. Also, I did concurrent enrollment in Ocean Grove Charter Homeschool (OGCS) this Fall. He's considered Transitional Kindergarten in this state and could have attended 5 days/week in a regular elementary school TK classroom. Then, after our move, we enrolled him in another parent co op preschool (I'll forego specifics on the name for security reasons, because he is currently attending). I am in a total quandry about what to do for school next year. I need to decide soon... Homeschool is great because we have a lot of support (i.e. funding) through OGCS. And I love that he could move at his own pace, with the benefit of one-on-one instruction. But, lately I've been so overwhelmed with just the basics of life like dishes, laundry and meal prep, I have a hard time picturing how I could manage to direct my son in any type of educational pursuit. Jerry is a lot better at getting our son to be excited about reading/writing/rithmetic. He is young still, I know, but I want him to move along and learn if he's ready--and sometimes it seems that the group momentum in a classroom setting really helps him stay motivated to keep working and learning with joy. He is the most extroverted person I have ever met. So I wonder if I could fulfill his HUGE quota of social need in a homeschool setting. There are not many homeschool co ops in our area where we could hang out with other kids his age.

All my siblings, their spouses, kids and my parents--the whole family in one place!  It will probably be years before that happens again...

Last month we traveled to Boise for my brother's wedding. Which brings me to another benefit of homeschooling--freedom of schedule. I would love to be able to plan trips, doctor appointments, etc. without any consideration for my children missing class. In fact, the trips would often turn into enhancement of their curriculum! It's such a wonderful concept. I love the idea of homeschooling. Just not sure if I'm the capable sort of person who could handle doing it. *sigh* Oh, and one more thought on homeschooling: most of the homeschooled kids I've encountered have been amazing. In a noticeable, shining light sort of way, they stand out from the crowd. I don't have statistics on that sort of subjective observation, but I cannot deny the impression I've received that homeschooling can bring out a child's glorious potential in ways that herd-style public education cannot. I'm a product of public school. I turned out "fine," graduated from college, had only a few years of being bullied/friendless, and mostly loved my teachers and classes. I think my kids would be "fine" in public school. Probably. But they likely would have some special benefits from homeschooling. I hope I can do it. Being prayerful and hopeful.

We visited Chinatown and Lo Lo started speaking Chinese because all the kids there did not understand English.  Behold the power of positive peer pressure...maybe I need to find him another good Chinese bilingual school...

Is a smile too much to ask?

My kids are very smiley. But after two different sessions for family Christmas card photos, we ended up with nary a toothy grin. I'll forego posting the Christmas card photo just yet, but suffice to say baby Ro looks like one of those pioneer photos--somber and starving. And Lo looks like somebody told him to smile but he didn't want to. Oh, wait, that isn't just "what he looks like," that's reality. All I wanted was a few cheesy happy faces--why are they so much easier to capture on the fly? Observe:

The photography studio was playing Tom & Jerry in the waiting area. I eventually asked for a change of video, because MAN that show is violent--but I wish I had filmed Mr. Lo's reaction before we switched to Dora the Explorer. He was watching the cat and mouse antics with all the energy of a crowd at a championship game. He leaped off his seat, cheering, screaming in delight, giggling and crowing with abandon. Everybody in the waiting room was watching HIM instead of watching the show. :) I think it was his first time to be exposed to "old style" 2D animation. There is something extra entertaining about the classic stretch effects, slap comedy, exaggeration, etc. that makes me convinced 3D animation will never quite replace 2D. Anyway, of course all Mr. Lo's smiles faded the instant we left the waiting room and got our photos taken. :/

Let the Blogging Resume!

Baby Ro's morning hair and Lo's "American Symbols" wall for homeschool (he can tell you all about Mount Rushmore and the Star Spangled Banner)

We went about a year using limited internet, so now that we just got "regular" internet, I'll probably start blogging again with some regularity. Yay! Not sure how to handle the backlogged photos and news. I'll start by just giving a semi-recent photo of each kid and brief update on what's new with them.

Her favorite ride at Happy Hollow

Baby Ro is not so much a baby anymore, though people often guess she's younger than her real age of nearly two. She's short and has a big head (aka cute) and makes us laugh all the time with her efforts to communicate. She usually talks in sentences that contain a 2-5 words with good enough pronunciation that strangers often know what she's saying. She talks herself to sleep at night, which I know from listening on the baby monitor--very amusing to hear her chatter on to herself about her friends, what she did that day, etc. She's a stationary sort of girl, loving to sit and watch her brother at gymnastics, sit at the library storytime, sit in the grocery shopping cart, sit in the stroller, sit and color, sit and read, sit and...think? She pens the most elaborate drawings, even starting to do a classic circle with a cross in the middle (a developmental stage of drawing). She is naturally conscientious about putting the cap back on the marker when she is done using it. She has a tender heart and if she sees someone crying attempts to give them a hug or toy, etc. to cheer them up. Her favorite song is "I am a Child of God," which she sings! Her singing is so adorable! It sounds something like, "God...Child...Ahhh..." and she repeats those words a bunch in a melodious manner. :) The first words out of her mouth each morning are something along the lines of "Daddy awake? Ge Ge awake?" (Ge Ge means "older brother" in Chinese). She is old enough now to have some good playtime with her brother each day.

Since we don't have a yard, we have a liberal indoor play policy. 

That Lo is still as intense as ever. He has activities every day, from preschool to gymnastics to swim class. However, we are also homeschooling him through Ocean Grove Charter, because he could have done transitional kindergarten this year since he turns 5 in a month. At his preschool, which is the parent-participation type, I am always proud to respond when people ask, "which child is yours?" He is a noticeable child in the classroom, in a good way. He is enthusiastic, confident, and a good friend. By the second week of class, I had multiple parents approaching me to say, "Your son plays so cute with my child--when can we set up a playdate?" Besides his social development, I delight in noticing his mind growing and expanding. His view on the world is original and thoughtful (as is the case with all people I suppose?). Recently he was fighting off a cold and told me, "There are lots of germs in my belly. But I'm KILLING them with water! Because water is some kind of medicine." :) He listens to the Book of Mormon stories which Jerry put onto an old phone for him (Lo uses it like an MP3 player). He takes it with him to the park, in the car, etc. and knows the stories so well now, he corrects his parents sometimes on the order of scriptural accounts, like the fact that the king-men rise up before the Army of Helaman, and THEN comes the Pahoran/Moroni exchange. He sings church songs to himself at random times--while falling asleep at night, while in the car, etc. which always melts my heart. The songs I hear him sing most often are "Our Father has a Family, It's me...It's you..." (what is the real name of that song?) And "Army of Helaman."

This was actually a whole year ago at gymnastics.  I don't have an updated photo.  But he's still at The Little Gym, learning the same basics skills.

I am overall feeling at peace about how our family is doing, though I am prayerful and concerned about the effects of our moving so much and having limited outdoor play opportunity. I am thankful the Lord has given our children healthy development and so many natural talents that help them succeed through the challenges of life.

Mother's Day

I need to record this one tidbit of a memory, because it epitomizes what being a mother means to me right now. Lo told me before church on Mother's Day, in a generous, polite tone of voice: "You can dress me today, Mom." (I raised my eyebrows--whatever happened to mom getting a break on Mother's Day??) He elaborated: "Usually I dress myself, but today is a special day! It is Mother's Day! So you get to dress me!" He honestly thought he was doing me a favor. Putting socks on floppy kid feet has got to be one of my least favorite chores of the day. But I had to smile at the innocence and truly good intentions of my sweet son. I thanked him for the opportunity to dress him, and have to say it was satisfying to dress someone who stood relatively still during the process. Little Miss Ro generally runs like the wind while I try to button her clothes on. I expect a lot out of my 4-yr-old because of having his younger sister around. But they are both so young! I forget sometimes how much Lo Lo does not yet understand, until he says comments like he did this past Mother's Day.

Insomniac musings: work; hiking; ironic deaths

This "low data allotment/no photos" bit is killing off my blogging desire almost completely. I am watching my baby on the video monitor right now. She is talking cutely in her sleep, "Dada," while laying face down in her crib. I am awake after trying to go to bed early last night (7:30pm) following which, Jerry came home from work sometime around midnight and inadvertently woke me up. I tried to fall back asleep for a whole hour. Finally I got up and unloaded the dishwasher, studied the scriptures, and am now currently wasting time online. There is something about the husband working 80-ish hours per week that unsettles the whole household. It is almost like he is out of town, gone, except worse. Did I mention he averaged 80 hours/week for more than the month of January, even having to work a whole month of weekends. Then, he started a different client the second week of February which is a longer commute but slightly better hours. Trade-offs. And yet, despite the unpleasantness of his work hours, I have felt mostly content. Now and then I freak out and have a (minor?) breakdown but overall am feeling happy. Perspective matters. Yesterday a few friends (three other moms and our collective 10 kids) went on a "hike." It was the sort of trail that readily accepts bikes and strollers. We had glorious, spring-time weather--even summery--and I don't know what everyone elsewhere in the nation has been saying about a cold winter?? It has never been winter for one single moment here in the Bay Area. Yes I am gloating. Though I missed having snow for about 2 seconds on Christmas morning. We saw lots of cool wildlife on our hike including: a coyote (50 yds away); several hawks (30 yards away on the ground, one of them, and it was picking at a kill in its talons); plentiful butterflies (even a bright blue one!); and baby goats. Okay, the latter wasn't wildlife per se but we had lunch at a farm and there were all kinds of cute animals there. Baby Ro is totally an animal person. She was fussing for the majority of the hike (teething? has a cold? uncomfortable jeans? I don't know???) but at the farmyard, she brightened right up and kept pointing, laughing, etc. at the chickens and pigs especially. The pigs were just laying motionless, so I'm not sure why she loved them so. But I'm glad she likes animals, because Liam as never had any particular interest in them except for dinosaurs and I need at least one of our kids to be an animal person with me. We have a tank of fish. At first, it was beautiful. Then one of the goldfish, the hulking 4 inch long giant bully of the bunch, tried eating the catfish. I say "tried," because he only got the poor baby catfish halfway down his gullet before it got stuck in transit. He had a catfish tail poking perpetually out his mouth. The fish looked absolutely disgusting, swimming pathetically with ever slower pace as he gradually starved himself to death due to his gluttony. After a few days of watching him, agonizing over what I should do, Liam and I finally released him into the pond near our home where I hoped he would be quickly eaten and put out of his misery. Liam asked me, "Why are you being mean to the goldfish? Now he will be cold in the pond." I tried explaining the dilemma and principle of my kindness, being that a quicker death might be more merciful to the goldfish than a slow starvation in our tank at home. This is why we have pets. It raises all kinds of great topics to discuss with innocent children. Ugh. Sort of wishing we could have a dog or something less brainless than a goldfish.

Books I have recently read

My mom asked me yesterday, "Remind me again which book were you telling me about?" and I honestly couldn't remember which book I might have been sharing with her, because I have been reading quite a few good ones lately. All genres as usual. I just finished The Persian Pickle Club, by Sandra Dallas. Historical fiction, Great Depression in Kansas/women's quilting group/friendship/murder mystery with BEST twist ending ever! Also, Liam just got a cute book from his Sunbeam teacher titled, Rhyming Dust Bunnies, by Jan Thomas. Children's literature at its best. You will laugh out loud every time! Lastly, Jerry and I are reading together a parenting book titled The Whole Brain Child, by Daniel J. Siegel, Tina Payne Bryson. You know it's a good one when Jerry gets excited about reading it. He got it on e-book format and is listening to it audio while he multi-tasks. It has a lot of fun "comic book" inserts and other unique formatting points that appeal to multiple learning styles.

Happy Birthday to Mr. LO! And the saga of 4 Disney Cars Cakes.

Have I mentioned yet how my birthday, my son's birthday, my daughter's birthday, and Halloween all occur within a 2 wk. time frame. It is ridiculous. We have GOT to figure out a system for managing this traffic jam of celebrations. Also, it drives me crazy to do this post without photos. But as aforementioned, I cannot upload photos with our current internet situation. I do what I can. Anyway, in order to space the birthdays somewhat, we had Lo's party a whole month before his actual birthday. This was an experiment we shall not repeat. It just made him think he needed another party by the time his actual birthday rolled around. Which we sort of ended up doing, though Jerry and I refused to call it a "party." We just had a few families over for a special lunch in which we served Lo's favorite foods (orange chicken and wontons). And we gave party favors and cupcakes. And they all gave Lo gifts even though we told people they didn't need to. Okay, it was a second party. He was even going to get a THIRD party, thanks to the fact that I recently happened to find an extra Disney Cars cake in my possession. Read on. The story of The Cakes: The first cake, I was all set to try my hand at a Wilton Lightning McQueen form pan. But Lo insisted he didn't want a cake that looked like a car; he wanted a cake that had loads of TOY cars on top of it. Toys he could keep and play with forevermore. So that is what we made for his first party. It was a cute cake, three layers high with a race track and plenty of sprinkles, etc. plus a handful of microdrifter cars racing around on it. Lo helped me with pretty much every step of the cake-making process (the kid is great with a hand mixer!) and I'm happy with how it turned out. For the second party, er, non-party luncheon we just did cupcakes. Still Disney Cars themed, with racing flags topping some, and even one red-frosted cupcake with a yellow lightning bolt logo on it. Then, I signed up to make a Disney Cars cake for a charity I've gotten involved with. It is called Cake4Kids, and delivers birthday cakes to kids who otherwise wouldn't have a birthday (children in foster care mainly). I feel great getting to do some fun baking, and brightening lives in the process. Plus, I wanted a service opportunity that my kids could get involved in alongside me, and delivering a Cars cake to some little boy has Mr. Lo so excited! So a few days ago I made the Wilton Disney Cars cake. One of the ladies in my ward was a Wilton instructor, so she came over to my house for THREE hours and gave an awesome personalized lesson. I got myself the Wilton basics kit with some of my birthday money, and I'm feeling thrilled to learn this new skill. But anyway, I'm being a perfectionist about this cake for charity. The Cars cake we did a couple days ago just wasn't good enough to give away. :) So I was going to bring it to park group on Friday where my son would have yet another birthday party, eating cake with all his friends in the glorious Fall California weather. But then Mr. Lo got the stomach flu, missed park day, and we ended up throwing the cake in the trash because nobody wanted to eat it. I spent about 6 hours making that cake. It hurt a little to throw it away, but I guess the point of it was to practice and learn so the cake I deliver this week to the boy in Cake4Kids will be the best! Including the cupcakes from Lo's 2nd party, this charity cake will be my fourth attempt at a Disney Cars cake within the past month. I'd say I'm getting to be a tad expert at this category.

Happy Birthday to ME!

I recently celebrated my 30th birthday. I didn't expect it to feel like a big deal--normally I don't care about getting older, and especially since my kids' birthdays both fall within about a 2 week time span of mine, I expected to focus most of our celebrating efforts on them. But my sweet husband and kids did a couple of cute things I want to always remember. First, they made dinner. Jerry sent me out of the house and when I came home, there was fresh-baked bread in the oven, Salmon (my favorite), creamy pasta, and a green salad for dinner. He did all that with both kids "helping" him! Then, they gave me a homemade "coupon" for a free massage. It was adorable, colored and crafted and whatnot by Lo Lo. I redeemed the coupon right away. I sat in the rocking chair with my feet on the ottoman, and Jerry massaged my neck/shoulders while the kids massaged my feet. I could not stop laughing, because Baby Ro joined the massage party all of her own volition. She likes to copy what she sees others doing. She stood there grabbing my foot, and every time I closed my eyes to "relax," I felt her sharp baby teeth chomp down on my big toe. It was a perfect birthday. A few days before my birthday, I also had thoughtful packages/cards come in the mail from family members. I feel very blessed. My birthday gift to myself was a membership to the YMCA. I've not had a good consistent exercise routine for several years (basically, not since having children) and I think the nurturing, supportive programs at the Y will help me get the habit back.

If you love 'em, eat 'em.

Today in Sunbeams, my son was learning about animals. "How do we show love to our pets?" the teacher asked. One girl raised her hand. "We feed them." Another child raised a hand. "We can pet them." And then my child raised his hand. "We can eat them." Totally a CHINESE sort of answer. I think he was remembering the time we played with some live crabs we got from the asian market...and then we ate them later that day.

ramblings of the nomad.

We cancelled our internet to save money but before you all start gasping, I'll just explain that we do have limited use through a jetpack (I just can't upload photos or watch videos or anything that takes much data transfer). Anyway, having no photos to post hasn't helped my motivation to blog. But here I am determined to simply type. Today at a music & movement class, Baby Ro started climbing on a bigger (3 yr old) girl. Mr. Lo explained with a shrug of apology, "That is just my baby sister. She doesn't even know what she is doing." We have practiced that phrase a lot lately; "She is just a baby. Babies don't even know what they are DOING! They are so SILLY/FUNNY/LOVEABLE/etc." We say all these sentences in delighted tones and laugh a lot. Lo has mostly done well adopting this happy attitude toward his sister. He is very forgiving. Our kids also just reached the stage of being able to really wrestle together, which I love because then I get less pleadings from Mr. Lo for me to roughhouse with him. We moved one month ago. Yup, could not keep our New Year's Resolution to live in one location for at least 12 months. Even though our new place is an upgrade in every way imaginable, somehow I still felt moderately depressed with all the changes. Now that I've found the new storytime we like to attend, some good parks in the area, introduced ourselves to a few neighbors, checked out all the closest grocery stores, figured out preschool/gymnastics complications, and got a church calling (the nursery leader--for the 4th time!) I am feeling better. We signed a 12 month lease on this place. Here's hoping we really do stay here for at least one full year. It feels like a blissful, unlikely dream to ever put down roots somewhere.

Random update

My brother and his wife visited us last month.  Here he is at the Mystery Spot.  We have all KINDS of cool sites to see.  We welcome visitors!  We have a futon in the living room that is semi-sleepable and a few air mattresses...seriously, come visit.  See the sites.  And see us.  :)

As it feels impossible to catch up with all the blogging, here is a random assortment of happenings spewed onto the page in no particular order:

Babe Ro is furniture walking and getting into all kinds of mischief .

Mr. Lo has been begging for months now: "Please let my sister sleep with me!  I'll just wake you up if she needs anything in the night."  OH how we WISH it were possible--but no, they don't even share a room.  We just do pretend "sleepovers" in Lo's bed during the day at his request. 

These two get along well most of the time.  Baby adores her big brother and fixates her stare on him above all other human beings.  "Brother Bear," as he calls himself, often screeches when she comes crashing onto his carefully arranged play areas--but still seems to really like having her around. 

We had a cute thing happen a few days ago. The kids were playing in a fort/tent, and Miss Ro behaved like SUCH the grown-up, clambering all by herself through each room and tunnel we had built. Then, the two kids started laughing at each other through a mesh "window" of the tent. I cannot express enough how JOYFUL it feels to have my kids enjoying each others' company and playing together. It is a dream come true. Most of the time they need a little more supervision, but there were a good 10 minutes or so there in the tent when they were just adorable to watch, no parental interjections needed. My camera has been needing the batteries charged for a week or so, so no new photos. But anyway, figured I would give this blog a little update. Make sure to check out our Youtube channel if you haven't already. That is where we put most of our good videos.

6, er 7 months

She likes books and gets read to pretty much every day, but often she is just "read to" by virtue of sitting on my lap while I read to Mr. Lo.  I have a goal to read to her individually as well, but those sessions usually turn into book EATING rather than READING. 

Poor neglected non-firstborn child.  Miss Ro had her entire 6 month post get left out!  But at least I took her to the doctor on schedule for her 6 month well-baby visit last month.  Now don't ask me where I put those stats.  All I recall is that she was something like 16-17 lbs. and in high percentiles for height/weight but she seems to have only moderate amounts of chub.  Nothing excessive.  :)  

Almost to the day, as soon as she turned 6 months she could magically sit up.  We did the pillow cushion for awhile, as shown in this photo.  Though of course now in month 7 she is done needing those pillows.  She can currently CRAWL, people.  Which has wrecked havoc on her relationship with her older brother.  ;)

She mostly has a lot of Blue in her life.  She plays with her brother's toys because we are too frugal to buy her proper baby toys (though I've started scanning Craigslist again and just today scored a good buy on a baby toy). She also sticks out her tongue a lot (as shown in the photo).  So cute!

Let the solids begin!  I waited until the week she turned 6 months, and ever since then have haphazardly handed her most of what I eat.  I know, risky for the allergens watch.  I need to slow down and pace myself on new food introductions.  But that requires organization and planning...And isn't it interesting about the new AAP recommendations? 

She gets about 5 baths per day, once after each time she eats, and another one at bedtime with her brother in the big tub.  Still need to get a photo of that latter charming event, but usually I'm too busy keeping her from drowning.  And did I mention I do bedtime routines by myself these days.  I basically feel like supermom most of the time, but the real story is that I have to let this baby cry sometimes while I focus on keeping her brother's bedtime on track.  I hate it.  And so I am inconsistent with the "let cry" approach.  Which is a recipe for disaster.  My son is the most well-adjusted sleeper, even waking at night to go potty and takes himself right back to bed.  I attribute his great sleeping to the fact that I was consistent; I consistently nursed him to sleep.  For years.  At age 2 he started sleeping in his own bed with a happy attitude, and at age 2.5 years he started sleeping in his own room with only minor protests, but a baby monitor camera helped reassure him we were watching over him and he adjusted fine.  I am pretty thoroughly happy with what happened with his sleep situation, though there were bumps in the road along the way.  Mainly those were confidence issues more than anything.

But I worry about this poor little Miss Ro.  Her naps are often "on the run," in her carseat or stroller while I go places for her older sibling's benefit.  She acts tired a lot.  If only I could force my personality to match my circumstances.  I don't think I was ever cut out to be any variation of a "single mom."  It has been a game-changer sometimes when I can stay home with my napping baby while Jerry takes Mr. Lo to preschool.  Those are great days.  But they don't happen often.  Anyway, here's a tribute to Ro Ro, the darling of the Tams.  She gets doted on by all the neighborhood.  They are Spanish-speaking people, and call her, "Bonita (Bonito?) and Gordita (isn't that a taco bell menu item?)...I know next-to-nothing in Spanish.  But I love that these people love my baby.  They all want to cuddle her and kiss her all day long.  The kids knock on the door asking to play with Mr. Lo, but really they just want an excuse to get to see the baby.