Friday, January 19, 2007

Just Get it Done! Or I'll Beat You With My Gibson!

In season 6, Jack Bauer saves the world from terrorists with the Kiefer Sutherland Gibson guitar.

Don't mess.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Our Little Nursery Boy

Our little man has turned 1 1/2 and attended Nursery for the first time last Sunday! It's too bad I was sick so I wasn't able to enjoy the benefits of having Evan in Nursery, oh well. For the last six months to almost a year, I have had to walk around with Evan in the church halls, outside in the parking lot--anywhere to keep him busy while Bev teaches class or whatever. I actually want to be in my meetings now. At first I thought it was cool to be able to skip Sunday School or Elders Quorum legitimately, but now I yearn to be in these classes, let's hope this Sunday I'll be able to enjoy it! Or, I may spend the whole day on my Swash 600...

Evan can now turn on the radio by himself to play his CD, and say "radio". When I was watching Wheel of Fortune, Evan said "wheel", and also imitated the bankrupt sound. He's really starting to say more, do more, understand more, tear apart more, etc etc etc!



Ok this is Bev... Mark failed to really explain why Evan turning on the radio himself is REALLY amazing! I started making playing classical music at bed time part of his routine. He has seen me do it, but I never had him push the buttons until a few days ago. To play the CD you must press a couple buttons on this stero in an exact order. So, I just let Evan press the last button, the play button.
The other day while I was washing up in the bathroom, I told Evan it was time for a nap, and to go to his bed. Surprisingly he went to his bed! but then I heard him talking so I knew he wasnt in bed anymore. "Evan, go to bed!" Then I saw him walk from across his bedroom to his bed. "what are you doing?" I walk in and realize that his music is playing. I know I didn't turn it on, because I only turn it on at bedtime. "Did you turn on your radio, Evan?!" "rayooo!" he says. WOW! I'm blown away. There are so many buttons all in a row and he knew exactly which ones and what order to press them!! He's growing up TOO FAST for me!
I also have to add, how sad I was to drop Evan off in nursery, last Sunday. He just got right in playing with the toys, and I was the one having a hard time leaving him! I was so excited to see him after church, but he just acted like, "come on, mom, it wasn't a big deal." Well, at least I got a "ma" out of him when he saw me. *sigh*
He was so cute wearing his "I'm a child of God" crown! I guess he must have had a really good time in nursery cause he actually wore the crown for a while. He never wants anything on his head, unless I tell him its cold outside. And all week, every-so-often he'll hand me his crown to put on him! too cute.
I love this new outfit that his greatgrandma Lau gave him. It makes him look so grown up. He's got more designer clothes than Mark and I have together!

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The Swash 600: It's Heaven on Earth!


At last, the final gift from Christmas has arrived! I was hoping for a Toto Washlet, but the Brondell Swash 600 is just as good! Made in Taiwan versus Made in Japan, we'll see how long it lasts!

Some of you are wondering, what's so cool about a toilet seat? This is no ordinary seat, mind you. Notice Lucy even fiddling with the remote. Yes, there's a remote for this toilet seat! The seat is heated, the lid doesn't slam down when you put it down, there's the nice cold butt wash for guys, warm butt wash for girls, as well as the bidet...and there's even an air drier mode! Although you may have to sit there a while for your rear end to completely dry, it's still a nice feature!

I've been wanting one of these things for almost six years now. When I studied abroad in Japan I stayed at a home where they had one of these toilet seats, and I fell in love with them. It beats baby wipes (and those of you who've gone on missions know that baby wipes are amazing), and once you've used this seat, you'll never be satisfied with anything else!!!

For some reason, Bev's not totally convinced. She think's it's "cool" but it took forever to get her to sit on it and try it. I think when it comes time to actually use it rather than "test" it, she'll enjoy it. Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Now the day is over

After 131 miles, one meeting, one afternoon of running around getting four-five things done--including a presentation and a final exam due in the evening, and then giving the presentation in class, fourteen hours later, the day is finally over. Wednesdays have been the longest days because of meetings in faraway places in the morning and class in the evening well into the PM. Thursdays are just as great--meetings at 9, sometimes 10, and sometimes 1:30. And sometimes there's another one around 2-2:30...and it's usually the night I go out with the missionaries. So another almost 13 hour day. Anyone who wonders why we travel so much, it's strictly so I can stay sane living in this area, working where I am working. There's always a need to get away, unwind, return recharged and ready to face the world again. Thank goodness now I have a Zune. Endless music for a temporary getaway!

Friday, January 05, 2007

Christmas and New Years Pics

It's been a holiday with family. We spent Christmas at home with Mark's mom, and New Years in LA at a family reunion. Here are the pics!


I also forgot to mention that Jerin was in town too! I kept forgetting to post that pic. Thanks to his company for dinner at Todai!

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

happy new year! have a virus!

We're back from LA where we were enjoying a family reunion (my Mom's side of the family). I've been working HARD since October and staying up late the last 3 weeks prior to the reunion to put together a family history book in time, so it was great to finally get everything complied and printed and delivered just in time for the reunion and be DONE!
It was a rough road getting things organized and complied and formated and translated from english to chinese and chinese to english and designed and last of all printed. I was on the phone with the printers in LA while still in VA trying to get this 120 page book printed just right, and delivered on the 28th of Dec. I'm so grateful for the people at the printers working extra hard to push my order through, especially over christmas and keeping it all within budget. It was so great to hand them out to everyone and see that they really loved the book. Of course, I just did the manual work, the contents of the book is what really matters. It's got bios of both grandma and grandpa. Grandpa passed away when my mother was just 16. My grandma and mother worked to raise my 6 other aunts and uncles, all ranging in age down to age 5. My uncle was away at college, but sacraficed to send money home to the family. It was so wonderful for me to read eveyrone's tributes to grandma as well as their personal rememberances of grandpa. I've always wanted to know what he was like, and never got what I was looking for until I read these essays from what my aunts and uncles remember of him. So I'm really glad I was able to be the catalyst to get this book made. It turned out better than I thought.
So the reunion was great. I love our reunions, and I was excited for Evan to join in this year. The last reunion I announced that we were expecting, so it was great to have Evan be 1 yrs old and able to play and really interact with the relatives. I was surprised that one of my cousins really loved playing with Evan. She's in high school and doesn't have younger siblings so she was hesitant at first at what do you do with a 1 yr old. But as soon as Evan started learning how to roll an orange back and forth on the table from her they were so cute together!
We went to the Getty Museum (I was excited to go cause the last time I got sick and puked at the museum and spent the rest of the day in the car), we went to the Regan Library, the Nixon Library, LA Temple, NewPort Temple, New Port beach, Huntington Gardens, and the best Mayalsian resturant ever.
Half way through our reunion we were scheduled to have a 81st birthday banquet for grandma at Empress Harbor Seafood Resturant. It was a nicer chinese restaurant and a bit pricey. We even had karaoke. However, the next 3 days, one by one the cousins started droping like flies. Then the aunts, then the uncles, then a phone call from extended family that were also at the banquet, that they were also sick. 2 of my cousins fainted from dehydration. The cousin that loved playing with Evan fainted at the airport just before boarding the plane to return back home to Hawaii. We thought it was food posioning, but it's pretty clear that it was something like the Nora virus, that causes diarrhea, vomitting, and severe stomach pains. We lucked out, I only had to vomit once the last night, and just felt nauseous on the flight home. Mark and Evan are fine cause they didn't eat too much at the restaurant. Evan caught something else. He's got a runny nose and cough which I'd rather him have. I feel bad for my sister. She tried so hard to avoid getting sick, but once she felt stomach pains coming on she was down for the rest of the trip and she's recouperating at home in Seattle. My mom said she had a rough time getting to and through the airport with her stomach pains and weakened state. I think almost everyone caught some of the symptoms. Its such a downer on what's supposed to be a gathering, everyone is just spending time in bed and waiting for the bathrooms to be available. I guess that's just something to add to the family history book.
Overall, we had a good time. Mark, my sister, sick cousin, and I spent New Years night playing a game where the loser has to take a shot of nasty tasting Holiday Jones Soda. Flavors like peas, dinner roll, turkey and gravy, sweet potato, and antiacid. Just thinking about the turkey and gravy flavored one gives me a headache. I'm glad we only paid 2.50 for all of them. nasty.
So that's about it for now. I'll post pics later tonight. I've got to go pick up Lucy from a friend house and get us some groceries...