Early to Bed, Early to Rise

the kids have gone back to school for 3 weeks now, so i've been rising early with them everyday to get them ready for school. as i was stumbling up the stairs today to get them up, i realized something--it's usually still bright out when 2Z go to bed and still dark out when they have to get up! that just doesn't feel right.

Got Milk?!

2Z were breastfed until they each reached 3 years. after they turned one, i started giving them cow's milk, too, because they were just too small. they didn't like the taste of it at all. at our pediatrician's suggestion, i started giving them flavored milk. they developed the taste for strawberry and chocolate milk. i switched to organic milk after reading so much about the effects of antibiotics and hormones in the milk on children. the two of them were drinking so much milk by then that i was worried they would hit puberty by 3rd grade. i don't know what it is about organic milk that appeals to them so much but they drink gallons of that stuff a week. (B and i both became lactose intolerant after college so we can't try it.) at first, i started out with oberweis milk but the glass jars were just so heavy to lug back and forth, (although they did look pretty all lined up in my fridge.) so i switched to horizon even though they are pretty costly. then i discovered a more affordable organic milk at costco, and they've been chugging that stuff down. i also started getting the horizon chocolate milk boxes for outings and school lunches. at the rate they are going through the organic milk, we might go bankrupt soon! sometimes, i go to costco just to get milk! Z girl would really like the strawberry flavor but alas, costco only carries chocolate. so once in awhile, i indulge her with one when we go to starbucks. p.s. you'd think they would be bigger for the amount of milk they drink, right? at least, they are very healthy kids. that's something i am thankful for.

Z Girl Made It!

2Z have been taking gymnastics lessons for four years now. they started at the little gym and moved up to real gymnastic lessons about two years ago. one summer while we were vacationing in lake tahoe, Z girl saw the 2004 olympics on tv and set her heart on going to the olympics for gymnastics ever since. when we decided to move to texas, one of the first things that popped into my head was that many of the olympic coaches were from texas. maybe Z girl actually has a chance of realizing her dream! at a friend's recommendation, i signed 2Z up for some classes at a gym located in the city we live in. the moment we walked into the gym, we came face to face with a life-size poster of carly patterson, the 2004 olympic all around gold medalist. as it turned out, this gym was where she trained. i was so excited until Z girl attended her first class. her skills lagged way behind even though she already had four years of lessons. however, in the two and a half months since joining this gym, Z girl worked extremely hard to improve. i was so moved by her level of concentration during the classes. i've never seen her take anything so seriously.

Z boy, on the other hand, has always taken gym for fun. also, it was definitely betterto play inside than waiting outside for Z girl to finish. even though he was pretty good at listening to his coaches, he goofed off just as much. as long as he was getting his exercise and enjoying himself, i didn't have a problem with it at all.

this gym, apparently, holds yearly evaluations for all their students. the boys' evaluations took place early in august while the girls' evals are going on this week. imagine B and my surprise when we got a call from Z boy's coach after the eval that he has been recommended to join a team in preparations for competition. the first thing we thought of was," what about Z girl?" the first thing Z girl said, when she heard Z boy was promoted, was, "what about me, mommy?" (you have to imagine the look of hope accompanied by her sweet, girly voice at this point.) i was almost speechless. being the ever resourceful mom, i immediately remembered that her eval was not for another few weeks.

so today, after almost forgetting about evals already, it happened. when we walked into the gym, i saw the coaches all had clipboards in their hands. i didn't tell Z girl right away since i wasn't sure if she'd be nervous or not. anyway, to make an already long story shorter, she got promoted! she ran out of her class shouting, "mommy, i passed. i am moving up." she's actually not on a competitive team yet-- she moved up to the advanced class. but she's so happy with her progress that we are ecstatic for her.

sorry, no pics to post since it's so hard to capture constantly moving kids from the waiting area. plus at any given time, i think there are 100 kids training in the gym. sometimes, i can't even find 2Z in that huge gym!

Chinese School

2Z started chinese school this past sunday. it was an eye opening experience for me since this school is about 4 times as big as the one they attended back in st. louis. we were late for classes because there was traffic jam driving up to the school, and i couldn't find their names on the class rosters since there were 3 or 4 classes in each of their grades! i'm also not used to seeing their chinese names in print!

every semester, i go through an internal struggle right before chinese school starts. i recognize the value of having them learn the language at a tender age. it will be so useful later on in life, especially if they get hooked on watching asian tv shows. Z girl is already enjoying the benefits of speaking chinese since she could converse with one of her classmates in elementary school in this "secret" language. except i don't know how that works since she's not very good and the other girl is fluent.

however, i also like 2Z to enjoy their childhood without more work. (after last sunday's class, i realized how much more work there will be.) they are always tired at chinese school because we spend sunday mornings at church, and they have to be dragged away from their friends in the middle of playtime. i wonder how long they will be willing to go to chinese school. i guess i will just have to see how they do from year to year.

chugging away at the written exercises. Z boy has to memorize a poem for next week. it's so cute when he recites it for us with his american accent!

Breakfast

2Z are very picky eaters. they hardly ever enjoy any kind of food that i put on the table. breakfast is especially difficult. there were actually days back in st. louis when Z boy went to preschool without breakfast because he'd rather eat the snacks his teachers gave him.

last saturday morning, i simply made breakfast that i wanted to eat. it turned out 2Z loved it. they actually asked me to prepare the same thing again this morning and ate without any complaints. that is definitely progress!
who knew buttered toast with some fruits were all they wanted. now if there were thick slices of white bread like back in taiwan, it would have been even tastier. however, as some of you know, there seems to be an unwritten rule in our house--whole wheat bread only. sigh!

Rudeness

today i went to have lunch with z girl at school. afterwards, the kids were lining up to return to the class. a boy cut in front of z girl's friend. i told him not to do that. he started giving me attitude and lied to the teacher that z girl's friend cut in line. i maintained my composure because i can't stoop to his level in front of my girl! in my head though, i was smacking him upside the head and asking him whether being rude is part of his nature or did he have to try hard at it.

then while i was waiting in the carpool lane to pick up 2Z, another van cut right in front of me. what the heck is his problem? you come later, you pick up your child later!

now i need a dip in the pool to cool down from these rude people!

Look Who Came to Visit

art came for a visit last night while on his business trip. we had dinner together at ay-chung then headed home to catch up. it was so nice to see an old friend from st. louis. even though we are making new friends here, we still miss our old friends a lot. the rest of you, when are you coming for a visit?

Pain, Pain Go Away

yesterday, i was accidentally kicked in the jaw. it was somewhat painful but i thought it would go away in a little bit. when we all sat down for dinner, then i realized how bad the injury was. i couldn't chew at all! after taking some ibuprofen and sleeping with an ice bag, i felt much better until i tried eating breakfast this morning! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!! anyway, it's back to the ibuprofen and now, strawberry smoothie for awhile. the only good thing from this is i had a good night sleep cause it was so cool with the icebag! (even at night, the low is still at about 85 degrees!)

My Girl is 7

i remember when 2Z were little, people would stop me in the stores to tell me that i should treausure the moments while they were young because they grow up way to faster. there were times i was annoyed with the comments because i was exhausted with caring for two little ones so close in age. i wanted them to grow up just a little faster. now, i can't believe my little girl, my firstborn has turned 7. it seemed just like yesterday, i was cuddling her in my arms and taking pictures of every little movement that a 2 week old could make. now she's losing her 6th tooth!

her birthday celebrations started in may of this year. we threw her a birthday party before we moved so she could celebrate with her closest friends. then a few days ago, new friends we made in texas invited us over for dinner and presented her with a homemade birthday cake.

on the big day, we brought cupcakes to school to share with her new classmates. after school, all of us went swimming, one of her favorite activities. for her birthday dinner, she picked king's noodle in richardson. it was a great choice since noodles signify longevity!
we used to get a small cake for 2Z's birthdays but this year, we thwarted tradition and got shaved ice instead. it was around 107 degrees outside, so the ice felt great going down.

i gave her two wonderfully handmade aprons by shim+sons for her birthday, and B gave her a kids' dictionary since she's very much into words now. she also received a hermit crab from a good friend here in texas.

all in all, i think girl Z had a great time celebrating her birthday this year. i tried taking some pics of her for the scrapbook but she couldn't stop being silly. she used to love posing for pics, and believe me, i took a lot of pictures. why does it go away as they get older???

First Day of School

school starts early here in texas. we've only had two months of summer vacation this year. but since we are new to the area, the kids are looking forward to school so they can meet more kids. i am looking forward to some alone time so i can really tackle the mess in this house. i believe there are still some boxes around somewhere that i haven't unpacked yet!

our days have to start at around 6:30 in the morning now since the school day starts about an hour and a half earlier than what we are used to. it was so hard to get up on the first day.

girl Z is in first grade, and boy Z is in kindergarten. both are in school full day and it's not an option. that gives me nearly 7 hours in the day without them! we'll see how i do after a few days. actually, as i am typing here, i am starting to miss them a little. the house is extremely quiet!

Summer Fun

so grandma brought nephew S & A from california for three weeks. what do four active kids do in the hundred degree heat? they drink lots of liquid. and since the water here taste kinda funny during the summer, we had to rely on bottled water. this is the damage they did in less than a week. good thing our family is heavily into recycling!we spent a lot of time in the community pool and saw quite a few movies at the theater and at home. i also took them to a video arcade to play laser tag. all of us went to the circus last friday evening. the kids had a pretty good time and want to go back again!

on sunday, we went to the museums in fair park in dallas. the science place was having a special event--reptile weekend! we got to see a snake show that was hilarious and scary at the same time. they even got to touch some live snakes. ugh! boy Z got his fill of dinosaurs at the museum of natural history. he was also excited to see some scary looking turtles at the aquarium.

nephew A and girl Z milked a (fake) cow at the little urban farm in the science place. we nearly laughed our heads off when nephew S accidentally pulled off one of the teats when he gave it a try.
nephew A, S and girl Z ran through the giant spider web in the science place a few times. it was made of bungee cords. we had a hard time getting them to leave.after the trek through the museums, we walked sluggishly through fair park in the hundred degree heat to the car. we were all craving for some shaved ice by that time, so we headed over to a noodle place for late lunch/dinner in richardson. while we were eating, a thunderstorm rolled through and the temperature dropped about 25 degrees. too bad the rain didn't actually make it to our house where the lawn is in dire need of some water!

For lunch

yesterday, nephew S and i tried an easy recipe we saw on katie brown's show, chicken pot pie. it turned out pretty well. everyone who had it thought it was good except for my two little picky eaters. one only wanted the crust while the other only wanted the filling. oh well, at least they've stopped making faces at everything i cook now. guess that's progress. then for dessert, we had oatmeal raisin cookies. actually, we only had two because they were slightly burned so i had to toss most of them.

in the afternoon, after girl Z and boy Z had their gymnstics lesson, we stopped by marble creamery and starbucks for our afternoon snack. while mom and i drank our blackberry green tea frappacino, the kids played candy land together. it's surprising that nephew A still enjoyed the game even though he's already 10 years old! i think he just likes to play with 2Z.

Last night,

after dinner, B, 2Z and nephew A went rollerblading in front of our house. the kids were learning how to rollerblade so B was teaching all three of them. they seem like they had a lot of fun even though sweat was pouring down their faces. it was nephew A's first time on the rollerblades he bought himself! by this morning, he was pretty smooth on those wheels! i think by the time he goes home, he should be ready to go out rollerblading with his friends!