I've moved this blog

I was just made aware that some friends didn't know that this blog has moved to a different site. sorry for not posting this notice in english. didn't know what i was thinking. the new blog is blog.pixnet.net/tengwawa

公告 搬家了

我把部落格搬到pixnet了
以後要看我們家的新聞
請到blog.pixnet.net/tengwawa

因為blogger不能打包
所以舊的文章就不搬了
想回味一下的話
還是回來這裡喔

孝孫的外婆

媽媽來德州看我們
我就帶她去逛了一整天的街
兩個小蘿蔔頭就跟著我們繞
後來我就賞了他們一組legos
結果一到家就看阿嬤開始跟一塊塊小legos戰鬥

做到最後眼睛都花了

真是孝孫呢

暑假第一遊 (二)

星期天早上我們去了san antonio的first chinese baptist church做禮拜
聽說那個教會是全德州的第一個華人教會 歷史悠久
只是我們時間不多 所以崇拜一結束就往downtown出發
我們把車子停在一個market square附近後就都用走的

我們的第一個感覺是好像到台灣的夜市 還有路邊攤的香味
可惜所有的攤子都是賣墨西哥菜 我只買了杯超貴也超甜的西瓜汁
在market square繞了一圈後 我們就朝出名的riverwalk方向去覓食
riverwalk真的好美 周圍的建築也都很有特色

it's hard to describe how beautiful the riverwalk was to us after living in the barren northern texas where we hardly saw limited amount of green living things. we felt like we were in a different country, especially with all the foreign tourists around.

走到最後我們只在the alamo外面繞一圈 因為遊客太多 排隊排長龍
時間也差不多了 就打道回府 回家的路上 雨才又下了起來
我們的旅遊就這樣結束了嗎? 當然不是
一群精力旺盛的年輕人在回家的路上就安排好下一個節目
我們是在我體力不濟倒在沙發上睡著了才被爸爸叫醒回家的
進門時已經是星期一了

暑假第一遊 (一)

學期在memorial day長假前結束 所以我們就跟社青團契一起出去玩
星期六我們早上3:30起床 東西準備好 把小孩叫醒 4:30出發到朋友家集合
5:00出發開五個小時左右的車程到San Antonio附近的一個water park
延路一直下著大雨 讓我們蠻擔心的 想說要考慮plan b
可是一到了water park 雨就停了 天氣涼爽 人又不多 我們真的玩得很盡興
park裡有好多rides 有些是讓我們飄浮的 還有一些超級刺激的 可是水並不深
我和B輪流帶Zozo玩 因為Bobo不敢上去一些rides
可是Zozo真的是我料想不到的大膽
有一個沖水的溜滑梯大約三 四層樓高 我看了都有點怕
她連續滑了五六次 要不是大家都要離開了 我想她還會想繼續滑


傍晚離開water park之後 我們去吃了BBQ晚餐 就出現了這個景象

太早起床加上玩得太快樂 Zozo累到一吃飽就靜靜地趴在椅子上睡著了
她的平衡感還真不錯 睡熟了都還不會動
Bobo則是趴在我懷裡撒嬌
看他們倆個這麼累 大家就趕快吃完去旅館了
沒想到一進了房間 他們的精神又來了 還可以看一個小時的卡通才上床睡覺

Zozo的體操之路

前幾個禮拜 Zozo又參加了體操的in-house meet


這是平衡桿項目


這是floor exercise項目

看完她的表演 說實在的 我們有點失望
怎麼半年來好像沒什麼進步
而且Zozo表現的扭扭捏捏得 一點台風都沒有
我越看越火大 想說回家後要好好地跟她談一談
不過一離開體育館就直接趕到Bobo的球賽
拖了一陣子後我就改變想法了
想一想她也才七歲 我幹嘛要求那麼高
又不是要她真的去參加奧林匹克
所以回到家後只跟她說了, "i'm proud of you!"

結果她居然跟我說她不想學了
問是什麼原因 她也說不出所以然
當媽媽的我又開始懷疑是不是我做錯了什麼
讓她失去興趣了

唉 寶貝 媽媽希望妳繼續學下去
不要像我 什麼都學一點就放棄
我該怎麼說服妳呢

讀買22問

熊媽　我趕快來交功課了

【讀品】

1.你現在正讀的書：
因為有參加社區的讀書會 所以每個月都趕著讀書單上的書
目前正在啃The Memory Keeper's Daughter.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert　

幫助我了解一下我最好的大學同學的心境

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver

2.你打算要讀的書：
Harry Potter no. 7 已經preo-order了
The Princess Academy (要跟Zozo一起看的)
還有一大堆托媽咪買來的中文童書

3.你讀過後最覺得上當的書：
一些美容的書吧
實在很想要take better care of myself
可是每次看完後就覺得我要是有那種錢和閒
應該可以去做比較有價值的東西

4.你讀不厭倦的書：

The Blue Castle & Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery

The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye （這本我買了一本特別要Zozo的　希望她能develop her inner beauty rather than outer beauty.)

5.你試著讀了很多次，卻仍啃不完的書：

Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver--too tragic!

6.你讀過還拼命推提薦給人的書:

我也不拼命 有人問想到才會提一下

7.你現在就預備留給老來退休讀的書：

沒有 那時候應該還會有很多新的書

8.你小學時最愛讀的書：

怪盜亞森羅蘋 小公主

還有一本我爸買給我的翻譯書

我已經忘記書名了

可是一直記得內容

9.你一直想讀卻從來沒碰的書：

一直想讀的書 我一定已經買回家了

不過有沒有讀就不一定了

10.你廁所裡會讀的書：

大部份都是雜誌

Real Simple, Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks, Cottage Living, Newsweek

我很喜歡訂雜誌

11. 你現在還能找出劃線最多，或留飯漬、油漬、果漬各種吃食痕跡最多的書：

我蠻寶貝我的書

劃線的書應該是我爸留給我的一些advice

我的Harry Potter no. 2有Bobo啃的痕跡

（我不知道他那時候已經會動了）

【買品】

1.你最近買的書：

Harry Potter no. 7 & Organization Tips for Scrapbookers

2.你一直想買卻始終沒得手的書：

目前想不出來有什麼

3.你光是買，根本沒打算要讀的書：

應該沒有吧

I have the best intentions. I will read all of them one day.

4.你突然一日翻到卻怎麼也想不起來什麼時候買過的書：

也好像沒有

5.你買過最後悔的書：

那就可能丟了或送人了

6.你買過最覺上算的書：

好看的書都很上算吧

7.你書架上一眼望去最顯目位置的書：

童書吧　最靠近入口

8.你最為瘋狂收集過的書：

我有點收集狂　所以很容易就一直買

高中大學時買了很多黃明堅的書

9.你若搬家必得減負，實在心疼下手淘汰的第一本書：

不記得了

我很愛買　可是也很愛declutter

每次搬家都淘汰很多書

所謂的舊的不去新的不來嘛

10.你買來多本拿來送人的書：

從來沒有

11. 你每次去書店都會看到卻心裡嘀咕一定不會買的書：

How to get rich type of books or Technical books

我沒有很多的網友　所以要點的話　就點jeannie和judy

how we got here

B and i met at a young adult fellowship outing a year after we graduated from college.
his first impression of me was that i was cool.
(first impressions can be misleading!)
i thought it was strange for a guy to have a perm.
poor B, he has naturally very curly hair.
we didn't become friends after that first meeting.
both of us hung out with different people in the fellowship.

about 7 months later, we started talking more often.
he was out of town a lot for work so we'd email back and forth.
one day after fellowship, a bunch of us went out for a movie.
after the movie, while he was driving me back to my car, we decided to go to a club.
after the club, he wanted to go get coffee but it was already dawn of the next day.
i went home instead cuz i had to babysit my nephews in the morning.
i finally crawled into bed at around 3:00 pm.
he called, then, to ask me out to dinner. i said yes. that was our first date.

two months later, we broke up. i was on the rebound and wasn't ready for him.
we still hung out as friends. and he helped me pass my C++ class.
we got back together after two months cuz i fell completely head over heels for him.
two months after that he proposed, and i accepted.
two months later, we had our engagement ceremony per chinese custom.
six months later, we were married.
six months after that, we found out we were pregnant with Z girl.
by our third anniversary, we were parents to 2Z.

as of yesterday, we've been married for 9 whole years!
9 years of this wild roller coaster ride.
9 years of support, sacrifice, forgiveness, and love.
9 years of pure bliss.

here's to 99 more year with you, B!

Farewell, Friends

one of the first couples we met here have decided to move after 2 years in north texas, so a farewell party was planned to give them a good send-off. the theme of the party was hawaiian luau so i was happy to dress the kids in hawaiian attire. when we got to the party, we were given leis to wear. by the end, though, most of them ended up on Z girl. here she is modeling all of them for me with one of her little admirers!

Z boy played with his buddy the whole time. they had fun pretending to be all kinds of superheroes. Z boy will miss him so much after they move~~~

at the luau, the kids were invited to have a dip in the hot tub. there were about 10 kids bopping up and down in the water. it was the hardest thing to take a good picture of the scene. the kids also thought it was fun to splash water at all the parets surrounding the tub trying to take pictures of them. i am glad that at least i caught a happy expression on Z girl's face.

we all contributed to a surprise scrapbook for our friends. this was our contribution. 2Z also wrote a message for them. it's so cool to be able to work on a page together now that the kids are literate. of course, Z boy still needs to improve on his fine motor skills. doing it the creative way was definitely better than the handwriting exercises. they even chalked up their own little tags by themselves.

i was really bummed about our friends leaving. they were the first couple to extend the hands of friendship to us at our new church. our kids got along so well, and the boys were fast friends. but i know the decision was a good one for their family so i am happy for them. best wishes to the Yao's. see you again in the summer!

才藝表演

上星期三一早 kindergarten和一年級有才藝表演
Zozo和同學組了一個跳繩隊去表演
她們利用下課時間練習
其中一位同學的媽媽還花了兩個下午和大家一起練
Zozo跟她同名的同學一起跳 她們連小名都一樣

我很喜歡她們的表演
這完全是她們自己想出來的
而且充滿了活力
還有小女生的innocence
比起其他化濃妝跳著超齡的舞的小朋友可愛多了

Bobo今年沒表演
他有要求我幫他申請
他想講一個笑話 他說他的朋友有四個人笑
我以為他只是說說就沒把他當真
我蠻後悔的
因為明年他可能就會比較self concious 不想上台了

Mother's Day

it wasn't a very happy day.
we had outdoor service at a local park.
as soon as we stepped out of the car, the kids stopped listening to me.
Z boy and i antagonized each other. don't know what happened to Z girl.
she kept giving me sour looks.
they were supposed to perform songs for the children's choir.
Z girl did it but with reluctance written all over her face.
Z boy refused to go up despite my coaxing and threatening talks.
i was so angry i saw white flashing lights.
so i took the kids home before service even started and left B to fend for himself.
the kids took showers after we got home and were told to say in bed the rest of the morning. all of Z boy's birthday present went into timeout for a week.
i calmed down by cleaning up the house.

all last week, i went over and over again in my head what happened that day.
why did my children act like that?
what could i have done to avert these kind of meltdown from Z boy?
did i make a mountain out of a mole hill?
what can i do to control my temper and be more gentle and patient with them?
needless to say, i have no answers for these questions as of yet.

Bobo的生日派對

這已經是上個禮拜的事了
看我現在有多懶
小孩的學校還有三天半的課
可是我好像早就開始放假了

現在小孩子大一點了 我就限制他們開小一點的party
所以這次加上我們的倆個總共有十二個小朋友
有一個帶錯泳褲 所以早走了
其他的都迫不及待的想跳進游泳池
可是居然有一大半的小孩還不會游泳
好險有足夠的floaties
這次辦得算蠻成功的party
因為我幾乎什麼都不必做
小孩游泳時有救生員看著
我只需要坐著和別的媽媽們聊天
太棒了

Six Years of Happiness

this is the scene that greeted Z boyyesterday as he came down for his favorite breakfast--pictures of him from past years. he was so happy to be the center of attention for one entire day! Z boy is never hungry is the morning, but for his b-day, he chowed down a fat slice of raisin toast ladened with (low-cholestrol) butter. then, i joined him for lunch at school with his choice of happy meal.

he was king for a day at school, and we celebrated with song and dance for afternoon snack. it was so cute to see everyone celebrate his special day with so much happiness. for dinner, we took him to his restaurant of choice, tokyo one, which made mom secretly happy cause i get to chow down on as much sushi as i wanted. hee! hee!

he is a boy filled with emotions. one minute he could break out in the biggest smile. the next minute, big fat tears could be rolling down his face. he loves bread way more than rice. he wants to be an anthropologist and totally digs science. he does well at academics but struggles slightly with physical activities. he has big boy interests but will never turn down a time of snuggle with mom. he's my bundle of energy that knows exactly how to push my buttons. as daddy said so well last night for our bedtime prayer, we have been so blessed with six years of happiness.

客房

我每天在家就會一直想把傢俱換位置
以前就這樣了
搬到德州變得更嚴重
因為現在的房子比較小
我又喜歡空間大一點的感覺
所以腦子裡總是在想怎麼換傢俱的位置

昨天晚上老公不在家
我和小孩子們沒什麼事
就決定把客房換一下
女兒長大了真棒
還能幫我把小沙發從一樓搬到二樓

before

之前床是擺在房間的中間
這樣是蠻好看的 可是因為只有一個床頭櫃
所以感覺有點lopsided 而且空間感覺比較小
(本來另一邊的小書櫃被我搬到一樓去放我的scrapbook)
小孩子還經常把東西藏在床的另一邊 令我很頭痛

after

之後 我們把床轉方向靠牆
把沙發擺在床頭櫃和衣櫃中間
這樣坐著看書或躺著看書都能用同一個檯燈
我還沒把畫換位置
我可能還會再換一次

Sleepover at the Zoo

last friday, Z girl and i went to the fortworth zoo for a sleepover with her girl scout troop. it was a long planned event, and the girls were so looking forward to it. we arrived at the zoo after it was closed to the public. after a pizza dinner, our guide took us through the zoo to have a safari and a scavenger hunt, followed by some crafts and an exhibit of life animals. we finally went to sleep at around 11pm. then the next morning, we went through the zoo again before it opened to got to see a lot of animals up close without the disturbance of the crowd. before we left, we heard over the intercom that the expected number of visitors for that day was over 6,000 people!

it was fun for the girls to have that time to spend with each other before they meet up again in september. the moms also had a good time getting to know each other. although, i would have preferred a more comfortable setting. i feel like the older i get the more comfort i required for sleep. the cold hard floor of the education center at the zoo was just not what made my night. it made for a fitful sleep as i could feel the cold seeping into my bones. i am glad that this is a one time event. next year, the girls are old enough to go to a real camping trip, and i've already told our troop leader that i won't be volunteering for that! hee! hee!

又表演了

學期快結束了, 所以中文學校又小朋友表演了. 這次Bobo唱的是健康歌, 看他扭屁股真是超級好笑, 到底是像到誰呀?

迷你高爾夫

時間怎麼過得那麼快, 一轉眼已經星期三了, 趕快找時間來發文章, 不然就會忘光光.

上週末本來沒什麼事, 打算來休息一下. 結果一大早朋友來電邀我們去打迷你高爾夫, 想一想就拉著小孩子走了. 最近他們看太多電視了, 星期六早上不帶出門一定就黏在電視前面. 兩個人坐在車上時還怨言一堆, 結果到了遊樂場後, 玩得不易樂乎, 我差一點就跟他們說,"i told you so!"

打完球後, 大家一起去souper salad吃午餐, 結果我幾乎什麼都不能吃, 因為大部份的東西都有澱粉類 真是吃不飽的一餐. 後來趕快回家睡午覺, 再趕著去游泳, 結束後又一群人跑到朋友家泡一晚, 十點多才到家. 又是忙碌的一天.

怪怪美少女

最近Zozo對穿著打扮越來越有主見了
不喜歡穿洋裝和裙子
不要粉紅色 要藍色和綠色
頭髮有時候要綁有時候又不綁
上個週末開始喜歡把Bobo的腰帶套在頭上
問她為什麼要戴這樣
她說這樣很酷

He won't come in?!

a few days ago, i was explaining how a person becomes a christian to one of our kids' friends.
i said that you open your heart up to Jesus and accept Him as your savior, you are a christian.
then Z boy said, "i open my heart up, but He doesn't come in!"
B and i were speechless.
then i asked him to clarify his statement.
Z boy repeated his statement again but then added, "just kidding!"
uhmmm... not very funny.

Fine Arts Night

在昨晚風雨交接的日子
我們來到了小孩子們的學校
參觀了小朋友們的音樂和美術教室
又欣賞Zozo和同學們不到五分鐘的表演
雖然很短的曲子 可是媽媽我很專注的聆聽
女兒在媽的眼裡 真是個完美的小女生