snow!

Naomi throwing a snowball at Grandpa. Click to enlarge if you want to see his expression. :)




With her miniature snowman.

I sometimes say that when we pray for the weather to be sunny, someone else is probably praying for rain, and God will decide what's best. Well, it was cold and rainy just in time for our visit up to Oak Glen Apple Orchards--which brought in the snow! Free snow! Manny and I are more sun-lovers, but we'll brave cold weather any day to give our kids their first memory of it. Not having anticipated much snow up in Oak Glen, I didn't have the kids in the best gear, so Lucas and I sat in the minivan and stayed warm while Naomi threw snowballs at Grandpa and made a miniature snowman.

Naomi's first time seeing snow was technically when she was eight months old at the Christmas Eve party that year, but this was definitely her first time really being in the snow. Just before we came down, Naomi was asking me if she could see snow. I told her we didn't live by any. Well, who would've known? Our real reason to go up to Oak Glen was to get candied apples, apple cider, apple streudel, and...apples, but we also ended up with one ridiculously happy kid. I know it would've been cuter with her sherpa coat, but I'm trying to wear out Naomi's 3T clothes before moving up to 4T.

great-aunt quinka:

Lucas with his great aunt. He's wearing the mistletoe "Kiss Me" shirt H & J got him.


Naomi picking lemons in the backyard. She loves to pick fruit. They say it's her Mexican side.


Picking lemons with Manny.


Manny helping Aunt Quinka with her crocheting.

The day after Christmas, we went to visit Manny's aunt Quinka (nickname, pronounced Queen-ka). She's had a host of hardships over the past couple years, especially with her health. Naomi made it a point to tell her we pray for her often. Naomi loved being at her house and got to do one of her favorite activities--pick fruit. When Aunt Quinka offered her any toys she wanted, Naomi picked a small magnet and that was it. She also took anything ceramic out of the toy box and gave it to Quinka so she wouldn't break it. She also didn't want to wear her boots in the house for fear of dirtying Aunt Quinka's tiles. I think it's more that Naomi's consideration than my teaching. There's a lot of family to cover, so we visit different people each year.

a first christmas, again:

Naomi trimming the tree. She also came up with a solution for the missing star--a large, gold bow.


Ok, this girl got way too much stuff for Christmas. Her grandparents got her the SmartCycle (to which Naomi exclaimed, "I can't believe my eyes!"), along with other toys, workbooks, and clothes. Her aunt asked me what she might like, and I gave her some options, and she went and got them all! She really loves this. I didn't know how much it was when I first mentioned it. Good thing Naomi isn't spoiled. :P (Although when I said that, Naomi replied, "Sometimes I am...when I cry.")


Lucas was a little distraught that he couldn't keep playing with the wrapping paper. He loves his new Whoozit toys from the grandparents!


Having our usual Christmas Chinese meal in Monterey Park.


Another shot. Poor Lucas just watching us eat.


Puo-Puo taking Naomi to buy some vanilla ice cream at the store. Again, not spoiled at all!


Puo-Puo with Lucas. My mom and brother had to move into a small rental, but at least it's in a nicer neighborhood than their old apartment was (that was burglarized seven times). This computer is in the living room, right next to the fridge (yes, in the living room).


Me with C and H. They met Lucas, and we met H.

Our first Christmas with Lucas was a very joyful one. This was Naomi's first Christmas where she could really help Grandma decorate and unwrap presents without help. A friend got us a board book called My Merry Christmas by Sally Lloyd-Jones that helped Naomi hear the meaning of Christmas in the tree, presents, etc. That perspective is better than me repeating, "but that's not what Christmas is all about."

Seeing my mom again was a big deal for me with her recent heart attack and her falling on her head in the shower. Each day that we see or talk to her could be our last. That's true for anyone, but it's just more probable with her, I guess. I'm really happy that Naomi knows and loves her Puo-Puo. My brother is doing okay; I wish we'd had more time to talk to him. It was a little awkward with my dad, but I am really glad he was there and got to meet his grandson. They were pretty happy about Lucas looking healthy (fat). My mom got us all some great clothes for Christmas. When I said, "Wow, Mom, you have nice taste!" She said, "Oh, I wouldn't ever buy those; I just thought about what you would like." Haha.

I also saw C again. We used to get together and reminisce about fun times from junior high through college, but we're both starting to forget. We don't have everything in common anymore. She's grown closer to other people as well, but we're still bffs. I'm glad our friendship continues to endure the distance and busyness. And she still remembered this photomosaic Snoopy puzzle I told her I liked years ago. That was sweet. Also, I found out that our other friend from jr high just had another son--another Lucas Hernandez!

rockin' christmas eve party:

Christmas clown/magician/balloon sculptor with cousin Johnny.


Me and Lucas in the five minutes he wasn't crying.


Naomi having dessert wearing her new beanie Great-Aunt Quinka made. I got her this lined red satin dress with a little black belt and sparkling heart buckle for just $10 on ebay. It replaced the dress that was stolen.


Cousins Johnny and Carter tuning their balloon guitars. Yeah, I should've zoomed more.

It's that time of year again--the Christmas Eve Party with Manny's mom's side of the family. Time to unwrap our...tamales, catch up, laugh, and make memories for the kids. Even though it's just one part of one side of the family, Manny's mom has a lot of siblings, most of whom live around each other. When we joined hands for prayer, the circle took up two rooms.

Naomi enjoyed the clown, giving him a whole lot of courtesy laughs. :) He probably regretted hitting her on the head with a balloon for a laugh, because she returned the favor and then some for the rest of his show. At one point, she gave her hat to Aunt Dian to hold so she could continue hitting him with her balloon. Grandma and I tried to stop it, but the family said to let her be.

This was Lucas' first Christmas Eve party. I couldn't get his nap in before the party, so he had been awake for five hours straight and couldn't handle it all. He cried hysterically for most of the party. We decided to leave after the clown was done, but as we were about to drive home, Naomi made mention of being a little disappointed that she didn't get to dance. So we decided to leave her with Grandma and Aunt Dolly so she could get her groove on.

I heard that when it was time for the talent contest, they asked who was going to be in the contest. Naomi, who hadn't even planned on participating, raised her hand enthusiastically. They asked, "Who wants to go first?" Up comes a little hand and her little voice, "Me!* Whose kid is she? She ended up doing an impromptu "ballet" number. Naomi's only seen ballet in Nutcracker. She closed her eyes with great concentration, did her rendition, and gave a grand finish. She placed fourth (out of four). I was glad, because the other contestants actually prepared something. She was very happy with the Playdoh she won. Then the music came on and Naomi got to get down at last.

christmas in the park:

We went to Christmas in the Park with Chris last weekend. We went during the day, because although it's prettier at night, it's also more crowded and a bit cold for Lucas. Naomi thought there would be snow and rides, but she's a silver-lining type of gal and was quite content anyway.

Each year they have dozens of creatively-decorated theme trees from various schools, and I pretty much like them all. Here's one with a biology theme, including a double-helix, chromosomes, and cell-structure ornaments.


They always have whimsical animated displays. This is one we didn't see last year of the old woman in the shoe with children playing.


Here we are in front of the community giving tree.


Manny, Naomi, and Chris waiting for the train to come by.


Nativity scene.


Leaving with half a churro in hand (and mouth).

merry christmas:

We were able to spend a glorious Christmas with both sides of our family today which I will write about soon (unfortunately after many people will be tired of Christmas). I thought today about family members with debilitating illnesses showing so much strength and love, about old friends and acquaintances that changed my life, about soldiers overseas missing their families, and about our small church family that reminds us that strength does not depend on numbers.

I did have a merry Christmas, no word yet on the happy new year. I do know, though, that it will be a fruitful, blessed, incredible 2009. May you know the joy and peace of Christ this season and always.

community group christmas / toys for my tot:

J took some great photos at our cross-community group Christmas potluck fellowship (whew) at the Franks' home last Thursday. I always admire you friends who have a good "eye" and have nice equipment to boot--you know, the ones with Flickr accounts. It sure would be handy to have you around our kids all the time. :)

Slideshow here from J

I made a Chinese noodle salad that I was a little disappointed with, but somebody liked it since it was gone in a flash. For the first time ever, we regifted something for a white elephant gift exchange. I absent-mindedly left the card in the box from the original gift-givers. Superb. The first time doing that and I made it totally obvious. We scored some silver-plated candlestick holders, with which I was actually pretty happy. Manny almost accidentally left them behind.

I secretly hoped for a Chia Pet as I've seen them in many an exchange. Naomi wants the Scooby-Doo Chia Pet. It's hard to not get things for her because she has such a great attitude about presents. I guess by saying no we're helping to cultivate that positive attitude.

N: I wish I had the Dora Welcoming Dollhouse [something like that]. I'm ready to give up another toy for it.
Me: I'm sorry Naomi. I looked it up and it costs too much for us.
N: Oh. That's okay, Mami. I wish I had it, but I don't mind that I can't have it.

Maybe it's her form of control over the situation, but she has never thrown a tantrum or whined for a toy in my recollection (but she whines plenty about other things). She shares well, too. This is what makes me want to give things to her, but then I look around and know she definitely has enough stuff. I like how she plays with and/or finds use for every last toy she's ever been given. She usually remembers who gave it to her or where she got it. Even though she may not always remember to say thank you right away, she'll tell me to call or write so-and-so to thank them.

Of course, we're still training her to clean up everything and be done playing, but she's surprised us a few times. I usually spend more than half my day cleaning up her things, especially large items or things I want in a certain place. It will be nice to see that decrease as she gets better with doing it herself and I learn to let go of having it done my way.

lucas, 5 months old:

Cute little blue bear. He hasn't grown much since the last update, although he's eating more and more cereal.


He sometimes smiles at the camera now without any prompting.


No matter how I put him in, he seems to end up in this "hot tub" position.

It's an "almost" month for Lucas. He can now sit up for a few seconds without support. He also tries to lunge from a sitting position to his tummy and "swims" nowhere fast, probably the start of learning to crawl. I love how he grabs his feet, but he likes to pull his socks off. He seems to be teething, with a lot of chewing and irritability now to accompany his salivary waterworks. He grabs things to try to put them in his mouth. He laughs so hard one second and then has a furrowed brow the next. It looks like, "Hahaha! That's so funn...wait a minute..."

He is a total joy. He's still fairly mellow, as long as he's not frightened or exhausted. Still crying a lot in the car but very happy at home. Manny and Naomi are hilarious entertainment for him, and sometimes it looks like he's trying to jump or dance along. I try to make him laugh, too, but I think I'm mostly just the food source. It's been a nice five months, very different from the first five months we had with Screamy McScreamer. Ok, that's not nice. When she smiled, though, she really smiled. And that was always just enough sunshine.

winter foods:

We're having shepherd's pie tonight for dinner. It's that time of the year again for cold-weather foods. We've been having foods like bone soup, beef stew, sausage and beans, pot pie, enchiladas, pasta, etc. Normally these would be loaded with onions, but I find that we're okay without them. My in-laws bought us some Mexican chocolate. I love it. It's also the only time of year I might drink something from Starbucks--their caramel apple cider. I'm also drinking some sesame cereal from Taiwan. It's basically like the fillings in those sesame balls (zhi ma tang yuan). It has brown rice, pearl barley, wheat germ, sesame, black bean--stuff that's good for you. Of course, it would probably gross Manny and Naomi out on the color alone. On a side note, V (the birthday girl from previous entry) showed me how to sautee brussel sprouts. Naomi ate a plateful of them last night. Now hopefully no one will tell her that she's not supposed to like them!

take time for christmas:

Gabe took our Christmas photo.


We attempted them at home but weren't too successful aside from this one.

Wah! Christmas is around the corner already! (Chinese expression of awe, not the English crying "wah"). We're missing that extra week between Thanksgiving and Christmas that we had last year, yes? :) There's so much on the calendar that I took some time out to count my blessings and thank God today for His Son. I prayed for a number of things happening in the news and around me as well. It helps remind me that it's not all about me.

I finally got started on the Christmas cards. I'm totally not a procrastinator--if I don't do something right away, it might get forgotten. I find that my friends who are notorious procrastinators are also really smart. So maybe that's the difference with me. :) I know a couple families where everyone, parents and all the kids, have birthdays during December and January. It must be super busy for them.

Last Friday we had a "Daddy Day," which means that I put aside activities with the kids to make for a big, pleasant welcome-home for Manny. The cookies came out perfect, Lucas napped well, Naomi was very patient and helpful, and all that allowed me to take care of Manny, so to speak, in his absence. He has a ton of work to do before the end of the year. I also have a lot on my plate, special events, ministries, etc., so especially in a month like December, I have to put aside time for it. Life is really busier than it should be.

"21st" birthday party:

The kids and I went to V's "21st" birthday party on Saturday night. Manny got stuck at work. :( V is truly one of the most beautiful people I know, on the inside and outside. Everything she touches seems beautiful. Her designs shine, her spirit even more so. She and her husband hosted the party. In lieu of gifts, she asked for donations to a charity. They served up some awesome Hawaiian barbecue including kalua pork and spam musubi. The decadent cupcakes were from S_prinkles. Naomi had a blast playing with friends, and Lucas did pretty well, considering how little he's been napping with our busy month of December. Naomi sang happy birthday on our way out, noting that we never sang it to the birthday girl.


Tried to get a candid of the birthday girl in the crowd.


Christmas cupcakes from red velvet to vanilla, all very rich.


Naomi loved the food and ate just about everything.


J & A (married to other people) with Lucas (not theirs, of course). Lucas looks worried, as usual. You don't get to see his cute shirt designs very often--they're covered by one of the many bibs he goes through a day.

time flies:

I took the kids to lunch at R_ed Robin today with my old coworkers, including two of my former managers. It is tough getting out with the kids lately, but December calls.

Lucas eyeing the burger:


Naomi was camera-shy, but popped out at the last second:


I was hired in almost 10 years ago. We were a successful, high-profile, well-educated group. Perhaps too much so, as there ended up being a less-than-ethical battle for our group, ending in disaster. I spent most of my first pregnancy fighting for the survival of the group, which was more or less prolonging the inevitable, but it's nice that our friendships (and some embarrassing memories) survived.

I don't think I ever liked "Business Amy," even though she pops up again every now and then. My job involved quality control (calling someone's baby ugly) and negotiation. Even if I was successful at it, I didn't enjoy the confrontations. I failed repeatedly at being a good testimony with all the frustration I displayed. However, I did love my job just because of the camaraderie of the group back in the earlier years. I had an awesome manager that really "learned" each of his employees and designed projects around our strengths and weaknesses. This has actually influenced me as a parent. A number of us have kids now, and another just got married. It was a good time. Naomi was very well-behaved, an answer to prayer. Lucas lost it a little, but his cry is weak enough that it didn't seem to bother the other patrons.

happy birthday:

Happy Birthday, Angie! How do you say that in Wolof?

birthday tea party:

We went to Mikaela's Christmas/princess birthday tea party today. Lucas hung in there as best as a baby could and crashed quite miserably when we came home. Well, he won't remember one missed nap, but Naomi and the other girls will remember their special time together.

Naomi did pretty well this year, considering she was the youngest. Naomi thought the other girls were making fun of her age at first, but I took her aside to talk and she was fine after that. Some say girls are easier, others say boys. I'm sure it takes energy either way (as in they suck the life out of you), but I have found that these all-girl parties are definitely different than the ones filled with boys. I will say invest the energy as early as possible, though--I barely can believe how well-behaved and obedient Naomi's become, and it was at the expense of a lot of other ways I would have preferred to spend my time. And certainly it's a testament of the grace of God--I make mistakes every day.




When I see Naomi in these photos, I kind of think of myself. I genuinely like people, but I never quite fit in. I have a large circles of friends, but I'm not ever truly included in a tight circle. Hopefully Naomi can find the close friendship she longs for. She's certainly social enough.

misc update:

aka, "excuse to post photos for the family." Manny pointed out how I like to post "huh?" photos of Lucas. Yeah, can't help it--it's cute to me, and Naomi wasn't really like that.





Two weeks translates to 300+ hours when your baby isn't napping or sleeping well, but Lucas is almost back to "normal" now. Unfortunately, he also seems to have some diarrhea. When I told Naomi that it might have been something I ate and wasn't careful, she said, "You know what, Mami? It's not your fault." Awww. Then she said, "But you know what else? You still have to change the dirty diaper. Heehee." :) (I know it seems like it, but I don't blame myself for everything.)

When I was little, I turned shoeboxes into dollhouses and rolled up socks into balls for my toys. Not that I want Naomi to live like that, but I wondered if she'd learn to be resourceful with all these ready-to-go toys. Necessity is the mother of invention, and I definitely feel less creative now that I have more. But I guess it comes naturally to kids anyway. She has these tools made of foam that she also uses for her "hair shop." The saw is used to cut my hair, the drill doubles as a hairdryer, the paintbrush is for coloring my locks, and the hammer...well, she just hammers my head with that and says, "I'm fixing you."

I also made a puppet theatre once, but I cut up some precious red fabric my mom had for the curtains, about which she was extremely displeased. Naomi's version was much less harmless, with some Hello Kitty happy meals a friend gave me (yes me, not her) and her Lego bag.



On Sunday at church, an 8-year-old boy offended Naomi when he laughed at someone, and she asked him to sit down on the couch to talk it out with her. He had no clue what she was talking about, I'm sure. She was hurt he wouldn't sit, so we had to tell her boys (and really, all kids) are wired differently and that he probably didn't understand her.

Naomi leaving me a surprise on my camera again while trying not to get the flash in her eyes:


She also took this photo of Lucas--I love his chubby legs. Again, something I hadn't experienced before.

thank you:

We got a nice surprise this weekend from H & J (you know who you are). We thought there might be an outfit for Lucas, but then there was also a beautiful sherpa coat for Naomi, too! We're so impressed by people buying something additionally for Naomi. It's always a nice surprise for her. She still does get jealous but is more accepting now. And there were Cars toys--we saved one set for Lucas and gave the Buzz and Woody set to Naomi. She takes them everywhere with her now. And then the biggest surprise was a giftcard for me to help update my wardrobe. Before receiving the card, I bought a pair of jeans and two pairs of trousers, and now they are too loose. :P I guess I'd better wait on using this till my weight stabilizes. Manny and I saw the giftcard and did a tear-wiping motion. I really didn't expect that. Thanks so much!


Naomi was a little anxious to put her new coat on and play with the cars.

uneasy:

Our car was egged a couple weeks ago. And tonight we found that someone had torn open our mail package and left us with the empty bag. It had what was supposed to be a dress for Naomi. I'm really bummed about the whole thing. Last night before I took the kids to community group, Naomi and I heard some people laughing by our door and something that sounded like our mailbox. She wanted to investigate through the window, but I told her not to look. With the termites (and not being able to get the needed consensus to fumigate), the age of our place, the huge development they're planning nearby, closing down the local park, and these events, it makes it hard to feel at ease living here. Then again, with all the burglaries my family's been through, I probably would feel this way anywhere.

P.S. Manny said it was a wasp. Good thing no one was stung.

insectophobia:

I've mentioned my fear of bugs a number of times, right? I was getting the kids out of the car today when a yellowjacket or hornet or wasp (I still don't know the difference) buzzed in my hair. I seem to attract bees and the like even in the cold. They used to want to fly in my mouth, so I've cut out anything fruity from my shampoos, lip glosses, etc. They still come. They must sense my fear. Anyway, I thought it flew away when I spotted it walking around on my shoulder and hair (while Lucas was on my other shoulder). I got this nasty-smelling, all-natural repellant and sprayed my hair. Now it was gone. I had to feed Lucas when I suddenly saw it crawling on my other shoulder. I let out a scream, which made Lucas wail, of course, and batted at it. It hit the carpet and started buzzing around. Normally I'd be still or run, but for some reason when I have a child in my arms, I then favor fight over flight (like when I head-butted a bee at Disneyland while carrying Naomi). So anyway, I took one of Manny's big sandals and tried to smash it--and missed! A men's size 10.5 shoe and I missed! So I took his other sandal, put it on (I wear size 5.5 sandals usually) and smashed that thing. I couldn't do the clean-up for fear it wasn't dead. So I laid a plastic pad on it and then a box on top of that. Now I'll wait for Manny...

lucas, 4 months old:

Photo from when he turned 4 months old.


Trying to get out of his Bumbo seat.

Lucas is now 16 lbs and 25" long. He's becoming more active by the day and doesn't like to be in one place for long. He's going through some sleep regression. He just got his shots today, so I expect a rough patch ahead. We've started him on baby cereal, although I only give him only a little in the evening, so he's still more or less exclusively breastfed. Still rejecting formula, but I'm not giving up yet.

He's still pretty happy, especially when Naomi's around. Her version of peek-a-boo is decidedly superior to mine. He enjoys making raspberries with his everflowing drool. He is laughing and cooing more and more. Sometimes his fussing will come out, "MAMA!" He's still as sensitive and easily startled as ever (he wailed when we sang happy birthday at community group last night and also when I sneezed today, although it was a strong sneeze).

He has a red spot in his eye. The doctor did a test for corneal abrasion, but thankfully it appears to just be a broken vessel, probably from when Naomi accidentally head-butted him in the eye last Sunday. No, really, it was an accident.

waste not want not:

This week has been fun, using up all the leftover meat and other Thanksgiving ingredients. If you have turkey, veggies, evaporated milk, pie crust-->turkey pot pie. Leftover mashed potatoes could go on a shepherd's pie. Ham and tomatoes and leftover celery and corn went into a ham jambalaya tonight. Fried rice, pasta, soups--so much can be made from leftovers. I'm planning to make a bone soup from the turkey carcass as well. This is something I love to do--use stuff up. I love it as much as some love to shop. That's partly why the mass of baby/kid items we have stress me out sometimes, until I remember that they are reflections of others' generosity and God's provision. When we're done, and the kids are grown, I'll probably miss it. :)

photo time:

Nov 2008 Photos - Gilroy Gardens, date night, Manny's birthday, Thanksgiving

week of thanksgiving:

Click on the photo to view the slideshow (no sign-in necessary).

Thanksgiving 2008

We will miss the week we had with our family here. Naomi got to make a gingerbread house with Grandma and Lucas had his first solid food. Manny had the week off from work. I got to run a lot of errands, including getting a haircut and making some food for some friends who just had a baby. I made some red-cooked fish, beef chow fun, and Chinese broccoli. We had a full house of visitors most days, a nice break from the routine for me and a dream come true for Naomi. She loves the company, especially if they'll politely watch her performances. Manny's sister flew in on Wednesday night.

We had a very good Thanksgiving in the garage. Naomi said she would name it "The Family Restaurant" and quickly donned her new apron to cook and serve. We kept the garage door open and it was beautiful outside, with no sign of the forecasted rain.

Everyone pitched in in huge ways. My father-in-law is the Master of meat, roasting Uncle Gerard's organic turkey and grilling Uncle Pancho's ham perfectly. He also made the relish/crudites tray and salad. Manny's mom made most of the sides (stuffing, yams, peas and corn). His aunt made mashed potatoes. Cousin Fran brought chocolate chip cookies. Uncle Gerard also provided all the plates, cups, utensils, and tablecloths. We ate very well. I think I got about two-thirds through the clean-up and wanted to faint, probably from food coma and general lack of sleep. Manny's sister did all the rest and did a spectacular job.

Manny invited his Japanese coworker, who's only been in the U.S. for a month, so he is just learning about various holidays and traditions. I've forgotten a lot of my Japanese. I'll brush up before next time--he already said he'll come back next year with his family. :)

Naomi's quotes from the week.

[while taking a bath]
N: Grandma, are you getting old?
G: Yes.
N: Then let me sing you a Chinese song. Ho sha ma go ti jia...

[at the gelato place]
N: Grandpa, you can't give Lucas ice cream. He might get diarrhea! You're on time out.

G [holding Lucas, noting the resemblance]: Oh look, it's Baby Manny.
N: Um, excuse me, Grandma. His name is Lucas. That's Baby Manny [points at her dad].

N [voice cracking, eyes welling up]: I invited everyone to a party in my room...but nobody came.

A: You can tell Buddy to sit for his treat.
N: Would you please sit down, Buddy? Please?
A: It's okay to just say "Sit." You don't have to be polite with him.

From Thanksgiving 2008

Well, it's back to the grind--except we have plenty of leftovers, so that cuts back on cooking time. :)