spiritual thoughts:

Our bible study is now in covering verses 3-8 of Romans 12.  As I've meditated on it, I've jotted down a few thoughts on how I want to live:

In knowing who God is, Christians should be the last to think we are better than other people.  The concern with having more people know God initimately isn't so they'll be as good as we are.

A few bible verses doesn't make something biblical.  It's easy enough to edit a movie the way you want it to be seen.  Context is crucial.

What gifts we have and how we exercise them is by God's design.  If someone tells you your gift is inferior or even unnecessary, they do not fully understand the gospel.  It's easy for anyone with a specific strength to not understand why others can't do the same, but it's not right.

Sometimes we say the divorce rate is outrageous, but can we say we've never been guilty of harm/murder toward our spouses, as Christ defines it (calling them fools in your heart)?  Not being divorced 50 years ago may not be something to applaud when social acceptance doesn't dictate what's inside our hearts.

Sometimes in churches, some people may look down on those whom they think are weak (but are just gifted differently or have different personalities), and this is very dangerous to the body.  They are to be abundantly honored.  It is addressed clearly in 1 Cor 12:14-26.

Whom do you admire in the church and why?  A strong church isn't made up of cool and interesting people, but warm and interested people, people who live for Christ with the measure of faith God has allotted and love earnestly with the Spirit.  Diversity is necessary--what is a church with only a head and feet?  As someone (I can't remember whom) once said, we want unity, not uniformity.

Don't reduce truth to buzz words, catchy phrases, words that only evoke emotion.  Truth is eternal, not fleeting like vapor, not only relegated to one day a week.

Don't put your admiration for certain individuals ahead of your conscience, the Spirit, and the Word.  Don't shift the source of your convictions.  Everyone is uniquely significant and useful in the body.

the kids' week in photos:

The kids love the pet store.

Naomi about to make the shot in her basketball class.  She scored four points.

Dress-up Day at her ISP class.

Pumpkin patch redux.  We successfully found our sugarpies!

Back at home, Lucas was back to scissor-legging, sitting on, and kicking the baby dolls...

L came over after school time and brought cookies!  The kids were so happy to see and play with her again.    Thanks for stopping by! 

lucas, 2 years 3 months:

Lucas after a bath.

Lucas cleaning the toilet.

Lucas is finally saying a few sentences and stringing words into phrases.  He'll say, "I see choo-choo" or "Papi eat, too" or "Nay-na [what he calls Naomi] do shoe" (when he wants Naomi to help him put on his shoes, which is all the time).  Most of the time, he says "Mine, mine," "More, please," and "I see!" because he wants to see something.

He adores his sister, hugging and kissing her every day, but he's still a little too rough with her sometimes.  He expresses jealousy when she plays with other kids, and he doesn't really want to play with anyone else.  I know this isn't unusual for younger siblings; he'll hopefully develop his own friendships over time.

Lucas likes to dance to the opening theme songs of certain educational shows (Cyberchase, WordGirl, Magic School Bus).  He also likes to pretend to be a dog.  He likes to clean, but we'll have to do some fine-tuning in that department.  But most of all, he still loves his cars and trains.  I wonder if/when that will ever change.

He likes carrots, English or Persian cucumbers, brussel sprouts, hard-boiled egg whites, tofu, olives, and berries.  He also has a sweet tooth, and his favorites seem to be Nutella or strawberry jam on bread.  I still cannot get him to drink milk or eat much dairy at all, and I'm still trying sugar, chocolate, flavorings, etc.  The best I can do is if he has it with cereal.  He'll eat yogurt and whipped cream, at least.

Lucas doesn't take so well to change, which is very different from Naomi.  He's fearful of a lot, also different from Naomi, and won't even get in the swing at the park.  There will come a time when we will have to toughen him up more, but for now, he's only two, and I can relish in the fact that I'm not getting near-panic attacks like I was with daredevil Naomi.  He is actually brave when he needs to be, though.  He's protective of me and his sister, and he'll go after anything that seems to be a threat to us.  And then he can be reckless, too.  He seems bent on trying to flip over the loveseat and headfirst into the ceramic tiles.  This means I still have to watch him, but at least I have Naomi as an extra set of eyes.

Potty training is going at a snail's pace, but it's not urgent yet, and we're just very busy this time of year.  He'll go #1, but never #2.  We're on his last pack of diapers, I think.  We'll be heading to training pants territory shortly.  He's also not sleeping well, but I felt another molar coming in yesterday, so hopefully we can just chalk it up to teething as always.  ;)

sunday lunch/q&a/gospel:

On Sunday, the interim pastor preached what might be his second to last sermon, a great message on redemption, relating to David's life.  The church might have found a pastor after almost two years.  That evening, Manny attended the church Q&A with the selection panel/elders and the candidate.  The worship pastor prefaced the time by entreating everyone to examine their hearts for each question, whether or not it was motivated by self.  The pastoral candidate was sincere, not putting a spin on anything.  These days we're too bent on catchy and persuasive phrases, I think.  The gospel doesn't need to be sold, only told.

Between the sermon and the Q&A, we had lunch at a nice Italian restaurant with a former coworker of Manny's.  The kids did pretty well, even though they had to just sit there and be quiet.  At least Lucas got to see the train pass by afterward, and Naomi got a little rain.  There was another toddler there, and Lucas only leaned in when she hugged him.  Finally he blew her a kiss, and then he was proud of himself.  I'm always encouraged by the relationships Manny's developed at work, and the way he shares his faith.  He never does it for man's approval, attention, or brownie points.  I don't know who exactly does do that, but I just know he doesn't, and he is bold for Christ and in his love for others.

football game photos:

Got these from Chris.  SC-Stanford game was definitely a memorable one.

snoopy's costume party:

Saturday we went to Snoopy's Costume Party at an amusement park.  Naomi wanted to be a ladybug with (outer) wings this year.  That's a costume I could've made if we had something old and red, but we found one on sale.  For Lucas, I found these Superman pajamas that had a detachable cape.  So he was comfortable and happy.  Despite the weather forecast, Manny thought we should go anyway, and I'm glad we did.  The kids behaved very well.  Naomi was looking forward to seeing Sally.  I'm a big Snoopy fan myself (although I think I'm most like Charlie Brown).  It started sprinkling right before we left, when Manny and Naomi were stuck on the skyway ride.  They made it down safely, and we headed home with our two little bags of candy.  

Heading out the door.  Kids making "two"s.

The cape and the wings.  Naomi wanted the wings upside down and shaped like a heart.

Snoopy the superhero.

 Lucy as a witch.

Lucas getting the hang of it.

Linus the scarecrow.  Charlie Brown was dressed as Frankenstein.

Kids with their treats, Snoopy with his.

Sally is Naomi's favorite.  Pretty pumpkin.

More Snoopy.

This is actually Lucas saying, "Cheese!"

little pumpkins:

I took the kids to a pumpkin patch on a whim.  Our days are packed this year, so I wasn't sure if we'd have another time to go.  Too bad I didn't randomly dress the kids in fall colors that morning, but that's alright.  It was a little lonely for us this particular afternoon, but it helped us to not stay too long.  :)  They were also sold out of sugarpie pumpkins.  Naomi loves pumpkin treats--her favorite pie is pumpkin pie.  I think I'm okay going with canned filling this year to save time, although it was too bad I had no pumpkin for the turkey chili I made (thanks, Jenni--we've been make it since you shared the recipe).  On a side note, the man there warned us that their port-a-potty was from the farm.  There was feces on the floor.  Yikes.  Good thing we had one of those Potettes in the car.

They looked down because it was too bright.

Naomi in the bounce house. 

Lucas examining this pumpkin. 

I think it's a basketball!

isp parent meeting:

Naomi and I had a great parent-teacher meeting on Tuesday.  All morning she had been groggy and uncooperative, probably because at 5 a.m. an elderly neighbor was taken to the hospital.  Manny said she appeared conscious.  Her son passed away rather suddenly a couple years ago, just as we were getting to know him, and he had been living with her, taking care of her (she apparently suffers from Alzheimer's).  I pray she's alright.

Naomi ended up pushing herself and doing a fantastic job with the presentation.  I'm so proud of her for being able to now read about her own projects, writings, and reports.  She got to show the teacher our homemade Santa Maria (below) and the sombrero.  Lucas already destroyed the Chinese lanterns, but at least we had a photo of them to show her.

Naomi's teacher (ISP teacher; I guess I'm her primary teacher) noticed that Naomi is so detailed in her drawings.  For example, in a scene drawing for a story, Naomi drew a lot of details on the stove, and she colored the top half of a glass of milk a light blue to contrast the whites and to look like glass.  It's normal for her to draw these minute details to the point where it can get hard to follow the main point.  Aren't I like that when I speak?  Anyway...

The teacher also said that Naomi works very quickly.  This is true most of the time at home, but sometimes she can get bogged down with the details.  Either way, she's kind of like how I was as a student, so I have to be careful with not letting her get ahead too quickly, becoming overconfident and glossing over things like I did.  Manny and I didn't really learn to study until college.  I'd like to start that a bit earlier with her.  That will apply to how she lives her life as well.  We have to receive instruction with humility and patience, and not think of ourselves higher than we ought.  Sometimes I can still crank things out very quickly, but most of the time I feel like I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast or how to read.  I look at things I used to be able to do, and I just can't figure them out anymore.  I used to be so on top of things, but I'm glad I've been humbled.  Even the mind withers away, even as it is being renewed--we have to put our hope in what matters.

So here are some examples of Naomi's work:

We made this replica of the Santa Maria for Columbus Day.  Naomi added the red crosses on her own.  I was going to skip them.  I thought it was clever how she thought of a simple way to draw them.  She wanted the anchor, too.  We had some bendaroos from a small kit, which made it easy.

Our science reports from our Science Day at J's.  Never too early for the scientific method in this household!

This month's sample set included the Christopher Columbus project, learning about the solar system, fables and poems, math worksheets, an "About My Culture" project that covered Naomi's Mexican and Chinese heritage, and geography worksheets.  These are draft-quality color copies, so some of her coloring detail was lost, especially in the planets.   The picture with the stove, milk, and cookies is in the top row.  For math, she was just supposed to draw five dogs total, but she made story panels and drew the entire sequence and added an ending (they went to their respective doghouses).  

Here are some torn-paper self portraits from Naomi's (K-4) enrichment art class.  Naomi's is the full-bodied picture in the top center of the photo.  You can see her level of detail, including the belt, shoes, and 3-D nose.  Very neat.

photo time (sept):

Quite late, but:

eta:  oops, not sure why the sign-in was activated.  Working now.

September 2010 (before Disneyland)

Disneyland 2010 (including photos from Dolly and Chris)

two front teeth:

Naomi had her two bottom front teeth extracted on Monday.  The two permanent teeth are coming in quickly, and there wasn't much wobbling going on.  It reminds me of when I was little, how most of my teeth did not fall out on their own before the next ones were already more than halfway in.  I have terrible memories of my dad tying my teeth with strings to things like cutting boards and yanking them out rather painfully.  When I was 7 or 8, I had to have two permanent teeth extracted to make room for the rest.  Likewise, the dentist said that Naomi's mouth has very little space, so it's likely she's headed down the same path.  My parents also couldn't afford braces for us; I'm thinking maybe I should still get them when the kids are older.  It looks like Naomi will definitely need them.

Naomi got the anesthesia and then the extraction, and the dentist said she didn't even flinch.  Her mouth started hurting so I gave her some acetaminophen (we call it Tylenol, but you probably know most infant Tylenol has been pulled off the shelves).  I rarely give the kids painkillers.  She bore with the pain during basketball class.  She said she didn't want to be drowsy during class (not that I've ever found it to actually make her drowsy).  By the next day, she was better and back to her old self.

48 hours:

I did this 48-hour media challenge--no TV, no radio, no music, no video games, no internet, and no movies for 48 hours (unless it was something spiritually uplifting).  So I'm back.  I didn't really miss it, and it didn't really miss me.  However, I think three weekdays would've been pretty hard without the internet.  Now I'm catching up.  A couple more blog entries to go, once I get the photos uploaded.

girls' day out:

On Saturday, I took B up on his offer to watch the kids with Manny while his wife O and I went out.  I proposed a lunch and shopping trip, and I loved having the excuse of her recent birthday to treat her to a few things.  O's a great shopper, and she found a couple nice items for me that I wouldn't have found so quickly myself.  Well, actually, we both got the same sweater (mine in a larger size), and I ended up with the jeans she tried on first.  Haha.  I'm not a real shopper, but I enjoy doing things with people that they like to do.  I also enjoyed shopping for the grown-ups and in peace for a change.  :)  We went to an upscale outdoor mall, browsing through a culinary store and a couple clothing stores, and also had Italian for lunch.  I got pasta with sausage and portobello mushrooms.  I like to order things I don't get to eat at home because no one else likes them, like mushrooms.  I really liked this on-one-on time with O, because I find her to be really real, responsible, and intelligent, but she usually doesn't get a chance to say much when we're out as a group.  It only sprinkled once we got in the car, a big blessing.  The men seemed a little tired when we showed up.  I think the kids had the time of their lives with Uncle B at the park.  No one changed Lucas's (fortunately #1) diaper, although apparently they did talk about it off and on.  lol  Actually, B is a special needs/education teacher, so he's changed his share.  Manny just decided to wait.  :P  

science day:

On Friday we went to a Science Day hosted and taught by J.  She did two experiments, one with soap and pepper and the other with ice in water.  Naomi's actually done these in classes before, but without an explanation.  She's definitely ready for that now, and I liked how J explained surface tension (why pepper seems to be repelled by the soap) and the density of water in different forms (why ice floats) in terms they could understand.  Also, the theme was to relate it to God's creation, and we read many verses describing God as the Maker.  The kids also could bring an item to describe what God has made.  We forgot ours, but it was fun listening.  

The final demonstration was for the children to observe and participate in making muddy buddies (which we called puppy chow back when we made it in high school).  The kids observed (and tasted, of course) a room-temperature chocolate chips, ones melting in heat, and frozen ones.  We had a great time, learned a lot, and look forward to more group classes in the future.      

The kids enjoying fruit. 

Ice!

Dipping soap in water sprinkled with pepper. 

Chocolate!

isp field trip--historic ranch:

We headed to a historic ranch today for a field trip with the ISP.  It's a 150-year-old, formerly Mexican ranch that was restored and staged to educate people on farming life in the 1900s.  I learned a lot myself.  It was a pretty hot day at the ranch, reaching the 90s.  Thankfully, we had some shade, and the park interpreter (teacher/guide) decided to nix the 20-minute hike.  He was a pretty funny guy and did a pretty good job with all the kids.  I had to miss some of it to tend to Lucas.  It wasn't too bad.  He makes the trips a little more challenging, but overall it's easier than when I take the kids somewhere alone.

The girls in Naomi's K-1 class didn't come to the aviation museum last time, and the boys didn't go this time.  So, because Naomi had to hang out with the girls, she seemed to be a lot more mellow (for her).  There is one older girl, L, who is always nice to Naomi.  Naomi says she's really "stylish."  :)

The kids got to feed the chickens, pet a hen, hold various-colored eggs, touch cowhide, lasso a fake bull, watch a film in the barn, play a hoop-and-stick game, hike a little to search for a chalky rock farmers used for writing, make a phenakistoscope, and do a short hike to and from the turtle pond.  We had a choice between lunch and going to the turtle pond, and we decided to squeeze in both.

Lucas liked the chicken coop.

The kids got to hold all the different-colored eggs the hens laid--one actually laid blue ones.

Lasso exercise.

The kids searching for a yellow chalk rock.  The girl holding Naomi's hand, L, is the one that's always so nice to her.

 The kids and I taking a short hike up to the turtle pond.

Naomi getting some help to see the baby turtles.

Naomi and A walking and chatting together past an old barn.

Naomi had me pack 2 extra bags of snacks to give away, which we did.  In return, one of the girls gave her mermaid and unicorn Silly Bandz.  She's having leftover shrimp pesto pasta with broccoli and tomatoes.

awana / women's study:

Lucas had another week of Awana Puggles in the nursey and is now only breathing heavily (as opposed to wailing) when I drop him off.  When I picked him up, he was marching around smiling, and he waved bye to his teachers/caretakers in a sweet way.  I then brought the kids back to the Women's bible study with me because I wanted to hear the rest of the sharing time.  They behaved well, but no telling if they will next time.

I'm really thankful for all the women in the bible study/lifegroup.  They are about 10-30 years older than me, but I'm really comfortable with it.  Our discussions are fruitful and open.  I like hearing about what being a parent to teenagers entails for them.  The Romans 12 study is intensive, but there's no pressure, only accountability (there's a difference).  All the women are very different from one another, yet I sense a strong bond of unity.  I do long for the presence of another Asian, but it's not a deal breaker.  I'm not just there for myself.  There are two other lifegroups that meet at the same time, but I'm glad I was invited to this one first.  God has really used it in my life, and I hope that my participation and perspective has been beneficial to the group as well.  If anything, I'm another partner in prayer.

One of the main things I took away from this week was how we can not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2).  The long list of verses we received as answers got me thinking--not one of them says, "Compare yourself to the world, and if you're different, then you're not conforming."  That's what Pharisees thought, and that's what we can be like sometimes.  "Well, I don't do this or that, so I'm set."  But that's dangerous thinking.  In the Christian life, conforming happens in your heart, not on the outside.  The only way to know is to compare your life against the Word, not against things that you look down on because you don't have a desire for them anyway.  For example, it's easy enough for me to not watch much TV or buy expensive things just because of my personality.  That doesn't mean my mind is anywhere near continuous renewal.

Naomi really worked hard to catch up in Awana.  We had a slow start to Sparks (K-2) this year, due to things outside her control, but she recited eight full verses and won a couple of the games, helping her team win for the first time (the other three groups have scored the highest at least once, but not hers, and they tended to come in last every week).  I liked the lesson it taught her on perseverance.  I don't want her to be competitive for the sake of winning, but I want her to step up to the challenge and do her best.  And if she still loses, it's okay.  It's not because you just have to accept your situation, but that you ought to appreciate it (count it all joy).  Same with people--don't just accept them; appreciate them.

Our group meets across the building from Naomi's, and we hear this little voice shout, "My FAVORITE!"  I'm sure it's Naomi, and it was.  Ever seen Elf?  Naomi just has that heartfelt delight.

rescue:

Normally don't discuss the news, but I'm currently watching the miner rescue before I doze off.  I enjoy watching rescues, for literal and metaphorical reasons.  Out of the darkness and into the light.  So thankful they got out.

wknd--church, missions, football, chris:

When Chris shows up at our door, the kids just tell me and Manny to go away.  Just call us chopped liver.  Chris came on Friday night.  We had spaghetti with turkey meatballs and played with our new Move system.    

Saturday morning, Manny went to the men's breakfast and was able to sit and dialogue with the current pastor and the guest speaker, N.W.  The church is hosting its annual Missions Conference, which helps raise awareness and funding for international and local missions. I can't say a whole lot online about the seven or so missionary families affiliated with the church, but many of them are truly risking their lives for the gospel.  N.W. gave gruesome accounts of Christians killed for their beliefs where he works/serves.  Global missionaries need our support and prayers.

N.W. remarked it's our own culture and value system, rather than the culture of others, that gets in the way of our outreach.  Also, leaders sometimes don't want those under them to rise up but to just all be the same, so we can end up with this picture of the church.  The tires are like unused spiritual gifts of the individuals.  N.W.'s organization generally trains leaders to train up others.  He told one fellow worker that they didn't need a man with white skin to bring Christ to the nation; after all, Christ was from that area Himself.  It's exciting to hear about what God is doing around the world.

Saturday night, Manny and Chris went to one of the most thrilling college football games I've seen (though I only caught the last quarter, but I got the recaps).  The Stanford quarterback, Luck, seems to do it all.  He runs the yards for touchdowns, does the tackle when his team fumbles, throws some great passes--he might as well pass the ball to himself for a touchdown.  But it's really the coach that's brought Stanford up from a 1-11 season some years ago to this current dynamic and well-performing team.  It was a close game with a lot of yards that came down to a last-second field goal.  I'm so glad Manny was able to go.  I was cheering at home, and Naomi told me not to dance while I was eating or I'd get a stomachache.

Sunday we all went to church and the missions international potluck afterward.  I brought an Asian noodle salad, as the entrees and desserts sign-ups were already pretty full.  I wish I had room for everything.  There was chicken mole, pig's feet with black-eyed peas, Italian meatballs, Korean japchae, and lots of other dishes to enjoy.  A missionary couple from Papua New Guinea shared their experiences and answered questions.  We went to Target, Lucas napped, and I made taco pie for dinner before Chris had to leave.  It was another great weekend.

day 6, date:

We headed back to Grandma's, still in the sweltering heat, but this time it was actually sprinkling!  The kids spent the early afternoon with their grandparents in the backyard while Manny and I went on a date.  Dolly had also gone home to rest and take care of the pets.  Manny and I went to a  major mall, had lunch, and saw The Expendables.  I was excited to see this cast together on screen--these action-hero stars were like a Dream Team--but the movie, specifically the entire script, was just not as good as the ones the individual actors had been in (even White Chicks).  But I'm sure we'll eventually get a good dream-team movie.  This one probably relied too much on that.  Rental at best.  When we returned, Lucas was just a happy clam, and Naomi was hoping we'd stay out longer.  They had so much fun running through the sprinklers, which should have been recorded, but Manny and I were just too tired/lazy.  We didn't really capture much of anything on video this go around.  Our hands were too full.  I think Chris has more video of us than we do.  :)

I'm really thankful we were able to go.  I came back really refreshed.  I had started Naomi's school a week early to account for it.  I feel like I need to have breaks in my routine.  Manny is just the opposite--he's more of a momentum person, and shake-ups to his routine take a lot out of him.   But we both are big on completing our work/duties, whatever way we get there.  When we returned, I factored the hours lost for my women's bible study, so I was up till 1 a.m. every night before Wednesday to make up for that time.  Also, after two years, I am finally on my last page in Lucas's mini-scrapbook.  I think I had only 5-10 minutes every week to work on it (I do a lot in 5- to 10-minute increments, because I can't leave things unfinished, but I also don't have much free time).  The trouble with this last page is that it's supposed to be the list of Lucas's milestones/firsts, and I had that info on a hard drive that was erased.   So I'll be searching through this blog... 

day 5, disneyland:

We arrived half an hour before opening for the character breakfast off Main Street.  Lucas was very happy to see Eeyore, Tigger, and the White Rabbit.  Must be a fuzzy animal thing.  He would lean into them and snuggle.  Tigger kissed him, and he said, "Tee-ga mwah!"  Naomi was most excited to meet Minnie, but she likes getting autographs from anyone.  We didn't meet the princesses this year.  Naomi outgrew them by the time she turned four.  Before we had her, I didn't think we'd take our kids to Disneyland so young, but she just "got it."  Also, she outgrows things so quickly it's a new experience every time.  On the other hand, if we had Lucas first, we probably would have waited until he could appreciate it more.  His favorite parts of the day were probably meeting characters, Small World, having treats, and running around at the end of the day when the crowd had gone home.  He's like his dad--not a fan of crowds.  Naomi, on the other hand, was making friends in whatever line or area she was.  She's not like her mom; she's just Naomi.

After breakfast, we went to Pixie Hollow, an area to meet one or more of the Disney fairies.  It's a long line, even in the off-season.  However, the people ahead of us moved along quickly, so we got in sooner than expected.  The fairies, Tinkerbell and Silvermist (Asian one), were very personable and attentive.  Naomi was hoping to see them all, but at least she got to see her favorite (Tink).  Chris came that day as well, just in time for all of us 80s kids to go see Captain Eo.  It was bittersweet to see the show again, to remember the part of my childhood attached to MJ.  The dialogue was a bit cheesy, and of course it's a little dated, but the show is still better than Honey IStA.  They added in this bouncing effect, just in case you didn't know how to nod your head to the beat, but then Chris couldn't dance on his own.  :)  This is reportedly a limited run before they move forward with the next show.  The kids stayed outside with the grandparents.

We then met up with T and his mom, my friend from junior high.  Actually, she and I had gone to Disneyland together back then, among a host of other places that I would've never been able to go to had it not been for her and her mom.  Now here we were bringing our five-year-olds and toddlers.  It was a challenge with children and parents wanting to go in different directions.  I tried to please everyone and messed up as usual, and then there was a misunderstanding about where we were meeting up again.  Something was finalized while I was changing Lucas in the restroom, so there was conflicting info and my friend's cell phone wasn't working.  We missed a couple major areas trying to figure things out and find each other.  I should've let Manny handle it from the start, because I can't handle the stress.  Not that anyone was being outright demanding, or that no one had fun, but I was dwelling on the fact that everyone there was a guest, a paid guest. 

Small World--it's a small world for China, at least.  Mexico has this huge room now, and they barely had a corner for China.  They know there are more Chinese than any other people in the world, right?  :)  Lucas really liked this one.  There was something on every other ride he went on that scared him (the gunshots in Jungle Cruise, the darkness and volcano part in Finding Nemo), so that when they finally boarded the train, he refused to get on.  But this one was the winner.  We'd just missed the cut-off to meet Woody the day before, and now we missed the cut-off for Buzz, and Lucas was disappointed.  I'm not actually sure how he knows them, probably product placement.  I just told him to wave goodbye anyway.  Happiest place on earth for Lucas it was not, but he still took it all in stride, even though he missed his nap. 

Naomi threw only one tantrum this time, and it was over the Buzz Lightyear AstroBlasters shooting ride.  On that ride, you can spin your car around to aim, and I guess Grandpa spun it while she was trying to aim at the big Zurg at the end, so she couldn't shoot it.  So in a small act of revenge, she continuously spun the car so that no one could aim.  Ay ay ay.  Grandpa said he forgot what it was like to be a three-year-old (well she's five, but she acted three!).  But then she apologized and things were okay.  Then five minutes to closing, Chris told her he'd run all the way back to Tomorrowland with her and get on it again.  And so they hightailed it, and we saw the operators close the door behind them.  Just in time!  

Manny and the kids in front of the Mickey jack-o'lantern.

Where is everyone?  Ah, wouldn't it be nice if it were this empty all the time?

Minnie & Friends Breakfast slideshow of characters we met.  Move cursor over the bottom of it to pull up the play/pause menu.

Naomi and Tink.

Chris and me at Captain Eo (with Manny and Dolly).

Watching Naomi and Chris on the Astro Orbiter.

I don't know about the grown-ups, but the kids enjoyed It's a Small World.  :)

Spotted Goofy in ToonTown!

Pluto!  So glad Dolly took the photo since I was changing Lucas and missed it.

My really good-looking in-laws.

There were Disney jack-o'lanterns in a circle, including Woody, Buzz, Tink, and Pooh.

Chris and Naomi literally ran all the way back for one final, satisfying round of Astro Blasters.

Manny, Chris, and Dolly's last grown-up ride of the night.   My friend and I were saying how we're old enough to not have to pretend we like this ride anymore.   The first time I rode it back in high school, my bff dumped water on me continuously.  When I got out, people in line were worried they were going to get that soaked.