happy new year / back home / resolution:

I am almost a month behind with the blog, but illnesses, school, commitments, and life with three kids will do that.  But writing updates is still important to us.  I regret that I haven't been writing down the kids' funny sayings.  Now I don't remember a lot of them.  I also want to get back to writing on some topics other than our social calendar.

It's 2014!  Last year flew by, and it was an eventful year with plenty of highs and lows.  It was certainly not the 2013 we'd planned for back in 2011.  We thought we might finally pull up the carpet, take a trip to Hawaii, change courses jobwise, whatever, but it was exactly the year God had for us.  In many ways it's a blessing not to know your future.  In 2013, we welcomed our beautiful Isaac, Manny's work situation went very sour, Lucas started school, our church started community life nights (more in the next post), and I went through some positive spiritual changes.

On New Year's Eve, Naomi had a make-up piano class, and we watched the ball drop at 9pm PST instead of midnight.  I think that's going to be our new thing!  It worked out well, except of course others still celebrate at midnight, so we had to deal with illegal fireworks going off.  I was wiped out from the trip and Isaac's illness, but Naomi, as always, got right to party planning, so we had a little celebration at home.

For New Year's, Chris came over and we watched our disappointing Rose Bowl loss.  The rest of the week was good as Isaac recovered.  One of my favorite times of the year is the second week of Manny's shutdown the years he gets two weeks off.  We went to Costco while Naomi went to a friend's Narnia party; we went out to the park; we had Taiwanese food; we went bowling; and Manny went out to the movies with Chris.  He still had to work, but it was just good having him at home.

Happy New Year!  We were sleepy at 9 pm!

FaceTime with Grandma and Grandpa!

Isaac's first New Year!

For New Year's, menudo is a tradition.  My father-in-law's menudo is so good, but I don't know how to make it, so canned it is.

Time for college football!  It was so close, but Stanford lost.

Lucas and Isaac at Costco.  It's easier even with one less child, even though Naomi's never a problem for us at stores.

Naomi and classmates from the ISP watching Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Isaac loves the noodles.  These were simple noodles in broth, so hopefully not too much sodium.

Naomi is comfortable with chopsticks now.  Self-taught.

I already broke my one resolution to not raise my voice at the kids when we're in the car.  They don't usually fight in the car, so it's not that, but sometimes I get upset at them and wait till we're in the car to yell.  Like if Lucas takes too long to get in his seat or the kids were fighting beforehand.  The baby started imitating me, which was a wake-up call.  I had very little sleep last week, actually for the past month, and yelled about being exhausted.  I do always apologize, but I resolve to not give up on doing away with raising my voice altogether.  Not in my strength, but out of love for God and my family.  I know this family with six children, all adults now, whose parents never had conflict in front of them in almost thirty years of marriage and never raised their voice at their kids.  Yeah, that won't be us, however! my hope is that they'll see God grow us as we humble ourselves before Him.  And true humility is what I desire in the coming year and years to come.  That's the better resolution--to address the root cause instead of band-aiding the effects.

last rides of 2013:

The day after we returned, Manny took the kids back to Winter Wonderland while I took Isaac to the doctor's office and the pharmacy for the antibiotics.  The kids got to go on rides they missed or skipped last time.  I wasn't there, but from the kids' reports it sounded like a great time!  So began one of my favorite times of the year, when Manny gets the week of New Year's off.

This is a swing that Lucas was too scared of last time, but it became one of his favorites.

movies, family lunch, illness:

The Friday after Christmas, Manny and I went to see The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug (aka The Elongation of a Childhood Favorite for maximum profit).  I loved Lord of the Rings, but this is almost like how we felt when Star Wars I, II, and III came out.  Is some magic from the original lost when the prequel you've always wanted is finally here and doesn't blow you away?  I did like this second installment of The Hobbit "trilogy" more than the first, but both felt a little long.  With LoTR, it was an actual trilogy with fairly dense books written for a more grown-up audience (perhaps the fans of The Hobbit now grown up).  The movies didn't feel long at all.  The Hobbit was written first, and it is more or less a children's book.  I know PJ added Tauriel to add a female main character, and I actually liked her, but the love subplot cheapened it to me.  I will probably always be a big Lord of the Rings/Hobbit fan, though.  Anyway, I was really happy to be out with Manny again.  I definitely got a break from the routine this past Christmas and am very thankful to my in-laws for watching the kids.

After the movie, we went to my in-laws' favorite Thai restaurant together.  I had a seafood soup that was pretty good.  I think Lucas ate his weight in pad see ew.  Going out as a big family is nice, and the table keeps getting bigger.  Then we returned home to Grandma's.  By then, Isaac was spiking a fever.  The kids decided to stay at Grandma's, so we got to have a night with just Isaac, which was really nice, even though he was sick and fussy.  I felt bad because Lucas doesn't always sleep well, but I think we welcomed the extra rest.  We came by that Saturday, and Manny's aunt's family returned from Disneyland.  I don't remember much else about that day except that Lucas played with his cousin but then got in trouble for not playing nice.  Lucas can't understand sometimes that other kids are too young for something.  Plus I'm sure he was overtired and overexcited.

I was mostly dealing with Isaac being sick so I don't remember much of that day.  He was feverish on the drive home that Sunday but hung in there better than expected.  Manny was sick, too.  So was his sister, sister's boyfriend, cousin, probably a lot more family members.  It's the gift that keeps on giving.  Monday we took Isaac to a doctor because he was hovering under 104 the entire weekend and had an ugly cough.  The doctor found an ear infection, bronchiolitis (not bronchitis), and probable signs of pneumonia.  I opted not to do the x-ray since he'd be getting antibiotics anyway that should cover for pneumonia.  He then got hives all over from the antibiotics, just like Naomi had.  We switched antibiotics and he got diarrhea and a diaper rash.  In all these years, I've never dealt with a diaper rash on one of our babies' bottoms before.  I had seen it in the nursery many times, but when it's your own kid and he's screaming in pain with each diaper change, you understand just how hard diaper rashes can be.  But enough days had passed for the antibiotics to eradicate whatever he had, and at the follow-up, he was thankfully all clear.  I really do not like giving kids antibiotics, but sometimes they are necessary.  His digestion was messed up for two weeks, but finally he's back to normal.  It's a good thing he's old enough for yogurt now.

Isaac meeting Paco.  My sister-in-law has raised this goldfish since it was a teeny tiny thing, and he's grown so big!

Manny and I at the movies.

Isaac wouldn't even calm down with me, but Grandpa worked his magic.

Enjoying our Thai food together.

The boys playing together and with their father's old Matchbox cars.  :)

L and little cousin.

Poor little sickie.

christmastime family time:

Isaac seemed to enjoy his first Christmas with his grandparents.  He only seemed to have trouble at night, maybe from being in a new place for the first time.  Actually, he's often happy during the day and fussy at night.  He also got sick.  It was kind of a crazy week, so this was also the first year I cancelled or forewent plans with friends.

People used to laugh about Michael Jackson saying he grew up without Christmas, but I can relate.  Since Christmas mornings and Grandma's house were things I only heard about as a child, it's that much more fun to watch the kids get excited about it.  

This year, Manny's aunt's family stayed at my mother-in-law's house, and we stayed at my sister-in-law's house.  We used to all fit, but now we have too many kids!  It was a nice stay at my sister-in-law's, except the first night I was so drained I was punching buttons on the alarm instead of the heater.  "Mommy-brain" is absolutely real for me (not saying it's an excuse, just a reality).  So this time, we got dressed and drove over to open presents instead of hopping out of our bedrooms.  His aunt's family was heading out to Disneyland that morning.  We opened each other's presents first, and off they went.  My parents asked us to come the day after Christmas, so we had the whole day to relax and celebrate together with the smell of ham and the sound of Christmas marathons in the background.  We prayed together.  It was really nice.  

We spent the next day with my family at my parents' house.  I think my mom invited my half brother, but he couldn't make it.  Yes, I have a younger half brother.  My (full) brother was home temporarily.  After the state removed conservatorship from my parents many years ago, they regained it.  Being in a new county (one painfully strapped for funding), and with the circumstances surrounding my brother's flight from a previous facility, they were able to file for it.  But it seemed a tense and unhealthy environment for all of them.  The only advantage is that my parents hadn't been scraping as much with my brother's benefits.  They still have to go to the food bank and have no income or savings, but things were really dire for them the last two times we were there.  I got stressed out for many reasons and snapped at my dad and wanted to leave, but I apologized to him.  I don't know the number of his days, but I don't think there are many more Christmases we'll be able to see him.  Our relationship may never be perfect, but I want him to know he's loved, even if he wasn't able to fulfill his dreams, even if he did some regrettable things.  We all have.  God is just, yet His grace is greater than our sins, and even our best efforts are nothing compared to it.  Anyway, my brother has since moved out.  

Christmas should never come down to material things, but with my elders I sort of feel the effort and thoughtfulness of the gift says a lot.  I wish I had a little more time to look for certain gifts for our parents, but hopefully they understand.  I'm sure they just think the best gift is our time and giving them the chance to bond with their grandchildren.    

Isaac crawling through the presents (to get to Grandma's eyeglass case).

We got the aunt and uncle a table-sized leg lamp--they're big Christmas Story fans.

Isaac gets his own smartphone!  He loves this toy, though he wasn't sure about it at first.

Naomi got a pretty sparkly sweater.  She likes new clothes.

Lucas not as appreciative of clothes.  He's throwing a shirt away.  His dad did this as a kid when he got socks.

I love it!  When Manny or his sister get clothes, they say, "Sí, me queda."  I think that means "yes, it fits/suits me."  It took a while for me to figure it out, because in Spanish songs "no me queda mas" means something like I have nothing left.  

We got Manny's parents a tablet, so now we are able to see each other on FaceTime.

The aftermath.  Then he lied on Grandma, and they watched his movie (The Croods) together.

It would be interesting to see the progression of these Christmas couch photos.

My mom was up at 3 a.m. to cook this feast for us of dumplings, chicken, noodles, vegetables, rice, soup, and brownies.

Puo-puo (Chinese for Grandma on mother's side) loves her babies!

Naomi got a pretty sequined furry hoodie and a snow globe.

The aftermath.

Back at Grandma's, enjoying some spaghetti.  This baby eats all kinds of toddler foods now and refuses the mushy stuff.

  

"It's just (or this is?) what I wanted!"

Isaac's new toy from Auntie.  

christmas party:

The Christmas Eve party is our annual family reunion with Manny's mom's side of the family.  Manny hasn't had time off, plus it's harder to travel with small children, so we've missed many family weddings, showers, and other events.  This was the first time we'd seen a lot of the family since the year before.  Isaac was already almost 9 months old at Christmas.  The year flew by.  

Naomi is always ready for a party and to see her cousins.  Lucas is getting more comfortable now and likes to see Santa.  Isaac pulled his (real) beard, and I was just glad he didn't cry.  I used to get nervous because Manny would go off and mingle, and I wasn't sure what to say or do.  However, this year I let that go and was pretty comfortable just interacting with people on my own.  I have learned--wherever I go, I'm there to show Christ's love, and perfect love casts out fear.

The food is always so good.  I think Manny misses the tamales, but they said he's not on the committee so he can't complain.  :)  For whatever reason, this was one of our favorite years of the party.  The family is really growing with all these kids!

Guests starting to arrive.

Lucas was happy to see Santa and told him he remembered him from last year.

Isaac liked to tug at his (real) beard.

I think my mother-in-law put together these perfect goodie bags full of New Year's party items.  I liked that they had a reminder of the meaning of Christmas.  (ETA:  Nope, it was my mother-in-law's cousin and her fiance!)

This is my mother-in-law with eight of her ten siblings.  One of her younger brothers passed away right before Naomi was born, and her older brother wasn't there.  I think it's amazing that they've stayed so close geographically and relationship-wise.

Naomi won musical chairs!  It came down to a tiebreaker.  Lucas also participated in a little kids round, but he was trying not to bump the grown-ups that were with their little ones, so he went out right away.

Isaac happy with his almost sugarless cookie.  He is a pro at eating finger foods.

Lucas wanted a photo with his cookie, too.  I'm gad he has his dad's sweet face.

The kids coloring and making ornaments.

knott's photos part 2:

Since Manny actually got on the rides with the kids, here are some better, more close-up photos.  I did get on one ride with them, the first one you see below, and it was pretty fun.  

Joe Cool's Gr8 Sk8

At the waterfall

In line at night, probably for the Ferris wheel.

Love them!

Camp Bus ride

Flying balloons at night.

knott's merry farm:

You know all those happy photos we've had over the years from amusement parks with our babies and toddlers in tow?  They were wonderful memories for our entire family, but what we didn't photograph was  the challenge of traveling with tots, packing, lugging things around, finding a place to feed and change the baby, being grossed out by the place to feed or change the baby, naps and disruptions, and dealing with tantrums or exhaustion (I'm referring to myself).  And the more people to keep track of, the harder it became.  All of this might have been rendered manageable by a full night's sleep, but that never happens on vacation.  I usually get three to four hours of sleep if I'm lucky.  So some years ago, Manny and I made some decisions about babies and amusement parks.  Something along the lines of...never again!  Yet here we are, going to an amusement park now with two kids and a baby and the grandparents the day after being on the road for seven and a half hours with a vomiting five-year-old and a crying baby.  And going the day before the big family party, which I'm sure wasn't easy on the grandparents especially.  

The trip was really for me.  I know age and height-wise, Naomi is about to outgrow Camp Snoopy.  Lucas has just started getting into fast rides.  My in-laws could get in free through the special Military Tribute.  And all-out Christmas decorations are just the icing on the cake.  Not to mention my lifelong fondness of all things Snoopy.

Knott's holds special memories for me.  It was the first amusement park where both Manny and I (separately) were allowed to roam freely as pre-teens (we just had to reconvene with field trip chaperones later).  The last time we went together was 15 years ago!    

A lot has changed since Cedar Park (all about the rides) took over.  I especially miss the Soapbox Racers and Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, which I think were gone even before then.  But it still has that Western charm about it in some places.  My friend Cecille and I got sick on the Dragon Swing over 20 years ago.  So I called her when I happened to be standing next to it.  I miss our times there together.     

I don't really ride the fast park rides anymore, aside from Disneyland's which are tame.  I also didn't want to get wet, even though it was actually hot enough.  Good ol' southern California.  So Naomi and Manny went on the Log Ride and Bigfoot Rapids together.  I didn't bring Naomi's poncho, thinking she wouldn't get on, and she got soaked, so we had to buy her a pair of sweats.  I think it's great Manny and her have that time together.  Lucas got on almost all the kiddie rides, including the roller coaster, and did not shed a single tear of fear.  So no need to fill our day drinking hot chocolate with Santa or taking in the Peanuts characters on ice, even though they would have been great.  There wasn't much for the rest of us to do, but at least the grandparents had quality time with Isaac.  He did get on his first train ride and loved it.  

For dinner, we went to the famous Mrs. Knott's chicken restaurant.  The value was good, but the quality of food wasn't what I expected of down-home Southern cooking.  Naomi said she liked Grandma's gravy more.  The wait was long, as expected, and service was a little slow, too.  We were out of the park around 7:30 but didn't leave the restaurant till 10 pm, but it was a nice experience to end our night.  And did it change our minds about traveling with babies/toddlers?  Not really, but I'm glad we did it this time.  

We didn't get a photo with snoopy, but we saw him!

Naomi's lunch came in a Snoopy lunchbox.

Starting off by exploring the bridge, cave, and waterfall.

And then it was rides, rides, rides after that.

Waiting can wear you out.  All our babies loved sleeping on Grandpa!

Manny and the kids spinning around in Fiesta Village

All aboard!

One of the cast of characters from the train.

Lucas being goofy, but I just wanted a pic of my Snoopy shirt.

Isaac really enjoyed the train in Grandma's lap.  Finally, no car seat!

A kid outside the candy store...

Caramel apples, gummy candy, and lots of smiles.  That's what grandmas are for.

Lucas on the Speedway, similar to his favorite ride at the Boardwalk.

Father and daughter on the Ferris wheel.

The bus goes round and round.

Christmas lights.  Lucas, low on sleep, starting to show his goofy (back)side.

Last ride of the night...or not.

I love the purple lights.

Okay, really the last ride of the night.

Christmas window displays galore.

Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner.