swim date:

Forgot to post this earlier.  While Naomi was at camp, I took the boys to our annual swim date at our friends' complex pool.  She has to jump through quite a few hoops--including calling Sacramento and traveling with all the kids to another city to take photos--just to bring guests to their pool.  It is a nice pool, but it seems so unnecessary, especially during the week when it's empty.  Our other friends that usually go could not make it, so she invited a couple of other families.  One of them I actually knew 20 years ago from a bible study we were in (she and her husband, and Manny and me), before any of us were married.  Small world!  It was "only" in the 70s, though it was in the 80s and 90s before and after that day.  Definitely warm enough to swim, but the boys said they felt cold and tired, so they only lasted about an hour (usually they'll go 3-4 hours).  I went in for a little while to help Isaac with his swimming.  I was a little cold, too!

I brought a PB&J sandwich for Isaac, and he had one last bite that he handed to me.  Thinking he was done, I ate it.  But he was giving it to me to hold while he adjusted his towel.  Bad mom mistake.  He was so sad!  Nothing really we could do but apologize and wait for him to calm down.  

Lucas doesn't need his life vest anymore.

Isaac loves their little spa/kiddie pool.  It's perfect for him.

More of the group in the pool

Isaac taking a break with M.

My hair has gotten lighter over time (and some white hairs now, too).  My mom's hair is also naturally like this, but she dyes it.  It's always been kinky and naturally wavy.  I guess now I found out I'm part sub-Saharan African, it could be why I never had that smooth Asian hair.

The boys attempting ping pong, but I think the table is a little too high for Isaac.

end of grandparents' visit:

On Sunday, we all went to church.  I was so thankful for our pastor getting up there and in a tactful way addressing something a different preacher had said that I felt borderline implied that there is more than grace that separates us from nonbelievers.  It's not that we aren't educated or logical, but faith is something so much greater and more powerful than that, and when we reduce it to a battle of minds or religions, I believe it builds more walls than tears them down.  That's not to say I agree with going against God's commands, but that if we follow them, it won't be because we were convinced by our minds or others' words, but because we are led by the Spirit.  Our pastor simply said, we didn't suddenly become smarter or better.  We became dependent on Him.  You can watch/listen here.  It may seem controversial what he's saying, but it's completely where I'm at right now.  We still boldly declare the truth, but we should not distort or change it with our political, social, personal beliefs and standards.  Loving your neighbor doesn't mean arguing until they "get it."  After church, we went to Marie Callender's for brunch.  Then Grandpa made more tacos for us for dinner.  We also had a lot of leftover food from the party.  We ate well!  

The next morning, I took Isaac to drop Naomi off at her musical theater camp, while Manny's parents stayed with Lucas.  I got back and made breakfast because I didn't want them to cook right before leaving.  Later we went to pick Naomi and her friend up and go to In-n-Out for a late lunch.  Her friend's mom does not get home until 3 pm from work, so I agreed to pick her up from camp and host her here for several days.  She's already given us ladyfingers, bakery goods, cherries--too generous!  But I guess it's the Asian/Pacific Islander way to not show up empty-handed.  We called for an Uber to take Grandma and Grandpa to the airport and home to their dogs.  We miss them!

Isaac was happy with all those treats.

I tried to take a quick photo of the start of camp before Isaac started disrupting, so it was blurry.

Sending the grandparents off with some In-n-Out.

lucas' golden gate bridge birthday party:

At 11, Naomi pretty much outgrew birthday party themes.  That means I'd only have two more themes for Lucas if he were to follow suit.  I hope not.  I love asking him what theme he wants each year.  I get to know him better, especially since he doesn't go for the typical themes anymore.  I also like that he now thinks of whom to invite, even though that means I cut the list a little and run the risk of no one showing up.  I admit I got a little worried when 35 minutes after the start time, no one had come yet.  It wouldn't matter that much, except that Lucas refused to eat or go swimming or anything and was asking what time it was.  Finally, the neighbor came to drop off a present, but it turned out they were double-booked with his cousin's birthday party, so they had to leave.  And then at the 40-minute mark a couple people came.  I breathed easy, and Lucas was happy to eat and go swim.  Can I just mention here--please RSVP or let the host know of last-minute changes, especially to a party for a special child, or really any child.  It only takes a moment, and it can spare a child some disappointment.  Thankfully the turnout was just right for Lucas.  

Two of the guests were children with autism with whom Lucas has had classes, and another was a boy from church.  We really missed two boys from church with whom Lucas gets along well--one is moving away and the other just moved here.  One mom was at our church's women's event and the other at the wedding of another couple from church, so their boys couldn't come.  We'd already planned Lucas' party before I knew of the conflicts, but I think it all worked out fine.  I just felt bad that one of our guests missed out on the women's event to attend our party, but she felt it was the best decision for their family.

Naomi's friend's mom wanted to meet me because I was giving her daughter rides and having her over after camp.  I figured the only time we could talk that weekend might be at the party, so I invited them.  I'm glad I did, because then Naomi could hang out with her, and she was also good with the boys.  She's Filipina, and it was kind of funny today because I picked them up, served spaghetti, and then they did some practice for the play, and then played video games for a little bit.  It reminded me so much of going over to my friend Cecille's house around that age, and then Cecille actually called me today, so it was fun telling her about the flashbacks I was having to 30 years ago.

We served Hawaiian barbecue again because it's local, reasonable, tasty, and has good service.  The kids usually want pizza, so I did make one cheese pizza from Costco, but generally for Lucas' party, I tend to focus more on the adults for the food.  I still made Lucas his fruit kabobs and broccoli slaw, of course.  But the star of the show was of course the cake.  Those 5-star reviews did not lie.  The baker was super pleasant to work with, and I'm sure we'll use her again.  I think Lucas wants some sort of city or town next year, so we'll see.  Naomi and I did not like the cakes as much as I thought we would.  I let the boys pick the flavors, so we got chocolate with vanilla filling and sponge cake with strawberry filling.  It wasn't bad, just not the best we've ever had.  There were just enough fondant cars that everyone could have one.  I didn't know Lucas wanted a car, so the other kids who asked got some first and he didn't get his first choice.  But he had a good attitude about it anyway.  He also told me after the party that he only had a spoonful of the broccoli slaw.  So I made it again for him this week, and he ate four piles of it.

One of the kids, whom Lucas met in music class, only sees Lucas at his birthday parties now, and as he was leaving, he exclaimed, "See you next year!"  It's funny, because Lucas also thinks of it that way.  I'm glad he remembers to invite his friend.  A couple of years ago, when I didn't fully understand Lucas' needs, I told him that if he kept acting the way he did, he'd never make friends.  I really discouraged him.  So, now I'm happy to tell him I was wrong, and that being yourself (while being kind and considerate still) is the best way to make friends.  He'll be fine.

Lucas wanted a Golden Gate Bridge cake with a fondant-covered bridge and edible cars, and that he got and then some!  He was so stoked by the bay and the boat in it (see last photo).

There were extra touches, like the field/park next to the shore with little poppy flowers.  Perfect!  The bridge itself had all these clever details, like she used ball head pins inserted into coffee stirrer straws to make the suspension lines (I don't know what they're called).

I simplified the favor bags--just bought stickers and put them on lunch bags.  Inside were a punch balloon, big bouncy ball, and some lollipops.  Behind the bags, you can sort of see the paper model bridge I made for Lucas.

Lucas waiting patiently for guests to show up.

Lunch time!

Manny took this nice photo of Lucas.

I told everyone not to take food outside (HOA request), but I forgot to tell Manny.

Grandpa swimming with the boys.  Such a special memory.

We got the pool to ourselves.

Isaac and G. using the super water guns.

Group photo.  We had one with the grandparents, too, but it didn't turn out well.

Naomi gets cropped out of so many photos, especially at school, and here she got cut out of her own family photo.  I didn't check the photos till later so didn't know my friend had cut her out.

And yet another photo mishap--I missed him blowing out the candle, so this is a do-over.  Lucas didn't want to get his germs on the cake, so didn't blow very hard.

W in our inner tube.  We have the big inflatables!

Grandma got this for Naomi I think five years ago?  We still have it, and Lucas is the only one who's always been a natural at being able to balance well enough to get on and stay on it.

Brother and sister time.

I love that they're hanging out more again.

The ground is caving in!

Lucas noodle soup.

I stayed after the party to watch the kids because they wanted another hour or two in the pool after the party.  I don't mind selfies anymore.  The kids like seeing mom actually be in a picture.

The boys loved the boat.  I'd almost forgotten to take a photo of it.

grandparents' arrive for lucas' birthday / birthday lunch:

When Lucas was 4, we had the party at home with just us.  I was so sick that day, not knowing I was pregnant.  Naomi did a lot of the setup and decorations.  And when all was said and done, Lucas asked, "Is anyone else coming?"  That was a little heartbreaking.  So the following year, we invited Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Dolly, and Uncle Chris.  And ever since, Lucas has been hoping and praying for his grandparents' visit every year.  This year, Manny encouraged them to fly instead of drive.  We picked them up from the airport the day before Lucas' birthday.

I had to go to Costco for Lucas' party after picking them up, so we had lunch at Costco.  I'm not sure if I didn't clean my hands enough, but I got food poisoning and had a pretty rough evening.  Then Manny was struggling with Lucas tossing and turning so much, so I took both the boys for the night.  Good thing I did, because Lucas was throwing up till 5:30 in the morning.  He said he'd eaten too much the night before.  Grandpa's tacos were too good!  I think I got about two hours of sleep, and my back still hurt from trying to pull the back seat up in the minvan.  But I had a big day ahead, and it was Lucas' birthday, so I took my supervitamins and made the most of it.  This year, the "only" food prep I had to do was the fruit kabobs, pizza, rice, and broccoli slaw

On Lucas' birthday, we let Lucas decide where we'd go for lunch, and he picked King Noodle.  The kids like it there, and we haven't been there in a while.  Then we went to Paris Baguette afterward to get Lucas a slice of cake for his birthday.  Isaac picked the same thing, of course, but that was after Grandma took him back.  The whole time we were there, he was either trying to wander around or telling me how the buttons on his shorts were like guns.  He didn't realize he hadn't picked his dessert until we left.

I had a lot of food prep and set up to do, and my hands were shaking from the fatigue.  But I really wanted to make dinner instead of going out.  So thankful for my pressure cooker.  Just cut the tri-tip in half and cooked it and then cleaned it out and threw a bunch of scrubbed and poked potatoes in.  Bagged salad and extra fruit from the kabobs, done.  I went to start setting up the clubhouse and returned to the smell of something burnt.  Turned out it was burnt laptop.  I had left my computer next to the burner, which you might recall from our kitchen fire turns on to max heat with just a bump.  When the kids were small, I just took that knob off, but either way, I shouldn't have left my laptop there.  I felt horrible.  The power plug had melted, so I was racing against time to transfer everything over.  Thankfully, I had done a major backup onto an external drive in June, so I only had to do the latest photos/videos and updated documents.  I don't know if I remembered them all, though.  A friend suggested I pull the hard drive out and get an enclosure so I could save the data if necessary.

I finished what I needed to do the day before for food and putting favors together (I went very simple this time).  I still would have to make the broccoli slaw, rice, and pizza in the morning, but it wasn't too bad.  It was nice not to have to stay up all night finishing the cake.  Lucas puts me to work!  But it's worth it.  His birthday is a truly special occasion.

We look tired.  We were tired.

naomi at youth group camp:

Before this year, Naomi had never been to an overnight camp before, and now she's been to three of them and growing so much from the experience.  Last Sunday through Wednesday, she went to camp near Santa Cruz, actually in the redwoods park where Manny's aunt used to live.  She gave me the download, but it was a little hard for me to follow everything.  I know that she and another Naomi and their leader went out for a "short" hike and ended up getting a little lost and going 5 miles (but thankfully had a map and made it back).  They did however get to see an ocean view from an observatory, so I guess that was a bonus.  They played Mafia and other group games.  They visited the Mystery Spot and the beach.  The younger kids didn't know they needed to bring money, so weren't able to buy snacks or things the older kids did.  Naomi spent the little money she had on her on a shower, but one of the older girls at least shared a pickle with her.  One of the older girls returned from Oklahoma and had bought Naomi and the other young girls a number of souvenirs.  Naomi continues to be very touched by her generosity and feels undeserving.  She's developed and strengthened a number of friendships this summer; I hope this leads to greater spiritual health for her.

I know many other parents in our area have their kids in summer school or academic programs all summer.  Several of Naomi's friends (yes, Asian) are already shooting for medical school.  I did think about whether to push her harder toward summer school, but I prefer how it's going now.  We get to talk more again, something we've both missed and that I think is crucial with her being in middle school.  She has been helping me more around the house (though perhaps not up to Manny's preference, and I completely understand that).  I just find certain things to be more urgent at the moment, but I am going to have to figure out how to do just the specific things that speak to Manny to show that we honor and respect him, while at the same time putting instruction in the Lord first and above all that.

These are photos one of the older girls took:

preschool notes:

It was fun and nostalgic to have this last go with the summer preschool parent/child class Naomi used to attend.  Some things have changed, and some things are still the same.  By the end of it, Isaac didn't really want to go anymore.  It's fun, but he got to talk to the teacher only two minutes once, and I think he felt like it's just a lot of kids clamoring over each other, either due to lack of supervision (yes, even with all the parents there) or vying for an adult's attention.  He enjoyed the different toys and arts and crafts, though, and I enjoyed not having to deal with the mess at home.  The hardest time for Isaac was snack time.  Like Lucas, he immediately observed children stealing food from other children when they weren't looking.  I know they're young, but it made him not want to sit near anyone, or he wanted me to stand right behind him.  On the other hand, some parents had their child hand another child food, and that is a no-no in our family--we don't share germs, don't share food, even with each other.  I know that sounds snobby, but this has worked for us for years, and when one child gets sick, seldom does another child because of our quarantine rules (except when the youngest were babies, and then you couldn't help them spitting or coughing on another child sometimes).  And when we're out, the rule is to just assume everyone is carrying germs.  As a family, we have only been sick once this year so far, the week before we went to Hawaii (and then we all got better in Hawaii--I loved the climate there).  Isaac I think started to come down with something a couple of times, but it went away.  It makes sense he'd get sicker more easily--he doesn't eat well, and he often puts his hands on or in his mouth.  Sharing is caring, except when it comes to things you will ingest.  At a birthday party, Naomi said the girls were all sharing a drink, and she told me it seemed self-righteous to decline.  I understand, but I think it's a way of caring about other people, too--not wanting to give them our germs, either.  Anyway, here are pictures:

All kinds of scales on this fish craft.

Isaac's snack of cashews, blueberries, and pretzels.

He tried to maximize the amount of water going into the wheel by balancing three measuring cups in his hand.  Not much extra water, but I liked the idea and the attempt to improve on an existing system.

He doesn't like to stamp paper, just himself.  The water play washed all those octopi away.

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He started off sorting by color (you can see the pink, bottom right), then wanted to do it by shapes, but the quantities weren't even enough.  So he said he would just stack them all to the same height and put stars on top!

Balancing the beanbag.  My two boys love balancing things.

The dinosaur tub is out!

The sprinkler is on!

Maybe for a class of 20, we might need one more pool.  Isaac didn't mind too much.  He just decided to water all the kids int the pool instead.