two farewells and two birthdays:

Four special occasions together to try to catch up (although three of them happened in one weekend).   I seem to be going to many more farewells than housewarming parties as friends are either done with the cost of living and decide to leave, or they have been priced out of the area due to skyrocketing rents and home prices.  They used to say we had shacks going for a million dollars, but now there are literal shacks going for over a million dollars!  The sad thing is the sense of revolving doors, and not just in our area, as people move from place to place due to the nature of the job market.

My friend F. and I met up at a wonderful cafe.  It was about 30 or 40 minutes away, so Isaac fell asleep in the car after a long day.  We only had a small window to get together, and I took my chances on a day when Isaac really needed a nap.  So at first it was pleasant catching up.  I hadn't seen her in person in years, and it's unfortunate it took her moving away for me to go up for a visit.  F.'s original landlord passed away, and the landlord's relative (a son, I think) took over and kept raising rents.  That's common practice in our area right now; I wouldn't chalk it up to greed necessarily.  So, she made the decision to retire and move away.  After I took the photo below, I re-positioned Isaac and accidentally woke him up.  He screamed and cried for our last twenty minutes together.  I felt terrible, embarrassed, and just wanted the ground to swallow me up (I really hate attention, especially in public places).  There are days he's quite the charmer, but that day was unfortunately not one of them, and it had to be that day of all days.  Thankfully F. was understanding, at least outwardly so, and we both had to go.

After that, we had E.'s birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's, V.'s space birthday party, and a going-away party for some old friends who will be happily heading back to their home state.  I was so happy at the space party.  I would have loved a party like that as a kid, being so into astronomy.  My friend's soft tacos are so good; I enjoy every opportunity I get to have them.  Isaac was really happy to be back at CEC and also at V.'s home for the party.  He's a fun age for playdates and parties right now.  The older two are outgrowing a lot of things quickly, although they are fun in their own way, with their ideas and life observations.  But I am enjoying and cherishing Isaac's youth as much as I can.

At Cafe Borrone having a nice farewell visit with Ms. F., at least until I woke the little one.

It's been a while since we've been to CEC.  He was happy to see he could climb up by himself now.

They use game cards now instead of tokens.  So fun to play games, though some he was hoping to try were out of order.

Chuck E.'s here!

He was happy to be able to play skeeball now as well.

V.'s space party for his 5th birthday.  They hosted 20 or so people in their apartment.  Great use of space.

Looking up at the stars and planets.  It was like a dream to me!

Isaac started with pizza...

Then tacos, fruit, and rice.  He had three slices of pizza and two cheese tacos (he still doesn't eat much meat).

Inside the giant Hoberman sphere.  He got along well with V.'s uncle.

Such a cool display of delicious treats!

The galaxy mirror glaze cakes never get old to me.  The photo doesn't do it justice.  The homemade cake tasted as good as it looked.

On to the farewell party at the park.  Isaac loves new parks!

Proud of himself that he can climb this now.  Lots of new territory when you're 5!

Riding on a tire swing with a girl he just met.  He befriends a lot of little girls when we're out.

Farewell to S. (the lady next to me), her husband, and three adopted kids.

march madness ends, openings and closings:

I added a few more thoughts to the "Isaac is 5" post.  It reminds me I should do a better job of writing down his clever ideas and funny thoughts.  Maybe I'll post them on here.

Somehow I came out on top in our NCAA Tournament Challenge this year.  It's just me and Manny's friends from college and one friend's son.  They've done it for I think almost 20 years.  I don't participate every year.  I think I won it only once before.  

There continues to be an increase in traffic all along my routes.  I used to be able to circumvent, but traffic is now spilling over into the side routes as well.  So much construction is happening, while so many longstanding and iconic institutions and stores are sadly closing.  I guess that happens all the time, but it feels especially poignant now to the point that this doesn't seem like the same area any more.  I miss the way things were; I guess that comes with aging.  Our extended family members moved out of the area, so I miss them, too.  Still, I'm thankful for the lovely trees and the relative safety of our area.  I'm thankful Manny has never been laid off and that we have a solid roof over our heads and a variety of foods to eat.  I'm very thankful for the friends I have here, though I've started cutting back on friendships to focus on the relationships that I know will last; perhaps that comes with aging, too.

No prize, except the feeling of beating out a group of men.  Feels like high school Chess Club all over again (except that required skill, and I was just lucky with this one).

Isaac out for a ride and wanted to stop at this tree.

More construction.

Goodbye, WeirdStuff.  I should have tried to visit.

We did stop by, but the sales are still on at 10%, which are still more expensive than Target or Amazon, sadly.  I feel terrible that the founder passed four days after they announced the company folding.

easter, alive again:

Easter Sunday was kind of a blur.  Naomi got dressed and ready, and then had such a terrible stomachache that left her feeling very nauseated.  She likes going to church, so it wasn't because of that.  I had done my best to get everyone ready before then, but Manny was running a bit behind schedule and was not doing well.  He told me to go ahead, so I took the boys.  I was told they did well in their classes.  I heard a very good sermon that made me think about the things we long for, treasure, deny, neglect, etc. and how that reflects our faith and thus our life.  He said we all desire security, identity, independence, significance, and innocence.  I thought a lot about the last one, wondering if that's why people often blame each other, perhaps why people had sometimes even made false accusations--it always seemed to me that made them feel better, and this is probably why.  I thought a lot about living like I'm actually alive and what that means and looks like.  

This Easter, I think I felt free to really embrace being alive again in Christ.  Gone are the days I could dress us all for Easter in partially-matching outfits and have an special devotional time with the kids.  I still did make an Easter dinner, but we didn't eat together as a family.  Manny has to work on Sundays now.  I don't have control of the situation, and that may be the point--I ought to remember Who's in charge here.  I live for a God who gives us hope.  Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven.  That is the cornerstone of our faith; without that, there is no Christianity.  As the Bible says, "and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain."  Easter may just be a holiday that was used to take over a pagan holiday, but what it represents for me at the core is what matters most.

On a lighter note, the grandparents sent Easter cards with In-n-Out giftcards to the kids.  They were really excited.  We are having some wacky weather--hail one day and hot sun the next.  Really bringing up the pollen count and damaging some crops and plants, I heard, but I'm really enjoying seeing the blossoms and baby animals.  Two of my babies were born in the spring, too.  I love spring!

Seeing the night before if this shirt still fit him (it did, and I ironed it).  I forgot that Manny has a shirt just like it, and Isaac's first reaction was, "Now I look like Papi!"

Tough Easter morning, but I got dressed, no time for hair and make-up, went to church, and rejoiced in being alive in Christ.  I don't know what that weird hand pose is, but my relatives in Taiwan and a bunch of Asian pop stars do ti.

Lucas worked hard on his Easter wreath.  His Easter crafts are usually up in our house for months.

Homemade mac and cheese, ham, and asparagus.  Pretty simple.

Took Naomi to get some medicine.  Looks like Mickey got caught up in the post-Easter sale.

fun run:

I participated in my first 5K run in decades the Saturday before Easter.  Most everything fell into place--had to get to the event by 7:30, and it was over by 9:30, so doable for me to get home before Manny had to go to work or do other things.  The only negative is that I wasn't feeling great that morning, and had cramps from that time of the month.  However, doing the race actually helped me feel much better.  I didn't bother looking at the time, since I walked a lot of it.  Maybe in the future, I'll run more of it.  My friend's friend said this was the most "chill" crowd at a 5K she'd ever seen.  There were a lot of families and all different kinds of people.  There were of course the seasoned runners who competed for the prize, but also many families with strollers.

I got involved because a friend of mine who does charity walks and events often made it part of her birthday celebration, to raise more funds for various organizations in lieu of a birthday party.  Her friends and family still gathered with her for lunch after the event.  I decided not to go this time, but I was really glad to do the event.  I was hoping to chat more with her, but she was with her younger son who was in a stroller, so she had to walk most of it.  She told us all to just go at our pace and we'd meet up at the end.  So we met up at the 3-mile marker.  Since I walked a lot of it, and was chatting with one of her friends, I didn't feel too tired at the end.  Having the adrenalin and endorphin release from being able to do something like this after all these years helped, too, I'm sure.  The foot I broke some years ago still gives me trouble if I walk around a lot, so between that and a bad knee since childhood, I was concerned.  But God gave me the strength and eased any pain I had.  I think I could have gone another 5K.  

Running in to get my registration packet the day before so I wouldn't have to deal with the lines the morning of the event.

Got my shirt and bib!

Obligatory photo with the mascot!  I bent my bunny ears to look like My Melody's (a Sanrio character I like).

Pre-race stretching exercises.

Getting ready for the run.

Almost done!

Our group.

isaac is 5:

He's five and as fun as ever!  Isaac continues to bring us tremendous joy and laughter, even in the rough times.  He is pretty much the same as he was when he was four.  He just talks even more now, makes us laugh even more, has even more energy, is as picky as ever, continues to be a sponge of information, but at least he goes from 0 to 100 a little more slowly now.  He's really cute (and tiny).  I wonder if that's why so many adults want to give into him over other kids.

Favorites:
Color:  Dark green
Foods:  Cheese pizza, fruits, sweets (but not caramel)
TV Show:  The only show he watches is "PJ Masks," and only occasionally.  He doesn't really like to watch TV or movies, but he likes YouTube Kids videos.
Book:  No favorite at the moment, but he likes The Tale of Three Trees.
Activity:  Being high up, whether hiking, flying, on a ride, in a building, etc.  Jumping around and exploring.  He just got some roller skates he wanted from Grandma and wants to learn to skateboard as well.  He also likes to play video games like Minecraft and Robeats and different apps.  He likes to name things and rename things and people.  He likes looking at the stars and trees still (yay, he's my little buddy).  He likes characters and superheroes, even characters from movies he hasn't seen like Star Wars and Avengers.  But he's not obsessive about it.  He still likes Playdoh and creating art, but doesn't draw as much as he used to.

Edited to add:  Isaac really says the darnedest things.  He is so fun to talk to most of the time, although sometimes he starts getting carried away and can't seem to stop. 

Manny once said that he worked his butt off, to which Isaac said, "I wonder what Papi's butt is doing, just lying around."  Manny told him that it disappeared, to which Isaac said, "Oh, there's going to be another one coming" (because Isaac used our Echo dot to add a butt to our shopping list).  His responses delight Manny to no end.  He might have received an incredulous look from Naomi or not much of any response from Lucas, but Isaac either humors or really takes to heart what he says. Isaac also has a vivid imagination, and I love the ideas and stories he comes up with.  I unfortunately am often on the go and don't record them, but he has some real zingers and clever ideas.  I'll have to make more of an effort to jot them down and post them sometime.

He also makes friends wherever he goes, similar to how Naomi was at that age, except in Naomi's case, she'd often instigate the interaction or lead the group.  With Isaac, you have to show a little interest or invite him in, but once there, he is fully in and ready to play. 

Skates and gear from Grandma.  He loves them!  Thank you!

We got him a little plasma ball.

Going for a ride around the block in his tricycle.  Still small enough for one!

Had to stop and check out this tree, because he likes checking out trees.

Happy birthday to our cutesy!

happy meal birthday for isaac:

I've been having some trouble with downloading my photos, but I should be able to catch up on these posts soon.  Isaac still remembers that all he got to do on his actual birthday was go to the dentist last year.  It wouldn't be so bad, but he also noted that his brother and sister both got to do a little something on their birthday, like pick out something to eat.  What he wanted was to go to McDonald's.  So we went after school, and he had a blast at the Playplace with his brother.  Lucas is actually getting too old to play there anymore, he says, but he went up with Isaac.  When Lucas was done, Isaac made another friend.  I was chatting with her grandmother, and she surprised us with ice cream for the kids.  And I got a Snoopy happy meal toy out of it.  Truth be told, I have three of them now, but that will be it for a while.

My favorite of the three that I got.

easter children's tea (palm sunday):

Due to Isaac's party, one of our groups moved the Easter tea party to the next day.  That was really nice of them.  Even though I had to do a lot of work after the birthday party to prep for the Easter party, it was easier in a sense, in that I already had juice boxes, extra fruits and veggies (new produce, not leftovers from the party), and utensils.  The hard-boiled eggs were easy to cook in the Instant Pot, and I'd bought everything else for the party like the dye, cups, vinegar, peppermint patties, etc. a week or two before.  Many of us brought enough for 25-30 kids, but then more than half didn't show.  Again, please be courteous and RSVP for certain either way if you can when it's something where people are paying for party supplies or food for you.  I've messed up in that department myself before.

After church on Palm Sunday, we got to use our Subway gift cards from Grandma.  Then I went home, got things ready and packed the car, and we headed out to the party.  Lucas was anxious and didn't want to go, but then we were one of the last to leave.  He actually had some rough things happen, like he got his head pushed down to the table by one of the fathers (yes, purposely as an illustration for a story--he's someone who's both Chinese-American and served in the military, very similar to my dad), and then another boy was bothering him.  He wasn't nice about it, either, and told the boy he was bothering everybody.  Then for whatever reason, the boy followed him around and kept trying to please him after that.  At least they seemed to get along better after the incident.  Still, just like at the party, it was too much of a sensory overload.  I thought we'd be done, but I gave him some alone time (was more of a time-out for his complaining, but I also understood he needed a breather).  After five minutes, he seemed as good as new and was ready for the rest of the party.

We started off the party with a "passion lunch," same as last year, using edible symbols to tell the Easter story.  The kids got to make resurrection cookies (with help), where the marshmallows inside would melt, leaving it looking like an empty tomb.  Those were a hit with my boys.  Then we had cookie decorating, egg dyeing, story time, and egg hunt.  The dads hid the eggs, and they made it really challenging!  The egg hunt actually took an hour longer than we'd anticipated, and we finally had to get some hints from the dads.  One was hidden right on the flat lawn, in the crevice between it and the sidewalk, but you could only see it if you were standing right over it. 

The children's director makes the most amazing interactive artwork to illustrate the Bible.  This illustration on Palm Sunday was of course about Palm Sunday.

Thanks, Grandma, for the Subway gift cards!

Lucas balancing on the little jungle gym.  He's starting to outgrow the playground structures, sadly.

Robin egg nests made by Robyn, appropriately.

Our symbolic meal.

Decorating cookies.

Lucas happy with his two cookies.  He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, so he saved them for his dad and sister.  Isaac ate both of his that day.

Dyeing eggs in Cool Whip was very fun for Isaac.

I put extra vinegar in the cups this year since ours didn't turn out bright last time.

Maybe the extra vinegar helped.  Nice and bright!

Hunting for eggs.

Cute signs all around.