manny's birthday:

For Manny's birthday this year, we went to Dave n Buster's the day before and then celebrated at home the day of.  I haven't really stepped foot in a DnB in I think over a decade except to drop Naomi and her friends off there once.  Manny was originally suggesting we check out Shake Shack for the first time ever, but since we had this Groupon that was expiring, Manny said let's go there instead.  We had a great time, and Lucas said it was the best day ever.  We went to the mall food court for lunch, and got food from five different places.  Lucas got a whopper, Naomi some sushi, Isaac a pizza from the Italian place, and I got a gyro from the Mediterranean place (that also sells boba?!).  Manny got three of us a drink from Jamba Juice.  Then the kids got Cinnabon.  We went back to DnB after lunch for more games, and it was crowded by then.  We went home, and I hurried to make a special dinner and start on the cake.  Manny had some work to do, and I took Naomi to work at her school play.  She was a greeter/usher for the show.  Sounds like it went really well.  

The kids worked hard on their cards for Manny, 100% their own work and creation.  Lucas spent 3.5 hours writing a note to Manny.  With his dyslexia and his aversion to composition, it was tough.  And he wrote the most amazing, heartfelt note of gratitude. Naomi did her usual magic.  Manny likes Superman, and so she made a card with an M instead of an S for the emblem and included photos of the boys with the instant camera Grandma got her.  Isaac and Manny have an inside language, mostly trash talk over video games they play together.  

We had a really rough start for Manny's birthday.  I was sorry conflict happened on Manny's birthday, and it's been a while, which I think made it even harder.  I was disappointed in myself for not being more on guard.  I believe the devil loves to target families, and we listen to him when we are exhausted and expecting things to go a certain way.  Anyway, I prayed throughout the day, and my heart said, "Not today, Satan!"  We went on with the celebration that evening, and got to have a surprise cake aka a piñata cake.  I had finished frosting it that morning, and Isaac helped me with the sprinkles.  It was kind of a rush job, but it turned out fine.  The inside layers were just chocolate cake with buttercream (to hold it together better), and the outside frosting was an organic coconut oil vanilla frosting that someone handed me the week before.  I was surprised Isaac liked it as much as he did.  I used 8" rounds, and the four layers were so thick it turned a lot larger than I'd expected.  But it fit three cups of special M&Ms (Krispies and dark chocolate) inside!

Heading into the arcade.

One of the few places the boys get along for any length of time is at the arcade.

They have some cool simulator games.  Isaac actually did pretty well with this flight simulator.

Naomi and Isaac playing Space Invaders.

Us, with the boys playing Space Invaders behind us.

The family playing four-player Tomb Raider.  I also played earlier.

They actually beat this game!  It helped that our Groupon was for unlimited plays per player.

Foot court is great for when we all want different things.  Thank you, Manny!

Dinner was a Korean spare rib and daikon soup (like kalbitang without the bones) with Chinese greens and knife-cut noodles, along with bulgogi (Korean barbecue beef).  

That's one big cake!

Naomi's card for Manny

Inside

Isaac made this on a tablet and sent it to me to print out.  Inside jokes.

Lucas doesn't express himself verbally often, but when he does, wow.  I have raised the kids to express their feelings, though sometimes they go overboard (as do I), but I'm glad they feel safe doing so with us.  I know many people who were taught as kids only to behave on the outside and keep up external appearances.  They seem to have it together, but have a hard time coping internally and with adulthood.  I haven't mastered this, but I've learned a lot in being a parent.

Cake time!

The one time Manny will eat sugar with his current regimen (thank you for being gracious!), and this was a lot of sugar!

october misc (friends, braces off, flowers, gymnastics):

Rounding out October, at least based on the pictures I have.  I hardly remember things these things if I don't blog right away about them:

Getting together with Joan, one of the most amazing women I know.  We had some laughs and tears over our tea.  I didn't get a shot of it, but I was wearing my "It is Well With My Soul" shirt.  That hymn has been so personally relatable to me throughout my almost 25 years as a Christ-follower.

Naomi's braces are off!  It was quick the ortho said due to her discipline.  She has a permanent retainer for her bottom teeth now, and a top retainer that looks just like her Invisalign from before.  

Taking the girls out for matcha shave ice with red bean, mochi, and matcha ice cream.

Manny gave me roses, I guess for having to work late one evening.  On sale at Costco!

Out shopping for materials for a contraption Manny built to adjust his home gym for pull-ups.

Naomi's favorite boba place (TPumps) by her friend's house closed, but we found another location.

At Costco with Manny checking out the jackets.

I got a little sidetracked.  These machines are nostalgic, and it felt great to use a joystick again, but it's about 30% too small size-wise.

Fall decorations at church.  Isaac having refreshments after service.

More flowers?!  Thank you, Manny!  I do enjoy pink these days.

Gymnastics is his favorite ever, and he's developed more upper body strength in just a few weeks.

Isaac loves his gymnastics class.

Lucas had a few more prolonged nosebleeds this month, but he is taking an iron and herb supplement which seems to help shorten them a little.  Still really hard.  Nacho always comes around to comfort him.

We take Nacho out for regular walks and sometimes runs.  He can't make it very far before needing a break.

costumes and candy:

For the first time, at least for as long as I can remember, we "only" went trick-or-treating this year.  No mall celebrations, no Harvest Festivals, no carnivals.  Even Isaac's dress up for class was only because it was right before, or I might not even have bothered.  People were disappointed I didn't dress Nacho up.  Didn't want to spend the money on something he would chew up, and I'm also just not feeling very festive this year and wanted to keep it simple and have all of us as a family.  Manny was able to join us for the first time since 2015 I think.  I am thankful he made a lot of effort to be there.

Lucas often doesn't know what he wants to dress up as till the last minute, and so I've often thrown together his costumes once he decides.  This year he told me a couple of weeks beforehand he wanted to be a mummy.   Not being a fan of the spooky aspect of Halloween (maybe because my dad took me to horror movies for most of my childhood), when he asked to be a ghost one year, I said no.  Before kids, I didn't even want to celebrate Halloween, but I had a change of heart.  I've seen a lot of women do that, gravitating toward their husband's convictions.  Anyway, the next year I found a smiley ghost costume and let him be a ghost.  He asked two years ago to be a mummy, and I said no.  But this year he is 11, and I have become much less legalistic about it.

The mummy costumes online all had terrible reviews and were expensive.  So for $7 I bought 12 rolls of gauze, which was barely enough to cover him, but we did it.  I soaked it in tea as I found a tip online, but it's harder to dry it afterward than I expected.  After squeezing the gauze, I threw it in the oven and then the dryer on low (worried I would break or shrink it otherwise).  Wrapping Lucas was hard, because he is so ticklish.  We did a trial run earlier in the day and then I think I got it down before the evening.

Naomi usually brings a friend along, and I thought she was going to age out, but I noticed lots of teens out and about.  She ended up going to a party/hangout with friends and then trick-or-treating afterward.  I'm glad she had a nice time, and I know and trust the parents who hosted them all.  She was a vampire from a cartoon, and I was hesitant about it.  I just told her no blood.  It's just dress up, but I don't like gore.

Lucas asked me why they call it trick-or-treating when you get treats and not tricks.  I sort of explained it to him, but yes, it is an outdated term.  Then again, even "hanging up" the phone is outdated.  Lucas got a lot of compliments on his costume.  He doesn't like to eat his candy, because he has no sweet tooth, which is fine with me, but then he holds on to the candies till they're old.

Isaac the "shadow ninja."

In his gymnastics class.

I wanted to get Manny in a photo, and I guess I did.

Didn't realize, but they kind of match!

Heading to our first house.

I wasn't going to dress up, but decided to just pull stuff out of my closet to be Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family.  Manny said I looked like I dressed up as another lady from church.  haha  I made a weird face.  My mom does this, too.

The area we went to was no joke.  One gave Krispy Kreme Jelly Belly packs that Lucas may never eat.

Naomi and friends.

Trying to dry out the gauze I dipped in tea for Lucas' mummy costume.

what's cookin':

I am loving our new kitchen.  It's so much easier to cook and serve now the way that I want to (i.e., more variety, more healthful foods).  It took a while to get used to having a dishwasher, but now I use it every day.  I still wash pots and pans and non-dishwasher-safe items by hand, but everything else goes right in.  We eat better and fresher, and yet it's also cheaper now.  Naomi can watch the boys, and I can make more trips to the grocery store and only buy what's on big time sale and what I need.  I do a quick survey of what we have in the cabinets (which I can reach now) and the pantry (we actually have one) and can figure out a few items to buy.  

I've been make Manny's lunches for his particular diet since September, which all consist of chicken breast, cooked and raw vegetables, Greek yogurt, and a fruit.  It's much easier to do that now as well.  We do have to go to Costco each week, but I think I'm pretty determined to not overspend there.

Some examples of our dinners, which are fairly quick to make in the new kitchen:

Ma po tofu with beef, baby bok choy (sesame oil and ginger), Korean tteokbokki, bulgogi beef strips, chopped jalapenos.

Katsu chicken, sauteed squash, spinach and beet salad.  That's how Nacho begs.  Drops his toy, and just sits there silently for sometimes half an hour, sometimes tearing up.  I think Manny gave him a piece of pork once or twice, and he said Nacho's been by his side every since.  (oops, left Isaac's sai there)

And some days I can just combine leftovers for more protein for Manny or variety for the kids.  So we have pork chops, napa cabbage, potstickers, and leftover banana bread and chicken.

I make an apple tart each fall.  It came out better in the new oven.

Shredded pork tostadas with toppings and fruit.

Sliced ribeye bulgogi, shrimp and snow peas, edamame.

Beef and vegetable stirfry, Korean gochujang tofu, Katsu chicken again (now I cook much less chicken for dinner since M already has to eat it at lunch), Asian pears and persimmons.

Leftover burgers and meatloaf, fries (these are from frozen and taste great from the air fryer), papaya, Korean beef, green beans.

date, comic-con, church picnic, chris visit:

The second Saturday of October was a packed one.  The night before, Manny and I went to see a movie.  The next morning I went to the free Comic-Con.  I'd love to go to a paid one someday, but right now stopping by this one for an hour is just right.  When I arrived, I ran into a lady from church who was there with her daughter.  She asked me where mine was.  Naomi wasn't feeling well, so she didn't come.  So I told her I was there alone, and she was surprised.  And later on she said that I seemed so happy and concentrating so hard on making my Infinity Stone bracelet she didn't want to bother me.  lol  I will always be a kid at heart.  I have a deep sense of wonder and fantasy and delight that most people may never understand, but if nothing else, I have finally learned at 43 to be okay with myself.  No one should be able to make you feel worthless, nor should you condemn anyone else.  God made us, loves us, grows us, and takes care of us--that sounds like we are worth quite a lot!  After that I went to get groceries, and I think Manny took Lucas to get his hair cut.

Then we headed out to the church picnic with Nacho in tow.  I was mostly with Isaac in the playground far from the picnic tables, so I only talked to a couple of other moms.  That was fine with me, though.  We just started at our new church, so it'll take some time for me to warm up.  After the picnic, Chris stopped by, and he and Manny went out for dinner and stayed out afterward.  Lucas got to play with Chris for a long time before church on Sunday and was happy.  Naomi apparently came down with the flu that weekend, sadly.  It was a rough week for her with lots of presentations and tests, and I'm proud of her getting through it.  The coughing can be the worst part.  The rest of us all seemed to get slight colds with different symptoms, but it appears we were spared from the bug that hit Naomi.  I feel I can breathe so much better these days after taking out the carpet.  And of course I am continuing to work on myself and my health (spiritual, mental, and physical).  

Quick selfie to remember date night with Manny.  We went to see Gemini Man, which was groundreaking but not very memorable.

My buddy and me.

Pikachu and Baymax.  I have yet to see any Pokemon cartoons or Big Hero 6.

No-Face from Spirited Away handing out candy.

Making an Infinity Stone bracelet for Isaac.

Pikachu joining the dark side?

On our way to the park.  Nacho was so excited.

Isaac can finally get up the rock wall unassisted.

Church picnic.

The only other dog at the small dog park was this Shiba Inu.

The boys got to go to the ice cream truck!  Nacho came, too.

Manny with two of his boys.  Nacho looking very bulldog-ish now.

Lucas having a blast playing Sports Champions with Chris.