March 2024 (Isaac's birthday, Easter, Lunar New Year Celebration, Ming Tsai, Pi Day, Sports Games at the Park)

March last year was another full month of appointments, outings, and of course the advent of spring, my favorite season. Easter came earlier than usual as well, on the last day of March. Manny and I took the boys to an Easter experience at a local church. We also went to a belated Lunar New Year Festival when Naomi was home from school, even though Lunar New Year was in February.

Once in a while I'll see someone post online they will be holding an event. I was glad I happened to be around Costco at the time Chef Ming Tsai came through. I am a longtime fan. He was selling his gluten-free frozen Ming's Bings pockets. I liked their samples the way they cooked them, but my air fryer at home doesn't do the same job. They're still good, though, but I see they are no longer being sold at my Costco. Since I bought one of each kind, I got a signed cookbook from him. It was nice to meet him. I actually was the first person who came by so I had a nice chat with him. He's really personable. An older Asian man came by and told him he looked better and taller on TV. 😓 Yikes. He looked great to me. I don't think many people would guess that he is 60. 

For Pi Day, I drove a ways to get some mini pies I ordered from a small business Giving Pies that was in the news for a while because Tesla had made a huge order from them and then canceled it without paying. Musk himself later said he would make it right. The mini pies were so good, I definitely will be back. 

Lucas has his state physical fitness test in March as well. He did well. He isn't naturally athletic, but he has strong willpower and will really push himself. Unfortunately he usually ends up quite nauseated and needing to throw up.

Isaac turned 11 last year. He loves to take walks, hike, and basically be out and taking in views. That year we went on a lot of walks and nighttime drives. So we did a bit of that to celebrate his birthday. I was hoping to get him to this certain park in time to see the cherry blossoms, but we seemed to have just missed the peak. 

His body is small for his age, probably owing to his sensory issues and anxiety with food. His mind, however, is like a little professor. He is very sharp but also very deep and wise. A friend at church sees spiritual discernment in him. Friends who say they have that gift seem to get overwhelmed easily, perhaps from being observant and aware of so much around them. It must swell their minds. Fellowship is sometimes hard for them as well. I do see that in Isaac. What comes of it remains to be seen. I pray God's love and truth will guide everything he does in life.

Again, the photos are in reverse chronological order:

We didn't go up there, but I think Isaac was just shy of 2 years the last time we did.

MemChu

We happened upon the Easter service there. I'm not Catholic, but I did listen during the prayers and appreciate the beauty of the ceremony.

I remember biking here at the main quad one night to get to my final (and almost got lost). I certainly didn't know then I'd be back here 26 years later with the third child I had with a classmate I married.

Pretty stained glass windows we walked by. On our way back, the lights were already turned off.

We missed the cherry blossoms, but it was still a pretty walk at 

I always like taking photos of Isaac looking at water

Turtles coming up for sun

Love seeing the duck couples in the spring

Yogurtland for dessert

Communion table. Our kids can't take communion at church as they have not done the prerequisites yet, so they were a little confused, but we take communion together here.

Nailing our sins and burdens to the cross

Reading the Easter story as we walk through. It was an amazing but sobering exhibit. I'm not going to post all the photos, as it included some distrurbing scenes. And the cross was indeed violent and disturbing, but greater than that is the glory of Christ being raised on the third day.

Interesting to see a business that celebrates/posts this. I am thankful for our freedoms!

Wondering what's up

Happy birthday, little one

Ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins

Guitar from grandparents and amp from Auntie!

In his hideaway box

He took a selfie of us from the camera side!

Ming Tsai pop-up

Lucas in warm-ups before physical fitness testing

Curious Coach

Peaceful Pluto

Baylands area is beautiful when there's rain

Yummy pies. I had the blueberry and the guava (bottom right).

Enjoying coffee and pastries with Gina. She knows the owner, and apparently so does a friend of mine from college. Small world!

It's so nice to see the big fields. They're disappearing as land is continuously being developed.

Lunar New Year Festival

Huge, beautiful dog. I forget his name, but he hangs out with the rabbit.

Flemish Giant in his stroller

Isaac petting the rabbit. He's always gentle and considerate with animals.

Naomi having some spicy soup

Isaac and me

Even though my kids don't really identify very much with the culture and don't speak the language, I think it's good for them to see it. I wish Lucas had wanted to come.

Martial arts demo

Relay races were so fun

Group-legged race

I think this is from when Manny took Lucas to Great America for opening weekend.

October 2023 (Bubble Run, NAMIWalks, Meetups, Retreat, Isaac Field Trip, Kusama Exhibit, O. Birthday, Lucas Sports, Halloween, Naomi College)

October 2023 was pretty full, but for the sake of catching up, I won't break it up into three parts. The kids all had their new things going on with the start of their school year with friends. Lucas was invited to a birthday party for two boys from our church which was a huge deal. He doesn't really go to the youth group but stays with us in service. He finds it hard to relate to and connect with peers, but it sounded like he had a good time at Great America with them. We saw a lot of friends and family we hadn't seen in a while, many of them being rather spontaneous or last-minute, but just really made our hearts full. Isaac had to get braces the day before Halloween, and Naomi was away at college, so we didn't go trick-or-treating or to any Harvest Festivals. Isaac, who has always had a lot of mouth issues, has had a terrible orthodontics experience as well (we even had to file a complaint--more on that later). Thankfully everything they served at school for the Halloween party was stuff he could eat. I did take him to a pumpkin patch, and he also went with the school on a field trip and hung out with a couple of friends.

Isaac and a neighbor at a pumpkin patch, the last year it was held here. Our kids grew up with the "tiger butt" (it used to have an inflatable tiger with its rear facing the street), but they are going to be building homes on this lot now. This has happened for most of the pumpkin patches that used to be here.

Naomi and a couple of other students gave a college presentation to middle schoolers as part of a class she took. They were told "kids," so the games they had were more geared for little ones. They pivoted, though, and it sounded like it went well.

Isaac and his friend unintentionally twinning at school

NAMIWalks fundraiser with my friend for mental health services and awareness

Lucas at Great America with some boys from church

Trunk-or-treat event at church put on by the Young Adults group

Pluto as Business Cat from the Roblox video game aka Sir Meows-a-Lot

Coach as Puss-in-Boots

About to make some chile verde

Isaac and I went on almost daily walks or drives. He just constantly needed to get out of the house and reset.

Isaac carving a pumpkin. Our fall activities are slowly but surely being outgrown.

Perhaps the last of my kids at a pumpkin patch for the last time

We went through the family friendly version of the haunted house

There was an eerie fog

Annual apple tart

Catching up with M. for her birthday

Isaac's 5th grade class field trip to the Exploratorium

Met up with my old friend S. 

Mocha and ube latte

Yayoi Kusama exhibit at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with my friend A.

I have whatever that fear of clusters of holes is (trypophobia), so this picture gives me a bit of the creeps, but in person it was so huge it didn't look so bad or bother me.

Inside a box of mirrors

My friend (with her Kusama purse) A., who loves colors and has a fun, colorful personality herself

Out with O. for birthday. This is the cafe.

Dessert at Pacific Catch

Dinner was healthful and tasty

Flag football drills for Lucas's class

I was an assistant coach and a thankful mom. Lucas really needed accepting social activities and outlets like this.

Impromptu date night with Manny after church

We had Mayan tapas. Super thankful for the variety of cuisines we can find around us.

Finished our first 5K together! Isaac finished 15-20 minutes earlier and had to wait around at the finish line for me.

Bubbles!

Not a great photo of us, but bubbles and clouds are fun

Coach constantly sitting in and on Naomi's shoes

Meeting Uncle Gerard

Happy he visited

Isaac about to get braces

Brunch date with Manny at Croissant

Pluto and Coach love to look out the window. Pluto for whatever reason really likes the broom. Coach for whatever reason is scared of it, so won't cross it.

Matcha desserts for our group lunch

My third and final year in my journey group. We had a day retreat sharing and praying in an office while sharing snacks and took a break to have a delicious ramen lunch.

Coach always calls out to this neighborhood cat who is always on the run. On this day it approached me and another day it ran in and out of our home! But I can't let it too close since I can't tell if it's owned or a stray and don't want to expose our cats to fleas or disease.

Naomi received some goodies from a Halloween party with a women's club

They did an escape room and she had dinner with her friend