Goodbye Christmas and California dreamin'

I put the last lingering Christmas decoration, our dancing snowman, away today.  I really miss the way my mantle looked this Christmas.   Steve's Grandma Z knitted his and my stockings and Steve's sister, Sarah, knitted all of my children's stockings.  They are great treasures to us.  I added that mitten garland to my collection just this year and I am in love with it.   I haven't really blogged about any of our Christmas vacation, but I am sort of overwhelmed by how much there is to blog about.

California weather was amazing.  It was in the 70s every single day we were there.  It did make me wonder why we don't just live there, but I do really love the seasons in Virginia.  Even winter has its virtues.  

Several of us ran around the Rose Bowl the morning after Christmas.  It was wonderful.   Even after taking a break from running after the half marathon, Steve and I were able to run the three miles comfortably, which felt good.

Steve and I attended my 10-year high school reunion.  We had a really great time.  I felt so much love for everyone there and I was so happy to hear of everyone's successes.

I loved catching up with the school librarians and our old French teacher, who feel more like my favorite girlfriends than anything else.   Marc, my half-Chinese "brother" and fifth grade boyfriend was there.  Marc and I didn't really talk to each other much in fifth grade, we just held hands during the "couple's skate" on our elementary school's many field trips to Fiesta roller rink.  We were better friends in high school.

Vincent, my cheerful friend with the most infectious laugh, was there with his wonderful and completely-worthy-of-him girlfriend.  Steve enjoyed catching up with old coaches, teachers, and teammates.  None of my close girlfriends attended the reunion, which made me sad, but it is interesting and wonderful how ten years sort of removes old barriers between people.

We attended the all-school reunion afterwards, where I saw a few of my beloved fellow cheerleaders, Alex, Natalie, and Brooke.  I love those girls so much.

Brad and Ie Mei, Jeremy and Michiko, and Steve and I took our families to Santa Monica Pier just to walk around, and then we settled down on the sand to let the cousins play.  I really love this picture of my beautiful sister, Ie Mei:

It was a very dreamy day and it sufficiently tired out all the little ones.

My little sister got married on New Year's Eve and my sweet baby nephew, William, was blessed the day after in San Diego.  We were so happy to be able to participate in both events, but I am kicking myself for not having one single picture of that beautiful child on my iPod Touch.

We spent a couple of days with Zack and Ana in San Diego and made a morning trip to the beach, which turned out to be quite chilly.  Jack, Mei Li and Stephen played so well together.  What a blessing to have so many cousins to love and be loved by.

While in LA, the W cousins played at Lacey park several times.  It's such a pretty park.  We went once more on our last day in California.  Sadly, all the cousins were gone by then.

I'm pretty sure we'll never live in California again, but I'm just grateful it's a place we get to visit at least once a year. Now I just have to blog about Christmas Day before I can move on to present life.  I have this great sense of loss for the days I've neglected to write about.  I hate that.

WWWW: Day 5

Mi Na is a pretty good sleeper at night, but last night was rough. I don't think Mexican food-flavored breast milk agrees with Mi Na.

I got out of bed at 6:30 AM so I could spare the rest of my family from her loud grunts and let them sleep. I was able to read some before the kids and Steve got up.

Mei Li, Stephen, and I had Chocolate Cheerios for breakfast, but Steve opted for Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Steve's not a fan of chocolate. It seems that I am less strict about our diet when on vacation, which is just as it should be.

Roger made some french toast in his condo and brought some to the two other condos to share. I thought that was sweet. It was delicious. Roger is my oldest brother and he is a good man.

Today is my mom's birthday. All of us got ready for the day and we headed to Old Town San Diego to visit the Mormon Battalion Museum, which has been recently renovated.

All twenty-six of us crowded the 11 AM tour of the museum. Isn't it amazing how two people in love can turn into twenty-six? We're not done growing either. Ie Ling and Jonathan have yet to marry and have kids of their own.

They have really done a good job with the renovations and tour of the museum. It is very interactive and kid-friendly.

The sister missionary giving the tour asked several questions to the crowd. Stephen had a response to every question and comment. He said, "I don't like that" more than a couple times.

When President Polk asked the Mormons to form companies to march west to California, Brigham Young recognized that it would be a blessing for the church and that they should comply. He also promised the men that they would not have to fight, and he was right.

At the end of the tour, a sister missionary took pictures of all the families and printed it out as a souvenir, completely free of charge. You could even email it to yourself so you could have it in digital form. What a smart system. It's not a very good picture, but it's a fun memory.


Outside, all of the kids panned for gold, pumped water, and washed clothes on a board. My mother is just so proud of her family. She loved talking to the missionaries about all of us. She loves that there are so many of us.

My little family left the museum, went to the post office, and then back to mom's condo for lunch.

I was painfully tired and took a nap with Mi Na back at our place while Steve took the kids to the water park. I was starting to think I didn't need to rest so much anymore, but I do.

Mom called me in the middle of my nap to tell me that my cousin Tiffany and Auntie Scarlet had arrived and they brought with them dou hua (silken tofu with ginger syrup) and Chinese yogurt. Both are favorites of mine.

I was still tired so I napped a little longer and then made my way over to mom's condo to see Tiffany and Scarlet and eat dou hua. Tiffany is just a year younger than me and she is one of the sweetest, most thoughtful people you'll ever meet.

Michi and Jeremy made Kalua pork, cabbage, and rice for mom's birthday dinner. Michi made trifle for dessert.

Steve and I got the kids ready for bed. Before the bath, Stephen told me there was a coin in his tummy. I asked Steve what he meant and he informed me that Stephen had just swallowed a penny. Nice.
Mei Li and Stephen told me all about how their time at the water park and how they "went under" a lot.

We left the sleeping kids with Jeremy and Michiko. We headed over to mom and dad's condo again to watch old family videos with them and several others. I can't get over how cute Ie Ling and Jonathan were as little kids. I miss those little ones.

We watched "P.S. I love you" on TV and then I went on a walk with Ie Ling. We are all having the best time. Family is the most important thing there is.

WWWW: Day 4

We're all here at my family reunion in Southern California, and we are having a truly wonderful time.

The weather couldn't be more perfect. It's supposed to be in the high 70's and low 80's all week. I don't sweat after being outside for five seconds like I do in Virginia. I love Virginia and Virginia is my home, but no place can beat the California weather.

This morning, Ie Ling, Jonathan, Steve, Mei Li, Stephen, and I went on a walk. Michiko stayed in our condo to snuggle with Mi Na. The walk was pleasant and funny at times. Ie Ling, Jonathan, and I did our best speed walker imitations and we threw in some heel clicks as well.

After walking, we all dressed in our swimsuits to go to the new nearby water park. Jeremy reserved a cabana by the pool for nursing moms (there are three of us).

The cabana was the best idea. We were there to receive all the kids and give them snacks and reapply sunscreen. I was able to sit and read a lot since I'm not ready to swim yet. I nursed Mi Na without having to be in the sun and I could be there to watch Mei Li go down the water slide all by herself. Stephen wasn't tall enough for the water slide, but he was happy for Mei Li and enjoyed watching her go down.

We were there for most of the day. Steve told me that the first time Mei Li went down the slide, she sat at the top for a while even though the lifeguard told her to go. Steve told her to go, and twice, her response was, "No, it's not time yet." But then she just went. And she kept lining up to go down again and again.

On Sunday, I took Mei Li to primary in the ward that grew up in. She was a little timid and unwilling at first so we just sat in the back together until she turned to me and said, "I'm ready now, Mom." Mei Li is ready when she's ready, and I don't need to push her.

Stephen is a happy boy here as he gets to play with his dad all day long. They are quite the team. I hope Stephen grows up to be just like Steve.

After a long day of swimming, there were a few sunburn victims. We all congregated in Mom's condo, where she and Vanessa prepared a big spread of Mexican cuisine. It was delicious and I ate more than I needed too. I'm sure that it won't be the first time I do that this week. Brad's brother and his family are in town visiting and we had a fun time with them.

I went into one of the bedrooms to nurse Mi Na and noticed that it was getting late and worried about our children getting to bed. When I emerged from the bedroom, Michiko told me that Steve had taken the kids back to our condo to get them ready for bed. He did it without any direction from me.

I walked back to our condo with Mi Na in her car seat. I do not like lugging that thing around, but because we drove to the water park and then went straight to Mom's condo after, I had it with me.

I actually am grateful now that I had it because as I walked, Mi Na's eyes were wide open and I could see her better than if I had her in the Baby Bjorn. She looked up at the sky. I wondered if she was thinking that it was pretty, but there weren't many stars out and certainly none bright enough for a newborn to see. Maybe she was looking at the light from a lamp post.

I continued on and kept looking at her beautiful eyes, which are presently a dark grayish/blue. She looked like she was about to sneeze, but when it didn't come, she cooed instead. Baby coos are the most beautiful sound in the whole world.

I made it back and gave Steve a big hug and kiss for getting the kids ready for bed. All he said was, "it was in my best interest," like what he did wasn't service at all.

I read my book until Mi Na fell asleep for good and then I rubbed aloe vera on Steve's sunburned back and shoulders. I'm so tired now, but I've wanted so badly write down the details of my days. A year from now, I will be glad to read details because I forget them so quickly.

WWWW: Day 3

We managed to get most of the family together for a morning walk. I love going on walks with my family. It was pleasantly cool and everyone was happy to be together.

Mom and Dad made waffles and eggs for breakfast. There was plenty of joyful noise with fourteen grandchildren in the same room getting reacquainted with each other.

Almost everyone went to the pool. I stayed behind with Michiko. We nursed our babies and talked for a while. Michiko gave birth to Boen ("abundant kindness") in April. Vanessa gave birth to Eden in June just nine days before I gave birth to Mi Na. It was so fun to meet these little babies and see in person just how cute and lovable they are.

Once Steve came back from the pool, our little family walked to the farmers market. We bought some strawberries and nectarines and one "lemon squeeze" crepe. It was a delightful outing. We met up with Vanessa and her little girl Marina there. Marina and Mei Li held hands.

Marina wanted to walk back with us so she just held my hand the whole time. My children hold my hands when necessary, but I have to remind them often.

Ie Mei and Brad made dinner tonight. Ie Mei gave a beautiful lesson about temples and families. She showed a picture of the temple to the children and asked Stephen if he knew what it was. He did know. I'm glad he knew. He also added that Moroni was on top of the temple. I'm glad he knew that too.

Ie Mei talked about how the work that goes on in the temple makes it possible for us to be together forever. We sang "Families Can Be Together Forever" and "I Love to See the Temple" together. As we sang, I looked around the room at our group of twenty-six, and it was a beautiful sight that brought tears to my eyes. I really felt like my heart was going to burst open because it was so full of love for every single person there. What a great way to start the week.

Jonathan's Home!

Last month, we headed to California to welcome my little brother, Jonathan, home from his mission in Argentina. Mei Li wore this to the airport:

The girl is wearing pants! Can you believe that? I've been able to get her to wear pants a few times since then.

On Saturday, 11/7, the whole gang headed to LAX to meet our missionary. The nieces and nephews held up some great signs:


This one's my favorite:


And here he is:


At this point, all the women were crying.

Check out his shoes:


This picture is a classic:


My mom sure missed her boy, who is now a man.

Here he is with nine of his eleven of his nieces and nephews:


We love you, Jon! Congrats on serving an honorable mission!

Modesto in Pictures: Part 3

We had a great time in Modesto. I'm happy that I got to spend time with my nephews, play Rock Band with Jer and Michi, and watch friendships bloom between cousins. Also, Jer hooked me up with some new retainers.

The end.