11/14

Grandma and Grandpa Z came to stay with us after the Richmond races.  They came with me to visit Mei Li's school during American Education Week on Monday.  Mei Li made pilgrim and Indian crafts during class with the help of Grandpa.  After, all the kids got up to sing several song for the parents and grandparents.  She was right in the middle singing loudly with a huge smile on her face.  There was a Thanksgiving slideshow presentation with the students' drawings and narrations.   Then there was a slideshow with pictures of the kids to a sappy country song that made me cry.

After the program, we went to the book fair, where I spent money on overpriced books.  Then we took a tour of the adorable Kinder Garden.

In the evening, we had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Z, Rachel, Ken, and Christine at CPK.  Sadly, I have no pictures of all of this, but I wish I did.  We love being with family.

First Field Trip

I volunteered to be a chaperone for Mei Li's field trip to the farm.  Interestingly, if you volunteer, that does not guarantee that you will get chosen as they do a lottery to fill the limited chaperone spots.  I felt really lucky that they chose my name.

I was responsible for four adorable girls, including Mei.  Two of the other girls' mothers were there to tag-along, which made my job pretty easy, certainly easier than taking my own three children to the farm.

We took a little tour of the farm.  We all received yummy apples and the kids got to feed the animals.  Mei Li really didn't want the animal tongues to touch her hand, so she did a lot of food sprinkling.

Then it was time for the hay ride to the pumpkin patch.  It started sprinkling on the hay ride, and once at the pumpkin patch, we really wished we had our rain boots.  Mei Li started walking through the mud to find a pumpkin, but was discouraged when the mud sucked one of her shoes off of her feet and her sock got all wet and muddy.

My little Korean friend didn't want to go in the mud either, so I forged through the mud in my Sperrys to find them both pumpkins.  One of the teachers assistants sheltered them with an umbrella while they waited for me.  I picked out two very ugly pumpkins.  The selection wasn't very good where I could walk.

Then we ate lunch in the barn.  Mei Li looked exhausted as she ate nearly every last bite of food that I packed.  The girls wanted to go on the jumping pillow for their free time.  They jumped and they jumped and they jumped until it was time to go back to the bus.

I couldn't find my camera so I had to use my flip phone camera.  Does anyone else still have a flip phone?

Back at school, I signed Mei Li out for the rest of the day.  Steve was waiting for us back at home with our kids.  Thanks to Steve for making this day possible.  It was a really easy and wonderful day.

Baby Guy

If you've read this blog for a while, you'd know that we called Stephen "Baby Guy" until he was about two and a half.   We don't call him that anymore.  His cheeks used to be so huge and everyone loved them.  He's still got a little bit in his cheeks, but he's even losing that slowly.  

Tuesday was Stephen's first day of preschool.  The night before, Steve gave Stephen a father's blessing, just as he did for Mei Li when she went off to kindergarten and the couple years before that when she went to preschool.  It's a beautiful tradition, among other important things, and I'm grateful that Steve worthily holds the priesthood to give such blessings.

Stephen expressed once that morning that he didn't want to go to preschool.  But we all got ready and went.  I parked and the four of us walked in together.  We dropped him off at his classroom.  My heart swelled with pride as he put his backpack in the bucket, gave me a hug and kiss, and confidently and happily walked into his class.  There were no tears from me.  I didn't cry when Mei Li went to preschool, but there is always a pang with every change.   Oh, how I love that boy!


Then it was just the girls at home for a couple of hours.  I put Mi Na down for a nap, helped Mei Li with reading, cleaned, and put dinner in the crockpot.  It was amazingly quiet.  Quiet is good sometimes. 

I sent Mei Li off to school and then rushed over to pick Stephen up from preschool.  He was smiling when he came out of his classroom.  I asked, "How was preschool, bud?"  He responded, "It was SO much fun."  He told me about playing inside and about playing outside, but didn't remember anything else.  I was so happy to hear that he loved it.   These kids are just growing up, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.  I'm glad they're doing a good job of it, though.  They make their mother awfully proud.

First day on the job.

Today was Mei's first day of kindergarten.  The morning was spent packing her backpack, repairing a tear in the dress I made especially for Mei's first day of school, and cleaning up after Mi Na's many messes.

Mei Li has been so excited for this day for a very long time.  I've been dreading it.  Consequently, she did had a better first day on the job than I did.  I melted down after she rode away on the bus, then again in the parking lot of her school as her bus passed my car, and then again after she walked into the school. Stephen said, "Are you crying?  Don't cry!  It's too princess-y." 

Once she was inside the school, I took Stephen's face in my hands, told him I loved him, and told him that he was the big boy now.  His face was serious and he nodded.

 

I took my big boy and my baby to the grocery store and they behaved like angels (mostly).

I played monster trucks with Stephen while Mi Na napped and then we waited for Mei at the bus stop.  She was the first one off the bus.

She was happy to see us.  She told me all about kindergarten, reported that a boy from church is in her class (hurray!), and then pretended with Stephen that the curb was a tightrope all the way back to the house.

I was sort of stressed out when the kindergarten papers flowed into the kitchen.  The kitchen wasn't clean.  Note to self: the kitchen HAS TO BE CLEAN when the school papers flow in.

The rest of the day was kind of crazy.  Stephen and Mi Na were super cranky and tired most of the day.  I felt pretty stressed with all of the crying and whining going on.  But Stephen and Mi Na are still little, and I anticipate this won't be the last of it.

We had family home evening when Steve came home.  It was a good ending to a very eventful day.  As disorganized and emotional as I was today, I was so comforted as we sat together on our living room couch, that we have a happy family and we all love each other so so much.  I have the best kids and the best husband.  (By the way, so do you.) My heart is filled with gratitude for each one of them.  Hopefully tomorrow is a little more organized and less stressful.  It's kindergarten, after all.

October 11-17

On Monday, we went apple picking.

I took my three kids to an apple orchard and met Tiana and her family there. I had Mi Na in the Baby Bjorn so bending over to pick the dropped apples was slow going. We ended up with half a bucket, which I later turned into a large container of applesauce. It was an experiment that turned out really well. I will have to make lots of applesauce next year.

Tuesday was the first day of preschool. We were on time.

Mei Li is loving preschool, but I am not. It's in the afternoon and it is messing up Stephen and Mi Na's naps, which is no fun. I need to figure out how to make this work.

Wednesday was the day I lost track of time.

But it didn't matter because we had no plans other than our picnic. I packed our picnic basket with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carrots, oranges, and water. I packed the stroller with a picnic blanket, library books, and children. I packed Mi Na into my baby wrap.

We walked to the field, but realized that we left Stephen's football at home. So we went back home, then back to the field. Mei pretended to be a fairy, Stephen a football player. We ate our lunch on a blanket out in the sun. Sandy, who lives right by the field saw us and came out to sit with us. She brought her cute granddaughter with her.

It got hot so we moved into the shade of a tree, where Mi Na napped covered by a crocheted blanket. It seems nice to be a baby sometimes.

We read our library books on the blanket and talked. I forgot my cell phone, like I usually do, so I didn't know what time it was.

We walked to the library, where I learned that we had been at the field for nearly three hours. We returned old books and checked out new ones and then walked home. I will always remember that day, but hopefully there will be many more like it.

I hardly remember Thursday.
I remember that we were late to Mei Li's second day of preschool and that it messed up naps again. It appears that I took this picture on Thursday.

Friday was busy.
Steve took Friday off and we spent the morning packing for a weekend trip to North Carolina. Mei Li went to Lilly's birthday party in the afternoon and it was a joyous reunion for these two pals.


We hit lots of traffic on our way to North Carolina, but we did finally make it by midnight. We were there to watch Annee and Darin's kids while they went on a short getaway.

Mei Li climbed up a huge wall on Saturday.

We didn't have a set plan for Saturday activities with the Earnest kids, but we solved that problem when we discovered a free climbing wall set up just across the street by the park. Mei Li was totally into it. She went up that thing about eight times. She made it up higher and higher with each turn and finally she made it to the very top. I was impressed. Steve and I each took a turn climbing the wall too. I must do it again soon.

On Sunday, we took seven kids to stake conference.
I do not write that to seem heroic at all because there was actually not much to it. All of the kids were well-behaved and sweet.

Annee and Darin came home shortly after we did. We had a nice meal together and we said our goodbyes.


The four Earnest kids were so kind to our kids, especially Mi Na.
It's fun that they'll be just a drive away for the next three years.

Do you know what I love?

1. I love a newly vacuumed floor.

2. I love my sweet helper, Mei, who looks especially sweet in this picture.

3. I love Baby guy's insatiable appetite for all things fruity.

4. I don't love how Baby guy stuck 3 peas up his right nostril last night, but I love how funny that memory is to me just one day later.

5. I love sushi. Last night's end-of-busy-season takeout sushi tasted especially delicious. It tasted like joy.

6. I love how the IRS moved up the deadline to September 15 from October 15. It will be this way evermore, that is, until they change it again.

7. I love the first day of school. Today, Mei Li was excited for first day of joy school. There was no anxiety whatsoever because it was in the home of good people and she is already friends with all of her classmates.


8. I love one-on-one time with my baby. I've been craving it.

9. I love having Steve home more. I need this man. I'm a better person when he is around. Our season of joy has begun.

10. I love our home. Period.