Family pictures

We are saving the shots of all four of us together for Christmas cards.  But, these were fun and turned out nicely. These were taken by a friend photographer Andrea at Petite Etoile Photography

Halloween

Elsa and the fire chief had fun this Halloween.  We trick-or-treated mostly on our street.  It was quieter than usual this year, because the weather was a little wet and cold. But we were still able to collect a good amount of candy.

Family Vacation Japan 2014

This was our longest trip with kids - 3 weeks in Japan!  We wanted to really experience what it would be like to stay there longer and we haven't gone on a big trip since Sweden in July 2012.  The jet-lag was bad both ways, but the experience was definitely worth it.  The kids had a good time adventuring and they bonded with each other (and seem to play together better since the trip).  We got to visit with my grandmother, who is in a skilled nursing facility, and spend time with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Most days, we explored Yokohama or Tokyo and we also took a side trip to Shimoda, on the Izu Peninsula, a couple of hours (on an express train) south of Yokohama.  We ate lots of good food (ramen, tonkatsu, shabu-shabu, sushi), found our way around on the complicated trains, and escaped media-hyped typhoons together. For more pics, click here

Max at pre-school

First week of Kindergarten!

Penny is officially a Kindergartener!  Her first week was great!  She is lucky to have two kids from her preschool in her Kindergarten class (pictured above).  She also seems to like her teacher, Mrs. Cahn (pictured above).

We were a little concerned about the daycare at first.  She is on an afternoon schedule and starts class at 11:30, so we drop her off at the onsite daycare in the morning and they walk her to class and pick her up from class.  She tried the daycare out a couple of days the week before school started, and she did not like it there.  But, now that she is used to the routine and has made some friends (that are in her class and also go to the daycare), she is enjoying it more.

Another surprise to us is that public school is not actually free anymore.  There are several donations that are expected of parents to support the supplies and the "extra" education such as art, music, computers, etc.  We were asked to pay about $600 and this does not count the many fundraisers that will take place during the year.  

Last day of summer

We had a great summer break this year.  I started working 3 days per week, but I still wanted the kids to have some structured activities.  For the two days per week that I was home, I signed Penny up for an afternoon camp through the city Parks and Rec. and her good friend also signed up.  The other 3 days when I worked, Penny and Max were together at a home pre-school/daycare.  Penny also did swim lessons every Saturday morning.  We figured out a good routine for ourselves.  It was nice to have Penny and Max spend a lot of time together during the summer, since soon they will be in separate schools.

These pics are from our last Friday together.  We went to the zoo and Max got on the car ride for the first time.  It has been his goal in life to reach the height minimum and get on this ride.

Niles Canyon Railway

We have been meaning to check this place out, and today we finally did.  Max loves trains, so it was a treat for him to ride an actual steam train (on a historic railway).  However, the "CHOO-CHOOOO" sound was sometimes startlingly loud!

Fourth of July!

Cousin's High School Graduation

Our cousins, Michael and Daniel, graduated from Oak Grove High School and we went to see it.  It was fun to see our relatives and learn what a graduation is like!  We will graduate someday, too!

Penny and Max update

We haven't been snapping many photos lately, but Penny and Max have been developing quite a bit.

Penny is becoming much more adventurous with food.  She is trying things that she used to refuse and realizing that she actually likes some of them!  Cucumber is one of the new foods she will tolerate. This is a big relief to me, as I feel I can add more variety to our meals and at least have her take a polite bite or two.
She is also becoming more daring physically.  She is climbing, jumping, tumbling, and experimenting more whereas she has always been on the cautious side.  It is exciting to see her opening up to new things.
Also, Penny is learning to read and often reads her own bedtime story to us now...  This is something for which I do not take any credit.  The preschool has taught me to encourage play more than academics at her age.  But, I don't discourage her either.
Finally, she is becoming more outgoing.  Today at the park, she initiated play with several new friends, which was surprising to see.  Normally, she runs away when someone comes over and asks to play.  

Max is a 2-year old, testing his boundaries.  Every moment seems to be a negotiation, from getting in the carseat to washing hands...
He has just started attending his own home preschool two mornings per week.  It is a small setting with one caregiver and usually 3 other kids.  When I pick him up, he is happy and excited to be learning new things and making friends!  Another advantage of this preschool/daycare is that they provide meals and snacks!  When he is among peers and in someone else's care, he is less likely to reject new foods. So, I'm hoping he will become more adventurous too.
Verbally, Max seems to talk non-stop from the moment he opens his eyes, to the moment he closes his eyes.  He explains everything and wants to understand everything.
Max also just transferred to a toddler bed from a crib.  So far, it seems to be working out well.
Potty-wise, things are slow, as expected for boys.  He uses the potty once a day on average.  But, there seems to be a barrier for going #2 on the potty....much to our disappointment.  But as I understand, we can't show that we care too much (about whether he uses the potty), or he will be more likely to resist.

Family visit

It has become a tradition to get a visit from family for Penny's birthday.  We were fortunate to have grandma, Mike, auntie, and uncle come stay with us to celebrate this year.  Penny and Max really know their relatives and they are building strong relationships with them.  They were excited to have more people around that were ready to play.  We are very grateful for family!

Penny's 5th birthday party!

Penny wanted a gymnastics party and she really loved it.  Although she doesn't have much experience with gymnastics, Edge Gymnastics made it fun for all of the ages and skill levels.  Having a bunch of her friends together and also having grandma, Mike, auntie Ann and uncle Hung there made it extra special (and extra helpful for us!).  Grandma made a two-tier chocolate cake with custom Frozen (her favorite movie) characters on it, which was lovely and delicious!

Family at Lake Tahoe

Penny's first time skiing

Maxwell turns 2!!

Max's birthday party was fun and easy.  We had dinner with a few local friends at Zachary's pizza.  I made cupcakes with grandma's recipe and they turned out pretty good.  On his actual birthday, we went to the zoo and rode on the train there.  He is a lucky boy.

Holidays=Family

It was a fun-filled and family-filled holiday season.  Max really got into viewing the Christmas lights everywhere, "Yites!", and opening gifts (the train set has been a big hit).  Penny enjoyed the excitement, including the countdown to relatives arriving, setting up for Santa's visit, and Christmas day.  We also had some parties with friends which have been fun since the kids get along so well. As usual, we were so busy enjoying ourselves that we didn't take many pictures, but here are a few.