Sand Castles and Sand Sculptures

It was Crown Memorial's 43rd annual contest but the first for us. It was fun to people watch and admire everyone's "sandiwork" (did I just make up a new word ?) The kids had lots of fun of course - check out the art work.

採花賊

To my dismay, our 24 newly planted snapdragons were ALL EATEN within a couple days (do they know how hard it's to plant something with a 3 yr old who'd do the darndest thing ?) At first the nanny thought snails were to blame, but Jonathan figured they can't possibly eat that fast. Sure enough, a mouse was caught the morning after he placed a trap nearby. No relief though - we then discovered blooms were gone from most of the new jasmine plant too. Later that day, we discovered another dead mouse a few yards away. This time the cause of death was unknown as we didn't set up another trap. Did it eat too much too fast ? Or was it allergic to the fragrant jasmine oils ? Who knows - it's all very unsettling - as pesky and these critters were, it's not the nicest thing to have to end their lives. The only comforting thing that came out of all this is the kids seemed to sense how bummed I was and were very empathetic and kept comforting me. Katrina even made me flowers to "replace the ones outside" - how can these not cheer me up !

Class of 2009

For 15 minutes, an auditorium full of family and friends waited patiently for the processional of their beloved graduates. Jonathan joked that it felt like a wedding ceremony. Maybe it was the grandeur of the music - emotions welled up when Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March came on and the adorable kids started pouring in. Don't laugh, but I gained a tiny understanding of what my parents must have felt when they attended my graduation ceremonies.

Katrina was actually one of the "original 12" students that started with this new school last May so they are the very first graduating class of the school that now has has over 100 students. Thinking back on how she had a tough time adjusting in the beginning, she has indeed come a long way in her emotional, spiritual, mental, social, and physical development - so yes, I'm indeed very proud of her !

We were also all very impressed when she immediately hung her treasured medal around her brother's neck as soon as she came off the stage - it's awesome watching a preschooler share.

Anniversary Dinner

We rarely get to go out, so a special occasion is a great excuse go all out to a two Michelin star restaurant in the city. Aqua was a logical choice 'cause we both love seafood. Two glasses of complimentary champagne and well wishes were brought soon after we were seated. It was fun to try some exotic fish - Hawaiian Walu (a bit too tender and buttery) and John Dory (delicious and not to be confused with Nemo's friend, the regal tang). Food was wonderful, presentation beautiful, and service impeccable - a very nice night out indeed.

∞ years

This bronze symbol we designed for our wedding invitation seems perfect to commemorate today. Not only does turning the number 8 久十° = ∞, turns out bronze is also traditionally associated with 8th anniversaries !

Yellow Ladybugs

Whereas Katrina gets to hang out with bunnies, crickets, tadpoles, butterflies, and praying mantises at school, the extent of Nathan's daily interaction with nature is to water plants and pick flowers from the backyard. Imagine his awe when I caught him his own "can" of 4 yellow lady bugs that he can pick up and look at all day long.

Walking in my heart

Katrina is pretty quick at making a comeback sometimes: One night during her bedtime routine, she exclaimed: "Jesus is in my heart !", pointing happily to the right side of her chest. Daddy gently pointed out that hearts are on the left side. Immediately she went, "well that's 'cause Jesus walks back and forth from here to here inside of me ! (moving her hand back and forth from one side to another). As usual, she thought it was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing at her own wittiness :)

Happy Birthday Nathan

We ran out of steam and didn't throw a big party for Nathan this year. On his special day, I took lots of breaks from work to play with him, served him his favorite foods and basically he was given carte blanche to do anything he wanted the whole day. The happy camper seemed to really enjoy his cake and homemade strawberry/apple/grape popsicle too :)