12.31.06
Posted in Maddy, Parenting at 9:26 pm by tina
Maddy started to write her name on her own recently. She still doesn’t really care (at least she doesn’t show them) to learn alphebets or phonics the way she jumps on arts and crafts or computer games, so imagining my surprise when she showed me her work from Sunday School:
YDDAM, her name the way a Chinese would write from right to left.
I ALMOST told her right away that she should write her name from left to right, but I was quite proud of myself for stopping myself. I don’t want to be a mom who asks my daughter why she missed one point out of the 100 points on a test. I want to embrace and enjoy the moments with her for the things she HAS accomplished.
She colored a perfect picture (nothing out of the line, I shall proudly point out), and her name IS in order. It’s more than enough to keep a smile on mommy for days!
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Posted in Life with my girls at 3:37 pm by tina
Since grandma/grandpa Junneck and auntie Betty have their own townhomes here in town, they usually go home at night after spending time with us. Maddy was pleasantly surprised when I told her that ah-goon and ah-ma are going to stay with us for a whole week for Xmas. She said “you mean they’re having sleepover at our place?”
It’s been a wonderful Christmas break with them. We opened one gift each day throughout the week (I was very glad that the girl knows no connection about the gifts are ‘Xmas’ gifts). We really didn’t do much out of the ordinary, but the girls got to spend a lot of quality time with ah-goon and ah-ma.
Maddy specially was attached to ah-goon this time since ah-ma loved coo-ing mei-mei. They went on walks to feed the geese; they played on this phonics program (which I had to thank ah-goon because Maddy showed little interests in wanting to know alphabets until she started to play this program); she awed ah-goon for figuring out the games like she had played them before; they drawed and painted together.
Livy is so badly spoiled by ah-goon and ah-ma I will be so terribly embarrassed and apologetic to hand this baby back to her preschool teachers on Tuesday.
Thank you ah-goon ah-ma for taking a week of your time to hang out with us!
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Posted in Maddy at 2:51 pm by tina
With abundant educational choices we have (traditional, year-round, magnet schools) in the public/private schools here, I told a girlfriend recently that I would really have to ‘hate’ the school system first before I would consider homeschool Maddy. Not that I have anything against homeschooling (I believe making educational choicese for our children is very personal and one method doesn’t work for every family), it’s just not my preference.
And thank God that I have absolutely no desire to homeschool Maddy: We were supposed to learn about how milk contains special things like proteins and fat and how they are senistive to chemical changes (like a drop of soap) through the explosion of colors in this supposely easy science expericement.
Instead, ours look like a plate of milk with bird poop in it. Note to self: Coloring gel is different from coloring liquid. Do not substitute one for the other in science projects.
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12.19.06
Posted in Life with my girls at 11:03 pm by tina
Maddy: Can I have something?
Mommy: Not right now. If you finish your dinner with good table manner, then you can have a snack.
Maddy: But I want something now…
Mommy: You can have cheese, or some apple sause, or an apple now.
Maddy: I want a snack now.
Mommy: Sure. If you finish your dinner nicely, then you get a snack.
Maddy: I don’t want dinner
Mommy: Ok.. I guess you’re not hungry and don’t need a snack.
Maddy: I want a snack.
Mommy: What did mommy say about when you can have a snack? After dinner.. if you finish you dinner with good table manner….
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Daddy: I just did the excel sheet. There are like more than 100 people/couples.
Mommy: You have 50 Xmas cards, honey. We ordered 80 cards, and I am taking 30.
Daddy: Can you believe that? We sure know a lot of people.
Mommy: Are they people you just happen to have them in your address book or are those people who actually care to receive a Xmas from you? Anyway, you have 50 cards.
(sometimes later….)
Daddy: I deleted all the people we don’t have their current addresses. There are 98 people. That’s the first thing I did… just rid of all the names without addresses.
Mommy: That’s nice. You have 50 Xmas cards.
Daddy: I have a lot of relatives. Just my family.. it’s probably 20 cards already.
Mommy: Ok. Then pick your 30 friends wisely.
Daddy: And there are lots of them in Dallas and CA… and all the aunties and uncles at church. You see my mailing lists: AABC, CCIC, CCIC youth, CA friends, and there is my mailing list called “world”, and “world2″.
Mommy: Yes, I know your mailing lists, but you still only have 50 cards. You can send the rest of the people E-greetings or something.
Daddy: And there are RCCC young adult, RCCC youth, RCCC people we hang out with…. blah blah blah
Mommy: Joseph Chen. You have 50 cards. I don’t care whom you send them to, but you have 50 cards. How many times do I have to tell you? Like I said, use them wisely.
Reasoning with a 37 year old is exactly the same as reasoning with a 3 year old!
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Posted in Livy's First at 12:28 am by tina
We went to visit Livy during lunch. Baby girl saw me, streched out her arms and bursted out “Ma ma.. Ma ma”
I would like to believe that she actually knew what she is saying.
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12.18.06
Posted in Maddy at 11:23 pm by tina
When the geese flew up north in April, they were best friends going to the same school.
The geese are passing by again (this time heading south), they are attending different schools but still best friends.
Something about Abe’s presence that brings out the best of Maddy: She’s comfortable, happy, silly, and sparkles with joy!
I don’t take granted for every moment these two get to enjoy each other’s company.
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Posted in Maddy at 9:16 pm by tina
Maddy and daddy had a date of watching Charlotte’s Web. I asked them how the movie was afterwards:
Daddy: It is very sweet with many sad and romantic moments. I even cried a couple times…. and I think I saw Maddy wiped her eyes once.
Maddy: I didn’t cry. Something was in my eyes.
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12.17.06
Posted in Life with my girls at 12:19 am by tina
Maddy has been a great helper lately. Ever since one recent morning when I asked if she wouldn’t mind going downstairs to let Brownie out, she’s taken the new task seriously.
We never saw her in action (yes, mommy and daddy are still in bed), but I hear her every step:
1) She goes downstairs and opens the execise room where Brownie sleeps. “Brownie, go potty” I hear her command
2) She opens/closes the door while Brownie goes out to the backyard
3) (I guess she then waits nearby).. because she opens/closes the door again when Brownie comes back.
4) She throws Brownie a little treat, and comes back upstairs.
We went out for a nice family walk in the afternoon today, and I decided that Maddy is now Brownie’s new caretaker. Not only she walked Brownie the whole way, the girl has dog walking etiquette down. She made sure that Brownie was always on the sidewalk. When joggers/bikers came by (and there were lots of them today since the weather was gorgeous), she made Brownie stop and they stood still off the sidewalk on the grass so others can pass through easily. Short of picking up Brownie’s poopoo, I say she’s got the whole taking care of a doggie down.
We are so proud of her!
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12.09.06
Posted in Life with my girls at 9:50 pm by tina
They were the princesses I knew when I was growing up, and they are now the princesses my girls know while they grow up.
The performance was magical and enchanting. Maddy’s eyes were glued to the stage the whole time. Mei-mei was amused by everything. She was tired by the end but couldn’t help check out everyone that came out on the stage.
Daddy probably had more shares of the princesses than he liked, but he was a good sport and what a nice family outing it was!
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12.07.06
Posted in Life with my girls at 10:36 pm by tina
There is no more Thursday night Pajama Story Time at the library until end of Jan next year. To pass time, we made a gingerbread house at home.
Maddy was pretty good about not eating the gingerbread house materials, and our final product was cute and presentable for a whole minute… until daddy attempted to fix the roof.
It is such a symbolic resemblance of daddy’s real life handy-ness I can only blame myself for entrusting the gingerbread house to him. But there is always bright side of things: they taste quite fresh and yummy while the icing was still warm.
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12.06.06
Posted in Life with my girls at 10:38 pm by tina
This is Colleen and Maddy making a show for us.
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12.03.06
Posted in Maddy at 11:55 pm by tina
Maddy learned how to play tic-tac-toe this weekend. It was on one of her activity books and she asked about what it was.Â
I thought it is too complicated for her in the beginning, but she understood the rules to my utter surprise. She still does not ’see’ the winning point if the last piece happens to be the middle one, but she totally gets how to make three in a row.
And the child has no concept of losing yet. She told daddy that after she gets the three in a row, daddy can also get his three in a row and both of them win.
Sometimes I feel like I’m losing my baby girl whose whole world is playing and no worries to the world of academia and competitions. It is inevitable and I want her to rise above in that world as well. I just didn’t think it was going to be this soon.
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