03.22.08
Posted in Livy at 9:01 pm by tina
You had your egg hunt for the first time in school. You made sure that you opened each egg by youself and insisted on spreading all the stickers on the floor.
You stared down the two boys who drove their toy jeep right in front of you. I think the boy driver was testing your tolerance. I knew you wouldn’t move in a million years and the image of Tiananmen Square guy in front of the tank flashed in my head.
Your tantrums are understood now. I get it. You need to do everything yourselves. And yes, I get it that you also need to throw tantrums at yourselves when you couldn’t do the things you wanted to do. Life at 23 months is so complicated.
I don’t know how you do it, but I am unable to be mad at you even when I wanted to.
There is some sort of magic about you, all wrapped up in that little body.
Perhaps it’s your “I I DO” (I love you) you give whenever I ask for it.
Perhaps it’s your “tickle-tickle-tickle-tickle DOCK” when you sing the Hickory Dickory Dock
Perhaps it’s your silly faces.
I don’t know what it is, nor do I care. I just know that I am deeply in love with you!
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03.20.08
Posted in Maddy at 11:01 pm by tina
K2 class had a nice program in school today. The girl is a bit shy as usual, but I thought she did a lovely job:
The Chicken Dance
The Butterfly Song
You are My Sunshine
There was no program in Livy’s class, but her big sister saved a cookie for her, which she devoured down in no time. It’s nice to have a big sister who thinks of you all the time!
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Posted in Life with my girls at 10:50 pm by tina
Something about the big girl fits so perfectly into the ’system’: She strives under competition and tests.
The girl had rejected my effort to speak to her in Chinese all these time; however, she has been speaking Chinese AND teaching Chinese to meimei ever since the ‘mid-term’ last Sat, on which she was told that she did well.
The girl probably only has a total of 30-40 Chinese words she’s able to say, but she sure uses them to the maximum
Blind leads blind in Chinese
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Posted in Maddy, Parenting at 9:52 pm by tina
I went to Maddy’s kindergarten orientation the other day. It was wonderful. The principle/assist. Principle as well as the whole kindergarten staff took turn going over the materials.
You can pretty much determine whether or not you’re amongst good educators 5 mins into interacting with them.
They did not mention a single word on their drive for academic excellence; then again they didn’t have to. One teacher said it beautifully. “If you come to class and see that the kids look like they are just playing, be assured that these are intentionally planned activities to motivate the children in learning the subjects”. A group of the kids (most likely from the media/IT special class) made a 10 minute long welcome video for the parents. It was great to see that the kids were given the opportunity to exercise their creativity and knowledge about media. I was also delighted to find that although the regular public schools do not have concentrated electives everyday, they are on the 7 day rotation to have art, music, spanish, media, IT, and PE (everyday they get one of them as the ’specials’). It is exactly the type of school I want my girls to be in.
I thank God for His provision. It has been a fun ride researching, planning, and internalizing the education choices for Maddy this past year. I know it will continue to be an on-going process as opportunities/needs change from time to time. For now, I’m at peace and am totally excited for my girl to enter her big kindergarten year!!
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03.15.08
Posted in Life with my girls at 9:46 pm by tina
We had a small dinner thing for daddy to celebrate his upcoming birthday. The Chao’s and Bedward’s are our family friends for a long time now. We go WAY WAY back when I was only an intern at Nortel and we hung out together in the college fellowship.
In the middle of the meal, we realized that this is the first time that all of us were able to stay through the meal. We carried on pleasant conversations while the kids ate at the kiddy table by themselves and then played upstairs nicely the whole night.
No one had to get up to nurse, clean up spilled food, mediate disagreement amongst the kids, or check on them out of necessity (we did check on them tonight, but only because we wanted to). I don’t recall the last time no parent was interruptted during a meal gathering. We must be entering a differnt stage of our lives - a much better and brighter one 
Our cute duckings (sans Ko-ko.. not sure where he was at the time)
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03.12.08
Posted in Maddy at 11:02 pm by tina
I’ve been looking into differnet TrackOut programs (equivalent of summer programs for traditional schools) mostly through web surfings and recommendations from colleagues since mid Feb, and has decided to take a more proactive approach now that we know the exact track Maddy will be in.
We visited Bright Horizon Clubhouse today, and were quite impressed with the facility and the staff. The more we walked around during the tour, the more I thought “Maddy would really enjoy that” and “This is exactly the TrackOut program I envisioned enrolling Maddy in”. I love the art studio, game room, gym, music cove, small stage theater, media center, IT suite, a diner that is totally 50’s looking, and lots of outdoor play areas including a splash pool and a nicesized playground.
I’m super excited for Maddy, and can’t wait to show her this new place in August!!
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03.11.08
Posted in Maddy at 10:03 pm by tina
(From the father’s account)
Daddy was leaving before the girls’ bedtime for a basketball practice:
Daddy: Maddy, daddy has a basketball practice tonight.
Maddy: Why don’t you just go?
Daddy: No.. how about we play your card game one time before I go?
Maddy: No. You better go now.
Daddy: but but but..
Maddy: You go ahead and play basketball… just go now.
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03.10.08
Posted in Maddy at 11:15 pm by tina
Of all things the girl wanted to play on Sat, is to “play school” and her being the ‘problem solver’ (one of the ‘jobs’ the kids get to do at school):
Maddy: Do you have any problems?
Mommy: Yes, you gave me that painting but daddy wants it too.
Maddy: no problem. I can draw daddy another one.
Maddy: Do you have any problem?
Daddy: yes, I need a hug.
Maddy (matter of fact straight face): That is not even a problem.
I don’t think the girl should choose any profession that requires the giving of much emotional support.
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Posted in Life with my girls at 10:54 pm by tina
Little copycat came to me with one of her baby mirror yesterday: “pink”, “blue”, “spots” as she pointed to the colors she saw. I look at her amused. The first thought that went through my mind was “You are my BABY. You’re not supposed to know these things”
The baby is really growing up faster than I can catch up to. She is showing her preference in English (not all that surprising, but it is really funny to annoy her by reading her story books in Chinese); she can half recite Maddy’s Chinese phrases from Chinese school; she follows and plays with her big sister like a little puppy.
The baby is now my charming toddler!!
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Posted in Life with my girls at 10:02 pm by tina
We got Maddy’s track assignment for next school year in mail today: 3. It’s not ‘official’ yet, but since we are not planning to request for assignment change or transfer schools, it is official for the Chen household.
I am really really hoping that one of her good friends at school also got into track 3. If he did, it means that Maddy will know at least one good friend from preschool(and both of their little sisters will be in the same class when then enter Wake County School system in three years).
The first thing I did (after saying a thanksgiving prayer, of course) was to pull up the calendar and did a comparison on Track 3 vacation days vs Disney World Season Rates. Sure it seems a little shallow, but you may rest assured that I did extensive researches/plannings on schools when we were deciding where to send the girl.
Trackout 1&3 fall in the value season and trackout 2&4 fall in the regular season, two lowest price seasons for our favorite family vacation spot. It doesn’t look like Disney will be able to lure us into its summer season (5/22-8/2) or peak season (2/14-3/29). Why? Maddy will be in school.
THANK YOU ALL YEAR ROUND SCHOOLS!!
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03.02.08
Posted in Life with my girls at 11:02 pm by tina
I left the girls downstairs for TWO MINUTES so I can get ready for church. Minime ran upstairs to report me the happenings. I rushed down, to find little copycat standing on our breakfast table, hanging on the chandelier:
She is not in the picture for obvious reasons. I was either to get her down before the whole chandelier tumbles down from the ceiling, or to have her hanging on to the light while I fetched the camera to take pictures for proof. I think I made the wise choice.
Sometimes I wonder how is it possible that I have one child who is obsessed with cleanliness and never in my memory even stood up on dining chairs, yet another one who spits out food/milk just because (and perhaps enjoys the stress her mother endures) and came up with the crazy idea that she is to hang on the chandlier and make it a swing.
Ironically, they wanted to be twins today… dresssed exactly alike from head to toe, and even made me call them “twin #1″ and “twin #2″ all morning:
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03.01.08
Posted in Life with my girls at 10:43 pm by tina
Today is one of those perfect sweatshirt day that we didn’t want to spend one extra minute indoor if not necessary. We got to visit two of our favorite family spots: North Cary Park (before Chinese School), and the Museum of Life and Science (after Chinese School).
I was so happy all day having two healthy girls back and having my favorite type of weather, I actually cook two big meals today. That in itself is worth mentioning, COOK. TWO. BIG. MEALS.
More pictures
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