It's my party...and then some...

Thank you to all of you that added positively to my birthday! Family and friends is what is it all about. I had a nice relaxing birthday and it was complete by talking with Mom and Dad, Doug, Sheila and Sharon at different times during the day.

Chay picked out a nice chocolate cake for me and the sugar flowers were so nice that I could have worn them as a corsage if I needed one.

Mentally I don't feel my age but, in the past week I have noticed that my eyes have taken on a different look...an Asian slant sort of thing (I'm turning Japanese...yes I think so....).

Chay also picked out a beautiful orchid for me, I love orchids. I still have the one from last year and I'm hoping that it will blossom again this year.

Nicole had been craving chocolate covered strawberries since Valentine's Day and last night my dear friend Krissi made her happy by delivering my birthday present...which included 3 chocolate covered strawberries! Very delicious!

We picked Alana up on Saturday and we ate a lot while she was here. We went to Chinese Gourmet one day and then adventured out and tried a restaurant we haven't been to before. We have done that before and have been disappointed in the past but this time we were pleasantly surprised, and we were all so stuffed when we left.

We started out with an appetizer...

...attacked it...

...and kept attacking it...Nice homemade rolls with a cinnamon/honey butter (?) There was something different in the butter but, I couldn't quite place it but the kids seemed to enjoy it!
We left with leftover containers of food and that's always nice because it means snacks later. The manager also came to the table while we were eating to make sure things were going well, and since it was our first time there, he gave us a package of "Texas peanuts" and a coupon for a free appetizer for "next" time. We discovered however, that after the buns and eating an appetizer, that's pretty much all you need.

Then we played games...Pictionary, which is a favorite of mine from the BYU days, Mad Gab, which is definitely Alana's game because dang, she can get those sayings quickly without any help, and a chopstick game which tested our Japanese genes. And I must say, I received the most penalties for dropping my log before I made it to the tower...and that is why I eat with a fork...

Chay thought that we should have some heart shaped cookies for Valentine's Day and so he found a recipe, put out the ingredients, and Blade and I made the cookies.

...Someone "broke my heart"...

How does she study like this?

...but it must work because she does well in school.

I recieved some bento box supplies and was very excited to try the egg shapers. (sorry Doug, it's back to food again but, it's Japanese stuff so it might take you back to the years you spent in Japan)
The peeled hard boiled eggs before placement into the "shapers".

A cold bath for 10 minutes.

...the revealing....

AND our fish and car shaped eggs! I likey!
(I'm copying that phrase from Angie who obviously got that from Grandpa!)

Blade's lunch with the new toys (I'm a novice now but just wait...)

I made some quick cookies for a party at work and my trusty assistant was there beside me. He helped mix and was in charge of the colored sugar. He knew exactly how he wanted the sugar and did not need nor want any help from me. He is becoming quite the baker!

(can you tell that he's MY son?...and I think we STILL have the same hair style)

Happy Valentine's Day (in three parts)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've been enjoying everyone's Valentine's blogging, and I want to wish everyone the same also.
(and "in three parts" because I can't combine the pictures into one posting)

Chay made a safe for his Valentine box for school and I was impressed with the work that he did all by himself! I have a tendency to help with my ideas or ways of doing things but I held back this time...it was hard but I did it. And Chay DID IT well.

Blade had a party at school also and his class made the Valentine bags at school. He was so excited to have a bag full of Valentine cards and treats!

Like Sheila mentioned, the kids love to go through the Valentines and examine all that they recieve. As you can see in the next picture, Nicole and Blade had to get involved in Chay going through his box.

Grandma always pulls through with cards arriving for every Holiday and birthday!

I could't open my birthday card fast enough for the kids...

Chay even looked behind the picture to see if there was money that I didn't look for.

Blade had an envelop addressed to him and he was very excited and surprised.

Chay with his vintage Valentine

and Nicole with hers.

Thanks Mom for the birthday and Valentine cards and for timing the arrival perfectly. It just isn't complete until there something from you and you never disappoint.

"Love you Mom"

We picked up Alana so that we could enjoy her company for awhile and stopped at Chinese Gourmet to eat per Blade's multiple requests. Before we left Nicole and Alana were talking about how they were ready for a nap. It's interesting how when those two get together, they both seem to fall asleep. I don't know what that is saying about them: they bore each other with their company, they feel so relaxed and comfortable with each other that they fall asleep, they have found what they like to do best and are bonding...

The sleeping beauties

I received the PERFECT Valentine's gift from Chay today when I got the mail. The results from his ELP (extended learning program which is the fast paced learning program for students who do well academically) testing arrived and I had the honor of opening the results. I was worried because although Chay is an intelligent young man, he has been having a hard time this year wanting to do the work that is required of him at school with packets to complete and tests to study for. As he reports, he is just bored. And I give him credit for being honest.

WELL, the results are in...

and on the 8th grade achievement test, Chay did well enough to qualify for the ELP program at area Middle school! It brought tears to my eyes.

Here are his results. The bubble indicates where Chay placed, with the peak being just that, the top score.

Yes, I am so proud of him!

Random shots

Nicole has been involved in Lacrosse conditioning Monday thru Thursday since school started in January and now Saturday mornings also. She took this shot of her uniform on "her dad's camera" and I thought I thought it would be the perfect thing to share with the family.

Chay and Blade get to spend a lot of time with each other and it is so endearing to see how much they really do love each other. Blade needed help with his game and Chay was willing to help him, I think the look on Chay's face is one of concentration...

Why is it that at certains times in our lives, it's just natural to stuff things in our shirts? I can't remember now if Blade was trying to hide something from us or just put some clothes away. It's kind of disturbing that his random stuffing "filled out" the sweater quite nicely.

Dave found cars while cleaning and Blade was so excited to have "new" cars and after playing with them kept lining them up. Is nice to see some orderly characteristic starting to shine through.

...that's creavtive...

Chay studied about Egypt and he made an impressive mask at school. The teacher put some kind of plaster on his face and so it's an actually mold of his face. He put it on Nicole's door and surprisingly, it's still there more than a week later.


The scaffolding is still up, because I haven't attempted the higher level yet, and the kids are still having fun with it.

Everyone is getting into the act.

And everyone is getting braver and creative with what they do.

I came home one day from work and Chay and Blade had made a full fort with every blanket they could find. It seemed quite cozy inside. I know Koshi was making herself at home inside.

There's a FIRST time for everything

FIRST SHAVE FOR CHAY

Chay did his book report last week on Martin Luther King Jr., and Nicole and I thought that it would be perfect for Chay to have a mustache like "Martin". Nicole had the honor of giving Chay his first SHAVE! Chay however did not want to go to school and spend the entire day with a thin mustache about his upper lip and so he had Nicole lather him up again and shave the upper lip clean. Sorry I didn't get a before picture. Immediately after the shave, Chay looked so different to us.

The other weird thing is that Chay is wearing one of Dave's old suits....and except for the length and the shoulders, it pretty much fit. In the day, Dave was a mighty thin guy...what would it be like to have 3% body fat? (Just imagine how I must have felt standing beside him).


FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR BLADE

Blade's first bento box lunch

Blade is now in preschool at Challenger School! His first day was Tuesday and it was a successful one, on the way home he kept telling me "I had fun at school". He will be spending his entire day with Ms. Kim and his friends on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The plan is that on the Tuesdays and Thursday that I work, Nicole will drop Blade off on her way to school and I will pick him up after work. I got Blade's lunch and clothes ready the night before and Nicole had the honor of getting him ready and taking Blade's
"first day of school" picture.


First Day of School

Blade's second day of school was even better than his first, nap time wasn't upsetting for him, and he learned about the letter "Y" and turtles.

The bento box wasn't more important than Blade's first day of school but again, I couldn't rearrange the pictures. But I must say, I do believe that I will get into bento boxes more now that I have to pack a lunch twice a week. I am still so thankful for school lunch and not having to worry about making lunches everyday. When I was growing up, I didn't even realize that schools had full cafeterias to make lunch for the students. It's kind of like the cardboard containers that Chinese take-out is in; I thought that just happened in the movies...and then I had take out in the United States....they really do have Chinese take-out in those cute containers...

...Now Nicole is saying that I can make her lunch everyday...