What's been up with us?

I didn't intend to leave such a long gap from my last post in August. Since we returned from Dallas, thinks started happening and the momentum to post anything was lost.

Jerry on a school outing (above left) and Aaron goes to school with a schoolbag that's bigger than him (above right)!

School began on 1 Sept for both Jerry and Aaron. Jerry is in K3, his final year in kindergarten. Aaron is just beginning in nursery. Aaron's first week of school was posted on FB; to summarise: he had a little separation anxiety leaving home at first and was also upset when he had to leave school. However, after almost 3 months, he has adjusted well and loves going back.

It has always been observed that Aaron responds more to English, since he was under 2 yrs old. One time, when an aunt called to him by his Chinese name, he did not respond; then she switched to say "Hello!" he said it right back. Now, although he goes to a local Chinese school which only has 20 mins English "lesson" per day, he still responds better in English. In contrast, Jerry has always preferred Cantonese, sometimes even Mandarin, to English.

It is fascinating that whilst both boys are placed in the same environment and are offered similar experiences, they respond very differently. It relates to how they are very different in character and style. It's really fun to watch them grow up together and turn out so differently.

September 2009 also was a month of activity in securing a primary one spot for Jerry. The way the primary one placement is designed in HK is complicated and almost incomprehensible. Basically, there are public schools and private schools (this category actually loosely encompasses 3 categories, but for easy reading, I'll just group them together). Public schools don't have a choice in their students, however, their primary 1 places are split up to go through 2 stages of admission. Stage 1 allows cross-district applications; i.e. you can apply to a school that's not in your school district. The applicants in this stage are split into 2 groups: 1. children with connections (i.e. older siblings in the school, parent teaches at the school, etc); and 2. children with no connections. The school has to admit all applicants in group 1 and if there are more kids than places, then the extra kids take up the places allocated to group 2. All the places left are allocated to group 2 applicants by "lucky draw". Stage 2 is when you have to list in order of preference the schools in your own school district. But it is all "lucky draw" at this stage and there is no guarantee at all as to which school one ends up with.

Having just written the above, I don't even know if I understand.

Private schools, on the other hand, can choose their students and some schools are highly sought-after, either because they are traditionally known as good schools or they have proven academic track-records. Since the public school route is really uncertain, we also took matters into our own hands and selected a few private schools for Jerry so that we have some control over where he'll end up going to school for the next 6 years. Another reason to pick a primary school is that some of them have connected high schools, which means that we will not have to go through another school searching exercise in 6 years time.

In Hong Kong, we observe that many parents take the whole school searching exercise a little too seriously. Not only for primary schools, but already at the kindergarten stage. Kelvin and I took a minimalist approach and did not create "portfolios", nor did we go in person to pick up application forms that were available for download (those are the sort of things that most parents do). We have also heard of kids who had to attend "interview training" for a whole year (2 of my ex-colleagues put their kids through this). Some people also went to extremes and paid 4 figure sums to have their portfolios created for them.

Anyway, to prove that all that crap is not necessary, we deliberately did none of it. Our applications to the 5 schools of choice contained: 1 cover letter, the application form, a one page profile in table format, and a recommendation letter from Jerry's headmistress (which is issued to all the kids on request) only. In the end, Jerry received 2 offers and one waiting list position. All in all, the lesson to be learned is that the whole recruitment process is not as complicated and does not need to be as big a deal as many people make it out to be.

The best thing for us is that Jerry actually got into the school that is our first choice, St. Stephen's College Preparatory School. Not only is the campus next to a beach, it also has a boarding program in 6th grade. Jerry also likes it because he watched a cartoon during the "interview"; therefore, he reckons he will get to watch cartoon when he attends this school. Jerry was not stressed about any of the interviews because we did not make a fuss over the whole thing. As mentioned on FB, he applied the whole process to Nemo of "Finding Nemo" and wondered why he didn't have to go to an interview. He had been re-watching the film and it prompted this question. Kids are so good at applying things observed; hopefully he can continue this attitude throughout his studies.

At one of Jerry's school friend's birthday party over the weekend, Kelvin took some time to chat with the other parents (that's his role, social-king). One thing that got me having a deep thought was that some of the parents, when they considered a school, they also had to consider the cost. It occurred to me then that we are truly lucky and blessed. My sons are amongst the luckiest and more privileged children who can go to whichever school might seem suitable or desirable, without any consideration as to money. Not to say that we are rolling in it, but, at least we don't have to cringe at the idea of going to a private school. Tuition for a year equals that of a local Hong Kong college student's tuition for a year. During the application process, we did make loose calculations of how much it would cost for 6 years total, but the actual amount was not in issue. It only struck me now, that whilst we talked about which school we thought would be "best" for Jerry, we never had to worry about whether that school was expensive. With this in mind, I hope to remind myself and my family not to take things for granted and to be grateful every day for what we have.

Our babies are growing up and I hope that Kelvin and I can really guide them in the right direction to become responsible and contributing members of society.

So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (Fun, Food, Frenzy, F(th)rills)

Our wonderful five weeks in Dallas have sadly come to an end. Jerry and Aaron had what was probably their best summer (so far) and have made new friends with newly discovered/re-discovered cousins.

Jerry is so smitten by the Big D that every day, he professes his wish to live there: "I don't see why we have to go back to Hong Kong" or "We have to live HERE!" or "Hong Kong is too small (the whole place, not just our apartment) or "Dad, you will have to buy a house here in Dallas, one that is bigger that Dai Kau Kung's (and one which happens to be on list as one of the 100 most expensive houses in Dallas!)" etc, etc. One time, he went so far as to suggest that we can all move to Dallas, that his dad will not have to work because his Po Po and Gung Gung can go to work! Jerry is forever the problem-solver.

This was Jerry's second visit to Dallas and he had met everyone before, although he's forgotten most of those meetings. For Aaron, it was a first meeting in many cases, yet, both boys developed lasting bonds with everyone.

Lucas, a.k.a. Lukies has become a firm favorite with both brothers since we saw him and his mom, Ann, almost every day of our stay. Summer Camp was in session mostly at Aunt Cindy's in Beaver Creek and sometimes at Marblewood which is Astor's address. We saw Nicole Bew Jeh almost as many days and we are grateful for all the love, hugs and kisses from her (even the occasional scolding, which have helped Jerry on his way to maturity). Cousins Vivian, Sarah and Victor were fabulous baby-sitters and all three have left lasting and loving impressions in our hearts. Aaron, would ask for everyone in turn, e.g.: "Sarah, where's Sarah? Come here, Sarah." or "Where's Victor? Where's Vivian? Where's Kau Fu? Where's Lukies?" etc, etc.

Eric Bew Gor was an influence in his special way and he had to put up with Jerry more than anyone else.

Andrew Kau Fu was the best and no words can describe his contribution during our visit. We are thankful for such a loving yet authoritative figure.

Our plan is to make a visit to Dallas at least once a year. It is not only to give the boys something to do during summertime, but also a great opportunity to help them maintain lasting relationships with their cousins. There is a great deal to learn from and love about everyone.

Aaron in Dallas

Aaron's time in Dallas involves a lot of crying, tantrum throwing and clinging, so there is relatively less to write about. He likes to play the drums as he enthusiastically banged on Vivian's Chinese drum and the drum set in Uncle Richard's basement. He also likes to drink out of his new Cars sippy cup and to play with Cousin Lucas' toys. It's the first place he runs to when he reaches Aunt Cindy's house, which he has visited only twice. He already knows his way around. He also knows his way around Uncle Richard's house too, because during an hourlong tantrum there, he ran around the house to every room about 5 times. When he returns to my parents' house, he is unhappy too because his sleep deprivation kicks in around that same time each day. Apart from that, he does seem to be having a good time :p

Jerry in Dallas 2

On the second day, we were invited to a pool party at Uncle Richard and Aunt Trea's place. Jerry loves to swim, although he is insecure without his armbands. He was lying on the inflatable water bed when Vivian asked if she could flip him over. He didn't understand the English, so she attempted Cantonese which came out as "Can I push you?" Thinking that she was going to push him on the water bed, Jerry said yes.... After he got flipped over, he flipped out and exclaimed that he would never swim again and started to cry. It seems that Jerry is going to learn a lot on this trip :D

On the third day, Uncle Danny asked Jerry to teach him English, claiming that he did not know the language himself. To this Jerry replied: How can you not know English, you are an American? To that, we laughed our heads off.

Jerry in Dallas 1

We have been in Dallas for 4 days and it's been fun (not counting the sleepless nights). Jerry, in particular, has been enjoying himself immensely.

For our first meal in Dallas, my Mom and the Aunties/Cousins graciously prepared potluck at my parents' home, so that we can eat in the comfort of home whilst getting to meet everyone all at once. Jerry had been really excited about this trip and he was impressed with what he had seen, the great expanse of space and the fairly big house that he would stay in for the next 5 weeks.

We met the cousins one by one, and although Jerry had been in Dallas before, it was when he just turned one, so he was not familiar with everybody. He was also not familiar with the games that the older cousins played and when he saw them engage in a pillow fight, he became quite agitated. He was so concerned for cousin Eric's safety to the point that he felt he had to step in. So, he yelled at cousin Nicole and Vivian Bew Yee and even banished them from the room on account of them "hurting" Eric and being naughty. I explained to him that they were playing and that nobody was really getting hurt, to which he replied: This is just my first day here, so I didn't know ah-ma.

Traveling with an entourage...

After months of anticipation and weeks of preparation (I started packing at least 10 days in advance...as everyone knows, I'm part Lam, so pre-packing is perfectly natural), we finally made it to Dallas.  Before the flight, our main fear was Aaron's behavior on the planes and/or airports.  We also feared that he would throw a tantrum when he discovers that his dad won't be going.  That stems from his mini-tantrums in the mornings when Kelvin leaves for work or when we try to go out without him, particularly difficult week leading up to the flight.  

The entourage included Christy, Andrew and me.  Obviously, we were the entourage to the Lau Bros.  To our great surprise, relief and joy, both legs of our flights were uneventful and almost "enjoyable".  Aaron willingly walked through HK immigration without a fight (he did look earnestly for Daddy and even called out several times).  We had planned not to officially say "goodbye" so as not to trigger any unwelcome emotions.  We had breakfast without incident and boarded the plane to Tokyo for the first leg of our journey.  We had bought a portable DVD player especially for this trip to keep them entertained on the flight but we also knew that the planes would have inflight entertainment.  The Disney Channel came to the rescue and definitely kept them entertained for the most part of the journey.  

When we reached Tokyo, it appeared that we didn't have much time to transit, so our original plans of ramen, dan dan noodles, rice balls etc were all dashed as we had to dash our way from AA counter to boarding gate.  Again, Aaron was well-behaved and in a relatively good mood.  Needless to say, Jerry behaved best of all.  Unfortunately, AA was not showing any cartoons, except for Monsters vs Aliens, which Aaron watched, but Jerry was too "scared".  He watched some sitcom from the Disney Channel, and ended up watching it about 5 times.  As I mentioned, we had brought a DVD player, so, around 1/4 into the flight, I decided to take out this "lifesaver" to entertain the brothers.  "Ta Da"!  I intended to show one of Aaron's faves, Bear in a Big Blue House, but the player would not turn on, then Andrew spotted the fatal mistake...there was no battery pack!   !>_

Before I left HK, I had conscientiously plugged in the thing to "charge" the battery.  Little did I know that I had not inserted the bloody thing!  Actually, my first reaction was: Did someone take it?? Thinking back, it was a truly ridiculous situation.  Luckily, despite the lack of more entertainment, Jerry and Aaron managed to be entertained by the onscreen shows and their coloring books.  When they slept, they managed to share 2.5 seats out of our 4 in a row and slept for abt 5 hours.  They also managed to eat the airplane meals, Aaron ate just white rice, but that was good enough.  Best of all, we had 2 of Popo's salted chicken to share between us, neatly separated into 4 Ziplock bags complete with Viva! kitchen towels and plastic gloves.  

The only real trouble during this journey was in the line to Dallas immigration.  Aaron was overtired and getting extremely cranky.  I had them both on their leashes but he kept trying to run away.  That struggle was witnessed by everyone in line and other kind travelers tried to distract him, but to no avail.  After what seemed like an hour, we finally made it through to claim our baggage and got out asap.  Finally, when we met up with my parents and DKF and DKM, it seemed like we had made a major achievement.  The car-ride back home was comfortable and stress free and the boys enjoyed their rides in their borrowed car seats from Cousin Lucas in the borrowed van from Auntie Kwan.  

Dallas, here we are! 

So You Think You Can Dance

Occasionally, my boys dance it out!

A Pretty Boy

Jerry often expresses his wish to pretend to be a girl.... For example, he doesn't like to cut his hair too short because he wants to grow it long like a girl's; or he likes the color pink more than any other color and likes pretty things (used to have a thing for Disney princesses). We are not too concerned with this expression for now, because it doesn't appear that he acts in a particularly effeminate manner. We often have conversations with him to persuade him to appreciate being a boy.

So, last night, during one of these conversations with Kelvin, he asks Jerry why he wants to be a girl. He says it's because girls are "leng" (good-looking). Kelvin defended boys and said that boys are also good-looking, using himself as an example. Jerry HAD to agree that his dad was also good-looking.... He also agreed that he will be "leng jai" so that many girls will chase after him. He would choose the prettiest girl out of the group and she will also be rich. He will give her all the money in his piggybank and have more kids than us. He doesn't want just 2...he wants 10 or even 100 kids and he told Kelvin, seriously, that there will be 100 grandchildren calling him yeh yeh.

A wife to kill cockroaches

Tonight, we had dinner at PoPo's place. Karen and Andrew had been staying at her place these past nights and were coming home with us tonight. We all bustled into the 7-seater and Andrew was the last one to get in the passenger seat. He got in and quickly jumped out again saying "Ho wut dut ah (Really Gross!) When he came back in, he said that he saw a cockroach trying to crawl in.... We were all discussing how gross it really would be if a cockroach was in the car with us and what could we possibly do. Kelvin was saying that he could kill it if we all kept calm. Jerry said he would get a wife to help! That cracked us all up. He and his future wife would each use a weapon against the cockroach, one with a cane and another with a sweeper. His wife would also be one who will teach him things, play with him and do everything with him. In written form, it may not seem so funny, you had to be there. But, seriously, it was hilarious. It's comforting that he has set such tangible goals for his future! haha.

Random Gifts

Before Karen came to HK, she stopped by to visit the Lins in their last week in Chicago. Dr. Alberto Lin successfully landed a job in Dallas and the family is making a much desired relocation. In HK, we are very proud of and happy for the Lins although we are a little disappointed in not having visited them all that time they were there (our fault entirely). We are also grateful for the Lins to be thinking of us enough during their time of busy packin' and relocatin' to us have gotten us gifts. Thanks to Karen, too, for her gifts.

Aaron received orange water balloons with their own filler (they'll be put to good use in Dallas) plus Veggie Tales and Dora DVDs (his fave) and Jerry received Transformer T-shirts plus walkie talkie set (Karen thoughtfully researched his preference). I got Taco Bell Salsa Chicken Bowlz and Fiesta Steak Bowlz microwave dinners. These are, hands down, the most random gift that I have any recollection of receiving. So, that has motivated me to go one better and I am now on a gift buying mission!

Whilst this summer has gone off on a fairly poor start with the boys falling ill, we look forward to better days and loads of fun during our trip to Dallas in July. If we survive the heat 'n' humidity in HK, that is.

Summer, school suspension 'n' paracetomol suspension

My last post was on 11 Apr 2009! Aaron is already 2 and 1/2 (almost) and summer is upon us. Classes for all kindergartens and primary schools in HK are suspended until 26/6/09 due to the "spread" of H1N1 human swine flu in a local high school. It was originally widely spread by incoming travellers originating mostly from North America. But once a confirmed case had no apparent contact with someone from abroad, they didn't want to take chances and allow any widespread community break out.

Andrew and Karen are visiting from the States and just arrived within 2 weeks of each other. Andrew has already taken a trip to Seoul with our paternal grandparents partially as a token of filial piety (LOL). Karen arrived over the weekend, and, luckily, neither suffers from any flu-like symptoms.

Unfortunately, Jerry came down with a fever last Thursday, anyway. My suspicion is that he caught it in his English practice class on Thursday mornings. He was at first diagnosed with "typical" flu, then later, with a viral infection that's related to hand foot 'n' mouth as he later developed little white spots in his throat. Aaron, always in close proximity to big brother, caught the fever three days later (just as Jerry's broke) and his diagnosis was "flu-like illness"(?!) The worst part for us was that he threw up all over the bed...I won't go into details. Febrile children are really scary, for me, at least. The recorded temperature is close to 39 degrees C on our home thermometer and with the doctor's more accurate one, it's always above that. There is always relief when the paracetamol and the lukewarm sponge bath apparently take effect, but when the temperature rises just an hour later, it's nerve racking to think that it is something more serious. Besides, it is not yet time to take another dose of medicine and it is difficult to force down another glass of water (this is especially difficult in Aaron's case).

It appears that they are both recovering quickly, Jerry no longer complains of a soar throat. Aaron no longer has fever but is developing a slight cough. All in all, they have been active and cheerful throughout their time of illness and that has taken some of the stress out of the whole experience. Both LH and I understand that for the rest of our lives, our children's well-being will always be at center stage of our focus. Whilst it is tiring and stressful at times, we are encouraged by and thankful for their progress and improvement every day.

Speaking of improvement, Jerry has earned another award this year for achievement in good behavior and academics! He got this same award in K1 last year and we did not expect a repeat. We are extremely proud of our Dai Gor Gor and hope that his interest and curiosity in learning and creation can continue.

Aaron's 2nd Birthday

Today was Aaron's 2nd Birthday and we held a party for him at home, with a few cousins. In contrast to Lucas' first birthday, we didn't have any decorations or home-baked anything, but I did make spaghetti bolognese (my version of it, anyway), fruit salad and chicken wings with pizza delivered.

Just a couple of weeks before this day, Aaron suddenly "grew up". He was not longer uber-fussy or difficult to handle and he has lost some of his "spirited-ness". We can take him out to restaurants without feeling antsy or exhausted. He is ever so sweet most of the time and is even willing to mimick us talking (previously, he would look away, pretending he didn't hear). This is the day that we have been looking forward to for a long long time. He can count to ten, identify about over a dozen objects by both their Chinese as well as English names and give simple commands ("nai nai" a.k.a. milk, "four" -meaning, "chor", the Chinese word for sit, or otherwise just using his strong arms to push/pull us around to whereever/whatever he wants).

Aaron cuts the cake...

Aaron eats the cake...

He is thrilled with his first trike that Uncle Ken and Aunt Meiji bought!

Everyone dug in the Playdoh playset from Aunt Angelica and Uncle George.
Cousin Duncan looking cheeky.

Cousin Jasper taking a nap.

Cousin Heidi and the little Playdoh chick her mommy made!

Cousin Evan!

Uncle Jay!

Jerry's Prayer

Today, I took Jerry to school as they have a storytelling time 15 minutes before class. The teacher saw me and asked if I was feeling better. She told me that Jerry told her that I was not well and that I had to skip my "exercise" (I have a regular pilates class on Mondays and I skipped it this week due to a sore throat and cough; I told Jerry that I wasn't feeling well). As it turns out, Jerry brought this up during prayer time at school when the teacher asked if anyone had something to pray about. So, he told his class that I wasn't well and had to miss doing exercise. I am deeply touched and grateful for his thoughtfulness...I love my son!!

what does it take to be a parent

Today, I attended Jerry's school for their "class observation day".

Basically, it's where the parents sit in on their class and observe what the kids do in the course of a "typical" school day. Right at the start of the visit, I realised that I do not particularly want to be a "hands-on" parent who has to know what goes on during the school day. I was utterly bored with the explanatory meetings before and after the actual "observation" and frankly, the class itself was boring.

I really don't want to go through kindergarten again from any perspective; it is more important for my son to live the experience as I had lived through mine at that age (sans parental participation/interference).

I suppose it's good to know that my son learns how to speak 'n' spell, count, be polite, sensitive, considerate and sufficiently responsive in class (and more importantly, learns how to go to the bathroom and wash his hands). However, I don't feel like I have to be part of it while he is in school. I prefer the mystery of school to the extent that I can ask my son, every now and then: "Is that what they teach you in school?" and either sing his praises for any good behavior or "tut tut" my disbelief at any sort of misbehavior (thereby disclaiming any resposibility).

I feel that perhaps I am not a parent of this particular era as I am uninterested in constantly breathing down the teachers' necks over any minor detail involving my son and his time and achievements in and out of kindergarten as some parents are wont to do. I like my son to come home and tell me what he chooses about his day instead of knowing the details of each passing moment beforehand from either the teachers or other devoted parents who spend just as much time at the school to gather every detail. Don't get me wrong, I love my sons, but I just don't want to go through school with them (it literally bores me to tears).

I wish to separate home from school in the years to follow. (Then again, I might renege on my proclamation and be the most clingy, demanding and interfering parent and end up carrying my sons' school bags until they graduate from college :p...fingers double-crossed that that doesn't happen).

lazy sunday

Sometimes, we don't do anything out of the house on a Sunday and it is up to us to entertain the boys while the boys also find ways to entertain themselves.

As can be seen in this vid, storytelling is Kelvin's "thing". Also, you can also see how J & A differ in how much attention they pay to the storyteller.

Swiper no swipe[sic]

For those who haven't seen Dora the Explorer, there is a character called Swiper the Fox who is always swiping things. The way to stop him is to say "Swiper no swiping" 3 times. If he gets caught, Swiper would say "Oh, ma-an".

40.2 degrees C

This week, Aaron was sick. It started out with a high fever that went as high as 40.2 Celcius (104.36 Farenheit!!). I couldn't believe that it was an accurate reading and it crossed my mind that the thermometer had broken down. We quickly threw him in a tepid bath and luckily, his body temp cooled down by 2 degrees right away. With medication, his fever was under control but was on and off for another 2 days. The doctor diagnosed a throat infection. By the fourth day, his fever was gone and left him w/ a cough and a runny nose. With the two boys, we basically go through the common cold or the flu once or twice every six months. Last year, there was a consecutive period of two months in which A & J took turns in passing on the flu to each other and then to each of the adults in the household. The worst part is administering the medicine, especially to Aaron. Although you have all seen him chew on anything, he is actually quite picky with his food. To see him fight against the medicine, bystanders would think that he is undergoing torture. I've tasted each of his medicine and a couple do taste awful. Yet, he even rejects the ones that are just sweet. Just hearing about taking "tim tim" makes him literally run the other way.

He totally lost his appetite this whole week and only managed 2 oz of milk each time and rejected all solids. Whilst I don't know what his weight was before, I think he did lose weight and now weighs 26lbs and measures 33.5 inches in height. We heard abt a theory that a child's height at age 2 is half of his adult height. There are 3 more months until Aaron turns 2, I wonder if he'll grow any taller? We are waiting to see if Jerry will turn out to be at least 6 ft tall as he was already 3ft tall at age 2. It will be interesting to see if the theory holds true.

Anyway, the good news is, Aaron is recovering and hopefully, he'll be back to his old self after the weekend.

extra-curricular activities & playgroup

Recently, Jerry and Aaron attended various activities to better spend their time outside of home and/or school. Their behavior tells us that they have totally different personalities, like, totally.

Jerry and Aaron had both been to Kindermusik, respectively, when they were under 1 year-old. Jerry had continued until he became too heavy for us to hoist and swing so, he attended Gymboree for his muscles to do some work. At two years old, he went to playschool on a daily basis which displaced the need for playgroup.

Aaron had to stop going last spring due to widespread influenza among young kids. Later, we were too busy with moving house and settling in to resume his playgroup. Besides, we always reasoned that he had all the company he needed in his older brother and Cousin Jasper who lived down the street.

Baby Jasper has since moved away much farther away than down the street and Jerry is not at home long enough during the day to keep Aaron sufficiently entertained. There are at least two times in the day that Aaron would get his shoes and try to leave the apartment, with or without adult company. Desperate to let him vent off all that energy, I tried the playgroup recently opened on the podium floor of our building. That was a really structured and "teaching" playgroup that perhaps kids of Jerry's age and older would have liked. Although their alleged target group is from 18 months onwards, Aaron could not stay on his behind long enough to take in all the info being offered (i.e. the weather, the letters in his name, identifying colors and sticking letters of his name on paper outlines...). Worst of all, the "teacher" did not know the words to the songs she was singing to the kids!

I wanted to keep playgroup close to home so that there is less hassle. The failed trial class downstairs has forced Aaron to go farther away. This week, Aaron gave Gymboree a try. Since he hasn't yet developed the ability to stay still and listen to instructions (only very rarely does he choose to do so), it seemed reasonable that he would really enjoy a large space with lots of climbing apparatus (he climbs up and slides down all by himself on the slides, something which Jerry only managed to comfortably do at past age 2.5 years). Once inside, Aaron could not stop! Running, climbing on anything remotely climbable, sliding down slides and non-slides and touching everything that he passed, and shouting "baaalll" whenever he saw one. In contrast, Jerry would always be very cautious before every move, whereas, Aaron did not have a care in the world. Kelvin and I honestly think that Aaron can be a pro-something or another (preferably, pro-footballer (not American)).

Jerry tried a music class today that is run by Kindermusik. He was shy when he first met the teacher, but was ecstatic from the moment he entered the room and did not care that I would pop out during his one hour lesson. He is fascinated with musical instruments and was genuinely interested in the orchestral music that he listened to. His conclusion after that lesson was that he wants to buy a violin, not for taking lessons with, but just to own.... I think Jerry is more musically inclined as well as more of a "performance arts" type. He likes to sing and I think he has good pitch (thank goodness he got that from me!). Did I mention before that he is taking ballet lessons by his own choosing and actually enjoys himself? He has expressed interest in other activities too, such as badminton, after Kelvin offered to teach him. However, his interest quickly waned after he failed to hit the shuttlecock and he began to dance with the racquet instead. Also he wants to learn kung fu, after watching Kung Fu Panda...but I'll have to find one that is suitable for him and perhaps let him start this summer.

It is exciting to see how they will hone their interests into successful careers: one will be a pro-artiste and the other, a pro-athlete. HaHa! I crack myself up with this wishful thinking!

All things bright & beautiful?

Jerry's latest line of philosophical questioning is: Did God create the bad animals that kill/eat other animals/insects, i.e. the big bad wolf/the lion/the owl? Did the devil create them? (Here, of course, the answer is that God created everything, even the devil.) Why did God create those bad animals? They are so naughty, I want to kick their butt! (My translation of what he says in Chinese.)

I honestly have difficulty keeping up.

Family Vacation

This Christmas, we took our first ever "family trip" to Fuzhou, China to visit LH's grandparents and extended family. The plane ride was only an hour in length, but to us...it was pretty rough...nothing horrendous, but really tiring. We didn't manage to take many pics, cos it was a really busy trip...not with anything major, but just little things, like chasing after Aaron, checking on Aaron, feeding Aaron, washing up Aaron etc etc. Jerry, on the other hand was obviously much more easy to handle. Even as a young baby, Jerry was very easy on the 20 hour plus journey to Dallas (and on the plane back, even when he had diarrhea, not a peep, bless his heart).



Little Aaron is totally different and we feel like we want to back out of our plans to visit Dallas next summer....



On a lighter note, it was all in all a very good trip for LH's family to see the two boys. 2nd time seeing Jerry and 1st meeting with Aaron. Tai-Gung is over 90 and Tai-Po is close to 90, so visiting them means a lot to all of us. Their home is up on the 6th floor, without lifts, which means a climb up 6 flights of stairs every day. It's not too bad for me, cos I didn't hv to carry anyone, but for Kelvin and sometimes his brother or his aunts & uncles, that was a lot of work to carry Aaron, cos that boy is HEAVY. Jerry felt left out sometimes, so he asked to be carried (luckily, not up the stairs). His grand-aunts and grand-uncles did not mind and even said that he was light! haha.

Jerry is patiently waiting in the hotel lobby.

We spent a lot of our time, eating...
Using the computer...
Cleaning up...

Apparently, this chair was used by LH and his brother when they lived with their maternal grandparents over 30 years ago!


Aaron had a lot of fun with this cane...kept using it to hit the pomeloMy three boys!