Matching Socks

This morning, Minkai is putting up his clothes, said, "Mom, I cannot find any matched socks."
"Well, you can just wear unmatched socks. White socks usually match with any clothes (for school kids)."
"No! I cannot find any two socks that matches with each other."

Certainly, Minkai was going to see doctor for regular allergy check today. Therefore, doctor and nurse got to see his unmatching socks.

Gift

I was going to pick up Minda and Minkai followed me. In the car, Minkai said, "Mom, if you found that Minda and I did not play piano at practice time, we were preparing a surprise gift for Katie's birthday."
What will those gifts be? Drawing? Stickers? I hope that Katie will treat their gifts nicely. Katie used to give me falling branches and leaves that she found on the ground in day care as gifts. I was happy to receive any gift from my daughter.
"Really!" Minkai continued, "We have never given Katie any nice gift for her birthday. I am going to give my best drawing to her."
I asked Katie to organize her birthday party this year. I am simply too busy. She is at the age having good communications and contact with her friends. For invitation, she need to include information of drop-off and pick-up time, location, activites, food preference, and things to bring. We will see how it goes...

Read for You

Minda fell in love with reading recently. She tries to read to me whenever I have time, before dinner, after work, before her bedtime, and so on.

Last night, I was in bed reading. Minda knew that it already passed her bed time. She brought a book and said, "I will read for you "The First Day Jitters" tomorrow."
She paused, then said, "It is a good book!"

I was surprised by her tone of assertion, like, ... my teacher.

夏日之旅

今年夏天，我们去了许多地方：Wisconsin Dells, San Diego, Los Angelas, 香港，汕头，厦门，上海，北京，昆明，深圳。 以至于我觉得像做梦一样。 记下几件趣事，作为留念。

还没出门，先去了我的部门夏天聚会。每个孩子都有礼物，还有Pinatas（动物或其他形状的纸质容器，装满了糖）。孩子们轮流打一下，捡掉下来的糖。 我在与朋友聊天的时候，发现旻恺与旻达捡了足足有3磅的糖，非常兴奋地给我看。我赶紧让他们分一些出去，但只不过分了几颗。 我回家后，跟他们说不能拿这么多糖，别的孩子应多拿一些的。
旻恺很无辜地说，“你没告诉我呀。”
哦，他们以前是拿/抢/捡不到糖的孩子，在我不注意间长大了。

7月7日，我下午三点考完Patent Bar以后开往Dells， 因为旻达第二天早上九点要比赛，七点要开始热身。 在Dells, 最重要的事件是旻达所在的队Pearls（队名珍珠）在两轮比赛后，得了6-9岁组的第一名。如上照片，她活像苦儿流浪记中的人物。旻达的另一个舞和Katie的舞得了二等奖。我们玩水上公园，打保龄球，打小型高尔夫，不亦乐乎。

从Dells回来三天后，我们启程去加州。孩子们在海洋公园与迪斯尼，从早上十点走到晚上十点，很有兴致。 在中国就不行了，39C的高温下，5分钟后就开始抱怨。在海洋公园，临走前，在鲸鱼表演中，坐在了第二排，终于淋成了落汤鸡，才心满意足地离开。在迪斯尼，我们把最高的过山车上玩了两次。旻恺是一点也不怕，Katie要抓着旻恺的手，旻达又充分发挥她高音区的特长。 另外，吃了不少$5一个的热狗。

孩子们热爱海水与沙滩。逐浪与捡贝壳是他们玩不倦的。

未完待续。

生存的权利

周末带孩子们去看加拿大太阳剧团(Circus de Soleil)的演出。 马戏团精彩的表演让我们很兴奋。尤其Katie和旻达能从自己的舞蹈训练中体会其中的高难动作。我们后面一排时时有人发出似哭似笑的声音，十分吓人。中场休息时，看到是一个15-25岁的女孩，由父母牵着手。Katie散场后，跟我说，她可能有Down Syndrome。 我知道Katie曾有过同学有这种病，她同学的父母曾经去她的班上给那些6-7岁的孩子讲这种病的起因与症状。

我很欣赏这些父母让他们享受快乐的做法，让他们有正常人的生活与乐趣。

DIY

旻达最近DIY(Do-it-by-yourself， 自己动手）的水平大涨。

这天，我看见餐桌边的旻达脸上有好多红包包，很吃惊地问她吃了什么不该吃的东西。她告诉我，桃子。
“没关系，我洗一洗，擦点油就好了。”
我更吃惊地看着她蹬蹬蹬跑到洗手间，洗了脸，擦了油，没有诉苦。两个小时以后，那些包消下去了。

又一天，我想给她做点简易早饭。她牛奶不吃，面包不吃，要吃饺子。 那我可来不及做。
“要不要吃方便面？”这属于不健康食品，我还以为自己额外大方呢。
“我不喜欢吃方便面。我吃了肚子痛。"
方便面里有干的豌豆，我看旻恺吃得起劲，以为两人都不过敏了。实际上旻达对自己的状况还把握得很好。

Teachers

The last day of school for Minkai and Minda, I went to their picnic and wanted to go back to work after that. Minda did not want me to leave and tears came off. I brought her to the lines going out to a magic show after the picnic. Her teacher saw her and asked me, "do you need to go?" I nodded. Her teacher said, "Minda, come here." She hugged Minda and said, "I know." Then I left. I felt fortunate to have kids' teachers so caring.

Minkai started to learn percentage in his last weeks' school. He knows how to do multiplication of a number with a percentage, such as (6%x75). In Minkai's progress report, his teacher said that they (teachers as a team) would "work hard next year to continue to challenge Minkai in math to support his incredible math knowledge."

My kids love school. It is so important to provide students care, understanding, challenge, and supports in a school.

独一无二的孩子

每个孩子都是独一无二的。旻恺也不例外。

五月份的一个星期天，旻达和霭琳都去跳舞了。 吃完晚饭，旻恺问我，“我干点什么呢？”
”你边看电视边叠衣服好不好?" 在我们家，看电视是件难得的事，要和劳动联系起来的。
旻恺点点头，跑上楼让爸爸把楼下的一筐衣服拿上来给他叠。

我去看书了。过了二十分钟，听到旻恺说，“爸爸，你把衣服拿上来呀。”
又过了十多分钟，我听到玩窗帘的声音。走进我的房间一看，旻恺正无聊地拉窗帘，他爸爸坐在一边上网。
我觉得有点好笑，“旻恺，你可以先看电视。” 旻恺立即爬上床，打开电视...

又一天，92F(33C)的气温。旻恺踢完球回来，又黑又红。我让他喝一些水，休息一下再吃饭。
旻恺见我没问他的战况，主动说，“妈妈，It's so hard to win them today （今天赢起来真难）。”
“噢。”
“我们队只有三个人。另一个队四个人。有一段时间，我们队只有两个人在场上。但我们2：0赢了。”
我记得霭琳小的时候特怕热。 90F以上踢球就不肯跑了，站在那儿叫热。旻恺想赢，不怕热。

孩子

对孩子，我一直心存感激。

早晨，我看着他们背好书包，到马路边等校车。 临走前，提醒我，“妈妈，别忘了把门锁了。”
今天，Katie要陪旻达去参加舞蹈比赛。Katie昨晚想到万一出现的状况，“旻达,万一找不着我了，去更衣室等我。”
他们把分享好吃的认为理所当然。 学校得的小奖品，朋友生日派对的小礼品，都会分享。
旻达经常跳舞，有一次我发现她爸爸晚接了20分钟，她很平静地说，"That's sad."
Katie要转学，十分不情愿。 第二天，又高兴了，“我可以去另一所学校如果我不喜欢这所学校？”“我可以不在中文学校学数学了？”因为新学校的作业量大。
旻恺收拾东西的本领是一绝，他可以把衣服，包括内衣，袜子都叠得整整齐齐，放在抽屉里。
他们四岁时，会拿好午餐盒，等在车里去幼儿园。五岁时会收拾干净的餐具。 最近不做了，我问为什么。旻恺一本正经地说，“我们太忙了。”
旻恺儿时是个完美主义者。 做不好的事是绝对不做的。输了是要哭的。最近告诉我，“我们队（足球）0：2输了。 但我们踢得比上次好，上次我们0：5输了。”

我的孩子。

Decimal? Or Money!

The other day, I found that Minkai is doing plus and minus on decimal. I was quite surprised - he was only six. He learned it by reading the textbook... The computation was all correct.

On the dining table, I wanted him to eat some asparagus. To encourage him to eat it and minimize whining, I told him that I gave him 1 asparagus plus 3.5 asparagus (one small piece). As expected, he showed great interest and came back to the table. But... he could not figure it out. I was surprised again. Finally, he got a piece of paper, and I added "$" on the equation. THEN, he figured out the result, $4.5.

Obviously, Minkai knows money!

Author's Day

Today is author's day in Minkai and Minda's class.

Two weeks ago, Minkai and Minda started to talk about it.

"Mommy, can you come at Author's Day?"
"I have to check my calendar."
"You do not have to come. I can show you at home." They were very reasonable...

A week ago, they asked again, "can you come at Author's Day?"
"You told me that you could show me your books at home."
"Yeah, but can you come?"
"Sure, I will reserve the time on my calendar."

Today, I went to their school, five minutes late. I stood at the entrance of the classroom. Minkai was looking back with big frown. Then, he saw me, and started to smile. He talked to Minda next to him. I walked toward the center of the classroom and sat down on the floor with other parents and kids. Minkai and Minda crawled to me. Minkai was so relieved and eventually sat on my lap. Minda asked me to listen to her story first as Minkai sat on my lap.

I guessed, when they said that I did not have to go, they meant that they really wanted me to go.

我的乖小孩

我的孩子们多数是很合作，很讲道理的。旻达旻恺的时间表是我和他们一块儿定的，旻恺时常会提醒他爸爸按时完成任务。Katie的时间表是她自己定的。

有一次，旻恺打来电话，“妈妈，我每个曲子弹了五遍，还有三分钟Timer才响，我能不能停下来了。”
“好吧。”旻恺真有意思，有一次找不到我，还打电话问Katie类似的问题。

但是也有意外。

旻恺是个执拗的孩子。 一天放学回来，说，“我今天不想弹琴。” 大有谈话就此结束的样子。
我问，“你今天累了，是吗？” “我就是不想弹。”
我再问，“今天在学校不高兴吗？ Break了吗？” “我不想弹。”
我带着他送旻达跳舞，说了十分钟不完成任务的坏处，他才同意了。

旻达呢，她容易累，心思杂，爱忘事。 晚上七点也许就累了。或者过了半小时才发现，忘了。但她做起来总是很利索的。 有时早上七点起来补。

2009

My dear friends,

Happy New Year.

After one and a half years' training in law school, my writing is closer to the 4C requirements: Correct, Coherent, Complete, and Comprehensible. My sentences are getting shorter. No adjective or adverb. Plain language.

Here is a normal version: Wish everyone a healthy, peaceful, action-filled, and prosperous New Year!

In 2009, Katie grew close to 4 inches (~10cm) and she is officially taller than me. At one point, her morning height was equal to my afternoon height :-) She is more mature in her thinking, believing and handling relationships. At the same time, she keeps learning. her gifted class is bonded so well that no one left the program after a year. The gifted program expands from 16 students to 43 students. Katie happily told me, "everyone is so nice to me." in the beginning of the fall semester. That is her criteria to school.

Katie's skating programs and piano pieces become much more enjoyable. Her musical touch and expression on piano are more natural and fluent. She landed her Axel (finally!) in November, which means that she has more power and quicker rotation on ice. Katie started to paint with Acylic. I really like the color of her recent painting, which is in Album 2009(2) with link at the end.

Minkai and Minda started Kindergarten! They both love the new school, new friends, and new teachers. Surprisingly or not suprisingly, Minda adjusted quicker. She is simply a super student, who follows direction, learns fast, expresses herself, and helps others. Minkai is also a good student who answer a lot of questions but forgot to raise his hand.

Minkai is a number geek. He loves to play with numbers, second to wii and computer games. If he has no funner things to do, he will work on math problems. What a hobby! He finishes at least 50 pages' math exercise on our cruise trip. He figured out how to read a clock after I told him that each bar increases five minutes. He will read a clock time of 2:35 as a equation of 2+3=5.

Minkai is also a good soccer player. He scored several times in the summer section, to the right goal :-) At this age, his ability to focus helps him to be a desirable team player.

Minda has happy feet. She loves tapped dance and she could tap really fast. She passed her audition and joined the competition team in the summer. I will post her tap dance online soon.

I luckily received an offer of a law clerk position in 3M Intellectual Property Counsel. I left the career path of engineering on Minkai & Minda's birthday. I started as a junior person again and moved up on a deep learning curve. I have no regret and anxiety. Learning is my hobby. However, exams are not :-(

Fuming received corporate Circle of Techical Excellency award and we went to Wonewok together without the kids. Wonewok is a tranquil place. We saw many lagoons and wild rice plants.

At the end of the year, we are rewarded with a 7-night Caribbean cruise trip, by ourselves. We, together with eight other families, travelled to Cozumel in Mexico, Grand Cayman in Cayman Islands, Ocho Rios in Jamaica, and Nassau in Bahama. The warm weather suited us well. The food on the cruise ship was delicious, except Minkai was mistakenly served and tasted fish. He found that he does not like fish :-)

Minkai and Minda are still extremely allergic to seafood, nuts, eggs, and sesame. They are getting better on IgE numbers (the standard for allergy reaction), but they are not close to out-grow any of these. After some struggles, Minda's asthma is under control. On the other side, they seem to have more mouth and throat sensation in recent allergy reactions that makes me worry.

Here is the link to pictures: http://cid-4511a810a0da1662.skydrive.live.com/albums.aspx
Here is the link to videos: http://u.youku.com/user_show/id_UNjI3ODU3ODQ=.html