Memories of Springtime

Well, we are supposedly at the tail end of springtime, but it feels more like winter here. Brrrrr! More rain is expected in early June. Wow! It's a good thing that Iris doesn't mind the rain because she gets to wear her boots and use her candy striped umbrella more.

It's been nearly two months since I posted, so you can imagine how other priorities have taken precedence. Despite the rain, we've managed to have fun with friends.

In April, we celebrated Easter and Dada's birthday the same weekend. There were enough cakes and chocolate to last us a week or two. Easter Saturday was great with A-ma, A-gong, Ruth, Matthew, Noah and Ichi (the dog). Ham was the main dish, and it was so easy, thanks to TJ's special (That's Trader Joe's). Iris got some new dresses to wear thanks to cousin's kids and A-ma's generosity. One Easter egg hunt was done right in our home on Easter Sunday before church worship. Then, in the afternoon, several families with young children enjoyed another Easter egg hunt as we shared a delicious potluck meal.

In May, it was Mother's Day for a week! Lovely flowers, beaded necklaces, Iris's handprint in clay, a Moms' club pamper night (mostly eating) and a long weekend away for Cursillo. Brian took a short business trip to TX where the company's headquarters are. He wow-ed them with his presentations (which he had worked on for about two months!) and was happy to match faces to names. However, it meant more tasks that he gladly wants to do IF he can find the time. The semester ended for me, as did Bible Study Fellowship's (bsfinternational.org) study on the book of Isaiah. I loved the study, not always getting the full depth of the message, but my discussion group and group leader were awesome, special, loving and spirit-filled. I saw how much God is in control and sovereign. The choice to turn away from idols and trust in the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength were clearly laid out in God's plan. He judges because he loves. That's truth that hard to swallow, but nevertheless is what the Lord says. The hope in Jesus is what made studying Isaiah so marvelous. To top it off, the Cursillo weekend was a glorious experience of seeing Christ as head and the Holy Spirit as leader of the community cloistered for one wonderful three days. I thank my friends, Kari, Diane, Ruthie and Donna for being there for me. Now, there are deeper connections with so many followers of Jesus that I want to build and maintain strong relations with.
I can't forget to comment about my moms' small group. What hard workers! And yet each mother teaches me how to smile through the rain and love our children with deserved wonder.

And what was Iris doing?
-ballet/dance lessons
-swim lessons (with mommy)
-preschool and playdates
-birthday parties as "KidsParty Central" (great indoor bouncy house)
-playing dress-up and dollhouse, full of princess characters
Note: She watched the royal wedding of William and Kate (on the computer) and now knows about wedding dresses with long trains. She says she wants to marry Daddy when she gets bigger. Isn't that sweet?!
-riding her tricycle
-looking for our neighbor's cats, "Miss Puff" and "Three-legged cat"
-saying "I don't want to" and "come play with me" a lot.

As so many parents before have said, "they grow up so fast!"


This past weekend was a welcome pause and relief to be serene surroundings with just our family. Even though the laptops came out, we managed to do a lot of things we like to do in Fort Bragg: visit the Botanical Gardens, go to the beach (very cold, but fun), eat at the North Coast Brewing company, walk to McKerricher boardwalk. I said goodbye to my Honda Accord of 21 years, and welcomed our new Honda CR-V. This was our inaugural trip! In FB, we met up with the Batzels, too. Here's a slideshow of the memories we made there:

This free slideshow design customized with Smilebox

This year, I took on a project for Vacation Bible School at church as registrar. It was/is a big undertaking as the week of VBS fun gets nearer. So, please pray for the tasks and coordination of that week from June 13-17. As June begins, I look forward to spending time with Iris because I'm not teaching any classes this summer, studying and facilitating with a study of Acts, time to spend with extended family in Lake Tahoe in July, and reconnecting with my brother and his family who will be in country for about two months.

Is it spring yet?

March is the month when spring officially begins. What did that mean for Iris? Well, it meant a "promotion" to the next age group class at preschool for Iris (She's a firefly now!), rainy weather for Iris to use her umbrella, boots and raincoat, an office move for Daddy, and tax preparation for the Avenells (ugh!). Iris enjoys playing dress-up anywhere there are "princess" clothes, splashing in puddles, making her finger talk to pretend different characters, and playing with her doll houses and a few baby dolls. Daddy's particularly good at making this fun for her, but it can only last so long.

A few positive changes:
Iris has grown one inch since her 3rd birthday.
She wears panties during the daytime.
She has "fake" tantrums that often disappear quickly.
She continues to grow her vocabulary with words such as, "exquisite" "fragile" and "actually".
She likes attending B.S.F. (See bsfinternational.org) and still has a fascination with shoes. Watch this...

Mama continues to use Mandarin Chinese with her (more than half the time), which she usually understands, but Iris usually answers in English. She likes to dance, but when listening to music, she has trouble clapping to the rhythm. This must mean more music time. Or trying a ballet/dance time for her age group might appeal to her. Time will tell.

A couple of highlights:
Last rainy Saturday, we drove to Bay Discovery Museum and went to almost all the buildings. Iris enjoyed the "tunnel" in the Bay Hall where there was a small cave aquarium, a crabbing pier, and a fishing boat that rocked. In the tunnel, a couple of "jie-jie"-s held her hand and led her through the space several times. Iris loved it, and really enjoyed being with older girls.

Another fun thing is that Iris and Mama have gone to the YMCA family swim time a couple of times. She loves splashing around the stairs. The warm water (>80 degrees!) is almost like a jacuzzi for me. She still clings desperately to me when I try to get her to float. We have been guests of friends who are members. Now, can we afford NOT to be YMCA members?

In this season of Lent, I have to confess that I haven't given up any one thing, but rather I am trying to build in more time for exercise, fun with the whole family, and be quiet with God. I continue to struggle with temptation to eat in the evenings, especially after teaching classes. It's embarrassing to think how I focus more on what snacks to eat than how I'm giving glory to God. A few books that I've been reading are wonderful for my spiritual walk right now: Breaking Free by Beth Moore and Here and Now by Henri Nouwen. I continue to remember that prayer is first and foremost to a "good" day because God guides me by His Spirit. As a dear sister in Christ recently helped me realize, plan nothing. Instead, trust God's prompting and plan. There are many times that I plan things to do with Iris or for myself and some event or distraction totally changes my plan. So, instead of getting frustrated, I will try to think how God gives us the gift of whatever happened. As I've been learning from a year-long study of the book of Isaiah, God numbers the hairs on my head, even until they turn grey. Wow! He is the everlasting Father and Creator of all. Hallelujah!

Food, family and friends

Red and pink: Those are Iris's favorite colors last Saturday. Even our friends, Joann and Dave provided pink mini cupcakes for us to enjoy. We were treated to a wonderful Chinese lunch at their home, complete with sunny, warm weather. After that, we headed south to be with A-ma and A-gong.

In the course of a few hours, we were able to share a meal and catch up on news with first and second (and maybe third; I'm not too sure what that means) cousins with whom we haven't seen in a long time. Here is the next generation ranging from dear 3-year-old Iris to a 26-year-old Mike (on far left). From left to right are Royson, Noah, Matthew and Tiersha. A-ma served up too much food as usual, but this is the Chinese way of celebrating with abundant food. It was a great mix of English, Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese. I wonder if Iris's head was swirling with all the sounds in the air.


Then on Sunday, Iris met up with church friends to play outside and read books inside with three special visitors-Jordan, Eden and Zion. Just after returning home, Mama (that's me) left with a friend (Brooke) to attend a fundraising event at the library with Martin Yan. Yes, that's right- "Yan Can Cook". I didn't know how he would be cooking inside the library, but it was all very interesting, entertaining and delicious (even to watch). I learned several helpful tips, including adding a little oil to marinated meat just before stir-frying to use less oil. There were great cutting techniques. He was funny and clear in what he was trying to teach us. There were giveaway prizes, but we didn't get anything. Instead, we each bought a cookbook. He signed mine in Chinese characters, but I don't read. I'll have to get someone to translate.


Come Sunday evening, we went to another friend's house to have a Chinese buffet. It was mainly the family, but the Avenells and another family from Germany were welcomed. There were a few toddlers around, too. The above picture is her crossing her legs in her non-chalant way. The main thing that Iris learned this Chinese New Year is about "hong bao" or red envelopes. She loves them and knows there's money inside. The money isn't the thrilling part, but we appreciate it very much from generous friends.

Thus, Iris learned to say very clearly, "Shin nian kwai le" and "Gong shi fa tsai". We are so blessed by God, especially to witness how Iris is growing and becoming her own person. Sometimes, "Mommy, don't go!" is so sweet. Then, there are the screams and obstinate "No!" Through it all, I'm praying that God grants me courage, wisdom, compassion, patience and self-control to be a loving mom. What a privilege and challenge! Thank you, Lord!

Gong Shi Fa Tsai

February celebrations begin early this year with the Lunar New Year on Feb. 3. We were planning to go to a New Year's party last Sunday, but Iris came down with a terrible cough. Poor thing, she's still getting over this severe cold. So, we will be celebrating this weekend with some friends for lunch and Cindy's family in the East Bay for dinner. On Sunday, we have an invitation to a Chinese family's New Year's dinner, but we may be too full from all this eating. Below are some photos from January with our little "energizer bunny" Iris.

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Later this month, we plan to attend the parade in the City with Aunt Ruth and cousins Matthew and Noah. Iris is getting better about walking on her own. Now, if she'll only stop or come back when we call her! Occasionally she's been okay about being in the stroller. That way her Mama can get some exercise. Yeah! Here's a short video of our beautiful January hike before my semester started. Check out the yellow "Hello Kitty" boots!