I haven't posted for the last few weeks. Mostly because it's been pretty quiet and we haven't been up to too much. Just soccer for the boys and gymnastics / piano for Sora. Girl Scouts Cookie season ended finally, much to Amy's relief as cookie chair. A few notable pics below..
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We had nice Easter get together with the South SJ
small group. Easter egg hunt! |
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David got a giant paella pan and burner
so he made us a massive paella |
Ethan has been coming over on Sunday afternoons
for playdates so that's been fun
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A nice FriYay dinner with the usual RCC crew. The fire
pit made a comeback now that it's not raining all the time |
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We joined the Shaws and watched the
Mario Bros movie in the theater :)
A special treat in contrast to streaming at home |
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| A nice day on RCC during spring break |
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| Kite flying weather :) |
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| Adults ate while the kids played |
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Terry and Trang (mostly) finished their crazy
remodel, including a whole new Karaoke setup |
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| Sora sold cookies with her troop at Lucky's |
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| Jad is having lots of fun at soccer |
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Kai is doing great this season. Getting a bit more aggressive
at going after the ball. He's scored a couple goals too! |
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| My soccer boys |
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The kids also helped me set up a couple garden boxes
in the front yard. Jad was very excited to plant :) |
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Kai is still doing Jujitsu. I'm not sure how much
he really likes it. I never want to push the kids so
hard for something we want, rather than what they want |
We have also had a bit of cat drama. About two weeks ago, we noted that Sesame was bringing a friend around more often. A little gray feral cat so we've been giving it a bit of food as well but it never allowed us to get close. Then last week, Amy saw the gray cat in the carrier we had set outside and it was staying there for most of the day. A closer look revealed four little kittens! There were so cute and looked like little rats. The kids were entranced as expected, especially Sora. We continued to feed mama cat what we could, figuring she could use the calories while nursing the babies, though she hissed at us every time we came close.
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| mama cat eating |
We tried to leave it alone as much as possible, but it was hard as she was right at our front door. The few days, we've seen the mama cat wandering around more, leaving the kitties behind for a short time. And then 2 days ago, it looked like she had moved them behind our nearby AC unit. Yesterday, I checked there and they weren't there anymore so she must have moved them again. It made us a bit sad but we did everything we could to try to help her. She is still coming by a couple times a day and when she does, we give her some food. The kids have a plan to track her and find the kittens if possible.
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| I snuck a pic of the kitties when mom was out |
Amy and I also had a date night. The Kimballs babysat the kids in thanks for us hosting small group every couple of weeks. We went to get tapas at Vida in Mountain View (nice place, fairly good food, a bit pricey but mostly it was nice to be out without the kids) and then went to a performance at a local theater. It was very small and neat to see something the kids probably wouldn't sit through. It was a series of 9 short acts, some were mediocre and some were good. The actors were amateurs and likely had day jobs with this as their passion project. It's unlikely that they made any money from putting on the shows and likely had to contribute their own money to keep the doors open. Still, it was fun and a nice reminder to follow your dreams even if you have a day job :)
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| Viva la Vida |
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| The Pear Theater |
There has also been a lot of turmoil at work. One of our beloved nurses, John Muncy, passed away. He had been having some medical problems but still a shock for someone so young. Then our ED chief, Joel, decided to step down and there will be a search for a new leader for the dept soon. All this along with some conflict and grumblings about our schedule and scheduler. Hopefully, some positive changes coming as I work to help steer us in the right direction.
Lastly, my mom passed away on 4/27,just over a week ago now. She's been sick the last few days, even more so than her usual state, and I was already worried about her. She had a fever and oxygen levels were low, maybe some aspiration. I'd been waking up at night and checking LINE to see messages from my dad and he said on that day, her oxygen level gradually went down and she went to sleep. The doctors asked if they should put her on a ventilator but he declined, which I am glad for. She slept and then passed away in the evening. It's been a long time coming over all so it didn't hit me hard, just bits of sadness here and there. I am grateful that she went without struggle and that she is no longer suffering. I've compartmentalized it to one part of life and have been carrying on but I think it's probably leaking out in the form of some insomnia and loss of patience. We've been checking in with my dad. He's always laconic and stoic, as older Asian men tend to be, but you can tell he's lost a part of himself. He's likely to keep moving though and eventually will find something to work on to anchor him again. I do have to video chat with him and the kids which I think he really enjoys.
My mom never believed in much of an afterlife, just that when you died, you ceased to exist and I respect that. I do know that if anyone deserved to get into Heaven or Nirvana or whatever paradise of your naming, then my mom certainly did. Rest now, mom, you were great and we loved you very much.
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| My mom and us |
