First days of school // Alex and Kegan's birthdays // Camping trip #2 // Lunch with Jean and Fam // Just Life // A Spectacular LSCC Retreat

Wow, I'm farther behind than I thought.  The last month of summer has been busy.  We had some sort of weekend activity every other weekend (SoCal roadtrip then LSCC camping trip then Napa camping trip and then LSCC Retreat) and when that happens I end up working all the weekends in between and Amy and I are switching off for work almost everyday in between.  It's exhausting but it's usually worth it because all the activities are fun and all the kids enjoy it.  Things are mostly back to normal though because the kids are now back in school (though this month is busy because I'm taking 10 days off at the end of the month). Now to catch back up..

The kids started school a couple weeks ago.  Yay!  Kai and Sora are back at Noble in 4th and 2nd grades, respectively.  Jad started TK at Toyon which only lasts for 3 1/2 hours but at least we have a short bit of time when there are no kids around. 

Jad did great with his first day.  It helps that we know Mrs. Dubose, who used to be Sora's teacher and is really great.  He was excited to pick up his free blue backpack from school and had no problems when we left him in the class :)

Jad's first foray into public school.

Since the PPP program finished in 3rd grade, Kai went back into the regular classes for 4th grade.  It wasn't a problem as he already knew many kids from previous grades so he adjusted well . He remains a bit more shy and has a few friends that he cliques with rather than being social with everyone.

Just this year and next at Noble for Kai.

Sora is going into 2nd grade and she's fine as she knew most of the kids in her PPP class already.  She is a bit more social than Kai and is friendly with most of the kids in her class.  Hopefully, no drama this year with her close group of (boy)friends or anyone else :)

They are growing almost too big for the whiteboard

The whole family walking to drop off Jad

Jad in the class on his first day

We also celebrated Alex and Kegan's birthdays with the RCC Crew that week :)  Kegan is turning 40 this year.. party is over now! :p

Cupcakes with alcohol on the side

The blue dye on these cupcakes is supernatural :)

Just to counter the point that the party is over when you turn 40, the week after, I went to work and Amy had dinner with the neighbors.  I texted around 11pm to ask if the kids were asleep and Vic messaged back saying that everyone was sleeping over at their house and she was taking care of 'everybody'.  Hmm, odd but not a problem, glad she's taking care of everyone.  Later, I found out that everyone was hitting the bottle a bit too hard and Amy had basically passed out on the table in Terry/Trang's backyard.  Lester had to be walked back home by Alex and Kegan.  Terry made it home because he just had to go upstairs but did vomit in the bathroom.  He hee.. RCC crew!!

Lens flare cheer!

I think Amy was pretty much out by this point

That first weekend of school, we picked up the kids and immediately drove to Napa to meet up with Bonnie and Tony and two other families for our2nd camping trip of the summer.  It was at Bothe-Napa state park which is basically 5 minutes from St. Helena.  While packing, we were wondering what to bring for food (after all, we didn't have the Drew and Cynthia planning for us like we do at LSCC camping) but then realized we could just pop out and go to any restaurant for food in less time that it takes to go out near our house.  It wasn't glamping but pretty close :)  It was also really nice to catch up with Bonnie and Tony.  They are such nice and easy going people and have a really great outlook on life.  

Tastings are way expensive in Napa now, running like $40-50 per person at most places.  I remember when tastings were free for at most $5-10 dollars.  Sigh, we're getting old, for sure.

We stopped at Rombauer on our way in.  Got a free
tasting because we're healthcare workers!

They were super nice to the kids and gave them coloring sheets, 
crayons and ice pops while we did the tasting

Because Juliet was stung several times when we camped with them two years ago, Tony was on an all out war against the yellow jackets at the campsite.  He brought many traps and baited them with various materials along with citronella candles everywhere.  If you're curious, the trap that was baited with fried chicken caught the most bugs.  Because of the fires two years ago, open wood fires were not allowed, only charcoal fires, so the citronella candles came in handy as the kids could play with them and burn things.  After all, what's camping without playing with fire..

All kids are pyros

Making smores on charcoal

I don't love camping but it's nice to do it a couple
times a year 

Of course, Amy got up early to go out for a run.  It really is
beautiful out in Napa.  Reminds me of the hills in Italy.

Instant noodles for breakfast..

Lunch at a fancy BBQ place.. two years ago, they were in the back
parking lot because of COVID.  My, how things have changed

We spent Saturday afternoon, playing in the
nearby creek and hunting crawdads.  Moments of
simple joy and contenment.

Sitting with their feet in the stream

All the kids.  I do not know what Jad is doing

It was actually Tony's birthday and the next campsite over brought
over extra cake randomly.  Serendipity!

A bit of camp soccer

The Perseids meteor shower also happened to be the same weekend so we
sat up in the dark and watched for shooting stars.  Sora was the most patient
and saw 10!  I saw 4 and Jad saw none because he couldn't keep still (eye roll)..

One the way out we stopped at Schweiger for another tasting
(free too, thanks to the Vincent and Bonnie who are members).  Super
pretty winery on the top of Spring Mountain

We stopped at the Bale Grist Mill too before leaving.  It's a working mill which has been upkept/restored by a group.  I still think it's super cool but the kids didn't appreciate it quite as much.  They thought is was just a normal.. regular.. ordinary..  run of the mill thing.. haha

Sora poses for every picture but Kai looks bored and
Jad is busy eating a snack

Lastly, we stopped in Calistoga to meet up with Jean and Anthony and their kids for lunch.  It was so nice to see them and catch up a bit.  Much like Bonnie and Tony, they are so pleasant and easy going and seem to have all of their priorities in the right places.  I'm super glad we were able to chat with them about all sorts of things, both silly and deep.  One day, maybe we'll retire up that way.

Joshua is so big now and in high school.  Julia took the picture :)

After that we just had a week at home and working.. 

Since Jad gets home at 1215p, he gets to enjoy lunch without
interference from his siblings.  We usually make him nap for a bit afterwards.

I've been working on various things around the house like
the irrigation so I made the kids come with to the hardware store

Kai laughing at jujitsu.  He says he doesn't love it but
I think we've agreed that pushing him a bit with both BJJ and
soccer is a good thing.  

Joe visited my mom again.  She has seemed to stabilize
for now back at the condo.  I like her smile here.

Mom on the balcony.  She's not eating much and is
losing weight slowly but dad is taking good care of her.

I'll finish off with the LSCC Retreat, where we were this past weekend.  All in all a spectacular retreat.  Driving into Mission Springs definitely felt like entering an oasis from the world.  The nice thing about retreat is that you're away from the usual worries of the world in a safe space where everyone loves and cares for each other.  Sure, it doesn't mean that we all think the same or agree on everything but the primary emotion is love and care for others and that supersedes everything.  The kids all ran off to play with each other so we didn't have to watch them and could talk with friends.  Food was shared, new friends were met, there was friendly competition and communal signing.  And Bodylife this year was just amazing.  Such heartfelt sharing of pain and love and struggles people are going through.  Ethan and Micah, both teens, had so much courage, I took inspiration from them.  Really amazing!  All in all, a great weekend.  This retreat definitely moved me closer to accepting Christ and baptism but that'll take a bit of time and dedication.  For now, I'm trying to carry some of that peace and joy back into our normal lives :)

We got the big room this year as a family of five

Evelyn on the mic, Kai on guitar, Sora piano
and Jad on the drums

The kids loves it so much they cheered
spontaneously and said "To Retreat!"

I joined the Tik Tok dance competition .. notice how out
of sync I am with the others :p

Koinonia means fellowship.. and why

is Jad so cute!

Our church looks massive here.  About 150 people, half adults and half kids

That's all for now.. til next time!

Halls visit // Monterey and the Chells // RCC Cabin Weekend and Nik's Home Alone

 We're really squeezing in some activities before school starts again (tomorrow!).  Right after we got back from the LSCC camping trip, I went right back to work but Audrey decided to drop by with the kids as she was visiting her dad here in San Jose.  The kids got along very quickly and everyone in the neighborhood came over to contribute to the chaos.  Kai was so excited about Isaac being there that they kept hitting each other.. so odd :)

What a nice visit from the Halls

I then had last Thursday off so we decided to take a trip down to Monterey to visit the Chells.  We miss our old neighbors and it's hard to believe they have been away for over a year now.  Our new neighbors are cordial but not quite as friendly (though we do smell their undoubtedly tasty cooking in the backyard all the time.)   Liz and Charley are doing great and enjoying their retirement.  Their house is in the "sunbelt" of Monterey so it gets sun while still remaining cool and have it all super well setup for the both of them.  We want to be like them when we're older :)

Mini reunion

After the visit, we went down to Point Lobos and walked around. It was a good little hike and we even saw some sea otters and sea lions.  Pretty cool.  Hard to believe but I looked back and last time we were there was in 2012, before we had kids.  Now look at us..

On the cliffside walk

That same day, we made it back home just in time for a visit from Viet and Dina and their kids along with Lin and Ming.  Viet and Dina have finished with their three years in Boston, where they had a great time and are now moving back to California.  They are relocating back to OC where Dina's family is and also where Viet's parents will move to in time.  It's good for them but sad for us in the bay area, but still, it's closer than Boston and we'll be able to visit them on our frequent trips to SoCal.  It was also nice to see Lin and Ming too as we missed them on our last VMC gathering.

Chow time.. Kayla, Marco and Gracie are
so cute.  First born set the tone, I tell ya

This past weekend, I was scheduled to work so we had not planned on going to the Aoalins' cabin with the Connicks and the Casanovas but Amy thought better of it and realized that she'd just be taking care of the kids by herself without their friends around if she didn't.  So I was left home alone for the first time in years.  It was an odd feeling to come home to an empty house but I made the most of it by watching some movies (Fant4stic Four and Obi Wan Kenobi), playing some xbox and working on the irrigation.  Good times.. and I had to work, of course.  Amy and the kids had a great time up at Pinecrest Lake and lots of social time with the other families.  Love our RCC crew!

The kids stopped by to say bye before
they drove off.  Sora is crying because of 
an argument in the car, not because they are leaving me :p

Out on Pinecrest lake with the boat
and Amy on a paddle board

That's a lot of kids :) total trip was 
7 adults and 10 kids

Shared meals over good food

There was also plenty of video game time

Surprise cake for Kegan and Alex's
birthdays, which are this week

Lastly, we're trying to improve our diets.  After Amy's GI distress during the half marathon she is considering improving her diet.  I'm in full support, we should probably be eating more vegetables and fruit and less processed foods anyway.  Not easy as we've always felt that our kids need meat to help them grow, carbs and breads are easy for them to eat and, culturally, it's hard to be too picky but we'll slowly work on it.  Til next time!

Amy's healthy breakfast

Winding down summer vacay // SF Half Marathon // LSSC Camping trip

 The end of our summer is pretty busy and a bit exhausting.  Whenever we have too many weekend events planned it becomes difficult because our work schedules require us to work weekends as well.  For example we had our Socal road trip then two weekends later we had our LSCC camping trip and then two weekends after that we have a camping trip with friends and then two weekends after that we have the LSCC retreat and we end up working most of the days in between the trips.  Still, even if we're a bit tired, the trips are fun so we're still keeping it up until school starts (next week!) and we get a brief respite.

Just a few things to round out the summer.

Joe and his family made it to Thailand.  This is more for their family so they were all around Thailand and visiting Michelle's family in the northeast but also stopped to see my mom and dad for a week.  

Her health is still failing but
good to see my mom smiling here

Jad finally got both of his COVID vaccinations so he as immunized as possible (until stupid COVID mutates more).  He is not good with shots and cried all the way into the clnic and while waiting.  Boy, how embarrassing :p

Superhero tough face (after)

In between our busy weekends, Amy and Joyce ran the SF Half Marathon!  Amy did amazingly well, despite having some stomach cramps and came in 13th in her age class in a bit less than 2 hours.  Great results for all the training she did this summer!  Pretty awesome.  She thinks she could have even cut it by a few more minutes if she didn't have the GI issues (for which she had to go to the med tent and get hydrated for after the race.. aiya.)   

The two runners :)

Visits to the Aoalin pool are always fun.  This summer actually hasn't been quite as hot as the previous summers though it's really dry and all of our plants are dying. I have to fix the irrigation as well.

Kai mis using the pool covers
to great effect :D

The big event of the last two weeks was the LSCC camping trip.  It always amazes me that they can plan so well for all the people that make it.  We had 96 adults and kids total this year.  As usual it was a lot of fun and great to catch up with the church folks that we don't normally talk to on Sundays or in small group.  The kids had a great time playing in the outdoors (enforced no electronics, of course), starting fires, roasting smores and hanging out with new friends.  We ate amazing food (for camping) cooked together in shared rotations, went swimming in an ice cold mountain river, toured a giant cavern and saw grand giant sequoias.  Of course, there were also endless hornets, dusty dirty campsites, uncomfortable sleeping bags, fighting and crying, but that's what selective memory is for.. Camping is great!  So much so that we're going to do it again next week with friends :p

Hard to capture but here are the kids (many of whom are
bigger than I am now) .. our gray tent in the back right

Burgers with friends in the outdoors!

Kai didn't want too many pics taken but he spent much
 of his time setting up and burning things in the fire

Jad became good friends with Jubilee on
this trip.  They are almost the same age and 
were super cute together

Nighttime fun with flashlights

Sora and Jad spent lots of time with Noe
and Sophie building several wooden structures

Day at the river.  It was a perfect day for a cold dip
then you'd warm up in the hot sun :)

Sora, Kai and I went in the cold water up to our necks.. 
Amy and Jad waded until their thighs..
also lots of time with Penelope on this trip

2nd day dinner was epic with bbq chicken, korean beef,
bao buns and more!

Jad loved the laser tag guns
that someone else brought along

The only true mishap of the weekend was when Amy and Joyce woke up to go running on Sunday morning and found the fire was still going!  The kids had gotten a bit too excited and found a giant dry stump that they put in the fire pit on Saturday night.  I was surprised it even caught actually but it did because Kai had built such a good base of kindling and wood underneath.  Apparently, the late night revelers put the fire out when they went to bed but there must have been some hot coals still underneath and over time, I think, the water must have evaporated off and the log relit.  Scary.. 

Unattended fire.. sorry, Smokey..

The next day, we went to the Moaning Caverns.  The grounds around Arnold are full of caves and there are a number of them that you can climb into.  A few years ago, a friend knew a guide who led us on a tour of some smaller caves.  We had to wear masks, knee and elbow pads and have headlights.  Some places, you had to crawl and squeeze in on your stomach to fit.  And there were bats!  Yes, looking back, maybe not the best idea but a unique experience to be sure.  Moaning Caverns is much larger and more tame.  The Spiral tour basically goes into this giant cave (16 stories tall) where they have built a spiral staircase so you can walk down and looks at the cave formations, stalactites and such.  This one was was so even Jad could do it but there is a more advance spelunking tour that goes through some of the smaller offshoot caves from the main chamber.  Still fun for the kids to see though and good exercise going down and back up :)

Down the steep stairway first

family picture 200 feet underground

There were some cool rock formations that
have formed over many thousands of years

We got back from there and went on a mini hike through the Big Trees grove with Joyce, Derek and Penelope.  There's a reason why it got it's name and we saw some giant sequoias along with other huge evergreens. 

I like the way Kai is smiling here

We ended the last night there singing worship songs around the campfire.  I still really don't believe in God but certainly there is plenty of love in the church so I guess I'll take what I can get.  The morning was massive clean up of the site and then everyone headed home.  I'll leave you with this picture of Jad and Jubilee who had both climbed onto the recycling container while no one was looking.  Til next time!

A couple of cuties