Pendemic unwinding / Penelope's birthday / Thai noodle lunch / Baptisms / Halls visit / Harsha visit

 Hi Everybody!

It's been busy as we are getting close to our Thailand trip in one week.  No one can get sick! :) Mostly everything is set up and we're all excited to go.  There is some underlying stress because of my mom's condition but no matter what, it's still important to go see her now before she worsens.  Many fingers are crossed and prayers said for a safe and easy trip.

Pandemic worry seems to be winding down here.  I had a shift in the vaccine clinic before Kaiser decided to close down the tent. 

It was pretty quiet though we did get some stragglers

In the same vein, our church attendance has picked up quite a bit recently as people get more comfortable coming back  and our small group is slowly moving towards in person gatherings again.  We had a nice gathering in the park and also celebrate Penelope's birthday.  Hopefully, more parties in the near future.

The boys are such goofballs.. Jad joined in too

Kai is doing soccer.  He's not the best at it but I think he's having fun.  He probably needs to be more aggressive in going after the ball and playstyle so I should probably work on it with him.  We've had two games so far and are 1-1 with Niko basically scoring all the goals but Kai is getting in there and making contributions as well.

Team line up!

While Kai is playing, Jad is usually playing with Sora, Noe or Dustin (and David is harassing them all as older brothers do.  

Jad isn't super fast but he's got good form
and lots of enthusiasm

Ben Sam and Maling and Tim and Dali's family also came to dinner last weekend.  I don't know why I didn't get a picture of all of us but it was super nice.  Ben made Thai beef noodle soup for us.  It was great and he brought a whole kitchen of bowls, condiments over.. very impressive!  I only contribute Thai iced tea but it was pretty good :)

Beef Noodle Soup made by "Thai" guy
extraordinaire Ben Sam

Our church also baptized four of the teens last weekend.  An especially special event as we've seen most of these kids growing up from childhood or birth in some cases.  It's amazing to see their faith in something that they can't see or touch.  Maybe it'll help me in my own faith journey.

Immediately after the dunking..

later after, we all had tacos at the LSCC office

Kai and Sora are great readers as always and Jad is shaping out that way as well (though he does seem to be the most jock-y out of the bunch).   We should get them e-readers soon.

Found Matt's stash of Calvin and Hobbes

I haven't written too much about the war in Ukraine.  Obviously, a terrible situation and we're hoping for resolution and justice soon, probably the former more than the latter unfortunately.  It reminds me to be thankful and how lucky we are to live here with our relatively minor concerns.  Of course, we've been effected by some gas and price increases but we're still doing fine.  Prayers and hopes for Ukraine.

I did let the gas go down to almost empty (less than 5 miles
left!) .. cost $90 to fill up even at Costco

Audrey called us one day and surprised us by saying that they were coming up for a quick visit during the kids' spring break.  Again, we're lucky that we're able so we offered and they stayed with us for three days.  It was so nice to have them back at RCC though the kids' schedules didn't line up too well with ours still in school.  Nonetheless, the kids had lots of fun and the adults did a lot of catching up.  Hopefully, we can go down there in the summer to visit there as well!

A little outdoor dinner and play time

Kids had lots of fun throwing things into the fire..
adults too :)

We loved how the kids got along well together and always think about what it would have been like to have them grow up together.  But c'est la vie, hopefully they can still be good friends because their parents are good friends :)

Sweetest good night hug ever!

Kai is very comfortable sitting on Isaac for
extended periods of time

Always awesome to have a visit.  No Jacob though
this time.. hopefully the next!

Harsha also happened to come visit at the same time.  I've always envisioned a home where friends were always welcome to come and stay with us so last week made me very happy.  He's out for just a long weekend to visit and also see his friend Chris to work on his documentary.  It was great see him and we got a bit of time away to catch up away from the kids.

Late weeknight dinner at San Pedro Sq Market..
like the cool kids :p

The kids really enjoyed having Harsha around.. they
love that he's so enthusiastic about bears and got them
all to the couch for him

We went to the Mystery Spot.. very kitschy
and silly but a good mini adventure

Til next time, everyone!  Hopefully, I'll be writing from Thailand (and not in quarantine :)

Dylan's birthday at Big Al's / 2 week smorgasbord (of photos)

We have been busy.  More work for me in the ER pre-vacation, Kai started soccer practice, getting prepped for the trip to Thailand, lots of cleaning up around the house, taxes, etc.

Here's are few good pics from the last two weeks!

The biggest event was Dylan's birthday party.  He turned 10 and had his party at Big Al's which was a huge hit for the kids.  They enjoyed the pizza but mostly it was two hours of unlimited video games :)  Lots of fun was had and now Kai wants his party there too..

Big celebration with lots of kids

Everyone got into shooting Rabbids

Mario Kart is still a favorite even though we have
it on switch at home

The RCC kids playing Halo Fireteam Raven

I tried the VR King Kong game.. it was cool
but probably too immersive/scary for the kids

The kids played through all of TMNT

Our normal weekly activities continue..

Kai doing jujitsu.  I'm really impressed how he's pushing through
even though he's one of the newer and smaller kids in class

Amy and I out for a Korean lunch date

It rained for a day last weekend so Amy got the kids out
(I was at work)

I think we'll miss these days at the creek when the 
kids are bigger

We watched Turning Red.. not bad but hard to relate
to a crazy pre-teen girl going through puberty for me

Chris is finishing up in Thailand.  He was able to spend
some quality time with my mom and Joe

My uncle sent me this old picture.. it's my mom and my brothers
at the Getty Villa Museum in Malibu in the 80's

The VMC crew got together for brunch.  It was great to
see Denise, who we hadn't seen in a while

Penelope's birthday and small group gathering at the park
after church on Sunday.  I liked how the boys all were hugging
and Jad joined in too

That's it for these couple weeks.  It always seems like there is so much to do.  We're looking forward to Thailand but there is so much stuff to do get ready :)

Bits of the week / VMC Tamales Bay 2022 trip

A few things that happened over the past week..

Sora is improving on her flips, roundoffs and cartwheels.
She's eager to advance to the next class level.

Kai continues to do well in BJJ.  He's very scrappy
even if he's one of the smaller kids in class

Pandemic is slowly lifting.. I went to the gym without
a mask!  And Costco (though only a few were unmasked there)

The Connicks came over for dinner.  Kegan wrestled with all
the kids.  I used to do that but I'm feeling my age these days .. sigh :p

I think Kegan asked us if how old we felt (as opposed to our actual age) and I think I'm averaging about mid 30's.  Physically maybe late 30's, strength-wise, I'm about as strong as I've ever been, though my stamina is less than it was before, aches and pains also last longer than they used to.  Mentally early 30's, I'm more cautious and less open than I used to be but  also still trying to learn and adapt, still trying hard to have fun and enjoy life.  I'll let Amy add her own feelings here ... :)

The biggest event this weekend was our Annual VMC trip.  We had hit 13 years (14?) years in a row for annual trips with the interns from Valley Medical Center until 2020 then the pandemic killed us for 2021.  This year, with Omicron surging, during the planning stages, we decided to do a smaller trip to Tamales Bay, up north of SF.  Ray did most of the planning and did a great job as usual.  It was really fun to see everyone, many of whom we hadn't seen for quite a while, and get away, even if for just 2 days.

We started the afternoon with a wildlife "safari" in Tamales Bay State Park.  It was
led by Daniel, an engineer turned tour guide, and his wife, who is a wildlife photographer.  
Really fun and we saw all sorts of animals from Tule Elk to Kestrels to Elephant Seals on the beach!

The whole crew except Wei, QA and Timmy.  Really nice that Mukesh
and his family made it up from Sac!

Up on the cliffs near the lighthouse.  Super windy

After the safari, we hit the Heidrun Meadery for a tasting.  The mead
was really good, sparkling like champagne actually rather than thick or ale 
like as I would have expected. Very tasty, we got two bottles to share.

After getting slightly drunk, we went to a pizzeria in Marin Station, a small
town nearby, for some good pizza while the kids played in the nearby field

I think nobody drank enough water that day and by the end of the day, I was almost feeling sick.  We stayed at the Marriot in Petaluma and passed out quickly.  There was an attempt to hang out but no one had the energy (except Ray who texted at 12am about where everyone was at? :)

Amy still snuck out for a run around the marshlands
while the rest of us had breakfast in the lobby

We headed out to pick up 200 oysters from the
Tamales Bay Oyster Company.  Expensive and indulgent
but we don't do it everyday :)

Shucking oysters is not easy!  They were tasty but
honestly, I could only eat about a half dozen

Wei grilled a few for QA

The kids had a lot of fun in the sand and water

We were at Heart's Desire beach on the east side of the bay.
It was cool to learn that the bay is basically formed by the
San Andres Fault and each side if moving in opposite directions!

We made it back home on Sunday evening where David made us all mashed potatoes.  He's really stepped up his cooking game and we really appreciate all the effort he's making to take care of us and the kids.  Happy to eat his cooking experiments and trials :)

Everyone is enrapt by David's new toy (stand mixer)

Til next week!

Catchup post for early Feb / Small group movie night / RCC snow trip

All right, lots of catch up for the last two weeks!  

The weather is unseasonably warm for early Feb.  For some days it was 80 degrees out, which makes for wonderful outside time but makes us worry about drought and how hot the summer is going to be.

At least the creek is up and running again even if it is a bit mucky..

Jad enjoying throwing rocks in the water

We had a nice movie night with our small group.  We are still outside here but I think soon we will be able to stop masking.  COVID numbers are down and the county is considering rescinding mask mandates for both indoor and schools.  We watched Laputa Castle in the Sky, which was quite enjoyable with the Hsiehs, Kimballs, Harts and Ngs.

New screen setup courtesy of Rich

Also, Eden's birthday, which we
celebrated with cupcakes

The Casanova's hosted a super bowl party (which I missed because of work).  Thanks for the great food, Alex!

Kids did not watch much football :)

Valentine's Day celebrations

Amy and I went out for a quick boba date

The kids got lots of candies at school.  They are still at an age where we can make them give Valentines to everybody in their class but at some point, we'll go beyond that.  Sora made special Valentines for Wally, Barack, maybe Caleb too :)  but the kids definitely like getting the Valentine's for than the actual treats as the candies are still sitting on the table untouched.

Jad was sad he didn't get as many Valentines as his siblings

We are so happy that our friend Billy and his wife, Michelle, are pregnant and expecting soon.  We gave them our old pack and play and some toys.  We're trying to phase out of the baby items as Jad gets older.  That pack and play served us well for over eight years though!

So long and be good to the next kid!

Matt and Nicole came up for a visit over President's Day weekend and Amy's mom decided to do a banquet for them as they never had a wedding celebration with our extended family up here.  It was at Mayflower and we had a pretty good 10 course Chinese Banquet.  It was Nicole's first time and I think she mostly enjoyed it, though I don't think she tried all the foods (like the jellyfish or the fish maw..)

Kids were very well behaved at their table

It was nice to see Amy's mom's side of the family.  Lots of
small kids now that we'll have to playdate later

Speaking of family, my mom's brother and sister visited her in Chiang Mai for a few days.  I think it made her happy to see them.  We're looking forward to seeing her next month!  Chris is going to visit next week.

My Aunt Eng and mom

My brother helping my mom during a swim

The kids continue to have fun doing random stuff.  Here they are making a tent city in front of our driveway with the neighbors.

RCC tent city :)

Recent visit to the library playground which
the kids still enjoy

Kai and Sora out for a hike with Amy
while Jad is in school and I'm at work

Micah came over for a playdate and Elysia popped
by as well so they all played Outfoxed (before video games :)

Sora and Noe are enjoying gymnastics.. It's quite likely that 
nothing will result out of this expensive class but they certainly
are having fun 

The kids were off of school for "ski week" ie. Feb break so we planned a trip with the the neighbors to go up to the Aoalins' cabin at Dodge Ridge, which is south of Tahoe and basically a less famous, less fancy, less expensive ski area (as compared to Tahoe).  It actually had not snowed for a month but then we heard it would snow on Tuesday all day so we decided to go up early on Monday evening to avoid any road problems.  The Aoalins were so nice to host all of us and everyone had a great time.  Maybe we can do it again in the summer for fishing!

We woke on Tuesday morning to fresh snow!

Breakfast of champions

They had a lot of fun just sledding down the driveway

Sora catching snowflakes on her tongue

Jad making snowballs

A pic with the Aoalin boys

There was also plenty of inside time with video games

The adults also enjoyed some down time and good company

The next day we went tubing at the sled park

I don't even know where Jad got these sunglasses..
First time on the magic carpet :)

There was also a small area where the kids could play 
and throw snowballs.  Terry and the kids joined us for the day too!

Overall, an excellent trip and a nice little getaway.  I'm glad we have such good neighbors.  On the way back, we stopped at Rosniyom Thai which does a pretty good job.  Makes me hungry for Thai food and look forward more to our trip in April!

That's it for now.  Til next time!