We are the Dao's

Happy Birthday to Sam

2010-04-05T21:37:00.005-05:00

How is it possible that a year can fly by so fast? It felt like not long ago that we had your sixth year birthday party here at Pump it up. But now, here we are, ready for another round of bounce and toss. Happy Birthday to my greatest blessing, Samantha.

Which one is your BFF?

It was a great party! I feel good to say that we all had a really good time. My wish for you is to stay happy and healthy. And count your blessings.Playing the afternoon away

Stuff

2010-04-05T21:19:00.004-05:00

I got a feeling that this year is gonna be a good year.

Soooo good to see you, papa Joe. You brought good memories of BYU days back to us.

Kids having play date Crawfish feast!
Homemade strawberry dip
Spring Party at school
Easter egg hunt at the park
Timothy ended up winning an Easter basket full of goodies.

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-05T17:32:00.014-05:00

It feels like I have been waiting for this trip my whole life, and the time is finally here--Timmy is 40 inches tall, and that means he can get on most of the rides, where?, you ask, DISNEY WORLD!!!!! After clicking away my days online, I plan out the whole trip to the T. Fifteen hours of driving is literally pain in the you-know-where. But it's all worth it in the end. We have a blast, and we can't wait to do it again (sans the driving part). We spend good five days in the theme parks, and because of the strategically use of the fast passes, we still get to do a lot of the rides despite of the huge crowd. Here I apologize to all the toes I'd stepped on as I rushed everywhere to get my fast passes. PM me if you wan to know my tricks. Come and take a glimpse of our WONDERFUL trip. (It would be perfect if Thanh didn't complain so much about his aching feet.)

Visiting the beach right by the condo where we stayed last spring break was surreal.

Baby giraffe was within reach on Africa Safari ride in Animal Kingdom.
First family picture--a lot more to come!
Before picture in the raft

After-getting-wet-picture
Oh yeah, we did the Everest Mt. ride in the back.
Waiting for the dinosaur ride
Bug's life in 3D (I think, all the 3D movies are kinda all blurred up)
Yep, we were there.
Dinner with the lovely Cinderella
See, compare to her, mommy is not that mean.
Great weather+beautiful surroundings=A happy family outing
Flying high with Dumbo

And a little chicken

Silly Jungle Ride was just silly in a good way.

Character dinning with friends from hundred acre wood

What's the word? SPLENDID.

It's a Small World ride is a staple in Magic Kingdom.

My family thinks I am embarrassing them for making them wear the raincoat. Yes, people can be judgemental, and yes, we look like dorks.

Don't thank me for making you stay dry.

Waiting for the train ride to go around the park.

I love the sense of serendipity here.

The fireworks! The parade! The Magic!

Good to see you again, too.

It's even better than the front seat of the stroller.

Finding Nemo sculptures in EPCOT

Breathtaking view in Epcot

Hi, smilies.

Arabian Night Show

Back to Magic Kingdom

Timothy can fly the rocket,

Timothy can race the car (what else can this kid NOT do?).

Smell us, ha!

Daddy is trying to blend in.

Waiting in line to get in the Haunted House

Space Mountain still scares me.

WOW!

Lunch in Disney Studio at another expensive character dinning, and hi, JoJo

The highlight of the day--kids custom making their own light sabers

The stunt show was great...

But Timothy missed it...

Sorcerer Mickey Hat is the icon.

Last stop--the tower of horror

Samantha and I dared ourselves to ride it while Thanh sold his fast pass for five dollars.

True American/Disney capitalism, anyone?

Got to go now to plan my next trip...

Happy New Year

2010-01-17T10:58:00.015-06:00

For once my new year resolution is not gonna be to lost that extra five pounds. It's to update the family blog. Let's start with the December happening. And by the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR! This tremendous effort from my part is dedicated to the families in Virginia and Taiwan, and of course, you.

Big man and little man are ready for the church.

Houston snow is for eating.Wow, that was a lot of snow...
Company's Christmas party for kids
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Christmas Party at Klein Oak Ward
Timothy's preschool

This is how 35,000 lbs of snow is made. The only day and the last day of school that any student should not have called in sick, and yet, Samantha did. Here we are in Virginia two days later. It turned out that Samantha got more snow than she bargained for. Big thanks to Uncle Don and Aunt Sok for welcoming us to their home...again and again. A bulldozer was put to work to clear the snow off the street in front of the house.
Don't open the door to the back patio.
Kids playing with cousins Ausha and Jasmine
We love you, turkey.
Say Hi to Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle George, Aunt Karla, and our white cousin, Cheyenne. How is it possible that we don't have a Wii yet?

We miss the twins-- Madison and Danial.

Hi to our second cousin, Justin and Collin.

Dulls Branch boys reunion at, where else? The King's Buffet. An ungifted server took the picture. Good to feel ten years younger again. Hey, La, cut that kid's hair! Girl Power
Bowling was a good idea. But how Uncle Don got zero point one time with the gutter guards up remains a mystery.
Remember to take a bowling PE class when you get to BYU, Samantha. Last time Thanh shovled snow was at Wyview.
Are you asking me if I want to do a snow ball fight with you guys? Thank you, but no, thank you. I prefer taking the pictures behind the glass door.
Samantha built her first snow man with daddy.
~ The End of 2009~

Vacationing

2009-07-08T23:55:00.002-05:00

Hi, everyone, I am not abandoning my blog...again. We are on vacation in Taiwan currently, and of course, I forgot to bring USB for the camera, and of course, I also lost my recharger during the flight. See you in two months!

Timothy's Graduation

2009-05-23T14:58:00.003-05:00

Timothy got "Best Dressed" award (Samantha got the same title back then), and also a reward for collecting the most stars for behaving well throughout the school year (and that took me by surprise). Next school year, he will be a true mighty monkey! How time flies.

BFF

2009-05-23T14:40:00.002-05:00

These two are so opposite to each other, especially personality wise. Yet, they are meant to be the bestest friends, forever.

Happy 4th Birthday, Timothy

2009-05-23T14:11:00.004-05:00

Timothy really wanted a birthday party at home this year, and I got him one. Heck (the appropriateness of this word is still under debate), I even did a Star Wars theme party. The boys had a great time using their light sabers to do the tasks, and eventually became certified to be Jedi Masters. That was fun!

Miter Saw is My New Best Friend

2009-04-16T13:09:00.005-05:00

I finished making this giantic portable projector screen today. My neigbor had this idea of playing movie outside in our culdesac, and he had everything but a screen. So I volunteered myself. With some googling and sleeping on it, I came up this idea. I got some black out fabric from JoAnn Fabrics, and bunch PVC pipes from Lowes, and for under $25, my newest project came to life. Yeah, my nerdy husband is quite impressed.

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T09:18:00.001-05:00

Our Vegetable Garden

2009-04-13T08:40:00.005-05:00

We found a good use of our Lowe's coupon. We built a 4X16 vegetable garden. It took us a good Saturday afternoon to finish the project, and the result is very pleasing unto the eye! We simply can't wait to harvest the fresh produce from our own back yard. Thank you, neighbors, for all the advice for the novice. So far, we've had carrots, green beans, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, and some Chinese veggies, and herbs planted.Let the work begin!
The hardest part was to dig out all the grass and then hide them behind the shade.
The back killing part is almost done!
Our neighbor is a pro on planting the veggies.
Samantha is wrapping up the work.

Pump It Up!

2009-04-07T23:21:00.004-05:00

Your birthday party at Pump-It-Up turned out to be really FUN. Most of your friends (all 24 of them) got to join us for two hours of inflatable bounce and slide. Even some grown-ups (including your parents) had their share of bouncy ride. Your face lighted up when you saw the custom made three tiered High School Music cake. Our hearts were so delighted to see waht a good time you were having. I was also glad that I didn't have to do any of the cooking and clean up the mess.

Samantha Turns 6

2009-04-07T23:03:00.004-05:00

No words can describe how proud we are to be your parents. The past six years had gone by so quickly that I still remember the day we gave birth to you on a snowy day on April 5th in Utah. You went easy on us. As first time parents and no family members in sight, you brought calming and sweet spirit into our home. I always say that I can have twenty of you. And I mean it. You always act beyond your age. Not just that, as a kindergartner, you are already reading chapter books, or had passed tests to be a GT student (pardon my bragging rights), you are also kind and considerate to other people (especially to your little brother). As I am typing this blog up, I am already missing you...cause' two more of 6 years, you will be on your way to the best college out there and be completely prepared for it. We have total faith and confidence in you. You have demonstrated your ability to try your best in the things you do. Thank you for being ours.

Ward Camp Out

2009-04-07T22:42:00.005-05:00

The much anticipated ward camp out took place in a lovely spring weather at Spring Creek campsite. On our way there, we stuffed ourselves with the best Mexican food there is--Taco Bell. We kinda developed the tradition of eating Taco Bell while we are "on vacation." The kids had fun with Easter egg hunt and exploring the surroundings while the grown-ups just chatted the night away. (Timothy loved to "roastmellow.") Everything was great other than my back begging me not to do this again.

Dolphin Cruise

2009-03-12T18:34:00.003-05:00

It was one of the kind experience to watch dolphins swimming right by you. But it was fun only the first twenty minutes, after that, it was all about why I ate too much of the lunch.

Life is a Beach

2009-03-12T18:17:00.004-05:00

We gave Daddy a little break to study his online course by taking a walk on the beach. Well, we didn't get too far. Timothy picked more shells than his hands could hold, while Samantha couldn't resist getting her dress wet-- again. It's nice to finally understand what life is a beach means.

Gulfarium

2009-03-11T19:14:00.004-05:00

We went to Florida's Gulfarium, and left with smiles on our faces. Dolphins, sea lions, sharks, penguins, turtles, alligators, and stingray all possessed magic charisma, and put on great shows. Next time I will remember to recharge the camera.

Water, Water, Everywhere

2009-03-10T16:42:00.008-05:00

Let's just say that Samantha is a lot braver than her mama. We rented a jet ski for an hour today, and I was on it for 5 minutes screaming on the top of my lung before I begged to get off. That was just enough of fun for me (and Timmy, too). Samantha, on the other hand, couldn't wait to do it again. We then took a nice dip in the pool. In the end, we all pooped out. Time for a break from our break, and some episodes of Spongebob will do.

Spring Break-so far so good

2009-03-08T17:49:00.012-05:00

I just steamed a big plate of asparagus, and everyone is eating it up! We are hungry for some green food after a few meals of fast food run. Here is the story. It's spring break, and we just had to get out of the town. Navarre Beach located in Pensacola Beach in West Florida is just perfect! After driving almost ten hours on I-10 yesterday, we finally arrived. We have a week-long beach rental in a high rise condo right off the beach, and we've be enjoying every minute of it. The ocean is clear and cold for me, but definitely not for the kids (including Thanh). Mom, here are the pictures I promised, and thanks for nagging me to start the blog again.

Good morning, sunshine and 7os' degree.
When they are happy, I am happy (most times it's the other way around).
We have to hold back Timmy before he dives in.
More shells and fossils add onto her collection.
Daddy always tries to please his little guy.

They can do this all day long.

3 lbs of crawfish is mean!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T18:48:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas

(sometimes less is more, right?)

Let it SNOW!

2008-12-10T15:33:00.004-06:00

Who says it does not snow in Texas? It surely brings back those wonderful memories of life in Utah and Idaho.

Good Job Sam

2008-11-19T12:18:00.004-06:00

I am back to blogville! The past few months had gone by so fast. We went through Hurricane Ike with no damage to the house. Timothy started his preschool and had not been crying for two weeks in the row. Halloween came and passed with many parties in between. Samantha just learned how to ride the bike with no training wheels. She started to wear glasses because of astigmatism. I am getting busy at volunteering at school and watching friends' kids. And last time I checked, Thanh still has his oil job. This entry will be short and sweet. Not that I am lazy but looking forward to a new tomorrow. Samantha performed at her first Suzuki Annual Ribbon Festival

Off to Kindergarten!

2008-08-25T12:58:00.009-05:00

Samantha got up 1:30 am this morning to brush her teeth. She really wanted to be ready for her first day at the kindergarten early. Luckily she went back to sleep right afterwards. I just tossed and turned the rest of the night. Because I already missed her terribly. While I wish I could hold her hand tight to walk her through every new step of her life, I know it's time to let her learn how to fly. I just have to be there to praise her when she soars, and to comfort her when she falls. Quality time sounds more real to me than ever. Timothy says that he really misses Samantha, too.
Today Thanh calls me from his office more frequent than usual. That's nice. My heartache will be 100% cured in about one hour.
The time on the picture is wrong. It's not 6ish, it's 7 something.

New Addition

2008-07-29T16:20:00.007-05:00

And thank goodness it's not a human being. After much consideration, we'd decided to round up our family with a beagle named COSMO. He is much like an infant. Without a diaper. While kids enjoy his presence and playfulness, I am overwhelmed with his potty-training, emotional and physical well-being. I know our life and my sleeping hours will fall back to right track before long, but for now I want to say, "What was I thinking!?" And yes, he is way cuter than I'd imagined.

Picking up the puppy

This little thing is going to change our life and my carpet forever!

He sleeps like Timothy.

Welcome to our home, little bro!

Summer Days in South

2008-07-19T22:06:00.005-05:00

I prefer feeling hot than cold (I mean temperature wise, mind you). And having resided in Houston for five years, I learn to overcome the heat with many water activities or simply just sweat it out. Here are some pictures for demonstration purposes. Oops, I forgot to rotate some pix first, it would be easier if you can just tilt your heads a little bit. ( Including you, grandma)

Catch me if you can!

Amazing, huh!

Samantha is fearless as usual.

I have to bribe Timothy with McDonald kids meal for him to jump with the coach.

Superman riding Spiderman bike

A new fountain pad to hang out with neighbor kids in the Woodlands

Look at my big smile, he says.

Breaking News!

2008-07-08T20:12:00.002-05:00

This is just in. We are going to be Aggies!

Mr. Dao,

Congratulations! The Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University is pleased to admit you to the graduate program in Petroleum Engineering, beginning in the Fall 2008 Semester. Attached is an electronic copy of the official letter you should be receiving in the postal mail. Any questions don't hesitate to contact me.

Happy July 4th!

2008-07-08T19:27:00.008-05:00

Hello, family blog, it's been a while since we chatted last time. Keeping up with a family blog is like keeping up with a diet plan--most times you don't. Since the summer vacation starts, we have been trying to keep the kids busy with almost daily swimming lessons, trips to Splashtown, and even matinee movies. We just got back from our trip to SeaWorld in San Antonio. Samantha was the brave one. She made us ride the heart-dropping rides with her. Hopefully we will start to keep up with our entries from now on.

Thanh still can't believe how much he paid for those pandas (not whales?). Wait until he sees the lunch bill...

Water, water, everywhere!

Market Square by the Riverwalk, similar to Taiwan's night market

All those swimming lessons are paying back.

Yes, we did the really thing.

To see the dolphins this close is my favorite part of the whole trip.

We are ready for some good dinner!

Fun Day Out

2008-05-27T18:07:00.006-05:00

After Gymboree gym and art classes, the whole Dao clan when to the nearby Chuck E. Cheese for a good time. The above sentence is what I call a "family bliss." The kids have fun and so do we. Hope grandparents can move down to Houston some time soon!

Timothy Turns Three

2008-05-27T17:50:00.004-05:00

Timothy says on his birthday," I am a big boy now--for real." Out of twenty toys that he asked for after being bombarded by kids TV commercials, we got him a Better Batter Baseball toy set. His best gift for his mama is being completely potty trained. There should be a birthday party for him, but someone just got lazy...

Samantha is Done with Preschool

2008-05-27T17:12:00.010-05:00

The next graduation ceremony I will attend shall be my kids' high school graduation. That's gonna be a long way down. So today is a big day. It's Samantha's preschool graduation. Two years ago when she first attended the preschool, she would tell me when I picked her up that she actually "talked" that day. Now you can't get her to stop sometimes. Grandparents from Virginia come to visit just the right time. Daddy can't come because his work is more important. Samantha is also awarded as "the best dressed" student of the class. Should I be proud?

Thanh's New Ride

2008-04-30T18:05:00.005-05:00

It is a historical day. Thanh thought he was going through a midlife crisis, and as a result of this very emotional stage, he went out and bought his dream car. It's Acura TL with Navi in Moroccan red. The dealer really wanted to sell him the car and gave him an incredible deal that any breathing man could not resist. The bottom line is--I am happy for him. He has worked hard all his life first to go through the college, now to provide for his family. He deserves it!

7 Weird Things about Leslie

2008-04-14T15:23:00.004-05:00

In response to Mari's tag on seven weird things about me, it's weird that it took me almost three months to come up the answers. Originally I thought it would be a piece of cake to name them one by one, but it turned out that I am not that weird after all.

1. I read obituaries on newspaper.
2. Remember the episode of "Fear Factor" that made the contestants eat cows intestines? I would have won if I was on it.
3. I like pig's ears, too. They are crunchy and chewy at the same time. (If there's # 8, it would be the gizzards.)
4. I have this tremendous fear towards the germs living on the bottom of every single shoe in the world.
5. I am an impulsive buyer, and Thanh is an impulsive returner.
6. I can sew pretty dresses for Samantha. But I can't sew a loosed button for myself, or for Thanh in most cases.
7. I am 30 and I have a 5-year-old-daughter! Growing up I always though I would be a business woman, and I wouldn't be married until I turned 28. I am grateful that my life is the way it is right now, and I won't change a thing.

Glad to get this assignment off my shoulder, and I can finally sleep tight tonight.

Samantha turned 5!

2008-04-14T14:18:00.008-05:00

In the past month since we got back from Taiwan, we'd been in a "leisure" mood. We took kids to Houston Rodeo, Downtown Aquarium, two outlet malls, and we even rented a nice hotel room in Houston Galleria area over the weekend just for fun. Now we are broke. So I have to go back to my family blog just to fill up my time. I am just going to skip on posting all those wonderful pictures of our mini trips for now. (Sorry, grandma) But definitely check out our Samantha's 5th birthday party. The most appreciated comment will be that I don't look like a mom who has a five-year-old.

All of Us are Together

2008-02-21T22:24:00.011-06:00

All 10 of us are here together to share the joy of being one family. I am grateful for my parents' unselfish sacrifice and unconditional love for each one of us. They set the greatest example of humility and kindness for me, and I will always love and respect them.

Taiwan Getaway

2008-02-21T10:00:00.076-06:00

The thought of journaling our vacation on the blog is quite overwhelming. First of all, we are still having bad jet lag. Evidence: four of us were watching American Idol rerun on youtube this morning at four. Secondly, it's really hard to pick out some pictures to share while I think all 347 of them are all worth sharing. Lastly, I am forgetting my English. For those who had been to Taiwan, our days were as typical as yours. We spent half of the day eating, and the other half digesting. In spite of the uncooperative weather (that being cold and rainy) on most of the days, we managed to have some outdoor adventures. This year will be the last time we get to spend Chinese New Year with my family, as Samantha is going to attend public kindergarten next year. We will plan on hot summer trips instead. To tell the truth, I can live in Taiwan forever, but boy, did I miss my gas powered dryer.
After flying thousands of miles to Taiwan, I know it's odd to eat at the McDonald's while there are many other choices. I just like the rice burger here. Even Samantha thinks the kids meal tastes better in Taiwan.
We are visiting grandma at her work. I don't know what Timothy is drinking.
My sister's daughter, You-Yi (aka MeiMei) is sitting next to my Samantha. I like to buy them matching outfits.
It took me by surprise that Timmy fell asleep in my mom's arm. He usually only wants his mama. MeiMei is drinking soymilk which we have just about every morning.
Kids play at a playground in a elementary school which I used to attend. The boy, You-An (aka GeGe), standing next to Samantha is my nephew.
These four kids soon form strong bond together, and always have a blast together.
Seriously, have you ever seen a seesaw with three generations on it?
We pay $5 USD per person to play in this play area located in a mall. Kids cost money.
I used to have fear of putting the kids on this type of "things." They have germs all over them, don't they? I'd come a long way to overcome my COD.
Samantha is a business woman in training. Here she is helping my brother-in-law's niece sell the strawberries. Today we are visiting his hometown, DaHu in MiaoLi, which is famous for strawberries picking and products.
My brother-in-law, JunHon, and his daughter.
Now we are helping sell the windmills.
Kids are eating a kind of Taiwan sponge cake.
Strawberry Buffet! We are picking strawberries at a field owned by my brother-in-law's parents. Timmy is picking like a pro. I love the look on his face.
Honestly, the strawberries taste the best when you first pick them.
Wish you are here, daddy. Some for you, and some for me.
This day will be forever remembered.
I just want to show off Samantha's cute new outfit.
We eat at this restaurant famous for its shrimp dishes. The shrimps we are about to eat are swimming in the kids' background. The lamb pot is really good, too.
We like to stop by at this bakery called 85C to get some yummy cakes and hot chocolate. Once again, kids are living large.
Samantha likes to hang out with one of my cousins, Yi-Ching. Notice the matching outfits? That's not planned.
My mom, me, my aunt, and my cousin, eat out together. I have many aunts, uncles, and numerous cousins.
Samantha wants to watch her DVD in the most comfortable way imaginable.
Daddy is finally here! We take him to ChengHuang Temple to have some authentic Hsinchu food. Each dish is only $1.00 USD each. Meatball is always the kids' favorite. I can eat all these EVERYDAY!
Yin-Ge in TaoYuan is the place where you can buy a variety selection of ceramic dishes at very affordable prices. Go google it.
After a long day of shopping (as usual), we eat at this fancy and delicious restaurant (as usual). The fish skin dish with wasami seasoning is a must to try.
My sister's family and we check into this 6 star motel for the night. Just when we think their room is awesome...
We find out that our room has a marble tub that's big enough for kids to swim in. Highly recommend you guys to try it out when you come to Taiwan next time.
There are KTV and Wii in the room. They are singing Aladdin.
Samantha is dancing behind the big screen as a backup dance (literally) when we sing songs.
We visit PuSin Ranch in TaoYuan today. I am not sure why we are here, but Timothy is crazy for cows, and ranch is where you see cows.
What are they watching?
Cows, and more cows.
Samantha is brave to ride the horse by herself.
Daddy is half brave to ride the horse with Timothy.
Choo Choo Train tour ride ends the day well. Do you notice what Timothy is holding?
We are warming up our tummies for more Chinese New Year meals.
MeiMei knows how to eat.
It's a Chinese tradition to visit mother's side of family on the second day of Chinese New Year. we usually have banquet together for lunch. Thanh is the only guy who doesn't drink.
The lady sitting in the middle is my grandma.
For dinner, we visit one of my uncle's family in the mountain. The scenery is just breathtaking. The best homemade food I have ever had in my life! I wish I have three stomachs.
Stand up and grab your food.
Hmm, McDonald night requested by the kids. I would rather have Mos burger.
It will make life even better if I get one of these in the States.
We are shopping at the supermarket in RT Mart. I am just hoping that nobody had sneezed on the chicken gizzards I bought.
Thank you, Jane and Anderson, for introducing us to such a wonderful Cantonese restaurant.
There is never a dull time for these kids when they are together.
We are enjoying our day at a local flower market (it's like a night market but at day time). The weather is finally nice after days of raining. Too bad we are about to go home.
This is a cute little zoo perfect for kids to see the animals. There alligators are real.
I think this hippo is the cutest animal I've ever seen. That's what I call "perfect skin."
Checking out the tigers. No, the tiger is not going to eat you, Timmy.
It's Samantha's idea.
MeiMei is so adorable. Can we take you home?
More family picture.
Samantha likes to be pampered anywhere she goes.
We are having BBQ buffet for dinner the night before we come back to Houston. The server bring you the raw food you ordered to your table and you cook it yourself. Very satisfying. Let's go home and let our tummies rest.
Bye Bye, Grandpa, and Grandma, we will see you next summer!

Pay Respect to my Uncle

2008-01-28T00:53:00.000-06:00

I am sorry--for not updating the blog like a good student. I've been wanting to update the blog for days, I mean for weeks. I want to show off the fun places we went, the good food we ate, and maybe the tummy bugs we shared. Right now almost the whole family gather at my aunt's husband's funeral in Taipei. His death was expected so there was not much sadness, but the feelings of relief, and some excitment of family gathering. Kids are even having a good time in the funeral home's play area. And I get to use my internet with no interruption. Weird.
Yes, I will like to see some new pictures on my blog, too. I brought the camera, and USB, but not the software for uploading. I will figure that part out sooner or later.

Christmas Vacation in Virginia

2008-01-02T16:40:00.001-06:00

Happy new year, our dear families and friends! Our Christmas vacation in Virginia was fabulous! Other than shopping, eating, shopping, and eating, we spent much quality time with our family out there. Thank you, Don and Sok, for being such wonderful hosts. We love your fully furnished basement equipped with a workout room, and theater room. Timmy didn't want to come back to Houston. The moment we got on the plan, he screamed for good ten minutes, crying that he wanted to stay in Virginia with you guys. We are getting ready for another grand trip to Taiwan coming up this Sunday. I know. I party too much. I will let the pictures do the talk!

Movie night sounds great, but, n0, popcorn is not dinner.

Thank you, Uncle George for the early Christmas presents!

Cousins, Cousins, Cousins, how we miss you!

All we need is some spoiled kids to complete the picture.

Here they are.

Jasmine, thank you for not being bossy this year.

Timothy finally finds his perfect game match, Collin.

Breakfast at Bob Even's in our pajamas!

We had so much fun in Pump it up, thank you, Uncle Don.

Kids overcame their fear, and played with Jada. That's Aunt Karla pregnant with the twins, Daniel and Madison.

Timmy loves eating Pho and drinking the big bowl of soup the man way.

We had a get together party at Vi and Cedric's house. Thank you for your hospitality! Thanh basically grew up with those friends--first going to Dulls Branch together, then colleges in Utah, while most of them moved back to Virginia, some stayed in Utah and Houston. Hope we get to do this again next year.

The Legend of Claws.

Hot mamas.

Good job on reading this far down. The Dao's in Houston loves to keep in touch with you all!

We miss you ( and your cooking) greatly, Grandpa and Grandma!
Mommy wants to eat your homemade eggrolls now! Please.

Hey, one more thing, that was a cool football game BYU played. The magical finger that blocked the field goal was the answer to many prayers.

Christmas Party

2007-12-11T18:13:00.000-06:00

This is our first time attending a company Christmas party. The money we spend on a sitter is well worth it. There are four buffet areas with different themes. Thanh and I have much fun playing at the Casino (with fake money, of course). I wish I have eaten more crab legs. We are really blessed to work for this company which takes good care of its employees. Who knows, we may just stay in Houston forever!

Let's Go Camping

2007-12-11T17:05:00.000-06:00

Blame on the weather. It's December and almost 9:30 pm, and we decide to go camping outside. In our backyard. See, it's such a lovely weather here in Houston, and kids have been wanting to go camping. With their mommy's vote, daddy finally agrees. It is a pure family fun until daddy bails out after kids fall asleep.

Winnie Tagged Me

2007-12-02T14:11:00.000-06:00

When can I let my hair down ( I had a bad hair cut)?
Hi Winnie, I am doing this for you. You are probably one of the five people (including my parents) that know about my blog. This game really got me to think how weird I am. So here it comes!
Rules:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog for game rules/details

1. Habit: It's normal not to wear outside shoes into a Chinese household, but I take this habit to an extreme. ANYBODY who comes to my house has to take his/her shoes off. If somebody objects, I make him/her put on plastic bags wrapping around the shoes. I just did that to our cable guy. One time two furniture guys refused to put the bags on, and what did I do? I laid the old bedding sheets on the carpet for them to walk on.

2. Fact: Having a shoe-in-house- phobia doesn't mean my house is spot clean. It may just appear so. I hardly vacuum the carpets or mop the tiles. I just constantly pick up little pieces of things like trash, hair, toy, dust...etc.

3. Habit: When I am hungry, I grave SUGAR. Nothing else can do until I get light headed from overdosing. When I was waiting to have my blood sugar tested as part of pregnancy routing, I got really hungry, and vending machine was the only thing in sight. I just had to eat right away, so I had two chocolate bars, one muffin, and a soda to ease my hunger. Needless to say, I had to do a second follow up blood test. Sugar is my bad eating habit.

4. Fact: It was hard to gain weight before the kids, now it is harder to fight off that last five pounds. I had let myself go for the longest time for being a mom of two young kids. You see, I just lost about 20 pounds from exercising and not overeating this year. ( I still eat well, just not right before I go to bed.) It all started with a Banana Republic size S t-shirt with a bargaining price of $2.97. I want to buy it, and be able to wear it, and I made it happen. I know the last five pounds will eventually come off as soon as I stop eating the sweets.

5. Habit: I make everyone wash his/her hands when entering my household. It goes with the same line of #1.

6. Fact: I still sleep with my kids on our King size bed. Thanh doesn't like it but there is nothing he can do about it. He tries to stay in bed as long as he can until Timothy kicks him out. I just love my not-so-typical life!

Wow, I haven't typed this much since my 50 pages final paper back at BYU days. Now the harder part is to tag 6 other people. Winnie, I will try to do it later.

Family Portraits 2007

2007-11-30T15:35:00.001-06:00

Family pictures taken right before Halloween 2007. With our first child, we took family portraits religiously about every 3 months. With the second one, once a year is just right. We are just getting too comfortable with the whole parenthood thing.

Samantha's Preschool

2007-11-30T14:29:00.001-06:00

This is Samantha's preschool class picture. It's an extreme popular preschool program. Under the supervision of a certified teacher, high school students are being trained to be early childhood teachers. I got Samantha in before the words got out. Parents put infants' names on the waiting list already! The teacher to student ratio is normally 2 to 1. And the best part is the tuition: only $85 for the whole semester. Timothy will automatically get in next year, let's cross finger that he will be potty trained by then.

BYU Won!

2007-11-25T13:12:00.000-06:00

Did you watch the Utah vs. BYU game yesterday? It was an awesome roller coaster ride. Just when we thought we were going to lose it with a minute and half left in the fourth quarter (and it was 4th and 18), we had a huge comeback. I was jumping up and down like a monkey along with bunch other BYU alumni. (The similar scene happened back in the year 2001). And this Leslie writing, not Thanh. Many thanks to Thanh who taught me all (ok, almost all) the rules about football. No offense to other ball games fans, Football is the greatest. I am hoping, if not both, at least one of our kids will go to BYU years down the road, so we can go back to visit BYU again. Go cougars!

Wood Sign

2007-11-20T15:09:00.000-06:00

My friend, Melissa, asked me to make this wood sign for her sons' room. The colors goes with the room, and the scripture in Matthew 5:16 she picked out was just right for the theme. I have done many wood signs for my friends, and even ebayed some. Maybe it's time for me to make my kids some cool signs, too. Any request and comments?

Wet/Dry Silde

2007-11-20T14:43:00.000-06:00

Thanh got this Splash N' Slide inflated pool in mid hot summer and we had really good use of it. Just when I thought I needed to pack it away for the winter, Samantha nicely suggested that we can play it without the water. Ok, why not? It was just as fun. Thanh rarely buys toys (it's mommy's job) for kids, and this impulsive buy of his has really paid itself. We highly recommended it.

Timothy L's Bithday Party

2007-11-20T14:31:00.000-06:00

Timothy #1 and Timothy #2 painting the house.

Samantha doesn't have preschool on Mondays, so she gets to come to the party and show the boys how to behave.

Timothy got invited to his first official birthday party, and the birthday boy happened to be Timothy, too. The theme is about "Bob, the builder," and my friend, Michelle, did a great job hosting. It really inspired me to want to have birthday parties next year for my kids.

Playgroup explores the fire station

2007-11-20T14:18:00.000-06:00

For playgroup this week, we visited a local fire station, and I think I was more excited than most of the kids. It was just so cool to see all the gear up and close. Samantha was ready for the "real" playgroup after we were done visiting. I just consider my kids to be lucky to have this kind of experience here in the States, when in Taiwan, it's not even allowed to have female firefighters.

Flying the kite

2007-11-13T14:35:00.000-06:00

Our newest outdoor obsession is flying the kite. The weather here is just perfect, windy but not cold. If you want to wear out your kids after their nap, before dinner time, I highly recommend this "sport." By the way, the one-dollar- store- kites will do.

Silly Timmy

2007-11-13T14:27:00.000-06:00

Timothy is a natural comedian. When he does something silly, Thanhs always says that it's from my side of gene. It was just a simple breakfast--Bao Zi, and Timmy made the scene a little bit more interesting.

Finding Nemo

2007-11-13T14:15:00.000-06:00

Thanks to our newly subscribed Houston Chronicles, we found out about the Disney on Ice show-"Finding Nemo" just in time to take the kids to their first disney show. The Reliant Center was packed despite it was a Friday. Samantha was old enough to appreciate the talents on the stage, while Timmy was more concerned about the snack time.

Broccoli Bouquet

2007-11-03T16:22:00.000-05:00

As Thanh is getting the lunch ready (yummy steaks and nutritious broccoli), Samantha got hold of the broccoli and pretended to be bride walking down the isle. Don't ask me where she got her idea from. Just don't grow up too fast, baby! Timothy thought it was funny, too.

Truck-or-Treat

2007-11-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

It is pretty unusually to celebrate Halloween after the fact. Tonight at church, we have chill (also bread) cookout contests and also truck-or treat activity going on. We didn't cook anything but brought 100 pieces chicken McNuggets to share, and we were kids' #1 choice. I think we really got our money worth on buying the costumes and bags. I lost count on how many Halloween parties we've gone to this year!

Trick-or-Treat

2007-11-03T15:53:00.000-05:00

The long anticipated night has finally arrived. Some friends join us for trick-or-treat extravaganza. Almost every house has its porch lights on, and it means welcoming. Timothy's bag gets so full that he has to drag it home. We got pretty popular for giving out Costco size candy bars. This year we also give out glowing sticks. Thanh divides the candies we like in three bags, one for her, one for him, and one for us. The rest will go to the late Halloween trunk-or-treat party this Friday at the Church. Yeah, I can do this every year.

Halloween Party #2

2007-11-03T15:30:00.000-05:00

We have playgroup every Wednesday. It's consist of bunch of stay-at-home moms and bunch of playful kids. Today happens to be Halloween, so we have a potluck lunch at the park, and a trick-or-treat rehearse. The weather is just perfect and I seem to forget how hot it was just two weeks ago. Earlier today, Samantha wore her Mulan costume to her preschool, and I didn't take a picture in time. Timothy's little girl friend, Kathryn, loves to hang out with him.

Halloween Party #1

2007-10-27T22:21:00.001-05:00

We attended our neighbor's annual Halloween party tonight. Samantha is a ladybug, and Timothy is a monkey. Thanh put on his antique Kung-Fu outfit and believed it or not, it still fits. We had some "standard" American food and hang out with some nice neighbors. Kids were just as shy as ever. Samantha wasn't feeling well, so we left the party quite early. One party down, two more to come.

Go Fishing

2007-10-27T21:54:00.000-05:00

In a sunny high 70's weather, we went fishing by the lake in our subdivision. It was my first time to join the more experienced crowd. We got two functional kids' fishing poles and were ready to roll! We didn't catch any catfish this time, but had a very relaxing afternoon. We then headed to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner.
Pho noodle soup always do the tricks for the family, and the lollicups finished up the day nicely.

Knock Knock

2007-10-25T14:04:00.001-05:00

I try to spend some quality time with Timothy in the morning while Samantha is at her preschool. He and I were just "chatting" on the stairway. He knocked on my shoulder, and said "knock, knock." I asked, "Who is it?" He said, "Mama." I then replied, "Mama who?" He answered, "Orange Banana." I just bursted out laughing. Thanh had played this game with him sometime before. And he surely caught the essence of the joke. I tried to call Thanh to tell him this funny joke, but he wasn't in his office. So I asked Timmy where daddy went. He said, "em, Mall."
I am posting some current pictures of Samantha and Timothy. They are so adorable! And yap, they are napping right now.

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-24T19:48:00.000-05:00

When I browse other people's blogs, I like to see some pictures. Here are some most current family pictures. The date should be 10/13/2007. The camera setting was wrong. We went to a pumpkin patch nearby our house a couple weekends ago. The temperature here in Houston was still in its high 80'. We rode on the choo choo train look alike, picked some pumpkins, and had some snow cones which were kids' highlights of the day. We will be back next year. Hopefully next year it won't charge $3.00 admission fee per person anymore.
That was me nagging. The smiles on kids' faces are priceless!

It is happening!

2007-10-24T16:40:00.000-05:00

Here I am. Nervously typing up my first blog. Why do I want to start my own family's blog? Because my two kids still take naps in the afternoon most of time (ok, if I make them), and for the past two hours, I'd watched more youtube than I should have. Also because my scrapbooks are almost up to date. Enough being said--I HAVE TIME TO KILL! Besides, I think this is the best way to keep in touch with our families in Taiwan and Virginia, also with many friends whom we are not currently keeping in touch with.

How should I start? Here is a quick catchup. Thanh and I have been happily married for more than 6 years. Our first born, Samantha, is 4 1/2 years old. She is attending her second year of preschool. Timothy, the son, is an energetic 2-year-old. We are living in Houston suburban area. Thanh is working for an oil company nearby as a reservoir engineer. We meet up for lunch all the time. The mall is right next to his company (big plus). I am "working" as a very content stay-at-home mom (who would think?).

Timothy just woke up and just wants to a mama's boy. I will try to catch up with you all later. Now I got all excited about this blog thing! I should have started it when Samantha was first born ( it seems like having baby is when everyone first started their blogs).