Browse Author: beakatude

Eatin’, Walkin’, and Almost Talkin’

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It was date night for Jack’s parents so I went over to hang out with him.  Now that he can walk and understands so much more, he’s getting easier to babysit.  He played with his toys and even did a big “Ta Da!” for me from behind the curtains (sorry the photo is so blurry).

Ta Da!

We went through the usual going-to-bed routine but he put up a little bit of fight today.  He was obviously pooped out but seemed to need a little company too.  Plan A is to leave the room and allow him to fall asleep on his own so that’s what I did.  After about 15 minutes of whining and eventually screaming, I decided to go back in his room for Plan B.  I laid him back down (he was standing in the crib), patted his back for a couple seconds, and stood over the crib as he settled down.  Every couple minutes he would look up to make sure I was still standing there and then turn back over to sleep.  It was quite cute.  It didn’t take long for him to finally fall asleep and I was able to leave the room without a peep out of him.  What a funny little dude.  It’ll be interesting once he starts talking.

38 Days to Go!

Brother and Joy are getting married in just over a month. Things are getting finalized and we’re all excited about going to Hawaii as one big happy family. Here’s their wedding blog: thaiddown.com. Get it?! Ha!

Oxtail for the Year of the Ox

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It’s the Year of the Ox, which brings us a hard-working year and will require diligence and patience.  I guess it’s appropriate considering the crappy economy and that Vyl spent these past two days preparing a Chinese New Year feast for us.  Ryan counted nine dishes today: braised oxtail, roasted duck, turnip cake, lotus root salad, Chinese broccoli, steamed fish, Chinese sticky rice, pork-stuffed bittermelon, and chive boxes.  They were all so yummy and Vyl really outdid herself this year.  Michelle also made a mochi cake with red bean so we all went home totally stuffed.

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jack

Jack is walking around independently now and had a great time at the dinner table too.  I think he ate about 4 or 5 lotus root slices! So, Happy New Year and I hope all the hard work this year pays off!!  :)  And thanks for cooking, Vyl!!

Here are photos from our dinner.

Sprouty Update: Day 22

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Check it!  I gots me 2 mo’ sprouts!  Woot!

greenhouse jar

My greenhouse jar has done wonders for the little egg giving it just the right amount of humidity and moisture in the soil.  I knew I had other uses for all the spaghetti sauce jars that I refuse to throw away.  Reduce Reuse Recycle!!!

23 Futures in my Hands

We make decisions all day and everyday.  What am I going to eat for dinner today?  Do I take BART or drive to work?  The ginger cookie or chocolate chip with nuts?  Well, this morning I woke up early and participated in a round of interviews for prospective students for my graduate program.  Initially, it was a little weird being on the other side of the table but I got the hang of it and it made me really appreciate the process and importance of school interviews.  When we were all done with the morning, we had chosen 9 out of the 23 candidates for the program with recommendations for some of the “maybes” to come back next year.  It’s interesting to see how lower GPAs can be off-set by life experience and the interview and how you can’t judge a person solely by just one component.  It’s already an awesome experience to influence a student as a teacher but it’s an unfamiliar feeling that I have about determining whether or not someone can start a new careeer in the fall.  Is this what parenting is like?

My Family!!!

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Cousin Nida (aka “Ja”) who lives in Thailand.

This morning I got a facebook friend request from my cousin in Thailand!  Then, I got another request from my cousin in North Carolina!  Then, I found her brother in her friend list and we added each other.  Yay!

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Cousins Amy and Andrew (from North Carolina) and John (Nida’s brother) in Europe together.

On my mom’s side, there are 10 cousins (including me and Brother).  I haven’t seen these cousins in many many years and only remember them as little kids.  Now they’re all growns up and I can see what they’ve been up to through this crazy crazy place called facebook.  There are lots of people who say it’s trouble to put yourself out there but this is one of the reasons I appreciate the social networking site…I get to reconnect with old friends AND family!!