Some current conversations

  We went down to our rental on Saturday to renew the lease with our tenants.  (We have the best tenants we could have ever asked for!)  As we drove up we surveyed our yard that we dearly miss and this plant immediately caught our eye!  I planted this hibiscus-like plant (real hibiscuses do not grow in Seattle!) in 2006 and it never produced blooms like these while we lived there.  If I was lucky, I would get a couple of blooms, half this size, in October!  These ones were as big as Mike's hand stretched out, and there were so many!  We were definitely talking about these this weekend.

 

Every day when Hannah gets home this conversation happens:

Us:  Hi honey bunny, how was your day?

Hannah:  Good.

Us:  Did you sing songs today?

Hannah:  Yeah, the same ones.

Us:  Can you sing one?

Hannah:  I don't want too.  *pouty pout face

(Later, when the "hangry" time passes, we get a lot more out of her.  It is just super fun to hear her get excited to tell us what she's learned and imitate her teacher.)

  I have tried my best to have the kids experience all different types of food.  The main thing is that I have to know how to cook it or at least what it is supposed to taste like so I can try and replicate it.  I assumed that if they were eating Chinese food like chow mein, they'd know it was Chinese food.  Boy was I wrong.  I make a lot of Chinese food and it is all among their faves.  Well, we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant with my Chinese family a while back and I was embarrassed to hear my kids proclaim that they didn't like Chinese food.  Since then I made it my mission to tell them what kind of food they were eating so they didn't make such bold statements.

 

  Fast forward to tonight, we were sitting at dinner eating our black bean tofu and veggies and I asked them if they knew what kind of food we were eating.  Hannah chimed in, "China food!"  I replied, "Yep, you're right we are eating Chinese food."

 

  The conversation then turned into one of ethnicity with Hannah proudly saying, "I'm Chinese!  And I'm jalapeno too, right Mama?"

 

  Mike and I just chuckled as we corrected her in saying that she is also Filipino, like Mama.  Conversations around the dinner table make us smile. :)

  Lastly, this conversation has been ongoing in my head.
"How the heck am I going to take care of 4 kids on my own starting next week?
Don't think about it until you have to!
I am going to need lots of patience and grace!
How am I going to do errands?
I guess I am going to have to start having groceries delivered!
I am going to go crazy!"

  I don't have time to sit and really think about anything but the present.  I think that's the main thing keeping me from having a panic attack over doing all of this by myself next week.  Pray for me!!