Wednesday, November 30, 2011

SLDS Book Fair: Bring A Friend/Alumni Night

Tonight at the Book Fair was Bring A Friend/Alumni Night. We had invited Palmer, but he wasn't able to come with us unfortunately. However, this did not deter Andrew from wanting to go because he was excited about seeing Leah White and even told us he was going to dance. Boy, did he ever!!

When we arrived, all the other kids were up on stage with Leah and the band. Andrew, without hesitation, walked right up onto the stage. We ran into Helen from last year's class and Andrew and her danced next to each other for a little bit. He did get braver with each song starting out just clapping and then getting more and more into it. Our little party animal kept dancing and didn't want to go home. He had so much fun!!









Tuesday, November 29, 2011

SLDS Book Fair: Grandparents Night

This evening, it was Grandparents Night at the Book Fair; and both Ngoai and Nonna were able to join us. They both arrived at our house in the early afternoon so were able to go to gymnastics with us beforehand. Then, we swung by the house to pick up Daddy and headed to school.

We first headed to Andrew's classroom for the classroom visit so that the grandparents could see our classroom especially the kids' artworks that the teachers had put up. Evie was there when we came in and Andrew began playing with her a little bit.

Then, it was time to go to gym for the performances, which is the highlight of the evening! We found a table and watched the two year olds perform. Afterwards, Daddy took Andrew to the staging area. Andrew was initially in front center of stage but saw a few of his classmates behind him and went to be with them. With him in the back, he ended being blocked by another girl so we had a limited, blocked view of him. Bummer!! But from what we did see, he was doing great doing the movements as well as singing the songs.

After, we went down to the Book Fair so that we could buy him some books. We saw also Eric, an old classmate of James's back at Rice, and his wife and son, Mac. Mac and Andrew posed for some photos in the big train. Ngoai and Nonna were sweet to let him pick a book from them too. Then, Andrew wanted to do more arts and crafts until it was time to go home for bed since he had skipped a nap.

It was a fun evening and thanks so much to Nonna and Ngoai for joining us and making it even more special!

A few photos are below and the video, which is too large to be posted here, can be found on vimeo.














Monday, November 28, 2011

SLDS Book Fair: Preview Party

Today was the Preview Party for the SLDS Book Fair and we wouldn't think to miss it! Andrew (dressed in Christmas pajamas) and I headed there right after school was dismissed to check it out.

When we arrived, we did some crafts, which Andrew liked a lot because it was all about trains. And then, we walked around looking at all the books. I told Andrew that he could pick out one or two and we would buy them tomorrow night.

They were serving lunch as well and we ended up running into Ava and Lorelei from class and sat with them.

After lunch, it was time for Ms. Claus to read some Christmas books. Andrew was happy because she read The Polar Express and a book we hadn't read before called Bear Stays Up.

Then, it was time to go home for naps! We can't wait to come back again tomorrow for Grandparents Night.









Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy 45th Month Birthday

Andrew still loves to play with fire trucks, trains, and airplanes. His favorite is probably fire trucks right now. It's a little sad to see him move away from trains, but I knew this day would come. And Andrew has so much playing fire trucks making the noise like a siren. Building with LEGOs has become more and more the norm. He can build for a good long while and he never tires of making new cars or whatever he is building. He still plays in his kitchen and loves to ask us "What you like to eat?" and then he will pretend to make it and then serve it to us.

Andrew's favorite songs right now are Party Rock, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Feliz Navidad, and Jingle Bells. We have been also reading a lot more Christmas books with Christmas a little over a month away such as The Polar Express and Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Andrew talks a lot about when he grows up. Before he wouldn't ever say what he was going to be. But lately, he has been saying that he is going to be a fireman when he grows up. However,sometimes, he goes back and says he isn't sure. Also before, he said he was going to marry me, but lately, he will go back and forth between getting married and not.

Some of Andrew's sayings include "I'm just kidding" and "I'm just playing". And when he gets in trouble, he will tell us that he will do whatever wrongdoing "never again" or in terms of what he needs to be doing, he will "do it every day". We also get a lot of "I love you" especially when going to bed, when he's in trouble, or when I am about to leave his classroom at school in the morning.

Drew is very much into what is going on in his world especially what activities he has. He is very excited about Christmas and asks all the time "when is going to be?" He will also ask about when Halloween, Thanksgiving, his birthday, and the book fair are going to occur as well. He asks us why Halloween isn't everyday. When Drew talks about Thanksgiving, he talks a lot about how he is going to eat turkey. He has said earlier that he is thankful for toys and food. Nice to see he has his priorities straight!? But lately when asked, he will go into a list of our family and then friends. Much better!! He can't wait to wear pajamas to school for the book fair because he still remembers it from last year. And he is so stoked about our upcoming trip to Vegas. He is looking forward to seeing his cousins again.

Also, he totally is loving his new class this year--his teachers and classmates. He especially loves Super Tuesdays. I can't express how much he looks forward to this day every week!

With this enthusiasm, we are making a concerted effort of teaching Andrew the days of the week. We have talked to him about them before, but we are trying to get him to learn them and what we do on those days. Andrew likes to help with his calendar and really gets into moving the Today marker.

In terms of drawing, Andrew still draws trains, but now will draw them with pumpkins (from Halloween), flowers, Christmas trees, and Christmas lights. He will also put double digit numbers in them versus just putting a number 1 for Thomas. He also likes to draw Christmas trees with gifts underneath them. He also still draws airports, fire stations, buildings on fire, fire chief trucks, and ambulances.

As for learning, he can write pretty much all of the letters of the alphabet when you ask him. But he does need some help on some like "s" and "z". He mixes up lowercase "b" and "d" quite a lot. He can write his name and loves to write it as "Andrew L." because there was a little boy in this class also named Andrew. And even though this boy has since moved away, he still wants to put the "L" on the end. He is also learning how to spell "train". He will ask us how to spell "airport" and "fire" when he draws.

Andrew is getting more hooked into Apple and plays on his iPad quite a bit. We still have him apps where he traces and writes his letters and numbers. He is really into this coloring app where you color pictures kind of like in a "Paint by Numbers" fashion. They have number and letters in both upper and lower case. There is another app that Andrew likes where you can draw your own pictures that you can use stamps. And his favorite one is a mound of dirt that looks like poop and makes a fart -like sound. We are trying to minimize his use of this one and try to encourage to do other stamps that aren't as crass.

He is also very sensitive especially when it comes to being in trouble. When we are talking about any wrongdoings, he might interject "I don't want to talk about it anymore" or "Mom, stop talking about it!" And if he hits me either accidentally or deliberately, he will kiss my boo boos or cheek in an attempt to placate the situation and make nice.

Also, we have notice that Andrew is more verbal about his associative memories. He will remember all these things like going places with certain people and eating certain food at a restaurant.

Andrew continues to learn more independence. He can do the chest buckle of his car seat, but is not all the way able to do the metal buckle at his waist. He is putting on his shoes and can strap him. He is getting better about dressing himself all the time. He is not shy about telling us "I do it myself!"

His choice of shows have been primarily Fireman Sam and Team Umizoomi. He is also watching more full length movies. We are watching more Disney movies especially Peter Pan, Jungle Book, and 101 Dalmations.

Gymnastics has been very well received in our household. Andrew has so much for the hour that we go every week. They have been working on forward rolls, the bars, and balance beam. His absolute favorites are the trampoline and foam pit. No surprise there. Coach Gabby has been so great. She is very sweet, but is such a great teacher.

Andrew still is enjoying soccer and will talk about playing each Saturday and how many goals he going to score. He likes to kick the ball around the house, but not as much as he probably should practice. And one thing we have noticed is the camaraderie with the team. Andrew is more into his teammates and will cheer them on when he's off the field.

In the realm of eating, Andrew is loving grilled cheese sandwiches. So much so that I think he might ask for them everyday and usually, I have to deter him and suggest something else. When I ask him what he wants for lunch at school, I think he answers grilled cheese sandwiches at least three times a week. We did add pizza Lunchables into the repertoire and his teachers say he doesn't make too big a mess with is. He is still eating a lot of pizza and noodles. He loves the chicken lo mein with broccoli added in from Pei Wei. Andrew is becoming ever more the carnivore and says quite frequently "I want meat" and that meat makes him "big and strong" and then flexes his muscles to show us. His favorite meat is probably beef especially the Korean bulgogi. One night, I made chicken cordon bleu and told him to eat the ham and he proceeds to tell me that "ham is not real pork!" One of his favorite snacks now is popcorn especially when we are having movie night. But he still enjoys Goldfish, strawberries, and Nilla wafers with milk. As for drinks, he is drinking more milk and water and not as much juice. He also likes hot chocolate when it's cold.

Bedtime is much better, but not perfect. Some nights, he is good without yelling or coming out, but other nights, forget it. He will use every stall tactic in the book. It's a work in progress for us, but as he gets older, he does improve. We still read books before bedtime usually accompanied by a night night snack. Then, he likes to listen to music, which we are okay with since it acts as background noise. Andrew has a lot of stuffed animals in his room, but lately, he makes sure that Matty Bear and Riggs are with him.

In terms of potty training, things are progressing well. He is pretty good about telling us "I need to go pee!" and darts off to the bathroom. But we do have to remind him now and then. Andrew is so weird about privacy. When he pees, he doesn't even bother to close the door, but when he has a BM, he stills asks for privacy and now wants the door all the way closed. Andrew has also moved from pull-ups to underwear during the day even at school. He had an accident the first day, but none since then!! Drew still wears pull-ups at night, but he is dry 60-70% of the time.

Our sweet boy is still working through losing his little brother as we all are. When he sees me crying he will ask why or ask me why I am sad. One time, he wiped my tears and then ran to get me a tissue paper. There have been times when all of a sudden, he gets sad and starts to cry. He will then say that "I miss Matthew". Normally, this happens right before bed, but it has happen at other random times. He says all the time "I miss Matthew" and that Matthew is "with Jesus". He still asks when Matthew is coming back and we have to talk them through the sad fact that his brother won't be coming back to us. More recently, he will ask about when we will have a new baby and why is there no baby in my stomach. We told him we have to wait to see what the doctors say before we can try to have another baby.

Andrew does talk more through his grief. We talk about why the doctors couldn't fix his boo boos especially in reference to how come they can fix some boo boos, but not others. He talks to us about how Matthew is in Heaven with God and Jesus. And he will mention the balloon release we did last month and about the commitment ceremony, the mausoleum, and cemetary--two words that no three year old should know. And every time we pass St. Vincent de Paul he says that is where we prayed for Matthew and how Cara, Emma, and Brennan were there (because they played together at the reception after).

Here's another picture of our little boy from the park today. Happy 45th Birthday, Drew! We love you so much!

Thanksgiving 2011

Happy Turkey Day!

We had a wonderful day down in League City with our family and friends. We had quite a turnout this year which provides for lots of love and lots of laughs. Uncle Thuan and most of kids (Brandon was in Dallas with his mommy) and most of their significant others joined us this year, which was really nice. We spent so many Thanksgivings with their family and it was very special to do it again after too many years passed. We also had Uncle Hung, Aunt Hong, Mary Ann and Scott over as well. We were also joined by Uncle 10 and his family. Aunt Monica also came over since her parents were in India for the holidays. And of course, there was our family and Uncle Anh Tuan too.

So, Papa and Ngoai pretty much had to feed an army. We had two deep fried turkeys and a whole bunch of sides. It was a massive menu!! So delicious. Especially the turkey. I pretty much wait all year for deep fried turkey and it totally lived up to the anticipation. And I think Andrew must have eaten like six cresent rolls on his own!

After eating, the elders engaged in their normal conversation. The younger crowd (any one under the age of 40 pretty much) hung out in the living room. We played some card games and engaged in our normal conversations as well.

Later in the afternoon, we decided to get some exercise and some fresh air so we headed to a nearby park with a playground for Andrew and basketball courts for the rest. Andrew had lots of fun on the playground and he also kicked around the soccer ball on the fields. He really got into kicking into the big full sized goals too.

Afterwards, we just hung out at the house some more until the UT-A&M game came on. Then, it was all about the Longhorns. And what a game and finish it was!! Crazy way to end a grand ole tradition. Just glad we got the last win!! Go Horns!!! \m/

In closing, I am truly very thankful for so many things. These few months have been the hardest in my life, but I still know I have much to be thankful for. I am forever thankful for my family especially James, Andrew, and Matthew. I am thankful for being Matthew's mother and spending what time I had with him. There were times that were hard for me today--I missed him a lot today and I yearned that he could be here with us. But I am blessed with an amazing family and extended family and dear friends that made it a little less difficult.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones.

Below are some pictures from today. More are posted on shutterfly.

















Monday, November 21, 2011

Four Months Later

Four months have passed since that fateful day where we welcomed Matthew into the world for him to returned back to Heaven twenty-five minutes later. It was such a short time, but it changed our lives forever.

Usually I love this time of year with the holidays coming. I look forward to all the time with family, the decorations everywhere, and the general holiday spirit that seems to put everyone in a more joyous mood. But it's definitely been harder this year. I find myself partly dreading them.

I keep thinking it would be Matthew's first Thanksgiving and first Christmas. I keep thinking of what we would be doing if we had both our sons with us. How our plans would be affected by having a little one with us like if we would be travelling or staying put here in Houston.

Christmas is coming on in full swing it seems. Andrew has been wanting to put up our tree so James pulled down our boxes of decorations down from the attic and I started going through them. Last year, my mom had brought us stocking holders with our letters and had purchased a M in case we were having a girl to be named Madeline. But when I saw it, I immediately thought of Matthew and couldn't help but be sad.

I have been debating on whether I should get Matthew a stocking to be hung with ours. I have read that some families have done this for their children in Heaven since they are still very much part of the family and then put a little something in the stocking like a letter to the child or a gift to be donated to charity. But at least for this year, I am going to forego it because I think it would be too hard for us. Our wounds are still too fresh.

The other day, I was talking to Andrew about releasing balloons again on Christmas and Andrew asked if Santa will bring a gift to Matthew up in Heaven. I told him that Santa brings presents to kids on Earth only since there are already so many and God and Jesus probably would take care of gifts for Matthew.

And then, there is a pang of sadness that hits me every time I look at a nativity scene. I see baby Jesus in the manger and think of my sweet boy in Heaven.

Some days are better than others. It has been getting a little better, but with the holidays coming up, it's getting hard again. I pray for the strength to make it through. I know that I need to make it the best I can for Andrew. He deserves it and he needs it.

A song was released recently and the first time I heard it, I thought of Matthew and loved it immediately. It's on the Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack and I think Christina Perri's voice is amazing.

I particularly am moved by the chorus. I believe that Matthew was meant to be part of our family. I was meant to be his mother from the beginning of time. And I have loved him for as long as I have lived; and I will love him for all eternity.

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years

(Verse 1)
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid
To fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt
Suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer


(Chorus)
I have died everyday
waiting for you
Darlin' don't be afraid
I have loved you for a
Thousand years
I'll love you for a
Thousand more


(Verse 2)
Time stands still
beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything
Take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath,
Every hour has come to this
One step closer


(Chorus)
I have died everyday
Waiting for you
Darlin' don't be afraid
I have loved you for a
Thousand years
I'll love you for a
Thousand more


And all along I believed
I would find you
Time has brought
Your heart to me
I have loved you for a
Thousand years
I'll love you for a
Thousand more
One step closer
One step closer


(Chorus)
I have died everyday
Waiting for you
Darlin' don't be afraid,
I have loved you for a
Thousand years
I'll love you for a
Thousand more

And all along I believed
I would find you
Time has brought
Your heart to me
I have loved you for a
Thousand years
I'll love you for a
Thousand more






Sunday, November 20, 2011

Yogurt Pops

Andrew saw this commercial for Danimals yogurt where you put a popsicle stick in the yogurt cup and freeze them. And of course, Andrew wanted to do it so we have done it a few times now. He had one this afternoon was deliberately hamming it up. It was too funny not to pass up on the photo opp. Gotta love the simple pleasures in life!





Saturday, November 19, 2011

Jack's 4th Birthday Party

This morning, we attended Jack's 4th birthday party at Fire Truck Park in West University. Mrs. Keryth had emailed me a while back asking me about Andrew's fire truck party because Jack loved it so much, he was asking for the same for his party. So, I knew Andrew would have a great time.

Gavin and Shane were there as well so the three boys played a lot together running around on the playground and in the bouncey house. Then, of course, was the main event--the fire truck!! It happened to be the same firefighter that we had at our party too. Andrew had fun listening to him talk about the fire truck and of course, going for a ride around the neighborhood.

It was a great party and we had tons of fun!! Happy Birthday, Jack! We are glad we could celebrate it with you!


















Friday, November 18, 2011

Seeing Santa

Ngoai told us that Santa was already seeing kids at Baybrook Mall so when we were down in League City, we thought we would go see him and beat the rush.

Andrew totally cracks me up when posing for pictures with his fake grin, but I managed to get a few good shots!









Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cupcake

Today is Aunt Monica's birthday and I remember her saying how she had never eaten one of those gourmet cupcakes that are all the trend right now. So, after school today, Andrew and I drove over to Sprinkles (our personal favorite) and picked out a dark chocolate cupcake for the birthday girl. Of course, Andrew had to have one as well. But his favorite part was getting to pick out the candy topper. We chose a flower for Monica and Andrew chose a train no doubt! Then, we drove over to Randall's to bring Monica her snack. She was so surprised and seemed really happy at her cupcake.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Monica! We love you very much!!

Here is Andrew with his cupcake at home since I forgot to take a picture at Monica's work because she was super busy at the time. And sorry for the bad cell phone camera quality. :(





Monday, November 14, 2011

Chuck E. Cheese with Daddy

Daddy took the day off today and we decided to spend it having some family time. We both took Andrew to school and picked him up much to Andrew's delight. After school, Daddy suggested that we go to Chuck E. Cheese and of course, Andrew agreed immensely!

Drew had a great time playing all the games and riding some of the rides. He didn't run up the playground too much since he was more into playing the games and winning tickets, especially the ones where you just pushed a button and won tickets based on what you hit. Daddy and Andrew also played some air hockey, at which Andrew fared okay. Of course, we had some pizza while we were there in between all the playing.

I can't say how much it means to me to have quality family time!! I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family.







Sunday, November 13, 2011

San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon

This morning, Uncle Johnny was running the San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon in San Antonio. We had been wanting to make a trip into San Antonio so this was the perfect reason to go this weekend. Also, Uncle Phi was running the marathon too so even more of a reason if we could see both of them.

We explained the race to Andrew and he seemed very excited about going. Taking into account Phi's and John's paces, we drove down to downtown, parked and walked over and met up with Aunt Thuy so we could sit together and cheer on the boys. To be honest, I was worried because I wasn't sure how he would do. But he ended up doing great clapping for other competitors as well. And it worked out very well because we didn't have to wait too long for Phi and John. It was near perfect timing.

Afterwards, we met up with Phi, his friend, and Uncle John and congratulated them as well as Uncle John's friend, Adrian, whose brother ran as well. I am totally in amazement about how these runners can do it especially considering I can't run for squat. Then, we went to grab some brunch at a tacqueria place near Adrian's house so Uncle John can refuel his body!

It was awesome getting to watch both Phi and John run! Congratulations on completing the half marathon!!










Sunday, November 6, 2011

Dewberry Farms

Today, we headed back out to Dewberry Farms for a day of fun. We arrived just before the farm opened so we had to wait just a bit. But after we entered, we headed for the pony ride. Then, we went to the playground area where Andrew spent most of his time riding the tractor tricycles. James and I commented how different it was from the last time when Andrew wasn't very good at riding the tricycles.

Next, we rode the tractor pull which took us out to the Christmas trees and the remnants of the pumpkin patch. By that time, Aunt Jessica, Uncle Lawrence, Ally and Nathan arrived. The kids proceeded to play on the hay swing, farmer flinger, fort playground and jumping pillows.

Then, Aunt Anh, Uncle Richard, Josh and Brendon arrived along with Mrs. Kim, Simon, Katherine and Sophia. Josh and Andrew rode the train together which was really cute.

By then, it was time for us to head out since we had been there a while and it was time for Andrew's nap. Sure enough, he fell asleep on the ride home in no time.

It was another great day at Dewberry!!