"A successful man is someone who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of others and the love of children; who leaves the world better than he found it; who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty ; who always looked for the best in others and gave the best he had. "
- a variation of "Success" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Thursday, December 23, 2010

Season's Greeting

The biggest achievement for us this year is the move to our Potomac house. We started house hunting late last December and we are still in the process of settling down.

Despite how hard the parents have learned together with Alvin, Alvin still beats us on world geography and astronomy. Let him tell you the difference between supernova and white dwarf, or show you where French Guiana is on his globe. Besides learning sciences, Alvin also started his Chinese school last Fall and he is looking forward to Kindergarten next year.

In spite of half way thru age two, Mason is still acting like a baby and he wants to be cuddled by mom all the time. Mason is the “role model” in his daycare class but he has complete opposite behaviors at home. He refuses to learn ABC but he knows all the long Greek names of different dinosaurs. He still loves his trains and cars but dinosaurs and transformers are now his favorites.

No Matter how hard Daddy works, he still has a laundry list of items mom wants to get done around the house. He swears that he will not move again for the next 15 years.

Doesn’t matter how much Mom cook, the boys are always begging for foods. She is thinking about upgrading her IKEA wok to a bigger version. Besides working, feeding the boys and cleaning the house, Mom also makes sure Daddy is on target on his current projects and has future projects planned out through next year.

Wish you a season of joy filled with happiness and warmth.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

What you see is what we did

Yes, what you are going to see is what we did - within a day!

Today is the annual Dollar Day of Baltimore city. That means all the participated museums and centers are only changing $1 for the admission fee. Dad and Mom decided to visit Baltimore Aquarium and Maryland Science Center with the boys.

Of course, a big crowd was expected so we started the day early. While Dad was waiting in line for the tickets to Aquarium, Mom took the boys to the mall to stay warm.

Dad dressed up in layers to be prepared for the long line but luckily it only took us 20 minutes to get the tickets. Here are Alvin and Mason, the explorers.





With the bright sun shine, it doesn't feel that cold at all. We enjoyed sometime out in the harbor.


The best part of our visit in Maryland Science Center is the Planetarium. As Alvin has been learning the Solar system, Universe and Galaxy in the recent two months, the parents have learned a lot with him. The visit to the center is just perfect in time.

The show we watched in the Planetarium is called "Sky Live!". We learned about the stars and how to identify various constellations on a round projected sky.



This is brontosaurus and Alvin in real sizes.


When we came out, the harbor is lighted with Christmas decorations and filled with Christmas musics. We can smell the holiday spirit in the air!



But, wait, that doesn't end our day. We rushed back to Potomac and it was just in time for the Ice Show in Cabin John Ice Rink! We have been trying to introduce Alvin to ice skating and seeing all the young talents in this show definitely give him more confidence, more or less.