My Alvin

Tomorrow our family will welcome Alvin's little brother! We are getting very excited! However, our Alvin doesn't know he will be a big brother soon and he still enjoys being the "only child" in the family. To honor the wonderful memories he has brought to our life and to remember the baby life we are going to enjoy again, here are some pictures we would like to share:

when he was born, we thought he could be a great, tough football player

At 1 month, he was a little tiny one in mom's arms

At 38 days, he got serious...

at 2 months, he knows how to make faces

at 3 months, he got great hair style...

at 4 months, he already knew how to post as a photoshop star

Before we knew it, he is already a big boy, and hopefully, he will be a role model for his little brother!

My boy can rock!

Alvin can certainly rock ...


and, he can also be very quiet...

Beautiful Souls

As most of you might know, Alvin's mom is always "on the go" and she always determines to do everything by herself. But one day her doctor stopped her and put her on bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. Confining on the bed 24 * 7 is a devastating news to mom, not to mention she has to worry about the baby and who would take care of her two boys.

But, there is always hope. Our family is so blessed to have good friends around giving us unconditional helps and heart-warming words. As days go by, we appreciate life more and more because we have you, those beautiful souls, standing by us and helping us through the difficult period.

What happens in Vegas...

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. You know we are talking about your gambling money.

It also holds true for Alvin's behavior in his daycare center. To parents, Alvin has always been a quiet and shy boy. But, yesterday, Ms. Mary told mom that Alvin can be very social and wild. He jumped and danced and laughed, and even held his fellow buddy Preston's hands for a dance. This is not the only thing Alvin hides from his parents. He learned to count 1 to 10 in English and he knows how to sing along with teachers - "ABC" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". We later tested him at home and sure enough, my boy knows more than we could imagine.

Acutally, starting from couple weeks back, Alvin became "smarter". He started to put words together to construct phases and even sentences. That is a breakthrough for his language skill. He loves to learn new words, often asks parents the things he is interested in, again and again. He practices his new words everyday by pointing to the objects and naming them.

Spring Vacation

Finally, here comes the beloved Spring!!!

We took a nice family vacation last long weekend. It was Alvin's first trip (can you imagine that???!!!) and it was also parents' birthdays weekend so it was a nice treat for all of us!

For only 200 miles drive, we can get 10 degree warmer? No question that is where we are going - Williamsburg, VA!

*** Day 1 - Children's Paradise: Busch Garden ***

No doubt that Busch Garden is Children's Paradise but even for toddlers like Alvin, they can really enjoy small rides, the Dragon playground and of course, all the shows and excitements around. There are many rides are suitable for children under age 3. So, if Alvin were half year or one year older, he would appreciate this park even more. But, for him, a day in this wild park is more than he can handle.




Daddy and Alvin decided to cross the net bridge without asking mom first. Poor pregnant mom, who is absolutely afraid of height, had to carry a several pounds camera and her 20 pounds tummy over this 50 feet high net bridge.

Alvin is telling everyone where he comes from.

It was the first experience for Alvin to ride on Carousel, Cruise and Train.

We asked Alvin to give us a smile and that is what we got. But, at least it is better than Daddy's rigid face.

*** Day 2 - Colonial Williamsburg & Battleship Norfolk ***

On the second day, we visited colonial Williamsburg, where the earlier American history lives.

Williamsburg is full of characters, historically and naturally.

If you think Alvin is interested in the ladies, you are wrong. He is actually pointing to the umbrella. The ladies were very disappointed once they learned the fact.

Horses and Cars are Alvin's favorites. He is thinking how these two can come together into one package.

Every boy loves battleship. Alvin is no exception. The USS Wisconsin battleship is retired from its mission and resides in Norfolk harbor, Virginia. When Alvin grows up, we will show him these pictures and sure he will appreciate parents took the time to introduce him to this giant ship.

*** Day 3 - Downtown Richmond & Maymont Garden ***

Day 3 we are still full of energy. Richmond was once the capital of southern states and it is only 2 hours drive from DC but parents had never had the chance to visit it. It is nice to see the downtown historical sites.

Washington Statue

State Capital

Bell Tower

Zero Point

Egyptian Building

After downtown, we visited the Maymont garden. Parents wish this garden is in DC - it is mainly designed for families with little children. They have several beautiful gardens, a Children's farm and Natural Center. The Natural Center has aquarium which host all the fish species from the James River.






Our 3 days trip doesn't seem to be that long but it already exhausted parents, especially mom. She was the one dragging everyone's leg. Alvin loves staying in the hotel. He checked out everything in the room, including refrigerator, safe lock, doors, drawers, table, chairs, TV, etc. At some point, he got too excited and couldn't stop laughing and talking. Next time, when we take another family trip, it will be a quartet one.

March into March

We are marching into March!!! For the first two days of March, we have done lots of walking and sightseeing with Alvin's uncle King and his family. We visited some major sites in DC, including Building Museum, the US Capitol, Botanic Garden, the White House, Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the National Zoo and Washington National Cathedral.

It was an overwhelming weekend for Alvin, not only because of all the touring, but also because it was his first time to meet his dear cousin Sammie. These little two connected instantly and our sweet 3 year old Sammie knows exactly how to take good care of her little brother.

At no time, you know Uncle King and Mom are related.

Our first stop is this magnificent Building Museum in DC.
The Building Zone is designed for kids to learn hands-on building arts.

No worries. The circuits are behind a plastic glass. It is just for them to learn what is behind a wall.

Sometimes construction workers need to make sure they are still in good appearance.

That is how our ancestors built the Great Wall in China - block by block.

Uncle King's Family

Alvin is always content as long as he has Mom and breads.

The zoo visit is fun also. Look closely how lazy the panda is in the background.

We concluded our weekend with some family time together (see video below). Monday evening, when Alvin came home from daycare and couldn't find Sammie, he was pretty sad. He even cried for straight one hour at bedtime because he missed all the funs with Sammie and didn't want to go to bed. Welcome back soon, Sammie!!!