Skating into March

Two weeks into his skating class, I think Alvin is doing a great job!

Our View of the Universe

Something caught my eyes when I sat down on a bench outside of the "Explore the Universe" exhibit in the Air and Space museum.

The text reads, "Since people first gazed up at the stars, we have searched for answers to such questions. When our view was limited by what our eyes could see, the sky was our universe. Then telescopes deepened our view, photography enhance it, and spectroscopy broadened it. The Universe grew from a sky of stars to a realm of galaxies, to an expanding universe of galaxies."

There is always something inspiring our lives.

2010 into 2011

Holiday comes and goes but we managed to attend two parties in friends' houses and had two parties in our house. Plus, Alvin and Mason had two wonderful "big sisters" staying over for several days! What a holiday treats for the boys!

We also visited the annual DC Botanic Garden display, a unique exhibit with train show and replicas of DC and world famous buildings and monuments. It is amazing to see that all replicas were made in real plant material as you will see in the pictures followed. If you miss this year's display, you have a year to regret!

No worries...they are not sitting on cactus

Do you see lotus roots in the picture followed?

How many landmarks can you name?

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.

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.

Mom's big help

On a golden autumn afternoon, Dad decided to take a long nap, the boys were quite awake and Mom had tons of housework to do around the house. There is only one solution to this - put the boys to work!

If you really think they are helping mom, check out the video below.

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Following are just some misc pictures.
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Someone is looking for Nemo and Dory.

Alvin insisted going to Art Museum.

Ice rink is the most attractive place

The boys were amazed by the tunnel of lights

Alvin is ready for attending a concert performance