Random Stuff

One of our projects this past week was weeding the flower bed in the front of my parents' house, planting some flowers, and trimming their huge tree out front. I will say that it was really hard to plant flowers being 6 months pregnant! My belly was definitely getting in the way!

Yum- one of my very favorite Vietnamese dishes: Bun Bo Hue (it's a spicy beef noodle soup that originates from Central Vietnam)

Gracie has learned how to do a "silly face" and now her first instinct when we get out our camera is to do this!

This is Sam, Thao and Peter's daughter. Gracie has loved spending time with her.

Gracie with her Ba (Vietnamese for Grandma)

Pick 4!

If you don't know about Pick 4 yet, you are totally missing out!!! It's completely addictive and so much fun! (Actually, I do have to say that if you don't like word games, you probably won't like Pick 4). I don't know how the game came about, but we learned how to play the game last year with our friends, Thao and Peter. We have been looking forward to spending some late nights playing Pick 4 with them. We got our first chance on Friday night. You can't really tell, but in the picture, Peter's holding up Scrabble tiles- the whole game is based on Scrabble tiles. Who won?! I can't even say that it was close- I am the champion!!! Woo hoo! (I better not rub it in- Jason and I can get pretty competitive against each other!)

West Edmonton Mall

Most people have heard of the Mall of America, but have you heard of West Edmonton Mall? Aside from the Edmonton Oilers, I'd say that the mall is one of the reasons why people have even heard of Edmonton. By square footage, it is the world's largest mall and boasts attractions such as an indoor waterpark, amusement park, ice rink, and sea lion shows. Of course there are also tons of stores for plenty of shopping- in fact, over 800! No trip to Edmonton is complete without visiting "West Ed!"

For the past two years, my parents have loved taking Gracie to the amusement park to ride the kiddie rides. My dad insists on going on the carousel with Gracie- I guess you could say it's their special thing.
After spending time on some kiddie rides, we walked around the mall for a little bit. There was a super novice (9-10 year olds) hockey tournament going on at the ice rink and we spent some time watching the game. We were impressed by how good they were. Can it be said that only in Canada would there be a hockey tournament in July?! Actually, some of the teams were from the U.S. as well as Canada.

Before heading out, we stopped by the Chinatown part of the mall and grabbed my 4th bubble tea. This time though, I barely got any because Gracie hogged it! She wouldn't even look up long enough for us to take a picture.

Gracie's a Duck

Americans in Canada

Today was 4th of July, but really, it was just like any other day for us over here. We didn't do anything to celebrate aside from Jason and Gracie proudly wearing their "American" shirts. It must have been a weird day for Jason. That's not even the worst of it- we felt like having Mexican food and couldn't find fresh salsa at the grocery store... The horror!!! :) We're going to try some other stores tomorrow and if we still can't find it, we'll make our own!

Anyway, we still have been up to pretty much nothing. We went to a nearby park today after dinner. It seems as though every neighborhood has its own playground here in Edmonton. They're not fenced in- the playgrounds are completely open. That's one thing that annoys us about Fresno- the lack of green, parks (that you don't have to pay to get into), and playgrounds.

Another neat thing that about Edmonton is its recreation program. There are rec centers in almost every community and they offer excellent programs for really reasonable prices. We went to the rec center near my parents' house and they were great about letting us sign Gracie up for swim lessons even though we aren't residents. Gracie is considered a "duck" and it's a parent-tot class that helps the kids to build confidence in the water. Obviously, Jason's the one who's been going with Gracie since I'm scared of water. I would've considered going with her, but in the last two weeks, Gracie has also suddenly developed a fear of water. Just think- what if we both panicked in the pool?! We think Gracie's fear started when she got some shampoo in her eyes a few weeks ago. Some people we've talked to have said that this is just a phase... Bath time has become miserable for us! Anyway, the lessons are for a half hour everyday for two weeks. The first lesson was this past Monday. Gracie was hysterical- she screamed and cried for the entire half hour, and wanted to get out of the pool. Jason didn't give up on her. They were in the pool the whole time. I was on the verge of tears because I totally understand that fear and to see her go through that was difficult to take. But, I also know how important it is that she not go through life the way I have. I know how important it is that she learn how to swim. Next day, I was so nervous and anxious for her. I was in shock the whole half hour- she gathered up courage from somewhere because she didn't cry! She still clung onto Jason and it took a lot of coaxing for her to try some of the things they were asking for, but she eventually did. We celebrated her efforts by going for an ice cream cone afterwards. Today was the third day and she did wonderfully! She was willing to try almost everything, and she didn't want to go when it was time to leave. I am so proud of her! I'm also proud of Jason. He has been incredibly patient and not once has he shown any frustration. When she was screaming and crying, he sang to her and held her, trying to reassure her... He's been so encouraging and has showered her with praises when she finally takes a risk. He's such an amazing dad! I don't have any pictures- keep forgetting to bring my camera, but when I get some, I'll post them. And for the record, yes, I know that I need to also get over my fear and learn how to swim... If my 2 year old can do it... then I should be able to do it, right?!

My 3rd bubble tea!

Happy Canada Day!

I was looking forward to today because I always enjoy the chance to visit the church I grew up in (Edmonton Vietnamese Alliance). It was great to see some familiar faces, to say hello, and get updates. It's been a while since I've spoken as much Vietnamese as I did today! I'm a little rusty- I'm actually surprised I remembered as much as I did. After church, we went back to our good friends', Peter and Thao's new home (Jason helped them move yesterday) so Gracie could nap. I went to IKEA (love that store!!!) with some of my girlfriends, while Jason got a chance to play Nintendo Wii with Peter. My brother, also named Peter, and his girlfriend, Teresa, (pictured above) drove up from Calgary to spend some time with our family. After we went out to dinner, we went home and got Gracie ready for bed. It was great that Peter and Teresa got a chance to read Gracie her night-time story.

The people I spend time with here in Canada didn't really do anything out of the ordinary to celebrate today, so to feel somewhat celebratory with it being Canada's birthday and all, Jason and I headed out to Edmonton's river valley for a fireworks show. It was nice! They were supposed to start at 11pm, but the sun hadn't fully gone down yet, so it actually was past 11pm when the fireworks started. Tons of people came out to see them, and just being a part of the crowd really made it feel like we were celebrating! Happy Birthday, Canada! Now if we can only figure out how to celebrate 4th of July here in Canada... By the way, I had my second bubble tea today!

Sarah's Homecoming

My sister, Sarah, has been teaching English in Taiwan over the last year and she came home today. In fact, we planned our arrival date to Edmonton to be in time to go pick her up from the airport. She had kept her arrival a secret from my parents. They weren't expecting her to arrive for another week. Gracie took no time at all warming up to Di Dao (Auntie Sarah's Vietnamese name), but that was no surprise. Sarah is awesome with kids and of course it'd only be fitting that she'd easily bond with her niece. Welcome home, Sarah! (By the way, the sign says Mr. Sarah Tong because when she first arrived in Taiwan, the person who came to greet her at the airport had a sign expecting a Mr. Sarah Tong- inside joke!)

Gracie waiting for Di Dao's arrival

Back in the Great White North

Well, here we are in Edmonton! I'm going to take a moment to debrief on all that's happened in just these last two days. Everyone's heard about all the passport hassles as of late... Well, my passport didn't arrive in time for our trip even though I had sent off my application well in advance. On Monday, Jason and I had to make a "quick" last minute day trip to San Francisco to Canada's consulate office. They issued me a Letter of Identification that allowed me one-way access into Canada. I'm supposed to use my green card upon returning back to the USA. Hopefully that'll be a smooth process. Anyway, our visit to the consulate office was a very unpleasant experience. I'm going to be writing a letter of complaint. I don't want to get into details, but let's just say that Jason's comment about the whole situation was, "Maybe because of this, now you'll consider getting U.S. citizenship." Umm... nope, still not at that point in my life!
Yesterday was a long day of traveling- we had planned to wake up earlier, but woke up at 4am to catch a 6am flight. We flew from Fresno to Seattle, and then from Seattle to Edmonton. Gracie did well on both legs of the trip, but she barely slept. Our flight got delayed out of Seattle and we ended up getting into Edmonton at about 1:30pm. My dad picked us up at the airport and we then drove to see my mom at her work. (Their business is the Valley Cafe at Edmonton's Muttart Conservatory. I'll post more information and pictures about that some other day). We ate a quick lunch and went "home" for naps. We didn't wake up until it was time to go out for dinner. My parents insisted on going shopping afterwards to get Grace something she could use while she is here. They ended up getting her a low-rider Dora tricycle which she absolutely loves. (She also picked out a helmet). This morning, Jason assembled the tricycle and my dad helped Gracie ride it around their backyard. She still hasn't quite learned how to pedal yet, but she sure looks cute! It has been really nice to see my parents with Gracie. I had been somewhat concerned about how she would respond to seeing them again after a whole year. She has quickly warmed up to them and they obviously love having her here. They have the Grandparents Syndrome- they've been giving in to almost everything she wants- she better not get used to life being like this!! :)
After the busyness of the last two days, it was kind of nice to not really do anything today. Jason managed to find a station that aired the Giants/Padres game, so even though they lost, at least he got to watch that. The highlight for me was going out for Pho and bubble tea. There are places in Fresno that sell both items, but I haven't found any that compare to my Edmonton favorites. I LOVE BUBBLE TEA! In fact, I'm going to keep a running record of how many times I get it while we're up here. We're probably not going to be doing a whole lot while we're up here, but if we do anything, I'll try to blog about it. I'm really proud to hail from Edmonton- maybe I'll be able to give glimpses into some of the reasons why!

Reminiscing about Gracie's First Year

This past week, I had to take a computer class. The highlight was that as an extra project, I was able to work on something not school related. I decided to put together some snapshots of Gracie's first year of life. During these last few weeks, Jason and I have been reminiscing about Gracie's birth and the months following that... We've recalled how she came into the world, how tiny she was, and how we were sleep-deprived... We've also talked about the milestones- her first smile, her giggles, her first teeth, rolling over, eating rice cereal for the first time... Now we look at her, and it's hard to believe that we're going to experience a newborn all over again. Just as Gracie's on the verge of being potty-trained, we're about to begin this whole process again!
I'm emotional anyway, but putting together this short movie allowed me to really revisit the joy of having a child. The pictures remind me of what a treasure Grace is, and how grateful I am to have her in my life. It also helps me to realize how fortunate I feel that we get to have another little one. Please continue to pray for us- for me and my health, for the baby's healthy development, for Jason as he works hard on getting our house ready, and for Gracie, who's going to be a big sister!


("Gracie" sung by Ben Folds)

Happy Birthday to Me!

I just wanted to thank my friends for their well wishes, cards, calls, and emails this past week. So far, I can't say that being 31 is any different from 30, but it's only been a few days! I guess I'm actually "into the decade" now...

I've had some great meals in these last few days- Jason made me a special birthday dinner. It was delicious! He got me tickets to go see Josh Groban in August. I didn't get to see him when he was here in Fresno. The August concert will be in Stockton. Yeah, Stockton- go figure. Of course I'll post pictures when that time comes!

Calamari Steak with a Caper Cream Sauce on Linguine (and artichokes)

As well, I went out to dinner with a few of my friends to The Cheesecake Factory. I had such a wonderful time- good food and good conversation. It was nice to sit, relax, and talk... Thanks so much! I feel really blessed!

San Jose

This past weekend, our family went to San Jose to attend the wedding of one of Jason's childhood friends, Jon Patrick. The ceremony was sappy and lovey-dovey, and Lincoln Glen's gym was beautifully transformed! There were pretty lights hanging across the ceiling, and black drapes covered the awful walls underneath from top to bottom. It was great to see Jason's friends again and spend time with them. We stayed overnight with Darren and Julie Pozzi. Their daughter, Jenny, and Grace would make great friends if we saw them more often. They had a lot of fun together. The next day was Father's Day. It was a very hard day for Jason. We took our time getting ready in the morning, and soon headed off to Santa Cruz. Along the way, we drove through Jason's hometown, Los Gatos. It is truly one of the most charming places... It was pretty busy at Santa Cruz, so we drove further on to Capitola. We grabbed some lunch from Gayle's and headed to the beach to eat. Grace was so excited to be surrounded by sand that she barely ate. It was a bit chilly that day, despite the sun shining through. After eating, Grace and Jason played in the sand while I sat and tried to soak in the sun. We walked through the town and ended up at an ice cream shop. We usually let Grace share with us, but since it was a special day, we let her get her own cone. She picked "tink." Yum! We were so impressed that she didn't drop anything- she devoured it. It turned out to be a pretty relaxing day. Happy Father's Day to Jason- he is an amazing dad and I am so grateful to have such a great partner to share life and Gracie (and our littlest one) with.

George

We found out through Jamie Mack that at Edwards Theaters throughout the summer, they are doing free 10am showings of kids' movies. Isn't that cool? Not only is the movie free, but in this crazy heat, you get to go and sit in an air-conditioned theater! Today just so happened to be a showing of "Curious George." Grace has been into "George" lately. In fact, when she and I went shopping for her "big girl panties" last week, rather than choosing Dora, flowers, Cinderella, or Elmo, she actually chose "George." Anyway, Jason was able to take her since I'm taking a class all of this week. He said that she clapped when the movie started, and aside from two potty breaks, she sat and watched the whole movie without squirming, wanting to get out of her seat to run around, or falling asleep. No pictures to post- just thought I'd share about her first movie theater experience!
(By the way, I do have some pictures I'll post later on about our trip this past weekend to San Jose).

"The Last Supper"

(L to R: Russ & Alison Lee with Rebecca, Ethan, and Kendall; James & Ann Siebert with

Melody and Joy; Allen & Kristen Co with Jackson; Jason & Jane with Grace,

Brian & Teresa McCreary with Caleb and Joshua)

Our friends, James and Ann Siebert have been a part of our small group (Bible Study) for several years and tonight was their last night with us. Later this week, the Sieberts will be moving north to Edmonton, where they will continue working with Intervarsity and International Students at the University of Alberta. It has been so weird to be able to talk about my beloved hometown to people who will eventually get to experience and actually have an idea of what I'm talking about. Anyway, we joined together with all of our families for a barbecue tonight. The kids played in the kiddie pool while the adults just "hung out." While many goodbyes were said, for us, it was truly a "see you soon" because we will get to see them again in just a few short weeks in Edmonton. We're glad that we will still have the opportunity to see them and keep in touch- our girls are only a few weeks apart in age, and since our small group meets weekly, they have gotten to play together quite a bit over the years. Our families have shared a lot and been through a lot together. They have become an important part of our lives, and their support, encouragement, and prayers have been so deeply appreciated. We love them and will miss them dearly!