The Missing Notebook

The missing tights mystery was not that hard. Detective Rebecca wanted more excitement. She wanted to solve a harder mystery. Then here comes a harder one. Her notebook, in which she started to write her second fiction, was missing.

The notebook was a birthday present from her friend. It has black hard covers with a whitle letter "r" on the front. Gabby liked this notebook so much that she always wanted to have it. Mommy bought her a similar one. Gabby's notebook also has black hard covers, but no letter on the front. Without the letter, Gabby thought it was different from her sister's. So Mommy had Rebecca to write a letter "g" on the front using a white paint.

Rebecca noticed her notebook was missing when Mommy asked her to do some writing and she couldn't find the notebook. This was a harder mystery because no one knew when the notebook was missing

Mommy: Where did you put your notebook after you were done with your writing last time?
Rebecca: On the table.
Mommy: Mm ...

Mommy: You didn't take it. I didn't take it. Your Daddy didn't take it. Who could take it in this house?
Rebecca: Gabby! She always wants to have it.
Mommy: Where did she put it?
Rebecca: I don't know.

To ask Gabby where she put the notebook was probably the best way to find the notebook, but she didn't remember she ever took the notebook. So she was no help.

Mommy: What did you and Gabby recently play in the house?
Rebecca: Traveling.
Mommy: You packed the green frogy backpack when you played traveling, didn't you?

Rebecca looked at the green frogy backpack, and Mommy smiled.

Mommy: Go and check the backpack.

Rebecca went to the backpack. She opened it. Inside the backpack she found her missing notebook.

After solving two mysteries, Detective Rebecca feels quite confident to solve any mystery in the house.

The Missing Tights

Rebecca's dance tights were missing. This was first noticed by Mommy. They needed to find the tights.

They could look for everywhere in the house, but the easiest way is to find clues. They decided to do the later.

Mommy: When was your last time to wear them?
Rebecca: It was on Sunday afternoon. I wore them to my piano recital.
Mommy: When did you take them off?
Rebecca: I took them off when I got home.
Mommy: Where did you take them off?
Rebecca: I don't remember. It's probably in the Master bedroom.

Where Rebecca took off her tights was a critical question. The answer to this question could probably help her find the tights. They were in the Master bedroom when the above conversation took place, but they didn't see any tights. So Rebecca must have taken them off in some other place.

Mommy: What did you wear after you took off your dress and tights?
Rebecca: Pajamas.
Mommy: Where did you usually put your pajamas.
Rebecca: In my bedroom.
Mommy: So you changed in your bedroom after the piano recital. Check your bedroom to see if your tights are there.

Rebecca went to her bedroom and found her tights on the chair. The missing tights mystery was solved.

A Princess Party

Gabby got an invitation to a princess party.

What princess would Gabby be? Cinderella!

On the day of the party, "Cinderella" dressed up and then took Mommy's car to the party. After all the princesses arrived, the party started. First, the princesses got their hair done. Then they were put on lip gloss and nail polisher. After that the princesses had tea. After tea they played some games, and then they had lunch. At the end the princesses put on feather scalves and did a princess parade in the hallway. "Cinderella" didn't do the parade because she was more interested in a magic wand the store was selling.

Gabby liked to have her hair combed to a bun and put on make-up. Mommy took a lot of pictures. From these pictures Gabby was a little timid on the party, but as soon as they stepped out of the store she was back to herself and acted normally.

Mommy bought Gabby the magic wand which she insisted to have. Besides that she got a make-up kit which was included in her goody bag. From then on Gabby knows how to be a princess. A princess has to have a dress and put on make-up. Gabby has dresses, she also has her own make-up kit. So she is a princess.

Snow Mountain

Gabby was watching "Dora Climbs up Snow Moutain." In the movie Dora and Boots had to climb up to the top of Snow Mountain to find Dora's necklace.

Gabby: It is cold on Snow Mountain, but Dora and Boots are not wearing warm clothes.

What a discoverer!

Mommy: You're right. They should wear warm clothes. They will get sick.

Five or Six?

One day Gabby was coloring on a piece of paper she took from the school.

Gabby: Mommy, there are six animals on this paper, but why the number says 5?

Mommy looked at the paper. Gabby was right. There were six animals, but a big number 5 was printed on the top left of the paper. Mommy read the paper more carefully, then she noticed there were a few small words next to the big number 5. These words told the students to color 5 animals on that paper that the teacher would tell them. This is quite confusing for a three-year-old child. Mommy thought Gabby was right and they should change the number 5 to number 6. So Mommy took a marker and changed 5 to 6.

赛车记

妈妈带着GABBY来到交谊厅找爸爸和REBECCA。交谊厅里人真多，一下子很难找到他们。GABBY一到这里，就像鱼儿来到了 大海，趁着妈妈伸长脖子在人群中努力找爸爸和REBECCA的那么几秒钟，她一下子就钻得不见人影了。妈妈顾不上找爸爸和REBECCA，赶紧去找GABBY。

这是一个星期五的晚上，教会的AWANA T&T 举行手工汽车制作比赛。大概在一个多月前，REBECCA 有一天从教会拿回家一块木头和四个小轮子，她说要用这些原料造出一个汽车模型，几个星期后有比赛，有速度奖和造型设计奖。拿回木头的那个星期的周末爸爸就带着REBECCA和GABBY去泰国了，可他们没忘了带着REBECCA的汽车手工制作。当他们从泰国度假回来的时候，也带回来爸爸和REBECCA (当然还有爷爷)合作完成的汽车模型。妈妈好奇地问他们怎么将一块木头做成了 一个如此精巧的汽车模型，爸爸说他们在一个大概一元店的地方买了 一些锯齿，回到家后用这些锯齿锯出个大致形状。那些据齿很不结实 ，锯不了两下就短了，好在买了好几根，都用上了。然后他们从大姑的邻居家借来砂纸，将表面打磨光滑。汽车模型还差油漆，妈妈觉得在汽车模型的曲线造型上涂上一面美国国旗一定很棒，REBECCA 很喜欢这个主意。涂漆的工作由REBECCA单独完成。经过几个星期的努力，一辆美国国旗造型的汽车模型终于做成了。这期间，爸爸和妈妈还就汽车的重量是否会影响汽车从斜坡下滑的速度进行了探讨。那天晚上在去教会的路上，REBECCA 很沮丧地说，她觉得她的汽车得不了奖。妈妈说没关系，我们还有明年。九点三十分团契学习结束，爸爸一听赛车还没结束，赶紧就跑去交谊厅看去了，留下妈妈去接GABBY。妈妈接上GABBY 后也来到交谊厅，于是出现了本文开头的情景。

妈妈很快在人群中找到了 GABBY，她紧紧地找着GABBY的小手，免得她一不留神又跑丢了。这时候，妈妈远远地看见爸爸和REBECCA，爸爸手里居然拿着一个金亮亮的奖杯！妈妈不敢相信自己的眼睛，赶紧拉着GABBY朝他们走过去。

妈妈：是不是每人都有一个奖？
爸爸：不是！REBECCA 的汽车得了速度三等奖呢！
妈妈：真的？ WHAT A SURPRISE！

回家的路上大家都很兴奋。REBECCA 说明年她要做一辆海豚汽车。爸爸说明年争取拿个速度一等奖回来。妈妈说看来她的关于汽车重量对其下滑速度的影响的理论没错，REBECCA的汽车很轻，可是它击败了 比它重的很多车。

这次赛车给全家留 下了 很美好的回忆，主要是全家人都参与了，而且比赛结果很出人意料之外。

安“屁股”门

十月的头两个星期REBECCA的学校放秋假，爸爸带着她和妹妹GABBY去泰国看望大姑，爷爷奶奶也在这个时候去泰国，一家人在泰国团团圆圆渡过了令人难忘的两个星期。

回到美国，除了给妈妈讲他们在泰国游玩的经历外，REBECCA 还津津乐道地给妈妈讲起了“腚”和“屁股”的笑话。

REBECCA：你知道“屁股”又叫做“腚”吗？
妈妈：知道。

REBECCA：这个“腚”字是一个“月”字旁加一个“定”。有一个字根它很像，是一个三点水旁加一个“定”，那个字念“店”。

接着REBECCA给妈妈绘声绘色地模仿某位别字大王背诵“白洋淀的故事”。那位别字大王认字认一边，将“淀”念成“定”，旁边的人听着就以为是“腚”。 妈妈以前听过这个笑话，但经REBECCA一模仿，妈妈觉得特别逗。当背诵到“鬼子的汽艇在定里转了一天”时，她和妈妈都忍不住笑了。

下面这个笑话是妈妈以前没有听过的。有一个东北人到了北京，有一天他出门乘坐公共汽车，上车时车门夹住了他的屁股，他对司机大喊：“车门夹住我的腚了！”那位司机给他开了门让他上了车，但没好气地说：“在这里要说屁股，不要说腚！”过了一会儿司机问那位刚才被夹的乘客要到那里下车，那位乘客回答说：“在安屁股门下车！”

“哈－哈－哈！”妈妈被逗乐了。

安“屁股”门这下成了口头语，妈妈和REBECCA有事没事就要说上几遍，然后笑一阵。GABBY看到妈妈和姐姐那么开心的样子，知道这个安“屁股”门是一个逗乐的东西。

GABBY：我在安“屁股”门下车！
妈妈（惊讶地）：你也在安“屁股”门下车？
GABBY（泰然自若地）：是。

说这话时GABBY正在浴缸里洗澡。她接下来说的几句话是前无古人，后无来者，充分体现了她在用词造句方面的能力。

GABBY：我在安“屁股”门洗澡！

洗完澡，GABBY躺到床上盖上被子。

GABBY：我在安“屁股”门进ＣＯＣＯＯＮ！

待妈妈给她穿好衣服，GABBY又来了一句。

GABBY：我在安“屁股”门拉臭！

哈-哈-哈！经GABBY这么一造句，这个安“屁股”门变得可真神奇！

Jump Rope for Heart

One day Rebecca took home a package for Jump Rope for Heart.

Rebecca: How much money do I have?

Mommy gives her money when she does some work at house. She earned $4.50 dollars. A few days ago, she used $1.00 to buy “squeeshes.” So she still had $3.50.

Mommy: Three dollars and fifty cents.

Rebecca: Can I donate my money to Jump Rope for Heart?

Mommy: Yes, you can.

Rebecca: I want to earn more money and also donate it to Jump Rope for Heart. Can I earn more money by doing work for you?

Mommy: Sure.

That day Rebecca offered to clean the downstairs bathroom. She cleaned the mirrors and the sink. Mommy gave her $1.50.

Two days before the Jump Rope for Heart form was due, Mommy told Rebecca she had five dollars and asked if she wanted to donate all of it. She said yes.

Rebecca: Can I earn more money by washing dishes?

Mommy: Yes. You can earn two dollars.

Washing dishes is usually Daddy’s job. That night he was relaxing in the couch and watching TV.

Rebecca donated seven dollars to Jump Rope for Heart.

Gabby Goes "Camping"

Gabby likes to go "camping" with Mommy.

Mommy puts two chairs some distance apart, then covers the chairs with a big blanket. A tent is done! Gabby uses two pillows to make a bed in the tent.

It's "night" time. Gabby turns off the light. She calls Mommy to come to sleep. They sleep with heads together. They keep quiet just as they do at bed time.

After "sleeping" for a little while, Gabby whispers to Mommy, "Don't move!" She gets up and turns on the light.

"It's day time! Wake up, Mommy!"

Mommy gets up.

The "camping" is fun!

Noah's Ark

Gabby likes to play "Noah's Ark" with Mommy.

Mommy is Noah. A big Macy's shopping bag is the ark. When Noah blows the flute, it's the time for the "animals" to go to the ark. Gabby takes them to the ark one by one.

After all the "animals" enter the ark. It starts to "rain." Noah takes the ark and Gabby. They go to the top of the "mountain" which is the couch. It is "flooded" everywhere, but Noah, Gabby and the "animals" are safe. After a while, the "rain" stops. Noah, Gabby and the "animals" then came out of the "mountain" and dance for returning to the dry land.

Squeeshes (2)

The “squeesh” has been the topic of the bed talk of Rebecca and Mommy.

“There are three types of squeeshes: Jungle Mania, Zoo Mania and Sea Mania.” Rebecca told Mommy.

“Each type of squeesh has different animals.” Rebecca continued to tell Mommy what animals they were.

“What type of squeesh do you think I like the most?” Rebecca asked Mommy.

“Sea Mania.” Mommy replied.

“How do you know?” asked Rebecca.

“I just know it,” said Mommy.

“Can we go to Bashas to buy some squeeshes some day? It’s 25 cents each.”

“Sure. We’ll go tomorrow.”

Rebecca’s desire was also Mommy’s desire. On the next day after picking up Rebecca and Gabby Mommy took them to Bashas. They found the vendor machines that sold squeeshes. Mommy bought four for Rebecca and four for Gabby. These little squeeshes were very cute. Rebecca and Gabby were very happy. Mommy was happy, too.

Squeeshes

On Monday Rebecca brought home two rubber animals. They were tiny. One was a pig, the other was a seahorse. Both were pink, soft and cute. Rebecca called them “Squeeshes.” They belonged to her friend, Angela, who kindly let Rebecca and other two friends take them home by turn. When Gabby got home she saw Rebecca was playing with the “Squeeshes.”

Gabby: I want that!
Rebecca: No!
Gabby: Mommy, Sister doesn’t give that to me!
Mommy: Could you give one “Squeesh” to Gabby?
Rebecca: No! She will lose it.
Gabby (crying): I want that!
……

Mommy: If you don’t want to share them with Gabby, you’d better put them away and don’t play with them in front of her.

Rebecca thought for a while. Then she began the following conversation with Gabby.

Rebecca: Say the magic words!
Gabby: Please!
Rebecca: Say “Please Rebecca, Angela, Alice and Sarah!”
Gabby: Please Rebecca, Angela, Alice and Sarah!
Rebecca: Say “I won’t lose it.”
Gabby: I won’t lose it.
Rebecca: Say “ I will give it back to you when I don’t want to play it any more.”
Gabby: I will give it back to you when I don’t want to play it any more.

Then Rebecca shared the “Squeesh” pig with Gabby. Mommy was happy that they worked out the problem by themselves.

Gabby Goes “Shopping”

Gabby carries one handbag in one hand and some “money” in another. She is going “shopping.” She comes to a “store,” in which Mommy and Rebecca are busy setting up the items.

Gabby: Ding-dong.
Mommy: The store is not open yet.

Gabby waits outside of the "store" very patiently. A few minutes later, the “store” is open. Gabby walks in. The “store” sells all kinds of things: toys, foods, books, pets. All the items have a price tag.

Mommy: Welcome to our store! What do you want to buy?
Gabby: I want that ball?
Mommy: How much is it?
Gabby (reading the price tag): Two dollars.
Mommy: Give me two dollars.

Gabby gave Mommy two “dollar bills,” and Mommy handed her the ball. Rebecca helped Mommy to put the money into the cashier register.

Mommy: What do you want to buy?
Gabby: I want that car?
……

Very soon Gabby bought all the toys. Then she began to buy foods. She bought all the vegetables, fishes and eggs.

Rebecca: Will she buy all the things in our “store?”
Mommy: Probably. She has a lot of "money."

But Gabby doesn’t buy everything in the “store.” She buys a book and then she wants to leave.

Mommy: Thank you for shopping with us. See you next time!

Mommy plans someday she and Rebecca will open a “shopping mall," which will consists of a few stores. Each store will be in a different room. Gabby will love it!

Gabby Goes to School

This time it is about Gabby going to a real school. The preschool started last Wednesday. Her new teacher is Mrs. Barchus. Gabby needs to wear school uniforms. She looks really cute in them. She has a school bag which is sent home on Fridays. She is adorable when carrying her school bag on her back.

She likes to sing the songs she learned from school. The following is one she sings in these days.

“My God is so great,
He is so strong and so mighty and
There's nothing he cannot do - for you.”

She likes to hold a book and pretends it is Bible.

“What is this? It is Bible! Say Bible!”

“God gave us Bible!”

One day she took a book and read very carefully:

“… heavens and earth ….”

Mommy told her the right way to say it is:

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Isn't it wonderful to hear Gabby reciting a bible verse?

[Psalm 8:2] From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.

Happy Tears

Last Friday night on the way back home from the church Rebecca sang:

“If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands.
If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands.
……

If you are sad and you know it, cry it out.
If you are sad and you know it, cry it out.
……”

Gabby sang after Rebecca:

“If you are happy and you know it, cry it out.
If you are happy and you know it, cry it out.
……”

Mommy (laughing): Why do you cry when you are happy?

Rebecca (laughing): She is having happy tears.

The Stinky Bomb Queen

Everyone has digestive gases to expel from their body sometimes. Rebecca calls these gases “stinky bombs.” When she says “a stinky bomb is activated,” it means she just expels some digestive gases from her body.

Rebecca: A stinky bomb is just activated!

Mommy laughs and starts to hold her breath.

Rebecca (laughing): It’s a false alarm.

With more and more “false alarms,” Mommy now has to ask if it is false or real when Rebecca announces one. Mommy says Rebecca could be called “the stinky bomb factory,” but Rebecca says she is “the stinky bomb queen.”

One day when the "queen" was taking bath in the bathtub she found out she could make the sound of a “stinky bomb” by putting her hand in her armpit and then using her arm to hit her hand. “Bu Bu Bu” was the sound she made. She was very happy about that and called Mommy to come over and watch. Mommy remembered that her two brothers used to do that when they were little boys. All the kids like to do this little funny thing!

“Ha ha ha!" laughed Mommy and Rebecca.

When a “stinky bomb is activated,” it brings a lot of laughing.

Polar Ice

This Summer Rebecca and Gabby have enjoyed ice skating at Polar Ice on Saturdays. Gabby’s class is at 10:35 am, and Rebecca’s at 11:10 am. After their classes, they eat lunch at the food shop located inside Polar Ice while waiting for the public session to start at 12:30 pm. At the public session, Daddy, Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby all go to skate.

The person who has made the greatest progress is Rebecca. She learned how to skate on her first lesson and has made continuous progress. She started at Basics One, and now she is working on Basics Four.

Gabby has made the second greatest progress. On the first lesson she didn’t want to go onto the ice. In the next a few weeks she took "Parent and Me" (sometimes "Sister and Me"). After four lessons with a parent, she can skate all by herself! Now she loves to skate.

Mommy is the third person who has made great progress. On the first day she was afraid of ice skating like Gabby. And now she can skate! She learned all by herself during the public session.

Have Daddy made any progress? Only Daddy knows the answer. Rebecca said, “Daddy was a good skater already. So he doesn’t need to make any progress.” Mommy said he was on the top of the mountain ahead of them and was waiting for them to catch up with him.

They will continue to skate at Polar Ice, especially Rebecca who wants to be professional in figure skating.

Gabby Goes to "School"

Carrying the green Froggy backpack on her back and a basket in one hand, Gabby was ready to go to "school."

Gabby: I’m going to school, Mommy! I’ll take the school bus. Take me to the bus stop, please!

Mommy took her to the “bus stop” which was in the living room. Gabby got on the “school bus” which was the couch.

Mommy: Bye! Have a great day!
Gabby: Bye!

Gabby sat on the “school bus” for a little while. Then she was back from school in the "school bus" and Mommy went to pick her up at the "bus stop."

Mommy waved to Gabby. Gabby got off the “school bus” and ran to Mommy. She handed Mommy the basket.

Gabby: Mommy, this is a surprise for you.
Mommy: Thank you! Do you have a great day at school?
Gabby: Yes.

Gabby held Mommy’s hands. They walked "home" happily.

The Stinky Potty

Rebecca and Gabby love to go camping. They had a great time at every camping trip. The only thing they don’t like about camping is the restroom. Because there is no flushing at the camp site the restroom doesn’t smell well and there are some flies in there. Gabby called it “stinky potty.” She plugged her nose and refused to use it. Fortunately Mommy brought her the little potty. So she could use that in the tent. Mommy also brought a basin for Rebecca to use. When they left the camp site Rebecca, Gabby and Mommy waved goodbye to the “stinky potty.” They couldn't help laughing. Maybe they'll see it next year.

Picnicking

Gabby: Mommy, are you hungry?
Mommy: Yes.
Gabby: I cooked some food for you.
Mommy: Great!

Gabby showed Mommy a toy plate with some toy fishes on it.

Gabby: Do you like fish?
Mommy: Yes.

Mommy wanted to “eat” the fish.

Gabby: Not yet. We’ll have a picnic.

Gabby put down the plate and fish on the floor.

Gabby: Don’t eat it yet, Mommy!

Gabby started to lay down a blanket on the floor. Mommy helped her. Then she moved the plate onto the blanket.

Gabby: Come and sit down, Mommy!

Gabby and Mommy sat down on the blanket. Gabby gave Mommy a plate and some fish.

Gabby: Mommy, eat it!

Gabby and Mommy “ate” the fishes. They had a great time playing picnicking.

Goodbye, Summer 2010!

Last weekend Daddy, Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby joined a group camping trip in Payson. The trip was organized by the Church Fellowship Group. It last three days and two nights. The elevation of the camp site is 7700 ft above the sea level. While it is very hot in Phoenix, it is much cooler there. It rained every afternoon when they were there. On the first day when they arrived, the mountain was coved in clouds.

There were 11 families went camping. It was a carnival for the kids. Rebecca and her friends visited one tent after the other. They played games. Gabby loved to pick up the twigs and rocks on the ground and she was busying doing that. At night they lit a bonfire. The kids put marshmallows on twigs and heated them on the fire. Soon they left to play on their own. The parents then sat down around the bonfire to chat. They played a game in which two killers killed one person every night and the police and the public worked together to find out the killers. Daddy played this game, but Mommy didn’t. She was with Gabby.

On the second day they played by the Willow Lake. Daddy rented two rafting boats. So they did boating. They also did fishing, but caught no fish. They tied a piece of chicken meat to one end of a twig and caught some crawfish using this device. The caught crawfish didn’t live long. One crawfish lived till the next morning, but it died after Gabby and two other boys played with it for a couple of hours while the parents were busying cleaning up. It was sad. Mommy dug a hole and buried it. Before leaving for home they went to the Woods Canyon Lake and caught some more crawfish there. They put four in a water bottle and planned to pet them, but they died on the way home.

On the way home Rebecca said there was no place like home, but Gabby wanted to go back to the tent.

This was the last weekend in this summer. They came back home on Sunday night. Rebecca’s school started on the next day. Goodbye, summer 2010!

If You Can Say Nothing Nice

Gabby: Thumber?
Rebecca: Yes, Mama.
Gabby: What did your father talk to you this morning?
Rebecca: If you can say nothing nice, say nothing at all.

……

The above is a little dialogue which Rebecca and Gabby learned from the movie Bambi. Thumber is the name of a little rabbit. The following is a little conversation between Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby.

One day Rebecca was upset and crying.

Gabby: Mommy, what is Sister doing?
Mommy: She is whining.
Rebecca: Mommy, I don’t want you to tell Gabby that?
Mommy: What do you want me to tell her then?
Rebecca: Say nothing.
Mommy: OK. If I can say nothing nice, say nothing at all! I got it.

Gabby's Presents

In the afternoon when Mommy and Rebecca pick up Gabby at her classroom, her teacher hands Mommy a few pieces of paper stapled together. The first page is her activities and behavior of the day. What do they do? How does she feel? How much does she eat? How long does she sleep? They usually learn letters and numbers. Gabby always is cooperative and feels great. She eats some and sleeps for about 2 hours. The other paper is Gabby’s work at school. Most of the time it is a coloring page. Sometimes it is a little art work, such as an animal mask made from a paper plate.

Seeing Mommy is holding her paper, Gabby always says, “I made it for you, Mommy! I colored inside the lines.”

“This is awesome!” says Mommy. Gabby’s presents always make her feel very sweet in her heart.

Sharing

Kids are taught to share. At school they are taught to share with other kids. At home they are taught to share with their siblings.

Like all the other kids, Rebecca and Gabby have been taught to share. At home Daddy and Mommy have been teaching them to share toys or snack with each other. They have been doing very well in sharing, and Daddy and Mommy are very proud of them.

Sharing is not only a lesson for kids, but it is also for adults.

On a Saturday evening Daddy and Mommy took Rebecca and Gabby to eat McDonald’s for dinner. Mommy was not hungry, so she just asked Daddy to order her a McFlurry. Daddy ordered Happy Meals for Rebecca and Gabby and a hamburger for himself. They sat down at a table and started to eat. Mommy’s McFlurry looked yummy. First Rebecca wanted to taste some, then Gabby wanted to do the same. After that, they wanted to taste more.

“Mommy, save some for me!” said Rebecca, afraid that Mommy would finish it all.

“Save some for me too,” said Gabby.

“Hey, girls! This is my McFlurry!” said Mommy.

“Mommy, you got to share!” said both Rebecca and Gabby at the same time.

Well, what can Mommy say? This is what she and Daddy have been teaching them to do.

When Gabby Is Hungry

On the way to the camp site Daddy bought bubble gum. Every a few hours Gabby would say she was hungry.

When Gabby was hungry, what did she want to eat?

Mommy: Do you want some Cheetos?
Gabby: No.
Daddy: Do you want some crackers?
Gabby: No.
Mommy: What do you want to eat?
Gabby: You tell me what I can eat.
Mommy: Bubble gum?
Gabby (nodding her head): Yes. I want bubble gum.

At home Daddy bought popsicles. In the afternoon when Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby got home Gabby would say she was hungry.

Mommy: Do you want some crackers?
Gabby: No.
Mommy: Do you want some cookie?
Gabby: No.
Mommy: What do you want to eat?
Gabby: I want a popsicle.
Mommy: OK. You can have one.

A few minutes later Gabby finished her popsicle.

Gabby: I am still hungry.
Mommy: Do you want some crackers?
Gabby: No.
Mommy: What do you want to eat?
Gabby: A popsicle.
Mommy: OK. You can have another one, and this is the last one.

The Antelope Canyon

This was the last day of the camping trip. Daddy, Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby would take a tour to the Antelope Canyon.

At the breakfast they prayed for Allen and a safe trip back home. It’s amazing how this little prayer worked. On the way back home a tragedy almost happened to them, but God didn’t let it happen. A little more detail will be mentioned later.

After the breakfast Daddy and Mommy were pulling down the tents and getting everything loaded on the minivan. Rebecca and Gabby were playing in the minivan. It took about 2 hours to clean up everything. Rebecca and Gabby were doing very well entertaining themselves while Daddy and Mommy were busy.

Leaving the camp site, they went to the place where the tour to the Antelope Canyon would begin. They rode at the back of a truck and part of the road was dirty. While the Grand Canyon is wide and deep, the Antelope Canyon is the opposite. It is a small crack in the rock. It is very narrow. At some places it can only allow two people walking through side by side. It is dark in there, and the sunlight shines through the narrow crack and creates a very special light effect. Maybe it’s this strong contrast of darkness and brightness in the canyon that have attracted many tourists every year. The tour guide began to play his flute when they came to a place. The slow and soft music of flute echoed in the canyon. At that moment the canyon and the music seemed to be telling people the unpredictability of the things on the earth.

Such a beautiful place could be dangerous. At the end of the canyon, the tour guide told them that the Antelope Canyon could get flooded on rainy days. The flood comes so fast that you can't run away if you are in the canyon. A tragedy happened before in which some tourists were killed.

After the tour they ate lunch at McDonald’s. It was 1:12 pm that they set out for home. At a scenic view point they stopped to take some pictures. Mommy was trying to get hold of Gabby because the view point was very close to the freeway and it was very dangerous if she ran around. Thinking Mommy was playing a chasing game with her, Gabby started to run. She was running faster and faster. Mommy grabbed her right before she got to the freeway!

Daddy, Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby got home around 6:30 pm. They stopped at Allen’s house first to drop their tent. He was still not good.

Thank God for a safe trip back home! Many things are unpredictable, but God is in charge.

The Rainbow Bridge

The Rainbow Bridge was the scenic site they had planned to visit on the second day of this camping trip. Taking a boat is the only way to get to the Rainbow Bridge. Daddy had already reserved a boat at a boat rental in Big Water, Utah, which was about 20 minutes drive from the camp site. He had planned that the first thing in the morning was to get the boat with Allen’s Daddy.

They woke up before 7:00 am in the morning because the sun was already shining and the birds were singing. Daddy and Allen's Daddy didn't go to get the boat as planned because Allen still didn't feel well. His feet were swollen. Daddy cooked breakfast for the two families. It was rice soup and steamed buns. After breakfast Allen's Mommy and Daddy had to take him to the Emergency Room for a check. So Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby went with Daddy to pick up the boat. Rebecca was a little excited about that because she could go to a different state.

The boat can fit nine people. They also had to rent a truck to tow the boat. When they were back to the camp site, Allen’s family was not back yet. So they loaded the food on the boat and set for the dock by themselves. At the dock Daddy drove the truck and the boat into the water first, then he got the boat off the trailer and drove it to the boarding area to load Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby. Then he had to drive the truck to the parking lot. When Daddy got aboard, it was about 11:00 am.

Daddy was the Captain who drove the boat. The boat was a little bumpy. It’s nice to look at the cliffs by the lake and let the breeze blowing on the face. The Captain tried to get to the Rainbow Bridge, but it was too far. They had to return to the dock to get Allen’s family. The doctor at the ER said Allen got virus that caused his stomach ache, swollen feet and joint pain. At the dock they ate lunch and talked about Allen’s disease. After lunch they navigated on the lake for a couple of more hours and then it’s about the time to return the boat.

Daddy and Allen’s Daddy went to return the boat while all the other people were waiting at the camp ground registration. Gabby found an antler which was actually a twig. After returning the boat, Allen’s Daddy and Mommy decided to go back home because of Allen’s situation. They left without pulling down the tent which Daddy and Mommy would pull down and wrap for them on the next day.

Daddy, Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby went to swim in the lake. The water was a little cold. They only swam for a little while. At the registration Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby took a 15-minute shower which cost $2. It was about 7:30 pm when they got back to the camp site. Daddy cooked steamed buns and instant noodles for dinner.

They were told there was fireworks that night, but they didn’t go. They went to bed after the dinner. Daddy and Mommy were worried about Allen. Daddy called Allen’s Daddy and got to know they just passed Flagstaff. Mommy prayed for Allen.

They didn't see the Rainbow Bridge, but that's ok. Caring a sick child was more important than that.

The Horseshoe Bend

The horseshoe bend is the first scenic site during this camping trip. Located at the downstream of the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, the horseshoe bend is a horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River. There is about 1.5 mile walk from the highway to the horseshoe bend. The two families got there around 4:00 pm. Looking down at the horseshoe bend from the top makes you feel scared because the cliff is very deep. Little kids cannot get too close to the edge by themselves. They saw a few boats down on the river and a little house at the bank. The boats and house looked very small.

After leaving the horseshoe bend there was a little more driving to get to the camp site. It was about 6:30 pm. Mommies started to cook. They used portable gas stoves. Daddies started to setup the tents. The kids were watching a cartoon movie called The Adventures of the Little Carp. The dinner was instant noodles. After the dinner, they ate watermelon. They saw a lot of stars in the sky, which they didn’t see very often at home. They went to bed around 10:00 pm. The tent was very spacious. Rebecca and Daddy slept on one air bed, and Gabby and Mommy slept on another. Rebecca fell asleep very fast. Gabby was a little excited, but she also fell asleep very soon.

Allen didn’t feel very well. He had stomach ache, and his stomach ache started when they were at home one day before. He cried in the middle of the night. His parent gave him medicine and a few minutes later he stopped crying. The first night was not very quiet.

The Lake Powell

The Lake Powell is where Daddy and Mommy will take Rebecca and Gabby to camp this weekend. They will go with Allen's family. Allen has a little brother whose name was Benny. Benny was three months younger than Gabby. The following is some information about the Lake Powell.

The Lake Powell is located near the border of Utah and Arizona. It stretches from the Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona up the Colorado River through Utah, past the San Juan confluence to Hite for a total of 186 miles. It has more than 2,000 miles of shoreline, more than the entire west coast of the United States. The sparkling blue waters of the Lake Powell are framed by towering rock formations and soaring red cliffs. Each year millions of visitors flock to the area to enjoy the breathtaking scenery and numerous water activities including boating, water skiing, scuba diving and fishing.

Can you imagine such a magnificent lake did not exist 50 years ago? The Lake Powell was created in 1963 when the Glen Canyon Dam held back the waters of the Colorado River. Remarkably, it took 17 years for the lake to fill the canyon to the high water mark (3700' above sea level). It was named after Major John Wesley Powell, a civil-war veteran and explorer who did the first exploration on the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.

Originated in Colorado, the Colorado River meanders through Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California and then enters Gulf of California. Several dams have been built along the Colorado River beginning with Glen Canyon Dam. Other dams include Hoover Dam, Parker Dam, Davis Dam, Palo Verde Diversion Dam, and Imperial Dam. The impoundment of Hoover Dam created the Lake Mead. Last summer when Daddy, Mommy, Grandma, Rebecca and Gabby went to Las Vegas they passed Hoover Dam. Since the construction of the dams, the majority of the water is diverted away from the Colorado River. The last drops evaporate in the Sonoran Desert, miles before the river reaches the Gulf of California.

The dams have destroyed the natural habitats for wild lives. But why they were built? They were built for water supply and generation of hydroelectric power. Several cities such as Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Diego have aqueducts leading all the way back to the Colorado River. The Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal, which begins at Parker Dam and runs all the way to Phoenix and then Tucson to supplement those cities' water needs.

The Police Girl

Gabby recently learned that the car had to stop when it came to a red light and it could go when the light turned to green. She watches for the red light and warns Daddy or Mommy to stop when she sees one.

Yesterday Mommy took Gabby and Rebecca to Hamilton Swimming Pool. They had a lot of fun at the pool. On the way back home Mommy turned left at an intersection when the light was yellow. It was alright for the traffic regulations, but not alright for Gabby. She thought Mommy should stop and wait for the green light. She felt ashamed and cried for Mommy's "misbehavior." She kept crying no matter what Mommy said to her.

Today she still remembers Mommy's "misbehavior" yesterday.

"Mommy, we went to swim yesterday and you didn't listen. You kept going when the light was yellow. I want you to stop and wait for the green light!"

What a police girl!

Bead Pets

These are the seven bead pets Rebecca and Mommy have made: a frog, a dog, a cat , a rabbit, a gecko, a dragonfly, and a chick. Are they cute? The beads are the birthday present from Miranda.

If You Give Gabby A Rope

If you give Gabby a rope, she'll want to do jump rope with you. She'll hold one end and let you hold the other end. Then you'll flip the rope with her. This is how she does jump rope.

After the jump rope, she'll want to play Donkey Ollie with you. She'll be Donkey Ollie who was thrown into a well by her brothers. You'll pull her up using the rope. Then you'll be Donkey Ollie, and she'll pull you up.

After Donkey Ollie, she'll want to play horse rides. You'll crawl on the floor like a horse. She'll tie the rope on you and ride on your back. When she pulls the rope, you'll say "Neigh" and pull your upper body upright. She'll laugh happily on your back.

After the horse rides, she'll want to play doggie. You'll crawl like a doggie. She will tie the rope on you and take you for a walk. Fortunately she does not ride on the doggie.

After the walk, you'll get tired and want to put that rope away from Gabby and tell her no more rope today.

Gabby's Child Talks (6)

Spider Crawls
In the morning Daddy wakes up Gabby by giving her a massage on her back. After waken up, Gabby gets up and goes to Potty. Then she comes back to the bed and wants some more massage before letting Daddy change her clothes. She calls Daddy's massage "spider crawls."

"Mommy, Drink Some Water! "
Last night Mommy was playing with Gabby. After a while, Gabby stopped and ran to the refrigerator. She took a mug and got some water from the refrigerator. She drank some and then gave the mug to Mommy.

"Mommy, drink some water, or your nose will be dry."

What a sweet girl!

Father's Day 2010

- By Rebecca

My Dad likes to go to Fitness Works. He likes to eat. He picks me up and swings me around.

Sometimes my Dad takes me to Fitness Works.

The thing I like to do best with my Dad is swimming and tennis.

If my Dad could take a trip to anywhere in the world, he would go to China because his parents are there.

If my Dad had a whole day to do anything at all he would work.

My Dad's favorite food is ice cream.

If I had lots of Money I would buy my Dad a house with furniture and a car.

Oragami

Recently Rebecca is fascinated with Oragami. She wants Mommy to write a blog about it. She mentioned that a couple of times. Mommy doesn't know much about Oragami. To make her wish come true, Mommy did the following interview with her.

Mommy: What is Oragami?
Rebecca: It's an art that uses paper to fold objects.

Mommy: Why are you interested in Oragami?
Rebecca: Because it is fun. It is fun to look at the object I make when it is done.

Mommy: What objects can you make?
Rebecca: All kinds of things, such as rose, lily, water lily, water lotus, shrimp, crane, Christmas tree, piano, just to name a few.

Mommy: What do you use to make your Oragami objects?
Rebecca: All kinds of paper that is not used, such as my used homework sheet and Gabby's daily school report.

Mommy: How often do you make Oragami objects?
Rebecca: Whenever I have a piece of paper I'll fold it into an Oragami object. I do it at home, at school, and in the car.

Mommy: How many Oragami objects you have made?
Rebecca: A lot.
(This is true. There are Oragami objects everywhere at home.)

Mommy: How do you learn it?
Rebecca: From the internet. Also from my friends at the summer camp.

Mommy: When did you become interested in Oragami?
Rebecca: I was about seven and a half years old. One day at my drawing class a boy named David brought a book about Oragami. He made an Oragami flower basket. I thought it was cute, and then I became interested in Oragami. I started to search on the internet on how to make Oragami objects and follow the instruction to make those objects on my own.

Mommy: What is the hardest Oragami object you have learned so far?
Rebecca: Lily and water lotus.

Mommy: What is your wish about Oragami?
Rebecca: I wish to write a book about it some day.

Oragami Water Lotuses Made by Rebecca

The High Dive

Jumping from a high dive board sounds scary, but Rebecca did it! She was very excited about it and felt very proud of herself.

On her first trip to the swimming pool with the summer camp team Rebecca saw some kids jumping from the high dive board, but she didn’t. The high dive board was too high for her. But jumping from it looked so fun. She would give it a try on the next swimming trip.

One day passed. There would be another swimming trip on the next day. At the evening on the way to the piano lesson Rebecca told Mommy she wanted to list a few things that could help her jump from the high dive board. Mommy told her the following:

1. Close your eyes.
2. Say “I can do it!” to yourself.
3. Say “God, help me!”

Rebecca concluded the last two into this:

“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”

She read this on the wall of the girl’s restroom. She said she would jump while keeping her eyes closed and saying this sentence to herself. Great idea!

On the next day Rebecca didn’t jump. It’s because she was not given the chance. She didn’t have parent permission to take a swim test. Without taking the swim test, she can’t go the deep water and the high dive. She took the swim test on her first trip and passed it, so everybody (i.e., Daddy, Mommy and herself) thought there would not be any problem. But that day they went to a different pool and Rebecca needed to take the swim test by the staff at that pool. She had worked so hard in her mind. What a pity!

“That’s okay!” Mommy said, “You’ll have chance next week!”

A few days passed. There would be a swimming trip again on the next day. At bedtime Rebecca told Mommy her fear of the high dive board. They prayed. They asked God to help Rebecca and take away her fear.

“I am still scared.” Rebecca couldn’t fall asleep.

“We have prayed. God has listened and he will help you and he will take away your fear. Trust in God!” Mommy said.

“I trust in him, but I am still scared. How can he take away my fear?”

“If Mommy tells you she will pick you up at school or at the bus stop, she will. If God says he will help you, he will. We don’t know how he will do it, but we know he will.”

“Now all I am thinking about is the high dive. I can’t stop thinking of it.”

“Think about your fear is a backpack. Now you give this backpack to God. It’s so heavy for you to carry. God is stronger and he can carry it for you. By giving it to God, you don’t think about it any more. Think about something really fun, like the fairytales play, or your birthday party.”

Then Rebecca and Mommy started to talk about the fairytales play. Very soon Rebecca fell asleep.

Then on the next day it happened as written in the beginning of this blog. A friend told her not to look at the water but the palm tree by the pool, and it helped her.

When asked how she felt, Rebecca said, “I felt I was sky diving."

Praise God! He helped Rebecca and took away her fear. He did that through that friend. Thank you, friend!

A Little Conversation

Gabby: I’m awake.
Mommy: Get up.
Gabby: I want to change to the pink dress.
Mommy: You have the ice skating lesson today. You can’t wear the dress.
Gabby: I don’t want to skate.
Mommy: Don’t worry. Mommy will hold your hands to skate.
Gabby: I don’t want to skate.
Mommy: You won’t fall.
Gabby: I don’t want to skate.

……

Mommy: Ok. Let’s put on your pink dress.

Mommy started to put on the pink dress on Gabby.

Mommy: You can skate with your pink dress on. Do you want to skate?
Gabby: Yes. I want to skate.
Mommy: You’ll skate with your dress on then.
Gabby (excitedly): A little kid like me can skate! I won’t fall.

Hatching an Egg

Gabby hatched an egg.

It’s true.

One day Mommy wanted to cook some egg for dinner. She took out the egg carton from the refrigerator, opened the egg carton, and took out one egg. Seeing that, Gabby ran to Mommy. She grabbed the egg from Mommy’s hands.

“I want to hatch the egg.” Gabby said.

“Ok!” Mommy stepped aside and watched.

Gabby took the egg and a bowl. She hit the egg on the edge of the bowl. Nothing happened. She hit harder. Then there was a little crack on the egg shell. She put the egg in the bowl and smashed it.

“I hatched it.” She exclaimed.

“Great job!” Mommy said. She then had to remove the egg shell from the bowl.

Hatching an egg is not that hard, isn’t it? Who says that a chicken is necessary when hatching an egg? Not every egg can be hatched to give birth to a chicken. Some don't, like the one Gabby hatched.

Apple Boat

Rebecca's summer camp team makes two trips to the public swimming pools every week. Before each trip Mommy put the sunscreen in her bag and tells her to put it on her face, arms and legs before going into the water.

On the day of Rebecca’s first swimming trip, on the way back home Mommy asked Rebecca if she put on Sunscreen. Rebecca said she did, but she asked why Mommy didn’t put Banana Boat (a brand of sunscreen) in her bag. Well, that’s because Mommy couldn’t find it.

Hearing Mommy and Rebecca’s conversation, Gabby said, “I want Apple Boat!”

“Apple Boat? Do you want Banana Boat?” Mommy asked her.

“No. I like Apple Boat.”

……

At evening Gabby asked Mommy to take her to swim, and she wanted Apple Boat.

Gabby's Apple Boat is a boat like an apple, maybe. She was probably thinking of a real boat when she heard Mommy and Rebecca talking about swimming and Banana Boat. How cute!

Bugga Bugga

Bugga is not a word you can find its meaning in a dictionary. It means “bug.” It was created in Dora the Explorer. There is an episode called “Bugga Bugga,” in which Dora and Boots helps a Mama Bugga bring a giant cookie to her baby Buggas. How much Mama Bugga loves her Baby Buggas!

After watching that episode, Mommy got new names for her two sweethearts. She calls them Buggas: Big Bugga and Little Bugga. Why? The reasons are as follows:

First of all, the Baby Buggas in the Dora Explorer movie are so cute. So are Rebecca and Gabby.

Second, Mommy loves Rebecca and Gabby just like that Mama Bugga loving her Baby Buggas.

Third, Rebecca and Gabby love their Mommy so much that they always like to be with her. Sometimes Mommy called them “following bugs.” Now Bugga is a better word because it sounds sweet while “bug” sounds annoying. Rebecca and Gabby are not annoying to Mommy at all.

Rebecca and Gabby call Mommy “Mama Bugga” in return. They have given “Mama Bugga” many privileges on certain things at certain times, such as diaper changing, feeding, just to name a few. If “Dada Bugga” offers to do that, Baby Bugga (either Big Bugga or Little Bugga) would say, “No. I want Mommy to do that!”

Buggas are not annoying. They are fun!

Hello, Tri-City!

The first day of Rebecca and Gabby at Tri-City went well. In the morning Daddy dropped them. Gabby was excited about going to the same school as her sister. Her excitement last until she got to her classroom. She started to cry for Mommy after she met her new teachers and new classmates, but Mommy was at work at that time. In the afternoon when Mommy picked her up, the teacher said Gabby ate and took a nap and did well for the first day.

Rebecca did great for the first day as well. The class went to Phoenix Zoo. When Mommy saw her in the cafeteria she was wearing a Tri-City T-shirt which was down to her thigh. She was wet because she ran through the sprinklers at the zoo. She told Mommy she made new friends.

On the way home Mommy asked Gabby if she liked her new school. The answer was yes. Then Mommy asked her if she wanted to go to her new school on the next day. She said yes again.

Rebecca’s summer camp has lots of fun activities. In every week there are two trips to the public swimming pools and two trips to other places. Next week they will go to Polar Ice where Rebecca and Gabby take their ice skating lessons.

“Can I go to the summer camp every day?” Rebecca asked Mommy. She didn’t want to miss any fun activity, but she was worried that Mommy might not let her go every day.

“Yes!” Mommy gave her a positive answer.

Daddy and Mommy are happy that Rebecca and Gabby love Tri-City. Rebecca only goes here for the summer camp. When the school starts she will go back to her school. Gabby will continue to stay here until she is old enough for kindergarten.

Farewell to La Petite

Last Friday was the last day of Gabby at La Petite Academy. This week she and Rebecca both go to Tri-City. After being told she would go to a different school and her sister would go to that school as well, Gabby was very excited about it.

Gabby started at La Petite in August 2009. She went half day for the first month and then full day after Grandma left. She was in early preschool class. Her teachers were Ms Brook and Ms Daisy. She liked them both. In the morning when Daddy dropped her at school Ms Brook sometimes was serving breakfast in another classroom with bigger kids. Gabby would knock the door. Then Ms Brook would come to the door and say “Good Morning” to her. Daddy said to Mommy several times that he thought Ms Brook was a nice teacher. Ms Brook left around 3:00 pm. Mommy rarely saw her in the afternoon. She saw Ms Daisy most of the time. Gabby liked to look at the pictures of Ms Daisy and Ms Brook on the wall of the front desk when she left the school in the afternoon.

Gabby had two good friends at La Petite: Anthony and Vincent. They spoke Chinese to each other at school. Mommy and Rebecca heard Vincent singing the song in “Happy Goats.”

One day when Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby were leaving the school they saw through the fence Anthony and other kids playing on the playground. Mommy said, "Look, Anthony is there!" Gabby felt offensed and said, “He’s my Anthony!”

Gabby went to Anthony’s birthday party which was at Makutu’s Island. Vincent went, too. But the three of them only played together for a little while. They wanted to stick with their own parents. Gabby wanted to play the token machines instead of the slides. They were still little kids after all.

On Ryann’s birthday party at Little of Gilbert Mommy found out from Anthony's Mommy that Anthony went to the same Day Care as Gabby prior to going to La Petite. He was that “DuDu” because his Chinese name is “Liu Xiaodu.” Vincent’s nick name is “Congcong.” Gabby called them “Liu Xiaodu” and “Congcong” sometimes.

Overall Gabby had a great time at La Petite. Farewell, La Petite!

Farewell to Riggs

Last Wednesday was Rebecca's last day of school before the summer break. At evening they had an end-of-the-year party at a student's house. His name is Logan Sandlin. They swam and played water slides. Daddy, Mommy and Gabby went to the party, too. They all had a great time. At the end of the party Rebecca said Good-bye to her teacher and friends. She will not see her teacher and some friends very often because next school year she will go to Ryan. Some of her friends will go to Ryan, too. But some will go to Santan, and some will stay at Riggs.

Rebecca started in the gifting program in the second grade. Because of the small number of the second-grade students who passed the gifting test, the school district had to form the gifting class by putting together the gifted students from several schools, and placed this class at Riggs Elementary School. A lot more students passed the gifting test and will join the gifting program in the third grade, so the school district will form more gifting classes and will place them in different schools. The students will go to the schools closest to their homes for the third grade. The closest school to Rebecca's home is Ryan where she went for her kindergarten and the first grade.

Rebecca's second-grade teacher was Ms Friedly. She got married at the third quarter and changed her name to Mrs Mowery. She gave Friedly Bucks to the students who did something good. The students can use Friedly Bucks to buy things at the Friday Store. She didn't give much homework, though.

Rebecca's best friends were Chloe, Delinah and Aly. She went to their birthday parties, and they came to hers, too. Chloe and Delinah will go Santan next year, but Aly will go to Ryan with Rebecca. They all rode the same school bus except Aly. This school bus was dedicated to their class and a few other students. Because the students live in several different school boundaries, they had to spend a long time on the school bus. It seemed that they had a great time together on the school bus. Sometimes Rebecca can get her homework done. The bus driver was a nice person. In the afternoon he always waited until he saw Mommy.

Some big events in the second grade, as Mommy remembers, include the following:

Spider project - Rebecca made a spider using play dough and a web using a shoe box and white yarn.

Charlotte's Web play - Rebecca acted the spider Charlotte in the play.

Gingerbread house building - The students made gingerbread houses before Christmas.

Weather forecast play and science fair - Rebecca was a guest speaker in the play. She showed the "audience" how to knit a scarf. The play was videoed and shown at the Science Fair.

Country report - Rebecca worked on the country of China. She helped put together the information about China.

Field trip to Phoenix Zoo - The class went to Phoenix Zoo to watch the animals and get some ideas on their animal research project.

Animal research project - Rebecca did research on Fennec Fox. She wrote a book for Mother's Day gift. She also stitched a picture of a Fennec Fox.

Talent Show - Rebecca passed the audition and played piano on the show.

Fairtales play - Rebecca played in two plays: "Cinderella Visits the Shoe Store and Gets a Pair of Air Jordans" and "The Big Bad Wolf Goes to the Doctor to Find out Why He Can't Puff Any More."

The second grade at Riggs was fun! Farewell, Riggs!

The Little Puzzle Lover

“Good job, Daddy!” Gabby said to Daddy. She was playing a puzzle with him, and he just put one piece into the right place.

After a while Gabby also put a piece into the right place.

“Daddy, say ‘Good job’ to me!”

……

Gabby loves to play puzzles. Sometimes Mommy plays with her. Sometimes Daddy plays with her. Sometimes she plays by herself.

The first puzzle she solved was the Numbers 1-10 Puzzle. She was younger than 2 years old when she did that.

Besides the ability of good understanding of patterns and relationships, solving a puzzle needs patience and perseverence. Mommy is amazed to see some of them on Gabby.

Good job, Gabby!

From Bumble Bee to Canary Fairy

The last Saturday in May was a big day. That day Rebecca had a Dance Recital. Rebecca was excited in the morning when she woke up. She was a little nervous, too. Mommy did a little prayer for her and told her that God would help her with her performance. The performance was at 6:30 pm, but the full dress rehearsal started at 2:00 pm. Mommy combed her hair into a bun, and then Daddy and Gabby dropped her at the theater before the rehearsal started. She took a sleeping bag with her so that she could rest during the intervals.

This was the third time for Rebecca to participate in the annual Dance Recital. The first time she danced a little bumble bee, the second time a swan princess, and this time a canary fairy. In the previous two years Daddy, Mommy and Gabby all went to watch her performance. Considering Gabby would not behave in the theater, this year only Mommy went to watch the performance.

Rebecca was very cute. From the bumble bee to the canary fairy Mommy could see her progress in dance. She made friends, too. Mommy bought her flowers. They got home at 9:00 pm. Rebecca was very tired, but happy. She enjoyed her performance, so did Mommy.

The Summer Plan

Since she was a baby Gabby has been going with Mommy to drop and/or pick up Rebecca from her Dance or Gymnastics class. She watches her sister walking into the building from her seat. Sometimes Mommy takes her inside so that she can watch kids dancing or doing gymnastics. She knows she will do the same thing when she grows up.

Being three years old is big. One day when Gabby and Mommy dropped Rebecca at her Gymnastics class, Gabby told Mommy: “I have grown up. I want to do Gymnastics!” She was so determined that Mommy had to take her inside to take a look. She was very excited and trying to do gymnastics with the other kids. In order not to disturb the classes that were taking place, Mommy had to take her back to the car.

Another day when Gabby and Mommy dropped Rebecca at her Dance School (for the Spring performance rehearsal) Gabby wanted to go to dance along with Rebecca, but Mommy did not let her in this time. She was upset and kept telling Mommy she wanted to dance Ballet as well. When they got home, Mommy played for her the video “Bella Dancerella”. She also put on her the dancing shoes Rebecca used to wear. Gabby watched this video before, but this time she was totally attracted. When it was over, she wanted to play it again. She watched it a few times. The next day when they got home in the afternoon the first thing Gabby wanted to do was to put on the dancing shoes and watch "Bella Dancerella."

Mommy was moved by Gabby’s passion on Gymnastics and Dance. After discussing with Daddy, she signed up gymnastics classes for both Rebecca and Gabby for this summer. Their classes will meet at the same time. So they will do gymnastics at the same time. However, Rebecca has no dance class during the summer. So Gabby still needs to get older to go to dance with her sister. Mommy has signed up ice skating classes for them. Their ice skating classes will also meet at the same time. Gabby will go ice skating with her sister instead. Both Rebecca and Gabby are very excited about gymnastics and ice skating. They will go to the same school during the day time as well. Maybe Gabby doesn’t care what she does as long as she does it with her sister, and to do what her sister does is what she really cares.

The summer (in the school calendar) begins next week when Rebecca's school is over. Daddy and Mommy also plans to take Rebecca and Gabby to swim and camp. They will be busy this summer.

Rebecca's Show and Play

Last week Rebecca performed in a Talent Show and a Fairy Tale Play.

The Talent Show was on Thursday night. Rebecca played piano in the Talent Show. She played “Waltz in A Minor Chopin.” Daddy, Mommy and Gabby all went to the show to support her. To participate in the Talent Show, Rebecca had to pass the audition that was two weeks before the Talent Show. There were about 30 acts in the Talent Show, including singing, dancing, instruments and some other acts. Every act demonstrated a certain talent. One act was solving the Rubix Cube in less than 90 seconds. Solving the Rubix Cube is not easy, and to do it in less than 90 seconds is really hard. The person who did it does have a talent. The singing “Slippery Fish” was very funny. Rebecca and Gabby couldn’t stop singing that song at home in the following a couple of days. Rebecca made a new friend whose name was Michelle Yoo. She also played piano. All the participants in the Talent Show received a Star Award. They were shining stars. Just as the words on the stage said, Riggs Stars Shone Bright at Night!

The Fairy Tale Play was on Friday afternoon. Rebecca was a narrator in “Cinderella Visits the Shoe Store and Gets a Pair of Air Jordan,” and Gretel in “The Big Bad Wolf Goes to the Doctor to Find Out Why He Can’t Huff and Puff Anymore.” She made an apron by herself and wore it in “The Big Bad Wolf Goes to the Doctor to Find Out Why He Can’t Huff and Puff Anymore.” She was very excited about the play a few days before the play. She couldn’t fall asleep until late at night. Mommy went to watch the play by herself, which consisted of the following acts:

1. Once Upon A ....
2. The Really,Really,Really True Story Of The Three Little Pigs
3. The Big ____ Wolf And The Day He Forgot His Middle Name
4. Little Red Riding Hood And The Big Bad Wolf Have A Friendly Conversation
5. Cinderella Visits The Shoe Store And Gets A Pair Of Air Jordans
6. The Big Bad Wolf Goes To The Doctor To Find Out Why He Can't Huff And Puff Anymore
7. The Really,Really,Really True Story Of Cinderella
8. The Trial Of Goldilocks

Adopting the main characters in the well-known fairy tales, they changed the stories and retold them in a different way, which produced an effect of humor. In "Cinderella Visits the Shoe Store and Gets a Pair of Air Jordans," Cinderella bought a pair of air jordans for the ball. She then created her own brand and retired a rich woman at the end. In "The Really, Really, Really True story of Cinderella," Cinderella didn't go to the ball that night. She decided to stay home reading romance while eating pizza.

Rebecca was very cute in the play. She memorized all her words. The whole play - the performance, the fairy tale painting, the costumes, the props – showed the hard work and great creativity of both the teacher and the students. At the end of the play all the students stood on the stage for autographs. Mommy got a few from them.

The important thing about the show and play is to do your best and enjoy it. The life is similar to a show or a play somehow. There are many parts in the life: Mom, Dad, husband, wife, daughter, son, sister, student, and etc. Everyone has a part or multiple parts. There are many acts as well: going to school/work, cooking and cleaning, doing homework, playing piano, resting and relaxing, going to bed, just to name a few. The same important thing applies to the life as well - do your best and enjoy it.

Gabby's Child Talks (5)

A big wedding photo of Daddy and Mommy was hung in their bedroom. One day Mommy pointed to that wedding photo and asked Gabby who the man in the photo was.

“He is Daddy.” Gabby said.

“Who is that woman?” Mommy asked again. She was a little afraid of the answer Gabby would say.

“She is Mommy.”

Mommy was happy that Gabby didn’t say the answer she was afraid of.

“Mommy was a princess!” Gabby said.

“A princess?” Mommy was enraptured. In her eyes Rebecca and Gabby are princesses, but she never thinks she could be a princess.

Why not? Everyone was wonderfully made by God and loved by God. Everyone is a prince or princess in God’s eyes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

One day at dinner time Gabby dipped her straw into the milk and then put the straw into Mommy’s mouth. She was feeding Mommy milk.

“I’m Mommy, you’re Baby!” Gabby said, after feeding Mommy a few times.

“Ok!” Mommy said cooperatively.

Gabby was happy to switch parts with Mommy. She fed Mommy a few more times.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At bed time Mommy sometimes tells Gabby not to come to Daddy and Mommy when she wakes up.

If Gabby switches parts with Mommy, what would she say to Mommy?

She says: “Mommy, don’t come to Daddy and Gabby when you wake up. Okay?”

The Fun of Stitching

"I'll stitch a picture of a fennec fox for my animial research project." One day Rebecca told Mommy. She found a piece of white fabric and started to draw a picture of a fennec fox on it. After she was done Mommy helped her cut out the fabric and install it on an embroidery hoop. Then Rebecca started to stitch the picture using yellow and brown threads.

When Mommy was a little girl there were not many activities for her to do at her spare time. One activity she did was stitching shoe pads. The shoe pads were to be put inside the shoes to make the shoes more comfortable. They needed to be stitched to be more durable. This job was taken by girls and married women at Mommy’s village. They used color threads and stitched all kinds of patterns on the shoe pads. Every shoe pad was definitely a craft. Mommy doesn’t know if they still stitch show pads nowadays, but at that time it was very popular. On winter days when they were not busy in the fields, a few girls sat together stitching shoe pads or knitting sweaters. They talked and shared their secrets. It was a good way to spend time when there was no TV and internet. Mommy didn’t remember she ever finished any pair of shoe pads that were used by anybody. Probably she just did it for fun and didn’t make any usable products.

About one year ago Rebecca got interested in stitching, which made Mommy think of her childhood and shoe pads stitching. Mommy bought Rebecca some embroidery supplies. Her first product was a bible verse “Everything is possible with God.” Mommy put it in a photo frame which now is hung on the wall in the kitchen. Rebecca has finished the picture of a fennec fox. Now she is working on a little patch of a dolphin.

To the people who don’t like to stitch, it is kind of boring. However, to the people who like it, it is fun. At the time of completion when they look at the product they have made they feel proud of themselves. They also learn a lot of things from stitching. They learn how to use patterns and colors. Their fingers become more flexible. A lot of stitches make a product. They learn to be patient and hopeful, too. Their character somehow is trained.

"You could be a surgeon when you grow up because you are so good at stitches." Mommy likes to tease Rebecca. Mommy thinks a surgeon does the similar thing - cutting and stitching. The difference is a surgeon does that on human body instead of on fabric.

The Solar System

Every once in a while Rebecca brings home a couple of lovely items, such as a stuffed animal, a craft, lip balms, just to name a few. She buys them at the church using the tickets she earned from the AWANA club, Sunday School and Chinese School. She has brought home a few stuffed animals, including squirrel, parrot, penguin, bear, dog, turtle, and tiger. The stuffed squirrel has a long puffy tail that stands upright. It is very cute! She shares everything she buys with Gabby. One day she bought two tubes of lip balms which were exactly what Mommy wanted to buy. She shared them with Mommy.

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. It was also the last day of Chinese School. The Chinese School Store was open after the closing ceremony. Rebecca spent all her tickets and bought a few items. She bought a life ring buoy for Gabby, a craft package for making a solar system model, and a froggy mobile.

Gabby was very curious to open the craft package for making a solar system model. On the following day after coming home from school Mommy opened the package. They took ball molds and color powders. Gabby took the small mold, and Mommy took the big one. Snapping together two sides of the mold into a ball shape, Mommy and Gabby started to pour the powders into the holes at the top of the molds. They poured in layers of different colors until the powders reached the fill line. Then they added water to the molds and submerged the molds in water for a few minutes. After removed from the water, the molds were opened carefully. The balls were still wet. They let them dry for a few minutes. The balls were soft after dry. They could bounce.

Noticing what was happening, Rebecca stopped reading and joined Mommy and Gabby. She made a big ball. Gabby made another small ball. They made four balls altogether. They put the balls in a ziplog bag to keep them soft.

On the next day Daddy hung the balls on the ring, which was also provided in the package. A solar system model was done! The balls glowed in the dark like stars. Mommy hung the model above Rebecca’s bed. Making the solar system model was fun!

According to the Bible God created the solar system on the fourth day. Praise God for his marvelous creation!

[Genesis 1:1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

[Genesis 1: 14-19] And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

[Revelation 22: 3- 5] No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

The Tough Girl

One day Rebecca was very excited when she got home from her gymnastic class. She ran to the kitchen and told Mommy she could roll over on the bar. Wow! This was a big progress!

“It is great!” Mommy was very happy to hear that.

Just a few days ago Rebecca told Mommy that she could not roll over on the bar. Mommy encouraged her to keep working on it. She asked Mommy to take her to Hancock playground where there were bars and she could practice rolling over. Mommy took her and Gabby there. That day she couldn’t roll over without Mommy’s help.

“I imagined I was doing a sit-up, and then I rolled over!” Rebecca explained how she did it.

Rebecca’s face was radiant with excitement. At that moment Mommy remembered how Rebecca learned to do monkey bars and splits. She kept on working on them until she could do them. Sometimes she got very upset and would throw a tantrum for not being able to do them, but she never gave up. This time she even didn’t show any tantrum. She had grown out of that emotion and learned to be perseverant in achieving her goal.

“She is a tough girl!” Mommy said to herself.

Mother's Day 2010

Over the past a few years Mommy has been receiving presents on Mother’s Day. Sometimes it was a little card. Sometimes it was a flower. Sometimes it was a craft. Sometimes it was a poem. Mommy was always happy when she received those presents.

This year Gabby made Mommy a card. Inside the card was Gabby's handprint along with the following poem:

Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
On furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing
I'll be grown some day
And all those tiny handprints
Will surely fade away.

So here's a little handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small.

The card and poem were so sweet! Rebecca wrote Mommy a book. It was the product of her animal research project. Mommy knew her class had been working on the project since they returned to school after the spring break. Mommy was very surprised to see the book. It looked so nice. At the first sight she thought it was borrowed from the library. It had hard covers on which there were beautiful illustrations drawn meticulously with non-smudge crayons. On the front cover the title “The Fennec Fox” was written in bold and all the letters were colored. The table of contents of the book was written as follows:

Chapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 - Animal Description
Chapter 3 - Habitat
Chapter 4 - Animal's Diet
Chapter 5 - Enemies/Predators
Chapter 6 - Survival Status
Chapter 7 - Animal Babies (Reproduction)
Chapter 8 - Behavior
Chapter 9 - Adaptations
Chapter 10 - Interesting or Unusal Facts
Chapter 11 - About the Author

Each chapter had illustrations to go with the contents. At “About the Author” there was Rebecca's school photo. Rebecca told Mommy that to write this book she did research on the internet and note taking first, then drafting, editing, publishing, and illustrating. Wow! That was a lot of work! Rebecca put Mommy's picture at the back of the front cover. Below the picture she wrote the following:

I dedicate this book to my Mom because it's Mother's Day and I want to show that I love her.

It is nice to receive Mother’s Day presents, and being a mother itself is very nice, too. Mommy wished for Rebecca and Gabby. She loves them unconditionally. Every day they give Mommy a lot of joy and fun. They are the greatest presents to her.

[Psalm 127:3] Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.

The Birthday Party 2010

It was the 8th day of May. A birthday party was held for Rebecca and Gabby. The details of the party are as follows.

About two month ago Mommy and Rebecca decided to have a birthday party. They chose the theme of the party to be “camping and water.” They had a play pool and a tent already, but they needed to rent or buy a water slide. They decided to buy one because they can use it later.

About one month before the party, Daddy and Mommy started to search a water slide on the internet. Finally they bought one from the on-line Wal-Mart. It was delivered to the local Wal-Mart. Daddy, Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby all went to pick it up.

About two weeks before the party the invitations were sent out. Rebecca designed the cover, and Mommy took care of the editing and printing.

One week before the party Auntie came to visit. She helped cleaning the house and the patio.

Three days before the party Daddy and Mommy bought party supplies: drinks, goody bags, table cloths, plates, cups, napkins, candles and ribbons. Auntie bought flowers.

One day before the party they started to decorate the house.

On the very day of the party in the morning they continued to decorate the house. Rebecca put ribbons on the rails. Auntie put ribbons above the dome structures. Daddy and Auntie set up the tent, play pool and water slide in the backyard. Rebecca went to her dance lesson at 10:30 am. Mommy dropped her at the dance school and then went for grocery shopping. After the dance lesson Mommy and Rebecca went to buy birthday cookies. They bought two - one for Rebecca and another one for Gabby. Daddy bought balloons. In the afternoon, Rebecca and Gabby’s friends came and the party started. It went from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

The kids played water first. They played water guns and the water slide. They screamed, laughed and talked loudly in the backyard. The loud noise could be heard hundreds of feet away. Daddy was spraying water, Auntie was taking pictures, and Mommy was cooking in the house. After they got tired and hungry by playing water, the kids came inside and ate the birthday cookies. After birthday cookies they went to play in the tent. After a little while, they were called to come inside to have dinner. Mommy cooked fried rice and beef stew. Daddy bought pizza. After dinner, they sat down on the couch to watch the movie “Narnia” until their parents came to pick them up.

Rebecca and Gabby’s friends who came to the party were the following: Chloe, Aly, Alexa, Dilanah, Julia, Amy, QiQi and KaiKai. Four of them (Chloe, Aly, Alexa and Dilanah) were Rebecca’s classmates, the others were Rebecca and Gabby’s friends at the church. After the invitation were sent out, the response was low at first. Mommy prayed for four kids from Rebecca’s class, and it turned out to be exactly four! Dilanah didn't respond. Mommy was amazed to see her at the front door with Chloe and Aly (Alexa came a little later). Because of her coming, the number was exactly what Mommy prayed for. Praise God!

It was a great party. Rebecca, Gabby and their friends all had fun. When the party was over, Daddy, Mommy, Auntie, Rebecca and Gabby were all tired. They were happy at the same time. Auntie left on the next day. The party couldn’t be so great without her. Daddy, Mommy, Rebecca and Gabby wish her the best.

When Auntie Comes

She’ll be coming from Thailand when she comes.
She’ll be taking an airplane when she comes.
We will clean the house,
We will prepare her bedroom,
We will meet her at the airport when she comes.

She will bring a big baggage when she comes
She will bring lots of surprises when she comes.
She will bring toys,
She will bring clothes,
She will bring her love when she comes.

She will take pictures for us when she comes.
She will play with us when she comes.
We will play blind man bluff,
We will play hide and seek,
We will have a lot of fun when she comes.

She will help Mommy for her chores when she comes.
She will help Daddy for his routines when she comes.
She will weed the garden,
She will clean the house,
We will be all happy when she comes.

The Little Driver

Auntie’s baggage was broken. She needed to buy a new one. Last Sunday after lunch Mommy took Auntie and Gabby to the mall for baggage shopping while Daddy and Rebecca stayed at the church for Chinese School.

There were so many interesting things in the mall. Gabby wanted to do explorations on her own. When Mommy was thinking how to keep Gabby under control, they saw kids shopping carts in the lobby. Kids who sit in those carts can mimic driving. Gabby wanted to drive one of those carts. Mommy thought it was a good idea to put her in there so that she and Auntie wouldn’t need to track her in the mall. It would also make her happy during the shopping. So Mommy paid $5 and got a cart.

Gabby was very happy just as Mommy thought. While she was “driving” either Mommy or Auntie had to push the cart. The cart stopped when the person who pushed it stopped. As soon as it stopped the little driver would ask to move. The cart had to keep moving while she was “driving.”

During the whole time Gabby was “driving” the cart. The shopping was very relaxing due to the cart. Auntie and Mommy bought a baggage at Sears. After that they set out for home. When Mommy was thinking how to persuade Gabby to leave the cart in the mall she told Mommy she didn’t want to drive any more. How sweet! She gave up before Mommy said a single word. They returned the cart and got 50 cents reward.

The little driver Gabby now has 1 hour "driving" experience. She can "drive" kids shopping carts and any other similar carts. She also has related experience in riding tricylces and bicylces with two training wheels.

Sugar

Sugar is a little puppy. She came to Rebecca and Gabby's home one week before their birthdays. She is a brown bulldog. The fur around her eyes and below is very dark and looks almost black. Her eyes are dark brown or black. Between her eyes there is some white fur. Her belly is also white. She wears a pink spaghetti strap dress and white tennis shoes with pink sparkling stripes. She has two pink ponytail holders on her ears and a pink leather leash. She is as sweet as sugar. So Rebecca named her "Sugar."

Rebecca and Gabby loved Sugar at the first moment they saw her. They held her, took her for a walk, and pulled her leash and made her jump into the air. If pulled in the right way, Sugar could do a perfect tumbling in the air before landing on the ground. They also took pictures with her.

Sugar is a birthday gift from Auntie who bought her from "Build-A-Bear" in New York City. Her birth certificate says the following:

Date of birth: April 25, 2010
Name: (a few mysterious codes written by Gabby)
Height: 16 inches
Weight: 13 ounces
Fur Color: Red Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Belongs to: Gabby
Stuffed with love by Hanying

Thanks Auntie for Sugar! She is a great birthday gift.

Round and Round the Garden

One day Rebecca sang:

"Round and round the garden
Like a teddy bear.
One step, two step,
Tickle you under there."

Gabby also sang:

"Round and round the garden
Like a teady bear.
One step, two step,
Tickle you underwear."

Mommy and Rebecca laughed. Gabby laughed, too. They all laughed, but for different reasons. Mommy and Rebecca laughed because Gabby changed "under there" to "underwear." Gabby laughed becuase she saw Mommy and Sister were laughing.

Sometimes Rebecca tickles Gabby under her arm when she sings this song. Gabby loves to be tickled and she always giggles.

Similar rhymes in Chinese were taught by Grandma. The following is an example:

"One rub,
Two rubs,
and three,
You're a good man
if you don't laugh."
(It does rhyme in Chinese although it doesn't after Mommy's translation. )

Different cultures do have commonalities.

Art Masterpiece

Rebecca’s piano teacher, Ms Judith, gave Rebecca a present. It was a Disney Princess coloring and drawing set, which had a few princess coloring pages, some crayons and water color paints, and a little paint brush.

On the next day after school Rebecca wanted to do some coloring using the water color paints. Mommy opened the coloring and drawing set. Rebecca took the paint brush. Seeing that, Gabby also wanted the paint brush. She cried.

“Sister’s first, and you’re next.” Mommy said.

It was Rebecca’s present. She got to use it first.

Gabby was still crying. Mommy was trying to find another paint brush for Gabby, but didn’t find it.

After a while Gabby stopped crying. She sat at the table and began to watch Rebecca painting a Cinderella picture, which was going to be pretty after done.

“You will paint after Sister is done.” Mommy told Gabby.

“I can wait.” Gabby said happily as if she didn’t cry a few minutes ago. What a surprise!

It took quite a while for Rebecca to finish that picture. She was very diligent. Gabby watched very patiently. After she was done, Rebecca gave the paint brush to Gabby. With Mommy’s help, Gabby painted a Mermaid picture, which was pretty, too. Gabby learned a new word "coral." Then it was Rebecca’s turn again. Gabby gave the paint brush back to Rebecca. No crying.

Suddenly an idea came to Mommy’s mind.

“This could be called Art Masterpiece.” Mommy said.

“Yes.” Rebecca agreed.

Art Masterpiece is a class at Rebecca’s school where the students do some art projects with real artists or parent volunteers.

At the next piano lesson Rebecca would have to tell Ms Judith she shared her present with her little sister and they had an Art Masterpiece lesson.

"Ms Daisy"

Ms Daisy is one of Gabby’s teachers. Another teacher is Ms Brook.

This was what happened one afternoon after Rebecca and Gabby were back home from their schools.

Gabby: “Friends, I’m Ms Daisy.”

“Ms Daisy” had some cards in her hands. She took one and asked her “students”.

Ms Daisy: “What’s this?”
Student: “It’s Sophia!”

“Ms Daisy” put down that card on a table. She took another one and asked again.

Ms Daisy: “What’s this?”
Student: “It’s Ryann!”

……

“Ms Daisy” was teaching her “students” to recognize their names. Gabby was both “Ms Daisy” and “student”. Yes, she was talking to herself.

The other day “Ms Daisy” was "reading" a book to one of her “students”, Daddy. It was “Three Little Kittens.” The three little kittens went out to play and lost their mittens. Mommy Cat spanked their bottoms. “Ms Daisy” wore an upset expression when she was "reading" this part. Her “student” was startled.

“Why did Mommy spank the little kittens?” The “student” asked.

“It was because the little kittens played so carelessly that they lost their mittens. ” With extraordinary calmness “Ms Daisy” answered the “student's” question.

“There was no food for them.” “Ms Daisy” continued.

“Mommy can’t do that!” The “student” protested. “Mommy must give them food!”

This probably was the first time for this “student” to listen to this story. So he had a lot of questions. He read the book himself and then told “Ms Daisy”, “Mommy gave them food. She just cut off their pies.”

The “student” was right. In the book it said there was no pie (which usually was a dessert after a meal) for the little kittens.

“They found their mittens!” Turning to the next page, “Ms Daisy” continued the story. She was excited for this part.

……

The “student” went to eat his dinner, leaving “Ms Daisy” alone on the couch.

“Friends, story time!” “Ms Daisy” was calling. She called for a few times.

Then one “student” went. It was Rebecca. Mommy was busy in the kitchen.

Gabby's First Gymnastic Lesson

“Gabby’s First Piano Lesson” was not really Gabby’s lesson. That was Rebecca’s lesson. Like Mommy, Gabby just went to watch. When she gets older, she will have piano lessons of her very own. She has long flexible fingers like Rebecca. She loves music. She likes playing piano because she plays at home sometimes. So Mommy believes she will love her own piano lessons in the very near future.

Unlike that piano lesson in which Gabby just watched but didn’t play piano, this gymnastic lesson, which Mommy called a lesson, was really Gabby’s lesson because she did gymnastic. But it was not a lesson, neither. It was a birthday party.

It was Ryann’s birthday party. Ryann is Gabby’s friend at La Petite Academy. The birthday party was held at Little Gym of Gilbert. Rebecca went, too. There were mats, bars, balance beams and rings in the Gym. Two Gym staff organized a couple of games, then most of the time the kids were allowed to free play in the Gym. Gabby didn’t like the games very much, but enjoyed the free play. She walked on the lower balance beam, did tumbling on the mats, and crawled over the bars. Her favorite was grapping a ring, dangling around and then jumped onto a mat. Gabby created her own ways to play the bar and ring, but it was ok. The first important job at a birthday party is to have fun. Gabby did that job and had a great time.

Rebecca had a great time, too. Mommy got to see her skills on the balance beam and bar. She could do jumping on the higher balance beam and rolling backwards on the bar.

Gabby’s first gymnastic "lesson" was fun.

Gabby's First Piano Lesson

On Wednesday nights Rebecca has piano lessons. When she and Mommy leave for the piano lesson, Gabby also wants to go. Mommy knows Gabby would not stay quiet for the whole lesson. So she always tells Gabby that she would go when she gets older. “I am older now.” Gabby cries sometimes. Mommy feels sorry, but she can’t take her.

One day the opportunity came for Gabby to go with Mommy and Rebecca to the piano lesson. It was Friday. Rebecca had a competition at DVMTA on the next day. Her teacher, Ms Judith, wanted to give her an extra lesson before the competition. The lesson was set at 6:00 pm. Daddy couldn’t come home at that time. So Mommy had to take Gabby to the piano lesson. Gabby was very excited. She kept asking, “Am I going to Sister’s piano lesson?” Mommy said yes and told her she had to keep quiet during the lesson. If she wouldn’t listen, Mommy would take her out. Gabby understood and agreed.

They arrived at Ms Judith’s house a few minutes earlier. She was teaching another student who would attend the competition as well. Gabby sat with Mommy and Rebecca on the couch. She was quiet and behaved. When Ms Judith was done with that student, she asked, “Is it Rebecca’s piano lesson or Gabriella’s?” It was a joke. She then said Hi to Gabby, and Gabby said Hi back to her.

When Rebecca was taking her lesson, Mommy and Gabby did coloring together. They did coloring for a while, then Gabby was interested in the figurines on a coffee table. She wanted to play with them. She also wanted to go around in the house and do some exploration. Mommy stopped her. They did a little more coloring until Gabby didn’t want to do it any longer. Mommy told her she mustn’t move around. Then she said she wanted to go outside and play. Mommy wanted to listen to Rebecca playing piano and didn’t want to go outside at that moment. Gabby was bolder and bolder. Mommy then had to take her outside. Very soon Rebecca’s lesson was over.

After leaving Ms. Judith’s house, they headed for the church. On the way Mommy told Gabby she would not go to the piano lesson until she got older. Gabby understood and agreed. The first piano lesson wasn’t much fun.

Birthday Party Invitation

What: Rebecca’s 8th Birthday Party
/Gabriella’s 3rd Birthday Party
When: May 8 (Saturday) 3:00 – 6:00 pm
Where: 2790 E Azalea Drive
Chandler, AZ 85286
RSVP to Hebi @ 480-208-6707
or li_hebi@yahoo.com By May 4th

Daddy Feeling a Little Lost

Isn’t it sweet to have your child call you at work and tell you she loves you and misses you? This was what happened to Daddy one day. After Mommy and Rebecca picked her up at La Petite Academy Gabby was upset and said she missed Daddy. So Mommy dialed Daddy’s phone number and let her talk to Daddy.

“Daddy, I miss you.” Gabby was crying on the phone.

Hearing that, Daddy was worried. After making sure she was not sick Daddy was very happy.

The same thing happened on the next day. Gabby called Daddy and told him she missed him. This time Daddy knew what happened. He was not worried, but happy.

Gabby didn’t call Daddy on the third day.

“Why didn’t Gabby call me today?” Daddy asked Mommy when he came home.

“Maybe she forgot.” Mommy said.

Daddy felt a little lost.

Gabby's Child Talks (4)

Gabby loves dogs. One day when they were riding bicycles in the community they met another family who was taking a walk with their dogs. Gabby was excited to see the dogs. “Hi, Doggy! What’s your name?” asked Gabby. All the people laughed.

Gabby loves to read. If she sees animals in a book, she will say the big animal is Mommy and the small one is the baby. If there are two small animals, she will say the other small one is the sister. If there are two big animals, she will say the other big one is Daddy. One day Mommy was reading a book to Gabby. On one page there were some dogs and one pig. Pointing to the dogs, Gabby said, “This is Mommy, this is Daddy, this is Sister, and this is Gabby.” There was still one dog left without a person related to it. After thinking for a little while, Gabby pointed to that dog and said, “This is Auntie!”

Gabby loves to color. She is very diligent when she is coloring a picture. One day she was coloring pictures when Mommy was cooking. “Mommy, I am drawing dinosaurs.” Mommy walked over to see the picture she was coloring. It was a picture of two cute dinosaurs. Gabby was coloring it with pink. Mommy was amazed to see Gabby drew all the color inside the lines. “Good job!” Mommy said. “This is Sister, and this is Gabby!” Gabby said, pointing to the dinosaurs. The two dinosaurs were the same size and didn’t look like Mommy and Baby. So they were sisters.

Gabby is good at identifying objects. Some objects in her coloring book are not easy for Mommy to tell, but Gabby can tell Mommy what they are. One day Gabby wanted to eat watermelon. Mommy took out the watermelon from the refrigerator. Then she used a spoon to scoop some watermelon for Gabby. Gabby watched while Mommy was doing that. “A giraffe!” Gabby said, pointing to the watermelon. “Is there a giraffe on the watermelon?” Mommy and Rebecca were puzzled, but soon they agreed after they saw what Gabby was pointing to. On the watermelon, there were some brownish scars. One of them was long shaped and did look like a giraffe.