Key Lime Republic

Happy Mother's Day 母親節快樂

2009-05-10T05:09:00.000-07:00

If there is any fitting time to restart our family journal/website, Mother's Day is surely a good one! It has been quite a few months. We want to wish you Mom a very Happy Mother's Day! Thank you for all you do! Although Virginia was a bit camera shy (is there such a thing???) she wishes you a wonderful Mother's Day too. We hope you have enjoyed your day!

Little known useless fact #2545: The founder of Mother's Day was from West Virginia. See...there is some good that comes from these special neighbors just to the west of us. :) (no offense)

在母親節重新開始我們家庭的紀錄想必是非常適合的時間! 我們在此要祝我們的母親們母親節快樂! 謝謝你們為我們所作的一切! 雖然藹伶有點排斥鏡頭,但她亦祝您們母親節快樂。希望你們有個快樂的一天。我們愛您!

30 + Thanksgiving 三十+感恩節

2009-01-18T02:29:00.000-08:00

2008年11月27日滿三十了! 坦白說,心理是很惶恐的, 畢竟三字頭的年歲曾經對我而言是如此的遙遠,如今卻也進身其中。今年生日適逢感恩節, 剛好提醒我要用感恩的心來度過三十歲的生日,或也可讓我有藉口在那天只慶祝感恩節而遺忘自己不太想承認的事實。

最後我選擇用感恩的心情來歡渡, 當天我跟媽咪說:「恭喜妳啊!女兒順利成長到三十歲了!」也謝謝她含辛茹苦地拉拔我長大。突然,也好想看到藹伶三十歲的模樣喔.....找到永恆伴旅了吧? 過著幸福平安的生活吧? 作媽媽了吧? 嗯,那鏡中的我不就是57歲半的外婆了嗎? 那還是別了,我可以再等個27年半。 :p

27日的前一晚,一行人在Amei和Shawn家吃感恩節火雞大餐, 也意外地吃到了生日蛋糕。我和Monica都在11/27出生,但一個過三十歲生日, 一個卻是過二十三歲生日. :x 我好像又被開了另一個玩笑.......嗯,要感恩,要感恩! :$

在當天吃到了生平吃過的最好吃的火雞,感謝Shawn大師的手藝,也吃到了生平吃過的最貴的生日蛋糕, 要感謝慕義的荷包。

生日當天因為是感恩節,所以很多店都在凌晨開張,推出大特價活動, 我是愛逛街的人,所以慕義便投其所好,帶我去outlet逛街採購,作為我今年的生日禮物,這挺符合我實際的個性。當晚,十一點左右我們便軀車前往, 一路上沒什麼車子,我還心裡暗自竊喜想說我們一定可以成為拿到10塊美金禮卷的前一百名到場的民眾,沒想到,就在看到Outlet的同時,也看到一條綿長的車陣, 這下子,不要說拿到禮卷了,就連擠進店可能都成問題了! :@ 不過可以親身體驗一下感恩節後的黑色星期五的購物傳統,也挺有趣的! 也很感謝慕義, 一個人在車上照顧著藹伶讓我安心去逛。

今年生日沒特別許下什麼心願,只期許自己能夠在往後的日子更加地成熟, 更愛神及愛我的家人朋友。今年年底也有一番學習及領會。每個人的考驗及在意的事雖都不盡相同,但我們都有許多大大小小足以影響我們情緒的波瀾,在遇到這些波瀾時,若我們都想想什麼是最生命中最重要的: 神和家人,那麼很多波瀾便無法傷害到我們,我們也可以活得更自在更自信。我真的真的好感謝能夠知道神,認識福音。感恩節前一晚,用餐前,我們一行人圍成一圈,Shawn邀請我們每個人輪流講自己所感謝的事,不能重複。我感謝福音,因為福音帶給了我所擁有的一切,幫助我加以了解並珍惜 ,我也感謝現代科技,能夠讓我與分隔兩地的家人保持緊密的連繫; 慕義感謝我倆的父母所為我們設立下認真勤奮工作的好榜樣,也提到他感謝安全帽,因為安全帽幾次救了他免於嚴重的傷害,也分享作好安全措施的重要; Shawn提到他感謝坦誠,並分享坦享的價值; Ryan提到他感謝枕頭談話(pillow talk), 每晚就寢前能和Monica一起談心讓他很感謝。

大衛‧貝納長老08年十月的教友大會上說道:「請容我建議你我定期地獻上一個祈禱，在那祈禱當中完全只表達感謝。不要祈求任何事情；單單讓我們的靈魂感到歡欣，並且用全部的心力表達感謝。」,在這邀請之前,他分享了他個人對此的經驗,學習及見證 (閱讀此文) ,我非常地感動,也期許,不只在感恩節時要表達感謝,更要每天計算恩典,並在祈禱中向愛我們的天父表達由衷的感謝，讓生活充滿感謝,讓每天都是感恩節。

Amei, Monica, me and Yuhsuan

本來對火雞沒什麼興趣的我,吃了Shawn的火雞,真的是對火雞完全感觀

Water makes it fun! 洗碗樂

2008-12-15T21:31:00.000-08:00

One day, a few months ago, I randomly asked Virginia what I was doing. To my surprise, she quickly replied "xi wan"(washing the dishes in Mandarin). I really couldn't recall when I taught her how to say that. Since she's turned one, she has been surprising us with new words each day. I don't remember when was the first time she expressed her interest to join me washing the dishes for the first time. I am glad I didn't reject her that time and instead, took the opportunity to teach her some more kitchen words and how to wash the dishes. Now I pretty much expect her to come to help whenever I begin washing the dishes. It actually was a little annoying sometimes but I tried to calm down and enjoy the moment. I know the main reason she loves to wash the dishes is not just because she loves to help, but because she loves to play with water, and so this to her is something fun to do. That's it! If the kids can find joy out of housework without feeling such a burden, then we can have more peace and laughter at home instead of nagging and commanding. But, here also comes a problem which is that she wants to wash the dishes forever and it definitely tests my patience. I guess I just need to come up with some creative ways to stop her from putting all the just-washed-dishes back to wash again. It's better to test my wisdom than to test my patience after all.

前幾個月前的某天,正在洗碗的我隨口問藹伶說:「媽咪在做什麼啊?」當時並沒有預期會獲得回應的我,竟然聽到藹伶熟練地說:「洗碗啊!」,好像她常說此話,但那可是我第一次聽到她這樣說啊 :D 。自從藹伶滿周歲後,幾乎每天她的口裡都會冒出新的詞語,在在讓我們驚奇。
　　
已不記得何時藹伶第一次表示她想加入我洗碗的行列，但我很高興當時的我沒有拒絕她，並趁機教她洗碗、教她幾個廚房用詞，像是”菜瓜布”、”洗碗精”等，如今，差不多每次洗碗都可以料想藹伶小小的身驅推動著大大的餐桌椅（影片中則例外的是她的小凳子）來加入洗碗的工作，坦白說，有時確實覺得很煩，拖累我的效率，但每每總試著平靜下來好好享受當下。
　　
藹伶之所以愛洗碗，主因當然不是因為她喜歡幫忙囉，而是有機會可以玩水，所以這檔差事對她而言便成為樂事一椿。而這亦是關鍵所在吧！若孩子們能從繁瑣的家事中找到樂趣，不視其為重擔，那麼家中便可少些吼叫、命令，多些和平及歡笑吧。希望孩子將來真的能夠願意分擔家事並能負責好份內之事。
　　
然而伴隨而來的問題便是藹伶想要一直洗一直洗，這就真的是考驗我的耐性了!!我想我得多花點心思來幫助她停止將剛洗好的碗再放回碗槽中重洗,畢竟考驗我的智慧總比考驗我的耐心要來得好囉!

Going snow sledding on the grass 在草上滑雪

2008-12-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Last month when it began to snow, after class, Charles took Virginia to go sledding for the first time. At that time I was not able to overcome my fear and hatred of being in the cold, so I ended up missing Virginia's first sledding experience. Two days later, it was a sunny and bright day, I thought it was the perfect time to go sledding and playing in the snow for Virginia... or for me to be part of this kind of activity :) . So we went to Sugar House Park and thank goodness, there was a little bit snow left. I can say that we had so much fun that day regardless of people who couldn't help to look at us sledding in the grass... We were really impressed with Virginia that she could enjoy that so much without any fear. I tried once sledding for the first time, even though that I went down really slow, but it still scared me to death because the sled was so out of control.

上個月某天降了大雪,慕義抓住機會下了課便帶藹伶去坐滑雪板滑雪,而這是藹伶生平的第一次。那天我實在難以克服我對寒冷的恐懼及厭惡,只好硬生生地錯過藹伶第一次玩雪的經驗。過了兩天,是個美麗晴朗的日子,我心想這真是個出遊玩雪的好日子啊! 真感謝慕義的仁慈,同意了我的提議。我們去附近的Sugar House公園裡熱門的滑雪小丘,既然是熱門的玩雪場景,在一個冬陽高掛,冰雪盡融的近午時分,自然沒什麼人,而我們竟是唯三在小丘上的人,不過還好地上還有些殘雪,勉強還可以玩,我們玩得很開心,也顧不得旁人側目的眼光了 :) 。我們也很訝異藹伶玩得這麼開心,一點都不畏懼,我試了一次,雖然速度不快,但整個滑雪板完全失控,真是把我嚇得半死啊......。

Virginia's 1st snapshot 藹伶拍照初體驗

2008-12-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

I found a few pictures in my camera the other day. They were obviously not taken by me or Charles. Who else could it be? Virginia, It's you, right? Too bad, I can't use our only camera to take a picture of Virginia when she uses that camera to take pictures. :D

在相機裡發現了幾張照片,顯然不是我和慕義照的!那是誰哩? 藹伶,是妳對吧! 可惜不能用我家唯一的相機把藹伶使用該相機的模樣拍下來! :(

"Daddy, are you encouraging Virginia to use my camera??"
爹地,你是藹伶的共犯嗎?你在鼓勵她擅用我的相機嗎?

We have been there... 我們也曾年幼親狂

2008-12-12T01:53:00.000-08:00

Charles told me that he wanted to show me something really interesting that Virginia had just showed him. I was all happy and followed him into the room where Virginia's closet is. "Here you are" he said. I looked at the storage bin, and there wasn't anything unusual. "What's the matter"I asked. Charles then told me to open the lid a little bit.

慕義跟我說想給我看一個有趣的東西,我歡喜地尾隨著他來到房間藹伶的衣櫥旁。「就是這裡了」他說。我狐疑地看著置物箱,並沒有發覺有什麼不同啊! 「究竟是怎麼回事啊?」我問道。慕義要我稍稍打開蓋子瞧瞧。

Amber:"My Goodness!! What's that??"
Charles:"Those are Virginia's vitamin's!"
Amber:"What? She didn't take them, but hid them here.?"
"And she even dared to show you!!!!!"

We just laughed at how we remember doing stuff like that when we were kids. We used to do something like this when we were kids. When Amber couldn't finish her dinner, she would hid her food under the bed. Charles liked to hide snacks and stuff so he could enjoy them all. As hilarious as it was, especially how willing Virginia wanted to show us her little stash of halfway eaten Vitamin's, it is also a chance for her with our nurturing to help her learn step by step the things of life.

怡文:「我的媽啊!那是什麼啊??」
慕義:「藹伶的維他命啊!」
怡文:「什麼?她沒吃,而且還把它們藏起來!?且還敢給你看!」

唉, 接著我們笑談我們小時亦是如何地有相似的經歷。我記得我小時吃不完飯時,便偷偷把飯藏在床底下~慕義小時喜歡偷藏零嘴飲料,一人獨享 :D 現在我們可以同情我們的孩子,同時也為她的舉動感到莞爾,為她願意秀給我們看她沒吃完的維他命而感到好笑,這亦是一個我們可引導她一步步學習的機會!

Beautiful Sound 美妙聲響

2008-12-05T01:05:00.000-08:00

We never thought the sound of it's dripping into a potty would ever sound so beautiful and pleasant......Now, we are so happy to hear it every day!

我們從沒想過虛虛在小尿盆的聲響會是如此地動聽...如今我們每天都能開心地聽到!

Virginia made perfect timing and gave me the birthday present of my dreams.. :) I was so hesitate to declare that she was potty-trained. After a month of Virginia thinking she had it down and then maybe not, now I in a way want to shout to the world that Virginia finally knows how to go to the potty by herself! Since she began to say peepee and poopoo when she was about one and half years old, we thought it was the time to potty train her. It didn't come as easily as we would like, but hey she is the important one. I was often wondering when would be the day that I could stop washing "super stinky dirty" underwear, would that day ever come?

As parents every time we see Virginia's reaction after going to the potty by herself and seeing her face light up with excitement, it makes us feel so happy and proud of her. I don't think we ever thought before having a child something like this would be such a great experience in the journey of life. Oh, and we have learned be better let her flush the toilet herself, that is her reward to herself :) ..she loves that.

Now she doesn't need to wear diapers at home or even when she sleeps. I still let her wear pull-ups though when we take her out just for peace of mind. We soon realized whenever she wears a pull-up, she feels secure too, so she doesn't care about going to potty or a toilet. Now we need to get her to tell us whenever she needs to go when we are outside, soon enough, no more pull-ups :) Something as simple, yet tough as potty training can be a memorable part of life.

藹伶趕在我生日前給了我這近一年來夢寐以求的禮物! 差不多一個多月前藹伶便開始會自己跑小尿盆,雖然常常來不及,但已經較前幾個月有很大的進步了! 在訓練的過程中,漸漸發現藹伶只有在穿著一般的小內褲子才會提高警覺, 於是在家裡便給她穿小內褲, 苦的當然是我這個做媽的, 兩天下來徒手洗十幾條超臭褲褲並不為過, 常常強忍著臭味遙想著藹伶可以自行上廁所的美好日子。

就在差不多這兩個星期,她已學會憋住直到走到小尿盆那,連晚上我們也可放心讓她穿小內褲睡覺了!不過外出時,為了放心,還是會讓她穿紙尿褲,但老問題還在,她只要穿上紙尿褲就會很放心地解放,即使尿溼了也不當一回事。所以現在新的目標便是幫助她出門在外能夠告訴我們並讓我們帶她去廁所才解放。

每每看著藹伶獨立大小便後流露出欣喜驕傲的神情,我們都為她感到好開心並為她拍手叫好,不過我們得提醒自己不可一時手快幫她沖馬桶,不然她會很不高興,因為那是她獎勵自己的殊榮,是不容他人剝奪的! :) 藹伶在沖馬桶時,還會輕聲細語地對著馬桶揮手說"尿尿拜拜",好可愛!!

10/25/08 Virginia went to the potty all by herslef for the 1st time!
十月二十五日藹伶自己第一次獨立跑去尿盆小便喔!

Life after the Olympics 奧運過後

2008-11-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

The Beijing 2008 Olympics has ended for a while and maybe many have already put that far beside, but the excitement and the spirit it brought has ever since been here with us in our family. On the night of the great event's opening ceremony, we went to Shawn and Amei's home to enjoy the show together, even though that day was the ward's camp out...Since we had been waiting for this day for years, and seriously considered going, we could not pass up this once-in-a-life-time celebration with the world. During the following two weeks, we watched the TV everyday to cheer for the different athletes who worked so hard and showed us great attributes of perseverance, hard work, and enduring physically and spiritually. I personally have learned a great deal from them. I feel these athletes have helped motivate me to get past feelings of pain or tiredness when those moments come. All you have to do is think about what they have done.

Virginia's first Olympic's must have impressed her and we could see she has been inspired by this great event as well. She now seems crazy about dancing, gymnastics or that kind of thing. Ever since she saw Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin's performances, she began to bend down her upper body, gracefully stretch out her arms at the end of a dancing in the living room, or stretch her legs on the floor. She also loves to sing a song called "Beijing Welcomes You". She asks us to play the song for her to see and watch over and over every day.

We are looking forward to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver!

Virginia sings "Beijing Welcomes You" along the video.
藹伶隨著影片唱著”北京歡迎你”　的模樣

Virginia's stretching her legs on the floor .
藹伶劈腿跳舞的模樣

　　雖然2008北京奧運已落慕一陣子了,但它所帶給我們的興奮及運動精神仍在我們家餘韻猶存。記得開幕式的當天,我們去Shawn和Amei家一同觀賞,雖然當天是支會的露營日,我們只能錯過與大家一起露營的活動,也不願錯過這難得的盛會,畢竟我們已期待這天可謂有好幾年了。接下來的兩星期,我們每天都守著電視觀看各項競賽,為辛苦的選手們加油,從他們身上我們真的看到許多美德。我個人覺得自已從這學到很多,我發現自己比較有恆心並且更渴望克服個人的弱點。
　　我之所以會對奧運有這麼大的熱忱,真的是受到慕義的影響。他們家很重視奧運,每次奧運時都會很關心賽況,我婆婆在德國住時,亦曾為奧運擔任義工,總之,慕義在父母的影響下,也培養出對奧運更深一層的情感。
　　藹伶人生的第一場奧運想必也令她印象深刻，她也真地受到當中許多絕佳競賽項目的鼓舞，像是看了體操比賽後，現在也學會下腰、劈腿，特別跳完舞後還會作出雙手高舉的姿勢。在那段期間，我們也常播放一些奧運相關的歌曲，其中有一首”北京歡迎妳”，是藹伶的最愛，即使奧運結束後，每天還要聽個好幾次才肯罷休，現在她已到了不只聽，還會跟著唱及作表情的境界了！若妳有機會問她要唱什麼歌，十之八久她會回說”北京”。
　　我們已滿心期待下次的溫哥華冬奧！！

A letter to future Virginia 給未來藹伶的一封信

2008-11-14T00:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Virginia(when you are old enough to read this..) :
We love you and hope you know and feel that without any doubt. Here we want to show you a few pictures just in case you don't believe what we told you about how you could eat almost a whole piece of Costco's pizza when you were just two years old. We hope you enjoy those photos as much as we do. Even though your dad and I are beginning to worry about the money we may spend just on food in the future for you :) , especially if you are blessed to have other siblings who also can eat the way you do. We will just happily accept the fact. We hope you are grateful for everything you are given too and hope that you will grow up to be a giving person.

”Dig in!”
"開動囉！"

"Eating a slice of pizza bigger than my face? That not a "piece of cake", that's a "PIECE OF PIZZA!”"
"要解決這片比我臉還大的Pizza,難不倒我"

”I am still eating.”
"我還在吃喔"

"Thank you mom for sharing your hot dog with me!"
"老媽，謝謝妳的熱狗”
”Amber sighs.....” "怡文嘆氣..."

"Keep going! I can do it!"
"繼續努力,我做得到!"

"I'm a little tired, but so what! I can still eat!"
"吃到有點累了,但又怎樣?我還是可以吃!"

"My mouth is getting sore."
"嘴巴開始有點痠軟了..."

"Let me keep trying!"
"讓我繼續試..."

"Ok, I think I should stop."
"我想我該停了..."

親愛的未來的藹伶
我們愛妳並希望妳知道和感受到我們對妳的愛。我們想給妳看幾張照片，假若妳不相信我們說關於妳兩歲的時候便可吃下幾乎一整片的好事家的Pizza, 在此有照片為證。希望妳能像我們一樣喜愛這些照片。雖然妳爹和我開始擔心以後可能要花很多錢在食物上，特別是要是妳有幸有其他的兄弟姊妹，而他們也和妳一樣會吃的話，不過我們會很欣然地接受這事實並更加努力地來提供你們的所需。我們希望妳能感謝妳所獲得的東西，並成為一個樂於與人分享的女孩。

Amber's latest... 怡文近期所忙之事

2008-10-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Lately, besides being a full-time mom taking care of my sweet girl and doing never-ending house work, I also finished translating a portion of a site from English to Chinese for Cascade Refining, Inc., translating some articles in Mormomwiki, and have been working on translating the English site "www.christ.org" into Chinese site "www.yesu-jidu.org". Those gospel-related sites plus many other sites or blogs are the fruits of the effort of "More Good Foundation". It's a non-proft organization whose purpose is to provide places where church members can share their testimonies online and also offer positive information about the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church to anyone who may be interested. I found myself enjoying doing the translation so much, and have learned so much along the way. Although there are yet a lot I can and need to improve.

Last week I also began to babysit Ian once or twice a week. The reason I took this challenge not only because it can give us a little some extra income but also that Virginia can have another friend to play with and learn different things together. My wish is that I can take care of Ian the way I would like a person to treat my daughter when I need to be away from her for a longer time. I take them outside to play, see home made pictures, Chinese character Powerpoint flash cards, let them play the toys together, paint, listen to the music and watch their favorite shows. There are still much more we can do together and I am looking forward to it. A full day went really quick actually. Hope Ian will enjoy more and more being with me and Virginia.

最近除了全職地照顧藹伶和忙於永無止盡的家事外,我完成了翻譯Cascade精鍊公司網站的部份內容,也翻譯了數篇摩爾門維基百科裡的文章,目前則努力地將英文網站Jesus.Christ.org翻成中文的yesu-jidu.org。這幾個福音相關的網站都是在More Good Foundation這非營利組織的努力下的成果,該組織的宗旨主要是提供教友們線上分享見證的園地,並對任何對耶穌基督的福音和教會感興趣的人們提供正面積極的資訊,這同時亦響應了羅素‧培勒長老鼓勵教友們利用網路資源分享見證、提供教會相關資訊的呼籲。Yesu-jidu.org主要是提供有關耶穌、聖經歷史等方面的資訊,歡迎說中文的朋友們能夠前來流覽,若有看到錯別字或可以改進的地方,一定要跟我說喔!我真的很喜歡翻譯,特別是能夠從中學到很多,當然我也深知還有很多需要加強改進的地方!

除了翻譯的部份外,我也於上星期開始每星期一兩天帶Ian的工作。我之所以接下這個任務不單儘是為了貼補點家用,而是藹伶亦可多個朋友一同玩耍,學習事物。我的心願是我能夠按照我希望她人在我必須遠離較長時間時對待藹伶的同樣方式來對待Ian。當天我帶他們到樓下的遊戲場玩耍、陪他們一起看我用powerpoint所作的插圖及國字閃卡、讓他們一起玩玩具、畫畫、聽音樂、看他們最喜歡的節目,一整天的時間坦白說一下就過去了。還有許多事我們可一起作,而我也相當地期待,希望Ian能越來越喜歡和我和藹伶在一起!

Let's dance and sing! 一起跳吧唱吧!

2008-10-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

Virginia really enjoys singing and dancing! She always sings and dances. I might ask her someday if she wants to go on the show "America's got talent"! :D
藹伶真的超愛唱歌和跳舞! 總是隨處唱隨處跳! 我想有天我可能會問她會不會想上"America's got talent"這個才藝競賽的節目。 :D

Virginia is holding the flashlight pretending it's a microphone and sings. She even applauded for herself and said "good job" (in Chinese) to herself!
藹伶拿著假裝是麥克風的手電筒唱著歌,唱完還不忘給自己拍手鼓掌,對自己說"好棒!"

See how flexible she is! Before long she can learn dance from Cora!
瞧瞧藹伶的好身手,說下腰就下腰耶!希望趕快長大就可以和Cora阿姨學舞蹈了!

This is the evidence about how actively Virginia moves around and seldom stops. Even though we were sitting quietly watching the Republican Convention, she could still entertain herself with her least favorite thing....the potty.
這正是藹伶總是動來動去並難得停下來的證據。即使我們安靜地看著共和黨大會沒怎麼理她的時候,她還能旁若無人、在我們面前大搖大擺地玩著她最不喜歡的東西－小便盆,自娛。實在是又氣又好笑!

IKEA Amusement Park??? IKEA遊樂園???

2008-10-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

While I was picking a kid's chair from IKEA and took forever to decide which color to get, this father and daughter didn't get bored at all...They were having so much fun spinning together. Thank goodness that day IKEA was pretty slow, that way they didn't get too much of attention from others! I enjoyed watching them having fun and laughing so loud together. Charles says he learned this stuff from his Dad.

某天我正在IKEA倉庫裡想挑張小朋友的椅子,花了很久的時間在思考到底要買那個顏色,我們家的這對父女倒也沒等地無聊不奈煩或閒著,反而開心地玩起旋轉,還好那天IKEA不是很多人,所以沒遭到旁人側目。我歡喜見到他們在一起玩耍和大笑!

Putting on sandals,EASY! 穿涼鞋,簡單!

2008-09-19T00:50:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Michael Zhou found Virgina was putting on her sandals and recorded the whole process. I guess it's normal for a 2-year-old toddler to put on her sandals on her own, but we just thought it's a little milestone for Virginia's growth and it is worthwhile to make a record. Now she can put on shoes and clothes on her own, even though she gets the directions of the cloths messed up sometimes, like putting a top on the bottom as a skirt. :D She not only takes care of herself more, but also helps takes care of us. She now always grabs shoes for us before heading out the door. One morning when I just woke up from a good night of sleep, she handed me my bra and asked me to tie my chest. She is constantly observant for sure. Before long she will understand a bra is to wear not to tie! The way she uses the limited words she knows to describe things she understands in her mind also amazes us deeply.

周明看到藹伶正在穿她的涼鞋,覺得很有趣便把這個過程都記錄下來了。我想對於一個兩歲的小孩自己穿鞋實屬正常,但這亦是藹伶成長的一個里程碑,是值得作番紀錄的。現在她可以自己穿衣和穿鞋,雖然有時她會搞錯,像是把上衣當成裙子穿在下半身。:D 藹伶現在不僅比較會照顧自己了,也還會照顧我們,每當我們要出門前,她總會幫我們拿鞋子。某天早晨剛從一晚好覺中醒來,藹伶竟然隨手遞給我一件胸罩,並對我說:「媽咪,奶奶綁起來!」,相信不久後她就會明白胸罩是用來穿的不是用來綁的。看到她用她所知有限的字來描述在她腦中所認知的事情,真的令我很驚奇。

Some outdoor photos 一些戶外照片

2008-09-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

Yuhsuan took some great photos when we went out to the zoo and camping. Virginia is not really a big fan of getting her pictures taken, so we are grateful that Yuhsuan were able to capture her.
Click here to view Yuhsuan's photography portfolio.

育璿在我們一起去動物園和露營時照了一些很棒的照片。藹伶並不是很喜歡被照,所以我們真的很感謝育璿能夠捕捉到一些美好的鏡頭。觀迎觀賞育璿的攝影作品

Virginia and her best friend-Natalie, daughter of Yuhsuan.
藹伶和她的好朋友-莛諺,育璿的女兒

She really loves to play with water.
她真的很愛玩水哩!

Playing with water is so fun!
玩水真有趣!

"Virginia, are you sure you want to go into the water?"
"藹伶,妳確定要走進水裡嗎?"

Daddy waiting for the fish!
爸爸呆坐等待魚兒上鈎!

Virginia turned TWO 藹伶兩歲了!

2008-08-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

Virginia turned two on July 31. That was exactly one month ago today. She was spoiled with many gifts from her grandparents. We also held a birthday party two days after her birthday. We thought that would be a great gift to her since she loves to play and be with people so much...especially adults. We are so blessed to have family and friends who love and and are proud of Virginia. We pray that Charles and I can always remember the wonderful blessings Heavenly Father has given us. Virginia tops the cake!

藹伶在上個月的今天滿兩歲了!她當天好受寵,收到好多來自我們父母的禮物。我們也在她生日的兩天後為她舉辦了一個慶生會,想說這對她會是個很棒的禮物,因為她真的很喜歡和人們玩。我們真的倍受祝福能有家人和朋友愛著藹伶,並以她為榮。慕義和我祈求我們能永遠記得我們這美好的祝福－擁有藹伶這美好的女兒。

Some photos from the Birthday Party

一些慶生會當天的照片

"You and Me" "我和你"

2008-08-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

這首所表達的精神真的是一項永恆的原則!非常美的一首歌,叫人動容,希望能在生活中身體力行。
What a great message this song has! Regardless of who you root for, there is an important message we can act upon, not just listen to, loving all as children of God.

It has been a joy to see the Olympics in a place that is very close to our hearts. Although we tried to get there and applied to volunteer the very day the applications could be submitted (didn't hear back..although I am sure they have plenty of people), it is still great to watch from home and really absorb this time in history. I think most people who pause and stop, are realizing this event will have enormous significance beyond what news will ever report or a talk show will talk about. It is something special.

Oh, and enjoy the human fish, Michael Phelps.

Bejing Welcoms You 北京歡迎你

2008-08-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

We are getting quite excited about the upcoming great event, the 2008 Bejing Olympic Games and can't wait to see it. We also have really enjoyed seeing some of the pre-Olympic activities and have loved this song and the feeling it gives.

對於即將到來的２００８北京奧林匹克的盛事，我們家真是既期待又興奮，我們也非常喜歡為此次活動所作的歌曲，在此與朋友家人分享～

MTV Version MTV版

Live Version 實況版

(They didn't seem to care much about lip synching, the feeling was what mattered though :D 他們似乎沒太在意對好嘴，反正感覺是最重要囉！)

4th of July 美國國慶日

2008-07-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

4th of July is a special day to our family. We planned ahead to have BBQ this day so we bought a small grill for this event. This was also the first time that our little family went out to have BBQ on our own. We heard there was a national park nearby, even though we didn't know if that's a good place for grilling, we decided to check it out, and it turned out to be a great place for such activity.
7月4日美國國慶日對我們家是個特別的節日。今年我們計劃在當天出外烤肉,於是便買了一個小型的烤肉爐,這也是我們第一次自己出去烤肉。我們聽說在離家裡不遠處有個國家公園,雖然不知那裡能不能烤肉,我們仍決定前往一趟一探究竟,很幸運地,那裡真是個適合出遊烤肉的好地方。

Later on that evening, we went to Provo for the "Stadium of Fire" for the concert and beautiful firework. It was a great and sweet experience, especially with a little kid like Virginia who enjoyed the show as mush as we did. Bearing incredible loud noise of thousands of little girls who are big Miley Cyrus fans is definitely a challenge!
當天稍後傍晚時,我往驅車前往普羅浮參加"煙火巨蛋"(Stadium of Fire)的國慶表演欣當音樂及美麗的煙火。藹伶這小傢伙也很我們一樣看得很投入,使得這次地經驗更加美好。要忍受超級偶像Miley Cyrus的小女歌迷的尖吵聲倒是一個挑戰呢!

Where are grandparents 阿公阿媽在哪裡?

2008-07-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

We asked Virginia where are her Opa, Oma, agong and ama randomly, and she got them all right! Grandparents must be so proud of her!
我們隨機地問藹伶Opa和oma(德文的爺爺奶奶)和阿公阿媽,舅舅,姊姊(指彎彎阿姨)和Amy(我們家的狗)在那裡,藹伶都答對了,爺爺奶奶阿公阿媽肯定很以藹伶為榮! :D

Cuteness 倆小無猜

2008-07-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

- - -

While Virgina was trying so hard to make the scooter work, the little handsome boy just came up to her and pulled her forward. Virgina was a little shy and called him "ge ge"(older brother in Mandarin), of course he couldn't understand her. It's just so cute! :D
正當藹伶努力試著讓滑板車前進時,一個小帥哥前來英雄救美,拉著小車上的藹伶前行。藹伶嬌滴滴地看著他並輕聲地喚他"哥哥,哥哥"(當然對方是完全不知藹伶在說什麼的),看到這一幕的我,會心一笑。

"Family, isn't it about time! "

2008-07-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

Prior to this past trip to Taiwan, whenever I asked Virginia where "a gong" and "a ma" (means grandpa and grandma in Taiwanese) were, she would always point to the computer since that's where we could use 'Skype' to talk to them and see them. We were a bit hesitant if Virginia and I should go back to Taiwan. After all it isn't cheap! Because of Charles' encouragement and help, plus my desire to be with my parents and have Virginia to be with them, I decided to take Virginia home regardless.

"Family, isn't it about time" is my favorite quote in the TV commercials put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It indicates two important meanings: We should do our best to spend time with our own family and having a good family is all about the time you put into it. While I was struggling whether to go or not, Charles told me it is worth the money to be able to spend some time with family. That really got to me, and I was really grateful for his support.

This trip was all about being with the family, even if we just stayed home and did nothing but be together or simply watch TV together, I felt so good. It also was so great to see grandpa and grandma's smile when they were with Virginia.

After we came back to the States, Virginia really knew who "a gong" and "a ma" were and didn't point to the computer when we asked where were grandpa and grandma were, instead, she replied they were in Taiwan. (Of course, I taught her how to say Taiwan. : ) )

這次回台灣之前,每次我問藹伶阿公阿媽在哪裡,她都會指著電腦示意他們在電腦裡,因為我們總是透過電腦用Skype和他們講話和視訊, 藹伶那時大概真以為阿公阿媽住在電腦裡吧! 這次決定回去前,挺掙扎的,畢竟現在機票不便宜,但在慕義的鼓勵和協助下,再加上自己真的很渴望能見到爸媽並讓藹伶有機會與他們相處,最後便決定排除萬難回去了。”Family, isn't it about time"是我最喜歡的一句教會廣告的台詞，有著雙關的意思：其一是「該是時候與家人在一起了」，其二是「促成美好的家庭的關鍵莫過於你所投入的時間」。當我還在猶疑究竟要不要回台，慕義告訴我能夠與家人在一起花那些錢真的是很值得的，當時聽到這句話時有股一語驚醒夢中人的感動，而我由衷地感謝慕義的支持。

這次回台的目的就是與家人在一起，即使僅待在家裡沒做什麼或看看電視也覺得很開心，更欣慰的是能夠看到爸媽與寶貝孫女在一起時臉上所掛的微笑。

從台灣返回後，當我們問藹伶阿公阿媽在那裡時，她不會再指著電腦了，而是會說：「阿公在台灣！阿媽在台灣！」（當然我有教她怎樣講台灣囉！）她真的記得阿公阿媽了！

Carrying Christ's Flag 扛著基督的旗幟

2008-07-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

One of the unforgettable memories from this past trip to Taiwan was a fireside talk that was held in the Stake center by the Taipei Temple. I was able to go with my mom. The speakers were Elder and Sister Rasband. Elder Ronald A. Rasband is currently serving as one of seven Presidents of the Seventy in the Church. The fireside was full of members and wonderful non-member friends.

In Sister Rasband's talk, she shared a precious experience that happened when she and her husband presided over the New York, New York Mission (Tony Lee 06-08). This memory was brought to her mind because a Sister from Taiwan who served in their mission in New York was in attendance at the Fireside. Sister Rasband went on to share the experience with us. To celebrate Columbus Day in New York City, the missionaries serving in the New York, New York Mission were invited to be part of the city's annual parade. A senior couple missionary then collected flags from all over the world, and asked the missionaries to find the flags that represented where they were from. The Sister from Taiwan didn't find the flag she was familiar with or represented her homeland. With great disappointment she was really sad that she couldn't have a flag to carry in the parade. An Elder saw the situation ,then asked her to stand in front of the team and carry a flag of no country, but one that represented the church, The Church of Jesus Christ. He also comforted her and said, "Isn't that wonderful to be the representative of Christ and carry His flag? Isn't it wonderful to know that He knows us deeply and loves us dearly even when people can't recognize us nor know where are we from?"

I feel so blessed that I know from the bottom of my heart that what that Elder said is so true. I know we are all children of God and He and our Savior Jesus Christ love us very much. We don't need to carry their flag literally to remind us or show people this testimony, but by living in the gospel and striving to become more like Jesus, we show our love to God and also show that we have felt His love for us.

這次台灣行其中一個難忘的回憶便是和媽咪參加在台北聖殿旁舉行的一場爐邊聚會，演講著為現任教會總會七十員七位會長中的一位羅斯本長老及他的太太。當天現場擠滿了來自台灣各地的教友及許多非教友的朋友，真地很令人感動。

羅斯本姊妹分享到一個她和羅斯本長老先前服務於紐約傳道部的經驗，當天與會的其中一位姊妹當時也在那裡傳教，能夠在事隔多年後再相會令她回想到這個令她啓發良多的經歷。在他們任內時，當地的傳教士們受邀參加花車遊行來慶祝哥倫布日，於是一位年長的夫婦傳教士便收集來自世界各地的國旗，讓傳教士們在遊行時可以拿著代表他們所來自的地方的旗幟；而這位來自台灣的姊妹在經過一番努力後很失望地沒能找到代表她故鄉的旗子，她很難過，有位長老看到此番情形，便邀請她舉著代表著基督及祂的教會的旗幟站在隊武的最前方，並且安慰她說：「身為基督的代表並手持祂的旗幟是不是很美好呢？能夠知道祂深深地認識並愛著我們即使當其他人不正視我們、不知我們來自何方，這不是很美好嗎？」

我覺得非常有幸能打從心底知道這位長老所言甚是。我知道我們都是神的孩子，而祂及我們的救主耶穌基督很愛我們。我們不需真地舉著祂們的旗幟來提醒我們及讓人知道我們這番的見證，而藉著生活在福音中和努力變得更像基督，我們表達了對神的愛及顯露出我們已感受到神對我們的愛。

Preschool is fun 幼兒園樂無窮

2008-07-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

One of the things I planned to do when visiting Taiwan was to take Virginia to preschool so she could play with other kids and develop her language. The Wu family from my home ward of the church in Taiwan, ran a small preschool and they were willing to let Virginia go there a few days a week for a really good price. I then bought a little chair for Virginia so we could ride scooter to the school together.
此次回台其中一件我想做的事就是帶藹伶去上幼兒園，讓她可以和其他小孩子玩並發展她的語文能力。我家鄉永和支會的吳家庭，願意讓我每週帶藹伶幾天去她們所經營的幼兒園，並且僅收取不多的學費。於是我就買了一個小椅子給藹伶，這樣我好騎車載她去學校。

I rode scooter very carefully and thank God that we made it safe. Virginia really enjoyed our little everyday ride.
每次我看到這張照片心裡覺得很對不起女兒，因為我全副武裝有安全帽和口罩，藹伶卻什麼都沒有。我有買口罩給她囉，只是她戴了一陣子便不肯再戴了，至於安全帽，我則找不到適合她大小的帽子，於是我只有更加小心地騎車，感謝神我們旅途平安。藹伶真地很喜歡每天的機車行。

The first day of the preschool, Virginia cried and ran up to me when I went to pick her up to show that she missed me. The teacher said she was having a great time at the school She was doing extremely well without me at the school. The kids all loved her and she seemed to enjoy her time there.
第一天我去接藹伶放學時，她哭著衝向我，一副很想我的樣子，即使老師說她玩得不亦樂乎。離開媽媽身邊的藹伶適應地非常好, 學校裡的孩子也都很喜歡她，她似乎真地很享受在幼兒園的時光。

The boy right next to Virginia was so tender that he kept fixing her hair.
在藹伶邊的小男生一直溫柔地幫藹伶整理頭髮。

Virginia loves to eat and eating time probably is one of her favorite times at the school (or anywhere else for that matter). The teacher told me that Virginia could eat a lot and ate more than other older kids. She was so amazed by that. Oh well, it's not a surprise to all of our family and close friends. One day, the teacher put a plate of fruit on the table, and turned her head to focus on another thing. Just a little while later, when she turned back and wanted to have the kids have the fruit, the whole plate of fruit was all gone because Virginia ate it all！oops. I hope Virginia won't be like that when she grows up...:)
藹伶喜歡吃而吃東西大概是她在學校最喜歡的活動之一。吳媽很驚訝地告訴我藹伶在學校吃好多而且吃得都比其他比她大的小朋友還多，唉，藹伶這樣會吃的事對我們的家人和親近的朋友應該不是什麼新聞了。有一天吳媽切了一盤水果放在桌上，然後便轉身去忙別的，不一會兒就轉頭回來，赫然發現整盤的水果都被藹伶給吃光光了！希望藹伶早大些時別再像這般嘴饞。

The differences of a year 一年之差

2008-05-28T14:40:00.001-07:00

Virginia is now a 21-month-old toddler now as we are in Taiwan.

今年回台，藹伶是個二十一個月大的小朋友！

"I want to be like mom, riding a scootor everywhere"

”希望可以向媽咪一樣騎著機車到處趴趴走”

"Hi Daddy!We miss you!"

"喂，爸爸，我們想你喔”

－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

Virginia was a 7-month-old baby last year we were in Taiwan.

上次帶藹伶回台時，她是個七個月大的嬰兒．

”I love Grandpa"

”我愛阿公”

”Blowing a bubble is fun to do!"

"用鼻子吹泡泡真是有趣！”

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

I would just like to pay tribute to all those who have served their country, through military service in particular on this Memorial Day weekend. This sense of gratitude I believe is in most American's minds and I would just like to use this to thank my family for their past and present service. Saying "I am grateful" for what they do and did feels awkward sometimes, simply because they are only words. Military service has been a been a large aspect of our family, but as with so many that each of us know personally, it has never caused anyone I have known to seek personal recognition.

While many in our family have served and are now buried at Arlington National Cemetery, I wish to pay a special tribute to "Opa", Col. Francis Michael Manning, my grandfather, buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was a great man, and example to me. Arlington is a special place, and anyone who gets the opportunity to ever go to the DC area, this should be visit #1 in my opinion. Hope you enjoy the video...even if you don't like country music...(You'll have to shut the music off to the right to hear the video)