Reviews on "Our Curse" - Full movie here!

Ok, I guess I should have waited for 1 more day, then, I will get to watch "Our Curse" in the comfort of my PJs in my room.  But I guess it doesn't matter... at least I got to watch all 5 of the nominees for the 2015 Oscar - Short Documentary category.  If it were to be me, I would either pick Our Curse, not just because that's what Laynson has, more so it was very real, very touching and I can totally relate since I've been through this and also Veteran's - Press 1.  It is sad to see so many veterans suffering from PTSD thinking of giving up their life, leaving their family.

Anyway, the movie was really good.  I am sure those mom, not only with child with CCHS but any mom that has to spend a long time in the NICU and then having to trach their child.  The part that hurt most was during trach change.  I saw Leo crying and there wasn't any sound that came out.  I still remember, refusing to trach Laynson even though I know that it's the best option for him.  I asked, will I hear him, will he talk?  They all told me yes, you will hear him and he can talk.  That was just partially true.  After the surgery, Laynson was put in coma for 5 days to prevent him from moving much.  5 long and painful days waiting for your baby to wake up and when he woke up, he started crying and it was silent.... wait a minute.... they all told me that I will hear him, I quickly called the nurse, I told her, something didn't go right, something must have happened during the surgery, there is no sound.  They then said, ohh it's normal, you won't hear him unless he wears a cap or passy muir.  WHAT???? Nobody mention that he has to wear something to make sound.... I said to her, please put it on now, I need to hear my baby cry.... she said no mom, we can't do that, he's on the vent 24/7.  Heads down... back to my sit and sob and sob again :(.

There were a lot of challenges in the past, like the part where the O2 dropped so quickly and he didn't show the baby but you can see from the machines that it dropped from 94 to 90 to 88 to 81 to 77 .... all well within seconds.  We deal with that daily in the past and it has been less frequent but tell me, when you were pregnant, you read books like "What to expect, when you're expecting", and then, you have the "What to expect, First Year".... it doesn't tell you what to do when your baby turns blue and literally dead in your arms.  I still remember the first time seeing him being that way, I had nightmare... every night I close my eyes, I would imagine looking at a dead baby.  It is traumatizing.  We were not taught to have to deal with this.... these are things that I just have to pick and go during my busy days.  Then like in the movie, she had to call the equipment company, it is a constant battle.  Then medicaid decides to cut your supplies, cut your nursing hours, and then now, I have to learn to be an attorney, defending my child's rights to things we need to keep him alive.  I wear so many hats till I lost count.  I learn to be a nurse, a pulmonologist deciding on how many breathe he should take on his vent (of course within the limit the doctor gives me), deciding if we should give him treatments, decide to go to the ER right away, then become a scheduler to schedules our frequent doctor's visits, and then, on the other hand, I have 2 other kid that needs me the same, so I have to still be a mom, a sister, a daughter, a wife and then, at work, I have to be a Consultant and lastly for business, I have to be a purchaser to deal with the factory, a shipper to arrange shipment, a customer service person to deal with issues, an accountant to deal with the taxes, social media specialist.... the list goes on.  Trust me, I am not complaining, I am glad that these task were given to me so that I don't have time to sit down and be depressed about what's all that is happening in my life.

I feel bad when I didn't read to my boys, when I haven't ship the item to my customer, when I didn't respond my emails in a few days but trust me, I really tried my best.  I really wish that God would have given me an additional 10 hours in a day together with CCHS.  Wishful thinking :)  Again, I apologize to the customers that have yelled at me, telling me that I am not fit to be in business.... I tried my best.  That's why I told myself that 2015, I would like to turn this around, I want to relocate my time and put my best in BubuBibi.... after all, it's another child of mine.

My friends tell me, you are a strong women, I don't think I can handle it if it were to be me.  I respond to them.... oh no... when it's you, you will know how to handle it.  The survivor mode will turn on and you will be able to handle it as well or if not better.  It's ok, you are not given a choice, STRONG is the only option for you.

Overall, it was truly walking back to memory lane when I watched this.  I have watched it over and over again and I am glad to see what it was in the past and what I've gone through and somethings, I am still going through but the most important thing is, I still have HIM!  I wouldn't trade anything for my little fighter... my hero and also his brothers, who has always been there for him, teaching him to be tough, be the fighter he is.

This is a short 27 mins movie, please take time to watch, hopefully someday, someone would come up with a cure and no kids and parents would have to go through this.

http://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000003489430/our-curse.html

Our curse..... Ondine's curse.... it's my curse too....

Some of my customers know that I am a special needs mom but I think a lot of parents out there don't know what my son has.  Basically, my son has CCHS.... Congenital Central Hypo Ventilation Syndrome.  Basically, Laynson will eventually stop breathing when he falls asleep.  It's also call the Ondine's Curse.

I have also heard that they mentioned that some of the SIDS babies that has tested for this genes shows positive but because they are mild, the doctor's didn't catch it and they went home and eventually build up a lot of CO2 causing them to pass away.  A lot of them were said to have SIDS.

Luckily for us, I guess I still consider myself lucky because the doctor caught it 30 mins after birth. We were also very lucky that we live in Dallas, TX and not in smaller cities as some of our friends were told to let go of their baby and was given a year to live at most.

Anyway, there is a conference once in 2 years for CCHS and too bad, we were not there at 2014 CCHS conference, so, we didn't get to watch "Our Curse".  Not that I am not watching my own daily but yes, heard many raving reviews about this short documentary.  And YES, it was nominated for the 2015 Oscar Short Documentary, I hope they will win, it will increase the visibility of CCHS and please, please find a cure someday.

http://oscar.go.com/nominees/documentary-short-subject/our-curse

God is great!  Can you believe that he knows that I am in this little small town in Greensboro, NC and he decided to entertain my travel for work by having Geeksboro Coffeehouse Cinema to show it?

I can't wait to watch it and will be bringing lots of tissue paper!!! Yay!!! Finally get to watch it!  I can't believe it has been almost 3 years where this nightmare begin.  These 3 years has been a rollercoaster ride for us, we have almost lost him.  It is scary but like my little fighter, I will fight for everything for him. 

What is it like to raise a child with special needs?

Some people has asked me, what is it like to raise a child with special needs?  I didn't know how to answer that question, not until I read an article.

There are a lot of moms out there, a lot of you know what you are going into, having a baby, expect sleepless nights, expect having to deal with crying and whinny baby, expect them to eat solid, expect them to sleep through the night at 4 months, expect them to crawl, then walk but for some of us... we were the same way, we expect to have our baby at full term, for the moms who has more than 1 kid, it's a "been there, done that" deal.  But sometimes, for some of us, you expect to "been there, done that" but without a warning, you've been thrown to a situation where you have never know exist.  When you were pregnant, you were never expecting to have to put your baby on a machine to help him breathe, never expect to see a hole in your baby's throat, never expect that your baby has to eat through tubes, never expect that your baby will never move except for their eyes looking at your, for me, the worst is that I never expect that I have to resuscitate my baby everyday to keep him living.

Some of us refuse to accept the fact, in fact, I myself had a tough time, trying to accept the fact, I hide behind the closet for several months, having to be on anti depression just to get up in the mornings to go to the hospital to see my baby, yet having to deal with 2 other kids at home and then, I was still working from home and dealing with my side business.  I still remember, one day, I really went into my closet, shut off all my lights and started crying and crying for over an hour because, that's where I felt like I was then... in the dark, crying and nobody to help me, asking WHY ME?

Months later, I slowly came out of the dark and realize that life has to go on.  But, when people ask me, what is it like to raise a child with special needs, I really didn't know how to answer them until I read the poem below.  It inspired me and I know that I deal with the mommy and babies business, for those mom who has to go through what I am, as well as those who just started going through and having deal with things that they totally didn't know that if they could or not, please read the poem below and WELCOME TO HOLLAND!

For me... I've been to Italy (2 Healthy Boys) and expected to go to Italy again but ended up in Holland the last time but I love Holland and Holland is where we shall stay, if you don't know what I am talking about, please, you have to read the article below and here is my BEAUTIFUL HOLLAND!

And here is Laynson, REACHING FOR A CURE someday so that not another baby and mommy have to go through what we went through!  CCHS.

Please note that this is not written by me, a mom actually shared this:

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…

When you’re going to have a baby, it’...s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?!” you say. “What do you mean, Holland?” I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.
But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.
So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It’s just a different place. It’s slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

The pain of that will never, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.

Written by Emily Perl Kingsley

Happy Lunar (Chinese) New Year to all of our customers!!! Welcome the year of the Dragon!

I am not sure if all of you are familiar with the Chinese New Year? If you go to a chinese restaurant, you will often see a paper on the table that states the 12 animal Zodiacs & it does tell you what zodiac you are base on the year you are born. This year, it is the year of the dragon. According to some, the year of the dragon is to welcome longevity, wealth and prosperity and to eliminate negative chi from the past.

We went to Tzu Chi, our son’s pre school to celebrate the Chinese New Year. They had a play and were explaining what is Chinese New Year and what do people do during those times.   The 3 year old performed the Lion Dance and the 4 year olds had a play, explaining to everyone what Chinese New Year is and what do people do. 

Basically, December 22^nd is where the Chinese celebrates the Winter Solstices.  After that till Chinese New Year, they begin spring cleaning. Then, the night before Chinese New Year, the family would gather around to have the family reunion dinner.  We had 2 this year to make up for last since my parents were not here last year.  We did a lunch in the restaurant and a dinner at home. 

Here is a picture of the 12 animal Zodiacs that people often see in the Chinese restaurant.

Also, here is a special dish we had called the “Yee Sang/ Loh Sang”.  Basically, the Yee Sang is a Fish Salad, but in Chinese, it means the “Prosperity Toss”.  It is only famous in Singapore and Malaysia where I grew up and of course, I wanted to make sure that I did the Prosperity Toss J

Did you know that people celebrates the Chinese New Year for 15 days?  But what are the tradition and things they typically do during these 2 weeks?

Well, here a little summary that I’ve gathered:

First Day:  Welcome the gods of Heavens and Earth, during the ancient times, many would stay away from meat and would just eat vegetarian food because it is believed that this will ensure happiness and longevity for the family.

Second Day: This is the day where the Chinese will pray to their ancestors as well as all the other gods.  Yes, we do have many different gods, the Kitchen god, the Earth God, etc.

Third and the Forth Day:  It is time to visit the in laws.

Fifth Day:  People usually stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. 

Sixth through the 10^th day:  People will visit one another and also going to the temple to pray for Good Fortune and Health.

Seventh Day:  It’s called “Yan Yat”, which means, it’s everyone’s birthday.  They usually eat noodles to promote longevity.

Eigth Day:  The Fujian people usually have reunion dinner and prepare for the big night.  As soon as it passes midnight, it is the ninth day and that’s when they pray to the God of Heaven (Tian Gong). 

Ninth Day:  That’s when people make offerings to the Jade Emperor, the ruler of the heaven.

Tenth through the 13^th day :  Again relatives would visit one another.

Fourteenth day:   That’s when people start preparing for the 15^th day, which is the last day of Chinese New Year. 

Fiftheenth Day:  This is the last day of Chinese New Year.  I believe some said that it is also the Chinese’s Valentine’s Day.  A lot of the single people would go to the river side to throw oranges to hope for a good partner in future. 

Yes, the celebration is really big and fun back where I was born but not so much here in US.  Though, we are planning to bring my son to see the Lion Dance so that they will remember our culture.  Things that I missed are the sound of fire crackers and also the red packets called the “Ang Pow”. According to the ancient times, the sound of the fire crackers would scare away bad luck.  As for the red packets, it’s basically like Christmas gifts during Christmas times but for the Chinese, they would put cash in the red packet and distributure them to the kids or people that are single. 

Happy Chinese New Year to all of our customers and friends who celebrates the Chinese New Year, may this Dragon year be another great and prosperous year for all!!!

The pregnant sisters!

Being 3 years younger and already done with 2 kids, I never imagined that I would be pregnant at the same time as my sisters. She is 3 years older than me and because her son is a little more clingy and whinny, it scare her but because my brother in law really wants more kids, they have decided to try again. 


Growing up, I've always wanted a family like my parents.  That's why I choose to get married on their anniversary and I wanted to have kids pretty much the same age my mom had us but too bad, it didn't happen till later for me.


Though.... my mom and my aunt were pregnant the same time.  That's why my cousin brother is 4 days younger than me.  Aunt told us that she was preparing to go visit my mama and I at home and that's when she herself ended up in the hospital having my cousin.


SherLi, my sister's baby girl will be 10 weeks older than Leyron (DS3).  Just wanted to share this special sister thing will all the mom who happen to share the same thing.  I am sure SherLi and Leyron will be good buddies.

Merry Christmas to all from BubuBibi!!!

To all of our customers out there, we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  This year has been a challenging one for us.  Early this year, my husband got laid off, 2 weeks later, he had a car accident.  2 months later, we found out that my brother was diagnosed with a rare cancer called the Giant Cell Tumor and was almost paralyzed.  I still remember talking to my aunt in Australia, she told me, don’t worry, things will get better and you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I told her, this tunnel is a never ending one… It doesn’t seem to have an end and I don’t see any light.

I guess I was wrong; the end of the tunnel came finally when my husband was offered a job in Arizona.  So, we packed our bags, did a little road trip, just the 4 of us, drove to Arizona with cloth diapers all the way.  We were there for a week and as soon as everything got settled for him that week, I flew back to Texas with the kids and immediately head back to work.  It was difficult especially for my oldest son because he is so attached to his daddy and now, he only gets to see him 2 days every 2 weeks.  The younger one doesn’t know much yet, if he sees his daddy, he will just hug him and give him a kiss.  I guess somehow he misses his dada too. 

We took a little family vacation to Disneyland, it was the kids first trip there, the older one enjoyed it so much but the younger one again didn’t quite know what was happening. After we got back, I was busy preparing for a friend’s baby shower and Laynden’s 1^st birthday, that’s when I found out that I am pregnant with #3.  It was a total surprise because I thought I am done with 2 kids.  Though, before that, I had already plan to bring my kids back to our home country to meet their grandparents for the 1^st time.  We also arranged a trip to Australia to meet up with my dearest aunt.  It was a fun trip where the boys got to play with their cousins as well as met up with their favorite grand aunt, too bad, it was just us and my parents as my husband couldn’t take off work.

When I got back, the next day, I found out that I was having another boy.  Honestly, I was very disappointed and upset because I was really praying for a little girl.  I was hoping that I could some of the pink stuff and ruffles that I sell… but nope… I was blessed with another little boy.  He will be born sometime May of next year.

This year has definitely been a challenging year for me.  I’ve learnt so much along the way and I know that when you face difficult times, know that challenges are not sent to destroy you. They're sent to promote, increase and strengthen you.

Have a Merry Christmas all and a Happy New Year!

What did you get your kids this Christmas????

I guess my boys wouldn't know to get on my blog, so... it's safe to post what I got for them?  Ok, pregnant with the 3rd boy, I really am not sure what to get all of the boys next year.  I virtually got nothing for DS2, only got him a small little Roary Car.  Since DS2 loves to eat, I plan to put some chocolate or some baby food in a box and wrap it up, so that when DS1 opens his toys, DS2 gets to open his presents too.  However much I paid for toys for DS1, I will reimburse and put it in DS2's bank. 

It is just too scary with the toys we have at home.  It's all over the house but what else can I get a ltitle 5 year old besides toys?  He will not appreciate other things but toys.  Though, my sister told me, you should get him a Leappad Explorer.  I haven't been up to date on the kid's toys lately, tried googling it and apparently, everywhere is sold out.  Called my husband, told him about it, said the only sites that are selling now are all over $190, do we want to pay that much.  Hubby said no, if we can't get it for Christmas, we can get it for his birthday.  Though, he tried goign to the Toysrus near his apartment and found that on Sunday, there were stock coming in and if he were to be the first few customers in line by 6am, he will get it.

So... I got a text from my husband (He lives in Arizona while we live in Texas) at 7am showing me pictures of people standing in line in the rain.  We texted back and forth and in my heart, I was telling him… good luck, if I were to be you, I would have been home sleeping under my comforter.  30 minutes later, I’ve received another text from him saying that he got it.  I guess it was worth standing in line after all.  Though, after including everything, the Leap pad Explorer set became over $150.  Well, we just hope he likes it.

Hopefully you all got something special and nice for your kids…. Merry Christmas all!

What do you do when you are down??

Just found a message, would like to share it with all the mom who is not having the best day today:

"When you face difficult times, know that challenges are not sent to destroy you. They're sent to promote, increase and strengthen you."

20 years ago - December 14 1991 was a night mare for my family, time flies!

My grandpa used to own a jewelry store.  He started his business back in the 40s.... When my grandma passed away, my dad retired from his job and started helping out my grandpa and since it is a family business, we did not hire anyone, I had to help out during the weekends as well as after school.  I just didn't have a normal school life like my other friends, where they got to go back home and played with their neighbors after school. 


On December 14, 1991 at 2.55pm, 3 robbers came and took almost everything in the store.  One had a gun, one had a screwdriver as long as 2 feet, never seen such long screwdriver in my life.  In less than 5 minutes, they emptied everything.  My grandpa was sitting at the counter and refused to let go at first.... my dad and I were forced to go to the back but when my dad saw that the robber almost stabbed my grandpa with the long screwdriver... he yelled, he told grandpa... LET IT GO!!! LET THEM TAKE IT!!!..


Can you imagine, my poor grandpa, worked so hard for the 50+ years but these people took his hard earn money in less than 5 minutes.  Unfortunately, we never did recover the money and we did not insure the jewelry, so... we had to start from scratched.  Dad took out our savings, his savings, everything he could to start the business again.  We worked even harder and pulled through the years.  Grandpa passed away 5 years later... I am sure grandpa is proud of daddy and all of us but without grandpa... we wouldn't be here today!

DO you have friends that constantly likes to compare their baby with yours?

I am not sure if you have a group of friends that have kids around your baby's age that constantly loves to compare their baby's development with yours?  At least I feel that's the case for me.  So, he's not walking yet?  He's almost 14 months?  Are you constantly carrying him around?  Are you this, are you that?  Maybe you should do this, you should do that?  I think each baby is different and will grow up different.  I am not concern that he is not walking after 1, I know he will eventually walk and will for the rest of his life, so, what's the hurry but I have people around me telling me what to do and what not to do and the funny part is, I have more kids, at least some of them have only 1 and I have 2 and coming on to the 3rd?  Yes, I hate it when people tell me what I should eat or do when I am pregnant.  I guess being a pregnant mama, sometimes I have mood swing and there was one day, I told this lady, actually, I think I know what to do since this is my 3rd pregnancy, would I know not better than you if you only had 1?  Sorry, I guess it may sound rude but I am just about to pull my hair out!

But... guess what?  Little Laynden started walking last week.  I just wanted to tell my little man that mama is so proud of you.  Good job!!!!

Our CD Baby Quality Control Manager!

I thought I'd share something cute and funny about baby Laynden.  A couple of weeks back, we had our shipment in, so, we had to count and separate it.  Little Laynden did not like to stay inside, so, we decided to bring him out so to help us.  

So, he decided to be our Cloth Diaper (CD) Baby Quality Control Manager, he took one by one out and started looking at the front, and then the back and he seem to have high quality standards, assuming that the ones he rejects, he throws on the floor?  

 Checking the front

 Checking the back

After checking for many hours, the Baby Quality Control Manager went back home for dinner and was too tired to do anything else after that.

 

Good night CD Baby Quality Control Manager!!!

Surprise Baby Shower for a friend, Helen - Made her a Belly Fondant Cake!

So, I had the honored to do the shower cake for a dear friend.  It was a surprise baby shower.  I was so excited, I wanted to post the pictures on Facebook as I was so excited but since it was a surprised, I needed to ensure that she didn’t see the cake.  For those of you who wants to do a shower cake, try this out.  This is probably my 5^th fondant cake.  First one was an American Flag, it wasn’t too hard to make, then, a Nissan GTr cake for my son’s 3^rdth anniversary, an Airplane for son’s 4^th birthday and this is the 5^th. 

Anyway, this is what I did:

Step 1: Baking the cake

I took 2 small bowls and one big bowl, I just used the pre mix boxes since I do not have time to make my own cake J  For the size of my bowl, approximately 11 inches diameter, I had to use 4 boxes of pre mix.  I I baked the 2 small bowl first, 25 minutes at 350F.  Then, after that was done, I baked the big bowl at 350F and kept added 15 minutes.  Towards the end, I covered the bowl with an aluminum foil and lowered the temperature to 325F.  It took me probably close to 2 hours to bake that big bowl.  After I was done, I let the big bowl sit in the oven for hours, unlike other cakes where some people advise to flip it over, I was told to let it sit.

Step 2:  Getting the chocolate garnish ready
I made extra since I needed to make another cake for Laynden’s 1^st birthday party the next week but what I did is I weighed 500g of the Nestle Semi Sweet Chocolate.  At the same time, I prepare 500ml of Heavy whipping cream.  I boil the heavy whipping cream, when it starts boiling, I turn off the heat and pour the chocolates in and start stirring till all the chocolate melts.  Once they melt, I put them aside and once it starts to cool down, I let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Step 3: Getting the fondant ready
Some people buy readymade fondant but I prefer to make myself since it is cheaper.  I follow the instructions by googling marshmallow fondant.  What I usually do is I put 1 bag of 16oz marshmallows, insert 2 tablespoons of water, microwave it for approximately 2 minutes.  After that, stir the marshmallow fondant till it becomes smooth.  After that, I add the icing sugar, which I’ve used powdered sugar.  I really do not measure how much sugar I put in, I keep kneading the marshmallow and sugar till it is dry.  I will add some Crisco when it feels like it is too sticky.  Keep on doing it till it feels like the fondant is ready.  I like to use my fondant a few hours later but some like to use the fondant a day later or few days later.  Remember to keep them in an air tight container if you intend to keep it longer than a day, that’s what I personally feel.

Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

White marshmallows (16 oz)
Water (2 tbsp)
Icing sugar sifted (1 to 2 pounds)
Crisco

A few hours later, I start working on the cake again.

Step 4: Preparing the cake
I cut the bottom of the cake to so that the cake sit smoothly on the table.  I crumple the cake and then begin using it to fill the tummy and the boobs since the bottom of my bowl is flat, we don’t want the tummy and boobs to have a flat surface.  Once that is done, I start covering the cakes with the chocolate garnish.

Step 5:  Covering the boobs
According to my friend (www.evadiscake.com), she told me to use ivory for the skin color.  So, I took some fondant and started mixing the ivory color.  Once that is done, rolled the fondant and put it over the boobs.  Once that’s done, I cut the side with the pizza cutter. 

 

Step 6: Covering the belly
I begin placing the belly near the boobs.  Since the theme color is Blue and Yellow, I took a big portion of the fondant and colored it blue.  I rolled the fondant till it is big enough to cover the tummy.  I’ve learnt my lesson to make sure that it is big enough, if not, in the past, I had to take it out and redo the fondant.  It is not fun at all.  Once the belly is covered, I started to put the decorations on the dress. 

 

Step 7: Finishing touch
To make it look a little shinny, I used Crisco and it feels like I am massaging the belly. 

The belly cake is ready for the surprise baby shower!

Baby Laynden is ONE!!!!

Thank you very much to all my customers who were very understanding as I took off a little a week to spend time with my husband and we took the boys to Disneyland and Legoland to celebrate Laynden's first birthday.  Even though he probably wonder why we are torturing him, making him nap on his stroller for days instead of sleeping in his baby hammock at home.

August 22, 2010 - 1.21am

Look how tiny you were

Look at you now... you have 4 teeth!!!

We had a great time there as my parents and sister's family joined us as well.  We were at Chandler for a couple of days to spend time with my husband.  I cannot believe that he's a year old now.

Thank you all for allowing us some time off to celebrate his 1st birthday!!!  We'll have his birthday party this weekend, I cannot wait to make him his 1st birthday cake!!!

Back from Arizona but headed straight to work!

 

All I can say, I LOVE IT!!! I love AZ, hubby now lives in Chandler.  I was able to help him furnish the apartment with less than $1,000.  I guess if given more time there, I'd say I would be able to do it in less than $600 but since I am just there for less than a week, I couldn't really get much stuff from craigs and moreover, we do not have a truck or SUV to haul the stuff back and coordinating with different sellers and not sure if they sold it or not was not really a good option. So, what did I get?  I managed to get floor model sectional set, a floor model memory foam bed + box spring.  That was the biggest item.  Best of all, we bought them on Memorial Day and there was no tax!  Talking about tax, the taxes here in TX is just 8.25% but in AZ, it was 8.8% and I was told that some places goes up to 9.9%?  Wow.... I am sure somebody else will be able to do better but I think I've did pretty well.  Some pictures to share below :) Anyway, managed to get the following all under $1,000: Grand Total  $961.25 Sectional  $399.00 Bed  $199.00 Side Table  $    9.99 Table Lamp  $   15.98 4 Pillows  $   39.46 7 set Comforter  $   39.99 7 Picture Frames  $   20.93 Dining Table Set  $   79.99 TV Cabinet  $   69.99 2 Decorative boxes  $   12.99 2 sets of window curtains  $   38.96 Curtain Rods  $   26.98 Floor Lamp  $     7.99

Happy 9th Anniversary to my husband AND Happy 36th Anniversary!

It's been 9 years since I got married, time flies.  Got married at a pretty young age.  We only knew each other for 9 months and we got married.  Throughout this 9 years, we've gone through many ups and down, through the down time, we stayed together stronger as we have to hang on to each other riding through the wave.  We've also gone through many happy times together especially with 2 of our cute little boys.  I would like to dedicate this song to my husband - UNV - So In Love With You.

I would also like to wish my parents a Happy 36th Anniversary.  I choose May 18th because it was my parent's anniversary and I always hope that my marriage will be like theirs.

Enjoy the song!

Verse 1:
You are to me,
What poetry tries to say with the word,
You are the song,
All the music mah heart,
Eva heard….
I can't escape,
The air that I breathe even speaks of you,
And I'm not ashamed to say,
That I feel this way….

Chorus:
I will stand before god,
Give you all that I've got,
I can promise you,
I'll be true,
I will feel here and now,
As we both take this vow,
I am so in love (so in love),
With you… ooooooo

Verse 2:
Words can't express,
I confess with each beat of my heart,
I'm overwhelmed,
With a passion I,
I felt from the start,
Our love will grow,
As the years come and go,
I'll remain by your side,
Oh yes I will,
There isn't anything that i will demand..

Chorus:
I will stand before god,
Give you all that I've got,
I can promise you,
I'll be true,
I will feel here and now,
As we both take this vow,
I am so in love,
I am so in love,
With you.

Spoken:
I promise to honor and cherish,
For better or for worst,
I'll be there for you,
For richer or for poorer,
In sickness and in health,
Till death do us part, (I will go with you)
From this day on and forever, ( I will…..) Ahhhhhh…….

Chorus:
I will stand before god,
Give you all that I've got,
I can promise you (I will promise you..),
I'll be true,
I will feel here and now,
As we both take this vow,
I am so in love, (I am so in love)
I am so in love,
I am so in love,
With you oooo
I am so in love...
With you oooooooo...

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all!

Happy Mother's Day to all mama out there.  How did yours go?  I had a great one.  On Thursday, my son's school called and left me a voicemail, telling me that I have to bring Laynce to school and that I thought she said that I had to bring muffin and juice.  So, on Friday morning, I had to get up extra early to stop by the groceries to get muffin and juice, I thought they were doing something for mother's day and probably my husband sign me up for that.  So, I went to school and apparently, my son is supposed to give me a flower that he made and then, he was supposed to serve me muffins and juice.  I guess I got the wrong message.  It was a surprise and definitely a sweet thing for them to do.  Really appreciate it.  My son goes to a school call "Tzu Chi", they teach Mandarin as well as English.  I want him to be multi lingual.  Like me and my husband can speak  5 languages. 


On Saturday, my husband brought Laynce for his swim class and then, they went out and bought me and my mom a spa gift card.  It was very sweet of him because I needed a break.  But... hmm... I am pretty "cheap", I have never been to a spa, the last time I went to the movies theather was probably back in 2005 because I keep telling myself that if I sit down at home, I have my laptop on me, I am not wasting my time, if I go to the movies, I cannot do anything, I am afraid I may be wasting time :(

Anyway, since my mama lives with me, we brought her out for lunch as well and for dinner, I made curry beef while my sister made another dish for mama because mama prefers not to cook. 

Happy Mother's day to all mama out there especially to my beloved mama who has always been by my side, helping me through everything.

Also, thank you God for allowing me to be mama of 3 beautiful boys.... Little Laynce, Little Laynden and my beloved Bruno who is now in Heaven.  I love you boys!