Kids Blog: Christmas, Gingerbread Houses, Ice Skating, Chinese New Year and More (Winter 2012)
FYI, I tend to go a bit crazy with the camera over the holidays. There are so many happy, cute moments that I never want to forget. I find myself taking photos of everything the kids are doing. By the end of December, I have hundreds of photos! With that said...
Warning: This journal entry contains 45 of my favorite photos from December, January, and February.
Highlights from December 2012
Decorating the Christmas Tree:
I always let Talia and Ethan decorate the Christmas tree. The ornaments usually end up clumped together around the bottom half of the Christmas tree. We'll never have a picture perfect tree. (Who cares about that anyway?) We have fun, and the kids are so proud of themselves. Haha.
Ethan's first grade class made gingerbread houses. It looks delicious!
Talia's Third Grade Winter Show:
The third graders put together a winter show. (Video coming soon.) They sang songs like Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, and Winter Wonderland. In the spirit of the season, all the children wore scarves. Talia wanted a Christmas-themed scarf, so I made one for her. It was so easy to make that I made one for Ethan and one for myself, too!
Talia's class lined up outside the multi-purpose room. Brr... It was cold outside!
Ethan's First Grade Winter Party:
Ethan's class had a winter party. The class was divided into 5 or 6 activity stations. The kids played dreidel, made reindeer headbands and snowman ornaments, and snacked on milkshakes and cookies. Then the class participated in a gift exchange while the teacher read a Christmas story.
Ethan plays dreidel at the dreidel station.
But I think his favorite activity station was the milkshake and cookie station! ^_^
The children sit in circle and exchange gifts (aka wrapped books) while they listen to a Christmas story. Every time they hear the word "Santa" they pass the gift in their hands to the person on their right. At the end of the story, the gift (book) that they are holding is theirs to keep.
Ethan wears his reindeer headband while he reads the book that he received. ^_^
Ethan's first grade class: (Where's Waldo Ethan?) ^_^
Christmas Day:
Opening gifts on Christmas morning...
Per tradition, we went to Grandmother's house for Christmas brunch. Ethan was six, but boxes never get old!
Also, per family tradition, no one is allowed to open Christmas gifts at Grandmother's house until after brunch and after the table has been cleared and all the leftovers have been put away. As you can imagine, this is torture for the kids! All those shiny presents! And they can't open them!
Ethan is quite imaginative. Just because he can't open the presents doesn't mean that he can't play with them. He makes up his own game: Christmas Present Dominoes!
Talia quickly gets the hang of this new game. ^_^
Finally, brunch is over! Talia and Ethan waste no time handing out the presents and tearing off the wrapping paper. Last year, they were very interested in Angry Birds Star Wars.
Gingerbread Houses and Gingerbread Cookies:
After Christmas, we spent several days in San Francisco with my family. This year, we made "gingerbread" houses. (We used honey graham crackers - not gingerbread.) There was so much sugar!
Baby Sister and Dai-Fu joined us, too. Baby Sister meticulously decorated her house with alternating blue-and-red M&M's. Dai-Fu was more ambitious. Why settle for a gingerbread house, when she could have a gingerbread hotel? ^_^
Ta-dah! Our gingerbread masterpieces! ^_^
Later, Little Sister and I helped the kids make real gingerbread cookies. This was our first attempt at making real gingerbread cookies. We used a recipe that I found online.
The kids had a blast with rolling the dough and using the cookie cutters.
The baked cookies cooling on a wire rack...
Next, we decorate them!
The gingerbread cookies were fun to make, and they sure smelled good. However, they didn't taste very good. They were terribly bland. (Almost like chewing on cinnamon cardboard.) It's a good thing we planned to decorate them with icing and candy anyway. Otherwise, they would have been unpalatable! I need to find a better recipe.
Highlights from January 2013
Learning to Ride a Two-wheeler
When Ethan crashed his bicycle back in June (2012), he broke his arm and bent the frame of his bicycle at the same time. Surprisingly, the bike accident didn't scare him away from biking. He still wanted to ride, but without a working bicycle, he could only ride on his sister's bicycle. For Christmas, he received a new bicycle from his grandparents.
Only when I put his bicycle together, I deliberately left the pedals off. I wanted him to learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels. When Talia learned to ride, she first learned to glide on a small bicycle glider (aka balance bike) that we borrowed from a friend. That method worked very well for Talia. I wanted Ethan to learn the same way. Without pedals, his new bike became a glider.
OMG! Ethan was so mad at me!
"I want my pedals! I want my training wheels! You can't make me glide. I'm going to sit right here. You can't make me [glide]. Put the pedals back!"
I didn't put the pedals on. And oh, boy... What a tantrum! After he got over it, he tried gliding. Less than half an hour later, he got the hang of it and instantly changed his mind.
"Mommy! Gliding is so easy! Look how good I [glide]!"
He practiced gliding for hours.
Three days later, he was gliding like a pro and ready for Daddy to put the pedals on.
Look at him go! ^_^
Here's a video of Ethan's journey from his first bicycle to gliding to riding sans training wheels: Ethan Learns to Ride
Ice Skating:
Every year from November to January, the Folsom Ice Rink comes to downtown Folsom. I thought it would be fun to let the kids try ice skating. Can you tell that Ethan is not amused? He was quite unhappy about his feet constantly slipping out from under him. He refused to let go of my hand and stayed glued to the side wall.
Talia, on the other hand, had a great time.
Even the "ice walker" that I rented for him didn't help. And then he fell. Once! He fell once! He fell one time and refused to get back on the ice. He didn't last 15 minutes on the ice. *sigh*
At least Talia enjoyed ice skating...
After ice skating, we went to the mall. The kids rode on the carousel. Now, this... this was Ethan's cup of tea. ^_^
Highlights from February 2013
As part of the science curriculum, the school brought a dairy cow and her calf to school for a presentation on dairy products and farm animals. Usually presentations are given inside the multipurpose room. But because of the cow, the presentation was held outdoors. The children were all asked to bring a beach towel to school that day, so that they could sit more comfortably on the ground outside.
When I went to pick up my children from school that day, I found them having an impromptu "picnic."
Chinese New Year:
I did a Chinese New Year presentation for Talia's class and for Ethan's class. I did a presentation when Talia was in first grade, too. Most of the teachers like it when parents are involved in sharing a bit about their cultures. Talia's first grade teacher asked for parent volunteers to teach a little bit about non-U.S. holidays and traditions. She thought it made a great addition to the social studies curriculum. When the Lunar New Year came around this year, I volunteered again.
Of course, Talia had to dress up for the occasion. Of course. ^_^
Family Photo! (Notice Ethan is the only grandchild not dressed in traditional Chinese clothes to celebrate this important Chinese holiday? Brat.)
One of my good friends invited us to the Lunar New Year celebration at the S.F. Zoo. He's a performer in a lion dance troupe. The celebration at the S.F. zoo included traditional Chinese dances and acrobatics. Talia loved all of it! Ethan liked the kids who did tricks with the diabolo (aka Chinese yo-yo). My friend actually taught me to do a few tricks on the diabolo when I was in high school. But it's been so many years since I've touched a diabolo that I'm not sure I can remember how to do them!
Random photo: my little monkeys up in a tree.
Cute Quotes
Because they're still learning, children will sometimes use a word incorrectly or misunderstand the meaning of a word, often with humorous results.
Cute Quotes #1:
Sometimes, an empty juice box can be as much fun as a balloon. After my kids finish a Capri Sun juice pouch, they hang on to the empty juice pouch and play with it. They inflate (and deflate) it like a balloon.
Ethan: Mommy! Watch me invade this juice box!
Cute Quotes #2:
At the beginning of each school day, children in most schools recite the Pledge of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
On the first day of school...
Talia's 4th grade teacher: Does anyone know what the word "indivisible" means?
4th grader: Yeah! It means we can't see it!
LOL! ^_^
Warning: This journal entry contains 45 of my favorite photos from December, January, and February.
Highlights from December 2012
Decorating the Christmas Tree:
I always let Talia and Ethan decorate the Christmas tree. The ornaments usually end up clumped together around the bottom half of the Christmas tree. We'll never have a picture perfect tree. (Who cares about that anyway?) We have fun, and the kids are so proud of themselves. Haha.
Ethan's first grade class made gingerbread houses. It looks delicious!
Talia's Third Grade Winter Show:
The third graders put together a winter show. (Video coming soon.) They sang songs like Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, and Winter Wonderland. In the spirit of the season, all the children wore scarves. Talia wanted a Christmas-themed scarf, so I made one for her. It was so easy to make that I made one for Ethan and one for myself, too!
Talia's class lined up outside the multi-purpose room. Brr... It was cold outside!
Ethan's First Grade Winter Party:
Ethan's class had a winter party. The class was divided into 5 or 6 activity stations. The kids played dreidel, made reindeer headbands and snowman ornaments, and snacked on milkshakes and cookies. Then the class participated in a gift exchange while the teacher read a Christmas story.
Ethan plays dreidel at the dreidel station.
But I think his favorite activity station was the milkshake and cookie station! ^_^
The children sit in circle and exchange gifts (aka wrapped books) while they listen to a Christmas story. Every time they hear the word "Santa" they pass the gift in their hands to the person on their right. At the end of the story, the gift (book) that they are holding is theirs to keep.
Ethan wears his reindeer headband while he reads the book that he received. ^_^
Ethan's first grade class: (Where's Waldo Ethan?) ^_^
Christmas Day:
Opening gifts on Christmas morning...
Per tradition, we went to Grandmother's house for Christmas brunch. Ethan was six, but boxes never get old!
Also, per family tradition, no one is allowed to open Christmas gifts at Grandmother's house until after brunch and after the table has been cleared and all the leftovers have been put away. As you can imagine, this is torture for the kids! All those shiny presents! And they can't open them!
Ethan is quite imaginative. Just because he can't open the presents doesn't mean that he can't play with them. He makes up his own game: Christmas Present Dominoes!
Talia quickly gets the hang of this new game. ^_^
Finally, brunch is over! Talia and Ethan waste no time handing out the presents and tearing off the wrapping paper. Last year, they were very interested in Angry Birds Star Wars.
Gingerbread Houses and Gingerbread Cookies:
After Christmas, we spent several days in San Francisco with my family. This year, we made "gingerbread" houses. (We used honey graham crackers - not gingerbread.) There was so much sugar!
Baby Sister and Dai-Fu joined us, too. Baby Sister meticulously decorated her house with alternating blue-and-red M&M's. Dai-Fu was more ambitious. Why settle for a gingerbread house, when she could have a gingerbread hotel? ^_^
Ta-dah! Our gingerbread masterpieces! ^_^
Later, Little Sister and I helped the kids make real gingerbread cookies. This was our first attempt at making real gingerbread cookies. We used a recipe that I found online.
The kids had a blast with rolling the dough and using the cookie cutters.
The baked cookies cooling on a wire rack...
Next, we decorate them!
The gingerbread cookies were fun to make, and they sure smelled good. However, they didn't taste very good. They were terribly bland. (Almost like chewing on cinnamon cardboard.) It's a good thing we planned to decorate them with icing and candy anyway. Otherwise, they would have been unpalatable! I need to find a better recipe.
Highlights from January 2013
Learning to Ride a Two-wheeler
When Ethan crashed his bicycle back in June (2012), he broke his arm and bent the frame of his bicycle at the same time. Surprisingly, the bike accident didn't scare him away from biking. He still wanted to ride, but without a working bicycle, he could only ride on his sister's bicycle. For Christmas, he received a new bicycle from his grandparents.
Only when I put his bicycle together, I deliberately left the pedals off. I wanted him to learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels. When Talia learned to ride, she first learned to glide on a small bicycle glider (aka balance bike) that we borrowed from a friend. That method worked very well for Talia. I wanted Ethan to learn the same way. Without pedals, his new bike became a glider.
OMG! Ethan was so mad at me!
"I want my pedals! I want my training wheels! You can't make me glide. I'm going to sit right here. You can't make me [glide]. Put the pedals back!"
I didn't put the pedals on. And oh, boy... What a tantrum! After he got over it, he tried gliding. Less than half an hour later, he got the hang of it and instantly changed his mind.
"Mommy! Gliding is so easy! Look how good I [glide]!"
He practiced gliding for hours.
Three days later, he was gliding like a pro and ready for Daddy to put the pedals on.
Look at him go! ^_^
Here's a video of Ethan's journey from his first bicycle to gliding to riding sans training wheels: Ethan Learns to Ride
Ice Skating:
Every year from November to January, the Folsom Ice Rink comes to downtown Folsom. I thought it would be fun to let the kids try ice skating. Can you tell that Ethan is not amused? He was quite unhappy about his feet constantly slipping out from under him. He refused to let go of my hand and stayed glued to the side wall.
Talia, on the other hand, had a great time.
Even the "ice walker" that I rented for him didn't help. And then he fell. Once! He fell once! He fell one time and refused to get back on the ice. He didn't last 15 minutes on the ice. *sigh*
At least Talia enjoyed ice skating...
After ice skating, we went to the mall. The kids rode on the carousel. Now, this... this was Ethan's cup of tea. ^_^
Highlights from February 2013
As part of the science curriculum, the school brought a dairy cow and her calf to school for a presentation on dairy products and farm animals. Usually presentations are given inside the multipurpose room. But because of the cow, the presentation was held outdoors. The children were all asked to bring a beach towel to school that day, so that they could sit more comfortably on the ground outside.
When I went to pick up my children from school that day, I found them having an impromptu "picnic."
Chinese New Year:
I did a Chinese New Year presentation for Talia's class and for Ethan's class. I did a presentation when Talia was in first grade, too. Most of the teachers like it when parents are involved in sharing a bit about their cultures. Talia's first grade teacher asked for parent volunteers to teach a little bit about non-U.S. holidays and traditions. She thought it made a great addition to the social studies curriculum. When the Lunar New Year came around this year, I volunteered again.
Of course, Talia had to dress up for the occasion. Of course. ^_^
Family Photo! (Notice Ethan is the only grandchild not dressed in traditional Chinese clothes to celebrate this important Chinese holiday? Brat.)
One of my good friends invited us to the Lunar New Year celebration at the S.F. Zoo. He's a performer in a lion dance troupe. The celebration at the S.F. zoo included traditional Chinese dances and acrobatics. Talia loved all of it! Ethan liked the kids who did tricks with the diabolo (aka Chinese yo-yo). My friend actually taught me to do a few tricks on the diabolo when I was in high school. But it's been so many years since I've touched a diabolo that I'm not sure I can remember how to do them!
Random photo: my little monkeys up in a tree.
Cute Quotes
Because they're still learning, children will sometimes use a word incorrectly or misunderstand the meaning of a word, often with humorous results.
Cute Quotes #1:
Sometimes, an empty juice box can be as much fun as a balloon. After my kids finish a Capri Sun juice pouch, they hang on to the empty juice pouch and play with it. They inflate (and deflate) it like a balloon.
Ethan: Mommy! Watch me invade this juice box!
Cute Quotes #2:
At the beginning of each school day, children in most schools recite the Pledge of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
On the first day of school...
Talia's 4th grade teacher: Does anyone know what the word "indivisible" means?
4th grader: Yeah! It means we can't see it!
LOL! ^_^