Sojourners

We wore matching red outfits today to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. It was intentional in many ways. We purposely had noodles and eggs for breakfast. We made it a point to make a big deal in our own way by letting the kids know that it is part of their heritage. Though we had a regular homeschool day, we tried to make it special by going out for our afternoon walk. We caught the sunset this time.

Throughout the day, I was receiving text messages of New Year’s greetings from different people. One of my favorite ones was this one from my cousin Penny. I think it’s just so meaningful.

I’ve never really given much thought or significance to CNY. But this particular blessing is something I will keep.

It was just another Thursday, our free day in fact. But it was a big deal because it also happens to be the Chinese New Year’s eve. We had quite a spread for our dinner. In part, it was inspired by this list we saw on WeChat. It’s a list of Chinese dishes that’s written phonetically. It says on the footnote: “Just because you are not cultured/ can’t write doesn’t mean you can’t live richly.”

And so, the result was a seafood and veggie dinner to rival any buffets. I didn’t realize that we actually spend CNY with family every year. This is the first year we are celebrating ourselves. Here’s our dinner table tonight:

We called grandparents to wish them a Happy CNY. One in Beijing, and another in Riverside.

In both times, Ian was able to sing the Happy New Year song in Chinese. Whereas he used to be shy in even talking to people, this time, he sang the whole song beautifully. Several times, too! I guess it also helped that he would get “points” toward getting a bunk bed.

My friend Bianca sent this link to me where I can combine both Valentine’s Day and CNY together. I was waiting to print it out and post them, and I finally did. It was a nice idea to put up hearts with Chinese and English words of affirmation written on it. The kids were delighted.

One viral video that made its way to our day was this lawyer cat video. At the time of viewing, it already had 4 million hits and counting. I couldn’t stop laughing out loud. It was so funny that I sent it to several people to make their day. I thought I’d keep it here for future reference.

I had a very early start to the day. I got up early because J needed help in the potty. I ended up surfing online, checking stocks, and eventually watching videos. I was supposed to be doing work but, like I always do, I manage to get lost in cyberspace. Because I woke up so early, I got the momentum going until the end of the day when I just crashed. I have a feeling I’m going to pay for it in the days to come. As I get older, it gets harder to recover from lack of sleep. I remember the days when all-nighters used to be a thrill, now it’s a liability.

Some precious pictures that I want to remember from these past few days.

My princess. This is just after her bath. She used to pretend to be Jasmine, ordering the guards to “Stop and free Aladdin!” Now, she says she is more like Ruth in the Bible. I guess that’s what happens when we watch Superbook everyday. Such a cutie pie! I’m so going to miss these days when they grow up. Cherish the moments!

Since the weekend, they have taken over the living room space for their play area. I didn’t have the heart to ask them to clean up since they are having so much fun building and playing together. One of the structures that’s become so dear to Ian is his Elsa castle made of blue Legos.

When it comes time to clean up, I’m sure he will ask to take a picture of it before disassembling. I’m glad they are learning the concept of closure and being able to “build another better one next time.”

Yesterday, when we were at Citrus, we saw light fixtures in the gazebo at the top of the mountain. There were also electric sockets along the walls. I had wondered what people did there. Tonight, the kids wanted to take a walk late at 5:30 p.m. I felt I needed to give in because they had been homeschooling all day. This was their PE, so to speak. When we got to the top tonight, this is what the lights looked like.

At the parking lot, it was also pretty bright. Our car was under this blinking lamplight. We think the bulb needs replacement but J wondered what it meant. As they stood under it, it complemented their blinking shoe lights at dusk. It was such a pleasant sight.

During our time of devotions, there was another lovely father-daughter moment as they snuggled together while Ian was reading his section. It was so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes. You can tell her father was so very happy. What father’s heart can’t melt over that sweet, sweet smile?

This morning was a special day because it was another Sunday of service at FCBCFV. Papa woke up early to present what he’s been preparing for all week. Even though I was still sleepy, I managed to get up and have breakfast with him. The kids woke up when he left. They thought he was zooming in the next room, but they were able to watch him online while having breakfast. Actually, Ian came down first, and when J heard her father preaching downstairs, she cried because she wanted to hear, too. I had to put the iPhone in the bathroom while she brushed her teeth so she could see. For the rest of breakfast, they watched and listened to the preaching in Chinese. It was a meaningful and Spirit-filled sermon on what it means to take on “the very nature of a servant” from Philippians 2:7.