Sometime in July

Sometime in July, we took my parents to the Outlet mall, and Hibachi.

I totally lost track on dad's projects around the house. Cutting up the tree (our neighbor's backyard at the back, they were remodling their patio also) in the backyard and many more. Mom played badminton with Evan on our driveway, and enjoying her afternoon coffee in the backyard.

July 4

Jeannie is finally home on July 4th, and she had a wondeful time at the EFY. We picked her up in Maryland and drove back the same day while mom and dad wathed the kids and fixed Jeannie's favorite food. Dad made roast pork and BBQ pork, and mom made turnip rice cake. They were absolutely delicious!

The same afternoon, we went to Martine and Gary Green house for the July 4 dinner. I loved Martine's authentic French cuisine. The vension spread and the plum cake were my favorite besides the cheese.

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Must be the magic of EFY... My child seemed had suddendly grown overnight. During dinner, Kyle C., came and talked to me how impressed she was with Jeannie of making sure Abby J. felt welcome to the party. Gloria C. also made a comment of having a fun visiting with Jeannie about her cereal theory! Jeannie was trying to convince Gloria of replacing her vegetables with three cups of cereals. Obviously, it didn't work for any adult, not to mention she is a Dr's wife. :D Later that evening, Jeannie asked to remove Jady's cupcake tattoo to get ready for church, reminded us of giving Jady a amodest dress for the next day, and no fussing on Fast Sunday. Way to go, EFY...
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We went home after dinner, took my parents to Charlie Brown's parking lot and watched the fire work. They were stunning!

The crazy kids came home and lighted up the fireworks in the backyard!

Experience

I had never felt so torn before. Jeannie has been calling me every night since last Sunday. This child has been so homesick that I can hear her crying over the phone. Jeannie is a tough girl and she doesn't cry for no reason. In fact, I don't even recall when was the last time she cries. I am glad that she chose to stay at camp when I offered her to come home.

My heart sank when Jeannie told me that she wasn't roomates with Liz. I felt sorry for my child because she so needed a friend at the moment. Indeed, I felt so terrible that I thought I made the wrong decision of signing her up for two camps that were close to each other.

I didn't sleep well last night... woke up around six this morning to find myself reading the Ensign, the church magazine helped calms my unease spirit. I started calling the youth counsels around 9:30am, but never got a hold of any of them. Thank goodness Johnny called home not long after and he was able to reach the head of the counselors. We wanted to make sure that the counselors are aware of Jeannie situation and pay close attention to her needs. She said she would call us again the next day.

Jeannie called again tonight around 11:00pm. She seemed to feel a little better today, but her voice still sounded shaky to me. I was especially comforted to find out her roommates tried to include her to a group prayer before they go to bed. :) I hope Jeannie will continue to make friends and stand strong in the next few days.

One positive thought came to my mind of Jeannie's experience is that she will learn to TRULY lean onto the Lord. I know my child prays, but I hope she would learn to put all her trust in the Lord in all occasions; whether they are big or small, now or in the future!

Trip to Maryland

We took mom and dad to Maryland Inner Harbor while we dropped off Jeannie at the Cheungs for the EFY camp. The weather was perfect as we walked along on the boardwalk.

Johnny and the kids went paddle boating while dad snapped a bunch of pictures. Then we went to a seafood restaurant for dinner. They had the best seafood there and the plates were fairly resonable priced. Dad loves the 1 1/2 in. prime ribs, mom and Jeannie enjoys the lasagna, Evan and I are fond with the crabmeat casserole, and Johnny of course indulges his seafood platter. We had a great time, but my poor child, Jeannie had a hard time seeing us leaving because she got homesick after the YW camp. :(

Mr. Fix It

There is a Chinese proverb saying, "The elderly is a treasure in the Family" which I hate to disagree more... Dad is a carpenter by training and he is also my Mr. Fix it handy man! :) My house wasn't in bad condition, but he enjoys looking for places to improve on (or to entertain) himself. :) He is such a funny guy! These are the projects he has finished by far...

Fixing the front wheel on our patio door. (I thought the dirt was trapped in the track, but to find out that it was actually the problem with the front wheel.)



Caulking the crakes between the ceiling and the molding. This is done in the basement room. I will have to take pictures of it when the room is done. Fixing the cabinet door. Evan let go of the door once and broke the hinge , and Johnny doesn't know how to fix it without the part (which we have no luck of matching it).



Digging up the bushes and building my vegetable garden in the back yard. I love growing my own organic vegetables , and dad built me a perfect garden; not too big, nor small... just right outside our basement where no one can see from the front! Dad is my hero!

Done Potty Training!

Jady has been without any accident for a week, and I am proud to say that she has passed the potty training test! Yeah!

We started training her on and off in May, but we did not have much success since I was out a lot. Then, I started letting her wear her panties (not the training pants) after my parents came on 6/13. Jady was misearble the first three days. She refused to use the potty because she was paranoided with the noise from the toilet. She hated herself being wet, and she got really frustrated when she sat in the potty for too long. At one point, I almost felt like I need to give her more time. But then one day that miracle came - when she did the small and the big job... we bribed her with candies. From then on, she had a dry panty everyday when she is awake.

Grandpa and grandma were especially amazed with how quickly Jady learns. We tested this child on her ability to hold while we went on a two hour trip to Maryland. The child stayed dry the whole day, and she would ask for the potty when she needed. Way to go, girl! Mommy and daddy are very proud of you!

I Miss My Girl!

It's only the first day of YW camp, and I missed Jeannie terribly! This is the second time she've been spending the night outside home. She had the school fieldtrip last year and spent three nights in Virgina. This YW's camp is a week long camp, as well as the EFY (Especially For Youth) next week. I couldn't imagine how much I would be missing her for TWO long weeks. This is just insane, and I swear that I will never schedule crazy things like this again! Never, ever again!

Jeannie did not take her cell phone with her because no electronics were allowed, but I wished I had reminded her of calling every night before she goes to bed...

I seriously hope she is having fun!