Shannon Turns Sixteen

This month is special because my daughter Shannon turned sixteen.  I told Tim that we've been with kids for sixteen years now.

Not so long ago, these are some of the words that came out out her mouth on a regular basis:

Paci - Pacifier 
Shannon used pacifiers till she was four years old.  People said that she will have difficulty speaking.  I found out later on that they were wrong.  Shannon spoke clearly when she was a baby, she'd pull out her paci and say, "Hi" or "Thank you" before she could walk.
Later on when we wanted her to stop using her paci, I did several tricks.  One of then is to hide it but then she'd say, "Find it."  I put a tiny bit of cayenne pepper on it and she said, "Wash it."  I can't remember now how we actually ended the paci business.

Mooneena - Formula
She called her bottle formula but it came out as "mooneena". 

Mother and Father - Mommy and Daddy
Tim and I were called father and mother, respectively.  We thought that the reason for this was that she watched "Little Bear" almost everyday when she was little.  When we'd picked her up from the nursery she'd run to us saying "Mother!" or "Father!" while some of the other kids can't even talk.  It was refreshing to hear that but then she grew up and found out that other kids called their parents differently.

Photosynthesizing - Sitting in the sun

This is a complicated word for a 22-month old but not for Shannon. One day when we lived in Hollister, as we were driving by the fields of corn, she asked me what they were.  I said, "Those are corn".  "What are they doing?"  At first I didn't know what  to tell her, but as a parent I should always have an answer.  "They are photosynthesizing", I said.  Then I asked her to repeat the word to see if she got it.  To my surprise, she did.  Four months have passed. We were in our new house in Fremont when Shannon was in the backyard.  I noticed that she was doing nothing.  Because it was hot outside, I asked her to come in.  She came back to me with a quick response saying, "I'm photosynthesizing!" I smiled with pride...promised to myself that I will tell her what the real meaning of the word as soon as she can understand.

A cloud cover appeared when she blew the candles on her Kalua-Chocolate Cake

Now, she's talking about her AP classes, colleges that she likes, driver's license, etc.  She must be really sixteen.  It is comforting to know that inside this sixteen year old smart teenager, is a picture of that little girl who used to photosynthesize.  I love you Shannon.

The Henry Kids

Elisha, Joel, Isaiah, Nathaneal, Micah, Simeon, Giovanna, Abeny

I can't remember which name goes to which face. 

They are well behaved.  It's fun to have them.

Lucas

He struggles in being buckled in the car seat all the time. 

He can't wait to be part of the whole commotion around him.

Nathanael

Trying to be his own person. 

Right now all his older siblings play the violin. 

The Henry family is extraordinarily blessed with nine kids... and counting. :)  When they are at our house I have to really use my imagination as to where to sit them all when eating.  I remember one summer, we spread blankets on the grass for the little ones to sit on - as in picnics.  That did not work very well because they are used to eating on tables and it became a challenge to the kids as well as to Keisha (mom) who was trying to make sure that the kids ate their food.  Up to this point, I still have not come up with a solution that would allow us (two families) to sit sit together.   That would mean sixteen chairs!  I'd have to rearrange my furniture to have my two dining tables joined together.  Someday, maybe. 

Food At The Cucina

Ahi Tuna with Greens, Hot and Sour Soup; Wasabi Soy Sauce

Light and Spicy Meal

Most of the time it is better to eat at the Cucina  (that's the name I gave to my kitchen).  Here the price is better, you can choose the ingredients, you are aware of  how the food is handled, and it is more private than  restaurants.  Eating at the Cucina does not bring regrets to me.  I already know what I am going to get and there are no surprises except when experiments are being conducted.  There is one disadvantage of eating at the Cucina -- we get to wash the dishes afterwards.  On the other hand, we get to go out in the backyard to drink our coffee.

Last week Tim and I went to try the new vegetarian Indian restaurant in Folsom.  The food was full of flavor but for a carnivore like me, the "characters" seemed missing from the sauces.   To me, it was like listening to a symphony without a melody.  Tim liked it.

This week, we tried another Indian restaurant in Cameron Park.  I ordered lamb in creamy spinach sauce and Tim had chicken.  I liked the naan but the food was not exciting.  I have no reason to go back to that restaurant except to try their lunch buffet.  Maybe having a variety of food to choose from would give me a better experience.  There are four indian restaurants in the area that I've been to.  So far the best is the one on Bidwell near the DMV.  They serve chevron and mutton which I think are really good with the indian spices.  The one on Broadstone Market was good the first time it opened but I noticed that the food quality is deteriorating.  But in the end, who am I to judge whether and Indian restaurant is good or not.  If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then taste is determined by you and me.

Halloween in Three Places

No so long time ago...we used to all go out on a night like this to the neighborhood with all the kids to trick-or-treat.  (We'd go out early, leave a bowl of candies by the front door and a note welcoming trick-or-treaters to help themselves with them.) Sometimes we would carry Miriam because she'd be too tired going up and down the hills.  When my kids had enough candies they would stop going to the houses.  Then they would come home and see who wins in getting the most candies.  Our kitchen table would be full of candies but on that Halloween night they get to eat maybe five (maximum) candies and put the rest away.  They'd drink apple cider or hot chocolate or milk and then just hang out.  I miss those days.

Miriam as Mini Ninja Suzume

Now Miriam, in her Mini Ninja, Suzume outfit, is out trick-or-treating with Tim.  As always, she's with her friend Erich who is dressed like a gorilla.  I know she's not after the candies but rather she likes to show off her costume.   Brahms is in Cameron park right now with his old friends from middle school.  They're at Jonathan Gomorrah's house.  Brahms is so happy to see his good friends again including Jeremy and Jordan Parlin and Andrew Keen.  He still seem so attached to his old friends, which is good because it's taking a long time to build new friends in Oak Ridge.  Shannon is home giving candies to trick-or-treaters.  I told her to go out but she refused.  Instead she is doing her favorite things to do: reading and baking bread.  Right now I smell her Sunday Bread.  (We just had Natalie over in her pumpkin outfit.  Miriam and Tim are now back).  Now we are eating Shannon's creation.  It's yummy and loaded with energy too!

Shannon with Natalie, our special Trick-or-Treater

My children are growing up and I can't help it.  It is good to remember how things used to be and yet it is also fascinating to see them do new things.  Thank God for another Halloween...and healthy children.

My First American Halloween

We were newly weds living in Morgan Hill.  Helene Lane is a very quiet street.  People there didn't seem to get out of their houses and if they did they didn't talk.  Our house backs onto an old golf course with an open view of the hills and mountains.  The backyard was always a better place to go than the front yard where only closed garage doors are the views.  The only people who came to our house were those we invited or those who said they would come.  The times were even specified.  I was surprised when people we knew asked if they could stop by. Where I came from in the Philippines, mother-in-laws or anybody for that matter just come.  That is the setting of my first American Halloween story - a place where unexpected-guests are unexpected.

It was October 30, 1991 at seven o'clock, Tim and I were in our sweats because we kept our house cold, sitting in the living room after we had dinner.  Suddenly, in the middle of whatever we were talking about, the door bell rings.  My first reaction was to go to the door and find out who it was.  However, Tim's was different.  He joined me as I walked towards the direction of the door but then he staggered and exclaimed, "Oh, no!  It's Halloween!"  "So what if it's Halloween!  Let's open the door!"  "No!"  "Why not?"  By this time Tim is whispering because we were very close to the door.  "They want candies."  "We have some candies in the cupboard."  "No, we don't have any, because we forgot to buy."  "Believe me, we have some candies!"  I shifted my direction, now I'm going towards the cupboard. "They don't like those candies."   "Let's give them money then."  "No. You don't understand".  He turned the lights off.  The bell rang one more time, and another time.  Then we heard footsteps of people leaving.  Tim had a big sigh of relief.

Halloween in the Philippines is called "All Souls' Day" (October 31st).  It is the day before "All Saints' Day" November 1st).  As a kid, I was told that these are the days when the living-ones remember their dead.  They show this by going to the cemetery and cleaning around their graves, painting the tombs.   I always worried about stepping on someone's grave.  People bring flowers (that they pick along the way, not from stores) to the cemetery.  They light candles and leave them by the grave.  In their homes people prepare some food (rice delicacies) and offer them to the souls of their dead who are presumably visiting during that time.  This was really scary for me because my grandmother told me that if I ate or just tasted the food before she has served the "dead's portion", then my mouth will get distorted and will stay that way for the rest of my life.  I remember that during that night of All Souls' Day the dogs howl at night and I tell you it is a lot scarier than all the Halloween decorations and costumes that people wear here. 

There is no trick-or-treating in the Philippines. There is one thing that people in the neighboring town of Ballesteros did and maybe still do.  They would trick people by moving people's stuff to the front yard.  I remember seeing frying pans, laundry basins, and shirts hanging on fences along the road.  That is the extent of tricks that I knew.  Giving out candies on Halloween never occurred to me before.  Christmas time however is different - kids go caroling and you, whom they've come to sing carols to, are expected to give them money or suman, patupat, or tinupig (these are all different kinds of rice sweets).  By now you should understand why I suggested that Tim and I should give money to the trick-or-treaters in Morgan Hill. 

Every time I remember my first Halloween in America, I still can't help but laugh.  Philippine Halloween tradition is loaded with superstitions with emphasis on the dead.  American Halloween is one of the many commercialized holidays.  Costumes and candies don't have any particular emphasis.  I thought that they are supposed to be scary but that is also wrong.  I think it's a masquerade coupled with a permission to acquire large quantities of candies.

Musselmans In New House

We took a quick trip to Burlingame to visit Mark, Jen, Maya and Jason.  It was good to see all of them and their new house.  Of the three houses that they've had so far, this is the biggest of them all.  It looks very nice and comfortable.  The hardwood floors made me think of our own old carpet with pity.  The house looks new with all the modern appliances and counter tops inspite of its age (1924?).   Oh, the power of renovation.  The master bedroom is very spacious, it covered the whole second floor.  Mark has a separate, quiet office.  It seems very conducive for thinking and generating big ideas.  Tim was probably thinking, "If only I have a detached office..."  They have a spacious, yard where the kids can go around discovering nature and just playing around.

Maya:  "I can climb!"

Maya and Jason are beautiful and well behaved kids.  Mark and Jen are doing such a great job.  Jason is full of energy and is such a happy kid.  He was very entertaining - showing us all the things that we need to see including how he climbs up his parents jacuzzi tub. He showed Brahms how his trains work until he was tired and could barely eat his lunch.  Then he said night-night.  I've always been amazed at their obedience when it comes to going to bed.  Maya was like that too when she was little.

Jason & Shannon

Jason  & Brahms

Maya is a curious girl.  She asked me why Miriam calls Shannon "Ate" and calls Brahms "Kuya".  She's very smart.  We also noticed that she is very focussed on the things that she likes doing.  She must have changed her shoes twice just so she could learn to climb trees properly.  When it was time for us to go she said, "Why do you have to go?"  What a thoughtful question.

The Cousins (While Jason sleeps)

It is good to take time to visit with relatives.  We get to share current joys and concerns with each other.  The problem with being far from each other is that when we hear about something it's no longer news but history.  It's too late to be part of that. 

Parental Units

Gift

The original picture is sharp black and white

A gift is freely given.  The nature of the gift is completely decided by the one who gives it.  It is chosen based on a desired perk to the one whom it is intended for and delivered with kindness and love.  No matter what it is, once given, the present will be tagged with a new value determined by the recipient's gratitude.  My mother-in-law gave my husband a very precious gift for his birthday.  With it came this inscription on a piece of paper:

Dear Tim,

Your dad and I took you with us to the "Kinetic Scupture" race in Ferndale on May 9, 1971, when you were approximately 21/2 years old.  A young woman, who said she was a student at Humboldt State, asked our permission to take your picture.  We said that was OK and she promised to send us a copy, which she did.  You will find that she wrote the date and her name "M. Sullivan" on the back.

I've always loved this photo.  It speaks to me of the fine man you are and how, even that young, one could see your potential.  You were so intent on those moving sculptures, we could sense your wheels-turning!!!

Anyway, I pass the photo on to you.

With love and pride!

 Mom

My husband was clearly astonished to find such special present.   With

thoughts of tenderness towards his own mother, he looked at the picture as if he wanted to cry but was embarrased to let it go.   We all looked at it with appreciation, a lot of imagination and questions.  "Are you sure that is you?"  "What happened to your nose? (It used to be smaller.)"  "You used to be so cute!"  My children and I welcome anything that tells us a little bit about him during the "blind period" when we have not met.   Secretly, I wished I saw him when he was a little boy.  In as much as I didn't, I will just content myself to sharing life with him now as we age together, till death do as part.

We will treasure this picture and the memories that came with it.