Busy February Week

This week has been pretty busy. Riley got his new glasses this week. He looks very sharp and handsome. Reese had something stuck in her ear near her eardrum that required her to be put under to get it out.
Pictures below:

 

 



Part of a pencil top eraser!

Thailand 2012

I finally finished the photo book for our trip to Thailand. Approximately, 1,500 pictures have been compiled into 60 pages.

Thailand 2012

Click on the link above to see the album.

Lego Organization

Thanks to the ideas that I found on pinterest, the LEGOs are now organized and ready to be made into new creations.  In the fall we spent one Saturday morning sorting the LEGOs by color.  The original idea was to put all the sets back together.  That seemed like a daunting task and one that the kids could not do by themselves.  The containers that we used for our impromptu sort were of all sizes and shapes.  They were stored in the drawers and were not easy for the kids to use.

My goal was for the kids to be able to play with the LEGOs sooner rather than later because it felt like a waste of money to have LEGOs that the kids could not use.  The day after Christmas I made a trip to The Container Store to buy 20 of their shoe boxes.  I dumped all the colors into different boxes.

This weekend, I finally got around to putting the labels on the boxes deciding to go with color organization rather than set organization.  The deal is that the LEGOs can be played with all week and stored in the right drawer of the LEGO table, but, every Sunday, the "projects" will be resorted by color.  The left drawer is for LEGO magazines and instruction manual which are in a binder with clear plastic sleeves.  Our LEGO table is a garage sale find in our neighborhood.

Thank you to heatherjslife.blogspot.com for the box labels, and alison.knitsmiths.us for the idea to use the same containers so they stack.  iheartorgainzing.blogspot.com also had a really cool IKEA shelving unit that she used for LEGO storage by color; but I did not find that idea until after I had bought the shoe boxes.





Father/Son & Mother/Daughter Time

Resse and I were invited by one of my friends to go and see a play today.  She only had two tickets, so I arranged for Daddy to take Riley somewhere.  Riley and Daddy went to see a movie that Riley has been wanting to see.  This is good for both of them because we have been having trouble with Riley because he does not feel that he gets enough attention and has been acting out to get attention.  Reese likes to spend time with Mommy by herself also.

The play that Reese and I went to see performed by CATCO.

The movie that Riley chose to see.



iPod touch v. Samsung Galaxy Tablet

We actually own both of these pieces of technology. I decided this year that I was not investing in any more kid specific technology. They both are old enough to use the adult items. I wanted the iPod touch for our travels so that the kids can play games and videos. There are many apps that are only available on iTunes so I wanted access to both the Android Market And iTunes. I have gotten lucky in that Reese seems to prefer the iPod touch and Riley prefers the tablet. Reese enjoys many apps and I actually bought my first app tonight for her, Diego's Magical Adventure. Riley likes to play Angry Birds on the tablet.

Riley's Friends

This year Riley made a new friend.  As is typical with him, it is a girl in his class.  He sits next to her in reading/writing class in the afternoon.  Today, she told him that she wanted to take a break, and he is just crushed.  Riley can get really close to someone really fast and although, he does not tire of them, they sometimes tire of him.  This has happened a few times especially with his "girl" friends.  He has trouble playing with boys his age because he does not like the games that they play at school.  I keep telling him that eventually he will find his niche and find friends that share his common interests.  I also tell him that sometimes, he needs to play what other people want to play also; it can't be his choice all the time.  I hope that I am right, and his innocence and kindness will be returned by someone who understand him and will want to be his friend forever.

Mild Winter

The weather has been in the high 40s and 50s this weekend.  It has been mild enough that we have gone outside to play both days this weekend, and Riley has had time to try out the new Genesis bow that he got for his birthday.  It is amazing how much the practice between Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as having the right bow has improved his archery abilities.  We can set out his target now without the backboard, and he does not miss that often.  He can still hit the balloons on the target as they sway in the wind.  I told him it is like a moving animal.

As I was reading my AAA magazine, Home and Away, I found out that the Arnold Sports Festival has an archery component.  I was going to enter Riley just so he could see what others can do, but the competition is only open to students who are part of Ohio's Archery in the Schools Program.  We are part of a program through Columbus Parks and Recreation, but it is not competition based.  The program concentrates on learning skills.  It is close to home and the archery barn is relatively new and just right for Riley's skill level in Archery right now.  Down the road I may have to find him another program if he decides that he wants to compete in Archery. 

Christmas Day

Santa and all were very good to Riley and Reese this year.  From Santa Reese got Bullseye from Toy Story 3 and Riley got a Nerf Rifle.  The favorite game for the Wii that everyone got into playing was Top Shot Arcade, and everyone also loved Reese's stuffed animal, Dewdrop.

The Archery Barn

For the last three weeks Riley has spent two and a half hours a day, two days a week at the archery barn.  There was not enough time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to have a four week session of lesson so it was decided to offer open archery instead.  During open archery Riley has been one of only a handful of students there and the only one to go and stay the whole time during all of the sessions.  Because of the low numbers he did not have to wait his turn and could shoot as many rounds as he wanted.  His archery skills have improved a great deal during this time, and he is able to shoot four balloons with five arrows on a target 10 yards away.

At the end of open archery tonight Miss Ronda informed us that she would not be teaching the next session at the end of January.  She had taken a job in western Ohio.  Riley teared up automatically, gave Miss Ronda one last hug, and left the barn.  I couldn't blame him because I teared up also and am crying as I type this post.  I think he will miss her because she is what he knows.  He is not always sure and needs someone to guide him gently.  Miss Ronda took the time to do that so he trusts her.  I am thankful that Miss Ronda was Riley's first archery teacher because of her interest and knowledge of archery.  She has given him confidence in himself and his skills as an athlete.  We will continue to take classes at the archery barn as long as Riley is interested, and we will never forget Miss Ronda.  We are grateful that we had the opportunity to work with you for the time that we did.  We will miss you and wish you the best always!

Nicknames

One of the other bloggers posted something about wanting her children to be called by their given names, not shortened versions or nicknames, which got me to thinking about my children's names and nicknames.

When Riley was born, my brother in law asked me what we were going to call him since RyRy was already taken.  I looked at him funny and said Riley.  What was the purpose in shortening his name?  As he grew older, some nicknames came naturally.  I called him BoBo because of the way his legs were bowed and he use to make his mouth look like a bow.  His dad liked Bubs better and we go back and forth between the two.  He is also called Ri especially by his YaiYai.  He is also sometimes RP1, and his sister is RP2.  We also lovingly call him Dork of York.

Reese has always had lots of nicknames.  She has been Sis Wis, Sister of Twister, Moo Shu Pork, etc.  The ones that have stuck are Sis, Sister, Moo Moo, for her love of chocolate milk, and Reesie Cup.  Her brother calls her Reesie, and she calls herself Reesie.  I tend not to call her Reesie because the dog next door is named Reesie.

Culture Project Part 5

What other languages besides English are spoken in your home?

Besides English half of my family speaks Thai and half of my family speaks Tagalog.

We turned in the culture project today.  Included in the project were the picture of the lightswitch cover and the pictures of food from Thanksgiving as well as pictures of grandparents on both sides of the family and Riley's immediate family.  I also found a picture of Grandpa Palanca and 6 of his grandchildren whose names start with "R".

Culture Project Part 4

What holidays does your family celebrate?  List some of them.  Do you incorporate any traditions from other cultures as part of your celebrations?

The holidays we celebrate are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and birthdays.  We have regular American food with some Filipino food for every holiday.  On birthdays we eat noodles for long life.

Sharing with Others

Last week at church both of you picked tags from the giving tree.  I explained to you that these are gift that we are going to but to give to someone else that has less than we do.  I was proud that both of you picked tags of things that you would like to have for yourselves, but also know that you will be giving to someone else.

Today, we went to Target to pick out those gifts.  Reese's tag said Pokemon cards.  I never know there were so many kinds of Pokemon cards, but we found a gift box that was satisfactory to both of us to buy.  Riley's tag said Air Hog.  He picked out a red remote control helicopter to fulfill this wish.

We walked out of Target today with no gifts for ourselves, but gifts for others!  Good day!

In the Name of the Culture Project

Pancit and Egg Rolls

Traditional American Thanksgiving

Sumon


I don't normally take pictures of the food buffet, but this year I did in case we needed the pictures for the culture project.  One of the questions addresses holidays we celebrate and how they are the same or different than the way holidays are traditionally celebrated.

Thanksgiving 2011

I am thankful for both of you in my life.  You have taught me a great deal and have been a blessing in my life.  I have learned so much about you as people and so much about myself as a person and a parent.  I love you with all my heart.

Although I love that you are young and in some ways I wish that you would stay young, I also look forward to seeing the people you will grow up to be.  I know that Riley is a sensitive, caring young man who is very smart and will do well in following his dreams.  I am so thankful that you have found archery as your interest activity and hope that archery continues to be a source of pleasure for you.  Reese, you will go far in life because you are bound and determined!  There is no stopping you when you are set on a course.  I enjoy your drawing abilities on PAPER and am so thankful that you enjoy school and have made many friends.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!

Our Quest to Visit National Historic Sites

Text Message

Last night while I was at the Rotary Dinner, I got a text message that said, "Please do not open the garage door until further notice!".  I asked if the door was broken, and the response was, "Something inside is laying up against it.".  That is when I realized that the plywood from the backyard must be in the garage now with the target, and Riley must have been practicing his archery in the garage.

When I got home, I asked Riley if he watched the Pirates movie again, and he said he was busy shooting in the garage.  I asked him how many times did he hit the garage door and he said none.

Well, all I can say is that since he is not allowed to shoot unless an adult is out with him, it is a lot warmer and more convenient for me to have him shoot in the garage.  Thank you Daddy!

Culture Project Part 3

We got back to work this afternoon on the Culture Project.  With only two days of school this week time is going to fly!

What is the origin of your last name?

The origin of my last name has several different meanings.  One meaning is a lever in Spanish.  The second meaning means charity, my grandpa told me that.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

We usually have family night every two weeks or so.  Most of the time we rent an in Demand movie from our cable company.  Today was a rainy day, and since Riley could not go out and shoot his bow, and both kids were very good when we went shopping for Daddy's clothes and shoes, we had afternoon movie time.

Riley has asked for all of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies for Christmas.  I am not sure how I feel about him owning all of them.  The one we just saw was a bit disturbing to me.  The mermaids were evil and scary which is different from the mermaid's portrayal in The Little Mermaid which is also made by Disney.  It was scary and violent to me, and I do realize that the one we just saw has a PG-13 rating.  I know that I am placing my likes and dislikes on you, but part of me feels that it is okay to see once or twice, but I do not want them played continuously like they would be if we owned them.

We'll wait and see what Santa brings...

Mommy's Prediction of Culture Project Part 3

We have slacked off somewhat from completing the culture project because it is not due until after Thanksgiving, not before Thanksgiving as Mommy had thought.  Since you are at PaPa and YaiYai's tonight, Mommy is going to start writing about Part 3 of the project and then post again when we actually do Part 3 together.

What is the origin of your last name?

From our internet research we have determined that our last name is Spanish for "lever" and can also be some type of religious experience.  A few years back when we were shopping for new switchplate covers, we came across our last name at Lowe's which relates back to the "lever" definition.