Once Upon a Friendship

Once Upon a Friendship
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Grant and Elle performed in CMT's "Once Upon a Mattress" on Thursday, and Helen was thrilled to see her friends on stage. She is also thrilled to be enrolled in after-school drama again, while simultaneously, practice sessions for the end of the year class play have begun.

Hello Kitty Hong Bao

Hello Kitty Hong Bao
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

The lucky money keeps rolling in as we welcome the Year of the Tiger. Helen LOVES lucky money. She can also tell you at any given time, to the penny, how much money is in her possession. Needless to say, her favorite math problems at school are those deal with dollars and cents.

2010 CNY Dinner in SF with Char, Ian, and Friends

2010 CNY Dinner in SF with Char, Ian, and Friends
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Char organized a lovely Chinese New Year dinner in San Francisco at the Gourmet Carousel restaurant in Pacific Heights. The steamed buns were delicious and I will be dreaming about the dried oyster with lettuce for quite a while. Helen ate vigorously, and it was fun to see her interact with baby Liam who was having a grand time tweaking our noses, pulling our hair, and being absolutely adorable throughout the meal.

Partners in Face Paint

Partners in Face Paint
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Winter break is now officially over. We did a pretty good job of organizing activities for the first of many weeks to come where school lets out during a work week with no vacation time. Helen went to an art camp in the mornings, had a babysitter in the afternoons, and enjoyed a couple of play dates and a sleepover to round out the fun. Now the planning for summer camps begins. I know it's only February, but the scheduling madness has begun in earnest. At a school gathering this weekend, several of us whipped out our spreadsheets and compared notes about who's going where and when...

Helen’s 6th Birthday Aloha...

...from San Jose Skate Roller Rink (not, unfortunately, from Hawaii). This was Helen’s top choice for her birthday party ever since we visited the roller palace formerly known as “Aloha” for a school fundraiser last fall. For those of us who remember this four-wheel craze, the rink is an absolute throwback. The rink’s “ambience” is only enhanced by the fact that it probably hasn’t been cleaned since 1974. Helen definitely won the award for the best-dressed skater in a lovely number hand-crafted by Grandma Marilee.

Ready, Set... Green Light!

Ready, Set... Green Light!
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

While some guests were disappointed that the Bay City Rollers had been dropped from the playlist, there were still fun games to play, such as Red Light/Green Light.

Green Light Champions

Elle & Helen, Green Light Champions
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Elle and Helen rolled away with the top game prize – Elle, because she skated the fastest, and Helen because she was the honored birthday dignitary. And dignified she was, engaging will all of her guests and reveling in her birthday girl status. When it came to choosing a song to honor her – one choice reigned supreme – the theme song to Star Wars, of course.

Six Candles Extinguished

Six Candles Extinguished
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Star Wars also influenced the design of her cake made by Tia April. This chocolate dream was decorated with the Star Wars Rebel Logo and cake-sized Star Wars characters. The force lives on.

Happy Valentine's Day, From their Kitchen, to Ours

Call me a wimp, but when I saw the advertisement in the Parks and Recreation catalog for a kid’s class to decorate Valentine cookies, I immediately signed up Helen and two of her friends. I’m all for big, messy cooking projects. I’m even more excited when they happen outside of our kitchen.

Claire’s 6th Birthday

Claire also joined the ranks of the 6-year-olds in a beautiful backyard party that could only happen in California.

Piñata Prowess

Helen was able to meet her met her annual piñata whacking requirements at Claire’s party. Thank goodness, because I think I’ve mentioned that we are sorely lacking for sweets at home.

Helen in the Afternoon Light

There is an inner glow that parents can see in their children. It warms up the world, or at least our place in it. And, when you catch the glow on film, it is particularly gratifying.

100th Day of Kindergarten

100th Day of Kindergarten
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

100 days down. Already. How can this be? I was unfamiliar with the 100-day tradition, but apparently this milestone is a popular school celebration. The students brought in a collection of 100 objects (Helen brought Cheerios, otherwise known as “Cheeroeos”) and the party went on all day, including the Valentine’s Day festivities.

Cupcake Sandwich

Cupcake Sandwich
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Valentine’s Day is becoming more and more like Halloween in the candy/sweets department. In this photo, Helen demonstrates a new technique for eating cupcakes, which involves slicing off the bottom, and then placing it on top of the frosting in order to form a cupcake sandwich. (Yes, the critical kernels of knowledge are always passed down from your peers.)

"I Love Swedish Fish..."

"I Love Swedish Fish..."
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

But that’s not all that Helen loves... apparently she is also very fond of Swedish Fish. While most of the class wrote about how much they love their parents, Helen composed this “sweet” ode: “I Love Swedish Fish and cande (candy). I like the sugr. My farit (favorite) calr (color) is red becas I lov them.” What I love, is that Helen’s journal writing at school is helping her put thoughts to paper. It’s very cool to see her express herself this way.

Helen's "Kandinsky-Inspired" Art

Helen's "Kandinsky-Inspired" Art
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

I also love seeing Helen grow artistically. She has always been a great abstract artist, so when her class learned about Kandinsky, it was no surprise to me that she so beautifully tapped into this style of painting.

And now, a line from our daughter...

Sea Frog... Helen delivers her first line on stage
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

And speaking of growing, Helen performed in her first after-school drama class performance. She delivered her one line perfectly (as one of several “sea frogs”) and moved around the stage with relative ease.

Rainbow Connection Solo

Rainbow Connection Solo
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Nothing could be cuter that seeing a group of kids singing the Rainbow Connection. Their voices sound so sweet, especially when they are superimposed over your mental soundtrack of Kermit singing with his banjo.

"I'm Flying"

"I'm Flying" from Peter Pan
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

The play was particularly poignant since Helen’s first attempt to perform during camp last summer was thwarted by some pre-show jitters. She was completely torn – wanting to get up on stage, but overwhelmed by fear. Ms. Adrienne told her then that the next time would be easier, and sure enough, it was.

Feathered Mask Friends

Feathered Mask Friends
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

And so this first drama performance ended with the requisite running around the stage, posing for photos with friends, and soaking up the accolades. The best part is hearing her singing the songs to herself as she goes about her day – words and melodies that she will probably remember for years to come.

Chinese School CNY Party

Chinese School CNY Party
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Chinese School, up until this point, has meant homework -- and lots of it. Helen has been tolerating this first year of intensive instruction pretty well and today she was tangibly rewarded by participating in the school's Chinese New Year party (a week early) which included crafts, word games, and many of her favorite savory treats, i.e. egg rolls! By helping with the parent committee, we have been able to slowly gain acceptance into a world where we are clearly different than most, and perhaps all, of the other families. I'm constantly reminded that the more we operate out of our comfort zone, the higher the rewards.

Shaking Tiger Drum

Shaking Tiger Drum
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen spent most of her time working on brush painting/calligraphy, but this craft project was my personal favorite since it brings me back to China. We were told in Helen's paperwork that her favorite toy was a "shaking drum". Figuring that a shaking drum was a rattle, I brought many versions with me. She like those rattles, but they paled in comparison to the real thing which I found at a Guangzhou street market. She grasped onto the monkey-themed drum with a death-grip as if to say, "what took you so long to figure this out?". Here she is, almost five years later with a tiger drum that she made herself. Note that when you twist the handle, two little beads attached to thread bang on either side -- thus, a shaking drum.

Daisy Love

Daisy Love
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

The pink heart doily invitation arrived weeks ago -- "Please join us for the Daisy/Brownie Valentine Event". And what an event it was! Careful notes were taken about all of the activities from making flower vases to picture frames. Next year, the event planning is passed down our Daisy group. (Helen is in the back row, third from the right.)

Helen and her Girl Scout Buddy

Helen and her Girl Scout Buddy
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Steering each "Kinder Daisy" through the festivities was an older scout.

Friendship Squeeze Spin-Out

Friendship Squeeze Spin-Out
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

The regular culminating activity -- a "friendship squeeze" and "spin out" -- was done with a rotating heart in the background. My heart was positively full upon receiving a mommy valentine which stated, "I love you because you're 'nis' (nice) and funny." I couldn't ask for a niser compliment.

Soliloquy on Six

Gum Ball Cupcakes Anyone?
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Forget "pinkalicious". Helen had more than aesthetics in mind when deciding upon cupcake choices for her sixth birthday. She requested both chocolate and vanilla, as well as pink and blue to accommodate the flavor and color choices of her classmates. While ever-accommodating and thoughtful, she also requested that each cupcake have a gum ball -- a consistent theme that outlasts all trends.

Helen relished her special day, and we relished her delight in it. As she walked into her kindergarten classroom this morning, she was serenaded with a rousing rendition of "happy birthday". As she blushed and made her way to the circle, I was as teary-eyed as on the first day of school -- something about these milestones whizzing by, while feeling the love and support of our family and community... It makes me feel sad, proud, humble, soaring... and today, full of anticipation for what this year will bring.