deck of cards

This was my only purchase at a garage sale last weekend. I love the tin box.

first tooth

Is there something on my face?

First chair

I'm not sure if you can see from this picture, but Eli is having his first tooth.

clouds

Looks like a dragon, don't you think?

napkin

My first sewing project. I used an old pillow case because I didn't know how it would turn out.

dinner

Grilled salmon with avocado mayonnaise and arugula. Simple and delightful.

home safely

My mom has arrived Hong Kong safely. When she went up to the gate in Des Moines, they told her she missed her flight. They had anther flight that was about to take off to Chicago, so they were so kind to turn around and let her get on that one. Then she got upgraded to first-class from Chicago to Hong Kong! She was able to rest comfortably the whole way. They had to detour to Beijing because of bad weather and were stuck on the plane for five hours before heading to Hong Kong, but who cares? She was in first-class.

goodnight

felted stones

I made these today (instruction here). They were my first crafty project.

I took today off to take my mom to the airport and stay home with the baby. We had a little incident at the airport. Upon checking in, we were told that two of my mom's luggages were overweight. It would cost her fifty bucks for each one if she wanted to keep them as is. At the last minutes, she was scrambling through her luggages trying to rearrange. I don't understand it. She had more stuff when she came. All these new airline rules are really irritating. It would have been okay if my mom didn't pack a lot of unnecessary items. She had a bag of uncooked cheesy hot dogs from our house that my husband and I weren't going to finish. She didn't want to waste them and was going to take them all the way back to Hong Kong. I wish we didn't have to send her off in such hurry, but there were only minutes to spare after that whole incident with the luggages.

wish list

I have been wanting to learn how to sew. I have a sewing machine that my mother-in-law gave me, again she's my source of homemaking. I got some fabrics last week and I have a sewing book. Now I'm ready to make something cute and sweet. There are a few more craft books I would love to have. They make good birthday, Christmas, mother's day, or just any day gifts. *wink*

baking

On my mom's last day here, I decided to make some cookies for her to take home. Per her request, I made toffee crunch cookies. I made enough for her to take home as gifts for my aunts. I love baking, even more so after I got a kitchenaid stand mixer from my mother-in-law couple Christmas years ago. I always use this bottle of pure vanilla from my husband's ex-worker who brought it back from Mexico. It has a really rich flavor but not overwhelming.

I try not to think about my mom's leaving too much, but all day long people were asking me about it at work. It just made it even harder. Truly, all good things come to an end. My mom has been here for six months, in spite of the sadness, I think we are both ready for a little separation. I know my husband is too. It must be a bit strange to have your mother-in-law who you can't communicate live with you for six whole months. We can't express enough how grateful we are for her help with taking care of the baby and all the cooking and cleaning she did. Tonight as she cooked her last meal here, she cooked extra food for us to have the next couple days. Bless her heart. We will miss her so much.

we were at the zoo

five month

Lately Eli has been pretending to be an airplane. He flies before he learns to crawl.

Melpo Mene

Last night was the first time I was home alone with the baby. I was a little nervous and wasn't sure how it would turn out. It turned out to be a very pleasant night. We both slept through the night. This morning, after feeding and changing him, I put him back to sleep before getting ready to work. When I woke him up again an hour later to take him to work with me, he didn't even fuss. What a good boy.

BB!

Not the best quality, but what a great quality time.

lilac arboretum

my brother's visit (photos)

rare family photo

family dinner

spring rolls queen

video chatting with my dad

spring love

happy mother's day

to my mom

to my mother-in-law

to me

My first mother's day. Feeling special today.

my brother's visit

My brother and his wife came to visit this weekend. They drove ten hours from Michigan. I'm glad to hear that they are enjoying their visit. We took them to the farmers market today. It was the first day of the market this year. We had fun despite the rain. We also did other tourist things like going to the capitol and botanical garden. Yesterday when we were going to a local lake for a walk, we happened to run into a park that have a lot of flower trees and they were all blooming beautifully. It was like a spring dreamland. I can't wait to post the pictures as soon as my brother send me the files. Eli seemed to enjoy all the outings these couple days. The big surprise of this weekend is how well my brother and I got along.

peekaboo time

tulip festival

more...

refreshing

ginger ale goes green

abc

Eli's favorite song to be sung to is "abc". Every time I sing it, he would laugh and throw his little body backward. It's so cute.