Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Camelot and Laser Tag
Today was very hot, and I woke up early as usual, but everyone else slept in. They went to sleep late last night because they played Life past midnight. Jordan woke up and cried at night because he missed mommy after the phone call, but I know he will be fine. He is doing better already.
At lunch time, we pigged out at The Hat. It is a sandwich restaurant, and it's famous for it's pastrami sandwich. Eveyone loved the sandwich but it was really big. Everyone also tried the chilly pepper, and it was SPICY!
We left the restaurant and headed south toward Camelot. Camelot is a kid's play place. There are a lot of fun games there. We played laser tag, and I won first place. Laser tag is like shooting paintballs at each other without the pain or the paint. It was full of excitement and fun.
After laser tag, we played miniature golf, and it was more exciting than the first miniature golf session that we went to.
After the games, the kids wanted to go home and swim. So
we headed back and cruised slowly in the traffic. It took more than an hour to get home and normally, it only takes us twenty-five minutes to get home. Once we got home, the kids jumped into the pool because they lost their bet. Jacky and Calvin came last place and they went into the pool with their clothes on. It was funny! While they were playing, I went to pick up Teacher Cheryl, and it took two hours before she came out of the gate. It was a long wait, and it was also a long day. I almost passed out from standing at the airport.
At lunch time, we pigged out at The Hat. It is a sandwich restaurant, and it's famous for it's pastrami sandwich. Eveyone loved the sandwich but it was really big. Everyone also tried the chilly pepper, and it was SPICY!
We left the restaurant and headed south toward Camelot. Camelot is a kid's play place. There are a lot of fun games there. We played laser tag, and I won first place. Laser tag is like shooting paintballs at each other without the pain or the paint. It was full of excitement and fun.After laser tag, we played miniature golf, and it was more exciting than the first miniature golf session that we went to.
After the games, the kids wanted to go home and swim. So
we headed back and cruised slowly in the traffic. It took more than an hour to get home and normally, it only takes us twenty-five minutes to get home. Once we got home, the kids jumped into the pool because they lost their bet. Jacky and Calvin came last place and they went into the pool with their clothes on. It was funny! While they were playing, I went to pick up Teacher Cheryl, and it took two hours before she came out of the gate. It was a long wait, and it was also a long day. I almost passed out from standing at the airport.
Shopping for Toys and Water Guns
We woke up late today because the kids slept late. Jordan didn't cry last night, but he woke up and tried to wake others. He got more sleep than others because he slept in the car often. We got up and went to a park that was near the house. I showed them how to get to the park, so they can go by themselves next time.
For lunch, we went to have some Vietnamese food at Little Saigon Restaurant. Joe, Jordan, Jason, Brandon and I had noodles while Betty, Valerie, Jacky, and Calvin had sandwiches. Joe and Jordan loves noodles, and they finished everything.
We drove two cars, and we left the restaurant and headed to Target (similar to Walmart) nearby. What was supposed to be a thirty-minute to an hour shopping time, ended up being a trip to four stores for four hours looking for board games and water guns. We went to Target, Toys 'R Us, Costco, Walmart, and back to Target. It was long and
tedious. We bought books, board games, and water guns for kids.
The first thing we did when we got home was swim. Kids couldn't take the heat and resist the cool water. They all jumped in! Jason took his special water gun, filled it up with water and ice, and he blasted ice-cold water at the boys. The game was on. It was an exciting water fight, and all of them had fun.
They got up and dried off. I asked the kids to read before dinner. They all had their own books to read. For dinner, Fred, Jason and Brandon's father, cooked roast beef, squash, and beef stroganoff. He also prepared fruit salad for dessert. It was an authentic American/German meal, and to my surprise, all the kids wanted more. It was a good meal!
At the end of the night, we played Life. Like Monopoly, it was a fun board game. I dozed off early and went to bed. The kids didn't finish the game because they were too tired. They had a long day!
For lunch, we went to have some Vietnamese food at Little Saigon Restaurant. Joe, Jordan, Jason, Brandon and I had noodles while Betty, Valerie, Jacky, and Calvin had sandwiches. Joe and Jordan loves noodles, and they finished everything.We drove two cars, and we left the restaurant and headed to Target (similar to Walmart) nearby. What was supposed to be a thirty-minute to an hour shopping time, ended up being a trip to four stores for four hours looking for board games and water guns. We went to Target, Toys 'R Us, Costco, Walmart, and back to Target. It was long and
tedious. We bought books, board games, and water guns for kids.The first thing we did when we got home was swim. Kids couldn't take the heat and resist the cool water. They all jumped in! Jason took his special water gun, filled it up with water and ice, and he blasted ice-cold water at the boys. The game was on. It was an exciting water fight, and all of them had fun.
They got up and dried off. I asked the kids to read before dinner. They all had their own books to read. For dinner, Fred, Jason and Brandon's father, cooked roast beef, squash, and beef stroganoff. He also prepared fruit salad for dessert. It was an authentic American/German meal, and to my surprise, all the kids wanted more. It was a good meal!At the end of the night, we played Life. Like Monopoly, it was a fun board game. I dozed off early and went to bed. The kids didn't finish the game because they were too tired. They had a long day!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Jason and the kids
In the morning, the kids woke up, and they were still a little shy about getting breakfast for themselves, so they waited for me. For lunch, my mom bought lunch for everyone. After lunch, Jason and I took the kids to play miniature golf at Speed Zone. At the parking lot, we saw a big truck, and the kids wanted to take a picture. We took two cars and spent a couple hours there. We broke everyone up into teams. The teams were Jacky and Calvin, Joe and Jordan, Valerie and Betty, and Jason and me. We had a competitive game, and Jacky and Calvin won the game. The boys really enjoyed it, but it was too hot for the girls.
Since it was so hot, Jason had a great idea! He took everyone to Jumba Juice, and we all had ice cold smoothies. It was exactly what we needed. Afterwards, the kids decided they wanted to swim, so we headed back to the house. Once we got back, I passed out on the sofa, and Jason went swimming with them outside. On this trip, I noticed that Calvin and Jacky are really good friends, they eat and sleep together! They really enjoy each other's company.
For dinner we had some pizza, and we played around. Jason was playing with Joe, and Jacky wanted to push Jason into the pool. Before you know it, the boys were in the pool again. We had a good laugh. The boys got out of the water and got dried. We watched a video, and the girls went to bed early because they were really tired.
Since it was so hot, Jason had a great idea! He took everyone to Jumba Juice, and we all had ice cold smoothies. It was exactly what we needed. Afterwards, the kids decided they wanted to swim, so we headed back to the house. Once we got back, I passed out on the sofa, and Jason went swimming with them outside. On this trip, I noticed that Calvin and Jacky are really good friends, they eat and sleep together! They really enjoy each other's company.
For dinner we had some pizza, and we played around. Jason was playing with Joe, and Jacky wanted to push Jason into the pool. Before you know it, the boys were in the pool again. We had a good laugh. The boys got out of the water and got dried. We watched a video, and the girls went to bed early because they were really tired.
Our sleeping schedule is becoming more normal, and hopefully we won't be tired during the day.
Oh yea, Jacky talks during his sleep, and it's quite scary. Calvin snores like a whistle, and Jordan no longer cries.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Too Busy to Leave Taipei
Seven thirty pm and I wasn't even packed yet. Still in a meeting with Teresa, and I smelled like sweat. The van arrived, and I just got out of the shower. Tossed all my belongings into the back of the van, and we were off.
Only when I thought I could relax, things got more complicated at the airport. Calvin didn't bring his 2nd passport. Calvin has dual citizenship; he is American and Taiwanese. In order for him to depart, he needed his Taiwanese passport. I got everyone checked in except Calvin. The lady from Singapore Airline told us that if we didn't have the passport in 45 mins, Calvin couldn't leave with us.
Fortunately, Michelle, Calvin's mom, drove like an ambulance on an emergency call, made it to the airport just minutes before. We passed thru R.O.C. immigrations without a hitch. At last, I got some peace and quiet on the plane. Paying the extra money for Singapore Airlines was right! There is more leg room, and the seats are more comfortable. Food there is better than other airlines, and there are more movie choices. Best of all, the flight attendants are prettier. Thank you Singapore Airlines, and I will be sure to join your Frequent Flyer Membership and Mile High Club.
The moment we stepped off the plane, things got hectic again. We had to go thru immigration three times because we had to fill out so many different forms. It was long and painful. It took us two hours before we got out the airport. Finally, we cleared customs and we pushed the heavy carts out of the gate. After a few minutes of seaching, we saw my brother, Brandon, and his father, Fred. We dumped the luggage in the two vehicles, and we left LAX. What a relief!
Before we went home, we went to In-N-Out for dinner. In-N-Out is a burger restaurant that I have been craving. This is one of the things I miss the most when I am away from California. This is easily one of the best burger franchises in the world. Jason, Brandon's older brother, met us at the restaurant and chatted with Calvin because he was here a few years ago. We ate our burgers and headed back to my mom's house.
The garage door opened, and we unloaded all the luggage. I assigned the girls one room, and I told Calvin and Jordan to stay in Brandon's room and Jacky and Joe to sleep in the master bedroom. Needless to say, we all had jetlag, so no one really fell asleep, except Calvin. In the middle of the night, Jordan started to cry so he came to lay down with Jacky and Joe in the master bedroom.
At 5 am, no one was sleeping except my brothers, so we got up and watched some cartoons. I took Jacky, Valerie, and Betty to buy breakfast because the little ones were too busy watching TV, and Calvin was still hibernating. We drove the car to the nearby supermarket which is about 45 minutes' walking distance. The day is beautiful as always in California. Skies were as clear and as blue as it could be, and you could smell a hint of pine trees in the air.
We walked around in Albertson's Supermarket for a while. We bought some donuts and cereal for breakfast and some groceries for lunch. We went back home and everyone had breakfast. After breakfast, we cleaned out my old room and we worked as a team. Everyone was really helpful. After two hours of work, everyone was hungry again. For lunch, I made salami sandwiches for everyone.
After lunch, we all went out for a swim. It was a great day to swim, not only it was a hot day, but the pool cleaner came in the morning and cleaned it. Everyone jumped into the pool and to my surprise, almost everyone could swim except for Betty. We played in the pool until we all got tired.
Only when I thought I could relax, things got more complicated at the airport. Calvin didn't bring his 2nd passport. Calvin has dual citizenship; he is American and Taiwanese. In order for him to depart, he needed his Taiwanese passport. I got everyone checked in except Calvin. The lady from Singapore Airline told us that if we didn't have the passport in 45 mins, Calvin couldn't leave with us.
Fortunately, Michelle, Calvin's mom, drove like an ambulance on an emergency call, made it to the airport just minutes before. We passed thru R.O.C. immigrations without a hitch. At last, I got some peace and quiet on the plane. Paying the extra money for Singapore Airlines was right! There is more leg room, and the seats are more comfortable. Food there is better than other airlines, and there are more movie choices. Best of all, the flight attendants are prettier. Thank you Singapore Airlines, and I will be sure to join your Frequent Flyer Membership and Mile High Club.
The moment we stepped off the plane, things got hectic again. We had to go thru immigration three times because we had to fill out so many different forms. It was long and painful. It took us two hours before we got out the airport. Finally, we cleared customs and we pushed the heavy carts out of the gate. After a few minutes of seaching, we saw my brother, Brandon, and his father, Fred. We dumped the luggage in the two vehicles, and we left LAX. What a relief!
Before we went home, we went to In-N-Out for dinner. In-N-Out is a burger restaurant that I have been craving. This is one of the things I miss the most when I am away from California. This is easily one of the best burger franchises in the world. Jason, Brandon's older brother, met us at the restaurant and chatted with Calvin because he was here a few years ago. We ate our burgers and headed back to my mom's house.
The garage door opened, and we unloaded all the luggage. I assigned the girls one room, and I told Calvin and Jordan to stay in Brandon's room and Jacky and Joe to sleep in the master bedroom. Needless to say, we all had jetlag, so no one really fell asleep, except Calvin. In the middle of the night, Jordan started to cry so he came to lay down with Jacky and Joe in the master bedroom.
At 5 am, no one was sleeping except my brothers, so we got up and watched some cartoons. I took Jacky, Valerie, and Betty to buy breakfast because the little ones were too busy watching TV, and Calvin was still hibernating. We drove the car to the nearby supermarket which is about 45 minutes' walking distance. The day is beautiful as always in California. Skies were as clear and as blue as it could be, and you could smell a hint of pine trees in the air.
We walked around in Albertson's Supermarket for a while. We bought some donuts and cereal for breakfast and some groceries for lunch. We went back home and everyone had breakfast. After breakfast, we cleaned out my old room and we worked as a team. Everyone was really helpful. After two hours of work, everyone was hungry again. For lunch, I made salami sandwiches for everyone.
After lunch, we all went out for a swim. It was a great day to swim, not only it was a hot day, but the pool cleaner came in the morning and cleaned it. Everyone jumped into the pool and to my surprise, almost everyone could swim except for Betty. We played in the pool until we all got tired.
Once we were out of the pool, everyone got dried and changed clothes. Kids passed out around 4 pm and slept til 9 pm. What a long siesta! Joe and Jordan woke up first, and I took them to buy Mexican food for dinner. We came back and woke everyone else up and ate our burritos and quesadillas. After dinner we watched a movie and we went out for a late stroll. It was a long walk but we had lot of fun even though it was midnight already. We came home and got ready for bed.
I had a lot fun with the kids but what a long long day. I wish Teacher Cheryl was here. I will try to keep this updated as often as I can. I hope I can also put up some pictures as well.
Teacher Paul
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