WITHOUT Training Wheels!

How old did you learn to ride a bike without training wheels? I did ride a bike without training wheels at around six years old, but Dylan is nearly 7 and a half year old. It was time that we had to MAKE him do it, but we finally got him out to the bike trial to learn to ride his bike without training wheels.

This morning, David and I decided to take our children to our nearby Community College. It was a perfect place to teach our son, Dylan because our home has few downhills. Thus, it was not a good place to teach him because he easily surrenders it. At a community college vacant parking lots, we started off helping him. We eventually let him go without telling him.

David and I did a great job helping him out. In just a couple of minutes, Dylan was riding his bike all by himself. While David and Ryan were watching him riding on his own, they were rooting out for him from the back of our van, eating peanuts.

Yet, he needs to work on starting riding on a bike without a push... but it will come. Once our mission accomplishes, we will start working with Ryan.

P.S. The truth was that I had to bribe him by taking him out to the pool. Of course, he will need to learn to jump more than 5 feet deep and swim across the pool. He was gladly accepted. My bribe worked!

Bon Voyage Party

Have you had a family Bon Voyage Party? I didn't until last Saturday with all of my husband's family. There were twenty-five of us attending the Bon Voyage Party at my parents in law's house. This time it was my parents in law's idea by taking us to Disney Cruise. Yep, you are right there will be twenty five of us going on a Disney Cruise for a week, starting on July 4th, 2009. That is a perfect gift because it will be our tenth anniversary.

After we all settled from eating our delicious hefty meal, we started playing our Disney game. The first game was having all of 14 grandchildren standing in the line. Each of them had to find their own suitcase with a name on it. The adults counted the numbers down 3.. 2.. 1.. BLAST OFF for the children to find their own suitcase. Their high energies had kept them going until they discovered their own personal suitcase. That involved the younger kids finding their own little character suitcases such as Hello Kitty, Spiderman, Cars, and Thomas and His Friends. My kids got their own favorite color suitcase: Orange and Red.

Once each of them has their own suitcase, we started playing Disney Trivia games. The younger kids had three basic questions: What is the name of the Cruise? Where will we be flying out? and Name of the seven dwarfs. Dylan was in a second place. He was not pleased to be in a second place. What a bad sportsmanship he was in! As a result, it was due that he was exhausted from staying up late watching the Fireworks. He ended up taking a two hour nap in his grandparents' guest room. As for the teenagers, they were asked about the longitude, latitude and few other questions. There was no loser in the trivia game. Every kid was a winner. The prize was getting their own goggles, flip flops and towels.

The teenagers ended up watching "Golden Compass" in their grandparents' room. Some of them laid on a floor in a front of the T.V. Others were lying on a very soft bed. (I wished I had that kind of a bed.) The younger kids were out playing with the toys out in the patio. One of my nephews enjoyed spilling the really COLD water over my feet. Boy, it was really cold but it felt so good. His innocent made me laugh.

Before the evening fell, one of the family members had to leave for home: Utah. It was awful a long way for them just to come to the Bon Voyage Party. Still, we will see them for an entire week on a Disney Cruise. That would be an exciting for all of us to get to know each other a whole lot better.

That even include visiting on Cast Away Cay Island that Disney owns the island. We only have 362 more days left to go !!! OH, all of us can't wait to go on a Disney Cruise.

Fun on our 4th of July!

Every year, we spend the 4th of July with David's family to chat, play, eat and watch the fireworks. Each of us was supposed to bring our meat for lunch and dinner. This time, I brought hot dogs because there were many other meat: chickens, hamburgers and few other meats. This time, I only ate mostly vegetables and fruits. It is not that I am vegetarian.

Then after all of us especially the kids were stuffed from lunch, it was time for the kids to do something fun. I brought a Super ball Sprayer. The kids LOVED it. They even like drinking water. At first, my youngest nephew, Logan was not happy to get himself wet. But with the heat, he started begging to drink more water. Soon my other nieces copied Logan.

But not Dylan and Ryan ! They were consumed with the water. Dylan, my older son grabbed his beach towel, took it over where the water squirting was, and had his towel over his head. Ryan decided to revenge his water by shooting the water at him. Dylan kept saying, "Stop Ryan!" Of course, Ryan wouldn't listen.

Not too long after the kids playing with the water, each of the kids had Firecracker Popsicle. OH, what a perfect treat! The next year for the treat would be a Home-made Ice Cream. That would be fun for all of us, including kids sitting on a cold little barrel. Even better, we can even make a home made ice cream sandwich. Does it make your mouth watering ?

I brought more activities for the kids to do for the 4th of July. I purchased the Bubble Generator. Boy, they loved it. Their giggles made all of us smiling. That included my husband, David. It lasted for a few minutes before we had to settle themselves down before the younger kids headed for home. Yet, we stayed for the fireworks.
By nine pm, my kids were the only ones stayed up late to watch the fireworks from the backyard while the other nieces and nephews went home early. Ryan jumped ups and downs at every time the fireworks appeared. He just laughed and loved it! We could feel the wooden porch being bounced. Right after it ended, we all hit the road until we arrived home.

Dylan's Post Surgery

On Monday afternoon, I took my older son, Dylan to have his two outer, bottom, baby teeth pull out in order to get his two inner, bottom, adult teeth straighten out. He has not eaten for six straight hours before the surgery. It was not an easy task for him because he likes FOOD!

By the time we arrived at the dentist office, he told me, "I will be brave to go because I am thinking of being a Peter Pan!" I liked his positive attitude. Then, his dad met us at the office. Dylan changed his mind and preferred to have his dad instead of me going with him in a surgery office. That was fine with me because his comfort was more important to me.

As soon he got in, the dentist gave him a Bubble Gum-Cherry Flavor sedative medication cup. Is it rad that the dentist office created variety of flavors for kids? Shortly after he finished drinking a cup, he was back in the office. He was being strapped around his wrists, legs and head in order not to move during the surgery. Then, the dentist gave him the medication to numb around his bottom gum and antithesis around his nose. Once two bottom teeth came out, David and I were stunned to see one inches long. So, he will write another letter for Tooth Fairy to earn extra point for the dentist.

An hour after his surgery, I bought him of his favorite drink, a Tall Orange Dream Machine from Jamba Juice. He was so GLAD he was able to drink it. He sat on our driveway where the sun would warm him up. Dylan admitted that the surgery office was COLD. That explains why he had his face toward the sun.

After he finished a whole cup of Orange Dream Machine, he was still HUNGRY! He pleaded for a bowl of oatmeal. During his meal, he was still cold and had his blanket covering around him. Still only one bowl of oatmeal was not enough. He had request for a second bowl of oatmeal.
Clearly, he was "FAMISHED."

Once he finished eating two bowls of oatmeal and a large drink of Orange Dream Machine, he soon was feeling sleepy. Dylan almost fell asleep out in our backyard patio. There was no way I could carry him to the couch. I had to wake him up and put him down on a couch. From then, he slept for straight twelve hours!

Relax

This morning I had a rough start. First, I accidentally broke the mug's handle after I opened the freezer. Second, I spilled all over Root beer after filling the Popsicles. Third, I just mopped the kitchen floor a day before. Now, I had to mop it again.

Last, Dylan told me at his breakfast table, "Mom, Relax!Think of a place that makes you relax."

Isn't that sweet of having a seven year old son telling me to think of a place where I would relax? Do you know what my response was? I smiled and replied, "Going on a Disney Cruise."

Dylan said, "No, it will not happen in 370 more days."

I was bummed out and suddenly said, "How about Hawaii?"

Dylan thought it was a wonderful idea, "Let's going to Hawaii today!"

If you had a rough day, what is the first thing that would make you relax?

Visiting the Dentist

Since the boys are on their long summer break from school, I have decided to take them to the dentist. When we all walked in the dentist office, we were awed how much the office has changed. The office created lots of imaginations for children to young teenagers.

There were two offices in the same building. One was for the younger ones. The other office suited for older kids. One side of the building, it created Talking Tree, a giant mushroom with video games, Lego toys, and dressed up for the young kids. The other side of the office created as if they were entering in a rocket. There were three big t.v with lots of electricity lights. Even better, the office even offered Hot Drinks: Chocolate, Tea and Coffee Cafe for adults. This time I didn't drink because their names were called.

Dylan went up to get his teeth check. He was brave enough to go first. Having T.V. up in the ceiling helped him to relax while they were checking and cleaning his teeth. Unfortunately, he will have to go back to the dentist on Monday, the 30th to have two more bottom teeth being pulled out in order to have his teeth straighten. It meant that the dentist will have to give him a sedative medication. Can you image how would I handle my stocky son to the car while he walked wobbly? Personally, I think it would be better to get it done at an early age with a cheaper price than paying the braces if he waited too long.Ryan was next. He had no problem getting this procedures because having his brother's role model helped a lot. He was able to communicate with the dentist such as telling her he liked the bubble gum flavor. When the procedures were over, he was not pleased. In fact, he had a melt down. Believe it or not, he wanted to do more on his teeth. How many kids have you known that likes to go to the dentist?

Begging for Money

This evening, Ryan came up to me and begging me for money. The conversation between me and Ryan had left me cogitating for the evening.

R: I need twenty- five dollars.

M: Why do you need twenty- five dollars?

R: Because I need to enter the car race.

M: No, I am not going to give you a twenty five dollar for the car race.

R: Why?

M: Because getting into the car race is very dangerous. (We then walked in a separate way.)

R: (Ryan came back to me and begging for money) Okay, I need five hundred thousand coins. I can enter the race.

M: No, you are not going to enter the race. Why did I say, "No."

R: Because it is very dangerous. Mom! I need the money.

M: No, that s the end of the discussion!

He walked away without getting his wish.