Fruitbearers

For the past several years, every Father’s Day…we have gone up to Washington to visit my husband’s dad and his wife.  Yesterday, we continued our tradition: our annual Father’s Day cookout at their place.  My husband’s sister and his niece & nephew (his brother’s kids) were there, too.  We had a big feast and had a great time playing badminton and volleyball.  We also enjoyed playing a board game called "Clever Endeavor."  You try to guess from clues what the answer might be.  Sometimes we were clueless even after many clues were given ! We ended our Father’s Day by taking our kids to play miniature golf at Bullwinkles before heading home.  It’s always lots of fun to spend time with our fabulous father/daddy (my dear husband).

A Father is the able hand That fixed your broken toy, The arms that used to lift you up And fill your heart with joy. He’s the voice that often taught you The meaning of respect Or coached you when you threw the ball And gently would correct. He’s the shoulder you could lean on, The eyes that saw you through, The back that you would ride upon, The feet that walked with you. He’s the heart of a Heavenly Father, Whose love can know no end; A reflection of Divine Teacher, True Mentor and Best Friend.                                             ~ Anonymous " He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge ." Proverbs 14:26 " The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him ." Proverbs 20:7 ...

This weekend is "Free Fishing Weekend" in Oregon.  It allows the public to fish, clam, or crab anywhere in Oregon without a fishing license or tag.  Today we took the kids to Henry Hagg Lake to fish.  It was raining all day but we had a great time.  We are true Oregonians .  There’s a saying, "A woman who has never seen her husband fishing doesn’t know what a patient man she married!"  Well, now I can say, "A mom who has never seen her kids fishing doesn’t know what patient kids she raised!" :)  They were so thrilled when fish bit and tugged and they got to reel in real wiggling fish.  This is the first fish my 8 year-old son caught but we let it go because it’s too small.  Isn’t it so cute? Later he got a beautiful rainbow trout… Then my 13 year-old daugther got one. Well, the Lord wanted to bless all three kids so He helped my 5 year-old son catch one, too. We all enjoyed eating delicious fresh fish dish for di...

I had a fever and headache off and on for about 2 weeks.  I also had joint pain.  Finally, I went to see a doctor.  She thought I had some kind of viral infection probably caused by parvovirus B19.  I wasn’t totally convinced because I haven’t heard anything back from the blood test and urine test.  Well, yesterday we noticed rash on my 5 yo son’s cheeks and today it seemed worse.  We googled to see what we could find out about this rash.  Don’t you just love google?:)  We did find out that he and I had "Fifth Disease" or erythema infectiosum, which is caused by that virus mentioned by the doctor.  It is said to be common in children ages 5-15, usually occurring in the late winter and early spring.  We are so thankful that it’s a mild illness that just goes away over a period of time. According to KidsHealth , how this infection got its name is quite interesting.  This infection was considered amon...

A few weeks ago, we took the kids to Wunderland (that’s how it’s spelled), an arcade.  We had lots of fun playing different games and winning tickets at the same time.  My husband is an expert at Drill-O-Matic (one of the games there).  We traded our tickets in for an infrared robot.  This robot came with a remote control (but unfortunately…not batteries).  According to the box and the stickers on him, he has 8 names: Space Wiser, IQ Doctor, Space Station Pathfinder, Cosmos Warrior, Space Power, Space Vanguard, Power Space Robot, and Warrior (I guess they couldn’t make up their minds which name was most suitable).  However, when we turned him on, he introduced himself as "Mike" (go figure!) so we call him "Mike."   Mike can turn his head, walk & slide forwards and backwards with sound, turn left & right, and he can do 2 dances to 2 different tunes: P-Dance and R-Dance.  Moreover, Mike can fire/s...

My 13 year old daughter wrote the following speech ("Choose Life") for her final speech presentation in our homeschool co-op.  Below the speech, you will find my daughter’s email that she sends to people.  This is her 8th year that she has been participating in Steps for Life.  We are so proud of her for standing up for what she believes in and for defending the defenseless.  If you’re interested in giving/making pledges to save lives, please visit my daughter’s website or contact her/me directly at serving_theKingofkings@yahoo.com.                                                 CHOOSE LIFE         Psalm 139: 13-16 says, "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I a...

On Saturday, one of my husband’s co-workers took us out to have lunch at Thai Elephant (a fantastic Thai restaurant ).  It was our first time there and we loved it!  The food tasted authentic and the layout of the restaurant is cool (the chefs cook food in the kitchen area that is open for all to see).  We ordered Tod Mun (fish cake patties), Chicken Satay (marinated chicken flamed-grilled on bamboo skewers), Tom Khaa Goong (coconut shrimp soup with mushrooms, galangal, tomatoes, and lemongrass), Pad Thai (fried rice noodles with shrimp, chicken, egg, bean sprouts, onions, and ground peanuts), Red Curry Duck (roast Peking duck in red curry with spinach, pineapple, and tomatoes), and Thai Fried Rice (flavorful pan-fried jasmine rice with chicken, green onions, tomatoes, peas, and egg).  For desserts, we ordered Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango and Homemade Coconut Ice Cream .  We also ordered Thai Iced Tea (sooooooo  goooooood!)  We had always wond...