REFLECTIONS LOFT

Cheers!

My day started out hectic – trying to tie up loose ends, dotting all the “i”s and crossing all the “t”s before the new year comes as I want a perfect clean slate beginning (yeah right, huh!). Well fortunately I did 99% of it – the only thing I didn’t get to do was vacuum my house (I probably will have a dirty house for the rest of the year). I try to make everything as close to perfect as I can with a notion of my fate for the rest of the year will be a such. For example, the whole house should be clean and uncluttered, there should be round fruits on the dining table (for prosperity – round means coins), all the canisters are full to the ream most specially the rice, sugar, and salt (don’t know what they represent), eating long noodles for long life… things like that. Every year, right after Christmas day, I clean out the clutter (christmas decorations and stuff) and pretty much go through every closet, cabinet, drawers, nooks, and cracks in my house and reorganize and purge. Usually the last two weeks of every year this is what I do and now I think it’s a good habit I developed.

The last part of my day was spent with friends and my family. A delicious dinner was had at PF Chang’s in Bellevue with the Judd’s. They’ve rescued us several times during the recent snow storm and we thought it’ll be nice to treat them for a change. We are very fortunate having them as friends, they are like our extended family. Love ‘em! We all enjoyed our time at the restaurant (even the 40 minutes wait with a reservation).

After dinner, we all went to the Judd’s to welcome 2009. We had cocktails, converstaions, and dancing over Get Smart movie which I really didn’t get to watch. 

This is the first time my family went out or even celebrated the New Year and we all had fun. Usually we’re just at home in our jammies in front of the TV watching the Space Needle show, popping poppers, and giving each other hugs and kisses then we go back to whatever we were doing – you know the boring celebration. But starting this year, we resolve to celebrate the new year every year with friends.

…has come and gone and we had a great time both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We opened Christmas presents after midnight on Christmas day. Luckily, Humza fell asleep around 11:30pm and Santa was able to stop by and leave the presents for the boys.

Oh Christmas Tree…

“Humma wake up time to open presents”

5 minutes later – yawn – oh well, I guess he’ll open his when he wakes up

…oh wait he’s waking up – still yawning :0

the best present this year… XBox 360. the boys opened an empty box because Nasir hooked it up 2 nights before while the boys were asleep and hid it behind the TV so they can play right away and that’s exactly what they did.

Nasir and I told each other we won’t get anything for us, but we secretly did and got each other movies – lol. I was so thrilled I got Mamma Mia the one with the sing along.

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY HUMZA!!!

make a wish… (he wished for more lightsaber swords)

On Christmas day we had Christmas dinner at the Seymore’s (Jayne’s parents). As usual, Claire cooked a fabulous meal.

It hasn’t stopped snowing since last Thursday and we currently have 15″ – 18″ of snow. I’ve been homebound for a week now and it’s driving me nuts. Now I can say I miss having an SUV.

I am panicking as I haven’t shopped for Humza’s Birthday and Christmas presents and there’s 2 days left before Christmas and his birthday. And maybe I need to get one more for Zak.

Here’s what it looks like outside… it’s still pretty, but…

and my darling husband decided to walk to downtown Mercer Island and make a movie…

bye bye honey bunches – stay warm – love you

with much anticipation and disappointment of snow yesterday – today, we woke up to this…

white…

and beautiful

so, we suited up to enjoy our snow day

made snow angels

walked to the park… and then to starbucks to get warm

had snow ball fights

and walked back home – humza got tired of walking so I had to carry him. But we enjoyed our snow day very much and we did get to have our “family time” which was the best part of the day.

Humza’s been very excited about the belt test ceremony, he couldn’t wait for this day to come to actually be able to bring home his new belt. He took his test last Monday and he didn’t become shy and did his moves proudly. Zak was very nervous with his test as he was having a difficult time breaking boards with his foot. He’s been practicing hard and coming home limping a bit from practice this last week. But hard work paid off and he passed his test. Both Nasir and I were very proud of our boys. I even got teary eyed when Zak did some of his moves – We are really very proud of him.

beginning of the ceremony

warm-up exercise first

and punching (the kicking shots were too blurry)

zak’s turn… breathing

kicking…

board breaking…

and more board breaking…

humza patiently waits for his new belt

so cute… while he was sitting down waiting for zak’s turn to get his belt, he would constantly hug his belt with a big giddy smiley face.

zak’s turn for his new long awaited belt…

red stripe belt… two more and he’s a BLACK belt

is very cozy… with its holiday ambiance and christmas songs in the background gets me very excited for Christmas day to come.

my big little helper…

and he really was a great big help.

in his own bedroom on his own bed without moving to ours in the middle of the night. Yippee! Well, I bribed him and told him unless he sleeps in his room for the WHOLE night then and only then can he play video games – and it worked (after 2 nights). Hopefully this will become a habit – Nasir and I don’t want to get kicked every night as Humza sleeps like a helicopter. I need my beauty sleep…

look @ him peacefully sleeping on his bed in his room

This man is always busy working, networking, innovating, and keeping himself up to date with today’s technology, current events national and international – I don’t know how he does it. All I know is I love this man deeply and more so everyday

We had a great Thanksgiving spent with our friends – the Judd’s and family at their cabin on Whidbey Island.

On our first night, we/they went clamming at past 10pm when it was low tide (well Jayne and I didn’t get to go because they all left before us and we had no light and it was pitch black to see anything and we were tripping over the driftwood plus it was freezing cold – so we enjoyed the warmth of the fireplace inside the cabin). The kids and dads came back with a half bucket full of clams, which Grandma Claire turned into a very delicious clam chowder.

Humza enjoyed playing on the sand and collecting rocks. Gee, I remembered Zak when he used to love to collect rocks and I still have all those rocks he collected.

the boys feeding the seagulls with Uncle Chris

What a relaxing holiday weekend… I am very thankful for this and of course for my husband for being my husband and the air that I breathe, my boys for the joys and headaches they bring to my life – without it life would be dull, our families and friends who are the sprinkes in my cake of life – I am so blessed for having all these wonderful beings a part of my life…