Crazy Inmates

Aunt Christina (Xiao Ah-Yi) came over last week to bake sugar cookies with K-bao. The extra sugar intake, coupled with the matching inmate outfits - which gave implicit permission for lawlessness - led predictably to an afternoon of turbocharged craziness.


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The Velvet Cup

K-bao emerges the victor in the "First to 3" Chess Championship I and is awarded the coveted Velvet Cup(cake).

In K-Mum's defense, she didn't actually get to play a game before K-bao made it to Win #3.

That poor cupcake lasted about 20 seconds.

Loyalty

K-bao came running over to K-Pop with the following message: "Mommy whispered to me to 'Stare Daddy down.' I don't even know what that means!" exclaimed K-bao faithfully.

Don't Laugh (2)

K-bao has improved at the "Don't Laugh" game over the past year and a half (here is the last recorded version).

Here she is beating K-Pop at this round.

Teaching ABCs

K-bao may have the gift of teaching. In the below video, in which she decided one morning that she was going to teach her 15 month old sister the ABCs, she demonstrates:

• Engagement. Plenty of volume, lots of eye contact and gestures to keep her sister focused and paying attention.
• Grit. C-bao appeared tired of the instruction about 1/3 of the way through, but K-bao wouldn't let her give up. 
• Encouragement. "She's doing great on this!" K-bao exclaims excitedly to K-Pop at 0:54 of the second video, around the "O" mark.

Thanksgiving Tree

Over Thanksgiving K-bao engaged in an exercise with her extended family to encourage all to reflect on their blessings.

Predictably, K-bao's favorite part was not so much writing out her blessings, but handing out the activity pieces and instructing everyone else on what to do.

Each person was supposed to write out up to 3 things they were thankful for, on individual leaves, while putting prayer requests on pieces of red fruit.

K-bao's Thanksgiving Leaves were: "Family," "Friends" and "Food" - unclear what order those were supposed to be in, but everyone appreciated the alliteration - while her Fruit prayer requests were for "Uncle Calvin and Aunt Christina" as well as for "K-Great-Grandmum" (represented by a stick figure).

Here she is working on the project.

The finished tree after various family members wrote out their leaves and fruits.

K-bao's prayer request, and what she is thankful for: 

To Our Nieces

K-bao and C-bao's talented Aunt and Uncle (Shu-Shu and Xiao Goo-Goo) penned, sang and recorded a brief piece of music for their 4 nieces, including K-bao, one recent afternoon in Taipei. The song contains a number of worthy messages for our little one.

Music: To 四個乖小孩

Lyrics:

寶貝妳要做個乖小孩

Watch the tone when you are asking why

做個討神喜悅乖女孩

Our love will always be with you

永不分開

寶貝乖乖跌倒不用怕

It hurts a bit but you will grow a lot

別因妳可愛就不用聽話

Learn to love and trust in God

Your life will be

Right where it should be

記得永遠守護妳的心

Hug

"Let me show you what I wrote," said K-bao, leading K-Pop to her room.

"You are going to give me a big hug," she predicted. And she was right.

Friends

Even in hypothetical math problems, K-bao insists on K-Pop getting the right friends worked into the situation, and protests vehemently if too many boys are included. She also inevitably rewards her closest friends (and herself!) with any hypothetical extra cupcakes.

This video is from several months ago but the instincts - which have been around as long as the K-folks remember - persist.

Eeny Meeny

Who gets to be White?

That is the eternally debated question.

K-bao implemented her usual system of figuring out the answer. K-Pop was certain where this was going to end; somehow, and unsurprisingly, the advantage has always ended up with you know who.

So the outcome of this process was shocking.

Reunited

K-bao's old friend Gillian (subject of the now famous interview) is back in town! Here is a Sunday School pic from this past weekend of the two of them chaperoned by longtime guardian Reagan (who gave the two the bunny ears in this pic).

Too Much

A living room dialogue overheard by K-Pop:

   K-bao: You're having fun, right Mommy?
   K-Mum: Of course, K-bao, but mainly because I'm spending time with you!
   K-bao: Because you love playing with me?
   K-Mum: Well because I love YOU!
   K-bao: But I can be too much sometimes, right?
   K-Mum: Um....hahaha...now why would you say that K-bao?
   K-bao: Because it's true!

Caregiver

This past Saturday K-Pop was beset with a horrific case of seasonal allergies that had him sneezing and wheezing all morning. K-bao had observed her Pops' suffering throughout their long morning walk at Golden Gate Park, all the way until he collapsed on the couch at home.

Once home, however, the little one sprung into action. Without a word she dragged her little white chair into the kitchen, climbed up on the counter and took down a glass, into which she somehow managed to pour water from the heavy Brita pitcher without major spillage. This she brought over to the invalid.

Next, she rummaged around some drawers in the hallway and produced a plastic Ziploc bag of yellow facemasks belonging to Auntie Katie. "Here, Daddy," she declared, "if there are more than two you can take one." Where the rule of three came from K-Pop did not know, but lo and behold there were three facemasks, so one of them was promptly donned by the still-sneezing K-Pop.

K-bao wasn't finished. She headed back to her room and emerged with a blanket and box of tissues, which she arranged conveniently around the patient. Finally, deciding that K-Pop needed some entertainment to take his mind off his not-very-serious illness, she carefully selected an oldie but goodie from her shelf - "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," which for some reason she thought apropos - and began reading it to K-Pop in a melodious voice.

K-Pop was almost moved to tears by this completely voluntary and unsolicited act of filial piety, but managed to snap a quick memento of the moment for the inevitable future times when paternal patience is being particularly tested.

Part of Your World

Well on her way to being just as independent, strong-minded and adventurous as Ariel, K-bao picked her "third-favorite princess" as her 2013 Halloween character.

A Rolling Pumpkin Gathers No Moss

K-bao was the star pumpkin at her SLS Halloween School Play (mainly because there was only one pumpkin). Here she is at the dress rehearsal in a clip of the end of the play caught by K-Pop. The entire class gathers to uproot the stubborn fruit - yes, the role was well chosen - and finally succeeds in dislodging it. K-bao then rolls so enthusiastically that she loses a shoe.

Afterwards, the class gathered to sing some spooky songs and make some spooky faces.

Song of the Witches

K-bao has broadened her literary repertoire with some Shakespeare recently. Here she puts on her best scary voice and recites a spooky poem in honor of approaching Halloween. Sister C-bao listens to the Macbethian witches' chant with a look of discomfort.

For Dad

K-Pop walked in the door tonight after a whirlwind business trip and was handed the below piece of art by little K-bao.

K-Pop learned that K-bao had drawn and written the above on her own initiative and by herself, with only a little bit of help from Xiao Ah-Yi (Aunt Christina) on the spelling of "Happy Birthday." What a delightful Welcome Home and Happy Birthday gift!

My Little Princess

K-bao dresses up in new gown and shows off her pink hair braid from Family Festival, while putting on her best sweet and demure princess-look.

Which obfuscates the fact that it took about 30 retakes to get one of her not making a clown face, a shark face, a goofball face, an ogre face or one of her 25 other non-princess-like camera expressions.

Lemos Farm

K-bao was out at Lemos Farm @ Half Moon Bay this past weekend. Among the activities offered was pony riding, which was a first for our little one. Some action shots above and below.

Here you can see her petting her pony and waving to her fans.

Yoga

K-bao, who was out late celebrating Auntie Christina's (Xiao Ah-Yi) birthday last night at her apartment, warmed up for the festivities by borrowing Auntie Leslie's yoga book (without permission of course) and trying out some of the moves.

Brown Bear

K-bao knows C-bao loves the classic Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and after C-bao's morning nap, gives her sister a quick read through. It's a tight fit on K-bao's lap, especially with C-bao's favorite blanket (Little Miss Pink) wedged in there, but C-bao doesn't appear to mind.

Afterwards, to K-Pop's surprise, K-bao switched suddenly to Chinese and, starting from the beginning, gave an equally fluent reading, pausing only slightly in a few places as she thought through the translation.

With luck, many an hour will be so passed in the future, while K-Pop and K-Mum sip tea and have cookies (just think - the whole Harry Potter series is in front of them!). One can only dream...

Brunch

On a typical Saturday morning K-Pop dons his Chef Hat to make brunch for the family.

Despite knowing the answer (because it never changes), K-Pop nonetheless asks the most vocal and opinionated of the diners - that would be K-bao - for her menu preferences. Ten out of ten times the answer is "Eggs with cheese and toast with butter and jam! Can I help you make it?"

Here K-bao beats the eggs (the Chinese way, with chopsticks), looks on as K-Pop dices the mushrooms and scallions, and helps K-Pop add the ingredients to the pan. "Extra cheese, please, and can I mix the cheese in?" requests K-bao invariably as K-Pop takes out the sharp cheddar and grated parmesan from the refrigerator.

Aesthetic presentation is not quite the focus of the chefs.

Little C-bao enjoys this entree as well and can sometimes even out-eat her sister.

Skype Prayer

Cousin Elizabeth, aka Rong-Rong Jieh-Jieh aka Rong-bao, Skypes with K-bao and was sad to hear that K-bao was not feeling well.

At the end of the Skype session pious little Rong-bao prays earnestly for the Lord to be with and heal her cousin. Little sister Ling-bao looks on.

Power Corrupts

"Caught ya! A ticket for you!" K-bao apparently feels powerful sitting in the toy police car at Laurel Hill Playground and goes around handing out undeserved parking tickets.

Reunion

A family reunion for the ages!

Looking at this picture it doesn't necessarily seem like it would be that difficult to get everybody together...yet given the geographic dispersion it is a rare occasion indeed when everyone across the 3 generations is in one place.

Cousin Elizabeth

In a surprise turn of events last week in Taiwan, K-bao got to see her Aunt Esther (Da Goo-Goo), Uncle Ying-On and most importantly her Cousin Elizabeth (aka Rong-bao).

The two cousins, who hadn't seen each other for over three years other than through the occasional Skype / iPhone Facetime, immediately bonded. They compared notes on recent accomplishments, took over Xiao Goo-Goo's iPad to play games, got into mischief together and exchanged plenty of hugs.

Here is how they've grown over the years:

When it was finally time for K-bao to say goodbye to Taiwan, she refused to leave her cousin Rong-bao's side. Her first instinct was, predictably, defiance: "I am NOT leaving Taiwan! I am staying here in Taiwan with Rong-Rong forever!" Her second instinct was avoidance: she grabbed her cousin to find a place to hide out until those pesky parents left without her.

XGG & S2

The bulk of K-bao's time in Taipei this trip was spent with the K-Grandfolks, Xiao Goo-Goo (Aunt Catherine, aka XGG) and Shu-Shu (Uncle James, aka S2).

Indeed, within 24 hours K-bao made clear she would rather spend her time with XGG and S2 - who appeared half as mean and twice as fun - than with her own parents.

Let's just say that that message (which sounded a whole lot like "Free babysitting!") was music to the ears of the fatigued K-folks.

On one of the first days in Taipei, XGG took K-bao and the family to her old workplace, Xue Xue Institute, a private non-profit entity working to foster greater creativity and intersection among the arts, philosophy, design, business and science.  There, K-bao assembled magnet houses, was filmed dancing to Gangnam Style while twirling a baton, and generally ran around creating a mess.

Meanwhile, Uncle James / S2 was strong-armed into playing chess, answering nonsensical questions, and sitting next to little K-bao whenever she had a meal. Indeed, instead of greeting K-Grandpops politely when she saw him in the morning, her first questions were invariably, "Where's Shu-Shu? Where's Xiao Goo-Goo?"

By the end of the trip, poor XGG and S2, who had indeed put in plenty of free babysitting time, appeared almost as worn out as the K-folks. As for K-bao?  Her usual refrain: "I'm never tired!"

.........

Here is little K-bao getting an impromptu live concert by the talented XGG and S2. Before long, K-bao was on her feet, dancing along to the music.

台北的天空

Here is K-bao enjoying a few moments on the streets of Taipei. And yes, this is where K-Pop will post a link to the cheesy and sentimental song Taipei Sky (台北的天空), which ran through K-Pop's head for much of the trip. "The skies of Taipei hold the smiles of my youth." 

This first pic below is a little park on the very street where K-Mum grew up (Taishun Street, only a few blocks away from where K-Pop was born on Pu-Cheng Street). While making her way to the park K-bao was very nearly mowed over by an overzealous scooter. 

It is typhoon season now in Taiwan, and there was a sizeable one that engulfed the city for the first few days, leading to lots of precipitation. Even when it wasn't raining, one saw umbrellas everywhere as people sought protection from the brutal sun. K-bao carried her own mini-umbrella, which she swung about in a carefree and rather dangerous manner (which was the subject of stern conversations more than once).

Every morning K-Pop and K-Mum would rise early (due to jetlag, not discipline) and take the kids out to buy fresh sweet breads. By the way, just outside our apartment there is a fine pastry store called IJySheng (一之軒), for those of you who are visiting Taipei near Shi-Da University; we bought a half-dozen rolls there almost every morning. In the pic below you can also see the ubiquitous 7-11s, which we gave a decent amount of business to as well.

One early morning before the K-Grandfolks were up we took the kids to nearby Shi-Da University for a stroll. Predictably, K-bao ran up and down the bleachers and generally caused a ruckus while some older Taiwanese folks were practicing their Qi-Gong and trying to have a peaceful, meditative morning. 

This is where K-Mum went to elementary school! A drive-by shot taken from K-Grandpop's car, as we didn't have time to visit on this trip.

Below is the courtyard of a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Yang-Ming Mountain (陽明山), which was one of the finest meals the K-folks had all trip. The restaurant is, appropriately, called Discovery (Fa Xian).