STEM

K-Pop took K-bao this past week to her second STEM Night, an annual tradition at K-bao's school where the older grades create hands on projects that demonstrate scientific and engineering principles.

The K-folks love the school's emphasis on girls' STEM education.

Here is K-bao checking out some projects and getting explanations directly from the older girls. The projects below utilized some cool computer hookups to demonstrate conduction, among other principles.

This project showed static electricity and magnetic fields.

But clearly the favorite project of the evening was one where K-bao got to fill a bottle with water, pump it full of air and then watch it shoot off into the sky like a rocket.

The evening came to a dramatic and unexpected end a little later when the fire alarm went off and the entire community was ushered outside.

All in all a short but hopefully memorable experience for little K-bao that reinforced some of the practical and fun applications of scientific principles. 

Bluff

K-Pop introduced the girls to the game of Blind Man's Bluff while hanging out on the lovely grounds of a nearby campus a few weekends ago.

We didn't have blindfolds, so the girls wore their jackets backwards and donned their hoodies on their faces, and both tried to find K-Pop at the same time.

It was pretty much a game of nonstop giggles.

In this next video K-bao actively and illegally interferes with her sister's seeking.

Service

Yesterday was a community service day at K-bao's school. Her school has a nice year long partnership with a local nonprofit that serves the homeless, and once a year the girls get together and make food. This service orientation and philosophy is one of the things the K-folks really appreciate about K-bao's school.

This year the menu included lasagna and apple crisp, among other fine items. Here is K-bao getting her hands dirty - but enjoying it very much.

The girls also decorated cups and wrote some signs for those the center serves.

Thank You

Over the holidays, K-bao visited the K-Grandfolks in LA.

As usual, her grandparents spoiled her to no end. This is not new. There were more noodle making lessons, as well as specially-made onion pancakes.

In gratitude (finally!), K-bao drew up the below card of appreciation, and even managed to write out a message in Chinese.

Karaoke & Other Treats

While at her good friends the Liu's the other day, K-bao got her first taste of karaoke.

Apparently it was a pretty sweet taste, because K-bao had a hard time letting go of the mic. Here she sings Sugar by Maroon5 (also by The Lighters, by the way).



The rest of the day was pretty fun too. K-bao got to go to the park...

The kiddos all had some wheels

...hit the swings...

"Higher! I said, 'Higher!'"

...climb trees (which K-Pop was very directly told he was not welcome to)...

"No boys allowed, Daddy. You can't come up here."

...enjoy great food, including some fantastic cake (there was even some birthday singing and belated celebration of January birthdays, including K-bao's, so she got to blow out yet another candle)...

...and overall have lots of fun with her buddies DL, NL, EL, SL and EL2!

Memorial

While in New York in December, K-bao walked around the 9/11 memorial. The lines were outrageously long so she didn't get to go inside, but she heard a bit about the history of the site from K-Mum.

Despite the cutting wind, K-bao walked somberly around the south pool and checked out the various names engraved on the stone.

Birthday

Happy birthday K-bao! Our not-so-little-one has turned 7.

K-bao had an active day. The morning was filled with a basketball game with her team, The Cats. Here she dribbles the ball upcourt before handing the ball over to a teammate for a blown assist.



After a big brunch, she and the fam were joined by Uncle Calvin for an afternoon of bowling.

Checking out the scoreboard with a concerned look

Check out that professional bowling stance

After dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant, where she enjoyed garlic noodles, the family had a modest celebration at home with some of K-bao's favorite desserts, courtesy of Uncle Calvin. (We won't mention on these pages how much of these desserts she was actually able to partake in today due to other dessert consumption choices earlier in the day, of course).

Thanks for the sweets Xiao Jiu!

Sharing some hugs with K-Pop and K-Mum below.