Alyssa: 10 yr 1 mo, 147 cm (4' 9.9"), 34.1 kg (75 lb).
Vivian: 8 yr 2 mo, 130 cm (4' 3.2"), 27.7 kg (61 lb).
David: 5 yr 9 mo, 113 cm (3' 8.5"), 20.4 kg (45 lb).
Showing posts with label David. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David. Show all posts
2012/04/01
2011/07/03
A very wet afternoon
When there are a bunch of young kids (and adults who are young inside), a relaxing afternoon in the courtyard can quickly turn into a crazy water party... :)
BTW, this little warrior turned 5 today!
BTW, this little warrior turned 5 today!
2011/06/26
Growth record (June 2011)
Alyssa: 9 yr 3 mo, 141 cm (4' 7.5"), 29.9 kg (66 lb).
Vivian: 7 yr 4 mo, 126 cm (4' 1.6"), 24.9 kg (55 lb).
David: 4 yr 11 mo, 107 cm (3' 6.1"), 18.6 kg (41 lb).
Vivian: 7 yr 4 mo, 126 cm (4' 1.6"), 24.9 kg (55 lb).
David: 4 yr 11 mo, 107 cm (3' 6.1"), 18.6 kg (41 lb).
2011/04/10
Family ride, then and now
Amazing how much has changed in 4 years. When we lived in Athens, our "family ride" involves 2 bikes + 3 child seats:
Apparently the bike seats we got were pretty good, see how David loves them all:
Fast forward to 2011, now it take 10 wheels to get all 5 of us on the road:
The little dude made it to the 5.5k mark this time:
The girls got a bit further with me:
Oh, and this is what happened on our way to dinner:
Apparently the bike seats we got were pretty good, see how David loves them all:
Fast forward to 2011, now it take 10 wheels to get all 5 of us on the road:
The little dude made it to the 5.5k mark this time:
The girls got a bit further with me:
Oh, and this is what happened on our way to dinner:
2011/04/01
2011/03/20
Family ride along the river
To celebrate David's big achievement, the whole family went out for a ride along the river this afternoon.
The weather was a bit warm but David made it to the 4k mark before turning back with Ann.
Alyssa and Vivian went on with me for a bit further; everyone had a great day today. :)
The weather was a bit warm but David made it to the 4k mark before turning back with Ann.
Alyssa and Vivian went on with me for a bit further; everyone had a great day today. :)
2011/02/25
2010/05/10
Potato harvest
The kids were thrilled to find the three tiny potatoes they planted gave them quite a bit of return on investment.
2010/02/16
Growth record (Feb 2010)
Alyssa: 7 yr 11 mo, 132 cm, 22.7 kg.
Vivian: 6 yr 0 mo, 115 cm, 19.0 kg.
David: 3 yr 7 mo, 97 cm, 15.5 kg.
Vivian: 6 yr 0 mo, 115 cm, 19.0 kg.
David: 3 yr 7 mo, 97 cm, 15.5 kg.
2009/12/10
Learning about money is hard (not just for kids)
Recently David is getting very good with counting and some simple math. We thought that this may be a good indication that he is ready to learn about handling money and started giving him allowance last month. The little dude has been watching his sisters buying their own toys for quite some time now and is quick to grasp the idea. Not surprisingly, he requested to spend some money to buy his recent favorites: Matchbox cars.
I thought that this is a perfectly reasonable request and the $1/toy price tag works great for our purpose of teaching him money management. So I took the kids to the store last night and allowed him to find some cars that he wants to buy with his own allowance. As expected, the pile quickly grew to more than what he can afford so I suggested him to pick maybe 3 cars that he likes the best. He happily accepted my suggestion and made the decision. What surprised me was that, as we were on the way to check out, Alyssa pulled me aside and asked if she can buy a car for David with her money, "because I want to make him happy".
Understandably, I was thrilled to hear about that. After learning to manage her allowance for about 2.5 years now (we started back in July 2007), she has a pretty good idea about what this is about. She learned to spend money to make herself happy (certainly not as easy as it sounds), save up so that she can make bigger purchases, delay her decision to buy something so that she would be less likely to regret about it, and resist the urge to buy something just because her sister is doing that. Without a doubt, all these are pretty important lessons to learn. However, figuring out that money is a tool that can influence not only oneself but also others around you apparently is another big step.
So we went back to the toy aisle again and I got the second surprise. Alyssa didn't just get one, she ended up getting three cars for David, "because I think he will like all these".
My dilemma with these pleasant surprises is how to reward her decision for positive reinforcement in an appropriate way (still have no good answer after thinking about it for a day). After we got home, Ann and I both praised her and told her that we are very proud of her decision. However, I tried not to make too big a deal out it because I don't want to make her feel like she need to do this to gain our approval. Also I have to resist the urge of compensating her in material (money or other things), otherwise it will teach her the wrong lesson. Although I have to say that the temptation of doing so is quite strong for an overjoyed father.
Walking the fine line of financial education is indeed a tough business. It's not just the kids, the parents have a lot to learn along the way too.
I thought that this is a perfectly reasonable request and the $1/toy price tag works great for our purpose of teaching him money management. So I took the kids to the store last night and allowed him to find some cars that he wants to buy with his own allowance. As expected, the pile quickly grew to more than what he can afford so I suggested him to pick maybe 3 cars that he likes the best. He happily accepted my suggestion and made the decision. What surprised me was that, as we were on the way to check out, Alyssa pulled me aside and asked if she can buy a car for David with her money, "because I want to make him happy".
Understandably, I was thrilled to hear about that. After learning to manage her allowance for about 2.5 years now (we started back in July 2007), she has a pretty good idea about what this is about. She learned to spend money to make herself happy (certainly not as easy as it sounds), save up so that she can make bigger purchases, delay her decision to buy something so that she would be less likely to regret about it, and resist the urge to buy something just because her sister is doing that. Without a doubt, all these are pretty important lessons to learn. However, figuring out that money is a tool that can influence not only oneself but also others around you apparently is another big step.
So we went back to the toy aisle again and I got the second surprise. Alyssa didn't just get one, she ended up getting three cars for David, "because I think he will like all these".
My dilemma with these pleasant surprises is how to reward her decision for positive reinforcement in an appropriate way (still have no good answer after thinking about it for a day). After we got home, Ann and I both praised her and told her that we are very proud of her decision. However, I tried not to make too big a deal out it because I don't want to make her feel like she need to do this to gain our approval. Also I have to resist the urge of compensating her in material (money or other things), otherwise it will teach her the wrong lesson. Although I have to say that the temptation of doing so is quite strong for an overjoyed father.
Walking the fine line of financial education is indeed a tough business. It's not just the kids, the parents have a lot to learn along the way too.
2009/11/30
Cool little dude
A phone conversation that I overheard today:
Grandpa: 弟弟你今天是穿長褲還是短褲?
David: 我是好酷.
Here's the translation:
Grandpa: Are you wearing long pants or short pants today? (note: 'pants' sounds like 'cool' in Mandarin)
David: I am very cool.
Grandpa: 弟弟你今天是穿長褲還是短褲?
David: 我是好酷.
Here's the translation:
Grandpa: Are you wearing long pants or short pants today? (note: 'pants' sounds like 'cool' in Mandarin)
David: I am very cool.
2009/11/22
Growth record (Nov 2009)
Alyssa: 7 yr 8 mo, 131 cm, 22.7 kg.
Vivian: 5 yr 9 mo, 115 cm, 18.2 kg.
David: 3 yr 4 mo, 97 cm, 14.5 kg.
Vivian: 5 yr 9 mo, 115 cm, 18.2 kg.
David: 3 yr 4 mo, 97 cm, 14.5 kg.
2009/10/09
2009/09/18
David's statement of rebellion
"I don't have to follow the rules because I am going to be a not-nice guy. My sisters need to follow the rules." I guess it's tickle time again. :)
2009/08/31
Can we be friends?
We went out to shop for a pair of shoes for me this afternoon. The salesman at the Dillard's was a very friendly guy and kept chatting with the kids while I tried the shoes on. One part of conversation that I overheard goes like this:
Tony: Hi, my name is Tony. Can I be your friend?
David: My friend is Peter.
Tony: Oh, I'm sure that Peter is a great guy. But can I be your friend too?
David: Ummm... Okay!
I thought that was hilarious.
Tony: Hi, my name is Tony. Can I be your friend?
David: My friend is Peter.
Tony: Oh, I'm sure that Peter is a great guy. But can I be your friend too?
David: Ummm... Okay!
I thought that was hilarious.
2009/04/13
2009/02/25
Impeccable logic
David demonstrates his impeccable use of double negative at the age of two:
CH: 小弟你知道嗎？
David: 爸爸我沒有不知道。
CH: 那是知道還是不知道？
David: 知道。
CH: 小弟你知道嗎？
David: 爸爸我沒有不知道。
CH: 那是知道還是不知道？
David: 知道。
2009/02/13
2009/02/09
Out of reach
Now that Ann's parents are back to Taiwan, the kids are back to their daily international phone call routine, and here, is what David has to say today:
"Grandpa, I am being naughty but you can not tickle me because you are in the phone."
Quite impressive for a 2-year old.
"Grandpa, I am being naughty but you can not tickle me because you are in the phone."
Quite impressive for a 2-year old.
2009/01/04
Story time with David
Following the footsteps of his sisters, David is becoming a good story teller at an early age.
Balto the brave sled dog by Vivian at age 2:
David's PJ story time:
Balto the brave sled dog by Vivian at age 2:
David's PJ story time:
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