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 Vivian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vivian. Show all posts
2012/04/01
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:
2011/03/20
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. :)
2011/02/28
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.
2010/02/22
Fiddle contest
With the encouragement from their violin teacher, Alyssa and Vivian attended their first ever fiddle contest today. It was a pretty big event in the Reid Park with a fairly large crowd.
Without any experience in competition and not having much time to practice, we only hoped that they can have the courage to go up to the stage, finish their songs, and have fun along the way. We were pleasantly surprised by how well they did. Both of them ended up in the same age group, the "Pee Wee", for kids up to 9-year old. Alyssa was the 2nd one on stage for the whole event, playing "Old Joe Clark", "Country Waltz", and "Long, Long Ago":
Vivian was the 5th one, playing "Boil 'em Cabbage Down", "See Saw", and "Long, Long Ago":
And while his sisters were busy with the contest, David had quite a lot of fun running around and having delicious kettle corns:
When the scores came out, we were really shocked. Vivian was in the 5th place and Alyssa was in the 3rd place!
They were very happy to share the good news with their teacher Ms. Laura:
It was definitely a fun day for our entire family, especially for the two girls. In addition to the medal/plaque and all other goodies, they also won some cash awards ($10 for Vivian and $25 for Alyssa). Now there are two rich girls in the house contemplating how to use all that money!
Without any experience in competition and not having much time to practice, we only hoped that they can have the courage to go up to the stage, finish their songs, and have fun along the way. We were pleasantly surprised by how well they did. Both of them ended up in the same age group, the "Pee Wee", for kids up to 9-year old. Alyssa was the 2nd one on stage for the whole event, playing "Old Joe Clark", "Country Waltz", and "Long, Long Ago":
Vivian was the 5th one, playing "Boil 'em Cabbage Down", "See Saw", and "Long, Long Ago":
And while his sisters were busy with the contest, David had quite a lot of fun running around and having delicious kettle corns:
When the scores came out, we were really shocked. Vivian was in the 5th place and Alyssa was in the 3rd place!
They were very happy to share the good news with their teacher Ms. Laura:
It was definitely a fun day for our entire family, especially for the two girls. In addition to the medal/plaque and all other goodies, they also won some cash awards ($10 for Vivian and $25 for Alyssa). Now there are two rich girls in the house contemplating how to use all that money!
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.
2009/12/13
Vivian's 1st violin recital!
Vivian had her 1st violin recital today. Instead of the Twinkle song, she picked Go Tell Aunt Rhody for her 1st solo play on stage:
Alyssa picked a difficult piece for her solo (Gavotte from Mignon):
The 1st time for us to see the 2 girls on stage together!
Alyssa picked a difficult piece for her solo (Gavotte from Mignon):
The 1st time for us to see the 2 girls on stage together!
2009/11/27
Our little silent singer
Vivian has always been a slow eater since she was a little baby. When we are not in a hurry, watching her savors every single bite of her food is actually quite enjoyable. However, the long wait it takes for her to finish a meal drives us nuts from time to time.
This week we noticed that she is eating even slower than usual (hard to believe that this is even possible). What's really strange is that she has been exceptionally quiet during meal time. While Alyssa and David were fighting to tell me about their day during dinner time, Vivian just sit there and said nothing. In the end, it took me three days to figure out this mystery. As it turned out, my little girl was sitting there and singing to herself in sign language everyday. Finally, she perfected the whole song and showed it to me before went to bed this evening.
My kids are truly an inexhaustible source of amazement.
This week we noticed that she is eating even slower than usual (hard to believe that this is even possible). What's really strange is that she has been exceptionally quiet during meal time. While Alyssa and David were fighting to tell me about their day during dinner time, Vivian just sit there and said nothing. In the end, it took me three days to figure out this mystery. As it turned out, my little girl was sitting there and singing to herself in sign language everyday. Finally, she perfected the whole song and showed it to me before went to bed this evening.
My kids are truly an inexhaustible source of amazement.
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.
2009/10/13
Pen Review: Libelle Season Collection
Here is a short review of the three pens from the Libelle's Seasons collection: Autumn Leaves, Summer Breeze, and Winter Storm. This is also posted at the FPN.
0. Background.
Well, it's not that I have never splurged on 3 pens at a time, but this is definitely a rare event. The main culprit of this crazy-impulse-purchase, although much delayed, is the Autumn Leaves, so I figured that I'd start with a background story.
I first saw the pen about an year and a half ago. My second daughter, Vivian, just started school that year. The first song she learned at her school is called "When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall", which is to the tune of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain". The lyric goes like:
When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall, (clap, clap)
When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall, (clap, clap)
When the leaves are red and yellow, then the apples taste so mellow,
When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall. (clap, clap)
She enjoys singing the song at home all the time, and she looks so cute when she does that it melts my heart every single time. She kindly agreed to sing the song again for me today, but she is very shy this time:
Note: I believe that having a song as a part of a pen review is never done before at FPN. :)
One day, I had a chance to stop-by the Artlite pen store in Atlanta, and saw the Libelle Autumn Leaves there. The beautiful color combination of green/yellow/orange quickly caught my eyes, and when I learned about the name, I instantly thought of Vivian and her song. I almost bought the pen on the spot, but refrained from doing so because I really have too many pens and we were about to move all the way from Georgia to Arizona at that time. However, the image of this pen etched deeply into my mind, along with Vivian's song. For this reason, I simply can't shake the pen out of my mind. As I followed the pen, I noticed the subsequent release of Summer Breeze and Winter Storm in the Libelle Seasons collection, which are also quite stunningly beautiful. I keep telling myself that I really don't need another pen, but well, you know how that goes.
1. Appearance & Design
Each pen arrived in a nice cardboard/faux leather box. The black/white combination of the box did a good job to showcase the brilliant colors of the pens.
Inside the box, there is the pen (of course), a converter (with a bead in it), an international cartridge, and a small instruction card.
I've only seen the Autumn Leaves in person before I ordered the pens, and its colors are as wonderful as I remembered. The name pretty much said it all about what you can expect.
The Summer Breeze is a combination of white and blue with pearly irradiance, which reminded me of those wonderful times we had at beaches in summer. The Winter Storm is a very powerful/striking combination of black and white. I am very happy with the appearance of all three pens, and they are much better looking in person than any of the photos that I've seen on the web. Here's a shot of all three pens together.
Initially I thought that I wouldn't like the black part used for the cap/barrel ends because I always like pens that use the same material through out. However, this design feature makes the three pens look really great together, and I have learned to appreciate it on each individual pen.
To match up with the pen, I have PR Orange Crush for the Autumn Leaves, Pelikan Turquoise for the Summer Breeze, and Visconti Black for the Winter Storm. All three pen-ink combos look great for the moment.
2. Construction & Quality
The cap/barrel are thick in these pens, which makes them feel quite substantial. The construction quality is pretty good. I would prefer the barrel to be made thinner, such that (1) the pen can be lighter, and (2) the fit of converter wouldn't be so tight (you can feel a vacuum when you pull the barrel up and down, but this is a pretty minor issue). BTW, because the threads are on a metal part, eye-dropper (ED) conversion is out of the question with these pens.
3. Weight & Dimensions
I don't know the exact weight, but these pens feel heavier than my Bexley Americana and are similar to my Pelikan M800. These are definately full-sized pens, here is a shot with a Pelikan M800 (top) and a M200 (bottom) for comparison:
I like the balance of the pen when un-posted. The cap can be posted, but I don't do that for any of my pens except for Pilot M90.
4. Nib & Performance
The pen comes with a standard stainless steel Iridium Point Germany (IPG) nib, with M-nib as the only available option. All three pens that I got worked well right out of the box. They are all smooth writers with a medium ink flow (5 out of 10).
Although I probably should be happy with how well they write, I do have some complaints about the nibs that are not related to their writing performance. First, at this price point, Libelle could have use a nib that carry their own logo (the dragonfly should look pretty good on a nib). Second, the nib feels too small for the pen. It probably will look more balanced if a larger nib is used. Third, given that a generic IPG nib is used, they should have make it a screwed-out so that user could replace/upgrade the nib. Last, more nib size options should be available.
5. Filling System & Maintenance
These pens are standard CC fillers. Not much to add here.
6. Cost & Value
The MSRP is $80, and I bought them new for $56 each from TheInkFlow.com (standard disclaimer here). To me these pens are in the same category as the Levenger TrueWriters, so I think they will be a good benchmark to determine the "value". The Libelle pens look much nicer than the TrueWriters so they win hands down in the appearance part. The build qualities are similar. However, I am not so happy with the Libelle nibs, plus the Levenger TrueWriter can be had for a touch cheaper (or much cheaper if you go with the Levenger Ebay outlet), so it all depends on how much you like the look. Rationally, I think the Levenger TrueWriter has a much better "value", but then again, the reason I bought these Libelle pens are not entirely rational, and I am quite happy with the pens that I got for the price.
7. Conclusion
Overall I am pretty happy with these pens. To me the most important value of these pens are not how good they write or how good they looks, after all, it is difficult to put a price on the good memories from my daughter's 4-year-old days (yeah I know that this sounds like those cheesy credit card ads, but it's true). Now if Libelle come out with a Spring one with some cheerful colors, I would not hesitate to add that to my collection.
0. Background.
Well, it's not that I have never splurged on 3 pens at a time, but this is definitely a rare event. The main culprit of this crazy-impulse-purchase, although much delayed, is the Autumn Leaves, so I figured that I'd start with a background story.
I first saw the pen about an year and a half ago. My second daughter, Vivian, just started school that year. The first song she learned at her school is called "When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall", which is to the tune of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain". The lyric goes like:
When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall, (clap, clap)
When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall, (clap, clap)
When the leaves are red and yellow, then the apples taste so mellow,
When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall. (clap, clap)
She enjoys singing the song at home all the time, and she looks so cute when she does that it melts my heart every single time. She kindly agreed to sing the song again for me today, but she is very shy this time:
Note: I believe that having a song as a part of a pen review is never done before at FPN. :)
One day, I had a chance to stop-by the Artlite pen store in Atlanta, and saw the Libelle Autumn Leaves there. The beautiful color combination of green/yellow/orange quickly caught my eyes, and when I learned about the name, I instantly thought of Vivian and her song. I almost bought the pen on the spot, but refrained from doing so because I really have too many pens and we were about to move all the way from Georgia to Arizona at that time. However, the image of this pen etched deeply into my mind, along with Vivian's song. For this reason, I simply can't shake the pen out of my mind. As I followed the pen, I noticed the subsequent release of Summer Breeze and Winter Storm in the Libelle Seasons collection, which are also quite stunningly beautiful. I keep telling myself that I really don't need another pen, but well, you know how that goes.
1. Appearance & Design
Each pen arrived in a nice cardboard/faux leather box. The black/white combination of the box did a good job to showcase the brilliant colors of the pens.
Inside the box, there is the pen (of course), a converter (with a bead in it), an international cartridge, and a small instruction card.
I've only seen the Autumn Leaves in person before I ordered the pens, and its colors are as wonderful as I remembered. The name pretty much said it all about what you can expect.
The Summer Breeze is a combination of white and blue with pearly irradiance, which reminded me of those wonderful times we had at beaches in summer. The Winter Storm is a very powerful/striking combination of black and white. I am very happy with the appearance of all three pens, and they are much better looking in person than any of the photos that I've seen on the web. Here's a shot of all three pens together.
Initially I thought that I wouldn't like the black part used for the cap/barrel ends because I always like pens that use the same material through out. However, this design feature makes the three pens look really great together, and I have learned to appreciate it on each individual pen.
To match up with the pen, I have PR Orange Crush for the Autumn Leaves, Pelikan Turquoise for the Summer Breeze, and Visconti Black for the Winter Storm. All three pen-ink combos look great for the moment.
2. Construction & Quality
The cap/barrel are thick in these pens, which makes them feel quite substantial. The construction quality is pretty good. I would prefer the barrel to be made thinner, such that (1) the pen can be lighter, and (2) the fit of converter wouldn't be so tight (you can feel a vacuum when you pull the barrel up and down, but this is a pretty minor issue). BTW, because the threads are on a metal part, eye-dropper (ED) conversion is out of the question with these pens.
3. Weight & Dimensions
I don't know the exact weight, but these pens feel heavier than my Bexley Americana and are similar to my Pelikan M800. These are definately full-sized pens, here is a shot with a Pelikan M800 (top) and a M200 (bottom) for comparison:
I like the balance of the pen when un-posted. The cap can be posted, but I don't do that for any of my pens except for Pilot M90.
4. Nib & Performance
The pen comes with a standard stainless steel Iridium Point Germany (IPG) nib, with M-nib as the only available option. All three pens that I got worked well right out of the box. They are all smooth writers with a medium ink flow (5 out of 10).
Although I probably should be happy with how well they write, I do have some complaints about the nibs that are not related to their writing performance. First, at this price point, Libelle could have use a nib that carry their own logo (the dragonfly should look pretty good on a nib). Second, the nib feels too small for the pen. It probably will look more balanced if a larger nib is used. Third, given that a generic IPG nib is used, they should have make it a screwed-out so that user could replace/upgrade the nib. Last, more nib size options should be available.
5. Filling System & Maintenance
These pens are standard CC fillers. Not much to add here.
6. Cost & Value
The MSRP is $80, and I bought them new for $56 each from TheInkFlow.com (standard disclaimer here). To me these pens are in the same category as the Levenger TrueWriters, so I think they will be a good benchmark to determine the "value". The Libelle pens look much nicer than the TrueWriters so they win hands down in the appearance part. The build qualities are similar. However, I am not so happy with the Libelle nibs, plus the Levenger TrueWriter can be had for a touch cheaper (or much cheaper if you go with the Levenger Ebay outlet), so it all depends on how much you like the look. Rationally, I think the Levenger TrueWriter has a much better "value", but then again, the reason I bought these Libelle pens are not entirely rational, and I am quite happy with the pens that I got for the price.
7. Conclusion
Overall I am pretty happy with these pens. To me the most important value of these pens are not how good they write or how good they looks, after all, it is difficult to put a price on the good memories from my daughter's 4-year-old days (yeah I know that this sounds like those cheesy credit card ads, but it's true). Now if Libelle come out with a Spring one with some cheerful colors, I would not hesitate to add that to my collection.
2009/10/09
2009/08/15
Handy daddy
Our car need to have the battery replaced, and I thought that this is a good chance to show the kids how things work. So I brought Vivian with me to an AutoZone, got a new battery, put it in the car, returned the old one to the store, and explained to her what I was doing at every step. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as expected. Here is the conversation that we had on the way home:
Me: So do you know how to replace the battery in a car now?
Vivian: Yes!
Me: Good! So you think you can do it when you grow up?
Vivian: No.
Me: Why not? Daddy just showed you how to do it.
Vivian: When I grow up and my car needs the battery to be replaced, I will just call you.
Ummm, that not the way it works okay?
Me: So do you know how to replace the battery in a car now?
Vivian: Yes!
Me: Good! So you think you can do it when you grow up?
Vivian: No.
Me: Why not? Daddy just showed you how to do it.
Vivian: When I grow up and my car needs the battery to be replaced, I will just call you.
Ummm, that not the way it works okay?
2009/07/14
The rainbow bikes and my new helmet
Ever since my bike helmet celebrated its 5-year old birthday in April, Ann has been trying to convince me to get a replacement. Being a cheap bastard, I can be very stingy even though it is my head that's on the line. Finally, after realizing how much money I have been saving by bike commute and how much time I have been spending on my bike, I agreed that it is time to buy a new helmet.
Initially I was thinking about getting a Bell Alchera after trying out a bunch of different helmets in our local Performance Bike shop. Unfortunately, they do not have a red one in stock and Ann insisted that I get one that matches the color of my bike (no, no more blue helmet with a red bike). So after lunch, I took Alyssa and Vivian with me to another bike shop to see if I can find something there. Before we left home, I jokingly asked Ann that if I can't find a good helmet that matches my bike, can I get a matching bike to go with a new helmet. To which, Ann replied with a smile and said do whatever I want. :)
So on the way to the next bike shop, I joked with the girls about how I am going to get new helmets and bikes in all colors, such that I can ride a red bike on Mondays, an orange bike on Tuesdays, a yellow bike on Wednesdays, and so on. Then somehow Vivian got the idea of getting a "rainbow bike" that has all the colors for her. I told her that I don't know where to find such bikes, and Alyssa quickly responded: "Vivian, when you get into elementary school, grandpa will give you a laptop, and then you can take a look at www.rainbowbikes.com and see what kind of rainbow bikes they have for sell". I was quite shocked to hear about this. How come young kids these days know so much about these kinds of things?
As it turned out, the second search was not fruitful either. However, when we went to Target to do some grocery shopping after dinner, I saw a Bell Adrenaline in the store that looked quite good. Initially I was skeptical about anything the claims "one-size-fits-all". Luckily, this one turned out to be a perfect fit for me. In fact, it fits even better than all other ones that I had tried in the bike shops. What's even better is that it carries a $22 price tag, which is something you don't often see in the bike shops. So I am really happy with my new helmet and looking forward to the bike ride tomorrow!
Initially I was thinking about getting a Bell Alchera after trying out a bunch of different helmets in our local Performance Bike shop. Unfortunately, they do not have a red one in stock and Ann insisted that I get one that matches the color of my bike (no, no more blue helmet with a red bike). So after lunch, I took Alyssa and Vivian with me to another bike shop to see if I can find something there. Before we left home, I jokingly asked Ann that if I can't find a good helmet that matches my bike, can I get a matching bike to go with a new helmet. To which, Ann replied with a smile and said do whatever I want. :)
So on the way to the next bike shop, I joked with the girls about how I am going to get new helmets and bikes in all colors, such that I can ride a red bike on Mondays, an orange bike on Tuesdays, a yellow bike on Wednesdays, and so on. Then somehow Vivian got the idea of getting a "rainbow bike" that has all the colors for her. I told her that I don't know where to find such bikes, and Alyssa quickly responded: "Vivian, when you get into elementary school, grandpa will give you a laptop, and then you can take a look at www.rainbowbikes.com and see what kind of rainbow bikes they have for sell". I was quite shocked to hear about this. How come young kids these days know so much about these kinds of things?
As it turned out, the second search was not fruitful either. However, when we went to Target to do some grocery shopping after dinner, I saw a Bell Adrenaline in the store that looked quite good. Initially I was skeptical about anything the claims "one-size-fits-all". Luckily, this one turned out to be a perfect fit for me. In fact, it fits even better than all other ones that I had tried in the bike shops. What's even better is that it carries a $22 price tag, which is something you don't often see in the bike shops. So I am really happy with my new helmet and looking forward to the bike ride tomorrow!
2009/06/28
Nails Fashion
Alyssa (aka Jenepher) and Vivian recently opened a nails salon at home, completed with a business name (Nails Fashion), and a sign:
I was half-invited, half-forced to become a customer of theirs, and the manicure they provide mostly involved putting tiny stickers on my finger nails.
Surprisingly, when we went to our local mall this evening, they spotted the name of a nails salon there is "Fashion Nails". The two silly sisters were very excited to find this competition.
I was half-invited, half-forced to become a customer of theirs, and the manicure they provide mostly involved putting tiny stickers on my finger nails.
Surprisingly, when we went to our local mall this evening, they spotted the name of a nails salon there is "Fashion Nails". The two silly sisters were very excited to find this competition.
2009/03/06
Girls on a roll
Seeing Vivian got a skateboard for her 5-year old birthday, Alyssa asked us for a pair of roller skates for her 7-year old birthday. Looks like we are going to see some intense actions in the back yard soon.
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:
2008/12/24
2008/12/06
Because they are friends
Watching Alyssa and Vivian play chess can be a quite entertaining experience. Given the choice of
(1) take one of Alyssa's pieces, and
(2) group her own pieces together,
Vivian would go for option (2) most of the time. The reason? "Because they are friends."
Surprisingly, this seems to be an effective way for preserving most of her pieces to the end and sometimes even helps to secure a win.
(1) take one of Alyssa's pieces, and
(2) group her own pieces together,
Vivian would go for option (2) most of the time. The reason? "Because they are friends."
Surprisingly, this seems to be an effective way for preserving most of her pieces to the end and sometimes even helps to secure a win.
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