Oh Boy! Or Girl? from J.N. on Vimeo.

The kids started Primary at their school this week. I knew this was coming for months and have been uncomfortable ever since. I’m not sure what makes me uncomfortable. The fact that they have to go through the trials of a new teacher, new classroom, new routine. Or the fact that moving up to a real classroom environment means they are no longer “babies”. Maybe it’s both.

Of course, I am immediately proven wrong about my concerns. Aidan comes home every day asking for his new teacher. Brooke tells me about her “new work”. Aidan was singing the “So Long, Farewell” song from the Sound of Music over the winter break. This morning, Mike called me to tell me they are so happy at drop off – no struggles, racing to their new classrooms. He thinks they’re excited about the new material and this change was probably overdue.

As relieved as I am to hear all this, I have to admit I still have a little weight on my heart about this change. As I write this, I figured it out. It’s definitely because they’re not babies anymore. Haha – motherhood is so odd. :)

I am so blessed to be the mother of two beautiful, fun and loving children. I look back at the day they were born, in NICU, feeding tubes and all and then I look at them now…stuffing their faces where I have to remind them to chew. I’m blessed that they are healthy and happy.

I am blessed with an amazing man in my life. Not only is he a good father and husband (I learned this year a good man does not automatically make a good father and husband) but he’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were teenagers and very much grew up together – and I’m grateful for this. So easily we could have grown apart, but we somehow manage to grow to be the people we are today – as individuals and as partners. I can’t imagine going through this adventure with anybody else but him.

I’m grateful to grow up in a crazy and loving family. As I grew older, I realized my family isn’t perfect. But at the end of the day, I grew up happy. Mom, dad, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins…we have our differences and it’s normal. We’re all different people. But at the end of all the drama, I grew up with a lot of love and I’m grateful for that and hope my kids grow up w/ the same time of relationships I had with my extended family – my aunts/uncles were like additional parents…my cousins were more like siblings. Some of us have grown apart which is a shame. But I’m grateful for the ones still in my life and the ones that are not…I’m happy for their successes and hope they are also happy.

I’m grateful for my own sense of happiness. I don’t think there’s been a year that I ever felt so at peace with myself and my life. I’ve learned so much this year about what it takes to be happy – and at the end of the day, the only person who controls that is you.

And I can honestly say, I am happy.

3×5 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Just ordered cute thank you cards for the twins’ birthday.

We’ve talked in the past before that our friendship is so shallow, so one-note. We don’t talk about the deep dark skeletons we have in our closets – everybody has them. And it made me feel for quite some time that, maybe, our friendship isn’t as “valuable” as other relationships.

But I learned over the weekend. What we give each other is something so special. We give each other an escape. For 48 hours, we were back to being the 5 of us…just laughing (non-stop), making stupid jokes only we think are funny (similar to those high school projects where we are the only ones laughing), “dancing it out” (got problems? dance it out! puck!), and more laughing. (Hurt cheeks and all!)

So in a way, this relationship is my safe haven. Somewhere I can get away from the real, the sometimes mean, the sometimes ugly. Nothing can be as pure as a childhood friendship. That’s what I have with you guys and that’s RARE.

Not to say, if any time you need to talk to me, I won’t listen. Not to say, if I ever needed your support from the ugly reals of life, I wouldn’t come to you for support. But just because I haven’t, it doesn’t devalue the relationship we have.

It’s funny. Sometimes people can’t see when they have a good thing. Not as clearly at least than the people around you. We are so lucky to all be married to people who get it – they get this strange relationship we have. Our spouses are so supportive of this friendship that they gave us not just the blessing but practically a demand to “go big or go home” with this trip. (Too bad we didn’t listen and ended up flying Allegiant and staying at Ti) LOL.

When I posted “20 years” of friendship on Facebook, so many people reacted. (Mostly, YOU’RE OLD, THI!…LOL) A lot of people said, “How special is that. Not many friendships last 20 years.”

So I’ve concluded our friendship isn’t shallow…it isn’t one-note. There’s no way anything this special can be described with words like that. The best word for our friendship to me is simple. Life is so complicated, we need to cherish the simple.

Koo love you (until we are buried together in ceramic hands soap dishes…)

(Talking about Riley & Brooke getting cradle cap):
Bao Ngo: wait
Bao Ngo: its not crib cap
Bao Ngo: ??
Bao Ngo: i totally thought thats what its called
Bao Ngo: chi ba’s laughing at me
Thi Ngo: cradle cap
Bao Ngo: LOLL
Thi Ngo: YOU called it crib cap
Thi Ngo: remember?!
Thi Ngo: OMG
Bao Ngo: why do i think its crib cap?
Bao Ngo: i even told myself “remember, its crib cap”
Thi Ngo: You just call it that
Bao Ngo: LOL
Thi Ngo: all the freaken time
Bao Ngo: so weird
Bao Ngo: LOl
Thi Ngo: I got tired of correcting you
Bao Ngo: LOL
Thi Ngo: LOL
Bao Ngo: why chi hai?!?
Bao Ngo: you owe me this much
Thi Ngo: Because
Bao Ngo: you are the “WORST” (Note: Making fun of the way I use ‘worse’ and ‘worst’ wrong)
Thi Ngo: I owe you NOTHING, OrangINA (Note: She told me how to pronounce this drink incorectly)
Thi Ngo: LOL
Bao Ngo: HAHAH
Bao Ngo: true

Yesterday, the kids, Bao, Tina and I went to dinner together followed by a treat to JJ Bakery. Bao has been advertising this chicken pie that we have to buy. I got one for Tina, a chiffon cupcake for Aidan and Bao and Brooke decided on the pink lady cake together. Brooke wanted to eat this cake so badly, she opted not to eat a cupcake with her brother (who is already half way done with his) and wait until we get home for her pink lady cake with Di Tu.

Things are going pretty well. We came home, Brooke and Bao shared their cake then Di Tu decided to treat them with a couple of great Target finds (Star Wars droids for Aidan and Mrs. Pots and Lumiere for Brooke). While the kids were playing with their toys, Bao thought Brooke was no longer interested in the cake and devoured it in a couple of bites (it’s not that big of a cake). On her way back from throwing the trash away, you can hear Brooke screaming, “NO! My cake! My pink lady caaake! Pink lady caaake!” Tears streamed down her face. She cried, she screamed, she cried some more. I couldn’t handle it anymore and exclaimed, “This is so embarrassing…for BOTH of you!” And Bao, Tina and I laughed. (Brooke was still crying). All was good with the world again when I offered up almond jello as a replacement to the Pink Lady Cake.