Happy Birthday Jet, Ace and Tex!!

The Jetster turned 9, and the twins turned 6!

It is always fun fun fun to see the boys get together and watch some screwball TV  :D

Stephanie ordered some cookies from a local lady, and they are just adorbs! Jet loves airplanes, and Ace loves dinosaurs and monsters :)

We were glad that we got gifts that the kids loved - Jet got Moolah, Jet got a foam airplane and Ace got a Dino hat and a Dino Tee, which he put on right away!

After a while, the older boys settled down to put together a Lego set that Jet had received,

while Jet went outside with his dad and the hubs to fly his new foam plane - all these 3 boys are major flight enthusiasts..

and then, the older boys gathered together for an impromptu flash floss-off in the living room. :D

Valentine's Day Cookies Part II

We lurve decorating cookies, that's for sure.

Valentine Cookies Part 1

Whenever the little boy spies that I'm getting ready to bake something, he wastes no time in offering to help :)

He loves taking part in all the different steps,

and can't wait to be a taste tester either :)

...to be continued...

Till we see you again, Cindy!

We saw Cindy off at the airport, as she is off, first to Greece for a month, and then onward to Africa again till Thanksgiving.

We love you and will miss you terribly!

Cici's Pizza

The hubs mentioned it was National Pizza Day, and thought we could go out for a change. 

So, I looked online to see which place had the best reputation/reviews/price/food etc, and decided upon Cici's.

Probably the last time we were here was before the boy was even born.

Anyway, he was really excited and thrilled by the choices, but didn't go overboard.

He ended up liking the Hawaiian even though he says "people tend to not like it".

 He even got to play a few rounds at the indoor mini arcade thingy.

Searching for that CNY Vibe

I needed SOME semblance of Chinese New Year, and opted for CCTV's annual CNY Extravaganza on Youtube, cast onto the TV Screen.

 My Mandarin isn't the best, and so I skipped much of the crosstalk/ sketches and opted for the more flashy numbers :)

It was pretty good in bringing the CNY Vibe back while it lasted.

Reunion Dinner 2019

I am not good at all at making Asian Dishes.  My maternal grandmother, on the other hand, was a tremendous cook.  She made all our meals for as long as I could remember, until my dad decided that that was too much a strain on her, and we started having someone else cook for us.  I wish I had taken the time to let her show me how to make some of her signature dishes. 

Anyway, seeing how the it was Chinese New Year's Eve and all that, I thought I would try to emulate a few things that she would make.

Her Fried Vermicelli was the best. Here is my poor imitation. :D

 She would make Sweet and Sour Fish - I don't have her recipes, but I try to think back to the times when I observed her cooking, and try to get mine close enough - at least in appearance.

We never had fillets, though. Always whole fish.

 I looked up the recipe for Scallion Pancakes, because even though I didn't ever eat this growing up, we had had them a couple of times at Sunrise, and the little boy really enjoyed them.

 Last but not least, I had gotten some fish balls from The Filipino Store, and made some soup :)

I know it isn't much, but given that there is absolutely NO CNY atmosphere here in Abilene, I think I didn't do too badly.

An impromptu stop at the lake

We hadn't been to Lake Fort Phantom in a while, and it WAS a pretty day...

 The water was pretty full. It is amazing that there was such a bad drought a few years back that the water was way way down.

If you have a little boy, it is almost mandatory that you stop by the playground nearby.

 The equipment used to fit him so much better when he was littler.. :D

 Here in Abilene, even in waaaay early February, there are Signs of Spring everywhere.

 I know the little boy had a good time..even with the wind whipping up everywhere. I got chilly, but not the little boy. That 9 year old metabolism and enthusiasm kept him plenty warm enough.