Me and Connor

Me and Connor walk home from school together, stay at ice skating together, stay at home together. We love staying together. We love each other the same amount. Our feeling and other stuff are all the same.

Well Connor is ten, I miss him being nine when we have lots of time to play together. It had been a long time being nine and he will take his gear mask off being ten. (note from mom: Connor wears gear mask at night to correct the under biting.) Connor being eleven is a long long time, besides I’m not used to you being ten yet. Plus when you are eleven, you won’t spend lots of time with me. I love you a lot Connor.

Connor you are 3 years older than me now. I hope you be good being ten just like you were nine. I will miss you a lot being nine. I love you a lot and happy birthday! Your presents are this story and the pictures of this story and one last present is that silly band up there. Have a good time being ten!

(pictures of “Me and Connor walking home”, “Me and Connor ice skating”, “Me and Connor staying at home together” and a silly band of a snow man attached to the upper right corner of the letter)

As a matter of fact, Emma has been creating cards, writing letters in Connor’s honor every day for the past week or so, but she had trouble saving them. Most of the creations were shuffled by mom into the recycle bin and only this last piece lived. They have been counting 6 days till Connor is 10, 5 days till Connor is 10, …, every night before bed. The comradeship is greatly strengthened by this milestone.

Yesterday morning Connor raised both fists up over his head and proudly announced “Double digits finally!”

and Emma cheered along “I am the only lucky one in the family who is single digit now!”

Good thing they all see the rosy side of the story J All I could think of is how come 10 years had gone by. Now only 8 years left before he packs up and leaves for college. 150cm tall, 95lbs and the shoe size bigger than mine, this is the boy who was believed to be a tiny baby well hidden in my tummy (nobody suspected during my job interview when I was 6 months pregnant with him), the toddler who always chose the shortest path to get the toy on the coffee table, the preschooler riding a 12” bike with training wheels, the kindergartener taller than everyone else in the class, the big brother who sets his own alarm, wakes up his little sister, feeds her breakfast and takes her to school every weekday.

Before my mind wandered further, the door bell rang. Connor’s friends and friends’ siblings trickled in for his 10 years birthday party.

The birthday party previledge: video game playing

Younger siblings who are lucky to be single digit

Instantly hooked, somebodys knows I love to read, the birthday gift, kindle.

Justin’s lucky day!

Father’s duty: light the 10 candles

Connor’s request: let’s all blow the candles togther!

Merry Christmas!

Figure 1 beach football team

Figure 2 watch out!

Figure 3 mighty throw and the crashing waves

Figure 4 junior sand team

Figure 5 cute and cuter

Figure 6 Run!

Figure 7 Crabbing!

Figure 8 Emma’s daybed

Figure 9 Cozy cottage: Sea mist

Figure 10 Upon leaving

Figure 11 canon ball for best friends at Mo’s

Figure 12 The trip is not over yet!

Figure 13 I LOVE this waterpark!

Figure 1 play game at winter party

Figure 2 building igloo using sugar cubes

Figure 3 learning to sew after school

Figure 4 putting up the christmas tree

We crossed the snow mountain.穿雪山

We passed ranches with golden tall grasses and grazing live stocks.过草地

We were awed by the breathtaking view.风景如画

They were fully occupied.谁也顾不上看

A pair of swan lived happily with a big family of ducks.天鹅和丑小鸭一家

Connor bowed to the swan respectfully before trying to pat the elegant bird. 阳阳给白天鹅深深地鞠了一躬，才欲上前

The swan did not think that was such a good idea.天鹅被冒犯了

The man, the boy and the swan.灰溜溜地走吧

Smith Rock State Park and we were about to start hiking on Misery Trail. Everyone was still happy then.阳光明媚，不冷不热，是爬山的好时候

About half way up the mountain, daddy, Connor and I tried to persuade Emma that we should head back down. Emma insisted and she won.山高路远，我们仨要打退堂鼓，Emma坚持要上到山顶。

Meditating at the summit. Forgot all the complaining and whining on the way up.山顶打坐，聚天地之气，养我下山之精神。

Emma was right. The paramount view was unbeatable.一览众山小

Look how these guys conquered the vertical world, but we told Connor to take the helicopter if he wants to go up there someday.看那些狂热的攀岩的人啊。告知阳阳将来要想上去看看，就坐直升飞机好了，别拿自己命开玩笑

Last day of the trip, we went to Goody’s Chocolate and Icecream Factory. It was a sweet treat before heading home.要回家了，参观巧克力和冰激凌工厂

Connor set up the tripod uncle gave him to take a family photo at Detroit Lake on our way home.

When Connor got home after his Lego club meeting, it was getting dark.

“How is your opening day?” I could not wait to ask.

“Back-breaking hard work,” answered Connor like an old landscaper. I secretly thought that was the exact reason Kevin’s mom and I agreed to let them work.

“I am going to do ours now, mom” Connor offered.

“You’ve done a lot today. Go upstairs and take a rest before dinner,” I suggested, but Connor already started raking.

“I will pay you for your service, son” It’s the only reasonable thing to do.

“No, you don’t need to pay me. You did all the cooking and cleaning, but you never asked for money,” I was so moved that I got the broom and worked side by side with my 9-year old son.

“So how many household did you help today?” I started chatting.

“We did 4 or 5 houses all the way to 3:30pm right before lego club.”

“How much do you charge people?” I was curious.

“Mostly $1, sometimes a bit more like $1.25, but they always give $2 or more. People are very generous. Joel’s family gave us $5! That’s too much,” Connor was still feeling guilty.

“Did you do a good job?” I wanted to hear the self assessment.

“Yeah, we work hard, but we talked while working.” That should be allowed.

“Are you two nice partners?” I was interested in the coorperation.

“Yes. We took turn doing the sweeping and the raking. We worked well together. Alec helped too. He brought such a nice tool that saved us lots of effort. We insisted to give him money, but he only wanted 25 cents.”

“What do you say to people when they open the door?” I was wondering how they made the selling pitch.

“I say hi, I am Connor. This is Kevin. We are here to provide leaf-raking service. We will charge $1 … I stuttered a lot,” Connor was very modest.

“Did anyone turned your service down at the door?” There gonna be.

“No. That is because we only knocked on their door if there are lots of leaves on the lawn,” I was impressed.

It was pitch dark when we finished our work. The first thing Connor did upon entering the house was to count the money.

“$4.75! With this rate, I can get almost $50 for 10 days,” the simple joy of making money.

Daddy matched the highest offer KJ & CS Lawn Services got today, $5 for the superb job Connor did for our yard. I was thinking it is so hard to be a kid. This is what Connor did for his Sat:

8:00am-9:00am get up and read

9:00am-10:30am tennis lesson

11:00am-12pm homework

12:00pm-1:00pm lunch

1:30-3:30pm rake leaves

3:30-5:30pm lego club meeting

5:30-6:00pm rake leaves for home

6:00-7:00pm dinner

7:00-7:30pm piano practice

Finally it’s screen time now.

Hi Mrs. Liang,

Please forward this message to Connor. Thanks.

Is it Ok if we meet at my house at 1.30 pm on Saturday? If you have any, please bring a rake or a big broom. We will share our earnings 50-50. We will charge each service $1.00-$1.50 depending on the amount of leaves and the size of the house. If you have any concerns, please feel free to let me know at any time. Thanks

I think we can serve your house for free J

Kevin

Connor replied:

Hi Kevin,

Yeah sure that’s a great idea! My mom will buy me the rake. 1:30 is fine for me. I will send a flyer for our services as soon as I can. Then we can print it out and tape it at places.

Connor

Emma finished her Chinese homework the day before due date. I was happy; she was happy.

“Mommy, what can I do?”

“reading.”

“I’ll go check on my tomato plant.”

Soon the little girl came back with a shining red grape tomato.

“There is only one. Smell it, real tomato smell,” She was very proud of her farming skill.

Emma got the knife out and tried to cut it.

“You can eat it all by yourself,” It’s such a tiny little one.

“I want to share it with my brother,” insisted Emma.

“Here is one for you,” Emma carefully cut the tomato in 4 pieces and asked me to take one before she took it upstairs for daddy and brother.

A mintue later, Emma came down with an empty plate.

“I licked the plate clean. It is sooooooooooooo good.”

“Seriously? Could not you email the teachers asking about the classroom assignment?” proposed Connor.

“I’m not going to disturb every single teacher in your grade during the last days of their summer vacation,” I was firm although feeling guilty a little bit.

“Then how can we find out?” Emma worried about having nowhere to stay on the first day.

“Oh, you ask every 2^nd grade teacher if you are on her roster. If you are lucky, it might only take one try,” I am trying to make the task sound easy and Emma clearly was not convinced.

On the morning after Labor Day, the neighborhood streets became the parking lot for the elementary school. The residents apparently get used to this first day of school scene over the years. The kids all look fresh and sharp with new backpacks and haircuts. The parents carried big bags of school supplies and a sense of new beginning too. BIG THANKS TO AUNT GRACE WHO PREPARED THE DAUNTING AMOUNT OF SCHOOL SUPPLY FOR THE KIDS! Connor asked about school supply in China. It was a big relief for him to learn that Aunt Grace, the much more reliable person, took on the task.

On the way, Emma was still worried about finding the teacher. Connor suggested that they go to the office instead of every classroom to ask about the teacher assignment.

“Emma, you’d better practice how to ask now. Here is how it goes: Hi! My mom forgot to pick up the packet. Could you please tell me who is my teacher?” taught the cautious brother.

The principal and the specialty teachers were spread around the school welcoming students. They look SO happy to see every single kid. The crowd was huge. Daddy took Connor; I took Emma at the building entry. Emma and I went straight to the office. Emma quietly waited in line while I took a seat at the round table. When it was her turn, she spoke clearly “My mom forgot to …” The other mothers in the office could not help smiling. I wish I were not there.

Emma is in Mrs. Kim’s class, the best teacher ever in Connor and many others’ opinion! Connor was with Mrs. Kim for 2^nd grade year and he had a blast. We all feel very fortunate that Emma is in her class too. Mrs. Kim shook hands with every kid entering her classroom and told them which table they are sitting. Despite the hovering parents, every kid knows exactly where they should go and what they should do next. Emma sat at her table and started working on the word search right away. Soon, her best friend, Rita, came to join her at the green table. Without loud greeting, the two girls smiled at each other and continued with what they were doing.

When I found daddy, Connor already started organizing his desk. He seemed very comfortable with the new teacher and classroom. Later at pick up time, Connor told me he knows every one in the class except 2 new students. Now we see the advantage of remixing students every year. Alec and Connor once and again missed each other this year. They have been best friends for the good part of their lives and for 5 years straight, they were assigned to different classes.

A huge crowd gathered at the flag pole for the first day after school pickup. Clearly the kids had lots of fun. They came out with great spirit as if they just finished some exciting rides at amusement park instead of staying in the classroom learning and getting to know each other. Hope the curiosity for the unknown always stays and the learning desire never dies. Walking with grandma, I commented that the kids grow another inch or two during the summer. Grandma said “Don’t wish them grow fast. You will grow old all the same.” Looking at the fabulous grandma in her 70s, I am thinking it is not bad at all.

Figure 1 Best friends who were always seperated at school

Figure 2 Another pair of best friends

Figure 3 Walking home

Figure 4 Tree-climbing stop

Figure 5 Continue to walk

Figure 6 Arriving home at last

Figure 7 Nice spelling

Both kids did exactly what we hoped them to do for this trip, finding their root, getting to know the extended family members and friends. They achieved more. They establish such strong bond with people that tears were shed at every departure. The trip included two weeks in Shanghai, one week in Heilongjiang and another week in Beijing. They visited tourists attractions, amusement parks and most importantly they spent valuable time with daddy and mommy’s families.

Languages are overrated. With much less than perfect Chinese and plenty of hugs, smiles, songs and dances, Connor and Emma mended relationships and touched hearts everywhere they went. I am amazed by my normally too shy children. They adapted to the crowded subway in modern city as well as the original outhouse of small town quickly. During their one week visit in Heilongjiang, daddy had been sick, so most of the outings were canceled. It could be fairly boring to stay inside all that time. When asked if they liked that small town, Connor said “Of course, since my uncle is there.”

Figure 1 On the Street of Beijing

Figure 2 天坛

Figure 3 上海浦东

Figure 4 世博中国馆

Figure 5 Mom’s College Dorm

Figure 6 The Central Park of DongFangHong

Figure 7 石景山游乐园

Figure 8 After a BIG roller coaster ride

Figure 9 The Summer Palace

Figure 10 Boating on the empor’s lake

Figure 11 驾船过十七孔桥

Figure 12 The Princess and the Prince of Qing Dynasty

Figure 13 Science and Tech Museum of China

Figure 14 How the ancient lock works?

Figure 15 Daddy’s College Dorm

1. Connor and Emma did not fuss at all during the two-day drive east. Emma did question where the scenery was when we passed the uncharacteristic land of Idaho.
2. Connor and Emma figured out how to use a new kind of coffee machine and made fresh coffee/tea for the driver parents. After we arrived home, Connor took the morning tea making to a whole new level. We started to have hot breakfast due to Mr. Connor’s unquenchable desire for making satisfying meals.
3. The favorite activity during the trip was horse riding. Connor and Emma rode right behind the pretty cow girl guide and before me. The pleasant girl was from Oregon. She told the kids to feel free to ask any questions. I did not hear any questions asked, but both kids talked to their horses freqently. After the 1 hour ride through meadows blooming with wild flowers, the glittering lake side, the foot of Grand Teton, I asked those two exactly what they were whispering to the horse. “Oh, many things, such as good boy, take it easy, way to go, thank you …”
4. The biggest achievement is the two kids were given the honored title of “Junior Park Ranger.” They attended the fireside ranger talks, but both were more interested in the fire than the talk. They helped raising the fire and putting the flames out afterwards.
5. One pleasant surprise was Connor discovered a big herd of elks on a secluded meadow by the fishing bridge. According to daddy, those are bachelorettes.
6. The most challenging element was mosquitoes which prepared us well for the following China trip. Connor and Emma appreciate home, Portland, even more after the many bites from the unwanted creatures.

Our deepest appreciation to Aunt XMH who planned the fabulou 10-day 1700 miles trip for a group of 29 folks whose ages are between 5 and 78. With the printed itinery in hand and the sweet and calm voice on the walkie-talkie under any unforeseeable situation, we cruised through the magical land and the best vacation ever.

Figure 1 Drive to Yellowstone

Figure 2 Grand Teton

Figure 3 Horse Riding

Figure 4 Yellow Stone West Basin

Figure 5 Hiking in the Snow

Figure 6 The Hot Land

Figure 7 Favorite Hotel