Thanksgiving

For memory's sake, rewinding a bit to document Thanksgiving. We had a really great time staying with Grace and David.

Oceanside's claim to fame - this house was shot in Top Gun













This family has four sisters and one brother. You can only imagine the family dynamics...



We missed my Aunt Ivy in the shot but here's a better picture from an earlier visit in the fall



This cutie is destined to be the coolest little dude alive


 Second cousins!



Fleet Science Center in Balbao Park













Top three things I am thankful for this year:

1. Time at home. No matter how infuriating my kids are, I still remember how it felt when I was in the office wishing I could do my days with them.

2. 10th anniversary  

3. My family. In many respects, it has been a difficult year for my family. Yet I have seen them handle their challenges with humility, faith, and generosity. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to come from a family with such character.



Glad there was no stomach flu or stolen purses this year!

Merry Christmas from the Chans

Love,
the Chans

Happy Halloween!

Sam is two

Our baby is TWO today! At eighteen months, Sam turned from being super-clingy to mom to an independent tough tiger, and has never really looked back.

We love his thunder thighs, emotional personality, full belly, and determination to keep up with his brothers. He may be our most social child yet, and can definitely be bought with food. The terrible two's have fully arrived, and he keeps us on our toes with his biting and pinching.

Sammy, you will forever be our baby. Happy birthday to our joy!

The tetherball story

I often worry about Noah, probably because he is our firstborn and because he is wired a certain way. But this is a story I want to remember about him.

Since Noah started first grade, every day at recess and lunch, he heads straight to the tetherball court. From what I gather, he almost never wins. In fact, the other kids sometimes choose to "go easy" on him. And yet, none of this seems to bother him much. He knows he isn't great, but he comes home so excited to tell me, "I almost won today mom! I was so close. I'm getting better mom!" When other kids lose, they move on to something else. Not Noah. And when we share our favorite highlight at the end of each day, he often says tetherball.

I watched him from afar the other day, laughing and jumping around with such abandon and excitement on the playground. You could tell he was enjoying the game of tetherball with such childish delight. I wonder, could I face life the way he faces tetherball?

Noah's depiction of the tetherball court he wants to install if we ever had a backyard