Sometimes, practicing the piano can get tiring.

Audrey Experiments with a Violin

As part of our 'everything also hum-tum' approach to parenting, we rented a mini violin and let Sydney try out some lessons. Seeing her sister play made Audrey quite curious and for a few days, whenever she got the chance, she would swipe the violin and saw away at it all by herself, brows furrowed and her small hands holding bow in a hammer grip.

Thanksgiving Photos by Sydney and Audrey

The girls took on phototaking duties at a thanksgiving party recently.
Some of their shots were quite OK.


Some didn't quite come out right.

Pee Wee Tennis

There is a tennis club not too far from our home that has group lessons for kids.
Sydney tried it out this fall and enjoyed it. But we did not sign up for more since she did not insist on continuing. When spring comes around, Jieh will start playing again and perhaps hit some foam balls with her if she wants to.

Piano Recital Practice

Sydney has been learning the piano for almost a year now. She likes her piano teacher very much, a high school girl who happens to be taking her own lessons from our neighbour. She comes by our house and teaches Sydney right before or after her own lessons. It is a convenient arrangement.

Music teachers here organize periodic recitals or performances for their students.
Here is Sydney practicing for her's.

Fall and Haloween in NYC

We took part in a children's event at the Whitney Museum of American Art this fall.
The focus was on the mobiles and wire work of Alexander Calder.

While the name was unfamiliar, the works weren't. We tried our hand at creating some of the 3 dimensional wire sculptures at the workshop downstairs and came up with a 'man on bicycle' - Siewster and Sydney, 'wearable bee antennae' - Siewster & Audrey, 'racoon face' - Jieh. Here is Sydney with her 'man on bicycle', it is easier to look at the shadow to discern the form.

Following the event, we went for a walk in the city and snapped some photos of the drizzly day.

A dog says 'Hi' to Sydney

Sydney's 6th

For the past 5 years, whenever Sydney's birthday came around, we had been having small parties at home or just baking a simple cake for the four of us to enjoy. This September, we thought we would invite her schoolmates since it was her last year at that pre-school. This means finding a larger venue and more planning. Fortunately, she liked one of the neighbourhood 'party gym' places where a number of her friends had their parties, and while somewhat pricey, we decided it was a good way to have a hassle-free afternoon.

We still baked our own cake though.

Jieh is particularly proud of his muffin Earth and ringed Saturn. Jupiter had a mishap enroute and rolled around a little.

The party itself was mostly kids running around ...

monkeying about the place,

getting a serious hula going...

and bouncing. Lots of bouncing.

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Actual evening of Sydney's birthday,

talking to Grandma on phone