future.

assignment #28:  the future.

big changes await us.  i don't know exactly what life will be like over the next hill.  i can't predict what the future holds.  but i trust in the Lord to faithfully take care of us tomorrow just as he has done for all our yesterdays.  and Lord willing, as long as we're all together, i know we're gonna be just fine.

ready to tackle our next adventure...

WOO HOO, i did it!  finished the joy of love series and thank you thank you thank you for coming with me.  i have been so blessed to recount our stories and share our pictures and have been so encouraged by your comments and love for our family.  i am so glad i did this little project and now have a series of pictures that i'll cherish forever.  and boy, am i glad it's done now!  whew!

say.

one thing i really love is watching phil play with the kids.  it's endearing to watch them interact and it's hilarious to see how animated phil becomes while he plays.  it's pretty apparent that he becomes a big kid himself.  i'll admit his big kid-syndrome sometimes is a bit maddening- like when we're in a toy store and it's pretty much me with my FIVE kids, or his insatiable hunt for collectibles, or his forever bringing home little trinkets for the kids.  but i also have to admit overhearing what he says while they're playing keeps me laughing out loud.  and i love that.

assignment #27:  what they say.

here is but one episode of daddy playing with the kids.  in this instance, it was with our two girls.

"i am iron man and you are the evil barbie..."

"and now i must defeat you!  let me adjust my super-hero foot first."

"there.  now i will defeat you!  rawwwwr!!"

"oh look!  spiderman is coming to help defeat the evil snow wipe!"

"playing with daddy is the best!"

bromance.

assignment #26:  the bromance.

the big one has been waiting forever for this little one.  for a few years now, it seemed that it was going to be just him and his daddy and he'd say to me, "mommy, this house has too many girls!"  he's all about balancing the scales, you know.  but God in his kindness heard the small boy's prayers and answered him.  much to his parents' surprise.

now the little one is here and has only just begun to discover what a terrific big brother he got.

and i am blessed beyond measure to see this new relationship grow through the years.

so bring it on.

bring on the bromance.

when.

assignment #25:  when you love them the most

they don't necessarily have to be doing anything or saying anything in particular.  in fact, those rare moments are most welcome.  i love 'em most when we're just sharing a quiet moment together.  no squabbling, no crying, no tattling.  just quiet contentment for all.  love.

ps- you'll have to excuse allie's hairdo.  her daddy attempted to do it for school that morning.  but hey, that's a memory in and of itself, too.  ;)

hands.

assignment #21:  hands

strong

faithful

secure

loving

patient

steady
gentle

hard-working
protective

kind

are my daddy's hands.

where.

i am still determined to finish the joy of love series.  and by golly, jonah did join us just in time to be part of the fun!

assignment #24:  where did you first meet or fall in love?

right here in the delivery room, moments after birth.  they laid him on my chest and his little face looked up, his eyes searching until they locked on to mine.  and in that moment, i was completely, utterly, and irrevocably in love with this brand new little man.  also in that moment, i discovered that it doesn't matter whether it's your first or fourth or fourteenth (not that i'm planning on finding out!) baby: that precious first meeting is one of life's most beautiful moments, and it never gets old or redundant.

out.

the directions:  Get a sitter and go out on the town!!!  Take the point and shoot and take some fun portraits of you together.  Tickle each other.  Laugh.  Have fun!

the key point:  Go anywhere but HOME!

the tip:  You have to ask someone else to take your photo for this prompt.  Just find someone who is approachable and ask him or her to snap a quick photo of you.  Don’t be embarrassed!

Oh, and be sure to put your camera in auto mode so a stranger can figure it out.  This prompt isn’t about artsy shots as much as it is about having a photo of the two of you together!


******** 

thanks to our sweet friends, jami and james, (THANK YOU GUYS!!!  not many souls would bravely volunteer to watch three ankle-biters, at the SAME TIME!), we actually got to go out for an evening away from home.

i can't tell you what a refreshing and just plain old FUN time it was.  especially for me.

nice to feel like a kid again.

i left the plans up to phil and as always, he didn't disappoint.

we started out at the nearby movie theater and watched "adjustment bureau".  not sure that i'd highly recommend watching it, but seeing as how the last movie we watched in a theater was two and a half years ago the day before lauren was born, i think i'd enjoy pretty much any movie.

didn't get to ask anyone to take a picture of us at the movie theater, so we hopped into the photo booth that was there instead.  we used to do this all the time when we were dating.

and because phil purposely planned our date really close to home, we also had time to go out for a deeeelicious dinner, too.  i really, really love that he thinks of these things.  cuz i probably would've driven somewhere further away but then would only have had enough time to do one thing before having to head back home.

anyway, we ended up finding a hidden jewel and feasted on things like foie gras with a mandarin orange gastrique, edamame with truffle butter, yellow tail carpaccio, grilled rib-eye with garlic fried rice, among other things.  yes, we ordered a lot.  and ate it all!  :)  and i totally would've taken pictures of all the pretty plates, but chose to respect the request to not take pictures of their food (which was printed on every page of their menu).  aw well, they shall live on in my memory.

i asked our very nice server to take our picture before the food came out.  here we are in auto mode.  :)

thank you again, jami and james!  we had a really great night out and it was timed perfectly to be our last hurrah before ankle-biter #4 joins the party.  love you guys!

home.

it tends to feel like a mini-vacation/party when daddy's home for a whole weekend.  the mood is lighter, the fun is more accessible, the food is admittedly junkier, and the mess is completely out of control.  but it's safe to say that we'd all vote to have daddy home even with the extra mess and diminished order.

especially when daddy announces it's movie night.  or in this particular case, nba slam dunk contest night.  cuz that's when the party really gets raging.

assignment #20:  when they're home

note:  the grapes are there as the healthy element to offset the pizza, pasta, and chips n dip.  gotta insert the mom influence somewhere, right?

fb.

baby tsai seems to be anxious to meet us as i've had a few signs of early labor this past week.  hoping he'll stay put at least a couple more weeks as i'll be 35 weeks tomorrow.

prior to the births of our previous children, i've always felt a little wistful over how things will change with the new addition.  i felt sad the last night i tucked mikey in to bed thinking how that was our last time being just him and me before allie joined us.  then, i felt sad over how big-yet-little mikey and allie were as they slept in their new bunk bed before lauren joined us.

it's not that we haven't loved welcoming each new little one into our family, it's more my thinking about how things will change for each of them, how there might be less attention available for each one, how they each might have to grow up just a bit faster in order to make room for one more.

turns out i'm not such a big fan of change.

but God was faithful to prepare the kids' hearts with each new addition to the family and the kids adjusted beautifully each time.  i couldn't have asked for a sweeter welcoming committee for each new baby.

and so, here we are again at that same place just before we welcome another little one home.  and i'm feeling a little wistful again.

probably brought on as i looked this morning through some of the first pictures i posted on facebook.  all for today's photo assignment.  darn you, fb.

assignment #23:  facebook

this was just after we had moved back to california.  mikey was three, allie was maybe 18 months.  wah.

mikey's first day of preschool.  he was four.  wah.

and here's lauren just after we brought her home from the hospital.  WAH!!!

but.

but here's something that i definitely don't feel too sentimental over, due in part to the fact that these were taken before phil and i ever met.  and for that, i am thankful.

nope, not feelin' it.

and again, no.

sometimes, there just aren't words to 'splain it.

like i said before, darn you, fb.

face.

alright, so i fell terribly behind with my joy of love posts.  what with contractions coming and going and the constant urge to close my eyes and sleep for the next month, it may take me a bit longer to get to them all.  but, i AM determined to finish the assignments one way or another.  and who knows?  maybe the newest tsai will get to join in the fun for a few of them, too!

assignment #22:  face (portraits)

makes friends easily wherever he goes

is a great big brother

keeps us smiling and laughing everyday

ernestly tries to do his best

yells when he's excited

always conscientious

loves to draw

likes to be known as mommy's helper

is a loving sister and friend

enjoys being with her family

loves to be a big girl

although still a baby

unique quirks which we love

relishes making mischief

ever-ready to test the limits

naturally affectionate, yet oh-so-stubborn

********

ok, so lauren wasn't quite in the mood to give me a smile.  here's one of her not making a face.

but i still think the other one captures what she's really like.  heh heh.

gone.

every afternoon, i put the girls down for a nap and then mikey and i tackle his homework.  when that chore is finished, he gets one treat out of our candy bowl and heads into the living room to watch one show of his choosing.  lately, his favorite show has been bubble guppies.  after that's over, he turns off the tv and then plays by himself while i go take a nap.  he finds this time to get kinda lonesome.  though he doesn't really complain about it, i know he'd much rather have allie stay awake and keep him company.  she's on the verge of not needing a nap anymore, but still does need one more often than not.  he can't wait for the day when his little sister can stay up and play with him all afternoon.  he even wrote about it in his journal.

but until then, he does have 'alone time' in the living room.  and he's very good about not disturbing me so that i can get a nap in, too.

so what does he do by himself all afternoon?

assignment #19:  when they're gone

his most favorite thing to play with everyday are his legos.  he plays with them by the hour.  but his most favorite thing is when everyone wakes up again so he's not by his lonesome anymore.

my poor little social guy.  even surrounded by siblings, there are still moments to feel lonely...     : (

in.

once the kids are all tucked in bed for the night, phil most oftentimes has more work to catch up on.  sometimes he'll be on the computer in his makeshift office and sometimes he'll bring out his little laptop and work in the living room.  and most times, i can be found lounging on the couch in the living room feeling pretty spent after another day caring for kids, meals, and home.  we're both totally beat at the end of the day.

but one thing we definitely look forward to is our weekly top chef night.  it's our most favorite show and usually all work is put aside so we can enjoy watching it together, discussing the dishes, and throwing out comments about who our most and least favorite contestants are.

and it usually means we end up having a late-night snack or dessert while watching because it's nearly impossible to watch a show about food without feeling the need to then eat something.

so instead of going out and painting the town red, ninety-nine point nine percent of our nights are spent staying in and chilling on our red living carpet.  it's how we roll.

assignment #17:  staying in.

hold on to your hats for yet another breathtakingly unawesome picture showcasing the stark wonder that is our bleak living room.  i switched it to black and white to spare you from being subjected to our bright red living room carpet once again.  you can thank me later.  ;)

a totally posed shot.  phil usually doesn't assume such a contemplative posture unless i tell him to quit making goofy faces and be normal.

us.

five things:

1) i am 34 weeks along now.
2) the next few assignments have required a certain other half to be around in order to be photographed.
3) further, if i wanted those photographs to be taken during daylight hours, it has meant waiting for the rare day when that certain other half was home (and conscious) while it was still light outside.  not an easy combination to come by lately.
4) my other half is a very good sport.
5) i very much dislike being in photographs.

with all that being said...

assignment #16:  together (self-portrait)

just us.  and the 34-week belly.

this is the face of my other half when he's up to no good.

and this is us just after he pulls off his no good plot.  which made me completely forget to conceal the camera remote.

still able to laugh together even when it's just us.  a very good thing in my book.

kiss.

the kids are getting more and more excited to meet their new baby brother.  perhaps none more than allie, who is over the moon to have another baby in the house.  she just loves telling everyone she comes across that there's a baby brother on the way.  she tells me all the things she's going to do for him.  and she seems to think my belly button works like a telephone, as she'll often come up to it and yell, "hi baby brother!  how ya doin' in there?"

i have a feeling this little baby is going to be the lucky recipient of LOTS of love and affection from his older siblings.  especially from big sister allie.

assignment #15:  kiss.

a kiss sent through the belly button telephone will have to do for now, until he comes out and she can give him the real thing!

bands.

after college, phil worked at a brain bank.  the salary was pitifully low.  but the one upside was that if a brain came in after hours, he'd get called in to process it.  and he'd get paid a flat rate per brain for those.  if we were together when he got called, i'd often go with him to keep him company while he worked.

i didn't know it at the time, but he was saving up that extra money to buy an engagement ring for me.  he later told me it took twenty-three brains to buy the ring.

after we were engaged, i'd still accompany him on those late night trips to the brain bank where he'd slice brains with an electric turkey knife while i flipped through wedding magazines and planned our [very] budget wedding.  que romantico, no?

anyhow, three years into our marriage, when mikey was just a few months old, ilostmyweddingring.  it was winter in minnesota and we were at the mall.  we were getting ready to leave and i had slipped the ring (my engagement and wedding rings had been fused together into one ring) off in order to put on my gloves and had put the ring in my pocket.  i remember it was a terribly cold, windy evening with snow blowing everywhere.  somewhere in the rush of trying to get all bundled up and dashing out to the car, my ring fell out of my pocket.

and i can't think about that particular event without a pang of sadness and regret.  but phil has never once gotten angry or reproachful over it.  not once.  instead, he ordered me a wedding band for me to wear until we can someday replace my wedding rings.  that day has yet to come.  but i love my wedding band.  it's a smaller version of the one he wears.  i've had it twice as long as i had my other rings.  it still serves as a reminder of the love and commitment he and i share.

assignment #14:  wedding bands.

they're both rather scratched up after years of wear and tear.  but i love that the matching rings are his and hers.  his and mine.

my most favorite thing about our two rings?  it's that mine fits perfectly inside his.

and that little heart inside our rings?  a perfectly serendipitous moment.

routine.

some mornings, it takes more effort to peel myself out of bed than others.  i have to give myself a mental pep talk, visualize the steps of our morning routine, and give myself another mental pep talk.  and maybe an extra five minutes to close my eyes and pretend i'm still asleep.  because no matter where we are, what we're doing, or what day of the week it is, we have the same exact routine every. single. morning.  times three.

assignment #13:  routines.

the following set of pictures should be viewed more like my mental checklist rather than the actual steps.  because the real-life execution of said steps is much less neat and orderly and much more haphazard and messy what with the constant urging to hurry up, the inevitable milk spills, the wiping of noses, the need to change a diaper just as we're ready to leave, the scramble to find everyone's shoes-- all to get out the door by 7:45am in order to get to school on time.

on non-school days, sometimes it's 11am before we make it through the morning routine.  sometimes it's noon.  : p

drink milk!  times three.

get dressed!  times three.

eat breakfast!  times three.

brush teeth!  times three.

shoes on!  times three.
(the kids wear sneakers on school days, but we're all about the crocs on non-school days.)

and now we're ready to face a new day!  (even if by "new" i mean mid-afternoon!)

eyes.

ok, so i'm not completely satisfied with these photos.  the truth is that i very rarely am with any of my photos.  gah.  but it was the best i could do today with two somewhat silly, bouncy, kinda unwilling to hold still for any amount of time subjects before i gave up and called it a day.  and then realized i shoulda adjusted my aperture in order to get more of their faces in focus.  and then realized i just wanted a nap more than anything else.  hey, i'm all about the priorities, ya know.

assignment #12:  the eyes.

the boy.  looking at his eyes make me happy.  in them, i see gentleness, compassion, silliness, exuberance, inquisitiveness, forgiveness, tenderness.

and that sweet little dimple in his cheek?  that is one of the very few contributions i have made to his physical appearance.  ;)

the girl.  in her eyes, i see sweetness, sensitivity, a maturity beyond her years, her love for beauty, kindness, generosity, shyness, loveliness. 

and yes, it makes me sad that her round, baby cheeks are diminishing by the day.



what about the other little girl, you ask?  well, she spent her day driving me nuts with her two-year-old self and was down for a much-needed nap during this little photo session.

but not to worry, i'm sure she'll pop up here sometime soon with another of her antics.  :)

dreams.

if you were to ask him, he'd say he wants to be just like his daddy when he grows up.  which means, if you were to ask what he wants to do when he grows up, he'd say he wants to be a doctor.  he's not quite clear on what exactly daddy does at work, but mikey does know that he works in a big building called a hospital, wears blue pajamas to work, and uses cool tools to help people feel better.  and that's good enough for him.  though he does avoid the touchy subject of giving shots altogether.  it's probably best not to bring it up.

his daddy and i aren't even sure we'd want him to become a doctor when he grows up.  of course, we'd support him in his career choice if he really, really wanted to.  but otherwise, we'd not really be inclined to push him in that direction.  there's quite a bit of sacrifice and stress and hard times involved.  his daddy actually thinks trade school is the way to go.  but in any case, i think it's a fine aspiration to want to be just like his daddy in most other ways.  because his daddy is a pretty cool guy. 

assignment #11:  dreams.

getting some doctoring practice in one afternoon when we visited daddy's work.

and getting an early start on writing all those doctor notes.  on post-its.  his note translated: "all his surgery is OFF."  he does love being the bearer of good news...  :)

space.

assignment #10:  space- where they are comfortable

when lauren needs a bit of alone time, we can most often find her parked on our bed in our room.  i purposely keep our room dark so that i can slip in there from time to time, and hide from my kids, i mean get a bit of rest.  i call it my bat cave.  she doesn't mind the darkness as long as her two favorite things in the world are in there.  the memory foam pillow and the ipad.  and they usually are.  she props herself up on daddy's memory foam pillow, casts all other pillows and blankets aside, and does her thing on the ipad.  it amazes us how she knows how to unlock it, scroll through the pages to select her various preschool game apps and videos, adjust the volume, and knows where to click to get her stuff started.  neither phil or i taught her how to do any of that.  she just figured it out on her own after watching us a few times.  she even figured out how to lock the orientation of the screen and we had to go online to find out how to unlock it.

kids these days...

in any case, this is without a doubt her happy place.  and she'd stay here all day long if we let her.

hobby.

one thing phil really enjoys is music.  whether it's listening, singing, or playing, he enjoys it all.  he led worship for our church and college group for a number of years.  his ability to play a mean guitar was one of the things i admired about him way back when.  lugging his guitar around with us was a normal part of our dating years.

unfortunately, the majority of his time since we've been married has been taken up with his schooling, training, working.  so much so that things like hobbies have long been pushed to the back burner.  and his guitar has seen way more dust rather than playing time in recent years.

but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  this fellowship year is coming to an end and a new chapter will begin for phil as he begins a 'normal' job.  hopefully one that will include more time for him to enjoy his hobbies once again.

assignment #9:  passions and hobbies

time to tune 'er up and get those callouses back on his fingers!