Demolition has begun

Last week we officially started our remodeling project (after working with an architect for 2 years). The demolition was quick. Lia is standing is a spot that used to be covered under 8 feet of rock. This space will eventually become a new master bedroom and bathroom. Our front door, which is to the left and invisible from the street, will now be straight ahead as you walk toward the house.

Lia gets pierced

Lia had been thinking about getting her ears pierced for several months, maybe even a year. But she wanted to wait for the right time. She couldn't wear earrings during basketball season. Finally, when we were planning our Solimar trip, she asked if there was a Claire's store in Ventura, so I we looked online. Lia even picked out which earrings she wanted.

She asked Katie and Sara if they wanted to come, but they were both scared. Melanie, her 16-yo cousin, who had her ears pierced, came with us. The women at Claire's dotted Lia's earlobes. Then they did the piercing simultaneously. It was over before we knew it. In fact, Lia asked, "Is that it?" as soon as they were done. No tears! She's been very responsible taking care of her ears and turning the earrings.

Now we have to decide what to do about the left earring. It was pierced off-center!!

How Could I Forget??

In my recap of the first half of 2008, I failed to mention the 5-hour surgery I had on May 1st to remove a large, yet benign, tumor from my right kidney. I discovered this mass in 2006 shortly after Cami was born. Who knows how long it had been growing!! After an embolization procedure in 11/06, we followed the tumor to see if it would shrink, but after a year and a half, it wasn't much smaller. So, Dr. Turzan at Kaiser recommended surgical intervention. He was able to accomplish the task laparoscopically. You can see 5 entry points on my abdomen. The largest incision was only 2 inches!! He had to shred the tumor into pieces to get it out. I took a month off from work, but felt pretty good by Mother's Day.

It was a scary time for me, but I had a lot of support and prayers. Rev. Stokes and Carol visited with me before surgery. Then Carol sat with Matthew all day in the lobby. Jan came by, too. Hopefully, this thing is gone for good. I'll have another CT scan in November...

Getting caught up

The year is more than halfway over, and I have neglected our blog. We'll fast-forward through. Umm, Matthew turned 41 in February. Notice the "geritol" from Phyllis. But really, this is a guy that doesn't seem to age (except for more white hair).


Like last year, Ryan and Lia played basketball in the Winter. In the Spring, Ryan played soccer, and Lia played softball.

We spent Spring Break at the Machule cabin in Truckee with the Fang-Horvaths. Lia, Hallie, and Sierra turned 8 this year.
The weather was good and the skiing was great.

In April we had a retirement party for mom. She is now working harder than ever by taking care of all her kids and grandkids. She comes to the Bay Area for weeks at a time to help cook, clean, chauffeur, and babysit. Then she rests for a week in LA before coming back for more.




In May, Ryan turned 10. Yes, hard to believe--double digits. And in June, Cami turned 2. But the big birthday this year was Suzie's!! The big FOUR-OH. I had a special women-only tea party hosted by Carol and Jan. It was great to be with some of the most important women from different parts of my life (church, kids' school, family). The next night we celebrated with a surprise luau that Matthew organized. He solicited scrapbook pages from various people including a few high school friends!



Another big event in July was the 50th wedding anniversary of George and Jeanette. We went to LA and had a celebratory dinner at the Parkway Grill with family and friends.

Merry Christmas

We spent our holidays in Southern California with both sides of the family. This photo was used by Grandma and Grandpa for their Christmas card collage. We had to take it in our backyard with the camera timer. I am amazed that everyone was looking in the right direction!

Matthew took Ryan and Lia to California Adventures with cousins Melanie and Katherine. It was a cold day, but they had a blast!

Thanksgiving in Tahoe Donner

For Thankgiving 2007, we spent time in Tahoe Donner with Amah, Agon, the Chen-Carters, and the Chen-Machules. A version of this photo served as the Christmas card photo for Amah and Agon. They are so proud of their brood.

Fall Soccer In Full Force

Ryan and Lia played soccer again this season with their teams, the Hawks and the Eagles. It seemed to be a turning point in their soccer careers as Ryan started scoring goals, and Lia showed her aggressive side, too.

Another new cousin

We welcome Kaley Chen Carter (sister of Noa) to our family and our neighborhood! She was born on September 29, 2007.

Ryan and Lia are quickly earning their babysitting skills.