The Zhao Family

Tonight we taught the meaning of Easter to Brennan and Emilee about how Jesus was ressurected to Earth and we use eggs to celebrate as a rebirth. (Correct if I am wrong) So as it goes, Da went to Walmart to get dyes and eggs. Da was soooo good about making sure to get everything right that the eggs turned out really well...as the story goes. ( We only took pictures of the results to save Da from embarrasment)


Hey, at least Brennan is happy with the outcome of the Eggs.


So is Emilee. She looks funny b/c she has food in her mouth.


Ok so here goes the real story. Da was very careful to buy dyes and eggs that he didn't even bother reading the instructions for all the ingredients. So we had enough vinegar for two colors instead of six and you can tell what colors they were. When we were in the dye-ing process, Da was so careful not to use newspaper to base everything that we hav color dyes-RED-all over the kitchen floor as well. Da being so good that Abbey didn't have to remind him that it is best to dye the bright colors before mixing with the darks; not vice versa-so in the end all the colors greenish/purplish-thanks Da. Other than that, the kids loved it and Easter has a different history in the Zhao family.

So as the days get longer and the weather gets much much nicer we get to enjoy the wonderful things of life such as going to the park. Brennan loves the swings and the slides but Clayton never really went on the swing before; from the pictures he doesn't seem to have a problem with it.



Good thing that Clayton don't know how to hold the swing yet b/c he's just small enough to have his armpits to get stuck on the edge to fasten him. And course Brennan wants to push. It worked out well for the lazy parents :D



I don't think Clayton likes the idea of being held while being swung but mama seems to like it more.



Yeah!! a family owned park!-pretty much. We feel like we own the park or something; everyone including Emilee takes a swing so no one can swing. How sad b/c we teach our kids to share and we don't.



So apparently Clayton is a swing lover and with that pink bib on..how can the ladies resist his drool.

For the longest time, Da has alot of pressure of keeping the Accountant wife at home with the kids. Our extended family members, friends, and even some member in church will ask "why don't you work since you can make alot of money?" But we, as a couple, as parents of two little boys, decided that it is for the best interest for the zhao family that Abbey stays home taking care of the boys.

Today, Da got an offer to a new job. He got this job because of his excellent customer service, his great IT skills, and of couse his charm.....(even this is a man who refer Da to this new job).

Proud of you my hubby.....proud of you daddy! We are happy because people see how good you are and they appreciate it, they value it. We are happy for you and are excited for you =)

WE LOVE YOU! GOOD JOB!!

For tonight we are missionaries!! Brennan seems to be thoroughly enjoying being a missionary with the standard equipment (scriptures, dress shirt, dark pants, shoes, backpack, tag, and haircut) He is good to go!! If any of you prefer color pictures please inform us to post them also.



Getting ready to do the work.


Elder Zhaos working together side by side ready to preach to the world in all languages including baby language. All the ladies out there (except mom) please wait until we return from our mission work in 2025.


You love our tags!! it's awesome! even Brennan thinks so.


See even he have one! We are good to go.

Notice his backpack? Yeap it fits the size of his smaller scriptures.


We are intensely debating on the events of the scriptures in the Bible and Book of Mormon.


Brennan disagrees with Da on the events of Jesus Christ.


Da begs to differ. Brennan stands his point referencing
other sections of the scriptures.

After all we are companions, no matter what we disagree on we need to bring ourselves to peace. So we sing.


Don't worry about the bandage, it's from all the hard work being a missionary and it attracts the attention of sisters to get them to listen to our missionary discussions. It goes something like this; sisters' would ask what happen to his head, Brennan would reply that he worked so hard he didn't even notice the mosquitoes bit him so they pity him and then he would ask if they can let him inside the house to stay away from the mosquitoes and so he can get in the house and teach them discussions(works like a charm and of course no one would pay attention to his companion Da).


Singing can be dangerous when you are as adorable as Brennan. (Ahem, lady killer)


Brennan actually knows how to trace the music notes horizontally. We will eventually teach him the notes and lyrics and such once we learn them also.

Apparently when we were invited to the old friend gathering, there was a birthday too. So what did we bring to the birthday party?- two hungry boys (Brennan and Da). But that is OK, Brennan is all up for parties.



Brennan thinking to himself: hurry with the birthday song and get to the cake.


Evan apparently has no interest for the birthday party, he much rather serve guests.


Taisei's birthday seems to be enjoyed more by the two bigger children next to him.


Taisei is all pro and his parents are all shocked.

This past weekend we caught up with Abbey's old school mates in Virginia. And well you guessed it!! everyone has a little one(s) running, crawling, poo'ing, and crying around. It was great to see how old everyone's gotten. And I figure since everyone reads our blog and don't leave comments, I will comment that we are the first to post these pictures for you all :D



This is Evan(Mark & Beverly's child). This little man has been in front of the camera too much.



Again, Evan says no paparazzi please! Taisei (Jerin & Wami's son) don't even bother with the paparazzi.


Brennan shares!! at least in front of the camera. And mommy is hold back Taisei before he gets rough with the paparazzi!


We leave our son alone and Mark converts our son into the Jewish religion with a Jewish yarmulke!! How dare you! That is it! we will turn Evan into a Catholic Priest next time by giving him a cooler hat and taking a picture and posting it!! hahaha

So the trip to San Francisco lasted only a couple days. We left on a very short notice and managed to get many thing complished. This is the first time Clayton traveled on an airplane and Brennan seems to be a pro at it. The trip over was very smooth, Clayton did not seemed too affected and Brennan likes riding on the plane and looking out the window. When we arrived in San Fran we managed to get to public transport so they can enjoy all the things over there. The pictures below will summarize our trip.



This is Brennan and Emilee at the gates. Both of them just woke up. I believe it was around 5:00am.


Thanks to TV in JetBlue planes, Brennan's tv catch-up time really helped with the trip over to San Fran.



You might think Abbey is doing all the work but Da gave up his seat so the family can rest. Ha, how cheap. He actually had to walk up and down the aisle for long periods of time to let the kids sleep. It was not easy for Abbey either.

Everyone,

Sorry for not posting things the last week or so. Due to an emergency we left for San Francisco to see Da's grandmother for the last time with our kids. It was great that she got a chance to see Clayton and Brennan one the last time. Da's grandmother died happily with many of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren along her bed side. The funeral was performed in Chinese tradition and was very dignified.

Other interesting things developed. We got to spend excellent quality time with Da's parents the whole eight days. Da can you tell stories if you like but its not recommended to be written on the blog as they tend to come back and bite us in the butt. Brennan's bathroom cycles went very well and normal as with Clayton but we need to retrain both of them with time difference, manners, and love.

So, we are back home now. We really miss our home and our beds. We also took the opportunity to take some pictures of the infamous Golden Gate Bridge with our kids (they will be posted shortly-once we unpack and settle in our beds for 3 days and 3 nights hehehe)

Clayton started to eat solid about a month now. This is the first time Abbey gave him the biscuit. He enjoys it so much and you can tell how good the finger biscuit is.