Photos: Making Angku Kuih

DSC01673

Auntie MayLee and Lydia are sharing a laugh this morning during the three-hour baking session.

DSC01680

MayLee is placing the dough into the turtle-shaped mold.

DSC01687

Ma Wee and Lydia are watching as MayLee prepares to place the green dough into the turtle- shaped mold that is employed to make the individual angku kuih cakes, each of which is 2 inches in length and 1 and a half inch in width.

Note: SiowFong took this series of photos on June 7, 2008 in the kitchen of our home.

Photo note: SiowFong recorded this scene on the camcorder, and she used its still photo ability to take these shots that were made under ambient light.

High Tea

June 7, 2008

High Tea

Today Lydia experienced her first high tea, a well-known British tradition this afternoon with us, the Chew family, and Peng Liew. Years ago, SiowFong, MayLee, and Ma Wee were introduced to the concept in Malaysia, a former British colony.

The United Kingdom Tea Council describes high tea this way on its website. “Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford, is reputed to have originated the idea of afternoon tea in the early 1800s. She conceived the idea of having tea around four or five in the afternoon to ward off the hunger pangs between lunch and dinner. Some time earlier, the Earl of Sandwich had the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread. These habits soon became a good reason for social gatherings, and started a trend that is still very much a part of British life. . .

For the working and farming communities, afternoon tea became high tea. As the main meal of the day, high tea was a cross between the delicate afternoon meal enjoyed in the ladies' drawing rooms and the dinner enjoyed in houses of the gentry at seven or eight in the evening. With the meats, bread and cakes served at high tea, hot tea was taken.” (Source: http://www.tea.co.uk/index.php?pgId=56)

For today’s event, MayLee baked an orange cake as well as a red bean cake yesterday afternoon. Two days ago, MayLee had started preparations for both of those cakes by boiling the oranges and red beans for two hours in separate crock pots. Yesterday meant another thirty minutes of preparation followed by baking each cake in the oven for an hour. Early this morning MayLee was back in the kitchen after breakfast. For three hours, MayLee continued making entrees for high tea, including Kuih Kochi and Angku Kuih. Kuih Kochi is a steamed cake wrapped with a banana leaf whose dough consists of glutinous rice flour, salt, oil, and coconut milk and whose filling is made of coconut sugar, water, grated coconut, and pandan leaves. Angku Kuih, which literally means “turtle cake” because of the turtle-shaped mold of the individual cakes, has a dough that consists of glutinous rice flour, coconut milk, sweet potato, oil, and sugar, and its filling is made up of Baker’s sugar, pandan leaves, and boiled sweet potato water. The other entrees that rounded out the high tea menu were fruit cocktail (longan and lychee) and two teas, Shanghai tea and Genmai-cha (green tea with brown rice).

Photos: Whizz Kids, April 2008

Apr8.jpg

Lydia, who is seated in the third position and attired in her thick green jacket, is sitting atop a large plastic tube in the playground.

Apr8.jpg

Lydia is looking at Lucas, a classmate in her toddler class, as he is standing on his tiptoes. (Lucas was the one who scratched up Lydia's face a few months ago.)

Just outside the day care is a covered carport area where the children play when the weather is too cold or too wet. Irrespective of the weather conditions, the day care mandates that the children play outside for an hour each day with half of that coming in the morning and the other half occurring in the the afternoon.

Note: The staff at Lydia's day care took these pictures on April 8, 2008.

Photos: Whizz Kids, December 2007

Dec11.jpg

Abida, Lydia's teacher, is helping one of Lydia's classmates do some hand painting, and Lydia is observing.

Dec7.jpg

Lydia and her friends are placing their hands in a blue plastic bin.

Dec.jpg

At the Lego table, Lydia is looking at something or someone while Jonathan, the son of Jennifer (Abida's assistant) is playing with Legos.

Note: All of these pictures were taken during December 2007 by the staff at Whizz Kids, Lydia's day care when Lydia was in the Waddler class, the class for those between one and two years of age.

Gospel Alphabet, Part 1 of 2

June 7, 2008

Gospel Alphabet, Part 1 of 2

Lydia has memorized the “A B C “ song, and she has mastered recognizing the capital letters of the alphabet. She can also identify many of the lower case letters of the alphabet.

Speaking of alphabets, a few years ago, SiowFong and I received a devotional bookmark from Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief, development, and evangelism organization working in more than 100 countries around the world, that was entitled “The Gospel Alphabet”, a compilation of some key verses from the Bible. As parents, SiowFong and I have the privilege and responsibility to teach these verses to Lydia, and we hope that she will memorize them.

A: ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

B: BEHOLD! The Lamb of God [Jesus] who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29b)

C: COME to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

D: DRAW near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8a)

E: EVEN so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:14)

F: FOR by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8)

G: GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

H: HIM that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37b)

I: I [Jesus] am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6b)

J: JESUS answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:29)

K: KNOCK, and it will opened to you. (Matthew 7:7c)

L: LOOK to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! (Isaiah 45:22a)

M: MY grace is sufficient for you. (2 Corinthians 12:9b)

Photos: Alderwood Lunch

DSC_6499

Auntie MayLee is getting ready to feed Lydia some of her lunch.

DSC_6509

"Double feeding" would be apropos title for this picture as auntie MayLee is preparing to feed Lydia something while Ma Wee is giving Lydia some of her soup.

DSC_6511

Ma Wee is feeding Lydia some of her udon soup (a Japanese soup).

Note: All of these pictures were taken during lunch on June 6, 2008 in the food court at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, WA.

Photo note: No flash was used for any of these images since the center of food court's ceiling is a large skylight.

Photos: Alderwood Playground

DSC_6438

At the other end of the octupus mound is a slide, and Lydia enjoyed this more than any other apparatus this morning. She methodically climbed on it without any assistance from me, and she carefully slid down the slide, repeating this process about a dozen times today.

The design of the newer malls in the area includes a play area, and this feature attracts parents and their young children in droves. During days of inclement weather, such as today, this trend is magnified.

DSC_6441

I placed Lydia on the sea bird apparatus, and she is holding onto it while looking at me.

DSC_6453

Doesn't Lydia look like she's a princess of the sea as she rides atop the octupus?

DSC_6462

Lydia and some other children are riding on the back of the orca whale statue.

While Ma Wee and I watched Lydia, auntie MayLee went clothes shopping, primarily at JC Penney.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on June 6, 2008 at the indoor playground at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, WA.
Photo note: All images were taken without flash. Film speed was set to ISO 800, and white balance was set to fluorescent.

The Importance of Family Meals

June 7, 2008

The Importance of Family Meals

We are fortunate that we are able to eat breakfast together a number of days during the week and we gather together for dinner on six of the seven nights of the week. Both SiowFong and I fondly recall our family mealtimes during our childhood days, and we are happy that Lydia is able to experience this as well. I read an article called “The Day After Thanksgiving” written by Mark Earley, a former Congressman from Virginia and the President of Prison Fellowship, about the significance of family meals today. I liked it so much that I am including it on Lydia’s blog, and we hope that if Lydia has her own family one day, she will continue the family meal tradition.


“The Day After Thanksgiving”

November 23, 2007

Mark Earley

I hope all of you have recovered from a wonderful Thanksgiving Day feast. Yesterday millions of American families gathered around the dinner table—even if some of them had to be dragged away from a football game. They did it to give thanks and to gorge on turkey and pumpkin pie. Some people—as with my family—flew or drove hundreds of miles to be together. Thanksgiving is still important enough to us that we will make every effort to gather with our loved ones around the table.

But what about the other 364 days of the year?

Sadly, for many families, the effort of gathering for a family meal on an ordinary day is just too much, it seems. Parents have to work late. Kids have soccer practice or band practice or dance practice. Sometimes they are practicing practice. In the frantic effort to juggle schedules and make sure nobody goes hungry, it is often easier to feed the kids fast food, or everybody eats on the run.

Though we know there is something wrong with this state of affairs, we don’t always realize how serious the problem is. After all, it’s just a meal, right? That’s why Miriam Weinstein’s book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, is so valuable.

As other authors have done, Weinstein tells us fewer and fewer families are taking the time to eat dinner together. Then she delves into the reasons why we should eat with our families, looking at various studies on the benefits of family dinners. Believe it or not, researchers have carefully studied dinnertime—from the kind of conversation that goes on around the table to the lifelong effect that regular mealtimes have on children’s eating habits.

The research indicates that many young adults with eating disorders never had a regular dinnertime when they were growing up. They literally never learned how to eat a proper meal.
Weinstein tells us that when the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse studied ways to keep kids from destructive behaviors, family dinners were “more important than church attendance, more important even than grades at school.” The Center has repeated that study several times since then, “and every year, eating supper together regularly as a family tops the list of variables that are within our control.”

You see, there is a lot more to family dinners than meets the eye. They have “the power of ritual,” giving parents and kids the chance to connect, adding a sense of security to the daily routine. They are an opportunity for parents to teach about family history and traditions, so that they give kids a sense of identity. Even dysfunctional families seem to work just a little bit better when they make time to eat together.

The point is, family meals are not just about food. As Weinstein puts it, “Supper is about nourishment of all kinds.” That includes physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. . .
Eating together can make a big difference for us and our children when this year’s Thanksgiving dinner is just a distant memory.

(Source: http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=7268)

Photos: Camera Girl Lydia

DSC_0015

Lydia is looking at the mirror on the back of this Bright Starts toy camera that was a gift from one of SiowFong's coworkers in January 2007. Lydia knows that mom and dad check the LCD screen on their digital cameras after taking some pictures, so she is following their examples.

DSC_3300

Lydia is composing her picture just before she clicks the shutter button. When the shutter button is pressed, the camera says "Smile!", "Awesome!", or "You look great!"

DSC_3307

Lydia is resting with Tigger the Tiger after a serious period of photo taking.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on April 23, 2008 in the living room of our home.

Photo note: Studio lighting for these pictures included one main light and two hair lights.

Photos: Lydia and Grape Cake

DSC_6335

Lydia is sitting in front of the grape cake that her Auntie MayLee made today.

DSC_6338

Ma Wee (Pour Pour), Lydia, and Auntie MayLee (the creator of this cake and many other tasty treats this week)

Note: SiowFong took both of these pictures on June 3, 2008 in the dining room of our home.

Photo note: The flash on the camera's hot shoe was aimed at the ceiling at about a 75 degree angle for this picture.

Photos: Lydia and Tea Time

DSC_5985

Lydia is serving Silvia some tea.

Lydia enjoys playing with the Disney Princess tea set, a recent gift from Marianna Baghdasaryan and Eddie, her son, and Lydia plays with the tea set nearly every day.

DSC_6000

Silvia is holding Tigger the Tiger, Lydia's inseparable friend, as Lydia prepares to serve Tigger some tea.

DSC_6014

Lydia is helping Tigger drink some tea.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on May 31, 2008 in the living room of our home when Silvia Navas, Lydia's Spanish learn and play instructor and one of my coworkers, came to play with, read to, and talk to Lydia.

Photos: Monkey Bar Slide

DSC_0013

Lydia is hanging from a monkey bar at the top of a three to four foot high slide.

DSC_0027

Lydia discovers another way to hang on the slide.

With this slide, Lydia was more interested in playing with the monkey bar than she was in sliding down the slide. Fortunately for her, many of the children who were playing at the park within the last hour had departed, so she was able to spend about twenty minutes on this playground apparatus.

DSC_0046

Lydia is sitting atop the slide.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on May 24, 2008 around 7:00 PM at Paramount Park in Shoreline, WA.

Lydia and the Telephone

June 6, 2008

Lydia and the Telephone

Until about a month ago, Lydia usually maintained a policy of silence with respect to speaking on the telephone. If prompted, Lydia occasionally managed to respond with a very soft “Hello” to the caller on the other end of the line. Within the last few weeks, Lydia’s telephone skills have increased somewhat.

Kristy Wee, one of her cousins who resides in Singapore and who has been visiting a friend in San Francisco for the last three weeks, is returning home tomorrow, so SiowFong called her this evening. During that call, SiowFong permitted Lydia to speak to Kristy. Below are Lydia’s soft-spoken words from tonight’s call to Kristy:

Lydia: “Hello”

Lydia: “How are you?”

Lydia: “This is Lydia Chin.”

Following that, SiowFong prompted Lydia to sing the “A B C” song and “Baaa Baaa Black Sheep”, another nursery rhyme, to Kristy, and Lydia complied with both requests. This was Lydia’s most advanced telephone interaction so far with anybody, and it will be interesting to hear what else Lydia will say on the phone to family or friends in the next few months.

Photos: Lydia and Fridge

DSC_6397

Lydia is helping auntie MayLee to put some filling for a special "turtle cake" (a special Malaysian dessert; it is not made of turtle despite the literal translation of its name) into the refrigerator.

DSC_6400

Although Lydia does not yet possess the strength to open the refrigerator door, she enjoys closing the refrigerator door, something that she intermittently has done for many, many months. She is getting ready to close the door.

DSC_6401

She is about halfway done with her task.

DSC_6402

The door is almost closed.

Note: All of these pictures were taken at 9:32 PM on June 4, 2008 in the kitchen of our home.

Photo notes: The main challenge of taking these photos is just how quick the action unfolds since those four pictures (part of a series of about 10 pictures) took place within the same minute. I followed MayLee and Lydia into the kitchen, quickly placed a Nikon SB-800 flash on the stove (which is not seen in the image but is just left of the camera), aimed its flash head at a 75 degree or 90 degree angle towards the ceiling, and began firing away with the camera. Atop the camera's hot shoe was a Nikon SU-800 commander unit that emitted an infrared signal to the flash to activate it for all these shots.

Photos: Lydia and Blueberry Muffin

DSC_6286

Lydia is holding an ice-cream cone shaped blueberry muffin that her aunt, MayLee, made today from scratch.

MayLee, a university librarian at the University of Monash in Melbourne, Australia, relishes baking, her hobby for the last few years, and MayLee usually bakes at least one thing a week (and sometimes two or three things per week). The aroma of her daily baked goods has permeated our home since her arrival a few days ago.

DSC_6293

Lydia, who is wearing the checkered pants given to her by Nelly Wee (her cousin), is peacefully sitting in her high chair and eating the blueberry muffin.

DSC_6297

Lydia is slowly eating her blueberry muffin that has been cut up into cubes while Ma Wee observes.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on June 3, 2008 in the dining room of our home.

Photos: Lydia and Grandma

DSC_6351

Lydia and Ma Wee (her maternal grandmother) are getting ready to eat some spaghetti, which are represented by the plastic-beaded necklaces that were given to Lydia a few months ago by Danyeal Jones, one of my colleagues.

DSC_6352

Lydia is feeding her Ma Wee some spaghetti.

Note: These pictures were taken on June 4, 2008 in the living room of our home.

Photos: Lydia, Aunty MayLee, and Ball

DSC_6324

Lydia and Auntie MayLee are smiling at a brief rest period during their game of catch.

DSC_6327

Lydia and Auntie MayLee are laughing as they play catch with the blue soccer ball.

DSC_6332

Lydia is pointing upwards toward the ceiling to show where Auntie MayLee tossed the ball before it came down.

Note: SiowFong took these pictures on June 3, 2008 around 5:30 PM in the living room of our home.

Home Time

June 4, 2008

Home Time

The presence of Ma Wee (Lydia’s Pour Pour or maternal grandmother) and Auntie MayLee has been great for Lydia, and her presence has delighted them as well. Ma Wee has cooked the main entrée for every dinner during this work week, so Lydia eats something new every day. In addition, Lydia sleeps in her crib during the night in her room with Ma Wee lying on the twin bed next to the crib, thus continuing the same sleeping situation that occurred last year when Ma Wee stayed with us from January through early June. The main difference this year is that while Lydia understands the Mandarin that Ma Wee speaks, Lydia does not answer in Mandarin, instead choosing to respond in English.

MayLee, who loves baking, has been baking something from scratch almost every day that she has been with us so far. On Sunday, it was Pandan cake (a special Malaysian cake). On Monday, MayLee made homemade blueberry muffins. Tuesday brought a grape cake. Tonight it was an orange cake that MayLee created for my coworkers. Lydia enjoyed the Pandan cake as well as the blueberry muffins. In addition, MayLee has been playing with Lydia, including bringing her outside the home to the yard. Finally, Lydia has relished the time that she has spent with her aunt during which MayLee has read a number of books to her.

Lydia has also brought joy to Ma Wee and MayLee. SiowFong and I have witnessed that Ma Wee and MayLee have laughed and smiled a lot during their few days with us so far in response to Lydia’s mannerisms, behavior, and words.

Photos: Toddler of the Month, Whizz Kids

T_840_1211951629734_rajni022.jpg

Lydia has a big smile on her face with this arts and crafts project.

Rajni, Lydia's day care teacher, wrote this on the Whizz Kids website for parents:

"Toddler o the Month: Lydia was painting her kite. She always showed her enthusiasm in her activities and always wants to do more. Lydia was playing with ther friends making bubbles, having lots of fun and learning about water and bubbles."

T_8401121952877062_rajni080.jpg

Lydia is squatting with two of her buddies.

T_840_1211952899343_rajni081.jpg

Lydia the carpenter

Note: All these photos were taken on May 27, 2008 by Rajni, Lydia's teacher in the toddler class, at Whizz Kids, her day care.

"I Poop Poop in the Potty"

June 3, 2008

“I Poop Poop in the Potty”

“Only your child can tell you (not in words, but through a variety of behaviors) when he or she has attained that magical combination of ability and desire that spells readiness for toileting. . .

Like crawling, walking, and talking, toilet learning is a developmental task, which every child should be allowed to master according to his or her own timetable. The time at which toilet learning is mastered in no way correlates with intelligence or success in other areas of development. . .” (Source: Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff, and Sandee Hathaway. What to Expect: The Toddler Years. Workman Publishing: 1996. pages 539-540)

Some milestones in a toddler’s life are watershed events, and one of these memorable occasions is using the potty successfully for the first time, something that Lydia accomplished this morning.

For months SiowFong and I have been encouraging Lydia to inform us before she goes poop poop so that we can bring her to her potty or the toilet. In addition, we have read Alona Frankel’s book, Once Upon a Potty, to her many times during that time period. Despite our efforts, Lydia first defecates in her diaper initially and then communicates to us that she has done so.

Today, however, was different. Around 9:30 AM, Lydia indicated to us that she had done her poop poop, but when I checked her, her diaper was clean. Then SiowFong and Pour Pour (Ma Wee) encouraged her to sit on her potty while they were sitting next to her. For the next fifteen minutes, nothing happened as Lydia quietly sat. Just before SiowFong and Ma Wee were about to take Lydia off the potty, Lydia did her poop poop. Ma Wee, SiowFong, Auntie MayLee, and I congratulated Lydia for her landmark achievement. Lydia smiled and laughed as she said, “I poop poop in the potty.”

Photos: Shopping at 99 Ranch Market

DSC_6174

Strolling the grocery store's aisles

(left to right): Lydia (foreground), Ma Wee (background), MayLee, and SiowFong

DSC_6182

Lydia is holding a can of DelMonte peas while examining other canned vegetables on the shelf.

DSC_6184

When I asked Lydia to put back the can of peas, she willingly did so.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on June 1, 2008 at the Ranch 99 Market, an Asian supermarket, in Edmonds, WA.

Photo note: Setting the proper white balance on a digital camera ensures that the photo will have the correct colors, particularly people's skin tones. White balance on the camera was set to fluorescent because the interior lights of the store are fluoresent lights. The ability to change white balance on digital cameras is a distinct advantage compared to film cameras. With a digital camera, the change to fluorescent white balance from auto white balance is relatively easy, requiring only a few steps on the camera's menu and / or turning one of the camera's knobs. With a film camera, magenta filters which are placed on the camera's lenses are required to correct for the excessive greens in fluorescent lighting when using daylight-balanced film.

Toddler of the Month

June 2, 2008

Toddler of the Month

Rajni, Lydia’s teacher in her toddler class, created a new award this month at her day care that is entitled Toddler of the Month. When SiowFong picked up Lydia from day care this afternoon, she learned from Rajni that Lydia is the first child to be honored as the Toddler of the Month. Rajni then explained to SiowFong the three principal reasons why Lydia was selected for this award. First, Lydia eagerly participates in all the indoor and outdoor activities. Second, Lydia willingly eats and finishes her lunch. Third, Lydia consistently obeys Rajni and Christine, Rajni’s assistant.

SiowFong beamed when she learned about Lydia’s award, and she kissed, hugged, and praised Lydia for being a good girl in school. After SiowFong brought Lydia home tonight and announced the news to Pour Pour and Auntie MayLee, they also were delighted. Later, when I returned home and SiowFong informed me about Lydia’s award, I wrapped Lydia up in my arms, kissed her, and thanked her for her obedience and good behavior in school. Today was yet another reminder of Jesus’ goodness to us and our families for bringing Lydia into our lives – not only to bless us but also to bless others.

Photos: Grandma Wee Arrived !!!

DSC_6157

Lydia is sitting on a rail that surrounds an elevator.

DSC_6163

Lydia and Grandma Wee ("Ma Wee"; her maternal grandmother or "Pour Pour") are sitting on a bench while MayLee and dad are retrieving the checked luggage.

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: These two pictures were taken on May 31, 2008 in the baggage claim area of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Photos: Airport Colorful Wall

DSC_6143

Lydia is touching some of the bicycle reflectors that are backlit by this giant light box.

Toddlers love to explore their world, and Lydia is no exception. She saw the colorful wall and then she walked towards it so that she could touch it.

DSC_6145

A close up shot of Lydia as she scrutinizes the colorful disks.

DSC_6147

A partial silhouette of Lydia as she is looking at her mom (who is not in the picture) while she is continuing to touch the colorful disks.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on May 31, 2008 in the baggage claim area at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Reunited with Pour Pour and Auntie MayLee

May 31, 2008

Reunited with Pour Pour and Auntie MayLee

It is hard to believe that nearly a year has passed since Lydia last saw Pour Pour (SiowFong’s mom or Ma Wee) [Pour Pour means maternal grandmother in Chinese] and Auntie MayLee (one of SiowFong’s two sisters). For the last few weeks, SiowFong and I have reinforced to Lydia that Pour Pour and Auntie MayLee would be coming to visit with us. In addition, because Lydia has seen the DVDs from our June 2007 trip to Malaysia so often during the last few weeks, she has been looking forward to see them.

We arrived at Sea-Tac airport shortly after 6:00 PM, which was about a half hour prior to the arrival of their flight. After seeing on the electronic information board that their plane had landed, we waited around the appropriate baggage claim area. At 6:40 PM, we walked to the base of the escalator where we thought we would see them. While I was standing on one side of the escalator, SiowFong and Lydia were on the other side, and since a bench was placed on the other side, Lydia was standing on the bench so that she could see the succession of passengers as they descended the escalator. At 6:50 PM, when she saw her mom and her sister at the top of the escalator, SiowFong announced, “There’s Pour Pour and Auntie MayLee!” Lydia, with a big smile on her face, rapidly and repeatedly stomped her feet in succession, which is a very reliable indicator of her excitement and joy. Within a minute or two, Pour Pour and Auntie MayLee were at the bottom of the escalator, and they were hugging us.

After retrieving their checked baggage, we went to the New Hong Kong Restaurant at the Pacific Rim Center in downtown Seattle to eat dinner before returning home. After we arrived home, Ma Wee and Auntie MayLee delivered a number of gifts to Lydia, including an assortment of clothes, a child’s sized umbrella, and some pencils. We are looking forward to being with MayLee for the next three weeks and with Ma Wee for the next four months.

Photos: Saturday Spanish Lesson

DSC_6026

Silvia Navas, Lydia's Spanish teacher, is reading to Lydia from Disney's Spanish Picture Dictionary.

Learning a second or third language is tough, even for young, pliable minds, because language acquisition depends on regular reinforcement and exposure. Silvia did her best to ask Lydia to say the Spanish names for a number of things, including colors, but Lydia kept replying in English.

DSC_6102

Lydia is turning the pages of her current favorite book, First Virtues for Toddlers, while Silvia observes. This book features twelve stories about attributes, including kindness, truthfulness, love, patience, forgiveness, friendship, gratitude, obedience, joy, sharing, manners, and industriousness, and each story provides concrete examples that really help toddlers to understand the key points.

DSC_6108

Lydia has found the page for which she was looking, which brings a smile to her face. Silvia is happy because Lydia is happy.

Note: These pictures were taken on May 31, 2008 in the living room of our home.

Photo note: Lighting for these images resulted from a portable Nikon SB-800 flash that was set at 14 mm and mounted on a lightstand that was shot through a 43-inch Westcott white umbrella (which was placed about 3-5 feet away from Silvia or Lydia). Using an infrared signal, a Nikon SU-800 commander unit on the camera's hot shoe triggered the remote Nikon flash, and the white balance on the camera was set to flash.