Lydia's Journey to America: 2008-09-28

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Photos: With Mom on the Sofa

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Mom, Lydia, and Tigger the Tiger are resting on the big sofa.

When mom returns home after a day of work, she usually spends a few minutes playing with Lydia before supper starts.

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Mom and Lydia are looking at Tigger.

Note: Both of these pictures were taken on August 13, 2008 in the living room of our home.

Pa Chin is pushing Lydia as she plays on the swings while Ma Chin observes. Whenever Lydia sees a playground when she is riding in a car, she excitedly says, "Playground!", and the happy look on her face in this picture is typical whenever she has an opportunity to play in this setting.

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In these self-propelled swings that are anchored to the ground, Lydia is the lone rider as it gently sways back and forth.

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Mom is videotaping Lydia as she turns the seat on this piece of playground equipment while Lydia's grandparents watch her in action.

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This special playground apparatus consists of two landing areas and a chair lift in between them. While Pa Chin is turning the crank to move the chair lift on which Lydia and another girl is sitting, SiowFong is using the camcorder to record the action.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 16, 2008 at Magnolia Park in Seattle, WA.

Photos: Lydia and the Giant Flemish Bunny

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Lydia is carefully observing the giant flemish bunny, a pet of one of the vendors at the Farmers Market. This was Lydia's favorite experience at the market. While her grandparents were looking at fruits, vegetables, and bakery items, Lydia spent most of her time in this booth as she watched and studied the bunny.

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Lydia is reaching inside the cage to try to pet the bunny.

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Lydia's arm is just long enough to touch the bunny's ear.

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Lydia intently examines the bunny from another vantage point.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 16, 2008 at the Saturday Farmers Market at Magnolia Park in Seattle, WA.

Photos: Lydia and Mommy at Magnolia Park

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With her mom gently moving the seesaw up and down, Lydia (who is wearing the light blue hat in the midground of the picture) is sitting on the seesaw with another boy.

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Mom and Lydia are sitting on the swings that move gently back and forth.

Note: Both of these pictures were taken on August 16, 2008 at Magnolia Park in Seattle, WA.

Photos: Lydia at Magnolia Park

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During the Saturday Farmers Market at the park, Pa and Ma Chin are looking at some fresh vegetables while Lydia and Ma Wee are looking elsewhere. SiowFong is videotaping the action.

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Lydia is considering which is the next playground equipment that she will try.

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Lydia is resting briefly before she proceeds further to the slides.

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Lydia is sitting on a seat that gently swings.

Several corporations, including Amgen and Microsoft, donated funds to upgrade Magnolia Park a few years ago, and the variety and uniqueness of the playground equipment demonstate that those funds were well spent.

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While Pa Chin, Ma Chin, her mom, and Ma Wee are looking at some pastries, Lydia has her attention focused on something else.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 16, 2008 at Magnolia Park in Seattle, WA.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Photos: Lydia at Green Lake Wading Pool

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Lydia is examining a toy in the wading pool.

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Lydia has found another new toy.

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Wearing her Dora the Explorer pink rubber crocs and her blue swimsuit, Lydia is walking briskly through the pool.

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Another girl is sharing some of her toys with Lydia.

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Standing on the bank of the pool, Lydia is holding two toys that she found in the grass, a blue ball and a doll.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 15, 2008 at Green Lake Park in Seattle, WA.

Photos: Lydia and Mommy at Green Lake

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Mom and Lydia (with her corn on the cob)

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Lydia and her mom are stepping into the expansive wading pool at the park, the largest of its kind in the area.

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While her mom is observing her, Lydia is playing with the water in the wading pool, following the examples of the many other children who were doing the same thing there. The wading pool attracts many families that have young children, especially during the summer months.

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Lydia and her mom are strolling in the wading pool.

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A pink and green plastic wheelbarrow has momentarily captured Lydia's attention.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 15, 2008 at Green Lake Park in Seattle, WA.

Photos: Green Lake Picnic 2

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Lydia is observing the children who are playing in the water at the wading pool while she is holding a corn on the cob.

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Standing besides Ma Wee, who had finished her dinner, Lydia dines on the corn on the cob, one of her favorite foods that she rarely has an opportunity to eat. Her mom thinks that Lydia also likes the idea of holding a corn on the cob since Lydia consistently enjoys holding a chicken drumstick while she eats it.

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A very happy evening for the Little Princess

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 15, 2008 at Green Lake Park in Seattle, WA.

Photos: Green Lake Picnic 1

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In the wading pool, Lydia, who is attired in her swimsuit, is walking towards a red bucket while her mom follows her. On the far bank of the wading pool are Pa Chin, Ma Wee, and Ma Chin as they observe Lydia.

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Lydia and her mom head towards the shore.

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Lydia, her mom, Ma Chin, Pa Chin, and Ma Wee are enjoying a picnic dinner at the park near its wading pool. The meal consisted of stir-fried noodles that Ma and Pa Chin made, Kentucky fried chicken, corn on the cob, baked beans, biscuits, grape tomatoes, and watermelon. Lydia's mom thought that this would be a special experience for Lydia's grandparents, and she was absolutely correct.

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Lydia (who is holding a corn on the cob in her left hand), Ma Chin, Pa Chin, dad, and Ma Wee

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 15, 2008 at Green Lake Park in Seattle, WA.

Photos: Grandparents at Gas Works Park

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Pa Chin, Ma Chin, and Lydia join other spectators as they look at the Seattle skyline.

"This 20 acre point on Lake Union was cleared in 1906 to construct a plant to manufacture gas from coal - later converted to crude oil. Import of natural gas in the 1950's made the plant obsolete. The city acquired the site for a park in 1962. The park was opened to the public in 1975. The boiler house has been converted to a picnic shelter with tables, fire grills and an open area. The former exhauster-compressor building, now a children's play barn, features a maze of brightly painted machinery." (Source: Seattle Parks and Recreation website)

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A close up view of Ma Chin, Lydia, and Pa Chin as they gaze at Lake Union

Whereas many parks feature swings, slides, and other playground apparatus for young children, the main activities for children at Gas Works Park are walking down the paths and seeing the scenery.

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A crew team is practicing for a future race on Lake Union

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Ma Chin, Lydia, and Pa Chin are bathed in the golden light that occurs near sunset.

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Pa Chin, Ma Chin, and Lydia are walking towards the parking lot after their enjoyable evening at the park. The iconic structure of Seattle, the Space Needle, is easily seen in the background on the right.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 13, 2008 at Gas Works Park in Seattle, WA.

Photos: Grandparents' Portraits

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(left to right): Ma Chin, Lydia (with a Tigger the Tiger in each of her hands), Pa Chin, and Ma Wee

Dining room

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Lydia and Ma Chin

Dining room

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Ma Wee, Lydia, and Tigger the Tiger

Living room

Note: All of these pictures were taken on August 13, 2008 in our home.

Photos: Down the Slide

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The playground at Northgate Park is just one or two years old, and Lydia is walking around this new apparatus to reach a slide again.

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Down the slide Lydia goes !

Note: SiowFong took both of these pictures on August 12, 2008 at Northgate Park in Seattle, WA using the camcorder as she recorded Lydia's time here with her grandparents.