Photos: Wights Nursery

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Lydia is riding a bear.

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Ma Wee and Lydia

Note: SiowFong wanted Ma Wee to experience a nursery festooned with Christmas decor, so they made a trip to Wights Nursery this afternoon.

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Lydia is standing among a number of garden decorations.

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Lydia is holding a trumpet.

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Pretty in Pink Lydia is next to a lot of pink decor.

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Lydia is interested in touching this display of Santa, Rudolph, and another reindeer.

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on November 20, 2010 at Wights Nursery in Lynnwood, WA.

Photos: New House, November 20, 2010

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Lydia prepares to go down the slide.

Note: The playset was just assembled earlier this week, so Lydia was excited to try it.

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Lydia is swinging in the tire swing.

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Deck with deck bench

Building note: The brown-colored material for the floor of the deck and the bench is a product called Trex Transcend, and the white-colored material for the side of the deck and the bench is a product called Azek. The key advantages of these materials are durability and extremely low maintenance.

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Lydia is small enough to fit into the bucket swing.

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Lydia is standing beside the Circus Palace playset made by Rainbow Play Systems.

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on November 20, 2010 in the back yard of the new house.

Photos: Lahmidi Family

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Katrina Lahmidi (Sami's and Zaine's mom), Sami Lahmidi, Lydia, and Zaine Lahmidi are sitting on the love seat.

Note: The Lahmidi family have been the neighbors who have lived directly across the street from us for the last two to three years.

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Sami, Zaine, Agee (Sami's and Zaine's paternal aunt whose nickname is Gigi), and Lydia

Note: Lydia has played with Sami and Zaine inside their home, and all of them have used sidewalk chalk to draw pictures on the driveway together.

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Lydia, Omar Lahmidi (Zaine's and Sami's dad), and Sami

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Group picture on big sofa

(left to right): Lydia, Katrina, Zaine, Sami, and grandpa Al Crane

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Gigi with the three kids

Note: All of these pictures were taken on November 12, 2010 in our home when the Lahmidi family came to our home for dinner.

Photos: Operation Christmas Child

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School supplies, personal hygiene items, and toys surround the four little volunteers for Operation Christmas Child 2010.

Upper landing area

Note: Operation Christmas Child is an annual tradition for our family since it is a tangible way for all of us to demonstrate God's love to others.

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Close up view of the children of the Kaing and Chin families

Upper landing area

Note: Operation Christmas Child is a ministry sponsored by Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief and development organization based in Boone, North Carolina that is headed by Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son. The purpose of this effort is to give Christmas gifts in the form of shoeboxes which are filled with small toys, personal hygiene items, and school supplies to children living in developing countries.

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Lydia is dropping a comb into each shoebox.

Living room

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Kyvin is taking care of filling the shoeboxes for the boys while Lydia is doing the same for the girls. Mayfanna Li, Kyvin's mother, is assisting them.

Living room

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After the shoeboxes are filled with the various items, everyone helps to rearrange the materials in the shoeboxes so that everything fits nicely.

(left to right): Mayfanna Li, SiowFong, Lydia, Kaden Kaing (background), Matt Kaing and Kyvin Kaing (midground)

Living room

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Lydia and Dad are putting rubber bands around the boxes.

Living room

Photographer: Mayfanna Li

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Mom, Lydia, and Dad

Living room

Photographer: Mayfanna Li

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Four little helpers

(left to right): Lydia, Kyvin, Kayla, and Kaden

Upper landing area

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Lydia, Kayla, and Kyvin

Upper landing area

Note: All of these pictures were taken on November 7, 2010 in our home.

Photos: With Davis and Iris Zhen

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Iris Li and Davis Zhen are laughing as they play with Lydia after dinner.

Note: Iris, who is one of Lydia's dad's coworkers, and Davis have started the process of having two homes built in Lynnwood, one for themselves and one for Davis' parents; as a result, we invited them to our home for dinner tonight to share with them our homebuilding experiences with respect to our new home.

Note: This photo was taken on October 29, 2010 in the living room of our home.

Photos: Uncle Ashwin

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Lydia thinks that Uncle Ashwin is like a toy horse.

Note: Lydia always looks forward to visits from Uncle Ashwin Rao, whose patience and fun-loving nature enthralls Lydia.

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"Come Fly with Me"

Note: Lydia smiles and laughs a lot when playing with uncle Ashwin.

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Uncle Ashwin taps Lydia gently on her forehead.

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Lydia is trying to press uncle Ashwin's cheeks to release the pocket of air inside his mouth.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 13, 2011 when Uncle Ashwin Rao came to our home for dinner.

Photos: Leavenworth Town

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Restaurant in town at dusk

Photographer: Tom

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Mountain goat

Photographer: Tom

Note: Locals tell us that this mountain goat is quite tame and comes up the golf course to see the visitors who cross over the bridge that leads to downtown Leavenworth.

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Lydia has climbed inside an inflatable.

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: A local business operates two inflatables at the town square, and these attractions are quite popular with the children who visit the town.

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Lydia is standing outside a toy store.

Photographer: SiowFong

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Lydia is holding her ice cream cone inside this candy store.

Photographer: SiowFong

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Photographing the photographers

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: While Nelly and Tom were taking pictures of Lydia, SiowFong took this picture of the three of them.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on the evening of October 8, 2010 in Leavenworth, WA.

Photos: Leavenworth Pumpkins

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What are those growths on this pumpkin?

Photographer: Nelly Wee

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Lydia is standing in front of some pumpkins.

Photographer: Nelly Wee

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Nelly and Lydia amidst the pumpkins

Photographer: SiowFong

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Pumpkin wagon

Photographer: Tom

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Lydia and SiowFong load a pumpkin into the minivan so that Lydia can draw a Jack O'Lantern on it after we return home.

Photographer: Tom

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Lydia is standing beside a raccoon dressed in a pumpkin outfit.

Photographer: SiowFong

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Lydia is posing beside the entrance sign.

Photographer: SiowFong

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 10, 2010 at Prey's Fruit Barn in Leavenworth, WA.

Photos: Leavenworth Family Photo 2

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Dad, Lydia (with her camera), and mom

Ohme Garden

Wenatchee, WA

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Playful family picture at the Totem Pole Lodge

Ohme Gardens

Wenatchee, WA

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Same family but different pose

(note how the mood of the picture changed with the change in how the people were posed)

Totem Pole Lodge

Ohme Gardens

Wenatchee, WA

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Cropping the above photo (DSC_3751) created this image that was sent out with the Chinese New Year cards to family and friends in January 2011.

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"Peek a Boo"

Wenatchee River County Park

Wenatchee, WA

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We are standing beside a stout tree.

Wenatchee River County Park

Wenatchee, WA

Note: Nelly Wee, one of Lydia's cousins, took all of these pictures on October 9, 2010 on our trip to Leavenworth, WA and Wenatchee, WA

Photos: Leavenworth Family Photo

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The overcast skies created the balanced, diffused (soft) lighting that made this day a great one for outdoor portaits.

Totem Pole Lodge

Ohme Gardens

Wenatchee, WA

October 9, 2010

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This family picture was taken at the place in the gardens where a number of outdoor wedding portraits are made.

Ohme Gardens

Wenatchee, WA

October 9, 2010

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We took a group photo before our dinner arrived tonight.

King Ludwig's Restaurant

Leavenworth, WA

October 9, 2010

Note: SiowFong wanted Ma Wee and Nelly to try some German food, so that is why she wanted to eat dinner at this restaurant tonight.

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Picturesque locations are not necessarily always located at the popular tourist attractions. As we were filling the minivan's gas tank at the Safeway grocery store, we saw this crimson ivy that adorned a two-story high retaining wall, so we stopped to take a few family portraits before we left Leavenworth to return home to Seattle.

Safeway supermarket parking lot

Leavenworth, WA

October 10, 2010

Photo note: A tripod is essential for making group portraits, and all four pictures on this page required the use of a tripod.