Goodbye Hillard Family

I have been a part of a group of moms who all speak Mandarin since Vincent was about 9 months old. I started the group because I thought we could have playdates in Mandarin so the children can learn to speak. That goal didn't work out exactly as I imagine. Instead, we have created a close community of Chinese friends for our children. There's some Mandarin spoken when we're together, some better than others. The most valuable aspect of this group is the culture and friendships. We have celebrated Chinese New Year together for the past few years. We get together once in a while and cook Chinese food while our kids play in the background. We attend Chinese storytimes and other cultural events together. Some of our children attend Chinese school together. The group has become more than what my intended goal was, and I feel so fortunate to have these families in our life.

This week, one family will be moving out of Seattle, to New York. We had a going away party for the Hillard family: Brooke, Virany, Rowan and Newu. We're really going to miss them. There was delicious ribs that Angela made, zhong zhe that Suji made, an array of snacks, and Old School Frozen Custard. The kids ran around destroying the house. At one point, all the blankets and sheets were off of Sabriya's bed. Then, a few of them were in the bathroom with a bunch of cups, "making paint." Hmmmm. The house we were at has a treehouse in the backyard and a hammock. Those were popular. Of course, we had the only boys in the bunch, but they did great with all the gals. It was a roarin' good time.