Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover, no Matter how Cute it Seems!

Hosanna Joy Jinata. A little 2 (nearly 3) year old who lives in the Jinata house. She's quite cute in appearance, with Shirley Temple curls in her hair and an affinity for dresses, jewelry, shoes, purses, and everything else girly. She is a slow talker, but her mind comprehends much more than one would expect. She is constantly being reminded to do courteous things like share and to obey rules like this is so-and-so's so we musn't take it from them (but, everything is hers of course).

One rule that she has yet to submit to is that no means no, and asking someone else will not change the fact that someone already said no. We try hard daily to explain this to her, but it is difficult when not all people are present all at once. One tends to lack the current news or activity, and then the attempt crumbles.

It was on such a normal day that Hosanna spotted a bag of Frito's Honey Barbecue chips on the counter in the kitchen. She approached my mother and asked her for some. My mother, in turn, said no. It was not but one minute later when I strolled into the kitchen from upstairs. I too spotted the chips, and because I was old enough to eat without having to ask permission I took the bag and ate one myself. Hosanna came up to me and asked me for some. Not knowing what had previously occured, I handed her one. Hosanna, still holding the chip, approached my mother once again. This time, she waved the chip in front of my mother and said,

"Ha ha."

My mother was completely speechless, considering she was laughing so hard that she couldn't speak anyway. I suppose Hosanna did understand the rule, after all. She had simply decided to cheat it. She's much smarter than her appearance gives her credit for, so be awares!!!

-Jelaya Jinata

Not Me!

We have piano lessons every friday afternoon, so during that time the four of us (me, Sophia, Gabby, and Victoria) are all freaking out (The piano teacher comes to our house). Are we ready? Can we throw in extra practice? It's always nerve-wrecking. We practice through the week, but there's always things to work on. My mom always tells me to open the blinds to the front room where the piano is. The room becomes brighter, but the air grows darker all the more. I practice warily, glancing outside every few minutes expecting the piano teacher's large van to be there. It's scary, but it's also something we go through because we want to improve. I don't hate it; it's simply scary.

We decide beforehand who goes first, second, third and last. All you can hear is, "Not me! Not me!"

Today, Sophia was practicing as we were waiting for the teacher to arrive. Normally he parks his van right in front of the house where we can see it from the piano. Whoever's at the piano will yell, "He's here!" This time, he parked on the other side of the house where we can't see from the front windows, and I caught him walking towards our house.

"He's here!"

Alarm rises, and the air gets stiff. Sophia hastens to the door saying, "Who's going first?" and upstairs I can hear Victoria and Gabby both yelling, "Not me!" I was walking towards the kitchen with some dishes to put in the sink.

Sophia in turn yells, "Not me!" as she opens the front door with the piano teacher standing right in front of it.

......Oops.

The piano teacher stands there and asks, "Who's going first?"

Anyway, Sophia wound up going first.

-Jelaya

Whispers

Frankly speaking, Gabby is the one among us who is the worst at keeping secrets (Hosanna doesn't really count, I suppose). She also whipsers very loudly. Sometimes, these qualities turn out to be her undoing.

One day, Gabby and Victoria were playing a game of Go Fish with each other. I was supervising them to make sure they played correctly. I was also sitting next to Gabby. Gabby's turn was just over when she bent over towards me and whispered, "I have two Jacks. What should I do?"

I cried, "Gabby!" and caught a glimpse of Victoria smiling slyly.

A few days later, Gabby, Victoria, Sophia, and I were all playing another game of Go Fish. It was Victoria's turn, and she asked me, "Jelaya, do you have any eights?"

I said, "Go fish."

Seeing as they were sitting next to each other, Gabby leaned over to Sophia and whispered, "Good thing she didn't ask me!"

"Gabby!" Sophia and I cried, and Victoria smiled again.

-Jelaya

Ghetto Vallejo...or Something Else?

A couple of days ago, all of us drove to the Blockbuster here in Vallejo to drop off a movie. My mom gazed over to the Hollywood Videos as we drove into the Blockbuster parking lot and recalled that the last time she came here, a club of low-riders took up all of the parking space at Hollywood Videos. They didn't go in to buy anything, but just hung out there. When we left Blockbuster, we saw an abandoned Raley's cart on the sidewalk by the bus stop.


Then, my dad asked Gabby and Victoria, "What do you girls think when you see that?"


Victoria replied, "Vallejo! Vallejo people are GAY!"


Silence...


Then hysterical laughter.

I think she meant to say "ghetto," but oh, well...

-Jelaya

Memoir of Something Scary...(don't read this if you're scared!)

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU'RE SCARED!

This was actually a while back. Gabby was about 5 at the time. We still lived on Phelan Avenue, in the more getto part of Vallejo. Our house was small and condensed, with slabs of rock covering most of the front. It was a bit after lunch I would say, when Gabby and Victoria were both running around the house. Gabby had some kind of black ring on her left pointing finger , but nobody noticed it until...well, you'll see in a little bit.

I think it was around dinner time when my mom found out what had happened. She was preparing to give the babies a bath, and she noticed Gabby's finger. She freaked out, really! We all rushed over to see what the problem was. It turned out that Gabby had wrapped a small black rubber hairtie around her finger pretty tightly...It had been there for several hours by the time my parents removed it. The tip of her finger above where the band had been was shriveled and dark purple, like a raisin. We all knew that it may have had to be amputated.

Well, I got freaked out! My mom gave the babies a quick bath. My parents were waiting to see if it would get any better...but nothing had changed. After the bath, my dad took Gabby to the ER at Kaiser. I don't know what happened there.

When they came back, however, things were looking up! Gabby's finger was a bit more plump than before, and the skin had almost returned to its pink fleshy tone. It was still a little purple. We were all really relieved! Her finger would live to see tomorrow!

Now, her fingertip has returned to normal, but her nail had fallen off. The nail that grew back was not the same size, but that doesn't bother us. At least her finger is okay. Everyone in my family knows now never to wrap things too tightly around fingers...or, something like that. I will forever be psychologically distressed whenever I think about it. Like the kids in Signs.

And that concludes my attempt to relay this particular recollection of memories that may have shocked you...

-Jelaya

Hosanna's Training

Well, now that Hosanna has learned to talk and stuff, our mom decided that it was time to start potty training her. Fortunately, we bought a toilet before we started training her. Every now and then, we have that short little conversation.

"Do you need to go pee-pee?"

"Nnnnope."

"Do you need to go poo-poo?"

"Nnnnope."

We've also been trying to get her on the toilet in time when we can tell that she's going something, but we haven't been successful yet...*sigh* Hopefully, we can get her to understand the concept of her telling us before she goes, not after.

-Sophia

Fourth of July (and some mishaps)

Two days ago was the 4th of July, and our friend Mod was with us at the time. That night, we had planned to watch the foreworks at Marine World from our court. It didn't work out because the view wasn't very good. Instead, we drove to the parking lot at Best Buy. We had a good view, and my dad explained to us the escape plan for when the fireworks ended and everyone started driving home. I'm telling you, I was just not getting along with the hot cocoa that night. First, the cup I had was leaking, so I appeared to have wet myself...Good thing it was dark out...

The fireworks at the waterfront began first. They were a bit far off, but we were able to see them. Good thing I brought my glasses! Those ones lasted about five to seven minutes. They were really nice. I liked the "chandelier" fireworks. Is that what they're called?

Not even one second after the fireworks at the water front ended, the fireworks at Marine World began. Maybe they planned it all out somehow. They were closer up than the water front fireworks, so that was nice. However, the fireworks were very, very short. The grand finale started not even two minutes after the show began! In all, the fireworks show at Marine World lasted no longer than three minutes, four minutes if that. We were all so dissapointed! After this year, my family and I have all unanimously agreed that we will never watch Marine World fireworks again.

Therefore, we Jinatas (and Mod) had one interesting night. It was, overall, a nice time to be with my family and enjoy a time of relaxing under the stars, drinking hot cocoa on a woven mat with many comfy blankets under the black speckled sky, and watching fireworks explode overhead. Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

P.S. I couldn't find a Fourth of July picture with my mom in it, so I added another one!

-Jelaya

A Day Spent in the City

Since Friday, Mod has been staying with us. (Mod is one of the Thai students that we helped during the Discovery Kingdom incident a couple of years ago.) She was visiting us during a short vacation after working as a nanny in Virginia. On Saturday, we went to San Francisco to meet up with another Thai student named Kwan (as in Tae Kwon Do) , a.k.a. Nida.

When we first arrived in SF, it was all the girls, our dad, and Mod. (Our mom was at work.) My dad had to go back to Vallejo and pick up our mom from work so he said that Jelaya and I could stick around with Mod and Kwan for the day. For the whole day, we went around San Francisco (staying close to Union Square) and looked in a whole bunch of shops. However, before we started, we went to eat a Japanese cuisine restaurant. Once we had full bellies, the four of us started our adventure. We went to Macy's, Payless, H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch, Shoe Pavilion, American Eagle, and, one of my favorite stores ever, Forever 21. Then, after walking around for a bunch, we had a rest at Starbucks. Mod got a grande caramel machiatto frappuccino (I think), Kwan got a grande green tea frappuccino, and Jelaya and I shared a venti iced vanilla latte.

Kwan had earlier planned to go home with us, but something came up and we departed at Starbucks. Jelaya, Mod, and I headed for Union Square, where my mom would pick us up and take us home. We had time to spare by the time we arrived at the square, so Jelaya and I bought some chocolates for ourselves and our dad from that See's Candies booth. As we waited for our mom to pick us up, we observed many things in the city.

First, we saw a hobo with a sign that said, "Need cash for alcohol research". He sure does. Then, we saw this weird guy who was in front of the Macy's that was across the street from the square. He was saying, "Hey", really loud and maniacally yelling. Just a really strange guy...Jelaya looked at me and said, "Maybe he's with Trigger Happy TV." and we just laughed out loud. Lastly, there was a dude crossing the street towards Macy's. He had the tightest tank top and pants in the world on. The odd thing about him was that he had really small legs and...Well, let's just say that his upper body wasn't the same size as his lower body. His gut was just blurping over his pants and it was just REALLY gross to look at. Overall, our trip to the city was a lot of fun and I'd like to do it again someday.

-Sophia

Thrillride

Today my dad bought a motorcycle, only 5 minutes before going to bible study. It's a big black Honda that he got as a very good deal, with sidebags, a windshield, and a back seat included in the price. They're not here yet, but they're coming. He also bought two helmets, and a jacket for himself.

After bible study, my dad drove around a bit before finally coming home. Then, he took my mom for a ride around the block (but we live in a court...). They came back about 7 minutes later. My dad wanted to take me for a ride next. I quickly put on pants and some shoes and raced down the stairs. My dad had a thick leather jacket for me to wear, so I put it on. I squeezed the stuffy black helmet onto my head after. It was a cool helmet that covered the whole head, not just the top. My mom buckled it for me. Before we headed out the door, I said, "Wait. Let me bring my medicine, just in case." My parents laughed and replied, "What do you need you medicine for?" Haha...I brought it anyway. I hastily took a puff and crammed the inhalor back into my pocket as we walked towards the dark motorcycle. My dad sat down and started up the engine. I burnt my leg a bit on the muffler getting on the back seat.

The start was a bit bumpy. I thought the motorcycle was broken. I thought, Am I too heavy? Honest. I wrapped my arms around my dad's waist very tightly. As we turned left out of the court, the motorcycle slowed down. Then, I felt my dad switch gears, and we blasted off with a sudden burst of speed! I tightened my grip, not wanting to fall off. "You're holding on too tight, I can't control it," my dad said. So I reluctantly loosened my grip, grasping tightly at hard folds in his new leather jacket. Imagine trying to hold tightly loosely. That's how I can describe it. I was freaked out! I was prepared to die. I thought we were going to get hit by a car or something. As we drove down a long road, my dad upped the ammo and we sped down into the darkness. I felt like we would travel to another time or something, we were going so fast! We could've ridden on like there was no tomorrow.

On the way back to the house, I felt a little bit more comfortable. I knew to brace myself when the red lights turned green. Slowness, then burst of speed. As we turned into Borges Lane and in the direction of our house, I was enjoying the joyride. We drove down the lonely, sleepy road with nothing but the full moon high in the dark sky too see it. No companions for the full moon that I could see. Just a lazy airplane sputtering along. At least, I think it was an airplane. I didn't have my glasses on. It could've been a really bright star...Then, we turned onto Cimarron Court, the end of my horrifyingly terrific thrillride.

-Jelaya

Father's Day!

For Father's Day this year, Jelaya and I wanted to give our dad something better than what we got him last year. We went out for a day with our disciplers, Cindy and Michelle, a couple weeks ago. After we grabbed some food to eat, the four of us walked around in Borders, where Jelaya and I found the perfect card for Father's Day. Before we gave it to him, Jelaya scanned it to the computer and this it what it looked like.
On the inside it said,

Thanks for always being there...

(can I borrow 50 bucks?)

Happy Father's Day, Dad

When we saw this at the store, Jelaya and I could not stop cracking up. [Thankfully] However, we did get him a John MacArthur commentary book on John 1-11. And, our mom got him some clothes that he needed.

In the morning, I would like to say that we gave him a breakfast in bed, but he was already up when we finished cooking. Jelaya made him eggs and I made him toast. But, overall, it was a pretty good Father's Day this year.

-Sophia

Earthquake!!!

There was an earthquake today! Wow! It was pretty scary! I mean, for it to reach all the way over here in Vallejo. It felt as if some giant had given our house a quick shove. The news said that the epicenter was in Green Valley. It was 3.9 magnitude. My dad was at work at the time (he still is). He called us to see if we were ok, and we were fine. He said that the whole mall shook, so it must have been pretty bad in Fairfield. I pray for the safety of everyone up there!
-Jelaya

P.S. That was my first earthquake that I experienced. Pretty thrilling, I have to say!

Tattletelling

>sigh<...Hosanna told her first tattle tale today. I was in the kitchen making breakfast with my mom. Hosanna walked in, pointed somewhere and said, "Ma, sha hit ja." Then, she walked up to my mom and said, "Ma, sha hit ja." All I know is, somebody hit somebody! Well, she forgot aobut it when she saw the food =D

The Inn at Benicia Bay

Today I went with my mom to help work at the Inn at Benicia Bay. She's a housekeeper there along with Mrs. Hayes. There were eight rooms at that time that were just finished being used, so my mom and Mrs. Hays had a lot of work on their hands. Her boss agreed to let me help out today.

There are nine rooms total, and they each have different themes. Each room is expertly decorated with beautiful antique furniture. We had to clean out eight of the nine rooms. The things that I mostly did were vacuum the rugs, fold the laundry, and cover the beds. I learned to fold everything in a special way and fold the sheets into bundled sets. I have to admit that it was fun!

Working there was like going back in time. It was a place tucked away, indifferent to the world outside. Everything was so elegant, I felt like I was dreaming. When I took my first step through the back into the dining room of the Inn, it smelled deliciously of breakfast. I could smell the sausages and toast in the warm room. It smelled really yummy!

While I was folding sheets and towels on the second floor in the room Oceana (in the picture there), I heard Mrs. Hayes turn on the radio. I couldn't hear it very well, but I continued with my folding without thinking about it directly. I was listening nevertheless. The faint song sounded like a western cowboy type of song. The only thing that I could make out was, "Law Mckenzie, who had a kiss black eye and a shock in the mole..." I heard the same thing over and over...of course I think I heard wrong!

There was a room downstairs where we kept the vacuum and water bottles for the rooms downstairs, among other things. My mom had asked me to bring more water bottles downstairs because we were out. As I finished placing the bottles atop the wine rack, I turned left to exit the room. Being the klutz that I am, I walked right into the door. Now, I have a bruise above my left eye.

Anyhow, working for the day at the Inn at Benicia Bay was very fun although it was work. I may work there sometime again next week if the boss (was it Bob?) lets me. Going there was like an adventure!

-Jelaya

Busted! An aspect of our daily life.

Today, my mom was shredding papers in her room with the paper shredder. And you know how little kids are. Turn your back on them for a second and...well...Ok so she was shredding paper. Then, the turned around for a second. By then, Hosanna had managed to stick a CD in the mouth of the paper shredder! I was in the school room down the hall when I heard, "Ah, Hosanna!!!!" Here are some pictures of the incident.


The CD just so happened to be the only copy of my dad's most favorite music. He came home about 10 minutes later, so my little sisters couldn't wait to tell him the news. I have to say, he seemed to find it both upsetting and funny! I think we all did. Ah, well all is forgiven now, and we are all going to watch the rest of the Avatar tonight. That's life, I suppose. No matter what, God is in control of it all, so it's all good =D.

-Jelaya

It's about time!

Well, I'm finally able to post a blurb on our family blog! As a busy mom of 5 beautiful daughters, I always find something more important to do than to spend time sitting at a computer. It's easy to say to yourself, "Oh, I'm just going to check my email," but then you suddenly remember all the things your were going to check or look up the next time you get a chance to "surf". It's so easy to go off on different tangents once you're online. Before you know it, an hour has gone by and you're suddenly brought back to the real world when one of your kids is having a traumatic moment.

Anyway, we recently took a day trip to Lake Berryessa. This was a day of fun and rest which was greatly needed before our last push and surge into homeschooling. We are now in the home stretch until our summer vacation starts. Jelaya and Sophia just took their last college final on Friday, May 23. Needless to say, they are relieved. Now they just have to finish up their "regular" school work. I am indeed proud of the both of them. They have both worked very hard and diligently this past semester and they have truly reaped the rewards. Sophia passed her Calculus class and Jelaya passed her English 1 class with flying colors. We are looking forward to our last day of class in June.

The New Do

Well, Jelaya recently got her hair done and she looks REALLY different. But it looks so cute! >.<

While we were waiting for the two of them to get done, we walked around and grabbed a few snacks and munchies. Pineapple buns,

moon cake, yogurt drinks, orange-flavored marshmellows, Red Bean bread, Vitamilk (yum).... We also took a couple of pictures of Jelaya sitting in the salon chair.

While we were waiting, we decided that we would get some Ten Ren Tea before we left Ranch 99. Ten Ren Tea is like Tapioca Express but I think it has more flavors. We got the strawberry and lychee flavors. (Yum yum...)

After an hour or two, here is what the finished product looked like... (and also a picture of me but I didn't get my hair done)

-Sophia

Carnival!

Today was really fun! We went to Landon's birthday party, which had a carnival theme. Mrs. Linda came dressed as a clown and made balloon toys for the kids. There were miniature games in the backyard, like coin toss, ring toss, fishing for little duckies, knocking over bottles, and shooting with a toy gun. Everybody had so much fun! The kids really enjoyed getting tickets and turning them in for prizes.

We had all of the carnival snacks too! There were caramel apples, popcorn, hot dogs, fruits, and barbeque chicken. The cake was make of several cupcakes smushed together. Mrs. Lee iced the cupcakes, and Sohpia and I decorated it to make it look like a clown. They were soooo delicious! I also really liked the frosting. I think it was Betty Crocker Whipped frosting, but I'm not sure. Mrs. Lee made chocolate and chocolate zucchini cupcakes.

Everybody had so much fun at the carnival! Thanks for inviting us!

-Jelaya

First post of all time! Yay!

This is sooo exciting! Sophia and I (Jelaya) will be working together to try and keep you updated with our family's daily life. It's a new thing, so I'm REALLY excited about it! Hopefully we can post several interesting things each week for you to read. We were able to get a new camera this week, so we'll post lots of pictures too! I'm not sure how to do that, but we'll figure it out along the way! Pretty soon, we'll be pro bloggers! So, with all said, thanks for reading the Jinata blog!