William Ren and his family

Lizzie's half year old

2009-09-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today, Lizzie turns half year old. We went to the Picture People to take family shots.

Lizzie joined family

2009-08-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a year. Lots happened and the most important one is that we had a baby girl! Her name is Elizabeth Yuxuan. She is a tiny pea and the love of everyone.

1 day after birth:

1/2 months old:

The smiles:

And the dress ups:

The drive around Tahoe. July 25 and 26, 2008

2008-07-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

We drove clock-wise around the lake. It was both a good and bad decision - good because it was closer to the ridge so you get a better view, and bad because of the same - it was closer to the ridge and sometimes the drive can be very intimidating - especially driver like me, keep thinking about all possibilities of falling off the cliff --We stopped at most of the vista points and took lots of random shots.

This was a pebbly beach -

And there were always rich and leisurely people doing all sort of water sports...

We then stopped by the Zepher Cove, yet another famous beach. Billy just cannot get enough of sand.
Miss Dixie II, a cruise boat.

Emerald Bay, Tahoe. July 25, 2008

2008-07-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

On the 2nd day, we went for the emerald bay the first thing in the morning.
The water is pristine - it was almost like blue jade with shimmers.

We then walked the 2 mile trail leading to the Vikingstolm. There was some elevation change and Billy whined, but the view was definitely worthing the trip.

The end of the trail was the beach.

And of course, the Vikingstolm.

The small island in emerald bay - the only island on lake tahoe.

We didn't see many seagulls, but there was an amazing large number of Bluejay colony.

Lake Tahoe - July 25, 2008

2008-07-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

The view from our hotel window. Would have been really nice in winter!
We found a private beach about 10 minutes walk from our hotel.

On the way there...

Sacramento, California - July 25th, 2008

2008-07-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

We went for a 3 day trip to Lake Tahoe. On the way there, we stopped by Sacramento, the State Capitol.

Inside the old govener's office. The curator was nice enough to let us inside the office (usually you can only peek from out of the door) to take pictures. Must be Billy's charms. :)

Shoreline Park, Memorial Day, 2008

2008-05-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

May 26th, 2008. Tons of people at Shoreline Park in Mountain View. Billy had a lot of fun flying kite and playing soccer. He managed to get his bomber kite up and flying very high.

Big Basin redwoods state park

2008-05-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

random shots in Ortega park.

2008-05-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

Got a new Nikon D60 and just test driving it.

Rose Gardens in San Jose

2008-04-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

Apr. 20, 2008. The extended family went to the two Rose Gardens in San Jose. Photo courtesy of Huaxin Wang.

Carmel beach

2008-02-15T22:42:00.000-08:00

The Carmel Beach is only minutes away from Montery and the famous 17 miles drive, yet it never occured to us as something that worths a day trip - not until this wintry visit at least. We strolled on the white-sand and the quaint little town and the day passed so quickly - it was a warm and lazy day even in February.

Last Vegas, 2007

2008-01-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

The gang.

Paris.

Luxor

Inside Luxor, where we stayed at.

Mandelay Bay

Yummy dishes from Hangzhou.

2007-12-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

Hangzhou's dishes are simply too tasty.

A tea+meal at Maojiabu close at the outskirts of West Lake. The dishes are supposed to be prepared by local villagers with organic materials.

The hottest resturant chain in Hangzhou now, Grandma's place.

Sweet pea soup.

Fish head in hot sauce.

Coral shrimps.

Green with some special salted fish?

The most famous noodle house in Hangzhou, Guiyuan Guan.

Shrimp and eel noodles. This is "guojiao", extra meat.

Pianerchuan, mustard green with bamboo shoots.

Billy's shrimp noodle.

The oldest and most famous returant on West Lake. Lou wai lou (building outside of building)

Bean sprouts with chinese ham.

Begger's chicken.

Shrimp with Longjin tea.

What feasts...

Our little veggie garden

2007-09-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

This is mostly my dad's work actually......
The orange tree in our yard....
Cucumber, just started to grow......

Green beans....
Watermelons...
Baby bok choy....
Cherry tomatoes....

some drawings by billy

2007-08-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

Billy started drawing class a month ago. Some of his drawings:

Monterey Bay

2007-05-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

We visited the Monterey over the Memorial weekend. It was cold and crisp here. We visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium the biggest aquarium in the States. The crowd was huge.

Leopard shark.

Beautiful jellies.

A small balcony in the Aquarium, and rare-to-find quite place .

The huge ocean tank, you can see a sea turtle swim in the distance.

The sunfish, a most strange fish. It looks just like a huge apple dumpling.

We then drove through the scenic 17 mile drive.

Happy Hollows, San Jose.

2007-05-31T10:13:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in the bay area, we visited the Happy Hollows zoo/park. It is more of a children's play park than a zoo, and there are only very few species.

Billy, sporting his new flattop cut.

Billy as a girl.

Billy as cowboy.

Billy as happy villian.

Byebye, Pittsburgh!

2007-05-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Billy was born in Pittsburgh. Now that he's 6.5 years old, we are ready to begin our next journey to California. Byebye, dear old Pittsburgh, and our farewells...

Our little townhouse in the heart of Shadyside, at 918 Bellefonte St.

The neibourhood elementary school playground that we frequent in warmer evenings.

Jackie, Billy's first piano teacher and the church that he had class in.

Tulips that we planted in our yard.

The front door.

The nice and clean Pittsburgh International Airport.

Pittsburgh zoo - a farewell

2007-04-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Pittsburgh Zoo, in our opinion, is one of the best zoos that we have visited in the United States. It is reasonably sized and has an amazing amount of different species. It is also Billy's favorite place. Now that we won't be here for a while, we decide to make a farewell trip to the zoo on this fine April day.

The parking lot is packed. Seemed like everybody in Pittsburgh is coming to the zoo today. Nevertheless, we spend a swell time here.

It's a baby in the corner.

Pittsburgh Zoo - Lions, tigers and bears.

2007-04-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

Siberian Tigers. There seems to be two cubs.

African lion and lioness.

Kodiak bear.

Spectacled bear.

New polar bears in their new habitat.

Pittsburgh Zoo - Termite hill

2007-04-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

Pittsburgh Zoo - discovery house

2007-04-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

Here houses a lot of reptiles, which is an all-time favorite of Billy's.

Rattlesnake.

Beaded Lizard.

Gila Monster.

Milksnake.

Tarantula.

Our tulips

2007-04-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Those are not the prettiest tulips in the world. They are just *our* tulips, planted as bulbs last winter by our uncle. And they had a tough time this year. Up until almost the end of April, there has only been about 1 week of Spring. Still, they gave us the greatest joy when we see they actually blossom.

Trip to San Fransisco

2007-02-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Pier 39 or some other number.

Golden Gate Bridge.

Exploratorium. The water is absolutely sanitary, but I had problem drinking it. Billy obviously does not.

Various shots II

2007-02-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Various shots

2007-02-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

Apple picking at Simmon's Farm

2006-10-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

The fall has begun in full swing - leaves are actually starting to fall after they quickly change color. We went to the Simmon Farm for our yearly apple picking trip.

We were greeted by a couple of scare-crows at the door.

The fruits.

Our two-men team worked pretty well.

The female crew with Billy.
The elderly crew with Billy.
The harvest.

Pumkins patch. Indoors.

The petting zoo. Billy was actually trying feed the little goats with dried leaves on the ground. How shrewd!

The perfect Fall Day at Frick Park

2006-10-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

It was the perfect day in the Fall. Azure-blue sky, cotton-candy clouds, and the foliage is starting to turn into a full watercolor. We also discovered Ginko fruits in Frick Park.

Home Depot Kids' workshop

2006-10-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

With the help of Grand-uncle and Mom, Billy built his first woodwork - firetruck, at the Home Depot Kids' workshop.

Then, he gets to ride in the REAL fire truck. Exciting!

Grand-aunt and Grand-uncle -- Carnegie Museums and Aviary

2006-10-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

Grand-aunt and Grand-uncle -- zoo

2006-10-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

Billy at Philadelphia Arts Museum

2006-02-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

Proud to be a Steelers' fan

2006-02-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

Here we go , Steelers!

rainbow and costco

2006-01-31T20:44:00.000-08:00

Museum in holidays

2005-12-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

Both Billy and Mommy had the entire week off for Christmas, so they decided on an adventure to the Carnegie Museum. And the greatest thing is Billy started to appreciate the art museum as well as the dinosaurs.

Still, the dinosaurs are Billy's favorite subject.
Mom, why did you bother me at all?!

Tricky Hill reunion.

2005-11-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

Billy and some of his classmates last year (preschool III at Cyert Center) had a get-together at tricky hill. It was almost Holloween, and Elisa brought them treats.

Billy's best friend was Dylan. Even though Dylan has graduated to a real kindergarten, the friendship seemed to last.

The 5 year-old checkup

2005-10-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

Billy was taken to his five-year-old checkup today. He was 43 and a half inches tall ( which his mom thinks is measured short because the meaurement bar was tilted downwards towards the measure tape), and 44 lbs. That marks him 70th in height and 80th in weight in percentile. He also got his hearing and vision exams today, and both turned out to be fine.

Then, the Doctor announced that 4 shots were to given. Billy's mouth immediatedly bent downward. It was very difficult to give him the shots. But in the end, he gave a couple of "ouchi"s and gave in.
It was a good checkup afterall.

Legoland, CA. Aug 11, 2005

2005-08-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Our last day in San Diego, we visited the Legoland. Billy is a huge fan of Legos. We were among the first to enter the park that day!

Almost everything is made out of Lego. A lion head, or a shark head.

In miniland USA, the freedom tower even before the real thing finishes.

A tired rancher, or a cute dog.

Thomas the train and dinosaurs.

Even Darth Vadar and R2D2.

Billy was so happy that he also demonstrated some of his elaborate dance moves.

Billy also went on different rides with Mom, or Dad , or by himself.

Billy also enjoyed bringing home a Lego Bionicle set and that concluded a most exciting day.

Seaworld, San Diego. Aug 10, 2005

2005-08-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

Billy and family traveled to San Diego to visit various places. August 10th was Sea World. Billy Liked the Shamu (the killer whale) show best. Mom took some pictures.

Billy also took a picture with Shamu and baby Shamu in the backgroud.

This one is a shark.

Billy also really enjoyed the matenees. The pictures we took with the real ones are too dark so he posed with the copper ones instead.

Dorphin show was also fun.

San Diego Zoo, Aug 9, 2005

2005-08-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Billy visited the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park in one day. We took the guided tour and it really helped out our busy schedule. Billy wasn't really grumpy. He was just having a bad camera mood.

He cheered up immediately in front of the turtle pond.

Billy also took the skyride and was not a bit afraid at all!

Of course, we had to visit the famous pandas! This was the highlight of the day!
One of them was chewing the bamboo. They had amazing teeth and we could hear the cracking of the bamboo. The other one was just resting on a truck.

Billy posing in front of 2 huge hippos.

And we did not know that turtles and crocodiles can lived happily ever after - together.

In the mean time, Mom and Billy posed for pictures to remember this trip.

The WAP was scorching hot. The animals are obviously having a better time than us.

Billy also got close with a couple of deers at the petting zoo in WAP. He is usually caucious with animals up close so this means he really loves them.

Farewell with Zhang Yan and Fan Yiping

2005-08-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

Zhang Yan and Fan Yiping took Billy's family to a nice place for a farewell lunch. We are looking forward to their visit to us in Pittsburgh one day. Mom enjoyed really good crabs while Billy enjoyed house special tofu.

Universal Studios Hollywood. Aug 7, 2005

2005-08-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

The day started hot and sunny. Perfect weather for Univeral Studios because we planned to get wet.

King Kong proved to the the scariest part during the entire day adventure. Neverthesless, Billy coped rather well - he kept making sure with mom that everything is "not real".

This scene was from the lastest "The War of the Worlds". That was a real plane being destroyed.

One of the most exciting shows was "The water world". We did not sit in the splash zone, but the fun was none the less.
Shrek 4D was also very exciting, but we weren't allowed to take photos. We did make sure to take a lot of pictures before we leave.

Santa Monica beach, Los Angeles. Aug 6, 2005

2005-08-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is Billy's first day in Los Angeles. Friend Auntie Zhang Yan and her husband took us to the famous Santa Monica Beach. It was a fine afternoon and we enjoyed the Churros (sugar cinamon stick) and the cool breeze.

Grand Prix auto show on Walnut street, July 11, 2005

2005-07-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

This is a yearly event. Lots of antique and exotic cars. Billy posed in front of some of the cars he liked.

July, 3rd, 2005. Presque Isle State Park, PA - Lake Erie

2005-07-07T04:43:00.000-07:00

Billy snugging with Grandma.

Billy poses on a fishing dock.

Morrain State Park, cont.

2005-07-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Billy enjoying the ride. So is Grandpa .

June, 2005. Morrain State Park, PA

2005-07-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Billy put on his life jacket before embarking on our boat.

Washington DC. May, 2005.

2005-06-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Lawn in front of Jefferson's Memorial.

Billy loves cherry blossoms.