This is what I call time well spent.

Asleep at the High Chair

2011-09-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

She's Cute and She Knows It.

2011-09-25T21:56:00.000-04:00

We used to walk... a lot!

2011-09-25T21:53:00.001-04:00

Every day, we would walk around our neighborhood. The girls loved it. Usually one of them always fell asleep. It was Violet's turn today.

I Love My Silly Family

2011-09-25T21:49:00.002-04:00

Natalie started to sit up and life with an infant became significantly easier. I loved the "independence" she had. Just throw a few toys in front of her and she was content :).

I think that this was attempt number 2 at potty training. We weren't successful this time around.

Violet used to have a plastic splash pad that came with these star fish rings. Violet thought they would make good hats... so thus...

My Last Team Builder at the Brevard Zoo

2011-09-25T21:43:00.002-04:00

It was nice working for Animal Programs because every team builder usually dealt with Disney or animals. We got to go kayaking and see all the animals around the park.

I got to feed a giraffe too!

Saying Good-Bye to Old Friends at Pinkberry

2011-09-25T21:00:00.002-04:00

A few months before we moved to Atlanta, a Pinkberry opened moments away from our house. The family and I tried to capitalize on this opportunity whenever we could. As we were saying good bye to our friends, we used Pinkberry as a central meeting place to enjoy our yogurt and spend with great company.

Chris is one of Joe's co-workers. Kim is his wife and Darwin is Natalie's betrothed. They both have video-gaming daddies and bald heads. It was a match made in heaven.

Violet's post-sugar and yogurt self-portrait.

Just Another Day at Home

2011-09-25T20:55:00.002-04:00

Me and the Happy Bald One.

HAPPY with Daddy.

Hanging out in Mommy and Daddy's bed drinking out of Mommy's cup.

Visiting time!

2011-09-25T20:52:00.002-04:00

My brother lived an hour away from us and would come visit us often. Here he is with my mom. I told my mom to make her eyes big so we could see them for the picture :).

One of mom's friends, Pa'Tu. We've actually seen Pa'Tu in Thailand, Tampa, Orlando, and Atlanta. She's a great traveler.

This is one of my cousins, P'Maam. Who doesn't want to hold a bald baby?

There she goes!

Playdate at Downtown Disney

2011-09-25T20:46:00.002-04:00

One of the very few things that I remember about this play date was that it was HOT. It was VERY, VERY hot. But I guess that's FL in August...

I took these pictures before Beth and her son, Evan, came. Today was Violet's first attempt at climbing a rock wall all by herself and one of my first outings with two kids where I felt *comfortable.*

After Beth and Evan came, we got the chance to tag along with them to their hotel room at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. It has to be one of my favorite hotels on property because it's awesome!! It has animals, a huge pool with a slide and an awesome playground for the kids. And great food. :)

A Perk Working for Disney World

2011-06-01T16:24:00.002-04:00

As a team builder on 8/24/10, we went fishing at Disney World's 7 Seas Lagoon. We had three different fishing boats and got to spend a few hours fishing for trout. It was the first time that I remember fishing (supposedly I used to go when I was 3 or 4 years old with Pa Tao). It was awesome. We had a great time.

You can see the Contemporary Hotel in the background.

This was one of the other two boats.

Me, posing with the fishing pole, pretending that I was an experienced fisherman.

My first catch!!

My second catch!

Epcot with Auntie Sylvia

2011-05-30T09:44:00.003-04:00

Hanging out in the double stroller going to Epcot. Thank goodness we got a double stroller because whatever Natalie was sitting in, Violet better be sitting in it too.

Violet looking at the birds at Epcot.

Violet was dancing on the musical light-up squares at the Figment ride.

Yai came to Epcot too!

Natalie was an angel the entire day.

Violet colored a mask at the Kidcot booths all around Epcot. We were in Japan. The Kidcot booths are sponsered by Sharpie. Though, I personally don't think that it's such a great idea to have young kids playing with Sharpie Permanent Markers... Maybe that's just me.

In order to get Violet to ride in the stroller so we could go home, I busted out my secret weapon-- the lollipop. She was so tired that she fell asleep with the lollipop in her mouth :).

A Jaunt to Mimi's

2011-05-30T09:39:00.002-04:00

After our day at the Fl Aquarium, we stopped by Mimi's house to say hello!

Maddie and Kate were there too so we all go to hang out :).

Auntie Sylvia Visits for the 2nd Time!

2011-05-28T20:02:00.001-04:00

Every time Sylvia comes to visit, I have a new 4 or 5 month old kid. The last time she came, Violet was a wee tot. We were still living in our town home in Orlando. Now she visited us in our new-to-her Sebago home. We love that Auntie Sylvia makes the trip all the way from San Diego to meet new members of the Russo Team. Introducing-- Natalie! The most mellow baby on the face of this Earth. She's also bald. Have I mentioned that before?

We went to the Florida Aquarium. Here is Sylvia teaching Violet about all the aquatic animals.

Does Natalie want milk from the mermaid?!

And here is Auntie Sylvia, showing Violet how important equestrian skills are in life.

During Auntie Sylvia's trip, we learned news that would change our Orlando lifestyle forever. Daddy was laid off of his job in Orlando. This was the 2nd round of lay-offs and it sounded like the company was going to close it doors very soon.... Fortunately he hated his job. Fortunately our family was very supportive of our transition. AND, thankfully Daddy was already in talks with a company in Atlanta, GA. And thus, a new chapter in our lives was just beginning.

A Quick Day Trip To Tampa

2011-05-28T19:58:00.002-04:00

8-6-2010 Loong Den got into a car accident and we drove to Tampa for the day to bring him some paperwork.

We had lunch and then headed to the International Mall so Violet could run around and be crazy before we got back into the car to head back to Orlando.

She was born with a mullet.

2011-05-28T16:37:00.001-04:00

Here is the mullet she was born with...

Here is the mullet after a quick trim.

Playdate with Aubrey and Juliet

2011-05-28T16:33:00.002-04:00

Getting ready to play Super Babies!

Juliet is the true super hero here. The cape and mask that Violet and Natalie sport were on loan from the masked hero.

Infant Super Baby!

7-26-10

2011-05-28T16:27:00.001-04:00

Daddy and Violet :).

Natalie and I after I came back home from work! Note the blue shorts :).

7-26-10

2011-05-28T16:26:00.000-04:00

The Girls Meet Janu

2011-05-28T16:24:00.000-04:00

Janu is about 5 months older than Natalie but they're about the same size! Janu is small just like her Mama, Indu.

7-17-10

2011-05-28T16:21:00.000-04:00

Hanging out with Loong Den and Hailey. If I remembered correctly, Hailey drooled ALL over the house. She was a good dog though :).

Just shy of 4 months

2011-05-28T16:17:00.001-04:00

Natalie discovers and is mesmerized by the exosaucer. I love these baby inventions.

King Arthur's Carousel at Magic Kingdom

2011-05-28T16:12:00.002-04:00

7-10-2010. We used to go to Disney all the time. It was nice when we lived just 20 minutes away. I don't even recall why we were there in the dead of summer but we were. And it was hot.

2010 4th of July Picture in Boca Grande

2011-05-28T15:53:00.001-04:00

6-30-2010

2011-05-28T12:53:00.003-04:00

Mesmerized by the Bumbo chair. She sat up for the first time with the assistance of the Bumbo. She liked it!

Let's recall this was Violet's first experience in the chair. I see a resemblance in children, do you?

6-26-2010

2011-05-28T12:51:00.001-04:00

Our neighbor, Kim, went to Hawaii and came back with a Hawaiian outfit for Violet. What do you think?

Time sure does fly...

2011-05-28T12:26:00.001-04:00

So looking at my blog, I realized that the last pictures were from almost a FULL year ago. OMG. I'm terrible. I'm going to summarize in brief with pictures these last months.

6-25-10

2011-02-15T16:03:00.004-05:00

The brothers still have fun too.

2011-02-15T15:53:00.001-05:00

6-15-10

2011-02-15T15:49:00.001-05:00

Tummy Time!

Self-Portrait, say cheese!!

2011-02-15T15:46:00.001-05:00

Regression, it happens.

2011-02-15T15:41:00.001-05:00

5-10-10

2011-02-15T15:34:00.003-05:00

Poor Natalie was sick for the first three months that she was home (nothing serious, just colds and runny noses that Violet would pick up from playdates, etc). Natalie had to sleep in the bouncy chair so all the fluids would drain out. I was fully convinced that she would have to sleep upright the rest of her life.

Here is Violet, apologetic and keeping her sister company.

5-8-10

2011-02-15T15:11:00.003-05:00

Natalie loves to be swaddled. Here we are demonstrating, "Unswaddled Natalie."

"Swaddled Natalie." See the difference?

Auntie Dawn and Uncle Seth meet Natalie.

2011-01-18T09:09:00.002-05:00

I like to spend time with my little sister.

2011-01-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

Have you seen her?

Peek A Boo

2011-01-18T09:05:00.001-05:00

Remember those Facebook posts about finding an escape half Asian toddler roaming the streets of Orlando? Well here is why those posts started in the first place. And yes, that is the doggie door.

Tummy Time

2011-01-18T09:03:00.000-05:00

As Natalies practices her tummy time, Violet "practices" too.

Boca Grande Memorial Day Weekend 2010

2010-09-21T19:44:00.001-04:00

5/23/10

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"Who is a pretty girl? Raise your hand!"

Self-Portraits 5/22/10

2010-09-21T17:46:00.001-04:00

"Sit Nat-lees"

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BFF 5/22/10

I just loved these pictures.

2010-09-20T20:31:00.002-04:00

Beth, one of the bridesmaids, let Violet hold her bouquet at the end of the wedding ceremony. The pictures that I got from Violet holding the bouquet are some of my favorites!

Jenny and Jeremy's Wedding

2010-09-20T20:17:00.002-04:00

They got married right on the water. We sat in the back right corner so Violet could play in the sand. We sat behind Tara and Bill. Tara has a star tattoo on her back. Violet took one look at Tara's back and said, "Stars. Stars. STARS! Mole." I nearly lost it. Thank-goodness Tara has children of her own and good sense of humor!

The happy couple before they became Mr. and Mrs.

After the ceremony, Violet discovered the battery operated fan that I brought and used the wind to her advantage. She was so excited to see the fan move on it's own.

Natalie was in the sling and slept the entire ceremony. It was a beautiful wedding and the best part for us was that the girls were so tired by the time we made it to the reception that they both stayed asleep the entire time we were there. We actually got a chance to be adults without having the worry about our kids. Thanks for giving your mom and dad a break!

At Smathers Beach

2010-09-20T15:00:00.002-04:00

Awaiting wedding festivities, we decided to take the family and hang out on the beach. Here is our group shot.

Violet had her daddy run to the ocean to get water so they could build sand castles. Violet didn't care for the ocean.

Violet hanging out with Daddy, her new buddy Liam, and Liam's grandmother. You can see our hotel in the background. We stayed at the Sheraton Suites and we LOVED it!

This was our beach set-up. The pop-up tent and umbrella were borrowed from Jen, our neighbor. Thanks Jen!

Fun fact about our trip: Our second night at the hotel, Natalie slept through the entire night! I was startled when I woke up in the morning before she did. Thankfully, one of the wedding guests was a pediatrician so I quizzed him to make sure that Natalie was well and healthy. She was. It was a miracle, our 7 1/2 week old was sleeping through the night!!

Key West Part II

2010-09-20T14:51:00.002-04:00

Violet refuses to nap in the hotel room so we decided that we would go out for lunch. Of course, as soon as we got into the car, Sleeping Violet knocked out.

Natalie slept too... but she always sleeps.

This is where we parked and we had lunch around the corner at a place called Cafe Pepe. Best. Grouper. Sandwich. Ever.

Later on Night #1 at the Hotel Pool

2010-09-20T12:55:00.002-04:00

Violet is crazy! She loves the water and will jump in her Daddy's arms while he wades in the pool.

Natalie and I hung out poolside watching the crazies.

Natalie meets my shopping buddy from San Diego, Amanda. She came all the way to the keys from San Diego with her husband, Kelsey (beer brewer extraordinaire but more on that in a different post). Natalie was quite comfy with Amanda.

Violet hanging out with the groom.

2010-09-20T12:53:00.003-04:00

What is more perfect than throwing a football on the beach? A good beer. Oh wait, she's a minor.

Key West Part I

2010-09-20T12:18:00.003-04:00

May 13, 2010- We arrived at our hotel across the street from Smather's Beach in Key West. Festivities were already under way for Jenny and Jeremy's wedding. We unloaded the car and walked across. Violet LOVED the beach. She also loved people kite surfing. Here she is running after the kites. Joe kept looking over at me like, "Should I run after her?" I said, "No. She'll come back after 30 feet or so."

Needless to say more than 100 feet later, Joe goes tearing down the beach to catch up with Violet.

Here is Joe pouncing on her so we don't lose her to the island.

My attempt at trying to get a good photo for the birth annoucement.

2010-09-20T12:14:00.003-04:00

Needless to say, I ran out of time and didn't like any of the pictures enough. Thus, I never sent out birth announcements. Be prepared because Christmas is right around the corner. You'll get a Christmas card instead :).

Hanging Out with Natalie at her crib.

2010-09-20T12:09:00.002-04:00

For the first few months of Natalie's little life, she had to sleep in her bouncy chair because Violet kept bringing home germs. They both had runny noses and were congested. It was easiest to have Natalie sleep in her bouncy chair so the fluids could drain.

Violet LOVED coming into our bedroom and climbing into Natalie's crib to keep Nat company and play with Nat's dolls.

Oh, she found the pacifiers again! Double sucking (well, Violet would actually chew on them). She's one talented kid.

To reiterate that Natalie likes to be swaddled.

2010-09-20T12:07:00.001-04:00

Unswaddled.

Swaddled.

Sara visits too!

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5/1/10

Packed up and ready to go.

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Old friends coming to meet Natalie

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Auntie Carmelina is Violet's mother-in-law. She wanted to meet Giovanni's sister-in-law.

Mandy and Josh also have a potential boyfriend, Luke, for Violet as well. They needed to make sure that the genes in our family are good. They came to verify. Mandy is pregnant now too-- with a boy! Woo hoo! Maybe Natalie will be a cougar and she can be Bop's (Luke's name for his little unborn brother) significant other.

Old college roommates, plus two. Man, we've come a long way, huh?

Annie from work came to visit Natalie too!

Lisa from work stopped by too!

4/10/10

2010-09-19T20:55:00.000-04:00

Regressing just a little bit.

2010-09-19T20:47:00.002-04:00

I've seen Natalie use one of these things... I bet mom and dad hid these from me my entire life so I would miss out. I mean, that's what moms and dads do, right?

I guess I just hold it in my mouth like this?

I don't see what the big deal is...

Manicure?

2010-09-19T20:41:00.002-04:00

Violet went through a cute phase were she wanted to put paperclips on her fingers like little fingernails.

Put them on my hand for me please.

I have beautiful nails, don't I?

Some Firsts for Natalie

2010-09-19T20:34:00.003-04:00

First outing to... Costco!! Even though we have a two week old, we still need to run errands (the picture was taken on 4/6/10).

She was so excited, she could hardly keep her eyes open.

The picture below was our first lunch out with the ladies of my Mommy's group. We had lunch at First Watch while Violet napped at home.

Easter 2010

2010-09-19T19:54:00.003-04:00

Last year, Violet didn't understand the concept of picking up Easter Eggs. This year-- Egg Picker Upper Pro. All she needed was a little direction.

And off she goes!

Oh my god-- this Easter thing just gets better and better. There are goodies inside the eggs?!

What did you get in your loot Finn?

Meanwhile, Natalie gets acquainted with Aunite April! Next year Nat Attack, you'll hunt for eggs too!

More 1 Week Old Pictures

2010-09-19T19:45:00.002-04:00

I'm a happy tiny baby.

Daddy and his tiny bundle of joy.

Violet wants to hold her sister too.

Please don't break her. We just got her.

Oh, that's sweet. I don't know if Natalie likes it too much though.

1 Week Old

2010-06-20T20:26:00.004-04:00

People think that Natalie looks more like Joe than me. My genes seem to be VERY recessive.

Proud Papa with his newest little girl.

Proud Mama... Man, I look tired.

Cookie Bouquet

2010-06-20T20:19:00.002-04:00

One of the great perks of having a baby? Why the cookie bouquet of course!

Violet is a proud big sister. :)

Natalie's First Day at Home

2010-06-20T20:12:00.001-04:00

Natalie loves to be swaddled. Look what happens when she's not swaddled.

Unswaddled.

Swaddled. :)

Natalie Meets the Rest of Her Crazy Family :)

2010-06-13T23:02:00.002-04:00

She meets Loong Den. He better try to eat her up sooner than later because she's going to be a mouthful! :)

Natalie and her Mimi :).

Natalie and her Yai Yai :).

Who's foot is that? It can only be Natalie!

Violet tried to get a closer peek at her little sister.

Violet Meets Natalie.

2010-06-13T22:53:00.002-04:00

Violet LOVED her little sister from the get-go. My brother was watching Violet downstairs in the hospital lobby when I delivered Natalie. Moments after she was born, they came up and met little Nat Attack for the first time. Violet kept called her, "Baby!" and "Nat-lees."

I like the look on Violet's face in this picture. It's as if she's thinking, "I need to be quiet. I know that babies are sensitive to sound." :)

It's as if Violet knew that she couldn't climb on my lap. She stayed on the chair and laughed and giggled and smiled as she caught glimpses of her little sis for the first time.

Natalie's Birthday

2010-06-13T22:37:00.004-04:00

I loved before I saw her. I loved her even more after I met her :).

Natalie is getting her first physical exam. She passed!

She was way smaller than Violet coming in at 7 lbs 2 ounces.

Hooray for me on having a smaller baby than V! Delivery of Natalie was a breeze. We were at the hospital by 3am. I was hooked up to pitocin by 6am. I was ready to push by 10:15am and at 10:28am, my littlest one is born!! :)

My little boxer baby :).

Hanging Ten in the Backyard with Daddy

2010-06-13T22:32:00.003-04:00

For a small window of 5 days, Violet let us put pigtails in her hair. She loved her pigtails so much that she hated taking showers (highly unusual) because we had to take her pigtails out. Something happened after day #5 and she doesn't like them again. *sigh*

Here Violet playing in her sandbox that she got for her birthday. She had a small window of 2 weeks to play with the sandbox before a) it got too hot and b) the mosquitoes weren't out in full force. In the fall Sandbox, we will play with you again.

Here Violet is helping her Daddy out with some fun measurements. She's a great little helper.

Animal Kingdom

2010-06-13T22:25:00.002-04:00

Back in February, First & Emerson came and visited us in Orlando. It was Violet's first time meeting Em and she had a ball. We went to the Animal Kingdom one day and Violet had the best time identifying all the animals that they had.

"Goat."

"Turtle!" She was particularly enthusiastic about this long-necked turtle. She stood for at least 15 minutes saying, "Turtle! Turtle! Turtle!"

Here is our group shot with Rafiki at the Conservation Station :).

Natalie is Here!

2010-04-15T21:37:00.003-04:00

I took this picture right before we left for our 4am appointment at the hospital to get induced. I carried Natalie high throughout the entire pregnancy. She "dropped" a little a month before the delivery date, but not by much.

Here I am in the labor and delivery room, ready for my pitocin. Let's get this labor started.

What I didn't anticipate was how fast everything would happen... I was hooked up to the pitocin by 6am, epidural shortly thereafter, and after a few blissful hours, I was ready to push.

Miraculously, after 3 contractions, the baby was out. Welcome to our wacky family Natalie!!

Natalie was much smaller than Violet was-- 7.2 lbs (or to be exact, 7.18 lbs) and 19.5 inches long. She was born at 10:28am. If I knew that all of my deliveries would be this smooth, I would have more babies... It's the newborn hours that I could do without :).

Happy Daddy with his newest pride and joy :).

First Day of Daycare

2010-03-23T23:41:00.002-04:00

My mom went to Thailand for a month mid-Feb through mid-March. I had to take Violet to take daycare for only two of those days (thanks Linda, Monte, and Mimi!). This was a picture of her before I took her on the first day.

Note that she was happy when she left. She wasn't so happy when I picked her up. Also note that Shrek 2 is on in the background. For almost two months, all Violet wanted to watch was Shrek 2. Fortunately she's moved on as of last week-- the new movie is Finding Nemo.

About 34 Weeks Pregnant

2010-03-21T11:36:00.002-04:00

This picture was taken Feb 12, 2010. I'm too pregnant to do the math but I think that I was about 34 weeks at that point.

Where's Skooter?

2010-03-21T11:34:00.003-04:00

Violet trashed Joe and I's closet. I had to clean up and eventually found him. Can you spot Skooter?

She Loves her Chair and TV.

2010-03-21T11:33:00.000-04:00

Karma

2010-03-21T11:27:00.003-04:00

We went to a playdate at Jen's house. Violet was playing with some friends when, all of a sudden, she got mad at Juliet. She got so mad that she PULLED OUT A BIG TUFT of Juliet's pretty blond hair. Horrified, I took Violet and left the playdate.

Later that night, while watching Yo Gabba Gabba, Violet twirls around the living room and trips on a block, thus knocking her head on our brick fireplace. Blood and bruising ensue. She has a mark there for several weeks.

I try to explain karma to Violet but sadly, she's still too young.

Violet Loves her ATV.

2010-03-21T11:22:00.003-04:00

So this was a Christmas gift from Loong Den but when she rode it for the first time, she was TERRIFIED of it. By January, she would ride on it but wouldn't press the button to make it go herself. Here she is, happily sporting the ATV with her daddy.

Boys Working Hard

2010-03-21T11:18:00.002-04:00

Getting ready for Violet 2.0, Loong Den visited one weekend in January to help close in the den and convert it to a bedroom for Yai! Yey! We officially live in a 4 bedroom house now!!

Sleeping with her Blablas.

2010-03-21T11:16:00.001-04:00

Someone Got Her Nose Into Something.

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Brown noser with Pa Gai.

Violet's First Self-Portrait

2010-03-21T11:12:00.003-04:00

Note the scratch that she has between her eyes. Grumpy kitty Tuesday decided to let her have it after Violet cornered him at my brother's house. Violet didn't cry or make a sound at all. She wasn't bothered by it. My brother and I were-- Tuesday was thus banned from the living room until we left for Orlando.

Christmas Day 2009

2010-03-21T11:05:00.003-04:00

Showing off the Frogina Backpack that Mimi bought Violet. One day, she will be old enough to want to carry it.

Violet giving her daddy her best big girl smile while modeling Finn's new writing desk!

Will, Maddie, and Kate showing the little kids how gift opening is done :).

Finn demonstrating proper lounging skills on Violet's new armchair.

Visiting Santa Claus at Downtown Disney

2010-03-21T11:01:00.002-04:00

Last year, Violet LOVED Santa... this year, not so much. She usually loves men but I guess Santa and his jolliness were too much for Baby V to handle. Santa invited both Joe and I on his lap to take the picture. All I could say to Santa was, "I'm sorry I weigh so much," and smile for the picture.

This is What Happens When Violet Goes to Yai's House for a Few Days.

2010-03-21T10:59:00.002-04:00

That's right, that's permanent marker on her cheek.

Holiday Excitement

2010-03-21T10:54:00.002-04:00

Joe's side of the family gets together every year to celebrate the Holidays. Here's a picture of just some of the fun!

Aunt Kathy is helping Violet with her gift. What could it be?

Why stacking blocks of course! She LOVES to stack and organize.

Our Family LOVES Dessert.

2010-03-21T10:52:00.000-04:00

Rare Moments

2010-03-21T10:47:00.003-04:00

As they get older and their personalities mature and develop, they're almost getting along. Here is a rare moment of the cousins sharing some flowers that Finn picked for Mimi over the holidays.

Pregnancy Update

2010-03-21T10:42:00.002-04:00

I'm officially 38 weeks pregnant now. My doctor has scheduled an induction for this Thursday, March 25. If the baby doesn't come on her own, at least I have the piece of mind knowing that she'll be here by Thursday :). I hate playing the waiting game.

We're pretty much all ready to go. My hospital bags are packed, the crib is ready, the carseat is clean, etc. We just wait now. So stand-by. Hopefully something exciting will happen sooner than later :).

Getting Ready for the Holidays

2010-03-01T22:31:00.004-05:00

Changes

2010-01-26T22:05:00.002-05:00

So after my last doctor's appointment, it looks like I'll be delivering Violet 2.0 a week early! He said, "You have big babies," so we'll schedule a time to get me induced during week 39 of my pregnancy. The sooner the better for me, at least immediately... but I'm still not sure how I feel about the kids having birthdays so close to one another... I refuse to do the joint birthday parties. Well, right now I refuse the joint birthday party. ha ha ha. We'll have to reassess this in a few years. :)

The Princess Parade at Downtown Disney

2010-01-26T21:44:00.002-05:00

One of my cousins, P'Kae, from Thailand came to visit us. On her first day here, we took her to Downtown Disney to walk around and see the sights. What we didn't realize was that we would stumble upon the recruitment for the Princess Parade!!

Violet was VERY intrigued but wasn't quite sold on the "parade" part. Here she is trying to sum up the situation. We decided against committing Violet to the parade but let her make the decision by herself. One should be able to choose if one wants to become a princess.

She eventually shared a tambourine with the princess in the orange tank.

As the parade started to move, Violet noticed a group of people clapping and cheering. She stopped right in front of them and applauded back. By the time the accolade was over, the princess parade had moved on.... And so did we.

Feeding the Birds

2010-01-25T21:51:00.002-05:00

So the back story of our house is that an old man and his wife used to live here. The man, Mr. Gard, LOVED birds.... cardinals to be precise. So when we purchased our home, our backyard already had bird feeders and bird homes.

Apparently Mr. Gard was such a good bird caretaker that he had "regulars" that would come and nest with him every year.

Last year (our first year of owning this house), we bought a big bag of bird seed. Unfortunately, we forgot about it and left it in the garage. So this year, on a nice autumn day, we were reminded of the bird seed. Joe and Violet headed out to the backyard to feed the birds!!

Developmentally, Violet is learning all about transfer. Put seeds in cup, transfer seeds to feeder. Seeds stay in feeder. Viola! It was a fun game that she played for a long, long time in the backyard. Thus, Violet has a new responsibility, feed the birds. I imagine that Mr. Gard would be so proud.

MK with the Lieu's

2010-01-25T21:42:00.003-05:00

Our first official Magic Kingdom photo of the two families together. There's a lot to take in Charlie!

The Lieu's on our first ride of the day, the carousel.

Violet loves to pose when her daddy is taking pictures.

Say, "Cheese!"

"Hey Charlie! Are you in there?"

Pregnancy Update

2010-01-19T22:18:00.002-05:00

For those of you wondering about my pregnancy, here's a quick update. This week, I'll be 30 weeks pregnant!! Time really flies by fast when you have a little toddler to chase. I've gained about 25 lbs so far and things are going really well. The baby is developing well and all of my blood tests have come back with the best results.

I haven't really had time to take belly pictures (which I know I should because I regret not taking that many pregnancy photos with Violet) but hopefully I will start soon. My plan is to get up to speed with my posts, and then start posting belly pictures week by week till the new baby arrives.

It's a girl! :) Joe always said that he wanted 3 kids but now that we know #2 is a girl, he's really starting to wonder if 3 girls would be too much estrogen in the house (his face literally went white when he saw that Gap Kids Christmas commercial where all the little girls were cheering and dancing in their adorable red, pink, and white striped clothes). But needless to say, he's super excited about #2. I'm excited because I get more shopping buddies. I also can't wait to see if #2 will look anything like her older sister :).

Florence, Phong, Charlie, & Lake Eola

2010-01-19T21:55:00.005-05:00

Florence, Phong, & Charlie came out to visit us early November from sunny San Diego. Our kids got to meet for the first time. I must say, I was a little apprehensive because Violet was going through a sometimes-I'm-not-a-good-sharer phase but you know what? She loved Charlie. In fact, the morning after they arrived, she showed Charlie all of the ropes to our house. She even showed him her prized stash of books. She grabbed a book, flipped through the pages with him and narrated each scene with an emphatic, "Wow."

Their first day there, we took them to Lake Eola where they were having a arts and crafts festival. There is a cute little playground and we were able to get some adorable pictures of the kids.

What little kid doesn't like swings?

Here Violet is sharing some special Daddy and Me time. Please note the stash of acorns she has in a pile in front of her. For about 30 minutes, she collected acorns, then proceeded to hand her father one acorn at a time until she was out of acorns. He handed them back to her and the game replayed itself.

She can play this game for hours and don't think that this game is limited to acorns-- she'll play with mulch, rocks, seeds-- whatever she can get her hands on.

The park has an awesome tree, perfect for the best father-daughter picture. Ever.

And here are the men, posing with their little kiddos. There were actually better ones of Violet but I couldn't resist the scrunchy face candid-- so here it is world. Posted on the internet.

I'm sure she'll thank me one day.

Using Chopsticks For the 1st Time

2010-01-13T21:57:00.003-05:00

After seeing her mommy indulge in a bowl of ramen noodles, Violet demanded chopsticks and noodles for herself.

She's pretty darn good with them considering that she had never used them before!

My baby does have some Asian blood in her :)!

Her Best Friend, Annika

2010-01-13T21:48:00.003-05:00

Our neighbor, Jen, has a daughter named Annika who is just a few months younger than Violet. The girls love each other! We met up at our neighborhood park one morning so the girls could play on the playground. We unintentionally dressed our children alike. Someone asked if they were twins!

Halloween

2010-01-13T21:34:00.004-05:00

For Halloween, we took Violet down to the Toddler Halloween Fair. It's a mid-day event so we wouldn't have to worry about taking her trick or treating late at night. There was tons of free food. The popcorn was a family favorite.

Violet was the most comfortable in her stroller so who were we to make her get out. She was a Fairy Violet for Halloween. Her outfit even came with a fairy headband but she refused to wear it (surprise, surprise) so we had to suffice with a purple barrette which she kept in her hair for a few minutes.

Just For Fun

2010-01-13T21:33:00.003-05:00

"Say Cheese Violet!"

The picture below is why we don't take more self-portraits.

Gymboree

2010-01-13T21:20:00.004-05:00

For Tiana's 1st birthday, we celebrated with her at Gymboree. It was Violet's first visit and she loved it.

It was awesome because we were with all of Violet's playgroup friends. The little boy on the right is one of her good friends, Landon. Landon's a tough kid-- he lets Violet beat up on him and he doesn't cry. He a man's man, if you will.

Here Violet is with the birthday girl, Tiana. Note that Tiana doesn't have any problems with wearing things in her hair. Violet on the otherhand still won't let me put barrettes, hair bows, hair ties, etc near her... hence the haircut (my mom took one look at Violet after her 2nd haircut and said that Violet looked like steamed Chinese bun).

Is She a Monk?

2010-01-13T21:18:00.002-05:00

Nope! She's just trying on one of Daddy's shirts.

Splash Pad

2010-01-13T21:06:00.003-05:00

Who's got the cutest little girl at the Splash Pad? That's right, I do.

So, I might have to note that she was the only little girl there...

The little boy in the background was Violet's age too. I think his name was Isaac. He had curly blond hair that Violet wanted to yank. I had to separate the two and explain to Violet that she shouldn't be jealous of his blond hair.... That's what hair dye is for.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Violet of all time. Today was the day that she started to say, "Cheese!" when I take pictures. She learned the word from my cell phone!

Ready to go home after an hour at the splash pad, she puts on my shoes and marches right out to the car. Okay, maybe not the car but she definitely was trying to march somewhere.