Merry Christmas!

Some highlights from Christmas Day....

Santa was here....

But Ethan was still asleep....

Now, everyone is ready for presents!

Ethan was careful with the first present....

Then there was chaos....

Ready for food....

Seafood hotpot for dinner....Yummie!

Tis the Season....Ho Ho Ho...

Daddy and Ethan were at the mall during the weekday last week and there was no line at the Santa Claus picture place, so daddy decided to send Ethan to Santa for a picture. The picture turned out fine except the prints came out a little compressed, so Ethan had a little too round a head.

Then we went to LA middle of last week and Santa visited our hotel lobby every evening, so we got a better picture. What do you think?

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we decided to smoke a turkey and it turned out delicious even though it cooked a lot faster than we thought. We will definitely try it again. We had some friends over and had a great time. Ethan enjoyed his first turkey (last year, he was not eating solids yet) and all the fixings...well, just the mashed potatoes and the rolls. Not too crazy about the stuffing and corn. Oh well, more for us. He did like my pumpkin cheesecake. Yummie....

It's Official!

It was a special day for us today. Mom finally became a US Citizen and the Naturalization Oath Ceremony was held at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ. A total of 2178 people were sworn in today which is the biggest ceremony to date here in Phoenix. It sure was a memorable day. Congrats mom!

Happy Halloween!

Boo! This year we celebrated Halloween in downtown Chandler for the Howlin' Halloween Spooktacular event while both grandmas stayed home giving out candies. Ethan was dressed as a very cool wizard and got many good remarks on his costume. We even went for the costume contest and Ethan did great on stage.

Race for the Cure 2008

We took Ethan to his first Race for the Cure walk in downtown Phoenix and it was a beautiful day! Ethan enjoyed his free goodies of banana, yogurt and bread. He also joined everyone by walking with the crowd for a little bit. We think he had fun, but he was beat as he fell asleep right away as soon as we got into the car.

Play Time

Now that the weather is starting to cool down, Ethan has been playing at the playground every morning. He loves to play ball and we may have a future soccer player. He still doesn't like to play in the sand and would do anything to avoid getting into the sand.

Do You Know Your ABCs?

Ethan is still not saying much besides babbling in his own language, but he recognizes over half the alphabets and 4 numbers. He can only say "A" and "O". In addition to these he can make 4 animal sounds - "Moo", "Bah", "Oink Oink" and "Woof". Mommy is still waiting for Ethan to call her....soon she hopes...

Baby Einstein DVD wins...for now

I guess Ethan has finally moved on from "Waltzing Matilda" to his Baby Einstein DVDs. His new phase now is watching the Baby Einstein DVDs twice a day. He seems to have forgotten about the repeating songs. Hmmm...wonder when this new phase will end....

My New Wheels

I am finally tall enough to ride my other set of wheels. This is the cool cruiser that Aunty Julie and Uncle Nelson got me. Maybe I will start getting some second looks when I take it out for a spin! Vvrrooommm....vvvrrooommm....

So You Think You Can Dance

Ethan has been dancing every time he hears music. It doesn't matter where he is, whether he is in a restaurant, in the car or at home. Right now, his favorite song is "Waltzing Matilda" and he can listen to it over and over again. Actually he insists that it gets replayed. Check out his moves here:

Swim, swim, swim

Ethan just completed his first swimming class today. He did great and enjoyed being in the water for the last 2 weeks. He learned how to kick, go under water, hold on to the edge of the pool and jump into the pool. Daddy was with him all the way. Mommy was a spectator cheering on. Ethan received a certificate for the completion of his class. Yeah!!

No Peanuts!

The results are in. Ethan is definitely allergic to peanuts. Now, we have to change the way we eat and be very careful about what he eats. We hope that he will outgrow it, but we'll just have to wait and see. I guess we will not be able to enjoy peanut butter sandwiches together in the future. We will have to stick with oreo cookies then :)

Happy Father's Day!

Ethan thought of a great idea and gave daddy a nice present for Father's Day. I think daddy loves it. We also took daddy out to dinner at Shimogamo for some yummie Japanese food. It was enjoyed by all.

Food Allergy

Ethan broke out in hives a few days ago. His eyes got really puffy and red as well. It was all on the face and nowhere else. After a few doses of Benadryl and a Dr's visit, he is back to normal. Eventhough he looked very puffy, he was acting like his usual self. We're not sure what he ate, but we're suspecting he is allergic to peanuts even though he was not fed any peanut butter, but the bread probably came into contact with some.


He got a blood test done and we're waiting for the results to see what he is allergic to. He was such a trooper when getting his blood drawn. He didn't really cry at all! We were all so proud of him. He got a sticker for being such a good sport.

Road Trip

We decided to get away from Phoenix and go to California (San Diego/Long Beach/LA) for Memorial weekend. We all had a nice time. Ethan enjoyed meeting Colin, Uncle David and Aunty Su for the first time. He also liked hanging out at the Santa Monica Pier chasing after the pigeons. The car ride was not too bad. Ethan napped and enjoyed his music and Baby Einstein DVD.

Breakfast in bed

Colin, Ethan and Lee Kiat

Ethan chasing after the pigeons

Ethan enjoying his first smoothie - Pomegranate and Blueberry - Yummie!

Yummie...

Ethan is starting to self feed with a spoon. I just need to let him do that and not worry about the mess he makes. I think he is left-handed even though he can eat with both hands.

Happy Mother's Day!

This special day was celebrated at the Dish Market. It is a great place for brunch and a nice lunch. The market has lots of different yummie items from gourmet cheeses to made-to-order salads and sandwiches. We will be back for sure to try other items on the menu. Hope all moms had a nice Mother's Day!

Splash!

Ethan enjoyed his first time in the pool. He didn't want to get in the little float at first, but finally he got in and was cruising along around the pool. He also loved to splash the water. I guess we'll be in the pool a lot this summer. Get ready for the sunblock!

Bumps and Bruises

Ethan is really not a mellow little guy, but an active and adventurous boy. He got another bump and bruise on his forehead. This time it is very obvious! The bruise took about a week to go away...I guess he's not going near the dining table anymore. We'll see about that...

Crocs

Mommy is trying to get me to be hip and trendy. These crocs (note these are knock-offs) are pretty cool, but I think they are a bit big on me right now and it feels like a pair of big clown shoes. Clowns? Do I even know what a clown is?

My New Ride

Check out my new ride! I think I will be driving before I get my license!

Waffles anyone?

I discovered that Ethan is now very aware of different foods in front of him. I had several items ready for breakfast - oatmeal, waffle, peaches and milk. I started feeding him the oatmeal and he ate it as usual until he saw the waffle on the table and pointed to it and said "aahh". He refused his oatmeal and wanted the waffle. I think it is going to be quite challenging to feed him now...it used to be so easy and he ate whatever we fed him. But I guess back then, he didn't have too many choices. Aaahh, choices.....the wonders of food.

Party Time!

Ethan had his first Birthday party this past weekend. We were impressed by how well he did with everyone here and there and just kinda did his own thing following the older kids around. It definitely helps that he can walk! The party was really just for us parents, family and friends, but I think Ethan did enjoy himself.

Watch out, here comes our party animal!





We had way too much food, but I think we had a good combination of different ethnic foods and it was enjoyed by all. I also tried my new cupcake display and it turned out beautiful! I think I will be using it for every party.

Turning ONE!

Today is Ethan's 1st Birthday! I can't believe it's been a year! Where did all the time go? Well, Ethan enjoyed his day. He had cake, a balloon and opened presents. I think he liked the balloon the best. The cake experience was interesting...he did not enjoy it too much. Maybe he's not used to the mess :) Oh well, maybe next year! Happy Birthday Ethan!