Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning was quiet at first as all of us were doing something - the kids ate breakfast while I threw in a load of laundry and the parents were reading newspapers. When everyone was ready, it was time to open presents! Ethan opened the presents in no time and found that he has been a good boy as he got Spencer the train from Santa. He has been asking for it forever. Hayley got her first dollhouse from grandma and grandpa, but really enjoyed the wrapping paper more than the toys.

All Dressed Up

We were invited to a couple of Christmas parties this year and I put Hayley in a dress and she looked just like a doll. I should dress her up more often instead of just putting her in jeans and a shirt. Ethan also wanted to dress up and I had to find a 4T skirt for him, so he won't feel left out. I must say he looked pretty cool.

Polar Express...in Chandler

Ethan and I went to the Polar Express at the Tumbleweed Recreation Center. It was their first Polar Express event and there were about 80 kids. Santa was there reading us the story and each kid got to sit on Santa's lap and asked for what they wished for. Then the kids got to enjoy some cookies and hot cocoa. The night ended with some Christmas crafts. The magic lives on....

Tree is Decorated!

We bought our Christmas tree from Home Depot again this year and it is now decorated. The top was not a top and the tree topper we have is not big or tall enough, so the tree looked a little flat. It was a fuller tree and I ran out of ornaments! But with Ethan's school and other activity craft works, we managed to fill the tree with some home made ornaments which made it even more special.

We also bought a small 3 ft tree for all my Hallmark Snoopy Collectible ornaments. Ethan was very patient in putting on the little hooks for the little ornaments.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with a big 18 pound turkey - the biggest bird I've cooked ever - and it turned out beautiful and tasty. Lee Kiat also made some yummie slow cooked ribs. All the sides of cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, corn, mushroom, green bean casserole, corn bread pepper dressing, honey dijon coleslaw and sweet potatoes just completed the meal. Of course we had dessert. I made a pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bars and carmelitas. Mom also made some great oatmeal raisin cookies.

First Official Haircut

We took Hayley for her first official haircut outside of our home at Snip-its. Her hair was getting a little shaggy and needed some good trimming. She did great and came out with a neat hairdo.

Before

During

After

Let's go!

Color Coordination

Ethan was busy playing while I was working in the office and when he called me to see what he has done, I was impressed by what he has put together. It's really true that all toys come in many colors! I guess we're missing some purple toys....

School Pictures

We just got Ethan's school pictures back and this time he is smiling a little bit more naturally. He has definitely grown to be a boy now. No more baby face. Time is really flying by quickly and I wish I can slow it down a little....

Happy Halloween!

This Halloween was a busy one. We went to a neighborhood Fall Festival and the kids participated in the costume contest. We also attended a block party which was so well put together - they had pumpkim contest, apple bopping, hay ride, face painting and lots of food. The kids enjoyed themselves. The best part was the trick or treating in our neighborhood. Ethan had a blast while Hayley just enjoyed her ride in her stroller. Ethan was dressed as a wizard again - 3 years straight. I promise next year he will be different. Hayley was a cute supergirl. Here are some highlights from the Halloween weekend.

11 Years and Counting....

Lee and I celebrated our 11th year anniversary this year with a 3-hour spa treatment of facial, massage, body scrub and wrap. That was much needed and we enjoyed it very much. Then we had a nice dinner at Fleming's. It's been a long time since we had a nice dinner out without the chaos!


We also enjoyed our weekend with the kids at the Mother Nature's Farm's pumpkin patch.

Fall Break Road Trip

Ethan had a week off for Fall Break, so we decided to take a road trip to LA. We met up with the Chau family and had a great time. We visited many places - The Farmer's Market, Little Tokyo, Disneyland, The Getty Villa, The LA Zoo, Travel Town Museum and the beach. The kids did very well and we all had a great time! It was tiring, but a lot of fun.

Breakfast at the Farmer's Market

Getty Villa

Getty Villa

Ethan's art work at the Getty Villa

Hayley enjoying the long corridors at the Getty Villa

The Beach

Disneyland

Travel Town Museum

The LA Zoo

Hayley is 18 Months Old!

Another milestone...Hayley is starting to look like a little girl instead of a baby. She made it to the 20lb mark and weighed in at 20.4lbs (3-10%) and measured 31 inches (25-50%). She is off the bottle and is well on her way to yummie foods. She loves to eat and would try anything. She also likes to eat on her own instead of being fed, but it gets rather messy. She also started her first music class (Kindermusik) at the City of Chandler and is enjoying it so far.

Cosmic Lunch

It's sometimes a challenge to figure out what to pack for Ethan's lunch. I came across a website that has ideas for a unique and fun way of packing lunches - Home Made Simple. My first try came out pretty cute: star-shaped turkey/cheese sandwiches and an improvised mini UFO-shaped sandwich and a side of popcorn. I hope Ethan will enjoy it!

Doodling....

Hayley is starting to doodle when given a crayon and a piece of paper. It will be so nice to see both kiddos sitting on the table and quietly writing, drawing or coloring. I think I will need to get a bigger table for both of them....

Smile!

Ethan got his first teeth cleaning today and he did such an awesome job! He was very cooperative from taking X-rays to getting his teeth cleaned and even the fluoride treatment. He got stickers, a new toothbrush, floss, toothpaste and even got a token for the Treasure Tower at the dentist office. How cool is that? Well, mommy and daddy's favorite words of the day were "No cavities!" :-)