Independent Swimmer

A spot finally opened up in the level 2 swim class. It was K's first time going into the pool without Daddy and Mommy. She did really well and did not cry. She waved bye to Mommy once she got into the pool and was really excited. She told Mommy, "I'm 3 and can go into the water myself!"

Her teacher started off the class by having the students warm up using the rings to swim to the island. Take a peek.



Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you, K- for swimming all by yourself! What a big girl!

After swim class, the girls went to Uncle Ray and Auntie Steph's house for a bbq. K met a doggie which happened to be the famous dog, Boo's sister. Her name was Zoe and came from the same breeder.

Lets Fly a Kite

Courtney and her family were going to Shoreline Park in Mountain View to fly kites. Mommy asked if she could join since K has been asking to see C.  It was K's first time flying a kite. Daddy had bought a princess kite awhile ago and this was the perfect chance to use it.

Uncle Peter brought back a cool panda kite in his suitcase from his recent trip to Taiwan.

Bella slept in the car for the first 20 minutes. When she woke up, she sat in the back of Uncle Peter's car and watched the kites while sitting on Auntie Ali's lap.

C took a break to play with Bella. She wanted to hold her hand and make her laugh.

There's a whole lot of girls in this picture. This is how it will be with play dates in the future. Sorry Daddies- you are outnumbered!

K really enjoyed flying kites. She will have to go back again. It was probably more work for the Dads to get the kite in the sky, but fun for the girls!

5 Months Old

Here are some 5 months shots to capture Bella's personality. Her hair doesn't stick straight up on hot days. Her hair is more tame due to sweat or humidity.

She is a smiley baby. Easily amused.

She is pretty mellow on most days. She can sit on Mommy and Daddy's lap and be content.

Mommy tried putting on headbands on Bella, but didn't look too good since she has so much hair. K was the opposite- headbands looked great on her since she was so bald!

 Daddy told Mommy Bella is not a doll, but Mommy wanted to try again.

On Bella's 5 month birthday, we went to eat at Uncle Larry's restaurant. The restaurant was not too busy for a Friday night, so Uncle Larry held Bella for awhile.

Happy Birthday Aiden

Last weekend was Aiden's 3'rd birthday. He had party at a park in Los Gatos. The kids couldn't wait to taste the cupcakes.

The park had a merry-go round and a train.

Daddy rarely sees his extended family, so it was nice to see everyone together.

During the days of summer, K takes walks after dinner. She walks along the trails and hangs on the bars for some exercise. Many times she will watch the sun go down.

Some mornings when Mommy and Daddy get ready for work, Bella will play patiently in her chair. What a good girl!

 

Gives Back Concert

Each year Genentech has a benefits concert at AT&T park for their employees. The concert is known as the Gives Back Concert. The week leading up to the concert, the employees raise money for charities by participating in a walk around campus. Each employee who walks, the company will donate $25 dollars to a local charity. There are volunteer opportunities such as stuffing backpacks with school supplies for underprivileged kids or working at food banks. In celebration of all the hard work the employees have contributed, Genentech throws a concert. Employees can bring their families. This is K's second live concert she attended.

No one ever knows who the performers will be. It is always a surprise until the day of the concert. This year the first act was Colbie Calillat.

The second performer was Foo Fighters. K hung out with Teacher Steph and Zuri while rocking out to the bands.

The final act was the best of all....can you guess?

Happy Father's Day!

K's school had a special celebration for their daddies. They made fresh lemonade.

 

Each child made a cape showing how much they love their daddy.

The class invited the dads to come play basketball. Daddy helped K reach the hoop.

Each dad received a home made frame. Teacher D said K picked out each shape she wanted to put on the frame.

On Father's Day, the girls went to Gung Gung's house. They had some fun with the camera and took some family pictures.

The day prior, K celebrated Grandma's birthday and took some more family shots. Grandma was really happy to spend her birthday with her grand children.

Giggles

Daddy can make Bella giggle just by saying "Boo!" She thinks its the funniest thing.





The last 4 nights Bella has been sleeping in her crib. Daddy tried to replicate the cozy rocker by rolling up blankets and towels. She took a 3 hour nap in there during the afternoon. Thank goodness she likes the crib now.

Bella does not fuss or cry anymore when she does tummy time. She can hold her head up for a good 5 minutes. This picture was taken before she got a bang trim. Good thing her hair is no longer poking her eyes.

On hot days, the humidity will make Bella's crazy hair go flat and not stick up.

Many people say K and Bella look alike. Mommy still can't see the resemblance. Can you?

K still continues to show affection to her little sister by showering her with kisses and hugs. Mommy loves to capture these type of moments.

Let's Partay!

Last weekend was busy with various birthday parties. Charlie turned 1 years old. On her cake was a special candle her Po Po got her from China. When it was lighted, it opened up into a flower and had the happy birthday tune.

It's been a couple weeks since Bella and Charlie have seen each other. Do you think they remember each other?

 Bella had her first haircut. Her bangs were getting so long, it almost touched her eyes. Bella sat still while Uncle Joe held her and Auntie Lauren snipped away. She did get fussy towards the end.

The birthday girl took a group photo with some of her friends.

When it was time to leave the party, Mommy and Daddy could not find K. Daddy looked in the backyard and snapped this picture. It turns out K and Tristan were alone outside giving each other hugs. Daddy better keep an eye on these two!

In the late afternoon, K met up with Aiden at the San Mateo County fair. The two had fun sitting on the cars.

It's been awhile since Mommy stood next to K on the merry-go round since she was pregnant with Bella. The carousel still remains to be K's favorite. She will ask to ride it 2-3 times.

Sunday the girls attended two more parties. The first was Kyle and Emma's birthday at a park. This was the best picture we got. Kyle turned one and Emma turned three. Auntie Yoko got bundt cakes to celebrate.

The girls napped in the car and headed to the next party. Ayumi turned two. She really loved her birthday cake as you can tell by the frosting on her mouth.

 K wanted to be one of the guys. She followed the boys around where ever they went.

There was a jumpy house. K worked up a sweat playing in it.

Mommy got a chance to meet Baby Morgan last week. She is now 2 months old. She looks so much like her Daddy. She lives nearby, so hopefully we can have play dates in the future!

A new update on Bella's sleep. She regressed in her night time sleep. She wakes up 1-2 times a night. Mommy is so tired. She can't take a nap anymore now that she is back at work. Bella slept in her crib last night but she woke up 2 times.

Returning To Work

Monday was Mommy's first day back at work. Four months blew by way too fast!! Mommy will always love the time she had with Bella and wish it lasted longer. Mommy will miss her smile and silly expressions.

It is pretty hectic in the mornings trying to get the 2 girls ready, nursing Bella and Mommy/Daddy getting ready too. It takes forever to get out the door, but in time hopefully a routine will be established and leaving for work will be much faster. K was super happy Mommy was dropping her off at school again. When Mommy was in the classroom, she held Mommy's hand, led her to her friends and told them, "My mommy is here! My mommy is here!" Even though Mommy misses maternity leave, it's all worth it to see the big smile on K's face.

 Over the weekend, we celebrated James' 3rd birthday. His party had a Thomas the train theme.

Bella was so tired at the party, she fell asleep upright on the Bjorn. People thought it was awesome she could sleep like that.

There was a pinata at the party. Here was K's first attempt at hitting the pinata.


She whacked it as hard as she could on her third try and hit jackpot.


Later that evening, Po Po and Gung Gung watched Bella.

K, Daddy and Mommy had a special date to watch Sesame Street Live at the Oracle Arena. K was excited about the show, but when she started walking down to her seat, she wanted to sit higher up. She did not want to get too close to the characters. After some convincing we moved down to our seats and she started clapping and dancing. She loves the characters if they keep their distance. After the show, she asked if she could watch it again.