Friday, January 30, 2009

Friday Flashback

These are the first photos of Aiyana and AJ together. AJ was on his 2nd day of life.
I am amazed that we got AJ to look at the camera so early!

She was so sweet and so curious.




It was the beginning of a dynamic duo.
Today Aiyana was sitting in her chair and AJ walked up to her and hugged her several times. He is such a little lover! He loves giving hugs to us and sometimes others. (My friend Vicki got a few hugs the other day. He just climbed into her lap and embraced her.)

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Carnivorous goldfish?!

Aiyana was supposed to be doing her craft while I put AJ to sleep. I heard her chatting a little about feeding the fish but I didn't think much of it. A few minutes later Aiyana came into the room and said, "It like got all over the place. I was feeding the fish and the food, um, like got everywhere."

I went to investigate. I saw a full fish flake snowstorm, no, blizzard in the fish tank. The fish food was an inch thick on the bottom of the tank and it was continuing to fall. OK, deep breath. It didn't work. I needed another deep breath. I counted to 10. Flakes still falling. Aiyana was just looking at me with her wide open eyes filled with pure curiosity awaiting for my next move. I sent her to bed without our "special time". "Aiyana, man, now that I have to spend my evening cleaning the fish tank I won't be able to spend our extra special time together!" I had to clean the entire tank, filter and all.

So the next day we went to the pet store to buy a sucker fish to clean the algae and keep our lonely goldfish company. I guess she wasn't lonely. The fish only lasted 2 days. I just found small pieces of it in the tank. Who has ever heard of a mean goldfish?


While it was snowing in goldfishlandia, it was 75 degrees here today and we have been stuck at home with colds...Yuck! So, here are some photos I took over the summer.


We went for a walk on the waterfront downtown.


Saturday, January 24, 2009

Stuffed animals uncensored!

No Papa! Don't go downstairs!Papa heard noises downstairs and just had to investigate. He found the stuffed animals joyriding in Aiyana's car. He tried to stop them but they were quick and the Mustang horsepower was too overpowering!
Papa went to urgent care and luckily only suffered from minor scrapes and bruises. The stuffed animals licenses were revoked and are sentenced to life without parole in the family room toy basket.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Friday Flashback

March 5, 2007 at Pepper Grove Park in Balboa Park

January 21, 2009 at the same park

AJ was fascinated by the spinning animals!


2007 vs. 2009

AJ had so much fun walking all over! This was his 1st opportunity to roam free at the park. He was training for the strong man competition by pushing the stroller around the playground.





Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Just something for the logs


AJ update

Things are changing so fast with him! Today I was getting his pjs on when I gave him one of Aiyana's dolls to keep him busy. I grabbed her by the head and said "head". He said, "hea" and put his hands up to his head! Then we went back and forth with it for a few minutes just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. So now at 10 1/2 months, his cool tricks include:
  • walking
  • he pushes anything he can like it is a car or truck all over the house
  • jumping
  • climbing everything
  • he puts the phone up to his ear when I say hello
  • he says hot, up, off, in
  • he loves hugs and kisses!
  • he refuses to do any sign language except the sign for airplane and basketball
  • he watches football with Daddy
  • he likes to look through books and babble like he is reading them
  • his favorite book is "Bear loves water"
  • bath time means splash time
  • he likes to turn on music and clap and turn his torso back and forth
  • he laughs at everything Aiyana does
I could keep going, but these are some of the highlights we should remember years to come.


Aiyana update
  • she picked up the word "like" so now she inserts it wherever she sees fit. HILARIOUS!
  • she works really hard to get praise by helping out around the house and with AJ
  • she draws suns, people (mostly our family), letters and words on her easel
  • she STILL pretends to be Diego and "pretty red car" (lightning McQueen)
  • she loves to ride her bike and play basketball outside


Both of the kids love to go to the zoo and Sea World. We go at least once per week. AJ's favorite is the manatee encounter at Sea World. Aiyana's favorites are the dolphins at Sea World and the giraffes at the zoo.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Tutu Monkey: $3, 378.50

Tutu Monkey: $3, 378.50

MLK Jr. Day

Tonight at 9:30pm a car was set on fire in the apartment complex just behind our alley. It was 15 ft or so behind our kitchen and the kids' room. Scary! As we got the babes together to get out of the house Rich asked me what else he should grab. I already had the cameras. (Didn't want to lose those again.) I told him to grab a change of clothes for each kid and some diapers. That was all I could think of. Nothing else was important.

The firefighters arrived and put out the fire so fast! 10 minutes later we were standing in front of our house talking with the neighbors and it was all over. Aiyana was asking a million questions! "Why did we have to get out of our house?" "Did the firemen use their hose?" "Why is Daddy back there?" "What's that smell?" "Mommy, how did the fire start?"

I finally got the kids back to sleep and began to ponder. Often in life we are reminded what is really important. Love. That is it. The bond that remains through everything in life and makes it all relevant.



Somebody once told me that if I had interracial children I would be intentionally giving my kids a bad start in life. They would be chastised and looked down upon. I knew at a young age that was wrong and I know even more today! I am filled with joy when I think about my family. My babies. They are celebrated by strangers everywhere we go; Costco, the post office, Target, the beach, the park. People love children! People can see the beauty that is children.
When two people come together in love and a child is born it doesn't matter the "race" of the two. The result is more love. That is what keeps this world spinning. The love of friends, the love of family, the love of God.

We live in amazing times and we are so fortunate!



Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King Jr.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Hiiieeeeyaah!



Today was Aiyana's 1st day of Karate. She really loved it. They stretched and warmed up then they learned punching and blocking. Her favorite part was when she had to duck under a swinging stick, then jump over it and punch twice and kick twice.

When we got home Aiyana was showing Rich her favorite drill when she barefoot kicked the couch HARD! She was stopped in her tracks! Poor thing! So Daddy Miyagi rubbed his hands together fast to warm them up and "magically" heal her little toes.

Hai Aiyana-san

She'll get her gi Thursday...I'll be taking lots more pix then!


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Sunday, January 11, 2009

They grow up so fast...

Last night Aiyana was doing a little craft while I was putting AJ to sleep. She came in to show me her masterpiece. "Look Mommy, I made this for you! And I wrote my name. See, A-I-Y-A-N-A!"
OMG! She also wrote "AJ" on the bottom. I have been helping her write her letters for a while and she has been able to spell it out loud since she was 2, but she has never done her entire name without any guidance! I am so proud! Ok so the Y looked a little like a T and the N looked like a D... and she wrote it from the bottom up. SO WHAT!
We then worked on spelling from left to right and we did some work on her "N".
Aiyana just before her 1st birthday.


AJ has been cruising for a month, but yesterday he took 8 steps. Then he did it again and again. Today he walked more and then started climbing and reaching onto everything. No looking back now!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Friday Flashback


Playa San Jorge has the most beautiful sunsets in the spring. These are just four of the hundred photos we have taken of the amazing evening sky. We sit in front of the house and just watch the miracle of nature. It is so peaceful to be alone with the sunset. Us, the beach and the sky.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Holiday Season 2008




This holiday season was so fulfilling! It is amazing how joyful it can be to participate in family traditions both new and old. Our first new tradition was to visit the Del Mar light display. Francheska and I took Zen, Aiyana and AJ up to start the season off. We drove around the race track 3 or 4 times so the kids could look at the lights. Zen's favorite was the rocket and Aiyana's favorite was the huge light tunnel. It was fun!

Next we set up a little 4 ft tree in the kids room. Aiyana got really into decorating it. I let her pick out her ornaments and have full creative control. She was so proud of her own tree.

Note: Thanks Tonya for the "Fabulous" idea!

AJ got in on the tree decorating fun also. I have never seen a sweeter little helper elf!


The Wild Animal Park had it's final showing of the "Festival of Lights". We got all bundled up and trekked to Park for an evening. Aiyana got her face painted and did some crafts. She made a sand-filled bracelet for each of us and some wrapping paper.
The highlight of the evening was a little snow hill that the kids were sledding down. It was so hilarious! Aiyana went down the hill several times. Each time down she had the greatest expressions!

We ended the evening at "The North Pole" where the kids met Santa, of course.

A couple of days later, Rich and I took the kids to see Shamu's holiday show. Sea World was decorated beautifully and we got a huge bucket of popcorn to share during the Shamu show. We sat really close and the kids loved it!
Nana and I and the kids went to visit a house on Knob Hill in San Marcos. It was amazing! There were characters and scenes and lights everywhere! They even had Santa! When S.C. asked Aiyana what she wanted for Christmas she told him "a Barbie cash register". She repeated this at least 15 times! We were all chuckling our bellies like bowls full of jellies!


As always, for Christmas Eve the whole family gathered at Nana and Papa's house for prime rib and a gift exchange. The food was amazing as always! (Thanks Mom) I made my from scratch buttermilk biscuits, my sisters prepared the green beans and salad and Nana did everything else!

The night began with a reading from the Bible, great conversation and food and it ended with dancing tic-tac-toe and an arm wrestling tournament! Hilarious!

The highlight of the evening was when the kids were opening their presents and Aiyana received her pink convertible mustang to match Nana's white one. She screamed and jumped up and down in the air over and over. Rich and my lil bro Levi spent the next hour making sure she didn't run into anything in the house as her and AJ tested out the new ride.













We spent Christmas Day at Great Gram Curry's house. She always cooks an amazing brunch! We had crepes with strawberries, eggs, fruit, juice, potato casserole and more. The kids opened more gifts and played with them while all of the adults played paparazzi and reminisced. Aiyana did get a cash register.

We finally returned home Christmas evening. We were all so tired that we didn't even open our presents at home. We went to sleep and did our family exchange in the morning.
After we all caught our breath we gathered at Grandma's house for a turkey dinner. It was delicious of course!


That weekend we went to my parents house in San Marcos to watch some football and so Aiyana could ride around in her car. Aj handled the radio while Yaya mastered the gear shift.
We didn't do much the rest of the break. We hung around the house and played with all of the new toys and game.
Overall, our holiday season was so full and abundant! We were blessed with joy and sarrounded by our family and friends. Posted by Picasa