just us.

Easter Festival

Keira's school held an Easter Festival yesterday.  Thanks to work, I had to miss it but luckily Mike was able to go.  To put it short, he said it was a zoo.  No parking, and a ton of people in a small area.  No bueno.

But like a good husband, he took a few pictures for me so that I wouldn't be completely left out (and he emailed them to me ASAP too!)

 

Keira's teacher, Ms. Amalia, set up an egg hunt in the playground outside her classroom.  But instead of plastic eggs filled with treats, she used paper eggs with numbers 1-5 on them.  Each kid got a paper basket with numbers 1-5 on it and the kids had to find eggs with the corresponding numbers and glue it on their basket.  Totally smart!  I love how she incorporated learning with fun!

Mike said Keira did pretty good matching numbers and I had no glue she knew how to use a gluestick. She decorated her pink bunny ears and is sporting the new skirt I made her earlier in the week.  She got to dye a few Easter eggs too.

Keira came home with a few goodie bags from her teachers, complete with plastic eggs, a mask and foam glasses, a few pieces of candy and her favorite...princess stickers.  These teachers know their kids well :)

Linda and Oli are coming over today to dye Easter eggs and I'm hoping to get another sewing project done while Keira naps.  I'm working this weekend and thought I was going to miss Easter with Mike and Keira, but they shortened our hours on Sunday so I'll get to do an egg hunt when I get home.

and a random, post-shower photo:

happy Easter!

Family Fun Day - Disneyland

this past weekend was a three-day one for me, and as usual we always struggle with what we were going to do.  we ended up at Disneyland again on Friday.

Breakfast at the Jazz Kitchen, Downtown Disney.  we found it a bit odd that they would suggest alcoholic drinks at 1030 in the morning.  Keira's meal of corn flake crusted chicken breast and macaroni and cheese sustained us for the rest of our visit.

we started off at California Adventure, where we got Keira excited about taking Mike on the bumper cars.  I think Mike will definitely be the one to teach her how to drive.

family photo on the spinning ladybug ride.  it's kind of like the spinning teacups, but on a smaller scale.  smaller or not, I still didn't like it.

we headed over to Disneyland soon after, hoping that somewhere along the way Keira would fall asleep and nap. The parade was starting in about 2 hours too, so it would give her a nice chunk of time to sleep before it started.

Mike and I.  We scored a bench under an umbrella in case it started raining and parked Keira underneath it too.  Mike was hoping that Star Tours had a single rider line so he could go on, but there wasn't.  I snacked on Keira's leftovers from breakfast, browsed a few stores and went on a search for caramel popcorn.  no luck, but Mike got some buttered popcorn instead.

then came the parade.

I LOVE the drum line.  seriously takes me back to my marching band days.  don't hate.  I rocked it back then.

one of Keira's favorite parts....Ariel.  she just loves her princesses.

see?

her other favorite part, all the other princesses, I didn't take any pictures of.  I took a video instead.  I know she would appreciate that even more.  and ask to watch it over and over again.

this hand waved and waved and waved.

Keira saw a few kids throughout the day with their faces painted and somewhat surprisingly, asked to have hers done too.  She usually shies away from stuff like this, but all of a sudden is all for it.  so we let her have her wish.

she chose her design and sat oh-so-still while it was being done.  I was waiting for her to get scared and want to be held, but nope!  she hopped right up on the stool, shut her eyes, and sat there while the artist did her thing.

I think she kept her eyes shut the whole time.

almost done.  just a few more swirls, a sprinkle of glitter and...

a happy girl!

Family Fun Day - Santa Monica

so I realize I haven't been so great at keeping up with the blog lately.  call it pure laziness really.  and lack of motivation.  the desire is there, albeit a small desire, but I figured I might as well change that.

I am making a second attempt this year to do Project Life, and one idea I had was to have a family fun day at least once a month.  Most of the time it coincides with my long weekends off so that we can do something one day or all weekend long.  a lot of the time, FFD involves going to Disneyland since we are passholders, but I really wanted to do something different, something we hadn't done before.

so earlier this month, we headed to Santa Monica!

we started off with breakfast at Barney's Beanery, and I totally loved the color on their booths. lucky for us, the weather was really nice that day so it was just asking us to sit outside.

we walked around 3rd Street Promenade for a bit and the second we made mention of the beach, that was all Keira wanted to do.  but not before a stop at the Santa Monica Pier.

Keira had fallen asleep on our walk over there, and it was when we were trying to recline her stroller that she woke up.  it was probably a 15 minute nap, tops.  we checked out the fishing scene (that was all Mike), strolled through the rides and arcade and then to the beach it was.

K: mama, what's that smell?  J: it's the ocean.  K: it's stinky!

you gotta love Southern California :)

Keira started off a bit timid of the water, but it only takes one splash to wash that away.  Mike, on the other hand, went right to digging for sand crabs and saying how they would be good bait for fishing.  I know he was kicking himself for not having his fishing gear with him.

hunting for seashells and sandcrabs.

such concentration. and her little pile of shells.

and my favorite (and current desktop) picture from the day:

we left Santa Monica around 230pm, which is not the most ideal time to leave considering its the start of commute traffic AND we were in LA.  after almost 2 hours on the road, we had only gotten as far as Torrance and still had at least another 1.5 hours before we would be home.  We decided to stop and have dinner and ended up at King's Hawaiian.  I had always wanted to go there, but it's a bit far from where we live.  But since we were already in the area, it was almost a no-brainer.

The food, overall, wasn't bad but it wasn't worth driving back from Irvine for either.  I had really high hopes for their pastries too (I love their hawaiian rolls) and they were okay too.  Again, nothing worth making the drive for.

We made it home by 830 or so, a lot later than we had intended, but all in all it was a really relaxing and low-key day.  we had no set plans, no agenda, just good old quality time spent together.

Firsts on the First

So, seeing that it is the first day of the new year, I thought about posting a bunch of "firsts" from my day.  That lasted all of 4 pictures I think.

the very first picture I took this year:

Keira slept in our room last night, because it was the easier thing to do.  Her breath smelled pretty bad.

the first family photo of the year:

The picture was altered using the picplz app for Android phones.  I used the 70s effect. I think I like.

the first work shift of the year:

We were open 9 to 3 today, and it was pretty quiet for the most part.  I think I did 40-something scripts, and the monthly CII count as well.

the first coffee of the year:

I didn't have time to make some before I left, plus I had two gift cards to burn so a tall vanilla latte it was.  I got close to finishing the whole thing, but for some reason, I never seem to finish a cup of coffee no matter what size.

Mike put on his hockey skates for the first time in years, but still managed to skate a bit as Keira ran around with him.

the first family photo taken by Grandpa Ko:

The weather was pretty nice out when I got home from work, so we spent some time playing outside with some of the neighbors' kids.  Mike fixed another sprinkler in the front yard and we took the Christmas tree out to the curb for pick-up in the morning.  It makes me sad that our lights aren't up anymore, as if the holiday spirit is gone for another year.  Bah humbug.

I think I'm ready for bed.

our 2011

I've seen quite a few people do this today, so I figured...why not?

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

I just remembered my goals for 2011.  Out of the 6, only 2 didn't get met.  The boat is doing the same thing at my house that it did at my parents' house...sit there and act as storage.  I'm hoping Mike will have more time and opportunities to take it on its maiden voyage this coming year.  We are still a family of 3, but we're hoping to change that next year.

Overall, we had a good 2011.  Keira turned 2 and started preschool, and is in the process of potty training and wearing "big girl underwear".  She had her first ear infection, and has broadened her choice of foods (thanks to school!!)  She has also become quite the little diva and putting us through the terrible toddler stage.  She loves her Disney Princesses, and has perfected the art of picking her nose.

Mike is still managing to keep busy at work, and just recently switched back to a 9-80 work schedule.  He didn't get to do much fishing this year (much to his dismay), but has fixed more sprinklers than he cares to deal with in the last year.  He is still quite the handyman around the house and may have even earned such the reputation amongst our neighbors.  According to them, he never sits still and always seems to be fixing something on his days off.

I am finally settling into a groove at work, having changed the schedule rotation to allow for more time at home.  Being crafty has fallen to the wayside over the year, and I failed at maintaining my 2011 Project Life (I'm thinking of trying again in 2012, but using a different format).  I'd like to travel somewhere new next year, possibly Alaska or Oregon, and maybe get a little more seasoned in the baking department.  The thought of a new family member is also on the brain.

Thank you for being good to us, 2011, and we welcome 2012 with open arms.  Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

our 2011 Holiday cards. simple and homemade.  I like.

making snow in the family room.

new kicks for the girl.  Foofa!

spaghetti for dinner.  if you know Keira, the fact that she is eating the sauce and the pasta together is something major.

Christmas Eve Eve dinner.  The guys cooked.  and it was good.

Keira and her cousin Matthew.  future prom dates perhaps?

Keira and Santa Steve.  She actually wanted to sit on Santa's lap and told him what she wanted for Christmas.  Our girl keeps surprising us!

playing piano with Grandpa Ko.

one of her gifts: a Disney Princess hoodie set.  The look on her face was priceless.  She LOVED it.

Christmas morning.  Her loot from Santa.

the loot.  Last year it was a Kai Lan holiday, this year Disney Princess.  She got lots of other princess things, like toys and an eating set and underwear.  She definitely got into tearing off the wrapping paper and seemed truly happy with everything that she got.  Seeing the joy of Christmas on her face is truly one to remember.

Merry Christmas from the Lieus!!

December?! Really?!

since the girl is still asleep, might as well post...right?

speaking of the girl, she is on day 5 of some viral bug going around.  it all started on Friday with a few vomiting episodes and then 3 days of oozing diarrhea.  She has a nice cough probably due to post-nasal drip, and really hasn't been eating much but drinking like a fish.  I hope she is on the upswing of this sickness, it's really the sickest she has ever been.

our tree is up, and has been since thanksgiving weekend.  this picture here depicts the aftermath of a leaking tree base.  we checked and watered for a whole week before discovering the leak, which lead to the unwrapping of several presents including one for Mike that he didn't know about and a playdoh set for Keira.  We subsequently let her play with it, since she does so at school, but have now decided we are going to hide until she is older.  Playdoh + carpet + toddler not understanding that she needs to keep it IN the tray = not a good thing.

our December family photo. I can't believe I managed to do this for a whole 12 months.

We were lucky enough to get a visit from our friends Fiona and Eric.  Little N has grown so much and come so far since we last saw her in July.  and big E is such a ham herself.

Oli and Keira.  Up to no good.

30% off holiday ornaments at the Disney Store + a mama shopping kid-free = 3 princess ornaments for the princess lover at home.  Belle and Snow White currently grace the tree, and I'm waiting for another "special occasion" to give her Rapunzel.  Or Tangled as she calls her.

Holiday gift exchange between Oli and Keira. oh, can you FEEL the excitement?  Linda and I have both learned a lesson: if we want the kids to behave and eat their lunch, do the exchange AFTER lunch, not before.  This is also the day the vomiting started (sorry LB).

an hour or so worth of manual labor by the homeowners (yes, I helped too!) led to....

this!!

Mike is beyond himself when it came to holiday decor.  This is our first house that we could actually do something to, so we went out with a bang.  I just hope our neighbors don't think it's tacky.  Either they really do like what we've done or they are just being nice.

pancakes for breakfast on Sunday.

holiday card making by the family.  Mike cut and I sewed.  And we let Keira "help" too.

so that's that from our neck of the woods.  Christmas sort of snuck up pretty quick.  It seems that once Halloween comes to town, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's are right behind.

today's feeling: content

while in the busyness of making tonight's dinner and getting the dishes washed, a sense of contentment came over me.

I am happy with where my life is right now.  Not that I was unhappy before this, but things just felt like they are where they should be.

 

Keira: for the first time ever, she went pee-pee in the potty last night. I sat her on her Dora potty seat, like I've done many times before, but this time she actually made magic happen.  And this morning, she ate cereal with milk for the first time.  And the preschool drop-off went better than usual.  She walked to her classroom (rather than being carried in), wasn't crying like she usually does when we went in, and managed to let me leave her with just a look of "I'm going to cry some more" on her face.  She also learned how to scoop the water, climb out of the pool, and went under the water too this weekend at swimming lesson #2.  Baby steps!

Mike: He'll be turning the big 3-5 this weekend, and I'm throwing him a little fiesta at home.  He's been working tirelessly at getting our condo ready and rented out...which lucky for us, happened very quickly.  The previous renters moved out Saturday and the new ones moved in Sunday.

 

Neighbors: we are blessed with having really nice neighbors.  One of them is celebrating Ramadan right now, and brought us some Ramadan inspired Banana and Dates Bread.

Home: I made dinner for tonight using some stubby carrots and zucchini from our garden.  And the other night, I used our batch of tomatoes to make tomato soup (adapted from this recipe) and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Work: there are days were I could do without it, but there are days that it is my break from home.  I'm just thankful that we both have jobs that aren't so bad and help us maintain the life we live.

Me: Overall, I feel like I'm finally getting into my groove.  I'm getting into a rhythm at home, whether its getting the laundry done, or putting the clean dishes away every morning, or picking up around the house.  At work, I've been doing a lot of purging, mainly because we have a remodel coming up fairly soon.  I'm starting to make use of the time I have while Keira is at school, whether its to do chores or just have some time for myself.

Life is in a good place right now.  And that makes me feel good all around.

from one kid to the next

ah, a sleeping child.

The bed frame that Keira is sleeping on used to be mine when I was a kid.  My brother had a matching one, and if stacked on top of each other, would be bunkbeds.

I still remember the time my brother and I were bunking together, with me on the top bunk, and a pillow fell on top of a lamp below.  I can still see the round burn mark on the pillowcase, all because I didn't see the rush in picking it up.  oops.

I can still picture the Disneyland bumper sticker that used to adorn the footboard and my dad removed when I went to college.  You can't, after all, be taken seriously in college with Mickey on your bed.

I've slept on this bed for as long as I can remember, and it followed me to my first college apartment and then pharmacy school.  It consists of just 7 pieces (two side rails, the headboard and footboard and 3 wood planks that hold up the mattress) and requires absolutely no screws to assemble.  It's so easy to put together that one person can do it.  I think it came from Scandanavian Designs, a furniture store that made really good quality furniture and my parents were fans of.

A piece of my own childhood is now a part of Keira's.  Nice.

August already?!

our August family picture.  I was hell-bent on taking it on the 1st, even if it meant being fresh out of bed for two of us.

I bought Keira some watercolor paints so she can get her artsy fartsy game on.  I used a baking sheet to hold everything, especially the bit of water she needed for the paint (got the idea from Jo). It makes moving her supplies from one place to another really easy too.

I went for a haircut last week (my second of the year...a record for me!), and although its a bit shorter than I had intended, it's starting to grow on me.  I've gotten quite a few compliments on it, so the Asian mom haircut might be here to stay.

love this picture of Keira and her older cousins.  Brushing her teeth is usually a battle between parents and kid, but if your cousins are doing it, then its fun!

Keira was all about her papa this morning.  He was leaving to do field work in Vicotorville for a few days, and she didn't want to leave his side.  She also didn't want to go to school today, but there was no way I was going to let my money go down the drain.  I plan on picking her up in a bit and doing something special with her since I'm home today.

that's about it.  I was able to change up my schedule a bit this week to account for Mike being away, so I'm looking forward to spending the next few nights with my girl :)