If I Had....

If I Had my Child to Raise Over Again
by Diane Loomans

If I had my child to raise over again
I would build self-esteem first and the house later
I would finger paint more and point the finger less
I would do less correcting and more connecting
I would take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes
I would care to know less and know to care more
I would take more hikes and fly more kites
I would stop playing serious and seriously play
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars
I would do more hugging and less tugging
I would see the oak tree in the acorn more often
I would be firm less often and affirm much more
I would model less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.

All Birthday-ed Out

On the heels of Kayla's birthday party on Saturday was Sienna's birthday bash at the park. Sienna's a fellow 3-year-old that we've gotten to know quite well at church and have playdates regularly with. The girls are just six days apart and love playing with each other.

Everyone had a great time at the party, adults included.

The birthday gal blowing out the candles on her "Choo-Choo" birthday cupcakes made lovingly by her mommy and daddy.

Kayla with party toys.

The mystery fishing game that all the little ones loved.

Kayla taking a whack at the pinata.

A group shot of the lovely ladies. From left: Kayla, Sienna, Loralei, Lily and Leila.

The girls having a conference about their goodie bags.

You're Three!

After battling a nasty bout of flu that pretty much kept us all at home for almost three weeks, we all finally recovered in time to celebrate Kayla's third birthday. Again, we opted for a simple family get-together and of course, Kayla wanted to go (again!) to Chuck E Cheese. When we asked her what cake she wanted, all she said was, "Pink with strawberries on top!" so she ended up with a Barbie ballerina cake with strawberries tucked between layers of yummalicious chocolate cake.

Here are some pics!


The day started at Famous Dave's, a BBQ joint in Gilroy where we had some really good ribs and chicken sandwiches. Kayla wanted chicken tenders and of course, being her birthday, I let her have as many fries as she wanted.

Her cousin Emily who is only 7 but almost as tall as me!

After lunch, we went to Chuck E Cheese (sorry, no pics!) and then came home for cake and pressies. Kayla loves every single one of her presents -- a V-tech laptop, dresses, books, a solar-powered cash register, and Chutes and Ladders.

Thank you Auntie Tina, Uncle Ryan, Emily, and Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you too Aunty Evelyn for the lovely dresses you mailed from Singapore!

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Hello...

Just for kicks..I've entered pics of Mia and Kayla in Parenting.com's Model Search. Here are the links.

Vote for me in this contest!

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Vote, please. :)

Boo!

This Halloween was supposed to be a tad more exciting since Kayla's old enough to understand how the costume/Trick or Treat/candy business works. Unfortunately, she also fell really ill a couple days before so whatever plans we made had to be shelved. She missed the Halloween party at Mike's office, the Harvest Festival celebration at church (complete with bounce houses and all!), and had to settle for a short candy-collecting stroll around the neighborhood.

Mia came down with the flu too on Halloween itself so I ended up staying home with her. Despite the coughing and sneezing, Kayla came home pretty pleased with her candy haul.

Here are some pics from the month of October.

Like last year, we headed to Uesugi Farms to gawk at monster pumpkins while Kayla went on the usual hayrides and pony rides.

What would Halloween be without a monster meal?!

Mia the pumpkin munchkin


Kayla looking dazed here from her drippy nose.

Trick or treat?

After changing her mind like 100 times, she finally decided that she'd like to be a ballerina for Halloween. The other choices: Raggedy Ann, Princess, Witch, and a Mannequin (yes, you read it right, a Mannequin).

See you later, alligator!

If you ask Kayla what she learned in school that day, she'll either tell you "I forget!" or "I don't know!" But from time to time, she'll sing a song or spout a rhyme that we know we didn't teach her. And that's pretty much how we've been figuring out what she's been up to in school. :)

Here's one of those silly rhymes.