More of Mia

I can't quite remember how it all happened, but little Mia is fast approaching four months! She's gone from a colicky baby with the worst of gas pains to a smiley, social butterfly with an infectious laughter and beguiling smile. I haven't been able to capture her laughter on the Flip, but I'm hoping I will soon. :)

Mia also has her preferred list of nursery rhymes. The ones that never fail to make her smile? Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Ring around the Rosy, The Grand Old Duke of York and The Alphabet Song.

Have a Blessed Christmas!

The past couple of weeks have been really busy - baking, shopping for gifts, wrapping gifts, mailing out cards while squeezing in playdates for the little ones. Thankfully, everyone has been in the pink of health since that awful bout of flu.

I still have a ton to do, but I thought I'd better post this before it becomes old news. Kayla had her holiday party in school on Thursday and the little ones put up a little show for the big people. Considering how much sugar they'd consumed right before the performance (they had gingerbread cookies with frosting; actually it's more like frosting with gingerbread people), I think they did pretty well.

Enjoy and have a very merry Christmas!

ps. The loud loud singing voice in the first couple of seconds of "Oh Christmas Tree" - that's our very own Idol-in-Training, Mikayla.

Self Portrait

Hop on Pop

Kayla reading two of her favorite Dr. Seuss books. :)

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!