first moms group outing:

Our first Moms Group meeting at a home went fairly well last month, although with the turnout, it became a little chaotic at times. I was discouraged at first, but thankfully Vicki helped me with ideas for going forward (like getting babysitters from the church or hosting small groups in between). Pretty much all the kids participated in our get-well drawing project for the sick in our church family (Julie's awesome idea), we prayed and fellowshipped, and lunch was fantastic (love Pizza My Heart, Joan's generosity). I won't be coordinating it after June, at least for a while. Thankfully there are always people ready to step up. I think it's just hard to get things started sometimes. Like I've said, I'm not a person with a lot of ideas, but if you give me yours, I'll try to make it happen.

Outings are a bit simpler, and we kept the focus to the toddlers and preschoolers this time around. We (five moms, seven kids) went to the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo, which is great for small children and free to boot (the $2 donation request is well worth it). The zoo is filled with mostly smaller animals, so you won't see giraffes or elephants, but I think that's nice for the small kiddies. Nice for the animals, too, as they are used to smaller habitats and probably don't feel so confined. We saw a jaguar, peacock, raccoon, bats, rabbits, snakes, fish, turtles, frogs, geese, and a couple other animals, so there was plenty to see. Thankfully we showed up between two large field trip groups. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves, and we walked out to the nearby park for lunch and more play afterwards.


Naomi jumping the stumps outside.


Playing with one of several simple interactive exhibits in the museum.


Staring contest with a snake.


Naomi checking out the waterfowl and turtles.


The rabbits were particularly friendly with each other. It's still spring.


Out at the playground in Rinconada Park for lunch and play.

conversations with papi:

Manny: Can I have a good-night kiss?
N: No.
Manny: Aw. I'm just going to sit here and cry, then.
N [climbing up next to him]: You know, Papi, everybody gets frustrated sometimes, but if you calm down, it'll be okay.

Manny: What do you want to be when you grow up?
N: A veterinarian. And a clown.
Manny: A clown? Why a clown?
N: So I can juggle.

N: I'm writing you a letter, Papi.
Manny: Ok. Can you read it to me?
N: It says, Dear Papi, I love you no matter what. I have so much to say to you. I love you, too.

Manny eating something of Naomi's without asking.
N: Papi, you need to grow up and be a grown-up and not eat mine.

I, on the other hand, got my first "I hate you" from Naomi today. :(((((( We resolved it quickly but had discussions throughout the day. I think she was just as shocked as I was that she said it. That's the depth of human depravity.

Our internet connection is back up after a few days of going in and out (mostly out). We couldn't even get to the info for a BBQ because Manny's cell phone broke and we couldn't get on email. At the mercy of technology...

Remembering our veterans and praying for our troops this Memorial Day.

day at the beach/tide pools:

I've always wanted to spend more time with Vicki, supermom and our associate pastor's wife, but it's hard when you live an hour apart. As I entered my eighth month of pregnancy, and with the unusually hot weather, I figured I ought to take her up on her invitation to the beach because who knows when we'll have that chance again. We had an awesome time, even with my current state of discomfort.

I truly appreciate how well she manages and raises her three young children (ages 5, 3 1/2, and almost 2) in addition to being the administrator for our church and a model of hospitality. She relayed some advice to me about siblings and new babies: Unless it's an emergency, tend to the older child first because the baby won't remember being neglected for a little while. I think that's really good advice, given Naomi's temperament and recent displays of jealousy.

At the tide pools, we encountered starfish, anemones, crabs, and mussels at the tide pool. The view was beautiful. Naomi's definitely always been a water baby, so she loves going to the beach. Like I said, giant sandbox and endless pool...

These were taken with our old camera since I left the new one at a friend's house, so I couldn't get a photo of me with the Gorillapod (nice gift from James, thanks!).


Naomi having lunch with a view.


Waves crashing.


A crab, missing a leg, on Vicki's arm.


BN and Naomi playing in the sand while Gaby brings over a little starfish.

mother's day:

Happy belated Mother's Day to my mom, mother-in-law, and all you wonderful moms out there. :) Yep, still catching up.


Naomi presenting flowers and a card. "Happy Mami's Day!" Manny got me a separate card for his own sentiments, which I thought was very sweet. We also went out for pasta and some chocolate ice cream at Coldstone's later on. :)


Damien & Janean invited us over for a Mother's Day barbecue. The kids love to make silly faces.


Naomi "playing" DDR after dinner. She even got a few perfects just randomly stepping around.


A card and bath salt jar she made in our last Preschool Adventures class. She said one of the hearts was for me and the other for Papi. She also made another card in Sunday School and asked the teacher to write, "Naomi loves Mommy. Poppi loves Mommy, too. Naomi loves Poppi, too." :)

It's interesting how I tried to teach her "Ba-Ba" (Mandarin) and Manny tried "Daddy," and she herself ended up calling him Papi (this was before Dora entered our home). Yet she'll say "my daddy" or "my father" to other people. I guess she went for Spanish in the end. :)

great america / cassidy's first birthday:

Ok, got the camera back, turned in my Orthopedics exam and Radiology quiz. Catching up now. Side notes--no one that I know of in my family was injured in the quake in China. Also, the fire in Santa Cruz County is burning pretty close to Manny's aunt, but they are outside of the evacuation area at this point.

Manny took Naomi out to Great America the Saturday before Mother's Day. I was disappointed to miss out because I have all the medical transcription homework/exams to do, but it makes me appreciate how much time I do get with her. Manny has to miss out all the time.

That evening we arrived really late for Cassidy's first birthday at the Korean Palace Restaurant. I don't think there was actually room for us, but people were very kind to squeeze us in. :) Being late was probably good for keeping Naomi out of trouble, although I struggled with frustration because I always like to be punctual, if not early. Before we left, I was disappointed there wasn't time to dress Naomi up. Manny said that it was okay since we weren't going to a wedding reception. Well, guess what, it was like a wedding reception. lol Fine food (I love Korean) and maybe 150 guests. Great ideas for games for such a large group, including bingo and a drawing guessing which item Cassidy would go for first.


Naomi going down the big tube slide.


Going up the nets. Such a big girl now!


Dora show!


Cassidy and her mom visiting our table. Yeah, those of you who haven't seen Carb for a while--there he is!


This one! That one! She chose the notebook in the end. :)


With the cute ladybug/garden cake. Happy birthday!

naomi's 3-year portraits:

When Naomi took her first-year portraits, she was recovering from two ear infections, hives from being allergic to the penicillin for the infections, a fever, and a super diaper blow-out right at the start of the appointment that stained her clothes. Pictures were fine. When she turned two, she threw up all over herself when we got to Kiddie Kandids, staining her clothes, and we had to wait almost two hours to be seen even with an appointment. Pictures were fine. This year, Naomi had run a fever from heat exhaustion (she seldom ever gets sick, but it was 100 degrees up here) and didn't really sleep well the couple nights before our appointment. When we arrived, maybe I was so happy about going right in that I neglected to fix Naomi's hair, but I think the pictures turned out fine. Plus the photographer was kind of rough with Naomi this time. :( She's a little trooper. :) They probably should do something about the knot in their wooden numbers blocks.

baby congratulations / sibling jealousy:

So many little blessings! And several boys at that! Friends Uyen, Nicole, and Jenni just had baby boys. Congrats!

I haven't caught up yet with the updates. I left the camera at my friend Janean's place. I'm getting a lot of time in with friends, which is great before I become too awkward and wobbly. The weather's been fantastic as well.

Naomi is increasingly showing jealousy toward the baby, telling us not to love him but only her ("I'll love him. You can't love him. You can only love me"). She seems a bit anxious about the baby, though she still says she can't wait to meet him and kisses my belly all the time. We've read books to her about new babies, and we've really worked on preparing her and making a big deal of her being the big sister, but I know she's anxious. She's regressed in using the potty (but that could be the vacation as well), increasingly acts or babbles like a baby, and asks to be held like a baby by her daddy. We've tried ways to reassure her, to teach her about jealousy. Anyone else go through this?

ed and linda's wedding:

The day after we drove back from Grandma's, we went to Ed & Linda's wedding reception at the Four Seasons. Ed was the head usher at our wedding. The ceremony was held at Stanford Memorial Church, and I really wanted to go, but without babysitting arrangements, we figured it might be a bad idea to go with Naomi.

The menu at the reception was excellent. Ed's friend Howard DJ'd the wedding. I met a couple people who said they knew us through this blog or our website. Naomi didn't want to sit still and kept asking when it would be time to dance. And dance she did (though not upstaging Ed, Linda, and Trevor, of course). I couldn't catch it on video with the crowd till she started wearing down, but what I got was still funny. At least the dancing got her to finally eat her dinner. Then we decided she needed to get to bed, so we scooped her up and left.

lost--cabin fever:

Last week's episode was a little meh, but this week--it took a little while to get my mind wrapped around it. Don't read if you haven't watched it. I think Claire is a goner. I remember thinking, how did she survive that explosion with just a little headache? I know they want to keep their favorite characters and kill off extras, so I accepted that at the time (remember those 3 people that ran out and got shot one right after another? That guy that ran out with the pink shirt was over the top). After this episode, I thought maybe she didn't survive after all. On a forum, someone pointed out how Miles (sees dead people) was talking to Claire oddly after the explosion, asking her if she was sure she was alright and then said, "not for long". Well, he's not been portrayed as one to care, so it came off as a facetious remark. Anyway, I think she's gone the way of Charlie, and that's why Christian got the baby, why Aaron was by himself in the jungle, etc.

I actually read a synopsis first and then fast-forwarded the Keamy killing parts. The character's too ruthless and violent, and I didn't stomach Alex's death very well. I don't handle violence well in general--probably all those horror movies my dad took me to as a kid (the first movie I saw here in the States was Halloween II when I was 5). I guess if there's only one show I make time to watch, it has to be this one. Ok, back to my medical transcription homework...home stretch! And I'll try not to think about how they'll move the island!

disneyland million dreams last day:

Yep, we did 3 days. It was a nice pace for us as a group, although with the shorter lines we were running out of rides for the adults! I had a wheelchair this day. Right when we got in, Naomi said she wanted to ride the rockets (Astro Orbitor). Grandma said yes. As we were leaving the park many hours later, Naomi tells Manny, "Grandma promised I could ride the rockets." So we went back and Grandpa took her. A promise is a promise. Naomi seldom forgets a promise, even weeks after the fact.


The royal celebration at the Disney Princess Fantasy Faire. The stage is pretty huge, especially with the crowd being so small. The show is interactive--she got right in the action. We skipped the storytelling by the princesses because the wait was too long.


Her favorite part: Walking in the ribbon ceremony with Princess Jasmine.


She ran across the stage to this throne and told me to take a picture.


Meeting Mickey in Toontown with her Mickey shirt, courtesy of cousin Francesca. Our second child will probably never have it so good.


Grandpa told her she had to let go of the lollipop to drive, so she said, "Grandpa, you drive."


She fell asleep right before our lunch at Blue Bayou, which I admit was so nice. Lately Naomi's been playing with her food and sticking her hands in people's drinks a lot. The food was so excellent. The gumbo was almost as good as what I had in Louisiana as a kid. I had the beef short ribs with spinach and potatoes. That's close to my following my diet...okay, except for the sauce. Manny had pork chops, Grandma had salmon, and everyone else had seafood jambalaya. All delicious. The service was also very good. Manny and I ate here the night we got engaged. Nice memories. :) Like sitting near the water (and near Rob Schneider and his date). And how I ordered crabcakes, an appetizer, for dinner because it was half the price of an entree.


Naomi didn't wake up for her free birthday dessert, so we just paid for this one to share among the six of us. It's a pirate ship giant cookie topped with ice cream. The sail is technically edible, but you're not supposed to eat it. I'm so thankful I can eat sweets again.


She loved the Casey Jr. Train. We were in the Wild Animals cage. We had to tear her away at the end of the ride.


"Thank you, Grandpa!!" Ok, we were hesitant to go back to the Astro Orbitor, but when you get a giant hug from your granddaughter, it makes it so worth it.

disneyland million dreams day 2:

Just a photo from Innoventions to set the mood.


Naomi pointing at Tinkerbell and the Million Dreams Mickey light display. We had a Magic Morning (Early Entry) included with our park hopper. Naomi woke me up at 6:45 telling me she was ready to go to Disneyland (she fell asleep at 11:30 the night before). It was cool to be there to hear the countdown and rush in.


When the gates opened, we made a beeline for Finding Nemo. It was still a 20-minute wait, but way better than 2-3 hours. I enjoyed the ride. Naomi had a great time sticking her head in the window, except there are a couple parts where things get scary and everything goes black. I wish they didn't do that on some of the rides for kids. Some of those Fantasyland rides are freaky.




Breakfast with Minnie & Friends. The made-to-order omelet was good, and everything else is buffet. A lot of characters came by. Captain Hook dug through Manny's backpack (of course, there were pull-ups and a wipe box in there, so I don't think he'd pull that out). Naomi took some great photos with Chip & Dale, Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore, Gepetto, the fox from Pinocchio, and Minnie Mouse herself. Great-Aunt Mary got Naomi her the polkadot dress, and it was a great match with Minnie's. Grandma also got her a Disney Princess diary to use as an autograph book. Naomi really enjoyed giving the characters the book to sign.


Naomi did pretty well on Buzz Lightyear. She did all the shooting herself.


At Fantasyland, she could not wait to get on the teacups. I got dizzy just watching it. Naomi also got on Peter Pan's Flight and Dumbo, but we had to talk her out of some of the rides with scary scenes like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. We did let her on Pinocchio, and she said, "Never make me ride on Pinocchio ever again!" Dolly said Naomi covered her eyes for most of it. :/


Astro Orbitor was definitely Naomi's favorite ride. It was the only ride she got in line again for. She especially liked controlling it herself. Poor Grandpa--way up high, then drop, then all the way up, then drop. He said it's a lot faster than it looks as well.


After the Enchanted Tiki Room, Naomi fell asleep. We indulged in pineapple Dole Whips. We were also able to get on a number of rides since it wasn't too crowded. I got on ones that were safe for pregnant women (Hey, did you know pregnant women are restricted from the Mission Tortilla Factory at DCA?). I got a little worried about the baby on the drops in Pirates, and for some reason I almost stood up on the second drop. Otherwise, it was nice to ride a few rides again.


Year of a Million Dreams parade in its second year. This palace terrace has 3 of the princesses plus Mickey and Minnie dressed to the nines.


Naomi waved at everyone, and she got a high-five from one the Lion King parade dancers (Manny and I just turned off our cameras before that, so we didn't catch it).

naomi's california adventure:

Our first day at Disneyland was spent in DCA (Disney's California Adventure). We arrived before the park opened for the Disney Princess Celebration Breakfast at Ariel's Grotto. We did this two years back, and surprisingly Naomi was more enthusiastic last time. This time, she seemed more apprehensive and focused on her bacon and fruit. She did enjoy seeing Sleeping Beauty, maybe because they were dressed the same. We've gotten some great use out of that costume Aunt Dolly gave her, and she's finally outgrowing it. :(


We also went to the Playhouse Disney Live! on Stage show featuring the shows Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, My Friends Tigger & Pooh, and Little Einsteins. Naomi really enjoyed it, except she thought she would be dancing on stage as well and was kind of disappointed at the beginning that we kept stopping her. She liked the release of bubbles, crepe leaves, and ribbons.


It was so hot that day! I felt like fainting at one point and had to exit the Heimlich train ride line. Thankfully there are water play areas in DCA in Bug's Land. Naomi loves the water.


She is finally over 36" tall, so she could get on the bumper cars with Dolly. I was a little worried about sudden impact, but most people just drove in circles. Her Disney Princess shirt was so cute. She got it for her birthday from Great-Aunt Dian. She has a whole new wardrobe, actually.


Naomi got to ride the giant Sun Wheel (150' tall) twice in a row--because just as Manny and the grandparents got off, Dolly and Denny were getting on. Score. I get scared on that thing, but Naomi loved it and wanted to get on yet again.


"Flying" rides are Naomi's favorites. Here's everyone waving from the Golden Zephyr, with Naomi in the front looking over the side.


She took a nap and woke up in time for the Disney Pixar Parade. It was a great day, but the fun had just begun.


I think my nutritionist would flip at this photo from Tony Roma's. Why are there so many photos of me like this? :P The mac & cheese was pretty bad (looked just like Kraft). We got her a better one from Blue Bayou a couple days later.