in the news

A couple important things happened this past week:

I dyed my hair purple in honor of my good friend, Denise, getting married this weekend.  Yep, because she is known for her purple hair, I added a few streaks to my hair to complete the bridesmaid look.  I'm looking forward to celebrating with her in Hawaii! :)

And... Adam sold his motorcycle a few days ago.  I'm so grateful that he did this.  After many years of riding, he came through on his promise to me that he'd sell it once we have kids.  I know he'll miss it (he loved his long motorcycle rides through the canyons), but I feel better knowing that he's thismuch safer on the road.

Once last ride.

Saying Goodbye

Even though we knew it was coming, we were sad to hear that Ella's good friend, Madelyn, and her family would be moving back to Texas in a few short days.  We got one final play date in before they pack up and leave (and we pack up and take our trip to Hawaii).  I got a little sentimental because these girls have known each other since they were five months old.  Maddie is definitely Ella's first friend and  I always love watching them together.  And I totally think it was serendipitous that Maddie's mom, Melanie, and I both got pregnant around the same time and both had boys.  It made me even more sad because Ella and Maddie just started to really interact and I could see that they could have really grown close as they matured.  Thankfully there's Facebook so that we can keep in touch.  But I will miss our play dates filled with snacks, awkward stares, and interrupted conversation.  :)

foodie

I grew up eating a variety of foods, and I really want Ella to have a well-developed palate, too.  And since her Puo-Puo's love language is basically feeding a person, I felt it especially important that Ella has a taste for Asian foods.  Thankfully, she's willing to try almost anything we offer her (unless she's having a toddler moment and just refuses to put anything in her mouth).  She loves the standard noodles and rice, but I've been trying to expose her to more exotic selections.

We had dim sum with both grandmas and Ella ate everything as usual.  This time she tried coagulated pork blood for the first time, and surprised me by eating four large pieces.  She's much happier than she appears in the picture, though.

E loves dim sum with Puo Puo.

She's tried it before, but she definitely prefers her durian frozen.

While not exotic, Ella had her first taste of boba.  It's definitely a right of passage when growing up in So. California!

and we're sitting up!

At five and a half months, G started doing this.

I just love this face.

Happy Birthday, Adam!

We celebrated Adam's birthday a couple weeks ago with some low-key events.  First, the kids and I visited him at work and brought an ice cream cake (the only cake he'll eat) to celebrate.  Ella was more than happy to dig in, though she liked the ice cream part more than the cake.

That night, Adam and I had dinner at a fantastic restaurant called Bestia in downtown LA.  It was amazing.  It was hands down the best dinner we've had in a long time.  We feasted on grilled lamb hearts, succulent bone marrow, uni pasta, and veal tartare.  It was equally wonderful because we got to spend some time together just enjoying each other's company and not having to rush through a meal.

While we wined and dined, Ella got to play in her new tent (a purchase I splurged on thanks to a Friends & Family deal on Restoration Hardware Baby & Child).  She LOVED it.  And I love the pictures Ashley took of her.

E got to stay up late, and we found her reading books by flashlight with her auntie when we got home.  Adam couldn't resist joining the camp out.

Lastly, Adam had a guys' night to cap off his birthday week.  They had a spicy Schezuan dinner, followed by cigars and drinks at our place.  I made Snickers ice cream (in lieu of cake) for dessert.  (I recently got an ice cream maker and have been obsessed with making ice cream--much to Ella's delight.)

All in all, it was a wonderful celebration of Adam turning 33!

It's All Fun & Games...

... until your baby brother starts taking your toys.

(I wrote this a week ago, got interrupted before posting, but decided to post now anyway.)

Ella has always been very lovely with her little brother.  She is more than happy to put his diaper in the trash or his clothes in the hamper.  She wipes his chin when he spits up, and brings him all his toys to dangle over his head.  She plays peek-a-boo with him whenever she gets his attention, and she feels so proud when he starts cracking up at her antics.

We braved the 90 degree+ heat this past week for a play date with her friends, Madelyn and Gabe.  We tested out a water park that they loved, but Ella wasn't too interesting in trying to splash around with strange kids.  So we hung out in the shade instead where we had lunch and Ella played with Gavin.  She really enjoyed showing him all the things around us (the swing, the birds, the plane flying over head).  It made me so happy to see these two interact.

Fast forward to later that afternoon while they played in the playroom at our home.  Ella and Gavin were playing on the floor next to each other.  G has started to reach for anything and everything around him, but he especially loves Ella's toys.  So, of course, he positioned himself so that he could reach for her Legos.  Ella immediately chastised him, and tried to take it away.  She kept repeating, "No, Gavin. Ella," which was her way of saying "Mine!"  I couldn't help but laugh and snap a picture because here begins the back and forth between two siblings.  I can't say I'm looking forward to the arguing, but I am definitely excited to see their relationship grow.

Gavin eyeing Ella's toys.

Beating the Heat & Independence Day

We've been having some pretty hot summer weather here lately.  And while I'm used to the dry heat, I'm not a fan of the humidity we've been experiencing.  Needless to say, we've spent a lot more time at home (rather than lugging two kids around in the hot sun), and have been looking for ways to keep cool and have fun.  Enter Ella's birthday gift--a flower sprinkler head--that she loves splashing in.  Gavin is just happy to be outside and look at the trees.

Hanging out in the shade, G was all smiles. 

Ella loved filling her buckets with water and trying to splash anyone who got close to her.

Learning to enjoy tummy time more.

If you position him just right, Gavin can sit up on his own for a few seconds.  I'm definitely excited for him to hit this new milestone.

Sometimes, it's just better to have a picnic indoors.

Adam had two days off for the Fourth of July, so we definitely enjoyed the long weekend, just taking it easy at home.  We've had some busy weekends, so we were more than happy to just relax a bit.  On Thursday we had our families over for a casual BBQ.  The rest of the weekend was spent playing in the sprinklers, splashing in the pool, and watching a movie and eating popcorn.

Friday night we had an early dinner followed by a temporary power outage so we decided to make s'mores in our backyard.  It was a perfect summer evening, and Ella got to eat her first s'more (minus the chocolate).  She loved the marshmallow gooeyness and loved doing the hokey pokey as a result of the sugar high.

Gavin also got his first taste of "solids" over the weekend.  He's been expressing a lot of interest in our food, and grabs at anything he can while we eat at the table.  So I decided to give him some multi-grain cereal mixed with breast milk.  He took a few bites and was intrigued by the spoon.  But our biggest challenge was his constant attempts to grab the spoon causing cereal to spill everywhere.  He's had a few more feedings, but he's also been fussier than usual these past few days, so I might put off pursuing solids for a little while longer.

Ella got to watch the Winnie the Pooh movie and Gavin snuck a peak in while I was trying to get a photo of the two of them.