Funny Girl

Yesterday, Lauren was walking around with this big ol' hole in her pants and her white underwear showing through..right there on her backside, down the middle of her butt. When Uncle Chris asked her over the phone how she split her pants she replied:

I UTOT!!!

(translated: I FARTED!)

Only 3 years old and already a comedian!

Halloween 2010

Lauren's choice for costume this year was LADYBUG (second choice: Grasshopper. Thank goodness she didn't push for that one!)

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The Trick or Treat Crew and our little ladybug

My friends and their kids came over and the moms went off with the kids while the dads stayed home to distribute candy and watch the World Series (Yay, Giants!). It was hard for me to leave the game but we got updates as we went along and asked for the score every now and then. It seemed everyone had the game on TV.

Trick or Treat!

By the end of the night, Lauren's basket of candy was so heavy it was dragging on the ground. We took her stash and let her have a couple of pieces that night and one piece a day for the week after Halloween. Once the lollipops ran out she wasn't interested. Planning to make christmas candy leis with all that leftover candy.

I made yummy Giants cookies and spooky ghosts.

It's Pumpkin Time Again!

Lauren's class had their first field trip today to a pumpkin patch. We arrived at 9 am and I foolishly thought that there would be light traffic at the farm since it was a weekday. I don't know what I was thinking. I think EVERY single preschool, kindergarten, and elementary class in Placer County had a field trip to that same farm that day. It was pretty hectic and busy but enjoyable nonetheless.

We enjoyed the hayride to the field where we got to roam around and pick the perfect pumpkin. Lauren picked a two tone (i.e. unripe) little pumpkin and was so excited that it was both green AND orange. There was also a petting zoo, a train ride and this patch of HUGE pumpkins for display only.

One of the best parts of the field trip? The freshly baked apple spice muffins, apple cake, and apple turnovers

Cuzzy

We're back home from So-Cal..dead tired but so happy. While we were down there we attended a Mexi-Cambodian wedding in Pasadena and got to spend a few special days with our cousins. Best of all, Lauren got to hang out with her cousin, B-Nut.

B-Nut is a bit older than Lauren and this is the first time that they actually got to PLAY together. We spent a few days at his super-cool new house and they became fast friends. They bonded over the iPad, colored, painted Halloween ceramics, went to a park, played hide and seek, got on each other's nerves, chased the cat, read bedtime stories, and we practically had to separate the two at bedtime. The fist thing out of Lauren's mouth in the mornings was "Where's Kuya B-Nut?"

I wish they lived closer to us, and can't wait to see them again. We're already planning our next trip down there.

An apple a day...

Lauren and Daddy share a freshly picked apple in out backyard




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Poop Art

No wonder she was sooo quiet in there. I should be mad that i
have to wash crayon off the wall but the expression on her face was so naughty-- it was cute!



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Tiny Tots Ballet

Lauren started "Magical Ballet" class today. It's a 6 week class for 3-5 year olds offered by the city parks and recreation. Is there anything cuter than a little girl in a tutu? Try 12 little girls in tutus all in one room. Argh, the cuteness was almost unbearable.

As she did in last years ballet class, Lauren spent a lot of time running off on her own and staring at herself in the mirror. This time, mommies were not allowed on the dance floor and could only watch from the other side of the glass doors.

Too. Much. Cute!!!

Afterwards, we headed out to my brother's place where Lauren showed her Uncle Kintin the fancy new moves she learned in class.

And...bow.

We got to feed some goats too.

They liked asparagus, broccoli, and ivy. And they smelled like cheese. Goat cheese, that is.

Oh, and birthday cake. Yum.

Happy Birthday Uncle Deeby!!

First Day of School!!

Rise and shine! It's time for SCHOOL!

Getting Dressed

Packing up her lunch box.

Looking adorable in her back-to-school ensemble.

SOOOO excited!!!

I had tried to prepare her and let her know ahead of time that I wasn't going to be staying in the classroom but that didn't help. During orientation, her teacher told us the best thing for both of us was to sign her in, kiss and hug goodbye and then WALK AWAY AND DON'T LOOK BACK.

Picking out a special spot to hang her lunch box.

Not so excited anymore. Whaddaya mean you're leaving me here, Mommy?!

Lauren seemed fine at first, she even picked out a special hook on the wall to hang her lunchbox. She was looking around the classroom , pointing at things she was going to play with. I was hopeful that the drop-off would go smoothly. But then it happened...another classmate started to cry. Lauren followed suit and started crying too. HARD! She reached her arms out to me and begged me not to leave. Her teacher swooped right in, picked her up in her arms and carried her over to the art table with the other kids. I did what her teacher said and walked away. I had tears in my eyes by the time I got to the car..luckily my sister was there and she helped by making fun of me and I ended up laughing at myself rather than bawling in the car.

At pickup time, Lauren was sitting in a circle with the other kids, looking happy and relaxed. As soon as she saw me she jumped up, gave her teacher a high five, and ran to me. She was so happy to see me she started crying again and was quiet all the way home.

Telling Daddy all about her first day of school.

First day art project

3 years old?! NO WAY!!!

Lauren's three. Oh..my...goodness! When did that happen?

What's she like? She's a hoot! She loves loves loves to perform and is an attention hog. She sometimes will ask if it's time for a "show." Showtime for her is dancing in front of whoever will watch..mostly dances she's learned from her favorite show, Little Einsteins. She does ballet steps while screaming out their names ("Arabesque! Arabesque! Port de Bras!j) and then she twirls, claps, sings "La la laaaa!" and of course..a bow at the end.

Favorite shows: Little Einsteins, Backyardigans, Blues Clues

Favorite Food: Chicken Nuggets, Popsicles, chicken noodle soup, adobo and rice

Favorite Movie: Toy Story (1, 2, and 3). We've seen TS3 in the theaters 3 times!! 3!!!!

Favorite Toy: Woody and Buzz dolls. They go with her EVERYWHERE! Ipad/ITouch/Iphone

Favorite Activities: Dancing, Singing, Running, Digging around in the garden, painting.

One of my favorite things about her is that she is so social. She's always chatting up whoever we meet on the street, in the store, at the park. She strikes up conversations with everyone and says HI to everyone she sees. She especially loves talking to waitresses/waiters and cashiers.

She's sleeping well on her own and is on her way to being fully potty-trained. She still wears pull-ups at night and sometimes when we go out. Just in time for starting pre-school in two weeks! Preschool?! Whatwhatwhat?! Yup, more on that later.

Three years gone in the blink of an eye. Sigh....

Mid-year resolution...

Ok...I have just spent the last 2 hours reading this blog. Yup, I read EVERY post from the very beginning. It was wonderful to read the old posts and relive Lauren's early days from her first steps to her first tooth. I'm so grateful to have this blog so that I can look back and remember.

Sadly, my posting has become so infrequent (1 post in July?!) It's kinda sad. I guess I do most of my updating, silly stories, photo posting on Facebook now. Until today I felt like that was sufficient for keeping family and friends abreast of what's going on in our quiet but blessed lives. After reading the blog, however, I realized that this blog is far more satisfying for ME! It was so fun to relive the holidays, birthdays, and regular days of the last 3 years.

My mid-year resolution is this: I will post more often. At least once a week, even if it's just posting a picture. I promise!

Mission Celebration!

Lauren's 3rd birthday party was a success! We incorporated her favorite tv show, the Little Einsteins, into the decorations and activities. If you're not familiar with them, the Little Einsteins teach kids about art, music, dance, and traveling the world. It's a cute cartoon and Lauren just loves..I mean LOVES it!

I went a little nuts with the streamers...like this curtain near the entry way and in the dining room...

I love this dress..so pretty, and it went well with the pretty party hats that we made. The dress was a gift from a friend (Thanks, Megan!) and the hats are just regular ol' party hats that I dressed up with crepe paper (I got a lot of use out of those streamers!)

My nieces and nephew helped me put up these construction paper balloons which ended up being a favorite photo spot of kids and adults alike. (Inspiration from Color Me Katie)

We had lots of food as usual. The usual suspects: pancit, lumpia, Hawaiian bbq chicken from L &L, spam musubi. Most people are closet spam lovers...they are always best sellers at our parties. Come on, admit it, YOU LOVE SPAM!

The kids painted in the outdoor art studio that we set up. Some of them stayed indoors and worked on the 'masterpiece' coloring books that I put together (famous works of art that the kids could color). For party favors, the kids took home the coloring books, crayons, colored pencils and a Little Einstein's classical music CD.

Cake! According to Lauren the "3" candle was upside down and we HAD to turn it over before she even considered blowing it out.

Pre and post meltdown. It was all good in the end. Not so much in the middle.

Pinata! We had the ribbon-pull kind. Not as exciting as the swing-and-beat-up kind...but much safer..especially the little ones who aren't so coordinated yet.

Yay Presents! Her favorite: Toy Story toys.

Best part of the party: hanging out with family and friends.

FLASHBACK!!!

Flashback! Here's our boo at her 1st birthday party. Sigh...where'd the time go?!