On Christmas Eve, I dressed up the girls in matching dresses (thanks to my cousin Yuko!) to take some cute photos of them together. It didn’t quite go as planned, with two wild and rambunctious little girls who refused to stand still — they turned out more comical than picture-perfect!
Is it just me or does it look like Mio is trying to fix a wedgie?
Still working on it, as Mirei tries to lead her towards me
Mirei got ahold of the lens cap!
Mirei-monsta coming towards me!
Crazy girls!
Hoping this would work better with them seated… but Mio is not in the mood.
Mirei is ecstatic, but Mio’s face is asking, “How much longer do I need to sit next to her???”
Finally a smile! But then Mirei is not smiling…
I figured that since I couldn’t get a shot with them both smiling, I’d turn one of the photos into an homage to one of my favorite memes. Oh, sisterhood…
With the holiday season comes so much joy and laughter, and this month was definitely full of funny and sweet moments brought to us by our little girls! Here are some moments that brought smiles (and at times, uncontainable laughter) to our faces!
Mio making “alphabet soup” with her fridge magnets
Mirei creeping up from behind… Mirei LOVES playing with the mixing bowls and strainers.
Mio making funny voices, trying to imitate Minnie Mouse:
Look at Mirei’s ecstatic smile! They are so happy that Daddy’s home from work.
Group hug! So sweet… TGIF for the Daddy’s girls.
The girls listening to the talking Mother Goose doll sent to them from their grandparents in California:
Mio’s preschool had a pajama day, for when Santa came to visit them.Â
Mirei climbed into a cardboard box, we turned it into a makeshift bed… and it did not end well.
Mirei leaning against and hugging her Ojiichan. ♥ So sweet!
Mio on her last day of school of 2014. She came back with lots of Christmas-themed crafts, along with little treats and gifts from her teachers and classmates!
Mio randomly said this repeatedly one night…
Who is “John”?! We actually don’t know any Johns…?
Mio is excited to try Snocream! (Taiwanese shaved ice served out of a bus! Love the ice cube seats.)
A multitasking Daddy!
Mio discovered her purple velour tracksuit twinsie at the grocery store!
…before she fell asleep in the cart. Narcolepsy strikes again!
Mio reading the library book we had borrowed for Mirei. She still loves baby books, and she’s still my baby. ♥
We hope these silly and heartwarming moments bring you some holiday cheer! Can’t believe it’s already Christmas tomorrow!
Mio drew her first family picture the other day! She had taken a long time to get to the point of drawing faces, so we were surprised and impressed when she drew our family!
According to her, Daddy is the big blue face, Mio is the pink one next to him, Mama is the yellow one in the upper left, and Mirei is the small purple one in the top right corner.
Great job, Mio!
I’m looking forward to how her drawings of our family will grow as she gets older… 🙂
Dan’s birthday was on the 13th, and he turned 32 years old! At his request, we just had a quiet celebration at home (you can’t really go wild for your birthday with two little ones at home anyway!) with Thai takeout and BonChon chicken, and his favorite cheesecake for dessert.
Mio’s excited, as if it were her own birthday!
Turning out the lights for the birthday song
The girls’ expressions are so funny here.
Blowing out the candles.
Elisa and Ted came over too, and we enjoyed board games and a scary movie together afterwards!
The next day, we went out to enjoy all-you-can-eat crabs as an extended birthday celebration for Dan. My sister and dad came along, since they also love crabs!
Ready to dig in! Between Dan and I, my sister and dad, we killed about three of these trays.
“Mi” Club (Mirei not pictured)
Happy birthday to a husband and father who fills our lives with immeasurable joy. We love you Dan! ♥
Dan’s company had a holiday party at the McLean Hilton this year, and it was grand! It’s nice to get dressed up and go somewhere without the kids once in a while, and we thoroughly enjoyed the festivities!
Main course of filet mignon. My favorite part, though, was the ginormous cocktail shrimp they had among the hors d’oeuvres (not pictured). Heaven for a shrimp lover like me!
My favorite kind of bar = a hot chocolate bar! Dan got the Olaf and I got the Elsa and they were both amazing.
Fun in the photobooth ♥
Chocolates from Dan’s company as a gift for him helping them prepare for the party. Yum!
I’m thankful that Dan is such a hardworking husband and father — it’s thanks to him that we can provide for our girls, and we can enjoy company events like these from time to time. His company and his team are so wonderful too, and he loves his work — I’m so happy for him that he found this opportunity that brought us back to the East Coast two years ago.