I’ve been on the lookout for a good winter jacket for Mio for a while in preparation for the frigid East Coast winter, since we didn’t really have any warm winterwear from living in California (because we didn’t really need it!). I recently found the perfect one, and she looks oh-so-cute in it! I have to take a moment to toot my own horn, because I still can’t get over how much I was able to save on it. The jacket came at a pricey original price tag of $68, but with a 30% off sale and using my Gap Rewards points, I was able to get it for only $7.98 and FREE shipping! Less than $8 for a Baby Gap puffer jacket! How awesome is that? I should get the Super Saver Mom of the Year Award! 😛
Okay, now onto the pictures of Her Royal Cuteness…
Mio toddling around in her new winter jacket! Love the dress-like shape of it.
I love the toggles!
Fur-lined hood.
As soon as I showed my mom, she said, “Looks like the kind of coat you would wear… you love that color!” So true… if they made an adult version of this, I’d totally wear it!
Ready to make snow angels!
“It’s too hot!”
“Enough of ‘Eskimo playtime’! GET THIS OFF OF ME!!!”
So maybe it’s a little early for her to wear it, but at least we will be prepared! Bring on the cold weather and snow!
Yesterday, we took Mio to Cox Farms in Centreville for their annual month-long Fall Festival, which is the largest and most popular fall festival in the DC area. We took Mio to Moore’s Pumpkin Patch last year in California, but she was so young that she didn’t really get to appreciate it as much then. Now that she’s walking, talking, and more perceptive, we knew that she’d be able to appreciate this celebration of autumn a lot more this year! It was a beautiful day, so there were thousands of other families there! It took a while to get through the line to enter the farm, but it was well worth it!
A cow greeting us as we waited in line at Cox Farms. Mio mooed back at him.
Finally entering the festival!
Taking a picture together by the pumpkins.
Piglet Mio with Daddy.
Mio was SO excited to see the pigs. She kept making oinking noises at them… lol.
Bonding with the pig.
Equally excited to see the goats.
Here is Mio by the goat pen, trying to feed them a corn husk she found on the ground…
Dan really wanted some kettle corn, so we bought a bag. Mio couldn’t wait to get her hands on some.
“Dadoo, please!”
Trying kettle corn for the first time.
There were lots of rides and activities for kids at the festival, but one of the main attractions was the hayride! We wanted to make sure we had time to go on it, so we got in line to ride it first.
Munching away while waiting for the hayride.
Finally boarding the hayride!
Here we go! Mio’s first hayride ever.
Mio and Daddy on the hayride.
Mio and I taking a ride through the corn fields.
The hayride was very eventful, with lots of little props and characters along the side of the road to surprise and entertain passengers during the ride.
This alien came up behind Dan and gave him bunny ears while he was busy snapping photos on his phone. There was everything from aliens (with a spaceship)…
to creatures from “Where the Wild Things Are”…
dancing cowgirls…
…and tentacles rising out of the water!
…there was even a scrawny Superman that came to “rescue” us when we our hayride got “stuck” in the ditch! 😛
There was even horses that came up next to the hayride!
Mio mooed at the horse. The horse looked confused.
“Get ready for the tunnel, Mio!”
Mio was in awe during the entire hayride.
After getting off of the hayride. That was a lot of fun!
Mio on the tractor.
“Whee!” Mio coming down the giant Castle Slide with Daddy.
Mio-rella in the pumpkin carriage with Mama.
By a vintage wagon.
They were giving away free apples and apple cider. The apple cider was SO good! Best we’ve ever had!
These apples were so sweet and delicious!
Mio drumming on the pots. (She’s had plenty of practice with the pots in the kitchen back home!)
Smiling out of the window of the train car.
Happy times.
Getting into the front of the train. Choo choo!
“All aboard!”
Cutie making her way out of the tunnel.
Those pumpkins and gourds were the same size as her (or larger)!
Of course, we had to stop by the pumpkin patch before we left. Mio had a great time wading through the sea of pumpkins…
Of course, she picks out the most ginormous one. I think she based her decision on which pumpkin was the most fun for climbing.
Silly girl trying to lift up the pumpkin…
A video of Mio at the pumpkin patch:
Passed out in the car ride home after a fun day at the Fall Festival!
The Fall Festival at Cox Farms was definitely the most impressive one I’ve ever been to! It’s not only a lot of fun for kids, but enjoyable for grownups, too. We definitely want to go back in the future — maybe we’ll make it an annual family tradition! 😀
With two tablets in the household (Dan’s ASUS Transformer Prime and my iPad), Mio knows tablet technology all too well. Combine that with seeing us using our smartphones, she’s gotten to be such a pro at knowing how touch-screens work. She’s even sat at my desktop computer and tried to swipe the screen on several occasions!
Here’s a video of Mio learning about animals through a couple Japanese children’s apps on my iPad. She’s a pro at switching between apps and touching things on the screen.
It’s a very different age that children are growing up in these days! There’s so much technology surrounding them everywhere. We still want Mio to appreciate books and tactile toys rather than get addicted to the screen and all things digital, so we try to limit the time she spends playing on the tablet and watching things on the screen. (I usually try to wrench her away and distance her from the screen to save her eyesight….)
On a somewhat related note, I found this video from last December, when we celebrated Christmas with Dan’s family in California, before leaving for Virginia. We surprised Dan with the ASUS tablet that he’d been wishfully admiring — I rallied both sides of the family to chip in to get it for him for his birthday! I love how stunned he is by the gift, and was glad that we could get it on video. 🙂
Not sure what to get for his birthday this year, though. I kind of dug myself a hole by raising the bar too high – now almost every gift I give him will pale in comparison…
They say the best camera is the one that you have with you. I guess I get lazy and don’t like to lug our DSLR everywhere unless it’s a special outing, so most of the candid everyday moments are captured on my iPhone. I know “iPhoneography” it may not be the best for posterity and archival purposes, since the camera on the phone has its limitations and its photos don’t have as high a resolution nor as accurate colors as those from our T3i, but it’s just so much easier to pull out my phone, snap a picture, apply any filters or frame it however I want, and then just share it on social media, all within a minute on my phone.
Here are some everyday snapshots from the past week that I took of Mio and other fun moments.
18 month old Mio, with a full head of curls. So sweet.
At the play area inside the mall… good for days when it’s too chilly to go outside!Â
Mio with Obaachan (grandma).
Ladies’ night last Saturday to celebrate Lan’s birthday! We started the evening off with delicious ramen at Ren’s and then went to karaoke. Here’s the birthday gal showing us some gangnam style! 😉
All bundled up in her adorable lamb hat (courtesy of Sarah ♥) and mittens! 🙂
Channeling Pebbles from the Flintstones… She just needs the red hair!
Auntie Miwa having too much fun with Mio’s hair during bathtime.
She was hugging that bottle of salad dressing and calling it “Daddy” all morning today… #weirdo #confused
We spent Sunday afternoon at Oktoberfest in Reston Town Center! Dan’s new office building is right in Reston Town Center, so it was a nice opportunity to go see the area he works in and also enjoy the good eats/drinks and carnival rides that the festival had to offer! It was pretty cold and misty, but we still had a great time! 😀
We were cracking up at how big Mio was smiling when she got there, with her hands folded in her lap. It looks almost like she’s a villain (think Dr. Burns from The Simpsons)!
What is Oktoberfest without a cup of overpriced (but apparently delicious) beer?
Delicious steamed mussels from McCormick & Schmick’s
My sister and I don’t like nor drink beer, so our main focus was the food!
Amazing chicken kabobs from Midtown Kabob
…complete with samosa, also yummy!
Enjoying the meal while Mio looks on.
Peruvian chicken from Pollo Peru. So. Effing. Good.
Mio reaching for some while we chow down.
She grabbed a french fry!
Mio’s learned how to do “cheers!” and clink her cup against another person’s, but she’s so into it that she’ll do it with every type of food she happens to share with you, and multiple times (as in every five seconds). So when she and I both had Peruvian french fries in hand, she insisted on toasting and bumping them together… over and over. Here it is on video!
We just couldn’t get enough of that chicken, so we went and got a second plate to share!
Mio kept whipping her head back and forth to look at all the people passing by. She was so curious about everything that was going on around her.
A Daddy’s girl moment.
Enjoying the view from Auntie Miwa’s shoulders.
Buying tickets for the carnival rides.
There was a train ride that we could all ride together.
Our little family on the train.
Mio kept saying “ppo ppo” (Japanese equivalent of “choo choo,” the sound of a train puffing out smoke) while riding.
After the ride was done, she was eager for more carnival fun!
Mio kept saying “ba~ ba~” when she saw the Jamaican banana.
A carnival isn’t complete without funnel cake! So of course, we had to get one.
Miwa and Dan wanted to go on one of the scarier/intense rides. Here they are before taking flight.
Mio was really scared for them! When the ride lifted up into the air and started flying around, she started screaming and clung onto my legs. Poor girl was scared for her Daddy and auntie…
Dan and Miwa flying in the air! It looked terrifying, but they seemed to enjoy it.
As a finale, we took Mio on the carousel. She doesn’t really understand the difference between horses and cows yet, so she kept mooing and making cow noises while waiting in line and riding on the carousel. I corrected her the first couple times, but it was pretty cute so I just let her moo the whole ride through.
Mio getting on the carousel.
She had a very grave expression on her face the entire time.
Clenching her teeth! Mio’s been on carousels and merry-go-rounds a few times before, but she seemed more uptight this time – maybe because it was cold?
Of course, when the ride ended, she started getting upset and wanted to go on again… (On a separate note, isn’t the heart-shaped elbow patch on her jacket adorable? My mom got this jacket for her.)
Like with the Marin County Fair, there were a lot of rides Mio couldn’t go on because she wasn’t 36 inches tall, so that was kind of a bummer. Maybe in a year or two, she’ll get to enjoy more of the rides! 🙂
