It was warm today, so we took Mio to the community pool — it was her first time at a real pool (as opposed to a baby pool), so it was very exciting for her! She seemed to be stunned at first by all the other kids at the pool and how much water there was, but she quickly ran towards the pool and tried to hop in.
As parents bringing our kid to the pool for the first time, we quickly discovered that…
1. inflatable flotation devices are not allowed at the pool, and…
2. …neither are cameras.
We had no idea! We brought a floatie for Mio and an underwater casing for my point-and-shoot camera along, all for naught. 🙁 I guess flotation devices can be obstructive to other swimmers, and then cameras are probably forbidden because parents are concerned about strangers snapping photos of their kids. I still managed to discretely sneak a few snaps from the camera on my phone… it was our daughter’s first time at the pool, so I wanted to have some photos to remember it by! 🙂
Mio dipping her feet in.
Mio and I at the pool. She just turned 14 months old!
Easing her into the water... Mio going down the steps.
She got frustrated because she was so anxious to get into the water, and I was holding her back to pose for a picture... lol.
Daddy guiding Mio through the water.
"Swimming" back and forth through the water. She was actually kicking her feet!
We later went to the slightly deeper end (but still around 4 feet), while holding her, and let her “swim” on her stomach as we guided her through the water. She was giggling a lot and having so much fun! Every time we’d glide her across, she’d make a sound like “buuuu-n” (like the Japanese sound for an airplane flying) — it was pretty stinkin’ adorable.
Taking a poolside break and drying off int he sun.
She looks like a matryoshka doll in her towel burrito. Her expression cracks me up!
She soon wanted to hop back into the water, so we went back in for a while. We were all sad when they eventually closed the pool for the day.
Mio couldn't get enough of the pool!
Afterwards, Dan and I were starving so we drove over to Oakland to get some delicious tacos from our favorite taco truck! They were just what we were craving, and definitely hit the spot.
My usual order... two spicy pork and two chicken tacos. Yup, all of those four tacos are for me!
Mio conked out, so we could eat in peace.
We were way too hungry to wait until we got home, so we just ate in the parked car.
It was a delicious way to end a fun day! We’ll have to take Mio on more outings to the pool and to the beach this summer, as she just loves the water! She’s definitely a California girl….
On Saturday, we threw Mio a birthday party to celebrate her turning one year old. We held it at Dan’s parents’ house because our own place is too small to accommodate all the guests, but it still got packed with almost forty loving friends and family, and we are so thankful to everyone who made it out to celebrate with us, despite the torrential rain earlier that morning. I had started planning this party about a month ago, and the past couple weeks had been all about preparations for it, and despite some stress and a couple anxiety attacks, I’m happy to say that it turned out to be a wonderful party, and even better than I expected! Thank you to our friends who helped with the cooking and grilling during the party, as well as those who swooped in to help with last-minute preparations. We couldn’t have had such a memorable, enjoyable party without you all! 🙂
Because we have over 300 photos to sort through and video footage that still needs to get uploaded, I’m going to split this up into a few blog posts, or else it will take me forever to get them up. (Additionally, I feel no shame in milking the party for as many blog posts as I can get out of it, because I-worked-hard-godammit! :P)Â So this first post will highlight the party decor, food, favors, etc., while subsequent posts will focus on the birthday activities. Enjoy!
Invitation for Mio's First Birthday Party
Mio's smash cake that I baked and decorated for her.
I made the cake topper with the bunting and lettering, too!
Custom mason jar mugs that doubled as party favors.
We created a stencil and frosted 48 of these mason jars so that each guest could take one home!
It took Dan and I almost a week to frost the mason jars, but people loved them!
Cupcakes with cherry blossom fondant
It was my first time making fondant, but it was fun!
Homemade macarons... (not the best batch ever, unfortunately.) The pink ones had matcha flavored filling!
Cherry blossom brownie bites
Fruit skewers. Special thanks to Sam, Wynn, and Megumi for cutting and assembling them last minute!
There was no shortage of desserts!
Sugar cookies I baked for Mio's birthday. I had a whole bunch more that I packed in 50 little bags as party favors, too!
Futomaki and California rolls
More California rolls! Thank you Grandma and Kimiko-san for making them!
Hummus and pita bread platter
The birthday girl! She was so excited that she skipped her morning nap.
Let the party begin!
Hanging crinkle fans and pom poms
Mio with one of her favorite aunties, Tarrin!
Happy birthday to our sweet daughter!
…and this doesn’t even include the hamburgers and spare ribs that were cooking on the patio. Special thanks to John and Brent for grilling them! 🙂
Three month old Izumi-chan joined us for the party.
So adorable! Hard to remember when Mio was this little, even though it was less than a year ago!
There were plenty of babies to be passed around.
…and a couple older kids for the babies to look up to, too.
Friends spilling out onto the patio to eat.
Mio with Uncle Ted
Lovely sisters Wynn and Sam!
We were reminded of how truly lucky we are to have such wonderful people in our lives, seeing the outpouring of love at Mio’s birthday party. Stay tuned for more posts in the coming days on the fun activities we had prepared for Mio!
My last day of work was Friday of last week, and Dan and I went on a weekend trip to celebrate! Dan’s parents very graciously offered to watch Mio for the weekend so that we could fully relax and enjoy our getaway, so it was awesome! 🙂 Although we have both been to Carmel and Monterey in the past, we had both never been to Big Sur, and we had talked about going for a while… so we decided this was the weekend to make it happen! We spent most of the first day at Big Sur, and then headed back to Carmel where we spent much of Sunday. Here are some pictures from the first day…
Coastal view along the 17-Mile Drive... gorgeous!
By the Bixby Bridge
A haze above the waters
A natural bridge at the foot of the cliffs
It looked like paradise!
The highlight of Big Sur was definitely the McWay Cove at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park! It has the most stunning views, and I think it’s safe to say that it is the place most people come to see when they go to Big Sur.
Arriving at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Us admiring the view below.
The McWay Cove was probably one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen… it looks like something from a movie. (Dan and I agreed that it was even more beautiful than anything we saw in Hawaii!) Alas, it was almost like looking at a painting you couldn’t touch, because no one is allowed to go down there. It’s too dangerous, especially with all the rocky cliffs jutting out and strong waves that can pull you out to sea. Dan was itching to jump the rail and climb down to the beach, but I stopped him from breaking the law (and risking orphaning Mio) with my voice of reason. 😉
McWay Cove... It doesn't get much more beautiful than this!
The waterfall running into the sea
Breathtaking shoreline... turquoise waters and sandy beaches.
Afterwards, we continued to drive around the area and stopped at trails here and there to check out more views. Thankfully (for me), the trails were all pretty short and never too rigorous, so a less-than-fit person such as myself could still hike them! 😛
At a rock quarry... this was also a really awesome view, with the waves crashing against the giant rocks.
Enjoying the view and breathing in the sea breeze.
Dan walking through a tunnel. (I took this photo... looks kind of neat, doesn't it?)
The view at the end of the tunnel. Golden hills meat azure waters.
After doing a fair share of hiking, we drove back to Carmel and checked in at the Carmel River Inn. We chose to stay here because they have cute, individual little cottages. I love how cozy and private it is!
Our own private cottage #22
Sitting outside the cottage
The little meadow outside our cottage... it would have been perfect for some picnicking, had we more time!
The inside of the cottage was cute, too!Â
We freshened up at the cottage, and then headed back out to drive over to Monterey, where we had dinner at The Fish Hopper in Cannery Row. (Thank you Katie for the recommendation!) It was pretty busy, but we were able to get seated surprisingly quickly.
The food was impeccable! But instead of describing just how delicious it was, I’ll torture you all with drool-worthy photos of it…
Lobster bisque with creme fraiche... so rich and just amazing. Just what I'd been craving!Â
Stuffed jumbo prawn pasta... the crab stuffing was perfect.
Dan got a seafood platter with half a dungeness crab.
Bib on, ready to dig in.
Two of my favorite foods: seafood and pasta!
After dinner, we spent the rest of the evening walking around Cannery Row and leisurely exploring the stores.
"Candy!!!"
Trying on an Angry Birds hat
We came upon a froyo place called “myo,” which reminded us of our dear Mio My-oh that we had left with Dan’s parents. We were able to rest easy and have a great time because we knew she was in good hands, but she didn’t leave our minds for a moment during the trip!
Don't worry Mio, Mama hasn't forgotten about you!
That concludes Day One of our weekend trip. I’ll post Part Two soon, so stay tuned for more of our adventures! 😀
…recreating delicious dishes in the comfort of your own home.
Homemade haemul pajeon (Korean seafood pancake) for an afternoon snack. The one thing that's lacking in the Bay Area is good Korean food... I grew up near Annandale, which has the best Korean food, so I'm constantly craving the delicious eats from back home.
… surprise packages in the mail from friends.
A lovely dress for Mio, from Jina! She remembered that dusty rose was one of my favorite colors. Love blush tones!
… including homemade goodies from the bestest!
These homemade jams that my best friend Debbie made are amazing. Both are delicious, but the blueberry champagne in particular is heavenly!
… picking up an old favorite hobby.
I've started creating floral accessories again. I hadn't made any after Mio was born, but I'm excited to have some more time to craft some fashioned florals!
