Christmas is only a couple days away, and I can’t believe how fast this month has flown by! In addition to the holiday season, there’s always a lot to celebrate in our family during this month because both Dan and I have our birthdays, and I love that people come together more during the holidays and the end of the year. This year has had its share of challenges with a tough pregnancy as well as navigating Mio’s tumultuous toddlerhood, but as I spend time with family and friends and reflect back on the year, I know that I have so much to be grateful for! Good health, wonderful friends and relatives both near and far, and our growing family that brings smiles and laughter to every day. And of course, there’s so much to look forward to in this coming year and beyond!
Some pictures from the past couple weeks, as we wrap up the year…
Mio after her final art class at the local rec center. She thoroughly enjoyed her 8 weeks of arts and crafts!
She pressed one of her crafts against the inflatable penguin, saying “Here you go, penguin!”
We enjoyed a delicious dinner on the Roof Terrace followed by a performance of Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center. It was a holiday event with Dan’s company and was nice to get an evening out without parenting responsibilities for once!
Celebrating Dan’s 31st birthday on the 13th!
“Happy birthday Daddy!” Mio was so excited to help Dan blow out the candles.
With the girls at Ashly & Danny’s housewarming party!
Congratulations Ashly and Danny on the beautiful new home!
An early birthday dinner out last week with some girlfriends, complete with amazing desserts! Thank you Michelle for planning it. Can’t believe I’ve known these ladies for 15 years!
Mimi knows me so well. Love this nail polish set! It has all the perfect shades, especially for the holidays.
Mio brought home so many cute crafts and gifts from preschool! Now the dilemma is how to keep the chubster occupied during winter break…
Mio’s very own My Dear Darling penguin! Thank you so much Akiyo for such a beautiful handmade gift.
Mio was in love!
A sweet video of Mio playing with her penguin doll:
On Saturday, we had the pleasure of attending a birthday party for two of Mio’s friends — Aaron and Kailee! Aaron turned four on August 20, and his sister Kailee will turn two on September 23. We often have playdates together during the weekdays, and Mio and Kailee are good friends. 🙂 We were more than happy to celebrate their birthdays with them!
The sign in front of the house. So cute!
Happy 2nd birthday, Princess Kailee!
Aaron and Kailee’s dad Sean just built this treehouse + slide this summer, and Mio loves going on it every time we play at their house. The party was no exception!
Mio can go up the treehouse ladder by herself (with supervision, of course). She just keeps climbing up and sliding down over and over.
Having fun on the trampoline.
Getting some pointers from Daddy on how to hit the ball.
Mio and I at the birthday party.
Mio loves this outdoor playhouse.
But of course, the treehouse is the favorite. Every kid’s dream!
Time for birthday cake!
Thank you to the Tzeng family for having us over and letting us be a part of their adorable children’s birthday celebration! We had such a good time with all the delicious food and fun. To many more wonderful birthday! 🙂
Mio and I relaxing on the lawn.
Mio’s been especially clingy lately. I think she senses the big changes coming…
Mio’s been going to a lot of birthday parties lately! A lot of her friends seem to have birthdays in late August and early September. We went to a birthday party for 3 year old Kosei and 5 year old Dojoon a couple weeks ago in Hyattsville, and then last Sunday we drove over to Gaithersburg (also in Maryland) to celebrate Maya’s 3rd birthday! We have yet another birthday party to go to this coming weekend, too! So many occasions to celebrate. 🙂 Mio has no problems with that, as she loves birthday parties as they involve cake, good food, and getting to see a lot of her little buddies! She can’t say “birthday” quite yet, but she’s been repeating “Happy Kosei~” “Happy Dojoon~” “Happy Maya~” the past couple weeks, coupled with “It’s so fun!!!” The parties are definitely a lot of fun for her!
Here are some pictures from Maya’s birthday on Sunday.
The kids anxiously waiting to eat the cupcakes.
Maya turned three! Maya-chan is a quarter Japanese, and I’ve known her mama Erika since we were kids ourselves!
Mio patiently waiting to have some cake…
Sharing a cupcake with mama… though it was mostly Mio, who just ate the top off.
Mio was very suspicious of baby Charlotte possibly stealing her cupcake. No need to be so worried, Mio!
The mamas hanging out on the deck while the kids played in the sun outside.
Sweet 11 month old Charlotte!
Some of the kids playing with the hose. Mio got soaked!
She dried off pretty quickly in the sun, though, and had fun kicking the ball around with Daddy and Maya’s dad.
Is she a future Mia Hamm? (Or shall we say, Mio Hamm? lol)
Maya opening her presents. Happy birthday sweetheart!
Thank you to the Ichijo’s and Maya’s whole family for having us over at their lovely home. We had a great time chatting with our fellow parent friends and letting the kids play together.
Last Saturday, some of my closest high school girlfriends and I got together to celebrate two happy occasions — our dear friend Jen being back in town from Indonesia, and Debbie’s 30th birthday! We started off the afternoon with mani pedis, and then ended the evening with a potluck joined by our guys. I hadn’t seen Jen in five years (!), so it was so nice to see her again after all this time and hear about her overseas adventures, and of course I was thrilled to be there to celebrate my best friend turning 30!
The two guests of honor! Welcome home Jen, and happy birthday Debbie!
We got fish-y cure (pedicures with fish that nibble off your dead skin). It was my first time, and a neat experience!
Fresh pedicures!
Back at Juli and Brandr’s home, celebrating Debbie’s birthday and Jen’s homecoming with a delicious fruit tart.
Mio got to meet Jen for the first time… and of course, loved her!
Mio was very focused on getting a slice of the tart.
Happy birthday, bestest!
I loved seeing everyone again. Thank you Juli and Brandr for hosting!
Mio turned two yesterday, and while we opted not to have a big birthday party with friends this year, we spent the daytime playing outside and had a little get-together with the family in the evening to celebrate with BonChon Chicken dinner, birthday cake, and opening presents! Here are some snapshots and video from throughout the day…
We had another little Easter egg hunt in the backyard in the morning.
But then she got distracted by the swing.
Smiles of delight on the swing.
And no day is complete without climbing onto furniture! Mio loves to climb to the top of the sofa and straddle like a horse.
Wearing tupperware as a hat. Silly girl.
Eating BonChon chicken for dinner. Mio always says “kokko-” (short for “kokekokko”, or “cock-a-doodle-doo” in Japanese) while eating chicken!
The birthday cake I made for Mio!
I love this video that Dan took of Mio while we sang “Happy Birthday” to her. She seemed to know exactly what was going on, and that she had to blow out the candles at the end! I love her excited smile and clapping at the end…
…but then of course she thought the candles were candy and stuck one in her mouth! Very much a Mio thing to do. haha* You can see how much she loves eating the cake in the following video:
Mio with a mouthful of cake!
Mio + cake = happy girl.
Mio and Mama both share a love for desserts and all things sweet!
Dan says Mio and I have the same face here. lol
“Whatcha lookin’ at, Daddy?”
After cake, we opened some birthday presents together! Dan and I got her a dollhouse, while my parents got her a family of dolls to match. Her reaction was more than we had anticipated — she was ecstatic! 😀
She also got some sweet and generous gifts from Uncle Ted and Auntie Elisa!
An AquaDoodle from Uncle Ted and Auntie Elisa…
…and a toy medical kit to play doctor! Conditioning her early… 😉
Curiously looking at the stethoscope.
While it was a small birthday celebration in comparison to the birthday party we threw her for her first birthday last year, it seemed to leave quite an impression on her. Afterwards, she kept saying “two” in search of the candle shaped like a 2, and has been carrying it around with her ever since! I also caught her serving her stuffed animals toy cupcakes and singing to them “Happy~ to you~” (since she can’t say “birthday”) yet. It warms my heart to see how much she enjoyed and appreciated the family celebrating her birthday and how much love she must’ve felt!
Mio wouldn’t let go of the 2-shaped candle! Happy birthday sweetheart. ♥
