Dan took the day off on Monday so that we could all spend the day with Ted and Jackie before they left DC. We thought it’d be a great opportunity to see the cherry blossoms by the Tidal Basin, but alas, the blossoms were definitely past their peak (they were probably best over the weekend, but we knew the crowds would be crazy) and were looking pretty green, with most of the petals in the water and on the ground. It was really windy that day, too, which probably expedited the wilting of the blossoms. Still, we had a nice time walking around the Tidal Basin and admiring the few trees that were still in full bloom, and also got to check out the National WWII Memorial as well. Despite how windy it was, it was a beautiful day — sunny but not too hot or uncomfortable. 🙂
Mio enjoying all the attention from Auntie Jackie while on the Metro.
Arriving at the Tidal Basin… but both girls were conked out.
Jackie and Ted with the cherry blossoms. Such a cute picture of a cute couple!
Mirei woke up so we took a photo with just us girls.
Attempt at a family photo… but Mio is too focused on eating her tortilla chip.
The Jefferson Memorial in the distance.
What was left of the cherry blossoms…
My favorite flowers and Mio’s namesake… still beautiful!
Mirei was so well-behaved the entire time. Even when she was awake, she was so quiet and let us enjoy the cherry blossoms in peace.
Dan and Mio by one of the original cherry blossom trees.
A cherry blossom tree in full bloom
Another family photo… looks like we just can’t get one without Mio eating a chip!
Ted & Jackie under the sakura.
Making our way over to the National WWII Memorial. Mio had a blast getting swung by Auntie Jackie and Uncle Ted!
She couldn’t get enough of the attention!
It was actually my first time seeing the WWII Memorial too since it had been built in 2004, and it was really beautiful and impressive!
Mio getting a photo with auntie and uncle.
She thoroughly enjoyed playing by the fountain.
Full of “what’s that?” questions.
The Freedom Wall on the west side of the memorial has 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war.
There were so many people there!
Mio with Ted & Jackie by the fountain.
Mio was in such a good mood the whole day! Love our little sweetheart.
Sharing a popsicle before heading home.
Ted and Jackie left after dinner on Monday, but the family visits continue with Dan’s parents flying in tonight! They haven’t seen Mio in over a year and it’ll be their first time meeting Mirei. We look forward to spending lots of quality time together. 🙂
Hope everyone had a memorable Christmas! We’re spending the holidays quietly at home this year, since my due date is only about a month away now.
Christmas Eve among the “stars”
Mio on Christmas morning – the excitement is palpable.
This was Mio’s third Christmas.
Unwrapping presents.
Look at that smile!
Mio received the most gifts! She seemed kind of overwhelmed after a while.
Her favorite was an educational Anpanman toy from my parents. Once she opened it, she had no eyes for anything else!
Mio with a bug eye viewer from Tarrin and Jason. Thank you to all of our friends who sent gifts for Mio all the way from California — especially Tarrin & Jason, the Pou family, and Aileen!
Christmas Day also happens to be my birthday, and this year I turned 31! We had a delicious dinner with the family (on Christmas Eve we had ham, but Christmas we had Peking duck for dinner — my favorite!), with cake afterwards. Here is Mio helping me blow out my birthday candles! (This is her favorite part of birthdays… she gets pretty upset if you don’t let her participate in blowing them out.)
Thankful to grow another year older with a wonderful husband and this precious girl!
A very Merry Christmas and happy holiday wishes from our family to yours! Here’s our holiday card from this year…
A lot of people have been asking where we got our photos taken. We actually took them in the comfort of the living room at home! Dan worked his magic with the lighting as well as some color correction of the photos afterwards, but the pictures came out looking pretty decent — almost studio quality! Thanks to how well the photos came out, they were easy to work with as I designed our custom holiday card. So glad so many people loved it! Hope it brought a smile to your face. 🙂
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:
