Mio loves riding the swing whenever she goes to the park. She can’t stop smiling!
Lately, I’ve been trying to be better about taking her to the park more often. She always has so much fun that she gets exhausted and conks out on the walk home. Here she is, asleep in her stroller.
On Saturday, we drove over to nearby Arlington Park so that Mio could have some fun at the playground there. It was our first time going to this park; it’s definitely one of the nicer ones in El Cerrito — just not in walking distance, so it’s a little more of a hassle to go to. The smiles it brought to Mio’s were priceless!
Okay, I’m sure most of you could do without seeing 29513607 pictures of Mio smiling and laughing while on the swing, but I couldn’t help but post all of them. 😛
Hanging out with Daddy… a sweet father-daughter moment.
Going on the slide with Mama
Mio made a new friend at the park… we noticed that the little girl looked pretty close in age to Mio, and upon talking to the parents, we found out that they were only two weeks apart! (Mio being two weeks younger.)
Mio with her new friend Mina.
We parents shared a chuckle over how they eat crackers the same way… they like to put the crackers into their mouths vertically… (which seems like it would be harder for them to eat, right?)
Mio went for Mina’s snacks, and Mina reached for Mio’s… lol. Kids are always more interested in what the other kids have!
Back on the swing, this time with Mina. Mio grabbed the snack container from my hands while she was swinging, and continued to swing with it! Silly girl…
Playing in the sandbox.
It was a Saturday well spent! Mio was so tired from all the fun she had that she took a very long nap that afternoon… I just wish the parks were closer so I could take her to them more often!
The weather was gorgeous last weekend, so on Saturday we went on an impromptu picnic in Tilden Park over in Berkeley. We just laid a blanket out on the grass, sprawled out and snacked on fruits and veggies, and simply relaxed. It’s moments like these when I feel like life couldn’t be more perfect… and I’m certain they are the memories I’ll look back on and cherish decades later, when our sweet little girl is grown and gone.
Mio taking away my phone, as if to say, "Get off of that for once and enjoy the moment!"
Smiles in the sun.
Mio way up high! She's getting heavy...
Daddy can give her more air! It looks like it's raining babies and Dan's catching them.
"I put my hands up in the air sometimes..."
A happy Mio.
I picked some flowers in the field to make a flower crown for Mio.
Clover flowers adorning her head...
I used to make these all the time as a little girl. I love how life brings us full circle, back to childhood memories...
Cutiepie
Can never get enough of those smiles!
After the picnic, we strolled over to the Tilden Merry-Go-Round. I love this antique carousel with hand-carved and beautifully painted wooden animals — it looks like something from a movie, a gorgeous reminder of another era. We’d come to the merry-go-round a couple times in the past, but this was Mio’s first time riding it!
Mio and I on the merry-go-round.
Mio is securely strapped onto her ride!
Round and round we go!
Daddy wanted to ride with Mio, too, so she went for a second round.
Hooray for weekend relaxation and fun! We can’t wait to do it again. 😀
Last Thursday, Mio and I went over to Maryland to meet up with some of my fellow Mama friends in the area and their kids. Together, we went on an outing to Watkins Park there and had a picnic, played on the playground, and then strolled around the farm section. It was great catching up with them, and seeing how much their children have grown… we’ve all known each other since our pre-motherhood days, so it’s really amazing to see each other with our own families now! We were a group of seven parents (including myself) and ten kids, so it was quite rowdy and a whole lot of fun!
We hitched a ride to the park with Lan's kids DoJoon and Seiji
Hat, check. Sunscreen, check. It was such a hot, sunny day!
Seiji and Mio passed out on the ride to the park.
13 month old Mio and 18 month old Seiji playing together at the park.
Maya, Asher, and Aiden eating at the picnic. Many of our friends' kids are quarters, like Mio!
4 month old Aubriana -- so adorable.
Mio is very curious about Aubriana.
Mio playing with the big boys DoJoon, Zenshin, and Seiji... she looks so little compared to them!
Mio got a hug from Kosei... melt melt melt!
After lunch and some playtime on the playground, we trekked over to the farm area of the park.
Looking at the bunnies
So many kids!
Mio looking at the chickens
Mamas and their kids
Beautiful blue peacocks
All of the boys were very interested in the horses and cows.
Mio got right in there with the and even stuck her head into the fenced area...
Looking at the cow.
Distracted by a couple dogs that came by.
A horse came right up to Mio!
Mio was exhausted from all the excitement of playing with so many other kids and seeing all the animals that she napped almost the whole way home! I love that she has so many friends here that she can play with every time we are back in the area. Thank you Lan and Mie for organizing the fun outing! 😀
On Tuesday, Mio had a playdate with my friend Erri’s kids Audrey and Brennan. She had so much fun playing with older kids, and they took such good care of her while Erri and I caught up! I’ll let the cute photos speak for themselves…
4 year old Audrey and 18 month old Brennan
13 month old Mio
Berry Cute indeed!
The diaper butt looks oh-so-cute in baby jeggings.
I remember when Audrey was just younger than Mio at my wedding. How time flies!
After enjoying a delicious yakisoba lunch that Erri cooked, we headed over to the nearby park to play. It was so humid that day!
Audrey took such good care of Mio! ã„ã„ãŠå§‰ã¡ã‚ƒã‚“ã ã〜。
Brennan walking around on the playground.
The kids got pretty sweaty from playing in the playground, so we threw them all in the bathtub together. It was pretty stinkin’ adorable…
Three's company... such a cute moment!!! 三人ã§ãŠé¢¨å‘‚タイム♪
Audrey holding Mio close... heartmelt!
Audrey washed Mio's hair for her and rinsed her off! She's used to being a good big sister to Brennan, so she was really great with Mio. 見ã¦ã¦å¾®ç¬‘ã¾ã—ã‹ã£ãŸã€‚(^^)
Out of the bath, Mio and Brennan both took naps while us Mommies chatted, but they eventually woke up for some more playtime…
I'm pretty sure I squealed when I took this picture. é ã¨é ã‚’ãã£ã¤ã‘ã¦éŠã‚“ã§ã‚‹äºŒäººã€ã‹ã‚ã„ã™ãŽã‚‹ï¼
We ended up staying there for over seven hours! Thank you Erri for lunch and dinner, and for having us over for such a fun (and adorable) playdate! :DÂ It’s incredible to think that Erri and I met when we were only five years old, around Audrey’s current age. We’ve known each other for 24 years, and it’s really amazing to see how far we’ve both come! I would have never imagined us both being Mamas and having playdates together for our children. I’m so thankful for her years (now decades!) of continued friendship, and look forward to many more memories together. ♥