Family Circus

Christmas 2011 Northern California

2012-01-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

We took a road trip up to the Bay Area to visit family during Christmas. It was great getting together with everyone and as always, the kids enjoyed every minute off being spoiled rotten by the family.

Happy New Year's 2012

2012-01-23T18:31:00.000-08:00

I am really behind on updating, but I had to get the kids' Vietnamese New Year's picture up before it's over!

Daddy's Little Girl

2012-01-05T20:49:00.000-08:00

Luciana: Daddy, did you know that David is my favorite boyfriend at school? Every time I see him, I just love to hug and kiss him!
Me: Thinking silently to myself....Oh sh*t, Tony's gonna love where this conversation goes.
Tony: Long silence....still a long silence.
Luciana: Daddy, did you hear me?
Tony: Yeah, I heard you. You should only kiss Daddy, Mommy and Miles...other people have lots of germs. End of conversation.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T20:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve has always been the big day in our family since it is when the kids get to open up their presents at home. We have always made it a clear to the kids that gift are not important for birthdays/holidays and the kids are accustomed to getting only one or two presents at the most for any given occassion. Well, this year Tony and I are guilty of breaking this cardinal family rule. The last couple of months have been very emotionally painful for Tony and I as parents dealing having to deal with Luciana's health issue and wrestling with all the stress that has come with it. So, every time we came across something we thought the kids might like for Christmas, we went with our "f*ck it, let's just get it" rule this year. Hope the kids don't get used to this overly generous Santa because I intend of bringing back the tightwad Santa next year!

Next year I am going to get matching pajamas for the WHOLE family.

Luciana really wanted an American Girls doll, but that is way out of our league, even with how generous we were feeling. So, Tony bought this crazy doll and some even crazier outfits and accessories to go along with it too.

Miles has been wanting this toy forever and we looked for it everywhere, to no avail until good old Amazon had it available just three days ago.

This was number one on Luciana's wish list, origami paper. Soon I will have another 100 pieces of Luciana's origami creations to add to what feels like 1000 pieces of origami creations she already has all over the house.

Poor kid knows our one present rule so well that he sat playing with the first toy he opened for about five minutes, before he realized that the rest of the presents were for him also.

Hopefully this toy doesn't give her too many ideas for crazy outfits that she can put together to wear.

I think Tony is living vicariously through Miles, wishing all the Transformers loot his kid got was his.

The Nutcracker

2011-12-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

Luciana had a winter recital of The Nutcracker a couple weeks ago at her ballet studio. At first she didn't seem too keen on being a soldier, but she was sold on the part when she saw the soldiers' costumes. She had plenty of practice at home rehearsing with Tony and Miles who took turns being the Mouse King. When she took the stage, Luciana was extremely serious and didn't even smile once, but she assured us she had a very fun time dancing for everyone. I am very proud watching Luciana do what she loves and she moved her daddy to tears watching his little girl dancing so beautifully on stage.

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

Now with the combo of having two energetic kids and working full-time, I don't have the time to do as much baking as I would like. However, for me the holidays conjures up images of all things colorful and sweet so of course I couldn't let the holidays go by without making gingerbread houses (even if it means using store bought graham crackers). As if the sweets that went into making the gingerbread houses weren't indulgent enough, next up for the kids will be decorating 16 inch gingerbread men!

Christmas Tea

2011-12-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we took the kids to a formal holiday tea with some school friends. Miles could have cared less about the entire thing, while Luciana loved everything from wearing a fancy dress to eating scones and clotted cream.

Santa Ana Winds

2011-12-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

What a night we had last night! Southern California is experiencing some fierce Santa Ana winds and the San Gabriel Valley was at the epicenter of it last night. The winds were blowing over 80 mph, old oak trees were falling left and right, cars were being crushed by falling trees and there were downed power lines everywhere. There was a complex adjacent to us that caught on fire from a downed power line and people were being forced to evacuate. Residents in our complex were voluntarily evacuating because the fire was so close and the wind was very unpredictable. We packed what we needed into our car just in case, but decided to stay put being we really have nowhere to go with no family around us. The winds are supposed to pick up again tonight, but hopefully it will be a lot calmer than last night. Here are some pictures that we captured in our immediate area this morning.

This is our neighborhood park....there is a playground buried in there somewhere.

The neighborhood library.

The campus federal credit union.

Turning into our complex.

It's That Time of Year

2011-11-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

Every year it starts to look a lot like Christmas in our house immediately following Thanksgiving. Keeping up with tradition, we got our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and for the first time, the kids decorated it completely by themselves. They really enjoyed unwrapping each ornament and I love that every ornament on our tree is made by one of us or bought as a souvenir from the different places we have visited over the years. We've already been listening to Christmas music, sipped hot cocoa and made one of many batches of Christmas cookies. I can't wait to make gingerbread houses with the kids, bake Tony's favorite chocolate crinkle cookies, spike some eggnog and have our floors be covered in glitter!

2011-11-29T21:12:00.000-08:00

Since having children, our life had become very orderly and routine, of which I really don't mind. Well, after five years of the same routine, everything changed when I stopped being a stay at home mom and went back to work full-time. I would be lying if I said I loved every minute of staying at home mom. Seriously, what stable human being would say they love nursing two kids on demand whenever and wherever (aka nursing in public bathrooms or using one arm to hold the nursing baby while pouring milk for the other whining kid with the other arm or best of all having to nurse while watching your clearly drunk husband enjoying that fifth margarita with friends as you try your hardest not to shout swear words at him), or who seriously loves having to potty train a kid who insists that pooping can take place in the bath tub, on the carpet, in his underwear....just not on the potty. That being said, going back to work was a very difficult decision to make as a mom, but financially it was what we needed. On the brighter side, I really make the most of my weekends making sure I get the maximum amount of hugs, kisses and cuddles from the two little ones.

Happy 5th Birthday Luciana

2011-11-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

Five years ago our lives changed in the most wonderful way with the addition of Luciana to our family. The joy she has brought into our lives is far greater than we ever imagined possible and our love for her defies all description. Happy 5th Birthday to our sweet Luciana.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

If Miles can be a anything for Halloween it would a basketball, but since I couldn't make that happen this year, he is a fireman instead. As for Luciana, she couldn't decide what she wanted to be so she is a little bit of everything from animal to human to food. Happy Halloween!

Taking Up Old Hobbies

2011-10-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Our last couple of years of living in Santa Barbara I was obsessed with two things, running and knitting. Apparently, I have either been really longing for the old Santa Barbara days or the kids are just driving me bonkers because I have been obsessed with running and knitting again. The weather is just starting to cool down so I need to start making the kids winter hats and sweaters, but I snuck in two quick fall projects for Luciana. She liked the poncho so much she never took it off all day, even in 90 degree weather!

Camping July 2011

2011-09-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Last month we headed up the coast to join some friends for the kids' first camping trip at Refugio State Beach. I've learned that the beach is the perfect free babysitter for the kids as I sat on the beach sipping my coconut rum cocktail chatting with my fellow mommy friend. Crummy parenting aside, the kids had loads of fun catching sand crabs, roasting marshmallows, sleeping in tents and running around being kids.

Red and Luciana catching sand crabs.

Taking a break from the other kids by drawing in the tent.

Miles and Rae....the Berkeley babies.

Putting the kids to work cooking their own dinner.

Not sure what you call this, but it was Luciana's "talent" at the talent show.

The whole gang: Miles, Red, Mary, Luciana, Mia and Rae.

Camping wears you out.

Summer Fruit

2011-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Although Fall is my favorite time of year for vegetables, I love the summer for the berries and stone fruits. We went raspberry picking a couple weeks back with the intention of making jam, but ended up making fruit tarts instead. Fruit tarts are a great way to use all your leftover fruit, get your kids to eat fruit and is just plain fun to make. Although Tony prefers chocolate, the kids inhaled a slice of fruit tart every day until it was gone.

County Fair

2011-09-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

There is no better way to finish off the summer than spending a day at the fair partaking in one of the seven deadly sins....gluttony. It is very important to us to eat good, healthy and home cooked meals, but we were complete hypocrites at the fair and consumed an embarrassing amount of curly fries, slushies, cotton candy, strawberry lemonade. Food aside, the kids had a fun time looking at all the farm animals, going on a couple of rides and soaking in the hot California sun.

Luciana won first place in the preschool art competition at the fair.

Sugar anyone?

There was a miniature train exhibit set up with all sorts of amazing backdrops.

Miles favorite part of the fair was the miniature trains....it was hard to compete with the miniature fire station.

2011-08-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have Grandma Jan come down to visit during her summer vacation. Not only does a visit from Grandma Jan mean lots of fun for the kids, but it also means we get a little break from the kids ourselves. Thank you for visiting Grandma Jan and thank you even more for watching the kids so we could partake in those rare moments of sanity.

Grandma Jan helping the kids make cupcakes for Miles early birthday party.

Making a birthday banner for the birthday boy. It's been over a month since we put up this banner and Miles loves it so much that I'm not sure we can take it down any time soon.

We also made t-shirts for the kids to wear for Miles little birthday party.

Baby Devin

2011-08-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

The Duong family just got a little bigger with the addition of Devin James Chau Duong. He is so stinkin' cute and I can't wait to meet and hold the little guy!

Miles 2nd Birthday Weekend

2011-08-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

Since Miles is full of energy, we spent a busy weekend outdoors for his birthday weekend. Saturday morning we took a trip over to Santa Monica and the kids played at the beach for hours. Then Sunday we went to Griffith Park and took an early morning hike, rode the carousels, and went to see some trains. He might be two now, but he will always be my little baby!

Luciana is not as much of a hiker as Miles, instead opting for flower searching and performing ballet moves along the trail.

As long as there are some snacks, this kid can seriously hike! Not only does he not complain at all during the hike, he gives us a workout by running, not walking nonstop on the trail.

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Showing each other some brotherly/sisterly love.

I made this cake late at night for Miles while feeling pretty sick so I was pretty disappointed at how sloppy it looked, but of course the kids didn't care. Miles was so excited to have a fire engine cake, but in the end only had a bite or two.

Being that Miles is OBSESSED with basketball, we stalked Craigslist and found a pretty sweet deal on this basketball hoop for Miles.

Happy Birthday Miles

2011-07-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our sweet Miles! You are a happy go lucky, fearless and loving little boy. If your interests this past year holds up, we are certain you will be a future firefighter, hoopster, football player, ninja and watermelon eating contest winner! Words cannot describe the amount of happiness and laughter you bring to our family.

Fourth of July 2011

2011-07-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

We had a very fun, but busy 4th of July weekend. We took a drive up the coast to Santa Barbara for the day to play at the beach, rode on a caboose train, and barbecued with some friends. On July 4 we took the kids into town to watch the local July 4th parade. We weren't sure if the kids would be able to stay up late enough to watch fireworks, but thankfully they took good naps so they were able to enjoy their first fireworks. We barbecued with friends, lit some fireworks and enjoyed the local fireworks show.

Waiting for the parade to start.

Miles excited to see the fire engines.

Miles liked the fireworks, but didn't like hearing the loud boom each time a new one was lit.

It took a little coaxing, but Luciana enjoyed playing with her sparklers.

Miles : 22 Months

2011-06-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Even though Miles has been a card carrying member of the toddler's club for some time now, we still refer to him as our baby (not sure if he will ever be able to shake off that reference). He is still obsessed with all vehicles and in particular, he is crazy about firetrucks. He still loves balls (especially basketball and football) and often refuses to wear clothes unless they have some sort ball on it. He has picked up on a few new words and will begin speech therapy soon to get his speech going. Miles is a pleasure to be around and there is never a dull moment with the little guy.

Ballet Recital

2011-06-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

We originally signed Luciana up for ballet as she had been asking to take it because a lot of the girls at her preschool are into ballerinas. We were resistant because of all the obvious negativity associated with the ballet culture, but thought we would let her try it out to see if she liked it and also it is good to get Luciana to do some physical activity. It has been about six months now and she is still taking ballet and is still loving it. She recently had her first recital and so without further adieu, I present to you Luciana the Ballerina....

2011-06-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

We got together with our friends Peter and Stasia today and the kids had a great time running around enjoying the summer weather. Not only did they have delicious street tacos at the party, but they also had homemade churros (Luciana calls them cheerios) which I think our family ate almost all of it.

Cherry Picking

2011-06-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Leona Valley is a small community with a population of around a thousand people, but during cherry season Southern California families flock into town to pick cherries and today we were one those families. We went to Big John's farm which is very toddler friendly because a lot of the cherries grow down low making it easier for kids to pick. We picked over six pounds of cherries so I'll spend the next couple of days pitting the cherries and figuring out what to bake with them.

Wheel Food Wednesdays

2011-06-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday during the summer there is a gathering of food trucks that come out around dinner time at a local coffee shop around the corner from our place. One of or favorite trucks is the Lobsta Truck which serves amazing lobster rolls and a pretty darn good clam chowder. While we chowed down on our dinner the kids had some dessert from the Hawaian shaved ice truck.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

We make it a point not to make a big deal out of occasions like birthdays, Valentines, etc., but I have always enjoyed celebrating Father's Day. My dad was always an awesome dad growing up and so my expectations of Tony as a dad has always been high. Not surprisingly, he has surpassed my expectations a million times over. Tony is a father that loves his children with great passion and devotion and more importantly he understands that being a father is a privilege, not an entitlement. I have known Tony for a long time and have seen him evolve from being a friend, to a boyfriend, to a husband and now as an amazing dad to our two wonderful children. We love you with all of our hearts, Tony. If I could make magic happen on your special day, I would let you sit back and enjoy unlimited beers and wings while watching an exciting football game!

Kids often say the most endearing and also funny things, so I thought I would "gift" Tony a memory of Luciana's impression of her relationship with him as a four year old. Here are some questions I asked Luciana over time and her answers transcribed word for word.

What do you love about Daddy?

-Daddy is the best Daddy.

-Hmmm....daddy is very nice.

-Daddy makes me super happy, sometimes....a lot of times.

-Daddy is nice to Miles and me and takes care of us.

-When I'm good, sometimes Daddy lets me go to Disneyland.

If you can do anything with Daddy right now, what would it be?

Go to Disneyland.

If you can give Daddy any gift for Father's Day, what would you give him?

A treasure box and I will find lots of treasures to put inside for Daddy.

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

Hmmm....drawing together and drawing Daddy secret pictures that we open together.

What is your favorite thing about Daddy?

Daddy's hands are furry, but sometimes soft. He is a gentle person.

What is your favorite food that Daddy cooks?

Well, Daddy doesn't know how to cook.

If you can take Daddy anywhere, where would you like to take him?

To Disneyland because Daddy likes that place.

What kind of candy do you think Daddy would like for Father's Day?

The ones you get for free at Trader Joe's (aka the free taffy they give away as samples at Trader Joe's).

What is silly about Daddy?

A lot of times Daddy makes funny noises.

If you could dress Daddy, what would give him to wear?

A silly hat and a pink tie, then Daddy will look at himself in the mirror and say, "What?" and I will say, "Now you're all done!"

Since Daddy loves desserts so much, what kind of dessert do you think Daddy would like to eat for Father's Day?

A super duper beautiful chocolate cake and I would ask Mommy for help to bake it. I will put "Love Daddy" on the cake.

What is Daddy's idea of the perfect meal to eat?

Mashed potatoes and beer.

What have you learned from Daddy?

A lot of times Daddy teaches me different ways to shade.

What games do you like to play the most with Daddy?

CandyLand and Old Maid.

What do you think you said to Daddy when you saw him for the first time?

Dada.

What do you think Daddy said to you the first time he saw you?

I love you.

Fruits and Veggies

2011-06-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks we have been going to a local farm to pick our own fruits and veggies for our family's weekly consumption. It is important to us that the kids know where our food comes from and it is fun for the kids as well. Unfortunately, we don't have the room right now, but in the future we would like to set up a fruit/veggie garden and get a chicken coop set up for fresh eggs. Here is a sampling of what we made with the fruits/veggies we picked.

The blueberries were amazingly plump and sweet. They were ripe and ready to go, making it very toddler friendly.

Some strawberries, raspberries, English peas and snap peas.

We made a mushroom/peas stir fry with strip steak and rice.

Some of the strawberries went into making a chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting.

The blueberries went into making blueberry muffins with a crumble topping. Kind of scary, but we went through a dozen muffins in one day.

Road Trip: Easter 2011

2011-06-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind on updating pictures on the ol' blog, but better late than never, right? We took a short road trip up North for Easter and had a wonderful time visiting with family.

They were both so good during the car trip. Junk food and snacks kept us sane.

Jelly beans are a family favorite and Jelly Belly jelly beans are simply the best out there.

Helping Grandma Jan make breakfast.

Checking out the goodies from the egg hunt.

Picking flowers from Auntie Karen's beautiful garden.

It doesn't get any fresher than this.

Playing one of Mommy's favorite childhood toys, My Little Ponies, with Abbie and Michael.

Helping Auntie Karen make some homemade sodas.

These two know that going to visit Ong Ngoai and Baba means they can do whatever they want, including eating in bed and watching cartoons.

Miles hid under his blanket a lot of the trip back home. Hey it kept him happy so we can't complain.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Open House

2011-05-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

Once a year the Jet Propulsion Laboratory opens its doors to the public to get a glimpse of what's going on at the center. Per the usual we knew Miles would not have the patience to walk through the exhibits, but Luciana surprised us and was very curious and asked a lot of questions about the things she saw. Although it was incredibly crowded, it was a very well organized event for both kids and adults.

While Tony was explaining what planets are to Luciana, I was stuck explaining to Miles that the round things are planets NOT balls.

Checking out parts of the Mars Rover.

Goofing off is always better than the alternative....crying and whining.

Can't the great minds at NASA make some 3D glasses that are both inexpensive and stay put a little better?

The popcorn kept him contained for a good two minutes. All in all that day, he only broke one strip of caution tape to keep children from falling into a broken water fountain and knocked over two portable gates.

Getting Crafty

2011-05-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

As Luciana is growing older, she is beginning to become pickier about clothes so I thought I better finish up some of the clothing projects that I started before she refuses to wear them. I took a photograph from her third birthday, Tony worked some photoshop magic on the picture which gave me the background to hand cut a stencil and finally some applique sewing to create the balloons. Next up, a shirt for the little guy.

Fire Station Open House

2011-05-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

We have always made it a point to not introduce gender specific interests to the kids, but oddly enough Luciana has always liked the stereotypical girly princess stuff and Miles the typical boy train/sports stuff. Although he does enjoy playing dress up and dolls with Luciana, he LOVES fire engines. So when we found out that the local fire station was going to have an open house we were the first ones there and didn't leave until three hours later. It was pretty fascinating and humbling, to see the incredible work that firefighters do on a daily basis.

Miles hands were so black by the end of the day because he touched every wheel on every fire truck.

Checking out the inside of an ambulance vehicle.

The firefighters set a car on fire as part of the event and we got to watch them put it out.

Demonstrating how they use the jaws of life to break open a car. It was pretty incredible to see the condition of the car before and after the firefighters did their work on it.

The fireman had a contest to see who could put on their uniforms the fastest, all under 60 seconds.

Santa Monica Pier

2011-05-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Santa Monica a lot when we were in college in Santa Barbara so it felt a little strange going there with two kids in tow, but it was still a lot of fun. We played on the beach for awhile, then headed over to the pier for some carnival games and a seafood lunch. We didn't win any prizes and our pockets were substantially lighter, but all in all we had a good time.

Miles is still obsessed with basketball/football and yes he is actually in the game.

Luciana playing the role of the stereotypical Asian tourist.

This is what Miles does when you ask him to smile for a picture.

The little green striped guy had Miles name written all over it....Tony just had to beat the odds.

He failed.

Nom Nom

2011-05-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

Miles is the most finicky eater in the world with his diet pretty much consisting of fresh fruit and milk. It was a little cold last weekend so I made a pot of bun rieu which is a rather strong tasting shrimp/crab soup with vermicelli noodles. Although he made quite the mess, I was pleasantly surprised that he inhaled the soup.

Potty Training: Round 2

2011-05-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Potty training is one of those things that comes along with being a parent that is so loathed and dreaded. This is our second go round with potty training Miles and after watching him pee in his underwear without even caring and then watching him play with his pee in the potty when he did pee, I think we might have to go to round three.

Positive encouragement from Luciana didn't do the trick.

Fancy new underwear in with Yo Gabba Gabba on it didn't work either.

Good quality reading material didn't quite cut it either.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks has been tough week for our family on many levels and so Mother's Day felt extra special this year being with the three people I love the most. Tony and I pride ourselves on living very minimally and simplistically so there were no fancy gifts or a fancy meal....just the four of us spending time together as a family. So on this Mother's Day I am thankful that I have two beautiful children whom I love to pieces and a husband that I continue to love more each and every day.

Miles telling me he loves me.

Tony and the kids making breakfast together on Mother's Day.

Old Buddies

2011-04-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

The G-K family were in town a few weeks ago and Luciana wouldn't pass up a chance to play with her old buddies Red and Mia. We had some pizza and beer in the park, while the kids had some fun playing on the playground and tee-ball.

Griffith Park with Grandma

2011-04-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, we went to Griffith Park AGAIN, but this time we brought Grammy (Luciana's new name for Grandma) with us. We went to Fern Dell Park and went on a walk/hike amongst very picturesque surroundings. We weren't sure what to expect from Miles since there was a good amount of walking involved, but the kid's got energy like no other. Not only did he walk the entire time, but at times we couldn't keep up with him. Of course Luciana needed a lot of encouragement as she always complains about having to walk, but in the end she had a great time too. Thanks for visiting Grammy, the kids loved having you here and Tony and I loved pretending we were had no kids for a couple of hours every night you were here!

Moderation

2011-04-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

Last week when I was picking up Luciana from school, Miles was sitting in his stroller eating a cookie. A classmate of Luciana's was practically salivating at the sight of Mile's cookie and the teacher informed me that the child is only allowed sweets two times a year. It frustrates me to no end that parents are willing to feed their children processed frozen food from high end grocery stores like Whole Foods without having second thoughts, and yet will not allow their children even a homemade sweet treat. In our family, if we crave chocolate chip cookies or even fried chicken, we will almost always make it at home from scratch because it is important to us to know what goes into our food. It's not say that we don't eat processed food (who can't resist Cadbury eggs, right?), but we are firm believers that everything in moderation will pave the way for children to make the right eating choices as adults.

Underwood Farms

2011-04-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

Grandma came to visit the kids a few weeks ago and we definitely kept her busy. One of the first trips we made was to Underwood Farms to pick strawberries. In the end I am pretty sure Miles ate more strawberries in the field than what we actually picked and paid for.

Easter 2011: Southern California Edition

2011-04-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

You would think we are religious the way we celebrated Easter this year, but alas we just really like all the fun kiddie things associated with Easter.....we might have even had more fun than the kids!

The Easter cards we sent out to family this year.

Luciana was very delicate about dyeing her eggs and tried to make all of hers beautiful.

Miles slam dunked all his eggs in the bowls.

The finished product.

Auntie Mya and Uncle Trung sent the kids a box of Easter goodies.

Trying on their new goods.

We caught Miles stuffing four LARGE marshmallows in his mouth at a time.

Tony thought it would be fun to hide about a hundred eggs stuffed with jelly beans. Of course we didn't want the kids to all of them so our stomachs ached from eating too many jelly beans.

Luciana always likes posing for pictures, even when she is supposed to be hunting for eggs.

Since these two could always use a lesson in sharing we decided to have them share an Easter basket this year. It worked really well....Luciana divvied up what she didn't really like and told Miles it was for him and the rest was for her.

Miles' First Haircut

2011-04-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

With the combo of warm weather and his hair starting to get pretty long, we took Miles to get his first haircut last week. He was amused by all the toys to even notice the scissors and the finished look is pretty darn cute.

Miles Talking: 19 Months

2011-04-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Although he can only say two words in English (football and dada), he can say quite a few words in Vietnamese now.

Sweet But Destructive

2011-03-30T18:54:00.001-07:00

Not long ago Tony likened Miles to a dog that loves being destructive and he is certainly living up to that reputation. On any given day, without fail Miles will completely destroy the house in a matter of minutes and chews at all his toys incessantly until they are either broken, torn or no longer functional. Here is a SMALL sample of his work.

Chewed up football anyone?

He unstuffed a stuffed animal.

He started eating the outside design of a ball.

Minutes after I organized the kids' toys.

Luciana Dancing

2011-03-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

No subjects were harmed in the making of this video.

Miles Watching Football

2011-03-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

Miles loves watching football, but since it's not football season anymore we went on Youtube to watch some Reggie Bush highlight videos instead. As I discovered, he not only has a love for football but apparently he likes hip hop also, just like Tony!

Strike a Pose

2011-03-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

While I like to take candid photos of the kids, there are times I do ask them to smile for the camera. Lately when I ask Luciana to smile for the camera, she has also takes the liberty to pose for the camera also. Miles, who copies everything his big sister does, is also now posing for the camera all the time too.

Travel Town

2011-03-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

Griffith park definitely has become a favorite of ours and it seems every weekend we go there to do something or another. Last weekend we took the kids to the Travel Town Museum since Miles is obsessed with all things train. Luciana was whining that she didn't want to go because trains are for boys, but in the end both kids had a great time. It is a neat little setup where you can ride a train around the park, see miniature trains and climb on old retired trains. I'm sure we will be back there soon.

For whatever reason, Miles does this move at least once every time we go somewhere outdoors. Better view upside downs, perhaps?

Goodie Box

2011-03-25T17:20:00.000-07:00

The kids know it is always something good when we get boxes in the mail with their names on it. Auntie Mya and Uncle Trung sent the kids a goodie box full of yummy snacks and toys. They were in cloud nine when they saw all the goodies as we rarely buy toys. Thanks again Auntie Mya and Uncle Trung!

Mount Baldy

2011-03-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

We finally got it together to take the kids up to the snow for the first time this season. It's amazing that while we have temperatures in the 80's here, we can take a 45 minute drive up to the mountains and play in snow. As expected, the kids weren't really into the snow that much. Miles, who is always a trooper, cried every time a body part touched the cold snow. Luciana's reaction to the snow was, "It's cold, can we just go to the beach instead?" I'm with the kids, I would much rather have a cocktail on the beach than snow any day!

If it weren't for the Pringles, Miles might not have made it through the day. He dragged it along in the snow all day.

The canister of Pringles took a sled ride too!

Santa Barbara

2011-03-04T19:56:00.000-08:00

We took a day trip up to Santa Barbara and finally got to meet baby Stryder and celebrate his big brother Hudson Wolf's golden birthday. We also took advantage of the beautiful weather and let the kids run around at the beach. Of course, a trip to Santa Barbara wouldn't be complete without sharing a meal with the Alonso's.

Checking out the Silly Bands collection.

Happy Birthday Hudson!

Hudson, Luciana and Jeevan.

Train ride around the zoo.

We took the kids to a cupcake shop downtown where they were able to frost their own cupcakes.

It was worth a try, but we didn't give into Miles' wish for candy too.

Each table top was decorated with different sweet confections and the kids chose the table filled with sprinkles.

We came across lots of ladybugs at the beach much to the kids amusement.

Luciana spent a good hour collecting shells....we really have to get this kid to Hawaii.

Ong Ngoai and Baba Visit

2011-02-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

My parents came to visit last weekend and it is always great having them here. My parents make it a point to try to see the kids as much as possible, even though they hate traveling down here and that means a lot to us. I can't even begin to list the many ways my parents have helped out since the kids have been born....they were there the day both kids came into this world, my mom slept with both kids for a whole month each so we could get some much needed rest, they kept our freezer stocked with food so we didn't have to worry about cooking meals when the kids were babies, and the list goes on and on. The best part is we never once asked for the help, they just knew. Luciana summed it up well when we told her my parents were coming to visit her reaction was, "Yay mama that means I get to sleep together with Baba and that means Ong Ngoai will take me to Chuck E. Cheese, buy me bubble gum and take me to ice cream. Best day ever mama!"

Why You Shouldn't Take Your Kid To Happy Hour....

2011-02-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

Keepin' Busy

2011-02-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

There are some weekends when we just like to take it easy with the kids, but this wasn't one of those weekends. Saturday morning Luciana had ballet class, then we went to a park for some snow play, decorated Valentine's cookies, went to the park for the kids to run around and let the kids have a special movie night to unwind from the day. Sunday morning we went out to Griffith Park to have a picnic breakfast, went to the playground, went on a train ride and the kids ride on ponies. We had a fabulous weekend with the kids, but we saved the best part for last....we had a babysitter and got to go out kiddie free!

Luciana ate more frosting than she decorated.

Miles had an unusual amount of concentration and patience decorating the cookies.

The finished product.

All cozy watching a movie together.

We saw a fire truck when we were at the park and since no firemen were around we had to take a few quick photos since Miles is obsessed with all trucks.

He sat so still and was completely enamored the entire train ride.

Luciana was apprehensive about riding the ponies, but she actually ended up going twice.

Miles was all smiles on his pony ride, but it made me nervous watching him lean over trying to pet the pony.

A sweet and messy treat to finish off a fun day.

Such a Big Girl

2011-02-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I still can't believe I am a mom to a FOUR year old!

Miles: 18 Months

2011-02-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

Our little baby is a baby no more. Just in the last couple of months Miles has ventured to become a full fledged toddler (tantrums and all). Whereas Luciana is a textbook girl, Miles is your textbook boy. Tony likened Miles to the dog Marley from the book Marley and Me.....Miles destroys everything he can get his hands on, but at the same time is so incredibly lovable. He is still signing quite a bit, understands both Vietnamese and English, but can only speak Vietnamese. He is obsessed with trains, dump trucks, diggers, cement mixers and pretty much anything with wheels.

Tet 2010: Year of the Cat

2011-02-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy lately that I didn't get a chance to post a picture of Luciana in her Tet attire. Unfortunately, we didn't make it back to the Bay Area to celebrate Tet with family this year, but she still got to wear her ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) and the kids got li xi from us (lucky money).

Happy Birthday Tony

2011-02-04T21:46:00.000-08:00

I won't tell you how old he turned, but I will tell you that he often wimps out of running in the morning, he eats less now and he actually gets hungover now (all of which didn't happen a few years ago). We have always made it a point to celebrate birthdays as minimally as possible, so we just had cake after dinner and the kids made Tony a birthday banner. After Tony blew out the candles on his cake Luciana said, "Was your wish that I will be good from now on daddy(she has been on a long streak of less than good behavior)?" Happy Birthday Tony, love you more with each year.

Food Trucks

2011-02-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

Food trucks are all the rage in Southern California and we have sought out some of the trucks while stumbling across others unexpectedly. One of Tony and Luciana's favorite trucks is the CoolHaus ice cream food truck and lucky for us they were just around the corner from us earlier this week and they were running a kids eat free promo too! Tony settled for coffee toffee bits ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate sea salt cookies, Luciana had chocolate sprinkle cookies with vanilla bean ice cream and Miles had a chocolate chip cookie/vanilla ice cream sandwich (we also tried the bacon ice cream). Maybe the dessert before bed explains why Luciana was in bed with us at 2:00 in the morning ready to start her day.

Checking out the goods.

Love at first bite.

Knowledge

2011-02-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

Today I asked Luciana what she was drawing and she said she was drawing stars in a line then proceeded to tell me that it was called a constellation. "That's great Luciana, did you learn about constellations in school or did Daddy tell you about them?", I asked. Her response, "No Mama, I learned about constellations from Mickey Mouse on television this morning." Mind you Tony's occupation is in astronomy and we are a family that literally only turns on the television to watch football and the kids have only very recently started getting to watch 20 minutes of commercial free television a day (mostly because they wake up at 5 in the morning and I still need to wake up myself). Maybe we should reconsider our tv policy....

Aquarium of the Pacific

2011-01-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

The kids were up at 5:00 am Saturday morning and instead of grumbling about how early it was (okay, so we did make a few comments about how nobody in their right mind would be up that early in the morning) we decided to drive down to the aquarium in Long Beach. The kids loved seeing all the fish, sea lions, jelly fish and sea life. Luciana spent most of the day pretending we were under the sea like the Little Mermaid. Miles on the other hand kept smacking his lips (the baby sign for fish) over and over so you could imagine that it got a little redundant (but still cute) being we were at an aquarium. After some ribs and beer for lunch, we headed back home hoping the kids would nap on the drive back. Unfortunately for Tony, who was hoping the kids would fall asleep early in the drive so he could listen to his new Kanye West album only got to listen to about ten minutes of the cd because Luciana didn't fall asleep until we were almost home.

Outdoor Fun

2011-01-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

It took a little fine tuning, but we are really enjoying being in Southern California. It is hard to complain when we have been enjoying beautiful low 80's sunny weather in the middle of January. We soaked up the sun last weekend by going to Griffith Park in Los Angeles to ride the carousel and play around at the park with the kids. Of course we also watched football, but took a break from the greasy football food and made pho for dinner instead.

Miles' Farewell to the Bob Jogger

2011-01-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

We used our single jogger quite a bit when Luciana was the only kid, but when Miles came along we had to upgrade to a double wide jogger. Although the double jogger serves its purpose when it comes to running, it can be pretty cumbersome to get through doorways and takes up too much space on sidewalks. We had a friend that wanted to get rid of her double stroller (a double that isn't a double wide) so we made an even swap with the Bob single jogger. On the day I was scheduled to meet with my friend to swap the strollers, I come out to this scene of Miles literally in stroller's storage compartment....I guess he wasn't ready to let go of it quite yet.

Baby Signs: Miles

2011-01-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

Miles baby signing has really taken off. We signed quite a bit with Luciana and found it to be an incredible effective method for babies to communicate prior to talking. Although his signing is a bit more subtle than how pronounced Luciana's was, it really helps us understand his needs more easily. Here is a video of Miles signing and Luciana signing around Miles current age.

The translation of Miles signs: ball, hat, dog, cat, baby, read, bird, fish, drink, flower, more, and all done.

The translation of Luciana's signs: drink, asking for more, monkey, bear, cat, dog, pig and flower. The little dance at the end is not baby sign, it's just Luciana doing a little dance for the camera.

Friends and New Year's 2011

2011-01-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

These pictures are a little late, but better now than never. We mostly hung around here during the holidays, watched a lot of football and did a lot of family things. We took the kids to the Rose Parade and it was an awesome experience. Television doesn't do much justice to how detailed the floats are and of course the awe in the kids' face was pretty priceless too. We also got to see some friends from Berkeley, which is always fun for the kids and of course is an excuse for some margaritas for the adults. Thanks for visiting Red, Mia, Rae, Sol, and Olin....we miss you guys already!

For the Love of Fruit

2011-01-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

The kids are not great eaters, but they sure do love their fruit. We easily go through about $50 worth of fruit a week and so we recently joined a CSA to get our weekly fruits and veggies. Miles loves opening boxes and he was beside himself when he opened this box to discover fruit inside.

2011-01-21T11:24:00.000-08:00

The last couple of months have been tough and filled with a lot of disappointment, but I am reminded every day that I have two kids that I love more than anything.

These Kids Have the Moves

2011-01-11T13:59:00.000-08:00

Peace

2011-01-11T13:41:00.001-08:00

Ignore the nose picking and enjoy a peaceful moment where these two are getting along and NOT fighting.

Christmas Morning

2010-12-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

Since we are traveling for Christmas, we opened up the presents with the kids this morning. I've said it many times before, but there is nothing more rewarding about being a parent than experiencing your child's curiosities, discoveries and awes alongside them. Last night we put the presents under the tree, wrapped up all the last minutes presents, stuffed the kids stockings and left a little note to the kids from Santa. We left out door open this morning and was able to watch Luciana'a reaction when she saw the note from Santa, her stocking filled with goodies and all the presents under the tree. Life felt perfect at that moment....

Miles had this look on his face when he opened up all his presents. I can't explain it....

Lotsa Hair

2010-12-19T11:28:00.001-08:00

Miles hair is starting to grow quite a bit and with the length comes the puff factor as well. I didn't know what to make of Luciana's hair when the puff started on her, but now with experience from Luciana I am expecting Miles curls to come out in a couple more inches. I have also learned that curly hair requires a LOT of money to buy products to keep it under control, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Playing Together

2010-12-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

Miles is at an age where he and Luciana are starting to play with each other, instead of just parallel playing. I was cleaning last week and came in to a scene of them playing house together. Of course in classic Luciana style, she had to torture Miles by putting a salad drainer on his head, but other than that it was a pretty sweet moment to watch.

Can't a Girl Have Some Space?

2010-12-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

Getting the chance to exercise with just one kid is hard, but doing it with two is even harder. For awhile we were out running before the crack of dawn, but with the time change, the kids getting sick and change in weather we have kind of let running slip through cracks. So, I finally decided to do an indoor workout that is an intense bootcamp style workout that would only take twenty minutes. I thought the workout would be short enough that the kids could entertain themselves, but apparently twenty minutes is still too long for them to be without me.

Sentimental

2010-12-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

One of my good friends just had a baby last week and after chatting with her yesterday about her birth story, I can't help but be reminded of the pregnancy/birth of Luciana and Miles. A lot of my friends are moms and I never get tired of hearing birth stories whether it be a crazy labor, an adoption process, etc. I will stop before I get too sappy, but welcome to the world Stryder Hawk.

Miles: 16 Months

2010-12-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

@Kacie Jean

Where has the time gone with my little guy? He turned sixteen months about a week ago and he certainly has changed so much since we left Berkeley. Here are a few of the newest developmental milestones Miles has hit post Berkeley:

-This kid doesn't just walk, he runs, jumps and climbs. Whereas Luciana is the textbook girl, Miles is your textbook boy with energy like you wouldn't believe.

-He was born on the heavier side and ate everything in sight when we were in Berkeley, but has pretty much been on a hunger strike since we left Berkeley. However, he consumes about a gallon of whole milk every two days.

-He is starting to use words alongside baby sign. He now can say dada (Daddy), nana (Luciana), baba (Vietnamese for grandma when he talks to my mom), mama (finally!) and nua (Vietnamese for more).

-I've lost track of how many teeth he has, but he's getting four molars at the same time right now. Ouch!

Christmas Tea Party

2010-12-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went to a holiday tea party as part of a campus event. I've never been to a tea before, so this was as much of an experience for me as it was for Luciana. It was a complete tea service including the teas, pastries, lemon curd, clotted cream (Luciana called it sour cream) and tea sandwiches. I am glad to report that my child was proper tea behavior and did not break any china, have a tantrum or whine too much.

2010-11-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

We brought a treat to school to share with Luciana's classmate for her birthday and I of course had to take a million pictures to document the occasion. I guess I was too preoccupied with taking photos that I didn't notice until I was going through the pictures on the computer that Luciana was literally pulling her poor little brother's ear and cheek the entire time the class was singing Happy Birthday to her. The story ends happily though because that night after blowing out the candles on her birthday cake, Miles got his sweet revenge by eating the first bite of her cake before she could get to it. Oh how I love photos!

Christmas List

2010-11-25T21:11:00.001-08:00

Luciana is getting to the age where she is starting to get a lot more curious and inquisitive about the workings of Christmas. After explaining to her that Santa brings gifts to nice children, she has been talking incessantly about her Christmas list. The original Christmas list included a limo and convertible (which is just a tad bit over our modest budget) so she worked on a second list, but then ended up getting most of those items for her birthday. So we will probably be seeing a third list pretty soon.

She also made a list for Miles of the things she says he wants: a puppy, a dump truck, a Snow White Doll and a hug.

Luciana's list translated: a ballerina jewelry box, a Rapunsel nightgown, pink earrings, a hug.

Happy 4th Birthday Luciana

2010-11-25T20:52:00.000-08:00

She has literally been talking about turning four since the day after her third birthday and the big day has come and gone. We are so incredibly proud of our beautiful daughter in ways that defies description. From the time we held her in our arms for the first time, to all the sleepless nights trying to rock her to sleep to watching her be a loving big sister, Luciana has brought us nothing but pure joy. Happy Birthday my sweet little girl.

One years old.

Two years old.

Three years old.

Four years old.

I Am Thankful....

2010-11-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

We are spending Thanksgiving in sunny SoCal, just the four of us and I couldn't ask for anything more. I am so thankful to be married to my best friend who I love so much. I am also thankful for my two wonderful children who are the sunshine of my life. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

She Says the Darndest Things

2010-11-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

Me: Ouch (I just poured HOT tea all over my hand)!
Luciana: Don't worry Mommy, now you are all warm and cozy.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

It took all day to get these two to BOTH smile for the camera and my perseverance finally paid off. Happy Halloween!

Random Pictures

2010-10-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Just another round of random photos I never got around to posting.

Grandpa Joe gave Luciana a tea set for Easter, but she hasn't gotten much use out of it until now for fear that Miles will break it. I don't know about serving chicken drumsticks at a tea party, but Miles was gnawing on the thing like it was the real thing.

We have a lot of great art books that we've collected over time from trips to various museums we've visited. One day Luciana was rummaging through our bookcase and pulled out a Marc Chagall book. I watched her, expecting that she would take a peek inisde and move on to the next book, but she pulled it out and began thumbing through the pages carefully looking at all the paintings. Tony and I love art and respect what modern art as done for society, so it was a very special moment to watch.

Luciana was at a play date recently and as I went to help Luciana on the swing, Miles discovered the chalk. He concluded that chalk taste pretty good.

Grandma Jan and Uncle Chris Visit

2010-10-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Grandma Jan and Uncle Chris came to visit us last weekend and the kids did their best to keep them busy. The kids had a blast and it took only about a week to unwind from the visit!

We went to Tony's work and Luciana thinks he just writes numbers on boards all day long so she added to his work. The physics community can greatly benefit from the mind of a three year old, don't you think?

We very rarely buy the kids toys, so when grandparents visit these kids get spoiled!

You can always count on Uncle Chris to teach the kids the BEST tricks.

Current Obsession

2010-10-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

Luciana has always enjoyed drawing and art, but lately it has become quite an obsession. She asks to draw first thing when she wakes up and it is one of the last things she does before going to bed. It has been a lot of fun watching her progress unfold daily.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year because of the mild weather, all the hearty fall fruit and veggies and of course Halloween. This year we went to Underwood Farms so the kids could choose their pumpkins to carve. In the years past we always went to a roadside pumpkin patch so it was great to experience a pumpkin patch on a real working farm. The kids had a great time and we can't wait to carve the pumpkins and roast some pumpkin seeds!

Jackpot!!!!

2010-10-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you.....both kids are sleeping at the SAME time.

Are These Two Really Ours?

2010-09-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

It has been almost four years since Luciana became a part of our lives and yet there are still times that Tony and I ask ourselves, "is this really our life?" Maybe it was because we were both drugged up on Sudafed trying to fight off a cold or maybe because it was almost 110 degrees outside, but whatever it was, we definitely found ourselves asking each other "if this really our life?" Here is just a small sample of our life the last three days and why you should use birth control.

-We went to Chuck E. Cheese at 9:00am on a Sunday morning, but that isn't bad considering the kids were up at five in the morning.

-At 5:00am Miles spit up a sippy cup worth up curdled milk all over me and the couch.

-Luciana climbs into our bed at five in the morning, repeatedly kicks Tony in he face in the process of trying to fall back asleep and he doesn't budge a bit.

-Luciana is awake at 3am and unable to fall back asleep. Instead of dealing with two kids awake at 3am, Tony has to give up his spot on our comfortable mattress and sleeps on the couch with Luciana.

-I thought I would be extra nice and make pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Luciana sees the pancakes and says, "I don't want pancakes mama, where are the potato tots?"

-I tell Luciana to get dressed for school and I have to watch her for ten minutes purposely trying to put her head through the armhole telling me that she doesn't know how even though she has been dressing herself for almost two years now.

-She draws a family portrait, except that we are all in the form of mermaids and she draws Tony with lipstick, earrings and a bracelet and tells him he is a merman.

Here are some pictures offering a glimpse of our two crazy kids the last couple of days.

She comes out like this and says, "I'm ready for school now, Mama."

Miles always has this look when he is around Luciana.

He went through almost half of dinner with this pea in hair.

I took out Luciana's old Halloween costume to try on for Miles, but of course she had to try it on too. She says it fits.

Weekend Fun

2010-09-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

We're still pretty new to the area, so we're having a good time discovering new places with the kids during the weekends.We took the kids to the local farmers market this weekend. Although it is hard to beat Berkeley when it comes to fresh produce, the local farmers market here beats Berkeley by a long shot for being kid friendly. There are samples galore for both kids to try out, there is also a Jamaican guy singing reggae where kids are allowed to play drums,bongos, etc. alongside him and to top it off there is a shady playground right next to the market. We also went to a postdoc barbecue and enjoyed some fun in the sun.

2010-09-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

It didn't take long for my family to make the trek down here to see the kids. Miles was smiles all weekend and Luciana knew Baba was staying the night, which always means Baba and her get to sleep together in her room. The weekend went by too fast and we're looking forward to the next visit.

Double Trouble

2010-09-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

I love both kids, but there are moments when it feels like these two do nothing but fight over toys, food, books and worst of all me. So it's hard not to take pictures when they are getting along so peacefully.

First Day At New Preschool

2010-08-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Luciana just finished her first week of the new preschool and had a great time. She was definitely overdue for social stimulation with her peers from not being in school for awhile because of the move.

To nobody's surprise, she went right to the art table.

Practicing her carpentry skills.

The Alonsos

2010-08-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Our good friends, the Alonso's, made the trek from Santa Barbara to visit us July 4th weekend. We wished they could have stayed longer of course, but we enjoyed every moment we had together.

We Miss You Miss Pat

2010-08-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our memories of Berkeley will always include Luciana's preschool teacher, Miss Pat. Any mother can tell you that one of the hardest things you have to do as a mother is at some point you have to let go and leave your child in the care of someone else. I have always prided myself in staying at home to raise my kids, but when Luciana started preschool I couldn't ask for a better mother figure than Pat to watch over my little girl.

July Photos

2010-08-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

July was a busy month so this poor blog was neglected. We actually did a lot during July and here are some pictures to prove it.

For some reason the were up especially early in July (around 6am everyday), but then it didn't take them long to act grumpy and tired. In retrospect it wasn't too bad because we were able to catch the early World Cup games.

Riding a pony at the July 4 festival.

When she runs out of things to do, Luciana finds ways to torture Miles.

Tony took Luciana to a local artist studio where she was able to watch artists paint so she was pretty jazzed to do some painting when she got home that day.

No she didn't get extensions, she just begged me to blow dry her hair straight. It took much longer to get it straight than it did for her curls to return.

Showing Miles how to comb the goat's hair.

Happy First Birthday Miles

2010-08-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

midst the chaos of moving we were able to have a little cake and a present for Miles first birthday. One can't tell by his size, but this kid eats everything in sight and that includes cake. He especially liked it when we sang Happy Birthday to him (a total of 5 times per Luciana's requests). Can't believe my little boy is one already! He's walking, talking, eating by himself, signing....

What the heck is this thing?

First bite...

The aftermath.

Saying Goodbye to Berkeley

2010-08-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

We are very sad that our time in Berkeley has come to an end. It took awhile, but Berkeley grew on us and it was hard to say goodbye to a place that holds many memories for us. We came to Berkeley as a new family of three and left as a family of four, not much more you can ask for.

A wonderful screwed up family portrait.

Chronicles of Moving

2010-07-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Yes the Duong-Piro family still exists, we've just been very busy packing. Will post more pictures shortly.....

These two really get into packing.

Miles: 11 Months

2010-07-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

Only another month before our little one turns a year old! He has met a lot of new milestones in the past month and with each milestone seems to be moving further and further away from being a newborn, much to my chagrin.

Forget competitive hot dog eating, if there was a baby watermelon eating contest Miles can easily take down the competition.

Everyday I find him doing something he shouldn't be doing. This particular morning, he discovered how fun a full box of tissues could be.

Tony and I are not fans of cats, but no cats were harmed in this picture....it is Luciana's "Fur Real" cat.

It has been about a month since he started walking and he is all over the place, doing all sorts of things I wish he wasn't doing.

Luciana loved this dump truck toy when she was a baby and so does Miles, but damn those battery operated toys that seem to purposely try to annoy parents by spewing repetitive lyrics.

Our Little Activist

2010-06-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

You have to be from another planet if you haven't heard of all the proposed cuts our wonderful governor is planning to make on California's educational system. One of the proposed cuts is to eliminate subsidized care for low income preschool children. When looking for preschools for Luciana, we were introduced to the world of crazy cut throat parents who like brag about their Montessori raised toddlers, met parents who camped out overnight to get their kid into the trendiest preschool among other crazy situations. Often time we felt like a minority because we weren't looking for someone to raise our kid, teach our kid physics or babysit Luciana. We were seeking a diverse social environment where she could learn and practice social skills on a daily basis and we would do the childrearing part ourselves at home. We found exactly that at the preschool she is currently at and it is pains us to think that the majority of her classmates (most being subsidized) might not have the opportunity to partake in preschool next year should the governor's plan go through. There is social injustice going on if there are some parents worried about just keeping their kid in preschool, while there are other sets of parents worried about sh*t like getting their kids a Montessori education.

Parents at Luciana's preschool wrote letters to local assembly members and government officials regarding the Governor's plans. She helped me put stamps on almost 200 letters!