During our playdate with the Matsuda, Stoops, and Rangel cuties, I caught Lily standing with the assistance of a "stove". A few seconds after this, however, she toppled over, bringing the play house with her.
My camera battery died before I was able to take any decent photos today, thus I must settle for this one. A photo I captured while sitting at a red light, that then turned green- and of course, I was honked at because heaven forbid, one is delayed by 1 second. People on the westside are so horn-happy!
Most of my files are saved electronically, but every once in a while, I must refer to 1 of the 4 outdated file cabinets in my office to search for a file that was created before the age of computers. Whether handwritten or typed with a typewriter, it makes me even more grateful for my virtual file folders that I can peruse from the comfort of my chair.
We celebrated the Chinese New Year with a big feast... and what is Americanized Chinese food without the fortune cookie? Lily grabbed it right out of my hands, thus I had to exchange it with some cheerios.
She also received her first "red envelope" from her grandparents in Hong Kong. As Lily celebrates her first Chinese New Year, we only wish her the best: good fortune, good health and happiness.
At 7 months old, Lily is on the verge of crawling. Everyday, she shows us something new. Before we know it, we will be chasing after her! We better finish babyproofing the apartment!
We celebrated Finnley's first birthday with "cupcakes and friends" (aka things that are sweet). The kids had a great time playing with Matthew's toys and I just love this photo of Emi and Finnley entertaining themselves. Oh, to be a kid again when your daily schedule consisted of: eat, play, sleep, poop, play, eat, sleep, play....
It's Friday and my brain is fried... resulting in this uninspired photo of my empty glass. Time for a refill- maybe some beer? Happy hour in my living room.
We have been spoiled lately in Southern California with perfect 80 degree weather, so I guess it was about time that we experienced some winter weather. I HATE rain. I take that back, I like the rain only when I am cozy on my couch in sweats, reading a good book with a cup of hot chocolate. But, I have to go to work instead.
I wasn't very happy with the photos I took today, so I did some editing to make it at least a little interesting.
I witnessed history by watching the inauguration at work on my computer screen with a co-worker. We sat in my office anxiously awaiting to hear President Obama recite the oath. I then watched the recording at home with my family that evening. With tears in my eyes and my heart full of pride, I am so excited for the future of our country. The future of my daughter. Our country needs this change, needs a renewed sense of hope and optimism.
God Bless you Mr. President, God Bless these United States of America, and God Bless the world.
Today is MLK day and also the day before Barack Obama is president and I can't help but look to the heavens with a newfound hope!
We celebrated Sandy's birthday at Tsunami's and I accidentally deleted the awesome photo that I took of the "onion volcano". But that is okay, because I did capture Billy's excited smile as he and Sandy shared their good news in such a creative way. In the middle of dinner, he unbottuned his shirt, and displayed his new "tattoo". We are so excited for them and this miracle of life!
Everytime I pass this taco stand, there are long lines; no matter what time of day. So when my siblings and niece came to visit, I thought we'd check it out. And those lines are justified. Seating space was limited so we ordered 10 tacos to share and ate them on the beach.
Tacos. Sun. Beach. Family. Perfection!
Today, Fed-Ex came by and delivered 17 huge boxes . I thought my colleague had ordered them so we placed it in her office. After the delivery guy made 3 trips, we opened one of the boxes and saw stickers galore. My colleague later said that she never ordered them, rather they were donated by a pharmaceutical company. I guess they were doing some spring cleaning in their offices and dumped them to us. So now we have 5,000 huge rolls of allergy stickers taking up space in our already crowded storage room. Does anyone want any stickers?
Lily has been unable to shake her cough for the last couple months. And in the recent days, I thought I heard her wheezing. Being an asthmatic myself, I know how awful it is to gasp for air thus I was worried about her. Her doctor assured me that it wasn't asthma, rather she was still conjested and a breathing treatment with the nebulizer would help. She was NOT happy about that. I had to swaddle her in a hospital gown to keep her from flailing her arms and legs, but trying to keep that mask on her shaking head was quite a challenge. After 15 minutes of crying her head off, she was so exhausted that she fell asleep during the treatment and I had to hold her nodding chin so that she could breathe in the medicine. Poor baby. At least it worked.
I love orchids. They are so beautiful and delicate. And they are the official flower of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (where I work) because they rarely cause any allergies.
I don't know what these green stalk plants are called but I call them mini bamboo. As a kid, they grew out of control in our backyard, and I remember taking the segments apart and stringing them together to make necklaces and bracelets. I even tried selling the "jewelry". My mom bought them, but never wore it to work. I wonder why.
Of all the photos I took today, this is the one that caught my eye. It is of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church on Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills. And it is the photo that I randomly took while driving. I know, I know: driving and taking pictures is more dangerous than talking on a cell phone. I didn't even look through the viewfinder and it resulted in a more interesting photo than the ones that I took time to adjust and manipulate.
After an enjoyable surprise lunch with the Hahyar's, our family took a nice walk and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I almost forgot that it was winter; wearing my sunglasses, a sundress, and sandals. I was suddenly in the mood for peaches, a summer fruit, but at least oranges provide a taste of sun in the middle of winter.
Sometimes I forget that my baby sister is 21 and can legally drink an alcoholic beverage. It throws me off that even I need to double check her ID. This was taken after a fun evening of skeeball and time crisis at Dave and Busters during our niece's visit. I ordered a beer and I guess I am starting to look my age because they didn't ask for my ID. Motherhood does that to ya.
After a delicious sushi dinner at Sasabune, we went to McD's for a soft serve cone...yummy. I realized I hadn't taken my photo of the day yet so I took the one above. I wasn't happy with it at all, but when we returned home, I played with Lily all evening and completely forgot to take another picture. So, unfortunately I am stuck with this one.
One of the perks of living in Southern California is the fact that it is a beautiful sunny 78 degrees in January. I took a much needed break from sitting in front of my computer screen and took in the fresh air. I was taking pictures of these yellow flowers when apparently this bee wanted his photo taken too.
While sitting at my 7th floor office with my back to the window, I saw a reflection in my computer screen and saw the window washers. So I took out my camera and thought "photo of the day!" I always thought that our windows were tinted- like movie star limo tinted so I am clicking away trying to get different angles, getting right up to the glass. Then I step back to take another picture...and he smiles and waves at me! I guess they aren't as tinted as I thought!
During this new year, I am trying to minimize my complaining and be more appreciative of my blessings. However, when I am sitting in the parking lot that is Wilshire Ave in Westwood, listening to the honking and profane yelling of impatient drivers, it is difficult to find that place of serenity. Instead of letting my own frustrations get the best of me- I take a deep breath and look at my rearview mirror at the my Lilybug napping in her carseat, and suddenly I am at peace again. But, I still hate traffic.
My 2 week Christmas vacation has come to an end and its time to earn my paycheck. Can't complain though. With the financial crisis that has affected our country, I am lucky that I have a job to go to everyday. Besides, when you love your job, it's not considered work. I am blessed to have found a position that allows me to harmonize my bio degree, mba, and passion for philanthropy! Plus, it doesn't hurt that I have flexible hours allowing me to balance motherhood and my career.
It is only the fourth day and I am already finding this photo-a-day a bit challenging. I have had an exhausting day and am not feeling very inspired. Nonetheless, the only way I will improve is if I continue to click away. Besides, I can't break my new years resolution four days into the new year!
I absolutely love shoes and I have already started quite a collection for Lily. I bought this pair when we found out that I was pregnant with a girl. But, like all babies, she hates wearing shoes and socks for that matter. As soon as I put them on she pulls them off and puts them in her favorite place- her mouth!
Lily loves to play in front of the mirror. She plays patty cake and gives high fives to her identical friend. She is just growing too fast.
