Beware of MONSTER TRUCKS

When big sis takes lil' bro's monster truck...

And it refuses to be used as a curling iron and attacks...

Little Chefs

Yes. A shopping basket can also double up as a hat!

A rare opportunity for Liam to "eat" the foods he is allergic to!

Backtrack Recap: Emilia's 3rd BDay

So Emilia's 3rd birthday was a while ago and I never got around to finish up the recap. So here it is. A day with the usual routine but with goodies. I spent extra time working on her hair for school. Was quite proud that her hair wasn't all over the place for once. hehe. She has not had a haircut yet in her 3 years (excluding trimming of the bangs).

Okay.. it's still a bit crooked, but hey, this is pretty good compared to how I usually style her hair.

She had an extra chocolate-y cake, by request.

And Ryan had to hold Liam back since both kiddies were excited about Emilia's bday present.

She did share with him under careful supervision...



though it didn't last too long. I think they played with the car for 1 day before it was confiscated from them since there was too much fighting over it.

But this gift from grandma and grandpa has been a big hit with both kiddies. They love hearing the grandparents' voices read to them and the music.

More Non-Toy Fun...

So in a prior post, I had mentioned that we have started to limit their toys. In one sense it's great for us, less toys and less mess (and hopefully less tantrums), in the other sense, we get to see what alternatives the kiddies come up with for fun!

Pirate Play

Lately we have been limiting the toys that the kiddies have to play with at one time.. mainly to reduce our headaches of trying to get the kiddies to clean up. In fact, the toys they have are a bare minimum now and they find a way to still have tons of fun. Here's Emilia playing with a swimsuit atop her head, acting as a pirate, with her little, stuff-animal friends.

Apparently, Emilia and Liam have lately also found socks to be rather entertaining. Both of them like to go sockless on one foot while the other sock ends up being a game of hide-and-seek for Ryan and I.

A New Used House!

This was a short-sale and Emilia had a quick loan approval from Uncle Mike. Lucky interest rates are low and loan will be paid back plus some pumpkins. =)

We came across this house while going on a stroll through the neighborhood Seller's Faire. Emilia loved it right away. All I can say is that she's a determined little girl. It was hard to tear her away from the house while on-lookers were watching a futile-me trying to coerce her to leave. I did not have money on hand to purchase it either, but luck was on Emilia's side as Uncle Mike happened to be there and helped us out. Not only did we get a quick pre-approved loan, but also arrangements for transport of the house.

Long story short, I thought the dollhouse was a good deal, in decent shape, and partially furnished. Even came with a set of renters (mini-faux Barbie and Ken).

Imagine the endless ways one can rearrange and organize a 3-story house as fast and as many times with ease! It's a perfect organizer's palette! If only organizing our actual home were that easy...

.. Merry early Christmas present my little girl! =)

Top Floor:

Mid-Level:

Bottom Floor:

Here's a tour of the house and the elevator in action:


I was side tracked by observing how long her hair has grown!

All in the all, this turned out to be a good dollhouse. Emilia still likes it. It's been week since we got it, and in kid-time, that's a long time! Liam likes it as well. Though teaching them to "share" has been a bit more difficult.

Emilia happily poses for photos with her dollhouse. First-time homeowner delight! =)

Thanks Uncle Chris!

Em sportin' her Ducati Rossi apparel (a future T-shirt, but currently a "dress") that Uncle Chris picked up for her at the Laguna Seca MotoGP! It goes along rather nicely with the Ducati bike that Uncle Chris also got for her when she was still just a wee walnut. Now, my question is... where's the Ducati helmet??! =)


Em actually loves her "dress" and her "bike" now that her feet can actually touch the ground... which apparently does not matter from the photo! Thanks Uncle CR!!

The Little Sturdy Dump Truck

Em received a wonderful surprise on her birthday from her good friend Calvin.

Needless to say, Calvin is way in tune with Emilia's taste. Emilia loves cars, motorcycles, quads, racetracks, and now... dump trucks!



And an OFF she goesss! zoom zoom little dump truck!


Let's see what else the truck can do....


I can totally skateboard on this!


And the last trick of the day...


Super baby strength!! Babyzilla terror to the surrounding toys!


Thanks Hokes! We're having lots of fun unloading toys from different ends of the room with the little sturdy dump truck! =)

Xmas Fun

Em is feeling much better and back to romping around with high-energy. Ryan and I are still sick, but at least we know how to blow our noses! I'm really appreciating that after watching Em suffer through being sick and not knowing how to blow her nose...poor baby! Anyhow, here is the upside to Em's first Christmas:

She's getting the hang of opening presents!


Test run of her new toy.


Who? Me?

"oohhh"

"My new ride... a Kawasaki Quad from my aunties!"

"Here dad. Hop on. I'll drive you around."

Exponential Neuron Acceleration

Em has a whole new world she is discovering! And it is so exciting to be a part of! She helps me put into perspective about all the little things I do everyday and don't even think about, like things that she is excitedly learning to do. And every day, she is getting better at everything.. hand eye coordination, balance, motion, etc. Man, I wish my learning ability is as exponential as hers right now!!

While she hasn't mastered all things yet, she's definitely a young Jedi in training. Here she tries to will herself forward and only a portion of her moved.



Despite not being able to reach her toys on her own, Em is still a happy baby. Of course part of it is learning that she doesn't need to reach the toys on her own, but to train momma and poppa. It's amazing at how much a non-talking, sound-making baby can communication. She has momma trained with her every noise and she knows how to use it well! Here is Em communicating and playing with her toys with full attention from momma and poppa.



She has a wide range of expressions, and also multi-pitches of noise from happy squeals of joy to neighing horse-grunts to the oh-so-cute barely audible baby coos.

Squeals of Joy

Tummy time is not a problem for little Ms. Em anymore. In fact, she has learned that she gets the attention of all her little pal toys when she is on tummy time.

Commander and Chief of Her Army

All in all, momma, dadda, bebe, and toys are having good times! This age is fun. =)

A pro at tummy time!

Playtime with Winnie

Play time consists of some rumbling...

and some chomping...

and of course some cuddling...

Baby's First Toys

Baby's first toys from daddy and mommy!



Ryan bought baby a ladybug twilight constellation nightlight. It is pretty awesome and projects the full night sky in three different color settings onto the ceiling and the walls... and the ladybug fits nicely with baby's cute forest theme.

I bought baby her first snuggly owl. It's probably bigger than she will be when she arrives. Ryan's mom says the owl is a symbol for happiness in the Japanese culture.