Friends

We enjoyed a gathering of friends couple weekends ago.  Lucia's good buddy from Minnesota was moving back there and a park was a fitting location for a farewell.  It was really cute watching the girls hold hands while running around the park.  Lucia is at the bottom left and her friend Breanna is next to her.

On the way to the park that afternoon, the sun shone brightly into Lucia's eyes and she requested her sunglasses.   Her "ookie" completed the look.  (I was waiting for the opportune time to get rid of the "ookie" because I thought a new baby would be upheaval enough, and am now fearing I may have passed that window as she is more and more attached to it!!  I am open to suggestions -- cold turkey?)

Tricyclist

Our little girl's new bike pedal was a source of constant frustration after just a few times on it. The pedal wouldn't catch well so most times she would be trying to pedal forward but in reality just spinning and not moving forward.  Finally, I got around to calling the manufacturer and received a spare tire which Troy replaced.  Since then, she enjoys riding her tricycle.  These following shots are from two weeks ago.  Excuse the lack of helmet; it was only supposed to be a few minutes while waiting for company to come.

New cousin!

We are so thrilled for Younguk and Hyesoo!  Their new daughter, Yehzie, joined the lovely family last week.    Congratulations!!

French fries and French boys

We enjoyed a cookout at some friends' house last weekend.  We dined on some delicious homemade French fries, made from both white and sweet potatoes, which accompanied chicken kabobs roasted on a fire pit.  Then the fromage followed with some soft bread (we learned the French never eat cheese without bread!), and chocolate mousse capped the evening.

While the hosts and the food certainly made the evening special, the best part for me was watching two little French boys and a hapa Kolea girl play together.  Despite not verbally communicating much besides giggles and laughter, the three managed to entertain each other (and me!) very well.  They chased each other around the yard with bats, found many toy cars, carried chairs down from upstairs, etc.

The ultimate fusion cuisine

Being a definite mix of two distinct cultures, our girl's dining adventures wander all over the place.  One night, her meal consisted of cheese cubes and kim-bop (rice rolled in nori).  What can we say?  She likes them both!

Our happy girl

Despite being congested and having drainage for the past 10 days, our baby is persistently cheerful and smiley.  Personally, I am ready for this endless cycle of colds to be done!  (I think I said that with a smile on my face, too).

Supper's already made!!

I opened the cabinet and pulled out a sauce pan to cook supper the other night.  When I uncovered the lid, I found someone else had been filling the pot with items from her kitchen.

The happy frown

Lucia likes to make this face sometimes.  She even posed to have it memorialized!

Uncle Seong Jae visits!

We were very excited to have my cousin visit from California last week.  He came for a seminar about an hour away from us, and drove up a couple times.  It was the first time that Troy and the girls met him.  He also is the proud papa of a cute little baby girl, now four weeks old.  We can't wait to meet her sometime!

First roses from a BOY!

(other than Daddy, that is!)

Pumpkin patch playdate

The kids enjoyed the patch so much last year that the outing was requested again.  This year, the sun shone brightly again and the temperature matched the happy mood.

Life-saving swing

Thanks to my friend Cara who was over one day, watched me walk Phoebe around while patting her back, and said, "you need to borrow my swing."  Phoebe doesn't always want to be in the swing but it can provide up to 15 minutes of hands-free rushing around time (and today.... an hour-long nap for Phoebe)!

Fun, fun, fun at the new desk

Artwork has become such fun lately!

CuTiE PiE

Playroom

Our sunroom finally became organized into a playroom, complete with a child-sized desk in the corner which used to house a locker.  The desk is actually a sewing machine table.  Troy cut off the legs to make it just the right height for a little girl.  It now holds all her art supplies, and she really loves sitting there.

Flowers courtesy of my FIL (thanks!)

Rearranging again

I decided the sun room needed more space for kids to play.  After one larger playdate with about eight children, I've been wishing for a different arrangement of our sun roon which is where we play the most.  Troy and Grandpa moved the rolltop desk downstairs, and in its place, we put a storage cabinet, which is a spare dresser that's repurposed.

You all may remember the previous arrangement, and how I arranged it in the spring:




But, the deep desk moved out (of course we created a mess!)...

To make room for this dresser, now toy storage.

I want to blog too!

Lucia donned on her apron (which matches mine -- special gifts that appeared in the mail recently) and took her doll whose name is Lucia's Phoebe around the house for a "walk."  In the living room, she stopped the parade, ran back to her toy kitchen, grabbed her used-to-be-dads-no-longer-working-but-still-shiny phone, and darted back to snap a photo.  "Say cheese..." I heard her say.

Sista, sista