Sunday, August 25, 2013

Swim Lessons!


Blowing bubbles!
















































If you've been following the blog, you know Leah is a total water baby! We enrolled her in her first swim class session, and last Saturday was her first class. She loved it! We told her the night before she was going to be taking a swim class, and she woke up the next morning saying "baby pool? baby pool?" Her memory never ceases to astonish me. With Matt's guidance, she did pretty well following the instructions of the class. I look forward to seeing how she develops as we continue! 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

21 Months!



Leah is 21 months today! How is it that she will be 2 in 3 months? So crazy! This month has been all about more independence. Uh what? You're not 18 yet little one. She wants to go up and down the stairs by herself, plays by herself for longer periods of time, and refuses to let us help her eat. She will definitely voice her opinion when she doesn't want you hovering over her! Here are some Leah updates: 

  • Sings "Put away! Put away!" when she's cleaning up her toys
  • Constantly asking "What's that?"
  • When we pray, she'll clasp her hands together really tight, close her eyes {sometimes}, and sit very still until the prayer is over. She finishes with a loud "Amen!"
  • Got bit for the first time on Monday at day care. :( It was so sad to see that little mark on her arm. She's been a little wary of kids getting close to her this week. Hopefully, that doesn't last too long!
  • She's becoming an amazing eater! Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself by saying that, but the last few weeks, she's been eating anything we put in front of her including veggies! Eating out has also been a lot more enjoyable. We have to wait for her to finish her meal!
  • Told me her Lego man had to poop, put him in her potty, then proceeded to try to put a diaper on him afterwards
  • Can spend a whole hour at the playground just going up and down the slide
  • Spent her first weekend away from mommy, and we both survived!

Leah: My little lady, everyday I look forward to seeing what new things you will say or do. You constantly sing little songs to yourself including hand motions. When we're in the car, and I quickly glance behind me, I can't help by crack up when I see you waving your arms all over the place. You are a full-fledged daddy's girl after your weekend together when mommy was away. It melts my heart to see you jump into daddy's arms and cuddle with him when he comes home from work. One of your favorite activities is eating a popsicle after dinner with daddy. I spy on you guys as you sit in your chairs, lean back, and cheers with each other. I'm so proud of the little girl you are becoming. You can be stubborn and opinionated, but you have so much love and kindness for those you're comfortable with. I can't wait to see what the next month brings! Happy 21 months! xoxo

Monday, August 12, 2013

Pretend City



Last Tuesday, I finally took Leah to Pretend City Children's Museum in Irvine. I heard about this place even before I was pregnant, and have always wanted to bring Leah but never got the chance to take the trip until now. This place is amazing! It is literally a pretend city consisting of a grocery store, house, park, fire department, police station, farm, library, etc. Each area has items for the kids to interact with such as picking apples from the tree or putting milk and juice in a cart and going through the check out line. It's such a smart little place for kids to explore and learn. Leah loved roaming around and playing at each little station, and I look forward to a return visit! Hopefully one day they'll open one in LA!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

More Maui Pics

At Mama's Fish House. So delicious!
Marching to the pool

Sand is permanently in her bathing suit now

Monday, August 5, 2013

Maui 2013 - Grand Wailea



Sorry it has taken me so long to post about our Hawaii trip! We had so much fun, but I was definitely exhausted afterwards, and it's taken me a week to recoup!



Our flight to Maui was awesome! Leah was having fun playing the first couple hours and napped for 2 hours. We've been on 15+ flights with her, and this was her best one! The flight back wasn't as blissful though.



We were in Maui for 5 nights because Matt had a work conference, and Leah and I got to tag along! We stayed at the Grand Wailea which is a kid's paradise. The resort is huge, and it felt like a work out walking from one area to the next, but that gave Leah plenty of space to explore and run around. We were in the Terrace Room that was a decent size with a very large bathroom and a small, private lanai. They provided a mini wooden crib that worked well for us, and they even included a cute stuffed turtle as a gift for Leah. She loved it! {I always bring my own crib sheets when we travel.} 



Lappert's Ice Cream!
























They have some great dining options that range from the super casual to fine dining. Our room was close to Cafe Kula which was great for quick meals and snacks so that we could take advantage of the rest of the resort. It provides a wide variety of food to fit any palate, even kids. Banana taro pancakes? Yes, please. Macadamia Nut Waffles? Drool. Spam Masubi? We all had at least 1 a day. We had another meal at Humuhumunukunukuapuaa {say what?} which was delicious. The fish was so fresh and when we saw the table next to us order the Humu Hula Pie, we knew we had to get one. They also gave Leah a stuffed fish toy to add to her collection, and you can even ask the reception desk for fish food and feed the fish in the koi ponds. We ate at Alan Wong's Amasia twice! Not as amazing as the Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu, but the short ribs and the sashimi platter was delicious, and Leah loved the tempura salmon kids meal.

Left: Playing with Legos; Right: Patting and shushing the babies

























They also have a kids area called The Rock/Camp Grande. For kids over 13, you can drop them off, and the camp provides different activities for the kids to participate in for an extra cost. For kids under 13, children can still use The Rock facilities under adult supervision for free. Leah had fun playing with Legos, dollhouses, and the soft toy room.




The best part of the resort is the pool area. Everyday we spent the majority of the day swimming. Leah could not get enough of the water. The family pool area consists of 9 different pools on various levels connected by lazy rivers, water rapids, and slides. They even have an infant pool area where the toddlers can walk into the very shallow water. Leah would start off yelling "Slide! More slide!" Then she would say "No more slide. Baby pool!" and direct us to the infant pool area. After she was done with that, she'd walk out of the pool and run straight for the beach/ocean. This girl had no fear. We had to keep our eyes on her like a hawk! The pool area is for registered guests only, and everyday we had to get a different colored wrist band to wear. There are definitely a ton of families here, and grabbing chairs was always difficult. Luckily, we had friends who would grab chairs at 6:30am! They also have an adult only pool, but we obviously didn't use that one. :)

I got to also enjoy the Spa Grande facilities, which was one of the best I've ever been too. There are Western, Eastern, and Hawaiian influenced areas which consists of different amenities, and each treatment includes a honey-mango loofah exfoliation treatment. This was definitely a nice break from the craziness of our pool morning.

Since we didn't rent a car, we only ventured off the resort once to eat at Mama's Fish House, but we definitely didn't get cabin fever. We had a great stay, and I love looking back at our Maui pictures.

I have a bunch of other photos I will share on the next post!

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