20 Months! (a week late)

Leah is 20 months! This little girl is in full force these days. She doesn't walk, she runs. She loves to chase and be chased. She doesn't sit still for too long unless she's playing in iPhone/iPad game. Everyday she says a new word we haven't heard her say before, and her memory is amazing! She's growing out of her cautious stage and is becoming daring and fearless at times. Instead of updates, here are some fun Leah moments we've had this past month.

• She dropped a pea on the ground and said "oh no! pea die!" When I picked it up, she followed with "no more die." I have no clue where she learned the word "die" from!
• Her iPhone skills are amazing. She can unlock it, find the app she wants, play games, switch apps, and even take pictures while saying "cheese!" Her favorite apps are Endless Alphabet and PBS Kids.
• She's becoming really good with her "please" and "thank you" especially when she wants something she shouldn't have. 
• Her next favorite word is "share." While she's pretty good at sharing her things, she also loves to tell other people to share when she wants what they have or if she doesn't want to give up what she has.
• Every morning, Matt goes though his check list "beeper, wallet..." Leah will continue and say "keys!" She also knows this means daddy is leaving, and she will either say "bye daddy!" or get upset. 

Leah: You are so active these days, and it's fun to watch the wheels in your head turn. Nothing gets past you. You immediately spot the dog in the car next to us, you find the fly in the kitchen so daddy can get it, and the minute you hear another kid voice in the distance, you're looking around to try to make a new friend. You're becoming more independent and refusing to let us help you! You want to go up and down the stairs by yourself, you want to use chopsticks by yourself, and you want to play in the pool by yourself. While it's cute that you think you can do these things, you definitely make mommy's heart skip a beat! I still like to call you my "little baby," but you are definitely a kid and discovering your limits. This month has been so fun watching you learn and change so much physically and mentally. Happy 20 months! xoxo

P.S. I promise the next post will be about Hawaii!

Aloha!

Aloha from Hawaii! I've been a little MIA this week, because we've been in Maui getting all wrinkly hanging out in the pool all day. We will be back home tomorrow, and I will post an update about our time here!  

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Baby & Me Photography Workshop

Leah was being super clingy when she first arrived. So I set my camera and then had Matt take the photo.

Sunday, I took a Baby & Me photography workshop from the amazingly talented Caroline Tran. I've been following her blog for awhile now, and when she announced she was holding these workshops, I knew I had to check it out!

The workshop is divided into two parts. The first half is the actual instruction portion where she goes over camera and photography basics as well as some tips and tricks. The second half you actually get to bring in your baby/child and practice! It was nice to have Caroline there while you practice to answer questions. 

I'm pretty happy with the photos I took. Thank you, Caroline!

Ultimate Boy Band Concert

I'm not normally a concert goer, but right after I went to the Justin Timberlake concert, I found out about the Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees, NKOTB concert. I knew I HAD to go!! I was all over purchasing tickets the minute they went on sale a few months ago, and the day finally arrived!

The concert was amazing! I must admit that I was bummed Boyz II Men didn't play a longer set since they were actually the group I was looking forward to the most. None of the bands disappointed, however, and I had a great time. I'm definitely getting old though, because my ears hurt 15 minutes in! haha! I've officially fulfilled my boy band fix for the year. :)

Sorry I didn't post many pics! The lighting was so glaring that they didn't turn out very well. 

Girlfriends

Leah: 5 Weeks; Ruby: 10 Weeks

Leah: 29 Weeks; Ruby: 34 Weeks

Joy did a post on "besties" recently featuring Ruby and Leah, and my heart bursts every time I think about those two little munchkins. They have known each other since they were in the womb, and when they were babies, our play dates usually consisted of them lying or sitting around while Joy and I ate and chatted. Nowadays, when they get together, they greet each other with huge smiles. I mean big, open mouth, grins and giggles. After that initial greeting, the rest of the time is often spent chasing each other, and I get a pretty good cardio work out for the day. When Leah goes a day or two without seeing Ruby, she'll look at me and say "Roo-by? Roo-by?" I often daydream about what Leah will be like as she gets older, and I hope that this friendship continues to grow and blossom. How cute would it be to see these pics in their wedding slideshows???

Photo by Bob Cho

Photo by Bob Cho

I must admit that very few of my childhood friendships have lasted. We mostly keep in touch through Facebook or Christmas cards, but I have very fond memories of those friendships. While I get a little sad thinking about how we've grown apart, I'm also very thankful for my girlfriends today. Some I've known since college and some within the past year or so, but they've all supported me through different chapters in my life. They hold a special place in my heart... and so to my girls... thank you for your friendship and I love you!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday week. We had a pretty low key 4th of July since Leah was a little on the fussy side.  This morning she woke up with a fever. :(

We spent the morning of our 4th eating my favorite blueberry ricotta pancakes at Little Dom's, then let Leah play with her water table and baby pool. These two items are the best purchases we've made this summer! After her nap, we treated ourselves to some ice cream sundaes and picked up some food to BBQ at home. Matt grilled up some Porterhouse, corn, and brussel sprouts. Yum!

Our rose bushes are going crazy!

Smokey skies

After we put Leah to bed, we watched all the different fireworks from our deck. This picture doesn't do the view justice, but it's so fun to watch 20+ different firework displays!

Happy Birthday, America! 

Have a great weekend and, hopefully, you get to carry on the celebrations! 

Summer Days

Popsicle from Zoku Quick Pop Maker

Summer has officially been welcomed here. This past weekend we had crazy hot weather in LA, and to cool off, we enjoyed popsicles, baby pools, water tables, and besties. 

Leah has been a little on the fussy side with two teeth coming in, but once we got that water table, we had 2 hours of pure happiness! Here's to many more days looking like this! 

P.S. The water table is on sale in stores at Toys R Us!