My First Birthday Party

My first birthday party was a blast! Mommy and Daddy threw me a Hawaiian themed bash at Murdy Park in Huntington Beach. It was so fun to celebrate with our SoCal friends!

* All photos courtesy of JB Shots.

Mom and Dad knew from the beginning that they would want Hawaiian food catered by The Loft, and the food just set the theme for the rest of the party.

Mom slaved over this birthday banner. Unfortunately it was too windy that day to hang from the rafters, so they were forced to tape it down to the picnic table. At least the banner got used during dinner on my actual birthday.

I love bubbles, and there were bubble toys set up on the lawn to play with.

My friend Sienna

There was also a nearby playground for the bigger kids.

My cousins Kieran and Alex

Favors for the adults: Chocolate dipped shortbread cookies in shape of the number 1 from Honolulu Cookie Company.

Favors for the kids: Bubbles, a luau rubber ducky, and a snack (Baby Mum Mums for the little ones, Pocky sticks for the older ones).

My birthday cake, filled with fresh berries and cream, from Whole Foods. Isn't it pretty?

And my smash cake from Pavilions, decorated by Mom, Auntie Sammy, and Auntie Larissa.

We attempted to get a picture of me and all my friends (a few of them crawled/ran away though).

Ready to dig into my smash cake.

Looks like I barely made a dent in it.

I feel so lucky that so many friends and family came out to celebrate with me. Birthday parties are so fun - I hope I get one every year!

Fourth of July Weekend

Hi everyone! I'm back from a fun-filled long weekend in Huntington Beach! We did so much and had a great time with friends and family. Of course, the highlight of the weekend was my birthday party. That gets a whole post of its own, but there are plenty of other things and pictures to share!

We stayed with Ma-ma and Yeh-yeh and the house was packed. I finally met my Auntie Larissa and Uncle Jeff, and cousins Alex and Kieran for the first time. They just moved back from the UK, just in time for my birthday! Auntie Samantha also flew in from Vancouver for the weekend. It was so fun to finally have everyone hanging out together!

One night we all went out to dinner at Mangia-Mangia. Daddy has been eating there for almost 25 years! While we were waiting for our food, Mom decided to give me a lemon, just to see how I'd react to the sour taste. Turns out I loved it! Amazingly I had absolutely no reaction to the sourness. The diners at the table next to us were quite amused. At least the lemon kept me happily entertained while we waited for our food. 

We also headed to Din Tai Fung Dumpling House in Arcadia. They are famous for their soup dumplings, although I'm too young to appreciate them. I discovered a new favorite food though - noodles! They were so long and chewy, I couldn't decide whether to play with them or eat them. I ended up trying to shove the whole thing in my mouth, though I wasn't very successful. 

For my birthday, Auntie Sammy got me a walker. The backyard was a perfect place to try it out (and to show off my cute sundress).

I love walking!

We spent a fun afternoon playing in the backyard. Mom had ordered a giant bubble maker for the party, but it didn't arrive until the day of the party (boooo). At least we got to play with it later. Alex, Kieran, and I had fun trying to pop the giant bubbles (I had some help).

Look at this giant bubble!

We spent a hot Fourth of July in the air-conditioned comfort of South Coast Plaza. It was a very successful shopping trip for all of us - Mommy and Daddy bought themselves me a new toy for my birthday!

I had such a fun and eventful weekend. It was sad to leave the warm weather and family behind. I can't wait to go back again soon!

I'm ONE!!

Happy Birthday to me! I made it through my first year! I started bright and early today at 5am. Although it was my birthday, it was a rough day. I've been teething and woke up pretty unhappy. I didn't even take any naps at day care.

For my birthday, Poh-poh and Gung-gung came over for dinner, as well as the Chiu's. Unfortunately I was cranky and tired from not sleeping all day, so I didn't get to stay up for dinner. We decided to cut the cake first though, so I could get my first taste of cake on my actual birthday! For a second I forgot that I was teething or tired! Anyway, here's a video of me eating my birthday cake.

And a couple of pictures:

Opening gifts with Braden and Kiera

Mommy and Daddy singing Happy Birthday to me.

My very first taste of cake! Hmmm, not bad.

Starting to get messy...

I had to let Dad in on the fun too.

That was some yummy cake!

This weekend we're headed down to Huntington Beach for my birthday party! I can't wait!

Stay tuned for my 12-month update and pictures from the weekend!

A message from Daddy

Hi Sweetheart,

I've started this note several times already, and my eyes tear up each time. Today you're a year old, and as much as it amazes me how much you've grown and learned in what seemed like such a short period of time, you'll never know how much I've learned from you as well. True happiness is hearing your infectious laughter, seeing you smile with your eyes (just like daddy), holding you close when you're upset, or watching you peacefully fast asleep.

Absolutely nothing in this world matters more to me than you and Mommy, and that's something I think about every day. You've brought us so much joy and happiness , and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to see what the future holds for you.

Happy birthday Katie Bear, Daddy loves you so very much!

Father's Day Weekend

I had such a fun and event-filled Father's Day weekend. I tried lots of new foods and played with friends (and took lots of pictures)!

On Saturday, we headed to the San Mateo County Fair. It was a nice warm day and there were lots of kids and babies there. My friends Kiera and Braden were there too with Uncle Kevin. I also discovered some new foods, like this giant turkey leg.

Mom got a steamed artichoke and I had fun chewing on the leaves.

I also had my first taste of funnel cake! Despite it being super-sweet and sugary, I had no reaction on my face after eating it. Maybe sugar is an acquired taste?

Is this where that big turkey leg came from?

All the sun, fresh air and excitement wore me out. I took a nice stroller nap before we all headed home.

The next day was Father's Day! Mom showed her appreciation for Dad by taking 6am morning duty responsibilities the whole weekend (same as what Dad did on Mother's Day weekend). We think Dad thoroughly enjoyed the extra hours of sleep.

Later that morning we went to my friend Caitlyn's first birthday party. There were lots of kids there and I enjoyed eating goldfish crackers and pizza. There was also a balloon man. He made balloon figures of Nemo and Wolverine for myself and Dad!

Me and the birthday girl.

Again, I exhausted myself playing and took a nice carseat nap on the way home. I had to rest up because next, a group of us had a big Father's Day dinner at Espetus Churrascaria in San Mateo. What better way to celebrate Father's Day than all-you-can-eat Brazilian bbq? I tried so many different foods, but my favorite discovery was definitely asparagus spears.

Here's a picture of everyone at dinner - so fun!

It was a fun weekend but best of all, I got to spend quality time with the best Daddy EVER! Happy Father's Day Daddy, I love you!

Walking

It's been a busy month so I haven't had much time to post. But a few weeks ago Kaitlyn started walking with assistance. Here's a video we shot over the weekend of her practicing - she goes so fast now! You can't really tell from this video but whenever she walks, she always has this happy smile on her face, like she's doing something she really enjoys. :)

I'm a Cruiser Baby!

Guess what? After nearly half my life wearing size 2 diapers, I have finally graduated to size 3! Not only have I gone up a size, but this means that my Pampers baby status has been upgraded from Swaddler to Cruiser!

Yay!