Happy Face

Kaitlyn learned how to draw a happy face. :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

"Happy birthday Daddy! I want party. I want cake." - Me

I got to help pick out Daddy's birthday cake.  I've really been into snowmen lately.

Hong Kong!

My first international trip!  Mommy and Daddy took me to Hong Kong for a week. We visited family and friends, and did a ton of walking, eating, and shopping.

I don't even know where to begin, so let's go straight to the pictures.

All ready to sit in that plane for 15 hours!

We survived the long flight. I spent most of my time watching iPad, coloring, drawing, and even slept for a few hours.

The main reason for our trip to Hong Kong was to meet Tai-poh, Daddy's grandma, for the first time. I was shy when I first met her but it didn't take long to warm up. It helped that we shared a love for stuffed animals.

I also got to spend time with my aunties and uncles from both Hong Kong and Vancouver.  

With "other" yi-poh, yi-poh, and Auntie Sammy. We started calling Auntie Tonya "other" yi-poh so as not to get the two yi-poh's confused, and the name just kinda stuck.

One of my favorite things about Hong Kong was just getting around. We rode so many different modes of transportation. My favorites were the subway and ferry, but I also loved the taxicabs (sitting in a car with no car seat!) and the double-decker tram. There were also elevators and escalators galore. It never got old for me.

Subway!

Ferry across the harbour.

Mommy bought me this cheap stroller when we got there. I barely even sit in my stroller at home so it was amazing that I actually wanted to sit in this one. 

I also rode in the "Mommy backpack" a lot. We did a lot of walking, and had to take lots of stairs to go down to the subways and cross streets. Mommy got a great leg workout with a 25-lb weight strapped to her.

Many naps were taken like this. 

We all went to a small street market one morning. While Mommy and Daddy shopped, other yi-poh and yi-goong took me to visit the pet stores in the area. I came back with a surprise.

Look! Other yi-poh bought me a pet fish!

We appropriately named him Baby Red Fish, after one of my favorite episodes of Dora.

And of course we ate a lot. Our favorites included breakfasts at Australia Dairy Company (macaroni soup, egg and toast, and milk tea all for under $4!), Shanghai dumplings at Crystal Jade, lots of dim sum, wonton mein, and LOTS of sweet desserts. 

Even breakfast at McDonald's was yummy! Sausage and egg macaroni soup, hash brown, and milk tea. 

Afternoon tea! A must-do when you're in Hong Kong.

There was so much to see and do in Hong Kong, it was a fun, but very tiring trip. Stay tuned for more photos!

School Photos

I had my preschool photos taken a few weeks ago. Here they are!

I was having kind of a bad hair day, but at least I actually smiled for the camera.

Here is the entire class. I really am the smallest kid in class.

Hockey Gear Check

Daddy here again. I've been playing hockey on Tuesday nights in Redwood City at Ice Oasis for a number of years now. On one particular recent Tuesday night, Amy was working late and I had to put my gear together while also keeping an eye on K. So I enlisted her help to make sure I had most of the equipment accounted for:

Helmet, check!

Elbow pads, check!

Eww, Daddy why are your gloves so stinky?

Shoulder pads/chest protector, check!

For the record, I Febreeze my gear after every time I play, and generally replace my gloves once a year, so they don't really smell that bad! 

DIY Hair Clips

Kaitlyn is almost always seen wearing some type of bow clip in her hair. They are a necessity for keeping her long bangs out of her eyes. We've been through dozens of hair clips but I am always struggling to find the perfect one that a) stays put in her hair, b) matches her outfit, and c) does not cost too much. After browsing Etsy for some overpriced hair clips, I realized that they really can't be that hard to make, and I could probably do it myself for really cheap. So after an internet search and a few purchases, I can now show off my own DIY hair clips!

Here is what you need: metal alligator clips, ribbon, and a hot glue gun. The metal double-prong clips (I found mine on eBay) work best for gluing on the ribbon, and also stay put in fine toddler hair very well.

I scored this giant pack of grosgrain ribbon from HomeGoods for ten bucks. So many colors!

The steps are simple. First, cut a piece of ribbon about twice the length of the clip.

Then, using the hot glue gun apply a dot of glue to one end of the ribbon and stick it on the underside of the clip. This was actually my first time using a glue gun and I went trigger happy. So addictive!

Keep applying hot glue to the ribbon and wrap it around the clip so that the entire top half of the clip is covered. Some clips I've used also have the bottom half covered with the ribbon, but they don't stay in Kaitlyn's hair as easily.

Now to make a bow for the clip, cut three pieces of ribbon about three inches long. Tie a knot with one of the ribbon pieces. With the other two pieces, make a loop and glue the ends together. 

Add a dot of glue to the inside of each loop and pinch the centers of the loops together. Then, stack the two loops on top of each other in a flat 'X' and glue those two pieces together.

Finally, take the ribbon with the knot and after placing a dot of glue behind the knot, place it in the center of the X.  Turn the bow over and glue each end to the back. You may have to trim off any excess ribbon.

You just made a bow without actually tying a bow. Pretty cool trick huh?  Thank you, internet. You can now glue the bow to the top of the hair clip and you are done!

There are so many options on what you can do with these. I made a few hair clips with bows and some others with a single-loop bow. Some I decorated with old buttons, but most of them I just left plain until I can think of other ways to decorate them.

I made all of these over two nights and now Kaitlyn has a great stash of hair clips to match with any outfit, with more to come!

28 Months

Hi!  Here's a quick catch-up from the last two months.

• Communicating:  Not only do I speak in full sentences, but Mommy actually understands about 90% of what I say. I'm starting to sound like a very demanding little girl, since almost every other sentence begins with "I want." 

• Miss Independent: Lately I insist on doing everything myself, from putting on my clothes/shoes to climbing into the car and into my carseat. Every little routine is accompanied by the phrase "by yourself?" followed by whimpering until I get to do things my own way. Everything seems to take twice as long these days are we are always running late!

• Preschool Update. It's been two months since I started preschool and I am loving it! Such a change from the first few weeks when I would cry my eyes out when Mommy dropped me off. The teachers said it would take about six classes for kids to fully adjust, and they were right. On exactly the sixth class, I did a complete 180 and ran into the classroom without so much as a wave. Now I am always one of the first kids to run into class in the morning, even trying to squeeze by other parents to get through the door. The teachers say that I am very well behaved and always participate in the activities.
• Mommy phase:  It seems like my Mommy phase has been never-ending. I am always clingy around her and seem to be attached to her more than ever. Poor Daddy. One of my favorite phrases is "Mommy do it?" because I want her to do everything for me, from giving me a bath to brushing my teeth to reading books and helping me out of the car. On more than one occasion, Mommy would leave the house to run an errand, and I would stand by the door crying for her to come back. I must love Mommy very very much!  

I loved helping Mommy make waffles one morning.