happy 4th birthday mopher!

my dear sophie,

i sit here with so much joy and gratitude in my heart that i am lucky enough to have a daughter and that god chose us to be together for eternity.  you are the most special little girl and i have so many hopes and dreams for you.  i wonder so many times a day whether or not i'm giving you what you need to be the most wonderful and happiest woman that you can be.  i love you so much.

you are curious, demanding, hilarious, and inquisitive.  you love to question everything and want to know why things are the way they are, especially if it's different than how you think it should be.  you love to explore new things.  you love to people watch.  you love to go places and to just be outside doing anything.  you love to try new foods and love to go to restaurants.  you are a great eater but your favorite things are milkshakes with sprinkles, donuts, chicken and rice, and anything french fries with ranch. you are obsessed with mommy and have a really hard time if you are not with me.  you remind me of me when i was growing up and i wanted to be with grandma no matter what she was doing.  sometimes i get frustrated because i need to do other things but then i remind myself how lucky i am that i have a daughter who adores me and thinks i'm great.  i think you are too.  you love to snuggle with mommy and would sleep in my bed every night if i let you. i love to be with you, especially when it's just you and i.  we have so much fun together.  

for those of you wondering, my mother loves to make up nicknames and she created "mopher" and "mophie" for sophie.  i have been called wilma since i was 14 and got my first job at walgreens.  wilma walgreens...i know, weird.

sophie turns 2!

happy 4th birthday jakey

dear jakey, 4 years ago today i was giving birth to you.  i still remember what a beautiful time that was.  all of it.  the contractions, the time spent with daddy excitedly waiting for you, the anticipation of what you would look like...be like.  and then the moment was here.  the one that changed me forever.  my first child.  my son.  the most beautiful baby i'd ever seen.  i will never be able to express to you the feelings i had when i first held you.  i cried for what felt like forever.  i couldn't put your down.  i was obsessed with you.  and you know...i still am. you are the the most special boy and i can't even imagine breathing without you.  

today you are four.  you are the most inquisitive, excitable, happy, curious, friendly, affectionate, funny, creative, imaginative boy ever!  you love to learn...you ask questions nonstop and spew random facts that you know about anything to anyone that will listen...even strangers.  you have a ton of energy and will go nonstop until you fall asleep.  dinosaurs are your current obsession and you know so many of their names, habitats and what they eat.  you also love legos, building things, reading books, and puzzles but your favorite is imaginative play with your toys.

you love pizza, raisins, waffles, bacon, rice, chicken nuggets but most of all smoothies. you're a snacker like mommy, so it's hard to get you to sit down and eat a meal.  you love to watch movies and snuggle in the bed with mommy and daddy.

you're very tall...the tallest in your preschool class.  42 inches.  you're hair is down to your butt and really needs to be cut but daddy won't let me.  you still have the most beautiful eyes and lashes and get mistaken for a girl a lot.  you always remind them that you're a boy and not "cute", but "cool". 

you adore your sister and are the best brother she could ever ask for.  she is obsessed with you and always wants to be around you or in your room hanging out.  you look out for her and always hug and kiss her and she knows you love her.  you remind me of how uncle jason is with me.  i love that.  you're also really friendly at school, says your teachers.  if there is a new student, they look to you to make him/her feel comfortable...and you always do.  you have the biggest heart, are very sensitive and always want to do the right thing to make mommy and daddy proud.  you always do, son...

today after we finished your special day at Legoland and then Farrell's, you asked me, "mommy, am I still 4?"  yes, I said.  "mommy, am I still special?"  son, you are special every day and just extra special on your birthday.  i love you.  end of story.

jake goes to preschool

After MONTHS of searching, we finally found the right preschool for Jake.  It's been an exciting summer getting him prepared for school.  There was no pushing or bribing him, he was ready from the first day we visited in July.  

Matt and I both went in late to work so we could take him together.  We stopped at McDonald's first and had breakfast and then off we went.  We took him into class and he went right in and started his day.  No tears, no hesitancy, no looking for us. He said, "Bye, mom and dad!  I love you!"  And that was it.  We dropped off our big boy at school for his very first time.

end of summer 2013...

it's a bittersweet moment.  tomorrow is the official end to my summer and my return to work after 7 weeks off.  i'm saying goodbye to some sweet memories with the kids such as, snuggling in bed watching cartoons and not rushing to get up and go anywhere in the mornings, visits to the park, happy meals at McDonald's, Gymboree time with Sophie (really really sad about stopping this), morning runs in the double stroller, family day Thursdays with daddy, stress-free evenings because mommy didn't have to get anything ready for the next day, backyard pool days, homemade smoothies, scooter and bike-riding around the neighborhood and anything or nothing else we decided to do just  because we could.  our new phrase we came up with this summer is "going on an adventure" and it could be as simple as going to the mall or walking to the Fresh n Easy but somehow we would turn it in to an adventure by "looking for animals" or singing songs.  what a wonderful time we had.  it's funny...as i'm typing this i'm more nostalgic that i had planned.  why?  because there's the other side to this bittersweet moment.  i have NEVER been so tired in my life, hence, no blogging for 3 months.  by the time bedtime came every night, all i could do after the kids were down was plop on the sofa and watch mindless tv.  there were many days that i wanted to drink by 11am and couldn't imagine how i was going to get through the day until matt got home.  honestly.  i know that i'm not cut out to be a stay at home mom and i seriously give props to those who do, but every day i'm thankful to have such a perfect schedule to get such a good amount of time off with them...just enough.

so i'm sad to change our routine and give them up to others to watch yet i know that i'm a better mom when i have some time away.  i'll never forget this summer. 

kid milestones...

jake: fully potty trained, swimming like a fish, going underwater and jumping off the diving board, hugely sarcastic and funny, putting puzzles together, still obsessed with animals and now sea creatures (new cartoon obsession is Octonauts), loving playing with daddy's ipad, size 11 shoes and 40 inches tall, super loving towards Sophie (except when she tries to play with your stuff), creeping to mommy n daddy's bed in the middle of night and tapping me to tell me to tell daddy to move over and make a "seat" for you (which i do), riding your bike with training wheels and scooter although you sometimes have to be forced to go outside, "i can do it by myself", you say for almost everything.

sophie: saying dada, dayee (daddy), puppy, doggie, papa, chee (for taking pics) and p for (pizza), wanting to be outside all of the time, climbing EVERYTHING and just loving the feeling of standing on something high, going up and down stairs, getting on and off mommy and daddy's high bed, shaking your head no if you don't want something, taking us to the fridge to let us know you do want something, sucking that thumb endlessly and mommy always trying to pull it out, very playful and sassy, still feisty and impatient, wanting to play with jake all of the time, mommy and papa are your two favorite people and auntie carma whenever we are with her(sorry daddy, your time will come), size 4 shoe, 22 lbs and 8 teeth.

happy 1st birthday sophie!

one year ago today i was rushed into an emergency c-section 4 1/2 weeks before my due date because you were ready to enter the world!  and you definitely haven't stopped doing things on your own time and at your own will.  you are one amazing little girl!  

ever since i knew what it was to be a mom, i've wanted a daughter.  i've dreamed of you for 39 years and i couldn't be more thankful for god giving me you as my daughter.  yes, you're feisty, impatient, strong-willed, and tough but you're also sweet, loving, affectionate and funny!  you're the girl who'll be beating up the boys in school and not taking any mess from anyone.  it's funny how your personality has really started to develop and although it can be difficult at times, i love you just the way you are.

you're obsessed with mommy so sometimes i have to hide from you  to get things done.  you want to be in my arms 24/7 or at least have me sitting next to you at all times.  your screams are your way of letting us know you want something...NOW.  you have the most beautiful brown eyes, long eyelashes and a smile that makes my heart melt.  everyone comments how beautiful of a baby you are whenever we go out.  you're tall (30 inches...95th percentile) but little (19 lbs....50th percentile).

you took your first steps about a month ago and are walking around everywhere with a fall about every 10 steps or so.  you love fruit/yogurt smoothies, hawaiian bread and snacks.  jake wants to play with you all of the time but he irritates you, so you just end up pulling his hair and trying to get away from him.  he "wrestles" with you a lot and he even pushed you off of the bed yesterday but you just say "UGH" to him and try to get away.  you're a great sleeper...7pm is bedtime and if you stay up too much past, you're pretty grumpy. 

daddy loves you so much, sophie.  he's so proud to be your dad and takes pride in getting you dressed 2 days a week to go to grandma's.  you always look so cute and he always does your hair and puts a bow in it.  you would rather be with mommy when given the choice but he knows later on that you'll be daddy's girl and he can't wait for that.

we love you honey!  you've completed our family and we couldn't imagine life without you.  you keep us on our toes and we're  excited to see what your second year brings!  more pictures to follow of your birthday party today. 

going back to 2012...road trip to san jose

the kids and i drove up to sj with j, mita and the kids to celebrate my dad's 78th birthday. (matt had just gotten promoted a few weeks before so he had to stay back and work.) we stopped by to see faye and bassett and i also got to see my sj girls.  dad celebrated another year of health and strength with his annual 13-mile walk from his house in fremont to his barber shop in menlo park.  i wanted to walk with the kids but it was too cold so we stayed behind and met them at the end.  i almost didn't make the trip because matt couldn't go and i knew it would be so much work with just me but i'm so glad i did.  spending time with my dad is the most amazing gift i have as an adult and i'm so thankful he's still here with us.  seeing faye and bassett and spending time with them is also such a blessing.  they mean so much to jason and i and are such an important part of who we are today.  it was the first time my sister belinda met sophie and she hadn't seen jake in 2 1/2 years.  j's kids were so much help with the kids and the trip was a success.  

 visiting with bassett

grandpa's girl 

 jake and toreka

 sophie and faye

 jake chillin in the corner at dad's house watching leap frog

 sophie and lalani

 marks kids and sophie before the walk

 the walkers

 belinda and sophie

jake in grandpa's barber shop in the spot where grandpa used to cut hair before he retired.