Update...cliff notes version

Wow it's really been too long since I've last updated this blog. Let's see...

Ellie talks non-stop. It's hard to imagine a time when she didn't talk. She has questions for everything, opinions for everything and a song for every occasion. She's telling stories and recalling things that we've done "yesterday" (past = yesterday).

We asked Yoav to take some family photos. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Almost impossible to get all 3 of us looking, with eyes open, at the camera at the same time. 

Thank you Yoav for the beautiful pictures!

We had the fortunate opportunity to visit Hawaii again this year. It was a total unplanned trip that we struggled to decide if we should so. Disney's Aulani resort in Oahu is under renovation/expansion, so they were offering cast members an extra discount on the rooms. Even with the discount, it is still very $$$, but it made it more realistic for our little family experience Aulani.

If it was possible for everyone to afford to go, I'd say DO IT! Especially if you have kids. It's not very obviously Disney, meaning the Disney elements are very subtle. They did a fantastic job of being authentic to the Hawaiian architecture and culture. The only tiny thing I noticed was that they did not have many activities for toddlers ages 1-3 and no babysitting service available.

Ellie got to meet Mickey, Minnie and Goofy for the first time and she did wonderfully. She was a little scared in the beginning, but the characters were so great with the kids and really gentle. They took their time and didn't rush and allowed the little ones to get used to them. 

We went to "Aunty's Character Breakfast Buffet" towards the end of our trip. It was so great we wished we had gone towards the beginning of our trip and just ate breakfast there every  morning! The characters stay throughout the entire breakfast, greeting, "talking", and taking pictures with all the diners. Aunty will join in, leading and involving the kids in different songs.

Thanksgiving was uneventful. We stayed in town and Jesse came over for dinner. We ordered take out from 101 Noodle and enjoyed a very low key Thanksgiving, which was AWESOME.

As the end of the year draws to a close and we reflect on all that has happened this 2012, we are so grateful to God's faithfulness and blessings. I've been on a decorating/organizing binge, and been desperate to do something with our fireplace. I finally decided on a wall decal, and am really happy with what we chose. It really sums up everything in our lives and reminds us every day of how God is taking care of us.

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland last weekend and had a blast! It was hot, crowded and tiring, but we had so much fun. We arrived at around 1:30pm and started at the Disneyland side. Donald and Pluto were hanging out by the front, so we got our picture with Pluto.

I think Ellie was a little scared. She was fascinated and wanted to touch him, but was really unsure.

Next was the train. Ellie LOVES trains, so that was the first thing we did. We rode around the park and talked about the places we wanted to visit. We decided to try Small World again, but by the time we got there, the line was looooong. So we decided to try the Carousel. Thankfully, the wait was only 10-15 minutes. Unfortunately, Ellie was scared. I think it was spinning a little too fast for her liking.

Video TBD

We then took a chance and got in line for the Peter Pan ride. For those of you unfamiliar with Disneyland rides, the Peter Pan ride is one of the most popular rides in the park. It's a classic that many kids and adults must ride whenever they visit Disneyland. Fortunately, the line was only 30 minutes long. We all enjoyed the short little ride.

Will wanted to take Ellie on the Dumbo ride next, so I waited while they stood in line. That line took way longer than we anticipated. I don't think we'll be doing that again...

Can you tell it was HOT?

We then went over to the new California Adventure to visit Cars Land and a Bug's Life Land. We rode the caterpillar ride twice and Flick's balloon ride. Overall I feel like we accomplished a lot in the 4 hours we were there. And Ellie was behaving spectacular most of the time. I can't wait till the next time we go!

Dinner at Larkins

Treat at the zoo

We went to visit the animals at the LA Zoo this afternoon. Boy was it hot!! But it was totally worth it. One of our friends works with the seals there and we got a behind-the-scenes look. Thank you Alexis for giving us a back stage tour and giving us a glimpse of what you do with the seals. It was totally amazing! We felt like such celebrities getting to pet Asia the Seal and getting a kiss from her.

Asia the Seal is super smart and has been trained to do various tricks. She responds to commands like "kiss" "blow" and "wave", all said by Alexis. Makes me wonder how we can get Ellie to respond well when we ask her to do things like brush her teeth...Asia doesn't make a fuss...

I never noticed this before, but seals have beautiful eyes! Really! Take a good look the next time you're at the zoo or aquarium. They remind me of a puppy's eyes. They also move forward on land by bouncing forward on their tummy. It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen, but also adorable!

Play Kitchen

2 engineers, 1 doctor, 1 lawyer = 3 hours of assembly. A big thank you to Ah Gong, Ah Ma, Gu Gu, Ah Bei, Yoav for putting this ridiculously complicated kitchen together for Ellie.  As you can see, Ellie loves it!

Table and Chairs

I've been wanting to get Ellie a table and chair set for a LONG time now, but they were just a little bit too expensive for me to accept. I'm glad I waited though, because I found a great set at ToysRUs the other day that was less expensive than the ones I saw online. Plus, I had a discount coupon I could actually use for it! (For those of you who don't shop at Babies/Toys R Us, they mail out coupons once in a while, but it has so many restrictions that it's almost impossible to find something that qualifies.)

It's so cute to see her sitting at the table with her legs dangling off the chair. She's still too small, but I'm glad there's room for her to grow into it. Here's a quick photo of it below:

Wish us luck!

So like every parent on earth, we think our baby is the cutest thing that walked the planet. Hence, we entered her in the Gap Casting Call. We are one of 10,711 "baby girls" (0-4 yrs old) that have entered. Here are the pictures we submitted:

They allowed up to 5 pictures, so I think all these pictures were accepted. Well anyway, a BIG thanks to Yoav for helping us take these beautiful pictures of our little girl. Which one is your favorite?

Pictures from Yoav

We went to the Arlington Garden in Pasadena to take some pictures of Ellie. Here are a select few:

Ellie loves trains

We have a little park called Travel Town near our home that houses old decommissioned trains. They also have a small train that takes you around the park a couple of times that all the kids LOVE, Ellie included. She gets so excited to see and hear the train and is mesmerized when we ride on it.

Singing

Ellie loves to sing these days. Her favorite songs are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Alphabet Song, Ba Ba Black Sheep and Happy Birthday. Who can guess what 3 out of 4 have in common?

Ellie's Big Girl Bed

We moved Ellie into a "big girl bed" and put away her crib. As you can see she's REALLY excited and has already thought of where she'd like to put all her stuffed friends. She surprised us the past weekend by climbing out of bed in the morning (6:30am - WAY too early for us!) and turning on the lights before trying to open the door to her room.

Lots of babbling

Growing up

Ellie is talking more and more every day. She continues to surprise us with the number of words in her vocabulary. Just this morning she was pointing at things and saying, "white!" "red!" "yellow!" We've been trying to reinforce manners but asking her to say "please" and "thank you".

Along with all these is the daily testing of her boundaries. She likes to do things in her own time and her own way. It keeps us on our toes.

Back of the house

Side of the house