The whole family had the President’s Day Holiday off so we made pancakes for breakfast!
Yummy!!!
Milpitas
After the zoo, we drove down to Milpitas to drop off our tax documents. Janie brought her backpack full of toys, which helped pass the time while Daddy was taking care of stuff.
As a special treat for waiting, we stopped at the Yogurtland across the street. Janie got some strawberry frozen yogurt in a sample cup. It was just enough to satisfy her.
We had to hang out for a couple hours in case the tax guy was done early with our return. So, we stopped at a really cool fish store where Janie saw Marlin, Nemo, and Dory. She was so excited.
They also had a very gentle dog named Ben that wandered over to us.
He just sat down next to us and let Janie pet him and run circles around him.
For dinner, we stopped for dumplings. Janie had a tasty bowl of soup to finish off the meal.
Valentine’s Day Dinner
Auntie Jia and Uncle Jason came over for dinner tonight. Daddy made pizza for everyone.
Janie made a “special treat” for everyone.
It’s a Rice Krispy Treat pizza!
Janie says it’s yummy but so sticky!
lunch and nap
We went out for lunch and the weather was warm enough to eat outside.
Then as we ran some errands to Home Depot and the pet store, Janie took a nice long nap. Daddy did all the shopping while we waited in the car.
Popcorn
Janie had an extra-special evening with Daddy today. After we got home from the mall, she got to watch TV and snack on popcorn with him.
She would reach into the bag and say “I help myself.”
She was also a good girl and went to brush her teeth after the show was over and fell asleep just minutes after that.
Dinner at the Mall
We had dinner at the mall food court this evening and Janie scored some Korean food and Daddy’s corn.
She was in a particularly silly mood this evening too.
All afternoon, she kept telling Mommy, “I want to ask Dada for a cookie.” So when she did, Dada offered to buy her a cookie but she opted for a big box of berries instead.
She clutched the box of fruit all the way home tonight. What a funny girl.
P.S. She also managed to go on this outing in underwear and without an accident. Hooray! It helps to have a kid-sized toilet and sink available to her at the mall. She used them twice while we were there. The family restroom is the best!
Aquarium Day
This morning, we renewed our membership to the California Academy and it was just in time for the early member hour from 10-11. On our way there, Janie had oatmeal and fruit in the car.
When we got there, Janie had to use the potty so that’s what we did and were happy to see that they had toddler steps in the bathroom!
It’s been about 6 months since we last visited this aquarium and Janie forgot about the window floors. She hesitated but walked across them like a big girl.
Downstairs in the aquarium, we saw a scuba diver cleaning one of the tanks.
The flooded forest is always a fun place to hang out and Janie pointed out the turtle.
She was scared of the tide pool but mustered up enough guts to touch the starfish and the abalone shell today.
While we were downstairs, the fire alarm went off and everyone had to evacuate.
Unfortunately, it was about the time it started to rain really hard. Luckily we came prepared with umbrellas and jackets.
When they finally let us back in 20 minutes later, everyone was soaked and so happy to be back inside. We tried to dry off near the heat lamps while Janie tried to find Nemo and Dory in the shallow pool.
She really liked the giant tortoise statue and gave him a quick snuggle.
She also rode on Daddy’s shoulders to get a better look at the penguins.
The kids were stomping on virtual bugs and Janie was interested but just stood and watched.
Before heading back downstairs to the aquarium, we watched the rays and sharks for a bit.
Janie also decided it would be a good idea to try on Daddy’s vest.
There was so much to see in the aquarium. We had only gone through a third of the place before the alarm went off earlier.
At the big reef tank, Janie looked at the fish guide and tried to point out all the fish on the card.
It’s like a larger, moving version of her look-and-find Nemo book.
Look at this big girl posing for the camera!
We also made a bird bag out of wool and yarn but Janie decided to take it home. It is now a sleeping bag for GG.
By the time we left the aquarium and walked to the car, it was lights out for this little girl. She napped in the car while Mommy and Daddy had a car picnic in the Home Depot parking lot.
Once she woke up, she did a little browsing in the garden center.
Fun with Sophie
These two girls have known each other since they were little babies and they are finally playing and having conversations together.
We met up at the Ferry Plaza this morning and they had a fun time exploring, walking, and eating together.
It was funny watching them talk to each other. Janie would point out something and tell Sophie “that’s a seagull”. Then Sophie would point to something else and say “It’s an airplane!” That went back and forth for a few minutes.
They also played chase and tag – similar to what they did at the Holiday Party last weekend.
They tried sharing a chair but I think they need a little lesson on what sharing actually is. It looked more like a scooting match.
We had a special treat before heading home and picked up some ice cream – POG and coconut sorbet, actually. Mommy was in a pre-Hawaii mood. 🙂
Here is her mini scoop on a cone. She was so excited.
Actually, both girls were so happy to have ice cream.
Evening Activities
This evening before dinner, Janie played with her Lego house. We left it up this week and it was been like a doll house for her. She’s also constantly changing it and moving things around.
She also got to play with her iPad this evening and has been paying more attention to what color things are supposed to be. Here she is coloring in the picture of Tigger.
During dinner, Ankong and Ama called so she hung out with her grandparents for most of her meal.
Dim Sum
We went out for dim sum this morning and while we waited for our table, Janie played with her school bus.
She really got a kick out of it zooming across the floor (lots of space!) and did a good job staying out of people’s way.
She was so excited for the dumplings, baos, and broccoli. She also had her fair share of porridge.
We were so proud of her for staying in the grown-up chair for the whole meal.