It was the first Election Day for this guy today. He loved his sticker.
This little girl also came home and immediately said “Did you vote?! I want to vote!” And then she was thoroughly confused by the whole you-have-to-be-18 rule.
Mickey’s Halloween Party
We went to Disneyland for Mickey’s Halloween Party this evening. Uncle Johnny got us all tickets and everyone was so excited!!
Peanut had a really fun time on the tram ride over to the park. This little boy was SO ready for more rides.
Uncle Johnny brought his lightsabers and the girls went for them right away.
Our first mission of the night was to get all the way to Toon Town for the pre-party.
There was a bit of a wait before the party so we spent some time hanging out in front of It’s a Small World.
We dressed up as Stich, Nani, Lilo, and David (not pictured). Dada was busy getting us a big fried turkey leg.
The girls scored a big bag of popcorn and were grinning from ear to ear.
Once the party started, the girls went to the Trick or Treat stops and picked up some candy.
https://youtu.be/9oqadqvWzlc
Then they visited Donald and Mickey for autographs and photos.
Janie was willing to get autographs but she wanted to keep her distance from each of the characters.
Peanut’s favorite ride was Dumbo.
He loved feeling the wind in his face and watching the lights and the rest of the world spinning.
https://youtu.be/7XqYZgYhWRg
If you listen carefully, you can hear him say “wow”.
Meanwhile, Janie went on the carousel with Dada.
By about 9pm, Janie and Peanut was asleep but Alice powered through a few more rides and lots of pictures with the princesses.
What a fun night!!
Birthday Morning
It’s Mama’s birthday today and Peanut was up bright and early this morning. This is what he looked like while Mama was brushing her teeth. Does he know that it’s only 6am?!
Since everyone else was sleeping, we hung out in the bathroom for a half hour.
Peanut played with the bath toys and Mama got a birthday hug.
First Day of Soccer!!
This morning, we all got up early to take Janie to her first soccer session. She rode her scooter to the field.
When we checked in, she received her Cubs shirt and Mama wrote her name on the back. She also got her shorts and long socks but we didn’t put them on today.
Peanut stayed busy and had a fun time crawling and cruising around the perimeter of the field.
Here’s the warm-up circle. In her usual fashion, she stood and watched while the others followed along with the exercises. *sigh*
Then they played a game of Shark where they were fish kicking their ball around the cones and then getting their balls in the circle when the coach called out “SHARK ATTACK!” 
She did it a couple times but as the game progressed, she was often found wandering around on her own with her ball. You can see her on the far left all by herself. *sigh* (again)
They had quite a few water breaks and she really built up a thirst each time.
The next drill was weaving through cones and then kicking the ball to the goal. This was probably her favorite part.
https://youtu.be/auEzlgTpsrE
She did rather well for her first time!!
They were then split up into teams and wore different colored vests for a little scrimmage.
She played along for the first half and then needed a bit more coaxing to continue playing.
They finished the session with a game of parachute and then all received a sticker.
She had a fun time today and put in a good effort. Each 4-year-old had their own issues throughout the session and she fell right in the middle of all of them. One kid was really good and there were others who just sat through the whole session or would fall apart and cry.
I’d say it was a pretty successful first day of soccer and we are official “Soccer Dad” and “Soccer Mom” today.
I’m sure Peanut can’t wait to play too someday.
Daddy’s birthday
We celebrated Dada’s birthday this evening at our usual spot, Hillstone!
First Official Day of Pre-K
Now with “Get Ready Days” over and a month of what her class considers “summer camp”, today was the official first day of Pre-K. Mama was home but Mimi still came to hang out with Peanut for the day.
Dada had to go to work early so Mama and Janie rode the 10 bus to school this morning.
Here’s Janie in front of her school. It’s the brick building on the corner waaaaay back there. The playground is on the roof of the building covered by a huge awning protecting them from the debris overhead from the building being built next door. She’s also standing right in front of Dada’s work. Super convenient, right?!
She signed her name on the clipboard while Mama checked her in on the computer.
She then chose the puzzle area and made the fireman puzzle that she was telling us about this morning.
She later chose the writing area while her old buddies from the Alligator class joined her. Arthur, the one on the right, started the Whale class today. Janie was busy making a birthday card for Dada.
One more birthday party!!
In the evening, we had another celebration for the birthday boy. It was at Royal Garden, which is where Mama and Dada had their wedding banquet and big sister’s 1st birthday dinner.
It was quite a feast and we finished the night with another cake. And once again, the little guy did NOT want any cake. Seriously!? Who is this kid?!
Janie chose to sit at the other table with Auntie Jia and had her photo taken by one of her aunties at the table.
Thanks to Ankong for the dinner!! Peanut had a great time!
Peanut’s 1st Birthday
This little boy turned ONE today and we celebrated with a little party with the family.
He wore his birthday shirt and had a fun time with the whole family.
Uncle Kenneth brought water balloons and the girls had a fun time in the front yard.
Meanwhile, the cousins were reunited and played together.
Doesn’t he look so cute in between his two grandfathers?!
His favorite part of the party was lunch. We ordered Thai food and he gobbled up handfuls of noodles and watermelon.
https://youtu.be/_MYLD8NcJhg
Our baby hippo had a little hippo candle on his cake.
There was singing and lots of crying when it was cake time.
I’m not sure how I got a smile out of him because he cried through the birthday song and didn’t want anything to do with his cake.
Big sister Janie blew out the candle for him and enjoyed her own piece of cake with Auntie Jia.
Happy 1st Birthday, Baby Boy!
365 days
Our not-so-little Peanut has turned ONE! Where have the months gone?! So much has happened and he has definitely grown into a little person with lots of personality.
This past month was full of transitions, changes, and new skills:
- We started introducing him to cow’s milk and so far everything seems to be just fine.
- He learned how to blow raspberries and has been quite a chatterbox.
- He learned how to use a snack catcher and loves to drop things into containers.
- Cruising and crawling are still his preferred method of movement and he didn’t quite advance to walking as quickly as his big sister.
- He had his first birthday party and surprisingly didn’t care for his cake!
- Stats: Wears 12-18 month clothes, shoes are size 4, diapers are still size 4.
- Daily Routine: Wakes at 6am, naps 9-10am, naps 1-3pm, drinks three 4-ounce bottles per day, goes to sleep at 7pm.
- Favorites: stacking cups, musical Baby Einstein toy, putting things into containers, flipping through books.
- He adores his big sister and loves watching her in the backseat of the car. They giggle together and he has learned so much from her. She also takes good care of him every morning after Mama goes to work.
He’s become a little version of his Uncle Jason complete with dimple and possible preference for his left hand. He’s also quick to smile but also quick to anger. He also loves his Mama so very much. We can’t wait to see what he will be like in another year.
Happy 1st Birthday, Peanut! We love you to pieces and you’ve completed our little family.
Fireworks on TV
Disney World had live streaming of their July 4th fireworks on the Disney website so this is how they watched July 4th fireworks this year. Happy 4th of July!!