ankong – Page 9 – Kumquat & Peanut

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Mexico: Day Three

December 28, 2014 No Comments

Our flight home wasn’t scheduled until 4:10 so there was plenty of time to go back to the beach and pool. But first, a nice hearty breakfast!

First stop was the pool. Janie was so excited.

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The pool was super empty at the time that we went so it was nice and quiet too.

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Luckily the sun came out strong and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky today.

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Next up was the beach for a little more digging and meatball-making.

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She also braved Mr. Ocean and managed to get her feet in the water.

http://youtu.be/a5T3uWVzZTE
Here’s a video of her slowly making her way in.

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By the end, she was running into the water to scoop up some water.

Then before it was time to wash up and pack, Janie went in for one last dip with Daddy. They enjoyed the view and our little slice of the infinity pool together.

Ama and Ankong stopped by to find us and got some snuggles in.

We had brunch outside at the pool after checking out and Janie got a wooden giraffe toy. Uncle Jason bought it for her from the vendor nearby.

It’s one of those toys that dances when you press the button underneath and it really cracked her up.

Here’s our family photo before heading out to the airport.

On the plane, Janie enjoyed doodling with her hotel pen and pad of paper.

She was very good on our 3-hour flight home and got some cranberry juice to sip along the way.

When we arrived at LAX, we had a long walk to customs and Janie ran the whole way. She had so much energy that must have been saved up on the plane. I think this girl was just happy to be free from the seat belt!

eating, expressions, family, gross motor, outings, play, self-care, sleeping, videos

Mexico: Day Two

December 27, 2014 No Comments

Last night, Janie fell asleep in our bed and stayed there all night. Mommy and Daddy switched places between the bed and the sofa bed mid-way through. She really slept in today.

When she woke up, she was starving and had a big bowl of rice porridge that Mommy made in the room. And of course, it had a side of Os and dried strawberries.

In the morning, we went down to the beach to greet Mr. Ocean. Unfortunately, it started to rain too.

So we camped out under a canopy and passed the time with some more painting.

After the rain stopped for a bit, we went out to the sand to do some digging.

We later had a late breakfast and she only wanted to eat fruit this morning so that’s what she got – plenty of fruit.

By noon, the sun came out and everyone was back in the pool.

http://youtu.be/Jl1lJacu6DA
We tried to teach her how to blow bubbles in the water but she just couldn’t handle it.

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http://youtu.be/km8ymjigs00
Later, we figured out that there was a portion of the pool that she could stand with the water up to her chin. It was funny to watch her walk around saying “I’m swimming!” She also couldn’t understand why the water kept touching her chin.

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Once the sun started to go down, Janie was out of the pool and fell asleep on Ankong’s lap. She had a pretty good nap before dinner.

For dinner, we went out for a nice Italian dinner in Nuevo Vallarta. They didn’t have anymore highchairs left so Janie did her best to stay in her giant chair.

She took a few selfies with Ankong while we waited for dessert.

This was a nice way to end our second day in Mexico.

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Mexico: Day One

December 26, 2014 No Comments

Janie woke up bright and early and was ready to say “hello” to Mr. Ocean. She had been asking to play in the sand for days now and it was finally her time!

The beach was really quiet and the weather was already warm at 9am. Ankong was also up early so he helped build sandcastles.

http://youtu.be/pBbiWIi8xX4

At one point, Janie found a comfy lounge chair, pulled the hat over her face, and said “I’m relaxing”.

This kid cracks me up sometimes.

After breakfast, Daddy took Janie “swimming” in the pool.

It was more like walking around in the pool for her but she loved it.

For a late lunch, we all took the bus to Puerto Vallarta.

Janie must have really enjoyed herself earlier because one minute she was snacking and then another passed out next to me in her seat.

We found a little place to eat in town and she woke up in time to join us.

She also wanted some limes to go and the nice abuela was nice enough to give her a lime cut into wedges for the bus ride back.

Our final stop for the evening was a little plaza in Nuevo Vallarta. We spent some time reading, eating frozen yogurt, and sipping coffee. Janie loved her “special treat” of strawberry yogurt with fresh strawberries and coconut on top.

family, fine motor, outings, play, sleeping, special days

First Night in Mexico

December 25, 2014 No Comments

After we checked into the hotel, it was time for dinner. We had Christmas dinner at the restaurant on site and Janie didn’t have much of an appetite by then. She just wanted to drink lots and lots of milk. So, she spent all of dinner drawing and coloring with Ankong.

She drew a portrait of Ankong. Those circles around the eyes are glasses.

She also drew Ama. Funny girl.

After dinner, we all hung out in our studio for a bit before everyone went to bed.

The pull-out bed was a perfect bed for her. Good night!

eating, family, outings, sleeping, special days

Chinatown

November 9, 2014 No Comments

This morning, Ankong, Ama, Auntie Jia, and Uncle Jason came over. We took them to Chinatown and Janie was super excited to ride the bus again.

At Washington Bakery, she studied the menu with Ankong.

She also got a quick lesson on salt and pepper. Too bad she was too sleepy to really pay attention.

We managed to keep her awake long enough to eat and she had some porridge, Chinese broccoli, and Singapore noodles.

She also helped sing and blow out the birthday candle with Uncle Jason.

On the ride home, the bus emptied half-way through our ride and Janie got to stretch out for a bit. It was way past her nap time and she insisted on being carried home from the bus stop. Maybe it’s time to invest in an umbrella stroller.

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Fine Dining

November 8, 2014 No Comments

We went to The Village Pub to celebrate Uncle Jason’s birthday tonight and it turned out to be a fancier restaurant than we had expected. Luckily, Janie has had 2 1/2 years of training and really pulled through for us tonight. She sat quietly in her highchair the whole time and we all had a very enjoyable meal together. It started out with profiteroles that came out at the beginning of dinner. Janie really liked them – probably because they had cheese inside. She even got an extra one because Ama did not want hers.

Janie also got her very own dish – mushroom consomme, which had lots of tiny mushrooms and three dumplings floating around.

She scooped the broth very carefully and made sure there weren’t any mushrooms on the spoon. She’s a purist when it comes to broth.

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The spoon had to make a long journey to her mouth and she even tried to guard the broth with her other hand. Mommy later fished out all the mushrooms and she ate the all one-by-one. The dumplings were yummy too!

Once she was finished with her soup, she said she was “all done”. To keep herself entertained, Mommy handed her a stack of flash cards. We didn’t think she would be so excited but she WAS and spent the next 30 minutes playing with them.

She even got the whole family involved! It looked like a Tiger Mom’s version of poker.

We ordered a chocolate souffle for dessert and Janie helped sing “Happy Birthday”. This is a busy birthday season for our family!

Meanwhile, the waitress brought out a scoop of vanilla ice cream for our little diner.

As you can see, she slurped the bowl clean. This is one lucky girl…2 scoops of ice cream in one day!

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Naptime

November 8, 2014 No Comments

This afternoon, everyone took a nap before dinner. We actually had to wake Janie up to leave for Uncle Jason’s birthday dinner.

Luckily she wasn’t too grouchy about it.

eating, expressions, family, outings, self-care

Brunch

November 8, 2014 No Comments

We all walked to the Ferry Plaza for brunch today but Janie and Ankong did a little running.

While we waited for a table, Janie scored a balloon flower. Thanks, Ankong!!

HAI-YA!

We brought yogurt for her and she gobbled it up and wore some of it too.

Afterward, we browsed one of Janie’s favorite stores, Sur La Table.

I think it’s because there’s so much at her level and she gets to touch everything. Luckily she’s really good about putting everything back.

She then debated with Daddy and Ankong regarding which is better: a sailboat or a ferry boat? Janie wanted neither.

Before heading home for her nap, Janie got some vanilla soft serve. She’s really making her own choices now: Vanilla or chocolate? The white one. Cup or cone? Cone!