| Lawrence's profileLL's SpaceBlogListsNetwork |  Tools  Help |
|
|
March 02 "Tootie, tootie, tootie" -- what does it mean?When I came home from work tonight, and the kids were happy to see me as usual. Then Isabel ran over to me screaming, "tootie, tootie, tootie!" I thought, "Hmmm, a new word for Daddy?" No, Marichu reminded me that Isabel pronounces C’s and K’s as T’s like she does with saying “cold” as “told.” So, “tootie” actually means “cookie.” So, I gave her one, and she was happy. November 20 Isabel at 10 monthsWhile Sophia continues to enjoy her status as Princess of the House, I have a feeling that little Isabel will covet that title in a couple of years, which will be just about the time when Sophia sets her sights on being the Queen of the House, much to the chagrin of my wife. J Night with the SonicsJoseph’s school’s PTA had organized a “Night with the Supersonics” for this past Friday night, and both Joseph and Sophia had a great time at Key Arena. So did Srikar and Harika, who carpooled with us. I think they enjoyed their hot dogs and popcorn more than the watching the game because we were sitting so high up in the stands. But that’s okay – the Sonics won with a remarkable comeback in the 2nd half. October 29 Isabel's first words! "Da!" Then "Da da dadada. Dada da da." I recall that Sophia's first word(s) being something similar, but for Joseph, it was, "Ball!"
Sigh, how quickly they grow! June 18 Sophia, future chef?I'm not sure if it's just a "girl thing," but Sophia really loves to cook! She recently created an apron at school, and she's been taking every opportunity to use it at home. She's so cute in the way that she wants to (and does) help my wife prepare dinner. Here she is making some meatballs for tonight's dinner, and they turned out to be very yummy! I still remember the dialogue about food that I had with her one Saturday morning. I think I'll try to get some kids recipes for her to cook once a week! June 09 Very busy couple of weeksI've had to travel out of town for a couple of days during each of the past 2 weeks. Work has been pretty hectic, and I've also been coordinating with a few different people to cleanup the house and many people from Craig's List to take or buy stuff. So, I was overjoyed when Sophia came to me one morning and said, "Daddy, I made this [see picture] for you. I miss you." I gave her a huge hug and sat her on my lap and asked her to described what she had drawn for me. So, she pointed at the top of the page and said, "This is a heart because I love you, Daddy. And this is a rainbow. And this is me." I was so proud of her at that moment, and I could tell that she was very proud of herself as well. That's why no matter how crazy things get at work or at home, I'd drop everything to have such magical moments with my kids. May 27 Isabel is 4 months and 1 week old! And Joseph is a swimmer!How time flies! Isabel has grown so big so quickly. She's now 15 pounds and 28 inches long. Also, Joseph is actually swimming on his own, which is quite amazing since he just started his swimming lessons 2 weeks ago! Sure, we've taking him to the pool on and off for the past two years. but the daily lessons and practices have made a huge difference this year, and it only took 2 weeks for him to build up enough confidence to jump off the diving board into 9' deep water. I wish I had taken a picture! In another few weeks, he should be swimming full laps and treading water, and just like when the training wheels came off of his bike, this will be another key milestone in his young life. Sophia still insists on using her floatie, but she's surprisingly brave in venturing over to the deep water and constantly dunking her head under to see just how deep the pool really is but not be scared by it.
May 17 Joseph getting fancy with his Rokenbok building skillsHere's a fairly massive monorail track that Joseph built from scratch! It's so fascinating to see how Joseph exhibits the typical boy trait of building stuff while Sophia tend to prefer reading and playing dress-up, which are typical girl traits. I have a feeling that they're going to surprise me one day soon with something that I don't expect, such as Joseph doing something artsy and Sophia constructing something complex. March 22 The Rokenbok is finally paying off!So what if I bought the Rokenbok set (actually, it's many separate sets) more than 3 years ago for a few hundred dollars when Joseph was only 2 years old. :-) He has finally (or should I say, already) grown out of playing with his Thomas the Tank Engine train set and ready to hand it down to his young cousin, Xander. The Rokenbok set, which has been sitting in boxes for the past couple of years, has now become Joseph's primary construction set. He has built a few structures (see pictures below) that any adult would be proud of doing himself. Yes, I'm very proud of him, and I'm so happy to see that he's able to unleash his imagination in such creative ways. March 15 How quickly kids growJoseph, who'll be 6 years old in July, continues to surprise me with this feats of engineering and hand-eye coordination. Check out this "tank" that he built using many, many pieces of Rokenbok. He even knows where to put the braces! Today also marks a significant milestone in the Liu Family Gaming History -- Joseph actually beat me at Project Gotham Racing 2 on the Xbox! Sure, he drove the ultrafast Saleen S7 while I had the Porsche 911 GT2, but the Saleen's incredible acceleration made it somewhat difficult to handle. Well, Joseph seemed to have mastered it after just a few previous playing sessions. Anyway, it was a 3-lap arcade style race -- at night -- on a very beautiful track in Barcelona, and I led for most of the first 2 laps, but somehow, Joseph managed to stay close behind. And as I started the final lap, his Saleen zoomed right by me. In the past, I would let him win sometimes just to build up his confidence, but on this occasion, he won fair and square, and I realized more than ever before, that this boy has grown so much so fast! March 13 A big smile from IsabelWe got Isabel one of those vibrating baby chairs, and she really likes it. Just look at her huge smile. March 12 More dialogue with my kidsThis time, it's with Joseph: [Out of the blue...] [5 minutes later…]
The joys of Saturday morningIt’s a nice, cozy Saturday morning. In the living room, while the kids are playing with their toys and Isabel sleepy on my chest/shoulder and Dido singing from the musicbox, I camp out on the couch to catch up on some blog feeds. Then, all of the sudden… Sophia (with a big smile): Daddy, it’s lunch time! Welcome to my restaurant. What do you want for lunch? Me (pleasantly surprised): Hmmm, how about a big, juicy steak? Sophia (disapprovingly): Uh .. sorry, but I don’t have that. What do you want for lunch? Me: Fried rice? Oh yeah! How about fried rice? Sophia (pleased): Okay. I’ll be right back. [Runs to her play kitchen...] [A minute later…] Sophia (holding a dish): Here you go, Daddy! Here’s your fried rice. Eat it! Eat it now! Me: Oh, okay. Yum! That was good! Thank you. Sophia (very pleased): [Just smiles…] Sophia: What else do you want for lunch? What else? Me (looking at my computer): Uh, hmmm, er… Sophia (growing impatient): Please, Daddy, can you order right now? What else do you want for lunch? Joseph (distracted): Hamburger! [Back to playing with his Rokenbok…] Sophia (annoyed): No, Daddy, what do YOU want for lunch? Me: Potstickers. Sophia: Nothing to drink? Me: Ice water. Sophia: Okay. [Skips over to her kitchen…] [A few minutes later…] Sophia (with a dish and cup): Here’s your potstickers and water, Daddy! Me (going through some eating and drinking motions): Wow! Yummy! This is very good. Thank you. Sophia (with a huge smile on her face): [Just giggles…] Sophia: Okay, what do you want for the kids? Me: Kids? Sophia: Yeah. Me: Okay, how about their favorite, crunchy noodles. Sophia: Okay. [Skips over to her kitchen…] [Several minutes later…] Sophia (with a bunch of dishes and cups): Here’s the crunchy noodles. And some water. But, Daddy, you forget to order dessert! Me: Oh, yeah! How about ice cream? Sophia: Okay. [Thinking…] Do you want a toy for the kids? Me: What do you have? Sophia: Some dollies. And a Chuck E. Cheese birdie. Me: Okay. [Two minutes later…] Sophia (with a few cups and a box): Daddy, here’s the ice cream and a toy for the kids! Me: Thank you so much, Sophie! Everything is so good. You have such a wonderful restaurant here. Sophia (big smile): Okay, now it’s baby’s turn to eat. I will cook some milk for baby to eat, okay? Me: Okay. Sophia (from her kitchen): A sippy cup for baby? Me: Good idea! Sophia (still at her kitchen): Daddy, I’m getting milk from the ‘frigerator! Me: Okay. [A few minutes later…] Sophia (with a cup and a paper bag): Here’s milk for the baby. And here’s something you can bring home from the restaurant. Me: Why? What is it? Sophia (annoyed): Because you didn’t finish the whole thing! You only finished half of your food! Here! Take it home now, Daddy! [Runs off to play with something else…] ---------------------------------- Sigh, I wish I had camcorder. My kids are so amazing! Sophia is not even 4 yet, and I'm having a more coherent (and enjoyable) conversation with her than I do with some grown-ups at real restaurants. Ah, the joys of Saturday morning... March 08 Isabel: 7 weeks oldI think that I’ll call my new daughter, “Tia,” as her nickname. Afterall, (the first part of) her middle name is Tiare. I had wanted to call her “Gracie,” which is short for Engracia, the second part of her first name, but I’ve discovered that the “r” makes it a bit more difficult to say very quickly. And I figured that nicknames are meant to be said very quickly. Anyway, I’ll just have to see how this goes over the next few weeks. In the mean time, here’s a very cute picture of Tia winking. March 02 It's been a very busy couple of months!Wow, it has been almost 2 months since my last blog entry! I have an excuse -- my 3rd child, Isabel, was born on 6 weeks ago! Here's the announcement that I sent to family, friends, and colleagues: ------------------------------------------------------------ Liu Family Product Announcement We welcome a new addition to our family! Version: 3.0 Name: Isabel Engracia Tiare Manglicmot Liu Release Date: January 20, 2005, 8:02AM PDT Specifications: 8 lb 6 oz, 20 in Backward Compatibility: Ears, Cheeks – Daddy’s; Nose, Mouth – Mommy’s, Eyes – TBD Release Manager: Marilyn Honegger, MD Released at: Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley, CA ------------------------------------------------------------ I know it’s a bit geeky, but hey, I do work for a software company after all. And what’s with the long name? Well, my wife and I struggled for the longest time and didn’t finalize the name until the day we checked out of the hospital! Fortunately, we’ve always liked the name, Isabel, but we just couldn’t decide whether or not to go with the longer version, Isabella. It was primarily dependent on the second part of the first name, and we were flipping back and forth between Engracia (my wife’s grandma’s name) and Tiare (a beautiful fragrant Polynesian flower known as "Tahitian Gardenia" that we stumbled upon during our recent vacation on the Big Island). Ultimately, we decided to go with Engracia first. Of course, we're now struggling to agree on a nickname: Isa, Bella, Gracie, Tia .. sigh, we'll figure this out eventually. In case you’re thinking about a name for your next child, I’d highly recommend NameVoyager, which is a nifty interactive graphical tool that, as the Web sites describes, allows you to “explore the sea of names, letter by letter .. watch trends rise and fall, and dive in deeper to see your favorite name's place in the historical tides.” Oh, about Isabel eyes, I think they’re a good mix of both mine and my wife’s – thank goodness. |
|
|
