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December 31 Early Christmas vacation with the kidsAfter 3 days without power or heat, our house became unbearable for the kids at night since the indoor temperature was about the same as the outside, which was around 38 degrees F. We had to get a hotel room .. and fast! Alas, most of the hotel rooms had already been booked up by so many others, who had also lost power. Fortunately, I found a room at the Grand Hyatt in Seattle, which was much pricier than what I had planned to pay, but there were no viable alternatives. The shelter at our local church would've been fun for Joseph and Sophia but not Isabel since she's still way too young. So, as soon as we got into our hotel room, what did we do? Jump into bed and watch TV, of course!
The next morning, the kids had a difficult time getting up.
Luckily, the Bellevue School District decided to close all schools. I guess their policy is "all schools open or no schools open" since most schools had regained power by Monday (the 18th) morning. Marichu had to go to work, so I took advantage of the free morning with the kids by taking them for a nice breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel across the street.
We then did some shopping at the Pacific Place mall, had lunch at the Todai restaurant, and took some pictures with the holiday figurines.
In the evening, while Marichu was at home packing and getting ready for our road trip to California later in the week even though the power was still out, we walked up the street to have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Isabel was so tired that she fell asleep on my shoulder before our food arrived. Joseph and Sophia loved their giant grilled cheese sandwiches.
All in all, it was a wonderful day albeit totally unplanned. November 28 School's closed, so the kids are home having a blastDue to what the snow did to the city streets (very slippery even for 4WD vehicles), schools and most businesses are closed for the day. So, the kids, especially Isabel are having a fun time in the backyard. November 26 Isabel on her horsey .. er, doggieOne of the best $50 that I’ve ever spent. Sophia loved this thing, and now, Isabel, too.
Photography lesson learned: Pay attention to the background when composing pictures – everything in view matters! October 30 Sophia by candlelightOne of my favorite and best pictures to date though I’ve only had the new camera for a couple of days. J This was taken just prior to Mass at our neighborhood church on Sunday.
I’m definitely going to learn how to use natural lighting such as with candles a lot better in the future. I have plenty of other people’s wonderful pictures to aspire to just from looking at these Flickr groups: http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=candlelight. Are girls just naturally photogenic?Enough said! J
Well, one thing that I have to say is that it hailed yesterday on Saturday, which was timely since it was the day to "fall back" an hour on our clocks. So, the chilly season has arrived in Bellevue! The good news is that we'll be skiing again very soon.
October 29 The kids as captured by my new cameraHaving spent some good money on this Canon Digital Rebel XTi, I’ve been using it like an obsessed photographer, and I’ve only had it for a day! I’m trying to get a good feel for it as quickly as I can because I don’t have enough free time to go through a formal photography class. Here’s a bunch of pictures that I’ve taken in the past 24 hours that I feel pretty good about. I can already say that these are some of the best pictures that I’ve ever taken, and I expect to be taking much better ones in the future. September 11 Our 3 kidsAs I’m going through a bunch of photos taken in the past few months, I was (awe) struck by the following set. I just love these shots! The kids look so happy and whimsical. I hope to see them exactly like that 10 or 20 or even 30 years from now. August 13 Lovely Saturday in Bellevue!It rained for a couple of days this past week, and I feared that summer was over! Fortunately, that's just the way the weather is around here. One week nice, a few days of cloudiness or rain, and then nice again. I hope that it will be nice during Sophia's birthday party at the end of the month. We're planning to have a big inflatable jumping thing or obstacle course in our backyard. Anyway, Marichu scheduled a playdate with the kids, and Jamie (8), Justin (7), and Vivian (6). Jamie, being "so old" hung around by herself, but Justin and Joseph really hit it off and spent much of the afternoon chasing each other, biking, swinging, and helping me prune the many overgrown trees in our backyard. Vivian and Sophia had the "hot and cold" type of playdate where they would be arguing one minute and best friends 5 minutes later. Isabel was a trooper and did all she could be keep up with the girls. It's amazing that she's only 18 months and can do so much on her own. January 21 Isabel is 1 year old!“You’ve come a long way, baby” definitely applies to Isabel on this weekend of her 1st birthday. She’s confidently walking, she’s saying “Da” and “Ma,” and she’s finally sleeping regularly. One thing that hasn’t changed is her propensity to smile. December 17 Another milestone for JosephA couple of days ago (on Dec. 15th), Joseph lost his first tooth. It had been bothering him for several weeks, so he was particularly relieved and proud of taking it out on his own. He even brought it to school the next day to show his teacher and friends! A couple of milestonesIsabel’s first BBQ rib (with most of the sauces washed off, of course) -- she’s already preferring “real” food over baby food, and she’s not even 11 months old!
Joseph’s and Sophia’s first root beer float (compliments of Mommy) – it’s great to see them actually sharing it since they hardly share anything these days. December 04 Joseph the Prankster, Sophia the Drama QueenIt’s very true what they say, “Boys and girls are just .. different -- but in similarly weird ways.” Joseph the Photographer or Car Racer?It’s usually a pleasant surprise when I find photos taken by Joseph in the digital camera. That’s why I always leave it on a shelf from where he can easily get it whenever he’s feels inspired to take some snapshots of his own little world. October 31 Sophia's calling: to dance! A picture is indeed worth a thousand words! And several action shots in a row can leave one (well, at least me) in awe. It's great to see a child (or anyone) having so much fun and so much love for doing a particular thing. For Sophia, it's always been dancing. She just can't wait for the start of her tap dancing (1st year) and ballet (2nd year) lessons next week. |
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