Reiko's new digs

Today we visited Reiko's new daycare come September at Cisco. I was pretty impressed with the attention to detail to design the center for kids (for example, the little viewing area and steps for the kitchen). And the amount of resources/toys available is impressive. I hope she learns to love the teachers and makes friends there like she has at her current daycare.

Some of the pictures have bad lighting, but you'll get the picture...it's pretty sweet. It includes a lot of outdoor space (both for each individual room and a big playground), on-site kitchen, indoor "playgrounds", built-in water play areas, and little seats everywhere. It looks like art and music will play a prominent role. The one picture of the room here is one for bigger kids, but the design is similar. Can't wait for her to join!

Let the birthday party years begin

What I'm sure is to be many birthday parties to come over the next, well, forever, Reiko went to Aiden's 2nd birthday party bash over at Lick Mill park. A few pictures to share...

The only picture I could find with the 3 katonks:


The birthday boy:


CJ hungry for more cheerios!:


Time for birthday cake:


Reiko and daddy (Reiko and mommy to come):


Safe to say Reiko had fun at the party:


Ric took particular interest in this "guest" at the party. She was very interested in recycling, so much so she went through the trash. She even played Happy Birthday on the harmonica! Too bad I didn't get that on camera, but I think we got it on video somewhere.

Reiko's 1st Birthday Video

I still want to post pictures of Reiko's 1st birthday party but haven't had the time yet. For now, this is a video I put together for the party that highlights the first year of her life. A bit edited to take out some information, but for the most part the original video.

So many memories, and as the video says, many more to come. I hope you enjoy it. Press play (the little triangle below) to start the video.

Fighting over carseats

Daddy and mommy were fighting over who gets to have the Cowmooflauge carseat in their car... but ever since Reiko forced our hand, mommy got the floral one. Oh well, the floral one doesn't look so bad after all. Or does it? The look on her face says it all.



But she forgot about it once she got to the park:

Testing the waters

Today, Reiko went into the pool for the first time. We met up with Aiden and Uncle Byron. Reiko seemed a little apprehensive at first but tolerated it for the most part. After about 10 minutes, she had enough. We really thought she would love it since she loves playing in her tub. Hopefully, this will be a good intro for her swim lessons. We just gotta go more often before it gets too cold. Afterwards, we met up with CJ and family for dinner at Chili's.

With Daddy in the pool, not looking too happy.


With Aiden and Uncle Byron


Daddy's "Little Padawan"

Reiko knows her way around toys

A happy moment, Reiko takes interest in Star Wars! Just like daddy and uncle jesse used to have many years ago. She loved roaming the aisles of toys r us. She really enjoyed riding around in the buggy cars and tricycles.

How time flies...

It's amazing how fast time flies. A little over a year ago we had a lot less responsibilities. Although I still play video games till late into the night, nothing can really explain how different our lives have been. Over 2 years ago none of these little guys below were actually here. Looking at the picture made me realize how fast time has passed by.

I also recently watched a 20/20 episode on Randy Pausch and the "Last Lecture". It just made me think that we need to live life and not regret anything. I hope I can follow his inspiration and follow his advice.

The 3 Katonks and their rides:


Out cold: