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:

It's safe to say- she likes her chair

Lately, Reiko has been wanting to sit on everything so we decided she needed a chair. Apparently, she loves it! It's so cute to watch her sit in it, get off, and sit in it again. She also likes to squeeze herself behind her chair instead of going around the easier way.

My first lumpia!

If you ever needed any proof Reiko is 1/2 Filipino, she devoured her first lumpia. She just loved it. We went to a Filipino restaurant in Milpitas called Kalesa. First time there for us, it was not bad. Ric, Deb, Byron, Amee, and Aiden joined us (it was Byron and Amee that planned it). We all had a great time. The kids especially had fun running around.

Just chillin' with my buddy Aiden

7/19/2008: Babies-R-Us opening in Sunnyvale

Reiko's first of many visits with storybook characters

7/19/2008: Reiko had fun at the Babies-R-Us opening in Sunnyvale. Her smile when she saw these bigger than life characters was priceless. Ok, I think the Stormtrooper picture was more for me than Reiko.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Reiko loves the slides. As soon as she gets to the top shes already pushing off to go down. She met some other kids at the park the other day, today not so much. She also liked the swing but the slide was her favorite.

I won't let go of my Backyardigans DVD!

Reiko loves her sweet ride, cowmooflauge! She fell asleep on the way home, probably dreaming of the Backyardigans.

Reiko in a lifesize book

Barnes and Noble included a pretty cool kids section. Reiko loved it! She played with the train table, some stuffed animals and got on stage with this lifesize mural of a storybook.

Reiko delivering ice cream

Reiko was having fun playing in the ice cream truck at the Westgate mall on Saratoga. Unfortunately she was out of chocolate ice cream.

Reiko's first trip to San Francisco

We went up to visit Seila while she was in town. We got brunch at a crepe place called Ti Couz. Reiko got herself a plain crepe which she enjoyed. It was practically bigger than her! Reiko loved aunty Seila and let her carry her all over the place.

We finished off the day by visiting the Palace of Fine Arts and the De Young museum where she ran around in the grass. It was a tiring day for everyone but Reiko enjoyed herself.

Reiko's 2nd and last day at the Little Gym

Our Little Gym experience has ended abruptly. We got there and for some reason the paying parents can only bring one parent in the room while the trial parents can both go in. Seems kinda backwards to me. Nevertheless we complained, then argued, then cancelled the rest of our classes. There is no mention of this "policy" anywhere posted or in brochures. Not to mention other Little Gyms are not like that.

She did enjoy her last class though. We learned some tumbling,she stole another baby's ball, and almost made a boy cry because she was about to take his ball out of his hands. All in all a good day. =)