Hanging out at the park...

On Saturday, Traci decided to get her hair done and do some solo shopping for once. So I tried to do what Traci does everyday. It's definitely not easy and I give her a great deal of respect for taking care of the little one. Alyssa and I decided to head to the park with Auntie Karin, Uncle Niklas, Zoe and Adrian. Since it was Game Day (USC playing football against Virginia), I decided to dress Alyssa up in her USC dress and I threw on one of my USC t-shirts. Maybe one day she'll carry on the family legacy of going to USC (Grandpa, Grandma and Daddy all went there). We also went to the park to try out some of Uncle Niklas's camera gear. He has a wide range of wide angle and telephoto lenses. He definitely has a great understanding of photography.

This was the longest Traci has been away from Alyssa by herself (6 1/2 hours) Since Alyssa can eat solids, Traci's able to stay out longer. For the longest time, she could never leave her side longer than 2-3 hours because she wouldn't take the bottle.



Here's Alyssa standing...she's getting good at this and can stand in place without help for up to a minute. But most of the time it's around 5-10 seconds.


Cousin Adrian and Uncle Nik on the swings

Alyssa was a little nervous in the swing

I think I was pushing her a bit too hard....looking a bit scared

Auntie Karin multi-tasking

Picture taken with a telephoto lens...i was really far away(same as photo above)

Kids busy eating...

still eating

still eating

USC outfit...it was a bit small and we had trouble getting it on and off...this might be the only time she wears it.

A day with Grandpa, Grandma Linda and Isabella (the cat)

Last week, Alyssa and I got a special treat...Grandpa, Grandma Linda, and Bella came over to visit and bring lunch. Alyssa was a little timid with them at first, but warmed up quickly. Grandpa and Grandma Linda bought her a book, which she loved. It was so touching to see them read and interact with her the way they did. They made such an impression on her that she still wants to see and touch the fuzzy ducks on the book daily. Alyssa thoroughly enjoyed playing with her cousin Bella as usual. They explored the backyard, read books together, and played in the toy kitchen. Bella is a great big cousin and will be an awesome role model for Alyssa.

Bella decided to celebrate Halloween early and wore her cat ears. Poor Smores thought she was another kitty and acted pretty strangely. He refused to go near her and was on high alert the entire time they were over. Grandpa tried on the cat ears to see if Smores was reacting to that, but with him wearing them, he was normal. Must've been Bella's small size...weird.

We had a memorable time and I know that Alyssa will always cherish these moments with them.

"Wow, this book is amazing! I love it!!"

Grandpa, Grandma Linda, Bella & Alyssa

Bella is such a happy girl!!

Grandma Linda putting whiskers on B

Smores has a super fluffy tail because he's scared of Bella the cat

Silly Grandpa... (cat ears)

"Hmmm Grandpa, let's look outside..."

Update: Standing

She's now standing for up to a minute at a time without help...at this rate she should be walking in 4-6 weeks....Oh Man!!!

VIDEO: Standing

So the past couple of days, Alyssa has been getting daring and began to stand unassisted (kind of) She'll usually hold onto something and then let go and then try to balance as long as possible. She'll do this for up to 5-6 seconds. We think she should be walking by Halloween. Alyssa gets pretty excited when she stands. She normally screams and looks around to see if we're watching. Here's a short video of her in action...as you can hear, I got a bit excited...

BUSY Weekend!

Our weekend was pretty packed but it's beginning to seem normal. Friday we went out for our traditional family dinner. We started doing this every Friday since Alyssa was about 6-8 weeks old. We never miss a Friday out with the family and it's something we look forward to all week long. This weekend, we went to Kabuki Restaurant @ Bella Terra in Huntington Beach. They offer quick, inexpensive food which is key when you have a little one. We followed it up with Traci's usual Pinkberry. She loves this place and we pretty much plan our schedule around their store locations.
Saturday we had the Sako Pool Party @ Auntie Karin and Uncle Nik's house. We then hung out with Traci's family to visit her Grandfather's grave at Green Hills Cemetery. We do this a few times a year and it's nice to see her entire family get together to say a prayer. We then go out to a fancy dinner. This time it was @ the Peninsula Grill in Rolling Hills Estates. They have great food and best of all, we get a private area in the restaurant where the kids can play around without bothering anyone.
Sunday was another family day out. We went to Fashion Island to check out potential Halloween outfits(didn't find any). Alyssa did get to see the Koi Pond and the fountains. Traci bought some things for herself which she definitely deserves. Of course, Alyssa got a few things as well. We ended the day with what else but Pinkberry.

Dinner at the Peninsula Grill...silly Auntie Jody

Alyssa & Grandma

"Mmmm...what are you eating?"

"Hey...looks yummy....share it please!"

Great Grandma was teaching Alyssa Japanese...
(Four generations (and Chase) in the photo)

Pool Party with the Cousins

Today we decided to head out to Uncle Niklas and Auntie Karin's house for playtime with the cousins and some water fun. Daniel and I recently bought a mini spray pool for Alyssa and we wanted to take advantage of the nice weather. It was our first time using it and we weren't sure how Alyssa would like it. She and Adrian were a little timid at first but they in no time, they both enjoyed splashing around in it. Zoe, and Bella are past the "baby stage" and they got to swim in the regular pool. Alyssa had a nice day with her cousins and can't wait to get back in the spray pool again before summer ends.

Playing with Adrian's cool toys

The girls...lucky to have Bella and Zoe to look up to

Daniel is proud of his "artsy" photo

"What's up?"

Z got all wet in her kitty shirt

A new way to drink

Loving the spray pool

Splashin' around

Having fun in the pool

Look at the white face...overboard with the sunscreen...again...

Lathering her up so she doesn't burn

Mastering the stairs!

Every night, Traci let's Alyssa climb a couple of steps before going upstairs to bed. Today was the first day she was able to climb up the stairs on her own. It's amazing to see her develop so quickly. I was at work when she told me so I had to see it for myself when I got home.

Here she is over the weekend crawling around. Traci loves this pic!

She's so focused on the next step...She just had her bath which explains the slick hair...



Traci makes sure she doesn't fall back...


Whoa....a bit close....

Remember when...

I love to post odd past photos of random things. Here's our crazy cat Aurea(aka Hitler aka Aureo aka Borrs aka Borea aka Smorea aka Smoreo aka CuttleFish)




Here's a cool pic of our master bedroom before anything was done to it. We purchased the house new and were able to see it built. It's amazing how quickly they can construct something from the ground up. Here's Traci modeling part of the room.

Here's Choops! at about 2 months old....lots of hair and always smiling!

Nice weekend with friends...

Yesterday, Alyssa and I went to brunch at a well known restaurant in Bixby Knolls called Bake & Broil. We got to spend time with Annie and Leah, friends from my teaching credential program. We don't get to see one another too frequently, however we always have a great time catching up when we do get together. Alyssa was very well-behaved at the restaurant and had lots of fun getting so much attention from them.

Annie and Leah

"Are we done eating yet?"

Alyssa showing Auntie Leah her bird


Today Daniel, Alyssa and I went to lunch with the Yoshida's. This was our first family outing
with them and we had such a fun time! We ate lunch at The Rainforest Cafe (second weekend in a row for us) then strolled around the mall. Tamlyn was exhausted and slept through lunch so her mommy and daddy got to enjoy a nice, peaceful meal. She looked so comfortable in her seat and we didn't hear a peep from her the entire time. Alyssa did well also. She enjoyed her surroundings, sat in a high char, ate a little and drank from a sippy cup. After lunch, we decided to stroll around the mall. Tamlyn eventually woke up and was so excited to see Alyssa. It was the cutest thing...she kicked her little feet and her face lit up. The girls are getting old enough to play together now and they're getting easier to take out. Can't wait for our next get together with the Yoshida's!

Tamlyn sleeping like a little angel

Waiting for Tamlyn to wake up so they could play

Alyssa loved Uncle Troy

"What's so funny, Auntie Traci?"

Switched babies...posing outside of Nordstrom(Japanese tourists...Alyssa was a bit embarrassed and tried to grab daddy's fingers)

Dance, Dance, Dance (VIDEO)

Mornings are still Alyssa's favorite time so Daniel and I have been letting her play for awhile before feeding her breakfast and getting her ready for the day. Recently, she's been moving around when music comes on...I think it's her way of dancing. Her outfit in the video may look a bit weird. It's actually her pajamas tied behind her to make it easier for her to crawl....Enjoy our little dancing machine!

Fun at Chuck E. Cheese

To keep ourselves busy, Alyssa & I have been going to weekly playdates. We've gone to playdates at the zoo, in people's homes, parks, libraries, malls, and most recently, Chuck E. Cheese. I don't recall the last time I was there, but from what I can remember, it hasn't changed much. It's still full of rides, games, cotton candy, and lots of kids! Alyssa was very entertained by all the excitement going on around her and she was happy to see her buddies from our playgroup. She wanted to "play" with the other kids instead of hanging out on my lap. She's starting to become more of a "little girl" and less of a "baby." She is growing up so quickly... :(

"Am I really driving a car?"

She spots her buddy...

Playing with the big kids...

Can almost reach it....

She's not my little baby anymore...

She wants to play with Sean everytime we see him. I think she may have her first "crush"...can't believe it's starting already. Daddy better get out his baseball bat. :)