Thursday, June 4, 2009

LegoLand

We flew down to Orange County today and drove to LegoLand. We could have gotten to the park when the gates opened at 10AM, but we ended up grabbing breakfast in town (Carlsbad). Headed over to the park around 11AM. We stayed there for SIX hours, shutting the park down. I had a blast. I was tall enough for almost all the rides. However, we underestimated the size of the park and barely explored half it. Highlights included Coastersaurus on Dino Island; Safari Trek, Fairy Tale Brook, and Water Works with its musical fountain in Explore Village; Sky Patrol and the LEGO Factory Tour at Fun Town; The Hideaways (a huge multi-level play structure) and lunch at the Knights' Table Barbecue in Castle Hill; the detailed reproductions of San Francisco, Washington D.C., NYC, Las Vegas, and New Orleans and the Coast Cruise with other notable landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Sidney Opera House in Miniland USA; laser gun fun of the Lost Kingdom Adventure and Cargo Ace in the Land of Adventure. I can't wait to go back.

Golden Gate Bridge made out of legos.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

In Memory of Great Uncle Alvin

Today is a very sad day. We learned that my Mommy's Uncle Alvin lost his battle with cancer and passed away. I am so glad I got to spend some time with him last year. He was silly and fun. I will miss him.


Sunday, March 29, 2009

Uncle Bill's Belated Birthday Bash

(a.k.a. Bebopping with Uncle Bill's Birthday Balloon)

We finally got together to celebrate Uncle Bill's birthday. Daddy made a yummy birthday carrot cake that I decorated with star & balloon candles that I picked out. Uncle Bill had a cool singing birthday balloon. I would dance a little jig every time it started singing.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Family Day at Great America

This was my third visit to Great America. It was a gorgeous sunny day, even a little HOT with the new asphault. Drake and his mommy went with us, and we met up with Evan and his parents. We had a GREAT time - LOTS of fun rides, hot dogs & ice cream sandwiches for lunch, and best of all I got to meet DORA and DIEGO. They were HUGE. Drake was all gung-ho about meeting them while I was a little more timid. He couldn't wait to get to get to the front of the line whereas the closer we got the less I wanted to meet them. When it was finally our turn, Drake freaked out ran off while I happily went up and touched Diego's soft fuzzy hand. Talk about role reversals.







Thursday, March 26, 2009

Big Word of the Week

This morning I crawled into bed with Mommy as is my daily habit. The sun was up, but rather than drag her out of bed to feed me and watch TV, I wanted to snuggle. When she tried to get up sometime later, I wouldn't let her and declared "I'm comfortable." which got her to snuggle with me a while longer. :-)

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

In Memory of Karla "Bubba" Berumen


Someone very close to me passed away unexpectedly in her sleep last Friday - my teacher Karla from daycare. I've known her most my life. She took excellent care of me since I was 3-months old. She used to call me her "Bubba". Her daughter Marisol was one of my first playmates. I will likely not see her again. I will miss them both. Mommy created a blog in her memory so we can all remember her - karlaberumen.blogspot.com.

Monday, March 16, 2009

My First "Joke"

I was playing in the backyard when Daddy came to pick me up at daycare today. I pointed out the old-fashion milk jugs in one of the playhouses, then I picked one up, shook it, and exclaimed "MILKSHAKE".

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!!!












Daddy helped me make a Valentine's Day card for Mommy, and I helped Daddy make heart-shaped scones for Mommy for breakfast. It rained off and on today, so we had a lazy family day running errands. I fell asleep almost immediately, so Mommy & Daddy ate some Yoshi's in the car while I napped. When I woke up, they got me a couple hamburgers from Mickey D's. Then we went to Target, where I got a cool "Astronaut & Rocket" suitcase, backpack, and fanny pack. I really like rolling the suitcase around the store. We also picked me up a pair of new sneakers. I needed a pair that didn't have black soles for my toddler gym class that starts next month. I'm gonna learn how to play T-ball, soccer, basketball, & hockey with Daddy. Next, we went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond, where we got me a new folding chair. It's a little tall for our coffee table, so Daddy is going to saw the legs down a couple inches. (My little $1.50 red plastic Daiso chair finally went kaputs - the seat cracked.) Lastly, we went to Costco to pick up some USDA prime ribeye steaks that Daddy made for dinner along with sauteed broccoli and scalloped potatoes. Dinner was delicious. I had 2nds and 3rds.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Daycare Valentine's

We brought Valentine's Day balloons for everyone at daycare. We had lots of treats today. My favorite were the brownies with gummy bears on top.

This is Hannah, Ava, and Me with our Valentine's balloons.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Freedom & Independence

After months of keeping me from mischief, I finally conquered my captor - our Hand-Free Security Gate. I locked myself in my room today. When Daddy didn't come to my rescue fast enough, I stepped on the peddle and slipped my other foot through the gate to the other peddle, and then hopped until the gate sprung open - Sweet FREEDOM!

I've been opening the refrigerator door by myself for a few weeks now. I'd just open it and check things out. However, today while Daddy & I were watching TV, I realized I was hungry. So, I got up from the couch, opened the refrigerator, pulled open the vegetable drawer, grabbed a pint of blueberries, closed the drawer and the door, and brought them back to the couch. Then I exclaimed to Daddy, "I opened and closed the refrigerator ALL BY MYSELF." Sweet INDEPENDENCE!

Later this afternoon, I discovered Daddy's secret chocolate stash in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. SCORE!!!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Gung Hay Fat Choy!!!

Happy Year of the Ox!

These were the Red Envelopes that Mommy passed out to all the kids
at the Hohmann's SuperBowl Block Party.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Gilroy Gardens Holiday Lights

I enjoyed Disneyland so much that Mommy & Daddy took me and Grandpa to the local amusement park for their special holiday event. During the month of December, Gilroy Gardens goes all out decorating their park in holiday splendor. We met up with Ben and his mama. After taking the The North Pole Express around the park. Ben and I rode the Tubs-O-Fun together a couple times, then I got to ride Bulgy the Goldfish all by myself. Daddy & I took a quick spin on Strawberry Sundae. Afterwards, we all enjoyed the holiday feast of turkey and ham huddled beneath the heat lamps. It was quite cozy under the lamps, but pretty chilly elsewhere. After dinner, Ben & his mama went home cuz it was getting too cold for them. Daddy & I braved the cold to ride the Balloon Flight. Then I got to drive the four of us in a vintage car around the South County Holiday Drive before we heading home. We made a stop by the ticket office so Mommy & Daddy could buy memberships. I'll be coming back next season. Yippee!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas 2008

This was the first Christmas that I really got to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas - PRESENTS. Grandpa and Mommy had wondered if I would go for the BIG boxes or the PRETTY presents. Being my father's son, I went for the F-O-O-D. I honed in on this tin of popcorn. I need the energy for my morning gift unwrapping. Next, I surprised them further, by going for the smaller presents. I played with each gift before opening the next. In fact, Mommy had to keep prompting me to open more. Here I am playing with my magnetic fishing puzzle. And later, Mommy and I try out my new Leapfrog Clickstart Computer. The Loui Family hosted yet another scrumptious Christmas dinner of prime rib and turkey. This was the first Christmas Grandpa has spent with his family in California in nearly 39 years. Sadly, Uncle Howard (Grandpa's eldest brother) and his wife Auntie Ping weren't able to join us. However, Grandpa did get to spend the holiday with his sister Auntie Moi, his nieces & nephews, and of course Us. After dinner, Cousin Timothy showed me a few chords on the guitar.

Merry Christmas

From Our Family to Yours.

Wishing you a Healthy & Happy Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

Friday, December 19, 2008

The Happiest Place on Earth

This was a very eventful week. First, Auntie Terry & Uncle Bill had flooding in their basement, so they couldn't caravan with us down to Anaheim. Then I had a confrontation with a door jamb which led to a visit from a fire truck & paramedics before resulting in a trip to the hospital to get my forehead glue shut. I had a gash on my forehead about 3/4" long and 1/8" wide. After getting patched up, we hit the road for Anaheim. 2 pitstops and 7 hours later, we checked into the Disneyland Hotel. After getting to our room, we got to watch fireworks over the park from our balcony. Then we went searching for some grub in Downtown Disney. We settled on the Rainforest Cafe. It was an awesome restaurant with wild animals hiding in every nook and cranny, waterfalls, and a thunderstorm every 20 minutes. Pretty cool. The food wasn't too bad either.

Tuesday was our first full day at Disneyland. We headed straight for It's a Small World which was decked out for the holidays, then we went to Mickey's Toontown where I road Gadget's Go Coaster TWICE. I literally dragged my mommy back on it the second time. I also went on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin which was a dark and twisty ride but still fun. Then I explored Goofy's Playhouse, Donald's Boat, Chip 'n' Dale's Tree House, Minnie's House, and Mickey's House. I even got to meet the mighty mouse himself. We ate hot dogs at Pluto's Dog House in Toontown before taking the Disneyland Railroad back to Main Street to head over to California Adventure. Over there, we went straight to A Bug's Land where I rode every ride I could, often twice - Flik's Flyers, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, and Tuck & Roll's



Drive 'em Buggies. We also caught the Playhouse Disney Live on Stage show where we prepared for a surprise birthday party for Minnie Mouse. We also saw the Muppet Vision 3D show which was cool at first with its 3D characters that I could almost reach out and touch, but about 3/4 of the way through a scary vacuum came out and vacuumed up the whole screen. It totally freaked me out. Then there were flying cannonballs and lots of loud noises. No more shows for us after that. While I napped in my stroller after all the excitement, Daddy rode the Maliboomer 180' up into the sky. When I woke up just before sunset, Daddy & I rode the Golden Zephyr. I LOVED flying through the sky. Afterwards, we headed to the parade route to watch the Pixar Play Parade. It was getting passed chilly, so we head back to the hotel to Uncle Bill & Grandpa (Aunt Terry had to stay behind to take care of the flooding.) . We went back to Downtown Disney for dinner. We had cajun food at the Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen.

It rained ALL DAY Wednesday. So, we met up with Great Auntie Yee & Cousin Michael and his family for lunch. We went out for yummy dim sum. Grandpa stayed behind to visit with his sister while we went back to the hotel. Mommy & I napped, while Daddy & Uncle Bill went to the huge LEGO Imagination Center. Later, we ate dinner at a local El Torito before picking Grandpa up.

We woke up to a dry Thursday, so we all hit the park. We thought we'd grab a bite to eat in New Orleans Square, but the restaurant wouldn't be open till 11am. So, we took a ride on the Jungle Cruise. Then while Uncle Bill & Grandpa explore the Haunted Mansion which was decked out Tim Burton style for Christmas, Daddy, Mommy, & I checked out The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Critter Country. It was a pretty psychedelic ride. Afterwards, we headed back to Cafe Orleans and got a table outside by the wrought iron fence so Grandpa and Uncle Bill could spot us. I had Mickey's Cheesy Macaroni with fresh fruit off the Kid's Menu while Mommy had the decadent Monte Cristo. Grandpa and Daddy had the Mardi Gras Chicken Sandwich, and Uncle Bill had the Creole Ratatouille. Everything was quite yummy. After lunch, we headed back to FantasyLand so Grandpa could catch a ride on It's a Small World. I got to enjoy a tub of popcorn while we waited in line. Daddy ditched us to explore on his own for a while. The ride was much more fun the second time around. I wasn't quite as overwhelmed as I was on Tuesday. Next on the list was the Mad Tea Party for Daddy & Me. Everyone else chickened out. Afterwards, Grandpa & Uncle Bill had to hit the souvenir shops before hitting the road back to the bay area. We bid our farewells, then headed to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride followed by Dumbo the Flying Elephant. I then took a nap in the stroller while Mommy & Daddy grabbed a bite to eat & some hot chocolate at the Enchanted Cottage, Sweet and Treats. When I woke from my nap, it was nearly dark. We headed back to Main Street to stake out a good spot to watch the parade. We sat on a blanket on the sidewalk for over a half an hour and people watched. We almost had a front row seat to enjoy the holdiday parade.

Afterwards we tried to tracked down on the balloon vendors to get me a Mickey Balloon. We eventually found a pink one at Calfornia Adventures. With balloon in hand, I left the park a happy camper. We trekked back to the car which was still parked at the Disneyland Hotel. After loading up the car, we hit the road and grabbed dinner at the nearby Cheesecake Factory before checking into our new hotel, Hotel Menage, which was close to Disneyland, just north of Hwy 5. Mommy was not impressed with the hotel. It was a just a cheap motel with a facelift - looks pretty at first glance and in the photos, but if you look closely you notice the cheap trendy furnishings, old fixtures & air conditioner, and no closets, towel bars, or refrigerator. Luckily, it was only for a night.

We hit the road Friday around lunch time. We were intending to stop for a quick bite once we got out of Anaheim, but I ended up falling asleep so we didn't stop until we almost reached the foothills of the Grapevine. We stopped again at the rest area at the top of the Grapevine so I could play in the SNOW. The Grapevine was closed down the day before (forcing Uncle Bill to take the long route home) because of all the snow. Even though it had been sunny and clear all Friday, there was still a good 6 inches of snow on the ground. Mommy bundle me up in my coat, hat, & gloves. As soon as we reached the snow, I knew exactly what to do. I started pelting Daddy with snow balls. Then, Mommy & I built a little snowman. We had to call it quits after a while cuz Mommy & Daddy didn't bring any gloves, but I got to take a cup of snow along with me in the car. Course, it melted after a while.

Overall, my first trip to Disneyland was a huge success. I can't wait to go back. I also can't wait to play in snow again.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Deck the Halls

This year I got to help decorate our Christmas tree. I got to hang ornaments, jingle bells, silver bows, and ribbon. Our tree started out with all the decorations about two feet off the ground. Mommy redistributed them around the tree when I wasn't looking. Beneath the tree is the Gingerbread (a.k.a. Graham Cracker) House I made at daycare. I helped Daddy put the star on top. Mommy was so nervous that she forgot to take a picture. So, we recreated the event a few days later. In the last picture, I'm trying on our Christmas stockings. They didn't quite fit, so we hung them over the fireplace instead.