Last Days of Summer

Even though there is still about a month left of summer, it seems like fall is near. It was overcast today, there are back-to-school ads everywhere, and D is gearing up to watch college football for hours on end.

On Saturday we went to Ikea. It was k's first trip to one of my favorite stores.



Lately I've been having the urge to decorate/organize/clean our place more, but I can usually only do these things for an hour or so at night, when k is asleep.

We ate dinner at Portillo's, which originated in Chicago and serves Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs. D enjoyed the atmosphere ("It's like you're on vacation.") The service was friendly and efficient and the food was good, if not good for you. Here is k with an Italian beef.


Today we went to a Japanese cultural fair in Irvine. k is saying hi to an Akita.

2/3 of a Year

During lunch today, D got his "pre-race" haircut. In other words, it's really short. Really, really short. So much so, that when D came home tonight, k did not recognize him. When he tried to hold her, she started to cry and had a look on her face that said "Who is this scary man, and what have you done to my Daddy?"

Happy 8 month birthday, k!

A Hawaiian Birthday

We had a busy Saturday. After the engagement party we went to a birthday party for my second cousin's dad. My second cousin is such a good party planner! She always has nice decor, good food and fun games. There was also a slide show, but we missed it since we had to go home early (it was past k's bedtime). This was a Hawaiian themed party, so she had the backyard set up with tiki torches and Hawaiian music. Here's the lovely centerpiece:

There was food from King's Hawaiian, as well as wontons, spam musubi and teriyaki meatballs. There was even Hawaiian soda. Yes, we ate very well that day.

k met some more of her third cousins. Here's a nice family shot:

Engagement

Saturday morning we went up to Burbank for an engagement ceremony/reception for one of my dearest friends. It was held at the Castaway. Traffic was bad so I thought we would be late, and I was stressing. However, it turns out the Pastor was caught in traffic too, and he was even later, so we had plenty of time!


(Too bad the groom-to-be's eyes are closed, but I do think this is a really nice picture of the bride-to-be. These girls and I all lived in an apartment in Berkeley at one point). I gave a speech during the reception. Thankfully, it went OK, but I guess some people wanted it to be "juicy", which it definitely was not.


The restaurant is on a hill, so there is a really nice view.

Afterward we stopped at Porto's Bakery in Burbank, our first time. Parking was difficult, but it was worth it!

I ordered a bunch of stuff to go (since we had just eaten lunch): mango smoothie, potato balls, medianoche sandwich, cheese rolls, guava cheese pastry, and individual servings of tres leches cake and mango mousse. The cake and mousse were amazing. I defintely would like to go back.

The Joy of Eating

Yes, we are still eating that watermelon! It turns out that k enjoys watermelon, too. It's interesting (and sometimes frustrating) to figure out what k's likes and dislikes are in terms of food. So far, she likes peas, green beans, watermelon, Cheerios, and Gerber Graduates "stars" (puffed cereal). k dislikes applesauce and peaches. Go figure.

Summer Fun

I cannot believe summer is more than half way over. The other day I bought a watermelon--the receipt said it was over 19 pounds...that's more than k! I thought it would be fun to take a picture as a comparison. k enjoyed thumping on it.


This past week I also baked a cake for a potluck at D's work. I decided to get a little creative with it:

k the Crawler

For a little over a week now, k has been crawling! It is amazing to see how quickly she acquires new skills. She can also stand up in her play pen and crib (although she has some trouble sitting back down). It is already more tiring to watch her since you constantly have to be on your guard.

The Great Balloon

This morning we met up with two of D's co-workers and their families at the Great Balloon. Currently the rides are free, but starting in 2008, tickets will cost $20 (so go now). There was a fair number of people already there when we arrived, around 10:15. You have to sign a waiver and get a number. Our wait was a little over half hour, but we heard the wait can grow to two hours at peak times.


D + k waiting in line.


A view from the underside. According to the operator, we only went up around 275 feet (the max is 500 feet). The allowed height varies with the wind conditions and the number of people riding. D's co-worker W asked a question that was probably on all of our minds: what happens if the tethering cable breaks? The operator reassured us that we would remain afloat as if in a regular hot air balloon, and that he could maneuver the balloon to a safe landing. That was good to hear, especially for a particular someone in our party who is afraid of heights!


View from the top. Can you find the Mazda building? I don't think k had any awareness that we were up high.


The rest of our group exiting the balloon.


k and her new friend, M, who is only around one month younger.

All in all it was a fun outing. It was certainly worth the cost of admission (haha). I guess we need to be on the lookout for some other cheap, child-friendly activities around the area. Suggestions are welcome!

Jogging with k

Last Saturday morning started with a run that I had eagerly awaited. I woke up at 5 a.m. because I knew it was going to be a warm and humid day. This run was different than all my other runs because this was my first run while pushing a jogging stroller. I was worried that k might not enjoy "running" with me, so I was prepared. L woke k up early and got her ready. I then drove to Sunset Beach and started running around 6 a.m. so she would keep cool and not get too much sun. Soon after I started, she fell asleep. While I was running out to Huntington Beach, her hat fell over her face because her head fell forward while she was sleeping. I noticed that the pavement sloped toward the ocean, and I kept having to turn the stroller to the left. At the turn, I took off her hat and put it in the back of the stroller. Halfway through the 2nd half, she woke up, and started looking forward. At the end she was touching her toes and was probably ready to get out of the stroller. We had run 6.2 miles. I learned to switch hands every 30 steps or so, and it worked out pretty well. I have 2 more weeks of hard training. I plan on doing an 8 mile run this Saturday with k. Then I plan on running 13 miles by myself the next week. Then I will taper toward the Disney Half-Marathon.