Isabella helping A-gong put together a floor lamp

We're having a little family reunion here. My parents arrived late morning / early afternoon. My sister and niece will arrive tomorrow. My brother-in-law has some other engagement.

As usual, my parents came with loads of delicious food, weighing only 45.5 pounds. How else have they been wonderfully helpful? Well, curiously enough, two rooms in our place, the living room and our bedroom, are lacking overhead light fixtures. There are connections for fixtures, but no fixtures. And, the dining room bulb is burnt out. So, our place is a bit dark at night. My parents got us a couple of floor lamps, and here Isabella is helping A-gong assemble one of them.


So long as Isabella is engaged in helping - whether cooking, wiping, or putting lamps together- she's a happy little one.

Everyone gets to play the piano

2008-7-29

Isabella's not content just plucking the piano in a standing position. She wants to be on the bench and playing. Yup, and that's Victoria strapped to me. There we are. Girls wanting Mommy for this or that.

Our poster child for cuteness

Delivering kisses, even amidst an huge adjustment phase

Even though both girls are going through lots of changes (Victoria: growing, moving; Isabella: getting a sibling, moving, approaching 2), Isabella still has plenty of love and affection to give her sister.

Banning transfats

As of July 25, using transfats in restaurants in the state of California will be illegal. illegal. The restaurants are required to begin phasing out those oils by July 1, 2009. New York City's ban began July 1.

I've not been in favor of the transfats. But using law to force people to be more healthy? Just putting the question out there. What do you think?

Never a dull moment in our home

Victoria doesn't have the deer-in-headlights newborn stare in pictures anymore, as you can see in the picture below.

She can also see her older sister, well, interacting with her.

Isabella often times showers love on her, by kissing her. But, I caught her hitting her sister hard on the head this afternoon. Not good. I'm sure Isabella wasn't aware of the hurt she was causing her sister. Alarmed me.


I love the Campbell's chicken noodle soup, but it has MSG in it. So, I decided to make my own this morning. Friendly for both adults and for Isabella. Has celery, carrots, green onions, corn, chicken breast, and pasta in it.


Isabella rarely crawls anymore. She's moved on to walking, sometimes quite quickly. Climbing. She'll climb on to the sofa, the recliner, anything that seems climb-able. She can sit in little people chairs with relative ease, now.

What do you think of our new paper lantern? Our apartment here has connections for fixtures in the living room and in our bedroom, with no actual lighting fixtures provided. My dad bought us two floor lamps, one for each of those two rooms. But, we went to World Market, when Cami was visiting, and I fell in love with this paper lantern.

Got the hubby's stamp of approval before I went back to purchase it. I love it, don't you?!

She still loves for me to take her pictures. How can I ignore such cuteness?

Fantastic, fair trade, green beading

Cami was so sweet and brought amazing gifts from Nairobi. All the beading is made there. The larger beads you see in the picture were handmade. All the beads are fair trade, and the larger beads are green. From what were they made? You'll never guess.



Magazines. I'm thinking about using those larger beads to make cell phone trinkets. I've been making cell phone trinkets here and there recently. Lily's Boutique. Another cell phone trinket sold.

Life in Denver

7-21-08

2008-7-22

2008-7-22

2008-7-22

2008-7-22

The Columbine Memorial

While a dear friend we know from our Missouri days, Cami, was visiting, we went to see the Columbine Memorial, at a park immediately next to the high school.



I love the Denver area (Littleton, to be exact, in this case) for its sunsets. Absolutely breath-taking.

The memorial was sobering. Serious. Moving. Had chills up and down my spine the entire time I read about each victim and walked the memorial.

I have no idea what this sign is about. We saw it on our way to the memorial. Can't trespass on the pole or what? Isn't the path on the way to the memorial open to the public? I'm so confused.

A very alert Victoria

Not only does Victoria spend more time awake and alert these days, she coos a lot (especially when I talk with her) and smiles a good deal. It's so very sweet.

2008-7-12

2008-7-12

Another cell phone trinket sold

Yesterday, I went to the City of Edinburg to schedule a shut off for the water in our place next week. While I was there, I had to call Troy for our new address, because I forgot to bring it with me. The gal waiting on me said she liked one of the cell phone trinkets I had on my phone, one I had made. Long story short, I told her I could make her one, but I'd have to mail it to her, since I'm moving soon. She paid for it on the spot, including something to cover for shipping and handling, even though she doesn't know me.

I made one for her, while I was feeding Victoria and put it in the mail this afternoon.

To see more cell phone trinkets I've made, go to:
Lily's Boutique

Junko, Kaori, and Mona's visit

Junko brought over some of her yummy delicious food, sushi and gyoza (the Japanese version of dumplings), for lunch. Oh my gosh, so good! And, um, I ate twice as much as Troy or Junko. I'm sure Victoria appreciated it.

A friend, Kaori, that I know through Junko came briefly with her daughter, Mona.

Kaori, Mona, and me

Junko, Mona, & Kaori

Troy, Isabella, Junko, me

Junko & Victoria

I can't remember who was making Victoria smile, Junko or me. She was holding Victoria, and I was taking the picture.



Junko taught Isabella how to play "Peek a Boo," "I see you," in Japanese. Didn't take Isabella long for her to start repeating it back in Japanese and playing! Here's the proof:




Here I am, holding Victoria, with Junko taking pictures for me:

The things I got accomplished with the help we had today

I can't even count the number of times Diana has come over to help watch the girls in recent times, so I could do things in preparation for the move.

Diana and Maritza were here all day today, and here are some of the things I did:

• Arranged for electricity to be turned off at our apartment here, next week.
• Arranged for electricity to be turned on for our apartment in Littleton next week.
• Purchased renter's insurance, since it is required of the place where we'll be staying.
• Found out that I have to show up in person to schedule a water shut-off date for our apartment here.
• Took down all the wall hangings and dusted them off (we easily have 30 or more of these).
• Dusted all the desk top picture frames (we also have many of these).
• Sorted through all of Isabella's clothes, from 3-18 months clothing and put them in vacuum-sealed bags. This took awhile.
• Washed 3 loads of laundry (there's still more to be done, of course).
• Put our official change-of-address form in the mail.
• Fed Victoria several times (that's a given).

Did some other stuff, but can't remember what. At the end of the day, I was utterly exhausted and out of it. Passed out around 10 o'clock-ish, when I was feeding Victoria. Meant to get a little bite to eat and brush my teeth before hitting the sack for the night, but that didn't happen. Too tired.

Brand new double stroller, laughing, the girls together, sweetness, the bouncer, and four little ladies

Diana & Maritza had planned on coming over to help watch the girls, so we could get a bunch of stuff done. Much to my surprise, Tracy showed up with a gift in hand. Unbeknownst to me, she had been researching double-strollers and the two of them (Tracy & Diana) were working on getting a double stroller for us. I'm speechless.

We didn't have child #1, but child #2, and we get a tremendously huge gift like this. What wonderful friends we have.

All decked out, huh?!

Isabella has a set of five or six books from Taiwan. The books have objects with accompanying sound effects written on the pages, in English and in Chinese. One of them says, laugh, with "ha, ha, ha." Isabella & I have been working on that, as well as other sound effects. Well, Tracy has been working on that with Isabella at church, too. Here she is, demonstrating that she knows how to laugh!


Diana working her mommy magic. Victoria's passed out.


Grandma (Karen) had purchased a number of matching outfits for the girls. Had a chance to take pictures of them together, after Diana & Maritza gave each of them a bath (don't I have awesome friends?).

Isabella LOVES to give her sister kisses, regardless of what state Victoria is in.


Next week, Victoria turns two months, and the following week, Isabella turns 22 months.

So, so sweet.

We had been using the bouncer as a blockade, to prevent Isabella from pulling books off the shelf. In the last day or two, she's communicated to Daddy that she wants to bounce on it.

I don't think the inventors of that thing had this in mind, with a 21 month old that weighs well over 20-something pounds, bouncing herself up and down on it.

We're going to have to hide this little contraption from her, if we don't want her to bounce on it. She knows how to get herself on to it, and she'll even attempt to strap herself in!


Tracy had already left by the time I whipped out my camera, but here's some of the lot, us gals. Troy was the photographer of this pictures. Hey, we're lucky we got most of us looking at the camera.