Aliyah turns 1

For Aliyah's first birthday, we took a trip to Tong Xiao.  There's a nice beach there. Since she loves the water so much, we thought it would be a fun birthday for her.  Turns out, it was a fantastic and very full day for her!! 

Aliyah takes her first steps!!

It's hard to believe, but our little girl is walking now.  Jenna let her go on the beach and off she went! She's delighted to walk now and has a beautiful grin on her face whenever she takes off. 

Our little beach bum

Daniel's creation....
 

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We basically had the entire beach to ourselves.  

Cool at last

Our community pool opened up in the beginning of July.  Grandma and Bop sent Aliyah's birthday present just in time! Her new swimsuit is a perfect fit...even if the belly pops out occasionally....

My first time in the water!!  

A: This is great, Brother!
S: We aren't even wet, yet.

Oh.  You've got some cool shades, Bro. 

Water!!  I love water!!!

Content to sit

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming... 

Oh, yeah, I'm definitely lovin' it... 

Another day of delightful drama

The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.
Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Busy at play. We don't know the reason for the box. 

In her world, every table exists to climb. 

Stick the napkin in the empty passion fruit. 

Mix them up, and I'll wager you can't find the napkin! 

Add a grill and you have the makings here of a great dad someday. 

He can cook, hold a kid, and still look cool in shades. 

The Escape Attempt

Oh! They left the window open! Now's my chance!!  

Just have to hoist myself over and....

Shh, someone's coming...

Oh, hey, Mama.....I'm just, you know, looking out the window...

Don't worry about a thing!! 

1, 2, 3, lift! 

A Visit to Siah's Corner

One morning, when Daddy was gone at work, Josiah and Mama decided to do something 'crazy'. We ended up moving his bed against another wall, taking out an old desk, and adding a new table.  Not too crazy, but when Daddy came home the first thing Siah told him was, "Daddy, wanna see my crazy room?" 

Chillin' on the newly positioned bed 

This is Siah's cafe.  He had dinner for three all served up. 

I can't remember what was on the menu, but he cooked his own meal too. 

His new bed provides an excellent reading nook.  Here's a book being read to Lucy. 

And here's the real reason we moved his furniture around.  To make room for Table Top Town! 

Daniel and I spent a date night coloring.  And we came up with a nice little town for Siah's cars and trains. 

He's loving the trains the most.

Daniel calls her the Terror of Table Top Town.  She just likes to steal the animals from the zoo. 

Because every baby needs a photo like this....

Spaghetti for dinner.
Enough said. 

He wanted in on the action too, so he carefully made sure his smoothie was all over his mouth. 

This cutie has mastered the art of eating without wearing.  

We hope she will someday too.  Until then, it's bath time. 

When your sister is a photographer...

I will freely admit that most of the pictures in this blog post aren't mine.  I justify putting them up because they are mostly my kids.  When you've got a talented sister and she left you copies of her photos, it's worth the risk of copyright infringement to post them.  Enjoy. 

Our Mei Mei.  She would tell you she'd rather be walking. If she could talk. 

Yes, those cheeks are as squishy as they look. 

I take full credit for taking this blurry picture.  I post it because she never would.  This is the face of one who is currently trying not to gag as she is trying to choke down the infamous Stinky Tofu.  My thoughts exactly. 

This is the best sister in the world.  Period. 

My boy. So grown up. 

Love this guy.