Last Day of Pre-Preschool at Treehouse

In the front yard ready for the first day of school (September 2010)

Ready for the last day of school in the backyard of our new home (June 2011)

Alex with Teacher Loretta, Teacher Rhonda and Teacher Sharon

Alex with Teacher Jill

On the steps at Treehouse on the first day of school (September 2010)

On the front steps at Treehouse on the last day of school (June 2011)

It does not seem possible, but last Thursday was the last day of school for Alex at Treehouse.  Can you believe it?  It seems like only yesterday that it was the first day of school and there were lots of tears, and now it is the last day and the tears only came from Momma.  In the meantime, Alex has really taken to the idea of going to school.  He has come out of his shell and become a lot less shy.  Unfortunately, because of our move, we will not be going back to Treehouse next year, although we would love to.  The drive, especially with two would just be too much for a half day program.  If anyone is looking for a preschool in Oakland though, I would highly recommend Treehouse at the First Covenant Church.  Alex loved his teachers, who were all very caring, loving and excellent teachers.  He learned alot during his stay there and enjoyed all of the fun art projects, learning about bugs, birds, firemen and the days of the week, the new songs that were sung and all of his new friends that he made while there.  

Now we are in the process of finding a new school for next year.  Thankfully, there seem to be quite a few choices which are very near to our house, so I am sure that we will find something which fits.  

Thanks so much to Dr. Jan, Teacher Jill, Teacher Loretta, Teacher Rhonda, Teacher Emily and Teacher Elaine for all of their hard work and dedication over the past year.  Alex truly enjoyed being part of your school and we will always remember you all at Treehouse, where Alex had his first taste of school.

Grateful

I have a lot to be thankful for these days...... two beautiful and healthy kiddos, an awesome husband who is a super dad and great partner, a dog child who puts up with all of us (even though she seems to be very confused with everything), loving family and friends, a new home and great neighbors.  Life is indeed good!  Speaking of neighbors, every other day for the past two weeks, a neighbor has brought us dinner.  I cannot tell you how nice that has been, especially considering we have never met the majority of these folks.  It was all organized by a neighbor Christine, who stopped one day while I was in the driveway and welcomed me to the neighborhood.  I was surprised when I received an e-mail from her a few weeks ago, offering to organize meals for us, since Julia had arrived.  So every other day, we receive a visit from another neighbor with a yummy meal and a chance to get to know them a little bit.  A big thank you to Christine and all of the other neighbors who have been so kind and generous to us over the past few weeks, and a thank you to all of our friends and family who have sent well wishes and gifts.  We hope that you can all meet Julia very soon!

Julia at 3 Weeks

Here are some pics of the little cutie from this morning.  I love when she does the little smiles.  Cute outfit courtesy of Auntie Carrie.    She is becoming much more alert when she is awake and loves to just hang out, chat and look around at everything.  

First Concert in the Park

Tonight we attended our first Moraga concert in the park and had a fun time.  Every Thursday night during the summer, there is a different band playing at the bandshell in Moraga Commons.  Lots of families go down to enjoy the music, have some dinner and maybe some wine and just hang out.  We walked down and listened to Gator Beat with their Cajun music and enjoyed some Loard's ice cream.  Alex had a blast rolling around on the hill and dancing to the music.  Julia, of course, slept most of the time, but every now and then she opened her eyes to check out the scene.  I'm sure we will enjoy many more Thursday nights in the park.

Bathtime

Now that the cord has fallen off, Julia is able to take full baths.  As you can see, she wasn't too excited about this endeavor last night.

Little Julia

Thanks Auntie Carrie for the super cute outfit!

Zoo and Chillin' at Home

 Alex and Julia hanging out yesterday morning

 Two goofies

 At the Oakland Zoo today

 Hanging out with the elephants

We all went to the Oakland Zoo today for a little adventure.  It was much cooler than yesterday and quite comfortable at the zoo.  It was Julia's first zoo outing and she spent most of the time sleeping and eating, as usual.  We visited Guadalajara for some lunch afterward, which is always enjoyable.  Little Julia has fans everywhere we go, as people always seem so enamored with tiny little ones like herself.  Alex always proudly tells people her name and shows her off.  Still working on being "gentle", but he certainly is proud of his little Mei Mei.

All the Cuties

Getting ready to go on a walk to the park on Saturday evening.

Little Engineer

Look at what I built!

Proudly checking out the functioning of his new invention.

Testing

Alex excitedly ran in from outside this morning proclaiming "Hey guys, come look!  I made my own street sweeper!"  When I went outside to see, this is what I found.  Alex, who was a fascination with street sweepers, had taken the brush off of a power washer which David had taken out yesterday, and he found a slot on his trike to put it in.  Funny enough, it fit perfectly and was actually at the same level as the ground, so it was indeed, sweeping the ground.  He was very proud of himself and I must say, we were quite proud too. Very resourceful to find a part and repurpose it for your own interests, especially since the power washer does not seem to be functioning for its intended purpose.   I'm thinking we may be able to pitch this to Kettler as an accessory....he cannot be the only little boy fascinated with street sweepers!

Making French Toast

Alex and Daddy making French Toast for breakfast this morning.

Day 11

Julia had her first appointment with the pediatrician yesterday and she checked out very well.  She is back up to her birth weight a little bit ahead of schedule and is growing nicely.  She has a bit of jaundice left, but that is considered to be normal and should clear up completely within a couple of weeks.  She is becoming a bit more alert in between her eating and sleeping times and overall seems to be a happy little girl.

Running in the Sprinklers

On a warm evening a few nights ago, we were out in the backyard and the sprinklers came on.  Alex didn't have any fun with that, as you can tell ;-)

Alex's Skate Ramp

Alex self made skate ramp from David Chng on Vimeo.

This is what Alex did to occupy himself the other morning.  Our "extra" living room is filled with boxes, some empty and some full.  He took some of the empties to make himself a skate ramp.

Cuties

 Julia at 3 days old

 Bunny Bear and Julia at 3 days old

 Bunny Bear and Alex at 5 days old

Alex, Bunny Bear and Julia

Singing to Julia

Singing to Mei Mei from David Chng on Vimeo.

Alex singing to Julia this morning after he woke up.

Announcing the arrival of......

Julia Li Hui Chng!  

 Moments after she was born on Monday evening.

 Big Brother and Julia meeting for the first time on Tuesday morning.

 Peacefully sleeping in the bassinet with her new hat knit by the hospital volunteers.

 Celebratory lunch provided by the hospital on Tuesday.

 First full family photo op.

 Big brother admiring the tiny toes.

 My proud boys!

Alex taking Julia for her first ride.  Looks like he is about to pop a wheelie with the bassinet.

We are happy to let you know that Julia arrived on Monday evening, June 6th at 7:49 at Kaiser Hospital in Walnut Creek, CA.  She weighed in at 6 lbs 13 oz and is 19 inches long and is a healthy little girl with some strong lungs!  Proud Big Brother Alex met Mei Mei Tuesday and has been telling her she is a "super cutie patootie" and a "tiny little burrito", and singing her songs, like Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer ever since.  He bought her a cute little rattle and is constantly giving kisses on her head and petting her soft dark hair, which she has alot of.  We all came home Tuesday around 8pm, about 24 hours after delivery and everything is going well.  All are happy and healthy.  

Julia looks forward to meeting you soon!  

Why?

"I want Mei Mei to come out.  Why is she staying in there so long?"  Quote from Alex earlier today.

T-Ball in the Backyard

Tee ball in backyard from David Chng on Vimeo.

Video of Alex and David playing t-ball in the backyard last night.  The boy is serious about his game.  You would never know that it is June, with this unseasonably cold weather.  Looks like after this weekend, summer should actually arrive.

In the Car

Yesterday afternoon, while we were driving in the car on the way to my doctor's appointment Alex said, "Mommy, I wish I could have a band at my house."When I inquired further, it seemed like Alex wants to start a band with his buddies. He said "I could play the drums."

I think that can be arranged buddy, that playroom is pretty big and you guys can jam to your hearts' content!

Fun with Friends

Alex's photo of Johnny

Johnny, Tadgh and Alex

Beautiful rainbow in Oakland

Neighborhood kids at the barbeque

This past weekend was a fun one. We had barbeques on two nights, with all kinds of friends. On Saturday, we went to the Lee Family's house for a yummy burger dinner with the Lees and Bertains. The boys all had a fun time, as did the parents as always. We even saw a nice rainbow after some very unseasonable rain.

On Sunday night we were invited to a barbeque in the new neighborhood and were able to meet three other families. There are quite a few kids in the neighborhood. In fact, just with our four families, there were 2 four year olds, 2 three and a half year olds, a two and a half year old and a two month old, and then Mei Mei (due in June) and twin boys due in October. There was lots of bike riding, baseball playing, eating and s'mores making going on, which was alot of fun. Thanks to both of our host families for having us over and making the weekend such a great one.

Graduation!

Alex and Teacher Jill

Alex fully interested in lunch.

Daddy and Alex next to the board with all of the buzzing little bumblebees off to Preschool.

Alex hugging Mei Mei

Today was graduation day at Treehouse.  Alex graduated from the Little Angels class (Pre-Preschool) to the Preschool Class.  David and I both went to help celebrate the occasion, where they did a little program of songs that they have learned and then we all shared a potluck lunch.  What a difference a school year makes, as now we have a little guy who loves going to school and just gives a hug and off you go.

On his recent parent teacher conference "report card" he received lots of positive feedback, including "Alex has really come out of his shell.", "Alex loves to run really fast around the play structures and climb on the frogs on the upper play area.", "Alex has wonderful fine motor skills and will do really well when he begins practicing letters in the preschool."  "I really enjoy having intellectual conversations about birds and farm equipment.  He is going to have so much fun learning and growing in the preschool and I will miss his special books."  So, he definitely has made alot of progress since those first few days of crying.

Unfortunately, since we have moved, we will not be continuing at Treehouse, because it is just too far to travel for the mornings, especially with Mei Mei.  I wish we could stay, because it is a great school and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a loving, nurturing learning environment in Oakland.  We will miss going there, but will always remember this year fondly.  Alex has loved going to school and spending time with his teachers, Jill, Loretta, Rhonda and Emily, and Teacher Elaine when she was there earlier in the year.  Thanks to all of you for a wonderful year and some great learning experiences!

Just an update on Mei Mei, by the way....  today was her due date and as of 3:36PM, she does not appear to want to make an appearance today, so we will have to see what happens in the next week or so.  Next scheduled appointment is for next Wednesday.