golden fall

out attempt at taking some family photos with auto shoot, it is awfully hard with a toddler.

Papa spent time playing with MM before leaving again

she built this thing on her own. the first time she really spent time building

Family day hosted by Virginial Film Festival

She finally dared the bounce and play slide! and once she did it, she could not stop. she played for like half an hour on this!

the magic people

this one played with fire

this one messed around with paper

and this one embeded herself in a TV screen!

wanted to hold hands and climb at the same time

found a big sister to play with.

Elmo hat

goo goo goggle

a goo-goo-goggle made in school with Miss Beth. I could not recognize her when I arrived to pick her up, she was wearing her google. And this morning, the first thing she looked for upon waking up was her google!

notice the difference at dinner table? Ming Ming decided to skip her high chair and eat like a real big girl!

Chorizo, dried apricot, chickpeas, red beans, and tomatos in a quick stew, plus cousous and really pale and bland cauliflower (I was afraid that it would be too spicy for MM, so ..)

beautiful morning sky

beautiful morning sky, before sunrise. Yeah, hard to believe that I wake up everyday before sunrise!

another day, photo taken by anotine

chaotic household... actually not so chaotic when I look around ourliving room now.

MM's lunch box: scallop green bean fried rice and stir fried spinach.. yum.. finish everything

lunch box 2: asparagus + potatos + chicken

MM finished everything except the potatos, still does not like potato

school pictures

school picture this year

this was from last year. It was her second day in school, still in tears!

Trick or Treat? - Happy Halloween

UVA lawn... Ming Ming got bored of being a cat (twice already) and grew back to be a ladybug (costume from last year).

then we joined Jennifer and Vivi for trick or treat in Vivi's neighborhood... starting with a neighborhood party with pizza and games for kids, then Vivi's parents prepared a barbeque..

running back to vivi's home

okay, it was dark... and children started to arrive at Vivi's home for trick or treat... we were still at the middle of dinner but the kids couldn't wait. Here we go - a ladybug, a statue of liberty, and a ballerina!

Jennifer and Vivi ran super fast, they got so excited by the prospect of collecting candies from the whole neighborhood. Ming Ming hurried behind them and tried really hard to catch up. I had no idea she could run this fast. I held her hands to prevent her from falling, but she kept saying to me "hurry up, mama, hurry up!" - as if I was the one who was slowing her down! :[

usually when Ming Ming arrived at the door, the big girls would have already rang the bell and started picking candies. But I bet without them, Ming Ming would be a lot more timid about going to strangers. It was nice to trick or treat with friends. At frist she followed what the big girls said, but quickly managed on her own - Trick or treat? (get her candies), yes I am a ladybug (hesitate, look around, then get more candies), thank you! happy Halloween!

at first the streets were quite empty, but then more and more kids came out. some parents dressed up too, and MM was scared by one of them.

All of the houses were decorated for halloween, and if the lights were on, it meant that there were candies. There was one particular house that was very elaborately decorated, with spooky lights and vapors, skeletons and ghosts, MM was scared and needed me to hold her. But then when we arrived at the door, the lady was asking Jennifer and Vivi if they were scared, MM picked up what they were saying and repeated the same thing to the lady, very seriously -"No, it is not scary for me. I not scary" ;p

the terrain of operation

met a witch!

the candy baskets got so heavy that we needed to go back to Vivi's home to unload them, and then head out again...

at the end of her first trick or treat, her basket was half full!

What am I going to do with all those candies now?!!

This trick or treat was a lot more fun than all the other Halloween activities (at downtown, at UVA lawn, and at school). MM got so excited. It was dark and outside, a little bit spooky but not too frightenning, a lot of running and real excitment. The ringing of bells, the anticipation, the exchange with strangers, and all those candies.... I guess this is what halloween is supposed to be like.