A couple of weeks ago, my cousin Maggie & her family stopped by and stayed with us for a night, while on their way to Seattle from L.A.

I think the last time we saw them was like 6 years ago, on our wedding day, when their son was only 2 months old! We went back to New York and I think not long after, they moved to Taiwan for a little while before settling in Hawaii; so we haven’t seen each other since.

Although it was the first time the kids have met each other, I was great to see that they had no problem playing together and getting along.

The visit was short, but now that they are in Seattle and we are in SF, it will be much easier to visit them as well as my Grandpa more frequently then ever.

Of course, I’ll need to find a steady job first.

Here are a few more photos from Kaitlyn’s other birthday parties—at school & on the day of her birthday. (Yeah, she’s spoiled.)

Enjoy!

We certainly can’t believe that Kaitlyn is 4 already. As usual, my parents made the trip out to celebrate her birthday with us, along with a few good friends, in our tiny apartment. This year, Kaitlyn’s birthday happened to be on Chinese/Lunar New Year, so she got even more attention than she would have gotten already.

As much as I think that she is spoiled/blessed with so much materialistically & attention-wise, I believe she deserves all of it very much—she has grown into a very mature 4-year-old single child.

What do I mean by mature? Well, if I have to describe her, I would say she is hardworking, honest, very caring & considerate, brave, optimistic, funny, ambitious, fair, a good listener & has a passion for learning; I don’t think many of these traits are considered common or natural in people today (including myself), let alone a 4-year-old girl.

Of course she is still a handful, but she’s only 4 and that’s what great about it.

Besides, Kate has Mel & I—the best parents for her!

OK, enough talk. Let’s look at some photos from this year’s party!

And if you want, before clicking on the photo thumbnails, first click on the arrow below for some background music while looking at the photos! Enjoy!

Daughter — Peter Blegvad

Last Saturday we went to see the Ringling Brothers’ Coney Island Illuscination show with the Yau’s. Originally we were supposed to go last Wednesday, but the show was canceled due to power outage, so we went on Saturday instead. That turned out to be a good thing, since it’s on the weekend, Mel was able to join us. Also, thanks to the storm (Huricane Earl) that never came, by Saturday the heat wave was over & we ended up spending some time on the boardwalk after the show.
I thought the show was good, much better than the one Mel & I watched a few years ago at Madison Square Garden. For almost the same amount of money, we got to sit much closer to the action this time because of the small tent. Last time at MSG, I had a hard time keeping up with the show because there was stuff going on in 3 rings, whereas this time there was only 1.
Anyway, here are some photos we took. Enjoy!

It’s all the mundane things that give meanings to life, and giving K a bath is one of those seemingly mundane things.

By the end of a day when you’re all exhausted and still have to wrestle with an energy-infused toddler, to me, that’s a challenge. But ask me in just a few short years, and I’ll tell you that this is exactly the kind of daily struggles that I miss the most.

So even though sometimes I sigh forcefully & drag my feet to the bathroom when it’s my turn to give her a bath, deep down inside I’m grateful for the chance & the unique moment I have with her.

2010-05 “Time For A Bath” from Ether L on Vimeo.

Music: “Stole My Heart” by Little & Ashley

Two Saturdays ago, Kaitlyn was invited to her classmate Emma’s birthday party at the Build-A-Bear Workshop on 5th Avenue. Here are some photos taken on that day. Enjoy!

So what have we been up to for the last 6 months?

Well Kaitlyn has been in school (daycare) and has learned a great deal. From saying to mommy “Can you stop?”, “I don’t like that!”, and “No!” to learning to sit on the potty (although nothing ever comes out) to pretend play, Kaitlyn is becoming a big girl. It’s getting really scary.

She is always full of energy and wants to do everything herself. She loves to sing and talk in both English & Cantonese. She loves to watch Cantonese versions of “Cinderella” & “Monsters, Inc.” She has picked up a lot of Cantonese words & phrases especially from “Cinderella.”

Strange things about her are that she’s afraid of humans dressed up as characters (like Hello Kitty, m&m’s) and she’s afraid of animals. In a way it’s good because then we don’t have to worry about her wanting to go to the zoo or to Disney World. We’ve saved hundreds of dollars already. =D

She is such a daddy’s girl. She sure loves her daddy. She will smile the biggest smile when she wakes up and sees him. She loves to pick on mommy.

Merry Christmas everybody! Here’s our 2008 Christmas photo & newsletter. Click on the thumbnails below to see it in full size!

This past Halloween was Kaitlyn’s 2nd Halloween. Last year, she was a hot dog & she hated the outfit. Not because it’s a hot dog, but because it has no pant legs. Yes, she was only 9 months old but she was already standing up & starting to walk.

This year, she’s a cat. Although this one has legs, she didn’t really like wearing it either, but for the most part she was OK with it. It might be because she got to wear it once at a church Halloween party, a few days before Halloween. This year, we took her to Queens to her grandparents’ house & trick-o’-treated there. Our old pal Patrick was also there with us.

Here are some pix from the party & Halloween night: