Monthly Archives: April 2014
Easter 2014
Happy Easter! This year we did something new and took her to an Easter Egg Hunt at Pantera Park in Diamond Bar with Mieng and Sandy and Emmy! Lily was too shy to go to the 4 years old and under kid section for the egg hunt so we had to take her to the parent assisted section, and Khoa took her in while I stood outside to try to take pictures. I said “tried” to take pictures because once the announcer said “GO!”, everyone just swarmed into the center of the field and grabbed all the eggs within seconds!! I was so shocked I didn’t get any pictures! haha. Then Khoa was lost in the crowd for a bit and so there was no point in taking any pictures. They did get 2 eggs though, they had a candy in each egg haha. I think Lily felt very overwhelmed by how many people were there, so she wanted to be held the entire time. I think next year will be better if we don’t go to the parent assisted one. However, due to my lack of photo abilities, Mieng did get this nice photo of me and Lily!! Thanks!! =)
After the egg hunt, which lasted like 2 minutes haha, we decided to go to the park nearby to let the kids roam around and burn off some energy before lunch! Lily looooves the park and made a few friends at the park too. She saw some kids and just sat down in the sand box and started playing with their toys haha. What a social butterfly! After a good hour or so at the park, we went to eat lunch at one of Khoa’s favorite Shabu places called Paper Pot! Lily was so tired by then that she took a nap in her stroller while we ate! We then did a quick milk tea run and then headed over to Goat Hill Junction Railroad in Costa Mesa for a free 15 minute train ride! Lily was still snoozing like the sleeping machine she is, and so the Saetia’s went on the train ride first, and then finally Lily decided to join the party haha. The train ride was pretty cool, it was this cute little train that you would straddle, and it takes you around this big park with random little ponds and bridges. It was really nice and relaxing! After the train ride, the kids had a blast running around and playing with the rocks on the floor haha. Thanks Sandy for inviting us to come, it was such a cool and fun experience!! It’s always nice to create new memories with such wonderful people! =)
On Easter Sunday, we went to church just the three of us and then went to have a nice lunch at Ajisen (ramen) at Diamond Jamboree! I got Lily this Lychee Raspberry Yogurt Juice, and boy she sure loved it!! She wouldn’t put the juice down!! It was a very large cup too and drank more than half of it! Haha. We went home and stay home for the rest of the day and enjoyed a nice and relaxing Sunday at home, watching the The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and then a bunch of TV since Lily took a majorly long nap that allowed us to do so haha. Easter is a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and therefore the celebration of renewed life. It’s like a clean start after all the sacrifices he made for us. So this year’s Easter, is a celebration for life, not just for Jesus Christ and mankind, but for our family as well. We’ve had two losses this past year, and after this Easter Holiday, I am trying my best to start anew, and celebrate the life we do have now. The loss we suffered won’t be forgotten, but they’ll be forever in my heart. As I look to the future, I must embrace and enjoy the present. I’m so grateful for all that I have, and even though I don’t know how I got to where I am now, I cannot be more happy and am super humbled to have the wonderful life I have. We only have 1 life to live, and so we must cherish all the moments and live it truly to the fullest. I’m lucky to have so much love in my life, love from my family, friends, Khoa, and most of all, my Lily pad. I will continue to give love and be loved, and make sure that Lily has the best loving life possible. I love you so much my love!! Happy Easter everyone!
Happy 22 Months Lily!
Happy 22 months my sweet Lily pad!!! She is currently around 22 pounds (FINALLY) and stretches around 32 inches tall! She is such a vocal baby and had such a spunky personality. She is a very happy baby and she loves music and is starting to sing a long a little more to a lot of songs. She currently loves the Disney movie Frozen and would point to the TV and say “let it go!” haha. She is learning to say a lot more words too. She will point to her shoes and say “shooos.” We also taught her how to saw “I love you”, I just love her voice! You can see her progress here:
Lily also likes to point at baby pictures or babies she sees when we go out and say “baby!!” It’s so strange to see that because she’s still MY baby! haha. Her favorite activities are to color and draw, and when she’s done or sees her art work that’s she’s done in the past, she likes to point to it and say “I did it!!” She also likes to dance and play with bubbles, ride her trike to the park, and play on the slides! She’s fearless on the slide and likes to go on the big kid’s slide now too. She is turning into a little fashionista and loves jewelry, sunglasses and hats as well haha. If she sees a hair bow, she’ll take it and say “bow” and try to put it in her hair! So cute! We love her so much!! Happy 22 months our sweet precious Lily pad!!
Lily also had Children’s Night at LePort and she got to see what she’s learned at school. We got to follow her around her classroom as she showed us her doing some “work” (activities). She really loves to paint, and do puzzles! I’m so impressed with how much she knows. She knows where everything in the classroom is, and she’s got the routine down really well. She’ll take the activity to the table and set it up and start working, then when she’s done, she’ll clean up her work and put it back on the shelf she got it from! She also really likes to put on the apron when she paints and she can put it on herself too. It’s so cute! She never ceases to amaze me!! Here is a video of her completing the butterfly peg puzzle! We are so proud of you Lily!!
3 Months
It’s been 3 months… I found this quote that I feel is very real and true…
I never got to hear you cry, I never got to feel you kick, I never got to hold you close or see you smile, but you will forever be missed. When you love something from the moment it exists in your heart, and it’s taken from you in the blink of an eye, it hurts. Then when it happens again, it hurts even more…
A lot of people I know don’t deal with these situations, thank goodness for that, and from the outside, sometimes you just don’t know what to say. This article is really helpful on what NOT to say, HERE. This article I found is also super helpful on how to help someone who is going through this loss and pain, HERE. Everyone means well but sometimes at a vulnerable state like this, words needs to be express with caution and I think sometimes less is more. A simple hug for me is more than enough. I am lucky to have so many people around me who love and care about me, and I’m blessed to have such a supportive and loving group of family and friends. It was really rough at first, initially I thought I would never recover enough to live again, but motivations like my precious Lily pad woke me up inside and insisted I try to be myself again. It took a while longer than it did the first time around. I was in a deep black hole for a long time, and it took a lot of patience and encouragement from my loved ones to help me see the light again. Khoa was a major part of that. He stayed strong for the both of us, even though I know he was hurting inside as well. He remained my rock, and I am forever grateful and lucky to have him. As time went on, I’m glad to say that I am ok and happy again. I’ll never forget, and I will always bring my angels with me as I continue my journey and adventures in life. Anyways, I love you my angels, thank you for watching over me and your family, we will meet one day, but until then, I will make you proud and live and smile for you.
