Year One Week Seventeen

I can be such a goofball sometimes. Especially when I'm playing with my Dad. Another beautiful day at the Zoo. Aunt Missy has sure gotten her money worth on her pass. This time Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Jiho, Edan, Isis, and Roger joined us for our animal fun. And boy did we kids have fun together!
The elephants are one of my favorite animals at the zoo.
But so are the tigers!
Looks like the men have their hands full! Literally!
Another group shot, this time in the blinding sun. Too bad I don't wear my hat as much as I used to.
We sure are one happy family.

Whoa! That's a real Aardvark! The park had just closed and the Aardvark was out for its daily walk. But he doesn't like to stop for anything, especially pictures.
The goats are always a hit. They are so funny trying to get the food out of our hands.
Vincent and Isis get along quite well.
Yippee! Slip-sliding away! This was a new milestone for me. I went down the slide all by myself. Luckily it isn't too fast of a slide and my feet slowed me down a bit. The first time I went by myself I kept saying "uh oh, uh oh" the whole way down. But the three of us kept going and going.
Hey! How did you guys get way up there in those cool chairs?

This tulip bucket is slanted just enough so create a centrifugal force the keeps you spinning and spinning.
My Dad was crazy enough to attempt spinning while holding on to Mom and me. He later tried it with just himself but wasn't prepared for the increased velocity.
Mom's high school reunion was Friday night but she chose to go to the picnic the next day instead. I was glad that she did, even if she did show me off to everybody.
Mom and Dad went on a date Saturday night to a Mariner's game (again!). Aunt Missy was nice enough to watch me while they enjoyed themselves.
Even though the Olympics are over, we still have plenty of activities lined up for next week when a lot of friends come into town. Stay tuned!

Year One Week Sixteen

Cheeeeese! I've learned that word very well by now. We had a full week of beautiful sunshine and warmth! It was in the nineties for three days! My Dad hated it though, especially since he had his finals that week. To add to his stress, Aunt Missy and Shayla also got sick. With it being summer, Mom couldn't find a sitter. So she came home early Wednesday & Thursday to spend time with me. Yay!! Mom has Mutual on Wednesdays so the extended family came over to watch the Olympics while we kids had fun playing together.
My favorite Olympic event... DOG PILE!! Mom and I visited Grandma and Grandpa and left Dad alone to attend to his finals on Thursday. We also went over on Friday for the "end of the quarter celebration" for Dad and Aunt Celeste. It was such a nice day that we played with bubbles, ran around the shaded yard...
and went on a walk to the park. Shayla came with us because Aunt Missy was still horribly sick and needed some rest.

Shayla's favorite thing to do is slide down slides.
Silly Momma...what are you doing...slides are for kids!
Another beautiful day and another beautiful park! Here are all the mommas and their kiddos.
Daddy loves having Aunt Bonnie home. He sure missed her!

My Grandparent's good friend Dr. Chuck stopped by for a quick visit. He lives in Oregon so this was our first meeting. I thought that his new puppy was so funny! Especially when it played with Philly, Sugar, and Ginger. I can't wait to see him again during the Christmas break and play with the rest of his pets!
Isis and I chowing down on the picnic snacks at the park.
And making each other laugh.
We had a great time at the park! Mom had to leave early to chaperone the youth dance so we missed her during frisbee, tag, the playground toys with slides, and soccer. Someday I'll be as masterful as Uncle Jiho and Roger.
This inflateable ducky is actually a bathtub, but we use it hold the toys in my room. Shayla and I had a ball with it on Sunday. We were hilarious!
I'm also getting the hang of coloring. I only stick the crayon in my mouth every once in a while now instead of often.One of the great things about having ancestors from a variety of nations is that we're able to take pride in their Olympic accomplishmets even when the USA doesn't medal. As my Dad says, no matter what country wins, it's still a remarkable achievement for us all. We are all the connected, participating in the same events at the same place and at the same time. That said, Go USA!!

Supremely Magnificent Seattle Mariners

Just to show you how much fun the first Mariner's game was, here's the game winning home run and the celebration that followed.

Year One Week Fifteen

Welcome to the second week of my Aunt Bonnie's return! Come on in and enjoy the stories! The Yoons and the Montoyas were still camping from last week and even took a trip up to Canada before we met up with them again. Mom and Dad were sad that we couldn't join them in their fun adventure. Hopefully we'll be able to go camping with them before the summer ends.

We did manage to meet together for dinner at Red Robin (The Olive Garden had a two hour wait!) on Wednesday. The mascot weirded me out at first but I accepted it eventually. While we were waiting for our food to arrive, my Dad took a few people to get geared up for the Mariner's game the next day.I really wanted to go to the Mariner's game but it was a night game so I spent the night at Aunt Missy's house. Uncle Shawn and Lisa Chan joined everyone for the awesome game. Everyone was pumped up with excitement, especially Shawn, Roger, and the Yoons who had never been to a Mariner's game before.

The promotion for that night was a free Mariner's T-shirt to commemorate the celebration of the annual "Stitch 'n Pitch" night. While my Dad spent the better part of the first innings making sure everyone received their shirt and was attended to, Grandpa enjoyed conversing with his fellow crocheters and knitters. This worked out well as no runs were scored until the fourth inning when the Rays grabbed one.
Even though the Mariners (who were nearly in last place) played against the Tampa Bay Rays (who were/are in first place), it was still a great game. During the eighth inning, enough Mariners managed to get on base to tie up the game. It came down to J.J. Putz’s strikeouts and a monstrous home run belted by Raul Ibanez to ultimately provide a memorable winning game for Seattle! What a great first game experience!
The next morning, I got to play with my cousins at Grandma's house while my Dad , Grandpa, Celeste, Roger, and the Yoons played racquetball. And yes, as the photo indicates, they did play a few games with everyone together simultaneously. Talk about insane!
We managed to squeeze in one more get together before Yeunho and Mirae departed back to Korea on Friday.
This time, we didn't have to wait at the Olive Garden and we even ended up with our own closed section! As you can see from the first photo, I made sure no one disturbed our private lunch. It was such a joy to be able to spend time with Yeunho and Mirae on their last day in America. We already miss them and can't wait to see them again in a few years.
I've really enjoy playing hide-and-go-seek and peek-a-boo with anybody that will play with me. I found this great hiding spot to surprise my parents with. Roarr!!
The Mariner's game was such a blast, that my Mom and Dad went to another game the next night. Actually, it just so happened that Mom's corporate party was held at Safeco Field the following day so my parents got to experience the Seattle Mariners for two nights in a row!
My parents enjoyed hanging out with their friends and co-workers at the party and game. Here we see my Dad and his friends Mark Price and Chuck Speece (with newborn Marley) sporting glasses and that clean look.
My Mom was delighted to not only hang out with Stephanie, but to hold her daughter during the game too! Even though there were eight runs scored during the game, Seattle could only claim three of them by the end. It was still a fun game and a wonderful night spent with friends.
The week ended on a super high note as the Olympics started! I don't anticipate as many photos forthcoming next week due to my Dad's finals and the fact that we will be fervidly engaged in the Olympics. But we'll see you again soon!

Year One Week Fourteen

On July 27th, one of the most anticipated events of 2008 came to pass. My Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Jiho, and cousins Edan and Isis moved back home from Korea!!! They had discussed this move for a long while and we are thrilled that it finally happened. I was looking forward to meeting them for the first time at the airport but they flew in past my bedtime. My Dad had the privilege of welcoming them home to America along with the rest of the northwet Montoyas and Aunt Bonnie's best friend Lisa and her husband Josh. My Grandparents treated everyone to Shari's on the way home to celebrate the homecoming and my Dad ended up coming home really late.

I finally had the pleasure of meeting them the following evening when they came over for an awesome salmon dinner at my house! We were having so much fun that we didn't take nearly enough pictures. I'm sometimes hesitant when I meet new people but I had technically already met my Aunt, Uncle, and my cousins when we conversed with each other via the web cam on the computer. That was a great technological feature but nothing beats true interaction.
As if Aunt Bonnie's family arrival wasn't exciting enough, Uncle Jiho's younger brother Yeunho also came to visit us!
As well as Yeunho's girlfriend Mirae!
I wanted to visit with them everyday but had to wait until Thursday when my Mom took a half day so we could meet up with them at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle.
It was great to have everyone together again!
We then walked along the waterway, enjoying the boats and shops, until we reached our dinner destination. Ivar's! My Dad loves their clam chowder served in their sourdough bread bowls. I prefered their fries and apparently, so did the seagulls!
These fearless birds flew right up to us to snatch a snack. One of them was so brazen that it stole my Mom's dinner when she wasn't looking!
My Dad wanted to spend some qualilty time with the Yoons so he showed them around the city, eventually ending up at Gameworks. Dad was a little disapointed as many of the "rides" were closed for repairs but everyone still had a blast.
JihoBonnie's homecoming party was held at my Grandparent's house on Saturday. It was so loud and busy with the plethora of party goers there that we kids stuck together. Edan ended up falling asleep right in the middle of everything!
The Yoons and Montoyas went camping on Sunday so we spent time with the Kellys at Camelot.
The Kellys were taking care of the Polson's dog, Lady, and I really enjoyed her company. Shayla and I also found it hilarious when Lady and Philly played together.
My Mom knows how to slide the best!
Shayla and I have become best buds now that we see each other practically every day. She's so much fun.