Mother’s Day 2013 (from Kate)

Sunday was my first Mother’s Day and possibly one of the best days I’ve had with Emery since she was born.  First, she slept until 7:00 a.m.!!  Whoever thought that I’d be excited to “sleep in” until 7?!  When Emi woke up, she was in a very happy mood and Steve encouraged me to stay in bed while he went to get her.

A few minutes later, they both showed up with a type-written agenda for the day.   First on our list (after Emi ate) was storytime.  Instead of reading one of Emi’s favorite books from her room, Steve gave me a book called “Emery and Mommy.”  It is a really cute story about me and Emi with lots of pictures.  I love it!

Next, we got ready and went to church.  Emery could not have been in a better mood.  After church, we went to one of my favorite cafes/restaurants, Huckleberry.  Emi slept through the entire meal, but that gave me and Steve some quality time to chat.  My meal was excellent, as always, and I finished it off with a delicious chocolate and peanut butter cake slice.

After lunch, we headed home and planted a lime tree in our backyard.  The idea, which Steve came up with, is that the tree will grow and blossom with fruits just like our family.  (Not to mention, who doesn’t love limes?)

After the lime tree planting, we got out the clay and made Emery’s footprint impressions.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a while and Steve thought it was the perfect addition to our Mother’s Day agenda.  I can’t wait to frame it!

We followed our at-home activities up with a trip down to the Orange County Great Park, where we met our friends, Jenny and Brian (from San Diego).  The Great Park is REALLY cool.  Since it was such a beautiful day and Emi was so happy to be outside, we spent a lot of time just hanging out on the grass.  We finished the outing at the Carousel.  To be honest, Emi looked completely bored the entire time we rode around, but perhaps she was just confused.

We ended the day with an awesome buffet at the Orange Hill Restaurant.  Steve and I went on a date at the restaurant 10 years ago!  I’ve been telling Steve that I want to go back just to see what it is like now.  We did not know what to expect, but as it turns out, the place is just as fancy and delicious as we remembered.  Emery spent most of the time dropping her toys on the floor and eagerly waiting for me or Steve to pick them up.  (This is her new “game.”)

Motherhood isn’t always easy, but it’s completely worth it to see my little girl smile.  I love her so much and swear that life with her gets better by the day.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, easy-going baby and hope that she will continue to love our adventures together as she grows up.  I know this sounds cliché, but I can’t imagine life without her!

Lots of Love for Baby Vo

One month before my due date, on June 16th, seven of my church friends threw me an absolutely wonderful baby shower tea party in one of their backyards.  My mom, sister, and mother-in-law all flew into town for the event.  I think the pictures really show what the festivities were all about – lots of girly fun!  Instead of giving me cards with their gifts, my friends gave Baby Vo books.  Her library is packed now!  (She even received the cutest, “Goodnight Los Angeles” book modeled off of the “Goodnight Moon” book.)  My mom gave Baby Vo my old Paddington Bear book, which is of course very special since Paddington Bear was my favorite toy growing up.  Steve’s mom made Baby Vo a ton of beautiful knit clothing including a gorgeous cocoon and matching hat/shoe sets.  (She’s not only a very talented knitter, but also a very productive one!)  My good friend, Jenny, made us a fun UW baby blanket (which Steve has claimed as his own) and my friend, Carrie, made us burp clothes out of reusable diapers.  I can’t believe how crafty everyone is!  (If I only had half of their skills, I’d be content.)  Baby Vo is one very lucky little girl.