Cousins

My cousin, Thuy, and her boyfriend, Kevin, came over tonight to bring Andrew's Christmas present by. She got him a cute little bear that folds out to a pillow. It's so soft! Thank you so much for thinking of Andrew!

While they were over visiting, James was picking up Cousin Thomas from the airport. After they came home, we all had dinner and chatted. Then, James and Thomas set up Wii Fit and we spent the rest of the night playing that. Lots of fun. Can I say that I did pretty darn well on the ski jump!? Ha ha!

Anyhow, here is a picture of Thuy and Andrew.

Christmas Part V and More From Ohio

Oh, we had such a great time in Ohio. I have so missed the kids!! And it was especially great being with them and my own son all playing together. The cousins were terrific with Andrew. Of course, they all wanted to hold him. Brennan kept saying that he wanted to hold A.J. and that he was "tall"...meaning big enough to hold him by himself. Brennan even offered up his blankie and to help change his diaper. Cara loved holding him and walking him around. Emma wanted to take baths with him and wanted to sleep with us too. Anyhow, let's start from the beginning.

When we landed in Columbus and walked out towards baggage claim, I saw Emma peeping out looking for us. Aunt Anh Thu let Andrew hold him even though he hadn't seen her in two months. We proceeded to get our luggage and then embarked upon the hour plus car ride to Centerville. Andrew cried as he was tired and promptly fell asleep several minutes later. Emma was really good about playing with him and trying to keep him happy.

We made it to Centerville and quickly found Cara and Brennan. The girls were so excited to have A.J. (all my sister's family pretty much call him A.J.) open his Christmas presents. We didn't want to let them down so we let him. He did okay opening them, but he was more intrigued by their Christmas tree as it was not barricaded as ours was at home. For Christmas dinner, Rick and Anh Thu made a yummy turducken.

We passed most the time at the Armstrongs just playing with the kids. Cara, Emma, and Brennan love them some shoulders rides especially on Uncle James and Uncle Anh Tuan. Brennan made it known that he did NOT like NiNi to provide him his shoulder rides. :( No fair! Anh Thu also showed us two new games, Rummikub and Shanghai. These provided hours of enjoyment and laughter. The kids also received Rock Band 2 for their Wii. This also provided additional hours of enjoyment and laughter. Cara and Emma were great at vocals; and Brennan wasn't too bad at the drums for a 3 year old! James was really good at the guitar while I wasn't too sucky at the drums. Rick and Anh Tuan were pretty sweet on the guitar and drums respectively.

On Saturday, the weather was nice; and we decided to take Cara and Brennan outside to play (Emma went grocery shopping with Ngoai and Anh Thu). James and I watched Cara while she rode her new bike from Santa and Brennan played with his new batting helper from Uncle Anh Tuan and us. Then, we thought about taking Andrew to the neighborhood playground. When we got there, we found it to be pretty wet and muddy. So, then we all walked down to the pond--Andrew really loved looking at the ducks! Too bad we didn't know we were going to go to the pond or we would have brought bread out to feed them. Andrew probably would have gotten a kick out of having all the ducks come closer to us.

On Sunday, Rick and Anh Thu took us to Perfect North for some skiing and snowboarding. Cara and Emma were great on the bunny slopes; and Brennan had a great time going down the hill with Rick. Then, James, Anh Tuan, Rick, and Cara went to go on some harder runs while Anh Thu, Emma, Brennan, Andrew, and I stayed and played in the snow. Andrew really liked to have the snow in his hands. He tried to eat it once, but gave up that idea rather quickly thankfully. I think he just liked feeling the cold. Later, it was my turn to hit the slopes with Coach Anh Tuan. Cara and Rick went down first. That girl is a natural skier!! It was weird being on a board again; and it showed as I fell quite a bit. I make the disclaimer that I sometimes fall on purpose so I don't crash into people. I am not very good at steering the board; that's what I was trying to work on. But the day was not a waste. I finally was able to get off the lift without eating it!! When we were in Tahoe last year, all the times I went up on the lift, I fell every time. So, this was a feat in itself for me. Anyhow, I can't wait to go again and try to work on my balance. Hopefully, we can take Drew when he is older and ready to learn how to ski.

After we got back from the slopes, Anh Thu and Rick got ready for this anniversary dinner as Sunday marked their 12th wedding anniversary. So, we took care of the kids, which was easy. We even had all the kids in bed (though not sleeping yet) by the time the parental units returned home. But Happy Anniversary again, Rick and Anh Thu! And here is to many more!!

Sadly, Monday was the day we were all going home. Ngoai cooked pho; and my sister invited one of her friends and her family over for lunch. Then, we all packed and got ready for our flights. We had to split into two cars since Papa, Ngoai, and Anh Tuan had a later flight than we did. It was sad saying bye to Cara and Emma. I hate saying bye to them. They get these sad faces; and it makes me want to cry. Andrew was sweet enough to give them both goodbye kisses.

Rick and Brennan took us to the airport. Brennan was cute playing with Andrew. Then, Andrew got tired and fell asleep. Brennan even urged Andrew to suck his thumb to help him sleep since Brennan sucks his thumb to sleep. I think I confused Brennan when I told him that Andrew doesn't suck his thumb because Brennan retorted "all babies suck their thumbs."

We made it back home without problems. Andrew once again impressed us with his behavior on both flights and the long layover in St. Louis. He barely fussed when he got tired and fell asleep. I am starting to wonder if we should start flying to San Antonio and Austin! Ha ha!

It's good to be home, but I miss all the kids already. Armstrongs, thank you for having us and everything you did. We love you so very much!!

There are lots of pictures from our trip so I put them all in a slideshow. Erin, I hope you don't mind, but I used your slideshow song as one of mine too.

Christmas Pictures

Here are some more Christmas pictures that I wanted to share with you guys, but didn't make the Christmas card cut.

Thanks again, Drew (Nguyen) for taking these pictures for us!!!

Christmas Morning (Part IV)

Daddy and Mommy woke up early Christmas morning to finish getting everything ready for our trip to Ohio. Afterwards, we woke up Andrew and took him downstairs to see what Santa had brought. Again, he wasn't big on opening the gift, so we had to rush him through so we could leave on time. We left only five minutes after schedule (not too bad considering). We didn't have any trouble except that many of the parking garages were actually full (never saw that coming). But we managed to get to the gate with plenty of time to spare and even managing to buy Subway to eat later on that day.

Andrew was amazing on the flights. He loved looking around at everything especially the people and out the window. We read to him and played with some toys. He was a tad fussy when he was tired, but fell asleep relatively easily and slept most of the way. Mommy even got to take a little nap while Drew napped. We had a mechanical delay in Chicago, which sucked, but passed the time talking and playing with other families on our flight. I guess everyone had the same thought as us with sitting in the back of the plane with our kids because it seemed like a nursery back there!!

Here are pictures from Christmas morning:

Merry Christmas

From the Lenzes...

Happy Tenth Month Birthday!

I know I write just about every month that I can't believe that another month has gone by; and this month is no different. Then, when you add in all the Christmas preparations and time with family, the days seem to really come and go in the blink of an eye. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's been a good month. Andrew is growing up and becoming such a little boy. His walking has gotten much better. Although he still has the drunken stupor thing going for him, he is getting more confident and braver with his walking. However, he definitely still crawls more than walks.

He is also becoming a lot more picky when it comes to food. He wants to eat what we are eating and doesn't care too much for this baby food. Since I have jars and jars left, we are still making him eat his baby food. But thankfully, I put things on his tray and let him divert himself while he picks them up to feed him the baby food. Some days are better than others. Sometimes, he will turn his head away, close his mouth, or even better, spit out the food. Punk! Well, baby food had a good six month run!!

Andrew is also talking more. "Ma" has made it finally!!! I was beginning to wonder. I don't think he makes the association with words and objects yet, but we will keep working on it.

He still loves to give fives and clap. But he started sticking out his tongue so I kept saying "tongue" until he made the connection. I promise to get video of all his tricks and more of his walking soon! My apologies! I have been slacking with recording clips as of late. :(

I leave you with my favorite pictures of Andrew and Mary Ann from earlier today.

Christmas Part III

Tonight, Andrew opened up some more gifts that we didn't get to last night because there were just too many; and A.J. already was on gift overload!! I absolutely love the second picture as he is peering in the bag. Sneaky little rascal!

Can't wait till Santa comes! And then, it's off to Ohio!

Mary Ann and Madison

Today, Mary Ann and her dog, Madison, came over to visit us. It was so very nice spending time with her. Saying that Mommy and Mary Ann spent a lot of time together while Mary Ann was growing up would be a severe understatement. Mary Ann is more like the younger sister I never had rather than a cousin. We used to go shopping together, watch movies, run errands, and whatever else. Today, we just chilled, watched some TV, and of course, played with Andrew and Madison.

Mommy really misses Mary Ann as she is going to school at the University of Texas at Dallas. I didn't realize until today how much I have really missed her. It was like old times being with her (except for the my having a baby). She's been really busy with school and work and doesn't make it back to Houston as much as we would like. And she informed me today, even as busy as she is, she got really good grades this past semester! I am so very proud of her.

Here are some pictures of Mary Ann and Madison in front of our tree.

Christmas Part II

Tonight, we celebrated Christmas with Papa, Ngoai, and Uncle Anh Tuan so we wouldn't have to lug all the presents to Ohio. Andrew did a little better with the unwrapping, but there is still much to be desired. He would only rip a small piece and be done. Mommy and Daddy had to help a lot. But Drew seemed to really like his presents. I am sure he was totally overstimulated!!

Later, we got a visit from David, Dina, and their dog, Mya. Andrew loved Mya of course! It was good to see David and Dina who both worked hard this semester at medical and law school respectively.

The Wyatts

The Wyatts were back in town from San Diego for the Christmas holidays. They were kind enough to make some time for us before we left for Ohio. The Wyatts came over to check out the house first; and we played with the kids for a bit. Then, we went to Texadelphia so they could have some yummy Philly cheesesteaks.

Thank you guys for hanging out with us and thank you for the beautiful gifts! We love you and miss you!!

Auntie Vinaya

Ok, Mommy made such a boo boo today. Auntie Vinaya came home from New York and hung out with us all day; and never once did Mommy take out the camera. I guess I was having too much fun.

We picked up Vinaya at the airport; and Drew was such a trooper in the car as her flight was late getting in. He only cried when he saw me get out of the car to hug Vinaya and help her with her bag. I think he thought I was leaving him. Poor kid.

We then met Daddy by this work to have lunch where Andrew was being friendly with some of the patrons. He would wave and smile at some of the other guests...mostly women I might add. After lunch, we went to Banana Republic to do a little shopping. Again, Andrew was friendly with some of the other shoppers...again, mostly women. I swear, we are going to be in trouble. He's already flirting!!!

Then, we headed home and just chilled. We played with Drew while we caught up and talked. I had so missed Vinaya. It's hard to keep in touch with each other being so far apart; we never talk or email as much as we would like to. But it's so nice that no matter how much time or distance stands between us, we can fall back into things so easily. Ever since Vinaya went away for college, it's always been this way. I am very grateful for our friendship. I love you so much! Thanks again for spending the day with us!!

Since I didn't take any pictures like the dope that I am, I will post some of my favorite pictures of Auntie Vinaya from the past.

Play Date with Evan

We had another play date with Evan at Belinda's house this morning. We have been trying to get the boys together forever now, but our schedules never seem to work out right.

It was great watching the boys play while Belinda and I could catch up. Andrew loved playing with all of Evan's toys and getting to visit with Scout (their German Shepard). Evan is such a cutie pie. He is talking more and more and getting to know so much.

Thanks for having us over and all the gifts from China!! Next time, our house!

Neighbors

So, we have these really great neighbors, Donnie and Aimee Bolton. Donnie has been such a tremendous help to us with moving into our new house. What's even better is that they are Longhorns too and Donnie is an avid football fan. So, there is always lots to talk about. And what's even better is that they have a precious little girl, Emily, who is one month older than Andrew. Ready made friends!! It's also coincidental that Donnie and Aimee are an interracial couple like James and me (Anglo and Vietnamese respectively). It's even more coincidental that Aimee is an attorney too! Too funny!

Anyhow, we invited the Boltons over for dinner to get to know them better and to thank them for their help...and to let Andrew and Emily play together. We had a really nice time chatting away and playing with our babies. Emily is such a doll, so sweet and cute. Hopefully, we will be able to do it again soon.

Christmas Part I

Nonna came in for a visit this weekend to celebrate Christmas with us since we will be in Ohio for Christmas with Anh Thu's family. Andrew had his first taste of Christmas and trying to open his gifts. Understandably so, he doesn't really "get" that he is supposed to unwrap the paper in order to find his present. Oh well, we will just have to keep on practicing.

Just Because

Just because I managed to grab the camera this morning...here is our happy boy playing in his room.

Snowing!?

It was the talk of the town....from meterologists to just everyone around town...it might snow in Houston tonight. Skeptical me was like "I will believe it when I see it" because I didn't want to get my hopes and later, be disappointed. Well, I saw it; and I believed it.

We had snow flurries up where we are, but they would melt upon hitting the ground. I talked to my cousins and Ngoai who reported that in League City, not only was it sticking, they had a good few inches of snow. I am bummed that we are 20+ miles north of them, but we didn't get snow like that. Oh well, it was too late for Andrew to partake in the fun anyhow. We let him see the snow from the balcony, but it was much too cold to take him outside and we didn't want him to get any sicker.

Tubby Time

Since the get-go, Andrew has pretty much always loved tubby time and still does. However, now, he loves it so much so that sometimes, he cries when we take him out and will even try to climb back in. Daddy was messing with Andrew's hair during bathtime tonight. Love the hair. Love the smile.

Standing and Walking

Drew finally graced us with some video footage of him standing and walking. It's not the best video, but hopefully it will suffice for now. First, he isn't the most cooperative; second, sometimes, we just aren't the best videographers. Once we are able to record more or he gets better at walking, I will definitely post it.

Cherryhurst Park

There is a nice little park within walking distance of our house. We decided to go for a stroll and let Drew play at the playground since the weather was so nice.

Andrew seemed to enjoyed the swing, but it couldn't compare to the dog he kept looking at as evidenced by the photo below. We also took him down the slide a few times and let him walk around the jungle gym. Daddy and Mommy know there will be more trips to this park in our future.

The Hunleys

A old co-worker of mine (from my last two jobs, mind you) was moving to Dallas for another job opportunity. So, our group of friends from work decided to throw his family a small intimate going away party to send them off. It was the first time hosting a get together in our new home; we aren't 100% settled in yet, but we made do.

Below are some pictures from the night's festivities. Also, Andrew loved little Laney (born in September). He loved looking at her and wanted to touch her too, but didn't understand the concept of "gentle."

Anyhow, we had a great time catching up and hanging out one more times. We will miss the Hunleys very much. Good luck and best wishes always!!

Deja Vu Part Deux

We were trying out the rocking chair at Nonna's house. When I saw the picture of Drew, I had another case of deja vu as I recalled the picture of James in his high chair when he was a baby. Whacky!