Nho Thi Pham

Last night, we lost a beloved member of our family. My dad's younger sister, Nho Thi Pham, passed away after a three year battle with cancer. I have always called her Co Bay, which means Aunt 7. Co Bay was diagnosed when I was pregnant with Andrew and was given only six months to a year to live. The cancer had spread into her brain and she had to have surgery to remove the tumors. After the surgery, she recovered and began treatment, to which was very successful. She seemed to become pretty healthy again and we were all overjoyed. But we always knew, we were on borrowed time.

Over the past few months, her health had deteriorated including one of her kidneys stopped functioning. And then we found out that more tumors had reappeared in her brain, but she wasn't able to undergo surgery because of her weakened state with the kidney failure. Things went okay for awhile, but she never fully recovered after that.

Last Monday, she was readmitted to the hospital and the doctors said she didn't have much longer. Sadly, there wasn't anything left to do. We all braced ourselves and waited and prayed. But she held on and was later moved to a nursing home/rehab clinic. She wasn't very responsive at this point and was sleeping most of the time due to all the medication to keep her comfortable. And last night, she passed away.

Of course, I am heartbroken and filled with grief. But I am glad she's not in pain anymore. I hated seeing her in the hospital like that and we all just wanted her to be at peace. But the things I am most distraught over is the sadness I feel for my dad to lose his younger sister and for my cousin, Kristie, who is only fifteen and having to lose her mother at such a young age. I don't know what I would do now if I lost either one of my parents and I am thirty-four years old! I can't imagine what my cousin is going through. I feel so terrible that any child has to go through something like this, but more so a girl I love dearly. She's such a good kid--very well behaved and does very well in school.

Co Bay was very big on family just like my dad. She was the one who initiated the procedure to have Uncle 9's family and Uncle 10's family come here from Vietnam. She housed them and took care of them quite a bit until they were on their feet.

I can still remember the first time I met Co Bay. She and my paternal grandmother had just arrived from Vietnam. I can picture her sitting at our old dining table at our old house that I grew up in. I didn't spend a whole lot of time with her, but when I did, she was always very sweet and kind to me. And how she adored Andrew too. I have a very fond memory of Vanna's graduation party where Co Bay was making Andrew laugh hysterically. I knew then I would remember that moment always. And I will.

Co Bay, we love you and will miss you so very much. Thank you for all that you did for our family. Thank you for being a wonderful aunt.

Nho Thi Pham
05/12/1955-03/31/2011

Harry Connick, Jr.

Last night, Daddy and I had a very special date night. For years, we had been wanting to see Harry Connick, Jr. but something always ended up getting in the way.

Seven years ago when we got married, James's wedding present to me was to a weekend trip to New Orleans for Jazz Fest soon after the wedding. But Saturday, the day of the show, it rained so hard that Jazz Fest was cancelled including Harry's show. We had a great time in NOLA nonetheless, but we were of course disappointed having missed the show.

Then, in 2007, Harry was coming to Houston for a show up in the Woodlands, but it was the night before James's graduation from Rice. We had lots going on including family in town that it would have been too hard to go.

So, earlier this year, when I was looking for tickets for a Thomas show at Jones Hall for Andrew, lo and behold, the website listed a show for Harry, which I hadn't heard a thing about until then. I immediately emailed James. He didn't even hesitate to say we would get tickets. We decided it would be an anniversary present for me since it was a redo for my wedding present.

Ngoai's car was in the shop and she was without a car so we were lucky when Kavi's nanny agreed to watch Andrew for us. I was a little nervous since Andrew had never seen her. This would be the first non-related babysitter since our nanny when Andrew was young. We explained to Andrew what was going on. We said we were going on a date and Ms. Racquel would come over and watch him and play with him. He was cute about asking questions like "why you go on date?", "what's anniversary?", and "why you get married?" But he seemed pretty excited about Racquel coming over.

And upon her arrival, we all ate some pizza together and talked a little bit. Once Andrew was finished eating, he hopped down off the chair and grabbed her hand to go play trains. He then said "Mommy and Daddy go bye bye now." I knew he would be okay.

During the concert, I texted Racquel a bit and she told me that Andrew was doing great. He had asked about me one time and got a little sad, but didn't cry. And to our surprise, she was able to get him to sleep at 845pm!! He never does that for us!! We totally need to get her to come over again!! And he has already asked us to go on another date so that Ms. Racquel can come back and play with him again. She is a hit all around!

The concert was incredible. Harry was as every bit good as I had thought he would be. Not only was his singing and piano playing amazing, but he is so funny and witty too!! It was such a great show and I am so glad that we went. And it made it all the better knowing Andrew was okay with Racquel.

I only had my camera phone on me (my point and shoot was out of battery). The bartender took a picture of us at the restaurant, but it was blurry. This is all I got of my wonderful date and me at the concert. I love you, James. Happy Early Anniversary!

Elise's and Kage's Birthday Party

This afternoon, we were invited to Elise's and Kage's birthday party. Elise is turning four while Kage is turning two. The party began at 4pm, but Andrew took a longer than usual nap and we were late.

Drew had a blast playing with everyone especially Max. They were basically inseparable during the party even riding on one of Kage's ride on trains for a good while. Later, Andrew and Anna played kitchen with me for a little bit too. We pretended to make ice cream and cake--totally fitting for a birthday party. Evan even joined us for a bit and served up some red bean ice cream!! He's so Asian, I love it!!

Uncle Chris and Aunt Thi had an inflatable moon bounce set up and the kids loved that of course. Andrew was going every which but loose. He even tried to copy the bigger kids and walk up the slide.

Later, we made smores on the fire pit before calling it a night. Andrew thoroughly enjoyed the marshmallows. It was a fun time and I loved catching to see everyone and hang out.

Happy Birthday to Elise and Kage!! We love you two so much!!

YMCA Spring Soccer Week 5: Seattle v. Toronto

It's crazy how long it's been since we had soccer. Week 2 was rained out, but we will have a make up practice and game later in April. We missed Week 3 with our trip to Vegas. And then, we didn't have the next week after that for Spring Break.

We had spent Thursday and Friday in League City and Friday night, Andrew said he didn't want to go home. I didn't care too much either way because I know he loves spending time down there and Uncle Foo was headed into town as well. The only thing I don't like is having to get Andrew up, fed, ready and out the door a good thirty-five minutes before practice to drive back up to Houston.

This morning was also Picture Day in addition to our normal practice and game. Papa, who was battling another round of gout wasn't able to play tennis this morning, decided to drive up with us to keep Andrew and I company. Then, Uncle Foo would drive up later for the game and drive them both back to League City.

For the photos, Andrew was little hyper to say the least. He was actually first to be called for his team (alphabetical by first name). I felt bad because the photographer must have taken a good twenty shots of Andrew because the kid didn't want to cooperate!! I know lots of kids do that, but I don't like it when Andrew doesn't act appropriately and he wasn't doing so at the moment.

Once he was finally finished with his individual picture, we had to wait for the all the other kids to do theirs before the team photo. Andrew was behaving then and was trying to play with another little boy, Winston. They even sat and posed for a few shots for his mom and me. Then, it was time for the team photos and Andrew did pretty good for those sitting nicely and he even got to hold the ball with another kid, Isaiah.

After, we headed to the fields and practiced a little. Finally, it was time for the game. Andrew did better this time even getting a few touches on the ball. He definitely was understanding more about the game and would go after the ball more than the first game. But he was still a little tentative at times not running as fast or waiting for the other kids to run after the ball first. He's still learning quite a bit, which we are very happy about, but we are more so just thrilled that he seems to like it.

Unfortunately, my camera ran out of battery during the game. I can't believe I forgot to recharge it!! :( So, I don't have much to share sadly. But here's some of what I did get.

Happy 37th Month Birthday

Another month has come and gone and Andrew continues to grow into such a little boy. He is still very happy and very social, but of course, we have our moments where Andrew will test our patience with meltdowns and tantrums...and other acts of disobedience. But we know that's just a part of life and it's bound to happen. We are just happy and thankful that they don't happen too often!

Andrew's speech continues to make vast improvements and progress. We are still going to speech therapy every week. One new thing I love is that he asks now, "Where's my Daddy?" versus "Where's Daddy?" So possessive already! But he is constructing several word sentences and his pronounciation is making leaps and bounds. In therapy, we have been working on Andrew pronouncing the final consonants in words.

The inquisitor still asks "why" all the time. It can be very draining at times to answer all the questions, but we try to answer him as best we can. We don't like to say "because I said so", but I have had to use "because God made it that way" a few more times than I would like to (when he asked me why we have two arms). And we also will turn it around on him to see if he is really listening to our answers. Like if he asks me why to something, I will just him why right back and more than half the time, he knows the answers. Sometimes, we just think he likes to ask us questions and then maybe he just likes to hear our answers for affirmation.

When playing trains with Andrew, he takes it upon himself to build the other person a train to play with versus letting us make one ourselves. I do try to tell him that sometimes I like to make my own train and he's okay with that. He's also been obsessed with freight trains versus passenger trains lately. When he plays Thomas, he likes to passenger trains and freight trains. Sometimes, he mixes them, but for the most part, he keeps them separated. And he enjoys telling us what freight the trains are carrying for their cargo like milk, lumber, animals, etc. As for other toys, Andrew has been really enjoying building with Legos more and more. He is getting better with putting them together. Additionally, he still enjoys playing with fire trucks and garbage trucks.

One of his little buddies, Jack, gave Andrew a kids' game very similar to Charades called "Kids On Stage". There are three colors of cards--red, blue, and green. Red cards have action words, like sleeping and washing hands. Blue cards contain animals like duck and horse. Finally, green cards have other objects like backpack and refrigerator. At first, Andrew kept saying the word before acting it out, but after a few games, he got the hang of it. He is pretty good at acting things out and even better at guessing. Daddy and I love how Andrew uses his creativity and imagination. Drew also likes to play with another birthday gift called Marble Run. Daddy does most of the building while Andrew loves to send the marbles down the tubes.

He still loves playing outside and asks for it most every day. Drew the Daredevil loves riding his scooter in the courtyard. We got him a helmet (green, of course) and he's pretty good about wearing it. He looks so cute in it!

When he wants you to play with him, he will say "come on" and then will you’re your hands leading to wherever he wants you to play. Sometimes, if it is more pressing, he will say “Hurry, come on!”

He also likes his Thomas Big Storybook collection book. We have been reading one story from the book a night. He also likes that we keep our place for the next night with bookmarks.Andrew has also been very into his Curious George books especially the one that Uncle John and his family gave Andrew with the older stories, which are quite long. We think one of the reason he likes them is because of their length and thus, allows him to delay night-night time longer.

Drew has been into coloring books and shows improvement with coloring inside the lines. It is like a big blog of color right on top of the object and a little around the object. He draws stick figures with arms and legs and will draw eyes, nose, and a mouth on faces. He will drive a square and a rectangle for fire trucks and then add a ladder and circles for wheels.

Andrew is doing great continuing to learn his alphabet and numbers. He recognizes just about all of them and can recite them as well. As for numbers, he knows 1-10 and can count into the teens at times though it’s not perfect all the time.

Drew still loves Down by the Station and The Eyes of Texas. He will totally just bust out into song sometimes and sing to himself. It's so cute! As for television, Andrew still likes Team Umizoomi and Max & Ruby.

Andrew still has computer time at night and is getting much better with his ability to use the touchpad and arrow keys. He now can navigate through some of the websites to get to where he wants to go and can also start games on his own. Drew still enjoys www.nickjr.com and www,pbskids.org probably the most. He still has been playing lots of the Team Umizoomi and Max & Ruby games online, but he will also play Curious George and Dinosaur Train.

As for food, he has been really digging fruit lately especially grapes, apples, strawberries, and blueberries. As for vegetables, the only one Andrew will eat consistently is broccoli. He will eat potatoes every now and then, but broccoli is by far his favorite. He will sometimes pick it out and eat them first.

One of his new favorite drinks is lemonade and loves to order it in restaurants. He will drink pink lemonade, but he definitely prefers the greenish/yellowish one. Also, he loves having ice in his cups with his beverages. He will get them via the ice dispenser out of the fridge. We have had to tell him to only get a few cubes because he will get an entire cup full.

I know I have said that Andrew loves pizza, but I don't know if I have mentioned before that Andrew loves Totino's pizza in particular. He loves Pizza Hut probably the most, but maybe Totino's second. We do buy the more expensive frozen pizza, but Andrew never goes to town on it like he does his Totino's. He's been eating half of the pizza lately, while I eat the other half. I can't believe he can put down as much as me!! At first, I had to pick off the pepperoni, but thankfully now, he's starting to like meat on pizza.

He has also been eating french fries and potato chips more and more these days. He will dip his fries in ketchup, teriyaki sauce or barbeque sauce. He is also likes the cheese crackers with peanut butter probably because he sees us eating them. Andrew still loves to eat chicken nuggets (especially with barbeque sauce) and grilled cheese sandwiches. He has been more in an apple juice phase and not drinking as much milk.

Our three year old continues to try to become more and more independent. Usually, this is a good thing, but not when it is him fighting naps. There are have been a few days this past month where he will sit in his room for over an hour before falling asleep, which can be very frustrating. I wish I could make him realize how awesome naps are and how much he will wish he could take them when he's older!! I also wish I could make him realize that he still needs his naps! He is totally not ready to drop them completely. If he skips his nap, he can become very ornery by the late afternoon. On those days, we just put him down for night night super early so he can catch up on his sleep.

More signs of Andrew's independence is that he is trying to dress himself (and undress himself), washing his own hands, and getting food and drinks from the kitchen. He's also gotten good at taking off his shoes and socks.

He definitely knows his mind. He never likes to take band-aids off so now won't ever want one on like after his shot at his three year checkup. And when he gets scrapes or cuts of any kind, he might cry a little bit, but will be more concerned about not putting a bandaid on. He also loves to show boo boos to people

He is more into taking showers rather than baths, which is nice for us because it's less messy! We don't have problems with him spilling water out of the tub!! Sometimes, he will try to get out of baths or showers. He’ll sometimes tell us "I no take bath. I not dirty.

Andrew is still loving school especially his classmates. When he sees any of them in the parking lot, he will want to run to them and walk to the classroom with them. Same for leaving school too--he will tell him he wants to "follow" whomever and walk with them to the parking lot.

He does asks me about whether it is a short day at school and if he has to go night night there. For whatever reason, he is apprehensive about taking a nap at school. But apparently it's all talk because he hasn't ever missed a nap at school. I think he just likes to nap at home better for whatever reason.

Andrew can totally crack us up with the things he says and does. For example, one day, Andrew and Daddy went on a little grocery one (I think I stayed home to rest). Daddy was listening to some song on the radio. Andrew then tells James he wants a train song. So Daddy replies back "what does a train song sound like?" Andrew candidly replies "train songs go like this 'whoo hoo, all aboard!'"

And in imitation, he has learned to give the evil eye stare down when he's not happy. I do this to him all the time--sometimes joking, but usually in seriousness. When he first did it, I laughed hysterically so he thinks it's just a funny thing to do and now will do it on command. I will definitely have to take a picture of it soon.

Drew has also shown a little bit of becoming a smart alleck too. Since he turned three, we have bumped up his time outs to three minutes. Well, one day, I told him to go to timeout and told him he had to sit for three minutes to reinforce the new time length. He then asks me "one minute?" like he used to ask when I told him two minutes before. So I ask him "how old are you?" to get the point across that he has to stay in timeout for as many minutes as how old he is. He calmly replies "one year." The punk!!

I guess he misses our road trips because he asks all the time to go to Uncle Anh Tuan's house and Nonna's house. And he keeps asking when we will go to Aunt Anh Thu's house again. I have to tell him we probably won't have any trips until after Daddy's test and he doesn't give me any grief over my answer. But then a few days later or when he thinks of it, he will ask me again.

He asks all the time when we pull into the complex that he be allowed to drive the car. I let him about 20% of the time. He's pretty calm at the steering wheel. I was hesitant at first because I thought he would go crazy turning the steering wheel back and forth.

We have been trying to work with Andrew about cleaning up after himself. He's always been pretty good about picking up his toys. But now, we try to get him to pick up whatever toys he's been playing with last before he gets a new toy out. It's working so far, but we have to keep after him.

Also, we have kept at trying to instill a reward system with Andrew. We tell him if he can put himself to bed without too much difficulty, he can earn his TV time for the next day. We tell him he needs to lay still, not come out (too many times), and go to sleep fairly quickly. Granted it's a fairly objective standard, but it does seem to be helping.

Recently, Andrew has been sleeping on floor. I don't know if he's because he doesn't have enough room in his toddler bed (which uses a crib mattress) or if he just finds the floor more comfortable right now or maybe this is just a phase and he just needs a change of scenery. I joke that he is like his mother liking to sleep on the floor, but I wish he wouldn't be. But we are letting him for the meantime and see if he goes back to his bed or not.

He has always loved spending time at Ngoai's and Papa's house, but he is totally obsessed now since we have been spending even more time there so Daddy can study. He asks all the time when we are going to go to their house. He never wants to go home. He tells me all the time that he will stay there and I can go home and pick him up later (like when Daddy and I have date night). One time, I threatened that I was going to go home without him and he just calmly replies, "bye bye Mommy". But when I do get him home, it's all about Daddy. He just likes to stay where he is. But I understand why he loves going to League City...Ngoai and Papa spoil him rotten. And he is over the moon when Papa plays with him. It's so sweet. I just feel bad that Andrew never gives Papa a break! Luckily, they love having him there just as much as he loves it, so it all works out.

Here's my little boy in yet another new shirt--the shirt from his birthday party. I was sad the guests didn't get to see another cute creatiion from Aunt Thuy, but I guess we will just have to blame the cooler weather and live with it. But Andrew loves to wear it whenever he can.

Three Boys!?

Don't get too excited...we aren't having twin boys. But today, I got a little taste of how it would if we were. Mrs. Andi had a doctor's appointment here in town this afternoon and her normal babysitter wasn't able to watch Gavin and Shane. She asked if I would mind watching the boys while she went. Of course, I didn't mind. I was excited at the thought. I need to practice, right?!When I told Andrew his little buddies were coming over, he was super excited as well.

Soon after they arrived, Mrs. Andi left for the doctor's office and it was just me with all three boys. I have to say I was a little nervous, but it was all for naught. The boys did so great and played together so wonderfully. We didn't have any crying, yelling, or fighting. We had to work out some sharing issues, but the boys cooperated without much hesitation. They really took it easy on me!! And Gavin is such a good big brother offering Shane toys all the time (I hope Andrew will be the same for his younger sibling).

Before we knew it, Andi returned back from her appointment to find all four of us happy and unscathed!! We asked the boys if they wanted to order pizza and eat it at the house or go out to eat at Mission Burrito. It was a unanimous choice by all to go to Mission Burrito where the fun continued. The boys ate great and after, played in the playscape. We couldn't have asked for a better afternoon!! And I am so happy that I made it through an hour or so of having three boys on my own without too much difficulty. I guess there may be hope for us after all! ;)

Pregnancy Journal: First Trimester

Here's a small rundown of my pregnancy during the first trimester:

Five Weeks:

January 18, 2011

I took two at-home pregnancy tests this evening, both giving positive results. Officially, my due date is September 19, 2011 and I am 5 weeks and 3 days along. I am in total shock, but so very happy and excited!

January 20, 2011

I went to my OB/GYN to get confirmation of my pregnancy. Andrew figured it out probably from the discussions we had with the nurse.

After the appointment, Andrew began talking more about the "baby in belly" and even asked about seeing and holding the baby right now. We talk about how the baby needs to get bigger before the baby comes out.

And the cutest thing is that today after nap, he came up to me, kissed my stomach, and said "love you, baby" all on his own. Love it!

January 22, 2011

We have worked on him telling our family and some friends that he's "going to be a big brother". He will try to lay on top of me like always, but I have had to tell him that he may hurt the baby when he does that to get him used to the idea of when both the baby and I get bigger.

Six Weeks:

January 26, 2011

At this morning's appointment with Dr. Samuels, her nurse Tammy did an ultrasound to check on some things and everything looks fine so far.

So far the only symptoms I am experiencing is mild stomach pain stomach pain and a little queasiness at times too, but no official morning sickness thankfully!! But the thing that is affecting me the most is fatigue. But I know it happens a lot with the second pregnancy. Especially when you are chasing after a very active three year old!

Week 7

Nothing really to report. I am still very tired and don't have near as much energy. I wonder how I am going to make it through this pregnancy with this lessened amount of energy. :(

Thankfully, I am feeling a little less queasy and less stomach pain too!

Week 8

I am happy to say that this week, I have felt more energized, but not up to my standard level by any means. I am still experiencing some queasiness and stomach pain, but it's definitely bearable.

One night, I had a dream that it was a boy. When I was pregnant with Andrew, I had two dreams of boys. My first dream was the night right before the ultrasound appointment where we were going to find out the gender. In that dream, I was in the doctor's office and he was telling me that we were having a second boy. And in my second dream, I was picking out clothes for a boy. This morning's dream was again picking out clothes, but this time, I was looking for matching outfits. We'll see if I am right!

Week 9

This week has been more of the same. Still experiencing fatigue, stomach pains, and queasiness. I am still taking naps during the day to help me reenergize myself. And I am trying to be more cognizant of eating more often to fend of the queasiness. Unfortunately, the stomach pains come and go as they please, but they aren't too unbearable.

Week 10

This week, I had a doctor's appointment and got to hear the heartbeat via the Doppler machine. It still pulls my heartstrings when I hear the heartbeat!! And with my decreased appetite, apparently, I have lost two pounds. Thankfully, I have plenty to spare!!

Week 11

I have started feeling my stomach stretch already! I know most people will show sooner in their subsequent pregnancies, but I wasn't expecting it so soon.

As for other pregnancy symptoms, my energy level is gradually increasing, but I still take naps almost every day. Else who else if I would be able to function!

The queasiness is definitely subsiding. I have started to notice that I get more queasy when I tend to overexert myself. So, I am very conscientious about not pushing myself too hard or to slow it down if I start to feel it coming on, which is working very well so far.

Week 12

March 8, 2011

Today, we had our ultrasound with Dr. Kirshon. Everything looks good so far with the baby, which we are so grateful for. Andrew went with us and liked looking at the baby on the screen, but it was hard for him to make the baby out on the monitor. Dr. Kirshon was about 85% sure of the sex, but he didn't want to say 100%. He told us he was pretty sure, but he wouldn't be making it known to the world in case he was wrong. But we will get to find out for sure in six weeks.

Andrew's New Shirt

This is Andrew's newest shirt!

Yes, it means Andrew is going to be a big brother. I am still in awe that we are expecting our second child!! I am officially due September 19, 2011!! We are so excited and are over the moon thrilled!!

I took two pregnancy tests on January 18th. For confirmation, we went to the doctors on the 20th. I could only get a Thursday appointment so we had to take Andrew with us. I had initially told him that I was going to see the doctors to see if I could have a baby. We didn't want to tell him so early on in case something happened. But I guess with all the talk between the nurse and myself, Andrew figured it out. Because afterwards, he asked me point blank, "Mommy have baby in belly?" And since I don't like lying to him, I told him "yes", but then explained to him that the baby was very small and it was still very early on.

We had our twelve-week ultrasound March 8th before we left for Vegas and everything looks great so far. Dr. Kirshon wasn't sure about the sex yet, but was leaning 85% one way, but we won't say until we know for sure, which will be at our next appointment with him when I am eighteen weeks. We weren't quite ready to go public with our news quite then either because we were awaiting the results from some tests just to make sure all was well with the baby. And then, there was Vegas (which is why I couldn't go sledding myself.) And when we got back, I enlisted my cousin to design this big brother shirt for Drew--by the way, he was very adamant about having a coal car, passenger car, and caboose!

So far, the pregnancy hasn't been too bad. I haven't had morning sickness, but have just been queasy quite a bit. And then, the most prominent symptom of pregnancy I have been experiencing is fatigue. I have been really, really tired a lot!! And it sucks being this tired with an active three year old. I feel so bad that there are times when I am too exhausted to give it my all with Andrew. But he's been very understanding allowing me to rest. And so far, he's been very excited with the news of having a baby around. I just hope it continues to be this way. I will describe more about the pregnancy thus far in another posting. I just wanted to share the big news!

March Madness

We love March Madness in our house and were excited about the Longhorns' first round game. I put Andrew in his basketball uniform even though it was still a little big for him. I had gotten this long before we got pregnant and I have been waiting for Andrew to be able to wear it.

Houston Area Live Steamers

This morning, we ventured out to Northwest Houston for the Houston Area Live Steamers, a local organization dedicated to model trains. Every third Saturday from March to November, they are kind enough to give free rides on their trains. We had talked about going since last Fall, but never made it out there for various reasons. Since we finally had a free morning on one of the public run days, we figured we might take advantage of the opportunity while we could.

We had hoped to get there as soon as it opeened, but we were running a little late. By the time we got there maybe thirty minutes after it opened, a pretty decent line had already formed. Andrew did great waiting in line thankfully to being able to watch the trains come and pick passengers up. We made it through the line in about an hour and finally, our turn was upon us. Andrew seemed to really love it as he usually does with train rides. The neat thing about these trains they are about two feet tall and the passengers straddle these bench-like seats. And I thought it was really cool how we were out in the open. Andrew wanted to sit towards the front of the train and luckily, we got the car right behind the driver. Daddy sat right behind Andrew holding him tightly just in case. The ride lasted about ten minutes and was a lot longer than I had thought.

After our ride, Andrew said he wanted to ride it again. We had driven out a ways so I thought that we might as well make it worth our wild. It took us about the same time to go through the line again. This time though, Andrew wanted to sit in the back of the train and also, just Daddy and Andrew rode the train so I could take some pictures and video of Andrew riding the train.

Next, we walked to an area where they had set up some model trains and track, which Andrew liked. We thought we might be in for a fight from Andrew when we were leaving the trains so we told him we were going to go play at the park. He was happy about this and we drove to a playground that we had seen on the way in. We played for a little while and then made our way home. Andrew fell asleep on the way home as we had hoped!!

We thought the HALS had done everything pretty well; and it was nice how they opened their trains to the public these particular Saturdays. It was a great morning with my two favorite guys. Andrew had a good time, which always makes us happy. And Daddy and I were even more happy that he was really well behaved the whole morning.

Gymboree Reunion Play Date

This morning, we headed out to the zoo to meet up with some old friends from Gymboree. I knew it was going to be a little crowded with it being Spring Break, but it was nothing like I had guessed. It was crazy packed!!

Luckily, we found a spot (even though it was much farther out than what we are used to) and quickly met up with Mrs. Sabrina, Liya, and Shaleen. We entered the zoo and walked around a little while we waited for the others to arrive.

Soon, it was time to feed Shaleen so we all took a lunch break. Around that time, Mrs. Jenny and Palmer and Mrs. Kristie, Gareth, and baby Karis. had found parking and met up with us. Sadly, Mrs. Angie and her kids hadn't been able to find parking for an hour and weren't able to join us after all. :(

After we all ate, we headed to the African Forest mainly because we wanted to see the new baby giraffe that was recently born. The kids had a great time playing the drums and seeing the chimps. We got to see the baby giraffe a little bit (already over six feet all!!) But the kids kept asking to ride the carousel. Mrs. Sabrina and Mrs. Kristie stayed back to feed the little ones so Mrs. Jenny and I took the four older kids on the merry-go-round. We weren't sure about how it was going to work out with the adults being outnumbered four to two, but the kids did great. They were very cooperative about which animal to sit on and we managed to get all four children sitting right in a row! They all sat nice and rode with absolutely no problems!! Whew!!

Afterwards, we thought to go ride the train since that's what Andrew kept asking for, but when we saw the long line, we decideded to get popsicles instead. The kids weren't too disappointed with that!

It was a fun morning and we loved getting to see so many friends that we don't get to see enough! We are already planning our next reunion play date!

Andrew and Brennan

Andrew and Brennan have had a great time playing with one another during our visit. Of course, there are lots of times where they fight over toys. Andrew seems to always want what Brennan has and Brennan isn't always willing to share with his little cousin. But that's to be expected.

One thing they have been really good about sharing and playing together is Brennan's tricycle. A few times, Ngoai and I have taken the kids on walks and it's perfect for Andrew because he can sit and pedal and I can push him from behind to help him.

But this evening, the boys took turns riding and pushing each other. Of course, the big boy that Brennan is wanted to push Andrew as fast as he could even if Andrew's little legs couldn't keep up with the pedalling at times. It was hysterical!!

Even with all the fighting and swiping, these are the kind of moments when they get along well that make my heart swell with complete and utter love. I love these two boys so much and love seeing them play together.

Nathan Burton Comedy Magic Show

This evening, Ngoai and I took the four kids to the Nathan Burton Comedy Magic Show at the Flamingo Hotel while Aunt Anh Thu went to work for a couple of hours. Anh Thu had asked if I thought Andrew would want to go. I told her I wasn't sure because we never know what Andrew might get scared of, e.g. the circus. But there weren't many shows that allowed kids under the age of five and she had gotten the tickets for free so if we needed to leave, we could without too much guilt.

I had told Andrew we were going to watch a magic show and he was excited. The kids were excited too. We got seated (way up high, but hey, they were free, right?) and waited for the show to began. Andrew had a hard time sitting in the chair and seeing so he spent most of the show in my lap so he could see better. I also think it helped him to sit with me to ease any fears he had. I asked him if he liked it and he would reply yes, but then would tell me that he was all done. I told him to watch a little more. He did laugh and clap at certain tricks, but I think some of the tricks were over his head. One thing he loved and kept on talking about was the policeman who was flushed down the toilet. The three big kids seemed to like the show especially Brennan who laughed and clapped almost the entire time.

The show was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. The show was over two hours!! I had guessed an hour and a half. But he had other performers do acts as well. But Andrew sat nicely and behaved well. I was proud that he did so great for that long of a time.

I didn't take any pictures while we were out for the show. :( But here is another picture from this morning.

The M&M Store

This morning, we took the kids back to the Strip to ride the monorail and visit the M&M store--two things Andrew really enjoyed during our last visit to Vegas and said he wanted to do again while in Vegas.

Both were as expected; the only difference this time was we got to watch the 3D show. Last time, the theatre was under reconstruction and not available. We had some time before the show so we walked around and browsed the store.

Andrew had used the 3D glasses back at Sea World for the Polar Express show and done okay with them then. He isn't the biggest fan of them since they really don't fit his head properly, which I completely understand. He loved the show and totally sat entralled with it the entire time!

After we left the Strip, Anh Thu took us on a little detour. There are a couple of parking lots where people can watch planes taking off and landing at the Las Vegas Airport. Brennnan loves to do this and Andrew did too!! It was pretty neat getting to see the planes fairly close. And planes were constantly going up and down that there wasn't much of a lull in the action. Perfect for two little boys who love airplanes!