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Grace is a Happy Little Prawn

Oct 7, 2009
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So Grace had her 6 month well check yesterday, and we were surprised at the results of her checkup. First off, I never realized what a little thing she is; Grace went from the 90th percentile in height to the 31th percentile, her weight is in the 7th (even despite all the eating she does!) As for her head - she's in the 95th percentile. Auntie Elaine affectionately dubbed her "bobblehead". *sigh*

The pleasant surprise is that her development was noted as "well above average". The doctor and nurses were shocked to see that she's not only crawling, but she's also lifting her stomach off the ground, and moving into a sitting position from crawling. The doctor noted that she's doing what most 8 or 9 month old kids are just starting on - to which we said "that's not necessarily a good thing - her and James generally go in opposite directions!" ;) It's pretty neat to see her figure out how to turn on toys, find us hiding in other rooms, and laughing when we say "tickle", though. I'm really looking forward to finding out what her first word will be. Hopefully it will NOT be "Ace"!

We're pretty proud of our little G either way - it just proves that great things come in small packages! :D

Look at Me!

My Favorite Toy

Grace on being Grace

Oct 4, 2009
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I still can't believe Grace is crawling (scooting...?) around so quickly now. Now exactly six months old, Grace knows the word "tickle" without me even having to raise a finger at her. She's also figured out how to cough for attention...sheesh. Grace is such a silly little chatterbox - I can't wait until she starts telling me all about the world around her!

Grace

Seeing her growing up so fast in giving me good reason to learn how to use my camera more effectively - something I did not do in this video clip! I'll start working on my cinematic directing skills one of these days; but for now, this will have to do. I just found out that I can upload my videos to Youtube from iMovie much faster than loading up videos to vox. I might start having to post all my videos on youtube - this whole Mac thing is really user friendly! While I still like my PC, I'm beginning to see why people love their Macs!

James and the Light

Oct 4, 2009
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As a parent, I've discovered that there's some things in life you just can't teach your kid. Take turning on a light with a big foam hammer as an example. I would've never thought to use a huge foam hammer to turn on a light switch, but apparently James did. It just goes to show you - your kids are often smarter than you think!

Another use for a $3 Toy Hammer

On a side note, I'm finally learning how to use the Apple and all the programs that came with it, including iMovie. It looks like I have a lot to learn! Tonight, I found out how to include transitions and sound effects...how cool is that! Soon to come - title pages, credits, and other exciting movie magic!

Monster in the Mirror

Sep 30, 2009
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Grover

Move over Estelle, James has a slew of new favorite songs! While none include a babe dancing in a white dress, one does include a certain blue monster dancing with a bunch of 80s celebrities, including the Simpsons. Can you name all of the celebrities? Also, can you believe the Simpsons were on Sesame Street?!? Or more importantly - can you tell me why Grover wears pajamas to bed...but runs around naked in public?!?!? Find a good answer - I'm sure James will ask me this when he's older!

Sesame Street: Monster in the Mirror

Picture People!

Sep 30, 2009
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Grace & James

I love taking photographs of everything - especially of the kids! I also love getting professional photos taken; so when I saw that the Picture People were offering a FREE Portrait Package that includes a 8x10, two 5x7, and eight wallet photos of the same image, I insisted that everyone get a haircut and dressed up because we were going to get photos immediately!

You don't have to purchase anything to get that Portrait Package, but after seeing how great the photos look, you'll probably end up buying something like we did! They display some of the best photos you take in beautiful frames before showing you all the photos - Dan and I ended up buying a "Trilogy Photo Frame" with pictures of James and Grace. Wow, did they turn out great! I think these are the best photos of James and Grace yet!

We also took several family portraits, and scored the free Portrait Package with those photos - but I can't post those just yet...those photos just might be our Christmas Card this year! :)

Our Handsome James

Our Lovely Gracie

Current Happenings

Sep 20, 2009
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Well, I'm pretty pleased to say that we're pretty much caught up in the many adventures we had this summer. I did manage to leave out a few excursions including the many trips to various playgrounds, our visit to the Gilroy Garlic Festival (it was 112 degrees out - much too hot for the kids to want to come out from their shaded strollers to take photos!), and other little trips here and there.

Let's Go Here, Dad

There's No Moving Some People...

So what's going on in the last few days? Well, it's official - as of September 12th, Grace is a crawler. She's not crawling on her hands and knees quite yet, but she definitely moves quickly doing her "belly scootch" crawl. Tonight, she surprised me by crawling from her mat at the foot of our bed to our bathroom by herself. This was especially surprising considering she figured out that James and I were in the bathroom in the first place! When Grace sees something she wants she doesn't wait for someone to bring it over to her - she crawls over to get it herself! She also figured out how to get into a sitting position from lying down.

As for James, a few days ago he decided that he wanted to try sleeping in the toddler bed instead of his crib. Instead of walking to his crib after brushing his teeth, he simply crawled onto the toddler bed and sat there. I put his stuffed Snoopy, Rainforest Soother, and his blanket in bed, turned off the light, closed the door, then peeked in on him about 20 minutes later to find him asleep. Tonight, James actually kicked Grace and me out of his room so he could go to sleep! We were all reading in his room to get ready for bed - James was reading his Truck Board Book, I was reading Notes Left Behind, and Grace was devouring Barney's Nursery Rhymes (literally). Around 9:30, James puts down his book, pulls his blanket up on his lap, looks me straight in the eye, furrows his brows and says "mneh!". I asked him if he wanted to go to sleep, and he responded by putting his head down. *sigh* And here I thought my son wouldn't start kicking me out his room until he was at least 11...ah well, so much for that!

Aromas Day & MY Museum

Sep 19, 2009
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August proved to be a challenging month for the Chan Clan. Much of the month was dedicated to shows, conventions, long days, not enough sleep, and long drives throughout the state of California. On August 30th, we left the house at 6 AM and drove 3 hours to Aromas, California for Aromas Day. Dan and I were not only going to perform for the Aromas Day festivities, but Dan was also invited to speak about how God has worked in his life to allow him to have the life he lives now.

Aromas Bible Church

Dan really put a lot of thought and effort in his testimony. To sum things up: he acknowledged how blessed he is to have a career that he loves and looks forward to advance in, supportive family and friends, and enough work to live comfortably. Dan also stressed that while this career path was not easy and can prove to be difficult at times, God always has and still provides for him, as He will for everyone who diligently follows Him. God is good, all the time!

After the service, we got to check out the town of Aromas, supported the local farmers by buying some delicious white corn, and performed on the main stage. (Photo credit to jameskmetovic)

Ta-Dah!

After our performance, we made a short drive over to Monterey. Because we had visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium not too long ago, we decided to go somewhere else in Monterey - My Museum!

The Monterey County Youth Museum (MY Museum) is an 8,500 sq. foot museum that is packed with a variety of "hands on" exhibits for kids. This museum is perfect for kids James' age and provides a safe and exciting environment for kids to explore! We were given free passes to the museum and got to explore for the afternoon!

A James Sized Entrance! Yeah!

There were so many things for us to explore and play with! James got to dress up like a fireman, sit in a little fire truck, and holler "wee-oh-wee-oh-wee-oh" ala fire truck siren:

Where's the Fire?

He got to pop out like a gopher in the middle of a miniature golf course with dad:

Hi Mom!

...then later explore the tunnels and look at the critters below the golf course.

Whoops! Caught!

Learning about Tarantulas

Something is fishy about that raccoon...

I got a taste of being a passenger in James' car in about 14 years...somehow I don't think I'll be smiling this much when he's driving for reals. I could be wrong - we'll see!

Only a matter of time before those feet reach the pedals...

James even too Dan on an ambulance ride - with Dan in the front seat! To mix things up, he even put on a Tigger outfit. I guess even Tigger believes everyone deserves health care.

No injuries here!

Paging Dr. James!

Paging Dr. Tigger?

One very unexpected thing we learned that day - James can climb ladders BY HIMSELF. The first time he did it, I was standing behind him expecting him to need help. Was I wrong! James enjoyed the tree house and twirly slide at the museum so much that he climbed that ladder at least 8 times before getting a little worn out and running to the next exhibit (ie - I got worn out making sure he didn't fall off that ladder!)

Climbing up that ladder in less than 45 seconds - yeah!

There's a lot more to do at MY Museum than I could possibly blog - so much to do that we had to take a lunch break in between playing!

Fisherman's Wharf was a short walk away. We spent some time on the wharf sightseeing, window shopping, and getting some of the best clam chowders I've ever tasted. James enjoyed running around (or riding on Dan's shoulders) and taking in all the sights!

Fisherman's Wharf - Monterey

Run Run Run!

Whee! Giddyup Dad!

Enjoying the View

We had a wonderful time at Aromas, MY museum, and Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf. Monterey County is a fantastic place to visit!

We <3 Monterey County!

NOTE: Why no photos of Grace at the museum? Simply put - she was asleep the entire time. Even despite all the noise, the screaming kids, and occasional stroller pushing from James, Grace was able to sleep through it all. We figured this was the perfect excuse to come back to MY museum in a few months! :)

Playland not at the Beach

Sep 18, 2009
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Playland Not-At-The-Beach

In July, the Chan Clan was invited to visit Playland Not-At-The-Beach in El Cerrito. What an amazing place! For a small entrance fee, you get to check out the museum, play all the games at the penny arcade and all pinball machines you like, and see the amazing miniatures including Santa's Village, Cincus World, Charle Dicken's Village, and more! There were so many things to see and do for the whole family!

Dan spent a good amount of time playing many of the pinball machines. There were old machines, newer machines, and a lot that I've never seen before! The beauty of it - all the game play was included with admission - we got to see all those moving things in the machines go!

This is only 5 of the MANY machines!

James had a good time looking at all the machines in the Penny Arcade. From what I gather, James learned an important lesson from one of those machines...

What timely warning did James Learn exactly...?

...while Dan enjoyed the exotic fan dance. Don't worry, it's not what you think!

Whooooo, exotic!

Grace enjoyed the "rides" there. Well, it wasn't exactly a ride - more like a full bumper car for her to sit in! We're going to have to visit again soon - Grace can sit up by herself now!

I'm driving...just can't see over the wheel...

As for me, I enjoyed checking all all the amazing miniatures there. There were so many different miniatures to look at! Here are a few of my favorites:

Mini San Francisco

The Mini Lion Dance!

Charles Dicken's Village

The Big Top!

Christmas Village

Playland Not At The Beach!

Amazing!

This hidden treasure has so much to see - you're just going to have to go there yourself to be amazed! Thank you Richard for letting us have fun at Playland Not At the Beach!!

Thanks Richard!

Gold Arrow Camp

Sep 11, 2009
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Gold Arrow Camp

I have but six words to sum up Gold Arrow Camp: Gold Arrow Camp is freaking AWESOME!!! For one of our many family vacations this year, we drove to Huntington Lake to visit Gold Arrow Camp. Dan was a counselor at GAC in 1997, and was invited back to perform a magic show as well as teach the campers some magic and juggling. What an exciting and fun vacation! While we weren't able to stay a full camp session, we did get to visit for a few days and were treated to lots of fun activities, delicious food, and we got to hang out with amazing staff and campers!

This was the first time that both James and Grace got to go camping - they loved it! While both were a little young to participate in all the activities (the age range for the campers is 6-14), they were allowed to try out some of the activities with Dan and me.

Places to go, People to See, Things to Do...

Beautiful Lake Huntington

On our first day there, James and I got to hop on a motorboat and putt-putt around the lake. James enjoyed the motorboat so much that near the end of the ride, he rested his head on my arm and fell asleep! (offhand, the boat was appropriately named "Sneezy". James had a runny nose all week!).

Let's go Boating!!!!

Putt Putt We Go!

Dan, being more adventurous, decided to take James sailing for the first time. He discovered that James loves sailing as much as he does! Thank heavens that Dan decided to flip the Sunfish AFTER James got off! Because Grace was so tiny, she wasn't allowed to ride on any of the boats, but she loved to watch everyone boating!

My two boys on a sailboat

So much to see!

The Chan Ladies - Lookin' Good!

Sailing, Sailing, Over the Clear Blue Lake...

While Grace couldn't go on the water, she did get to interact with some of the friendliest people she's ever met - GAC staff and campers! She loved meeting and playing with everybody!

This is so much FUN!

The kids' favorite place to hang out was the Arts and Crafts station. T-qoe was super cool; not only did she left James draw and fingerpaint with shaving cream at the station, but she also let him made two shaving cream marbling cards, a bead necklace (with car beads!!!), as well as a tie dye tee shirt (I helped a little bit..)!

Making Shaving Cream Marbling Cards with Tque

Arts and Crafting

Dan and I even got to do a few other activities on the side including archery, a ropes course, and lots of hiking. There was something for everyone to do!

Bullseye!

We really hope to visit Gold Arrow Camp again. There's so many things we didn't get to experience, including horseback riding, pontooning, rock climbing, wave running, waterskiing...and that's just the beginning!!! If you want your kids to have an experience of a lifetime, please check out Gold Arrow Camp's website for more information. It's a fantastic place for kids to meet new people, build independence, perseverance, and confidence, to take risks in a safe environment, and most importantly it's a great for kids to have lots of fun!

Thanks to Sunshine and Monkey for letting us have fun at Gold Arrow Camp!!!

Thank You Sunshine and Monkey!

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J-J-J-J-James!

Sep 10, 2009
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James is growing up equally fast. He's now 21 months old and getting into all sorts of ~~trouble~~ adventures. Can you believe this kid has been to Las Vegas three times now, and he's not even 2 years old yet?!?!

This summer, James learned how to play the drums using two drumsticks:

I march to the beat of my own drums!

Stayed up until 4 AM while roadtripping down to Las Vegas (everyone besides the driver was asleep while James happily sang to himself and looked out the window).

I love Roadtrippin'!

And he had a hoot going sailing, motorboating, running around museums, and just traveling in general with us. (But I'll be blogging about those trips later!) I can say this - visiting museums and traveling is a lot more fun when your kid really reacts to what's going on!

Whee! Giddyup Dad!

When not traveling, James enjoys chilling out at home. He's been learning a lot about problem solving recently. Much to his delight (and our dismay) he's figured out how to move chairs and step stools around the house so he can reach higher grounds. This includes our counters, sinks, and non-childproofed upper cabinets. Tonight, he used a shoebox to stand on so he could peek into Gracie's playpen. Nothing is safe anymore!

Hi Gracie!!!

James loves helping me around the house quite a bit now. He generally picks up after himself, enjoys putting clothing into the washer and dryer, wipes down counters/windows/tables/chairs/etc with wipes, and even "vacuums" with me. This kid lives up to "Margaret Wong's Standard of Cleanliness"! James also loves helping take care of Grace - a little too enthusiastically sometimes! While we have to watch out for when he tries to help burp Grace, he does a fantastic job entertaining her. It's so cute seeing him give her a hug and a kiss on the nose in the morning!

Doing laundry @ night saves energy!