We are staying here because I won the prize back in spring with my bocce skills when my company was here for a sales meeting. This is a really nice resort to come with families especially at this time of the year. We practically have the whole pool and the beach to ourselves. We are staying in one of the bungalows and there’s a plenty of room for all of us. The staffs are super nice and and they even sent us complimentary milk and cookies at nighttime for the kids. 

There’s also nice boutiques very close to resort which is a big plus.:)

We’re very hungry at mealtimes. 

We got up bright and early to catch our flight at 8 am. I was so excited about this trip I hardly slept last night. This is our kids’ first flight experience. How did we do? Chloe did pretty good by just watching a movie and playing with play-doh but Shane… he was all over the place. He wanted to move around, touch everything and spread beyond our seats. He played peekaboo with some of the friendly neighbors and charmed them with his smiles. Then I had to hold him most of the time and he finally fell asleep 30 min. before we landed. I totally underestimated Shane’s curiosity at this age and planned Chloe’s activities and thought Shane will sleep on the plane. Apparently I was wrong. Lesson learned. At least it was a very short plane ride. 

Even more photos from Dreamscape Photographs. Thank you! 

Here’re some collages I put together with photos from Dreamscape Photographs.  Thanks David for capturing the moments!

Kids and I pretended the lego figure as daddy because we didn’t expect to see him after Shane was already asleep.

Andrew came home before Chloe’s bedtime, so she wished him a Happy Birthday and blew his candle. Twice. We had to light the candle for the third time so Andrew could make his birthday wish. Happy birthday, honey!

Besides getting him a couple of shirts as a birthday gift, I also got him a night out pass and a forgiveness card. Now that’s a gift of love. 

Both kids were due for a doctor’s check-up this morning. On our way there, Chloe called me and said, "look mommy, we’re holding hands! Look, mommy!"  When I turned around to see them this is what they looked like. They held hands all the way to Tenafly, which is is a 10 min. drive. I can see that they love each other and seeing them interact with each other is so rewarding. 

Shane at 1 year:

1. He’s walking .
He started walking a couple of weeks ago. He raises both arms when he walks. 

2. Loves his sister.
He gets so excited when he sees Chloe each morning. When Chloe gives him a good morning kiss, he stays and sticks out his forehead. 

3. He’s a mama’s boy. 
I’m definitely his favorite. 🙂 Pwhohahahaha! 

4. He knows I am the boss. 
He wants to play with Chloe’s toys all the time. Whatever she has he wants and will attempt to snatch the toy out of Chloe’s hands. After taking the toy, he’ll crawl really fast to me and sits in my lap. 

5. Loves his Mr. monkey. 
Mr. monkey is his best friend. He won’t go anywhere without it and sometimes I think he sings to it too. 

6. He’s caring. 
Sometimes when I see Chloe is pushing Shane or screaming at him, I give her a time-out in the corner of the dining room. Seeing his sister, crying and screaming during her time-out, I think Shane feels bad so he crawls in next to her and hangs out there until I come back and release her from her time-out. Then they are back to playing together nicely for about 10 min. 

7. He prays. 
When I say, let’s pray he puts two hands together. 

8. Got 4 shots today.
Cried for 5 seconds after his third shot

Weight: 20.38 lb (15.8 %tile)
Height: 29.25 in (33.58 %tile)
Head 18.31m (55.09 %tile) 

Chloe at 2 years and 9 months:

1. Chloe loves surprises.
Every day I come home from work, she asks me if I have a surprise. "mommy, you got surprise? no… not that one, you got another surprise? no?" "can I have lollipop then? over there? no?" 

2. She’s a great helper. 
Chloe’s a great sister to Shane and wants to help him with feeding and changing diapers. When I change Shane’s diaper, Chloe brings me the wipes. Many nights this past couple weeks, Shane hasn’t been feeling well due to a cold and because he’s teething. Chloe rushes to his room and wants to help me sooth him. 

3. She’s honest.
The thing about Chloe’s age I get a kick out of is that she doesn’t know how to lie.. yet. She’s so honest. She’ll hit Shane or make a mess or do something that’s not nice, then she’ll come to me and tell me exactly what she did even though she knows she’ll get into trouble for it. 

4. Adores and protects Shane. 
It’s okay for her to push and hit Shane but she will not let anybody hurt him. She’s super protective of him when there’s other people around. 

5. She’s authoritative. 
I gave Chloe some pretzels and Chloe seeing that Shane wants some too, she turns around and tells him " I’m older so I can eat snacks but you’re not old enough. You have to wait until you’re older, alright? say yes!" 

6. Loves princess stories and she calls herself princess. 

Andrew: Dude, what are you doing? Come over here.
Chloe, I’m not dude, I’m princess.
Andrew: Oh, man! Seriously!
Chloe: No daddy, I’m not man. I’m princess. 

7. Her favorite hobby is to draw and color.
She looks so focused when she colors. She can do this for upto an hour. 

8. Got 1 flu shot today.
Cried and whaled until we left the doctor’s office.

Weight: 29.5 lb (49.11 %tile)
Height: 35.5 in (24.28 %tile)
Head 18.9m (54.89 %tile) 

The best concert. Ever.

We had some of family members over for another celebration of Shane’s first birthday. Still more pictures to come…

Good morning birthday boy!

on our way to church

We worshiped as a family thanking God for the wonderful year.