To Hawaii we go!

We're off to Hawaii to meet Daddy for the Molokai Hoe! Check out our photos at:
http://molokai-2008.blogspot.com or click on the link in the sidebar...

Ballet!

Today was Holly's first ballet class - she was really looking forward to it. There were about 10 girls and 1 boy there. One mom saw all the girls in the hall before class and said "that's a lot of pink!" I was surprised that all the kids had completely different outfits - no one was wearing the same thing!

Stretching before the dancing got started... the little girl beside Holly (Claire) is actually a friend of Holly's friends Sarah & Danielle.














Learning about "good" toes...



















The ballet train...

When the teacher said they were going to do "Princess" walking - I couldn't believe how perfect that was - Holly loves to hold her skirt and walk around like Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. At the end of class, they also curtsey, just like on Cinderella - Holly calls it "bowing" and we have to line up behind each other and bow to the "Prince" (a doll or Daddy if he's home) and she pretends she is Cinderella - so the class was perfect timed to what Holly is really into at the moment!

Night of 2008 Lights

We went to the Lantern Festival tonight in Burnaby - it was fun. Not as big as the one in Vancouver, but there was more room to move around and hence didn't feel so overcrowded. Less to see, but that was the trade-off.














There was a maze set up on site - the lights were made up of paper bags with sand at the bottom and tea lights lit inside. A great effect with little effort - have to remember that for a backyard bbq in the summer! We had fun following the path around and around - it was pretty big!














Our lanterns - my mom bought the one on the left tonight (made out of a milk carton) and we bought the one on the right last year at the Lantern Festival in Vancouver.

Tall girl

A couple of weeks ago, we measured Holly for the first time since her birthday - she has grown 2 inches in 3 months and is now over 40 inches tall!

Visiting Darius

We went to visit baby Darius today (he's about 10 weeks old). I had to drop off some things to his mom, Dina, so we stopped at their house. Holly really likes babies - I think she would be a great big sister.

Charlotte's birthday

Today we went to Charlotte's 1st birthday party. It was at Koko's - Holly managed to go down the slide and ride on some of the coin-operated rides, but doesn't really like to do a lot of climbing.



















A friend of the birthday girl's, Alex, Cassie-Anne, and Holly checking out the scene below. I didn't get many photos today, and we were in the bathroom for a potty break when the birthday girl blew out her candle.

Another haircut

Another trip to Sparky'z (yes, it has a "z" on the end) and a ride in the pink car..... she was really good and didn't even need me to hold her hand this time!

Daddy's Little Girl

Holly had a great time with Daddy while I was away - today she got her face painted down at the Westminster Quay. She hasn't wanted to do this in the past, but did today - the face painter did a great job - the dolphin is sooo cute!

I'm sorry I missed it, but it was good for Holly to spend some time with Dad by herself. It's funny how she acts differently with the two of us. She tends to listen to Paul, and doesn't give him any grief..... there were NO time-outs needed while I was gone! Go figure! We had to have one the first day I was back with her alone. She's a true Gemini at times - one minute an angel and next a little devil - good thing is that the angel baby currently sticks around much more than the "yai yai" (Chinese for naughty) little girl... I hope this isn't a sign of things to come - girls and their moms... I thought I'd have at least 8 more years to prepare (sigh!)

My first child-free trip

Today I'm going to Hawaii for 6 days - my first trip alone since Holly was born! She is staying home with Daddy who will be taking a couple of days off from work, along with his usual Friday off and the holiday on Monday - so it shouldn't be too traumatic for the two of them... =)

I've created a blog for my trip - the link is now listed with "Holly's favourite links" as 'My Kona Trip - Aug 2008', or you can click on the link below to see how it went:

http://kona-2008.blogspot.com/

Isabelle & Simon's birthday party

Today we went to a double birthday party - Isabelle's 3rd and Simon's 1st.

The kids played "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" - it was very cute!
Cassie:



















I didn't get into position quick enough to get Holly from the side:



















Isabelle, the birthday girl - maybe she'd been practising?!



















Isabelle checking out her handy work:




















Cake time! Noriko, Isabelle and Simon's mom, made these two great cakes herself! A few of us agreed that maybe she should start a kids' cake-making business!
















Holly enjoying the cake. After we all ate a piece of Isabelle's Curious George cake, Holly asked me, "Mommy, are we going to eat Simon's cake , too?". I think she was the only one who got a small piece of the Baby Einstein Caterpillar (both cakes were actually the same!).