Elyse's 1st Birthday - Full Post

A beautiful party for a beautiful girl...




E's great-grandpa arriving at her party...




And birthday love from great grandma...


Loved the bright colors...


The kids' lunches were packed with heart shaped PB&J and other kid-friendly foods, then labeled with their names - genius.

My favorite detail - 'Kka Kka' means 'crackers' or 'snacks' in korean baby language. :) Noelle LOVES kka kka.

With her grandma




Elyse's big sister Sophie playing with her balloon - what  joy!






Whose kid is this?

Oh, that would be my daughter.

Did I mention she loves kka kka?

Some more baby friends...

Elyse was actually getting over a cold and was very tired... she almost fell asleep during her bottle break. 
It's hard work being the center of attention!








With her grandma 






The ladybug pinata was a hit! Little B enjoying his reward.



The entourage of mommy friends and Elyse's future bffs




Snacks and craft time




Elyse with mommy and her cute baby bump





Possibly my favorite shot of the day...
because every parent can relate to this!








Changing into the traditional Korean hanbok







Doljalbi - a Korean tradition where the child picks an item that symbolizes what the future holds for them.





And she picked the rice (wealth)!




But this one is more fun.



Surrounded by some of her loving family.

Happy First Birthday Sweet Elyse~

You are loved beyond measure

Can't wait to see you grow up and blossom!

Elyse's 1st Birthday - Sneak Peek

A lovely picnic-themed birthday party for little Elyse~
When you're turning one, a big celebration is in order!


Her mom is pregnant with #3 on the way and still took the time to create a beautiful party for her little one. 
(Don't ever underestimate a mother's love!)


Special thanks to Lynn and Min for lending me some precious gear to shoot this - you guys are the best.


More to come in the next post~

So here's what I look like...

...when Daddy picks out my outfit for an evening walk.

Street style.

But here's how mommy dresses me to play indoors.

Girly girl.

Can't wait until I can pick out my own clothes!

Resilient...

This morning, Naomi fell down the stairs that lead up to our 2nd floor apartment.
And by fell, I mean somersaulted.


I literally saw it happen in slow motion.
One little trip and then like a stunt man, down she went.


I was at the top of the stairs, holding Noelle and our bags, and there was nothing I could do but watch her roll, bump and thud all the way the down. It's a sick feeling.


Thankfully, she was already a third way down the stairs when it happened and didn't land fully on her head. A bloody elbow, a scrape on her head and hip, but nothing that a few gigantic mommy hugs and a big band-aid couldn't fix.


THANK YOU GOD!

Well, come dinner time, the girl is ready to go and full of energy, like nothing happened. 


So I've decided to nickname her "Wolverine". (If you've seen X-Men, this makes complete sense - if you haven't, then yes, I'm a weirdo who names her children after hairy beasts.)


Here are a couple of shots of my little fountain-of-youth from this evening...
(Tim took them around the block so that I could cook in blissful silence - a HUGE help.)

What I love to see

A little sticker placed on Noelle 
that says,
she not just attended Toddler's class at our church today..
but she was prayed for by her teachers.

In fact, she had such a good time there, 

she conked out in the car on the way home!

A gentle reminder to me that taking care of little ones
involves so much more than attending to just their physical needs...

Heat Wave

Naomi asks me if Summer is coming yet...she asks me this EVERY DAY.


Well, yesterday and today's hot weather has her full of glee.
Especially since it meant a visit to the water fountain with friends!


Shooting at high noon is a NOT my fave b/c of the harsh lighting, but I had to capture these guys running all over the place....

... or in Noelle's case, running away...

When you're a kid, even a grate is fascinating. 

Love how little Lucy and Noelle became pals :)

It was Noelle's first time playing with fountains and she was fearless.

Naomi was always afraid of things like this, but Noelle embraces it.

Love how God creates us all so uniquely!

Keep cool my Californian friends~

Location: The Shoppes at Chino Hills