Zoey lost her first tooth this evening!
It was the lower left central incisor. She was so excited this evening, jumping up and down and shouting about how her tooth came out.
She's very skeptical about the "Tooth Fairy", insists that there's no such thing as the Tooth Fairy and it's really Daddy who is going to put money under her pillow.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Disney Hollywood Studios Trip
We left ridiculously early in the morning and went to Disney Hollywood Studios. Both Zoey and Michael were really well-behaved since it was just Daddy taking the 2 of them.
It was a perfect day, not too hot, not too cold. We were able to ride TONS of rides, and spent most of the time in the Toy Story area.
Our ride accomplishment list (I like keeping track to see how much we were able to ride in a day) ...
It was a perfect day, not too hot, not too cold. We were able to ride TONS of rides, and spent most of the time in the Toy Story area.
Our ride accomplishment list (I like keeping track to see how much we were able to ride in a day) ...
- Toy Story Mania x2
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- BB8 (character meet)
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid
- Star Tours (Zoey didn't like this one)
- Alien Swirling Saucers (again)
- Frozen sing along
- Toy Story Mania
- Alien swirling saucers x2 (yet some more)
- Toy Story Mania
Monday, September 10, 2018
First day of Taekwon-do
Zoey had her first day of Taekwon-do today. She absolutely loved it, and had a blast.
She's very focused and hardworking. She's in the same class as big brother, he has been very encouraging and protective of her.
Zoey kicks hard, and even though she doesn't know the steps or proper technique yet, she'll put in 100% in terms of enthusiasm and effort.
After class she was all smiles, and asked "can we go back to Taekwon-do tomorrow?"
She's very focused and hardworking. She's in the same class as big brother, he has been very encouraging and protective of her.
Zoey kicks hard, and even though she doesn't know the steps or proper technique yet, she'll put in 100% in terms of enthusiasm and effort.
Zoey’s going to be really good at it. She’s so full of energy.
After class she was all smiles, and asked "can we go back to Taekwon-do tomorrow?"
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Atlanta Trip - Return
We ended up getting another complimentary breakfast at the hotel.
We were all ready to leave, but ran into issues getting our Starwoods Preferred Guest bonus points for "Going Green" (ie eschewing housekeeping).
Instead, they offered us complimentary breakfast, which was nice. My wife was all set for us to leave, especially since breakfast ended at 10:30 AM and it was 10:10 AM. However, we convinced her to have breakfast, so that we could drive back on full stomach.
The drive back was uneventful, which is the best kind of drive. Kids alternated between playing iPad and looking at scenery.
We were all ready to leave, but ran into issues getting our Starwoods Preferred Guest bonus points for "Going Green" (ie eschewing housekeeping).
Instead, they offered us complimentary breakfast, which was nice. My wife was all set for us to leave, especially since breakfast ended at 10:30 AM and it was 10:10 AM. However, we convinced her to have breakfast, so that we could drive back on full stomach.
The drive back was uneventful, which is the best kind of drive. Kids alternated between playing iPad and looking at scenery.
Monday, August 6, 2018
Atlanta Trip - Day 3
This was probably the best day of the trip.
We used up the remaining 2 attractions on our Citypass.
We had a complimentary breakfast at the Sheraton Atlanta Downtown, where we were staying. The kids had orange juice, coffee, and lots of food. Zoey especially liked the raspberries.
In the morning, we drove to Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
I was really surprised by how nice of a museum this was. It's very impressive inside, 3 floors, and Fernbank Forest is behind it.
The kids enjoyed the special exhibition - Food: Our Global Kitchen.
It had smell-based samples of foods such as popcorn and cinnamon, which were activated by pushing a button. Michael held Zoey up so she could smell it, which I thought was a great sibling moment. They're a great team.
We had lunch at Chipotle (we just stumbled across Chipotle when we were heading back to downtown Atlanta from Fernbank Museum), and went to the Georgia Aquarium afterward.
Georgia Aquarium is incredible! Both kids loved it. We went to see the Sea Lion show immediately upon arrival. They seemed to like that. However, they were especially fascinated with the River Scout section, which had a kid-sized tunnel and faux-portholes where the kids could stare through the fish-filled water at parents and vice versa. They really got a lot of mileage out of that.
The dolphin show was also amazing. Unfortunately when I was watching, I was hitting a low-energy point and starting to nod off, but the kids seemed to enjoy it.
The other thing that really captivated the kids was the people mover and glass ceiling tunnel in the Ocean Voyager section. They kept going on the people mover (it was a VERY slow people mover) and riding it to the end and then starting over again.
In the evening, we went to eat dinner at Oriental Pearl. The kids ate very well, which made us happy.
We used up the remaining 2 attractions on our Citypass.
We had a complimentary breakfast at the Sheraton Atlanta Downtown, where we were staying. The kids had orange juice, coffee, and lots of food. Zoey especially liked the raspberries.
In the morning, we drove to Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
I was really surprised by how nice of a museum this was. It's very impressive inside, 3 floors, and Fernbank Forest is behind it.
The kids enjoyed the special exhibition - Food: Our Global Kitchen.
It had smell-based samples of foods such as popcorn and cinnamon, which were activated by pushing a button. Michael held Zoey up so she could smell it, which I thought was a great sibling moment. They're a great team.
We had lunch at Chipotle (we just stumbled across Chipotle when we were heading back to downtown Atlanta from Fernbank Museum), and went to the Georgia Aquarium afterward.
Georgia Aquarium is incredible! Both kids loved it. We went to see the Sea Lion show immediately upon arrival. They seemed to like that. However, they were especially fascinated with the River Scout section, which had a kid-sized tunnel and faux-portholes where the kids could stare through the fish-filled water at parents and vice versa. They really got a lot of mileage out of that.
The dolphin show was also amazing. Unfortunately when I was watching, I was hitting a low-energy point and starting to nod off, but the kids seemed to enjoy it.
The other thing that really captivated the kids was the people mover and glass ceiling tunnel in the Ocean Voyager section. They kept going on the people mover (it was a VERY slow people mover) and riding it to the end and then starting over again.
In the evening, we went to eat dinner at Oriental Pearl. The kids ate very well, which made us happy.
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Atlanta Trip - Day 2
We went to Zoo Atlanta first thing in the morning.
Neither kid was tremendously impressed.
Zoey did like the swimming otter, and also liked the Orangutan that climbed into its hammock and took a nap.
The Zoo was cool in the morning, which was a relief given how hot it had been.
The pandas were fast asleep, which was disappointing. My wife and I had great memories of going to Zoo Atlanta together before the kids were born, and taking incredible video of the pandas sitting proud and crunching on bamboo.
In comparison, looking at sleeping pandas backsides was a letdown.
Afterward, we went to Legoland Discovery Center Atlanta, in the Phipps Mall.
Both kids enjoyed this. They had a pretty cool ride where you shoot at invading Lego skeletons. Zoey got the highest score out of all 3 of us (me, Michael and her).
She has great eyesight and excellent aim!
Neither kid was tremendously impressed.
Zoey did like the swimming otter, and also liked the Orangutan that climbed into its hammock and took a nap.
The Zoo was cool in the morning, which was a relief given how hot it had been.
The pandas were fast asleep, which was disappointing. My wife and I had great memories of going to Zoo Atlanta together before the kids were born, and taking incredible video of the pandas sitting proud and crunching on bamboo.
In comparison, looking at sleeping pandas backsides was a letdown.
Afterward, we went to Legoland Discovery Center Atlanta, in the Phipps Mall.
Both kids enjoyed this. They had a pretty cool ride where you shoot at invading Lego skeletons. Zoey got the highest score out of all 3 of us (me, Michael and her).
She has great eyesight and excellent aim!
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Atlanta Trip - Day 1
We decided to take the kids on an end-of-summer vacation road-trip.
It was a bit of a spontaneous trip, we decided a week before that we would go.
The first day was rough. We got up at 6 AM to hit the road.
We arrived in Atlanta around 1 PM and bought the Citypass.
We took the kids on the CNN tour.
We took them down to World of Coca-Cola next.
This had better results, World of Coca-Cola was much more engaging for kids.
More importantly, we started letting them use the Nikon D7200, our prized Digital SLR under the condition that they wear the neck strap and are SUPER careful.
Both of them enjoyed trying their hand at photography and taking family photos. It was pretty cool to see the photos that they took.
Zoey was really excited because she found an air conditioning vent that would do wind effects with her long hair. This was not one of the specific attractions of World of Coca-Cola, just one of those small things that kids find to entertain themselves that completely fly under the radar of parents.
It was a bit of a spontaneous trip, we decided a week before that we would go.
The first day was rough. We got up at 6 AM to hit the road.
We arrived in Atlanta around 1 PM and bought the Citypass.
We took the kids on the CNN tour.
We took them down to World of Coca-Cola next.
This had better results, World of Coca-Cola was much more engaging for kids.
More importantly, we started letting them use the Nikon D7200, our prized Digital SLR under the condition that they wear the neck strap and are SUPER careful.
Both of them enjoyed trying their hand at photography and taking family photos. It was pretty cool to see the photos that they took.
Zoey was really excited because she found an air conditioning vent that would do wind effects with her long hair. This was not one of the specific attractions of World of Coca-Cola, just one of those small things that kids find to entertain themselves that completely fly under the radar of parents.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Developmental Reading
Zoey is doing an incredible job at reading for her age.
The most important thing, is she is learning to try, and not be afraid to make mistakes. When she's reading out loud and comes across a word she doesn't know, I encourage her to sound it out, and make her best attempt.
Sometimes she'll come up with a word based on sound.
Other times, she'll come up with a word that is relatively close in meaning based on context. For example, she did not know the word "across" as in "across the river", but she substituted in the word "over", as in "over the river".
She was able to determine that based on context.
Her current favorite book series are: Pete the Cat, Dear Dragon, and anything with Umizoomi.
She went through a period of time with Dr. Seuss. Although I love Dr. Seuss, there's too many made-up words, that make it difficult for a young reader ... they don't know which words are ones that they should learn (words that can be found in Merriam-Webster) vs words that are made up and they don't need to learn ... (three-handled family Gradunza)
The most important thing, is she is learning to try, and not be afraid to make mistakes. When she's reading out loud and comes across a word she doesn't know, I encourage her to sound it out, and make her best attempt.
Sometimes she'll come up with a word based on sound.
Other times, she'll come up with a word that is relatively close in meaning based on context. For example, she did not know the word "across" as in "across the river", but she substituted in the word "over", as in "over the river".
She was able to determine that based on context.
Her current favorite book series are: Pete the Cat, Dear Dragon, and anything with Umizoomi.
She went through a period of time with Dr. Seuss. Although I love Dr. Seuss, there's too many made-up words, that make it difficult for a young reader ... they don't know which words are ones that they should learn (words that can be found in Merriam-Webster) vs words that are made up and they don't need to learn ... (three-handled family Gradunza)
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Preschool
Zoey is doing quite well in Preschool. She seems to like school, and has come home singing and repeating things she learned in school. A few nights ago, she was demonstrating HIGH (by standing up), MEDIUM (by squatting halfway down) and LOW (by sitting).
Pretty sure that it's something she learned in school. She's also been singing songs that I think they sing in class.
The good thing is she is very communicative about how things are going in school. She's very talkative about her day.
Her biggest complaint/displeasure about school seems to revolve around a stuffed or toy dinosaur in her class. I've asked her a couple times if her teachers are nice (she says yes).
I've asked her if the other kids are nice. She started to say "yes" then changed her mind and said "no". When I asked why not, she explained that they wouldn't "share dinosaur".
Apparently there is a (in her words) colorful stuffed dinosaur in her class that's red and grey that everyone wants to play with and nobody shares with her.
I asked her if she asked the other kids to let her have a turn but she said no, she did not ask. We need to work her being more assertive, but overall if that's her only complaint, things are going extremely well. I still do want to see this toy dinosaur myself, she's gone to a lot of detail describing it.
Pretty sure that it's something she learned in school. She's also been singing songs that I think they sing in class.
The good thing is she is very communicative about how things are going in school. She's very talkative about her day.
Her biggest complaint/displeasure about school seems to revolve around a stuffed or toy dinosaur in her class. I've asked her a couple times if her teachers are nice (she says yes).
I've asked her if the other kids are nice. She started to say "yes" then changed her mind and said "no". When I asked why not, she explained that they wouldn't "share dinosaur".
Apparently there is a (in her words) colorful stuffed dinosaur in her class that's red and grey that everyone wants to play with and nobody shares with her.
I asked her if she asked the other kids to let her have a turn but she said no, she did not ask. We need to work her being more assertive, but overall if that's her only complaint, things are going extremely well. I still do want to see this toy dinosaur myself, she's gone to a lot of detail describing it.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Pokemon Go
Zoey and I have started playing Pokemon Go together. It's a good father-daughter bonding experience.
She's actually surprisingly good at catching Pokemon. I was surprised, she's got a knack for it. The only difficult thing is she gets easily frustrated when she "catches" a Pokemon, and he escapes, and then she catches him again and he escapes again.
I let her catch a higher-level new Pokemon that I really wanted, and she was tossing Great Balls.
Bop ... got him on the head. He got out. Zoey stomps a foot in frustration. She throws another ... Bop on the nead again. He gets out again.
Now, she's frustrated at this point.
I'm watching our very limited supply of Great Balls get rapidly depleted.
At that point I had to say "great try, sweetheart, let Daddy get him" and gently take away the phone, while we still had some Pokeballs remaining.
She's actually surprisingly good at catching Pokemon. I was surprised, she's got a knack for it. The only difficult thing is she gets easily frustrated when she "catches" a Pokemon, and he escapes, and then she catches him again and he escapes again.
I let her catch a higher-level new Pokemon that I really wanted, and she was tossing Great Balls.
Bop ... got him on the head. He got out. Zoey stomps a foot in frustration. She throws another ... Bop on the nead again. He gets out again.
Now, she's frustrated at this point.
- FLING ... WIDE RIGHT...
- FLING ... not even on the screen ...
- FLING ...
I'm watching our very limited supply of Great Balls get rapidly depleted.
- FLING ...
- FLING ...
- FLING ...
At that point I had to say "great try, sweetheart, let Daddy get him" and gently take away the phone, while we still had some Pokeballs remaining.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
New York City Trip - Return
Last year when we went to New York, we flew out of LaGuardia. This time, we arrived at and left from JFK Airport.
For some reason, everyone woke up early, around 6 AM, even though our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until noon.
The grown-ups in the family discussed, and our reasoning was that we'd have to sit around and wait anyway, better to wait at the airport (where you KNOW you'll catch your flight), than sit around the hotel and wait. More to see and do at the airport anyway.
We caught the Subway blue E Line to the Air Train, and then to JFK Airport.
We ended up arriving at the airport ridiculously early. We arrived 4 hours before our flight and just walked around and spent time at JFK Airport. I personally like JFK much better than LaGuardia. It feels newer and bigger. They had a cool water bottle refiller attached to a drinking fountain, so we were supplied with water. We just got cups at the Wendy's fast food restaurant in our terminal.
We weren't able to all sit together on the return flight. Zoey sat with Mommy and Grandma, while I sat with her big brother.
We got lots of Briscoff Delta-branded cookies, which made Zoey happy. She really likes those cookies.
For some reason, everyone woke up early, around 6 AM, even though our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until noon.
The grown-ups in the family discussed, and our reasoning was that we'd have to sit around and wait anyway, better to wait at the airport (where you KNOW you'll catch your flight), than sit around the hotel and wait. More to see and do at the airport anyway.
We caught the Subway blue E Line to the Air Train, and then to JFK Airport.
We ended up arriving at the airport ridiculously early. We arrived 4 hours before our flight and just walked around and spent time at JFK Airport. I personally like JFK much better than LaGuardia. It feels newer and bigger. They had a cool water bottle refiller attached to a drinking fountain, so we were supplied with water. We just got cups at the Wendy's fast food restaurant in our terminal.
We weren't able to all sit together on the return flight. Zoey sat with Mommy and Grandma, while I sat with her big brother.
We got lots of Briscoff Delta-branded cookies, which made Zoey happy. She really likes those cookies.
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