Light the Night Walk

On October 27 we did our first Light the Night Walk in Walnut Creek. Light the Night is another event sponsored by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and is a casual, approximately 2 mile walk for survivors, patients and supporters of people with blood cancers. It also is for those who walk in remembrance of someone who lost their battle. 

We registered ourselves as TEAM CARINA and made these fun t-shirts and hats to wear.

Here's Dad, his daughters and (most) grandkids

Everyone who walks gets an illuminated balloon - red is for supporters, white is for patients/survivors and gold is for in memory. The pictures don't do it justice, but it's a very moving sight to see so many illuminated balloons all at once.

Grandpa gets stroller duty

The whole family minus Randy

Me and Ate

In the first couple of years after my mom died we would all get together on her birthday and have dinner. As the years have passed, we've stopped doing that, mainly because of busy schedules I think. I look forward to getting the family together for these types of events and remembering and honoring our mother this way. It's good to see that we are not the only ones who have dealt with this struggle and that there is still more to do for those who are fighting now.

Cheeeese!

Looking at this picture just makes me smile.

Lucas' First Haircut

The day finally arrived for my Lucas to get his first haircut. From his newborn days Lucas already had interesting hair - he seemed to have a little Mohawk which then morphed into a fanned out tuft in the back. His hair soon became indicative of his personality: crazy, unique and unpredictable!

We waited this long to cut his hair, not because of any cultural superstitions, but more because we couldn't figure out how to approach it! Randy and I joked that he seemed to have 3 hairdos on his little head: receding in the front, spiky on the sides, long in the back.

His hair had gotten so long that it grew over his ears and was past his shoulders in the back! We finally took him to my hairdresser Le in Benicia last Friday afternoon. Lucas reacted exactly as we expected - he screamed and cried the entire time, even though we gave him a lollipop as a distraction.
Good thing we left it to a professional, Le had him trimmed in no time despite the ongoing meltdown.

First snip

Unhappy camper

Trying to hold him still

Are we done yet?

The change was amazing! His little face appeared chubbier, he looked older and lo and behold, we could see his ears! I am so happy that we can see and appreciate more of his smiling face.

Profile shot 

A lollipop for his troubles

Cutie patootie

Bay Area Discovery Museum

Today was a gorgeous fall day - azure skies with not a cloud in sight. We took advantage of the 75 degree weather (in SF no less!) and spent the day at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, one of our favorite kiddie places because its educational and fun all at the same time. The last time we were here was New Year's Eve and Lucas was only 3 months old. He definitely enjoyed himself much more this time! As always, Cruz loved digging in the gravel pit, climbing the ship and creating his own art pieces.

Another great day spent as a family creating memories, and for that, I am thankful.

Balancing Act

Enjoying a water feature

"Fishing"

Watching bullfrogs blow bubbles

Enjoying the warm weather

Lucas loves music

In the art studio

Re-fueling

He had so much fun at the "stream". Cruz loved this area too when he was little :)

Picture perfect weather

Halloween 2012

Despite falling midweek and rain in the forecast, we managed to get the boys out for trick or treating for a good solid hour. This year Cruz was a handsome fireman and Lucas was a Dalmatian! They were such a cute little pair. Happy Halloween everyone!

Lucas hates hats but obliged for Halloween!

Trick or treat!

Alot of the excitement is just ringing the doorbell

A tiny trick or treater

Love my little guys!

Happy birthday Lucas!

I blinked and Lucas went from being a newborn to a feisty little one year old! His first year went by much quicker than Cruz's and I think that's the way things go once you move on to multiple kids. There is so much going on all the time that the days, weeks, and months seem to move at warp speed. Nevertheless, here we are celebrating my baby boy's milestone birthday =) 

His birthday fell on a Wednesday so it was a regular work day for us, but I wanted to still do a little celebration at home with just us 4. I grew up with the tradition of eating noodles on our birthdays to symbolize a long life, so I picked up chow mein from our fave chinese place. Lucas had never had it before and loved eating the noodles and broccoli.

Instead of a cake I opted for chocolate cupcakes, which was another first for the birthday boy.

After Cruz helped blow out the candle, we let Lucas have at it with the cupcake. To our surprise, he didn't shovel it in his mouth like we expected. Instead he played with the frosting and got it all over his hands like he was finger painting!

Squishy icing

Finally takes a taste after manhandling the cupcake

Not bad...

He definitely had more fun smashing the cake than eating it!

The following Saturday we had a big Little Monster-themed birthday bash at my dad's house. Pics to come in a future post. There was a time when I didn't know if I wanted to have a second child or not. And while I believe that we have a hand in how our life turns out, I also believe that some things are our destiny. I am so thankful that it was my destiny to be so blessed a second time with my son Lucas. He is a mama's boy and I cherish every minute with him. Happy birthday to my baby!

Cruz's Thoughts on Halloween

Saw this at Cruz's parent-teacher conference tonight. I love it!