Honua Kai

We are staying at the Honua Kai, a resort complex just north of Kaanapali in Maui. Carrie found this place as it is rated #1 on TripAdvisor, and TripAdvisor continues to deliver. This is on par with the nicest places we've ever stayed. Our 3 BR/3 BA condo is brand new, has all Viking appliances, granite countertops, 4 LCD TVs, central audio to each room, room-specific HVAC controls, the list goes on. On top of that, this is also a resort in it's own right with awesome pools, room service, poolside drink service, housekeeping, concierge, kids' club, etc. We LOVE it. Below is a picture of the grounds at sunset that we enjoy every night after the kids go to bed.

Shaved Ice

Cassie got a snocone machine for her birthday that she has really enjoyed. So what was the obvious first activity when we got to Hawaii, snocone capital? Get shaved ice!!! Cassie clearly enjoyed her blue raspberry shaved ice!

Maui!

It's summer break at Google daycare and we're off to Maui! This is Cassie's second plane ride ever and Hayley's first. We're all very excited for some much needed R&R!

Birthday Season

It's June, and that means it's birthday season. Cassie and her school friends have been together since they were six months old, with all their birthdays all within 2 weeks of each other. Today marks the first of the parties, with Diya celebrating her 3rd birthday!

Hayley Bops

Hayley is really starting to interact with the environment. She is sitting up all the time now and is getting ready to crawl. Her smiles are awesome and she has lots to 'say.' But one of the best things is that she's finally able to just sit on her own for a long time. She loves watching Cassie and people in general, but it also helps that she can really play with toys now!

Back Up and Running

So after an extended hiatus, we're back and trying to post regularly again. The girls are growing up quick and are both a ton of fun. Cassie is finally old enough to start having treats on occasion. Strawberry ice cream is one of her favorites! :)

Cassie Plays with the iPhone

Cassie now has the dexterity and maturity to sit and play simple video games!  John discovered some really fun toddler apps on the iPhone that Cassie really enjoys.

Day Out with Thomas

It's no secret that one of Cassie's favorite things right now is trains, and Thomas the Tank Engine is her favorite.  So a couple weeks ago, we went and attending Day Out With Thomas, a traveling show where a life-size Thomas the Tank Engine visits along with a bunch of other fun activities for kids.  We got to ride on the Thomas train, see a giant blow-up Percy, play in the bounce house, and look at lots of cool new Thomas toys.  Good times!

Pajaro Dunes Trip

After the Daddy-Daughter Trip this year, Carrie's family organized a trip to the Central Coast to spend some time at the beach.  Carrie's parents, Scott and Megan and the cousins all got together in Pajaro Dunes.  We rented out a really cool house and met them for a day there.  Cassie loved playing in the sand and helped Pops dig several big holes.  After some testing, Cassie eventually got excited by the ocean and tide coming in and out as well.  Lots of fun with the cousins!

2010 Daddy-Daughter Trip: California Academy of Sciences

After a really fun evening having dinner in a fancy restaurant and staying in a hotel room in Napa, we had to start heading home again.  To break up the car ride, we stopped at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco to check out the extensive renovations and new exhibits there.  Cassie's favorite part was the aquarium where we spent the better part of an hour finding Nemo.  Finding Nemo is Cassie's favorite movie right now, so we enjoyed looking for clown fish and all of Nemo's friends including Dory, Marlin, and Gill.  We also enjoyed the rain forest exhibit where Cassie got up close and personal with butterflies, and grabbed a nice lunch in their new cafe before heading home.

2010 Daddy-Daughter Trip: Sonoma and Napa

Our end destination for this year's trip was wine country.  Not for the wine, obviously, but for a cool theme park called Sonoma Train Town.  Cassie is fascinated by all things trains and we look for every opportunity we can to take train rides.  After the zoo in the morning, Cassie caught a nap in the car while we drove up to Sonoma.  We had an amazing time at Sonoma Train Town, riding the train, seeing the petting zoo, riding the roller coaster, going on the Ferris wheel, and even checking out the merry-go-round.  Cassie wore her train conductor outfit the whole time and really enjoyed seeing all the different trains!

2010 Daddy-Daughter Trip: SF Zoo

Every year, Cassie's school takes a week off for teacher planning and to move classrooms.  We took the opportunity this year to go on our second Daddy-Daughter Trip.  We left first thing in the morning and headed up the Peninsula, stopping at the San Francisco Zoo for a fun morning.  Cassie had a great time seeing all the animals, her favorite being the monkeys and one particular colorful baboon.  We also got to catch the penguin and grizzly bear feedings, as well as ride the train and the merry-go-round!

Snocone!

Catching up with some older posts.  Back in August, Cassie and John went to a really fun birthday party with a bounce house, Thomas the train, cotton candy, popcorn machine, and Snocones!  It was the first time Cassie has ever had cotton candy or Snocones, and she obviously loved them!

First Night

We brought Hayley home from the hospital after a short morning of filling out discharge forms.  She's had a lot of poops, but seems to be happy to be home.  Cassie has welcomed her and has been in good spirits as well.  We've upgraded our babycam setup and are now able to watch both girls from any computer.  We're a few hours into our first night, fingers crossed...

Introducing Hayley Catherine Wei

Our new baby girl was born on Saturday evening, 9/18/2010, at 7:01pm in San Jose.  She weighs 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and is 20 inches long.  She has lots of dark hair, is alert, strong, and doing well.  Carrie did a great job delivering and is happy and healthy as well!  We are at Good Samaritan Hospital and welcome visitors while we are.

Happy Birthday, America!

Today is the 4th of July and we told Cassie that it was America's birthday.  Her response: "Happy birthday, America!"  Indeed.

Disneyland!

Last weekend was cousin Jasmine's 2nd birthday down in Southern California.  We took the opportunity to visit with cousins and take Cassie to Disneyland for the first time.  The trip was a great success, Cassie was such a good girl for the 6.5 car ride down and the 8 hour car ride back.  We rode pretty much every ride that was age appropriate for her including the Merry Go Round, Dumbo, Teacups, several choo choo trains, the Storyland boat, It's a Small World, Autopia cars, Rocket Ships, the Monorail, Dancing Ladybugs, Bumper Cars, and the Bug Balloons.  Her favorite rides were the Merry Go Round and Dumbo (included video above), and one of the big highlights was getting to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse!

Indoor Skydiving

One of John's friends from work is getting married in July.  While we won't be able to make the wedding in Las Vegas, John was able to help him celebrate at the bachelor party.  The main activity of the day was go indoor skydiving at a place called iFly in the East Bay.  It's surprisingly fun!

Daddy's Race Car

Cassie has learned how to say "Mommy's car" (Prius) and "Daddy's car" (Explorer) and especially enjoys when we let her choose which car to take.  She usually chooses "Daddy's car" because she doesn't get to ride in the Explorer as often, and I think she might be able to see more out of the windows when we're driving.  We recently also introduced her to "Daddy's Race Car."  She hasn't gotten to leave the garage in it yet, but she's had her first taste behind the seat of the Mustang and loves it!  Hopefully she still feels that way in 14 years...

Big Girl Bed

We have achieved a major milestone in toddler development with surprisingly little (or should say NO) fuss at all.  We converted Cassie's crib into a toddler bed by taking off the front rails and replacing them with a partial toddler rail.  She can get in and out on her own and took to it immediately.  We're still crossing our fingers, but her sleep schedule has not been affected at all and she still stays in bed every morning until we come to get her, even if she's already awake.  We bolted all the furniture to the wall (in case of climbing) and installed a baby gate on her door just in case she got out of bed, but she has yet to do so.  Much credit goes to all the pre-work that was done at school where they've been napping out of cribs for several months now.