The saddest part of the girl's day...

...is when Daddy leaves for work.  This is what I see from the inside of the house.

Is the summer almost over already?

I've got a ton of pictures to post so I'm just going to dive in.  But I will say that school starts for us next Wednesday and I'm so glad Abby is anxious to get back!  We're continuing swim lessons in September so it's going to be a fun month for us.  We can't wait!  These are just a bunch of random pictures that I've taken lately.

All the grand kid's favorite spot to lay.

Who looks like her Lao Nian?  This one!

I wonder where Abby learned to smother her sister from??  Guilty!

Both pooped out from our jam packed weekend.  ♥

We have so many pictures of Abby hugging her daddy before he goes to work.  If I had the time, I'd reference back to an old picture.  She's so tall!

Playing well together never gets old.  Some day poor Lilly will get to be the doctor and not the patient.  Or the teacher and not the student.

Abby even warned Lilly the blood pressure cuff may get tight (it really doesn't).  :)

Lilly getting her temperature taken.  She was being such a cooperative patient - I was impressed!

Then they moved onto a tea party.  I remember when I was still pregnant with Lilly and I was already looking forward to the day they would have a tea party together.  ♥

The umpteenth picture of Abby being a rabbit while eating carrots.

I asked her to smile but she told me bunnies don't smile when they are eating.

Lilly was so anxious to eat the raspberries today that we didn't even make it to the table!

Lilly looking for her du chi (belly button) today.  ♥♥♥

I love when her lips look like this!  I just want to kiss them!

She was saying "Mei Mei!"

I went out of order but we visited Willow last Wednesday and got some great cousin pictures!

Group shot!

Aawwww.....  ♥

Willow (8 mo.), Abby (4.5 yr), Lilly (17 mo.)

Kiddo Update

Well, we really haven't been up to much lately.  Abby is on week 2 of swim lessons which are going really well!  I'm just glad that she looks forward to swim class each day.  It's only 30 minutes long a day but boy does it wear out our little lazy, I mean, intellectual daughter.  ;P  Abby's still going to Gymboree Summer Skills classes twice a week and I'm so glad that she still loves it. Most of her teachers are the same ones from when she started at 16 months so it's like a little family there.  She is also VERY anxious to start school in 3 weeks.  She's a bit apprehensive about being in a new class and having new teachers but it's a good apprehension and not a scared one.

Lilly is really talking up a storm now!  It's easier just to make a list of her vocabulary in no particular order.

• Wassah? (What's that? - she says this about 50 times a day.)
• Wa Wa (water)
• Du chi (belly button in Chinese)
• Panda
• Bubbles
• Dui bu dui (Right? in Chinese)
• Bao Bao (bread in Chinese)
• Cheese
• I knoo (I know)
• Minnie Moo (Minnie Mouse)
• Good Night Moo(n)
• Night Night!
• Off (working on saying "ON")
• Gou gou (dog in Chinese)
• Nai Nai (milk in Chinese)
• She says "woof woof" at almost any animal.  But she knows a cow moos and birds cheep cheep.
• If you ask her where her yien jing, bi zhe, zuei ba, tou fa, er duo, mei mao are, she knows to point at her eye, nose, mouth, hair, ear and eye brows.
• We say 'bu che sou' all day (don't suck your thumb) and she's VERY aware of what that means.
• And most impressively, she say "pee pee" after she pees in her diaper and "poo poo" after she poops in her diaper!!  How cool is that?  

Lilly continues to have a temper.  When she's mad at Abby, she pulls her hair and bites her.  Anywhere.  We're still "training" Abby that Lilly's just a baby and doesn't understand taking turns, sharing, etc.  We've come a long way and I'm proud of both of them.  And I'm also fully aware that we've got many obstacles ahead of us!  These pictures are random so here we go:

Sweet sleepy angel.

Bryce made pizza one night and they were both anxiously awaiting for it in front of the oven.  

Abby called watching the "pizza TV!"

Lilly looks mischievous while Lao Yie reads her favorite book to her - Good Night Moon.

Bryce is the man of the hour when he has an ice cream sandwich for dessert!

Quality father-daughter time!

Abby's new game is photo bombing Lilly's pictures.  Not nice.  See poor Lilly behind her?

I'm bummed this picture turned out blurry but I like it so I'm posting it.  ♥

And lastly, the GOOFY BAKERS!!

Circus, Homemade Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Let's just dive right into the pictures on this post.  :)

This was also Abby's favorite place to sit when she was Lilly's age.  It's under our kitchen counter leaflet.  You can see her crooked smile.  :)

It's a 34" counter so I know Lilly's around 32" tall now.  I have to account for her tippy toe stance.  Lilly's definitely got my legs.

The best part of their day...when Daddy gets home.  ♥

Playing well together.  :)

My parents and I took Abby to see the Ringling Bros.and Barnum & Bailey Circus featuring Dragons this past Saturday and we got there early for the pre-show where you got to see the animals up close!

Lions and tigers, oh my!

Elephants are my favorite circus animal to look at.  Abby wasn't too impressed.

Then we got to see the circus clowns perform up close too!

They were very good about getting all the kids involved and active and I was very proud of Abby going up there and doing all the moves!  It took her 4 years to come out of her shell but it was worth the wait.  :)

Then it was finally time for the Greatest Show on Earth to start and she was literally on the edge of her seat!  Btw, that's a fake tattoo sleeve on her arm.  It's like panty hose with colorful circus designs all over it.  She loved it!

Pretty cool!

We all had quite a scare because one lion and another tiger looked like they were about to attack the instructor.  There were several moments where the crowd went silent and even the instructor looked hesitant.  But it all turned out okay.

Once in a blue moon I remember to include myself in a picture.

My favorite - the elephants.  So cool!

The End!  This was the finale and the golden dragon finally made it's entrance.  I forgot how fun a circus was and I can't wait until Lilly is old enough to go too!

Sunday is Bryce's day to make a big meal and this week he had a hankering to make a Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza from scratch.  

Step 1: Make dough.

Step 2: Smother butter on rolled out dough.

Step 3: Cut dough in half, tightly roll, trifold and form into balls.

Step 4: I skipped a few steps but you let it rise, form in cake pan, add mozzarella.

Step 5: Add mushrooms.

Step 6: Add sauteed sausage.

Step 7: Add shredded pecorino romano.

Step 8: Add fresh arugula.

Step 9: Add tomato sauce.

Step 10: EAT PIZZA and pass out!  It was delicious, dense and filling.  YUM!