Happy Holidays!

In keeping up with my yearly tradition since our first move from here in 2006 and consequent moves that led us back here (incl. the one that brought us back to the area exactly one year ago)...I doubt I'll be sending out holiday cards. Why break tradition? Hahaha. JK...next year....next year.

The one tradition I have kept up with is taking our holiday photos. The one holiday photo tradition Sean has kept up with...fake smiles....or rather, extremely pained-frustrated-wanting-to-skin-our dogs-and-sell-our-kids-and-find-a-wife-who-is-not-a-perfectionist-and-takes-quicker-photos smiles. Mainly because while I'm tinkering with trying to get the photos right...he's handling the kids and the dogs...except for the dog & the kid who are clingy to mama....except the clingy kid is much better (he's with Dad this year). This is a prime example...

Still...Sean is the one who broke the tradition this year and passed it to me. So, here I am in all my plasticky smile glory while my beautiful family poses...

We're off to spend a glorious break in DC...time to enjoy some great food and loved ones!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! May your travels be safe and your celebrations special and joyful!

Love,

Kaia, Jaron, Remi, Jax, Sean, & Tan

Kaia...to the rescue!!!

From The Lee-Espiritu Fam

I think my kids are pretty good kids. They can get ridiculously crazy and hyper...especially when they see family...so that's outta love & well, craziness. They're kinda outspoken...like their dad. ;o) They can have those really annoying sibling tiffs that can drive us crazy. But, most of the time...they're pretty good kids...with pretty good hearts.

Yesterday, I found out that Kaia stood up to her class who was laughing at her classmate who had accidentally peed in her pants. She let them know that it was "just an accident". As outspoken as I am and how much I like to stand up for the wronged...I don't think I would've had the guts to do that when I was her age.

We also found out that her teacher's nearly week-long absence was because she had lost her mother. The loss of a parent is something we're all to familiar with and even though the kids have not yet dealt with a tremendous loss personally...they're pretty empathetic to the loss of a loved one through their grandfather they never had the chance to meet.

Kaia did a little something for her teacher. I hope my children never lose their good hearts...

From The Lee-Espiritu Fam

The Fam

Family. No matter what life gives you...family is always the constant. Family...not just relatives, but family. Being related does not always mean you are family...because so many of our friends are our family. Family...ones that love & support us unconditionally.

This core group that Sean refers to as "The Fam" is a constant reminder of just how blessed our lives are. We cannot even begin to imagine our lives without these individuals...our group isn't whole when we are missing one. Our lives are more enriched, loved, and happier because of The Fam. For that, we thank you.

On the train in Strasburg, PA...part of Kim's 30th birthday celebration weekend.

In Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, MD after piercing Talia's ears.

Blast from the past...

I'm working on a li'l somethin'-somethin' for my sister's upcoming 30th...and came across these old (but not so old) pics from a couple of years ago.

Notice my poor hardworking hubby...but more importantly, notice how hard I'm working to set up the perfect family photo.

Poor Sean...the things he has to put up with!!

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Lazy.

Kaia's injured...she's doing well, but she's sporting a hot pink cast to protect her broken tibia. Read more about it here.

What would you do?

We look forward to the days when Sean stands duty...not because we can't wait to get rid of him for 36 hours, but because that's when Mommy reads TONS of stories for bedtime. It's actually our reverse psychology to get the kids excited about Daddy not coming home instead of upset. Military fam survival 101.

Anyhoo...fresh from our library outing last night before bed and the 60 books we literally checked out (oops...sorry Princess Anne Library...we'll be back next week)...one of the books I read was "Alexander's Pretending Day" by Bunny Crumpacker. Basically, the premise of the story is the little boy Alexander asking his mom how she would react in certain situations if he were different things. One of the things Alexander pretended to be was a lion. So, after Alexander asked his mom "What would you do?" I asked the same question to each child. It was Jaron's turn to answer first. His answer? "I would kill him." Yes, my darling, sweet, cuddly baby mama's boy has a killer instinct to protect himself and his family...or at least himself. Kaia's answer (which would've been mine too) was to RUN....FAST.

However, I wanted to steer him away from the generic killing statement but asked him how he was going to do that...have him really think out his answer. "With a spear." Well, shoot, you have me there...so much for steering the conversation towards a different solution. But...Mama's got a trick up her sleeve..."What if you didn't have a spear? What would you do?" Please oh please let's have a different answer (especially since when Alexander was going to be a mouse, Kaia's first answer was to stomp on him...collllllllllllld-blooded assasins, I tell you!).

My sweet, sweet, darling, cuddly baby mama's boy's answer?

"I would go to the spear shop and buy a spear...buy a LOT of spears and kill the lion with the spears."

*sigh*

Hopefully there isn't a blue light special at the spear shop or that lion is done for.

Happy Birthday, Kai-B!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!! You have given us so much to be proud of and thankful for...and for that, we say thank you to you. From choosing that your guests donate to two charities of your choice instead of bringing gifts to taking the news of your birthday party being postponed due to illness to being more than okay that your homemade birthday cake will be on your 6th year & 1 day birthday.

You are amazing.

Thank you for choosing us.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea. May all your birthday wishes and dreams come true. May each year bring you more and more happiness.

We love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAY!!

Happy Birthday, Bear/Ba-ba!!
35 never looked so good!
Thank you for always being Mr. Fabulous!
We love you!!!

AHHH YES...

10.5 years...they've just FLOWN by! It's always a good laugh to go back and reminisce about the first time we kissed...in the midstore parking lot...in front of everybody and making it a little AWKWARD...and then my now infamous question that just won you over instantly. I know your heart just melted right then and there. It never gets old, does it? Hehehe. I was such a smooth operator!!! And back then I had my hair all long and slicked back since I was a Firstie and I did what I wanted! Anyway, it's been a blast so far and I couldn't have been more blessed to spend that time with someone who makes me a better me! I love my Bebeh!

10.5 Years...

Really...10.5 years? Here's to multiplying that number...

I Love you, Bear!!!

Feliz Cumpleanos

HAPPY 99th BIRTHDAY, GUNG-GUNG!!!!!!!!!!!

Giving

My daughter has a very giving heart. In fact, the last time Po-po, Talia, & A-yi were here Kaia tried to give A-yi the Father's Day card she had made for Ba-ba...except it was that, she made it FOR SEAN. She knew how much Kim liked the card and wanted to give it to her.

We had a pretty good laugh about...although I wouldn't be laughing if Kaia tried to give away my mother's day card...I really love that card.

Still...the innocence of children can warm your heart, make you giggle, or do both.

I'm glad my kids' innocence does both.

Picnicking on the Deck

Since we're back in our first home and have this amazing view, you'd think we'd be out there all the time. Except, we're not. One word: bugs. Well, two, bugs and SUN. We're east/west facing so we get some crazy sun. Sean's more of the bug-a-phobe (entomophobia for those needing the exact terminology). Maybe he's not so much of a bug-a-phobe, but more of a bug-hater....like he really, really, really does not like bugs.

Anyhoo, I digress...weather was good, deck is freshly painted, and both kids are home...so with grilled cheeses, a fresh juice concoction (spinach, blueberries, red grapes w/seeds, strawberries, ground flax, & water...all whipped up in the Vita-mix), and our picnic blanket (we still need new deck furniture)...we headed outdoors...along with Jax.

It was really nice. The kids loved it and watched the butterflies flying around our bushes. Sean missed out...on all the flies, that is! HAHAHAHA. The kids are so used to disciplining the dogs they were yelling "NO!" to the flies instead of swatting them away!!

The only sad thing is, I realize how fast the kids are growing and that both of them will be in school this September (well Jaron possibly only part-time...we'll see). I feel like I've just missed out on so much even though I've been with them almost everyday of their lives (save a total of 5 days for Kaia and 2 days for Jaron).

Really...where did time go and when did my babies grow up?

Order Up!

As I was giving the kids a light breakfast before having lunch in two hours...they already had their toast and I was giving them their fruit salad, Jaron looks at the fruit and says:

"I didn't order that!"

Pu-hahahahahaha.

Yes, welcome to Tanya's Cafe.

Ta-daaaaaaaaaaaa...Talia!

So much for posting about Jaron's birthday...shoot, even Kaia's birthday LAST YEAR. I'll try to get that up sometime. We're so far behind.

But...in bigger news...

OUR BABY WAS FINALLY BORN!

Talia Mei Shih made her debut almost two weeks ago!! We barely made it up there for said debut!! Thankfully, after lots of scrambling and anxiety...we got there! You can read the short of it here.

Anyhoooooo...Talia Mei Shih: 5lbs, 11oz. and 19 inches long....and absolutely gorgeous and SUCH A GOOD BABY!!! We are so missing ourselves some Talia right now and can't wait for the weekend to come so we can see Our Baby again. I've been sick since her birth (kept myself away from her homecoming) and Jaron's sick too. We'll be all good for this weekend where I intend on doing some night duty and get some bonding time in with Our Baby. Maybe if Mom takes care of the kids, Sean can join me...so he can be on poop duty...HAHAHAHAHA. ;o) The doting uncle did volunteer to do diaper duty whenever we see her anyway! What a awesome uncle!!!

Kim & J are, as expected, fantastic parents. Kim was amazing during the birthing process. She was awesome! J was a excellent coach. Mom provided much entertainment...particularly taking hits on the oxygen mask...funny lady!

The kids are dying to see their little cousin/sister. Thank you, Talia...you have now made being away from DC even HARDER!!! It's been easier for me to be away from home, but increasingly harder for the kiddies. Now, they have Talia here and something's screaming at me that leaving DC on our weekend trips are going to be H-A-R-D!

Without further ado...Talia Mei Shih:

Sweet

Sean's standing duty tonight and the kids have been AWESOME! We've been dealing with a bit of sibling rivalry...so much that we think: "Yeah, two's good." Although my ovaries are definitely hurtin' for a third, we'll see with our upcoming moves and life changes if a 3rd is in our cards or not. Right now, we're enjoying our two...even with their little tiffs.

Still, I live for moments like these:

It's Been a While...

...without further ado...our pre-bedtime monkeys and their antics:



Some updates & tidbits:

*Both kids went to the dentist over here and were SOOOOOOOOO good!!! Both were nervous. Jaron went first with me and Kaia the next week. Jaron was really nervous, but the staff was AWESOME and he wanted to go to the dentist everyday! He also calmed Kaia down a bit...who. being older, calms down a lot easier since she listens to our explanations. She was sooooo good and the staff loved having them there. Kaia does have some "sugarbugs" that she'll get "brushed" out starting next week...and she's excited about it! She knows her tooth is going to go to sleep and that she might hear it snoring. Cutie.

*As we were getting ready for Jaron's birthday party up at Mom's. Jaron says good morning to Talia (still in A-yi's uterus) and then tells us he sees Talia's mouth...it's Kim's BELLY BUTTON!! But the funnier part about that...he said that SHE'S WHISTLING!!!! Funny Boy.

*Our Baby Shih/Cousin Watch 2009...Talia's still not out, but we're shooting for Mother's day weekend...;o) I'm going to make sure she runs some laps or whatever while we're up there so we can be there for our baby's birth. Regardless, we WILL be up there for her birth...period.

*I'll post some photos of the party...we're still recovering from it. HOWEVER...we have the BEST FAMILY...hands down!!!! Party preps were amazing and the family who came to celebrate with us...AWESOME!!! We're so blessed!!!

LIAR!!!!!!!!!!

Po-po & kiddies about to eat homemade coconut birthday cake.

So, I lied. Well, not really...but I did...unintentionally since I abhor lying (as well as liars). Is that a strong word? I guess everyone lies, but I think everyone who knows me...really knows me, knows I'm very honest...sometimes TOO HONEST...;o)

Anyhoo...what was my lie? That I didn't take pics from our last weekend in DC (in reference to my previous post). I did. I was so sick that I didn't even remember until I pulled out my camera and lo & behold...PHOTOS!!!! Shoot...I even forgot that we went to DC to walk around before gorging ourselves at Texas de Brazil.

Kim was SOOOOOOOOOOO sick (this cold was really, really brutal and only the Lee Sisters got it). Poor thing missed an entire week of work and is still not 100%. I'm still not 100%...so I can't imagine how long it'll take for her to get over this completely!! She was still trying to be superwoman during this time...and not resting enough!!! My sister is probably my favorite person to nag....because she's so darn hard-headed. ;o) Good thing that gene skipped over me...tee hee hee. LOVE YOU, SISTEE!

Anyhoooo...we're heading up to DC this weekend to celebrate J-Ron's birthday early. His actual birthday is a wee bit close to Kim's due date/Talia's birth date. So, no biggie...two celebrations means more cake! ;o)

Kiddies, Talia (in utero), & A-yi...pre-plague.

Kiddies & their real parents & sibling-to-be...Uncle J, A-yi, & Talia.

Kim & J let us borrow their kids...how generous. ;o)

Sean might have made a "big" joke...I can't remember...but I'm sure Talia is giving her cute uncle a big kick right now for saying whatever he did!

Plague

The plague that is Tanya has managed to infect her poor, poor PREGNANT sister!!! What a good big sister I am! SORRY SISTEE!!!!!!!!!!!! This cold is a whopper too...definitely the sickest I've been this year.

Yeah, I can't even remember how many times I've been ill since the beginning of January. Definitely more than 6 times now. I cannot wait for the weather to be warmer and school to be out!!! ;o) Hil reminded me that I've been sick more than I've been healthy. Great.

We spent the weekend up in DC celebrating family birthdays. Po-po turned 59 and we got to eat (even though I didn't have much of an appetite...you know I'm sick if I don't have an appetite) at Texas de Brazil...a carnivore lovers paradise...SOOOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!! I also made a yummy coconut cake for my coconut-loving nutty mom!

We also celebrated the 1st birthday of our nephew Aidan!! He's more of a tank than Jaron was and is so super yummy! He's such a little charmer and just so adorable!! We got him a bomber jacket from the base and Sean attached patches of jets & subs on it that will hopefully remind him of us! Papa & Mama Yuan made some maaaaaaaaaad good food...as usual!! Our cutie niece Lina was also there and is equally as delicious as her first cousin! It's so nice to live closer to home and be able to spend time with family! Sean keeps saying that it's nice to drive 3.5-4 hours rather than the 12 hours from FL...not that he drove it too often. Anyway...good to see our family and celebrate our nephew's milestone! Hopefully, I did not infect anyone there!!

No photos this time...too sick! Wah, wah, wah.

The biggest shout-out this weekend...my hubby. He did EVERYTHING this weekend so all I had to do was take care of myself (which I normally complain he should do, but I was so sick that I wanted no one around to catch my plague). This man did all the packing up (the car, that is), took care of the kids...canine & human, drove, ev-er-y-thing!!!! He was so awesome. PLUS...Kaia was still getting better so she was still having crazy nightmares...esp. our first night in DC...where Sean slept with the kids all weekend and I was in my little cave. Poor guy. Really...he busted his sweet little tookus off this weekend and never complained or showed he was even bothered by it.

My hubby...I'm really lucky.

Fun times...

Kaia is currently home with a stomach virus...albeit not a horrible one like the one that knocked out me & the kids and almost the entire wardroom of the USS Tennessee. Poor Sean got less than 3.5 hours of sleep after coming home from taking Kais to the ER past 12:30am.

Kaia's good now. Sean's sleepy. Go figure.

This past weekend was great. Two birthday parties and lots of rain. We had a lot of fun though. Kaia got a taste of gymnastics at her friend Jack's birthday party on Saturday. Before we ran to Jack's birthday, I made quick healthy pseudo-Cuban sandwiches...Kaia's favorite samich. Then on Sunday, we joined our long-time friends the Tabingas to celebrate dear Colin's 5th birthday! We had so much fun!

We're still backlogged on updates. Still have to post Kim's baby shower (which the kids & Sean didn't get to make since Kaia was crazy sick during the party also)...but if I haven't even posted Kaia's birthday celebration in Disney...we'll see if I get to posting about the shower! ;o)

Even though we miss FL...

...it's nice to be back in VA Beach. How can you complain when you have an awesome backyard full of wildlife and calming water? Now, I can't say much about the seagull poop all over my roof...argh. When we left for SOAC in 2006, we did not have so many seagulls...now they're plentiful and we're not diggin' 'em. Plus, the kids want to feed the ducks & geese, but not the gulls since they steal everything!!! Did I mention the poop???? UGHHHH!!!


So, do you see the tree across the lake in the center of the photo...well, this is what I was taking photos of:

and a little closer (I'm limited in my zoom with my little point-and-shoot)...

Recognize it, my friends? Yup...a certified national bird...the Bald Eagle! Unless there are some orinthologists that recognize this as some other bird, we'll just call it a Bald Eagle and call it a day. We really do love this little lake and all the wildlife views it affords us. Plus, we see these guys fly in all the time:

Really, I'll take birds and all their poop any day over scorpions (in the house) and snakes (around my house)!! I do miss these lil' buggers though (sorry for the poor image quality):

This lil' guy was hanging out on a sprinkler head while I was grilling on the lanai:

Yes, I do miss FL, but change is nice.

So Much for Being Land-Locked...

So when the sub goes into dry dock, one can still get pulled to go out to sea. Ahhhhhh, the sub life. Still, with this boomer tour we can't complain...it beats fast attack life any day, hands down.

Earlier this month there was a distinct possibility that Sean was supposed to fill in for another WEPS that quit in our old homeport. The fun part of that was that he was going to be gone for 1.5 months...again, that's not too bad but considering he's in the shipyards and the smartest and more practical and most economical decision would've been to pull from the other available WEPS in the area...which they eventually did. Now, he's on this other little underway. It sucks because he'll miss our sister's (that sounds incestuous...so, my sister, his sister-in-law) baby shower...or moreover, I'll miss having him around this week while I am a crazy woman getting ready for a shower in a different state. Still, our BFFs Shirl & Hil (and our wonderful Mom) have a lot covered too up there.

Anyway, we miss having Mr. Muscles around...even though he hasn't been gone for more than a few hours yet. The kids always handle these underways with the easiest of ease. I love it. I used to be disconcerted that they didn't do the "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, DADDY, DON'T GOOOOOOO!" and whole crying bit...but easily adapting to new situations is preferable any day!!! Shoot, I still remember the first time Sean went out on his PWEPS tour and I was a hot mess and Kaia comforted me...at the ripe old age of 3!!!! I guess it hadn't helped that we had some psycho come into our house (who Mr. Muscles punched out) and we were living waaaaaaaaay far from The Fam AND had a new puppy (Jax...thanks to the psycho, we felt the need for a protection dog) AND two toddlers AND I had Sean home for 3 years, so I wasn't used to him going out to sea anymore. Now, it's back to military spouse mentality and my kids are tough too...we'll see you soon, Beb/Ba-ba, but not soon enough!!!

STILL...it's a mini-underway and I can't complain. Becca's in the middle of a move with a toddler and her hubby is on deployment (read: fast attack deployments are the real thing...6 months out and not counting the various underways before they leave and throughout the year...these guys are MAYBE home for a total of 3 months out of the year...spread out throughout the year)...we're talking single married spouses for an entire fast attack tour), Kelly has been home with the 3 kids while her hubby has been in a different state up the coast, and Ellyn had gone through a deployment and then her hubs got sent on a 1 year IA tour in Iraq, and Liza's been holding it down with her 3 cuties while her hubby does a geo-bachelor tour.

Yeah, we miss Mr. Muscles, but we have no complaints.

McDonald's

So, our kids are funny. Given Mommy's training and background, we've tried to instill a big sense of multiculturalism in them...through diverse ideas, people, customs, and FOOD. Yeah, yeah, yeah...so I'm not big on the whole "Let's do a food festival to showcase our culture"-thing, but with stomachs and tastes like ours...our kids NEED to have diverse food tastes.

Now, I miss me some South...esp. the Southern Fried Chicken...*droooool*. But, having to drive an hour-plus to get some Indian, Chinese, Korean, etc. food was re-dunkulous. It's great being back up here with a newly-opened International Supermarket (one of those ginormous Korean-owned supermarkets) right down the street and more diversity in cuisine all within a 30-minute or less drive...we're so happy. STILL...food in the Hampton Roads area (Norfolk, VA Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, etc.) is NOT known for fabulous food. In fact...if you ever see something that's been voted "Best of the Beach/Norfolk"...you might wonder who the voters are and if their tongues are working correctly. Yes, I am a food snob...but if it's voted best...it at least better be GOOD...not "ok".

Anyhoo...I digress...we've posed the option of pizza or some other kind of fast food option to our kids. Often, since we're uber close to our fave Vietnamese location, we throw in Pho as an option as well. For those who don't know, pho is the wonderfully delicious Vietnamese beef noodle soup (which also is available in chicken) that you can top with some fresh herbs & other condiments and is soooooooo addictive!! Funny thing is, no matter what option is stacked against pho...pho always wins!!

Viral

We happen to be currently blessed with one of the best viruses known to mankind...a STOMACH VIRUS!! Hahahahaha...ok, obviously sarcasm, but this bad boy has managed to take out our whole family AND, not to mention, almost the entire wardroom (the officers) on Sean's boat!!! Even the CO (commanding officer...aka #1) had to go home early. It's that bad.

This bad boy has hit hard and fast. We took Kaia to school yesterday. I felt a little weird all morning. Then I get a call from Kaia's school saying she threw up twice and at least made it 1/2-way through her 100th Day (of school). As we're leaving to get her, I vomit twice. We come home, Kaia's in real bad shape. Jaron's fine and messing around before I put him to bed. Then the kids are sleeping and I'm downstairs. Kaia joins me later, followed by Jaron a while after that. Then Jaron pukes (he's the type of kid that gives no forewarning that he's about to blow...he just does it).

Sean got home and took care of us. He was starting to feel it a little but not too bad. Today he's achy, has the chills, and his stomach hurts, but hasn't come home yet...which he totally should since this thing comes so fast AND he has to stand duty tomorrow. Ughhhhhh.

Anyhoo...the kids are doing much better today. I am don't have the chills anymore nor am I'm throwing up...but still feeling it a little. I'm just happy the kids are feeling so much better! I hated seeing them so miserable yesterday.

Ahhhhhhhh...how's this post for TMI? ;o)

Anonymous

Alrighty, Lurkers....everyone can now publish comments!

Red Nail Polish & "Look, Ma, No Hands!"

So, the other night while we were at a restaurant, our little Cassanova took notice of our server's red nail polish. He told us, after she left, that he liked her nails and quickly followed that by "She can be my girlfriend". The Asian American mini-version of Hugh Hefner already has 3 girlfriends: Mommy, A-yi, & Kaia (and two others in FL).

To balance a funny story...the other day, my angel got a wee bit angry at his sister. He decided to defy house-rules and use force instead of words. While getting disciplined for hitting Kaia with a toy, he pointed out that he didn't use his hands to hit her...he used a toy. Oh...ok, now that's fine. ;o) Turkey.

Note to parents of kids we play with...your kids are still safe with my son! ;o) He seems to limit his anger outbursts to his sister...and then does a 180 with other kids...almost passive at times! Yikes!

Secret Agents

So, while reading about the Backyardigans being secret agents, Jaron mentioned that secret agents are like "secret agent pears". Cutie boy...I didn't have the heart to correct him and tell him that they're Asian Pears and not "Agent Pears". ;o)

Stranger Danger?

Apparently not. I was finishing up downstairs while Jaron ran ahead upstairs to get ready for his afternoon nap. When I headed up to start the process, I snuck up the stairs quietly with the intent to surprise him...because I'm a nice mom like that. Tee hee hee. Anyhoo...I could barely hear him and headed into his room, where, beyond the boxes, I heard *tap, tap, tap* and a tiny voice yell "You're doing a great job!" Yup...my son was knocking on his window, trying to get the roofers' attention next door, and praising their efforts. It was so cute but I also had to let him know that they're strangers and remind him that he's not supposed to be just chatting it up with anyone...like his mom. HAHAHAHAHA.

Poor baby is still getting over his cold. Hopefully, he'll be good to go by the time we get up to DC this weekend!! His appetite disappeared momentarily for a day...but returned. Kaia's doing better too...it never really progressed beyond a stuffy nose and mild coughing.

Here's the cute little bugger sleeping in my bed:

Inaugural Fun

Well, it's officially begun! Kaia brought home some "love" from her class last week!!! This weekend was spent with two wonderfully sick kids!! Kaia actually just got a stuffy nose while Jaron got a stuffy/drippy nose and crazy coughing! Last night he was burning up with a crazy fever! Ahhhhhhhh...the joys of child socialization...always sharing some kind of love. ;o) Sean and I are drinking tea like a mother trying to avoid getting this bug.

From I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up...

Kaia's home today to watch the inauguration since they wouldn't be watching it at school....booooooooo. I guess it's good that they have a "no t.v." policy at school...but I wanted my daughter to witness history in the making. It'll definitely be something she'll always remember (shoot, this girl remembers EVERYTHING anyway!)....plus, she's all about Obama! ;o)

From I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up...

From I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up...

We kicked off our inauguration festivities by watching the Disney Kids' Inaguration where the entire audience was comprised of military personnel and families. How awesome was that to watch. The celebrities and performers kept calling all the military personnel AND families the "real American heroes"...so it was nice to explain to the kids that they should get kudos too since they have to sacrifice as well. I also loved when Michelle Obama told the kids that they need to give back to the country too. It was great having someone else reiterate the importance of serving your community!

Alrighty...time to go explain all the stuff they're about to see on t.v. Man, I so wish we were up there right now!!!! I can feel the electricity in the air through the screen at least...*sigh*

CONGRATULATIONS

Sooooooooooo, I haven't posted about something BIG in my life...in early September I found out that I am expecting my 3rd child...except she's gestating in my sister. ;o) Yes, yes, yes...Kaia and Jaron will have they're very own little sister (errrrr...cousin) courtesy of my sister and brother. Wow...are you confused? Well, let's clear up the incestuous-sounding relationship first...I call J, my brother-in-law, my brother because he's not an in-law, he's family. So, my sister and brother found out at the end of summer '08 that they will be parents!!!! Little Talia's expected due date is early-mid May!!!! It'll be a nice belated birthday present for Jaron. Tee hee hee. So, YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Pregnancy and another baby without the pain and added weight....har har har. I would say something typically Tanya, but this is our family blog. Hahahahaha. Anyhoo...we here in the Lee-Espiritu household refer to Talia (chosen in honor of K&J's big sisters me & Liane) as "Our Baby"...but now (since we have found out her sex) also as Mei-Mei (middle name Mei in honor of her grandmothers Maybelle & Ming), Kaila (Jaron has a fascination with this name), and Moy-moy (little sister in Toishan). Sean keeps calling her "Our Baby" and I call her a multitude of names besides "All Mine"....hehehehe.

Talia will be joining another beautiful little girl born in 2009...in fact on my birthday!!! Ella Joonhee was born to Ellyn & Rey!!! Ellyn has taken some gorgeous photos (Ellyn is a really gifted photographer, but journalist by trade) of her beautiful daughter! Congrats Ellyn & Rey!!! Ellyn actually witnessed the beginning of the Lee-Espiritu relationship...incl. when a certain brave Espiritu Mid decided to plant one on the Lee Terp in the Mid Store parking lot in front of her/their friends! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Congratulations to my two little sisters!!!!!

VA Beezy

We are back in the land where military personnel & their families outnumber locals!! Yes, yes, yes...Hampton Roads...home to 7+ military installations, including the world's largest Naval base! We are back in our old house, which is also the first home we bought back at the end of Sean's JO tour. We've had renters in here since we moved up to CT and then to FL. Needless to say, there are lots of repairs we're working on now in addition to unpacking. We were really lucky to have The Fam come down and help unpack our kitchen (a nice not-so-little birthday gift for me!!). It was crazy trying to fit three huge pantries into a pantry that is less than half the size of our coat closet. Speaking of which...we did not have a coat closet in FL...because, there isn't much need for coats! HAHAHAHA. Anyhooo....going from a huge kitchen to a big kitchen has been a challenge and we still have misc. stuff hanging out everywhere. I'm hoping that we'll be unpacked by the time we have to pack up and move again. HAHAHAHAHA.

Above is the view from our backyard. We have seriously missed these gorgeous sunsets that our backyard affords us! The lake is great too...seeing the cormorants dive and catch fish and the mean seagulls try to steal 'em away, the ducks and the geese squawking loudly, and the rumble of jet noise. Wait a minute...what does that have to do with the lake?? Anyhoo...yes, the jets from nearby NAS Oceana rumble loudly overhead (at times) and I LOVE IT. Seriously, how often do people have military jets flying overhead??

Kaia also had her first official week of kindergarten last week! I can't believe my/our baby girl is so grown up already! She adjusted PERFECTLY and had a blast! Jaron is missing his sister, but has his mommy all to himself! ;o)

Alrighty...off to open some boxes...or not. Tee hee hee.