Captured

You were treated to a visual feast of my sister, brother, and cutie pie niece the other day.  Now, another goodie from one of my college friends and favorite blogger, Ben aka DILF-in-Training (when you visit his site, please vote for him as a top baby blog)!  Thank you again...so very much, for these beautiful photos that we will cherish forever!

Tanya + Sean + Kaia + Jaron

September 15, 2010

I met Tanya about a decade ago (egads!) while we were both students at the University of Maryland. What’s amazing is that despite the fact I was an obnoxious, self-righteous twenty year old prick (really…who wasn’t at that age?) who had only now transformed into a slightly-less obnoxious, self-righteous thirty year old (and only slightly prick-ish) dad, we’ve remained friends all the same. Bless her heart. Really.

Though the details escape me as of this writing, Tanya and I somehow reconnected over the years via the multitude of social networking sites and blogs that were literally at our fingertips. We kept up with each other’s journeys towards happily ever after: marriage, white picket fences and 2.5 kids. And as a fellow foodie, experimental chef and shutterbug, she reliably remained at the top of my daily reading list all these years. Naturally :).

You can follow her blog here.

Since I was going to be in the vicinity for a wedding, I proposed to meet up to introduce the fam, under one condition: they allowed me to photograph their awesomely photogenic family!  It took some arm-twisting at first (okay, maybe not), but after some back-and-forth, she graciously accepted my humble offer and we found ourselves as weekend guests at their beautiful home (with Lil Monster in tow, no less!).

As a budding shutterbug, I was grateful for even a few casual shots. But this family totally went all out!  They even got matching outfits! So without further ado, allow me to introduce the fam!

Tanya + Jaron

Tanya + Kaia

Sean + Jaron

Sean + Kaia

Admittedly, my skills as a photographer and post-production slave are still works in progress,  but this family was such an absolute joy to photograph!  If I didn’t know any better, I would venture to guess that they did this on a regular basis!  Tan & Sean, thank you so much for having us over for the weekend, and allowing us to capture and share all these fantastic moments with your family.  I’m almost tempted to suggest we make this an annual event!

What can I say? We are absolutely IN LOVE with this family!

Photo Credits: Ben and Benson Lau

My. Ovaries. Hurt.

My ovaries hurt. They do. They have that certain achiness whenever I think how big my kids have gotten and how little my niece is. I long for those moments of holding a baby and smelling their sweet scent. I miss being pregnant and not having to worry about muffin top or sucking my stomach in. I. Miss. Boobs. Yes, after breastfeeding both kids for a cumulative 24 months...they managed to perform a successful lipo...in my boobs. I barely had any to begin with and I was secure with that. But now...nada. What you see is 100% Victoria's Secret.

Then again, I don't miss sleeping for 2-3 hour stints. Scratch that...with Kaia, it was 30 MINUTE stints. My darling daughter, to this day, still does not sleep very long NOR does she need a lot of sleep to function....and not get grouchy. She's very much like me. I don't miss diaper changes, rigid schedules, and constant feedings.

What I'd miss is being able to really spend quality time with my kids right now. They are so much fun and I cannot even begin to fathom adding another to the mix and being a complete mommy to them. Then again, Jaron starts school next year and then I'd feel like "what is the use of being at home?" Except for the fact that VA kindergarten is only freakin' 3 hours from the time he gets on the bus to the time he gets off the bus.

Then again, I look how nurturing my kids are with their baby cousin. They love her so much and call her their baby sister...not out of want for another sibling, but because they look at her as if she were their sister. I know my kids would be thrilled with another sibling...especially when the topic comes up regularly and they ask for twins. A boy and a girl. Order up!

I think it's just the type of person I am. I totally stress out because I think of every single possibility and outcome of my actions...upcoming moves, upcoming deployments/patrols/underways, planning large events, which schools to pick, what activities we'll do, etc. etc. etc. And you know what...they're always turned out fine and I have always been able to handle them.

Do I want to upset the balance of 2s in our life? 2 of us, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 vehicles, 2 houses...

I stress because I feel that time is ticking and the kids are getting older and the age gap between them and a 3rd gets bigger by the day. I mourn the loss of my kids as I think of both of them going off to college...one after the other. Yes, I DO think that far ahead. I long for a 3rd...but I love being able to be a "full-time" aunt to Talia. But, I think we're not complete without a third...which is weird since I never wanted an odd amount of children...but 4 of definitely a big fat NO...heeeellllllll no. Then watch, we'll have a third and I'll long for a playmate close to his/her age. Hahaha.

But it's weird...I long for a third. I miss being a mommy to an infant. Being the granddaughter of a woman who had 9 children...I'm going to keep my Mirena up until the last second...we are pretty blessed to be able to think about getting pregnant and *poof* we're knocked up.

Ahhhhh...this battle in my head continues. Until then...my itch will be satisfied whenever we are with The Fam and I get to be with my favorite spiky-headed, mohawked little niece!

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...

Feliz Cumpleanos

Happy Birthday to my wonderful maternal grandfather...and by birthday, let's not leave out the most important part of that wish...

HAPPY 99th BIRTHDAY, GUNG-GUNG!!!

Gung-gung is what I call my grandfather in Chinese. Luis Li, Sr. is a man who was ophaned when he was still a single-digit age and raised by his older sisters. As a teenager, he immigrated to Mexico, then to Honduras, married my amazing grandmother (Lord, Lord, Lord is this woman amazing), raised NINE children, owned & ran a store in Honduras, immigrated w/the whole fam to Miami, and is just plain awesome. Now...take an orphan in China (at 6, I believe and raised by his older sisters until his teens) who moves to Mexico & Honduras...but factor in that he has to learn another language, starts business & family, takes care of a slew of extended family back in China, moves to the US, learns another language, and takes care of everyone still...and by everyone, I mean family here and abroad (distant relatives) financially.

He's just plain freakin' awesome. I'm so thankful for all that he's (and my grandma) given us. He's helped basically every single child buy their homes. He's helped fund the grandkids' college funds (although since I'm the oldest, only my sister and I have graduated college...with 5 more in college this year and several younger cousins). We're all pretty lucky to have the lives that we have now because of the hardwork and dedication of this man (and his wife).

He's lived an amazing life...just one year shy of a century...but what a crazy life it has been. In addition to what I already wrote, he's also spent loads of time in Hong Kong studying chefs there perfecting his cooking, suffered a debilitating stroke over a decade ago that left him paralyzed on the entire left side of his body and wheelchair-bound. That paralysis was something that killed his passion...cooking and taking long a$$ walks when he was annoyed with my grandmother. I can only feel for him as I watch him these days wheel himself over to the kitchen watching everyone cook and wonder what goes on in his mind. He's a very quiet man...verrrrrry quiet. Never complains and barely speaks. But yet, you know what he's thinking and definitely takes everything in. Even though this is a post about my grandfather, big, BIG props have to go to my grandmother (Po-po) for doing everything an 80-something year old should not be doing...ie. taking care of the house, my grandfather...doing things a nurse or person half her age should be doing...even with arthritic joints.

My grandparents have lots of things to teach my kids. I hope that they'll learn to be good people by learning directly and indirectly from their great-grandparents.

Oh, if you're wondering why I'm wishing him birthday wishes in Spanish...it's because girl ain't know a lick of Chinese (at least my maternal side of the family's dialect)! Booooooooooooo. So, the main way to communicate with him is in Spanish.

Happy Birthday, Gung-gung. Thank you for all you have done to make our lives better, easier, and richer. 99 never looked so good!!!

Photo of us I took in downtown Silver Spring, MD 2 years ago...nice granddaugther blinding her grandfather for a photo op! He looks great here, but younger in person!

Still need to catch up...

I've been meaning to post a quick recap of Sub Ball '09, but will do that soon.

But in the meantime, my wonderful, amazing, BFF sister had her (our) very first baby!!! Talia Mei Shih was born on May 8th and bringing lots of joy to our family! Kim's water broke at 2am and she called me at 2:30am, apologizing because we joked so many times that she'd go into labor when Sean wasn't home...and he wasn't! He was standing one of his rare duty days (department heads have only been standing about 4-5 duty days per month while the poor JOs (junior officers) are standing twice that amount...although I remember Sean standing a lot more than just 10/month when he was a JO). She apologized because she figured I had just gotten to sleep and that Sean was at work. I was confused since I thought it was maybe 6am...but it wasn't. I had to deliberate whether or not to get me & the kids (incl. the canine kids) up, packed, and drive up to DC with 1.5 hrs. of sleep and me starting to get sick. We had been planning on driving up on the 8th anyway for the weekend. BUT...being there for my sister's labor & delivery was really important to me...although I know that's one of those important milestones that military spouses/fams have to sacrifice.

Sean was relieving early on Friday anyway for a farewell for one of the JOs. Since the boat (sub) is in drydock and most of the landlines are disconnected...I wasn't sure how to get a hold of him. I was texting him like crazy and then decided to try to get a bit of shut-eye should I decide to head out soon. At 4:30am, Sean calls and I tell him what was going on...he was going to try to figure things out on his end. I fall back asleep and Mom calls at 6:30am...saying Kim's in the hospital and has an epidural and is at 5cm dialated.

Anyhoo...long story short...Sean's WONDERFUL COMMAND (the CO & XO) let him go (not after giving him some grief). I know we're REALLY lucky that they gave him liberty so his spouse could be there for her sister. My terrific hubby drops me off at the hospital at 1pm. Kim starts pushing at 2pm. Talia enters the world at 3:25pm!!! The whole drive up 95 I'm almost crying thinking that I won't be there for my sister...and simultaneously worrying that we'll die in a car accident going at 85 mph the whole trip up there...and then ruining Talia's grand entrance!! BUT...Talia's here safe & sound and just in time to make this past Mother's day, Kim's first official Mother's day. The whole Lee-Shih fam made it home on Mother's day with the help of Sean (*sigh*...he's so awesome). Mom & the kids welcomed them at their house while I stayed at Mom's sick in bed and not wanting to contaminate the new fam. BUT...I did get to say goodbye before we left. We popped by and I said goodbye from outside their storm door. Sooooo pathetic, but I wanted to make sure I got to say goodbye to my wonderful little niece...who unfortunately likes my awful singing!!! Poor baby.

Our Baby, as we've referred to her this whole pregnancy, is gorgeous and such a good girl already! She's got amazing parents and is so lucky to have them. They're going to do an amazing job (and already have). Kaia, Jaron, Sean, & I are just smitten with Our Baby and miss her so much.

BTW...want to know more about her name? Our kids' names were chosen to begin with a K & J after Kim & Jason. Talia's name is a combo of my name and J's sister's name Liane....although Kim says it's more for me...tee hee hee. Mei is for the grandmommies...Ming & Maybelle.

We'll see you this weekend, Talia!!! Oops...and you too, Mom, Kim, & J!! ;o)

Preps & Apologies

Two explanations for the photos above.

1. Sorry for the narcissitic moments! These were a necessity since I was going to have to send these to my sister for a fashionista consult. Sean's no help...I love the man, but he's no help in this department.

2. I'm not exactly sure why I didn't use my Gorillapod & set the timer! What a dodo.

It's the eve of our first, and probably last, sub ball. Mom is down and will watch the kiddies. I got my dress (black...and I'm doing a one-shouldered variation) this past Tuesday and have been playing around with different looks. Sean had to buy a new uniform since made O-4...so he better get some use out of it in the future!!!!

I couldn't believe I was wasting time doing things like practicing my hair & makeup when I could've been spending time with my hubby. Good thing is, I did spend time with him afterwards doing P90X. Bad thing, any gains from P90X were obliterated this evening at the sushi buffet. ;o) Then again, I feel more relaxed going into tomorrow knowing what I'm going to do and just having to worry about making sure Mom & the kiddies are set for the evening....I premade the lasagna & garlic mix for the bread today. Yea-uh! I guess the hair & makeup practice and pre-making tomorrow night's meal are anti-procrastination...whoooooooa...so unlike me!!! ;o)

Anyway...I had to choose between the two looks and the one with the bangs out of my face won because my hubby doesn't like bangs. ;o) I'll humor him this time...tee hee hee.

Oh...and apologies are in order for the following parties:

Poetic Wax: I am so sorry I made you work so hard to wax the jungle that were my pits.

Venus Razor: I totally apologize that you had to be dragged through the forest that was on my legs.

Toe nails: I am sorry you are part of me. I will try to take better care of you. Ok, I won't...there are other things more important to me...sorry!! But, you know I show you some love like 2-3x/year! ;o)

On a positive note, I'd like to send a shout out to my Mom for not only being here, but giving me part of your hairless (ok, barely-has-any-body-hair genes)...I would've had to replace the blade on my razor for each leg if it weren't for your genes.

TMI again? You're welcome.

;o)

Loca

Yeah, I think I'm crazy. Well...that I've always known...but it seems that I always like to put more on my plate than I can handle...except for food, 'cause I can literally put a lot on my plate and handle that bad boy with no problem...thank you Li genes for big appetites and high metabolisms (except mine is definitely a lot more sluggish nowadays...lack of exercise doesn't help)!! ;o)

Take for instance, gearing up to move, Hubby's out to sea, Xmas is approaching...so, I decide to MAKE Xmas presents instead of doing my usual Amazon.com ordering (Amazon.com Prime...I LOVE YOU). Yeah...seriously? It started with these for our neices:

I was pretty proud of 'em since they were 100% handmade/designed/sewn...by someone who is now 100% not crafty. I used to be artsy when I was a kid, but that took a backseat as I grew older. Anyhoo...it was part of a kit I put together. THEN...I really liked it and wanted to do it for our other neice who is like a big sister to Kaia...and of course since they're like sisters, they have to have the same things...so then I had to make one for Kaia (poor thing is still waiting for hers since I ran out of trim for the apron). Jaida also got a halter that's like Kaia's sub halter. Of course, since I was doing an apron for the girls...I couldn't be gender-biased with the aprons and not make one for their brothers!! Boys gotta learn how to cook as much as girls! Equal opportunity is our motto. Also, I can't claim all the credit for the sub shirts...the kids painted them for their "siblings"...the Martinos!

This (Jaida's tank)...
...is modeled after these the kids made in the summer...

...and this (Kaia's dolphin tank that she waited on me for FOREVER to make):

Anyhoo...Jaron's birthday party is this weekend in DC. We're having it early so my neice (who's birth date is supposed to be in mid-May) does not crash the party early. I want her to ripen up as much as possible in my sister's uterus!!! ;o) LOVE YOU, TALIA!! I've made two cakes and going to make two batches of cupcake lollipops. Jenn Shih...you can thank me later. This girl can single handedly eat an entire batch of these lollipops...and I make over 50 per batch and these bad boys are not small. However...Jenn Shih is tiny and can pack 'em away like no other! ;o) I *heart* you, Jenn!

Here's a teaser of the lollipops...

So, as I waste my time in this wasteland called the internet...it's off to make these lollipops, bake two more cakes from SCRATCH...none of that boxed-mix crap), two batches of buttercream, two desserts, run errands, 5 loads of laundry (2 down, 3 to go), and PACK!!

Yet, it's so worth it. Doing things from the heart for people we love...family...it's worth it. I LOVE CELEBRATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!