Summerfest

Play date with a cute girl and some summer fun! NJ's been enjoying such fun outings everyday. Lucky for him the house is not the place to be. Still waiting for it to return to normal. I feel like he deserves it though. I'm making up for lost time finally. I call him my poor deprived child. Never goes anywhere or does anything because of his mother. I used to always think, how can so many moms take their kids so many places all the time? How do they have the time, energy, money, patience? How do they wear anything other than sweats (or even jeans and a tee) and put make up on? How does anyone not feel rushed or anxious all the time? Now I know... They're normal!! I haven't felt like this since way before NJ. I thought I was just getting older, but now I know I was just sick. I may not ever be normal the way everyone else is, but this is as normal as I think I'll get. With more energy, I feel like less of a terrible mother. Never going anywhere, always rushing, feeling anxious, wishing I could be more for NJ. I still get tired easily, but it's not the overwhelming exhaustion that I'd be overcome with. I'm learning to be better about my limitations. I haven't enjoyed being a mother as much as I am now. Hopefully it'll only get better. Feeling so blessed to have NJ and to be spending time with him.
I really wanted to follow Yuuki and Alex and their moms to dinner tonight, I regrettably said no and headed home instead. It was already NJ's bedtime when he still needed to eat, bathe, and have his bedtime routine. Hopefully they're not discouraged to go out again. (Thanks for coming out to meet us, we had a great time!)

Aquarium of the Pacific

Today we got to see how NJ is roughly the size (or length) of...

An emperor penguin...

A seal...

A shark...

A giant sea bass...

And an eel!

Touch the jellyfish!

Looks like his hair's gelled, but it's actually sunblock that I got in his hair. Oops! He moved and I had to get a glob out. In doing that, I messed up his hair but it turned out kind of stylish. 

Class field trip #5? I lost count, I think that's right! Pretty good deal, the three of us (NJ, Baba, and Mama) cost less than a price of a regular ticket for admission. We made the most of it, staying as long as we could. We left when we were tired and really hungry. The snacks I brought only went so far. NJ liked the sharks and the new penguins most. He was still talking about it when we got home. 

"It's a shark!"

I can always tell who's been through the room by the how high (or low) the zipper is open. 

NJ- "It's a shark!" (referring to the folded up piece of english muffin) 

- "Oh. Why is it a shark?"

NJ- "Because I squish it and it looks like it."

(later after rolling it up)

NJ- "Hi, I'm a burrito!"

He also decided to tell me: "Yesterday I have ice cream at Ah-ma's (grandma's) house. I keep eating every day, three days!"

- "Oh did you? Three days? Are you sure? What kind was it?" (I thought maybe he was just saying it)

NJ- "Yeah. Chok-ret chip!" (I guess he really did have some! But for three days? Hmm.)

"Are we going to ocean?"

We went back to Crystal Cove, but this time we took a shuttle straight to the beach! NJ's been asking to go to the ocean almost every day. Wish we could have had Auntie Evin with us like last time! 

We saw more sea anemone, even bigger crabs, and the best part- dolphins!
This is the biggest crab we saw (if you can even see it), I put my ugly foot in the photo for size reference. Most are about the size of a toe or smaller. Baba took some great close ups of them. 

We need to make it to the beach more often this summer. It's sad that we don't live that far yet we hardly ever go. I was in total awe of His creation today. It's beautiful, I love it! So does NJ, of coarse.  :)

On the way home, we saw a martial arts studio where there was a class going on. During dinner he asks: "I can do that when I'm bigger? When I'm taller? I'll be four soon. Then when I'm four, then what am I gonna do?" 
- "What do you mean?" 
NJ- "Then I'm gonna be five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven?!" 
- "Yes, eleven! Wow. And keep going..."
NJ- "Oh!"
Then he was asking why the one biggest crab we saw was so big: "But why the crab is bigger?"
- "This one was much bigger than the little ones, huh?" 
NJ- "But why?"
- "Just like there's some people who are bigger and some people who are smaller, everyone's a different size."
NJ- "Oh. I think because he's three. That's why he's bigger."

"I'm three, you one..."

Boys excited for the fountain!

In class today...

Feeding oreos to baby?

NJ: Yes!

Books on tape. 

Fireman with his axe.

He insisted on playing in this room. He unfolded the rug and pulled out his cars. I guess he really misses playing in here or he's tired of playing in his room. It was so hot on this side of the  house. He kept asking me to play with him, but just sitting in there made me sweat! I followed him with his cars, bounced the ball back and forth, and added to his sketch book. 

I sat across from him on this little table eating corn during dinner. This is part of the conversation we had: 

NJ- "I'm three, you one, and Baba twenty-one."

- "Mama is one and Baba is twenty-one?"

NJ- "Yeah, because Baba has a birthday we have cake and a party and he's twenty-one. And then it's my birthday, I'll be four." 

- "Oh, ok."

NJ- "And Ah-gong is twenty-one too. And Ah-ma. And Gong-gong and other Ah-ma is twenty-one too." 

Hmm, I'm happy he thinks I'm young. But Baba and all his grandparents the same age? I suppose he only counts to 29/30 (sometimes, it varies), so his numbers are limited. 

Dream

After lunch, I asked if he wanted to nap for a bit. His usual response is, "I'm not tired" and "I want to leave the door open" (for him to go to the bathroom). Then he said something that surprised us: "Yesterday when I sleep next to you, we saw Ah-ee (auntie), baby Connor, and Cameron guh-guh (big brother)." I said, "What? In your sleep? Like a dream?" NJ says, "Yeah!" How strange, he remembered a dream from when we napped together. First mention of anything like it. By yesterday, he means last wednesday! Yesterday is still anything past tense in his mind. 

"Mmm, this is so good"

We spent some time with Ah-ma (aka Toyota Ah-ma or grandma) and Gong-gong (grandpa). Ah-ma gave us a whole bucket of goodies including some of her home made banana cake. NJ got ate a little piece and said, "Mmm, this is so good!" I told him he has to tell Ah-ma how much he likes it and thank her for making it. 

"You want to come to my church?"

I was surprised, that was sweet to invite Auntie to church. A little someone is bolder than I am! He really loves going to his HOPE class, he wants to share the experience I guess. We got to spend some time with Auntie Charmy and Uncle Wayne. He had so much fun, he was sad to leave.