Dos De Mayo at Shelley's

I don't have many pictures to share of this event. Well, I lie. I have a bunch of pictures of people I don't really know, so with that being said, I am just posting the few I have from that day and I'll let Shelley post the ones I took so she can label who the individuals are!

Dos De Mayo started earlier for us than most of the guests. We headed over to Shelley's immediately following the cheer competition, so we could hang out, catch up and let the kids swim before the partying happened. It was a good time for us because we needed to have our Shelley time...

This is Ryan after he finished swimming...
I didn't think he was dressed Mexican enough (whatever that is supposed to mean) but when I looked at his shirt, it was a Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos) shirt, so it was pretty Mexican. More Mexican than me!

Riley was probably the most festive of us all, with her sombrero. What the party lacked were facemasks. I still think Shelley should have handed one out to everyone coming into the party...it would have been hysterical...or maybe I would have been the only one laughing, but still.

It was pretty cool, though...she had a musician come in and play live music during the party. I feel awful that I don't know his name (I'm sure Shelley can help me with this!), but Ronan loved watching him. I think he might have spent a good half hour just sitting and listening!

And here are the kids eating tequila popsicles. I'm kidding. They are just regular ones. Wouldn't be a nice summer day (is it summer yet?) without a popsicle!

More cheer stuff...

Stage moms, cheer moms...whatever...we look good. (Lori, Me, Christine and Jodie...moms of Hannah, Riley, Holly & Serina, and Megan; respectively.)
And a nice little family picture after the competition was over...

Fun fun, can't wait for the next one!

Go Red and Black!

I didn't pull a Toddler's and Tiaras on Saturday at Riley's first cheerleading competition, but man, was I freaking excited for her to be on the mats, doing her thing! Her last practice prior was on Thursday night and they basically made it a dress rehearsal for the girls. How adorable are they in their uniforms?!

And let me just take a moment to say that those uniforms did not come cheap. They aren't your typical costume-type uniforms. We paid $75 for them. Yeah. You read that right. Yes, it came with the pom-poms, but writing that check out was painful. Don't think for one minute that Riley isn't going to be a cheerleader for Halloween this year. It's all about price-per-wear, baby. And I am determined to bring that average down as low as possible!

That was Riley during her water-break at practice on Thursday night. I was so excited to see her...

And you know, it isn't an proper cheer competition without signs! So, I made great use of my Cricut Expression and made the girls a few signs. They got judged on spirit from the crowd, so I wanted to make sure they got full points for that. And trust me, us moms can really bring out the high pitched 'woo-woo's' when it's necessary. (Holly and Serina's dad wasn't a quiet one, either...I think he definitely beat us when it came for the crowd cheers!)

Riley and Hannah were all smiles before the competition!

And here are all the girls with the sign. They were stinkin' cute.

Do you wanna know what made Riley's day, though? It wasn't the uniform or the hair bows. It wasn't even the glitter in her hair. It was her first grade teacher, taking time out of her day to come see her compete!!! Mrs. Graves is the coolest. What a way to make a kid feel special. She probably doesn't realize what she did for Riley that day, but from a parent's perspective, it's pretty awesome that she spent a few hours of her own time to cheer on her student...

Couldn't leave little man out of all this, right? When he saw my signs being made, he wanted to hold them, so I made him his very own sign. Had I written it the way he talks, it would have said, "My Why-wee Wocks." But, considering we'd be in public and they don't know him, I made it the proper way...and he held it the entire time she was out there!

Three other teams competed after her. Sure, they were cute. Some were even good. But did any match up to Riverview? Absolutely not. LOL. When it came time to announce the winner, my heart was racing. I didn't think I would be so anxious or nervous about the whole thing. I mean, there is no "last place." They all get trophies. But when they called out third and second and Riverview wasn't part of those, I shuddered at the prospect that maybe there was a chance they didn't place at all. The other squad used Paula Abdul music and who knows if the judges liked that one better...but then they said it..."In first place....RIVERVIEW!!!" Us moms/dads were all on our feet, screaming and clapping (probably not as loud as Ryan was when the Steeler's won the Superbowl...but pretty dang close!)

It was so exciting and most of all, I was so proud of the girls for accomplishing their goal with all their practicing.

(Not sure who that girl is, but she's on Riley's squad...)

Riley was stoked!!!! A new trophy!!! She loves cheerleading. She actually wants to stick with it, can you believe it?! So, we're doing it again this summer! More practices and more money...but so worth it...I mean, really...look at that face!

Stunning, just stunning...

Remember when I told you about my Little getting married almost 2 weeks ago? Well, she's back from Aruba! Thank goodness...because I was going through withdrawals not being able to text or talk to her!

Although not all of her pictures are up on her photographer's website, some are available in other places for viewing...

Go to Stacy's blog to see pictures of Steven and Rochelle. You can't tell me she didn't look absolutely amazing in those pictures! If you go down a bit, you'll notice that there is a picture of a certain bridesmaid holding a bouquet...that's me! You can't see my face (probably a good thing...) but you can see part of my dress and my rings!

They had a videographer, too. And there, you'll have to click on "Steven and Rochelle Wedding Trailer" to get a glimpse of what happened that day. There is a great little spot of Rochelle tying Riley's sash on her.

How exciting to finally see some professional pictures! And how excited am I to finally have them both home...hurry up and come visit us, please!

Chuck E. Germs

The other day, we decided that we were tired of the kids fighting whenever they were home together, so...we headed out to Chuck E. Germs for a couple hours of fun. The kids had a blast. It's awesome now that everything is just a token and we went at a time when it wasn't crowded, so they were able to ride what they wanted, multiple (and I mean multiple) times! Ronan was intrigued by the characters on the stage...much like I was when I was little...
But for some reason, they seemed so much more creepy than they did when I was little. Or, maybe they have always been creepy and I just never noticed.

This truck received about 15 tokens from little man. He loved this thing...Wish we could have one in our house.

I can't lie. I like this place. I like that it's closed in and there isn't really anywhere for the kids to go. I like their blacklight system. The only thing I don't like, are the germs. I know, they are everywhere...but it just seems like they are festering in the air when you walk in there. Luckily for us, we carry our anti-bac gel and are avid believers in hand washing...but I can't say that I don't leave there feeling like I need a good hot shower.

Warning: This Post May Gross You Out or Offend You

You have got to be shi*ting me...(excuse the language).

You have read my rants about the dog poop. And this time, I'm really irritated. It's not in the grass...its on MY SIDEWALK. It's not on the side, it's not near the grass, it's right in the middle. It's not something you expect to look at first thing in the morning either (probably like you didn't expect that I'd actually post a picture of it, right?!) I'm just annoyed because I know the owner stopped and waited for their dog to finish and clearly left it for us to see.

I clean Ronan's poop all the time. I don't want to clean another poop. What should I do? Should I get a sign made? Do I sit outside all day waiting for the poop-ertrator to get busted? Or, do I just ignore it and pick it up?

April's Deep Thought: By Riley Egal

"Momma, why do undies have patterns on them, when nobody sees them?"

"I don't know, Riley...maybe it's so that when you see them, you'll want to buy them."

"I don't buy these undies because of the designs, I buy them because I need to wear them...I mean, I like the princesses on them, but I'm not looking at 'em."

"Good point, Riley.  I have no idea.  We'll ask daddy when we get home."

This conversation took place in my car on the way home from the gym and it took everything not to laugh...mainly because she's so sensitive and would've thought I was making fun of her.  She's too cute, sometimes.

The Last Trip to Disney Before Our Passes Expire

I know how lucky we are. We get to live less than an hour away from the most MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH...so, we do what we can to take advantage of it. We find online coupons, utilize the military discounts and save here and there so we can go and have fun there...even if it is only for a night.

This weekend, we decided to utilize our passes, just one last time, and go to Epcot & Hollywood Studios. We stayed at the Yacht Club -- which, if you have never been -- is a MUST STAY AT resort. The room itself is nothing to write home about. It's the pool. It's not just any pool. It is a pool with SAND! So, you get the best of the beach and the pool, in one place. My favorite part is that the pool was 2 feet deep the entire way across, so both kids could walk around, play with sand and "swim" without us having to hold their hands the entire time. I absolutely loved it. And *gasp* I could have stayed there the entire time, without even having gone to a park!
The landscaping was so pretty and the weather was perfect...couldn't resist getting a few pictures with the kids! No need to prompt Riley to ham it up, but Ronan said "cheese" about a dozen times...

Why he puts his hands in his mouth all the time, I'll never understand...

And my precious Riley...I had a picture of her looking at the camera, but somehow, I was sporting a double chin -- so you know there was no way I was going to post that one!

I think Riley actually did a great job taking this picture of Ryan and I. Usually, I'll just do the self-portrait, but we braved it and let her take control of the "camra" -- at least for a few seconds before crazy man tried to take it from her!

We went to Epcot, which was only a short boat ride away from the resort. There isn't a crazy amount of stuff for kids to do, as far as rides go...but the countries are fun to be in and now, they have this Kimpossible scavenger hunt-type thing that gets the kids involved in every country. Riley loved this aspect of it and was stoked when Ronan finally fell asleep, because she was able to participate in it peacefully. Once our "Little Kicker" (see above picture) woke up, though...it was pretty much over for the game. Maybe this summer when we go again with my parents, Riley will get to complete some more missions!

And what Disney trip of ours would be complete without a character breakfast. We dined at Hollywood & Vine with the Playhouse Disney characters, again. I didn't mind, though. The food is delish and the kids love the characters. It's worth every penny.

Usually, Riley just smiles and says hi, but this time around, she was so excited to see them...not sure what changed for her, but it was a good experience for all of us. And yes, Ronan killed some major Mickey waffles there. So there they are above with June (from Little Einsteins). And below, with Goliath (from JoJo's Circus).

It was hard to get Ronan to look at the camera because he was so enthralled with the characters.

He looks like he just woke up (which he did). And Miss Riley, hamming it up as usual. Oh, and the best part of this breakfast, was that they did this conga line. Ronan wanted to do it but didn't want to go without his big sister. And Riley, well, she wanted nothing to do with it, but we begged her to just walk up with him and she wouldn't have to dance...he just wanted her presence. So, the music started and there Ronan went, without Riley! He walked around the restaurant with the rest of the kids and at one point, Leo grabbed his hand and escorted Ronan around the tables. Ronan looked shocked that he was actually holding hands with "Wee-Oh." It was such a cute moment...

How could you not love these guys...they are always smiling...you never have to tell the characters to say "cheese!!!" Haha. I crack myself up.

After breakfast was over, we hurried over to the Toy Story Mania ride and tried to get fast passes...but the lines for that were ridiculous. We opted for the 45 minute stand-by wait (which was really only 20 minutes) and got on our favorite ride there and left the park shortly afterwards. We needed to get back to that amazing pool!

Oh, here is Ronan laughing because I told him I was going to tickle him. He actually grabs his belly like I'm going for it...

And no post would be complete without a picture of Riley posing by the flowers...

We had such a great time and I'm actually sad that we don't have the freedom to go whenever we want with the annual/seasonal passes. I feel so lucky that we were able to go as much as we did...especially because I never had the chance to go as a kid...and here are my kids who have gone over a dozen times in the their short lives.

I can't say we'll never go again, though! The military was offered a special deal this year for 5-day passes, which we couldn't pass up...and with the grandparents coming for a visit this summer, we are going to take full advantage of the time with them and hit up the parks to make their visit magical! (I'm so Disney cheese, huh?)

P.T.A. = Parents Taking Action

I'm on the PTA at Riley's school...and I really enjoy it. This year, I served as the PTA Secretary and next year, I am going to take over the Membership aspect on the Board and I'm actually looking forward to it.

My original motivation for joining was so that I would know everything that was going on at school. I would be fully aware of all activities, fundraisers and awards...but it has blossomed into much more. I've made some wonderful friends from it and...AND...I have been able to utilize the Cricut Expression. I decorated our little board in the lunchroom the other day...
And for those of you that aren't sure what PTA is, it's actually a Parent-Teacher Association. What we do and the funds we raise are 100% for the children of the school. We do lots of fundraisers (which most parents despise) and give lots of rewards and its ALL for the kids.

This is only part of our Board, but there are several others that have volunteered their time in trying to make sure our students have everything they need to be successful. Our goal this year is to provide as many ELMO's as we can for the school. They aren't the most inexpensive items, but the benefits they provide the classrooms makes it so worthwhile to place our efforts in raising money for them.

If you aren't part of your child's PTA, join. You don't have to volunteer your time if you don't have it. It's a show of support. If you don't have kids, but want to help out somehow, find a school and donate to their PTA. You can donate to mine, just email me for details.

Seriously...how lucky am I?

I took this picture of Ryan this weekend when we were waiting for the boat to go back to the Yacht Club from Hollywood Studios. I told him to smile because it was going to be his new Facebook profile picture. How cute is he?

Self-Checkout? Not really...

When I was little, one of my favorite things to do was play with my dad's cash register at his tailor shop.  I loved going to the grocery store and seeing the cashier scan my items, hearing the beep and seeing the glow of the red light that criss-crossed over the various barcodes.  

These days, that passion for the check-out hasn't completely diminished.  I still enjoying ringing on the register...I mean, that was one of my favorite things to do at Victoria's Secret (until I got yelled at by a 16-year-old about not being able to combine coupons for her stupid panties..) And I even applied to work at Publix.  Yes, Publix -- with their polyester aprons and all.  

But EVERY single time we walk into Lowes and the register lights are aglow only at the self-checkout line...I cringe.  Why?  Well, when is it ever a smooth transaction at Lowes?  Never. You could have 2 products and still need the assistance of the person at the end of the aisle. So really, it's not a self-checkout line at all.  It's an area where they want you to feel like you have control, but really, it's the Lowes employee who has all the control...who knows, maybe they are even playing tricks on you.  We don't know that they can't control the entire transaction from where they stand.  When the monitor tells you to place the item in the bag and you do...but it doesn't register that you did...perhaps it the employee toying with your consumer emotions...watching you take the product out of the bag and put it back in and the pull it back out -- and then finally giving in, having to request assistance to place the item into the bag.  

What choice do you have, though, when you get there and that's all that is open?  I think the next time, instead of using the self-checkout, I'm going to go into one of the normal checkout lines and fulfill my cashier fantasy and see how they feel about that!

My "what I thought about when I went to sleep" post...

A. The apples do not fall far from the tree. So true, right? When I look at my kids and see the things they do, I realize that they are definitely our kids. They freak when their hands get dirty -- my fault. Riley leaves her socks in various places throughout the house -- Ryan's doing. They cheese it up for the camera -- obviously my side of the family (duh, I'm Asian.) Ronan's immense love for chocolate chip cookies -- no question, Ryan. Their amazing sense of rhythm and movement while music plays -- uh, me!

Point is, is that they are so much like us and what annoys us, is what WE created. What we love is what WE created... It's just fun to watch and when we really can sit back and think about it, we end up seeing that they are just mini versions of us, with a twist!

B. I can't get enough garlic. Am I trying to ward away evil demons or vampires? Maybe. I am eating garlic with anything I can get. Breakfast this morning? Garlic pasta. Dinner last night? Garlic parmesan wingies. Lunch yesterday? Garlic pasta. It's no wonder why Ryan stands 3 feet away from me.

C. How much cleaning can one person really do in a day? I feel guilty about the house. The current state it is in, is atrocious. For the most part, things are organized to the room they need to be in, but it's a matter of actually cleaning the mess up. I can't stand it. I almost wish I could just throw it all away...but I can't...because, well, I just can't. Although I'd love to throw away the citation I got for the accident I was in a few weeks back. Can't wait to go to court for that one.

D. I wish there was an all-you-can-eat diet that cures cellulite. (Don't laugh...this was what I was thinking about right before I went to sleep, people.) A girl can dream, right?

E. Riley has her first cheerleading competition next week. I cannot wait to see her. I'm just excited she really wants to do it.

F. Ronan won't shut up. You are totally laughing at this point, right? I mean, what, months ago, I complained about him NOT talking. I know! He is a chatty cathy, but not a cathy, more like a carl. Chatty Carl. Yep. He asks for things. He wants to "play baseball game." He wants "mo cookie pweese." It's crazy. We can't even remember the days when he didn't talk. It's gotten too loud to remember...

A Bunch of Vietnamese People...all in one place!

While we were in Pittsburgh, our weekend happened to coincide with the celebration of Vietnamese Heritage Day. I would love to be able to explain the meaning behind it, but apparently, my Vietnamese isn't what it used to be and I only understood this much:

30 years ago, the Vietnamese community was formed in Pittsburgh...and this is the celebration of that formation and what they have become...

And as cool as it was to be home for it, I couldn't get past the signage. If you read it, you think it's an April 30th celebration. But it wasn't April 30th. It was April 20th. But it was the 30th year celebration. I don't know. I was just so annoyed by the wording on the sign and glad that I wasn't the one that put it up.
So, you're wondering what happens at the Anniversary Concert? Lots of singing and talking and skits. My cousin, Alin, was performing and after seeing her first song, we ended up needing to leave because of Ronan going nuts...As much as I wanted to see her other performances, they don't entertain me as much as they used to. I guess it's hard when you don't really understand everything they are saying. I can't imagine how Ryan must feel, since he was one of two caucasian guys.

You're probably laughing, but I'm serious. Ryan's been a great sport and has always gone to these things when I ask him too, but man, the music is loud and you can barely understand what's going on. And what is it with all the Asians thinking they can sing? I'm kidding, totally kidding. I love the Asians. Heck, I am one!

And speaking of Asians, here are my kids with my parents:
Ronan just adored his Pa. Because we were at/in the wedding, Ronan had to hang with Pa more than normal and spent lots of time at the tailor shop and at Vietnamese practices...he loved every minute!

Here is Pa with his favorite girl...Riley...the one he buys anything and everything for:

All-in-all, it was a fabulous visit. The kids had a blast, we were all entertained and it was DRAMA-free...no family issues. Shocking, right?

Here Comes The Bride!

It finally came...Rochelle and Steve's wedding! They were married this past weekend and what an amazing weekend to be back in Pittsburgh AND to be a part of their special day.

Background: Rochelle is my "Little" sister from my sorority. We've been friends for over 10 years and even though I've moved away, we've managed to remain great friends. She asked me to be a part of her wedding and asked Riley to be her flower girl. We couldn't have been more ecstatic.

Present: The wedding weekend arrived and honestly, things couldn't have gone better. I am convinced that we brought the nice weather with us, because Pittsburgh was warm and sunny on both Friday and Saturday. Rochelle treated us to manicures and pedicures on Friday afternoon -- in preparation for the big day. The next morning, we all headed to Izzazu for hair and make-up...which, you would have thought that Riley was in Heaven. She was so stinkin' excited for her hair to be curly and to wear blush and lip gloss.

She did great. The stylist burnt her ear (oh yeah, with the curling iron -- and you girls know how badly that hurts!), but Riley braved it and made it through the rest of the session. After I saw what the make-up person did to my face, I opted to do Riley's make-up myself. And Riley looked gorgeous...

As I realize these pictures are out of order, I'll just describe them to ya...here are Steve and Rochelle with the flower girl.

And here is the happy couple with the ring bearer, Johnny, and Riley. The kids had a blast together, even though it took them 10 minutes to finally say hi to one another...

Steve and Riley -- what can I say about these two? They have an amazing little connection and have so much fun together...

Okay, so now for the juicy pictures...my Little...I can't tell you how beautiful she looked that day. I would never be able to give it justice and the pictures I have surely don't show how amazing she looked...Steve and Rochelle just make the most adorable couple!

The wedding ceremony was at St. Mary of the Mount on Mt. Washington.

And the reception was at South Hills Country Club. Ryan and I actually were shocked at how Riley was that night. We had spent months prior, telling her to not be embarrassed (she is easily mortified in public) and that she was going to have to dance. She agreed, but we still weren't sure if she'd actually get up or if she'd spend the entire night pouting at the table. Our girl came alive that night. This little person we'd been waiting for, just came out and it thrilled us. She danced all night...and I mean all night. She spent more time on the dance floor than I did...and if you know me, I barely leave the dance floor (only to pee, baby, only to pee). But she danced with almost anyone that would move to the beat with her and she had a blast.

We thought she'd have to leave by 9, but the girl outlasted us...we stayed until the band stopped playing...it was so much fun!

And this blog post wouldn't be complete if I didn't post a picture of Riley with her girl, Megan. Megan fell in love with Riley and they bonded almost immediately...I think Riley actually spent more time with Megan, than she did with me the entire wedding...such girly girls!

So now, my Little and her new hubby are on their honeymoon...and as sad as I am that the weekend and time with them is over -- I couldn't be happier for their life to start together. They make a wonderful couple and we just love them so much.

Congrats Steve and Rochelle!

Hoppy Easter!

Why sit at home on Easter, when you can hang out with family in Orlando! Ryan's cousins live there and they were gracious enough to invite us to spend the day with them. Alana (a fellow Zeta -- but at a different school!), her husband, Mike and their three kids (Mikenna, Adin and Morgan) along with Chris and his wife, Heather, helped us entertain our kids.

Mikenna and Riley completely hit it off! Even though Mikenna is 7 months younger, she's a head taller and really took the "big sister" role with her. And because Riley loves being guided, she ate it up. They swam and ran and played the entire time they were together. And being that Riley had zero concept of time and distance, she thought she'd be playing with Mikenna after school the next day...even though we live about 1 1/2 hours away...guess we'll have to have more playdates set up this summer!

And then there were the boys. Oh, the boys. It was exhausting just watching them run. BUT, they had so much fun together. They butted heads on occasion and had issues sharing, but somehow, they were able to work it out and we'd hear Mr. Ronan say, "okay, your turn. Now my turn!" You just couldn't help but laugh at them when they would stand together...looking devilish!

And here are the girls...Mikenna and Riley:

Thanks Alana and Chris for including us in Easter this year...we had such a great time!

It's a hockey night in Pittsburgh...I mean, Tampa!

A couple weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins played against the Tampa Bay Lightning here in Tampa. We were able to score really great tickets (Thanks, Joni and Jessica!) for a great price...so we couldn't pass it up that our original home team was playing our current home team!

The kids had gone to a game with Ryan in the fall and loved it, so we just knew it was going to be a fun time. They were so excited. Riley was probably more excited for the junk food, but Ronan couldn't stop saying, "I go hockey game. I go hockey game." Here is my precious family in front of the St. Pete Time's Forum:

What was really great about this game, was that it felt as though you were really in Pittsburgh. I was actually surprised to see that half the fans were Pittsburgh fans and when we scored, you would have thought you were in Pittsburgh, so many people were cheering...

Riley was enamored with Joni and spent most of the game chatting with her, and less time watching. Not sure how Joni felt about not being able to pay attention 100% of the time, but she was a good sport...

Ronan + Popcorn = A Very Happy Ronan. It came as no surprise that Ronan wanted popcorn when he saw it. And even though we can make it at home for pennies, or buy it at Disney for $4, I was in a state of sticker shock when I saw the price jump to $7 for a small bucket of popcorn. I couldn't believe it. I winced when I'd see some of it drop on the floor...but I assure you that after I saw the state of the ground, I didn't pick it up and eat it (the 5-second rule does not apply in stadiums, arenas or ball parks.) Even though he didn't finish the popcorn...it was worth it, I think.

And here we are, enjoying the game together...he wasn't as interested in smiling for the picture, as he was with what was going on with the game...

We didn't stay the entire game. *Gasp!* I know, how could we do that? Leave?! Well, the kids were exhausted and we just knew we didn't want to sit in traffic after the game...so we headed out at the end of the second period. Unfortunately, we missed some great goals, but we are happy the Pens won!

We had such a fun time and Ronan still talks about the hockey game...gotta start 'em young, I guess! We get to go to a Rays baseball game in a month, so we're looking forward to adding more sports experiences for the kids!