Just like Christmas Eve/Christmas, Zoe's first New Year's Eve celebration was awesome! My little girl can parrrrrrrtyyyyyy! Not sure how many 11-month-olds made it to the countdown, but mine sure did =) ... I did, however, force her to take a 30 minute "disco" nap around 10 pm.
NYE has always been a double celebration for my family because it also happens to be Tito Ton's birthday! Michael's family usually joins us for NYE as well so it's always a lot of fun to have everyone there ...everyone except Jay this year. He left for the Philippines on Dec. 27th to meet Mao's family and to also attend Mao's best friend's wedding. It's the first holiday Jay has missed with the family and his presence was greatly missed!!! Although we all wished he was there we all found solace in the thought of how wonderful of an opportunity it was to finally be able to meet Mao's family.
To add extra spice to the party, Tita Bot (our decorator/party planner extraordinaire) got fascinators for all the ladies (including Zoe) to wear! We all also prepared various dishes/appetizers for the occassion ... Mike and I were in charge of the cheese platter and we also baked some spanikopitas for good measure =) .
Zoe had a blast on NYE -- she really loved all the noisemakers and playing with Jaden and Kaylan. She also wore her "toddlers and tiaras" outfit (hey, I figured NYE is really the only time she can get away with wearing something so bling bling-ish). She also had a blast eating all the food the grandparents were so willing to feed her.
I've always enjoyed celebrating the New Year ... there's always a sense of "clean slatedness" that just feels so refreshing to me. I couldn't help but reflect on the same time last year and how pregnant I was and how my brain was full of thinking about giving birth to Zoe. Now, she's actually here with me twirling around a noisemaker and partying it up with the best of them. It's amazing how time has literally just flown by and how much fuller my life has felt since I've had a baby. I've learned sooooo much this past year about myself and my inner strength. I love that I have a brand new full year to continue to learn and to also create so many more beautiful memories with Michael and Zoe. God has been so good to us this past year and I trust that as long as we continue to keep Him at the center of each day of 2012, He will continue to shower us with the grace to see and feel how blessed we are and that He will continue to guide us toward the plan He has prepared.
12 different fruits for a prosperous new year!
The "kids"
Zoe and the birthday boy
As you can see, fascinators were the theme this year =)
Zoe <3's her lolo
The twins thoroughly enjoyed the chocolate fountain =)
First new year as parents!
Zoe LOVED the noisemakers! (Yes, she's wearing a "toddlers and tiaras" outfit)
Zoe and her grandmas
Ima had the best fascinator!
The Sudjati Fam is ready for 2012!
Lala is missing because she was taking a quick nap =)
Zoe finally took a quick disco nap at 10 pm!
Nap time is over and it's time to party once more!
Mike was feeling slightly under the weather today so we decided to just stay home and relax. To my pleasant surprise, he suggested we have a Twilight marathon (I know, my hubby is awesome!). I quickly agreed (except we skipped Twilight and went straight to New Moon since FX has been playing Twilight like crazy lately). It was fun to just veg out and watch dvd's. Zoe had a blast, too, since we were both in her play area (again, we had a never ending picnic). She seemed genuinely happy to be around us the whole day. She usually gets me for 80% of the day and then daddy when he gets home from work, so it was a nice treat for her to be around mommy and daddy all day long.
While Zoe was napping, Mike and I even had a chance to reflect on the past year and to think about the upcoming one. He asked me what three words I felt would define the new year. Instead of making resolutions, he said it was better to come up with three distinct words that would guide your game plan and progress for the upcoming year. My three words were FAITH, OPEN-MINDEDNESS, and THINKING-OUT-OF-THE-BOX (ok, not quite "three" words ... ). Faith is a constant for me every year ... with the way our life is, it is essential to be God-centered always. Open-mindedness because there may be a slight chance that we have to move and I have to return to work (if/when Mike's company gets sold, that is). It's hard for me to think about leaving Zoe but I know with an open-mind, I'll/we'll be ok. And lastly, I want to think outside of the box more this year -- whether it's figuring out how I can better help Michael (financially/emotionally, etc.) or coming up with creative ways to be a better wife and mom to Zoe or anything really. Sometimes I get kind of stuck with "my ways" that I lack the courage or initiative to try new things. I'm going to try my best to keep my three words close to my heart and mind all year long and use them as a guide to the progress I hope I can make.
As simple as today was, it was truly a great one. With our lives being so busy (it feels like we're always packing and unpacking to go to/from LA or we have so many different events/activities), it's nice to just slow things down ... keep things quiet and simple ... reflect ... renew ... rejuvenate. What a great way to prepare for the upcoming year!
Mike met up with one of his friends in Woodland Hills so me and Zoe got to spend the afternoon with Lolo, Lola and Aunty Isabelle! Lolo made a special batch of extra garlic-y mashed potatoes just for Zoe (he knows that food is the key to Zoe's heart). After she took her first bite, she wouldn't leave Lolo's arms ... she would only leave him when she wanted to walk around. This eat-walk-eat-walk cycle happened several times throughout the day which resulted in my little monster being fed non-stop with mashed potatoes, crackers, rice, anything really. Thank goodness she would walk around like crazy to burn off whatever food she consumed (note to self: Zoe is very passionate about food; must make sure she exercises every day ... ). We also had a chance to have a great heart-to-heart talk with Isabelle over Yogurtland. Since she turned 18, Michael and I have been wanting to have a talk with her to see how she was feeling about college, love, life, etc. It was nice to be able to have such a meaningful conversation with our little sister ... it was also a chance for Lolo and Lola to hang out with Zoe without mommy and daddy around.
Aside from eating and walking around, Zoe also had a chance to open more Christmas gifts -- apparently, our family up north showered her with Christmas gifts and cards. It was so sweet of them to think of Zoe despite us not being able to make the trip up north this year. She got a lot of great stuff -- from books, to clothes to even $$$ ... seriously, this little girl is sooooo blessed!
All in all, it was another wonderful day spent with family. It's nice to relax a bit after all the stress that Christmas can sometimes bring. Looking forward to ringing in the new year with family and friends in a few days! 2011 was phenomenal ... I know that God has even bigger things in store for us in 2012!
Today Zoe and I got a special treat - a visit from Ninang Tasha!!! We've been missing Ninang a lot since we haven't been able to see her for a couple of weeks. Since she had the week off, Tasha offered to make the trek out to the 'Nard to spend the day with her Zoe.
It's always fun to see them interacting. Even though Zoe doesn't get to see her too often (usually just once a week at church), she always has a soft spot for Tasha. I guess Zoe has a good judge of character already =) ...
After playing and catching up (i.e. "picnicking" thanks to the toy Zoe got from Ninong Jay), we drove to Carpinteria to have lunch with Mike. He took us to this awesome restaurant called Padaro Beach Grill. It's from the same owners as Hook Burger and The Habit but with a beach vibe. What's extra cool about the place is their outdoor eating area ... it overlooks the ocean, has lots of grass for kids to run around on and they even have a huge sand box for the kids! Zoe didn't get to play in the sandbox this time around (mommy wasn't ready to have to clean up all that sand!), but I know when she's a little bit older, she's gonna love this place. The food was pretty good and it was just nice to be able to hang out with Tasha. Since we were so close to the ocean we all felt like we were on vacation somewhere =).
After lunch, we went back home and basically just hung out the rest of the day. I know Zoe had a great time playing with Ninang and I'm sure Ninang had a great time too. She kept tripping out at how fast Zoe has grown and how well she walks around.
Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to spend some quality time with Ninang Tasha! Even though our play dates are few and far between, we are so thankful for any time we get to spend with Tash. She's such an amazing person and we love just being around her. How blessed Zoe is to have someone like Ninang Tash as part of her life!
Mike is taking it easy this week so that means he gets to spend more time at home with me and Zoe! Today we decided to have a lunch date at H & C Seafood at the Channel Islands Fisherman's Wharf. They have delicious fresh crab and fish there and it was the perfect day to go ... luckily, Zoe cooperated with us needing our hands to eat the crabs. After I fed her, she was preoccupied with all the seagulls and pigeons so it worked out great! It was nice to be able to hang out with my hubby on a weekday afternoon ...
After lunch, we went to a nearby park so Zoe could get her play on. She loved the swing of course and also enjoyed riding on a seahorse. She was also having fun watching all the other little kids running around. I'm glad she's getting big enough (and mobile) to enjoy going to the park. We'll definitely be taking her to parks more often now that she seems to love it =)
Zoe's first Christmas was amazing!!! It was everything I could've asked for ... time with God ... time with family ... time for me =).
Christmas Eve was at Sunbeam Hotel and the motif for this year was silver and purple. Tita Bot, as always, did a great job transforming her house into a different world. For the food, everyone prepared their own dish(es) to share with everyone. I ended up making truffled mac'n'cheese with bacon, a caprese salad and spanikopita with tzatziki sauce. Mom made all the complicated dishes like relyenong manok, morcon, arroz valenciana and nilaga. Tita Bot "cooked" Chinese style pork chops and eggplant parmigiana while Jay made his famous salmon and lettuce wraps. To add to all that food, there were also the sapin-sapin and other rice desserts plus chocolate covered everything and other sweets. As you can see, our Noche Buena was a feast!
After an early dinner, we all went to the 9 pm mass at the Cathedral. Since we wanted to make sure we got good seats, we arrived an hour early. Zoe used this time to stroll around the altar and to ham it up for anyone watching her =). Her ninong Kevin celebrated the mass and had a beautiful homily. Afterwards, he even gave Ima a special blessing. He was happy to see his goddaughter on Christmas Eve as well =).
When we got back home, it was time for the kids to open their gifts from Santa. Even Zoe got some gifts! I guess despite her not having her own stocking or even bothering to write a list, Santa knew what she would want and rewarded her for being such a good girl =). Once the kids opened their gifts, we moved on to the reflection part of the evening. Last year, I asked everyone to wrap 3 things that symbolized 3 blessings they received. This year, I had everyone draw a question out of a stocking and to share their answer with everyone. All of the questions centered around faith, hope and love ... it was great to hear everyone's answers! The reflection portion has become one of my favorite parts of the evening and has truly made our celebrations a lot more meaningful. After the last question was answered, we did our annual secret santa gift exchange which was followed by more eating! Zoe was a social butterfly and seemed to really be enjoying her first Christmas celebration. She didn't sleep until 1:30 am!!!
The next morning, Mike, Zoe, Jay and I decided to go to 11:30 am mass at Nativity Church to visit Zoe's other Ninong, Fr. Francis. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Jesus' birthday!!! We really really really really really really miss Fr. Francis and his amazing homilies =).
Later that day, Mike, Jay, Chris, Tiana and I decided to go to Alhambra to try their $15 Chinese Foot Massage. Mike and I have been to a couple of foot massage places in the Valley, but they were $20/hour. So we were curious to see how the $15/hour one compared. The massage was amazing (and definitely worth $15!) and it was a great way to end our Christmas day. Needless to say, Mike LOVED his massage and decided he'll be coming back there for sure =).
As an added bonus, the twins -- Jaden and Kaylan -- along with Jeric put together the cutest puppet show ever! Tita Bot and Tito Charlie transformed their living room into a theater ... it was so fun to watch them perform! Again, such a great way to end an already perfect first Christmas for my family. I can't wait until next year when Zoe will have a better understanding of what Christmas really is ... but as far as first Christmas's go, this one was absolutely perfect. Thank you Lord for gifting us with your Son so that we may live forever. Christmas is my favorite holiday of all time because it's a special day where families get together and celebrate God's greatest gift to us: LOVE.
Here's a video montage of Zoe's first Christmas followed by pics of our great celebration:
Efficient feeding =)
We <3 Ninong Monsignor Kevin!
Gift from Santa ...
Finally convinced Zoe to sleep at 1:30 am ...
"Big Zoe" knocked out as well =)
Nativity Church
We <3 Ninong Fr. Francis!
Zoe ECSTATIC with her new toy from Ninong Fr. Francis
