Saturday, December 10, 2011

Bike Ridin'

Casey is getting good on his bike. He has started to figure out the whole pedaling thing. There are times he stays at a complete stop; he just says, "Stuck"... and Daddy "un-sticks" him, by giving him a little boost to provide him with some momentum. He especially likes riding over speed bumps, and has figured out that in order not to get "stuck", he needs some initial approach speed.

Family bike outing

From generation to generation

The cycle of life. Once I was the student, alas, now I'm the teacher. A long time ago, my parents put me on tricycles and bicycles... Now it's time I pay it forward, and put MY kids on 'em.

Sydney recently got his first bike helmet. (Safety first) He now enjoys the ridealong seat that Casey started out on.

From a long time ago...

Getting ready for is FIRST ride ever!

Action Shot!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Single Digits

Dear Sydney,

Night time is for sleeping. You are doing so well, putting yourself to sleep in the evening. We are so proud of you... However, what's with the 2AM, 3AM, 4AM crying sessions? That is sleepy time. Here is a good rule to live by, one I practiced religiously all the way through college. If there is single digits on the clock, followed by an "AM"; it's sleepy time. When 10AM rolls around, see, there are two digits on the clock now, go ahead and wake up!

Mommy's tired, Daddy's tired.. Even your big bro jailbroke out of your room last night in search of peace and quiet. Please baby... remember; "Single digits = sleepy time"

Love, Dad

Bed manners

Dear Casey,

I can't say I blame you for leaving your room at 2AM. Clearly, you had enough of Sydney's crying and said, "F$^^& this, I'm going to Mom and Dad's room to sleep".
I absolutely LOVE the fact I got to open my eyes and the first thing I saw was your face, your big brown eyes and your smile. I love the fact that I got to snuggle you, and give you a head massage so you would fall asleep.
However, I would be neglecting my fatherly duties if I didnt take this opportunity to give you some advice. Trust me, this stuff will come in handy in the future, when you share beds with other people besides your mom and dad. (Read: girls)
People don't like to get kicked in the ribs while in bed. Lay straight, with your head toward the top of the bed, and your feet towards the bottom.. diagonal across the whole bed is not an option. Save some room for your co-inhabitants. I can't figure out how little ol you had control of such a large area of the bed, and big ol me was confined to a little sliver of bed, right next to the edge. We'll work on this... I assume (err HOPE) we'll have time and opportunity to practice a lot before you go off and start bed-hopping with "others"

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Parrot

Parrots are famous for being able to mimic human speech. Toddlers aren't far behind. Casey has reached that age where he will repeat stuff he hears. No, he's not dropping f-bombs and cursing like a sailor. Amazingly, the four letter words do not flow out of my mouth when Casey and Sydney are around! But recently, Casey has repeatedly blurted out two phrases over and over again...

1.) "You're driving me bananas!!" -- That one is all Mommy.

And the past couple days, when I come downstairs in the morning, Casey points back upstairs and says,

2.) "Go back to bed!" -- He must have gotten this one from us, when we greet him during his 6am wakeup call visits.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Nai Nai's Special Books

Casey and Sydney have the greatest Nai Nai in the world. You see, she makes special books just for her grand kids. They focus on favorite topics, like trucks and animals. Recently, Casey got to experience the world famous San Diego Zoo, (Big Zoo) and the Wild Animal Park. Subsequently, Casey got a surprise in the mail.. His very own picture book, based on his visits to the zoo and animal park!

Casey opening his surprise.. Check out Sydney's expression!


Casey reading his special animal book!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Morning Wake up call

Last weekend, we converted Casey's crib to a toddler bed. Before that day, I didn't know what that entailed. It's exactly like taking the bars off a jail cell. He is now free to come and go as he pleases. Well, today, at 6 AM, what pleased him was to come into my room and say, (and not quietly) "Daddy, wake up!". He followed with, "You want go downstairs". Notice the lack of a question mark. That's cause it was phrased as a command, not a question. I came back with, "No, Daddy wants to sleep, NOT go downstairs."

Casey reiterated, "Daddy want go downstairs, watch TV"... Hoping to salvage something out of the exchange, I said, "OK. Go downstairs and watch Sportscenter."

He didn't fall for it. He said, "No, My turn. Go downstairs, watch Sesame Street."

Long story short, we both went downstairs, we both watched Sesame Street.

Casey checking out his new bed.


JAILBREAK!!!


Sydney... Wondering, "Why can't I bust out like that?"

Friday, November 11, 2011

Boogers!

I know what you are thinking.. Why am I writing about boogers now? After all, Casey has had boogers essentially since he was born. I've previously written about the clear, runny stuff which leaks into his mouth; about the stringie green ones which can hang and dangle; about the solid green ones which he can pick and flick...

Well, now he can blow his nose! We can get a tissue, hold it to his nose, and tell him to blow. Tonight, after his shower, he had some stringie green ones protruding from his nostrils. I got a tissue, held it to his nose, and told him to blow. Some came out, but as I wiped, the stringies just expanded and stretched. So, I grabbed another tissue, and had him blow again.. One wipe later, his nose was all clear!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Expressions

I know its a little overdue, but back in Sept., Sydney began his modelling career. Following in his big brothers footsteps, he modeled Cutie Baby Cloth diapers. In no particular order, check out his many expressions...











Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My 1st Halloween

I got to experience my first Halloween. My parents dressed me up as a monkey. My big bro was an elephant. Honestly, I didn't get much out of it... I was stuck in my stroller all night long; we followed Casey has he went from house to house carrying a giant pumpkin. It was cool though, I spend the whole time just checking everything out, and soaking it all in.. I think I got it... Come next year, I'm going to go door to door and get hooked up with some treats!

My costume...


Chillin' in my stroller...



I think my bro realized I was starting to lose interest. He was trying to pull me along...


And he tried the sweet approach.. He gave me kisses...

Friday, October 28, 2011

Roadtrip

Recently, we hit another milestone. Family roadtrip! And it doesn't seem like all that long ago I was the one in the back of the car, whining, "Are we there yet? I'm bored. Drive faster" All of a sudden, I'm the adult? Whoa, how exactly did that happen? I dunno. But nonetheless, we packed the minivan, loaded the kids, and set off for No. Cal. The plan was to drive from Los Angeles to Carmel. Normally, its a 5-6 hour drive, but... Apparently, with kids, it takes longer. We had a stop in Santa Barbara, ate some pizza and stretched out our legs. There is a park smack in the middle of Isla Vista, complete with a children's jungle gym. Surprise, surprise. I lived in that town for, well, a long time.. and I never knew there was a kids park. 2.5 hours later, we were back in the van, continuing up north. We finally arrived at our destination, about 10 hours after we departed. The kids did great on the road, with minimal fussing. I was pleasantly surprised. We checked into our hotel. Real nice place, one of the few we could find that had suites, which we needed to house all of us. It was pretty late, and we needed food ASAP. There was one of those 'upscale' markets across the street. There I got food to go, including $9 a pound mac & cheese! Call it what you want, organic, artesian, etc... its still pasta and cheese.. people, please... That said, Casey did ate that stuff like it was crack...

Each morning started with a trip downstairs to the breakfast room. It was sort of like a B&B, with provided breakfast. And each morning, I would prepare a bagel with cream cheese to bring back to the room for Casey. For other meals, we found it much better to bring food back to the room, as opposed to eating out. Kids fared much better that way. And if the kids are doing good, we are all doing good.

A couple of the highlights were the Dennis the Menace children's park. The kids had a blast there. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a hit. We also rented a giant bicycle that sat 6 adults and 3 children, and pedaled along the waterfront.

Da boys on the giant roller slide at the Dennis the Menace Park, Monterey, CA



Daddy and Casey at the touch pool at the Monterey Bay Aquarium


Daddy and Sydney

New Bike

A big moment in every boys life is when he gets his first bike! Recently, Casey experienced this, and we were there to capture the excitement. Now, if we can just teach him how to ride it…

Thursday, October 27, 2011

This Morning...

We could hear da boys talking to each other in the baby monitor. Sydney has figured out how to pull himself to an upright position in his bed. He faces Casey's bed, and they have conversations. Cute, but wait until you hear what else we heard. Suddenly, the chatter stopped, and we hear their bedroom door open, and as the door is closing, we hear Casey say, "goodnight Sydney". About a second later, from just outside OUR room, we hear Casey say. "Hi guys!"... And he came into our room! We're anxiously awaiting tomorrow morning, to see if this becomes a habit.

Endless Possibilities

During our vacation, Sydney acquired a new skill. He figured out how to crawl! At first, he was just scooting along the dirty carpet, dragging his whole body along the floor. Then, I looked away, and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something moving... It was Sydney, on all fours, crawling across the room. So, what this really means for Sydney is that he does not have to rely on us to supply him with fun stuff. Now, if he sees remote controls, or electrical cords, he can crawl his way to them and get them himself!!!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Roadtrip

Recently, we hit another milestone. Family roadtrip! And it doesn't seem like all that long ago I was the one in the back of the car, whining, "Are we there yet? I'm bored. Drive faster" All of a sudden, I'm the adult? Whoa, how exactly did that happen? I dunno. But nonetheless, we packed the minivan, loaded the kids, and set off for No. Cal. The plan was to drive from Los Angeles to Carmel. Normally, its a 5-6 hour drive, but... Apparently, with kids, it takes longer. We had a stop in Santa Barbara, ate some pizza and stretched out our legs. There is a park smack in the middle of Isla Vista, complete with a children's jungle gym. Surprise, surprise. I lived in that town for, well, a long time.. and I never knew there was a kids park. 2.5 hours later, we were back in the van, continuing up north. We finally arrived at our destination, about 10 hours after we departed. The kids did great on the road, with minimal fussing. I was pleasantly surprised. We checked into our hotel. Real nice place, one of the few we could find that had suites, which we needed to house all of us. It was pretty late, and we needed food ASAP. There was one of those 'upscale' markets across the street. There I got food to go, including $9 a pound mac & cheese! Call it what you want, organic, artesian, etc... its still pasta and cheese.. people, please... That said, Casey did eat that stuff like it was crack...

Each morning started with a trip downstairs to the breakfast room. It was sort of like a B&B, with provided breakfast. And each morning, I would prepare a bagel with cream cheese to bring back to the room for Casey. For other meals, we found it much better to bring food back to the room, as opposed to eating out. Kids fared much better that way. And if the kids are doing good, we are all doing good.

A couple of the highlights were the Dennis the Menace children's park. The kids had a blast there. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was a hit. We also rented a giant bicycle that sat 6 adults and 3 children, and pedaled along the waterfront.

Da boys on the giant roller slide at the Dennis the Menace Park, Monterey, CA



Daddy and Casey at the touch pool at the Monterey Bay Aquarium


Daddy and Sydney

Sunday, October 16, 2011

I Got Class

Sydney's free ride is done. For the next 18+ years, it's gonna be all about school. It starts out easy enough. Right now, 'class' consists of one hour a week. Its titled 'Family Fun Time'. We sing songs, and expose the kids to different senses. Last week, they focused on the hearing sense. They had multiple instruments, and encouraged the kids to play the instruments and create different sounds. Another portion of the class is free play... In a giant room full of age appropriate toys: ball pit, climbing structures, tunnels, tents, etc.

Deer in the headlights look on Sydney's first day of class


Star student, paying close attention to the teacher!


In the ball pit

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Happy Baby

So what if I got snot running out of my nose... and likely into my mouth.. I got so much drool, the snot gets diluted anyway... I'm a happy baby!!


Check out my big smile...



And ignore the food particles on my chin, and the food smeared on my cheek.... and check out.... MY TEETH!!!

Monday, September 26, 2011

The things that entertain...

When I was a kid, I guess I used to go around and say, "I'm bored. What is there to do?" Apparently, one day, my older brother Ed got sick of hearing me. He asked if I wanted to play a fun game called 52-card pickup. Not knowing what it was, and just plainly stoked that my older bro would want to PLAY WITH ME, I agreed. He proceeded to take a deck of playing cards (yup, all 52 of them) and throw them across the room. As he was walking out of the room, over his shoulder, he said, " There you go, pick up the cards"

In this video, you will see that Nai-Nai's game isn't quite as mean-spirited, but when it comes down to it, it's very similar. And Casey really enjoyed playing!

Games with Nai Nai from p wang on Vimeo.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Location, Location, Location

I realize this saying was meant for real estate, but it definitely applies here. Casey's favorite pooping spot was obviously carefully chosen. It clearly affords privacy, while allowing clear line of sight to the TV, where he won't miss a moment; its right in front of a speaker, so he can still hear the TV; its in close proximity to his book, after all, we all need reading material while doing our business!
Yeah, it's near where we park his dump trucks... Insert your own pun here...

Got book and dog, time to take care of business!

Busted! Action shot!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Your turn

Fact of life kid. Your hair is gonna grow. You're gonna need to get it cut. In what has now become a Wang tradition, we apparently have to humiliate you during your first haircut.

Big Bro experienced it

Since we already had a template on how this is done, we set Sydney out and wet his hair. Having been thru the wars once, we kinda knew what to expect... Or so we thought. Sydney's hair posed unique challenges. Hard to describe, but it grows naturally like a mohawk. The sides and back don't grow much at all, but the top grows like wildfire. 'Cept its really thin. This made it really hard to cut, especially cut straight. Sydney didn't squirm much, likely cause he didn't have access to a mirror to see what we were doing to him!

Before: Happy, but he doesn't know what's coming...


Natural Mohawk style


Tradition!




Cute kid, jacked up haircut!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Ice Cream

Casey sure loves his treats. We have been indulging his habit for quite some time now, feeding him chocolate, ice cream, cakes, etc. Recently, we took the next step. We gave him his own ice cream cone. Of course, we took precautions. Stripped him down to his diaper, and locked (just kidding) him outside. He was with one of his best friends, Allison. And they tore into their treats. I took some before/ after pix of the party. The aftermath was far beyond baby wipes. I picked him up and dumped him straight in the shower, where the shower floor was chocolate-brown after a few minutes...