Bathroom Reading

Potty training....oh joy.....

DIY Photo Display

image via Canadian House & Home

I love the idea of a family photo gallery in my home, but I'm just so darn lazy that all my projects end up being half-done and then abandoned. Well, here is a great idea from Canadian House and Home for an easy photo display. Spray paint a giant corkboard white, and pin up black and white photos. Voila!

Grey Day

image via Eddie Ross

Maybe it's because I've had weighty matters on my mind today, but I've been drawn to the grey palette of these interiors lately...I want to surround myself with this serene color. Sophie and I even went out to Home Depot and picked up a can of Martha Stewart's Bedford Grey so that I can repaint some of my furniture. Stay tuned for pics of my latest project...in the meantime, enjoy these calming images from Martha Stewart and Eddie Ross.

images via Martha Stewart

Tet

My large extended family, the Phams, celebrated Lunar New Year at my parents' house this past weekend. It's kind of a big deal with us, and we try to get dressed up in traditional Vietnamese outfits and give out lucky money in red envelopes, complete with the requisite well-wishes for the recipient. Surprisingly, Sophie loved wearing her ao dai (traditional dress), she posed and swayed in front of the mirror for quite a while. I guess deep down inside, there is a bit of girly girl.

I love these kiddos!

My dad with his two favorite grandkids.

My mom was really proud of Sophie and Bodhi that day. They were good!

Sophie, Bodhi, and their cousin, Colin.

"You talkin' to me?"

Great grandma's tally so far: 11 kids, 24 grandkids, and 7 great-grandkids + counting


half the images via my awesome cousin Lyndsey

33rd

Today was my special day. The day started off with the news of a tragic event that really made me reflect on what is important in my life. The rest of the day went well...I got some nice, meaningful little surprises and spent the entire day with the people I love the most, and today I was especially grateful.

Darren stayed home from work today and I had the day off, so our little family of 3.5 went to lunch at Rio Grande. Sophie is sharing a chip with me.

She loves those tortilla chips.

Especially with chile con queso.

The real celebration for my birthday was at Present, where my parents, Michou and family, and Jenny joined us.

The "present"-ation was really nice. Harharhar...

I love Apple for inventing ipods to keep kids busy and well-behaved at dinnertime. The three of us are big fans of Wallace and Gromit.

My mom and Jenny, who begrudgingly let me take her picture.

This delish flan was a sweet surprise at the end...thank you, Darren.

Sophie likes to blow out birthday candles. I'm giving her a little help in this pic.

Baby Gap Spring Porcelain Collection

I really have to give credit to Baby Gap. They have exceeded my expectations in terms of making cute girls clothes available that don't have 1) Disney characters, 2) too many ruffles, 3) loud, garish colors, and 4) obnoxious slogans. I mean, am I the only mom that doesn't want her toddler to be a "DIVA" or look like Britney Spears? (Good riddance to Club Libby Lu!)

Here are two outfits from their Porcelain collection that I love:

This hat would look great.....

Floppy Straw Sun Hat, $17

...with this tunic.

Embroidered Top, $25

And these sunglasses are so chic....

Round Sunglasses, $9

...with this romper.

Chambray Romper, $25

Year of the Tiger

Happy Lunar New Year! Sunday was the beginning of the new lunar year, the Year of the Tiger. It's a big deal in our family, as it is for many Vietnamese households across the world. We kicked off the festivities by attending a celebration at our local shopping mall, complete with Lions, Dragons, martial arts and other cultural performances. Sophie absolutely loved the Lion and Dragon performances, she literally wanted to jump out of her seat!

Making a Valentine

So, remember when I blogged about the Valentine Heart Hand Stamp? Well, today Sophie and I tried to make one. It didn't turn out too well. I'm sure it's super easy and there's just something wrong with me, but...Sophie's enthusiasm for the project last about two minutes, and then she quickly tired of the whole affair and found that it was much more fun to just play with the paint containers than actually finger painting. I should've known it would all go south when I put her fist in the paint and all she said was "EWWWW." Oh well...hope her daddy appreciates it anyway!

I was all hyped up about the project and got all the supplies together.

First sign of trouble: the red paint looks gelatinous and not dark enough.

Making a valentine under duress.

See? Not that great. I'm not sure that kid fists can really look like a heart.

Okay, on to more fun things.

Cradling her "baby"

Shoveling, shoveling and...more shoveling

Sophie's cabin fever is running high these days. With the snow mercilessly falling down on the DC area, we're quickly running out of options for entertainment. She's played with all her toys, watched every video, and read all her books. I let her outside today to get some fresh air, but the novelty of snow has already worn off....oh Spring, you can't come soon enough for us!

Watching her dad shovel the driveway, again.

Her expression says it all.

Reading the same book for the millionth time.