Beautiful dinner

 
All the fathers chatting before the dinner is served while the kids having their dinner. .. and Ammar waited for the iftar (breaking the fast)

 
Daddy and Nadia

 
We made a surprise blow a candle cake for Mommy Maria's 1 week earlier birthday. All the kids took turn to blow a candle, too.

  
3 best buddies, playing together, Luca, Milla and Nadia. They met a year ago from Gymboree Music and Play.

The trees and the school bus are changing colors!!

 
The trees started to change colors for this season. Nadia got so excited to see the trees whenever we go, even on our back yard. After she came home from school, she took a bath, then she was ready to draw again on the easel. She asked mommy to draw school bus, with all her friends inside the bus. She keeps changing her marker because she said " the bus changing colors" Oh I see now, even the bus is changing colors.. not only trees. She drew the whole night until she said :"I am getting tired!!!" Boy, was she tired, it's a big piece of paper and she almost finished it meticulously. Pretty good for a 2 year old. Daddy didn't have a hard time to put her to bed. She WAS tired.
Miss Mehar (Nadia's school director) came over with her mother in law, finding her already asleep. She asked Daddy to check on her mother in law and Ammar ended up giving her an antibiotic prescription becase she has bronchitis. 

Girls' day out

I am so busy assembling Nadia's new bedroom furniture I got from IKEA today. Well, we (Nadia and me) sort of did 1 piece together and put her little table next to her fire truck bed. So today, I finished up the rest.

I also had really nice lunch out with our next door neighbor, Andrea, just the 2 of us. I missed the time that you just hang out with other adult without children around. We ate at a really nice japanese restaurant and went to have coffee after.

Time flies so fast now it's time for me to cook for dinner and pick my little girl from school.

I missed her already, my little Kitty Cat!!!

Relaxing night

 
After dinner, she asked her daddy to massage her back while watching TV...

 
Nadia's new favourite fruit, the star fruit

 
Hey, I almost finished up my star fruit. Yes, she is a vegetarian, doesn't eat meat too much and eat lots of fruits. 

Another masterpiece from Nadia

 
Hey daddy, can you draw with me ? But just draw your tree (the one on the right....), her tree was the big one, then mommy's tree is on the left side.

  

Since Mommy got her an easel, her passionate of drawing is even greater. Now, instead of drawing on a small piece of paper, she draws on the real big sized paper.

It's the ultrasound print out.

 
Profile Image

 
It's a boy.

 
The rest of the images. 

Now I can start decorating 2 bedrooms.

Remember when we told Nadia the first time we found out that her mommy's pregnant ? She was shy, looking at both of us in the garage after playing with Daddy and said : "I want baby brother"
Well, I guess, nothing like a wish from a little kid, today, she also pray before she went to school that she wanted a baby brother.
I got an ultrasound today, the due date is fixed to 2-27-2007 and it is a....BOY!!!!!!
Congratulations, Nadia.... !!!!! You are really going to have a baby brother like Zoe.
We are excited because we just wanted 2 kids (that's max for us.. no more) and knowing that we are having a couple, that's a very nice treat from God. Thank you, God.. You are so gracious!!!

I went to IKEA today, to match Nadia's firetruck bed with other kid's furniture.. I picked up some red and pink drawer (I know she likes blue.. but it matches better with the firetruck, got some easel for her fond of drawing, and some toys organizer, oh, not forgetting her firetruck bed's side table!!!
I was planning to make her room very girly, because Nadia is a very very flirty little girls, but when it comes to toys.. she loves cars, truck, school buses, etc.. so she asked for a car or fire truck bed.. so whatever she wants, she got the fire truck bed, instead of a fairy princess toddler bed.. now the plan is changed.. I have to decorate 2 little BOYS' bedrooms.

I can feel it will be very busy 2 months until we fly to Indonesia!!!!

Playdate photos

Little playdate at our house

It was sunny out, wonderful day for a playdate, so Nadia, Bella and Zoe started to run around outside the house. They had a wonderful time. Nadia, as usual when she is busy, she doesn't eat, only Zoe and Bella ate.... gosh!!!
At night, she told me she wants another playdate....

For stories and pictures, check out Bella's and Zoe's blogspot. (hah ... I am too lazy lately being on the computer, besides, their stories and pictures were wonderful)

I am making volcano

How are you going to let your child say "cheese" then LOOKING AT the camera ?


I put this on the countertop.


Look, daddy, I made this for you!!!




Busy making the volcano

Nadia loves playing with play-doh. She ended up making a volcano and imagining that the lava were going to come out, she even decorate it with the puppet paper animals she made at the library after the story time on Saturday. She walked around while everyone is busy cooking, especially Daddy who was in the mood of cooking for breaking the first day of fasting. When daddy cooks, the garbage can always around him.
Oh how much she loves her volcano.

Happy Ramadan, for our families and friends

Ramadan is here, tomorrow, at around 6 am will be starting. So Ammar has to wake up at 5 am to eat before start fasting. I will try to wake up with him even though this year, I will not doing the fasting because I am expecting. It will be a very busy month for us, I have to cook dinner more special for Ammar every night because it will be hard for him to fast by himself from sunrise (at aound 6.15 am until sunsets at around 7.30 pm. No drink, no food during the time.
Thanks God, this year, we will celebrate Eid (the end of Ramadan) together. He is taking the day off from office. Yeah Ammar.

For Families in Indonesia, and Syria... Happy RAMADAN...

Love,
Us.

Quotes for the day

It's morning, I picked up Nadia from her bed, her first words she said : "Mommy, I want to play with Bella"
I said : "Oh no, you can't Nadia, because you are going to school today. We are playing with Bella on Tuesday"
(miserable and disappointment) Nadia : "No, I don't want to go to school, I want to play with Bella"
(tried to think!!!!) I said : "Nadia, Bella is at her house, she is getting ready to go to school. It's her school day, like you."
(happy again) Nadia : "Bella goes to school ?"
I said : "Yes,... let's go drink your milk and get ready!!!
Nadia agreed to get out of her bed and get ready for school

I drove her to school and we arrived at the school.
Nadia :"Mommy, I want to draw!"
I said :"oh yes, you can ask Miss Mehar that you wanted to draw"
Nadia : "Okay, I will draw bunny, and ....... (tell so funny stories from songs!!!!)
Finally I said : "Are you ready Miss Nadia ?"
(smiled to me) Nadia : "Yes, I am ready. Are you ready MISS MOMMY ?"

Oh, what a beautiful morning.. I love her dearly....

New playdate.

There was a new family moved from Boston. Karen, the mother is a very nice woman. Her husband moved to Ann Arbor with the same reason why we moved also from Massachusetts, so it started with telling her how nice Ann Arbor compares to Boston, we ended up finally have a playdate. Nadia got excited when I told her that she will have a playdate with a new friend, Noah. Noah is 2 year old boy, a very cute and typical boy. We had a good time. When we came back home for lunch, I asked Nadia if she likes Noah, and she said :"Yeah"...
Noah also have a little sister, Emily, she is just 2 months old. Very good baby.
We are planning to go somewhere for a playdate again, they missed the first time when we went to Jump City 2 weeks ago because Noah had fever.

We got home and Nadia started drawing again, and I got an email, a friend of mine, Angky made this for Nadia. Check it out!!!

Diving

This is how Nadia took a bath now.. She would drown half of her head and kick her feet.. and she calls it diving. It's easy for Mom because then she rinses her soapy hair by her self. She also loves to hear things under the water when she put her ears under.

First time making pizza ever!!!

Nadia had a playdate with her best buddy, Luca. They have been playing each other for 1.5 years. Wow, it's a long time. It was so coincidence that we met at Gymboree Play and Music Group, and ever since, we became best family friends, the Daddies also became friends, because they work at the same place, the Cancer Center at U of Michigan. Luca's daddy is a dermatologist, and Nadia's daddy is a Hematologist/Oncologist, who both work at the same building.

It was really a wonderful playdate, thanks to Maria, who made this playdate so special for both kids, because it's the important milestone for them, Cooking together.

Nadia and Luca both have firetruck toddler bed. They play, cook, eat, and watch movie together. Luca is 4 months older than Nadia. On the way back home, Nadia kept asking to go to Luca's house, while Luca, in the other side, kept asking his dad to let Nadia lives with them.

Luca has a very cute little sister, baby Chiara, 5 months old, and this girl loves watching her big brother and his buddy play together and cook.

They also made pizza for mommies and daddies. Both Daddies had to work that Saturday and came home almost the same time (very late). It was a very delicious pizza, thanks to Luca and Nadia.

It was a really nice time to have a playdate since Daddy has to go to work a lot, covering all the consult at the hospital, he hardly see Nadia, and Nadia got a little bit upset, missing her Daddy. This playdate really made her day, even at night, she kept asking her daddy to go play again with Luca.

Nadia also got a new drawing, she loves it so much, it's a scratch off Dora the Explorer, and she enjoyed drinking soda from the fountain bottle we got from Toledo Zoo.

Mommy and daughter only

We really had a good time, cuddling, watching tv, playing, drawing, singing, and building a car and play slide inside the house today. We didn't get out at all. Time for mommy and daughter time, ALONE!!!!
Nadia is just a very sweet girl. She slept exactly at 1 pm and woke up at 4.30 pm. During that time, Mom worked on the plane ticket to visit our family in Indonesia. It turned out that we had to buy the ticket today, if not, the special price will be no longer there, so we ended up charging $4500 to our CC to buy 3 tickets to Indonesia on Singapore Airlines (the best plane \ to fly with kids and the service) on the executive class which is non stop from Newark, NY. The price is unbelievable cheap for the airline, but if you realized, gosh.. still so expensive!!!!! Thinking about paying $330 PER PERSON just for the airport tax (Newark Airport) really KILLS me!!!
Oh Well, Ammar and I talked about how much we have to spend everytime we want to see our families. It will be the same price when we are going to see his families... Sigh!!! I guess that's how much we have to pay living so far away from our families.

So guys... Nadia and I won't be around on November 18- January 5th.

We are excited but at the same time are nervous, too. My sister and my mom are so excited that they are planning to take us vacation in Bali and Lombok.. YEAH!!!!

The studio photos arrived

The photo studios from the school turned out to be awesome. Nadia really poses... !!!!
I am glad that they turns out great since I am planning to give them for my Mom....
Nadia also got the little bag with her picture printed on them. She got all excited.

Jump City

We had a big playdate at Jump City. It is an awesome place, Nadia at first got scared, then she went bananas herself with Bella. She would follow Bella everywhere, even climbed up herself (pretty tricky ones) and went down the slides herself or hold hands with Bella. There were 4 moms with 6 kids all together. After that we went to the Mall, ate lunch and hit the playground at the mall and put all our money in those riding machines. Nadia loves to drive the ice cream truck so much.

We got home pretty late for her nap time and she went straight to bed rightaway by herself and slept a good 3 hours nap. In the afternoon while waiting for daddy to get back from work, we watched the 2 deers walking to our backyard from the wet land (forets) and Nadia got so excited. They looked at us watching them from the window for a long time, until they walked back inside the forest. It was a lot of fun. Nadia kept asking the "Bambi" to come back.
She got so happy to see 'bambi' that she asked Mom to play the Bambi movie for her right away. She loves that movie, and laughed outloud because the thought "Thumper" and "Bambi" are so funny.

Disney World, Orlando FL

One of the spot at the Magic Kingdom, Mom thought it would be a nice place to have solo picture of Nadia, too bad, Nadia kept saying "Cheese" but not looking at the camera.


We went to the Fairy Tale Garden and had a wonderful story telling by Belle, she waited on the line unpatiently to talk and take picture with Belle.


We went to visit Mickey Mouse's house and explore his bedroom, living room, and at the end we got to talk to Mickey and of course, picture taken again. Nadia gave a smooch on Mickey's cheek.


We went to downtown Disney, took picture with a very tall man who jumps and dance, he came after Nadia when he jumps around and chatted with her.


Picture with Goofy.


Mom decided to take picture with Chip 'n' Dale, too.


Family picture with the Castle on the background. It was soooo hot.


Nadia loves the Cinderella show, once the fireworks ended up the snow, she looked up and said : "Whoooooooo"


Picture taken with Princess Jasmine, Aladdin, and Ginnie, Nadia was so talkative with them and everyone thought she was so cute, Princess Jasmine couldn't hold not to kiss Nadia after the picture shot.


A smooch left over on the left cheek from Princess Jasmine


We ate inside the Cinderella castle. It was expensive but worth every penny. Before we were seated, they took picture of of her with Cinderella, Nadia got so excited and she gave her Cinderella Music Box to her, for real.... Mom just had to take it back from Cinderella.... she also posed with her very well.


During the dining, there are some characters from Cinderella movies, including the mice and the Godmother Fairy.


Nadia got her own children menu, finalized with the Princess ice cream, with Chocolate crown on the top of it. Everyone called Nadia, princess. We also watched the fireworks from the windows inside the castle. It was a wonderful night for all of us, especially Nadia.