alexis understand a lot

Alexis may not know how to talk yet but she understand a lot.  In this video, yaya is scolding her for putting the pen in her mouth and you can tell she understand what Agnes is saying.  Also at the end of the video, she gets off the couch on her own as Agnes taught her how to do it.

Isabel attends her first ballet and chamber music concert

I took Isabel to a free SF Chamber music and ballet by the Berkeley Youth ballet group.  It was at the Randall museum and it was fantastic.  Best of all free.  She really enjoyed it.

Walking around everywhere

It may have taken Alexis 15 months to take her first independent steps, but now that she has, she is walking everywhere and without much falling at all.  I think she will start running soon.

Check out these two videos - back from Laundry room and getting ready to go out.

Super model meimei

Also see the video. Already so into dressing up.

Fun in the sun

Yesterday the sun was shining and warm in the morning so the little ones went to the 3rd floor to play. Alexis absolutely love her bike and she is already eyeing big sisters bike. Everything big sister have is just so cool

Lei

Isabel brunch date with Weston

Weston is 2 days younger than isabel and they have been going to school together for over an year. We just found out they will both be going to starr king for kindergarten next year so we decided to get together for brunch at Delancey to celebrate.

They are so cute together. Isabel actually wore her fake earrings and called it a date - not a play date but a date. Scary that she already distinguish between the two.

Not looking forward to teenage years.

Lei
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A very curious alexis

People watching while agnes make the bed

Max comes over for dinner

They played Xbox kinect games and also put together the puzzle

Isabel loves her dress from china

Isabel got this dress from her auntie in china and she loves it.

Oh oh mommy is in trouble

Already love dressing up and with so much style and flair

Crawling like Mowgli

While Alexis is super careful about walking, she is a master at all kind of crawling. Here she is crawling like Mowgli

Alexis is 15 month old today

She is full of personality and starting to walk. The first picture is her "big mouth". I think she looks just like a little isabel there.

Isabel's First Skating Lesson - Dec 2012

Isabel has been dying to go skating so in December we asked one of our friends to take her. Chris works in our building and mentioned that he skated and played hockey since he was six. Isabel did pretty well for her first time and Chris was immensely patient. Either Agnes nor I took her as we both don't know how to ice skate or I thought. I actually went skating with Ajantha two weeks ago and was surprised to find out that I can actually skate a little bit. Enough to no longer be afraid to take Isabel skating. Yeah. We went to a Parent and Me skating class last Sat and had a blast. We decided take 6 more classes together. looking forward to it. Lei

Alexis singing

What can I say?  Alexis loves music and in this case Beyonce.  see the video

My next flashmob will probably be a zumba one since I love Zumba.  :-)

Lei

Alexis' first steps on camera

Alexis actually started walking last week at 14.5 months but this is the first time we caught it on camera. Thanks to agnes.
 
 so exciting. My baby is growing up.
 Lei

How to interpret food labels

This is a good article about how food labeling can mislead us. 

Walk into any grocery store and you'll find products boasting a wide range of health claims. Some foods are labeled "enriched" while others are labeled "fortified," "all-natural," or "gluten-free" in an effort to be appealing to health-conscious consumers. But what do these terms really mean? While some food label claims are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), others are just gimmicks to get you to buy the products.

Decoding Food Claims at the Grocery Store 

Before purchasing a product, be sure to read all the ingredients, regardless of what the label says. The healthiest South Beach Diet–friendly products should use the fewest processed ingredients and ideally never include refined white flours, saturated or trans fats, or added sugars, such as high fructose corn syrup. Take whole-wheat crackers, for example. The first ingredient listed on the box should be 100% whole-wheat flour — not to be confused with wheat flour, which is a form of white flour. To help you make the best food choices, here are the facts on some of the most common food claims:

Enriched

The facts: "Enriched" means the nutrients that were originally in the food were lost during the refining process and have been replaced to make it more nutritious. Enriched foods don't compensate for the natural nutrients and fiber that were lost during processing.

Fortified

The facts: Foods that are "fortified" have nutrients added (such as vitamins and minerals) that were never present in the original product. For example, milk is fortified with vitamin D, which was never present when it came out of the cow.

All-Natural

The Facts: Beware of foods labeled "all-natural" or "100% natural." The FDA and USDA don't regulate products with these claims. The labels "all-natural" and "100% natural" actually have no nutritional meaning. A manufacturer can take anything that grows in nature, process and strip it of its nutrients, and still claim that it's "all-natural." You can verify whether a product is truly made with "all-natural" ingredients by reading the ingredients list and using your best judgment.

Gluten-Free

The Facts: Gluten is a protein found primarily in grains such as wheat, barley, and rye, and in products made from these grains. Those with celiac disease cannot tolerate any gluten in their diet, and people with a gluten sensitivity must determine just how much gluten, if any, they can tolerate. To date, the FDA has not established a standard for putting the words gluten-free on packaging, although legislation is pending. As a result, you can currently find the words "gluten free" on everything from milk to apples, as producers try to capitalize on the popular diet trend. If you choose packaged products labeled gluten free, such as breads, pastas, and crackers made with gluten-free grains, look carefully at the ingredient list and make sure that the product doesn't contain gluten in less obvious forms. Look out for words likebinder, thickener, emulsifier, edible starch, gumbase, filler, modified starch,triticale, rusk, wheat alternative, or wheat maltodextrin, since they all mean gluten. Finally, be aware that many gluten-free products are made from white rice flour or potato starch with little or no fiber, and many have added sugars, which can all cause the swings in blood sugar that can lead to hunger, cravings, and weight gain.

Sent from my iPhone

Another good dentist appt

This time they took X-rays. Isabel is such a good little patient. She got a pink diamond ring as her reward. She tells me its real. So cute

End of an era

We are finally getting rid of the baby carseat. So isabel and Lexi have their last fun with it. Time flies as they are getting bigger an bigger. I am so glad and thankful that I have a life right now that allows me to enjoy them.