Homecoming Queen

The UHS Homecoming Dance theme was Oriental Escape so the crowning of the queen during halftime of the big game had an asian flair. Leilani and her little friend Maddy (whose mom teaches with me) were asked to take part in the festivities. Of course for Leilani if there's an opportunity for a whole bunch of people to see her in a costume-- she's in!

There were 8 girls on the Homecoming Court and then 2 mini princesses. Lani and Maddy were responsible for carrying the crowns down the red carpet.

Posing with the principal.

The "Mini Asian Princesses" in motion.

Making their way down the red carpet. There were hundreds of people there, but the girls were unfazed by the crowd. Leilani actually turned around and waved at the stands when she got to the end of the carpet. When I asked why she did it, she told me, "I waved because that's what the big princesses did."

There was a ninja battle with swords and stunts. The last ninja standing was the one representing the girl who had been voted queen. I was worried that Leilani would be terrified. I just pictured her taking one look at those scary ninjas, throwing that crown on the ground, and sprinting back down the red carpet. But instead, she thought the whole thing was quite amusing. Maddy on the other hand jumped right up into the lap of the reigning queen.

The only mishap was that Leilani was sitting on the queen's sash. Last year's queen had to give her a little shove and yank it out from under her.

They were so excited!!

Leilani couldn't wait to try out the queen's throne.

Posing with Queen Joanna after the show.

She got to hold the queen's bouquet and I swear right here she's saying to herself, "Someday I'm going to be queen."

Something tells me she's right.

Poppy's First Trip To Disneyland

October 11th was a HUGE day for the family. Not only was it Poppy's 71st birthday, but it was also his first visit to Disneyland. So we all spent an beautiful (and particularly crowded) day at the park. The kids had a ball and the birthday boy was very well behaved.
Here are Poppy and Samuel getting on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Samuel was so excited to show Poppy all of the ins and outs of Disneyland.
This would have been such a cute picture if Leilani could have stopped munching on that box of raisins even for a minute!
Notice the T-shirts. They all give the relationship to the guest of honor and then the bottom says Happy 71st Birthday Poppy. (For example, my shirt says, "It's my dad's first trip to Disneyland."). His says, "I'm Poppy." They were a huge hit and all day long people kept stopping him to say Happy Birthday Poppy. It was hilarious!!

Poppy surrounded by the Mariachi Divas who serenaded him not once, but twice that day!

Leilani and Mike and Samuel fooling around in California Adventure.
My favorite shot of the day. Me and my dad outside Small World. I waited my whole life for this picture!
I love this picture. She was leaning over a water fountain getting ready to stick her arm into it when I caught her in the act.

The Mickey Puddle

Leilani looked at the back patio and screamed, "Look at that Mickey puddle!" Sure enough, there was a puddle outside that looked just like Mickey Mouse.
Who knew that a puddle could be so hilarious?!
And yes, she really is wearing a Run DMC t-shirt. What can I tell you... she's a cool kid!
After she had danced around the puddle laughing hysterically for almost 15 minutes, she looked at me and said, "Let's get my trike and run him over."
Poor Mickey.

Pretend City

We were invited by Rubie's family to go to a place called Pretend City in Irvine. It was a little bit of a drive, but totally worth it. I don't know who had more fun... the girls or their parents! It's a giant building set up like a miniature city. When the kids get there, they get a time card, a map of the city, and then they're off to work.Here are Leilani and Rubie after they convinced some poor little boy to clean the windshield of their sports car. I doubt that's the last time something like that will happen with these two!
Leilani working the cash register at one of the stores.
Making some calls
Then pulling up to the drive up ATM machine that actually dispenses money when they insert their time card.
Cha ching!
There are tons of things for the kids to do. There's a marina, a beach, 2 theaters, a gas station, a first station and even a farm. Here's Leilani picking apples off the tree.
A few of the kids failed to realize that the apples are plastic.
Doing a little farming
At the end of their "shift" (whenever they're done playing in each area) they get a stamp on their timecard to show that they have worked there.
Buying some groceries at the supermarket.
She could hardly wait to pay "Grocery Checker Rubie" for all the things she had in her basket.
Then they made pretend sandwiches at the deli counter.
After that we went to the pretend hospital where Rubie got a knee brace and some crutches.
Leilani's calling to get a second opinion. Should we tell her that the phone is upside down?
Here are the girls working at the post office. The whole day was great and we all had such a fun time. We can't wait to go back again!

Back to School Night

Tonight was Back to School Night at Leilani's preschool. It was a big event for her and she was so excited to show us all around her classroom.
The first stop was the ball pit.

Then it was on to her classroom where an entire bulletin board was dedicated to our little student of the month. In case you're wondering how you get chosen to be the student of the month when you're 3 years old, let me zoom in on her certificate...
I love that she's being recognized for her "awesome cutting skills."
Here she is with Miss Mimi her teacher (who is VERY patient, by the way)
And with the director, Miss Cece, who has already had to have a talk with Leilani in her office about not listening. More on that later.

Leilani's portfolio

We had Leilani's pictures taken by a wonderful photographer named Becca. She was so excited to have her hair and make up done by the stylist. At the end of the day she told me, "Don't kiss my lips Mama... You'll mess up my lipstick." These are some of our favorite shots. Her portfolio is awesome. Now if we could just get her a job!

I love this peek-a-boo face she's making.

I can't believe how old she looks in this one. She looks like a 5 year old little girl who should be on her way to Kindergarten.