Tag overview for: 'alya'

Entries on this site with 'alya'

  • 83 Months
    83 months of Yaya! * Mouse over the pictures for captions This entry is written two months late so I will keep it short. June was a busy month with work travels for me. We
  • Yaya loses a Tooth!
    Yaya lost her first baby tooth today! June 18, 2015. She is a little over a month shy of her seventh birthday! * Mouse over the pictures for captions So the wiggly tooth t
  • 82 Months
    82 months of Yaya! * Mouse over the pictures for captions I'm feeling pretty proud of myself in that it's not yet the middle of July (only the end of June) when I'm writin
  • Rafe - 40 Months
    And so Adik is 40 months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions It is mid-June and I am yet again very very late in writing Adik's blog entry. All the same reasons an
  • 81 Months
    81 months of Yaya! * Mouse over the pictures for captions It's the same old story of super late writing of the entry. April entry written in mid-June. But that's how it's
  • Rafe - 39 Months
    And now Adik is 39 months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Somehow I am getting more and more delinquent - it is mid-May and I am just now writing this March en
  • 80 Months
    80 months of Yaya! * Mouse over the pictures for captions It is mid-May as I write this and so I will keep the chatter brief. March was another busy month where I had my v
  • Rafe - 38 Months
    Here are Adik's 38-month photos. Mouse over the picture for captions. So, when I mentioned in last month's entry that we were moving to the smaller entry, I really meant i
  • 79 Months
    79 months of Yaya! * Mouse over the pictures for captions February was another crazy busy month. I traveled (without Vin and the kids) 2 out of the 4 weeks of the month. I
  • Scenic Silver Springs
    While we were in Ocala, Florida on a work trip, the local colleagues recommended that we visit Silver Springs , Florida and try out the glass bottom boats. So that is what
  • Rafe - 37 Months
    Adik is 37 months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions As mentioned in last month's entry, we are now moving to the smaller entry for Adik, where we just round up h
  • 78 Months
    And so, the girl is six and a half years old! 78 months of Yaya!   * Mouse over the pictures for captions January turned out to be a crazy busy month! I started a new proj
  • The one with the no-Graeter's Ice Cream Cake party
    Thirteen days after Adik's third birthday, we had a small party for friends and neighbors.  * Mouse over the pictures for captions In the morning, we take a short break du
  • Rafe's 36 Month Birthday (And he is 3!)
    And so, the boy is now 3 years old! Or as he would say it, "thwee" * Mouse over the pictures for captions To be in line with how I did Yaya's blog entries, this will be th
  • 77 Months
    77 Yaya-filled months! Unlike some children, Yaya was completely happy to play with her "lumps of coal" Christmas present. She made a drawing of a cat using various charco
  • 76 Months
    76 months of Yaya!   * Mouse over the pictures for captions OK since it is almost January as I sit to write this entry, I feel like I can barely remember what November was
  • Clearwater Beach - October 2014
    We spent a short weekend at Clearwater Beach in mid-October. It was quiet, relaxing and warm. Just the perfect beach vacation. We were here in March for almost a week but
  • Halloween 2014 Spooktacular
    So since dressing up in costumes is one of Yaya's favorite things to do, Halloween is something she has been looking forward to for a while. Despite the non-candy-eating c
  • Rafe's 34 Month Birthday
    Two more months until Adik turns 3! He is now at his 34th month! Whee! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Adik's reading skills just seem to keep improving. He is reta
  • 75 Months
    75 months of the girl!   * Mouse over the pictures for captions October has been pretty action packed. We have been back and forth to and from the new gig (Tampa, Florida)
  • Circus!
    So we took the kids to the Ringing Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Nutter Center! As it turned out it was also Vin's first time at the circus. I remember when H
  • Rafe's 33 Month Birthday
    We are 3 months away from Adik's third birthday. 33 months old! 2.75 years old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Adik just loves to read. He is obsessed with the wri
  • 74 Months
    74 months of Yaya! * Mouse over the pictures for captions September had its quiet and un-quiet moments. Vin had to go away for a few days to attend a funeral, leaving me a
  • Rafe's 32 Month Birthday
    32 months old now! Only four months (less than that, given the actual date I'm writing this entry) until the boy is three years old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions
  • 73 Months
    73 months old now! Please don't mind the belatedness (and backdated-ness) of the entry. * Mouse over the pictures for captions August was a quiet month again - I worked fr
  • Rafe's 31 Month Birthday
    And the boy is 31 months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Like Yaya's 6th birthday, we were in Minneapolis for Adik's 31-month birthday. It has definitely been
  • 72 Months (a.k.a the sixth birthday!)
    And so the girl is now six years old! 72 months old! Hurrah!! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Apparently we are feast or famine type people. After the end of June (
  • Rafe's 30 Month Birthday
    Adik is two and a half! 30 months old! Happy half birthday, little boy! * Mouse over the pictures for captions As stated in Yaya's  71 month entry , June was a very quiet
  • 71 Months
    71 months! One more month and the girl is six years old! How amazing is that? Where does the time go? * Mouse over the pictures for captions Where May was a very social an
  • Rafe's 29 Month Birthday
    Adik is twenty-nine months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions What can we say about the boy this month? He seems to just be growing up too quickly! Speech status:
  • 70 Months
    And Yaya is now 70 months old! Two more months before the big S-I-X! * Mouse over the pictures for captions It has been an eventful and social month. Really beginning from
  • Rafe's 28 Month Birthday
    28 months old! Caveat: this entry (for April) was written in June. Thank goodness for backdated entries! Also, we kind of forgot to take pictures of the boy to document hi
  • 69 Months
    Here are the 69 month photos! * Mouse over the pictures for captions So here's the deal. This entry was written practically in June. So I will try to be brief and let the
  • Rafe's 27 Month Birthday
    Twenty-seven months old now! * Mouse over the pictures for comments Speech status: There is nothing this child can't say. He does have trouble with Malay or Spanish though
  • 68 Months
    68 months now! Five and 2/3 years old! Whee! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: nothing new. She is still eating our homemade bread. I am thinking I shoul
  • Yaya's Super Frog
    Yaya drew a  super hero of her own design for Sila's birthday  earlier in the year. I prettied it up some more for her. 
  • Rafe's 26 Month Birthday
    And now the boy is twenty-six months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Speech status: as with last month, Adik is very verbal and loves to use his words. Here ar
  • 67 Months
    Another month! 67 months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: Yaya has been eating home made bread. Mostly the Cuban Bread (which looks and tastes like
  • A Return to Bread
    So it has been a very long time since I baked bread. My old toy 's motor died in 2007 or early 2008 (after 3 years of weekly bread baking). Despite looking around for a ha
  • Rafe's 25 Month Birthday
    The boy is twenty-five months old now! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Speech status: it is unbelievable how many words the boy can say. He is also formulating his
  • 66 Months
    66 months! Five and a half years old! Whee! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: No real new foods this month. I forgot to report that last month she also t
  • The One with the Party and the Forgotten Cake
    So two weeks after Adik turned two, we had a small gathering at our house with friends and neighbors. * Mouse over the pictures for captions It was a fun time and we got t
  • Rafe's 24 Month Birthday (aka Second Birthday)
    And so the boy is now two years old! The big T-W-O! Twenty-four months have passed so quickly! * Mouse over the pictures for captions So I was looking at Yaya's 24 month e
  • Christmas 2013
    So this year we decided to participate in the Christmas tradition. Yaya is old enough now to enjoy it and in fact, she asked for it. So here we go! Our first family Christ
  • First Snowfall of the Winter
    So we actually missed the first snowfall in Ohio (in November) this year while we were away at work in Pennsylvania. But when we were in Pennsylvania (again, for work) in
  • 65 Months
    65 months! Five years and five months have passed. * Mouse over pictures for captions Food status: A few new tastes! Yaya tried hot chocolate (during the snow adventures),
  • Amusements at the New Ducky Hotel
    So we have spent many days at the new Ducky Hotel in the past three months. We played in the snow , and amused ourselves in all kinds of ways. This entry is just a bunch o
  • Rafe's 23 Month Birthday
    One more month before the big T-W-O! Whee! * Mouse over the pictures for captions I don't know how we got here, but here we are a month before Adik's second birthday. The
  • 64 Months
    So we are now at 64 months! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: Yaya tried one new food this month! Honey. She finger tasted it. I have hopefully convinced
  • Halloween Shenanigans
    All Hallow's Eve, an event that was eagerly awaited in the Renstrom household - at least by one little girl in particular. And this year, Papa said we could get a pumpkin
  • Rafe's 22 Month Birthday
    Only two months until the big second birthday for the boy! * Mouse over the pictures for captions So another month has passed, and in two short months, the boy will turn t
  • 63 Months
    Sixty-three months now! * Mouse over the pictures for captions So this month, Yaya had some adventures in trying new foods! First, there was the disastrous attempt at eati
  • Painting Plates
    Since Yaya loves doing artwork so much (just like a certain Pak Yope of hers), we found a place nearby, Paintbrush Pottery , where you can choose something ceramic (a plat
  • Return to Orange Beach - The Other Stuff
    So now that we are done with the beach pictures and the pool pictures , here are some of the other fun pictures taken during our trip to Orange Beach. * Mouse over the pic
  • Return to Orange Beach - The Pool
    So the beach pictures are done . Now for some pictures of the fun we had at the hotel pool in Orange Beach, AL. * Mouse over the pictures for captions We got new water win
  • Return to Orange Beach - The Beach
    Contrary to popular belief, the beach in Orange Beach, AL is actually not orange. In fact, the sand was beautiful, white, fine sand. Wheee! We loved it so much when we wen
  • Rafe's 21 Month Birthday
    And the boy is now 21 months old! 3 more months and he's two! Wheee! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Again, I am so very late writing this entry. No need to make ex
  • 62 Months
    Sixty-two months since the girl was born! The hat was a gift from Pak Yope and Wan Yong way back in 2010. * Mouse over the pictures for captions As I mentioned in the sixt
  • Rafe's 20 Month Birthday
    Our intrepid hero is now 20 months old! Whee! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Where to start? I have left this entry to be written so late that I have to be sure th
  • 61 Months
    And so the girl is now sixty one months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions I debated whether or not to stop the girl's monthly blog entries, given that she is now
  • Selamat Hari Raya 2013
    We wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Eid Mubarak! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Just a quick one with pictures. We
  • The One with the Actual Birthday and then the Party
    So on Yaya's fifth birthday, we went to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton as her birthday treat. We had originally thought about going to the zoo but the fact th
  • Fun Yaya and Adik pictures from July
    So it seems we took way too many photos in July and there were a few with the kids together that I couldn't fit into either of the "usual" blog entries, and they were too
  • Rafe's 19 Month Birthday
    During the whirlwind that was Ramadan , where Yaya and Papa both had (real) birthdays, Adik sneaked in to being 19 months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions I was
  • 60 Months (a.k.a. the Fifth Birthday)
    The girl is five years old now! A whole half decade! 60 months! 1826 days! Wheee! Happy birthday, beautiful! * Mouse over the pictures for captions It's been another whirl
  • Rafe's 18 Month Birthday
    Here we are at Adik's 18 month entry! The boy is now 1 and a half years old! * Mouse over the picture for captions Adik is now fully mobile - walking, running, and climbin
  • 59 Months
    One more month till Yaya hits the half decade mark! Woohooo! Note: Mouse over the pictures for captions It has been a busy month of June. We started off at the end of May
  • Rafe's 17 Month Birthday
    And so, another month has passed by and the little guy is now 17 months old. He'll be a year and a half soon! Wheeee! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Adik can now p
  • 58 Months
    Two more months till the big birthday! And how much do you love backdated entries! Woohoo! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: No change. Nothing new passe
  • Chicago: The Children's Museum
    So on the second day in Chicago, it was freezing cold (high of 38 F / 4 C - in May!!!!) so we decided to do something indoors. We went to the Children's Museum which conve
  • Beach Escapade: Part II
    We continue our adventures in Orange Beach, AL with a beautiful sunny day! It more than made up for the rainy afternoon that we had: * Mouse over the pictures for captions
  • Friends in the Windy City
    In honor of Laura and Roberto's visit to Chicago, we decided to spend the weekend there. Laura and I have been working together for a few years now, but we have never met
  • Rafe's 16 Month Birthday
    After another fast-paced month, Adik is now 16 months old. He seems to have grown so quickly - when I look back at pictures of him as a newborn I can hardly believe it is
  • Beach Escapade: Part I
    So we went to the beach in April! We went to Orange Beach, AL. Neither Vin nor I'd ever been (not just to Orange Beach but to Alabama in general) so this was a first. We h
  • 57 Months
    The countdown is on to Yaya's fifth birthday! 3 more months! Time passes so quickly - I can't believe how big Yaya has gotten. Where did my little newborn baby go? * Mouse
  • Rafe's 15 Month Birthday
    Adik is now 15 months old! One and a quarter years old! Since I'm always late with the entries and happily backdating it, I wonder if I should even mention that anymore. A
  • 56 Months
    Yaya is now four months away from her first half decade! 56 months now! Where did all that time go? * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: something weird hap
  • Yaya and Adik's Snowy Adventure
    So it started snowing the evening of March 5, 2013, and we ended up getting a significant amount (about 5 inches accumulation), and it stuck around for a few days before t
  • Rafe's 14 Month Birthday
    And here it is not even a third of the way through March and Adik's 14 month entry is here! As always, thanks to the gods of backdated entries! Adik has at least seven tee
  • 55 Months
    And so Yaya is now 55 months old. Five more months before her first half decade! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Food status: no change. Although I did catch her ta
  • Happenings at the Beginnings of the Year of the Snake
    Meanwhile, the three-night balik kampung back to Sitiawan for Chinese New Year was somewhat enjoyable. The traffic was not too bad, and no one lost their sanity. We left t
  • Rafe's 13 Month Birthday
    Another month, another very late blog entry! Again, we give thanks to the gods of backdated entries (whee!). * Mouse over the pictures for captions This month, Adik went f
  • 54 Months
    And so Yaya is officially four and a half! 54 months! Where did all the time go? My little baby isn't so little anymore! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Happy New Y
  • The one with the (second) first birthday party
    So two weeks (and a day) after Adik's first birthday we had a small gathering of friends and neighbors at our home, to celebrate Adik's birthday (again!). * Mouse over the
  • Rafe's 12 Month (First!) Birthday
    And now, Yaya can no longer declare that Adik is zero years old! The boy is now one! Yayyyyy!! He's pretty pleased about it, too! * Mouse over the pictures for captions It
  • 53 Months
    53 Months! Again, backdated. She's really getting close to her 54th month, but let's not go there, yes? * Mouse over the pictures for captions It has been a busy month. Lo
  • Rafe's 11 Month Birthday
    So here we are, at 11 months! Only one more month before Adik turns 1! It's really amazing how quickly time has passed. I mean, it's almost a year since he was born! And l
  • 52 Months
    52 Months! And backdated entries are a good thing.   * Mouse over pictures for captions Another month has passed - without traveling again! Things are pretty quiet at home
  • Rafe's 10 Month Birthday
    And so Adik is now 10 months old! (And change, if I were honest - thank goodness for backdated entries!).  * Mouse over the pictures for captions Adik has abandoned the co
  • 51 Months
    And so another month has passed. The numbers are rising! And the girl has definitely come a long way in 51 months * Mouse over the pictures for captions We had another fun
  • Rafe's 9 Month Birthday
    Another month has passed and now the boy is 9 months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions Adik has continued another month of commando crawling - he's fast too! He
  • Yaya's First Dentist Visit
    So, now that Yaya is a big girl, it is time to ensure that she has good dental health! Yaya had her first dental checkup ever on 25 September! Wheeee! According to the den
  • 50 Months
    50 months! 50 months of Yaya! This month's activities included our first work-related trip (to Chicago), seeing Becky and Phil in Elkhart for Labor Day weekend, Yaya's fir
  • Rafe's 8 Month Birthday
    Another whirlwind month filled with stuff to do, places to go, and people to see has passed.  And Adik is 8 months old! * Mouse over the pictures for captions So Adik is s
  • 49 Months
    And so, another month has passed. Time does not march on, it flies faster than a speeding bullet. Four years and a month old. The darling of our lives, la reina del punto
  • Salam Aidilfitri from Sitiawan
    This year we spent Eid-ul-Fitr in Sitiawan. Here's a photo of everyone during Eid morning. Then later that night, we had guests over the internet in the form of the Renstr
  • Salam Aidilfitri from Ohio
    Eid Mubarak and Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir dan batin from us all! Missing all the family and friends in Malaysia. Also the ketupat and rendang.
  • Transforming into a Tiger: An Additional Birthday Story
    A short addendum on becoming and being a tiger on one's fourth birthday. You know what to do for captions, right? You begin with face paint and instructions to do what the
  • Rafe's 7 Month Birthday
    And so the boy is 7 months old (and a bit, but thank god for backdated entries, right?) *Mouse over pictures for captions Unbelievably, another month has flown by and Adik
  • 48 Months (a.k.a. Fourth Birthday)
    The big day arrived! Yaya is four years old, officially! Unbelievable! It feels like Yaya cannot possibly already be four. Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital
  • The one with the be-earlied pre-Ramadhan party
    So since July 22nd fell on the 3rd day of Ramadan, we decided to move up her party to the week before, on Sunday July 15th. We invited our friends and neighbors to what ha
  • The Amazing Adventures of Yaya, Adik and Auntie Jo - Part 2
    So, here is the second part of Jo's visit. The second half of her trip was just as fun and action-packed. But first we come home and relax a little after the excitement of
  • Rafe's 6 Month Birthday
    It is Adik's half birthday! Yaya says, "But he's still zero!!" While he's not one yet, he's already 1/2 year old, but apparently we haven't taught Yaya fractions. Can you
  • 47 Months
    One more month till the big birthday!! Can you believe it? We certainly cannot! We had another activity filled month - the 5 days Zarin was here were quite busy (more on t
  • Happy Father's Day!
    Happy Father's Day!! We tried to make it a good one for Vin, his first Father's Day as the father of multiple children. First off let's start with home-made cards: Mama he
  • Rafe's 5 Month Birthday
    Adik is five months old! Almost to the half-year mark! Where does the time go? * Mouse over the pictures for captions So May was an action-packed month, as we mentioned in
  • The Amazing Adventures of Yaya, Adik and Auntie Jo - Part 1
    We had a nice treat when the kids' Auntie Jo visited all the way from Leeds! Yaya had lots of time to play with Jo, and Jo had lots of time to cuddle Adik. And still spend
  • 46 Months
    The countdown is on! The girl is two months away from her fourth birthday! Woohooo! It has been an action-packed month, since Vin's sister Jo was here for over two weeks.
  • A Yaya and Adik Story - April 2012
    OK, a second installment of the "choose your own adventure" of Yaya and Adik. This time I did jumble up the order ( last time I went chronologically) to make up the story.
  • Rafe's 4 Month Birthday
    Here we are, at the four month mark. He's just getting so big now! He seems to be just growing up almost too quickly! * Mouse over the pictures for captions He went out to
  • 45 Months
    This cheeky girl is 3 months away from her fourth birthday! Amazingly, that is what you get when you ask Yaya to cry! She can't help smiling while she does it . Another mo
  • Goooooooooolllllll!!!!!
    So we signed Yaya up for the Itty Bitty Soccer league (for three-year-olds) at the local Y and it's been an interesting time. She had her very first soccer practise a few
  • Rafe's 3 Month Birthday
    Rafe (a.k.a. Adik) turned 3 months old! His first quarter of the year mark. He has been growing and growing (and maybe getting a little cheeky too!) He enjoys tummy time a
  • 44 Months
    It has been a busy and activity-filled month for our Yaya! And very quickly she turned 44 months old. She has definitely come a long way from the little baby that we broug
  • A Yaya and Adik Story - February 2012
    When we were kids, Hisham and I went through a "Choose your own adventure" book phase. You know, where you read the story and at the end of a chapter, you decide what the
  • Rafe's 2 Month Birthday
    Despite the date on this entry, it has been a long time since the boy's 2 month birthday. It's been a crazy busy time, but definitely a wonderful, and exhausting time for
  • 43 Months
    So another month has passed. Another fast and hectic one! We are settled in and pretty well adjusted to the new member of our family, and Kak Yaya is doing a great job of
  • Rafe's 1 Month Birthday
    And so the boy is a month old! (More than that by now but thank god for backdated blog entries, teehee!) This month has really flown by. Since Adik's adventures in bilirub
  • 42 Months
    It has been a milestone month for everyone! Yaya spent her first month as Kak Yaya (big sister Yaya), and we all had to adjust to having Rafe in our lives. And now the gir
  • While Becky was here...
    As you know, Vin's cousin Becky and her family were here for Rafe's birth. Everyone arrived the day before Rafe was born, and everyone except Becky and Aunt Mary (Becky's
  • The Bilirubin Files
    As mentioned in the previous entry , Adik was going to experience some complications in his young life. On Saturday January 7, we took him to see the doctor because his le
  • Rafe's 1 week birthday
    Here's an excuse for gratuitous baby pictures, Rafe's 1 week birthday! I've included pictures of the boy taken over the past week, including some professionally taken ones
  • The Arrival of Rafiq Charles
    The new member of our family has arrived. Vin and I welcomed our son Rafiq Charles Renstrom to the world on December 29, 2011 at 4:35 PM, Eastern Time. He weighed 8 lb 11.
  • 41 Months
    Another impossibly quick month has passed. Don't ask me where the time went. Despite my best efforts, this entry is quite late and (guiltily) backdated. My excuse: work. I
  • 40 Months
    So the girl is now 40 months old! Three and 1/3 years old. This month has totally flown by and it's definitely been a crazy one! For one thing, we had our first October sn
  • 39 Months
    At 39 months, Yaya is now becoming aware of the seasons changing - the need to wear jackets to go outside, the leaves on the trees turning color and falling off the branch
  • 38 Months
    So Yaya had her 38 month birthday while we were in New Jersey. Another quick and fun month has gone by, and here is the girl lounging on the bed in the hotel while Papa ca
  • 37 Months
    Hey everyone! So the girl is 37 months old today. We had her 3-year checkup this morning and she was 40 1/4 inches tall (102.2 cm) and 38 lbs (17.2 kg), and at the 99th pe
  • The one with the rainy-day party
    So on Sunday July 24th (Vin's birthday! Happy birthday, babe!!!!) we had Yaya's birthday party. As in previous years, we had invited the neighbors and our friends and plan
  • 36 Months (aka Third Birthday)
    Not too terribly late this month! And here is the 3-year-old Yaya on the morning of her birthday! Before we start, just a note that this is going to be the last of the lon
  • 35 Months
    Can we just pretend that this is on time? Or at least not so late that the girl is almost 36 months old? No excuses really. Anyway, here is our 35 month old Yaya (almost 3
  • 34 Months
    This might be a new record in the tardiness of the monthly blog entry. The same excuses and the same apologies, but here she is our 34 month old Yaya. In less than two mon
  • 33 Months
    I'm just not even going to mention how late this entry is or the reasons why because they're all the same boring reasons recycled month after month. At any rate, the girl
  • 32 Months
    Well, this month I am (yet again) late with the entry. The girl is now 2 years and 8 months old - she's 2 and 2/3 years old! Not long to the big 3! She's quite the charact
  • 31 Months
    It's a miracle! Only a few days after the girl's 31 month birthday, this entry is being written? What's gotten into me? Anyways, this past Tuesday the 22nd, Yaya turned 31
  • 30 Months (She's 2 and a half!)
    So the girl is now two and a half! Years!! How crazy is that? Time really does fly. Especially in 2011 since suddenly I am so very very late with this entry. Yaya's gettin
  • 29 Months
    Another month, and how quickly it passed! Granted, I only fairly recently wrote her 28 month blog (cheating and dating it earlier than it was actually written, but whateve
  • Allie's 28 Month Birthday
    I am very delinquent this month (and cheating by dating it a little earlier - it is actually much later in December that I'm writing this entry but I'm fudging the posting
  • Trick or Treat! ROARRRRR!
    Last year a buzzy bee baby graced us at Halloween. This year, we went with mammalian and feline, an inspiration from the zoo visit at Allie's 26 month birthday, and since
  • Allie's 27 Month Birthday
    And lo, the child speaks!!!!! Seriously, Allie finally started talking! It all happened starting about two weeks ago - but hey, better late than never, right? The smile-gr
  • Last Day In Malaysia
    It was the last day of Alya, Vin and Sila's vacation in Malaysia. It was a sad day for everyone. It was sad. Thankfully, the cousins did not feel a smidgen of sadness. The
  • Lunch with Mak Lan
    It has been a while since we last saw Mak Lan - she is Vin's "foster mother" and our long-time neighbor and friend in Sitiawan. She and her late husband have been my paren
  • Six Degrees of Separation of Old Friends
    After years of not being together again, Zarin, Ida and I finally managed a meet up. Last time I saw Ida was at my wedding (that's over 5 years ago!). And look, Ida's abou
  • Alya Jean's Portrait
    As Alya and her parents frolicked further at the hotel, we had to return home Friday to get Irfan prepped for school as well as Jumaat prayers. However, after leaving Irfa
  • Fun at KL Hilton
    Since Irfan had no school due to the UPSR exams, we took the opportunity to go for a mini-vacation and spent ultimately two nights at the Hilton KL Sentral. This is freaki
  • Allie's 26th Month Birthday - Zoopocalypse Now!
    In case you haven't notice, it's Hisham writing this birthday entry for Alya instead of Sila, because Alya was at the Tenth Floor when she turned 2 years and 2 months, and
  • After Eight Years, Irfan Reaches Eight
    Irfan's eighth birthday occured when Alya, Vin and Sila were visiting at the Tenth Floor. I was happy they were around for the birthday bash, seeing that they don't usuall
  • Pool Time with the Cousins
    It wouldn't be a visit to our place without a dip in the building's swimming pool. Irfan practically learnt to swim by himself here. Sila and Vin had been training Yaya th
  • Pangkor with Jenn
    After a decade away, I finally made it back to Pangkor. And this time, I got to share the experience with Vin, Allie and Jenn, Vin's cousin who is teaching English in Jaka
  • Yati Comes a-Calling
    On the fifth day of Aidilfitri (September 14th), my old friend Yati stopped by for a quick Hari Raya visit: It had been a while since I last saw Yati, and it was really go
  • Journey to Taiping and Ipoh
    The journey began on the morning of the 12th of September. The planned route would have taken us from Sitiawan, up north toward Taiping to two houses, Opah Teh and Tok Teh
  • Guess Hoos Coming to Raya?
    On the second day of Aidilfitri (September 11th), the Meis and their family came for a visit. By family we mean Mei Lin, Mei Chin, their husbands, their daughters, their p
  • Eid 2010 Group Photo
    Strangely enough, thanks to jet lag and other stuff we only got a family photo taken on the fifth night after Eid. We had to leave for Kuala Lumpur the following day. We w
  • Young Book Readers during Eid
    The most awesome thing which was agreed upon by everyone was that Irfan and Alya were friends almost from the get go. Even when Alya was grumpy, badly affected by jet lag,
  • Eid Mubarak from the Cousins
    Alya and Irfan send their Eid greetings from Sitiawan! Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir Batin, from the whole family!
  • Allie's 25 Month Birthday
    And since I was so late with the last two 2-year birthday blogs, here we are, on August 29th. Allie is now 25 months and 1 week old! July and August have just flown by! Ra
  • The one with more birthday cakes
    Finally, on August 1, we had what is becoming our annual backyard cookout and Allie birthday bash right here at home. We timed it so like last year , Vin's baseball team p
  • The one with the two-day party (and more cake)
    I know - it's been over a month and I still haven't finished Allie's 2-year birthday blogs. She's already 25 months old and I'm late posting that blog entry too! At any ra
  • Allie's 24 Month (aka Second) Birthday
    It happened! Allie's big day arrived - she turned 2 (years!!) on July 22nd! We were home from Maryland by then. Here she is, the birthday girl!   * Mouse over the pictures
  • The one with the surprise birthday cake
    We had a crazy busy month of July! I know it is way into August now, and I haven't even done any entries on Allie's big day. That's because we have been running around lik
  • Allie's 23 Month Birthday
    And Allie is now another month older. She was 23 months old last Tuesday, and now is not even a month away from her second birthday! How crazy is that? It feels just like
  • Happy Father's Day! (Backdated)
    This is a backdated entry in honor of Father's Day. I managed to pick out some gifts for Vin (seen below) and Allie and Lily got together and sent Vin an e-card. In keepin
  • Allie's 22 Month Birthday
    So Allie turned 22 months old on the 22nd (yesterday)! Since it fell on a Saturday and I didn't have to work, Vin and I had a fun day planned out for the girl. And I apolo
  • Allie's 21 Month Birthday
    Yet another month has passed. Allie turned 21 months old on Earth Day (April 22nd). She had an action-packed day, and we all enjoyed it. * Mouse over the pictures for capt
  • Makan-makan with Jen
    So before Jen and Mike set off for their awesome vacation (one of the legs included dinner with Hisham's family ), we had a warm up makan session at the newly discovered P
  • Allie's 20 Month Birthday
    It happened! On March 22nd (last Monday) Allie became a 20-month-old! We have no idea where the time went and suddenly she's such a lively and independent little thing! Sh
  • Allie's 19 Month Birthday
    Yet another month has gone by! Allie was 19 months old last Monday, February 22nd. It's quite amazing how quickly time flies! * Mouse over the pictures for added captions
  • Allie's 18 Month Birthday
    It's true! Allie is 18 months old now! She is one and a half years old! (Well at the time that this was written she is 18 months and 10 days old).It happened on January 22
  • Blizzard! And Allie Plays in the Snow
    First big snowfall of 2010 today. We had some snow in December but since Allie had strep and all we decided not to expose her to the cold. But now she is better and we had
  • Allie's 17 Month Birthday
    Last Tuesday, December 22nd, Allie was 17 months old! Unfortunately, the poor little girl was recovering from strep and possibly the flu. You can see how uncharacteristica
  • Allie's 16 Month Birthday
    So last Sunday, Allie was 16 months old! She's one and 1/3 years old. It seems like just yesterday she was just a tiny little thing and now she's running around, starting
  • Trick or Treat!
      So last year , Allie was semi-kitted out for Halloween, but did not go trick or treating. Last night, the girl got dressed up and ran around outside the house, but we di
  • Allie's 15 Month Birthday
    Dadgummit! Time, wings, and all that. Can you believe Allie is now 15 months old? And this time I didn't wait weeks before doing her 15-month blog entry. Heh.   * Mouse ov
  • Allie's 14 Month Birthday
    I know - I am delinquent. It's been over two weeks since Allie's 14 month birthday and I am only finally putting together this entry. I'm terrible. I blame it on a) going
  • Selamat Hari Raya from NJ(??)
    Eid Mubarak, and selamat hari raya to all! Vin, Allie and I were out of town for the holidays due to work commitments, but coincidentally, we had a work-related party to g
  • Allie's 13 Month Birthday
    Behold, a mosquito bit the 13-month-old Allie's cheek! Allie was 13 months old last Saturday August 22nd, also the first day of Ramadhan. She's had another month of a full
  • The one with the birthday cake
    Since there has been a demand for cake, here it is!!   * Please mouse over the pictures for captions On Sunday, July 26th, we held a small gathering, a cookout and potluck
  • The one with the birthday crepes
    Two days after Allie's first birthday was Vin's birthday! And since it was his day, he got to pick what he wanted as his birthday treat and he chose crepes. This is my fir
  • Allie's 12 Month (aka First) Birthday
    Can you believe it???? Allie had her very first birthday, and turned a YEAR old last Wednesday, July 22! Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to Al
  • Allie's 11 Month Birthday
    Well, somebody's pleased to be 11 months old!! That's right, the girl was 11 months old last Monday, June 22, 2009. Another fun-filled month has gone by. It seems like I p
  • Belated Happy Father's Day!!
    Sunday was Vin's very first Father's Day! I wasn't on the ball enough to have gotten him a card, but Allie and I did pick out a couple of gifts for him (which arrived earl
  • Allie's 10 Month Birthday
    My goodness, I can't believe that is is already June. Allie was 10 months old on May 22nd, and yes, I know it is now June but here it is, Allie's 10-month birthday post. I
  • Allie's 9 Month Birthday
    I feel like a broken record, but it's true, time has passed so very quickly. Unbeknownst to us (seemingly), 40 weeks have passed. Allie has now been ex utero as long as sh
  • Hold the applause, please
    So, she put her hands together and clapped her hands. She makes a little clapping noise and everything. She started it on her own on Saturday (April 4th), and has been hap
  • Allie's 8 Month Birthday
    This past month has also gone by in a whirlwind. I can't believe it, but Allie is now 8 months old (last Sunday, March 22)! She's just continuing to grow and develop befor
  • Allie's 7 Month Birthday
    Last Sunday, February 22, Allie was seven months old. I know I can't believe how quickly time is flying by, and that it is already March 1st. How did that happen? It feels
  • A Visitor!
    During the time of the big hu-ha (laptop dying + snowfall + sad miserable cold Sila), we had a welcome visitor here in Southwestern Ohio! Unfortunately, the weather being
  • Makan Time!
    On Monday, February 2 2009, Allie was introduced to solids. Her doctor had cleared her for her first taste of non-milk at her 6-month checkup the week before, but we were
  • Lines of Communications
    Commemorating Sila's birthday on the 29th, we have here a series of screencaptures taken from Skype on Atok Irfan & Alya's computer in Sitiawan The proliferation of the in
  • Allie's 6 Month Birthday
    It happened! Last Thursday, January 22, 2009 (also Yong's birthday, happy birthday Yong!), Allie was six months old! She is filling her (and our) waking moments with giggl
  • Allie's 5 Month Birthday
    Yet another month has passed! On Monday, Allie was five months old. She is growing into her own little person, smiling and reaching out for a favorite toy, and able to spe
  • December Musings
    Here we are, December again. There was snow on the ground last week, and it has since melted. However, as I write this entry, it has begun to snow again. Winter has arrive
  • Allie's 4 Month Birthday
    And just like that, another month has gone by. Alya turned 4 months old yesterday. It seems so unreal that she is now 4 months old, and able to do more and more, and becom
  • Hair! The Sequel
    So, I finally did it! a) I got a haircut b) I left Allie at home with Vin for the first time. Oh my. It was more than a little nerve-wracking. Vin had expressed milk in th
  • Happy Halloween!
    Although today is Halloween, for some reason, our town decided to do Beggars Night last night. So we filled our candy bowl and awaited the trick or treaters. Of which ther
  • Allie's 3 Month Birthday
    Yesterday, Allie passed her first quarter-year mark. She turned three months old! Wheeeee! Of course this means pictures! You know the drill - there will be baby pictures
  • Selamat Hari Raya from Ohio
    Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin from all of us in Ohio. We wish we could have been in Malaysia for the holiday, but we will have rendang and stuff here too (eventually
  • Allie's 2 Month Birthday
    We can't hardly believe it, but time has flown and last Monday, Allie was 2 months old! Here's what she did on her 2 month birthday: * Mouse over pictures for captions She
  • Smiles for the weekend
    Just a couple of pictures to brighten the weekend . She was caught smiling on video and I just captured a couple of stills. The smiles are for you, Dale.
  • Some Allie Firsts
    Allie is 8 weeks old today! See her enjoying the mobile in her cradle this morning! She looks at the animals intently and occasionally tries to squirm onto her belly (whic
  • Winging Home
    A little over 24 hours ago, we said goodbye to Tok and Opah at the airport. Hard to believe that 2 months have passed. And Allie is now 6 weeks and 2 days old. Tok and Opa
  • Allie's 1 Month Birthday
    It has been an exciting time for us: Allie has been a fun and also challenging addition to the family. Everything we do is according to her schedule, so it has been hard t
  • Allie's 1 Week Birthday
    Yesterday, Allie was one week old. We had a short excursion for her (and my) one-week follow up visit at the hospital. And to commemorate her 1-week birthday, I picked out
  • The Arrival of Allie: A Photojournal
    We finally received some photos of the first hour of Alya Jean Renstrom, emailed by Allie's dad, and here they are for your viewing pleasure. The first thing Ain and I sai
  • Welcome Alya Jean Renstrom
    Last night Vin called to tell us that Sila has given birth to a beautiful baby daughter named Alya Jean Renstrom weighing 8.9 lbs at 10.39am Eastern Standard Time at the A

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