3/14/10 - Our website has moved and is now a blog.  Visit us at rebeccakchapman.blogspot.com 

1/25/10 - Happy New Year!  We are well into 2010, so it's about time that I post some recent pictures.  We had a wonderful Christmas.  We spend the week after Christmas with Pops and Grammy in Akumal, Mexico (an hour out side of Cancun). 

 Click on the link to see the full album.   Cancun Photos

11/1/09 - It's November already!  How did that happen?  Well, nothing much exciting has been going on since school started.  Nicholas is enjoying preschool.  He loves Mrs. McCament and all his classmates.  He is all boy.  His favorite phrase right now is either "That's AWESOME!" or "That's DISCUSTING!"  Samantha is getting to enjoy some one-on-one time with Omi on Tuesdays and me on Thursdays.  She's still not quite talking.  She really should be, so we are trying to encourage her in all ways possible, but all she really says is: hello, no, ma ma, uh oh, out...and that's pretty much it!  We thought Nicholas was delayed in his speech, but she's even more so!  Oh well!  All in good time.

Okay, to get to the good stuff!  Halloween! - every 3-year-old's favorite holiday.  We started off the day with Auntie Nicki and Uncle Adam over for pumpkin pancakes.  Luke was a monster.  (His costume ended up being a little smaller than when they got it, so he was a bare-chested monster...even cuter!)  Nicholas was Spiderman and Samantha was Tinkerbell. 

Earlier in the week we (well really just me) carved a pumkin family.  Chris made a comment about how people sometimes smash people's pumpkins during the night.   Nicholas got very worried about it, so every night he was sure to remind us to bring them in the house.   He's quite the worry-wart!

That night we went to a party at a friend's house.  Nicholas' best buddy Parker was also Spiderman, and Silas was Black Spiderman (who, I was informed, is "super cool").  We took a group picture of all the kids (which we do every year).  Samantha was so scared of Jason dressed up as a gorilla (on the far right).  She barely made it through this sitting.  Jason was so sweet and made sure to take off the mask when she was around him.  He even let her touch his gorilla hands when he had his mask off to show her it was just him in a costume, but she wasn't buying it!

The kids all went trick-or-treating.  Nicholas learned very quickly how it all worked.  Samantha enjoyed the walk around the neighborhood in her stroller.  Next year, I'm sure, she'll be working her charm!

9/21/09 - Nicholas started preschool last week.  He's been talking about it for about a year and it finally came.  He was a little nervous on the first day without his best buddy Parker, who had to miss the first day because of the stomach bug, but in only took him a few minutes to settle in.  Here he is when we picked him up at the end of the first morning.  Mrs. McCamant, his teacher, is so sweet and Nicholas loves her.

One of my last summer projects was to fix up another old childhood treasure.  This rockinghorse made it all the way from England and has been waiting in my parent's garage (and then ours for the last 5 years) for the next generation to enjoy.  It was finally time and "Black Beauty" got a bath and finally got saddled up in the new saddle and bridle that CC had remade for us.  I have many fond memories on this horse!

 

8/26/09 -

I'm officially back to work tomorrow, students come on Monday, but we were able to squeeze one last trip in...to Yosemite!  We used a friends travel trailer and joined up with our friends the Nugents for a great 4 nights in Yosemite Valley.  It was a great trip.

We came through the tunnel into the valley and were greeted by this awesome sight, then by a bear crossing the street! 

The valley is a great place to ride your bikes around and enjoy the view.  Nicholas and Samantha had a great time in the bike trailer.

Not a bad spot to stop for snacks!  (Nicholas slept through this stop)

Nicholas and Samantha were champion campers.  They played hard and slept well.  Nicholas is dying to go camping again!

Chris and I have never camped like this before.  Having a full bathroom, beds, fridge, freezer, stove, oven, etc. made for some pretty fancy camping.  It was nice having the hard walls around us when we heard bears in the middle of the night!

Maybe one day we'll all climb Half Dome together.

Next month welcomes a huge milestone in our lives...Nicholas is starting preschool!  Stay tuned for the update and hopefully some pictures.  His first day is September 15th.

8/6/09 -

It's already August!  Where has the summer gone?  August always means that there are still summer days left, but the classroom starts calling and time is running out.  Well, when time goes by fast it usually means you are having fun.  Here are some things we've been up to in the last few weeks:

Nicholas went to a Dodger game with Daddy, Pops and Uncle Mike.  It was blazing hot and they only made it through the 3rd inning before calling it quits!

That same night Cousin Jamie spent the night while Auntie Lisa and Uncle Jameson were away.  Nicholas and Samantha had a blast hanging out.

What is summer without enjoying popsicles?

One of my summer projects was to put new fabric on an a doll pram that my mom has been holding on to.  She bought before Auntie Barbara was even born and we all have lots of memories with it as little girls.  Here is Barbara (probably about 33 years ago) making me into her own live doll.  Now the next generation will enjoy it.  Thanks Omi for holding on to it all these years!

We've had a few visits with Cousin Luke.  Such a happy boy and so cute!  Samantha just can't figure out what he's stuffing in his shirt!

One sad thing this summer is that 2 families, that are our dearest friends, have or are moving away.  6 years ago we started meeting with a group of couples on Wednesday nights.  We started with no kids and now there are more about 15 kids in the group.  These people are our second family and it has been a hard summer with 2 of the families leaving.

 The Derepentigny's moved up to Sacramento last weekend.  Here is Peyton (with her brother Jack) celebrating her 5th birthday the weekend before they left.  The Doleshels are moving to Tennessee.  Nicholas and Luisa have been betrothed to each other since they were born 2 weeks apart.  I took the picture below today while I was watching Luisa for a few hours.  As you can see, they love each other, and they know each other so well they fight like a brother and sister.   Our lives will never quite be the same without these families and we are so sad to see them go.

7/17/09 - Summer is in full swing and we are enjoying every minute of it.  Nicholas just finished a 2 week session of swimming lessons.  He was in a class with 4 other little ones and it was amazing to see all of them progress over the 2 weeks.  Miss Laurie was pretty tough and didn't allow them to give into their fears.  They all went from crying for the first 3 days, to not wanting to get out of the water by the end.  They all learned to swim with their heads down, to kick their legs, and pull with their arms.  He still has a lot of practicing to do, but he made great progress and isn't afraid of really getting his head down to swim. 

We've been having lots of friends over to enjoy the space in our backyard.  The slip'n'slide and other water toys are getting lots of use.  Here are Nicholas and his best buddy Parker enjoying root beer floats...mmmm.

Over 4th of July weekend, Chris and I had a chance to go away on vacation (without the kids!) Spent the weekend in Sonoma County on the Russian River.  We stayed at a fabulous bed and breakfast and enjoyed wine tasting, fine dining, and even went canoeing.  Click on this link to check out more of our photos:  Sonoma Photo Album

6/17/09 - School's out, the sun's finally out, and summer is really here!  We are looking forward to the next couple months as Rebecca get's to stay home with the kids full time and Omi gets a break from babysitting for a while.  Nicholas and Samantha have been enjoying playing outside.  The swing set has been great.  Samantha is fearless and climbs up the ladder and goes down the slide all by herself! 

Samantha is becoming such a big girl!  She is days away from walking.  She's taken her first steps, but still relies on crawling to get around.  Check out this cute video we got of some of her first steps.  Click here.

Nicholas has also taken another step to becoming a big boy!  He graduated out of his toddler bed into a twin.  Now Chris won't get so cramped when he snuggles (and sometimes falls asleep) with Nicholas at bed time!

Back in May, with summer approaching,  Nicholas helped with our tomato planting.  Samantha even joined in the fun.   Hopefully this year we'll enjoy more that the 2 tomatoes we got last year. 

Nicholas got to go to his second Dodger game of the season.  Pops wasn't feeling well, so Grammy and Pops gave up their tickets and Luisa and Bryan got to go instead.  They had a great time...eating!  Not too sure how much of the game they really took in, but they had a blast.

A couple weekends ago, Torrance had their annual City Yard Open House.  Like all boys, Nicholas loves the trash trucks on trash day, so we thought he would enjoy seeing them up close.  It was pretty cool to see all of the city vehicles on display.  He was a little overwhelmed and it took about an hour for him to warm up to the idea of climbing into any of the vehicles.  He can be such a funny kid!  You never know what reaction you are going to get.  Of course when it was time to go he didn't want to leave. 

 

 

 5/3/09 - Wow!  What a birthday!  Nicholas really enjoyed his birthday party today and had a great time playing with all his friends on his swing set and not 1, but 2 jumpy houses!  As he said, "A little one for me and my little friends, and a big one for my big friends".  We really got use out of  our large backyard today and it was great to host a big group of our friends and their kids. 

One of his presents was a Lightning McQueen and a Buzz Lightyear  kite from his friend Luisa.  At the end of the party we went across the street to the park to try them out.

Here are some pictures of our day at Disneyland on Nicholas' actual birthday on Thursday.  We decided to make it a special day for Nicholas and dropped Samantha off at Omi and Gung-Gung's for the day.  A few minutes after we left, Nicholas looked over to the empty spot in the car and said, "Hey!  Where's Sabuba (Samantha)?"  When I explained the she was staying with Omi and Gung-Gung for the day, he asked, "Why is she not going to Disneyland?"  He ended having a fun day...even without his little sister!  Here are the troops toward the end of the day, Nicholas, Peyton, Jack, and Luisa.  Nothing makes kids happy like Mickey Mouse lollipops... especially when everyone is missing their nap!

Here's Nicholas enjoying with the huge chocolate cupcake we brought back to share after dinner.  It was delicious!  Thanks to everyone for making Nicholas' 3rd birthday so much fun.  We can't believe the last 3 years have gone by so fast.  We are so thankful that he is in our lives.  We thank God everyday for him! 

 

Happy Birthday Nicholas! 

4/30/09 - Our big boy turned 3 today.  We spent the day at Disneyland with a few of his friends and ended with a big chocolate cup cake that we brought home to share with Daddy and Samantha.  After a big day he actually said he wanted to go to bed.  He's resting up for his big party this weekend.  More pictures to come from the big day and the big party on Sunday.

Hopefully you are enjoying the new pics thanks to our very talented Auntie Brenna.  When she's not working for People Magazine, she takes lots of pictures of her niece and nephews to appease CC!  Here are some more great ones:

4/13/09 - We are back from Palm Desert and had a wonderful time with everyone.  We rented a great house with a pool and enjoyed hanging out with Gi-Gi, eating good food, and playing in the sun. 

The boys, Grandpa, Uncle Jameson, Daddy, and Nicholas played golf on Friday.  Once again, Nicholas enjoyed all 18 holes and didn't skip a beat!

We had a birthday dinner to celebrate all the March (Grandpa) and April (Mommy, Samantha, and Nicholas) birthdays.  Everyone got to open presents and eat yummy chocolate cake.  Nicholas loves his Big Wheel and Samantha is cooking up a feast in her new kitchen.  Thanks CC!

We spend Saturday playing in the pool and enjoying the sun.  Even Baby Jamie enjoyed going in the pool for the first time.

Nicholas had a blast on the Slip and Slide that Auntie Lisa and Uncle Jameson gave him for his birthday.  Check out this video:  PLAY

Easter Sunday we packed up, said goodbye to the house, and ended the weekend with Easter lunch at Gi-Gi's.  The Easter bunny came and left lots of Easter eggs for Nicholas to hunt for.

Back at home Nicholas went through his loot.  While he was distracted by all the candy, Samantha climbed on the Big Wheel.  Such a big girl!

4/7/09 -

Happy Birthday Samantha! 

We can't believe that our baby girl is already one.  Over the past year it has been such a joy watching her grow and change.  We drove to visit dad for lunch today and she rode in her carseat facing forward for the first time.  She was tickled pink to be able to see out the front and to be like her big brother.  Unfortuntely she spent most of her big day miserable from teething.  Lately, she hasn't wanted to eat anything that requires chewing.  She's been living on yogurt and applesauce.  She didn't even want her birthday cupcake!  So sad.

We are looking forward to spending Easter weekend in Palm Desert for a weekend away with CC and Grandpa, Auntie Lisa, Uncle Jameson, and baby Jamie.  While we are there we'll be spending time with GG too.  Nicholas is looking forward to another round of golf with the boys, and the girls are just happy to spend some time in the sun at the pool.

A few weekends ago, we got to go to an early Easter egg hunt at Nicholas future preschool.  Nicholas and Samantha both had a great time hunting for eggs in all of the playground toys. 

 

3/26/09 - So we've been a little dormant this winter and haven't done a lot of updating of our family website.  Here are some pictures found during "spring cleaning" to get you up to speed.  

Nicholas is a very sweet big brother.  At a Superbowl party back in February Nicholas was looking out for Samantha as all the kids were hanging out on the couch. 

 

We've been taking advantage of our Disneyland passes and have gone quite a bit.  To Nicholas, Disneyland is  associated with his friends Ashley and Parker.  He's never gone without them! 

We did manage to go one Friday evening without Samantha and give Nicholas some one-on-one time.  He had a blast and even put on the 3D glasses that he usually refuses.

With more day light and warmer weather we've been spending more time outside.  Samantha loves all the big kid toys.  She's pretty fearless and unlike our cautious Nicholas, she'll climb on pretty much anything.  Unfortunately, with all that climbing comes some falling, which she's had her fair share of.  As her 1st birthday approaches we can't believe that her first year has gone by so fast!

2/15/09 - Samantha was dedicated last weekend.  Thanks so much to all the family who made it for her special day. 

Both Nicholas and Samantha have had a nasty cold and have finally started acting themselves in the last couple days.  Samantha is definitely getting more mobile.  She loves to use the furniture to pull herself up to a standing position.  Pretty soon she'll be "cruising" and then walking. 

Nicholas has been enjoying some playdates with friends.  Here are some pictures of one from a couple weeks ago.  Dinner, bath, and a movie...

 

1/10/09 - Got some pictures!  What a cutie! Mom and baby went home this evening.  Hopefully they'll have a good first night at home.

1/8/09 - Welcome Luke Tsing-Hay Bettino!  6 lbs. 11 oz.   I had no idea as I was updating this last night that baby Luke was already on his way.  Nicki's water broke at 11pm and he arrived just before 4 am this morning.  We stopped by to visit him today and he is the cutest thing!  No pictures yet, but I'm sure there will be lots to come. 

1/7/09 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!  We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was great and it was so fun to see Nicholas really get excited about it all.  We started off  Christmas with Chris' mom and Bill.  Bill's kids Brenna and Stacey (with her son Luke)  were  in town so we were able to celebrate Christmas as a whole family for the first time.   On Christmas Eve we celebrated with Rebecca's family and the next morning, after having our own small family Christmas at home, we were off to Chris' dad and Patti's. 

We were blessed by Chris' dad and Patti who took the whole family to Hawaii right after Christmas.  We had a great time.  Nicholas had a skip in his step everyday as we headed down to the beach or the pool.  He played 18 holes of golf with the boys and had a blast! We went whale watching, rode the Sugar Cane Train, went to a luau and so much more.  Thanks Larry and Patti!  What a great trip.

A few more pictures of cute Samantha.  She loves taking baths with her big brother now.  I also had to include a picture from Halloween since that whole month was missed in the blog.  Halloween was not too exciting for us.  Nicholas was really sick and missed all of the festivities.  He refused to put on his costume, but relented to pose for a picture with Samantha in her piggy costume.  She was such a cute piggy and she didn't even get to leave the house!

Pretty soon Nicholas and Samantha will have a new cousin!  Baby Luke, due to arrive January 20th doesn't seem to want to wait that long.  According to the doctor he could arrive at any time! 

12/7/08 - Time sure flies when you are really busy!  All of you who have been checking in for updates, I apologize for the lack of such!  A quick update:  At 8 months today, Samantha is a sweet and cuddly as ever.  She's eating all sorts of baby foods, Cheerios, and teething bicuits. She is so close to crawling.  She's able to roll and scoot to pretty much anywhere, so she hasn't been motivated to get herself off her tummy yet.  Nicholas is working on potty training (almost there!)  He's talking up a storm, but is a little hard to understand at times.  Mommy can usually translate.  He's been really attached to Dad lately and wants to be with him at all times.  They are both happy and healthy and we are so blessed.  We hope you are all enjoying this season as we prepare for Christmas. Work and kids are keeping us  both busy, but we are trying to slow down and savor this time.  Hopefully we'll have more soon!

10/17/08 - Another fun adventure! (It's great having Thursdays and Fridays off!)  We visited the Lomita Railroad Museum yesterday.  Like most boys, Nicholas is in love with trains.  Nicholas knows where all of the train tracks run in our area, and a few times during our afternoon walks we have been at the tracks right as the train passes by.  He loves them, but at the same time is terrified of them when they actually pass.  They are pretty big and loud when you are only standing about 10 yards away!  The Railroad Museum was the perfect solution.  There were real trains, but they were standing still and not honking.   The big black one is 105 years old and has all the knobs and levers intact.  Pretty cool!

 

10/16/08 - Yummy!  Rice cereal sure tastes better with bananas!  Samantha has now tried carrots, squash, bananas, and pears and seems to like them all.  She has her first 2 bottom teeth that seemed to pop through at the same time.  She loves to clamp down on the rubber spoon when she's eating to show how well her teeth work.    What a big girl! 

We had a busy weekend.  When Chris' boys' waterski trip was cancelled due to bad weather, we decided to take advantage of his day off and go to Disneyland.  We got passes so that we can enjoy going for the rest of the year since right now both kids get in for free.  We went with our friends the Nugents - Scott, Jeanine, and their kids Ashley and Parker.  They are an experienced Disney family and they showed us the ins and outs of the park!  Nicholas had a great time on the rockets, Casey the train, and the merry-go-round.  He also loved the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse live show.  There were a few rides that he didn't love so much.  I don't think he's used to so much stimulation, especially when he doesn't even know the characters that are zooming by.  The poor, deprived child hasn't seen any Disney movies!

Nicholas and Parker went on the Buzz Lightyear interactive ride where they could shoot at things from a gun attached to their car.  Nicholas was so freaked out that he didn't want to have anything to do with it, but ever since then he's been using the vacuum tube as a gun.  Hmmm!  Samantha is enamored by Jeanine who loves to make her laugh.  Samantha was great all day.  She was just as entertained by all of the stimulation as Nicholas was!

On Sunday, CC came up so that she could babysit on Monday.  Lisa and Jameson came over with baby Jamie.  All the cousins got to hang out for the first time.  Jamie is getting so big.  What a cutie!

Today we went to the pumpkin patch.  Even though it's almost Halloween, it felt like the middle of summer.  It was about 90 degrees and very dry.  Poor Samantha's cheeks were bright red because she was so hot.  Nicholas didn't seem to mind the heat and enjoyed petting the goats and the sheep.  He picked out a pumpkin all by himself to take home.  It was the perfect size for him.  He was so cute carrying it around.  He held it all the way home and he couldn't wait to show it to Dad when he got home from work.

 

10/2/08 - Where did September go?  We can't believe that our last update was in August.   Rebecca is back at work part time and is loving the time at home.  Samantha is growing up so fast and will already be 6 months next week.  She started eating rice cereal and it took her a few days to figure it out.  Lots of gagging and spraying!  She's working on sitting up by herself and can almost do it with a little help.  She's very talkative and is discovering all the sounds she can make.  She also loves to her doorway bouncer almost as much as Nicholas did as a baby.  Check out these cute videos:

Video of Samantha in exersaucer

Video of Samantha in doorway bouncer

Daddy doesn't really fit in the bed, or does he!  Nicholas loves snuggling with Chris before bedtime.  One night Chris actually fell asleep like this.

 

8/31/08 - We hope everyone's summer went out with a bang.  We went to the beach 2 days in a row (we were making up for not going enough all summer!)

We have been having a lot of fun with our new Flip Video camera from Bammy and Pops.  Check out Nicholas on his guitar by clicking on the link below:

Video of Nicholas Singing

 

8/14/08 - Welcome baby Jamie!  Congratulations Lisa and Jameson.  We got to visit the newest member of the family on his birthday, Friday August 1st.  We are now an aunt and an uncle for the first time!  It's amazing how small babies are when they are born and how fast they grow in just 4 months.  Samantha seems huge in comparison!

The next morning we went up to Lake Arrowhead to spend the weekend with Grammy (now Bammy) and Pops at the lake house.  Nicholas got to spend some guy time on the boat with Dad and Pops, and Pops even let him drive. 

Here is Nicholas being such a sweet big brother.  Samantha is so in love with him and is constantly watching his every move.  We found some cute bow clips to try and do something with Samantha's crazy hair.  Of course, if Samantha gets a bow Nicholas has to try one on as well!

 

 7/28/08 -  Still enjoying summer, we have been relaxing, playing with friends, going to the beach, and generally just enjoying being a family.   Just yesterday we went for a walk on the strand in Hermosa Beach.  Nicholas loves playing on the sand.  We have started to spell out B-E-A-C-H since any mention of the word gets Nicholas asking when we are going to go next.

Gung Gung couldn't resist getting Nicholas a car that he can actually drive.  Here he is taking his friend Mark for a spin.  This new toy doesn't stop him from wanting to spend hours playing in anyone's car who will allow him (mostly Gung Gung, but CC and Grammy have been getting into the game too!) 

CC gave this robe to Nicholas before he was even born, at one of his babyshowers.  We finally remembered to get it out and see if it fit.  He's still got some growing to do (the sleeves are very long), but he's quite the little man!  Sorry, but we won't be taking any family robe pictures, even though the gift from CC was Mommy, Daddy, and baby matching monogrammed robes. 

Samantha is growing and changing so fast.  She is so alert and has such expression.  She loves her brother and is constantly watching to see what he's doing.   She's still sporting a little mohawk.  The front has settled down, but her hair still sticks straight up on the crown of her head.  She's a great sleeper.  Like all babies, she's looks so angelic when she's asleep!  She's been sleeping through the night for about a month now and enjoys being out and about during the day. 

She's getting used to taking a bottle which will allow mom to start back at work in the fall.  Rebecca will be job sharing, which means she'll be sharing a class and only teaching 1/2 of the week.  The 3 grandmas, Omi, CC, and Grammy will be sharing the babysitting duties.  Nicholas and Samantha couldn't have it any better than that!

7/8/08 - We spent our 4th of July weekend out in Palm Desert at a condo with CC and Grandpa (Cindy and Bill) and also visited Bill's mom GiGi (Anna).   Of course the desert in July can be pretty hot, but we enjoyed the air conditioned condo and 2 pools that we didn't have to share with anyone else!  Nicholas had a great time in the pool with Dad.  Nicholas got a little guitar from CC that he loves and he also enjoyed watching the golfers (yes, there were quite a few out there even in the 100 degree weather!).  He's looking forward to using his golf clubs with Grandpa on his next trip.  

Nicholas and Samantha are getting ready to welcome some cousins!  Auntie Lisa (Chris' sister) and Uncle Jameson are getting ready to have their baby  boy, Jamie, on August 1st.  With less than a month to go, Lisa is doing well and is relaxing at home getting all the last minute preparations together. 

Auntie Nicki (Rebecca's sister) and Uncle Adam are expecting as well and the baby is due to arrive in January!  Living just a few blocks away, Nicki and Adam will have lots of opportunity to practice with Nicholas and Samantha.

 7/3/08 - Sorry that it's been almost a month since this has been updated.  Our computer was out of commission for quite a while, but we are back up and running!  I'll be posting some new pictures soon, but in the mean time have a HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

6/7/08 - Samantha is 2 months today.  She's pudging up and mellowing out.  She loves to be talked to and will smile and coo,  showing of her dimples (inherited from her daddy).  She doesn't even feel like a newborn anymore, she's growing up so fast!

Nicholas is still being a great big brother, even though he is showing signs of entering the "terrible twos".  He can be quite cranky and whiney on occasion and he definitely knows what he wants. 

He is showing an early interest for photography and a few times now has managed to get his hands on the camera and sneak under the dining room table to try it out.  Here is his first artist series entitled:

 "Self Portrait - Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose"

5/25/08 - Wishing a Happy Birthday to CC!

Nicholas and Samantha got to spend the entire holiday weekend with mommy, since Chris went on his annual college guys getaway.  Our friends Dan and Trish  invited us to spend some of the weekend up in the mountains at their cabin with their kids Peyton and Jack.  We were pleasantly surprised to get 3 inches of fresh snow!  What a crazy Memorial Day memory!  We bundled up the kids (Samantha is under my sweatshirt in the Baby Bjorn).  Nicholas wasn't quite sure about all of the white stuff and didn't like that he had to wear so many clothes to go out and see it.  He was only outside for 5 minutes and refused to touch it.  He was much happier watching from inside the house. 

Nicholas did enjoy hanging out with Princess Peyton and got to practice for future princess dress-up with Samantha.

Going back to May 10th, Auntie Monica and Uncle Andy had their beautiful wedding in San Diego.  It was quite an adventure having 2 very young kids with us while being part of a wedding, but we managed and have some beautiful pictures to remind us of it.

 

5/18/08 - Poor Samantha, being the second child, did not get her first bath documented as well as Nicholas did, but here is a cute one of her during one of her subsequent baths.   Nicholas of course looked on as the protective older brother.  As you can see, Samantha is getting quite chubby.  At her one month appointment, she was over 9 lbs.  quite a change from petite Mr. Nicholas.

  

5/2/08 - Nicholas celebrated his 2nd birthday on Wednesday.  He has definitely reached big boy status!  Chris came home from work for a special birthday lunch.  Nicholas opened presents and had a birthday cupcake.   More birthday celebrating to come on Sunday when we have all of the extended family over for burgers and...you guessed it...more cake!

    

 

Samantha will 4 weeks on Monday.  Can't believe how fast that went! 

For those of you who have wondered about Samantha's middle name, here it is in traditional Chinese characters.  Tsing - which is also the first character of Nicholas' middle name - means "to perfect, to make right or complete".  Wai means "grace" and is part of her Auntie Monica's middle name too.  As the tradition continues,  all the children in this generation (including any future cousins of Nicholas and Samantha) will also have Tsing as part of their middle name.

4/23/08 -

       

At 2 weeks old, Samantha is awake alot more during the day and starting to sleep better at night.  She is quite the snuggler and is much happier when she is being held and can look at your face.  She is very strong and has been practicing holding her head up since the day she was born.  She loves tummy time (unlike her brother as a baby).

Nicholas turns 2 in a week, on the 30th.  He's such a good big brother and has been very patient as we hang out at home.  We have slowly been venturing out this week and went over to 2 different friends' houses for playdates.  Here he is at his "girlfriend" Luisa's house enjoying snack time with another friend, Judah. 

 

 

4/15 /08 - 1 week old, Samantha has started adjusting to life.  She is a great eater and sleeper and has not kept us up too much at night, other than to eat.  Nicholas has been great with her.  He is curious and concerned, but gentle and sweet.  He has had a lot of fun with all the visitors coming by.  He's also accumulated quite a few new toys that have helped him stay busy as mom is tied up nursing for long periods of time.

Samantha Tsing-Wai Chapman

Born on Monday, April 7th, at 10:44 pm

8 pounds, 4 ounces, 19 inches

4/4/08 - Well, Samantha's due date has come and gone and still no sign of her arrival.  We'll keep you posted!

3/23/08 - 11 days until Samantha's due date!

Happy Easter!

This is the first year that Nicholas is starting to understand the idea of an Easter egg hunt.  He got his first go at it on Saturday at our church's annual hunt at Veteran's Park in Redondo Beach.  He loved putting the eggs in his basket, but loved it even more when he figured out that there was candy in each one.

Then on Easter Sunday we enjoyed a beautiful brunch at the Bel Aire Bay Club with Larry and Patti (Papa and Nana), Mike, Chris, Katherine, Greg, Lisa and Jameson (who are expecting a little boy in August).  Nicholas especially loved the mimosas...okay, just orange juice.  He got to pet lots of animals and there was another Easter egg hunt, that he was not so into after he discovered the eggs had little toys, not candy!

Later that day Simon and Christa (Omi and Gung Gung) stopped by with a beautiful bunny shaped Easter bread loaf.   

3/16/08 - So, as you can see we have changed our website and are trying something new.  This is just in time for the arrival of our newest family member, Samantha, who is due is just a couple weeks, on April 3rd.  Since we had not updated our mypilgrimage site since Halloween, we thought we would make a fresh start.

Since October...Nicholas has grown up quite a lot.  He started sleeping in a toddler bed and he changed rooms.  Little does he know that all of this is because of his little sister who will be taking over!  He adjusted so well to these changes that we can only hope that he will adjust just as well when Samantha actually arrives.

 He's running around full speed and understands everything.  He's proving to be just like his daddy, his Gung Gung, and his Auntie Nicki and at almost 2 is still not talking.  I guess it runs in the family though, so it's not that surprising.  Maybe he'll learn to talk at the same time as his baby sister!