TK Portrait And Turning 5!

Last day of four years old. Last day of toddler. We are officially about to embark on our next phase of girlhood. !!. How did we get here??

These past 5 years have absolutely flown by. Particularly this last one with both kids together.

I recently posted M's graduation photos from earlier this spring. Fast forward, one summer later, and here we are.

Thought she looked so mature those few short months back then, and having the same genuine sentiments once again.

Love this kid with all my heart and so very excited to continue on this adventure with her, watching her continue to grow and be amazing. xo

Preschool Graduation Pictures!

Finally got these photos this summer. Her preschool did something a little backwards and postponed the originally scheduled photoshoot from the beginning of the year to the end of it.

I wasn't intending to buy these photos but when I saw them I couldn't resist. What can I say? I'm a sucker for photos.

She just looked so mature and grown up. I know, I know. The tritest thing a mom can say.

Now, just months later, I have previews of her photos for this school year and I am just wowed. W-O-W-ed. Can't wait to get those. Until then, will just have to feast my eyes on these :> xo



Totally her in that phase— that necklace and My Little Pony bracelets. She wore them every.day.

Michelena Graduates Preschool! [MOMLIFE]

Is this really happening? 

Honestly, having a hard time grappling with this moment. She's 4 but feels like she's going on 14. Her preschool days are over and I think I'm supposed to be crying right now but you know when things happen so fast it takes a while before it hits you? This is one of those moments and it still hasn't hit me.

This was honestly a rough day. She was excited for this event, as she's excited for all school-related events, but came to the sudden realization during the performance, when her best friends were missing, that this year is coming to an end as is her daily life with those best friends not graduating along with her. Instead, she's forced to sit among another class, singing strange songs she's been prepping to sing only in the last few weeks or so.

A day later, now looking back, I realize how odd and strange this setup was for the kids in her class who were moving to higher level schools. Had I known the effect, I honestly wouldn't have brought her. 

Transition is tough. And the lesson I learned this weekend is change might be harder going forward as she grows older, more aware, and more attached.

Nonetheless, we got through it. I continually remind her how much I love her, how valuable our family is, that we are a team and will always stick together. Because that is what families do. Amongst all the change that surrounds them, those that are true to each other will always move through change together, as a unit, as a team. 

Another day, another milestone, and How proud I am of her and how far she's come.

For memory: She can spell her name backwards and simple words forward :> She can read level 2 books and can do simple arithmetic. She can identify Google cars on the road and can run, skip, and hop. She can listen in on and interject in adult conversation, and even understands some Chinese though her accent is just as horrendous as mine. Her humor is impeccable and she loves playing with her friends. She loves play doh, legos, and monopoly. Killer smile, huge heart, love of technology and toys. xo

Kids Fun Homework Activity For School!

Meet Pete the Penguin: a great learning activity idea for young kids at school. 

My toddler brought Pete back home for the weekend and she was to take about 3-5 photos with him and write sentences about their adventures together.

Every student does this with Pete and by the end of the year, the class has a photo album of Pete with each of the kids. 

Friends like to flip through the album and see each other. Moreover, it encourages them to write, as they come up with their own captions, and read those of others. 

Having a clear bias for photos, this educational activity is right up my alley. xo

Dad's Day At School [MOMLIFE]

Spent the morning with Nui Nui at her school. Don't ask me why but today was Dad's Day, where dads (and I) were invited to spend an hour with the kids doing various activities together.

There were three activity tables set up— one where you could make bracelets out of beads, another coloring in a picture frame, and another bedazzling a paper tie. I honestly don't understand the tie thing for dad-related events at school— I've seen the craft project done before— that is, on Mom's Day will the kids get to bedazzle high heels?— but whatever.

Although I still don't think it was necessary for me to, I made sure to ask, this time around, whether I could come, to avoid any possible undesired issue. The teacher was totally chill about me coming, as I would expect. Thank goodness, right?

Nui Nui chose to make a bracelet at first. Once that was done, she wasn't interested in either of the other two organized activities and wanted to play with the toys instead.

We headed toward the play area and she asked if I could get on the floor. This is really interesting, as Mom has had difficulty doing so since her surgeries and has, I guess, somewhat limited some of the things they could do together, like play with train tracks. It's amazing to see how cognizant and considerate Nui Nui is.

She first went to the megabloks and animals. She built a like a pro and then identified some animals, including a gazelle and a llama. I was really impressed she knew those animals and even more so when she totally cleaned up all the pieces when she was done :> I asked her if she could do the same at home.

Then, she headed toward this ice cream toy and built a cone with four scoops.

Nui Nui was so happy about this Dad's Day and so happy I and the baby! could come. She got out of the car yelling, It's Dad's Day! It's Dad's Day! She eagerly asked when we left the house and on the carride if she could show everyone the baby.

I was admittedly slightly nervous about bringing the baby. One, would she cry the whole time? Two, would she pick up any germs?

On the way to the school, the baby cried the entire way but surprisingly, literally, the second we walked in the school, she stopped and fell asleep. Literally. Then, she slept for nearly the entire time we were there— through the activities and the storytime that followed. Then, as everyone was gathering around for the kids to sing, she began to cry. I didn't even hear her. Nui Nui turned to me and said, 'Mama, the baby is crying'. So, of the whole event, I missed the one thing I wanted to see Nui Nui do.

I tried to quickly pop the baby on my breast and head back to the circle but when I got back, it was too difficult to get back to Nui Nui, who was sitting on the floor. So, I don't have any footage of that.

Hopefully, Nui Nui still had a great time. From the pics below, I think she did. xo

Nui Nui's 4th Birthday Party At School! [MOMLIFE]

A couple of weeks early, not knowing when her sibling will arrive, we celebrated Nui Nui's 4th birthday at school today.

Again, she was Just.So.Excited.

She was excited to show her teachers her freshly painted colorful nails.

She was excited I got to be there during circle time, where they sang her two songs, she got to put 4 candles in this play wooden birthday cake, and she got to tap her friends on the head as a leader to go and have snack. During the songs, she was almost even nervous. She was looking at me the whole time but enjoyed every minute, I could tell :>

She was even more excited to distribute the party favors out to her friends. Because, you know, Sharing Is Caring. And then happy as ever to enjoy eating goldfish for snack (vs. watermelon, which they've been serving a lot recently and which she has relayed to me multiple times that she does NOT like).

It was a great day, according to Nui Nui, and hopefully some video footage will be up soon.



Now that I pack her lunch for school, I write her love notes for her lunchbox on the daily. This is what I wrote her today. Before the age of 4, she can read this whole note. Mom was impressed she could read the word 'celebration'.



Proud of this kid and love her with all my heart. xo

Carrot-Shaped Party Favors Using Goldfish Crackers! [HOW TO/DIY]

If you're looking for a fun party favor, this is a fun one, though admittedly time-consuming.



Oops, I forgot to take a photo of the carrot stem! Fold the streamer four times about 1.5" wide, and it snip off the roll. Cut strips in the streamer without cutting all the way through. Wrap the still-folded, slitted streamer around the stem and tape.

If you try this, tweet or Instagram me (@mdesenna) your final product! Would love to see it! xo

. . .

Birthday month continues and since my due date is so close to Nui Nui's birthday, we've been prepping in advance and strategically planning to celebrate early.

First up: School.

Nui Nui's school has a pretty strict policy about birthday celebrations. They only really allow 'healthy' foods for celebration. Alternatively, you could bring in small favors like stickers or pencils, or come in and read the class a book. I didn't find out about these alternative options until tonight so didn't have the opportunity to consider them.

Now, I'm a nutritionist. Well, at least by education I am. And, as I always say, I'm a believer of everything in moderation, which includes cake (or sweets) for celebrations. So I asked what they meant or consider 'healthy' for snacks. They listed fruit, yogurt, crackers, cheese, and goldfish. So I went with the goldfish.

Last year for Valentine's Day, I made some favors using goldfish. I knew I could do the same thing or try something else. I searched on Pinterest for ideas and pursued what you see below. I debated whether the idea was 'appropriate' for the occasion, since it does make more sense for it to be used as an Easter party favor but thought the idea was cute and fun, and kind of represented 'healthy', right? :>

I came up with a pun-y message, more for my kicks than for anyone else, and that was that. Nui Nui loves the favors and is just SO EXCITED to share these with her new friends tomorrow.

She also did the cutest thing tonight. The cone-shaped bags came with 'Thank You' stickers, which I didn't use, so Nui Nui took them for herself. As I mentioned in a recent video, she's very into stickers. Then, she came up to me with a bag in which she stashed these stickers and told me she wanted to give me something. She whipped out one of these Thank You sticker sheets and told me she wanted to give me one for making these party favors. She gave another sheet to her grandma for taking care of her earlier, as I attended a back-to-school night.

My baby's growing up and she's making me very proud to see what kind of woman she's becoming. xo