Kenna's Ear Piercing

At 7 1/2 months, it was time for Kenna to get her ears pierced. We originally wanted to do it on July 4th, which is the same day Kaila got hers pierced when she was a baby. But we decided to hold off until after our Disney trip because we didn't want Kenna messing with her ears on our roadtrip.

We headed to the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg to get them done this past Sunday. We were excited, since it is a pretty big event for Kenna. We even had Kenna wearing the same red dress Kaila wore when she got her ears pierced.

She had no idea what was about to happen.

Marking her ears.

Kenna is probably wondering what that gun-shaped thing is for.

The lady told me not to use flash since it was distracting. Before I could turn the flash off on the camera, she pierced her ears. After ear #1, Kenna had a delayed reaction. She stared at the lady for a few seconds, then you could see her bottom lip start to pucker. After a few more seconds, it turned into a full-blown cry. What was funny was that even though she was crying during the piercing of ear #2, Kenna never tried to squirm and fight the final piercing. We remember Kaila thrashing around after piercing the first ear, making the second piercing more difficult.

"Why did you have to do that to me, Lady?!?!"

The final products. Little pink heart-shaped earrings.

Kenna's reaction to the two piercings.........

.....compared to Kaila's.

Kenna definitely was a trooper. She didn't cry as hard or as long as we expected (after experiencing Kaila's reaction when she was little). Kaila was a good big sister. She watched from the side with me and afterward was telling Kenna, "Good job Sissy" and "Nice Sissy." Kenna's ears never bled, or even got red. So far she hasn't tried to play or pull on them.

A Visit with a Good Friend

Even when we got back, our fun wasn't done. One of my best friends from college, Bryce Yamamoto, was in Chicago for a conference for his job. So we jumped on the opportunity to spend some time with him. Although it was a short visit, it's always nice to catch up with a close friend. It had been over a year since we saw him last and he hadn't met Kenna yet. We hope it's not another year before we see him again. We had a great dinner at Todai and great conversations. We sure do miss Bryce!

Kaila was still in Disneyworld mode; she wanted to take a picture with the Todai mascot.

The family with Uncle Bryce

Back to our Asian Connection days while playing ball at Pacific......good times.

After our dinner with Bryce, we were off to Chicago to pick up Aunty Shannon. She came back to visit us for a few more days before heading back to Colorado for vet school. So nice to spend time with our Pacific friends.

Time to Go Home

Sunday, July 18th, our stay in Disneyworld came to an end and we began our 3-day voyage back to Illinois. That day, we had it planned to hit the road early at 9am.......that then became 11am, which is when hotel check-out was at. Instead of driving right away, we decided to go to Downtown Disney one more time to do last-minute shopping. Our stop at 1 store there became 2, which then became 3. After our shopping, we decided to just stay there for lunch. Kaila then wanted to ride one last ride before we left. As you can see, we totally tried to prolong our stay at Disney and delay our trip back home.

One last picture with a Dalmatian

On the way out she saw a train ride. She took the initiative to ask us if she can ride it. She even gave the conductor the money to ride and she told us she wanted to ride it all by herself. It was a "big girl" moment for us *tear*

One last glance at Disney as we headed out of town

Back in Illinois. The girls' reaction.

It was a great trip. Everything went as smooth as possible, Disney treated us well, and the conference was a success. Couldn't have asked for a better time. We hope to be back down there soon!

Our Two Princesses

At the Magic Kingdom, right behind Cinderella's Castle was a store that sold all Disney Princess stuff. They had all sorts of outfits and accessories of all the Disney princesses. Of all of them, Kaila chose the Princess Tiana theme with the money sent by Grandpa & Grandma. So, thank you Grandma & Grandpa for the princess stuff!

Admiring herself in the mirror

It's Kaila as Princess Tiana
Sassy!
Princess Kenna

Reading her Princess Tiana bubble book

"That was a good book"

Playing tea party

Only at Disneyworld can Kaila fulfill her princess dreams. They actually had a princess make-over at the Castle where they would dress girls up as the princess of their choice, but good thing Kaila was too young 'cause it costs over $200! Nonetheless, she was able to see Snow White, which made her happy.

Keeping Busy

The nice thing about the Swan and Dolphin Resort was that there was a lot to do to keep Kaui and the girls busy while I was at my conference. Shops, sand, playgrounds, numerous pools, and health clubs. So there was plenty for them to do.

The Dolphin....

....and the Swan

The playground area

Steering the ship
Waving hello, ready to play!

Making sand angels

Dumping sand on herself.....

......and on her head.

The spitting seal. It shoots water from its mouth when you press a button.

Kaila walking around the resort.

Catching water from the spitting seal.

Swimming in the kiddie pool, with her Little Mermaid water-wings.

Even Kenna got in the action: sitting in the kiddie pool and splashing all over.

It was a really nice resort. Our room was in the Swan, but my conference was in the Dolphin. The hotel was connected with an outdoor walkway and the pool, playground, and "beach" were between the two hotels. They had direct water taxi service to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, but they were walking distance too. We highly recommend this resort.

Epcot

Our last day *tear* was spent at Epcot. We knew this park didn't have too much for the girls, so we just wanted to enjoy all the "countries."

The only ride/show we did at Epcot was "Nemo and Friends." As you can see, Kaila's attitude towards Disneyworld changed dramatically since Day 1 at Magic Kingdom. She wanted to be out, explore, and take some pictures.

With Nemo

With Pearl

Kaila looking at the stingrays

The jellyfish....yuck

Turtle Talk with Crush......"awesome duuuuude!!"

We had dinner in Japan, a nice teriyaki/spicy tuna roll dinner. Kaila liked looking at the koi.

She was starting to get a bit too comfortable being out and about that she started to get a bit rambunctious. So we had to leash her up like Sadie. Here we are splurging on our last night: waiting in line for funnel cake and fried ice cream.

Our vacation going out with a bang: the fireworks show at Epcot.

Epcot had a lot to offer for Kaui and myself, but no so much for the kids. We wish we could've had more time to really experience each country there. Oh well, next time.....