DIVAllana

New Look

2011-11-19T22:35:00.001-08:00

New design using a default blogger option. What do you think?

Happy Halloween Story

2011-10-31T17:00:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqU_64in_iM&sns=em

Pink Day!

2011-09-07T08:42:00.001-07:00

Do You Like Horses, Allana?

2011-07-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah... No, I like fake horses.

I like the carousel!

Cheers!

2011-05-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

I guess this never got posted. Here's a flash back to when Allana was a little under 2.

Life skills:

Serving
Sharing
Getting parents drunk on juice
Make-believing (she does pouring sounds)
Toasting ("cheers")
Sorting (she picks the biggest cup)

Resources for Kid-Friendly Apps

2011-04-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

I found a blog and some companies focused on the kid genre of "apps" or small mobile applications.

http://momswithapps.com/
http://launchpadtoys.com/
http://nightanddaystudios.com/

Allana likes to teach others how to use the iPhone.

Two Kids @ Red Robbin

2011-04-24T13:58:00.001-07:00

Hanging

2011-04-24T10:58:00.001-07:00

Buddies

2011-04-24T10:57:00.002-07:00

Allana with Various Flowers

2011-04-24T10:57:00.001-07:00

She Calls This a "Walk"

2011-04-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hoover Dam

2011-03-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Smile!

2011-03-19T14:49:00.001-07:00

"Take my Picture with Mommy"

2011-03-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

Catch

2011-02-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

More Snow!

2011-02-27T15:25:00.000-08:00

Snow!

2011-02-27T12:57:00.000-08:00

Pineapple Cones?

2011-02-05T16:27:00.001-08:00

The Snail Story

2011-01-30T08:40:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, around the time of San Diego Storm Watch 2011, Allana demonstrated how much she "got my back."

As I walked out the sliding door into the backyard to let the chihuahuas relieve themselves, I looked down and flinched. My foot had almost landed on what I thought was a small piece of dog poop on the doormat! After I grabbed a bag to clean it up, I realized it was actually a snail, so I stepped over it instead.

Allana comes to the open sliding door to follow me outside. She must have looked down at the doormat because I hear, "Poop! Eww, Daddy!"

"Look closer, Allana. It's not poop," I call out.

She hunkers down for a closer inspection.

"Is it moving? It's a snail."

"Ooh, I don't like that. Daddy, get inside!"

Paragraphs

2011-01-26T09:23:00.001-08:00

"Mommy's car is not at work? It's at home?"

"Uncle went shopping with us at shopping center. Did you know that, Daddy?"

Bacon

2011-01-21T20:57:00.001-08:00

After dinner Allana goes "I wanna see mommy's friends." Most likely because they were complementing her just a few hours ago!

Oh btw, mommy apologetically ordered a side of beer brined bacon. I said, "next time just grunt."

Cheese!

2011-01-21T20:19:00.001-08:00

Buddies

2010-12-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

Phone Bill Projected to be in the Thousands

2010-12-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

Dance, Daddy!

2010-11-22T18:41:00.001-08:00

"Laa Laa laaah!" sings Allana.

I join in and she says "don't do that!"

"Mommy's turn. Sing... No Daddy! Dance, Daddy."

I've gone from Daddy to back up dancer.

"Daady I'm talking. Hold on kay?"

Not for You

2010-10-31T19:16:00.001-07:00

Quote:
"I need candy. Not for you--me only."

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T16:34:00.001-07:00

Whee

2010-10-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

Pan de Sal

2010-10-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Super What?

2010-09-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

Allana's Birthday!

2010-09-27T13:28:00.000-07:00

Shabu Shabu!

2010-09-19T14:31:00.001-07:00

Yummy! Allana really liked the fishballs. And considering that she's been picky lately, this is a pretty big deal! Definitely coming back here!

Allana is 2 Years Old!

2010-09-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

Allana's birthday is today! And she knows she has a soiree coming up. She would touch the "party stuff" box and saying, "My birthday party! My birthday party!" And then she orders me to open all the party favors. :0)

Yes, we're sad about getting old (the "time gets bolder, children get older, and I'm getting older too" line from Landslide keeps playing through my head. Fleetwood Mac, not Dixie Chicks).

But oh my goodness, we can't help but be amazed at everything Allana's picking up, what she does and says. Only 2 years ago she was just a eating/sleeping/pooping baby blob. And now she's running around and dancing and laughing and playing pranks and arguing and making friends and coloring and drawing and reading and so on...

If you're free this Saturday, come join us for a beach BBQ lunch. We can't promise that Allana will be on her best behavior (that's one of the joys of parenting a toddler, right?), but what a wonderful milestone to celebrate! Hope to see you there!

Picnic

2010-09-11T20:24:00.001-07:00

New Word!

2010-08-24T08:36:00.001-07:00

Navigate!

Bugs... Ewww

2010-08-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

Mommy referred to our recent week off from work a Southern California Staycation™.

We saw a Leann Rimes concert (sans toddler), went to a Renaissance Faire in Big Bear, visited the World Famous San Diego Zoo, replaced a broken iPhone, and drove up to Universal Studios over this past week.

Allana had mixed feelings about the bugs at the zoo. Check out the video to see her reaction!

How to Win Friends and Influence People

2010-08-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

We had lunch at a deli today. Allana saw that a man was waiting for his order, dragged a chair over to him, and gestured for him to sit down. What a considerate girl! Then she pointed at the bag of chips in his hand and instructed him to "open!" He boggled at her: "You want me to open these?" Allana nodded and said, "Yah." So this stranger, whom none of us had ever met before, opened the bag and offered it to her. Allana took one chip and walked away.

Sense of Humor

2010-08-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Ruby's = (Uncle) John & Tia (Lynn)

2010-08-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

Pop the Bubbles!

2010-07-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

Bye Sears

2010-07-24T13:34:00.001-07:00

There was a sale. Christy bought the game aisle.

Allana and Kiwi

2010-07-19T00:59:00.001-07:00

Umm... what happened to the baby that used to live here?

Got Corn? Dance!

2010-07-10T08:04:00.001-07:00

Allana warms up to corn at the company picnic.

Micronanas

2010-07-07T23:23:00.001-07:00

My Work

2010-07-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

"Mommy at work."
"How about you, are you going to have fun at Michelle's?"
"No..."
"Why not?"
"My work."

Allana's Daycare Site Redesign

2010-07-06T02:15:00.000-07:00

Michelle, Allana's child care provider, updated the Village Kids website.

The Power of Marketing

2010-07-01T07:38:00.001-07:00

To get Allana to wear her new diapers we resorted to using one of Huggies' commercials.

After the 2nd viewing she started calling them her diapers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ0M9CBEkw0&feature=youtube_gdata

Alvin

Where are the Crunchies?

2010-06-28T19:14:00.001-07:00

Allana apparently doesn't know where the crunchies went.

Flinn Springs

2010-06-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

Gone one Day!

2010-06-26T18:58:00.001-07:00

I went to code camp for just a day and came back to an empty house. Shortly after, mommy and toddler arrive with a water table, deli shop play set, "deluxe" cookware set, 2 sets of plastic fruits, toy microwave, a water-filled ball, markers, a 7 piece sand set, a bookshelf, and a Radio Flyer... Worm (I didn't know they had those).

Daddy's Got a Brand New Blog

2010-06-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, not really, but I updated Disruptive Innovator's template and finally registered my first real site, alvinreyes.net. It just has a demo for class for now.

I gotta to keep up with Allana's awesome blog.

Zoo Too

2010-06-20T13:54:00.001-07:00

Zoo with Buddies

2010-06-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

My House!

2010-06-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

We went to the park. Allana called the play house hers.

Slide

2010-06-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Impromptu Light Saber Battle

2010-06-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Rice is Awesome!

2010-06-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

New Design, Same Content

2010-05-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

I used a template generating tool (http://www.artisteer.com/) to revamp the blog's look and feel. It's now minty fresh (or is that green and sour?).

The overall look is okay in various browsers (IE, Firefox, and Chrome), although some of the sytles don't play nicely together yet.

Allana vs Cake

2010-05-20T19:36:00.001-07:00

Angel cake wins!

Dance dance

2010-05-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

Sunday Breakfast

2010-04-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

We like the hash sliders at Ruby's Diner. These are marginally
healthier, home-made, and cheaper.

She Speaks

2010-04-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Post Sesame Street Live

2010-04-23T16:46:00.001-07:00

Allana had so much fun and was so tired, that after we ate and took
Mommy to work, she napped in the car. We arrived at home around 1:30.

She continued napping (with the car door open, under shade with a
breeze, and under my watchful eye, of course) while I cleaned the car
port storage for a few minutes. She slept in the stroller, was
conscious for a few minutes while we took the dogs out, and was out by
the time we strolled on back through the front door.

She continued sleeping in the stroller until I don't when, at which
point she stirred, I picked her up, and we napped "konked out" until
now at 4:44.

"Mommy?"
"We're going to pick her up. Did you have fun?"
She nodded yes then proceeded to kiss, torment, then dismiss Kiwi.

Signs in Review

2010-04-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

Vroom

2010-04-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

Notice the electric window switch.

The 80's lives on in our child...

2010-03-27T22:35:00.001-07:00

Message from Nivlong:

Jem, right?

Click on a video below to watch it:

Video 136
Video Length 1:02
Click here to watch

To learn more about the Flip Video Camcorder, click here.

Seaport (Flip)

2010-03-27T22:25:00.001-07:00

Can you tell the difference?

IPhone Version:

Flip Version (uploaded)

Flip Version (on FlipVideo site):

Video 143Video Length 0:44
View Higher Resolution Version

Pan De Sal vs Sleep!

2010-03-26T20:00:00.001-07:00

Message from Nivlong:

Click on a video below to watch it:

Video 134
Video Length 0:17
Click here to watch

To learn more about the Flip Video Camcorder, click here.

Pampers Easy-Ups

2010-03-23T21:46:00.001-07:00

A part of me cries everytime Allana outgrows a shirt or a pair of
pants. But this has got to be the most sad change of all: Our little
sweetie is now wearing pull-ups...

All Done at CA Adventures

2010-03-21T16:06:00.001-07:00

Fish

2010-03-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Glasses

2010-03-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

Disneyland Trip

2010-03-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Lala Lulu

2010-03-07T20:58:00.000-08:00

Check out Allana's new hat.

Sentences!

2010-03-07T10:02:00.001-08:00

Allana said her first sentences today: "That's dada!" And then a few
seconds later: "That's mama!"

In Search of a Doll (and some metaphysical meaning of life)

2010-02-28T14:12:00.001-08:00

We're looking for a baby doll that looks like Allana. Not that there's
anything wrong with the standard fair-skin tone dolls on the market,
but it'd be nice to add a Filipino or at least gener-Asian doll to her
collection of blue stuffed animals and orange little plastic people.

Tia Lynn gave a workshop last year and asked the class to imagine a
scientist; perhaps try to think about the smartest person on the
planet. And though physicists like Einstein come to mind, what about
the majority of us that don't fit the mold of wild-haired older white,
lab coat-wearing male scientist? (check out Sid the Science kid for a
TV show that champions the scientist in toddlers and young kids) We
have to look a little harder for the 2nd or 3rd generation half
Filipino American girl role model (luckily the Web... Er Google makes
it easier to find examples).

We would like Allana to be able to play with a doll that looks like
her. As she gets older we want her to eventually have roll models of
smart, happy, and successful people that fit the norm, that break the
mold, or that are like her in a way she can identify with (gender,
age, ethnicity, or interest). And "success" shouldn't be determined by
money, job, or toys.

Metaphysical rant...
When it's all over, we leave this place alone. We will remember the
people and experiences while the people we leave behind will remember
who we were and how we made them feel. Our friends won't marvel at the
toys we had, but might remark on how much, or how little, we coveted
such toys. Whether we meet our maker or face oblivion, we only really
have control over this life and our actions in it. We hope Allana has
the chance to enjoy and make the most of this life. Along the way
she'll have strong role models like her Tia, her 2nd family at
daycare, and the crazy grandmas to guide her. For now we'll settle for
a reasonably-priced, Asian baby doll that she can feed, pat on the
back, and toss into the nearest toy bin.

Target Non-Musical Chair

2010-02-28T12:30:00.001-08:00

Message from Nivlong:

Click on a video below to watch it:

Video 52
Video Length 0:50
Click here to watch

To learn more about the Flip Video Camcorder, click here.

Legoland Boat Tour

2010-02-23T00:12:00.000-08:00

Bunny B

2010-02-21T16:39:00.001-08:00

Red and Blue

2010-02-20T07:56:00.000-08:00

Alphabet Precursor

2010-02-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Tired

2010-02-15T14:17:00.001-08:00

Dancing

2010-02-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

Pic 2

2010-02-15T13:52:00.001-08:00

Nana and Gramps

2010-02-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Secret to Portion Control and Play Eating

2010-02-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

1) Allana goes "omph omph."
2) Mommy stays slim cause she orders kid-sized sodas.

Mace

2010-02-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

All done!

2010-02-14T15:53:00.000-08:00

Choo choo

2010-02-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

Ahh!

2010-02-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

Water

2010-02-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

Where's Mommy?

2010-02-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

Fly

2010-02-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

With Tia

2010-02-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

Nice hair

2010-02-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Awake

2010-02-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Fun at Legoland

2010-02-14T12:28:00.001-08:00

Radio Flyer

2010-02-14T11:44:00.001-08:00

Noodle Monster

2010-02-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

Rock Star

2010-02-12T08:21:00.000-08:00