A drummer at heart

Kaeli is playing a Korean drum, with Elena as audience, at the Children's Museum of Tacoma. The girls, along with about another 20 children, were celebrating Elle's birthday. We had the museum all to ourselves - the party started two hours before the museum opened. The museum had a special Korean display to celebrate the Asian New Year.

Fiona, Kaeli and Elena posing for the group birthday photo.

Elle's Birthday

Fiona's mother, Shannon, helping Kaeli and Elle make a rubbing of a Korean New Year's message.

Elle's Birthday Party

Kaeli spent Sunday morning at the Children's Museum of Tacoma, helping her friend Elle celebrate her 4th birthday.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

Kaeli's babysitter did her hair for the Chinese New Year banquet - pigtails for the Year of the Pig!

Chinese New Year Friends

Kaeli is on the left with her eyes closed, blowing her noisemaker. Her friends Elena (in red) and Fiona (in pink) are next to her. They are schoolmates of Kaeli's from Arcadia Montessori. We aren't sure of the name of the little girl with her back to the camera.

Gung Hai Fat Choy!!

This is Kaeli in her beautiful gray and purple dress at the Tacoma Families with Children from Asia banquet celebrating the Chinese New Year. We are now in the Year of the Pig. There were about 70 of us at North China Garden restaurant on 6th Avenue in Coma.

Coma Snow

The beautiful snow in the backyard of our Coma house, and on our garage.












Kaeli making more "print foots" in the pristine snow in our front yard.

Snow Days

Kaeli in one of her new purple outfits from YeYe and NaiNai for Christmas.






















Kaeli enjoying making "print foots" in the backyard snow.

More Snow Pictures

Kaeli and MaMa went for a walk to the playground and because it was so bright outside, Kaeli insisted on wearing her sun glasses.

Point Defiance

One of Kaeli's favorite pasttimes is playing on the beach at Point Defiance, a beautiful large park just a couple of miles from our Coma home. She loves to throw rocks and sticks in the water, watch the boats and ferries go by, and occassionally take a breather on a handy driftwood log.

Christmas Kaeli

Kaeli in her red Christmas dress, with Corduroy, Sog and her new Baby Kaeli (a Corolle Asian baby doll), sharing a quiet moment.

Bedtime Reading with a new friend

Kaeli was tickled to get Corduroy the bear and a book about him from Aunt Margie. Here she and Sog are paying close attention to NaiNai reading the book, while YeYe helps Corduroy read along.

Christmas 2006

Kaeli is opening her new tea set, a wonderful gift from JioJio. Her purple feather boa is just behind her.

Christmas 2006

This is our 2006 Christmas tree. You might notice a preponderance of purple gift wrap! Every time someone asked Kaeli what she wanted Santa to bring her, she would say "A purple marble, purple clothes and a toy". And she certainly got what she wanted! NaiNai and YeYe stuck to the purple theme - gift wrap, clothes, several marbles... and MaMa gave Kaeli a purple feather boa and a purple "magic wand".
It was a wonderful Christmas - the only thing missing was JioJio, who was not able to fly in from New York City for the holiday. We certainly missed him!
Auntie Ann, Nancy and Janina came for Christmas lunch and we enjoyed the traditional Towne Christmas meal - Dungeness crab, salad and bread.

Thanksgiving

NaiNai and YeYe came up to Coma for the week of Thanksgiving. MaMa only had Thanksgiving Day off from the library, so Kaeli spent Friday and Saturday playing with NaiNai and YeYe.
We had Thanksgiving dinner at Stanley & Seafort's, a wonderful restaurant high up on a hill overlooking Tacoma. We had a table at the window and were able to watch the clouds and airplanes and the congested traffic on the freeway far below while eating a wonderful dinner. It was so much less work for NaiNai and YeYe than our normal Thanksgiving dinners.
Kaeli was running a slight temperature, so she was quieter than normal during dinner, but perked up towards the end of the meal.

Kitchen Kaeli

Kaeli was helping me arrange the kitchen, and she discovered she fit perfectly in a cupboard of her own! It now has her oatmeal and applesauce snacks in it.

Bedtime Story

NaiNai, Kaeli and Sog enjoying a bedtime story. The train of Kaeli's name on the bookcase behind them is a gift from Laurie and Dave, handpainted by them for Christmas 2005!