Daily Dose of Chloe 01.31.2014

Flashback Friday: before Chloe pierced her ears. I know... how can a barely 5 month old have a flashback Friday... but just look at her! <3

Friday's Food for Thought 01.31.2014

When you’re thankful for the blessings that have already happened in your life, you’ll be strong and confident. You’ll know that the answer is on the way.

-Joel Osteen

Random Things We're Into 01.31.2014

I know... we're late on the Breaking Bad bandwagon... but honestly, the first time Thomas and I tried watching the show (about a month or so ago...) the first half hour was so BORING! We decided to give the show one more shot... and literally if we had just kept watching for another 5 minutes we would've gotten hooked right then and there.  Any who... Thomas loves the intro for the show... here's an interesting Cover/remix!

Remember back in 2012 when there was that guy who did the free fall from 24.2 miles above the Earth's surface? Well... as if the view we all saw back in 2012 wasn't stomach dropping enough... they just released the GoPro version which is the free fall from Felix Baumgartner's point of view.

Daily Dose of Chloe 01.30.2014

Went walking today with Mommy & Daddy!  Such a nice (hot) day after being so rainy, cold, and windy.

Daily Dose of Chloe 01.29.2014

Mommy and I are waiting for Daddy so we can all go eat lunch! We <3 family outings & QT with each other.

Random Things We're Into 01.29.2014

With Super Bowl coming up this Sunday, here are a few of the ads from Budweiser! Anheuser-Busch is known for their Clydesdale horses and these past few years they have been putting touching spins on their commercials.  This year features two commercials and the special bond that the Clydesdales form with their breeder, and in a separate commercial a neighboring Golden Retriever puppy.  Enjoy!

Daily Dose of Chloe 01.28.2014

My divas.  If you look closely, Chloe is making kissy lips ^_^

Daily Dose of Chloe 01.27.2014

It was a bit chilly tonight when we went on our evening... but Chloe was cozy and warm so she eventually fell asleep.  It was nice to have Aunty Lauren and cousin Brayden along with us tonight.

Simply Honest. Simply Real.

My entire life I've had various obsessions: trying to eat healthy (didn't always last long...), trying to live an active life style (I'm not afraid to be honest... I get lazy!), caring about animals and wanting to save as many as possible (sadly... I'm allergic to almost anything with fur... ), wanting to start a garden... my list can go on and on and on.  I think I may have finally found my inspiration and some guides.  A month or so after Chloe was born I heard about Jessica Alba and The Honest Company.  The Honest Company sells everything from baby products to household cleaning supplies to vitamins and tummy ointments! The Honest Company prides itself in using only the most natural and gentlest of ingredients.  What makes The Honest Company stand out is that Alba and her fellow coworkers tested the products on themselves and their families (if you didn't know, Alba has two daughters both under the age of 5).  So they knew when a product wasn't effective enough, or they knew when a shampoo was still to harsh for little eyes.  Now, for those of you who live on the mainland this is great for you! The Honest Company offers everything at a low price point!  They even do free shipping on orders that are $50 or more! As for those of us who sadly aren't connected to the continental US? Well, we can still buy these products, but shipping totally defeats the low price point!  So I stopped checking the website out... and I slowly forgot about the company.

Then! One day while we were doing our weekly grocery shopping I came across Alba's book, The Honest Life.  And it inspired me to really change our lifestyle! I was hooked on her book from the beginning... How real Alba is and they way she writes this book makes it so do-able, and so you can relate to it! I had no idea that Alba was plagued with many of the same ailments as me (asthma... allergies... sensitive skin... easily getting sick...) and that made me that much more interested! Alba changed her (and her family's) lifestyle to an Honest one.  Now what does that mean exactly? Alba changed their eating habits (as much organic and seasonal fruits and veges... lean proteins... non-GMO and no antibiotics or hormones... low dairy... healthy whole grain carbs... etc. etc.), and she changed the products she used in their home and in their lives.  She shows that it is possible for Honest, healthy living to still be chic, delicious and fun!  Her book is chalk full of delicious recipes, tips, and even DIYs!

Alba's Book The Honest Life, and a local cookbook that has TONS of tasty, easy, and healthy meals that everyone in the family can enjoy.

Now as stated before... I get lazy... life gets in the way... whatever. That's what the Simply Real aspect of this blog is.  Sometimes we have a bad day... sometimes we get stuck in a rut and need new ideas or just some encouragement and motivation.  I don't want to just document all the beautiful and happy moments of our lives... but also the struggles, and most of all the lessons we learned from them.  What's most important is the progress we make and the positive changes we are making in our lives as a family.

Lifestyle changes like these always happen easier when you have others there for support. So, Thomas and I made a pact... Thomas has always loved physical activities whether it be martial arts, water sports, weight lifting, you name it.  I, on the other hand, need a little extra motivation =P My passion is food... Sashimi literally changed my life when I was 13 years old.  I tried it (even though I had a preconceived idea that it was disgusting) and it changed my life! I thought it would taste NASTY and lo and behold it was AWESOME! What other delicious foods was I missing out on?! Ever since then... I will try almost anything at least once (key word: almost). So, I'm in charge of the food! The deal? We can grumble and bitch all we want about how "ugghh... It's so hot outside! Can we just run later?!" or "what the heck IS that?! Are you sure it tastes good?" But at the end of it... I need to get up and do it... and he needs to pick the fork up and try one bite! 

For us... that's 99.99% of the battle... getting up and starting!  So I encourage you to find a friend or family member who wants to make a positive and healthy change in their life... and be each other's support and motivation! The whole thing about this lifestyle change? It's not about the numbers... It's not about how much weight you can lose... how many calories you intake daily... it's about finding a balance. Find that perfect balance of everything that works for YOU... and everything else will fall into place.  Because that's really what our goal is this year... to lead a simply honest, yet simply real life.

Precious Moments

I captured this precious moment between Thomas and Chloe this morning.  Thomas had just finished feeding Chloe her breakfast and he was having some quiet time with her before she went down for a nap.

I don't know about you... but I don't think that there's anything sexier than a man who loves and cares for his family unconditionally. <3

Daily Dose of Chloe 01.25.2014

Today Chloe got her ears pierced! Uncle Paul, Aunty Shannon, Gramaw, Aunty Lauren, Cousin Brayden, and of course Mommy and Daddy were all there for moral support!

Me: Aww... It's okay!

Aunty Shannon: She's like, "no it's not okay!"

Friday's Food for Thought 01.24.2014

If you'll listen, you'll hear the sound of new beginnings, new opportunities, good breaks.  It's the sound of abundance.

-Joel Osteen

Daily Dose of Chloe 01.24.2014

Still sleeping the same way... <3

Daily Dose of Chloe 01.23.2014

"No, daddy! Please not my car seat!! Can't you just keep carrying me please?!"

Daily Dose of Chloe 01.22.2014

Chloe loves to go on walks to look at trees, flowers, and all the animals.

Random Things We're Into #1

This, seriously, is one of the cutest things I have seen in a while (besides our beautiful Chloe-Ann ;]). This is Keone & Mariel Madrid performing to Bob Marley's "Is This Love".  I can seriously watch this video over and over and over (... and over) again.  Enjoy!

A Hui Hou

Introducing Daily Dose of Chloe!

For about a month or so, I have been [trying] to post daily pictures or videos of Chloe.  It's fun to look back at much she's grown and how much more her personality is coming out in such a short time span!  I'm excited to see how much she's changed down the road. =]

Happy [very... belated] Holidays!

My goodness how fast time just keeps flying by!  I know I TOTALLY slacked this past year and during my pregnancy >.< but I promise I took lots of pictures... and as soon as Thomas gets our 'Projects' computer up and running I promise I will put them up!

So... obviously the first order of business is that Thomas and I are finally parents!  On September 5, we welcomed our beautiful baby girl Chloe-Ann into the world at 6:58 pm.  She weighed 8 lbs 2.5 oz and was 21.5 inches long.  She is absolutely beautiful (I know I'm biased! I'm not afraid to admit it!).  She is such a joy and she amazes us everyday.  She keeps growing leaps and bounds and she is just so eager to explore the world around her!  From the day she was born she preferred being held upright and she would constantly lift her head up to look around.

From day 1 Chloe would hold her head up. Proud daddy. <3

It is so bittersweet having a daughter who is so eager to take everything in.  On one hand we are so excited and look forward to every milestone she reaches, but at the same time it's so sad that she is growing up so fast!  Chloe is a very active baby, before she was two months old she was comfortable on her tummy and would hold her head up to look around.  A month and a half later she had figured out how to roll over and was already pushing herself around.

It's so amazing to have a September baby.  I feel like she was at the perfect age for her first Christmas.  When the holidays rolled around Chloe was about 3 months old and we had fallen into a good routine as a family.  We were able to attend all of our family gatherings, and Chloe enjoyed being passed around between all her Aunties, Uncles, Cousins, and grandparents.  Thomas' brother got married in the beginning of December and I think she met at least 30+ people in the span of a few hours and she just soaked it all in!  She's such a happy baby and as long as all her basic needs are taken care of she can intently observe everything that is going on around her.

This is Chloe experiencing her first Chinese Lion Dance!  Chinese Lion Dances are done for good luck and good fortune.  They are often seen at the opening of a business, weddings, birthdays, and any other significant and happy occasions.

This was a very memorable holiday season.  Chloe is moving around so much and she's beginning to grab and play with objects around her and she got the okay to start eating solids!  Poi (a hawaiian root vegetable that is mashed up and mixed up with water) was the first solid food that she tried... and she loved it!  I am determined to make most of the food that we give her from scratch at home (more on this endeavor in a later blog post).

Thomas and I are really excited for everything that 2014 has in store for our little family.  We have many goals set for this year (I'll be sharing some in the next blog post!) and we have never felt more motivated in our lives.  Happy [belated] holidays from us to you!

A Hui Hou