June was a busy month

As I'm looking at my calendar, here are some highlights for June, in chronological order:

1. I got lash extensions. Damn, my eyes were red and irritated for two days. The fake lashes are so long that they hit my glasses (annoyingly). I love the way they look, but I am never doing this again.

2. I had drinks with friends from my moms group. The last time I saw them, I was pregnant with Mei-Mei, so it's been more than a year. It was nice to have a glimmer of a social life again.

3. My parents came. Mom cooked and cooked. She made things she had never made before--inspired by something she watched on YouTube. She also made some of my favorite foods (Yay!). I think Fede got tired of eating "Chinese" food. Dad played with Elie and Mei-Mei. I think his favorite thing to do was feed Mei-Mei, which is probably why she gained 5 pounds during their visit.

4. We went to the symphony to see a show specifically intended for kids. I don't know how much Elie liked it. But afterwards, and for weeks now, she will randomly say, "Symphony!" and clap her hands three times. That was something she learned at the show. I love her huge smile when she does this. She also says "symphony" like "sim-pony", as if she knows how it is spelled and doesn't pronounce the "h".

5. Elie turned 3. We gave her a balance bike for her birthday. I love that she calls it her "bici" (short for "bicicleta").

6. Fede's parents came. (And then his mom left, and then came back--but that's another story.) For the first time, my parents and Fede's parents met. There might have been a bit of a language barrier. Or moments when people didn't fully understand each other. But as Fede likes to tell me--there are many times when he has no idea what I'm talking about, but he just plays along anyway. He thinks he understands maybe 85% of what I say. Hmm...I wonder if this is the secret to our marriage...

7. My good friend, Marlene, had a baby! I was honored to be at the hospital with her during a part of her labor. Many thanks to Fede, who had to take care of Mei-Mei and Elie while I was at the hospital.

8. Fede, Fede's dad and my dad went to watch the US Open golf tournament. Have you heard about the complaints from the spectators? Well, I heard them first hand.

9. We had an anniversary dinner celebration (5 years). It was a Chinese banquet, where we attempted to stuff ourselves and all our guests until the point of bursting. And then we sent everyone home with leftovers.

10. Elie's preschool had an end-of-the-school-year and Father's Day celebration.We got a little preview of the songs they would perform because Elie has been singing certain songs for weeks. She even makes us sing some of the songs, coaches us about how to sing them ("Louder, Mama!"), and what dance moves to do with each verse ("Put your hands like this, Mama"). So it was adorable to watch the kids (and Elie) perform.

11. Fede's parents left and then my parents left. The house feels empty. Although it's nice to go back to our regular routine. I should probably start cooking again.

12. Elie's last day of preschool was yesterday. We are enrolling her in summer camp--which starts in a week. So that means we have to find things for Elie to do next week when there is no preschool. Wish us luck.