Olivia: (handing over a piece of paper with scribbles) It's for you, Mommy

Me: Umm, thanks. What is it?

O: A fa-wer (flower). It's for you, Mommy.

Me: It is? Thanks! How about adding some red color?

O: Okay mommy! Coming right up mommy!

Last night, after returning from my father in-law's birthday dinner, I was in a rush to get the girls washed up (sans bath, which was done earlier) and in bed. I repeated myself over and over to hurry up and of course, Sophia the snail lagged behind. I got frustrated and screamed even louder and must've said something mean and she said to me, "But mommy, I made you a Mother's Day gift!"

Grumble grumble, FINE!

Ah, so much has happened since I last posted. The girls are getting bigger along with their frightfully expanding vocabulary. They're much more vocal, much more opinionated and much, much more an individual. My babies are growing!

I should do a brief summarized notes on them, but with my lazy attitude to think and type it all down, I'll have to save it for another day. I have though, put most of it down on my Blackberry, so all memories are not lost.

I am though, mostly saddened by Kim's (my younger sister) friends death- Tony. On February 24, a fire ripped through him and his girlfriend's apartment, sparked by an electrical outlet. Even though we were not close, I did get to know him little by little. He always spoke to my girls as if they were real adults and teased them a bit. Although it may sound very cliche, he would give his shirt off his back to anyone. He was a very kind hearted soul who had a tough streak in him, but he was so lovable. He really lived life to the fullest. And after seeing Kim affected by his death, I knew she would take it really hard. I did too, after attending his funeral. He was a good kid who will be very missed by many. Rest in peace, Tony, sai lo.

I seem to have fallen into a funk writing here. I think it's pure lazy-ness these days. Without further ado, here are my latest updates and observations on the PITA (pain in the arse) or sweet little pumpkins, depending on my/their moods:

Olivia is still stuck on the nipple bottle. She doesn't care for the cup with a straw although I force to her to drink out of it from time to time. If the nanny or Phil gave her the cup with a straw, she'd have a hissy fit and will call a strike on them. She knows she can't get away with it with me.

I'm so glad we got her off diapers early. She can go to the bathroom by herself- she tinkles and wipes all on her own. She loves to brush her teeth and rinse. If anyone tries to assist her, she'll push their hands and proudly says, "ME DO MYSELF!" She is the epitome of miss independence.

But when it comes to playing by herself, she prefers not to be alone. She'll turn into my shadow, following me around from room to room. Unless I turn the TV and she has her bunny and thumb, she'll sit there without complaints. She really misses having her sister around during the day, or better yet, someone she can beat up on (or vice versa).

She is obsessed with earrings (and that's saying it lightly). We were at Trader Joe's recently and she makes friends with every customer, especially those with big hoopy earrings. She'll make comments to them, points at them and shouts, "ME LIKE YOU EARRINGS!" Also on her accessories checklist- she loves to point out my watch, necklace and ring.

I dress her in pants in the morning and by the time I leave the house, she is running to the dresser to pull out a dress. Thank goodness summer is over. I've hid most of her summer dresses so she can't get to them (or the nanny- she caves into her needs, so annoying). Cutest thing though, when she sits down, she lifts her dress up to carefully not sit on it. She even smooths out the dress in front of her. Hysterical.

Her biggest food craze is kimchi, kkadugee (spicy radish) or Korean anchovies. If she doesn't eat her chicken, sometimes I'll give her some of the leftover kimchi sauce for her to dip in. The crazy kid ends up drinking the sauce!

I'm not sure where this came from. When she speaks, she'll squeak her last word to the highest pitch. I have to video this...it's so weird!

One more thing- she loves to flash people to show everyone her bee-bo (belly button). Hmm.

Sophia update soon...

I know, summer is over but I realized I hadn't posted the trip review!

Phil, the girls and my parents flew on JetBlue for the first time (for everyone except my mom, who went to PR with my two sisters). TV screens are set up on each chair. LOVE IT! Crappy part was, you had to buy your own food if you were hungry. Since our flight wasn't until the late morning, I picked up lunch at Whole Foods the night before.

The girls napped a little and soon enough, we landed in Orlando on time. It was steamy hot (NYC was only in the low 70s that week). I hadn't been to Orlando since I was in my early teens with my dad and sisters. We were stalled for a bit because we had to wait for our luggage and car rental. From the airport to Disney, it took us less than a half hour.

Check in wasn't too bad but we had to wait about an hour before going to our room. The biggest surprise was when we received a package from my girlfriend Linda- she sent us a talking Mickey Mouse-you push MM's hand and it will give you a tour wherever you are in Disney. Pretty neat! By the way, another neat tip wherever you travel- ship all non-important items to your hotel (ie, cereals, diapers, snacks, etc.) so you don't have to pack it in your suitcase!).

Since it was already late in the afternoon, we didn't want to rush and run around in the park, we decided to unpack, relax, walk the hotel grounds before heading out for dinner (we lodged at Port Orleans). We ate at Salt Island Restaurant (off the Disney premise) with my parents, my cousin Cliff (who lives in Orlando) and Phil's sister and her family (who flew in to meet us there). One of Phil's assistant gave Phil a $100 gift certificate so we had to use it. Food was horrible. My salad was drowned in dressing and my filet mignon was charred crisp. The girls didn't really eat much either. My mother complained about her salty dinner and the owners deducted her meal off the bill. Definitely wouldn't recommend eating there.

Second day, we made our way to Magic Kingdom (MK). We took the ferry boat over and it sorta felt magical that we arrived there by water. I think Sophia was in awe too. After going on some of the kiddie rides and shopping in the store (to get some A/C relief), we took the train back to Main Street and ate at The Plaza for lunch. The Plaza had your basic sandwiches and a kids menu (I had a vegan sandwich, really good!). Free drink refills. It also helped that I got 20% company discount off the bill. We also bought a fan spray bottle that helped us cool down. That sure came in handy (and pricey too).

O was getting tired and cranky, so I brought her back to the hotel room along with my parents. S stayed with Phil and her cousins, aunt and uncle. I think for dinner, my parents, O and I drove around looking for an Asian restaurant (those old folks need their daily rice intake) outside of the Disney complex. S and Phil got back pretty late that evening. She told Phil she had a magical day. Aww.

Second day, we headed over to EpCot Center. The weirdest part of it all was the entrance area where they erected stones that reminded me of tombstones. Fans everywhere would purchase a "plot" where one can inscribe on the stones. Some even had their photos etched in! Really spooky. Just another way for Disney to rob consumers.

We bypassed the "golf ball" and walked towards the different countries. The kids were beginning to get hungry and hot, so we tried to find something suitable. We were close to Japan, so we went to Tokyo Dining. There was a long wait and I didn't want to sit on a big table eating hibachi style food. So we left and went over to Yakitori House which sold quick rice bowls and such. Maybe it was me, but the food was HORRIBLE! I ordered chicken terayaki bowl- looked all gloopy. Blech. Phil had curry and said it was good (he always says that, so not sure whether or not to believe him). Annoying situation- because everybody was hungry, somehow I was the only person standing in line. Phil, his sister, brother in-law didn't even bother to get up and order food for themselves or their kids. My main concern is feed my own kids and my parents!

After our bellies were full, we watched the Taiko drums. And after that was done, we went over to the pavillion and a Japanese lady was making animals out of sugar candy- totally cool. The lady made a dog for Sophia (she was the last customer).

We started rushing all the others cities and decided to call it a day. We went back to the hotel room to nap. Phil's sister and family went to Animal Kingdom (AK) since it was their last night. When everyone woke up from their nap, we went to AK for dinner at the Tusker House and saw them as they were on their way out. Food at Tusker House wasn't great. Despite the good reviews I read, the food was either cold or too spicy. Maybe we had too late of a reservation? It didn't help that the restaurant was freezing from the A/C.

The next day, we drove to Clearwater Beach, east of Orlando. It took alittle over an hour to get there. The Gulf water was definitely warm. Not much to report about the beach except it was a nice change from Disney. We had dinner at the Japanese restaurant again (my father wanted to eat at Ponderosa- disgusting!).

The other days we went back to the parks again. Sophia and I met with Sophia's ex-classmate from her old pre-k for 3 yr olds school (they moved to Florida) and spent the afternoon at Magic Kingdom. We had lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus- great fish and chips! They even had a kid's menu where they offered carrot sticks instead of fries. The following evening Phil and I had dinner at Marrakesh (in Morrocco) at EpCot. Food and belly dancing entertainment was great...highly recommended. We also had dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge called BOMA. Buffet food was AMAZING. They even had carrot ginger soup...ahh, so good.

One evening we ventured to Downtown Disney. I was reluctant on eating Rainforest Cafe food but it turned out alright. The area is mostly food and shopping. I think I did more pocket damage in this area by buying silly pins and souvenirs.

I never got to swim in the pool (unbelievable, I know), but Phil and the girls did. My mother and I went outlet shopping (nothing great) instead. We were always too busy running around at the parks.

All in all, thinking back, a great family bonding trip (although I begged to differ then). The girls got to spend more time with their grandparents, even though we only live a few blocks away from each other. Phil and I never got to go on a "date" by leaving the girls with my parents. Phil did though, go on a scary ass roller coaster ride by himself (we had just finished eating dinner and I wasn't about to barf it up) at AK. Sophia and I got my mom to ride "It's a Small World" (one of my favorite rides). Olivia learned how to finish my sentence when I repeated to her, "No...touching."

Sophia now believes Cinderella lives in a magical castle along with Aurora, Belle and Snow White (roll eyes). Ah, it's good to be five years old with princess dreams.

Ted, a few weeks ago I was cleaning my bedroom when I came across a book that was made by your friends and colleagues. I forgot that I had it. As I blew the dust off the front cover, I read the book once again. The memories of you came back. Never failing to help others, never failing to give a great a story (especially about music), never failing to be a good person. Never forgetting.

Rest in peace, Edward Hennessy (and Paul Friedman).