Early summer updates

By MAGGIE WANG

Before having children, I always looked forward to the summer because it meant that I would have Kevin off work and to myself -- but now with kids, I have more of a reason to love summers!

Beyond having everyone together consistently under the same roof, there are so many fun things to do locally and events to look forward to. The fun for me is watching my girls react and enjoy occasions and see how they smile from new and fun experiences. They shed a a new perspective on how I view my summers -- and the world.

Sedona and Maven have so much fun these days that they are going to bed later and later, but we have been fixing that the past week.

Isn't Maven just adorable? Look at all those teeth. She is growing up so fast. Communicating and talking much more. She asked me for a cracker the other day. Super cute.

We hit the San Diego Zoo last Friday with the Lev family.

Sedona (wearing her first of two outfits; this one got a little sweaty) is getting braver with age.

"Hello, Goat! Come here!"

They were completely devouring the Minute Maid cherry limeade ice. It was a hot day by our mild SoCal standards.

Sedona is a great big sister. She wakes up hugging Maven. She is always sharing (as shown here). One of the caretakers for day care at my tennis club, Sharmine, mentioned that she has never seen siblings so adorable. The girls will play there, she said, and then randomly stop to hug and kiss each other.

They love each other. It's so sweet. This past Saturday at Sophie's 3rd birthday party at the Redondo Beach marine-science S.E.A. Lab, Sedona and best buddy Riley were holding hands and Maven zipped right over to join them. The older girls gently took Maven under their wing. It was so cute. Maven is calling Riley by name these days, too.

Sedona loves Austin Lev and serving a big sister to him, too. Whenever Uncle Mag's name is mentioned, Sedona always follows with "Is Austin coming?"

We are fortunate that A-Gong & A-Ma Ding live minutes away in Redondo Beach. They help watch the girls, particularly on Sundays so I can work or play tennis and Kevin can play softball. *

* Editor's note: Despite a bad game recently after suffering some in-game post-concussion issues, Kevin is easily leading the league with a .792 (19 for 24) batting average this season.

As you can see, they love their A-Ma Ding.

Jennie Lin swung by for a few days after a bachelorette party brought her to San Francisco.

The girls loved her! She was a hit!

When Jennie wasn't in the room, Sedona would ask, "Where is Jennie?"

Last Sunday, we walked down to the Hermosa Beach Sunset Concert. (It is quite the weekly event for the neighborhood. It was super crowded and a lot of fun.) A-Gong & A-Ma Ding joined us in the festivities and seemed to have a great time seeing the girls interacting with their peers in a different environment.

Sienna and Sedona found a rare open spot in the sand to play ball.

And finally here is a picture of Whitney (Riley's mom) and me for those who haven't met her but hear about her all the time via our blog.