And that was Christmas!

First of all, I have a confession to make. After day 21 on the Advent calendar (which was a cheat Advent activity anyway), I got lazy/stressed with all the holiday extravaganzas going on and was not able to finish strong. Basically, I gave up on day 20. Next year I'll be more prepared.

Anyway, Christmas came and went just like that *snap* this year. Lucas was really good about not touching any of the presents under the tree whereas Charlotte ripped things here and there. This is Lucas' third Christmas and he finally understands the concept of presents. Next year will be even more fun!

We started the festivities on Christmas Eve and ended a few days after Christmas.


Went to visit Po Po's grave in the morning


Shinn kids entertaining themselves while Mommy was cooking

Char wants to eat! NOW!!!!
  

 Another turkey @ the Shinn digs


Christmas dinner @ other Shinn's digs


Shinn kids with all their cousins and grandparents

 Day after Christmas with a few of their new toys


 This turned out to be her favorite toy (it was free!)

The gift he suckered Mommy into getting him after Christmas

 Fancy dinner with Shinn/Chia cousins

 1st & 2nd cousins gift exchange

You see how many kids are in there?! INSANE!!! That's how many kiddie Christmas gifts we bought this year! We have way too many toys at home now... spoiled kids!

Well, I've already gone Pinterest crazy with tons of Christmas ideas for next year. We'll see how diligent I am in making my obsession with pinning into a reality. Till next time...

This is 30.

All I wanted for my 30th was a quiet night out eating good food. Nothing more, nothing less. The last time I had a meal without kids was in April for Daddy's birthday. It was nice to just sit down and not have to worry about someone wiping avocado gunk on me and saying "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!!!". (oh the joys of parenthood...)

Apparently, the way to my heart is through (delicious) food.

 Harry & David pears delivered to my doorstep

 Friday family celebration @ Pacific Catch

 Poon family celebration @ Lei Garden

 Besides an extremely generous gift card, my Brudders also surprised me with a heartwarming card (and a sushi AYCE dinner)

Kaiseki dinner with husband (no kids!!!!)

 What we were doing after each dish came out

 Why I asked for a picture with no food in front of us? I don't know...

Homeboy took me out to Sweet 'tatoes the following night!

I am 30. A decade ago, I never would have predicted that I would have two children before I turned 30. I must be getting old if my perfect night simply consists of quietness and good food with no children (no offense, kids). One thing I realized: the older I get, the less friends I keep in touch with (and my closer friends are fellow Moms). Oh well. You also learn how important your family is to you (even your annoying kid brother who eventually grew up).

Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I am planning on pulling off a fabulous dinner! Stay tuned.

Advent Week 3

Christmas... Jesus' birthday, is only a couple days away! As it's nearing, I'll have to admit that I'm slowly procrastinating and getting lazy with finishing the Advent activities. But, MUST. FINISH. STRONG.

 

Day 15: Drink apple cider

 Day 16: Make (and eat) a smore

  Day 17: Open a special present

 Day 18: Make a gingerbread house (have to improve structure for next year)

 Day 19: Decorate a paper gingerbread house (not a hit)

Day 20: Decorate Daddy's gift

Day 21: Celebrate Mommy's birthday (cop out activity, I know)

My Funny Boy

 I frequently check his school's FB page for picture updates. I came upon this funny caption - "Week 15: Decorating Birthday Boxes for Jesus. When asked what a child wanted to give Jesus for His birthday, the child answered "chocolate cake and mac and cheese!" Yup, guess who the child is.

We (by we, I mean Daddy) deemed this week "Mommy's birthday week". With the help of his father, Lucas thought it'll be a good idea to go to Sweet Tomatoes on Sunday for a birthday dinner. 

Me: Lucas, do you want to go to Sweet Tomatoes for Mommy's birthday on Sunday?

L: Mommy and Jesus birthday Sweet Tomatoes!

Yup, Mommy is going to share her birthday with Jesus.

Double Digits, Little Lady!

This past Saturday, our little lady turned 10 months old! I can't believe we reached 10 months so quickly (it was a long, hard road in the beginning). This month, little homegirl started crawling, which means she's getting into everything! Lucas is no longer the trouble maker in the family... Charlotte is! We like to call her the "escape artist" since she likes to crawl to places she's not supposed to (mainly playing with cords by the computer and the kitchen). 

Her personality is definitely starting to show. And she definitely reminds me of her troublemaker brother when he was her age. Now that Lucas is old enough to know what he's not allowed to touch, we have to start all over with Charlotte. The fun never ends

. 

Char's getting more fun nowadays, but she does have her moments where she's keeping us up all night. Leading up to her 10 month birthday, three teeth have emerged from her tiny mouth. With each tooth comes a long night of crying, cuddling, and refusing to sleep. 

One of the things she's kept constant is her love and adoration for big bro. In case you missed it, read this previous post about my favorite BFFs!

 This tiny lady can eat!

 She's also quite the explorer (at home)

 Little pumpkin head

 Happy little foodie cheesing it

 Cheesing on her new chair

 Sleeping in the weirdest positions nowadays

 Shinn girls

Always all smiles around big bro

 Climbing on things and getting into trouble

 Happy 10 months little lady!

Advent Week 2

The countdown continues! For some reason, I was feeling a bit crafty when putting together week 2, so Lucas did a special craft project half of the time this week. Upon doing this, I realized that he is really into crafting nowadays. Now I know what kind of special projects we can do together in the future! Unfortunately, Charlotte is interested in pretty much whatever we do, and it's tough having to exclude her from paints and crayons (nom nom nom). 

 Day 8: Bake cookies (Mommy don't bake, some TJ's cookie dough will do)

 Day 9: Open special present

How can you not smile at his reaction to this present?!

 Day 10: Decorate a Christmas tree (currently hanging in Daddy's office!)

 Day 11: Decorating a snowman with paint

 Day 12: Decorate an ornament and hang it on the tree

 Day 13: Christmas in the Park (a family tradition)!

Day 14: Bath tub fun!

Oh Shinn kids...

Since Lucas has so much fun with these special activities, I am definitely more motivated to start some of my queued Pinterest activities with him. So there you have it, a New Year's resolution; have at least one special project per week (and try to think of something special for Char as well).

House of Crazies

For those who wonderful what happens in the comfort of our home...

No extra sugar... just his regular self

The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree

And now, it's Friday (and we're ready for the weekend!). 

Best Friends

... do EVERYTHING together! When you have two kids who are very close in age, it's almost inevitable that they will most likely do everything together (mainly what the older one's doing). It's one thing to force them to do everything together, but when they choose to do it together, that's when you know you just birthed BFFs!

 Lil sissy loves him!

 Princess toys? What's that?!

 Hey bro, even our socks match!

 Lucas stealing his sister's snacks

 Big bro reads, little sis follows

 BFFs have matching chairs

 A Charlie Brown Christmas

 Total adoration for each other

 Sissy just wants to be near big bro

Yup, she loves him

Don't get me wrong, these kids are great... BUT, they can also be a handful! One day, I will work up the energy to have a vent session about Thing 1 and Thing 2. As for now, all is calm as both are FINALLY sleeping after playing for 1.5 hours in their room.

Typical "nap"