NYE

This post should've been written before the previous post, but oh well! Long gone are those NYE invites where we stay up watching Ryan Seacrest (is he still the one doing the countdown?) host NYE's at Times Square. Instead, with two children in tow, we spent NYE in Monterey... at Monterey Bay Aquarium! Yup, this is how we roll now.

The last time we came here, Lucas was only 9 months old. Right now Charlotte is 10 months old! We went with the other Shinn cousins and it looks like all four kids had fun. I never grew up with any cousins or family around, so it's pretty neat seeing these kids grow up together. Lucas loves his cousin Lo Lo and was super excited when we were driving there.

He had more fun than his non-smile shows

 Char loved the water bed

 "PENGUINS! PENGUINS! Hi Penguin!"

 Comparison pic to see how small Char is

 Two youngest cousins

Cute little clams

2.5, 4, 2014

The boy turned 2.5 years old today. We have been married for 4 years today. And it's 2014! My how time flies!

When I told Lucas he turned 2 1/2 years old, he immediately sang "Happy Birthday" to himself. What a ham! He told me he likes vanilla cake (so unless things change, Daddy will be baking vanilla cupcakes for his birthday this year). This boy talks like crazy and I can comprehend 90% of what he's saying. He's a pretty good kid overall and usually only acts up when he's hungry (like his mother). He is able to tolerate his sister touching his stuff and bothering him when he plays Angry Birds Star Wars. Speaking of that, his current #1 obsession is Angry Birds Star Wars. Cars is still following as a close second. When he sees something he wants at the store, he tells Mommy "I bring it home". Yes, he is very commanding. He also told me it's time to go grocery shopping today when I told him we had no fruits at home and Charlotte has no yogurt. Yes, little boss man!

 

 My toddler boss

Protective big bro watching over his super petite sissy-poo

 Besties

 Besties take 2

 Daddy's not happy Mommy ordered Lu his own drink at Verde

Mommy's not happy Daddy got Lu these fobby animal stickers to put all over his room (he loves them though, and is proudly taking pictures of what he did "all by myself")

Four years ago, the husband and I become a family of two. Life was nice back then. Lazy Saturday mornings existed, we ate at new restaurants all the time, we lived in Mountain View... Then an accident happened and a few years later, we became a family of four! Saturday mornings now start at 7:30, we only go to family friendly restaurants and reside in an area where we never thought we'd be. As crazy and unpredictable as everything is, it's also a life we love. It's not the most relaxing life, but it's our life. 

A younger, skinnier us

And now it's 2014! My baby girl is turning 1 next month and is as mobile as ever. Happy New Year everybody!

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!