SF Vacay

It seems a bit silly, right? Why did we book a hotel in SSF when we're from SJ? First of all, the kids absolutely LOVE vacation (vacation means living in a hotel and being away from home). Secondly, we're creating family memories at an early age!

We wanted to start our vacation off right! Lunch at ChikFilA it is! We also wanted to try their free coffee (which ends at the end of February). Verdict: not a fan, going back to McDonalds!

 Happy happy children

 Baby girl's getting real good at smiling during selfies

We really like staying at the Embassy Suites because of the separated rooms, free breakfast, and happy hour. The kids love staying at hotels in general because of their free TV time (TV is a luxury in our household) and their late(r) bedtimes. On this trip, the kids discovered something called "Gumball" on TV. So of course Daddy took it upon himself to download a few episodes once we got home so they can watch it on their iPads.

Little toddlers living the life

 Sugary cereal? Yes, please!

 Koi and turtle pond

 Daddy/daughter pic

Did you know there's a free shuttle from Embassy Suites to Union Square? Besides the extremely bumpy ride, this was pretty awesome! We went on a cable car to get to Fisherman's Wharf, but since it was so crowded and the kids were getting grumpy, I didn't get a chance to take my typical tourist-y pictures.

 Codmother ("in COD we trust")

 Something in the water was more interesting than taking a picture

 Lucas's highlight: seal lions!

 Why, hello Grumpy Bear

 

 Hello, Leo!

 p/o-ed on cable car

 Father/son selfie before heading back to the hotel

 Passed out lady (she's getting heavy!)

This lady ate non-stop the entire trip!

... and now it's Sunday evening. I have meal planning to do for the week, some papers to grade, and lunches to pack as we all go back to our normal routine of work and school. I can't wait till Spring Break!

Ski Weekend

Apparently, Ski Week is a South Bay Area kind of thing. As a teacher, I am definitely not complaining... even though this has been an extremely busy weekend/week in general! (You probably notice that I'm posting nearly once a day versus my usual once a week, too!)

 Early CNY dinner

This happened right after Char's party. I was busy cleaning the house that I didn't realize it was nearly 3. Dan told me that Char was pretty much falling asleep while getting her diaper changed. So in five minutes, I gathered everything we needed for the night, rushed in the car, and we drove up to San Bruno. The next day, after church, we drove up to Dixon for a cousin's birthday party.

 Pit stop at JBF... our kids are huge fans!

 Cheesin' Charlee

 Lucas loves anything cars

 Char loves to get in on the action

 Playing at Playland

As you can see, Lucas ran towards the train table first and Char was at the dress up/tea table. As mentioned before, these kids are as different as can be. One is a total boy and the other is a total girlie girl. Although, don't be surprised if you see Lucas wearing a tutu at our friend's house every Wednesday night.

 More tea please

 Cutest fire chief ever

 Boy loves his cake

 Sorta cousins pic with two non-cousins at the ends

Kiddos wanted to sit at their special table for CNY dinner

And that was this past weekend! Happy CNY Eve to all my Chinese friends out there. Tomorrow, we pack our bags again and go on a family adventure to SF. I'm so tired right now...

24 Hour Eat-away

After Char's birthday and all the crazy driving we did that night and Sunday (more to come on the blog at a later time), we drove up to Sonoma for a 24-hour getaway without the kids. During this 24 hour span, we started with a delicious sushi lunch in Berkeley, spa time at the Fairmont in Sonoma, The Girl and The Fig, a delicious chocolate souffle at Sante, a $70 (complimentary) breakfast, lunch at San Tung, and milk tea before heading back home. Am I sick of food? Yes... a bit. It was a very quick 24 hour getaway but a nice one to just be away from the cray cray children.

 Lunch - sushi sampler

 Chirashi sushi

 The Girl and The Fig

 Souffle for two and drip coffee for two

Goodbye Sonoma

Now it's back to reality with tons of laundry to wash/clean/fold and two rascals to tend to. Why did I come back more tired than when I left?

... and she's TWO!

Charlotte is TWO! My little Valentine is TWO years old! Unbelievable! How did this little lady grow up so quickly?!

 Her cheese smile (big bro did the same thing at her age)

 A much cuter lopsided head smile

Char's personality has definitely come out this past year. Not only has she started to not look like her brother, she's also the exact opposite of him.  I'm not comparing or anything, BUT... Lucas is extremely independent whereas Charlotte is very clingy. Lucas is a typical boy and Charlotte is a typical girl. Lucas is more books smart and Char is more streets smart. However, she is just as loveable as her big bro.

There are times where she drives me crazy, but she makes up for it with her super sweet voice and her adorable smile. And trust me, she definitely knows how to milk her cuteness nowadays. Char falls asleep in her own room (bed, floor, castle, whatever) but always ends up in our bed in the middle of the night. She is in love with her baby Coocoogaga and all things pink. She is very opinionated and loves to play with girlie things. She loves to hang out with her brother and pick on him too (very typical love/hate relationship with her bro). She is also in love with Frozen. Borderline obsessed if you ask me.

 Hence a Frozen party

She's too young to realize it now, but she lives a very blessed life. I say this because she is very much loved and is super healthy. She has never really gotten sick her entire life! I've been following someone's IG where their daughter was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma (worst form of cancer for a child) at 19 months. She recently went to heaven a few days before Char's birthday. It was crazy to see her transformation within a year. I also can't imagine the pain that Mom is going through either.

I've also been following a blog where a Chinese girl was adopted by a Caucasian family. This girl was 2.5 years old when adopted and recently started her new life in Texas this January. During her first 2.5 years of life, she lived in an orphanage where there's no one to hug or comfort her in the middle of the night. (I love snuggling with my daughter! And that's probably why I allow her to come sleep with us in the middle of the night.) She didn't experience love from her parents till she was 2.5 years old! Char was loved from the start and even before she was born.

Anyway, we celebrated her actual birthday this Saturday with her cousins and immediate family. As always, I ended up spending a little more than expected. Whoops!

 Making their crowns

 Birthday girl did not want to be in this pic with her cousins

 Char completed this family 2 years ago

 Oh happy day!

 Cousins + cake

Char opened some of her presents after most of our guests left. It looks like Coocoogaga has a sibling! Meet Deedee!

Big bro also = Little Mommy

And that was her party! Yay to ski week!

Rainy Weekend

Lots of rain? Not a prob! We started off our Saturday going to an awesome Cars party. The DIY crafty was so impressive that it motivated me to get started on Char's Frozen party this upcoming Saturday.

Nice Cars decor

Kids' DIY pizza

Char contemplating whether to sample some of her cheese

DONE!

Hot pot on a rainy Saturday night

 Family movie night in Mom & Dad's bed

Hah! The rain doesnt scare them. There's plenty of toys and other things to do when it's too wet to be outside! Below is what's been happening practically every night after dinner.

 Lucas spends a good hour building very symmetrical Lego figures

And Char... well, I really don't know what she's doing...

Well, it looks like the rainy weekend is over. I see sunny skies the rest of the week! Thank goodness, since there's going to be a jump house for someone's birthday on Saturday.

Rambling Momma Shinnanigans

I had intended to have a hump day update. And then life (work... kids... home work/life/kids) got in the way and it's going to be Friday tomorrow! Woohoo! That just means there's only SIX days left till winter break! Anyway...

 Lu and I braving the Yogurtland line for free froyo on Monday

Verdict: NOT worth it! I would rather pay my usual $5 for both of us and be in and out in a jippy! Time is money!

 Lu is self teaching himself how to add and Char's just copying

 Mommy's Lego Lucas (which he LOVES!)

 What my desk will look like till Feb. 14

This is what prepping for Char's birthday looks like. I have a list of things to do each day to prep for Char's party so I won't get overwhelmed a couple days before the party. So far, I'm right on schedule! But now I have no look through ALL my Pinterest stuff to look at the Frozen stuff I really like. I hope this girl appreciates her party!

Thursday morning bedhead

Both kids don't seem to be feeling well. Char went down at 7 and Lu requested to be in bed before 8! This is kinda nice, but I hope they're both well enough to go to school tomorrow AND not be sick over the weekend. And now I'm going to slave away on a little girl's Frozen birthday party.