We had little party for Ranee who is expecting Baby #2 next month.
Lucy, our lovely hostess, prepared a bunch of yummy cocktails and we all pitched in on food, which is what we do best.
The little girls got to play and even little Henry joined in on the fun.
As with any baby party, there were cupcakes, gifts, and games.
Can’t wait to meet your little cupcake, Ranee!!
We went to Jimmy and Eleen’s to celebrate his birthday today. It’s crazy how it’s become a kidfest nowadays.
Zoe was scared of the kids but had a good time hanging out with Jes this afternoon.
They had Hawaiian food and two fancy cakes for the birthday boy.
We also made Jimmy do his birthday push-ups but didn’t quite make it to 39.
Happy Birthday, Jimmy!
Day One: Wednesday 4/23
Boy oh boy…where do I begin? We went to Hawaii for our annual trip and it was one of the best ones yet. I can’t decide if it’s because we stayed longer than just 2 or 3 nights or if it was the additional company we had or maybe it was because Kumquat is the ripe old age of 2 and understood so much more. Maybe it’s a combination of all of those things. Regardless, it was really fun family vacation for the three of us.
We flew on Hawaiian Airlines (our usual) on Wednesday (4/23) and stayed in the Sheraton Waikiki this time. The flight went pretty well with the exception of when we were boarding the plane with a toddler who was screaming and refusing to walk and a husband who was on a conference call and couldn’t help.
Once we were all settled, the rest of the flight was just fine. 
I loved that Kumquat had her own seat and I came well-equipped with food, toys, and the iPad loaded with new apps and videos for her.
Oh, I guess there were two other eventful things that happened on our journey to Hawaii that day:
1) Kumquat puked in the car on the way to the airport (gross) and 
2) I spilled half a glass of mimosa all over my lap and didn’t have a change of clothing (stupid).
The Lams joined us on the flight, which made it an even more interesting flight. I think they had it pretty rough considering they were flying with an 18-month-old who didn’t want to nap and a 3-month-old who had to be held the entire time.
Luckily, they did get a moment of respite when Keenan finally fell asleep. They were exhausted that afternoon when we arrived in Honolulu.
Instead of renting a car for the week, I made arrangements for Roberts Hawaii to pick us up. It was great, they greet you at luggage claim, take your bags, and whisk you away to your hotel lickety split. Kumquat especially enjoyed the bus ride and Jes took a nap.
When we arrived, Dayantha and Krissy were out front and we we went to have lunch at Ramen Nakamura. 
We were all starving and Kumquat thoroughly enjoyed her cup of ice water with a spoon. I guess she was pretty hot too. 
Here’s my kimchee miso ramen with a side of fried rice. The ice-cold beer from the ABC Store threw it over the top for our first meal on the island.
The rest of the day was spent at the pool. Jes took his usual monster-long after-flying-to-Hawaii nap while Kumquat and I met up with the Fernandos. It’s fun having other friends in the same hotel – especially when they’re able to be an additional set of eyes on a constantly-moving toddler in a pool. Fortunately, she liked the pool and having the 1/2-foot wading area was perfect for her. The pool at the Sheraton is definitely a +1 over Moana Surfrider.
I also took Kumquat to say “hello” to Mr. Ocean. She was not a fan. This was the only time she was calm enough to stand on the sand. It was at the farthest point from the water by the wall adjacent to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Otherwise, it was all tears and clinging on like a koala.
Dinner was at Duke’s and we stayed longer for drinks. I got my first order of poke and it came with furikake rice. Nice touch, Duke’s.
Yoon came by after another social function and we were lucky to have a kid that sleeps well in a noisy restaurant.
Thank goodness for our stroller. This girl was knocked out.
Since Humphry Slocombe opened in the Ferry Plaza, it was the perfect opportunity for the girls to meet up with me for a Saturday morning food crawl. 
Ranee and Stephanie brought their families over from Walnut Creek and we had quite a feast.
It started out with Roli Roti. You can never go wrong with starting your day with a porchetta sandwich.
Next stop was Blue Bottle for some coffee and a piping-hot waffle straight out of the griddle.
The best part of the morning was the ice cream. I love this photo of the two toddlers begging their daddies for ice cream. Their techniques are very similar and very effective.
Kumquat also received this cute bunch of tulips from someone promoting a flower service in SF.
What a fun morning. We did all that eating in about 2 hours before we had to part ways and Kumquat fell asleep for a 2-hour nap. Let’s do this again soon, Ladies!!
My day started slowly as I was trying to muster any energy I had left from being sleep-deprived from a month-long struggle with a toddler who won’t sleep through the night. At 11:00, I got a text from Teresa to see if I was free for lunch today. We met up at the deli at 12 and had a quiet little lunch at the deli and I got to hold little Henry while we ate. Ah…it’s nice to snuggle with a little baby in the middle of the work day. It really calms and energizes the soul at the same time. Thanks, T. I really needed that. This is the selfie we took together while his mommy was getting her lunch.
On Sunday, I had a playdate with my friends while Kumquat had a playdate with hers. It started out with dim sum in the morning at East Ocean. Vivian played peek-a-boo with me across the table all morning and she was a riot. It’s so funny how at 9 months, she can already let me know that she’s not done playing and that she needs to be the center of attention. Any time I looked away from our peek-a-boo game, she’d squawk across the table to get my attention. As soon as I’d look over, she’d give me a cute but very sly look. She also enjoyed some of the rice porridge that we ordered.
It was fun hanging out with the girls outside of work and I’m glad that Kumquat was able to spend more quality time with her aunties. I love this picture of her and Mai. Hilarious.
Here’s a picture of Kumquat and Vivian together. Their expressions are so funny. This is one of those photos that will need to be reenacted later when they’re older.
Afterward, I met up with Eleen and Zoe. They were already at the shopping center so it worked out great! I even got to stop by Eleen’s shop. I hadn’t been there since they moved locations. The girls got reacquainted while I shopped.
Later I let Kumquat out of the stroller and I loved watching her run free. It’s not everyday that she gets to run around outside like this without my having to worry about her getting hit by a car or bicycle. It sounds terrible but it reminded me of the days I used to take Koa to the dog park in Irvine.
It was such a nice sunny day. I tried to get a photo of Kumquat and Zoe together but Zoe wasn’t having it that afternoon. Oh well, we’ll have to try again next time.
Thanks to Mai, Stephanie, and Eleen for meeting up with us!
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