Browse Category: family

Christmas Eve at Disneyland

IMG_9073We went to Disneyland on Christmas Eve to continue the tradition and it was a beautiful 75-80 degrees outside.  The crowds were manageable and we got some photos with the chipmunks without having to wait in line!

IMG_8090 We also rode a good number of rides without a lot of waiting thanks to FastPasses and teamwork.

IMG_8107Jes and I were pretty pumped to get the front row on Space Mountain.  IMG_8108It’s still a really fun (and fast) ride that made our eyes tear from all the wind!

IMG_8097There were plenty of hijinks and non-kid time thanks to the grandparents.

IMG_8105They often stayed with the kids while we went on the faster rides.

IMG_8059The babies also got to ride a few rides including The Jingle Cruise.

DSC_4140Kumquat rode Dumbo in the morning and seemed ok with it.

IMG_8057Waiting in line with Kumquat was not as bad as I thought it would be and she had a lot of fun climbing stairs and holding the rails.

IMG_8051It was Alice’s first trip to Disneyland and the cousins wore matching tops.  So cute!

DSC_4116Here’s a family photo with Santa.  Alice slept right through the photoshoot.

IMG_8085The two managed to nap rather well during the day and Kumquat ate better than I expected.

IMG_8082Instead of corn dogs and chicken nuggets, their kid’s meal had broccoli and whole wheat pasta!  Awesome.

IMG_2666IMG_8061Jesse bought me a tasty churro and Disneyland still makes the best churros in the world.

52146780001We spent equal time in Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure.  Luckily, Mommy knew someone who was able to hook us up with discounted Park Hopper tickets.

DSC_4188Our last ride was It’s a Small World and I simply love how they decorate it for Christmas.  IMG_8129They also feature Disney characters within their respective regions.  Here is my favorite one with Lilo and Stitch in Hawaii.

DSC_4211Disneyland at night is always so magical but it’s even more so during Christmas.  The castle is the best part.  IMG_8138So pretty…

DSC_4178We stayed up to watch the fireworks and snow at the end of the night and we all had such a fun day together as a family.IMG_2700

Here’s to family traditions!

Early Christmas

IMG_7913On Sunday morning, Brother and Joy came over and I got to snuggle Alice for a bit.  She’s grown so much since Thanksgiving and has gotten some cheeks on her now.

IMG_7981In the evening, Brother came back from his lunch party and Mommy cooked us ox-tail soup and Kao Mun Gai (chicken rice).

IMG_7982What a feast!!

IMG_7974Afterward, Brother couldn’t help bust out all the gifts so we exchanged presents a little early.  Here is the peanut shirt I bought for Alice.  Heh heh – peanut.

IMG_7980Jesse got a shirt based off the “Soft Kitty” song from the show Big Bang Theory.

IMG_7978Kumquat got a sweatshirt from my mom and she paraded around the room with it.  Funny girl.

IMG_7939My present from my mom came earlier in the day.  She ordered a 25-piece box of Sakoo Sai Moo and it was delicious!!

Andrew!

DSC_4052My cousin Andrew is on a little break before starting the CRNA program at Duke so he came out to California to visit all his cousins.  I hadn’t seen him in over 10 years! IMG_7594 He went to see Ishya and the twins yesterday and this morning Uncle Sak drove him up to visit us!  DSC_4053We took a leisurely walk down to the Ferry Building for brunch and Andrew got to snap some photos.

His next stop will be SoCal where he’ll be visiting my parents, Brother, and Pish.  Good times…

Christmas Party 2013

The last time Jes and I threw a Christmas Party was back in 2006 when we lived in Irvine.  It was before any of us had kids and some of us weren’t even married yet.  On Saturday, we threw a party and it was almost like a reunion for some people.  It was just nice to have a lot of the same people all together again under one roof.  DSC_4043We reserved the Clubroom and we had a decent showing of 17 adults and 9 kids!  My oh my!  I remember back when our parties consisted of at least 25 adults and maybe 4 dogs.

IMG_7559Anyway, the day started with a little drama.  Jes started the prime rib at 11:30 thinking it would take 7 hours to finish.  There was smoke all up in the house because it was turned up to 500 degrees (nothing bad happened) and the roast finished by 2:30!

DSC_4040 So, in a panic, we went to Plan B and decided to make prime rib sandwiches with horseradish aioli, onion relish, and arugula instead of serving slices with sides.  It turned out just fine and the meat was perfectly medium rare.  Yum.

IMG_7565DSC_4022We had a kid-friendly menu and activities also prepared and they had a fun time together.

DSC_4035 IMG_7582The adults also had a little game to play – we set up a blind wine tasting of cheap and more expensive red wines.

IMG_7575 By the end, everyone was pretty rowdy.  Check out the Reese and Jack Team vs. Uncle Jimmy. IMG_7588

DSC_4050Keenan almost stole a kiss from Zoe until Uncle Victor spooked her.

IMG_7578I’m so glad the timing worked out for everyone.  It’s rare that we all have a free Saturday to hang out all together nowadays.  What a great way to kick off the Christmas season!!

One Month!

DSC_3936Baby Alice is one month old today!  Coincidentally, we planned to have dim sum at Yank Sing this morning, which is where we celebrated Kumquat’s one month!  IMG_8955Alice slept through out meal but woke up at the end for her to placed in the baby carrier for the first time.     IMG_8957

Happy One Month, Alice!!  And congratulations to Brother and Joy for surviving your first month.  You’re both doing a wonderful job!!!  It gets better from here on out.

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It’s still weird to think that Brother and I each have one kid.  I can still remember Brother at their ages.  I guess we all have to grow up eventually.

Black Friday

IMG_7371 1On Friday morning, Brother and I got up really early to go for another run.  IMG_7373 1It was nice to be out before the sun came up.  We finished three miles in time to then hop into the car and head over to Tartine.

IMG_7374 1 This is our version of standing in line for Black Friday.

IMG_7378 1We got there about 15 minutes before the doors opened and left with a butter crossaint, pan du chocolat, coconut macaroons, 2 morning buns, two slices of ham and cheese quiche, and a chocolate hazelnut tart.

IMG_7385 1Later that morning, we all packed up for a walk along Embarcadero to Hog Island Oyster Co.  There was a bit of a wait but it was just enough for us to to enjoy a glass of wine and to build up an appetite.  IMG_7398They gave us a big table for all 8 of us and we feasted on oysters and clam chowder. IMG_7402IMG_7403 1

What a tasty meal!!  Once that was all done, we took a walk to Union Square to do a little shopping.

IMG_8545Brother went back to Uniqlo to exchange something while Jes and I went to the Apple Store to get me a brand new Macbook Pro, which came with a $150 Apple Store gift card!!  Woot!  Merry Christmas to me!

DSC_4000 DSC_4005The afternoon was then spent at home resting and cleaning up.  Kumquat enjoyed hanging out with Cousin Alice and it was so cute to see how curious she is around her.

IMG_8948For dinner, we all piled into the SUV that Brother rented and went to R&G Lounge for some salt and pepper crab.  Daddy really enjoyed the crab and we were all wondering why we hadn’t yet taken him there after all these years.