Browse Category: family

Disneyland

IMG_5127We went to Disneyland again this month since it’s our family tradition and it was the end of my family’s annual passes.  This year, we only went to Disneyland (and not CA Adventure), which was plenty for us.

IMG_5025We were smart to borrow Jason and Jia’s double stroller for this visit.  It was a real back saver.

IMG_5013We ventured up to Toon Town, which we hadn’t gone to in a very long time.  When we went to visit Mickey, memories of working there suddenly flooded my head (both good and bad).

IMG_5115The kids took their annual photo with Santa and Peanut was loving his comfy lap.  KK was still a little weary of the man in red but sat next to him and told him she wanted “Octonauts” for Christmas.

IMG_5125One of the best treats I’ve had there was this apple pie funnel cake that all 9 of us shared.

IMG_5054It was so much fun being there with the whole family and it never seems to get old – especially now that we have our own kids to relive the magic and fun.

IMG_0256What’s also nice about having the whole family there is that I actually get to ride some of the faster rides while the grandparents watch the kids.  They were like “mini dates” for us.  This is a photo of me and Jes waiting to board Star Tours.  Jes, the rebel, put his 3D glasses on before we were allowed to.IMG_5066We also rode Hyperspace Mountain with Brother and Joy.  Fun fun fun!

IMG_5110I also love the Christmas decorations all around the park.  Makes Disneyland even more special.

IMG_5095Looked like Peanut enjoyed all the lights and colors too.

IMG_5079Since it was Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration, they had these funny backdrops for us to take photos.  IMG_5289Too bad KK was sleeping because only Peanut made it into these pictures.  Pretty funny stuff.

IMG_5152After dinner, the rest of the family went home and we stayed until closing time.  It was fun taking KK on Dumbo and the rocket ships at night.

IMG_5153We also stayed for the fireworks and watched Fantasmic one last time before they closed it for the building of Star Wars Land.

IMG_5164We may or may not visit Disneyland next year if it’s not worth it.  I’m glad we went one more time this year.

So much to eat…

IMG_4403One the best things about Hawaii is the food!! In between trips to the pool and beach, we ate and ate.

IMG_4100Of course, we started the trip with Jes’ favorite ramen.  Interestingly, Kurt and Yoon suggested their favorite ramen place and Jes HAD to try it.

IMG_0215He had the tonkatsu ramen at Yotekko-Ya and he agreed. It was delicious.  He thinks it ranks at least #1 or #2 on his list now but he’s debating because their fried rice and gyoza are no good.

IMG_3979Our first meal in Hawaii was actually at Nico’s Fish Market.  It’s close to the freeway and on the way to Waikiki.  I love their furikake ahi and Jes substituted the salad for a mac salad for me. Yes!

IMG_4124One of my favorite breakfasts is the coconut waffle at Eggs ‘n Things.  I don’t know how many times I’ve had it or taken a photo of it but I just can’t help myself.  It’s like I just want to remember the yumminess forever.

IMG_4192For an early dinner, we went to Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin and I had the katsu-don, which also keeps really well for the next morning.  KK never stays awake for dinner here so she always gets this dish for breakfast the next day.

IMG_4276From Rainbow Drive-In, I had the loco moco.  KK loved it so much that she ate half of my plate.  I don’t blame her because it’s so tasty and comforting.

IMG_4302On this trip, I had a whole ‘lotta poke.  I guess i was making up for the last trip when I was pregnant.  One afternoon, we bought some poke and had a picnic in our hotel room.  KK ate her fair share of poke today.

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Since Leonard’s was down the street from Rainbow, we stopped to get 6 original sugar malasadas and then 6 filled malasadas: lilikoi, haupia, and chocolate.  IMG_4317We had plenty to share and the first one I ate was the haupia-filled one and split it with Ranee.  DE-lish!  Even Avia looked excited.

IMG_4374We always have at least one breakfast at McDonald’s.  Their Spam and eggs platter is always tasty – especially when you can have a fried haupia pie after. 🙂

IMG_4408On one of the days, we took Jason and Jia to North Shore for garlic shrimp.  I ate this whole plate all by myself. Don’t judge! KK actually gobbled up half of Jes’ plate after her peeled them all.  That’s my girl!

IMG_4424We also stopped at Matsumoto for some shave ice. We picked coconut, lilikoi, and pineapple today.IMG_4456We also made an impromptu stop at the Dole Plantation on our way back and KK scored a second treat that afternoon.  She loves Dole Whip as much as Mama.

IMG_4602At Yoon’s house, she served brunch including macnut pancakes and fried rice from Boots and Kimo’s.  YUM!IMG_4603She also picked up poke from The Hibachi.  Their hamachi poke was so good.

IMG_4552Back at Sheraton Waikiki, we had a few meals at their poolside bar.  As SPG members, kids eat free with a paid adult meal.  The kalua pork nachos and korean chicken wings were pretty good.  IMG_4687I also had the kimchee fried rice loco moco one afternoon and scored a free crudites platter for KK.

IMG_4695Of course, my favorite part of Hawaii is the refreshing mai tai.  I had quite a few and they taste even better when both of your kids are sleeping.

IMG_4288Also, as SPG members, we got to visit the GIFT store where you can take home whatever you can fit into their tiny paper bag.  Ranee and I raided the store and managed to stuff two full bottles of wine and a cooler bag into it.

IMG_4709I even balanced a little pretzel/peanut butter snack on top for good measure.  Haha.  We’re so ghetto but we followed the rules fair and square!

I love Hawaii.  I can’t wait to go back.

Oahu in December

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We were so lucky to be able to fly to Hawaii for a second time this year!! We went from December 7-14.  It was to celebrate the arrival of our baby boy and to finish off my maternity leave.  We did this with KK when she was born and I’m so glad we did it again.

IMG_3959The trip was kicked off with an empty plane and extra seat for Peanut.  Awesome.  Everyone did great.

IMG_4095We stayed at Sheraton Waikiki again and it was great.  What was even better was that Ranee and her family also booked the same days and hotel!!

IMG_4348THEN a few days before our trip, Jason and Jia decided to come along too!  What fun!

IMG_4756It was so nice to have someone to have Happy Hour with and extra grown-ups to keep an eyes on the little ones in the pool.

IMG_4593 No trip to Oahu would be complete without seeing our favorite Yoon.  She just bought a house in Kailua and she invited us over for lunch.Trevor is much bigger than he was when we first met him in March and he’s adorable.

IMG_4605He also took a special interest in Peanut.  So cute!

IMG_4220 As usual, I was up really early every morning with Peanut and KK was up pretty early too.  Luckily, there’s a beautiful sunrise to watch every morning and it was nice to just hang out by the infinity pool while it’s empty and quiet. IMG_4636We also met up with Ranee and Avia who were also up early and there was one morning that we walked to Marukame Udon to pick up some breakfast.  Yum…wish I could have udon every morning for breakfast.

IMG_4338One of the best things about this trip was that KK got to spend some fun beach and pool time with Sophie! They had a blast together and it was so sweet to see them having conversations and trying to share.

IMG_4149This trip was Peanut’s first trip and he experienced so many new things.  He loved chilling in the pool, which also helped nap during the day too. He was learning how to sit up and it was perfect for hanging out on the beach.  I love this photo.

IMG_4631One great thing about being in Hawaii in December is that they take Christmas very seriously there.  The decorations are off the hook everywhere you go.  This is the tree in the lobby of the Moana.

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We spent A LOT of time at the pool this trip and KK conquered some of her fears.  She was “swimming” around with her floatie on and went down the small slide all on her own.  She was still afraid of jumping in and was too scared to go down the big slide.  Regardless, we are so proud of how much she accomplished.

IMG_4774We had such a fun and memorable trip! I can’t wait to go again sooner than later.  Food post will follow.

Thanksgiving 2015

IMG_3608We stayed home all day on Thanksgiving Day and ate spaghetti for dinner.  Then on Saturday, after Jason and Jia returned from Seattle, we had our usual turkey feast.

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Even KK contributed by making the crescent rolls!  IMG_3625Peanut wanted some.

IMG_3627Jason and Jia brought their feeder seats and we had all the babies sitting with us at the table for dinner!

IMG_3618It probably lasted about 20 minutes before one of them needed to be held.

IMG_3610 IMG_3615The twins got to eat avocado too!  I bet Peanut was super jealous.

Lights and Kids

Boy, Light-up Night has really changed in so many ways.  Lightup2010It used to be a night of friends, cocktails, and hijinks. This is a photo from 2010 when Brother, Joy, and Mommy joined us.

IMG_3113Now it’s about wrangling kids, taking family photos, and getting home at a reasonable time to put everyone to bed.  Regardless, it’s still fun to be out there at the Embarcadero Center to see the buildings light up and watch the fireworks go off.  It’s my official kick-off to the holiday season since it always occurs the Friday before Thanksgiving.

IMG_3138This year, it was super convenient for me since KK’s school is just down the street from there.  What I’ve been used to is scrambling to get out of work on time, braving traffic across the bridge, parking the car at home, and then catching the train as quickly as I can to make it on time.  Last year, Jes was in France and this year was no different.  The difference for me was that I was lugging around TWO kids now.  I don’t know how those single moms do it!

IMG_3145This year, Ranee and Stephanie were on board and met up with us in time for the fireworks.

IMG_3067It was disappointing that the Hyatt did not have their usual lighting of the atrium but we still went over there to see the tree.

IMG_3144Get your fat pants, pumkin-spiced everything, and shopping lists out ‘cuz the holidays are here!

Our Week in Cerritos

IMG_2108The day after we returned to SF from Vancouver, I took the two kids back onto the plane for a trip to Southern California. Taking BART to Oakland Airport and then getting on an hour-long flight with the kids by myself was not as hard as I initially thought.  I packed light and it helped that we didn’t need to bring a stroller or carseats. We also scored an empty seat so we could spread out.

IMG_2152It was nice to have a full week at my parents’ house.  What’s even better is that Brother and Joy recently moved back there so it was great not having to coordinate when they were going to come over to hang out.  KK and Alice got some good play time together and it was fun to watch them interact.

IMG_2255One of the main reasons we went down was to celebrate Alice’s 2nd Birthday, which also happens to be on Halloween.  IMG_2213It was a costume party and the birthday girl was dressed as Boo from Monsters Inc.  Brother and Joy dressed up as Mike Wazowski and Celia Mae.

IMG_2244KK and Peanut dressed up as Batgirl and Robin this year.  I love Peanut’s expression in this photo.

IMG_2136 IMG_2140During our stay in SoCal, I got to catch up with some old friends.  One morning, we drove up to South Pasadena to visit Holly and to meet Sienna.

IMG_2490 IMG_2493 IMG_2495On another day, I was able to make a lunch date with Patti and Patty.  It was great catching up.

IMG_2452We also had lunch one day with Marie and her parents.  It crazy how much Cole and Brandon have grown.  IMG_2508It’s nice to have an extended time with the family.  We even had time to take the girls to Heritage Park to feed the ducks like I used to as a kid.