Browse Category: outings

Baby Sabrina

IMG_4200Last night after work, I drove up to Walnut Creek to visit Mai and her 2-week-old baby girl Sabrina.

DSC_6203DSC_6179I tried to get some portraits taken but she was either sleeping or fussing.

DSC_6185Mai looks great and has been adjusting to motherhood so gracefully.

IMG_4192It was also fun to have Ranee and her girls there.  Avia is 9 months now and just started crawling.

IMG_4206Our little group of babies from work is certainly growing and so much fun to watch through their milestones.

Congratulations to Mai and Dennis!!

Lunar New Year

IMG_2792We had a late celebration this year with the usual animals.  We met up with the Bangs and Sokol-Juns at Yank Sing on Sunday for some dim sum and catching up.  It’s fun seeing all 5 kids interact with each other nowadays.  Mei-mei follows KK around.  Rowan follows Jack around.  Reese plays with everyone.

IMG_2773Jack tried chicken feet for the first time and needed a little practice with separating the meat from the bones.

IMG_2775It was nice to have place where the grown-ups could have a good meal together while the kids had a place to roam and be kids.  We were seated out in the atrium where their noises blended in with everything else.

IMG_2797Happy Year of the Ram!  Next year, Peanut will be added to this photo.

Still got it.

IMG_2015This morning, I went for a solo run.  I didn’t know how far I would be able to go since I had only been running with the stroller this past month.  On my way down toward the Ferry Building, the sun was rising.

IMG_2010I got a very cool view of the sun coming up as I went under the bridge and caught a few photos of the bay.  You can click the panaramic photo to get the full size.

IMG_2012I ran most of the way and finished 3 miles in 37 minutes.  Yes, it’s a snail’s pace but I finished and didn’t feel too bad considering I’m 13 weeks preggo.  For some reason, running doesn’t bother my bladder so much this time around.  I remember running with KK and felt like I had to pee the whole way.  Anyway, I’m happy to know that I can still run comfortably.  I also know now that I need a fat nap afterward because that’s what I did a couple hours later – fell asleep around 10 and didn’t wake up until after 12.

Happy New Year!

DSC_6085Is it really 2015 already?!  Jes and I were just talking about how it’s been 15 years since we rang in the new millennium in Las Vegas.  This year, we decided to go out for NYE.  We didn’t go to a party or get wasted but instead we walked down to the Embarcadero where they were going to have a fireworks show over the water.

IMG_1483We got there a little after 10 and set-up camp on the grass.

IMG_1481KK was bundled up and asleep by the time we got settled and the crowd wasn’t too bad.  The weather was milder than I expected, which was good since we had to sit out there for over an hour.

DSC_6096When midnight arrived, the fireworks went off and lasted a good 15 minutes.

DSC_6098I thought it was actually better than the July 4th show and it’s much closer to our house!  DSC_6086DSC_6088We had an unobstructed view of the water and the Bay Lights on the bridge gave it a nice backdrop.

Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Eve and Disneyland 2014

DSC_5892For the third year in a row, we went to Disneyland with the family.  This is a fun tradition that just keeps getting better every year.  I grew up going to Disneyland multiple times a year and both Brother and I worked there.  Despite that, it never seems to get old and it seems even more fun now through the eyes of our kids.IMG_1025As usual, we got up early and opened some presents.  My brother had a giant photo of Koa printed on wood for my parents.  Aaawww…we all still miss him.

IMG_1291Once we arrived at Disneyland, the tram, ticket line, and getting into Disney’s California Adventure were easy.  Our first stop was to get a FastPass for the Elsa and Anna Meet and Greet.

IMG_1062Then we headed out to Cars Land for a fun ride on the racers.  IMG_1064IMG_1063The single-rider line was empty so we all hopped on quickly and still ended up in the same cars together and racing against each other.

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For a tasty snack, we headed over to the Cozy Cone.  IMG_1060We shared a pretzel bread cone filled with chili, cheese, and Fritos (of course!).IMG_1061

It’s one of my favorite treats at DCA and big enough to share.

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At Bugs Land, we rode this funny caterpillar ride that takes you through a giant watermelon and animal cracker box.  They both had yummy smells inside.

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I like how Little Alice can barely see out of the car in this picture.IMG_1336

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The best part of being at Disneyland together is that we get to watch KK and Alice interact.  KK is starting to understand what it’s like to be the big kid and held Alice’s hand down the street.DSC_5896 DSC_5939

Alice just wanted to do everything KK did.  SO cute.

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What’s not surprising is that when it came time to meet all of KK’s favorite characters that she shied away.  This was the best photo we could get of her with them.  What’s funny is that as soon as we got out of the room, she said “I want Elsa and Anna”.  *sigh*

DSC_5871She also was not a fan of Santa again.  Oh well.

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For lunch, we feasted on fried chicken, green beans, and mashed potato.

IMG_1427Both kids ate very well.

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On Main Street, everything was decorated for Christmas – including the castle.DSC_5935

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KK also said “hello” to Chip and Dale.

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During nap time, we rode the newly refurbished Thunder Mountain.  Not much was changed aside from the addition of more explosions inside.

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The carousel was a hit for everyone.  Alice especially enjoyed it and cried when the ride was all done.

IMG_1084On the Casey Jr. Ride, we passed by the new tiny model of Arendelle.

DSC_6005Ever since I was a kid, a big part of our day at Disneyland is scoping out the perfect spot to watch the parade.  This year was no different and Brother came prepared with a blanket to sit on this year.  We all took turns sitting around while the others wandered around.  The kids loved hanging around on the street and KK had fun dancing and twirling in the street before the parade started.  You’ll see it at the end of the video below.

DSC_6011The best part of Christmas Time at Disneyland are all the extra twinkle lights around the park.IMG_1514The Christmas Parade is also a favorite – even for Jesse. 🙂IMG_1123Here is “It’s a Small World” all lit up.  It’s pretty gawdy but so cool at the same time.IMG_1131They also have all the dolls and scenery decorated for the holiday season.

IMG_1132We also stayed long enough to watch the fireworks and snow.

IMG_1136This part gets me all choked up every year.  I know, I’m dumb.

familyWhat a fun day at the “Happiest Place on Earth”.  I hope we can keep this tradition going.

http://youtu.be/0m4nCmtR4fc
Here’s a video that Brother put together from the day.  We had a blast – oh, and so did the kids. Heh heh.

Rainy Week

IMG_0553It’s been raining since last weekend and has been such a nice change.  Fortunately, it seems to rain most at night while we’re sleeping and during the middle of the day while I’m indoors at work.  The commute has been relatively easy and I have no complaints.  On Thursday, the rain stopped for a bit and I was able to go outside for a solo run for the first time in about a month.  There was a full moon that night, which made it an even more pleasant run.

IMG_0596On Friday evening, we thought the rain had stopped for a while but as we were out at Union Square, it started to rain again.  I still got to see the tree lit up and there were lots of people still on the ice rink.

IMG_0586Before heading home, we went all the way up to the top floor of macy’s to get a better view of the tree and rink from The Cheesecake Factory bar area (we were standing behind the “m” on the macy’s sign.  Christmastime in SF is really pretty.