Browse Month: March 2015

Oahu: Day 3

Day Three: 3/7/14

IMG_3076On Saturday morning, we headed out to the Farmer’s Market at KCC.  It was already packed at 8:30 in the morning but we got through the crowd and ate some pretty good stuff.  We first wandered around and bought some fresh fruit to eat.

IMG_3082IMG_3073We also stopped at The Pig & The Lady stall for some Vietnamese food.  Brother had noodles and soup while I just had a bowl of their tasty broth. IMG_4108IMG_3087

Jes and I got fresh-squeezed lemonade from two competing stands.  Mine was cheaper and tasted better but he would argue for his.

IMG_3099Our last treat was a little something from Ono Pops.  I got Waialua Estate Mocha that basically tasted like a mud pie on a stick.  Brother got Kona Latte that tasted like Jamoca ice cream from Baskin-Robbins as well as the Lilikoi 50/50 that was like a creamscicle.  All were very good.

IMG_3104After the Farmer’s Market, we hung out at the hotel for a bit before heading out to Yoon’s condo.  She had prepared quite a feast for our little group and served it all in her clubroom by the pool.  They had chapchae, 3 kinds of poke, Chinese chicken salad, Portuguese sausage, and Kahlua pork.

IMG_2275We brought dessert from the Farmer’s Market –  pineapple lime pie and banana cream pie.

IMG_3103We all met little Trevor, who slept pretty much through lunch.  He’s a chunky little guy that Yoon says eats almost every hour.IMG_2277These two little rugrats hung out too and it was funny seeing KK mean-muggin’ Alice when she was peeling her mandarins.

IMG_3113It was so fun hanging out with Yoon – can’t believe she’s a Mommy now!  Some things may have changed but some things remain the same – like the classic headlock hug.

IMG_3120Thanks for having us over, Yoon!

IMG_4181In the evening, KK hung out with the family while Jes and I went out for dinner on our own.  The last time we were out by ourselves was probably last September for a wedding.

IMG_2289It looked like they all had a good time while we were away.

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For dinner, we went to Alan Wong’s.  The last time Jes and I had gone was back in 2000.  Crazy.  This was my appetizer: crab cake (substitute for the tuna tartar that was on the tasting menu) and a grilled cheese made with foie and kahlua pork.  It was on top of a parmesan cracker and cold tomato soup.IMG_3131

This was the butter-poached lobster.  It was so yummy – Jes’ favorite.IMG_3132

Next was the crusted fish.  My memory is so bad that I can’t remember what the actual fish was.  Regardless, it was delicious – especially the sauce underneath.  We also had a meat dish – short rib with gochuchang and a bowl of rice.  It was so tasty that I forgot to take a picture. 🙂

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Dessert was a haupia ice cream with a chocolate and coconut shell served with fresh fruit and lilikoi sauce.  So good but I couldn’t finish it.IMG_3137We also took a photo at the restaurant, which we never do anymore.  Cheers to a fun date night!  Thanks for watching KK, Family!

Oahu: Day 2

Day Two: 3/6/15

 

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Every trip to Hawaii always starts with waking up way too early because of the 2 or 3-hour time difference.

IMG_3916 IMG_3923We all me up at the beach to watch the sun rise and we got some photos of the grandparents and their kiddies.

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A trip to Hawaii also wouldn’t be complete without a good ol’ Local Platter at McDonald’s.  IMG_2969I love how you can get fresh pineapple with your breakfast.

IMG_3027After breakfast, we headed up to North Shore and had lunch at Giovanni’s.  I just LOVE the fried garlic on top of the rice.IMG_2980Jes got the spicy shrimp and it looked REALLY spicy.  Although it was super tasty, I think he was also longing for mine.

IMG_3991One cool thing we saw at the shrimp truck spot were a bunch of hens and their chicks running around.  KK has been singing a song in Spanish called “Los Pollitos” (little chicks) and now she was able to see them up close!  They were so cute.

IMG_2999The most logical stop after having garlic shrimp is Matsumoto Shave Ice!!  Duh!  Surprisingly, Brother had never gone before!!

IMG_4042Anyway, it turns out they had a big renovation and instead of a crowded, dark, hole-in-the-wall shop, it is now a happy-fresh place that has plenty of ventilation and a brand-new parking lot in the back.

IMG_3026 IMG_2211The funnest part of the trip was watching the two kids go to town on their special treat.  It was a big messy fiasco once it started melting and dripping but they had a blast.

IMG_3013 Brother and I enjoyed the fried apple pies that we picked up from McDonald’s on the way over.  IMG_3014Why is Hawaii the only place that still fries their pies?!  It was as tasty as I had remembered.  KK also had a taste and said, “I love it!”

DSC_6135Our last stop was Laniakea Beach and saw “Olive” snoozing on the beach.  KK kept yelling “It’s Crush!” and I just let her.  Why crush such an innocent spirit?

IMG_3031The rest of the day was spent at the pool.  It was a little too windy for all of us so we moved over to the beach.IMG_2221

It was really funny watching KK eating her ice cream cone with her hands covered in sand.  Both ice cream and sand were everywhere and she simply didn’t care.  When she was done and there was ice cream all over her hands, she just went into the sand to “wash” her hands and then started digging again.  IMG_3053Being a kid in Hawaii has to be the best thing ever.  This kid has no idea how lucky she is to have been there four times already before her 3rd birthday.

IMG_3067While Brother and Joy had their anniversary dinner at Azure, Jes and I went to Arancino for my uni spaghetti.  Once again, KK was sleeping in the stroller tucked under the table.

 

Oahu: Day 1

We’ve been back for almost a week now and I miss being in Hawaii already.  I’m thinking I have to plan our next trip now so that I have something to look forward to.  KK is also missing Hawaii and sometimes asks “are we going to Hawaii today?”  Makes me sad to say, “no, maybe later.”

Anyway, here’s a recap of our first day…

Day One: 3/5/15

IMG_2846We decided to take BART to the airport, which meant getting up at the butt-crack of dawn and heading out before the sun came up.  Luckily everyone was exited enough to be wide awake at 5 am and we were out the door in time to make it to the BART station for the 6:40 am train.  I’m also lucky that our kid loves to ride public transportation and was well-behaved on all our transfers and on the actual trains too.

IMG_2849At the airport, the lady allowed us to go through the priority check-in line, which was super short and fast.  They didn’t even check our milk!  That gave us lots of time for breakfast and a bloody mary for Jes.  He asked for the celery on the side for KK.

IMG_2868Our flight was a pretty typical flight to Hawaii.  It lasted a little over 5 hours and KK was a champ.  I attribute it mostly to the fact that we deprived her of Finding Nemo and Chip and Dale cartoons for the past month.

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She watched Finding Nemo twice through and even took a 1.5-hour-long nap.

IMG_2869They served a light breakfast of fruit and cheese, which was good but I’m so glad we ate at the airport.  Meanwhile, Jes stuck to a one-drink-per-hour policy that we had agreed on beforehand and got 4 out of 5 drinks on the house!  The flight attendant totally hooked him up!

IMG_2879We arrived a little after noon with minimal turbulence.

IMG_3793At the airport, we were all smiles and it was so nice to see my family waiting for us at baggage claim.  They had arrived around the same time. It took a little while to pick up our rental cars but there was still plenty of sunshine left in the day.

IMG_2894Our first stop is always Ramen Nakamura.  We were all starving by then.  Somehow we managed to get seats for all 8 of us.

IMG_2114It was a fantastic first meal and even Alice got into it!

IMG_2904At the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised with our “City View” room.  It had a partial view of the ocean from the lanai!

IMG_2907After washing up, KK REALLY wanted to go play in the sand.  Jes was napping so we went down to get Bubbies mochi ice cream from the general store downstairs and then headed to the sand!  The weather was so nice and the water was actually pretty warm.

IMG_3869 IMG_3870My dad and brother also joined us and we played until the sun went down.

IMG_3883You really gotta love Hawaiian sunsets!!

IMG_2125IMG_2954For dinner, everyone went separate ways.  KK passed out in the stroller as we walked to dinner, so Jes and I had a quiet dinner at Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin.  It’s a small place but the host was nice enough to find a spot for us to eat and tuck KK away under the bar.    IMG_2958I had a tasty katsu don with a soft egg that oozed all over the rice.  Deeeelicious!

Half-cooked!

IMG_3417I am now 20 weeks pregnant, marking the half-way point of this adventure.  Just before leaving for Hawaii, people at work had started noticing a more distinguishable bump and I’ve gone into full-maternity-wardrobe mode.

When we came back from our trip, I had the day after off so that I could get the anatomy ultrasound done.  It was a long one and they had to look for just about every body part you could imagine.  The little stinker decided to hide his face the whole time so they couldn’t get a good look at his nose, lips, and hands.

IMG_3764We did, however, get confirmation that he is indeed a little boy with little boy parts.  If you don’t know what you’re looking at, the important “part” is to the left in between his butt cheeks.  The technician also typed in “IT’S A BOY!!!!”

IMG_3554We also got a backside view of his head while he was hiding from the camera.

IMG_3763The docs were so dissatisfied with this visit that I had to make a follow-up appointment a week later.  So, I went back this morning and after 30 minutes of trying to prod him out of hiding, we got a profile.  It’s the not the best but it’s all we could get.  What you’re seeing here is his chin, lip, nose, and forehead (left to right).  He kept putting his arms over his face or turning away from the ultrasound.  I’m just happy that they got a good look at his lips and nose and confirmed that he doesn’t not have a cleft.

IMG_3759I also got a picture of his little foot.  So cute.

I’m finally feeling some real kicks and he seems to like being in the head-down position.  That’s how they found him both times I had these recent ultrasounds.  He’s estimated to be about 12 ounces and a little ahead of schedule.  I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight (I had lost some weight until now) and will just wait to see how much bigger and heavier I get in the next 20 more weeks.  This week, my sinuses have been horrible – causing jaw pain on my right side.  I guess it also didn’t help that I caught a cold mid-way through our trip.  All in all, I’m feeling pretty good and happy to see that our Genetic Screen came back negative and that all body parts are accounted for and within normal limits.  Now I’ll just have to let him finish cooking!

Peanut Update

So it’s Week 18 and I’ve been told that I have finally started to look fully preggo.  I’m starting to feel tiny flutters inside and I’ve had to pull out my maternity clothes from the first round.  Good thing I kept everything.  I still haven’t gained any weight, which worries me a bit but there’s definitely something growing because the belly is firm and round now.  Or maybe I have a tumor.  Whatever it is, it’s making me uncomfortable when I sleep at night and my back is starting to feel it too.  The congestion is the same but Breathe Right strips are now my best friends at night.  I also got a steroid nasal spray from my doc but I haven’t used it yet.  The headaches have subsided a bit and I’m feeling pretty good overall.  Next ultrasound is on March 11th.

Pretty soon I won’t be able to pick up or carry KK like I do now and she’s probably gonna hate it.  Regardless, she knows why my tummy is getting bigger and sometimes she’ll point to it and say, “baby brother’s in there”. It’s hard to believe that I’m almost at the half-way point already.  So glad we are heading to Hawaii on Thursday.  It’s the next best thing to a babymoon.  The grandparents, Brother, Joy, and Alice are joining us so I may get to relax a little more than I usually do on a family trip with KK.  Only 4 more months of work before I can take a break and get ready for our newest member of the family.  Can’t wait.

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.

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