{sugarlens}

Hawaii : Day 12 (Whale Watching)

2013-05-21T09:47:00.002-04:00

A long time ago, I blogged about a snorkeling excursion in Belize and said that it was the worst excursion ever. Ha, I take that back. I actually found something to top that. Ohmigod, the whale watching excursion we went on in Maui on Day 12, it was an absolute torture for the kids…and therefore, by default, me.

It was fine in the beginning. The kids were excited about being on a boat. Their first! They laughed, screamed, clapped, and even danced. We were all in a great mood and ready to see some whales! Twenty minutes later, with no whales in sight and sweaty from the hot sun, we went under the cover to cool off. This was when Will started to get fussy, really fussy. At first I thought it was because he wanted to be out on the deck so I took him back out, but that didn’t help. For the next half hour, it was a dance of me sitting down, getting up, walking around until he finally fell asleep in my arms. I thought he was just due for a nap (even though he had just cat-napped in the car on the way to the pier), but later realized that he was suffering from motion sickness. Luckily, one he fell asleep, he slept for the rest of the trip.

And he didn’t miss much. We didn’t see any whales.

As for Anna, she got sea sick, too. I could tell by her tired face. Hubs held her and she fell asleep as well, but she was so good and didn’t complain at all.

I guess it could’ve been worse. One kid (a young teenager?) threw up all over the table. At least mine just slept. But it was seriously the longest two-hour ever. When Will began to go crazy, I wish I could just turn the boat around. Screw the whales! Get me off the frickin’ boat!

Haha, now that I wrote it all out, it didn’t seem THAT bad. With little kids, you just kind of have to go with the flow and laugh about it. Really, the guaranteed fun for them was just spending time in the pool or at the beach, but this Mama wanted to do more. I seriously did think they would enjoy it, though. Never expected that they would get sick.

Once we got off the boat, they were happy once again. Even more so after we downed a mango smoothie.

The fun before the storm.

Both kids out. Haha, look at my happy face. Hubs' face was for real, though. He took it all in stride.

Blue ocean, blue sky, gorgeous day. But WHERE ARE THE WHALES?!
We drank that smoothie fast.

Dancing under the bayan trees.

We knew that the kids were done with their naps for the day, so we shopped a little.

And took a picture for a comparion. What do you think? I haven't aged a bit, right? :) Excuse my funny eyes, though, I was squinting from the bright sun.

Hawaii : Day 11 (Baby Beach)

2013-05-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

Home sweet home! We are back from Hawaii. After a smooth-but-uncomfortable 9-hour plane ride, we landed on Friday around noon. We are still recovering from jet lag, but it seems easier to adjust back to EST. I return to work tomorrow....for real. While in Hawaii, I received an email from my boss that I've been placed on a project. So, tomorrow, I actually have to get myself dressed and butt out of the door. It's going to be an adjustment, after having a month and half off. I wish I had another week to get myself organized after a long vacation, but I guess it's better to keep the paychecks coming!

I knew about Baby Beach all along, but it took us until Day 11 to visit the place. I only wish we had gone sooner. It was truly a safe haven for the kids. Unlike other beaches with big waves, Baby Beach has coral reefs that blocked the waves, creating a shallow little kid-friendly spot for splashing around.

Anna and Will entertained themselves with the buckets and shovels that we brought, or just simply waddle in the water. Because the water was calm and we didn't have to worry about any waves, hubs and I were able to sit on our blankets in the shade and enjoyed ourselves, too. We only left because it was close to lunch and nap time.

Proof that the kids had fun.

You could walk all the way out and it was only about waist deep. Can you spot me?

The best toy of all is hubs. He army crawled on his tummy and totally made them laugh.

Before we left the Baby Beach area, we took some pictures at Jodo Mission, which we just happened to came across when we parked our car.

That night we went to town of Lahaina for dinner. Will was claiming independence and didn't want to hold our hands.

They had the most fun sticking their heads through the fence and watching the waves crashing into the rocks.

Eating ice cream while watching sunset by the waterfront -- life doesn't get much better.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of me and my girl.

Day 11 was hands down one of the best days we had in Maui.

Hawaii : Day 10 (Road to Hana)

2013-05-16T02:02:00.002-04:00

We weren't planning on driving the Road to Hana. Hubs and I have done it before, and while the view was beautiful along the coast, it was a long drive that we were sure that the kids would not enjoy. But on Day 10, I felt restless so we packed a picnic lunch, filled up the tank, and took off.

Sigh. The long Road to Hana was made longer by two screaming kids in the backseat. Anna and Will are usually very good in the car, so I wasn't expecting all the drama. But in the end, I am still glad we did it. It's just one of those things "you had to do" while in Maui.

We didn’t make nearly as many stops as the average Hana traveler might (hiking to waterfalls wasn’t so easy with the kids) but we did try to take in as much as possible from the road itself – like stopping at scenic lookouts.

Our final destination before turning back was the Waianapanapa State Park, home to the black sand beach. I don't think Anna ever had a worse-r time than she had at this beach. It started out fine, until she got splashed by some waves while inside a cave. Then it all went down hill -- she cried and screamed that the beach was "dirty, messy, and stinky" and refused to be put down. Will, on the other hand, LOVED the beach. He loved getting splashed by the waves and wanted to walk everywhere (even climbing the stairs) all on his own.

Anyway, the Road to Hana....we did not make any long-lasting memories here, but we survived. The kids both took a nap on the way back and when they woke up, they were happy and laughing and having a good time.

While the kids were asleep in the car, hubs and I sneaked out and climbed a little waterfall.

The exact same spot where we had a flat tire when we visited back in 07.

Inside a creepy cave.

The boys couldn't get enough of the black sand and hubs even wanted to go for a swim. I stayed behind to calm a hysterical Anna.

The stunning view.

The sign says, "Do not go beyond this point," so he went beyond it.

Finally back at the resort and stretching his ~~legs~~ fins.

She forgot all about the traumatic time she had at the black sand beach.

Anna is getting really good at taking pictures!

Hawaii : Day 8 + 9 (Mother's Day)

2013-05-14T20:34:00.000-04:00

Day 8 was a transition day for us...we said goodbye to family members (who were all leaving to go home or another island) and moved to a new resort further up north. Our new home has two bedrooms and a full kitchen (the Marriott only had a microwave and mini-fridge), which is great for us with little ones. Instead of going out for a meal that costs a minimum of $50 (and kids eating two bites of it), we bought a bunch of groceries and having been cooking at home.

The first and last hammock ride before checking out at the Marriott.

At first, I thought having a 2 bedroom was a total luxury, but it is actually a necessity.

$77 worth of groceries. Bet I could have gotten the same things for a third of the price back home.

It was a happy accident for us to get a ground level room, the screen door opens completely and we have our own patio and garden.

The next day was Mother's Day. Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mothers in my life! We had a really low-key Mother's Day at the resort, just spending time as a family by the pool & beach. These past few days have been difficult. Hubs and I are getting NO relaxation on this vacation. Everything is work. For example, taking them to the pool. It's a whole production of wrangling the kids into bathing suits, putting on shoes, getting stuff (water/snack/towel) packed, keeping a close watch on them at the pool, dealing with meltdowns, and then cleaning them when we get back. Oh, and breaking up fights through it all. It's exhausting.

On the other hand, when they are not fighting, Anna and Will play really well together and their squeals of laughter make our hearts so full. It reminds me that being a Mom is pretty darn good!

Thanks kids for making me a Mama - I love you guys!

Prior to this trip, neither of them had spent much time in the water. In fact, Will had none. It makes me happy that both have become little swimmers.

Will refused to get off of me.

Their first sand castle. I thought it was quite magnificent.

Hawaii : Day 7 (Wedding Day)

2013-05-12T18:33:00.001-04:00

I don't know what's up with Will lately, but he has been a total Mama's boy. I am the one who has to hold him and feed him, and if I don't, a complete meltdown follows. This phase needs to be over, like, now.

My brother's wedding was this past Friday. Will was in one of his Mama-only mood and he was stuck to me the whole night. I scarfed down my steak and potatoes at record speed while he sat on my lap and poked the lettuce with a fork. Oh, and he's also on a hunger strike and only had maraschino cherries and croutons.

The wedding...it was nice, sweet, and simple. I will admit it, when my brother first told me about his wedding in Maui, although there wasn't a doubt that I would be there, I was annoyed. Dragging two kids on a 10+ hour flight with a 6-hour time difference? It sounded no fun. But now it is over, it was definitely worth all the trouble to be there for him.

His life was apparently ending when I had to put him down to get dressed.

Having a great time at the beach.

One of the few moments where he was okay with being held by hubs.

The reception was held under a tent by the beach!

I am usually not a messy eater and my hand isn't that chubby.

Pretty much the entire night was like this.

I wore my new maxi dress from Anthropologie!

At the end of the night, my cousin finally won him over.

Oh yeah, what's a wedding without the bride and groom?

The groom, my brother, Uncle Andy.

Exchanging rings.

Hawaii : Day 6 (Iao Valley State Park)

2013-05-10T19:21:00.001-04:00

On Day 6, we took a 45-minute scenic drive to Iao Valley State Park. Hubs and I have been there before on our honeymoon and I remember it being one of my favorite places in Maui. It was serene, lush with greenery, and mystic....so we decided to take the kids there. Forget the mountains and the streams and the natural beauty, they had the most fun playing with some rocks inside a little hut. Haha, it was all good, I was just happy they found something to entertain themselves.

On the way back, we stopped by Lahaina town to have the famous Ululani's shave ice. It doesn't hold a candle to Sno Dream, but it was just what I needed on a hot day to cool off. Then we just had to stop by Pho Saigon 808 again to get some noodles to-go.

Will had already napped in the car so we delayed Anna's nap time and went straight to the pool once we got back to the resort. The kids are getting more and more comfortable in the water. Anna doesn't even need the donut ring anymore and can get by with arm bends. She's fast, too.

We wrapped up the day with watching the sunset on the beach.

Here is a tip. We bought these car seats at Kmart for $50 each. It's cheaper than renting them from the car rental, not to mention cleaner. We will try to take them back home.

We came to the park to see this, the Iao Needle.

Carrying these two around is giving all of us a workout.

Yup, I make them wear matching shirts. I am THAT mom.

Under the little hut where they threw rocks.

I am sure we will be back to Maui some day and it will be fun to do a comparison picture at the same spot.

Shaved ice with mochi!

Just lounging. Living the good life.

The end of Day 6.

Hawaii : Day 5 (Lahaina Town)

2013-05-09T22:42:00.001-04:00

If it wasn't for my brother's wedding, Hawaii is probably one of the last places I would think to take my young children. I mean, we are spending a small fortune to be here, yet we haven't had a perfectly good day, without tantrums and whines. Seriously? I would rather just stay home. Or vacation somewhere closer and less costly. But. My brother is getting married and it's my duty as his sister to be here.

Yesterday morning we played in the sand before heading to Front Street for some shopping and lunch. The kids had a ball running under the bayan trees. We stayed there for a while because the trees provided shade from the hot sun and I love watching my kids laugh and run. Then we had the best meal since we have been here at Pho Saigon 808. The service was good and the food was even better.

About 10 minutes after I instagram-ed this picture, Anna was in tears and we left.

Will still doesn't like the beach all that much. He cries and whines and demands to be held.

They ran back and forth under this arch. It's the little things that make their hearts sing.

Hubs and the kids at the Lahaina waterfront.

A group shot!

I love my boy and he cracks me up. He was overdue for a nap and he finally couldn't fight it anymore while eating noodles. I wasn't laughing when I had to carry all 29 pounds of him to the car, though.

Will -- Day 5 in Hawaii. Happy & swimming like a fish!

Hawaii : The Luau

2013-05-08T23:50:00.000-04:00

Last night 21 of us went to the Old Lahaina Luau. It was another pre-wedding family get-together and I thought it was a fun experience overall. The best part of the evening for me was seeing Will getting all excited about the entertainment. He clapped after every act and signed for more. Haha, so cute! Traditional Hawaiian food isn't Anna's cup of tea. She hardly ate a thing. To be honest, they are not mine either...but I still ate. :)

Anna's ponytail is back.

If only Anna was smiling and Will was wearing a lei.

Give the guy a big green field to run on and he's all good.

Unearth of the pig!

They were using forks to block the sun.

As I said, I don't like traditional Hawaiian food.

Family, traveling from the East Coast, New Zealand, and Taiwan.

The hula girls.

Hawaii : Day 3 + Day 4

2013-05-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

Isn't it a bummer when it rains on a vacation? Especially on a beach vacation? Yesterday it looked pretty much like this on and off the whole day:

RAIN. RAIN. RAIN.

Since we are here for my brother's wedding, my whole family is actually here in Maui. We are all staying at the same place (connecting rooms), which makes getting together easier.

Anna made a paper lei for Grandpa at a resort activity for kids.

The rain stopped just in time for our evening BBQ with my brother's future wife's family. The kids ran around at the playground.

Today, the clouds parted and the sun came out. We wasted no time in hitting the pool.

Will is still afraid of the water, but he loves the shallow pool.

Anna tried out the donut ring pool for the first time and learned how to do it all on her own immediately! She kicks and gets around!

Will and I stayed at the sideline.

Adjusting to the 6 hour time difference has been hard for all of us. So we have been taking it easy. Just relaxing by the pool....and it's totally fine by me. But tonight we are going to a luau! I am excited. It will be my first.

Hawaii : Day 1 + Day 2

2013-05-06T11:43:00.001-04:00

ALOHA FROM MAUI!

After long day of flying with some emotional outbursts, the whole family is now safe and sound on this little island. Uncle Andy's wedding is at the end of the week, until then, there will be lots of pooling and beaching.

We survived the long day with too much screen time and treats.

Fortunately, they both slept from LAX to OGG. Hubs and I were human pillows.

When we arrived to our hotel room, it was pitch dark, so we didn't actually see this view until the next morning.

The view outside of our window. Will, especially, loves the balcony.

We are staying at the Marriott's Maui Ocean Club. This is the kiddie shallow pool.

You can hardly see it, but I have a flower tucked behind my ear too.

She kept on saying she wanted to build a sand castle.

We are still trying to conquer Will's fear of the ocean, so for now, only smiles from Anna.

We all feel like this by 11am.

Look at our herb garden!

2013-04-29T21:37:00.001-04:00

The off-and-on drizzle these past few days have been just what our little garden needed. The basil plants are especially thriving and I can't wait until they are big and full. If you haven't tried growing green onion, you should really do it. They practically take care of themselves. And for the first time, we are attempting to grow jalapeno and habenrio peppers.

Ah, our garden puts a smile on my face. Thanks to hubs I never have to get dirty either.

Call me social media slow poke,

2013-04-28T14:21:00.000-04:00

but I finally get what the fuss is all about. Instagram is my new favorite. It turns my daily (read: poorly lit, not well composed, and probably blurry) photos into fun memory pieces. It's a pretty neat app, but I am sure most of you already knew that. As I said, I am a social media slow poke.

We had another great outing to Meadowlark yesterday. It seems like we go there every weekend, doesn't it? Haha, I promise we expose our kids to other places! But yesterday, we were about to just stay in because Anna has the runny nose when, at the last minute, we decided the weather was too beautiful to not go out. So a 10-minute drive later, we were there and I instagram-ed like a madwoman.

Then we stayed out for lunch. We went to this nearby Chinese restaurant that specializes in fresh hand-pulled noodles. Fresh noodles really do taste better, no lie. Not sure how to describe it. Texture? Density? I would love for this restaurant to be our go-to place, just like Pho 75. The food is good (the kids love the noodles!), but the service sucks so I honestly don't know how often we will be going back.

children's books that are worth reading

2013-04-27T14:14:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I let a week slip by without blogging. I mean, things haven't been busy. In fact, they have been downright slow of late. I am still waiting for a project to come along, Anna is still not-crying at school, and Will is still as cute as ever. We are all doing well.

It's Saturday afternoon and both kids are napping, so I thought I would write a quick post on....children's books!

I will fully admit it - sometimes the books we check out from the library bore me to tears and I find myself at the end of the book having no recollection of what I just read aloud. Does this happen to you too? This is precisely why I like to borrow books base on recommendations and if you are in the same boat, here are some books that we've read lately that I think are pretty good. As you can see, we are a big fan of Mo Willem (love the repetition of words, easy for Anna to "read" on her own) and recently discovered Julia Donaldson (love her clever rhymes). These books are terrific for preschoolers.

What the Ladybug Heard
The Snail and the Whale
Room on the Broom
Bob and Otto
Knuffle Bunny (and Knuffle Bunny Too)
Piggy and Elephant books (Lets Go for a Drive!, We Are in a Book!, There is a Bird on Your Head!, Share I Share my Ice Cream?, I Broke my Trunk!, Listen to My Trumpet!, and a lot more)

What books have you read lately that I should be borrowing from the library? Do tell.

Will - 17 months update

2013-04-19T08:21:00.001-04:00

Will turned 17 months old on Monday! He exhausts us with his seemingly boundless energy — but he is also so much more fun with each passing day. He is definitely his own little independent person with his own little opinions and preferences, but he still loves to snuggle with us.

Sleep

Will is completely transitioned to one nap. His nap is generally 2.5 to 3 hours long. Ideally, he should go down for his nap at 12 noon, but because we want him to be on the same schedule as Anna, he sleeps at 1p. As long as we keep him busy, he's not fussy about it. So he naps from 1p to 3:30 to 4p. Pretty good! But what's more great is that even if he doesn't wake up until 4p, we still put him to sleep around 7:20p at night. I don't know when he actually falls asleep, but he's cool about staying in his crib quietly. Hooray for a kid with good sleeping habits!

But on this particular day, he woke up unusually early so I brought him to bed with us and he fell right back to sleep.

Eat

OK, I will admit here that eating is not going as well as it used to be. He used to eat and eat and eat. But now he self-feeds a little bit and says done. If he really only had a little bit, I will coax him to eat more by distracting him with toys while I shoving food into his mouth. He's still getting bottles of milk, but doesn't drink as much as he did.

Just like me, he prefers salty foods over sweets!

He's still a chunky little monkey, so I am not concerned at all. I think he's probably about 28 pounds.

Behavior

As I said it again and again, Will has a very good temper. He tolerates his sister's grabbing, pulling, and pushing. He doesn't get easily frustrated when playing with toys. And he doesn't whine or cry unless there is a very good reason. He's a very good boy.

He's really loving Pesto.

Apparently, this book was sooooo funny!

Talking

Verbally, Will is definitely not as far ahead as Anna when she was his age, but he has surprised me every now and then with words. He can say "Pesto" perfectly. He says, "go" when he wants to ride with us to preschool. I think he knows some body parts - like eyes, nose, ear, fingers. I haven't even begin trying to teach him numbers, colors, or shapes, though.

He's also getting much better at communicating and understanding commands overall. If he's hungry, he will go to his booster seat, pulls off the tray, and tries to climb up. When hubs squeezes soap onto the sponge, he knows to stand up for his lather. He throws away trash.

Things I want to remember:
- His wobbly run.
- His kissable tummy.
- His dance by stomping his feet up and down.
- Our nightly dance to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" before bed.
- That he scoots himself back slowly to sit down on our front stoop.
- And a lot more, but I just can't remember right now. :(

It finally happened!

2013-04-17T14:30:00.001-04:00

It is truly a momentous day.

Today, since starting school on January 2nd, Anna did not cry at drop off.

Wooohooo!!

I've mentioned before that Anna was having a very hard time adjusting to school. You can read all about it here and here. After all these months of stressing and worrying, we were about to pull the trigger and just try again in September when the miracle finally happened.

She stopped.

It all started to unfold last week - an usual ONE AND HALF hour of crying fest turned to sobbing for 30 minutes. Then it was 10 seconds. Then, today, nothing. Not a peep. Just a "Mama, I love you!" and off she went into her classroom. I caught her giving her teacher a hug as I walked away. I am so proud of her! :) :) :)

Now, I don't expect that she will never cry at school again, but it's a great feeling knowing that she can do it. That she has made a significant progress since January. It took her a while to get here, but slow and steady wins the race, right? Haha.

It happened to be report card day...and here is what the teacher had to say:

This totally calls for a celebration.

rainbow park fun

2013-04-15T13:48:00.002-04:00

It seems like whenever there is a nice day, people (with kids) flock to Clemenjontri. It's such a great little (except that it's actually pretty big) park for the kids to run around....and we almost always cap off the trip with a spin around the carousel. It's a guaranteed good time. I love that it's an easy trip -- we go early in the morning and back in time for lunch & nap. No need to spend any money at all.

These pictures are from Saturday. It was Will's first time there since he could walk. He soaked it all up. Running everywhere. Look at him on that balance beam! I was so surprised that he didn't fall. He also went down a few slides, but we might have gave him a nudge or two there. I adore his wide open smile on the carousel. He's definitely his sister's brother.

And Anna...I don't know if it is because she's just older now or because she's more socialized due to preschool, but she had no trouble joining other kids in on the fun. She's no longer that girl who is glued to my hips.

Overall, a good time for all. Anna has already asked to go back twice.

This post reminds me of this one. You must click here to find the similarities.

cute pictures alert! (plus a job update)

2013-04-11T09:53:00.000-04:00

(Will - almost 17 months old :: Anna - almost 3 years and 1 month old)

This post is mainly to share the photos (super-cute, don't you think?) above, but I also have a small update on my job. So...two Fridays ago, my project ended and I have been back "on the bench" since last Monday. We are hopeful that the client will bring us back in May/June, but in the meantime, I have been doing job search of my own, both internally and externally. Job searching doesn't take up the whole day, which means more time with the kiddos AND free time to myself. It's pretty wonderful! So nice to have a break.

The above pictures were taken two days ago. I was feeling kind of bored after their nap so I put them in sort-of matching outfits for pictures. Haha. I love them in shorts and white tees.

um...what blossoms?

2013-04-08T09:19:00.000-04:00

I thought we were getting a head start when we left the house at 8:45 yesterday to go downtown to see the cherry blossoms.

Nope. Not even close.

Once we hit Constitution Ave, we were greeted with closed roads and a bunch of runners...which we later found out that there was a running event going on.

So...we got stuck in slow-moving traffic, while Anna made comments like, "There are many people who want to be here today" and "Why don't we just park here?" (Becauase there were no space available) Anyway, forty-five minutes after we left the house, we finally parked and walked to the Tidal Basin.

Then we saw this.

Let me zoom in.

Yeah...what 70% peak bloom?

Oh, and it was very WINDY. Despite the fact that temperature was supposed to be in the 60s, it felt nothing like it. Here is a photo we took in a hurry to say that we were there.

We actually went there with family so while the others decided to walk around the Tidal Basin regardless, we headed in a different direction with my sis-in-law. We sat in front of the Washington Monument for a while because it seemed less windy and Will wanted to walk.

The best time the kids had was probably at this pond where they threw pebbles.

I predict that later this week and this weekend, all the flowers will be in bloom, but I doubt we will be heading back. Hubs would seriously kill me. :)

To see what the it looks like when the trees are fluffy pink, see this post.

Family Pictures, 3/2012

2013-04-02T15:15:00.000-04:00

Hare are some pictures from our latest visit to Meadowlark Gardens. If you are a regular to the blog, you know we go there whenever we can. Gotta get our annual pass worth. :)

Five things to note:

1. We didn't bring a stroller inside with us. Will walked with us like a big boy and he loved the freedom.
2. Along the same line, I didn't carry a diaper bag. Loved that, too.
3. Unfortunately, we didn't see any pink. No cherry trees were in bloom.
4. Anna and her Poohsticks -- it will never get old. She asked to throw sticks whenever we came across a bridge.
5. A little snack (raisins and crackers) break kept the kids in a happy mood.

An Easter Egg Hunt At Home

2013-03-31T20:37:00.001-04:00

Yesterday the weather was nice and sunny. Today was wet and dreary. Needless to say, I was glad that I listened to the forecast and had our Easter egg hunt yesterday. This year, the kids hunted for eggs right in own front yard. I scattered 3 dozen eggs filled with stickers, chocolates, and, the grand prize, a dollar bill. The whole thing was a lot of fun to watch. Haha, the first egg that Anna cracked open WAS the dollar bill. Anyway, she picked up majority of the eggs, while Will trailed behind with only 3 or 4 eggs. Next year, I am sure he will give his sister some competition.

I think I am going to make this an annual event for our family, even if we do end up participating in some other egg hunts. I love being a Mom because I get to do stuff like this.

Sidenote - We gave Pesto a much needed cut and wash this weekend. What a difference a clean dog makes!

Anna's 3rd Birthday: Dinner & Cake

2013-03-29T13:50:00.000-04:00

Before Anna’s 3rd birthday fades into a distant memory, here is a recap of what happened the rest of the day.

(And just as a reminder, she woke up to tons of balloons and hubs + I volunteered at her school’s St. Patrick’s Day party.)

After I drove her home from school, I went back to work while she had lunch and napped. Then when we all got home, we played in her room for a while, but nothing was more exciting than throwing those balloons down the stairs.

We decided to eat at Olive Garden because 1) it was close to home, 2) we had a coupon (two free kids entrees!), and 3) unlimited soup and breadsticks! Both kids LOVED the smoothies and feasted on mac n’ cheese.

By the time we were done, we were SO stuffed, but there was still cake waiting for us at home....

This year, I actually made the cake using a tin can (got the idea from here). Anna herself helped with the baking the day before. Her only request was a “pink cake." Such a sweet + simple request and I was happy to honor it. I bought a box of pink lemonade cake mix and a tub of frosting with sprinkles. I have to admit that as pretty and cute as the cake looked (hubs did a great job putting it together), it tasted gross. Way too sweet and it didn't help that we were already full. Still, we all ate it because it was a birthday!

We all sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

Family photo. See photos from 2011 and 2012.

She liked her pink cake!

After the cake, it was a mad rush for presents, bath, sleep....so hardly any pictures got taken. But, Anna went to bed with a smile plastered on her face so it was definitely a memorable day!

Anna - Happy Birthday! Here's to a wonderful new year of BEING 3. You are so loved!

(slapping my hand on the forehead!) We forgot to measure her height on her birthday. Two days later, she stands just a little bit shy of 36 inches. :)

PS. I do want to give a shout-out to the Grandparents who took Anna out the Saturday before her birthday for lunch AND dinner. Both meals involved noodles. It was a happy birthday indeed.

Recently / EGGS

2013-03-27T10:14:00.000-04:00

We boiled a bunch of eggs and dyed them last night. Prehaps we will try more advanced techniques when the kids are older, but for now, we simply drew on the eggs using some Sharpies and dyed them using a store-bought kit. Hubs was the artist, but Anna scribbled on a couple of them, too. Although according to her, they were not just scribbles, but actually a butterfly and an earthworm from her recent favorite book, Bob and Otto.

She was very excited about the whole thing. After the eggs were dry, I put a stack of Easter stickers in front of her and she LOVED decorating the eggs with them.

When it was all said and done, she couldn't stop playing with her eggs. She kept on picking them up, putting them down, and talking to them. Haha. So cute.

Our family's 2013 Easter Eggs. :)

Oh, lets not forget about Will! Poor guy didn't know what to do with himself. He sat at the table with us in the beginning, but wiggled himself down. Then he threw a fit because everyone else was at the table and he wanted to be involved. Finally, I just gave him an egg to hold and he was all smiles. And yes, that egg made it out safely. Whew.

DIY Egg Shakers!

2013-03-26T09:28:00.002-04:00

I made these egg shakers to put in Anna and Will's Easter baskets. They turned out above average, so I thought I would post a quick tutorial.

Actually, I don't think a tutorial is necessary, the pictures explain it all.

First, I used the following supplies: mod podge, plastic eggs, magnetic tape (totally unnecessary, and only made the project harder...so SKIP IT), brush, tissue paper, rice, beans, and scissors.

Fill the plastic eggs with either rice or beans and seal with magnetic tape.

Cup the tissue paper into skinny strips and cover the eggs with them using mod podge. This is where I realized that using BLACK magnetic tape was a bad idea. I had put on layers and layers of tissue paper to hide the black. I suggest using hot glue gun to seal the eggs or just skip it altogether.

Eventually, once I got the technique down, it got easier and looked better. It still took a while. I originally wanted to do 6, but ended up with 3. One I tossed away because it looked so bad and I left two naked

Whenever Will hears music, he picks up an instrument and starts marching around the table. I think he will enjoy these shakers very much. Overall, it was a good project and I am glad that there is something handmade in their baskets.

And now onto the baskets!!

This is actually my first year putting together Easter baskets. I bought the baskets, grass, chalk & holder ($1 at Target), and Peeps, but used a lot what we already had in the house. Haha. In fact, the little activity book in Anna's basket was stolen from an Easter goody bag she received at school. The cellephone bag in Will's basket is goldfish crackers. The one in Anna's basket is bear-shaped chocolate graham crackers.

Can't wait to hand them out on Easter!

Anna's 3 Year Old Update

2013-03-21T10:17:00.000-04:00

These pictures were taken on Anna’s 3rd birthday. There was a St. Patrick’s Day party at her school, which hubs and I, along with another mom, volunteered to do crafts with the kids and bring treats. We volunteered specifically for it because we thought it would be fun for Anna to see us at school on her special day.

She finished that entire cupcake, not a crumb left.

For some reason, three seems like a big number and it really brings Anna out of toddler-ville and into her preschool years. Waaaaaahhh! My little girl is growing up so fast...!

Anyway, here is what's going on in her life:

Education

Anna seems to know all his uppercase and lowercase letters, and knows the phonic sounds to most letters. She has recently become interested in letter sounds. She says the word, isolates the first sound, and then tells me the letter it starts with. She says brainy stuff, like, “Dinner starts with a d, like dog.” She can identify simple words when we ask her base on the sounds.

She counts to 20, but skips a few in between (mostly 15, 16, and 17), and identifies 0-10.

She holds scissors correctly and can cut strips and all kinds of shapes. I know she does lots of cutting a school, but she often asks to cut at home, too. She also likes to watercolor, but because I don’t do at along with her, she loses interest pretty quickly. She can draw people.

I have been getting Anna to do puzzles more. I want her to master it! But alas, as of right now, she can only do 24-piece puzzles completely on her own. My next goal is for her to do 48-piece puzzles, but that requires me sitting down with her and lots of patience. So far, it hasn’t happened yet.

Making her rainbow bracelet.

Behavior / Temperament

Anna is at the stage where she likes to do things on her own terms. She doesn’t want to be told to come downstairs, go potty, get her outfit. The way around that is I give her warnings. I say things like, “Five more minutes and then come downstairs.” As long as I give her some kind of transition period, she is cool about it. But if a tantrum begins, threatening to take things away seems to work most of the time.

Sometimes when Anna gets mad, she will grab her Minnie doll and blanket and head upstairs to her room. I can’t believe a little 3 year old girl can be so moody already! This is the behavior we are trying to discourage. I know that if we just leave her alone, she will come around eventually. But I remember acting this way to my parents and staying in my room for the whole day as a teenager! Ha, definitely don’t want my daughter to act like I did!

The biggest thing happening in Anna's life is GOING TO SCHOOL. Teachers at school describe Anna as sweet, stubborn, strong-willed, tenacious, and "a tough nut to crack." She's having a hard time at school simply because she doesn't want to be there. But the most disappointing of all is that it doesn't seem to be getting better. We have tried everything (reasoning, ignoring, taking things away) and nothing is getting though her. She has a negative feeling toward school and playing with other kids and I have no idea where it is coming from. Anyone got a clue?

Right now, Anna has a very strong fussy personality. She's a tad spoiled - not about material things - but about wanting things exactly her way. If she doesn't get it, she whines and cries about it. She is annoyingly high-maintenance! The "Thrilling Threes" is ringing true for us.

Deep down, though, she's still good kid. We are doing our best to work with her and her gigantic desire for automomy. Hope she will come around soon.

I don't want to end the post negatively so thinking through what Anna is doing lately, I have to admit, it really is a lot of fun, too! It’s so awesome to have actual conversations and to hear and see all the things she is able to say and do. She loves reading stories and dancing to music. She can be so tender and kind and has a serious love for her family. She loves to create imaginative play scenarios (often serving us bug cookies with tea) and she really is never bored. She relishes in simple things - such as walking around Target or playing in the park. Yes, there are tantrums and moments of sheer preschool irrationality, but hanging around a three year old really is thrilling.

This is turning into a novel, but I am not quite down talking about my big 3 year old girl yet. More later.

Will - 16 Months Update

2013-03-18T10:49:00.001-04:00

Will turned 16 months old last Friday! Here is what's going on in his toddler life:

Transitioning to 1 Nap

Just after Will turned 15 months old, we pushed him to one nap a day. He was consistently skipping his afternoon nap, which meant that after he got up from his morning nap around 11:15a, he was awake until 7p (his bedtime). Crazy. So now we put him down for his one nap at 1p (same as Anna’s nap time) and it usually lasts about 2 hours. His bedtime is still 7p.

As long as he’s not in the car, he’s good at staying awake until 1p. But on the weekends, when we run around, he falls asleep in the car often, which messes up his nap. Like yesterday, I took the kids out for a playdate. We left their place at 11a and Will immediately fell asleep on the drive back. Although it was only an 8-minute drive, it was enough to disrupt his 1p naptime. Eventually he still went down, but not without a fight.

Eat

On the eating front, not much has changed since his 15-months update. The boy continues to love fruit – grapes, oranges, banana, kiwi, anything. For vegetables, he will eat broccoli and spinach and that’s about it. It’s a hit or miss with protein. Sometimes he eats lots of meat (chicken) and fish (salmon), sometimes he won’t touch it. I do know that he eats a lot better when he’s not confined to his booster seat. So a lot of times, I will feed him the “good stuff” on the floor, and then strap him down for macaroni.

Will still gets 4 bottles a day (200cc each). He doesn’t need bottles to fall asleep, but it’s more of a routine and to get more calories in him.

Talking

I am terrible at keeping track of words Will can say so I know this list is not complete, but from the top of my head, he says: mama, baba, nose, bye-bye, door, brush, throw, ball, wawa (water), and done. He repeats a bunch of other words after us, too. He also knows some Chinese words, such as horse, dog, and pig. When Anna was his age, she can follow simple commands, such as “throw the diaper in trash” or “go get a book.” When we say them to Will, sometimes he does it, sometimes not. So I am not sure if he completely understands.

Temperament

Will is perfect to me. He’s happy, cuddly, playful, easy-going, independent. The list goes on! I remember Anna throwing tantrums already at this stage, but with Will, it’s hardly the case. Maybe it’s because he’s used to his sister taking stuff away from him, but when we tell him “no,” he has no problems moving onto something else. Just this morning, after playing with the Kindle for a while, I told him, “all done” and took it away. He acted like nothing happened.

So in our family, the girl is the sensitive, moody one, but the boy is happy, go-with-the-flow type. I wonder if that’s just their personalities, or it has something to do with their birth order?

But there is more!

Will started walking in the late fall/early winter, and because we just tend to stay at home more during the winter months, he really hasn’t had any opportunities to walk outside. Haha, he has an irrational fear of grass and when he was surrounded by snow earlier this month, he didn’t want to move an inch. When the weather warms up, I cannot wait to let him run around outside more. Last year, he was still a tiny baby, so all the summer activities I have planned are all going to be a great new experience for him.

My favorite time of the day with Will is in the early morning, after I feed and change him, I let him run around in our bedroom while I get ready for work. When he sees me brush my teeth, he skips on over, holds out his hand, and says brush. I hand him his brush, and he lets out the biggest smile. Then he proceeds to chew on his brush while dancing in front of the mirror.

- Will likes to scream. He puts his whole body into it and loves it when we scream with him.
- He likes to run in circles with his sister.
- He has favorite books – the Chinese animal safari book, the touch-and-feel books, and those recordable books.
- When he sees food and isn’t getting a piece of it, he fusses. It’s the only time he would even fuss.
- He scribbles with markers.
- He can put food into his mouth with a spoon. 20% of the time.
- He fell down the stairs this month. Just maybe 5-6 steps high. Fortunately, no injuries!
- He brings Pesto’s treat bag over to us, but when we give him one to feed the dog, he backs away.