Fresh Choice

I haven't been blogging because the kids are sick and we haven't been doing anything too exciting. Our most "extraordinary" outing involved going to a buffet called Fresh Choice.

This place is perfect for the kids. Not only was it free for both Kira and Hayden (kids under 2 eat free) they also have a ton of kid friendly foods.


Kira has had ice-cream before but this is the first time she's given a cone of her own. She was actually very neat.


Of course, we had to give Hayden a taste of the good stuff. What you can see in this video is all he had. We were not ready to turn him into a sugar freak yet.


One other outing we went to was the zoo. It was a little stressful because Kira was whiny and Hayden was tired. So, I didn't take any pictures of the kids but I did capture this tender moment between daddy giraffe and his new baby.


Another reason I haven't had time to blog is because of all the crafting. I've been working on a wedding gift that needs to be done by tomorrow because we are traveling to said wedding on Saturday morning and I don't have any time at all on Friday. Here is a glimpse of my work in progress.


I hope this post finds you all in good health.

One Tooth

Teething biscuits are sticky, messy, scary things in my book. Kira was never allowed to be near one. When her friends used to carry one around and chew on it all day long, I stop taking her to see those friends.

In celebration of Hayden's first tooth (it cut through on Tuesday night - night of his 8-m birthday!) I gave him a teething cracker. They are similar to teething biscuits but they are crispy like a cracker and they are made of rice. They are slightly cleaner when wet and half chewed up. Look how much mess he still managed to make.

"Chomp!"


"Yummy!"


Oh and for the record, he is a beef and potato kind of guy. He loves jars of baby food beef and jars of sweet potatoes and absolutely hates peas. He will tolerate it if the two are mixed but will make a face at me that says, "I know what you are doing - don't think you can fool me. I am just choosing to be good and cooperative. Up the meat to pea ratio in the next spoonful, please."

A Typical Evening

I want to sit on the couch and snuggle up with Hubby but the girl wants to sit on me. I let her and then feet bad that the baby is sitting all alone on the floor. So I pick up the baby but the girl still wants to sit on me. Our final arrangement is to make "family sandwich" with Hubby and me being the bread. On this particular night, baby is lettuce and the girl is ham.

At first, the sandwich looks pretty good... well, one slice of bread is taking the pictures.


Then we asked the ham to smile. I don't remember when it started but every time she's asked to smile, she thinks it means to wink and make a funny face. I'll have to re-teach her to smile.


Stuck in the wink.


What can the bread be doing that makes the ham so surprised?


According to the other slice of bread, this is a pretty typical scene at our house: the girls are doing something completely crazy (like winking at each other and make silly noises) and the baby is looking down mommy's shirt seeking the next meal.


The only still normal one in the family. What does the future hold for him? (Think Jack Jack in The Incredibles.)

Little Girl in Heels

I've been eagerly waiting for the day when Kira will have an interest in playing dress up with me and trying on my heels and putting on my dresses. In my mind, I've always pictured a 4 year old wearing my wedding gown parading around the house very much like this:


That day arrived two years early and it was like this:


I was looking for a dress and shoes to wear to a wedding and Kira quickly jumped into all my shoes. She looked at me try on the dresses and touched the fabric admiringly but she didn't ask to wear them herself. It was much more funny than I'd imagined it.


What was Hayden doing during all this? He sat blissfully on my bed sucking on his toes. I did warn him this is going to be the first of many such similar occasions. He'd better get acquainted with all his toes.

How to cut linen

I like the feel of linen but I think it's pretty difficult to cut. I've always used a rotary cutter and a mat in the past but I remember reading something about cutting a true straight line by pulling a thread at Purl Bee. So, when I started my new project this morning, I decided to give it a try. I am making it sound like a major endeavor but really it is the simplest thing.

Step one:
Pull a thread where you want to cut.


Step 2: Cut along the missing thread.


Voila! You have the straightest edge ever.


Here is a project that involve pretty much only this skill. Simple, eh?

Eight Months Old Today

Hayden is 8 months old! In honour of his 8-m birthday, I decide to pretend to be deep and jot down some random thoughts on motherhood.

- It's been 8 months and I still marvel at how perfect Hayden is. When I hold him in my arms, he seems like the whole world to me. (It also feels like he weighs as much as the whole world.)

- I was contemplating returning to work the other day. I had Hayden on my lap while I was reading job postings. I saw a job that I thought was perfect and then I looked down. There he was, smiling the biggest smile at me and grabbing my face with his tiny perfect fingers. It sounds sappy but I really felt like I already have the best job in the world. How many people can say they love their bosses.

- Even on my worst worst mommy days, the kids still can make me laugh.

- How can I, someone with such ordinary looks, end up with not one, but two gorgeous children?! Everything about them are perfect! I know beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. But really, aren't they perfectly gorgeous? (asks the beholder)

- Seeing the kids grow up everyday makes me appreciate the little things. Who knew, before I had children, I'd be so thrilled at seeing this simple task performed by a little blob? (For the record, Kira didn't acquire this skill until months after her first birthday. My little Hayden is so smart!)


- A friend asked me a couple months ago if motherhood is turning out how I'd imagine it to be. Honestly, I never sat around before the kiddies came to imagine what life would be like with kids. I guess I've always pictured my own mom when I imagined myself being a mom. Now that I am a mom, I'll have to say that this is the best gig ever! Although I sometimes sound whiny, frustrated, tired, sleep deprived, short tempered (Wow, thanks to everyone who're still answering my calls.) I really am loving it!

So, happy 8 month birthday, Hayden and happy 2 years 3months 16days birthday Kira.

Party

We went to a kiddie birthday party this past weekend and guess who had the most fun? Me! They had this inflatable house that *kids* jump in. Since this was a private party, the "no child over this height" rule didn't apply and so I dove right in and jumped. I never knew how much I missed jumping on trampolines. This was very close to the real thing. Jumping inside this house brought back so many childhood memories. I wonder how Kira will remember it.

This is the apron I made as the birthday gift. I had Kira model it the night before and she got really into it. (it = modeling... not the apron... though I guess she was in the apron...) The apron is reversible and is based on my tutorial. Does anyone remember the bird fabric on the back side? This is all I have left of this fabric. Made another dent in my stash. Yeah!


Hayden is now big enough to go into these bucket swings.


"Weeeeee!" He is all boy in this picture.


I let my children dangle while I went off and had fun in the inflatable house.


Inside the fun house. You can see the backside of the birthday girl in this picture. I couldn't get her to stay still for a picture. She, too, loved the house.


A couple of videos of me having fun! Brett thinks I need to rent one of these for my birthday. I think he's right... and I will have a no kids rule.

"I fink robot ready feed, I fink..."

She is so funny when she is not whining.

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The Last batch of pictures

Malls here are very kid friendly. There are lots for kids to do and there are always changing stations and nursing rooms somewhere within the mall. Apparently, they are catching on to the trend up North and are starting to make malls more family oriented. After all, a mom can't shop if her kids are kicking and screaming. So we found this play area at Brentwood Mall and spent a nice morning there.

Kira working on the maze


Through the tunnel


Kira loved this character in the bus. This is Arthur, right? When she thought nobody was watching, she hugged him, kissed him and told him secrets. It was funny to watch. (Yep, I was watching even though she didn't think I was. Mommys are sneaky.)


"Is that an apple?"


"weeeeeee!"


Hayden did a lot of waiting in the car while Kira ran around.


A good nap after a busy morning of play


I remember I was worried that Kira will never learn to play on her own and won't be able to climb up any play structure without help, etc. Apparently, it's all a matter of motivation and mood. She is totally capable of all these things.

Number One Boyfriend

Kira gets around and is kind of a player. She's had her share of boyfriends but in the end, she went back to her first love. Can't blame her, the guy has a car at the age of 2 and he can drive!!!

"Oh Brayden, you are my true love."


"Look Kira, I am driving and I am in charge. Stop being a backseat driver." (Yeah... she was kind of a backseat driver. I have no idea where she got that from...)


Here is a video of the love birds going for a ride. It brought tears to my eyes seeing Kira being picked up in a car for the first time... (it was supposed to be very romantic but her bossiness sort of killed the mood a little.)


Brayden got tired of chauffeuring Kira around so he let her take the wheel. I think Brett and I had better start saving up for Kira's car.


Thanks for sharing your toys with us Brayden. You were a very gentle boyfriend. Kira woke up Thursday morning and declared she loves Brayden.

We Are Home!

Yep, safe and sound. The trip wasn't bad at all. Miraculously, both kids slept on the plane so even I caught a little shut eye. Kira is quite happy to be home and has been asking for Daddy all morning. When I explained that daddy has to work, she simply said, "No. Kiki need the Daddy." So I took her to daycare and she saw other kids and forgot all about her complaints. Hayden on the other hand seems shocked to be home. He screams every time I put him down, even for a second and that I'd be standing right in front of him. He wants to be held or to be touching me one way or another all the time. I had to let him hold on to my foot while I put the groceries away this morning. I never knew I was so acrobatic.

As I was unpacking, I found myself wanting to keep everything right in the suitcase for our next trip in two weeks. We only have summer clothes in the suitcase and it's crazy cold here so I won't need those cute tank tops and shorts until we are out East.

I have to catch up on posting some pictures I took while we were still up North. Here's the first batch. Pictures of my kids with their favorite adult entourage. These people spoiled my children like mad!! Thanks Luk family!

Gu por with Kira at Steveston Market


Gong Gong and Kiki. My mom said my uncle must owe me from a different life. When he was dating my aunt, he had to bring me on their dates (I was apparently a very clingy niece) and now I have children of my own and he babysits for me and lets my daughter send him in circles. You won't believe the demands that Kiki makes when she is with my uncle - and he lets her and obliges! Imagine what he'll be like when he has grandchildren. :-)


While my aunt and uncle both look very professional when taking care of Kira, my cousin seemed to be having a little trouble with Hayden.


One big happy family. It was impossible to get everyone to look at the camera and smile at the same time. I took about 10 pictures of the same shot and believe it or not, this was the best one.


More pictures to come soon!

The New Fan Fav

Last time we came up North with the kids, Kira was just under two and Hayden was a 3 month old blob. She was charming and not so "terrible" and he was non-responsive. Naturally, she drew all the attention and I have to say that people didn't have much interest in the blob.

Things and hearts have changed. Kira is officially "terrible" and "two". Hayden on the other hand is all smile all personality all the time. So now when people call they ask, "what's Hayden doing?" "when can we see Hayden?"

Here are some happy Hayden pictures. Sorry Kira... get over your terribleness soon or you will be forgotten.

Hayden with my God parents.


"Haaaaaiiiiiiyaaaaaaa! Take it, crab!"


"Por por, you are choking me."


Big bear hug.


"I've got all the love."


"Is anyone watching?"


"Yep. I am turning on the charm."


Oh so sweeeeeet!


Finally, a short video of the boy of the day.