Can't believe the end of 2016 is already here. 2016 was a pretty big year for us. We bought a home and made the move to Orange County. We welcomed baby Ava into the world and became a family of four.  Can't remember what life was like without her! Erin started preschool, turned 3, now wears big girl panties, and upgraded to a bunk bed. Ken purchased a new camera and started working on his portfolio for his photography business. You can check out his work here. I turned the big 3-0 and traveled to New Orleans (first time there and first trip away from the kids). As a family, we traveled to Seattle/Portland and made tons of wonderful memories. Can't wait to see what 2017 has in store for us!

Highlights of 2016 (in no particular order):

Sisters Photo Session 2016

Location: Yorba Linda, CA

We opted out of getting family photos taken this year. We thought it'd be cuter to take pictures of just the girls for our holiday cards (pictures taken by Ken). The photo session was a lot of me running back and forth, jumping up and down trying to get them to look forward and smile. Had to bribe them with treats. We got some great photos and a lot of funny candid ones. Too bad Ava isn't crawling or standing on her own yet. Gotta do this every year. They're the cutest together (and they're starting to look a lot alike now)!

Lately

• I turned 30 last week, which means Ken and I are finally in the same decade. Hehe
• Ava has had 2 colds in less than a month. Her sleep at night has been CRAY.
• Erin has been really into singing these days. Itsy Bitsy and Ring Around the Rosie is on repeat like all the time. Hah. She can sing the same song for 20 minutes straight.
• I only just recently realized how OCD Erin is.
• Ava is 10 months and not crawling, but she's an eating machine. Current favs: Noosa yogurt, rice and soup, cottage cheese with jam, toast with cream cheese, puffs, eggs and pasta.
• Ken and I are celebrating 4 years of marriage this month! It actually falls on Thanksgiving day this year.  
• I'm currently really into the show, Designated Survivor. So good. 
• It's going to be Christmas in a month! 
• My postpartum baby hairs are looking real wild. Ugh. 

Planning Ava's First Birthday

It's already that time again. Been busy planning Ava's first birthday! It's crazy that it's already almost here. As time consuming as the planning can be, it's a chance for me to get my creative juices going so I enjoy the time creating things and making things personal.

Theme: Wildflower

My Inspiration:

• The book "How to be a Wildflower - a field guide". Has anyone read or looked through this book? It's the cutest! It's a guide full of little notes and colorful drawings. After flipping through a few pages, I knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow into Ava's birthday.
• I've also really been into ferns and greenery, so I thought it'd be perfect to incorporate that into the theme.  
• Ava is quite the spunky gal. Thought it'd be a fitting theme for her.

A peek at the invitation:

9 Month Update - Ava

Little Ava is already 9 months! This is my favorite age. She interacts with people, sits up, laughs, eats and so on. My baby is getting so big!

Stats:
Height: 2 ft 3.5 inches (45%)
Weight: 15 lb 5 oz (8%)
Head: 44 cm (55%)

• She loves food. She's grabbing at everything in her sight. She's like a ninja, grabbing things off the table so fast!
• She sits up on her own now.
• Not crawling yet.
• She loves standing and bouncing.
• She throws her body around when we're holding her now. We need to be careful and hold on to her tightly, otherwise she'll try to jump out of our arms.
• She has terrible constipation. It's actually really sad. Poor thing is eating more solids now, but she's getting more constipated too. Started giving her water in a sippy cup during meals.
• She has two teeth (bottom). I think the top two are coming soon.
• Her sleeping has been a little up and down, but its getting back to normal and she's sleeping better at night. Her naps have always been good.
• She just learned about splashing water. Bath time can get quite messy.
• She enjoys clapping her hands and waving.
• She has this goofy crooked smile.
• She sweats easily (just like Dad).
• She likes swatting at your face, grabbing your lips and pulling your hair.

Ava is such a character. She's sweet, impatient and goofy. She loves being around people and watching everything around her. She smiles at anyone and anything. She gets so excited when she sees something she wants or likes and she has this goofy little smile. She wants to be around Erin all the time. It's pretty darn cute. I love that she hugs me, reaches for me and lays her head on my shoulder intentionally. She doesn't cry much, but yells quite often. Changing her diaper is a HUGE task now because girl won't stay still anymore. She's eating all sorts of things now: beef, rice, breads, yogurt, all sorts of fruits and veggies, and etc. She LOVES all foods but strangely doesn't gain weight.

Pumping while Traveling

I took my very first trip away from the kids! Flew out to New Orleans for a weekend. It was only for 3 days, but it was a pretty big deal considering it was my first time away and I was still nursing my 9 month old. Since I was still nursing, I had to pump throughout the trip. I had never done that before. There was so much to consider and think about before leaving for my trip. What to pack? Will the airport allow this? Where will I pump? Is there a fridge? Should I freeze or refrigerate the milk? and so on.

The pump I'm currently using is really compact and it can be battery operated, which is perfect for traveling! You won't always have an outlet to plug into. I use the Lansinoh Signature Pro Double Pump.

Here's what I packed for my trip:

1. Breast pump
2. Large cooler bag (I purchased the black one shown below. Simple, big and inexpensive)
3. Small cooler bag (gel lined) (This small one was to use in case I was out long and needed to pump and store the milk immediately)
4. Ice Packs (3)
5. Milk bags (25)
6. Milk containers (4)
7. Pump/Accessory wipes
8. Bottle soap
9. Ziploc bags (large and small) 
10. Nursing cover
11. Tote bag
12. Extra pump parts
13. Nursing pads 
14. Extra Batteries

Apple Picking 2016

We visited Oak Glen last weekend to check out the apple orchards. It was the first time for all of us.  I've always wanted to go apple picking and since we live pretty east now, it only look us a little over an hour to get there. Not bad at all. Both girls ended up sleeping on the ride there and back. There are several orchards in Oak Glen, but we chose to visit Willowbrook Apple Farm. I could tell it was one of the smaller orchards, but it got really good reviews for that reason. We got there just before the orchard opened so we were able to get prime parking and didn't have to wait to do anything.

• We made apple cider first. It was SO sweet and it was 100% apples. So yummy. It took a million apples to make just a gallon though.
• We picked apples next. Erin had a blast.
• We then headed over to Snow-Line Orchard to try their famous mini apple cider donuts. They were pretty yummy (had to wait 30 minutes for them though). We ate a quick lunch there and headed back home.

I could tell Erin enjoyed her time at the apple farm. I think Erin was just old enough to appreciate it. Ava sat in the stroller for most of the time, but she was content just watching us while sucking on a baby apple. Glad we got to check it out. Next stop, the apple farms in Julian!

Life with Two Kids

"Let's go!", "Hurry up!", "Can you please put your shoes on..now?", "Please walk faster", "If you don't eat now, you're going to be hungry later", "Did I forget something??"...That's what my mornings sound like now..Chaos I tell you.

Currently, our M-F looks something like this:

• 6:00am - Wake Erin up. Ken probably just got back from the gym and it's possible I'm already awake.
• 6:30am - Ken and I have been switching off making breakfast and making Erin's lunch. Lately though, we've just been sending Erin to school with a smoothie and fruit bar for breakfast.
• 7:00am - Drop off Erin and Ava (Ken and I carpool now. It's awesome..because I'm not the one driving).
• 8:00am - Arrive at work.
• 4:30pm - End Work.
• 5:30pm - Pick up Erin and Ava.
• 5:45pm - Make dinner and eat.
• 6:30pm - Erin will play and/or do other random things. I'll nurse Ava.
• 8:00pm - I'll start getting Ava ready for bed. I'll nurse her a final time and she'll go down anywhere from 8:00-8:30pm. Ken will get Erin ready for bed.
• 8:30-9:00pm - Erin will go to bed around this time.
• 8:45pm - I wash Ava's bottles and get tomorrow's milk baggies ready.
• 9:15pm - I'll shower and start winding down. Ken tends to sleep a little later than me, but we're usually in bed around 10pm.

It's been 8 months now since we became a family of four.  There is definitely more to juggle now and the girls are keeping us quite busy. M-F is pretty routine. We've got a nice little schedule down, but it doesn't leave Mom/Dad with a lot of free time. Erin started Pre-K and is learning SO much. There's never a dull moment with this girl...the things she says now. But, that also means she requires a lot of attention and she's constantly needing to be occupied by something and/or someone. She's actually becoming more independent, meaning she wants to do everything herself, which means she's going to do things much slower...and that also means we need to watch her more carefully (if it involves climbing something, carrying something, putting on her clothes, etc.). Ava has been keeping me busy these last few weeks and has been waking up 2-4 times at night (very unusual!). I had a feeling it had to do with teething and sure enough, her two bottom teeth have cut through her gums. Baby girl has teeth now, hooray (not so hooray for my boobs)! But besides the bad sleeping, Ava has been real easy thus far! She's almost always sleeping through all the chaos in the mornings and has been real easy going down each night. The girl rarely cries and just wants to eat all the time. Hah. But I'm sure once she's a little older, she'll become more of a handful, especially when she becomes mobile.

In the midst of this new busy life, I've sort of hit a slump of laziness. I've been so tired lately and I've found myself with less energy. I've been wanting to squeeze in a run before or after dinner, but it has yet to happen. Lame, right? When I do find myself with some spare time, I just want to sit and do nothing. It's been so much harder this time around to find the energy to do things.  I'm always finding some excuse.."I'll do it tomorrow," "It's too hot to run," "It's too far," "I'm too tired,"...etc. I gave myself a year grace period. Hah (till Ava turns 1). So we'll just have to see where I am in the next few months. Hopefully I'm in a nice groove, with more energy and actually getting things done. I'm also hoping that once Ava is off the boob and my body becomes my own again, I'll be more active and dare I say..actually running! I'm pretty sure I've lost all my muscle mass!

Being lazy has its perks though. I get to sit and hang with the girls/Ken. Sometimes we all just veg out on the couch..watching TV and/or reading books. The girls are the cutest together and it's been such a joy watching these two interact and "play" together. Erin is so sweet towards Ava and Ava is busy watching Erin's every move. Must treasure these moments. Soon enough they'll be making each other cry and annoying one another. Hah.

Currently

• Erin is pretty much potty trained...finally. Hooray! 
• Ava is an eating machine! She sure loves food.
• Erin got a bed upgrade. She's in a bunk bed now. 
• Our house is finally starting to feel like home. I'll share pictures soon.
• Football season started. I know what Ken will be doing every Thursday, Sunday and Monday. 
• Pumpkin Spice Latte is back! Can't believe its the last quarter of the year already. This year seriously flew by.
• In just a little over a month, I leave for my very first trip away from the kids! 
• Three is not my favorite age. Erin has been quite a challenge these days.  

PNW - Part 2: Portland

Our family traveled to the PNW earlier this month. I shared a little about our time in Seattle in a previous post. We started our PNW trip in Seattle and took the Amtrak down to Portland. We ended up booking a place to stay through Airbnb (I share a little about my Airbnb experience below).  Portland was quite different from Seattle (besides it being very green). It had a very old, hipster, super chillax vibe. Tons of small shops and restaurants hidden within residential areas. Lots of bikers and people with tattoos. Super friendly people and lots of coffee shops. Not sure if it's a place that I'd be able to call home, but I'm glad I finally got to visit.

I thought we ate a lot in Seattle, but that was nothing compared to how much we ate in Portland. I think we ate every 3 hours. It was non-stop. Even though I was full, I just kept eating (the food is definitely cheaper over there). In general, I liked the food in Seattle better, but here are some places I'd recommend (mostly breakfast places).

Top places to eat in Portland (ranked):

1. Tasty n Sons - This place was amazeballs. Everything was delicious. I ordered the steak and cheddar eggs with cornmeal pancakes. The only complaint was that the meat was a bit tough. I also recommend the polenta and sausage ragu..so good! Their chocolate potato donut was good too.
2. Bing Mi - This place is located in downtown in a food cart. They have crepes that are Chinese inspired. It was surprisingly good! I'd definitely recommend.
3. Lardo - This was the first place we ate at when we arrived in Portland. If you want a good sandwich, this place is great. 
4. Screen Door - I think this was place was overly hyped. We waited a really long time to be seated, so by the time we sat down, I was expecting something great. The chicken and waffle dish is their best seller. It's pretty huge. Our chicken was too tough though, so we were a little disappointed. All the other dishes we ordered were good though.
5. Broder - Went for breakfast. Everything we ordered was good, no complaints. 

*Blue Star Donuts - Where do I even begin. I went in with no expectations...and I fell in love at first bite. These donuts were stanking good. My favorite was the buttermilk old fashion. I like the simple ones. Their dough isn't your usual donut dough, and that's probably why I liked it. It's more bready and its thicker. I loved them and now I crave them all the time. We have one here in CA, but it's all the way in Venice! I'm praying they open one up in the OC soon.

Things to do in Portland:

• Hike - Multnomah Falls is probably the most popular place to visit when in Portland, so we made sure to stop by and takes tons of pictures. We did a short 2 mile hike - roundtrip (Wahclella Falls Hike). I'd recommend this one if you have kids.
• Alberta Street - This is a long street with tons of small shops and restaurants. We just walked around and the girls were able to take a nap in the stroller.
• Downtown Portland - There's one section in downtown with dozens of food carts. I think they're open all week. Lots of different types of food to choose from. We grabbed some food and found a little park (Director Park I think) to eat.
• Portland University Farmer's Market - I believe its every Saturday. We got there towards the tail end, but it was still pretty crowded. It's pretty big and there are tons to eat and buy.

PNW - Part 1: Seattle

I finally got to visit the PNW! Seattle and Portland to be specific. People have always told me that I'd really enjoy the PNW..and I must say, they were correct. This was our first trip as a family of four.  Erin had already been on a plane a few times before, but I could tell she enjoyed traveling this time around (probably because she's older). She was beyond excited to ride on an airplane and she was so looking forward to seeing her uncle and riding in his car. The girls did great on the flights and other than Ava having trouble sleeping at night, I'd say this trip was a success! We lucked out with the weather too. It only rained one day (only for a few hours) in Seattle and it ended up being a lot cooler than expected. We even needed a jacket. Score (I hate hot weather)! Ken's brother lives in Seattle, so we were able to crash at his place and even got to drive his car while we were there. Tons of money saved right there! 

I definitely liked the vibe in Seattle. It was SO green. The city had the right amount of chill and hustle. It was nice getting away from the crazy hot weather here in socal and it was also great seeing old friends. I feel like we could have used a few more days there. I guess we'll just have to take another trip back up (maybe sans kids?).

We walked tons and ate tons. Here are a few highlights.

Top places to eat in Seattle (ranked):

1. Pike Place Chowder - Their claim chowder is seriously so yummy. The line was long, but it went by fast. Took about 30 minutes to get our food. So stanking good.
2. Bakery Nouveau - Everything at this bakery was delicious. It was like heaven for me because I love pastries and sweets. I got the quiche Lorraine and a bunch of other pastries. Ken got the baked ham and cheese croissant.Two thumbs up!
3. Ellenos - I'm not a huge fan of Greek yogurt, but this one is really good. Wish they sold it down here.
4. Un Bien - These sandwiches were quite delicious. I'd recommend the seared scallop and Caribbean roast.
5. The Crumpet Shop - This place has cute little crumpets with all sorts of topping choices. Didn't really know what a crumpet was before eating here, but they're like muffins that are crispy on the outside and chewy/spongy on the inside. My favorite was the butter, with fresh preserves and ricotta cream cheese.

*Shiro's - This one isn't on my list above, because we didn't actually eat this while we were in Seattle. We wanted to eat some sushi, but we just couldn't make it happen. Ken's brother ended up driving it down to us in Portland! The fish was great and that Tamago..it seriously tastes like cake.


Things to do in Seattle:

• Hike - Lots of hiking trails around Seattle. It rained the day we decided to hike so we had to cut it short, but we just hung out by the lake and soaked in all the fresh air.
• Pike's Market/Downtown - Lots to do and see in downtown, especially around Pike's market. I wish I lived there so I could buy and take home some flowers. The flowers are so cheap in Seattle!
• Space Needle - We didn't go up the Space Needle, but we got to see it. We went over to Kerry Park to take pictures of the skyline.
• Gas Works Park - This park doesn't really have a kids playground, but it's really big with tons of grass. Erin was able to run around and play with rocks and whatnot. We also brought our lunch and had a little picnic. This park has a great view of the city too.

Erin is Three!

I can't believe I have a 3 year old! My goodness, it's amazing how slow and how fast these 3 years have gone by. It's been such a joy watching Erin grow up. She's such an amazing little girl with tons of personality. She's got a whole bunch of sass and attitude, but she's also so affectionate and sweet. Currently, she's not the best listener and her stubbornness is like a 7.5/10, but I'm sure its just a phase (hopefully). She may not be the most outgoing or adventurous, but she's quite the observer and that makes her so thoughtful and helpful. Love her so much!

6 Month Update - Ava

Baby girl is 6 months! Here are a few highlights from the last few months:

• She is smiling all the time and she squeals when she gets really excited.
• After turning 100 days old, she became SO much easier. She is super chill and easygoing.
• I can tell she enjoys being around people and watching them.
• Ava did wonderfully when she first started daycare. The daycare provider is always raving about her. Eats well and naps decently.
• She's falling asleep on her own now, with the exception of a few weird nights she's a bit cranky and may need more soothing.
• She started solids this month. Started her off with butternut squash and carrots and she seems to like it so far. She'd always smack her lips when she saw us eating and I'd feel so bad. Now she gets to get with us during meals!
• She's outgrowing the bathtub. Can't wait till she can sit up on her own so we can start giving Erin and Ava baths together.
• She is grabbing her feet and rolls over tummy to stomach (sometimes).
• If she's not sleeping through the night, she'll wake up once..usually around midnight. No complaints here. I almost always have to wake her up in the morning around 7.
• She's really into her hands right now. She enjoys opening and closing her fists. She also likes pinching mommy. 
• She is officially in her own room in her crib (she slept in a bassinet next to me till she was 5 months old).
• She is a chatty/loud girl and she screams now.
• She likes sticking out her tongue and clapping her hands.
• She does this thing where she giggles so hard she gets the hiccups. It's pretty darn cute.
• She cries when unni cries. 

Stats:
Height: 25.5 inches (35%)
Weight: 13 lbs 11 oz (9%) -- Don't know what happened here. She looks and feels heavier than that to me.

Yumbox lunch ideas

Lunch isn't part of the tuition at Erin's preschool. Either you pay $4/day for lunch or you bring your own. $4 sounded like a lot of money so I'm packing Erin's lunch everyday. I researched a lot about which lunch box would be best for Erin. I didn't want anything too bulky or hard to open. It was between the planetbox and the yumbox. In the end, yumbox won. I really like the yumbox. It's super helpful having different compartments that are different sizes.

It's not easy getting her lunches ready each morning. I want to make sure she has plenty to eat, which means each lunch has to be carefully thought out. Gotta try to make it as well balanced as possible, giving her a little bit of everything. Here's a little of what Erin has been eating for lunch.

Grilled cheese, yogurt raisins, teddy grahams, peaches and blueberries, edamame

Pork cutlet with sauce, Hawaiian bread with cheese, mixed veggies, strawberries and blueberries, half of a chocolate chip cookie

Alfredo shell pasta with chicken, crackers with cheese, broccoli and carrots, kiwi and grapes, chocolate covered blueberries

Erin starts Preschool!

There have been a lot of changes since our big move to Orange County. New home in a new city/county, new daycare for Ava, and Erin started preschool. I was actually quite nervous about this transition for Erin. She was so happy at her daycare. She would always talk about her friends and it was so sad when she had to say goodbye to all of them that last day (sad for me mostly because I don't think Erin realized what this particular goodbye meant). I was nervous about what it would be like for Erin to make new friends and go from a free play setting to a more structured setting. Also,  if you've ever met Erin, you'll know she's a little shy/quiet and a bit fearful. But to my surprise, there were no tears her first day! She didn't cry at all or give us a hard time. She willingly went into the arms of her new teacher. She has really come a long way. Had we sent her to preschool just 6 months prior, I'm positive there would've been tears. Erin has grown so much these past few months. She's becoming more extroverted and adventurous. It's been just a few weeks into preschool, but it seems like Erin is really enjoying it. The teachers say she's doing really well. Apparently she gets along with everyone and is a great listener (she's totally a bad listener at home). It's cute when Erin tries to tell us about her day (I can only understand about 80% of it and she gets SO frustrated when I can't understand her). She's making new friends (still hasn't remembered all their names so sometimes she refers to them as "that person" and "that other person"). I'm so proud of her. Gosh, she's getting so big so fast!

Our mornings have definitely become more hectic now. We need to make sure Erin eats a good breakfast before heading out, I have to make Erin's lunch and we make two drop-offs now. But during the chaos of the mornings, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic...thinking back on how little and different Erin was and seeing how much my little girl has grown. In the blink of an eye, Ava will be right there too!

My girls.

Father's Day 2016

With our big move coming up, we spent most of Father's Day weekend finalizing carpet, paint, etc. for the new place. We did manage to grab some yummy breakfast on Saturday and had a $$$$ meal at Ikea on Sunday. Ken likes their ribs. You can't beat the price, so why not and I love their food too. We classy like dat. This weekend was a little distracting (moving, the HEAT), but us girls are so thankful and lucky to have Ken in our lives!

Here's what the girls had to say about their daddy:

I think its safe to say Erin loves Ken because he reads to her.

Some pictures from the weekend:

Ken's awesome father's day gift:

Planning Erin's 3rd Birthday

This year's theme is: Batman.
(I let her pick this year's birthday party theme. It was between: Clifford or Batman. Batman was the winner)

Her obsession started sometime last year. Erin inherited some clothes from her older boy cousin and one of the items included a Batman shirt. She took quite the liking to it and would ask to wear it all the time. I eventually started getting her a few more pieces of Batman inspired clothing. She loved it.

The Color Palette: Monochrome with hints of pink

My Inspiration:

There are so many cute ideas out there for throwing a Batman themed party. I actually ordered the pink Batman cape/mask (top left picture) for Erin. I'm sure she'll love wearing it around.

I had lots of fun designing the birthday invitation. Final product:

A few months ago, I told Erin when her birthday is... so now she goes around telling everyone her birthday is "August 10!" and tells them it's going to be a Batman party. She actually understands whats going on this time and it's great that I can get opinions from her now too. Can't believe I'm going to have a 3 year old...crazy!

Stay tuned!

Goodbye LA, Hello OC

We did it. We are homeowners!

These two kiddos get their own room. Hoorayy! (Not that it really makes a difference..they've both been sleeping in our room lately)

There was a lot of contemplating and going back and forth about whether it was the right time, but we decided it was. We knew we always wanted to end up in Orange County, LA just had too many cons. We didn't look for too long when we found a place in Yorba Linda we liked. We put in an offer, it got accepted and things progressed smoothly. Yorba Linda is a great city, especially for the girls...quiet and excellent school district. Lots of changes to come, but very excited (and sorta nervous) about it!

*Moving with 2 kids is going to be a real pain (we move this month and haven't started packing yet), but its nice to know we're moving into a place we can call our own now. Yorba Linda, get ready...the Kims are coming!

4 Month Update - Ava

Our little Ava is 4 months old!

Stats:
Height: 24.5 (61%)
Weight: 13.2 lbs (40 %)

• I went back to work this month. Ken is on paternity leave for the month of May. He definitely had a rough few days with Ava crying a lot and refusing to eat, but now Ava is sleeping well and drinking from the bottle like a champ. Hooray!
• She has been attempting to roll. She's almost there so I say she'll master it by next month.
• She is sucking on her hands all the time and drooling non-stop.
• She's still smiling and talking all the time. She has only giggled a few times, but she squeals in excitement all the time.
• She still wakes up once a night. No complaints here but... she has been waking up super early (around 5:30am) these days. Erin usually woke up around 7am, so this is something I'm going to have to get used to.
• She has really great neck muscles now. She does this thing now where she turns her head to look at me while I'm holding her. It's really cute.
• She still loves bath time, but she's already starting to bust out of the infant tub.
• She starts daycare in a week! Mixed emotions!
• She has really stinky farts. Hehe

Mother's Day 2016

This Mother's Day I got to celebrate being a mommy not to one daughter, but two! Our Mother's Day tradition is twinning it and now I've got two girls to twin with. We had brunch at Commissary at the Line Hotel. The restaurant is located on the roof in a Greenhouse. It's a really pretty place, so of course we took tons of pictures.

Erin is such a goofball now. She actually lets us take pictures of her and even poses. Such progress!

This motherhood thing has definitely been challenging, especially with two kids in the picture now. I learn more and more each day about sacrifice and patience (the girls seriously test my patience!). But I wouldn't trade it for the world.  The good and the bad, I'm so thankful I'm getting to experience it all.

This happened right after brunch.