Highlights of 2017

December 19, 2017

Can't believe there are only a few weeks left of 2017. Just a few more days of work/school and we are on vacation till the new year! Excited to see what 2018 has in store for us. Here are a few of my favorites from this year.










5 Years Married!

November 30, 2017

Ken and I turned 5 this month! To recap...we moved 3 times, had two kids, bought a home, traveled to Italy and Costa Rica (and San Francisco, Colorado and Seattle), camped a few times, hiked quite a bit, started a couple of businesses, ate a bunch of yummy food and some not so yummy, Ken turned 40, I turned 30, cried a little, laughed a lot...and so much more. Crazy how slow and also fast these 5 years went by! To celebrate the occasion, we went to Disneyland, the happiest place on earth (sans kids!). I don't think we'll ever go back with kids. We got to ride everything and actually got to eat our food. It was amazing. Maybe Disney World for year 10??





Halloween 2017

November 2, 2017

We attempted costumes this year! Didn't want to spend too much money, so I worked with what we already had. Chambray/denim top, red with white polka dots bandana, red lipstick...Rosie the Riveter! Easy peasy costume and they both looked so cute. Ava also dressed up as a cheerleader and Erin dressed up as Owelette from PJ masks as well.

Can't believe it's November now! Bring on the holidays and cooler weather!!








1:1 Floral Centerpiece Workshop

October 13, 2017

I've been a bit obsessed with flowers these days. They are just so darn pretty and the variety in colors never ceases to amaze me. I started my event planning business earlier this year and I wanted to find ways to improve in all aspects of my services, which includes flowers. I took a one to one workshop with Janelle at Lavender's Flowers in Santa Ana. I've been following her on Instagram for a while and I love her style and vision. Thought it'd be best to get a little insight from her with some face to face time.

I don't come from an artistic background. Heck, I'm like on the very opposite side of the spectrum. Majored in Criminal Justice and honestly, I'm the most literal person you'll meet. Working with flowers has definitely taken me outside of my comfort zone. It really requires me to use creative juices I've really never had to use before. Color theory, color palettes, depths, symmetry..etc. But, as I continue to work with flowers, I surprise myself at how much I enjoy it even with all the challenges.

I learned tons from this workshop and got some great advice. One very important thing I did walk away with: take lots of pictures of your work/progress. Documenting is key at improving. Just in the span of 3 months, I can see a lot of change/progress in my work. Pretty kool.





Pumpkin Patch 2017

October 3, 2017

We made our way to Tanaka Farms this year. We skipped out on any pumpkin patches last year so this was Ava's first time. I think the last time I visited Tanaka Farms was at least 6+ years ago. We went opening weekend so they had free wagon rides all day (it's usually $6!). We beat the rush (and heat) by going right at opening time and spent about 2 hours there. The girls had fun walking around, picking up pumpkins. Super friendly staff and tons for kids to do. I definitely recommend!





Currently

September 8, 2017

Guys..we are in the month of September, which means we're just a tad bit closer to cooler weather and the holiday season (pumpkin flavor everything)! August was a very busy month for our family, and I'm happy to say we survived it (and totally glad its over)!

A few updates:
  • Ken is 40! 
  • The school year started and Erin is in K4.
  • Both girls are officially on the charts now (in terms of weight and height)!
  • Ava is talking so much! Her current favs: moon, ball, oh no, gigi (dirty), where did it go, there it is, and she's finally saying mom!
  • I watched the first 5 seasons of Game of Thrones (in the span of 2 weeks). Only 2 more seasons left and I'll finally be caught up!
  • Only a month into age 4 and I'm already not enjoying it. I think the "terrible" stage officially started for Erin. So. Not. Fun.




Erin - 4 Year Update!

August 11, 2017

Erin is 4! How in the world is she 4 already?! I think she was very excited about the idea of turning 4. It was the first year she actually asked about her birthday. So sad to see that my once little baby is a big girl now, but I do love this stage too. She's so funny and sweet..I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for her.
  • She's a talking/singing machine. We can actually have long conversations now, which is a good and bad thing. I need to be careful what I say to her now because she remembers everything and she repeats everything she hears.
  • The Moana soundtrack is on repeat.
  • She eats decently but still doesn't eat a whole lot. She still prefers Asian food.
  • She started gymnastics at the beginning of the year and she loves it.
  • She loves going on planes, trains, buses. It seems like she enjoys traveling.
  • Her favorite TV shows: PJ Masks, Doc McStuffins, Sophia the First, Micky Mouse Clubhouse.
  • A few of her good friends at school: Charlotte, Devyn and Abigail.
  • She has one more year of preschool and she'll start Kindergarten next fall.
  • She loves the water/swimming.
  • There has been a lot of attitude and whining lately.
  • She likes coloring, drawing and writing. She can draw people and trees now!
  • Recently she has been picking out her own clothes. She'll pick them out the night before and she'll usually insist on changing herself.
  • She's def. a girly girl. Not sure where she learned it from, but she's into jewelry, purses, dresses, dolls, etc.  
  • She likes to make people laugh. She's always acting goofy and saying silly things to try and get us to laugh. 
  • Erin and Ava get along about 80% of the time and they can be so sweet together. But the other 20% are spent crying/screaming because neither of them are good at sharing and both are too stubborn to give in. 
Favorites:
Friend: Abigail, Devyn and Zoey
Book: Clifford
Restaurant: McDonalds
Store: Target








Lake Tahoe 2017

August 2, 2017

We survived! We took the girls to Lake Tahoe last month. We camped for two nights and lodged for two nights. My last experience camping was when Erin was 11 months and it wasn't all too positive, so naturally I was hesitant to take two toddlers on this week long trip. The girls did great on the drive up. We left at 10:00pm so they slept for most of the 8.5 hour drive. Mad props to Ken for driving the entire time!

Ava is our good sleeper, but only when she's in her own room and by herself. I was most concerned about how she'd sleep, but she actually ended up sleeping pretty decently minus one night. No sleeping issues with Erin. She probably loved that we all were sleeping together (she prefers sleeping with people). The kids played with dirt, sand and water all week, which meant they were pretty much filthy the entire time we were there. That was probably the most challenging part on my end (my inner clean freak was flipping out). They had sap all over them, sand in their hair (and plenty of other places), had black finger nails, and so on. But the girls loved it. Hah. I loved that they wandered off exploring, playing with nature and just spent most of the week outdoors. Oh and the weather was perfect! The lodging portion would've been fine had we not discovered a bat living in our rental. We spent almost 2 hours trying to get rid of the bat. We ended up finding another place to sleep the last night of our trip.

Overall the trip turned out well. We had some days with super cranky, overly tired kids. Plenty of meltdowns and a super clingy Ava, but I could tell the girls enjoyed it, especially Erin. Erin was the perfect age. She had tons of fun running around with the other kids and she even hiked a whole mile on her own! As for me, I'm not a huge beach person, and most of the time there was spent at the beach (which makes sense) but I'd def. want to do some other outdoor activities if we were to go again. Maybe some rock climbing, boating or even mountain biking? I wouldn't object to going back in a few years when Ava is older. This way both girls can join in on the activities and there will be less naps to worry about.

An important tip for a smooth camping experience with toddlers:
  1. Bring snacks - lots of them!
I just have the one tip, but it's a very important one! Camping usually means mealtimes will be delayed. I brought 3 big bags full of snacks and the girls finished most of it. Ava is a pretty picky so I knew she wouldn't eat 80% of the food there, so I brought things I knew she'd eat. Her diet that week consisted of yogurt, cheese, fruit, rice and tofu. Erin didn't eat a ton, but at least she's not as picky. Goodness, will my children ever be good eaters?!

A few photos from our trip:

 





Ava - 18 Month Update

July 21, 2017

Baby girl is 18 months! She has been learning so much these days...I forget how much kids soak up at this age.
  • Ava is walking around everywhere. She's trying to run, but she's still pretty clumsy.
  • She copies everything Erin does. 
  • She loves to eat fruit, tofu, yogurt, rice, cheese and any smoothie pack (yes..no meat). It's extremely challenging getting her to eat anything else.
  • She's really into playing with baby dolls and buckles.
  • She's always wanting to hold Erin's hand, but Erin doesn't like to. 
  • She doesn't like the ergo. 
  • She's talking a lot. She can say: Dad, apple, bubble, uh-oh, please, thank you and much more (but still no Mom)! She's really loud and yells too.
  • She sleeps well at night and will usually take 1 nap.
  • She's such a funny/goofy kid and she has this cute little crooked smile. She's seriously such a character!
  • She's quite fearless in that she likes to try new things, climb things, etc. without hesitation.
  • The meltdowns have started and shes a screamer.
  • Current fav person: Mom.












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