Browse Category: friends

Dog and Car are back.

We spent a quick 48 hours in Cerritos this past weekend.  Not only was it for the Kumquat Shower but our mission was also to pick up the dog and drive the car back up to SF.  When we arrived in Cerritos on Friday night, Dog was super excited to see us after 3 weeks at The Magical House.  On Saturday, I got up early enough to get some of my mommy’s waffles for breakfast.  I also got to see what Koa had been up to the last three weeks.

Apparently there’s a cat that lives behind my dad’s fountain in the backyard and Koa has been on the hunt for him.  He runs outside and goes snooping around the fountain and the rest of the backyard.  It’s pretty cute.  Unfortunately I didn’t see this phantom cat-cat.

Before the Kumquat Party, we went to the Cerritos Farmer’s Market where we picked up some cilantro roots and I got a big bag of Hula Pop.

I also found these kumquats.  Aw…cute.

On Saturday night, Jes and I attended the Clarendon Foundation’s Annual Valentine’s Dance at the Omni Hotel in Downtown LA.  It’s a fundraiser for a shelter/dormitory for girls in Sri Lanka.  It’s run by Dayantha’s dad and Ti was in charge of the event this year.  It was like a wedding with no couple to celebrate.  Instead there was a silent auction, raffle, and a presentation including a Skype call to the girls at the house.  Neato.  For the event, I bought a little black dress and actually wore heels for the first time in many months.  There was a cool water thingy outside of the hotel where Jes took my 31-week belly bump photo. Afterward, we met up with Brother and Joy for a midnight meal at Pacific Dining Car.  They didn’t have the stone crab that Jes was craving but Jes had his baseball steak.

On Sunday, we got up at a decent time and said our goodbyes.

We left The Magical House around 10:00 am and somehow we managed to get home by 4:30 with a few pee stops and lunch at In-N-Out.  So now life is back to normal with the car and dog at home where they should be.  Yay!

Shower for Kumquat

On Saturday, there was a big party for Kumquat.

Marie, Patti, and Patty planned it and it was held at Patty and Johnny’s house in Irvine.  The family from both sides attended along with some old friends.  All the decorations were so cute and of course Marie designed them all.

They also hired a taco truck that we happened to see on the freeway on the way to the house.  What fun!  They were called Dos Chinos and I really liked the pork belly taco and the Korean beef taco and their fries were tasty too.

Johnny also played bartender and had a menu and everything.  His cocktails must have been good because the non-alcoholic versions were pretty tasty.

There were a few games including one where everyone was asked to kiss a teddy bear earlier in the day and then later had to kiss me on the same place.  I got some smooches on the elbow and on the head and even on the tummy.  It was a little embarrassing for everyone but definitely memorable.

There was also a game where everyone had to memorize the 28 baby items on a tray and Katie played along too.  She managed to remember a lot more than I could have a I loved the way she spelled the word “suction”…it was spelled “sukshen”.  Cute.

It was great to have family and friends around to celebrate this occasion.  My two roomies from UCLA even came and Sandy and I got to compare baby bumps.  We’re due in the same week!

The kids all played together and it’s funny that they’ve all met at least once or twice at the pool.  It was like the 4-year-old swimming club.

We also brought Koa and he got to hang out with his brother Mochi.  They didn’t exactly play like they used to but they didn’t get into a brawl either.

It was a really fun afternoon and Kumquat is very lucky to have so many people who are excited about her arrival.  A big thank you goes to Marie, Patty, and Patti!  Here are the photos that I got from the party.  If anyone has any others, I’d love to see them!

Zippy Fun

This afternoon we attended a BBQ in Moraga where one of Jes’ co-workers lives.  It’s a nice spacious house with a large backyard big enough for a little zip line.  The kids had a lot of fun on it and Jimmy wanted to give it a try too.  It was the end of the afternoon so it was like a little grand finale for everyone to see.  (Click on the four arrows on the bottom right for full screen view).

Unfortunately, the rope gave way and he was on the floor in no time.

Jes managed to repair it with his skillful sailor knot tying skillz.

He even gave it a test ride and luckily it worked.  (Click on the four arrows on the bottom right for full screen view).

We’re Stokke’d.

Over the weekend, Jes went to Vegas to visit Kevin and his girls.  The last time I saw them, they had just turned two.  Now they’re four and rambunctious as ever.  Jesse spent Chinese New Year with them and got to eat some tasty traditional Chinese food that is made every year by Kevin and his family.  While he was there, he also had a taste of babysitting twin girls.

At one point, they were at the Venetian where Jes was stuck watching the two girls while Kevin and Karrie took care of some business.  Sounded like he had his hands full.

When Jes got back on Tuesday, he handed me a box from the store Janie and Jack.  Inside was the cutest little sailor outfit complete with a matching hat.  It’s so appropriate for Daddy’s little girl.  I’m sure Jes was thinking, “Now if only I had a boat.”

On Wednesday, I came home to find a huge box at my door.  It contained the Stokke Xplory stroller that Kevin and Karrie so generously handed down to us.  It’s a tank of a stroller that can be changed from back-facing to front-facing.  Unfortunately, when we opened it up, it had been damaged during the shipping process.  It’s a good thing Jes bought insurance when he took it to UPS.  Hopefully, it’ll all get resolved before Kumquat arrives.

Dinner and Play Time

Last night we were invited over to Ryan and Michelle’s for dinner.  The ribs and sides were tasty and it was nice to catch up.  The kids are growing up so quickly.  Reese is cruising and likes to wear jewelry.

Jack is crazy as ever and he plays a mean game of Trouble.  It’s funny how he cheats in whatever game he’s playing to give himself an advantage.  For example, in Trouble, he popped the bubble, got a “1”, and then quickly popped it again so he could get a “6”.  Pretty funny.

He also likes to show off his fancy dance moves and toys.  He has A LOT of Cars toys and lined them all up on Jes’ belly.

Happy Hour

Our old friend Dr. Mai came to town for the weekend so we went out on Friday after work for a little Happy Hour. Once again, I was the sober one but it’s nice to know that my friends are entertaining enough to not really need a drink or two to enjoy the evening. We went to Cato’s, an old hangout of mine in grad school. Good times…  And hey, check out that creepy baby lurking in the corner window.