Browse Month: October 2015

Vancouver 2015

IMG_1223We spent a week in Vancouver (October 22-28) with the family to attend cousin Eric’s wedding and we also made it our annual Lao Family Vacation.  It was so much fun seeing the cousins, eating some tasty food, and spending time with the family.  Traveling as a pack of 10 (including 3 lap infants and a grandfather with a broken foot) was not as bad as it could have been.

IMG_1244 IMG_1243With thoughtful planning and timing, we pulled it off without any major hiccups.  I was so proud of our two little kids and how well they did.

IMG_1267We booked a hotel room at Element Hotel in Burnaby for the first half of the week and it was a brand-new SPG hotel with a full kitchen and nice view.  I often found KK looking out the window there.IMG_1284It was so nice to see Amy again.  We last saw her on the weekend of her own wedding up there back in 2011.

IMG_1280We were invited to the rehearsal dinner and got to see the whole family on our first night.  Any babies that were awake got passed around.

IMG_1285We had to make a Walmart stop to buy enough diapers for the week.  Luckily all 3 babies are wearing the same size!IMG_1287KK slept through all of dinner and woke up super chipper and hungry too.  So, we went down to the hotel bar for a cocktail while she ate the food that was packed up for her.  My Moscow mule was pretty tasty.

IMG_1295Each morning was spent in the 5th floor lounge where they served complimentary breakfast. Peanut was awake pretty early so we had some Mommy and Baby time together while the sun came up.

IMG_1369 On the day before the wedding, we all went to the Vancouver Aquarium.  They have some pretty cool exhibits there.IMG_1417I loved watching the interaction between KK and Amelia (Amy’s daughter).

IMG_1424At the local supermall, I finally found the kinder surprise eggs that I had seen on YouTube.  They aren’t sold in the U.S. so I thought I’d buy KK a few to open while we were on our vacation.  I also quickly realized that these things are pretty fragile because one of them started to melt in my hand while I was waiting in line to pay.

IMG_1495On the day of the wedding, we ran a little late because of traffic but made it in time for the end of the ceremony and the family photos.  It was nice to see everyone all dressed up.  Even Peanut had a little sweater vest to wear that day.IMG_1492IMG_1546There was some time between the ceremony and reception so we went to Granville Island for lunch and a short walk.IMG_1618At the ceremony, there was the usual multi-course banquet dinner and KK had her first daddy-daughter dance with Jes.  It was so sweet.

IMG_1687The day after the wedding, Amy had everyone over at her house and we got this cute photo of all the kids together.  We’ll have to take this same photo 15 years later when they’re all too cool to be hanging out with their parents.

IMG_1696That same day, we drove to Sunshine Coast, which required a 40-minute ferry ride.  It was one of those ferries that allow you to park your car on the boat while you go up to the passenger floors to get a cup of coffee and hang out.  IMG_1847We rented a huge log house (through AirBnB) in Gibsons that had 5 bedrooms and 3.5 baths.  There was plenty of room for all 10 of us to spread out with room to spare.  Even Peanut and I got our own room so that Jes and KK could get some uninterrupted sleep.

IMG_1814It also had a ridiculous kitchen stocked with 2 fridges, 2 stoves, 2 dishwashers, and 3 sinks!  It also had a grill outside, which Jes used to make a tasty steak for dinner.

IMG_1790I don’t know what was going on in this photo but I thought it was funny.IMG_1771There was a really nice view of the water from the terrace outside the livingroom and an even nicer view from the bedrooms upstairs.

IMG_1885It was so nice to be able to just hang out, relax, and enjoy being with the family.  IMG_1757The grandparents and grandkids got some good quality time together and I finally felt like I could catch up on reading and emails.  I even got a head start on organizing the photos that I had already taken on the trip.

IMG_1902On one of the days, we went to Davis Bay and walked down the wharf to watch the locals fish.  The water was so clear that you could see tiny fish swimming below.IMG_1911IMG_1937We also walked along the shore and practiced skipping rocks.IMG_1943For such a simple activity, everyone had a good time and it was nice to see Jia doing more than just taking care of the twins.  She had a huge smile on her face and couldn’t stop laughing.

IMG_1966On our last day, we all got up early, finished packing, and headed to the ferry terminal.  We are so lucky to have Auntie Beverly, who happens to work there!  She hooked us up with sweet reserved spots for our vehicles.IMG_1982The ride back to Vancouver on the ferry was pretty fun that morning.  We didn’t see anything on our ride to the cabin since it was already dark out so we were so pleased to see how beautiful it was out there!!  We found some seats up front in the ferry boat and had some coffee and Tim Bits during the ride.IMG_1983 IMG_1990 IMG_2003It was also raining, which was a nice change.  I went up to the sundeck to get a better view and the rain was so refreshingly cold.IMG_2012When we docked, we were all back in the minivan ready to go.

IMG_2030Our last stop was lunch in Vancouver with the cousins one last time.  KK had scored surprise eggs at Amy’s house a couple days ago and then got more that afternoon!!  The girls had one last hour together before we had to say our goodbyes.  It was cute how they picked up right where they left off without needing any time to warm up.

IMG_2069So there you go, it was our first international trip as a family of 10.  I have to say that Vancouver is becoming one of my favorite places to visit for the following reasons:

  1. I love the weather.
  2. Everywhere you turn, there’s a gorgeous view to appreciate.
  3. They have great food.
  4. We have family there.
  5. It’s a less-than-2-hour flight.
  6. You get to go through customs on the Canada side before getting on your flight back to the states.  So convenient!!

There were only a few inconveniences that we encountered:

  1. If you don’t have cell service, it’s more difficult to know where you’re going or driving to.  Luckily they have free WiFi hotspots everywhere so we would have to look up our next destination on Google Maps and save it to our phones for directions.
  2. Liquor is hard to find and it’s expensive.  We tried to go to Costco to buy some booze and they don’t sell alcohol there.  You have to buy liquor at an actual liquor store in Canada.
  3. People drive really slow in Vancouver. It’s not fun when you have a schedule to stick to and a baby who hates sitting in the car.
  4. You can’t play Pandora in Canada.  I know, weird.

IMG_2077Aaaaaand….this is what your 3-year-old’s backpack contents look like after a week in Vancouver.  It’s surprise eggs galore!

Vancouver Eats

IMG_1336A trip to Vancouver would not be complete without some fresh seafood.  It’s even better when it’s paired with a nice view of the water.IMG_1312IMG_1320We had lunch on Friday at Miku and it did not disappoint.

IMG_1311Check out these raw kushi oysters!  Yum.

IMG_1317We each had little bento boxes of seafood prepared different ways.  The sake on the side was also a nice touch.

IMG_1319This is the sushi course.  My favorite was the salmon one on the right.  It’s called aburi salmon oshi sushi.  There was raw salmon inside in the rice that had extra oily goodness mixed in plus a charred piece of salmon on top.

IMG_1325Dessert included a green tea opera cake with green tea ice cream on the side.  The passionfruit sauce on the side had the perfect combination of sweet and tart too.

IMG_1331KK got a scoop of vanilla ice cream with fruit and a cookie that was equally yummy.

IMG_1644The other interesting dish we had was poutine served at Costco of all places!!  The fries were double fried and the gravy was super savory.  It was a nice side dish to our usual slice of Costco pizza. 🙂

IMG_1668At Amy’s house, she served up a whole pig.

IMG_1670Her brother Eric butchered it himself in the garage and served it up in cubed pieces.  Amazing.

IMG_1253There’s always Tim Hortons and Janie became a big fan of the chocolate Tim Bits.  I mean, could you blame her?!

IMG_2039Before we headed back to SF, we stopped for lunch at Meat & Bread.  They have a porchetta sandwich served on chewy bread and a salsa verde.  They also give you a puddle of mustard to dip your sammich.  Paired with this lemonade, it was the perfect way to finish our trip.

Huy!!

IMG_1090Huy was in town this weekend and it was so nice to get caught up.  It’s been at least a year since we last saw him – maybe longer!!!

IMG_1093We spent the day with him and To out along The Embarcadero and the weather was perfect. FYI – Epic Roasthouse is surprisingly kid-friendly.  There’s a changing table in the bathroom, KK got crayons and coloring pages, and they gave us blankets to use on the patio if it was too cold.

IMG_1086It had also been a while since we last saw To and she has recently moved to Oakland!  She’s also expecting a baby boy in December!  Yay!  We took this funny picture of Peanut battling bellies with her today.

Mother of Two

IMG_0301Yep, that’s me now.  Once my mom went back to Cerritos at the end of September, I began my new life as a mom managing two kids.  So far it’s been ok but I’ve certainly had my mini meltdowns in the middle of the night when I’m exhausted and in the evenings when both of them are with me.

IMG_0491The morning routine is still slower than I want it to be but it’s made a significant improvement since we started a token system with KK.  She earns pennies throughout the day for good behavior.  It’s a behavior management strategy AND a way for her to get a beginner’s lesson on the value of money.  It had a rough start the first day as she was learning the game but now it works like a charm (most of the time).

I’m starting to get a little more done during the day but it only occurs when Peanut is napping well.  On other days, I just throw every chore out the window and basically sit in the rocking chair feeding or calming Peanut. There are some days when he will only nap if I’m holding him. Luckily, watching TV doesn’t really require any hands so if it’s on, it makes the time pass a little faster.

Going out on my own usually takes a little bit of preparation and forethought.  My options with the two kids are the following:

  1. Carry Peanut and take KK in the stroller.
  2. Carry Peanut and walk KK by the hand (this can sometimes result in a major meltdown if she doesn’t cooperate).
  3. Push Peanut in the stroller and have KK hold onto the stroller or my hand.
  4. Throw them both in the car and go.

Options 1 and 3 are probably the easiest so far – especially if we can take the train.  Option 4 would seem the easiest but Peanut HATES being in a slow-moving car.

Next week, we’ll be taking a flight to Vancouver with the twins and grandparents aboard as well.  It’s gonna take some planning, endurance, teamwork, and patience but if we pull it off smoothly, our family vacation should be a lot of fun.

 

This is why he shaved his head.

IMG_0420In September, Jes went on a business trip to Shenzhen, China.

IMG_0444On his first morning, he had just returned from the gym and knocked his head on the corner of the tv in his room.  There was a giant gash and I’m sure there was a lot of blood too.  So, he took a cab to the hospital and needed stitches.  He said the whole experience at the Chinese hospital was a bit scary.

IMG_0446For the rest of the week, he held meetings with a lovely bandage around his head to keep the gauze in place.

IMG_0487Later in the week, a coworker bought him a hat that he wore instead.

IMG_0592He also had some pretty tasty food while he was there.  I love this photo of Squirt and his big bowl of jellyfish.

IMG_0784When he came home, he went to Supercuts and had all his hair shaved off.

Dinner Party

IMG_0770With the fall being a big birthday month, Vyl suggested that we all get together to celebrate.  We scored a reservation in our Clubroom so the usual families came over on Saturday and we got caught up while the kids played.  IMG_0773Jes cooked up some steak sandwiches, Michelle prepared a tomato salad with homegrown tomatoes, and Vyl baked up a chocolate cake.

IMG_0781 IMG_0782 Good times…just wish we could do it more often like we used to.