The Chu Twins are One!

Sadie and Theo turned one on Friday and there was a party for him on Sunday afternoon.

We rode Caltrain down to Sunnyvale and my uncle picked us up.  The ride down was pretty fun and Kumquat had a good time looking out the window.

Once we got there it was baby mayhem with babies everywhere.

Ishya did a nice job with the decorations and there was a gated-off area for the rugrats to play.

They had their first cake and Sadie seemed to enjoy it much more than Theo, who just sat and stared at it.

Kumquat also got to hang out with her 2nd cousins and it was nearly impossible to get a photo of all three of them sitting next to each other.

Happy Birthday Baby Chus!!

Oysters Three Ways

On Saturday, we drove to Tomales Bay Oyster Co. in the morning and arrived by 11:00 am.  Apparently that’s a good time to get there if you want to have a good selection of picnic tables.  It was a beautiful day in the Bay Area and perfect for shuckin’ and suckin’.

The drive over wasn’t too bad.  Koa came along and sat in the backseat with Kumquat.  They both got a good nap in the car on the ride over.

James and Sylvia were already there and set-up the BBQ and a stove with a huge pot of water.  They bought a bunch of clams and threw them in the pot with garlic, butter, and veggies for a tasty soup.

Jes bought a bag of Kumamotos and we ate them raw with the “Hog Wash” that I prepared that morning.

On the BBQ, were some grilled/baked oysters that were finished off with creme fraiche and cheese.  I thought it would be gross but Oysters Rockefeller is tasty after all and it didn’t even have bacon on it this time around!

Once the soup was all done, they emptied out the huge pot and replaced it with a much smaller pot filled with oil for some fried oysters!  Boy, that was tasty too!

Before now, I had only eaten mainly raw oysters and was a little hesitant about any other preparation.  Now I think I’m more willing to try baked and fried ones now too!

Kumquat hung out with Koa for most of the day and they each had a chance to play on the beach.

She seemed to enjoy being outdoors and was pretty excited to see the water.

Koa had a pretty good time too.

What a fun day!  Can’t wait to go back again!!

Thanksgiving with Family

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house again and Jes’ parents came up this year! We had the usual feast with the addition of one little person who enjoyed sitting with the grown-ups and having her very own turkey and sweet potato.

On Black Friday, I did no shopping but instead we hung out with family. For lunch, we went to Ming’s in Palo Alto to have dim sum with Jes’ cousin and his family. We all just realized that Jes’ family has some strong genes for making identical twins! He has two cousins on his dad’s side that both have identical twins. Jason and Jia had better watch out when it’s their turn to have a kid (or two!).

Later that evening, we hung out at Jason’s apartment in Foster City and then had Korean BBQ for dinner. Yum.

Poor Kumquat had to just sit and watch us eat with no access to anything on the table.

I’m thankful for…

1) My health and well-being: I had a smooth and pretty easy pregnancy, uneventful labor and delivery, and a quick recovery.  I’m also 4 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight.  Woohoo!

2) My husband: He worries for us.  He cooks for me.  He loves me no matter what.

3) My family: They’re always there for me even if they live far away.  I feel so lucky to have had my mom around to help during Kumquat’s first 6 weeks of life.  It’s also been so nice to have Jason and Jia back in California and in the Bay Area now!

4) My friends: They’ve helped me through some of the toughest parts of this year and have celebrated with me during my happiest moments.

5) My beautiful baby girl: I’m thankful for such a healthy (sturdy!), happy, and thriving baby.  She brings me so much joy and I’m so proud of all that she’s already accomplished these past 7 months.

This is truly my favorite holiday of the year.  Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Turkey Trot

This morning, I ran my first race since Kumquat was born.  It was especially cool because I also got to run with Ranee on her first-ever 5K!

The race started outside of my house, went along Embarcadero, turned left onto Howard, then up 7th St. to end at City Hall.

At the 3-mile mark, Jamie handed Sophie over to Ranee and she ran with her in her arms across the finish line.  That was pretty cute.

We were rewarded with a long-sleeved shirt that said “Jog your giblets off!” on the back.  Haha.  Funny.  Also, instead of taking Muni, we ran another mile to the Peet’s on the way home and then walked the rest of the way back.  I certainly earned my Thanksgiving feast this year!!