Good-bye 2012

As the year draws to an end, I would like to recount our top 10 family memories:

10. In March, Anny began working at Pike Place Market for a cheese maker called Mt. Townsend Creamery.

9. In July, we visited San Francisco for David’s company picnic. The boys loved the city, and wish to go back.

8. David started taking karate lessons for fun, and decided to pursue a black belt. Now he’s training twice a week towards this goal.

7. Tyler started preschool at Washington International School, which focuses on Mandarin immersion.

6. In July, Anny went to Boston, MA, for a week to visit Lucy & Bob, and help out with their new baby boy, Quinn. David’s parents came to stay with David and the boys to help out.

5. In August, we flew to Chicago, IL, for Matt & Marisa’s wedding. PopPop, Nana, and Tiffany drove from Cleveland to meet us. They stayed with the boys for a day while David and Anny drove a couple hours out to the wedding at a camp ground.

4. In February, we took a family trip to Austin to visit PopPop and Nana in their new home. Both of David’s siblings joined us, and we met our niece/the boys’ cousin, Miriam, for the first time. It was an awesome trip having us all together as a big family.

3. For Thanksgiving, we went to L.A. for a week. While there, we visited Legoland for a day, and Disneyland & California Adventure another day. We spent 2.5 hours in line waiting for the new Radiator Springs ride in Cars Land. The boys did decently well during the whole time, which made it totally worth the wait – iPhones and lots of snacks was the key. We had a fabulous birthday/Thanksgiving gathering with the family, keeping the kids up until 11pm.

2. After 3 years of attending The Secret Garden, Vincent “graduated” from preschool. He started kindergarten in September, and is loving school!

1. We’re having another baby! We found out late July that Anny is expecting Baby Hunt #3, due in April 2013.

**Other highlights that weren’t quite top 10, but still get honorable mention status:

-       In October, Anny & David got to see Madonna perform in concert. Most amazing show either have seen. She’s truly a spectacle.

-       During a whirlwind trip to Austin, TX, for a recruiting event, David had a cab driver run him around town to 3 different H.E.B. grocery stores to locate a specific salsa. He came home with 10 jars of the stuff!

 

As the last day of the year, I started my day really sick, so it's been low key all day. We sent the kids to soccer camp for the morning, which they loved. David had the day off, so he dropped them off. I slept a bit, then David and I had a lunch date at Boom Noodle. It was okay, but at least I had some hot soup. We went to the grocery store to stock up on provisions for tonight and tomorrow, then picked up the boys. I was supposed to have a massage at 1pm, but cancelled that due to my sickness.

 

For dinner, we went to Gourmet Noodle Bowl for Taiwanese food. So good. The kids loved it, too. See how happy this one was!

David and I started in on a puzzle we received last year as a Christmas gift, and finally opened it. We had been having a hard time figuring out where to put the puzzle together, but I figured since we didn't have dinner at home, might as well use the dinner table. 

And, that's pretty much how we rang in the new year. We counted down to midnight with Ryan Seacrest, and went off to bed. (yes, this post is after the fact with the date and time fudged)

Happy Trails

We were planning on taking the kids sledding this weekend, when our friends, the Brastads, happen to go to this place called, Happy Trails, and were heading up again today. They invited us to join them. We were happy to go, since it sounded like a great place.

 

First, there was the horse-drawn sleigh ride to the sledding hilll...

 

Once there, they had wood-burning stove heated tents with picnic tables inside. The floor of the tent was even covered, so we weren't getting snow on us or slipping and sliding. And, the sledding was awesome!

I was simply amazed by how brave both boys were, and how much excited they were. Tyler's favorite way to go down the hill was on his belly, backwards. I couldn't watch the whole thing. Too much for Mama.

 

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas! And, what a day we had. Even though it was just the 4 of us, we stayed pretty busy, and it was still a little intense. We tried to keep the presents to a minimum, but with all the family and friends gifts, it adds up. Nonetheless, we are so thankful for how thoughtful and giving our loved ones are. We are very lucky and blessed as a family.

The kids woke up right at 7am. I think Vincent must've been staring at his clock. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my camera to capture their reactions. Seriously, it's priceless.

We tried to keep them calm through the presents opening, but there were just so excited and thrilled. Overall, they did a nice job, and patiently waiting as we took turns opening. After a while, we stopped and let them play with the first round of gifts while David and I got breakfast ready. 

 Leapsters from PopPop and Nana. Last week, David pre-programed them and charged the batteries for each boy. Smart Daddy.

We had homemade pancakes and sausages. When breakfast was over, we finished the opening of gifts, then let the kids enjoy their new loot.

I actually cooked 3 meals today. None were huge and extravagant, but they were actual hot meals. Not just oatmeal or sandwiches, etc. Our Christmas dinner was a roasted chicken with stuffing and cauliflower on the side. Lunch was pasta, that Tyler ate 3, or was it 4, helpings of. Ah, white noodles. I don't make them often, but when I do, the kids flip over it. Especially, plain with olive oil, peas and Parmesan cheese.

It was a wonderful day. I do wish that we had more family to celebrate with, but it's also nice that we've built some of our own traditions here in Seattle.

Merry Christmas! 

Christmas Eve

 David helped the boys decorate cookies for Santa.

 Vincent received a volcano making kit for his birthday. David and the boys have been working on it for a few days now, and they finally made it erupt.

 Plating up cookies and pouring a glass of milk for Santa Claus.

Look at these happy boys. They're no longer babies. I can't believe how big they look. And, so excited for Christmas morning.

Happy 6th Birthday, Vincent

 

Our big boy turned 6 years old today. He started the morning off with opening presents, something he's been looking forward to all week. One present was a Ninjago Kai clock, from A-ma & A-gong, that came with this little plastic sword. He LOVES it. He loves the clock, too, taking it around the house as if it's a toy doll. Seriously, someone needs to make Ninjago character dolls. It would be a major money maker. His biggest toy of all was from us, the Ninjago Epic Dragon Battle. We waffled on it for a while, but seeing that it's been selling out everywhere, and I found it at Target, along with a coupon & 5% savings with my Target card, I got it. PopPop & Nana helped pitch in for it. We explained to him that it's such a big gift that 4 people had to go in on it together, and that he may not always get something so large. I'm telling you, this set is intense. Something like 900+ pieces. That should keep him (and David) busy for a while.

We let Vincent pick what he wanted to have for breakfast. He chose McDonald's. Heck, why not? We bundled the kids up and headed out. We told them there would be no asking for toys, which I don't think they even do at breakfast. But, once there, Tyler blurted out to the cashier that it's Vincent's birthday, and lo and behold, she gave them each a toy. Nice gal.

Vincent almost finished his entire breakfast of 3 pancakes, sausage patty and hash brown. I was amazed as I watched him eat, and eat. Finally, he just stopped, and said, "Uh, I'm full!"

After breakfast, David and Tyler dropped Vincent and I off at the hair salon for him to get a haircut. David took Tyler to drop of stuff to be donated. It took much convincing to get Vincent to cut his hair, as he's grown more and more attached to it. He and I looked at several photos of guys' cuts, before settling on one. The stylist took off more from the back than we asked, but it still looks great.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty mellow. We ate lunch at home, and hung out there for a long time until dinnertime. Vincent chose to go to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner, as we received a free birthday coupon for a kids' meal. He's sweet. He said, it'll help us save money.

It was so super crowded at the restaurant, and super cold and windy outside! We had a 15-20 minute wait, which wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, we didn't get to sit in the trolly, like the kids wanted. I've never seen this location so busy. Vincent finished his entire plate of spinach tortellini, what he always orders. The guys sang him "happy birthday" with his ice cream, and he was a happy kid.

Happy birthday to our sweet, sensitive, funny, active, loud, curious, smart, friendly, handsome 6 year old, Vincent!

Winter Solstice

Happy winter to all! It's the Winter Solstice today. Truth be told, I don't love this day, simply because I don't love winter. But, I don't dislike it either. It's the day before my first born child's birthday! And, it is a reminder that the days will only start to get longer from here forward.

Coincidentally, David and I planned a nice little day for us. 

It started as normal, with Vincent going to school. The difference today was that Vincent put on a dress shirt with a tie. He's been wanting such things since we went to see Nutcracker a couple weeks ago. I found both at Macy's last week and purchased them using a gift card he received for Christmas from his great-aunt, Angel. And, I took him to school instead of David. Vincent passed out Christmas gifts to his teachers, and I set off for home.

David and Tyler picked me up on the street, to my surprise, and we headed to the gym. David is taking 2 extra days off for the holiday so he has a 5-day weekend. Woohoo!

After our workout, we went up to Capitol Hill to find David a new pair of glasses and to have lunch at The Wandering Goose. Side note: it was tasty, but took a very long time to get our food.

Now, the real fun begins after Vincent returned home from school. At about 3pm, we set out for the Space Needle. David had the good idea of valet parking right outside the Needle. Not much spendier (with validation) than parking it somewhere on the street. We had a discount coupon to get up to the top to see the big man himself, Santa Claus! He was only going to be there until 5pm, so we made it for his last shift. And, what a beautiful afternoon it turned out to be!

Here's looking down to the northeast. Bottom left is the Gate Foundation, straight ahead is Lake Union, to the east of the lake is our neighborhood, and beyond, behind the clouds, are the Cascade Mountains.

The boys decorated a rocket cookie each while waiting for Santa, and ate them immediately. Tyler didn't finish his, and complained of a belly ache. Yeah, dude, too much sugar.

One of the "elves" asked the boys what they are going to ask Santa for. Vincent said, "A pedometer and a Power Rangers Mega Bloks set." She asked if he knows what a pedometer does, and he replied, "It counts your steps."

Tyler said he will ask for an airplane and a train.

And, the moment you've been waiting for! Space Santa!

And, this one's not too bad, either.

When we were all done with Santa and the pretty views, we headed down to the "Armory" aka the old Center House for dinner. The boys (David included) were super excited for MOD Pizza. I opted for poutine from Skillet Counter. Theirs was alright, but with all this poutine craze, I wish I had tried it years ago when I was in Montreal with Lucy. It did sound gross back then.

In the Armory, we also looked at the famous model train scene, and Vincent and Tyler got to control one of the trains for the first time.

 

Then, we moved on to look at the Winterfest ice rink they set up at the Seattle Center. Then, the boys ran to the big fountain where there was a giant lit up tree. And, since we'd gone this far, we kept going over to McCall Hall where "Nutcracker" is showing to see the large statues and to show David and Tyler what Vincent and I looked at a couple weeks ago (minus the show). The boys danced and acted out scenes from the ballet on the mini stage and took a picture in front of the tree.

 

When all was done and we were heading home, Tyler kept saying it was the best night. And, they kept asking if it was really late and commenting on how it seemed like a long night. Which brings us back full circle to Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year (hence, the "long" night").

Happy Winter Solstice! 

Vincent's 6th Birthday Party

 

We did Vincent's birthday party a week early at the karate studio he takes lessons. There were about 18 kids, including ours. Mr. Ness had two others to help with the party. They set up the tables and chairs, provided plates, napkins, and untensils, along with bottled water. Vincent seemed to have a great time, and was so happy to see his friends. His cake was a red velvet, which is his favorite. He takes after his parents, as both David and I love red velvet, too. For party favors, we had goodie bags with a ninja head band, a paper ninja star that I folded, a little sweet treat, and a little chubby ninja guy that Tyler calls "Big Fat Poley."

20 Weeks - Little Kicks

I have been feeling flutters in my belly for a few weeks now. This past week, they've been feeling more like little kicks. I love it. Just now, David put his hand on my belly and actually felt a little something, too!