A Penny Saved...

My friend passed on some Diego pull-up diapers that her dad accidentally bought for her daughter. She also gave me about a dozen Dora pull-ups with the intent for me to pass them on to someone who could use them. Well, I figured that no one sees the pull-ups anyway, right?

Same Place, Different Times

We went up to the bay area a couple weekends ago for a wedding. My old youth student whom I taught from the time she was 12 until 18, got married. It was a beautiful wedding. It was a short trip but we wanted to do some sightseeing for the girls. They really wanted to see the Golden Gate bridge. But of course, it was windy and cold at the viewing point. So after a few pictures of them with the bridge behind them, they just wanted to go back into the car.

While we were driving up, we had snacks strewn all around the car. Chips, cookies, remnants from our McDonald's lunch--I looked at our car and realized it looked like that Foster's Farm commercial with the chickens and the junk food filled car.

We also stopped in Sausalito for ice cream before heading up to Napa Valley for the wedding. I wanted to take a picture at the same place that we took a picture with just Joey when she was one month old. My how time flies!

Oh how clueless we were back then...

Now the family is complete! I know, I haven't aged at all, right? RIGHT???

Putting on a brave face in the freezing temps...

The girls loved all the flowers at the wedding, and my pashmina. I think they also took these pictures of each other.

Sam trying to get in on the action...

My Little Angels (or Not)

Yes, they look so angelic here. And how cute that they fell asleep like this. BUT!!! They found nail polish from their trip to Disneyworld's princess boutique and decided to paint all of their legs and feet with the nail polish. Chang and I check on them every night before we go to sleep and I could smell the nail polish. I freaked out that they got it all over their ridiculously expensive PBK bedsheets. I grabbed a flashlight and checked out the beds. Whew...it looked okay. I went into their bathroom and I saw that they tried to scrub off the evidence with their bath scrubbie and soap. But no huge globs of nail polish. Again, whew...then I looked at their hands and feet and saw that they decided to paint their bodies.

They must have been holding each other in fear that I would unleash my wrath upon them in the morning. I was peeved but how do you stay mad at something so silly?

Happy 4th Birthday Elysha!

Our little Elysha is turning four this weekend! She has been waiting for this day for a very long time. When we went to Legoland in May, she was barred from a ride because she wasn't four years old. She was so devastated and Chang was peeved. He wanted to go to Legoland on her 4th birthday to make it up to her. She keeps saying that now she can ride the horsey ride at Legoland. Who knew that four years old would be such a big milestone?

We threw her a little party this year. Her first girlie party. Silvermist (the water fairy from the new Tinkerbell movie) was invited per Elysha's request. Last year's party was also in our backyard and it was the hottest day of the year. It was sweltering heat. This year it sprinkled on and off all throughout the party--not hard enough to get anyone wet, thank goodness. Plus the weather wasn't too cold so it all worked out.

In this past year, she started preschool, learned to socialize with other kids on a much larger scale and not be so dependent on Joey's company, learned her alphabet and phonics and numbers, learned to read and learned to count and add. Something changed this past year for her mentally too--it's hard to explain. Elysha was speaking in full sentences by the time she was 18 months. She was amazing. But I feel like this past year, she really understands what she is saying, is able to explain herself better, and is no longer just parroting Joey. She is really becoming her own person and I like it. She is really good at sharing her stuff and is genuinely happy for other people. She has a really big heart. We are so proud of her in so many ways and I am excited to see what this next school year is going to be like for her, being one of the older kids. She hasn't really been in this situation so I would like to see her take on a more leadership role. I feel like she is compassionate and very empathetic with others, which probably comes with the territory of being a middle child--a good plus!

When we were at my mom's house a few months ago, my mom was lying down in bed, reading. Elysha came into her room and lie down next to my mom. Then she got up and grabbed some snacks and fed my mom and herself while lying together. How sweet, right?

We love you Elysha! Thank you for being you, my considerate, compassionate, puzzle-loving, playdoh-loving, and karaoke-loving sweetheart.

Sam trying to make his moves on Silvermist.

It was Inevitable...

Sam likes to say "cheeeese" when smiling for the camera. And afterwards, he will ask "See?" to see the photo.





















My three girls...

My Beautiful Girls

I forgot to post a picture of my mommy. We met her the week before mother's day. Growing up, my mom was a girlie girl and being rebellious, I was anti-glam. I think I wore jeans, a Hanes t-shirt, and flip-flops every day my senior year in high school. Still don't know how to do my hair and recently realized that make-up really can be a good friend. And yeah, starting to really love shoes. I must have like 15 pairs now--which is a lot for me.

Anyhow, my mom has always loved shoes. The one and only time I ever heard her curse in English was when she scrapped her Ferragamo boots against a brick wall. So I have been buying her really nice shoes these days for special occasions. But I figured she deserves it. She is a survivor in so many ways and she still tries to take care of us. It is about time I treat her to luxuries that she would never buy for herself.

My kun-emo--she is my second mom. Of course, my little babies. Joey, with her poses (seriously, where did she learn that from?) and Elysha with her precious smile. Okay, Sam isn't a girl but he is attached to my hip so he is an extension of me.

I am so blessed to have such beautiful women in my life.

Five-Year Old Spa Party

A couple weekends ago, for Joey's birthday, we did a little spa party for Joey and her friends. Since it was going to be labor intensive for me, we only invited six families. I didn't get a chance to take a lot of pictures but the girls got to make jewelry, do foot soaks with princess wands that hold fizzy bath tablets, and then I curled their hair, did their makeup, and sprayed on glitter hairspray. Then they decorated vegan chocolate cupcakes (three of the attendees had various allergies so I wanted to play it safe--they were delicious, btw and I think I will make these instead of regular cupcakes. I also made the cookies shown above. Raspberry thumbprint cookies and nutella shortbread cookies).

The one request she made regarding decorations was flowers. So I asked my friend who owns Sonny Alexander flower shop in Beverlywood to make some centerpieces for me.



It was a fun party, very low-key and exactly what Joey wanted. And I was more than happy to oblige.

Christmas 2008

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was very nice. Three days of three kids by myself again. Please pray for me.

I just wanted to show off the girls' gingerbread princesses. Yes, that's right, everything becomes royalty when touched by my girlie girls. Joey and Elysha were using cookie cutters to cut out their people. Next thing I know, crowns have been placed on top of the heads, and one cookie had long, luxurious hair. I also made some pieces to make a gingerbread house. Unfortunately, my roof wouldn't stay intact, so it is more like a shack. Oh well.

The girls woke us up at an ungodly hour because Elysha had to pee. But once they saw that "santa" had eaten their cookies, there was no way they were going back to sleep. My cute little idea to make cookies for Santa is what screwed me out of a couple more hours of sleep. Oh wait, I think I did go back to sleep, but Chang stayed up with the kids. He he...

Coming Out of the Closet

For those of you who have known me for a long time, I am sure you have seen my slow metamorphosis from B.C. to A.D. (Before Chang and After Dating, Marriage and Children). Even I have been surprised at myself and the shift in my interests. But it isn't because I am changing for Chang. I realized that being married has freed me to become the girlie girl that was always hidden inside of me.

Looking back, I think it has to do with my cult church attendance when I was in college. During my three years at this church, they really emphasized not doing things to draw attention to yourself, especially to the opposite sex. Though I left the cult church, I continued to be unkempt--it's easy to do when you are cheap, lazy, and reclusive. But as I got older, I slowly exfoliated, er, shed my outer shell.

It started so innocuously. Girlfriends would invite me shopping and I would go. Just for the company I told myself. But then I found myself going to malls alone. I would walk past a gorgeous handbag and my eyes were naturally drawn to the supple leather and chiseled hardware. Embarrassed by my uncharacteristic behavior, I would run away. But the sound of my stiletto heels reverberating against the pavement was like a chant chastising me of my hypocrisy.

Now, I can no longer deny who I am. I am coming out of my closet--which is filled with flirty heels and sequined purses. I am lucky that I am married to a man who accepts me just as I am, though I am sure he misses the old me--I was a heck of a lot cheaper to have around. And my girls...well...I pretend that I don't know why they walk around the house wearing tiaras and tulle. But I admit it. It is because I do too.