Holly Jolly Christmas!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Just thought I would share some fun pics from our Christmas this year.

We went to a Christmas Eve service at a local church. When I told the girls to get dressed up, Joey came decked out in huge diamond drop earrings, her heart necklace, a pink ring, and a turquoise bracelet with a cross on it. The girl loves to accessorize!

Then the kids changed into their Christmas pajamas, a fun gift from a good friend!

The girls were so excited they didn't sleep until midnight.

Here are the Christmas cookies the girls decorated for Santa. We also left out celery sticks for the reindeer.

Santa's presents for the kids. He must get a discount at Pottery Barn Kids too because he got a Barbie bowl/dish/cup set for the girls and a Spiderman set for Sam.

Since I refused to buy the girls new costumes for Halloween this year, I got these costumes for next year. If you go right before Halloween to the Disney store, whatever costumes are left are usually 50% off.


Sam got two keyboards for Christmas! We also got an edible arrangement which came in this red tin drum. Sam found the drum and loved the sound it makes when he bangs on it. On his own, he made up his own little drum set. Then he has been turning on the percussion accompaniment song on the keyboard and banging around the drums.

Our goofball.

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?

Do You Believe in Magic?

The girls still believe in fairy tales, that all the characters they see on TV or DVDs are real. I think it is very sweet. The other day Joey said that one of her friends told her that the princesses are not real. I asked her what she thought. Joey said that she believed they are real. So I told her that I thought they were real too.

As far as I am concerned, I want them to believe in fairies and Santa Claus as long as possible. Isn't that what childhood is about? The line between fantasy and reality should be thin and invisible. Once such belief is gone, it is gone forever. I want them to believe in magic as long as possible.

A Whole New World: Part 2

Everyone seems to think we are brave (or crazy) for taking three kids on a 5 1/2 hour flight to Disneyworld...especially considering we live about 30 minutes away from Disneyland. It was a good trip and I would say it was worth the trouble and expense. But by the last day, we were all ready to go home. Seven straight days of Disney magic was exhausting, even for the girls.

And now, I see a HUGE difference in boys vs. girls. I am sure it has something to do with Sam's age too, but at the same time, the girls were never this hyperactive. The girls were able to sit quietly on the plane and work on coloring books, artsy activities, and stickers. They only got out of their seats once to go to the bathroom--both ways. Sam, on the other hand, could not stay still for five seconds, let alone five hours. We should have gotten the extra seat and strapped him in. He was also suffering from a head cold so there was a lot of crying and screaming on the descent into Orlando.

We used a credit card privilege to get into the VIP airport lounge for free. It was awesome. There was a kiddie room with computers, a TV and snacks. While I was getting the free coffee, muffins and fruit in the lounge area, I sneezed and Smokey Robinson blessed me!

We used all the complimentary shuttle services that Disneyworld provides, including the Magical Express airport shuttle. They are supposed to pick up your bags from baggage claim for you and deliver it to your room within a few hours. We didn't get our bags until the next morning. Luckily I was prepared for worst case scenario with our carry-on so it wasn't too much of a hassle. When we finally got our bags the next morning, it had these priority tags on them which was amusing.

The Finding Nemo show at Animal Kingdom was amazing. The costumes were done by the same designer as the Broadway Lion King show. We managed to get reserved seating so we didn't wait in line at all and were able to get the best seats in the house. We also utilized the fast pass system extensively so we never waited more than 20 minutes for any ride.

Our little monkeys...
Sam understands what a camera is now and will smile when I take his photo. Cutie patootie, huh?
After Magic Kingdom closed, we bought the kids a souvenir each and let them run around for an hour while we let the crowd die down. Sam is getting to the age where he can interact with them more. It's very sweet to see all three of them play together.

Chang and I celebrated our seventh year anniversary while there. What a romantic way to spend the day, huh? Love you babe. I can honestly say I love you more than ever.


Our resort was right on the water. The cool thing was we could take a 10 minute boat ride to Downtown Disney.

I have no idea where they learned to pose for pictures. Look at how they both cock their heads to the side!

Sam looks more and more like "da-da" everyday. He was also super clingy to Chang during the whole trip.

We treated the girls to a Bibbity-Bobbity Boutique trip. Hair, make-up, nails, tiara and "fairy dust" sprinkled all over for the cost of a king's ransom. Yes we are suckers but it was cute and the girls loved it. Plus, we held it over their heads the whole trip in order to extract good behavior.

The Beauty and the Beast show at Hollywood Studios was a lot of fun too. The amphitheater is a mini Hollywood Bowl.
In front of the famous "Spaceship Earth" Epcot icon.


By the end of the trip, everyone was tired. Yes, that is Elysha inside the Ergo carrier.


The weather was perfect the whole time we were there. All in all, a wonderful trip. But eight days of family vacation was enough for all of us. We were all ready to get back home and out of each other's hair.

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...

Joey's Word for the Day

She's said it before but I think it is cute. BLAND. Aren't 4 year olds supposed to say yucky? I don't remember what they were eating but Joey said it was bland and Elysha said that it had a yucky taste.

And something that bothered me. Joey was drawing a princess and she said, "she is going to be beautiful with fair skin." Hmmm...as in not yellow skin? Why can't they put Mulan in cuter clothes? Thank goodness Jasmine has some fancy clothes but still she's in on the periphery of the princesses my girls like. Though I think it is cool that Mulan kicks butt, little girls...well, my little girlie girls, aren't going to find that as interesting as a sparkly dress that twirls.

Mr DeMille, I'm Ready for My Close-Up

This past Saturday, we went to a birthday party at Giggles N Hugs. It's a fun place for kids so if you are in the LA area, I recommend that you check it out. Here's a coupon in case you are interested.

Joey and Elysha got their face painted which is always a special treat for them. Elysha thinks it is cool, but the moment she's out of the chair, she forgets about it (I have mentioned that she has the memory of a goldfish right?). Generally within a few hours, the paint has been rubbed off which does not vex her in the slightest bit.

Joey, on the other hand, is extremely cautious after her makeovers. She is careful to not touch her face and if she has an itch, she is oh so careful to not scratch too hard. She immediately examines her fingers to see if there is any evidence that her makeup has worn off, and if she sees anything, she quickly asks, "Is my face messed up?"

After the birthday party, we headed down to visit Chang's mom. At the end of the visit, Chang's mom wanted to pray for each child individually. So she held Elysha tightly and prayed over her. Then she held Sam and prayed over him. Then she asks Joey to come to her. Joey stood next to Chang's mom who was sitting on a bed. She grabbed Joey by the shoulders and leaned over Joey so that Joey's face was pushed into Chang's mom's body. After the prayer was over, Joey carefully removed herself from her grandmother's grasp and ran over to me. With panic in her voice and a look of terror on her face, she asked, "Is my makeup still on?"

Joey also loves it when the wind blows through her hair. She begins to shake her head like she is on a fashion shoot. "Mommy, I like it when I can feel the wind in my hair."

The Happiest Place on Earth

We just got back today from a mini family vacation. Chang had to take his mom to the doctor on Thursday and we promised Elysha to take her to Disneyland once she mastered potty training. Since Chang had to be in OC midweek anyway, he decided to just take two days off work so we could go to Disneyland.


On Thursday, I decided it would be easier to take all three kids to California Adventure by myself while Chang took his mom to the doctor. I survived most of the day all by myself (pat myself on the back). The girls were so excited about being there that they were very well behaved. We watched the Playhouse Live show, ate lunch, rode a few rides and then watched the Aladdin show before Chang showed up.


On the Ladybug ride--Chang and I had a deal before we even got married. I do the roller coasters and he does the spinning rides. Unfortunately, he wasn't around to save me from this spinning ride. I had to close my eyes to keep myself from puking. The girls kept asking me, "Why are you closing your eyes Mama?"



Since we decided to do this vacation last minute, I wasn't able to get us reservations at Ariel's Grotto. I'm glad that I wasn't able to because it gave us an opportunity to discover another wonderful character dining option--Breakfast with Minnie Mouse and friends. It is usually all about the princesses for Joey, and Elysha generally follows suit. But the breakfast was a lot of fun. First of all, it's buffet (which the whole family loves), and secondly, we got to see a lot more characters this way.



This picture cracks me up because Elysha and Eeyore have the same expression. As much as Elysha loves seeing the characters, she is always a little scared.



After we finished breakfast, the girls wanted to see the princesses.

Since we couldn't get into Ariel's Grotto, as a special treat, we let the girls get their face painted. I even paid an extra $2 for glitter. They were so ecstatic. Elysha rubbed hers off as the day progressed. Joey was so careful to not touch her face. Whenever she had a little itch, she would ask me, "Is my makeup still on?"

Three princesses...

And my prince...

If only I had one of these cages at home.

We had a lot more time at Disneyland this time since we didn't have to go over to California adventure for Ariel's Grotto. So in all the times we have gone to Disneyland, we have never set foot in Toon Town. It's a cute little area where Joey and Elysha rode their first real roller coaster. Elysha was hesitant the whole time we were in line. But after it was over, she said, "I want to do it again!" Joey has been an adventurous rider for a while now--even at Knott's--she wants to ride the big rides.

Joey has grown up so much. She is a wonderful older sister to both her siblings--most of the time. We had a great time on our vacation and I am so grateful that we can do such fun things. Chang and I were talking about it while the kids were napping in the car--we are so immensely blessed. We hope that we never take it for granted, and the kids do not feel entitled.

My baby got an A in weight

Ha ha...the Asian part of me is always so proud when I hear 95%. That's an A!

So Sam had his appointment today and he is 17 lbs 13 oz in his birthday suit. He is 25 1/2 inches in height which makes him 75%. Elysha was only 14 lbs 12 oz and 25" and Joey was about the same in weight and height. So Sam is definitely a big boy!

Joey is on spring break this week. The girls were playing well together for the most part. Elysha insisted on wearing this dress even though it was obviously too big for her. And Joey, I don't know where she learned this photo pose that many FOB Koreans and Miley Cyrus like to do.



Joey wanted me to take pictures of her doing plie (ballet moves). She's got the pretty ballerina arms pose and Elysha is imitating her the best she can. But she soon got bored of dancing and went back to her favorite pasttime--puzzles.

An ensemble to remember by fashionista Joey

Princess bike helmet, flower dress that twirls when she spins (a critera she puts all skirts and dresses through), D&G sunglasses we got when in Mexico (so I'm sure they are real), sparkly leggings, and her rainboots.

Princess Sisters

Joey--America's next top model

Joey is very funny. Not only does she like to take pictures, she also loves to be in pictures. Whenever I am taking a picture of Sam, she jumps into the frame and poses. It started this past summer when we were in Big Bear. We were taking pictures of both her and Elysha. She suddenly said, "Now take a picture of just me."

And here's a perfect example of her jumping into the frame...

Oy...and the girl loves makeup, dresses, jewelry. So strange to have such a girlie daughter.