First Christmas

This was a Christmas of a lot of "firsts". First Christmas for n. First Christmas that k was excited that it was Christmas. First Christmas in our new home. First Christmas with overnight guests...D's brother and sister.

Christmas Eve we had dinner at Capital Seafood in Diamond Jamboree. We had enough leftovers for lunch the next day!





$12 Peking duck special, which we had to fight with one of the waiters to get (he wanted to charge us $24, even though there was a sign outside listing the special, and the waiter who took our order said we could get the special since it was only a few minutes before 5 p.m.)

Saturday morning we had oven baked french toast with blueberry sauce and scrambled eggs and sausage. We opened our presents. k and n received a wagon from D's parents. They like riding together.


k likes to pretend she is "working" on her new laptop:


We went to Laguna in the morning, and it was very warm outside. After the kids woke up from their naps we went to my parents' for dinner. My parents bought a Wii, so some people tried it out. (I will wait until there's less people to watch me make a fool out of myself).


My BIL made a roast and Yorkshire pudding.


My mom made the log cake that my family requests every year. D's brother made a pecan pie at our house and brought it over. Very impressive.

A sweet end to a nice day spent with family.

Merry Birthday

k's birthday was on Monday, so we went to Disneyland. (D pointed out that we could have gone any of the days prior to her birthday and she would still have had free admission. Oh yeah, didn't really think about that). Anyway, only k and my sister (who has an annual pass) actually went inside the park. D, n and I just hung out at Downtown Disney for a couple of hours. k had to go on her favorite ride, It's a Small World, of course. She reported back that the dolls were alternating between Jingle Bells and the It's a Small World theme song.

I would have liked to see how the park was decorated. We had a small taste from the outside. (I enjoyed watching Guy Fieri's Disneyland holiday special...those candy canes are amazing!) I saw the candy apples at Marceline's candy shop and they are quite labor intensive. Still don't think they are worth $8.95, though.







We ducked into the Grand Californian. It didn't feel like we were still in Disneyland. Very swanky, and love that tall Christmas tree!



After lunch, we opened presents. k received Duplos from D's parents. We had fun browsing at the Lego store at Downtown Disney. I have a feeling I'm going to have lots of fun with Legos once k and n become more interested. I didn't have many Legos as a kid, but I did have a nice K'nex set. I credit that toy with my penchant for putting together Ikea furniture.

Rancho Santa Margarita Christmas Light Display

Tonight we trekked down the 241 toll road ($1.50 each way) to see the Christmas light displays on a cul-de-sac in RSM anchored by 20 El Corzo. We parked our car nearby and walked around from house to house and k had a lot of fun! I really enjoyed the attention to detail that a lot of the displays showed. The thought and work that this group of neighbors put into their displays is quite evident. We went early, just after 5 p.m., so not all of the lights were on yet. However, I think everyone had their lights on by 5:20, so we were able to see everything lit up, without all of the crowds.


Seriously, where do they keep all of these decorations when they are not on display?? This is the anchor house, which I believe started it all. They also had music piped through outdoor speakers.


Can you find Nemo?

D's favorites: the gondolas (they move back and forth!)


and the snowboarders in a half-pipe

(they're mechanized, too).

k liked the singing penguin and santa on one neighbor's doorstep...here she is pretending to be a penguin.



n seemed quite interested in everything, too!

It was kind of interesting that in the midst of all of the santas, snowmen, reindeer, etc., there was a tasteful nativity scene at one of the homes. A nice reminder of the real reason for our celebration.


Afterward we went down Portola looking for a place to eat. This is highly unlike us, as we usually know exactly where we want to eat and do research beforehand. However, we took a gamble and decided on La Sirena Grill. D had the carne asada burrito and I had the grilled vegetable quesadilla. A little pricey for a fast-casual joint, but we enjoyed it. Everything tasted fresh, and not greasy. I really liked the generous scoop of fresh guacamole that came with both of our dishes. Afterward we shared Golden Spoon underneath the heat lamps in the nice outdoor seating area of the shopping center. It felt nice and cozy, even in the middle of December!

Six Days and Counting

Last night Santa stopped in our neighborhood, and he was announced by sirens and a bullhorn. Quite exciting, although k said she was scared of "the white thing"--(Santa's beard).

n enjoyed the candy cane Santa handed out. Well, at least he enjoyed chewing on the plastic wrapper on the outside of the candy cane since he's too young.


I made a Christmas tree for k's dollhouse. I have many more ideas for her dollhouse swirling around in my head, if only I had the time.


Last weekend I was able to complete my set of Tokidoki Yogurtland spoons.

Still working on my state quarter set, though. Two more to go, I think. There is something so satisfying about having a complete set of something.

k's 3rd Birthday Party

Saturday morning we hosted 40+ people in our home for k's 3rd birthday party. The theme was "breakfast" and we invited people to come in their pjs. Unfortunately, it was raining, but everyone made it. We had egg casserole, scrambled eggs, mini pigs in a blanket, turkey sausage, yogurt parfaits, mini muffins, mini quiches and made to order pancakes. I sewed up some favor bags out of a cute flannel print I found at Joann's that had eggs, coffee, toast, etc. Some of the kids made necklaces out of Froot Loops and Honeycomb cereal. The finale was a "cake" made out of mini krispy kreme donuts. k seemed kind of overwhelmed and was quiet throughout the party. She did blow out her own candles, though. Once everyone left, she was running around and yelling...she has quite the split personality.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

I loved being indoors today during our first big rainfall. k says she likes it better rainy rather than sunny.

This year I made stockings for each family member. The plan is to add a little "flair" each year to make them more personalized. We don't have a mantel, so I made do with Command hooks on our Expedit. Stocking stuffers are my favorite type of gifts to buy. Actually, Command hooks would make good stocking stuffers!



k knows which one is hers.


k's newest ornament from Uncle & Auntie: Hello Kitty as snowman. Too cute. Maybe she should have an HK collection. I think my collection of penguin ornaments has reached completion. When I started, penguins were hard to come by, but now they are everywhere, so the fun of the "hunt" is not there anymore. I am thinking my next collection will be food/kitchen themed ornaments.

Funny comment by k: After tasting a spoonful of my straight-from-the-can Campbell's tomato soup, "Mommy, you're a good cooker!"

In the Blink of an Eye

Our babies are growing up!

Tree Trimming

Yesterday we had some help in putting up our first Christmas tree as a family. Before, our place didn't really have room, and I thought k would just knock it down. Now we have to worry about n, I guess, but I don't want k to miss out now that she is more cognizant of Christmas.


One nice thing about vaulted ceilings is that you can accomodate a tall tree!


Once a year, around Oct.-Nov., I have a craving for pumpkin cheesecake. This definitely fulfilled that craving!

Tonight we had our first Advent family devotional. Still need to work on Advent calendar activities.

Thanksgiving in the 80's

Not the 1980's, but as in 80 something degree weather. It just didn't seem right. I didn't post earlier because I left my camera at my parents' place...oops. We started the day off with pumpkin pancakes with cranberry sauce.


Then we went to the park across the street. There were a lot of other dads. I guess the moms were busy in the kitchen.







I, on the other hand, had it easy. The only thing I made to bring to my parents' house was "healthified" creamed corn. We also brought frozen puff pastry appetizers from Costco and a pumpkin pie from Marie Callendar's, courtesy of our neighborhood real estate agent. Thanks Jeff!



The turkey! I have yet to cook a turkey myself...someday. My cousin, aunt and grandma were at my parents' house too. I love how our country set aside a day just to give thanks. Too bad more people don't acknowledge WHO they're actually thanking.

And it Begins...

For me, this week marks the beginning of the holiday busy season. I feel like there is so much to do. I think I feel more pressure this year to make the holiday season meaningful for k, since she is more aware and understands a whole lot more than before. It is somewhat ironic that my effort to instill meaning into the holiday season can turn into something that actually impedes the true message. We'll just have to strive for balance, I guess.

This past Monday we intended to take the ferry to Balboa Island. However, we ended up walking on a bridge over Newport Harbor and found ourselves on the island. Magic!


We tried an "original" frozen banana from Dad's. The applesauce donut was pretty good too. I want to try an apple cider donut at an apple orchard someday.

Yesterday we went to Le Diplomate near UC Irvine. 348 people gave it 4.5 stars on Yelp, so we had high expectations.

We had two 9 inch sandwiches: chicken eggplant and chicken broccoli mushroom. Pictured is only one half of one sandwich. The sandwiches come with a rich garlic suace, which definitely is a standout. At first, D scoffed at the idea of a 9 inch (he's used to Subway footlongs), but it was quite filling. We barely finished them, and that was with k helping us. We also bought a baguette fresh out of the oven for $2 for my sister/BIL. It had a nice soft interior, with a crackly crust. We saw one girl fold one in half and stuff it in her messenger bag so she could ride off with it on her bicycle. Too funny.

It was kind of fun hanging out with all of the UCI students...we tend to forget that we live so close to a UC school. I'm kind of curious to try to the other "student favorites" around the area.


Meanwhile, n is sitting up by himself a lot more, as well as pulling himself up to standing. We have to watch him a lot more, since he is still not too steady. He's growing up too fast!

Happy 8 Month Birthday!

OC Japan Street Fair

Mazda was the main sponsor for the OC Japan Street Fair at the OC Fairgrounds, so D snagged some free tickets. We weren't sure what to expect, but my youngest sister went in the morning and told us it was VERY crowded. The parking attendant told us the crowd had lightened up somewhat (we arrived around 4 p.m.) It was pretty small; more food options would have been nice. Here's what we tried:


Beef sticks and rice ($6)--k enjoyed this the best
Shrimp tempura roll ($6)--the one sushi booth was overpriced for the amount, but it was OK


Okonomiyaki ($5)--a Japanese "pizza/pancake" made with eggs, potatoes, cabbage, etc. It was pretty filling, and definitely the most interesting.

The longest line was for the takoyaki (octopus dumpling balls)--no thanks. I think those were all of the food booths, aside from one selling gelato.

While we were eating, a representative from Yakult went on and on about probiotics and bacteria in the colon. Lovely. After the "ruffle" (this Japanese guy's way of saying "raffle"), there was a woman who performed a "Geta dance". The music was kind of scary, but k watched most of it.



Afterward we decided to make a stop at 85 degrees bakery at Diamond Jamboree. We arrived just after 5 p.m., and the line to pay was out the door!


We bought a "mini" choco bun, blueberry bun, and cranberry tart ($1.50 each). I liked k's choco bun--not overly sweet. The blueberry bun was still warm, and tasted like it was filled with Yoplait blueberry yogurt.

Don't worry, she did not eat the whole thing!


Poor n, we think he is allergic to wheat (as found in Cheerios). Plus, his face broke out once when I was wearing a sweater with a little angora. We're also still battling his eczema, although it has improved somewhat since we stopped using all soaps. I hope his food allergies aren't too extensive, since our family enjoys eating so much!