k's room

Not too long ago, k's room looked like this:

I was in the midst of painting (a long process), and k was sleeping in n's room.


My mom gave me an old bulletin board.

I am happy to report that progress has been made!

Sneak peak. (Owl art found on Etsy. I'm forgetting the shop name, though. These pictures hung over k's crib, too).


I painted the room in Olympic Premium Satin color matched to Benjamin Moore's Ballerina Pink. k said she wanted a pink room. I wasn't sold on the idea, but when else in your life is it ok to have a pink room?? I think the color is actually quite nice, better than the orangey-beige from before.

We bought k the full Brimnes bed/headboard from Ikea. There is tons of storage underneath. We're thankful that my dad still has a mini van for our Ikea trips!

k likes it!

My Melody does too!


I painted/covered the bulletin board and hung it over the bed. It is a good spot for the tons of artwork k brings home from pre-school. I also covered the lamp shade with an extra sheet. (I originally bought twin sheets, thinking k would have a twin bed. However, they will not got to waste. I think we'll still use the twin flat sheets on the full bed because they do not hang over so much, and it will be easier to make the bed. I am even thinking of sewing snaps so the sheet connects to the comforter, so all she has to do is straighten out the comforter in the morning. Has anyone else thought of doing this?) I am embarrassed to say that I am still not in the habit of making my bed 100% of the time, and I feel like it is my duty to ingrain this habit in my kids!

I put a lot of work into this room, I think partly because I feel guilty that I never created a nice nursery for her. But now, at this age, she actually appreciates it, which is nice. I just hope that she'll like it for a while, maybe until 4th grade? Is that too much to ask? I still have stuff to do on the other side of the room, but that will have to wait a little.

As for n's room, that will have to wait too. I'm waiting to find some "boy bedding" that appeals to me. It seems like it will be a much more difficult task.

Church Picnic

Hot dogs and cookie pops!

Bowers Museum & Jerry's Dogs

I'm so excited for this fall weather that we have had as of late. I cannot believe the end of September is fast approaching. D had his birthday Monday, and we celebrated by going to k's Back to School Night--haha. It's hard to celebrate when your birthday is on a Monday. (We actually celebrated the weekend before with my parents and sisters and grandma.)

Yesterday we took advantage of "Free Museum" day by going to Bowers Museum. The last time we went was on our wedding day, because that is where we took our wedding photos. Like our wedding day, it was overcast, and a little drizzly. However, we have actually never been inside the museum, so I wanted to visit.












There is a wide range of exhibits, from China, the Pacific Islands, early California, etc. Next we will have to visit the Kidseum next door.

Afterward we went to Jerry's to redeem our free signature dogs for our birthdays.

The manager? was very friendly and came by to see how everyone was doing. He then came back and asked if the kids would like some ice cream. (Of course, the answer was yes!) It is so nice when it feels like a business actually cares about its customers, and unexpected perks are always nice, too.

Veggie Grill

September is birthday month for both D and I, so you know what that means...birthday discounts! Haha. Most of the coupons have progressively become less of a deal over the years, but out of the restaurants I've signed up with, I think the best is Veggie Grill. They mail you a postcard, it is good for a meal of your choice (no purchase necessary, no price limit listed), and it is good for a month and a half.

We haven't been overly impressed with Veggie Grill in the past, but this time we decided to "upgrade": we were willing to pay extra for a drink and sweet potato fries (which are usually $2.50 more). Turns out we weren't even charged for the drink or the fries!

Chop Chop Salad:


All American Stack:


I thought these entrees were pretty good. We just let k and n think that the protein was meat (not exactly sure what everything was made out of, anyway). They ate some, but the sauce/dressing was too spicy for them. They did enjoy the strawberry lemonade, however. The teas were also refreshing, and made for a good Arnold Palmer as well.

I don't think we'll be going vegetarian anytime soon, but it was a nice change of pace.

Pebble Beach & Vito's

Sunday afternoon we took a short walk to the coastline. This was n's first trip to Pebble Beach. k had no memory of it since she was less than two years old the last time we went.


















For dinner we ate at Vito's Italian Restaurant in nearby Pacific Grove. It is a low key place where you don't have to hunt down parking like in Carmel. The place is family-run and we saw Vito himself. We enjoyed our pasta dishes, and finished the tiramisu in record time.


Sleepy time!

Dennis the Menace Park

Sunday morning we went to Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey. The park had a lot of fun features, and there were a lot of families. D's brother and his son drove from the Bay Area to meet up with us.








k and n's cousin







We came upon this funny sign in the parking lot across the street.

Even more disturbing is that the sign is right in front of a cemetery.

Afterward we ate lunch at Yama Sushi. Sorry, no pictures.

Dametra Cafe

Short post today. Saturday night we ate dinner at Dametra Cafe in Carmel.


We had reservations at 5:00, but when we walked past the restaurant around 4:50, the restaurant was packed with jovial women celebrating a private bridal shower. It was pretty clear that they would not be cleared out in ten minutes. We ended up not being seated until 5:30, but it was ok because we just walked around and window shopped.

The restaurant itself is small, maybe 10-12 tables? It is however, quite popular. They were completely booked that night, and I have never seen a restaurant turn away so many people. The staff was extremely polite and friendly. I don't think I've seen a human being smile more than our waiter. They brought us complimentary hummus as an appetizer, maybe as an apology for our late seating. Had I known that, I probably wouldn't have ordered the sampler, which included hummus. In retrospect, I should have ordered a gyro plate, because n was gobbling it up!





As we were finishing our meal, we were serenaded with a lively rendition of a song which went, "Besa me...Besa me mucho!" (Kiss me, Kiss me much!). The entire restaurant joined in by the end, and it was lots of fun.


To cap it all off, they also gave us complimentary baklava. By this time, I had taken the kids outside because they were a bit restless. However, it was probably good they didn't see the dessert, since both k and n are allergic to nuts anyway. (D came out to watch them and let me go back in to eat my piece). I can see why they have four and half stars with over 440 reviews on Yelp!

Admiring and Eating Fish

After showering and bathing at D's parents' house, we headed over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was Labor Day weekend, so it was pretty packed.






We had been once before with k, before n was born. I enjoyed watching k and n watching the animals.










So colorful!

In the middle of our visit we stamped our hand and went out to lunch at the Fish Hopper, which was recommended by our pastor. It felt kind of weird to eat seafood after looking at all the fish at the aquarium, but it was delicious. D had seabass and I had prawns stuffed with crab over pasta.


k and n really enjoyed the flaky sourdough rolls (and shared our entrees). The restaurant is within walking distance of the aquarium and has an excellent view of the bay. When we arrived at 11:45, seating was available, but by the time we left it was packed.