Packed Weekend!

This weekend was a scorcher and our schedules were packed. On Saturday, we went swimming at The Hills Athletic Club in the Oakland Hills. My cousin and her family are members and my cousin ZR spends a lot of time there because she is on the swim team. The club is on top of Mt. Olympus in the Montclair district in Oakland. What a beautiful location! Baby C thought the water was a bit cold at the beginning, but she quickly warmed up and had a great time "swimming" with Daddy J.

In the late afternoon, we attended a surprise 40th birthday party for our friend VB. We missed the "surprise" part because the kiddies had to nap, but still got there in time for some food, cake, and toddler play. The birthday girl loves polka dots, so Baby B wore this special outfit just for her! You like her bow? This was the first time we put one on her...her hair is getting so long! Kinda sad the faux-hawk is no more...=P


On Sunday, we went to an impromptu 3rd birthday party for TM. His birthday is actually next week, but his mom, my friend SM went into preterm labor like 2 weeks ago (she is fine now, baby is still in the oven), and they did not want TM to miss a birthday party IF the baby decided to come early. The party was at Super Franks and it was great fun! Here is a picture of Baby C and TM playing toddler air hockey. It's so cute watching them play like KIDS...not babies anymore! =)

Then in the evening, we went to Lowes to finalize the details of a window shades order. We are ordering new shades for all the bedrooms. The girls' rooms will get new blackout cellular shades to help with heating/cooling/light. The master bedroom will get some new top down, bottom up cellular shades so we can get more light in the room while maintaining privacy.

We ended the evening/weekend at Little Mad Fish and Blush Yogurt...YUMS!

Splish Splash!

Earlier this week, I took the girls to Cull Canyon Regional Park. They have a "swimming complex" (like a lagoon) there that has a shallow area for small kids to splash around in and a white sandy beach. I've always heard about it, but have never gone until now. It was so cool cuz the "beach" is literally like 10minutes away from our house!

I met up with 2 friends and their kids and we had a blast! Baby C loved to "swim like a dolphin"...which basically consisted of her laying in the shallow water on her belly and splashing about, kinda like a "water angel". In fact, this was the first thing she did when we got there...in her street clothes!

We got there early, it was not crowded, it was perfect weather, and wonderful company! We'll definitely be back. In fact, I just bought a beach umbrella! =)

The girls had so much fun splashing in the water!

Baby B chilling on the beach towel, munching on a roll...plus probably a bit of sand too!

Happy Father's Day!

For Father's Day, Daddy J wanted prime rib...well, frankly, he ALWAYS wants prime rib! HAH! We decided to go to Esin Restaurant & Bar in Danville. We've been there once before when they were still in their San Ramon location. Cool new location, good food and service, and best of all, the girls were angels! It was great to eat some "upscale" food with some well behaved kids. The place was nice, but casual enough for kids. They had highchairs, boosters, crayons, and a kids menu - that's always a good sign!

Here are some pictures from dinner.

The proper way to start off a dinner...Pear ginger martini made with cinnamon and other yummy stuff I forget.

Appetizers: Buckley Bay Oysters roasted and stuffed with spinach, applewood smoked bacon, & Gruyere PLUS Curtis's fries with lemon-garlic aioli.

Daddy J ready for his prime rib...with garlic mash and beans.

Desserts: Blueberry bread pudding with caramel sauce AND bleu cheese drizzled with lavender honey, walnuts, and bread.

Baby C being an angel...for the most part!

Baby B stayed in her booster chair for most of dinner, but wanted out for dessert time!

Daddy J in a food coma later that evening...it was a good day!

Baby C On The Trike

For Father's Day, I took the kids to the park while Daddy J went to the driving range (turns out he instead went to Milpitas to track down a belated gift for me! =)).

Here is a picture of Baby C on a trike at the park. She is pretty good at it now. I was thinking about getting her a balance bike for her birthday, but am afraid she will oputgrow it too quick. So we may just go straight to a regular bike...just what I need, more toys to clutter up my garage! =)

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Need I say more?! =)) Slurp!

Ni Kao Kai-Lan!

I am a big fan of Ni Hao Kai-Lan on Nick Jr.. Baby C occasionally will want to watch it over Handy Manny. Kai Lan has been called the "Dora" of Mandarin. The show teaches Mandarin along with dealing with toddler social issues like sharing, forgiving, and teamwork.

We are enrolling Baby C in a summer Chinese program through her preschool on Saturday mornings starting in July. Though we don't speak Mandarin, it's tough to find a Cantonese Chinese school of any sort in the east bay...so I guess we'll be going with Mandarin!

Spotted at Target San Ramon: Kai-Lan merchandise!!! Yipee! I'll probably go crazy after Baby C's birthday next month. =)

Sesame Street Live - Elmo Goes Green!

Yesterday we went to the Oracle Arena to see Sesame Street Live - Elmo Goes Green. We got a suite again and filled it with friends and family. Baby C's little friend AH from preschool came along too and they really enjoyed each others company. Though Baby C did not sit through the whole show, she did sit for at least half of it, which is the longest ever! We just love being in a luxury suite, it makes it so much easier with toddlers! We will definitely try to make it back for the circus in the fall. Here are some pictures to share:

Daddy J and Baby B - her first Elmo show!
(as if she really knew what was going on...)

Ooh, like a toddler rave!
(its actually a spinning Elmo toy that lights up)

Must've been a real funny part of the show...?!
Baby C's friend AH is like "What a weirdo!" =)

Just For Fun - Zoo Picture Comparison

I know I already posted these pictures from the Oakland Zoo train ride, but I thought it would be fun to see them together. Funny how kids can be sooo different! =)

Me and Baby C at 14 months. She's about 18-19 pounds.

Me and Baby B at 7 months. She's about 17-18 pounds!

Baby Shower

On Sunday, I attended a baby shower for my friend SM. It was actually my first time being away from Baby B for that long. I ultimately had to leave the shower early because it was a scream-fest at home. Daddy J held out as long as he could, but there is just no soothing like mama...and my boob! *wink*

It was nice to have some kid-free time, but I must say I was not totally relaxed because I was worried about Baby B. Not that i did not have faith in Daddy J's skills, but she won;t take a bottle, nor pacifier. Sometimes we have good days with her, sometimes bad. Sometime she could hold out with just a variety of solid foods for a number of hours, sometimes she just wants to nurse....so quite unpredictable.

The shower was at Basil Leaf in Danville. they have a champagne brunch on weekends with made-to-order omelets, fresh belgium waffles, sausage, bacon, eggs benedict, fresh fruit, desserts, etc...oh and mimosas! YUM! I think they regularly serve Italian food there. I definitely want to go back and try that out, and maybe go for brunch again with Daddy J one of these days.

Look at the yummy cake - mango mousse!

I love preggo bellies!!!

Zoo Time!

Last Saturday, we hit the Oakland Zoo with our cousins and kids. It was a perfect zoo day, not too hot, not too cold. Daddy J's cousin LT is like a big sis to him and it was really great to get everyone together. They have twins (one boy one girl), who are about 18 months old. They are super cute and though they are twins, they have quite different personalities.

Here is Baby C showing OC around the zoo. She was quite the little tour guide.

Of course we had to end the day with a train ride. This was Baby B's second one - the first one was around Christmas time when they had their "Zoo Lights" event...6 months ago!

Daddy J and the girls.