Beach at Sunset

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When we got back to the hotel, the kids were refreshed after their car nap and Peanut was ready to go again. He was so proud of climbing onto the lounge chair and standing up on his own.

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It was too windy by the pool, so we all headed out to the beach where it felt 10 degrees warmer out there.

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Janie and Sophie played in the water while Avia and Peanut played in the sand.

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Dada also helped the girls make sand castles.

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We stayed out until the sun went down. Aaaahhh…so pretty.

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Thanksgiving 2016

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After all three toddlers took a late nap, they woke up refreshed and ready to play.

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Meanwhile Dada made Thanksgiving dinner for us all.

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Peanut was getting hungry and wanted Thanksgiving to start right way.

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We had all the usual fixings and Janie helped set the table.

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Peanut had his first Thanksgiving meal and loved the turkey.

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He also got a small portion of all the sides and loved using his fork to stab everything.

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Janie especially loved her Dada’s mashed potatoes. She says they’re the best.

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Everyone enjoyed the tasty feast and it was so much fun to have Uncle Jason and Auntie Jia back in town.

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Light-up Night

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It’s that time of year again! Every year, on the Friday before Thanksgiving, we go to the Embarcadero Center to watch them light up the buildings and shoot off fireworks overhead. Auntie Stepanie and Vivian also went with us.

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Peanut was a little scared when it got really loud.

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After the fireworks, we had some ice cream from the shop next to us.

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Even Peanut got some ice cream!

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After ice cream, we walked next door to the Hyatt to see the tree.  They used to do a lighting ceremony in the atrium but the new owners decided to discontinue that tradition. We were pretty bummed. At least we got a cute family photo in front of the tree.

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Before heading home, we went to the patio at Sens to check out the view and hang out for just a bit longer.

What a fun evening!

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Hog Island

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We had lunch at Hog Island Oyster Co. today. Ever since soccer started, we hadn’t been going to the Farmers Market. The kids did a great job waiting patiently in line and then were treated to a feast once we got seated.

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Today, Peanut figured out how to suck the contents out of a squeeze pouch and it came in handy at the restaurant.

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Janie wanted Mama to take funny photos of her at the table. This is one of them.

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And there’s her smile! So much better.

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What a fun lunch at one of our favorite places!!

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SF Zoo

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The last time we visited SF Zoo was in April! Back then, Peanut wasn’t walking or even standing yet so today was extra fun for him.

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We arrived 10 minutes before the park opened and got to enjoy the lions and hippo all to ourselves.

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The lions were awake and active this morning and we caught the Daddy lion roaring.

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The whole family ended up coming out to greet us including the Mama and juvenile male.  What a treat!

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Janie really wanted to take a giraffe photo today and she was able to squat down to match up with the ears and smile at the same time.

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Little Puffer was running today so we went for a free ride with our Guardian passes.

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Peanut LOVED riding the train and was really squirmy in his seat.

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When Janie wanted to go a second time (to ride the caboose), we sat that one out.

https://youtu.be/ZRTrFhuK8Go

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We also used our passes to ride the carousel.

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No trip to the SF Zoo would be complete without going to the playground. Janie is really into climbing nowadays.

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Peanut was big and strong enough to go down one of the baby slides and had a blast. Each time he went down, he tried to climb back up.

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In this photo, he almost made it all the way up!

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Here he is in action. I love how it makes him giggle.

What a fun morning at the zoo! The kids did rather well considering there was a time change last night.

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Mickey’s Halloween Party

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We went to Disneyland for Mickey’s Halloween Party this evening. Uncle Johnny got us all tickets and everyone was so excited!!

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Peanut had a really fun time on the tram ride over to the park. This little boy was SO ready for more rides.

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Uncle Johnny brought his lightsabers and the girls went for them right away.

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Our first mission of the night was to get all the way to Toon Town for the pre-party.

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There was a bit of a wait before the party so we spent some time hanging out in front of It’s a Small World.

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We dressed up as Stich, Nani, Lilo, and David (not pictured). Dada was busy getting us a big fried turkey leg.

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The girls scored a big bag of popcorn and were grinning from ear to ear.

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Once the party started, the girls went to the Trick or Treat stops and picked up some candy.

https://youtu.be/9oqadqvWzlc

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Then they visited Donald and Mickey for autographs and photos.

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Janie was willing to get autographs but she wanted to keep her distance from each of the characters.

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Peanut’s favorite ride was Dumbo.

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He loved feeling the wind in his face and watching the lights and the rest of the world spinning.

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If you listen carefully, you can hear him say “wow”.

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Meanwhile, Janie went on the carousel with Dada.

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By about 9pm, Janie and Peanut was asleep but Alice powered through a few more rides and lots of pictures with the princesses.

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What a fun night!!

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Dim Sum Date

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We drove straight to Royal Garden from the airpot for dim sum with all of KK and Peanut’s uncles, aunties, and cousins.

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We had been looking forward to this weekend for a very long time and it was so nice to see everyone.

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Peanut got right to work on lunch and tried using a fork on his own today.

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He had such a good time poking and eating on his own.

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Look how popular Auntie Jia was today.

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Janie was so happy to see her cousins Alice and Toni.

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At one points, all 5 kids were at the fountain together but it was pretty impossible to get them to stay in one place and look at the camera at once.

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This was the perfect way to kick off the long weekend and we had a satisfying meal after a long morning of travel.

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14 months

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Look who turned 15 months today! It’s hard to believe that he’s a full-fledged toddler already.

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He’s done some cool things this past month:

  • Gross Motor: He’s been taking at least 3-4 steps on his own and can walk even farther by holding someone’s hand. He also learned how to stand up from the floor but Mama hasn’t been able to catch it on video just yet. He also likes to sit in his big sister’s reading chair and will also climb up onto the backrest. In Mexico, he learned how to climb up a few steps too.
  • Fine Motor: Big sister taught him how to clap his hands. He also mastered putting the coins in the piggy bank toy.
  • Speech: He says “na-na” for milk and makes lots of different sounds. His favorite sounds are “zh-zh”, “sh-sh”, and “ba-ba-ba-BAH!” Of course, “mama” is still a constant sound and we can’t tell if means Mama, more, mas, or mum-mum. It probably means all of them depending on the situation.
  • Social: He LOVES watching big sister and has been playing with her more too. We’ve really turned a corner with the two kids finally entertaining each other for prolonged periods of time now. He enjoys imitating sounds and gestures that she makes too.
  • Development: This boy has been a really big drool monkey and finally had two upper canines and two first molars pop out. He’s still drooling so I’m sure there’s more just waiting to cut through very soon. He’s still in Size 4 diapers and 18-24 month clothes.
  • Sleep: He falls asleep each evening very easily and sleeps through the night most nights now. Unfortuately, he’s still an early bird and will wake up around 6am talking to himself. He still takes two naps during the day and does best when he’s in his own bed (versus outside in the stroller).
  • Fun stuff: Mexico, train to San Jose, Muir Woods, Big Sister’s soccer practice, Dada and Mama’s birthdays
  • Favorite foods: sandwiches, bananas, really any fruit, broccoli, any meat, and noodles. His most favorite thing to do is feed himself with his fingers versus having Mama feed him with a spoon. He’s also drinking all his milk from a straw cup and he has his very own water and milk thermos when we go out.

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He has been so much to have around and has become our comic relief for the family. It’s like having a human emoji in the house. He can go from super happy to super mad within just seconds of each other. He definitely doesn’t like it when you say “NO!” to him and will cry with you if he sees someone else crying. He will also laugh and smile so easily and seems to make friends with everyone he meets.

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Happy 14 months, Peanut! We love you!

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pizza and ice cream

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For Mama’s birthday dinner, we had pizza from the restaurant next door. Both kids thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Then everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Mama and Janie helped blow out the candle on her slice of ice cream.

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Everything was delicious and a nice way to celebrate this special day.

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