We made a trip to IKEA and the kids came home with an easel and toy cash register. How fun!
July 4th in Cerritos
Last night we drove down to Cerritos for the long weekend.
In the morning, Peanut and Leela went to the park. We also experienced an earthquake as we were getting buckled up in the car.
Back at Yai and Ta’s house, we had a barbecue and Peanut gobbled up a bunch of Thai BBQ chicken that Yai made.
All the cousins were at the house and Ta gave them all plenty to do. They had water balloons, regular balloons, and a sandbox too!
They also went on a little “hike” in the backyard jungle with walking sticks and all.
In the evening, we all went across the street to ride bikes and scooters.
As the sun went down, we drove to Uncle Johnny’s house to watch the fireworks from his backyard.
Happy Birthday, America!
Cousin Sleepover
Toni and Thomas arrived today with Ankong and Ama. After Janie came home from school, we all walked to pick up Peanut from his school.
On the way home, they picked flowers and followed Janie back to the playground.
They spent the rest of the warm afternoon outside with sidewalk chalk, spray bottles, balls, and trucks.
Close to bedtime, they played MagnaTiles inside.
When it was time for bed, Toni decided to sleep on the floor next to Janie while Thomas and Toni chose the beds.
The girls fell asleep rather qucikly but it took the boys much longer. They didn’t settle down until after 10pm and Peanut ended up sleeping on the floor too.
Capilano Suspension Bridge
Today, we took the bus to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park to do some exploring.
The kids enjoyed crossing the long bridge and exploring the treehouse too.
Janie finished the Rainforest Explorer assignments and earned a badge! Yay!
We also got a ride back to the hotel on their free bus shuttle, which was pretty fun too.
Birthday at School
Peanut went to school on his birthday and we dropped off one of his favorite books to share with the classroom. Ms. Gladys read “Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site” to the class during circle time.
He also did some painting.
Yai picked up Peanut from school today and they had a fun time walking home.
Sequoia National Park: Day 2
On our second full day, we took the shutter bus to the Giant Forest Museum.
We learned the life cycle of a tree and then went for a walk to the meadow nearby.
It was lined with giant sequoias and there were little streams here and there.
Here is Peanut at the base of a fallen tree. It’s so big!!
After lunch, Janie turned her book into the Park Ranger, took an oath, and then received her Junior Park Ranger badge!
We also purchased a National Park passport and went around collecting a few stamps to commemorate our visit.
Back at the campground, Peanut took a nap and Janie hung out in the hammock with Dada.
Later it was snack time and then the kids went exploring. It’s great to watch them find new things to play and do.
The kids tried to make a teeter-totter. It was fun until Peanut got catapulted off. It looks worse than it actually was. He was just fine when it happened and got back on.
Peanut also found a stump that made a perfect drum.
They also had fun playing in the tent. The flashlights were a big hit.
After dinner, we had another round of s’mores.
This was an extra gooey one but so yummy!
18 and 73 months
Love this side-by-side photo of Janie and Yai.
Kowloon
The kids woke up starving again because they missed dinner last night. Thankfully we have breakfast on the top floor every morning to get their tummies filled.
Then it was off to Kowloon for the day! We rode the train across Victoria Bay to the other side of Hong Kong to find the infamous pineapple bun that Uncle Jason loves so much.
At the cafe, it was small but they managed to get all six of us at a table. The kids ate some bread with butter and condensed milk.
They also enjoyed drinking milk out of a milk bottle.
The cafe also happened to be in the pet district so we saw lots of fish stores with bags and bags of colorful fish for sale.
As we waited for Ankong and Ama to arrive by train, we stopped at McDonald’s for a snack. Janie got a Kinder egg and Peanut got some chicken nuggets to hold him over.
On our walk down the famous Nathan Road, we saw lots of cool sights, cafes, and shops.
There were some giant king crabs in this window front display.
We walked and walked all the way down toward the water and Janie did a great job.
Uncle Jason offered a short ride to give her feet a little break.
As a tasty treat, Ankong bought Janie a watermelon drink with fresh mango.
We finally made it to the waterfront and found the Bruce Lee statue at the Garden of Stars.
Check out this view!!
Peanut’s Thursday
Peanut’s Thursday started out with music time with Mr. Chris.
Then they went for their weekly nature walk down to the lagoon.
They found ducks swimming around.
He also rode the tricycle around and around.
After nap, Mama picked him up and took him to swim class. He enjoyed it for the most part but still doesn’t like floating on his back.
Nature Walk
Peanut and his class went on a nature walk this morning and saw lots of ducks in the lagoon.