Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Getting Ready for New Year's

There wasn't much time to rest after we came back from our trip to visit Ah Mah and Ah Gong. That night mommy's friend from school came over with her family for dinner. They played with me and Aki and our toys while the grownups talked and talked!

Dinner with Chantha and family
Daddy, mommy, her friends, and a couple of Santa's helpers

The next day we went over to Aunty Hattie's house for mochi making.

Aki trying on a crochet slipper
Aki tried on this funny slipper

Aunty Betty showing us how to form mochi balls
Then we made mochi balls

Owen helping Aunty Hattie with brown rice mochi
I helped to put the rice in the machine

A short nap later and Uncle Jeff's family came over for dinner.

Dinner with the Toms
Eating mommy's home cooked Thai feast

Aki being silly
Aki being silly

Aki playing her harmonica
Uncle Jeff documenting Aki's harmonica talent

It's been a busy week getting ready for New Year's and there's still New Year's to come!

Legoland

The day after Christmas we decided to skip shopping and headed south to the happiest Lego place on Earth!

Lego elephant shooting out water
Lego elephant shooting water

Lego Dino
Lego triceratops!

Owen driving the Legoland Express
I got to drive the Legoland Express!

Junior Driving School
And my own little car! I had to steer and hold down the gas pedal. Good thing I've been practicing with my tricycle!

Aki's first time on the wheel
Aki only went on two rides in the park--the Legoland Express and the boat ride. She was too small for the other ones. Good thing they had cars from the rides that she could climb on outside the rides' entrances! Doesn't look like she misses the real ride!

Lego Clubhouse
Of course there was real Lego

Whoa!!!
Daddy, don't be scared, Owen's here

Mommy and Daddy really liked the mini land.

Legoland SF streetcar
Mini San Francisco!

Lego San Francisco
Mini Santa Claus falling off a building!

Lego Hollywood Bowl
Mini Hollywood Bowl!

DJ Reindeer and break-dancing Santa and Elf
Mini breakdancing Santa!

Owen coming down the slide
Mini Owen sliding down big slide with mini Mommy!

Owen and Lego Thomas
Mega Thomas!

We don't want to go home!
We really loved Legoland. Especially me. Next time let's stay all day!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Christmas in SoCal: Day 5

Owen and I found lots of presents in Ah Mah's living room when we woke up on Christmas morning.

Showing Percy and Rosie
Santa brought us what we asked for - Percy for Owen and Rosie (purple train) for me.

Ah Mah and Ah Gong got us music books!
Ah Mah and Ah Gong got us music books along with Laura Numeroff books with Mouse and Moose.

The loot
This is us after opening all our presents from family and friends.

Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!

Uncle Steven showing Owen how to bowl
Afterwards, we drove up to see Uncle Steven, Aunty Jeanie, cousin Mia, and baby Sean. Here's Uncle Steven and Mia teaching Owen how to bowl.

Let's make ice cream!
We also had an ice cream party with playdoh.

Mia and Sean
Baby Sean is just a couple of months old, but oh so cuddly.

Garlic bread - yum!
We had picked up lunch from Lee's Sandwiches on the way up, so brought it along for a picnic at a park. The adults had Vietnamese sandwiches, but I think garlic bread is the yummiest.

Mia and Owen feeding ducks
We had so much fun playing at the park. They even had ducks there, just like at the park we used to go to in Boston.

Reunited with Aunty May
For Christmas dinner, we met up with Aunty Tim, Uncle Noi, Aunty May, and Uncle Nicky for dinner at Ton Ten Ko. Owen and I were so excited to be reunited with Aunty May.

Christmas dinner at Ton Ten Ko
The group shot (minus Aunty May who was taking the picture). Merry Christmas, everyone!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas in SoCal: Day 3 and 4

On Wed, Mama thought it would be fun to take us to Kidspace, a children's museum in Pasadena. Daddy had taken us there before in May. Like last time, Owen and I had a lot of fun there.

Kidspace
Playing in the Early Childhood Learning Center.

Aki's not too sure if Owen's a safe enough driver
Our favorite activity was riding the tricycle on the trike path. We got to ride on a 2-seater, but I was scared Owen was going to crash us into something.

Later that day, we met up with Mama's high school friends, Aunty Jen and Aunty Reena. Aunty Reena's little girl, Abby, is just 2 weeks older than me! We had fun playing at Aunty Jen's house before getting dinner at Din Tai Fung.

Abby and Aki want cakes!
After dinner, we walked down to a bakery that mama said she wouldn't frequent again because of the bad customer service. Even so, Abby and I wanted cakes!

Disney on Ice
The next day was Christmas Eve. Ah Mah surprised us with tickets to Disney on Ice show! Owen was reluctant to go at first, but as soon as we got there, he was sitting on the edge of his seat.

After the show, we had to go pick Daddy up from the airport. Good thing he didn't miss his flight this time.

Our seafood Christmas dinner
For dinner, Ah Mah made us a special seafood dinner with steamed lobster, steamed crabs, crab fried rice, and a yummy salad with ginger dressing.

Later that night, we took a stroll around Ah Mah and Ah Gong's neighborhood to see the holiday lights.

Reindeers
Reindeers!

Choo Choo
Owen's favorite - Choo Choo trains

Another choo choo
Another Choo Choo train

Prize winning house for Christmas decoration
This was the prize winning house

Before we went to bed that night, Owen asked Daddy to leave a treat for Santa - lobster and eggnog. I bet Santa loved it! Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Christmas in SoCal: Day 1 and 2

Last Monday, Mama took Owen and me on a big airplane to visit Ah Mah and Ah Gong in California. It was a long plane ride. Even Owen said, "Ah Mah lives really FAR away!" Daddy couldn't come with us since it was his first day at his new job. Mama commended both Owen and I on our good behavior during the flight. I think having new sticker books and new movies to watch helped distract us. We also napped for half of the flight, giving mama some quiet time too.

As soon as we landed and retrieved our bags, Ah Mah and Ah Gong took us out to dinner at their current favorite Japanese Restaurant. Owen and I hadn't eaten much on the plane, so we were super hungry!

Hanging out with Ariel and Sydney
The next day was my cousin Sydney's birthday. We all went to Knott's Berry Farm together, and had so much fun going on different rides and hanging out with our cousins.

Knott's Berry Farm
The whole gang watching a Christmas show.

On the train ride
On the train ride.

The gang with Snoopy
First time meeting Snoopy.

Sydney's birthday dinner
We ended the day with a birthday dinner for Sydney.

Happy Birthday, Sydney!
Happy Birthday, Sydney!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Mele Kalikimaka!

Shaka Santa and Mrs Santa
Hawaiian Santa and Mrs. Claus at Honolulu Hale wishing everyone a Mele Kalikimaka.

We're currently visiting Ah Mah and Ah Gong in sunny California. We've been visiting lots of aunties, uncles, cousins, and friends. We'll have to tell you more about our trip another day. But here's what Owen and I were up to before we came to California.

Waikiki Trolley Christmas lights trolley
Last Friday, mommy and daddy took us on a trolley ride to see the Honolulu City Lights.

Ready for a trolley ride!
Owen and I really enjoyed the trolley ride and seeing the city all lit up.

Honolulu Christmas tree
Honolulu Hale Christmas Tree

Menehune train
This was Owen's favorite - the Menehune Train

We had a lot of fun... Although next time we may opt to take the less expensive ride from Ward Center or just park close to Honolulu Hale.

Merry Christmas, everyone!