The Chang Gang

She's ONE!

2012-01-27T16:04:00.000-06:00

Our lil girl is no baby anymore. She is now ONE years old! Happy birthday Kara! Can't believe that just a year ago I gave birth to this sweet spirit. Time has flown by so fast.

She has already taken the most twelve steps all by herself. But of course her preferred source of locomotion is still crawling. Kara loves to eat, play with mommy, daddy and big brother. So far she can say mama, dada, nai nai (milk), mum mum (food), and sign all done. She's almost got the idea of fei mahn (blowing a kiss). Just makes the sound mmm and cover her mouth with her hand. Occasionally she'll pat her head a few times. Not sure what that means but maybe it's because we sing "five little monkeys sitting on a bed" quite often.

Little big girl standing all her herself.

"Lemme just fix this backdrop for you mommy. It just a little off.."

Our happy easy going girl.

Happy Birthday to a special little girl!

Kara enjoying her cupcake. She is definitely no stranger to sweet stuff.

Looks like a crime scene happened here.....

Kara's birthday also happened to fall on Chinese Lunar New Years Eve so we celebrated a little together with some lanterns and good ole Chinese cooking.

Above left corner, Kaden is holding a "jung." It is a tradional chinese food made with sticky rice and filled with meat and mung beans, wrapped in banana leaves. My mom makes these every new year. Fills the house with the smell of the banana leaves. mmmm.

And of course we ended the night with some yummy homemade boba smoothies and birthday cake.

At my local grocery I had the gal copy my chinese writing. Not too bad huh.

Hooray! I'm one!

Random shmandom

2012-01-25T11:04:00.000-06:00

Cousins are the BEST! Kaden has so much fun with them. What a wild bunch. 3 girls and 3 boys.

Took the kids to local park on a warmer winter day. 40s still sounds kinda cold huh. well I think I was going crazy staying inside the house for too long of a period.

The kids had loads of fun on the slide.

Feeling in the mood for a more sophisticated look.

While we were strolling around Pier1 Kaden noticed this, and exclaimed, "Mommy, look there's a belly button!"

And don't forget to:

Oh yeah and welcome SNOW! Good ole Wisconsin winters.

Repurposed window and Felt Love Garland

2012-01-18T15:56:00.000-06:00

I got this window for free from a craigslist ad back while we were staying in Rochester, MN during Tim's Mayo rotation last summer. I had hammered out all the glass, and power sanded down all the sides of the window. Removing the glass definitely helped decrease the weight of it. It has a really nice crackled white paint look and this blue tinge on the top edge. Already has its own style which I LOVE.

Yesterday I pulled it out of my closet and added sawtooth hanging parts to it and hung it up on the wall. Found some heavier weight decor fabric and thumbtacked it to the wall.

As for the garland I was in the mood for some Valentines decor since it's coming up soon! can't wait!

The hearts and letters are all made of felt. I sewed on all the letters rather than gluing it because I like the puffy look as it's all sewn in. I zigzag stitched all the hearts onto the ribbon.

I did this all during Kaden's and baby's naptime. When Kaden came out, he quickly noticed this and said, "mommy, that's beautiful!" A boy with a good eye I might say.

Big Man shirt turned Lil Man shirt

2012-01-17T12:16:00.002-06:00

Tim bought a t-shirt at a mall vendor while we were on our honeymoon in Thailand. Unfortunately it's a little too fitted for him so it's been hanging around in our closet collecting dust. Didn't want to throw it away because I kinda like the logo on the shirt. It's cute. I had also bought a couple of these same brand shirts but of course girl versions and one of which I made it into a little girl shirt since it was a bit too small for me. That's what having kids does to a body. Well so I decided to sew shrink this baby down to Kaden size.

This is the original shirt in a sized M. It's more like an orange yellow.

I basically used one of Kaden's shirt to use as a template for the shirt of the pieces. Rotary cutter, mat and ruler are necessities!

Here are all the pieces cut. As for the sleeves I decided not to go with the same style as the original. I reused the hem from the bottom of the original shirt to use as the hem of the sleeves. I removed the old collar ribbing as well.

First I put the front and back of the shirts, right sides facing each other and sew both of the shoulder parts together.

Then I pinned the curved part of the sleeves right sides facing each other and sew it through. After both sleeves are sewn in, with the shirt inside out I start from the underarm part of the sleeve and sew all the way down to the bottom of the shirt. Do on both sides. I then pinned the black ribbing collar to the neckline and using a twin needle sewed it. (sorry no pics for that)

Lastly I folded in the bottom of the shirt and hemmed it using a zigzag stitch to allow stretching.

M: I count to three and you strike a pose.

K: Mommy, what is a pose?

M: just do anything, like this (swinging arms, making faces)

Kadenisms

M: you need to clean up before playing with something else.

K: no, mommy and baby clean up. I'll sit here and wait.

Anthropologie Scarf Knock off

2012-01-10T23:59:00.001-06:00

Last night I was searching for eternity scarf tutorials but came across the image of an Anthropologie scarf knockoff which I thought was way cute. The tutorial was from Sewingin-nomansland's blog.

Scarfs add so much flare to an outfit. Great for all seasons, okay maybe not for summertime. Can't ever have too many scarves right?

Basically from the tutorial you cut a 10"X2yds strip of fabric. Hem and gather both long sides and middle. Gather as much to your liking. Then hem short ends. DONE!

I had bought this mustard yellow fabric back when we were in MN for a discount price because it had a fading spots from sun exposure and I had originally bought it with intentions of making some kind of scarf out of it. This was perfect!

I love the texture of the ruffles. Adds a whole another dimension to my plain outfit.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-09T15:14:00.002-06:00

Hope 2012 will be a year of new beginnings, unforgettable memories, exciting moments, & of course family togetherness!

Love,

the Changs

Simple & Easy Refashioning A Shelf

2012-01-09T00:05:00.002-06:00

Back from all the traveling and had an itch for some refashioning. I bought this white shelf from a rummage for a couple of bucks a little while back and thought it needed some jazzing up. Fabric is just the right touch! I simply thumb tacked the fabric against the back panel and placed the shelf ledges back on. Took only a few minutes and I can even change the background whenever I want.

Used Dwell Studio fabric. I love their prints!

You can see the thumb tacks on the top edge of the fabric.

Our lil model showing off the shelf

Typical afternoon with the kids playing their toys....making a mess....the usual....

Showing off his "toodles"

Irvine Railroad Park

2011-12-28T01:47:00.000-06:00

During one of the days all the kids headed out to Irvine Railroad Park and spent an entire afternoon out at the park and its festivities. It was another beautiful sunny day in California. I caught myself saying that mostly everyday. :)

There was a mini train ride which was fun for the kids. Saw some Christmas decorations along the way. Couldn't believe that it's almost double the price after 4pm because it becomes the Christmas train....not much different but that the lights are on.

Looks like Uncle Jim is the most excited little camper on the train.Two thumbs up for the train ride!Kara and I are quite enjoying the little scenery around us.Going through the tunnel! waaa!

Enjoyed a nice sun bathing session by the leaves. Guess she only wants her face tanned.

The kids got to go riding. How fun!

And ofcourse we all had some fun at the playground. That's a must on the list.

Eleven

2011-12-28T01:28:00.001-06:00

Kara, Kara, Kara, Happy ELEVEN months! You are such a sweetheart. So easy going, jolly, & bouncy (like your mother....hehe). Our little girl is a curious soul. Always crawling and cruising along walls & furniture. This past month she even started taking a few steps (three the most so far)! There has been only a few instances where she has done so but quite a milestone! We shall see when this little lady will start taking her baby steps again.

At nighttime is when this lil girl starts going crazy. She loves playing chase and dancing to hip hop music. And Tim was the one who told me to dance less when she was in the womb.......I think I made a dancer outta her.

She is quite the eater. I call her the finisher jr after her daddy. Even when it seems like she's had a full plate and doesn't want anymore, once she sees someone else with food she's quick to hover over that person for more yummies. I don't think she's ever taken longer than about five minutes to finish her food. So opposite of little man Kaden. Good thing too.

Kara loves to wave hello/goodbye, can say yeye (grandpa), mama and loves shaking her head as a sign of "no more food please." And peach fuzz hair still sticks straight up. Looks like she's been hit by a static ball.

And ofcourse she enjoys playing with her big brother.

Bored in the car. This is what we do.

A BIG surprise for Tim's parents

2011-12-28T00:27:00.001-06:00

The kids decided to get something for christmas this year that we felt mom and dad needed and would be put to good use. We wanted to buy a new sofa set for them because their current one is OLD and not too comfy. Dad lays on 6 pillows in order to accommodate his lounging spot while watching his nightly news. And I am not exaggerating.

Kim and I were the only ones here in california at the time so we were in charge of shopping for a sofa set, figuring how to dispose of the old set without mom and dad knowing, and getting the room ready for the new set. These two elves were quite busy!

We were interested in a couple of sectionals but we chose this one because it wasn't as large as the other set and of course a little bit less expensive.

These two lil kiddies helped test it out to make sure it was comfortable enough.

Kim and I woke up early the morning of the delivery around 630am to move out the old sectional. It actually wasn't as tough of a job as we thought thanks to the use of dollies. What an amazing invention! I had scheduled salvation army to pick it up but when they came they told me that it was too old and torn that they couldn't take it. Uh oh! Not good news. But luckily thanks to google search i found out that some local trash services will dispose of for free. I called and they said that the earliest pickup would be the flowing Monday which was a few days away. Guess that spoils the plan of surprise.

Kaden enjoying some last moments while eating some good ole cap'n crunch. Gotta spread the love crumbs one last time.

Space vacuumed and ready for the new set!

When dad arrived home I quickly headed out to the garage and he did not seem happy about the couch hanging outside in the driveway and it started drizzling too. "why is that couch outside?" he kept repeating. " I told you the red one." (we were gonna donate a red arm chair as well)

So I quickly pulled him into the living room and showed him the new set. Now it all made sense. But he wasn't too happy about the old couch going to waste since he felt that it still had lots of life left in it.

He placed a tarp over the old sectional that night and the next day placed a free sign on it. That afternoon it was GONE! The neighbors took it and gave it to a friend of theirs. Glad it went to good use.

Merry EARLY Christmas MOM & DAD. Now all the rest of the kids can enjoy it as well!

Knotts berry farm

2011-12-26T23:12:00.001-06:00

Knotts Berry Farm had a great deal during the week my sister Sam was in town. They had the Toys for Tots donation so it costed only $20/person for an all day admission to the amusement park. We were mostly confined to the children's area but nonetheless we had loads of fun. Sam and I did take turns riding a couple of adults rides but I think Kaden got the most of the rides.

Kaden the pilot

Just truckin along.

Everyone was so quiet and calm on this one that it was quite funny to watch. I tried to get Kaden to smile and wave but nothing.

Kaden had so much fun turning the disc he wanted to do it all by himself.

Sam riding the SideWinder

There I am!

Oh it's SNOOPY!

Living in high places

2011-12-26T22:51:00.001-06:00

My mother in law really wanted my sister sammy and I to attend their annual relief society Christmas dinner. Wasn't sure what the big fuss was all about but then I got it, once we arrived to the massive house. Wow! It was gorgeously decorated with Christmas lights, trees, figurines, you name it. I was in awe the entire time. It was hosted by sister Bradford who recently moved into the ward. We had a wonderful potluck hearty soup dinner and tasty desserts.

This is my "whoa!" face or maybe it's the "oh maybe I can have a house like this someday....."

We decided to dine at the more formal dinner table.

Loads of Christmas houses and figurines. They said that it only took a weekend to decorate the entire house. They must have gone nonstop.

They even had these cute little M&Ms skating on an icy looking surface.

I think the funniest part was it was just us ladies taking pictures while everyone else was eating. We're so ASIAN! haha

No she didn't! Oh yes she DID!

2011-12-23T14:17:00.001-06:00

Kara was sitting on the bed next to daddy while he was holding Kaden. She started whimpering for daddy to pick her up but since his hands were tied she turned in my direction and whimpered "ma ma." TWICE! This was her first time calling me mama. It was the sweetest moment ever! I love you sweet pea! We have way too much fun together!

A work of art

2011-12-17T13:34:00.001-06:00

For my mother in law's home ward they asked a bunch of volunteers to decorate gingerbread houses to use as table center pieces. We decided to help decorate one. Little did I think that this would involve a good few hours of my time planning, decorating and designing this miniature structure. Good thing the house was already assembled or else that would have involved another hour or so. Oh yeah I made two little gingerbread missionaries but forgot to take pics of them. I'll leave that up to your imaginations.

But it was definitely fun decorating it. Imagine how many hours it would take for when I want to design my future real house. Ok that might be a while before that happens.

snowman credits go to Kim FYI. :)

On one side of the house I tried to create a fireplace out of the ring gummy candies but you can't really tell from this pic. Thought I share though.

Kaden's gingerbread man. Looks like a crime scene to me.

Kadenisms

K: I'm so proud of you mommy

M: why

K: because you're being nice

Thanksgiving at the other Changs

2011-12-16T16:13:00.001-06:00

Everyone on Tim's side was able to meet up at Jim and Winnie's place for this Thanksgiving in Tucson, AZ. For the past three years we spent thanksgiving with friends so it was extra nice to spend this last year of medical school with the family. It was definitely a houseful. Tim, Kaden, Kara and I slept in the same room for the entire month of November. And it was not a very big room. Kara slept in the crib and whenever she woke up in the middle of the night she would peek over her crib rail and stare straight at us and cry. She would cry harder seeing that we continued to sleep. Those were not fun nights. But other than that at least we got Kaden and baby ready for sleeping in the same room together. In the beginning it was hard because she kept waking up to every peep that Kaden made but now I think that she's tuned him out a bit. So good things do come out of these things.... :)

Anyways back to thanksgiving. Tim's parents drove from California while his sister Kim flew in from Provo. Winnie's mother and sister also joined us for thanksgiving. For this year Jim decided to broil his turkey in a oil free broiler. It was delicious! Crispy skin! Yum.

Made my yummy fruit tarts and Double layer Pumpkin Cheesecake.

And ofcourse so far it seems like every year Tim gets the big drumstick.

We love mah mah! Kaden's a bit distracted...

Enjoying some good food with good company.

With my sweet cheeks. I love you!

you're silly daddy.

We love playing the "I'm gonna getcha" game around here.

Another lil photographer in the house.

Hope everyone had a good THANKSGIVING!

Yes I got sucked in......

2011-12-16T12:36:00.001-06:00

I couldn't help it this year since I had two kids with me and I was at the mall. There was no waiting in line.....Yup I got sucked in to the Santa Claus pictures. It's priceless! :) But definitely overpriced!

I was too busy trying to get Kara to not cry that I forgot to tell Kaden to smile. Oh well. At least he remembered to look into the camera. Luckily in our last shot Kara looked the least traumatized. Even though she is still teary eyed.

oh no the crying started immediately once she sat on his lap. And Kaden wasn't too fond of sitting on Santa's lap either. Had to bribe him with some candy. That usually works.

Wonder how many crying babies and kiddies does Santa have to deal with......

Kara is ready to roll out!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

from

KADEN & KARA

Catching some sweet rays

2011-12-15T00:14:00.001-06:00

What to do, what to do on a sunny saturday..... We decided to take advantage of the entire Saturday minus the morning since we were a bit sluggish getting ready but definitely did a lotta fun stuff. We went to Newport Beach and played some tennis at the playground. Lots of fun and great exercise for me since I don't work out too much. We also brought our bikes so Kaden and Kara got to go site seeing around the beach and playground. Kara was so cute. She was distracted by all the sights around her and I love the big helmet on her head. She didn't turn her head too much probably because it was too big for her. haha

Riding with baby Kara

After a good round of tennis we walked over to the beach. ahh time to relax and take a lil toe dipping in the water.

Nice early evening breeze.

After Newport beach and biking we headed out to Huntington Harbour for their Christmas Boat parade. I never knew such excited until now! how wonderful a thing it is! And there's more going on the following weekend in other places. yay! For this parade there were 50+ boat participants. Most of the boats had their own music to go with their theme as well. One boat had his lights flickering accordig to the beats of the music. Very cool!

Love & Peace Boat Parade

Can you tell who this is? so cute!

This one is a bit blurry but it was a lit skyline of New York with Alicia Keys New York song playing. I loved it.

Lit palm trees, definitely in california

Hangin out by the boat loading dock.

Kadenisms:

We were in the car going to pick up Auntie Sam from the airport, Kaden blurts out to me, "Mommy you have to be nice to people. You have to be nice to me." Guess he was fed up with getting too many time outs that day.

While I was riding the bike by Newport beach I noticed that Kaden was a bit quiet in the toddler seat behind me. So I asked him, "Kaden, how come you're so quiet? Are you sleeping?" "No," he replied. "Then how come you're not talking?" A few moments go by. "blah blah blah blah....." He continues to do so for the next minute or so. Then I say, "well Kaden, that's to talking, that's blabbling which means you're saying things that doesn't make sense." He replies, "like this?"

K: Hey, who put Christmas over there?
M: I did. I moved the tree and the presents over there.
K: No...Santa do that.

I was busy playing with Kara one morning soon after we woke up while Kaden was sitting on the bed quietly watching us. Then he said, "no..., play with baby Kaden."

Up up and UP! And a little taste of Christmas.

2011-12-15T00:10:00.001-06:00

Second day of Sammy's visit we headed out to Orange Great park and explored the grounds. There is a huge stationary helium filled balloon you can ride for free that goes up 400 feet. While we were driving over to the park Kaden was really excited to go on the balloon because it reminded him of when the Nickelodeon character Diego rode on a hot air balloon. But we arrived and as he quietly watched the balloon go up from afar, he said, "I don't wanna go on the balloon." But as time passed he worked up the courage. No biggie.

Both the balloon and the carousel rides were free. We LOVE FREE!

Rode this baby 4xs! Kaden didn't want to leave.

On the right is a picture of Kaden moping because he wanted to head over to the carousel when we told him that it was time to get on the balloon. Well luckily we did have time for just one ride.

That evening we attending the Nativity Show organized the church at a stake building closeby. I was so impressed with the theatrics of it all. There were even live animals (donkey, sheep and even a camel..how cool is that!). It was such a beautiful play. Really brings the true spirit of Christmas and refocuses us back on Christ and his birth.

After the show we headed out to one of the local neighborhoods with awesome christmas lights. It was so much fun strolling down all these well lit houses. There were probably about 4 or 5 blocks filled with decorated lights and other decorations.

Driving along.......California!

2011-12-09T17:07:00.001-06:00

My oldest sister Sammy arrived into California on wednesday night and the following day we had a full set of plans ready to take advantage of good ole California sightseeing. We headed out to The Getty Villa or, so we thought, but ended up in the Getty Center. One is in Malibu and the other in LA. It worked out because we arrived a bit later than planned and this one didn't required timed tickets and it was larger in size.

Enjoying some evening sun at the beach

A gorgeous evening at Santa Monica Pier

I love the SUN!

When we were heading back to the car Kaden cried, "I wanna go on the beach!" So we headed out to the playground and I think that was probably his favorite part of the day.

Monkey bars: suitable for monkeys only.

On top of the world!

Breezy Pier

Christmas at the outlet mall

After a long day out and about, gotta catch up on beauty rest...zzzz

And lastly I just wanna say....LA traffic does STINK! wow we were driving during rush hour and it felt like forever. This was my first time being the driver in this situation and there wasn't even a carpool lane! Now I know what people mean when they say, "I hate the traffic here." No doubt about it....

One DOWN and no more left to go.

2011-12-03T23:34:00.000-06:00

Finally all the children in the Su family are married off. My oldest sister Sammy got married the weekend before thanksgiving in Las Vegas. Her husband is from Vegas. It was an awesome wedding and we had loads of fun helping out with the wedding. In Chinese culture there is an opening door ceremony in which the groom has to pay so much money in order to receive his bride when arriving at the bride's house. And along the way there may be challenges for the groom and his groomsmen.

I came up with the idea to do a scavenger hunt which was awesome because we were staying at a vacation house rental that was pretty good size and had a pool. My sister Emily, sister-in-law and I came up with clue ideas and challenges to go along with each clue.

When the groom arrived with his party the three of us girls stood behind the front entrance of the house. Once we opened it we immediately requested for some lucky money in order for him to enter into the house. He slipped out a couple of red envelope money. Nothing too big but we accepted it. So I told him that in order to obtain his bride he must go through a set of challenges along the way just like love itself. First challenge was to sing a song out loud expressing when he first fell in love with her. And boy....did he sing! hehe.

First clue: The way into a man's heart.....

And ofcourse it led into the kitchen. The next clue was hidden in the refrigerator. But prior to opening the next clue, Xuelian had made a concoction of vinegar and catalina dressing in champagne glasses for the groom and groomsman to drink. Bottoms up!

Second clue (folded into a shirt with a bib drawn on it): Load em' up, those little Nguyens!

Yes that refers to their future little kiddies. Nguyen is Sam's last name. And they just bought a minivan for the purpose of filling it up. In a compartment of the car was a box of green bean baby food, two bibs, and a spoon. This challenge was to help teach Sam how to feed his baby in the future. Good practice! So each guy fed each other a spoonful of the green good ole mushiness.

Third clue (folded into a boat): You're my lifesaver. Don't ever let go.

This required a bit of thought but I gave Sam the hint that it was something that Sammy doesn't know how to do and that he might need to teach her. SWIMMING! We all headed outside to the pool. I think the guys were a bit hesitant about this one because they weren't sure of what kind of challenge was going to present itself. The next clue was in a bowl floating on the water in the pool. This challenge required the groomsman to be blindfolded holding a stick and it was the groom's job to verbally guide his best man to push the bowl over towards them with the stick so that they could retrieve the next clue. This was by far the most entertaining one....haha. His best man Min was a bit scared because he thought he was going to fall into the pool.

Fourth clue (folded into a star): You must find the porcelain slipper that fits the fair maiden who warms your heart.

After emphasizing warm, they thought fireplace....microwave.....oven...DRYER! Sure enough there was a white slipper and inside it was attached the final clue.

Final clue (folded into a heart): BEST night of my life!!!

Well not too hard to guess where that would be right? Finally before he was allowed to go upstairs to meet his bride we had to ask for more red envelopes. And yes I would have to say that we three girls did pretty well on that department..... :)

The handsome groom after a journey of life's many challenges reached the pinnacle of his hard work opened a door into his beautiful bride chambers. And upon slipping on her missing slipper and presenting her a bouquet of wondrous flowers, he received his bride.

And he kissed his bride! Doesn't she look beautiful! Yeah it's in our genes...hehe.

I ask for a silly face and this is what I get. :)

Pictures of the reception:

Our handsome little boy

sista sista sista

The Trans

The Changs

The following day we headed out to the Bellagio to check out their cool Fall display. I was very impressed with the scenery artwork done primarily with flowers and greenery.

Kaden rather was mesmerized by the talking tree. His eyes would ocasionally wonder back and forth. Felt like a tree from wizard of oz.

So long casino infested land!

Santa Ana Zoo

2011-12-02T00:35:00.001-06:00

And yet again I get to use my Milwaukee Zoo pass to attend the Santa Ana Zoo for free. It was definitely not as large as our local zoo but still a fun place. Felt like I was in an amazon jungle because the zoo consisted of lush trees and plants and the sounds of the amazon.

Ready to go on our little outing.

Started it off with a jungle maze.

Taking pics to send to daddy while he's traveling the states.

There was a large variety of primates in the monkey species (don't know how to call it...) There was at one point one type of monkey started making very loud noises followed by other and it sounded like we were really in a jungle.

Bro & sis having fun on a nice sunny day.

Checking out the camels

Daddy is currently traveling the states for his interviews for dermatology residency. He is a busy man.

Kaden today said, "I wanna see him, I wanna see him." In due time......we miss you Daddy!

You are a PERFECT 10

2011-11-28T02:34:00.001-06:00

Oh how I love you so! You are such a sweet lil doll. Everytime I see your smiling face I cannot help but smile in my heart.

Lately Kara has been enjoying activities like lip buzzing, waving hello/bye bye, and riding her Tangled four wheeler around with her cousins. She is becoming more stable standing alone so it makes me wonder when she'll try to take her first steps. Guess girls are usually a little more cautious than boys. No one wants to scratch up a pretty face right?

Bathtime is always fun until big bro comes and ruins it by making tidal waves.

Getting in my sauna spa before getting ready for thanksgiving feast. And if you look closely her hair sticks straight up,so cute. Peach fuzz style.

Traveling the world with daddy.

Training for my next crawling marathon.

Playgrounds are my favorite outings.

We love playing peekaboo under the sheets. (too much excitement going on in here, hence the blurriness)

Night without the kids! Wahoooo! Dinner, dessert, BREAKING DAWN

2011-11-23T00:10:00.001-06:00

Tonight Jim and Winnie gotta a babysitter so we got to go out undisturbed. Well we did take little Kara but she behaved herself. For dinner we went to a Japanese restaurant Yoshimatsu and the food was delicious. Tim and I normally don't go eat Japanese since he's allergic to seafood so it was nice to try some tonight. For dessert we went to Frost and ordered some yummy gelatos.

Afterwards we dropped the boys and baby off and we picked Winnie's friend Julie up and headed to the theaters to watch the 9pm showing of Breaking Dawn. This is the first time I have seen any of the twilight movies in the theater. It was great because there were only eight people in total. Felt like we has edward all to ourselves... Lol. I think I may have switched teams after watching this movie. Edward is pretty darn romantic in this one. The movie left me wanting for more.

We took the theater pictures with my iPhone. Thank goodness for it's flash.

It was a GREAT NIGHT!

Too precious!

2011-11-15T22:16:00.001-06:00

Love this pic of these cutie pies at the playground. Kara had so much fun going down the slide with big cousin Evie.

Choo Choo!

2011-11-13T21:03:00.001-06:00

All aboard the Chang Choo Choo train! Oh by the way they acquired a little injured rabbit in the backyard. Too much fun for the kids.

Reid Park Zoo

2011-11-11T15:32:00.001-06:00

Happy times! This would be one of those pictures the kids would reminisce when they're older.

From Left to Right: Ethan, Kaden, Daniel, Chase, Evie, Lucy

Three lions cubs at the zoo similar to the ones at the Milwaukee Zoo.

Boys having fun circling the pole

I don't think that I have ever seen a rhino so up close and it is HUGE! but cute at the same time. :)

Hooray for Chang cousins!

Jumping off the TEN foot high stage. ok maybe more like three feet. Free falling!

Silly face! minus Ethan's creepy eyes.

Peekaboo!

These kids had too much fun in the play area.

In our rental car heading back to the house. Long morning with the kids.

These pictures were taken at the Sonora Desert Museum. Initially I was a bit hesitant about what kind of interesting things could possibly be in a desert but it was very educational and cool. Sadly we didn't get to fully explore the museum since the kids were all getting grumpy and tired.

Kara as usual happy and bouncy on our outing.

Ethan riding a Daniel turtle

Fun at the Mall playground

2011-11-10T14:13:00.001-06:00

Thank goodness for malls that have a play area for the kids. Kara got into the tunnel and I don't think she knew how to get out because she kept crawling back and forth but she was really enjoying it though.

More fun baby headbands

2011-11-09T00:26:00.001-06:00

I got to make a couple of flower clips with my sister in law Winnie and her friend. I love girls' craft get 2

I LOVE little baby girl heads for accessorising!

Arizona

2011-11-08T14:53:00.001-06:00

These are random pics taken from my phone. We've been in Arizona for a little over a week and it's been nice to get away from cold Milwaukee weather. I sure don't mind weather in the 60s-70s. We're staying and Tim's brother and his family's house. A house with four adults and six kids. Definitely never a quiet moment. :)

Kaden is having so much fun with his four cousins.

Ready to chomp!

2011-11-02T10:28:00.001-05:00

Look at those two little chompers!

Betty Brinn Children's Museum

2011-11-02T10:26:00.001-05:00

When I'm itching to get the kids out and the weather isn't that great I like to go to the children's museum. So many fun and interactive things to play with. Fun for me too!

Happy baby

2011-10-30T23:22:00.000-05:00

Wakey wakey! She is such a cute lil snugglebug when she wakes up. I just wanna hold her and kiss her warm cheeks all day!

Having fun in the Thomas the train playtent

She's starting to stand by herself a lot more.

Preschool

2011-10-30T23:18:00.002-05:00

About a month ago my friend Christina and I started preschool one hour a week for Kaden and her daughter Camille. It's been really good for Kaden to have a structured learning environment even if it is only for an hour. He is always excited to go over to Camille's house to play and learn.

For my last preschool hour I did a felt story board of five monkeys and an alligator. They loved it! They had so much fun setting up the scene and helping the alligator get the monkeys. There'll sure to be more stories in the near future.

Milwaukee Zoo Spooktacular

2011-10-30T23:13:00.001-05:00

This was our first time going to the zoo spooktacular since we've been here in Milwaukee. It was really fun to see all the kids and even some adults dress up in their cute, scary and silly costumes. Another reason to dress up our kids in their yummy outfits.

There were a few pitstop spots for trick or treating so that was extra fun for Kaden to get some more candy. He may not like cake or cookies as much but he LOVES candy. Halloween is definitely his holiday.

We stopped by to see the three new cubs in the Big Cat exhibit. So adorable! So playful and active.

And here's the cheetah looking real lonely while most of the visitors are busy checking out the cubs.Wonder what it's really thinking.......

And then there's some creepy wanderers along the road of the zoo. Kaden was a bit frightened by him but now brave lil Kara.

Kara is a pretty good sport when she's out and about. I think she quite enjoys going out. She always bouncy and giggly whenever we're out doing something.

This was the funniest sight. Staredown! The ape was mirroring the orangutan's actions until he started climbing the cage.

Our two spooky hollow residents.

Beautiful fall cool day for the zoo

This was an attempt to remake Kaden's halloween picture of 2008.

This shirt sums up Kaden perfectly!

Kara's balancing act

And here's Kaden at 9 months as well. It's a danceoff!

Our jolly little piggie

Towards the end of the zoo outing Kara was starting to zone out......

That evening Daddy and Kaden carved a pumpkin together.

These buff boys got to show off their tattoos.

While they did that I got to make caramel apples. Our of my yearly yummy halloween traditions!

Tim's new calling

2011-10-30T23:04:00.001-05:00

Tim's new calling is the Primary Music Leader and he is loving it. This is perfect because I am currrently serving as the Primary Presidency secretary so we're both in primary together. It's especially fun when he teaches the primary songs to Kaden. As for an example, Book of Mormon stories.

Twick or Tweet!

2011-10-27T17:41:00.000-05:00

I love having kids! Especially when the holidays come around. Everything is so much more festive with the little ones. Halloween is such a fun holidays to see the children dress up in their cute little costumes. For this year Kaden is a hamburger (let says an In & Out burger, for Tim's sake). And I wanted to theme our costumes this year so I decided to roam my craft closet for inspiration. I wanted Kara to be french fries. Luckily I had some red and yellow felt from a project I never started...you know how that goes...Well at least it's being put to good use. Started with a few different ideas of how I wanted the french fries to look. Then I decided to shape the box for angular like the real box. A bit of sewing, cutting, snipping and trimming I FINISHED it! And I ABSOLUTELY LOVE it! I had used one of her shirts for sizing and it fits her perfectly.

I would like to order one big boy sized hamburger and an adorable side of homegrown french fries please.

Serving my biggie size french fries

Kaden and I made fun mini pumpkin bats thanks to our friend Christina for her crafty idea. Kaden had a ball painting it black. And after the paint dried we took the bat for a flight in the dark with a flashlight throughout the house.

So here is my French Fries costume. Felt is the best material to work with. Doesn't fray, gives a stiff shape and has a wonderful textured look to it. I just discovered this awesome overcasting stitch on my machine that I used to join the edges.

I added snaps to the back for easy removal.

I'm lovin' it.

Nine

2011-10-21T19:40:00.000-05:00

The lucky 9! Three quarters of a year old! Our baby girl is at such a fun stage right now. She loves cruising along furniture and crawling after her brother. Getting better at standing alone without any support. The longest time lasted about five seconds. As for her diet, she enjoys eating a stick of cheese daily and basically most things that she can pick up with her little fingers. Lately I've been trying to spoonfeed her and she flaps her arms like a wild bird as a sign of her objection. But soon or later I get it in somehow. She likes to clap and drum along the beat. Oh and just a little while back we discovered that both of her bottom two teeth were coming out. So cute!

Our lil standing act

Kara is a pretty low key baby. Doesn't cry too much unless it's something serious. Her cries are pretty low pitched similar to Kaden when he was a baby. She is generally a happy baby.

Having a big brother with lots of energy to entertain little sis is awesome!

This little girl is getting so BIG!

Summer Memories

2011-10-14T22:03:00.000-05:00

Looking through these pictures makes me nostalgic for a day playing under the warm summer sun in flip flops, shorts and a tee shirt.

We had quite the fun hanging around the outside of our apartment building. Ceaseless adventures with a toddler.

Another place we occasionally visit is Klode Park, a short five minute drive away. It has a beautiful view of Lake Michagan.

Before descending down the stairs/ramp to the lake there is a great playground for the kids to run around and stretch out their little limbs.

We love the OUTDOORS!

Raglan Shirt Toddler Boy

2011-10-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

I made this raglan shirt from a XXX-L grey t-shirt I got for free during a BYU activity. Yeah I'll take anything if it's for free even if it's doesn't fit....see what great use came out of it....four years later. The red part comes from a women's tee. I reused the bottom hem of the red.

This pattern is from the Sewing for Boys: 24 Projects to Create a Handmade Wardrobe.

This is the back view. (on the right)

Actually the pattern is made so that the seams are on the outside instead so here's the shirt as it should be:

I actually think it's pretty cool having it like this. Definitely gives it that handmade look but also unique.

Kaden: "Look Daddy! Mommy made it!"

Everyday Life

2011-09-30T23:28:00.001-05:00

Some days I try to help my mommy with her laundry. Okay not really, I just wanted to rub off the fresh scent so I could smell nice for the rest of the day. We both share a fondness for clean linen scent by tide.

Eating a baby's portion for breakfast.

Roaming around the house in my undies can be quite liberating.

My mommy tried to get us to take a nap together. Hah! good luck with that.

Preppy Baby Boy Shoes

2011-09-30T22:33:00.003-05:00

These little shoes are darling! I love the fabrics. The outer brown fabric was repurposed from a pair of women's trousers. Too bad it's not as girly as I wish because Kara would be rockin it right now. I used the pattern from Sweet Booties! And Blankets, bonnets, bibs & more. I made some slippers for Kaden a little while back out of the same pattern found here.

On the inside I used an adorable red and black flannel which is soft and can keep the little feet nice and toasty warm. On the sole I used Jiffy grip. These are sized about 3-6 months. Maybe I'll make a larger pair for Kaden to use as slippers for the winter.....

Minnesota Continued

2011-09-29T14:18:00.000-05:00

During the last week of our time in Rochester, MN Tim's parents came to visit and we were able to drive up to Mall of America and its surrounding areas. Definitely a highlight of the month... :) We went on a relaxing cruise boat ride enjoying the outdoors and fresh air. Kaden even made a new little friend on the cruise.

After the cruise we headed to our hotel to check in. It was basically across the street from Mall of America so instead of taking the shuttle we took a nice Saturday evening stroll to the mall. So neat to see an amusement park inside a mall. What a splendid idea for a place to hangout when the winters are cold and snowed out.

I tried to get Kaden to take a picture with Ang from The Avatar but he was too afraid of him. Not surprised because his eyes were kinda scary looking. But at least grandma was all over it. He did get to see his favorite characters Diego and Dora.

It was perfect timing because there was a Chinese exhibit show at the mall and we were able to watch many wonderful chinese demonstrations (lion dance, kung fu, acrobats, ribbon dance, etc.)

Kaden had a ball on the rides. After each ride, he'd ask, "What's next?" while holding his map of the amusement park. Oh I bet he would love Disneyland! someday...

So Tim decided to take him on the log ride which he was able to go on since he was 36 inches. Kaden did not know what he was getting himself into. Tim recalls him quite enjoying the ride until ... the sudden drop. Well he survived it and did not fly off the seat since daddy was holding onto him.

The following day we drove to Minnehaha Falls, a great little park for families.

After a nice stroll at the park we drove to the sculpture garden. Free outdoors park with many different works of art. It was pretty neat.

There was this really cool swing in this secluded part of the garden.

Back to Rochester, Mn. We took a tour of Mayo Clinic which was pretty fascinating learning the history of the Mayo brothers who started the hospital. The artwork in the building is gorgeous!

There was an old horse drawn ambulance on display. It was used in the early 1900s before motorized ambulances were introduced. Air conditioning came from the vents on the side walls. White did not become standard until for ambulances until the 1920s.

And lastly a random picture of my two little sweetie pies! Baths are so much more fun with two.

Unexpected Trip to California

2011-09-23T23:52:00.000-05:00

On September 11th that evening we received a call from Tim's parents notifying us that his popo (grandmother) had passed away peacefully in her sleep. She was 97 years old. We were all able to travel to California for her funeral and viewing. It was a beautiful chinese traditional funeral in honor of popo.

I am grateful to have the knowledge of the gospel that this death on earth is not the end but a continuation of our journey. The beauty of God's plan allows us to be able to be with our families together forever. What I Believe

Eight

2011-09-23T23:10:00.000-05:00

More LIVE! ACTION!

2011-09-11T18:29:00.000-05:00

I knew Kaden had some hidden dance talent inside of him (ofcourse genes from my side..hehe jk) but it wasn't finally unlocked until I turned on my old Chinese Karaoke music videos. Jammin to our roots. Some sweet original moves by Kaden.

One day I decided to entertain little Kara with our puppet pig and this was her reaction. Who needs Sesame St when we've got Chang St.

One of the best things of having two kids is that they can entertain each other, although at times, Kaden is a bit possessive with his toys but he eventually shares something with her. And I cannot get enough of how cute they are when they're playing together. Every morning when I bring Kara out to the living room her face lights up with a squeal when she sees her big brother. And Kaden will sometimes act like me when Kara is doing something she's not supposed to. "no, no, no baby!"

I am constantly amazed at my growing little boy. He's pretty quick at picking things up or remembering something I've told him before. Guess forget sometimes he's not a baby anymore. We just got this wood puzzle and started working on it. He initially couldn't figure it out but with my help he slowly was able to put all the pieces together. Not soon by the end of the day he figured it out pretty quickly.

I LOVE this GUY!!!

2011-09-02T13:17:00.001-05:00

When I was pregnant with Kaden I was hoping to have a boy because I always thought it would be nice to have the oldest be a boy and can protect his little sisters. With Kaden I could not have asked for anything more. He is a sweet, smart, fun, adventurous, wild & adorable little boy. He is such a great big brother to Kara. I LOVE this lil MONKEY!

Kadenisms:

"This little guy!" (referring to Kara)

mmm it smells! It smells GOOOOOOD....! (after pulling his blanket out of the dryer)

I wanna punch him. I wanna knock him out! (we'll keep this person anonymous....)

Heads, shoulder, knees & wee wee,
knees and wee wee,
knees and wee wee,
head shoulders knees and wee,
eyes ears mouth and nose.

mommy there's fly in my room
we'll go get it later
no i'm gonna go SNAP! (kill it with his hands)

Summer Luvin!

2011-08-26T23:30:00.003-05:00

I am so luvin the august summer! Nothing like an afternoon hanging on on the porch soaking up some rays while enjoying a splash with the lil ones. We just bought this little splash pool, one more reason to get outside.

Rochester is a pretty small city with a population of about 100,000. We headed out to the Oxbull Zoo with some friends and yup it's pretty small. You can probably name all the animals that are there by memory. But actually it's pretty fun for the kids because you can feed the three little billy goats. The kids can hang out all day just doing that. As long as they're happy, I'm GOOD.

Having a picnic at the zoo.

One morning we headed out to Foster Arend Park recommended by a friend and I love it. Small little beach area with nice warm water. Great place for families with kids.

And last week I turned the big 29. Got to celebrate it with a beautiful flower arrangement by the hubby, dinner at Victoria's (italian), and topped off with some ice cream cake. Yeah it was a good birthday I'll say.

Hey Kaden, guess what day it is today?
Huh?
It's my birthday!
What cake you want? yellow or blue?
Yellow.
Okay. It's outside.
Where is it outside?
Make it. Remember popo (grandma) & yiyi (auntie) made it?

Kara is Seven Months Old

2011-08-22T09:34:00.000-05:00

""It's time to start safe proofing our place because Kara has become MOBILE! Soon after we moved into the rochester house she figured out how to crawl. Guess she just wants to check out her new place just like the rest of us. My favorite is when I kneel or lay down not too far from her and reach out for her to come to me. It's the cutest thing as she's crawling towards me with big SMILE and making little noises along the way. I LOVE being a MOM! She recently started pulling up on furniture to stand and can remain standing for a good few minutes. Wonder when she'll start taking those first steps....

Crawling to Mommy

More of the lil crawlster

Kaden is so cute when he plays with his little sister. Sometimes he'll change his voice to make it more high pitched to sound like me when I sometimes talk to baby. When she wakes up from a nap and crying, Kaden will rush to me and tell me "Mommy, baby is crying, go get her." And he'll keep nudging me to do so until I go and get her. What a good big brother huh.

Here's Kaden trying to make Kara laugh in order to get to watch his fave show Diego

She is definitely easier to feed than Kaden. I remember always having to think of new ways to distract him in order to put a spoonful of baby food. With her if she's not being cooperative all I have to do is place a baby rice puff against her mouth and viola! Back in business.

Sometimes gotta entertain her to keep her eating.

Kara getting picked on by friend Dougy and ofcourse Kaden to the rescue being the awesome big brother that he is.

Kara is usually this sweet little girl but I was quite surprised last sunday when another sister in the ward put her 8 month old down on the floor next to Kara and Kara quickly crawled over to her and started headbutting the other baby...haha quite funny.

Oh and the other day she said her FIRST WORD! Hooray!

Welcome to Rochester, MN

2011-08-11T13:18:00.002-05:00

After about 5 1/2 hours of driving, we finally arrived in Rochester, MN. Besides Tim's car muffler partially falling off while at a gas station pitstop, the rest of the trip went pretty well. Luckily we had some plastic ties to attach it back to the car. We only had to make a couple of short stops for potty and feeding breaks.

It is SO nice to be in a house! We found this place through my craigslist ad for temporary housing. 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a back porch and large yard. Rochester is a small city of about 80,000. I like it so far. Not used to being in such a quiet place and trying to get used to the occasional smells of farm animals in the night air. The neighborhood is pretty quiet. For the past few days I've only seen two people taking a stroll down the block. Mostly elderly neighbors I noticed. They probably think our house is a riot all the time with crazy Kaden running around, talkly so loudly, etc. I think that our place is the only one with the windows open since we don't have central air.

We have yet lived in a single home as a family. A taste of our future?

We'll be here for the entire month of August because Tim is doing an away rotation for dermatology at the Mayo Clinic.

I love having a back porch balcony.

This neighborhood kind of reminds me of The Truman Show. Every house basically looks the same. Lawn is perfectly mowed and green. No weeds. We unfortunately haven't mowed it yet. Our neighbors probably think that we're slobs....lol. Oh and it seems like almost everyone here has a dog.

Painting on a nice warm afternoon. Best place to keep a mess contained. Here is Kaden's rendition of our family.

View from the upstairs living room. Front door opens to the kitchen. Did you notice the dishwasher......? ahhhh i'm in love with that.

Upstairs living room. SO glad there's a big flat screen. Another life saver. :)

When we first arrived Kaden was enjoying himself running throughout the house. He loves to walk with his favorite blanket. The "dots blanket."

Kara has even started learning to crawl since we've been here! Our little mobile baby.

We've been working on writing our letters lately.

I love how the city streets are built according to a number street system. A lot easier to figure out how to get somewhere. The closest grocery store is 24 hours, reminds me of Maceys & Smiths back at BYU. Unfortunately I hear that there's not a lot of authentic Chinese, Vietnamese & Italian restaurants. Another incentive to try to cook new things. Sometimes I forgot it's a small city because there'll be a place I want to go and everywhere seems to be less than 15 minutes drive. Like the mall for instance! :)

Kadenisms:

"Let me see your finger" Proceeds to gently kiss my index finger. Then my thumb. I ask "why did you kiss my finger?" "The scars are all gone!" He kissed both of the moles on my hand.

"Ants mommy! there's ants over there!" (M) "We'll get them later." (K) No, I'm gonna go fight em'!"

Choo choo!

2011-07-28T22:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Mama & Papa Chang who during their last visit helped renew our Milwaukee Annual Zoo membership. Gotta love family visits! :) With that we got to ride the train for free.and it's such a fun short ride. Great for the little ones.

Kara's first time riding a train! She's ready for the fast & furious.....

She's so nervous, she chewing her fingers....ooooh! The anticipation...

As for Kaden and I, this train ride is no biggie.

Just making faces while waiting for the train to start moving.

choo choo! the wheels are turning. yay!

It was pretty hot that day so we enjoyed most of our time at the aquarium part of the zoo. Dark and cool

And finally we ofcourse had to take a stroll through the mists. Refreshing.

Yes Kara definitely enjoyed her time at the zoo despite being in her ride majority of the time.

Rosette Fascinator Headband knockoff

2011-07-28T15:47:00.001-05:00

When I first saw this headband on etsy's homepage by Giantdworf I fell in love! So cute! Giantdworf is from philly too! how cool! She actually designed these for Anthropologie. But then I forgot about it and when I bought felt to make headbands I was finally reunited with it once again.

I used the cheaper felt for practice and it turned out pretty good. I'll have to make one with yellow sometime. I love her colors in the picture!

One COOL Dude

2011-07-25T08:32:00.001-05:00

My little toddler Kaden is not a baby anymore. Just like he says, "My (I) no baby. A BIG BOY!" These pictures were actually taken back in May and Tim gave him a pretty prominent mohawk look. It's like Puckerman from Glee. Guess we gotta rough up his pretty boy crewcut image.

He loves to play in the pool (can actually move around in the water when he's on a noodle), blow bubbles, catch the ball, watch & read Diego & Dora, play with his sister, puzzles, sing songs, play WII/iphone games,drink chocolate milk and juice, eat mac&cheese and ofcourse hang out with mommy & daddy.

Interview with the COOL dude:

what is your favorite color? green

favorite movie? nemo

favorite tv show? dora

favorite book? george

if you could be anyone you want to be who would you be? kaden

Are you cute? uh huh.....

how old are you? 2.....3! no 4!

fave food? blueberries

what do you like to do for fun? playing with water

who is your best friend? mommy

"Mommy you're super good (as he is pointing to me). baby Kara real good!"

Kadenisms

One night soon after I put in bed for the night he snuck back out and cheerfully greeted me with, "good morning!"

Sometimes when he wakes up, he says, "kaden awake?, the sun is out. the moon is gone."

We've been watching a lot of Dora and reading the Dora books lately. There is a character named Swiper and whenever he's in the picture, you're supposed to extend your arm with palm facing out and say, Swiper, no swiping. So now whenever we tell Kaden to do something that he doesn't want to do he does the same gesture and says, "No Swiper, no swiping!"

Kara is Six Months Old

2011-07-24T21:27:00.001-05:00

Happy 1/2 Year Old baby Kara!

This little sweetie is becoming quite the cutie patootie. She is such a happy little doll. I love it whenever I take a peek at her she always smiles back. And it's the CUTEST smile ever. She tilts her chin in and squints her eyes as she releases a big smile. She reminds me of the sanrio character Pekkle. Lately she's been scooting around the house backwards. Baby moonscooting style! She has started rocking her hips back and forth but no crawling as of yet. And yes she has finally slept through the night! Hallelujah! I'm gonna say that again. Hallelujah! I dropped her dream feed at 10pm a few weeks ago and the first night it was okay. A bit of crying but the following nights, no problem.

She enjoys being entertained by our silly Kaden. He has interacted with her a lot more now that she's more social. It is the cutest thing watching the big bro play with the lil sis. He'll play peekaboo, sing songs and hold her at times. Whenever she cries after waking up from a nap or anything else, Kaden is quick to report, "Mommy, baby is crying. Go get her?"

Girls are so much fun to accessorize! Girl you are ROCKIN it!

I love it that Kaden can be a big brother. It is so sweet to see the two interact and play with one another.

And ofcourse more pictures of this sweetie pie!

Splash the Heat away!

2011-07-21T14:33:00.036-05:00

One early evening we decided to head out to the JCC Waterpark in Mequon since we had a free one day family pass there. It was a perfect hot sunny day to spend outdoors in the water. This was Kara's first time in a splash pad/water park. Well she sure enjoyed it. Got to wear her cute swimsuit and flash her chubby thighs.

Check out the cool kiddie slides in the background!

We decided to start off slow with the little sprinklers. Nothing to it!

Kaden is definitely enjoying the splash pad

Taking Kaden down the water slide against his will.....

too much fun taking daddy out

Just keeps splashing

A welcoming surprise

It was definitely a fun filled outing!

Down we go! We bought this sweet underwater pocket sized camcorder/camera and finally got to put it to good use.

Our lil sweet watermelon

Let Freedom Ring!

2011-07-15T23:28:00.003-05:00

July 4th was quite a busy weekend. We drove out to Devil's Lake to meet up with our friends Mao & Yeng and their extended family for barbecue. Devil's Lake is about 2 hours northwest of Milwaukee and I hear is a great place for camping as well. It was cool because we took the free car ferry to cross the Merrimac River. Finally got there actually after about 3 hours with a stop in between and waiting for the ferry.

I love coming to get-togethers with the Lees because I get to enjoy good ole asian cookin. mmm papaya salad, sticky rice, chicken wings, ribs, mmm, mmm, mmm! Also got to enjoy a nice little dip in the lake. The water was perfect. Kaden had a blast.

Getting ready to go hiking

Starting on the Frog hike we had to cross the railroad tracks

Our little outdoorsy girl

Embracing nature

On Monday we walked to our local park and watched the parade. Best part for Kaden? Getting lollipops and candy from the paraders.

Time to roll out.

Found a nice shady spot for our little family.

Mesmerized by the boy in the picture below....

Now that's a boy who works hard! Hope he's getting something really rewarding from doing that....

Silly face! okay serious face!

This is how pictures come out when there's four in the family. I can't imagine what it will look like when there's even more.

Kaden basking in his freedom. Okay more like enjoying his free candy and flag.

Then that evening we headed back to the park with our friends Jocelyn & Cody and laid out on a blanket watching nearby fireworks.

Kaden was initially terrified of the loud noises coming from the fireworks but after a little reassurance, he wasn't afraid anymore and was busy naming each color as it exploded throughout the dark sky.

haha I LOVE Kaden's expression in this pic. PRICELESS!

Happy 4th of July!

Oops did I forget about you......

2011-07-08T17:09:00.001-05:00

Here's some pics and videos that kind of don't have it's own post so decided to put it all together.

We were invited to a bbq by some friends and Kaden befriended a little girl name Chloe. She's a cutie pie. By the end of the evening they were slow dancing. What a quickstar relationship...or shall I say a fling? Here's a video of it.

Remember kiddies, book of mormon distance.

Kaden is teaching Chloe his breakdancing moves. She's pretty quick at picking it up

This was taken the day we went to see Les Miserables in downtown Milwaukee. Afternoon out without the kids. So nice!

This is my before haircut pic. I was pretty much done with my long damaged hair. It actually looks kind of nice in this pic but don't be deceived....Time for a cut!

So I had a friend cut it and another friend color it. Don't worry this wasn't the final color.

that's some intense color huh. Yeah I don't think that I could walk around with that color.

Anyways I didn't take a picture of the final color because it didn't turn out as red as I would have liked but it did lighten up a bit later on. It's just fun to get some color once in a while ya know.

And ofcourse we gotta have a video of little Kara

Repurposed Boys Sweet Shadin shirt

2011-07-07T21:58:00.015-05:00

I won a BYU shirt a while back during some activity on campus. Both Tim and I won one of the same shirt. It had a Y logo on the front of the shirt and class of 2005. So it's been stuck in a bin and I whipped it out and cut it apart to make this sleeveless shirt for Kaden.

I tell him to strike a pose and this is what I get....

I did a sunglasses applique using scrap fabric and fusible webbing (that stuff is awesome). Just iron in between and it sticks it for ya. I did however zigzagged the edged to give it more texture. Oh yeah when Tim saw it he thought it looked like a bra...haha!

Now that's more like a suave cool boy look!

Oh also haircut credits go to Tim. It's a puckerman style cut. :)

Kadenisms:

I had specifically told Kaden not to play with my wrapping paper roll because he kept whacking against things like it was a sword. So after putting something away in his room I came out into the living room and caught him red handed. He quickly dropped it with both still hands up and let out a shriek. He had the funniest guilty look locked on his face. It was hilarious. So obviously I couldn't punish him for going against what I said. His facial expression made my day.

I was watching Glee one night and I had put Kaden in bed about 20 minutes prior. I'm watching the part of Rachel singing her original song in the competition and suddenly I hear some noise coming from his room.So I slowly and quietly walk towards his door and take a peek from the small crack left open. There's Kaden in the middle of his room grooving/dancing. When I entered the room he was a bit surprised and felt kind of bashful that I caught him dancing. It was really cute actually.

One time I think I told Kaden that he could was allowed to play with the WII and he got really excited. Then out of the blue he turns to me me and asks, "Are you happy?" Such a sweet but simple question! I have never heard him ask me that before. I am constantly amazed at what he can say now. Usually but not always, a pleasant surprise.

Philly summer

2011-07-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

I was able to travel to Philly with just the two lil ones and stay for 2 weeks. I was quite dreading the plane ride and going through the airport but it was actually a good experience. The Milwaukee airport personnel were so helpful. They were very accommodating. I think it was probably partially because I looked so helpless pushing a double stroller with one hand and pulling a suitcase with the other. Yup my hands were definitely full. And also thanks to a portable dvd player to keep Kaden occupied most of the time. :)

It was exciting to go back because it was the first time for my dad and brother's family to see baby Kara. And she was such a good girl with everyone. Hope she stays that way. Kaden got to be reunited for his cousin Sarah and it was fun to see how different they both are. Kaden likes to play with cars, video games, fighting, etc while Sarah is into pink, princesses, barbies and all that girly stuff. In a way it was probably good to have different interests. Initially they didn't interact too much because Sarah was a bit possessive with her toys but when the crayons and coloring pencils came out they were nicely sharing and playing together. Or maybe they just looked it....hehe.

But the one thing I wasn't too fond of was the humidity upon arrival. It was 100 or so degrees that day with probably 100% humidity. UGH! After having been away from living in philly I know that I am definitely not a humidity kinda girl. What's so fun about sweating all day. Maybe if I had a ever spraying mist on my body I think then would I be able to handle it.

We got to do some fun things while we were out and about. One of our leisure places to go just to walk around and relax is the FDR Park a walk away from my sister's place. I remember when we were just kids and we'd ride our bikes to this park to play tennis in the hot & humid summer. That was about a 2.3 mile ride each way. And I remember we used to go alot too. wow what a workout!

Thanks to slickdeal I found a last minute trip idea for all of us at Cape May. We went on a dolphin/bird/whale watching cruise for a steal of a deal!

It was fun except for the three ladies (not gonna mention who...) who got nauseous and one who kept barfing right in front of my face. ugh!

There were tons of bottleneck dolphins swimming around which was really neat. Unfortunately the whale season was pretty much over so didn't spot any.

It's a good thing kids don't get nauseous. That would be a big problem if so.

Gorgeous day in a gorgeous place

After enjoying our 3 hour cruise.

Next stop: Cape May beach.

Check out that nice sand!

Kara sure had fun stepping on the sand.

Kaden didn't last long with clothes on.......

Down to his superhero underwear....hehe Enjoying the breeze

On the ride home got to catch the sunset....so beautiful!

We also went to Kelly Drive Fairmount Park to go biking. It was so so fun. I'm gonna definitely have to get me a bike trailer. Didn't think that it would be so easy to pull along.

On a hot day this is what we did......

With all the activities going on Kaden definitely had quite the ferocious appetite.

Other random things.....

Auntie Xuelian took the toddlers out to the backyard to teach them to water plants but it ended up more like a soak-auntie-from-head-to-toe session.

My brother family took Kaden out for strawberry picking and they said Kaden was busy eating the strawberries that they picked the entire time...haha I'm not surprised. I mean check out each picture...he hasn't stopped eating once!

And best of all we got to celebrate Kaden's 3 Year Old Birthday with the Family. It was a fun filled day with friends and family.

I was planning to make a fondant cake but last minute I accidentally bought the coloring gel icing instead of food coloring gel so we improvised and also thanks Phil, Emily and Sam for help in decorating. We ended up with a pretty cool Lightning McQueen racecar cake. Ka chow!

And after a busy two weeks in Philly this is what we all needed.......

zzzzzzz.....I was done sleeping with Kara & Kaden in the same room. The END!

Glen Court Baby Celebration

2011-07-06T17:09:00.002-05:00

I hosted a baby celebration for two of our Glen Court Apartments girls who are having babies in July and August. One is having a girl and the other a boy. So I basically kept it neutral with the colors. I decided to do chocolate fondue since my other friend had a fondue pot. And it was definitely the right choice.

Used my beloved Vitamix to make the white chocolate cheesecake fondue (so yummy!) and we all brought dippables for the party. Everything tasted so good!

Made some lanterns out of old giftbags. Reused the handles as well.

My so-called helper.

From another angle

Jen, Marianne (having a boy), Christina (having a girl), me,Marissa (also pregnant and having a girl), & Jamie

I made these cute embellished onesies for each one. Also a couple of burp clothes.

On the right is an applique of an airplane which Marianne's son & hubby are pretty into so I thought that would be a good idea for her present.

On the left is a onesie I sewed a lace ribbon in the design of a bow on one end and a flower on the other.

For you ladies who wanted the recipe here it is:

White Chocolate Cheesecake Fondue

1 cup Heavy cream, heated to simmer

1/2 cup reduce fat sour cream

6 ounces Mascarpone cheese (didn't know what this was but it is sweet cream cheese)

8 ounces neufchatel cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

14 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounces white chocolate (I used regular white chocolate chips)

I used the vitamix for this but you can probably just used a blender or hand mixer to hopefully blend it really smooth.

Photobooth

2011-07-06T16:33:00.001-05:00

Taken at Dave & Busters with our free $20 game play. Just too much fun!

Daddy's favorite bonding time with Kaden

This is Kara's game seat.

Baby Girl Bow Shoes

2011-06-30T20:49:00.000-05:00

I made these adorable baby girl shoes from a tutorial found on Shwin&Shwin. They make the cutest girl clothes there as well. Someday I'll get to that. Kara's a bit too young right now for it. I used denim on the outside and another green floral patterned cotton fabric on the inside lining. Used some mustard yellow scrap fabric from a shirt I altered to make the bow. I love the frayed look.

Used snaps for the closure

Can't wait for her to fit into these darling little things.

Kara is Five Months Old

2011-06-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

Happy 5 months old cutie pie! Kara is getting more sociable and interactive. She's such a good little girl. We were back in Philly the past couple of weeks and she was really good with everyone holding her. Occasionally she would cry (usually when the guys held her) but she sure warmed up to them quickly. She also just figured out how to roll over from her back to her belly a couple of weeks ago. She did get pretty frustrated after being on her belly for so long and not knowing how to roll back on her back. Quite the neck and back workout. But not too long after that she figured out how to get back on her back. But now she's frustrated because she can't move very much by just rolling around. Starting to stick her cute butt up so we shall see when she'll start to scoot.

Here's a video of her rolling over in the beginning stages.

Got to spend some quality time with the Philly family.

Kara's still got her chunky thighs which I absolutely love. So stinkin cute! Kaden was a skinny baby so to me Kara is pretty chunky. :) This is her first time hitting the beach.(At Cape May, NJ) And I think it's a GO!

Oh yeah while she was in Philly she got to go on a date with a younger dude. Don't worry it was supervised. Wow Kara it's looks like you're trying to hold Nathan's hand. A little too forward might I say.

Kaden is such a good brother and plays with Kara and makes her laugh. They have their moments together.

We just started rice cereal with Kara last week. This is a video of her trying it for the first time.

Felt Red Rose Skinny Headband

2011-06-24T19:33:00.000-05:00

This is another version of a felt red rose from the prior one that I made. But this time I added some petals to accent it and give it some more color and life. Love using embroidery thread to texturize it a bit more. Now if only it could smell like a rose.....

Baby Felt Flower Handband

2011-06-01T20:23:00.000-05:00

This is a handsewn wool felt flower attached to a foldover elastic band. I love this type of elastic because it's not as tightly bound as the regular elastic. Great for little heads. I was trying to attempt making it look like a gerbera daisy (my current favorite flower btw) but guess it just looks some kind of flower. Nonetheless I think that it's cute.

Modeled by Kara ofcourse. Doesn't her skin look so perfect. Wish I had some of that flawless baby skin.....

DIY Car Caddy

2011-05-25T20:09:00.002-05:00

Whi

For weeks I have been meaning to make this for Kaden. After I had bought the supplies (denim, duckcloth) I was a bit doubtful about if Kaden was gonna be playing with it much. Maybe he's too old for it? The other night I decided to give it a whirl. What a fun little project. Okay maybe not too little since I stayed up late again to finish making it. But I think the next time if I had to make it it would definitely be done a lot faster. Got this idea from Homemade by Jill. The one thing I would change is probably not use felt for the road. Possibly just use a medium weight fabric instead. Too many fuzzies coming out of it.

Kaden is accepting his new toy with joy! yay! Well who am I kidding what boy doesn't like cars right? It is all rolled up ready for traveling.

It has six pockets to hold the hotwheels/matchbox cars.

The next morning when he woke up first thing that popped out of his mouth... "racecars." Now that puts a SMILE to my face. :)

Kadenisms:

One afternoon daddy was taking a nap on the couch. I spot Kaden about to run into our room but quickly I stopped him because Kara was sleeping in there. I asked him what he was doing and he repeated a word but I couldn't understand it until I figured out that he was saying "blanket." I asked him why he needed a blanket and he said, "daddy cold." So I gave him Kara's blanket and he gently placed it on top of daddy's upper body. Then he found my nursing cover and proceeded to cover daddy's legs. Quite the motherly instincts Kaden. What a sweet boy! Now let's just hope he keeps doing that when we very old and frail.

Mommy: What does lion say?
Kaden: ROAR! (in his very loud voice)
M: What does duck say?
K: Quack Quack
M: What does bird say?
K: Starts flapping his arms while stretched out and said "Bird! Bird! Bird!"

While Tim and I are sitting on the couch Kaden walks towards us with his underwear and pants down holding a water bottle. He states that he wants to go "pee pee" and so we tell him to put the bottle down so that he can go to the potty. He then responds, "pee pee in the bottle." (backstory- when we took our road trip to chicago a few weeks back Kaden had to go so bad I had Kaden pee in a water bottle...lol) Now I'm just worried if I see any water bottles filled with yellow liquid lying around the house.

Button shirt repurposed into SKIRT

2011-05-24T22:41:00.002-05:00

This project was inspired by two different skirts I found online. I spotted this men's button shirt turned into skirt on Grosgrain (one of my fave craft/sewing/etc blogs btw) and knew I had to make one just for kicks. But I didn't really like the sleeves as a belt which I think is a bit too tacky for me. So I used the idea from VeryPurplePerson's full skirt tutorial by adding elastic instead.

This is the original shirt. It was a womens small Gap shirt (compliments of big sis' closet) that's probably over 10 years old. You can probably even call it vintage lol.

I always end up doing these projects at night so have to use the flash. Yucky lighting! Basically cut a rectangular shape out and sewing the sides and the top seams. Then added an elastic casing and viola!

Very comfy to wear which I love!

Kara is Four Months Old

2011-05-24T22:12:00.000-05:00

Kara is a 1/3 year old! What a cutie pie she is becoming. And sleep is SO much better. No more middle of the night feedings and recently she's been waking up at around 830am or so. Guess she feels bad for those middle of the night feedings that Mommy had to endure. THANKS BABYWISE! Now if only Kaden could sleep in like he used to before Kara was born.....
Kara is such a sweet little girl. She is usually pretty content but very observant (like her daddy). You can tell she thinking hard when her eyes are wide open and she arches her little eyebrows. Those wheels are definitely turning.

Oh how I love having baby! So cuddly and adorable! She's starting to make these sucking sounds the past few days. Kara never ceases to amaze me. I mean..CAN YOU GET ANY CUTER THAN THIS!?

She is able to sit up on her own with the support of her arms for a good few minutes. What a little trooper.

I love it when she giggles like a squeaky toy when I tickle her neck or sing catchy songs to her. Just can't get enough of it.

Also discovered that she can put both her hands together which is quite fascinating.

Also discovered that she can put both her hands together which is quite fascinating. Or maybe she's daydreaming of some baby Justin Bieber....

Working hard....slowly descending down to a faceplant....

Milwaukee Carriage....Did it, DONE it!

2011-05-24T00:39:00.001-05:00

A month ago or so there was a Groupon Deal for a 30 minute Milwaukee Carriage Ride downtown. This sounded like a really fun thing to do. Well we kept postponing the time to go out and do it until the day before it expired which was on May 14th and boy oh boy did we picked one of the COLDEST days ever! And it was RAINY & WINDY. Didn't want that money to go down the drain. Okay it probably wasn't the best experiences since we were kinda freezing on our ride and I actually was expecting the carriage chauffeur (dont' know what they're called) to maybe talk a little bit about the city of Milwaukee and its buildings. All and all it was definitely a memorable experience. :)

This is our carriage from a reflective point of view. There was another horse carriage following behind us.

Passing by an Irish Pub and trolley

Kind of a dreary wet day....

Kaden is all bundled up but still brrr cold!

hmm so that's where Benihana's is...well we definitely seeing you again sometime in the near future..

Now we can say that yes we have done it! Been on a Milwaukee Carriage. CHECK!