The Dumpling Diaries

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon!

2012-02-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

January 23, 2012

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!! Xian Nian Kwai Le.

January 28, 2012
Dinner celebration in Brooklyn with Edwin's family:

Gyoza with gu-gu Jennifer

Playing with cousins Amanda and Melanie

Getting red envelopes:

Happy to be here!

Piano Recital for Xiao Long Bao

2012-02-20T19:20:00.001-08:00

January 29, 2012

Today was the winter recital for xiao long bao. She played two songs for her recital - the Mexican Clap Dance and Bach's Minuet in G. She did wonderfully and pretty much memorized both pieces. The audience got into the clap dance and even clapped alongside her.

Coming into the room:

Guo-te helping to get the video camera ready:

Xiao long bao getting ready to play:

Playing her songs:

Xiao long bao - we are so proud of you!

Ice Skating Playdate

2012-02-20T18:53:00.000-08:00

February 11, 2012
Today we got to have a playdate with some friends from my workplace - Elvia, Tu, and Linda and their children/families. We had planning for a little while, and finally were able to settle on today as the day to meet up. There is an ice skating rink near Elvia's house so we met up there. I took the 2 older dumplings and we skated around for an hour and a half. The boys went to the arcade and played around for a bit. I was very impressed because the dumplings really wanted to skate on their own, and at one point, when I was pulling out my iPhone to take pictures, they had already left me and started to skate away on their own! I was very proud of them.

Here they are skating away:

And here is their friend Isabelle showing Lily some ice skating moves:

We had a great time, and afterwards, headed to an early dinner at Alfonso's on 202. It had really great pizza and Italian food - the ladies ordered salads with a broccoli rabe/ sausage pizza. The dumplings ordered chicken fingers with french fries. Very yummy. Hope to do it again soon (our plan is to meet up in the Spring/ early Summer for a pool date).

Valentine with my sweetie

2012-02-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

February 14, 2012

Today I had a nice day with my sweetie. He had sent flowers in the morning and of course they were beautiful. We went to go see a movie ("The Vow") with Tanning Chatum and Rachel McAdams (chick flick but good), and then afterwards went to have a quick dinner at Mekong, a Vietnamese restaurant. Decided to eat light so we just ordered a bunch of rolls and shared a bun (noodle).

I had been crying so much from the movie (I am such a sob), that when we got to the restaurant, Edwin said that it had looked like we had been in a fight or that he had made me cry on V-day since my face was all puffy and eyes were all red. It took about 30 minutes for my face to get back to normal but by that time, the damage was done. :) But we had a nice time and it was nice to have a date night. The grandparents were watching the dumplings and had a nice dinner on their own.

Presidents Day Weekend

2012-02-20T18:30:00.001-08:00

Skating Dumplings

2012-01-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took xiao long bao and gyoza out ice skating after they had their Saturday lessons - piano and ballet, respectively.

We went to the Ice Vault in Wayne. They had a great time. Xiao long bao was able to practice skating on her own as this was her second time and gyoza skated for the first time. I have to seriously consider getting them their own skates. It is a lot of fun!

Christmas time

2012-01-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

December 25th, 2011:
Merry Christmas, everyone!!! The dumplings enjoyed waking up on Christmas morning and opening up all their goodies from Santa and there were plenty of them to go around.

Guo-te got lots of trucks, trains, and cars. He also got a hexa-bug and some transformers as well. He is a happy dumpling.

The highlight for gyoza was receiving an IPOD-touch from Santa. She was very excited and has been glued to it ever since.

Xiao long bao received her very first laptop (a red one). She is going to be using it for educational purposes only!

Some dinner shots in Poughkeepsie later that day:

December 26th, 2011: We took our annual family pictures in Poughkeepsie. They came out pretty good this year, although it was not without some bloopers and funny shots (which I didn't include). But try getting 4 cousins and 7 adults to look at the camera smiling and you will understand how long it took for us to get some good shots.

Later on we had dinner with Uncle, Auntie, Michelle and John at King Chef. Yummy 10 course Chinese meal.

December 29, 2011: We spent the day in the city, having lunch with friends Tommy and Vicky and Robert and Jennie, and then went to the tree afterwards.

We had a great holiday week spending time with our family and friends. New Year's is in just a few short days!

My new toy

2012-01-01T11:52:00.001-08:00

American Girl Place Experience

2012-01-01T11:40:00.001-08:00

December 18, 2011

For xiao long bao's and gyoza's birthday, decided to treat all the ladies in the family (and invited cousins Caity, mommy Alice, and great-auntie too) to lunch at American Girl Cafe in NYC. They had lots of fun eating and drinking with their dolls and also bought some new accessories/dolls as part of their gift.

With their new doll and pet. Happy Birthday!

Brunch with Santa

2011-12-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

December 11th, 2011

Holiday Gatherings with the Wong/Yam Family

2011-12-24T13:05:00.002-08:00

The week before Christmas, we got to spend a lot of time with Edwin's family - first in Brooklyn, with the extended family. The dumplings got to spend time with their po-po, gu-gu's Melanie and Amanada, and second cousins Brendan and Jayden. We went to a Chinese restaurant and even had cake to celebrate gyoza's and xiao long bao's birthdays in December. They had a lot of fun.

And then again on Christmas Eve - the immediate family came over to our house and we had huo-guo or Chinese hot pot. That day we went to H-Mart and bought so much beef, pork, fish balls, fish cake, tofu, noodles, vegetables and drinks to celebrate. The dumplings had a lot of fun spending time with their aunties (Sherry was there as well since she had just arrived from SF in the morning) and Uncle and showing them their rooms, toys, and trinkets. The boys watched the football game, while the girls drew and read books, watched ballet on TV and rested. We even showed them our new kitchen and they were impressed :). We ate a lot of food and hope we can do this again soon!

P.S. Poor gyoza - she had fallen asleep by the time we took this picture at 10 pm.

Happy 8th Birthday, Xiao Long Bao!

2011-12-24T13:05:00.001-08:00

December 19, 2011

Happy Birthday to my oldest dumpling - I can't believe that you are 8 today. You are now in second grade, and love school - a role model in your class, according to your teacher. You are now playing classical music on the piano, which I love, and are doing hip hop at your dance school. You have graduate from daisy scout to brownie scout. You love to read and write books. You are a good big dumpling, helping the other dumplings and taking care of them. You still love to eat dumplings as well as other foods. You love to play with your friends, are now into feathers and pins and accessories. You lost a few more teeth this year, a total of 5 so far and a 6th loose on the way. You got your first laptop this year, so I hope you are responsible with it. You have been doing a lot of math exercises with a-gong, and hope you will continue to do that. And treasure the experiences you have for this year and the future. I hope you know how special you are to mommy and daddy. We love you!

Lighting the tree

2011-12-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

November 27, 2011

It's officially the holiday season!

IPOD fan

2011-12-11T06:40:00.000-08:00

November 20th, 2011

This was a cute pic of guo-te, I just had to post it.

Happy 5th Birthday, Gyoza!

2011-12-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

December 7, 2011
Happy Birthday to my middle dumpling, who turns 5 today. I can't believe you are 5 already. I feel like it was only yesterday that I brought you home from the hospital - you were so tiny and fragile looking after being in the nicu for a few days. But today you are a big girl - so full of life and energy. You love your dolls and princess and bears. You love going to school each day and playing with your friends. And most of all you love playing with your brother and sister and hanging out with Mommy and Daddy. Of course, I would love for you to eat more fruit but you do eat pretty well - broccoli is your favorite veg, and other foods include dumplings, noodles, and rice and fish.

Although I do feel a little guilty that I wasn't here with you at your actual birth time, I am glad that I got to see you the morning/afternoon of your birthday. And you enjoyed going out to California Pizza Kitchen with your grandparents and siblings.

Two days later, we got to go to Build a Bear, where we picked out a new bear for you named Sparkles.

You can do so much now - you started to read level 1 books in school, and you love to draw all the time - pictures of rainbows and flowers and people. You love to talk and say especially the word "really?" You also love to sing songs, mostly top 40 that Mommy listens to - like Katy Perry and Usher and Lady Antebellum, to name a few. And dance in your ballet class. Mommy and Daddy love you so much - we can't wait to see what you do in the coming year.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-27T17:14:00.000-08:00

November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!! We made our annual trip to Poughkeepsie, NY to spend time with my parents and give thanks. We arrive around lunch time and had some nice dumplings/wonton soup. Afterwards, it was a nice day (around 50's) to take a walk on the Hudson walkway. As usual, there were plenty of people walking.

Father, son, grandpa

View of Mountains

Daddy and gyoza

Dancing

Xiao long bao and mommy

Reading a thanksgiving song

The delicious meal. We were stuffed after dinner and were able to go to bed and sleep like little logs.

Black Friday in NYC

2011-11-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

November 25, 2011

We spent Black Friday in NYC --- I got to see my friends Stacey and Melissa from college. We met up at Bryant Park, in midtown. Bryant Park had many holiday booths set up in addition to a cool ice skating rink and a restaurant/lounge called Celsius, which is where we ate.

Afterwards, we walked a little bit and went to some of the holiday booths - saw Molton Brown, picked up some kettle corn at NYC Kettlecorn, and then saw that Dylan's Candy Bar had opened up across the street - so we let the dumplings get a treat. That was their gift for the day.

Disney Full of Characters

2011-11-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

November 8-13, 2011

The dumplings were so excited to head to Disney this year. They have been waiting for months! We got to hang out with cousins Caity and Nicholas for one day and also saw Gregory and Colin another day. The weather was nice (of course) and we packed in a lot of activities in the few days that we were down there.

The theme of our trip was visiting and getting autographs from all the Disney Characters. Here are some of who we saw--

Mary Poppins - Epcot

Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters - Magic Kingdom

Princess Tiana - Magic Kingdom

Chip 'n Dale - Magic Kingdom

Ariel and Eric - Magic Kingdom

Mickey and Minnie - Magic Kingdom

Belle - Magic Kingdom

Princess Aurora - Magic Kingdom

Lightning McQueen and Mator - Hollywood Studios

Mike - Hollywood Studios

Handy Manny - Hollywood Studios

June and Quincy - Hollywood Studios

Winnie the Pooh - Hollywood Studios

Mickey the Wizard - Hollywood Studios

Us the last night at Hollywood Brown Derby. We can't wait to go back next year!

Snow in October!

2011-10-31T17:41:00.001-07:00

October 29, 2011

We had our first Noreaster of the season. We weren't sure if the storm would really hit us or not, but it sure did. We got about 3-5 inches of snow in our area, lots of fallen trees, and power outages in nearby towns like Paramus and Ridgewood. Luckily, we fared okay. But sadly, couldn't make it to Trader Joe's the next day due to the fact they had no power. Even xiao long bao's school was closed today (Oct 31st). So they got a "snow" day on Halloween - how bizarre is that!

Halloween Fun

2011-10-31T17:40:00.001-07:00

The dumplings were able to do various activities this year for Halloween, starting off with a visit to Zoo Boo at Van Saun Park with the girl scout troop, then having halloween parades at school, then going to the club house Halloween party, and then finally celebrating the big day.

This year: xiao long bao was spiderella, gyoza was Arielle bride, and guo-te started off as Chugginton train, but then switched back to his Superman costume.

October 22, 2011

Loved the snoopy light exhibits!

Scary skeletons!

With a big tarantula!

Getting a treat.

October 30, 2011

Playing cards with the magician

Watching the fun

Grabbing a string for the pinata

October 31, 2011

Trick or Treating at neighbor's house

Walking up the street

Counting the goods

November 1, 2011

School parade

From Daisy to Brownie

2011-10-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today xiao long bao had her bridging ceremony - where she went from Daisy Scout to Brownie Scout! Yippee!

They had a lighting candle ceremony.

and then they take off their Daisy tunic and literally go on to a bridge. Twirl around 3 times and...

get their Brownie vest put on them.

It's official!

Isn't this cool - a picture of the troop on a cake. Congratulations to troop 4039!

Baking cookies....

2011-10-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

in our new oven. Yum!

Going to School

2011-10-14T09:17:00.001-07:00

Today I went to xiao long bao's school to talk about Taiwan. It was in part to celebrate United Nation's month. The teacher had asked some of the parents to come in and talk for about 10-15 minutes about their ancestry, cultures, so that the class could learn about different countries. I quickly put together a powerpoint the night before, and also bought some chinese crackers for the class to munch on and some silk jackets / vests. It was a lot of fun - I came in around 9:45 am in the morning, and the kids were very excited to have a visiter, as well as the teacher. I started to talk about Taiwan - the flag, languages, culture, holidays, food, weather, and animals. Xiao long bao's classmates asked a lot of questions - it was fun. Before I knew it, the class had to go to gym, so I left them with the crackers and said good bye.

I hope to do it again soon.

Fall is here! Pumpkin Patches and Haystacks Galore

2011-10-10T20:38:00.003-07:00

Today we decided to go to Demarest Farms in Hillsdale, NJ to do our annual pumpkin picking and get donus/apples (fresh from the farm). It was an especially warm day, and so we all dressed up like it was summer (except for Daddy who was wearing a sweater!).

We started off our usual route of going to see the scarecrows and haystacks. We also had a quick lunch of sandwiches and salads.

Then we went on our hayride. The wait wasn't too bad or we were just lucky and went at the right time (when many people were eating lunch). Once we arrived at the pumpkin patch, we hunted down for the right pumpkins.

After resting and picking a few pumpkins to bring home, we went back on the tractor ride and picked up some donuts/apples/ and ice cream before heading home.

The Kitchen is Finally Done!!!

2011-10-10T20:38:00.001-07:00

After 2+ months, lots of patience, and a good team of contractors, electricians, and countertop professionals, we finally got our dream kitchen. It came out very nice (if I do say so myself). And the hubby has been cleaning it every night so that we can maintain its niceness. :). Now I feel inspired to bake and cook new dishes.

9 years and counting...

2011-10-01T20:01:00.001-07:00

September 28th, 2011:

While we weren't able to to be together for our 9 year anniversary (me in Dallas and Edwin in NJ), and probably not able to do any real celebration this year, a message to my husband: I can't believe (still) that we have been together this long and that I love you more and more each year. Thank you for our children and our life together - it's been a real blessing.

Dancing dumplings

2011-09-24T05:28:00.001-07:00

September 16-17, 2011:
School has started and that means the activities have started as well. Xiao long bao is trying out hip hop this year, while gyoza is continuing with ballet and jazz. Let the dancing begin again!

Dancing to the moves of Black Eye Peas...

Doing a do-si-do. How cute!

Mahwah Day

2011-09-24T05:27:00.003-07:00

This year, xiao long bao got to walk in the Mahwah Day Parade as a Brownie with her friends. They did a great job and of course, gyoza and guo-te collected lots of treats. Even a ball.

Afterwards, xiao long bao got to be in a booth and do some fundraising for the troop. She enjoyed it and afterwards I took her and guo-te around to visit the other booths. Got some pizza and lemonade and some free goodies. All in all - a good time!

Lice control

2011-09-24T05:27:00.001-07:00

September 21, 2011:

It seems that some of the dumplings have had itchy hair the last few weeks, especially xiao long bao. Grandpa and Grandma did an inspection today and found out that there may have been some lice eggs and so applied some treatment shampoo for her and also gyoza. I don't know if gyoza really had lice, but had some small eggs, so did the treatment for her as well. I also applied the treatment to my own hair a few days later just to be safe since I have been itchy the last few weeks. I think the shampoo is working - the dumplings' hair doesn't seem so itchy.

They will do another treatment next week, and hopefully that will be the end of it. We also had to vacuum / clean / do laundry of all the sheets and clothes. Not fun.

9.01.01: 10 years later

2011-09-11T05:09:00.001-07:00

10 years ago a terrible horrendous act of violence occurred and many people lost their lives. Time has passed and life goes on but we will never forget....ever.

This morning, Edwin and I watched the service that called out all the victims' names and watched the unveiling of the 9-11 Memorial Park. It is quite beautiful and hope to make it down there one day soon.

Stay strong and live life to the fullest every day.

First days of school

2011-09-08T18:00:00.001-07:00

School started yesterday for all the dumplings. Xiao long bao started 2nd grade, Gyoza started Kindergarten level at her pre-school, and Guo-te started school for the first time. He entered Pre-school 1 with Miss Jackie. At first he seemed good, but then he cried when I left. I know it will take him some time to transition, but hope that he will get used to it, like the other dumplings.

Hurricane Irene

2011-09-01T20:04:00.002-07:00

August 28, 2011

Today we experienced our first hurricane in the first time that I can remember. It started the night before - with lots of wind and heavy rains (like a tropical storm). Irene went up the coast, from the Carolinas all the way up the New England Coast. There was a lot of preparation for the hurricane. The trains and subways had shut down starting on Saturday at 12 noon. Even the airports had closed down as well, before the hurricane hit.

We had gone to Trader Joe's to get some perishables, and all the bread was gone! I had to get some hamburger buns and granola bars and dried fruit. So we were as prepared as could be.

In the morning, it was just raining hard. We lost power starting in the early morning. Since it was daylight out, not too bad. We just stayed inside, watched the storm, the kids played games and read books.

By the afternoon, the hurricane had passed, and we were left with a lot of fallen trees and down power lines (more). We actually took a walk around the neighborhood and witnessed so many trees on the ground. When we got to Ramapo Centre near the house, we saw people at 7-Eleven and Sonny and Tony's pizzeria, but the places had no electricity. Lots of people were walking around.

I was supposed to fly out to Texas that day but of course, I couldn't get out, so I cancelled my trip and stayed at home.

Luckily, we were able to get dinner at our favorite Chinese takeout place in Ramsey and eat there for dinner. When we got home, and were about to go to bed, the power came back on!!! So we only lost power for that day.

Hope we don't have another hurricane visit us for a while!

US Open

2011-09-01T20:04:00.001-07:00

Today we went to the US Open - it was me, mom, xiao long bao, gyoza, Sherry (who flew in on a red eye from San Francisco), and Jean (who had arrived a few days ago, from Los Angeles to Indiana and then drove to NY with a friend).
It ended up being a nice day (weatherwise), although a few days before, it looked like there were chances of rain / showers.

We started out around 10:45 am, and headed to Fort Lee, to pick up some sandwiches for lunch from our usual bakery. We got to Flushing Meadows a little before 12 pm and parked at the Citi Stadium.

The dumplings with Auntie Jean and Grandma

We went a few matches - at Grandstand...

Gyoza eating a seaweed rice while watching one of the matches.

A Chinese tennis player - Jyeng Jie

At the fountains...

At Court 7 - with Sherry. Noticed my glasses were a little uneven :)

Tommy Haas - from Germany. A long time fan...

At the Arthur Ashe Stadium - watching Serena Williams.

Had a nice time - had some snacks/drinks/ and got some souveneirs. We left around 6 pm and met up with the boys for dinner.

Beach Day

2011-08-26T08:36:00.002-07:00

August 20, 2011
Today we made our annual trip to Point Pleasant Beach at the Jersey Shore. Amazingly, for the first time in a few years, there was hardly any traffic. I wonder if it was because it was the end of August, as opposed to July (when we usually go). We also tried to leave the house a little earlier than when we usually do (by about an hour). But in any case, I was very thankful to get there in a little over an hour and a half. We had a lot of fun eating our lunch, playing at the amusement center, and of course, playing in the sand and touching the water.

Xiao long bao and mommy

Gyoza chilling

Guo-te playing with his new beach toys

Gyoza in a fishy ride

Guo-te in a firetruck

The three dumplings in sandpit:

Afterwards, we went to Uncle C's house to have some snack and chat.

Haircuts

2011-08-26T08:36:00.001-07:00

August 21, 2011
Today we got haircuts for gyoza and guo-te, in preparation for cousin Michelle's wedding in two weeks. I wanted to make sure guo-te's hair was short enough since his hair seems to grow long pretty fast. Here are the end results:

Gyoza cut her bangs

Guo-te's hair

Friends and family time!

2011-08-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was packed with friends and family time. Friday night, Edwin and I went into NYC and had an adult only dinner with friends at Mas Farmhouse Restaurant (http://www.masfarmhouse.com/). It was a French restaurant and across from the Blue Ribbon Sushi restaurant (which I still have to go to). Nice to have some time with friends (sans dumplings). We had 4 course meal - with appetizer (I had cream scallop soup), first course (soft shell crab), main course (seared long island duck), and dessert (strawberries with pound cake). Very nice. I have to say the service was impecable. They served all our courses at the same time. Afterwards, we went to a bar to say bon voyage to some friends, Mike and Elisa, as their family heads to Hong Kong to live for a few years.

Saturday, we drove up to Poughkeepsie to pick up the dumplings and had lunch at Olive Garden with the grandparents. Immediately after, we drove to Warren, NJ to celebrate cousin Caitlin's 10th brithday party.

Hanging out with little dumplings

Guo-te and Cooper sharing some chips and drinks

All the cousins eating their pizza

Singing happy birthday to Caitlin! Happy 10!

Dentist- checkup time!

2011-08-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

August 4, 2011:

Today we took the dumplings for their semi-annual check. For guo-te, it was his first official visit to the dentist. So Daddy and I brought them together - I had taken the afternoon off to take them, figuring it would take a while for all 3 to go through their appointments, but actually it wasn't too bad at all. The first one to go in was xiao long bao. The hygenist cleaned her teeth, and asked that xiao long bao brush twice a day. Also, she did her fluoride - bubble gum flavor. Next came gyoza, and she had Dr. Pattison brush her teeth and then give her fluoride for the first time. She was able to keep it in for about a minute. Afterwards, guo-te had his appointment, and basically, the dentist just counted teeth. She said that one of his teeth was in a little back than the others, but will monitor it. But all passed and didn't have any cavities. So happy. At the end, they all got "goodie" bags and prizes from the prize box.

Day in the Park

2011-08-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

July 30, 2011

Today we celebrated Josephine's 2nd birthday (Vicky and Tommy's daughter) with a beautfiul day in Central Park. It was a warm summer day and nice to be out and about and catch up with friends. At first took us a while to find everyone since the park is quite huge and they had changed from the Carousel to another lawn area. But we found them!

Look at all the cupcakes that they had for the celebration - all yo gabba gabba decorated. How cute! Flavors were vanilla with chocolate, vanilla with peanut, and black sesame with vanilla. All interesting and yummy!

Everyone talking and relaxing.

Xiao long bao in purple sunglasses

Guo-te in green

Gyoza in pink

Blowing bubbles in the park

Daddy laughing with friends

Afterwards we took the dumplings on a ride on the carousel before heading home. It was a nice day.

Kitchen Renovation begins!

2011-08-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

We have been planning and spending the last 2 months on our kitchen project - summer 2011. And the renovations are starting today.

This is how our kitchen looked the night Before:

Day 1: Contractors come in at 8:45 am. As the day goes on, this is how it looks:

Tear apart the cabinets one at a time

Then take apart the counter

Remove the lower cabinets and lazy susan

You can see how it looks on the floor now

Our kitchen is outside!

And this is what we are left with on day 1:

To be continued....

Happy Birthday, A-ma!

2011-07-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

July 26, 2011:

Happy Birthday to A-ma, who turned 65 today. She still looks so young! And she had a nice lunch with her grandkids at Mitsuwa. And then bought some goodie cakes (mostly fruit flavored) for all to enjoy!

Sorry that the other family members couldn't be here in person - but hopefully we can all celebrate together for the 70th!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2011-07-24T07:58:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Edwin!
We started off the weekend with a nice day in the city. First we met up with Po-po, Uncle Ernie, and Gu-gu Jennifer at the Mesa Grill for lunch (Bobby Flay's restaurant). First time for the dumplings and me. I thought it might be too spicy but we liked the food.

Here are some pictures of the place and things we ordered:

Queso con fundido:

Blue corn tortilla buttermilk waffle - with bourbon syrup and creme fraishe. It was yummo!

Daddy's dish - Mesa burger and fries:

And of course, we got a little dessert with a candle and sang happy birthday to Daddy

After lunch, we saw Uncle Ernie's new apartment (it was nice!) and met up with Robert and Jennie for some afternoon snacks and dinner at Chat & Chew. The dumplings were worn out and konked out in the car on the way home.

The next day (Daddy's real birthday), we took it easy. Had a nice dinner at Masa - our new favorite Japanese place in Allendale, NJ, and then bought a carvel cake to celebrate.

Other news:

Nicolina & Mike had a baby boy last weekend.

K&N are expecting their first child in January, 2012

R&J are engaged!! (Finally)

Baseball History

2011-07-09T19:09:00.001-07:00

History was made today: Derek Jeter (captain of the NY Yankees), hit 3000 hits - first Yankee to do this, and only 14th player to this milestone. We saw this on TV, and it was pretty amazing.

Congratulations, Derek!

And of course, my husband later bought a t-shirt from the MLB to commemerate this occasion.

Outing for July 4th!

2011-07-09T17:53:00.000-07:00

July 4th: Bronx Zoo

In celebration of Independence Day, we decided to visit the zoo today. The dumplings always enjoy going to the Bronx Zoo. As usual, we grabbed a few sandwiches/seaweed rices at the Japanese Bakery before heading to the zoo. We did a lot of activities today, including going to the Dora and Diego 4-D Adventure, bug carousel, attending the children's zoo, riding the monorail, and seeing lots of different animals today like the hippo, fox, chicken, tiger, giraffe, and lemurs.

This was interesting - saw a bunch of birds making their own birds nests.

Guo-te making a skip in his step:

Xiao long bao in a prairie hole:

Gyoza in a bird's nest:

Guo-te in a prairie hole:

What a fox!:

We also tried to see the fire works at a local park later on in the day, but guess mommy miscalculated - the fire works were actually two days earlier, so we had to watch them on TV. Hopefully next year we can see them live!

Our Family

2011-07-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

Completely Potty Trained???

2011-06-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 nights going on the 4th night, and guo-te has been diaper-free for all this time. I didn't know if it was too soon to do night training, but after 4 weeks doing day training, and he hasn't had an accident in 2.5 weeks, I guess we have been lucky to start doing the night training. And I did the night training by accident - he had been wearing his underwear during the day and he fell asleep early so didn't have a chance to change to diaper (and I forgot!), and surprise - he stayed dry all night.

Daddy and I are so happy/proud of guo-te. Definitely didn't think it would be this easy (knock on wood), although I am sure accidents will be coming here and there. But hope not.

Guess where we are?

2011-06-26T21:08:00.001-07:00

Saturday, June 25, 2011

.....TARGET, our favorite store!

Week 13 - P90X

2011-06-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

So I haven't written about our exercise regimen in a while - we have been doing the P90X program and started in March. It's a 90 day home program with a nutritional plan as well. Edwin and I have been doing the exercise part but not the nutritional plan - too complex. Anyway, P90X calls for 6 days of exercise -1 hour each day. However, due to our busy schedules, we have been doing more like 4-5 days of exercise. We have been doing a concentrated body part, or cardio, or kenpo, or abs. I think after 90 days (since we took a 2-3 week break when we went to Taiwan for vacation), I do feel better about my arms and legs, as they are slowly getting toned. I think I need more work on my stomach/hip area, but over time. We have some weeks where our pace is slow, but I am proud of the fact that we are still doing it, although lately, because of our schedules, we have been working out individually.

The true test will be when I take the "after" pictures to see if anything has changed in our bodies. We'll see how the next few months go. :)

Graduation Day!

2011-06-24T17:44:00.001-07:00

Today our little gyoza graduated from pre-school class 2b! It was a very nice graduation, filled with songs and different languages and dance and moving speeches.
We arrived at 10 am, and walked immediately upstairs to their show room. The stage was decorated like a movie theme - full of balloons and film cut racks pasted all across the room.

Here is gyoza!

Finally all the graduates came out and they were all wearing movie star sunglasses!

They did some cool dances, which I videotaped on my phone. Gyoza did a really great job dancing to the beat, and keeping her sunglasses, and green wrap around her neck. Then they left the room for a little while to put on their cap and gown. While they were gone, we saw a slide show of the all the students during the year at their various field trips and parties/holidays.

They came back out a few minutes later:

Got their diploma and sat back down. Here is gyoza waiting patiently for her name to be called.

Here is her sitting down after getting her diploma:

Here are her two teachers - Miss Kerry and Miss Gill. I am so glad that they were her teachers this year. They were terrific. And I am glad to know that Miss Kerry will her summer camp teacher.

It was a nice ceremony. We weren't able to stay long for the reception since daddy and I both had a conference call so went home right away. But we will be going through this again next year, when gyoza graduates from TLE.

Happy Father's Day! and a Haircut

2011-06-19T06:44:00.001-07:00

Today was a low key father's day. Edwin slept in a little bit, while I made a late breakfast for the dumplings - eggs and ham and toast. They watched a little TV for a little while, and then I took guo-te for a haircut at noon. He hadn't had one since before our trip to Asia, so it was long overdue!

Here is the before:

And here is after:

Much better! Now I need a haircut too - that will be next week, along with xiao long bao and gyoza.

Later on, we took daddy out to a nice dinner. We were trying to figure out where to go - since we usually head to chain restaurants like Cheesecake Factor or Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill or PF Changs. But I wanted to try something different, so I spent some time online looking for local restaurants that looked nice or had good reviews. I finally found a place called Biagio's - an Italian restaurant in Paramus. I don't think I ever recalled a place like that, but good to know it was not far from other places that I know of. So decided to try it out. We made an early dinner reservation since it was a Sunday night. Arrived there around 5:15 pm and when we arrived to the parking lot - noticed there were a lot of more senior people in the parking lot, and I mean very senior. I wasn't sure if this was the kind of place that only very senior people attended, and for a split second, Daddy and I looked at each other and started laughing. He thought I had brought him to a senior citizen eatery. But I rationalized that it was early, and also probably there were younger members of the family to celebrate Father's Day. So we slowly walked into the restaurant. As we walked in, more senior people, but when we were getting seated, saw some young families and even a few kids, so felt better. We were seated in a nice part of the restaurant, and ordered foods like pasta with butter for the dumplings, calamari, crab and artichoke cheese dip. Daddy ordered skirt steak, and I ordered Chicken San Marino - with spinach, roasted peppers, and cheese! Also tried a unique dessert - canoli cake - it was quite yummy.

Nice way to end the day.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful father's out there, including my own!

Week 3 - potty training status

2011-06-18T08:25:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 3 weeks since we started potty training guo-te, and he has been doing great! He almost always goes to the potty now (for #1 and #2), and he is able to tell us when he wants to go and sometimes just tries to go himself! We have been monitoring the night activity and he is almost ready for night training. He even woke up in the middle of the night to go to the potty, but I hope that doesn't last, since then I will never get my sleep! But he has been able to hold it a little more at night as each day passes. We are so proud of our little dumpling, and he has a lot of trucks/cars to show for his progress!

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

2011-06-05T08:15:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday and enjoyed a nice lazy day at home with the family. Daddy let me sleep in late (till 8:30 am!), and then made the dumplings and me breakfast (eggs and toast). I received birthday wishes throughout the morning/day, so that was nice. I opened up a card from K&B&G - a cute elephant card.

The dumplings also played outside for a little while since it was a nice day outside - one did hoola hoops, the other did a tricycle, and the last did a scooter.

Look at the cute helmet! A little too big for his head.

And for my birthday dinner, we went to The Melting Pot. I haven't been there in probably 4 years, but I love fondue! We had an early dinner reservation, but there were some people when we got there. We had basically 4 courses - appetizer with cheese fondue, salad, our main course with seafoods and meats, and then of course - dessert with chocolate fondue. We even got two - s'mores and cookies and cream!

It was a nice and yummy birthday. I thank my dumplings and husband for being the greatest family. ILU.

Great strides in Week 1

2011-06-04T05:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much progress guo-te has made in just 5 days. This week I have been really focusing on getting him to go to the potty when he needs to go #1 or #2. The first couple of days he had at least one #1 accident in the house, but not too messy. The last 2 days (knock on wood), he hasn't had a single accident. I know he will definitely have more accidents to come, and we still have to work on nighttime training, but I am so proud of my little dumpling. All of a sudden, a light bulb just clicked in his head, and he is telling me and Daddy when he has to go, and if it is #1 or #2. Of course, it helps that we have little incentives for him like his trucks or some licks of a lollipop. I really hope he can continue this way, and then we can be gone with diapers once and for all!!!! Yeah!!!!

One small step forward, and one step back...

2011-05-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today I was so proud of guo-te. Daddy and I started potty training (or trying to at least) since the beginning of May (when guo-te turned 3), but we weren't really moving forward. He would sit on the potty and wear underwear, but still would have lots of accidents (just #1). Today he actually went on the potty, and went by himself #1 and #2!!!! I couldn't believe it, and was so happy. He wore underwear the rest of the day and I kept trying to ask if he wanted to go, but he didn't. Finally, 6 hours later, I was about to put him on, but he peed already in his pants. Oh well. Try another day...

But I do think he is forming some thinking around when he wants to go on the potty and at least try to sit there, which is a step in the right direction.

Recital Weekend

2011-05-22T07:41:00.001-07:00

This weekend was busy, full of various recitals. And on top of that, trying to treat a bacterial infection on guo-te (poor dumpling!)
Saturday was the big dance recital. We weren't allowed to videotape or take pictures of the recital, but here are the dumplings after the show with their flowers. Xiao long bao danced to Locomotion by Kylie Minogue, and Gyoza danced to I've Got no Strings (originally in the Pinocchio movie).

Then on Sunday, we attended Xiao long bao's piano recital. She did a great job - played "On top of Spaghetti", "Kite in the Sky", and "Classic Dance". The recital was held on the Wyckoff Y, and it lasted a lot longer than the first time - had lots of voice and piano students.

Lots of fun!

Rehearsal for the big day!

2011-05-20T18:00:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week, xiao long bao and gyoza did a rehearsal of their respective dance (one jazz, the other tap) at the place where they are going to have their recital - at a catholic high school in Paramus. It was a whirlwind of a day for me. I worked from home in the morning. Then got gyoza ready in her costume at 3 pm, we then drove to the school and got there by the assigned time of 3:45 pm. It wasn't a very nice day (raining heavily earlier in the day), but luckily, when we got there, it was a very light sprinkle. She waited for the rest of the classmates to come, and then they went up on stage and practiced their song.

I was so proud of her, and especially of the fact that she just went up there and danced. She wasn't scared of the stage and how big it was, and how big the theatre was. The class did well. And then afterwards they went backstage and took a group photo by a professional. So we were able to wrap up around 5 pm and then I drove home.

After we got home, then I got xiao long bao ready for her rehearsal. Got her dressed, and then we drove back to the school. She did her dance and interestingly enough, Miss Patty rehearsed the dance with them quietly before they danced to the music. I guess they do that for the bigger girls. Xiao long bao did well. Her class stayed a little longer, watching the other classes and then they were part of the big finale, where they just lined up and bowed. I made use of the snacks that I brought - veggie chips and water.

Xiao long bao with her friend Kaylee.

Can't wait for the big day!

Bad Allergies this month

2011-05-15T20:13:00.001-07:00

The dumplings have been fighting off hay fever, itchy eyes, runny noses, coughing/sneezing, and lots of sensitive skin the last few weeks. Especially for xiao long bao and guo-te. Every day - put eye drops in, take claritin, take benadryl, put towel cloths on, stay clean and take showers. This coming week will be raining - in a way it will be good since the pollen count will be down and hopefully that means less itchies for the dumplings. But then they can't go outside since it will be cloudy/rainy.

Which is better?

Happy Birthday to Grandpa

2011-05-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today we went up to P'town to celebrate a-gong's birthday. And it is also the day before the grandparents leave on a 3 weeks trip to Eastern Europe - Russia, Austria, Poland, and other countries that I can't remember right now.

We drove up around lunch time and ate at one of the dumplings' favorite places - Olive Garden! Here gyoza and guo-te are trying to drink out of two cups at the same time, with two straws. They are really thirsty!

After lunch we picked up a red velvet cake with ice cream and kit kat from cold stone creamery, my favorite! Yummo!

Happy Birthday to Grandpa!

Happy 3!

2011-05-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

Dear guo-te,

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday my sweet one! Happy Birthday to you!! I can't believe you are 3 today. You are no longer my little baby dumpling.

You are such a light in our lives - so smiley and happy and playing/running/jumping/sometimes wrestling with your sisters. You love to eat all kinds of food, especially fruits and vegetables, which mommy loves, and you like to sing and talk a lot, and count fingers on your hand. Your love your trucks and cars and puzzles and trains. You also like to vacuum with mommy and clean the house. You know how to spell your name, and sing "Happy Birthday". You can put on your own seatbelt in the car, and also put on your own clothes and shoes. You like to play monster with daddy and hide and seek with you sisters.

While you aren't potty trained just yet, we hope to start you soon after your special day.

Daddy and I are so lucky to have you in our lives. We can't wait to see what the next year will bring. Love you.

Mother's Day / Birthday Celebrations

2011-05-07T09:25:00.001-07:00

This weekend was a special weekend - celebrating Mother's Day, guo-te's birthday, and also past birthdays in April (po-po and Gu-Gu Jennifer). We went to our usual place - Congee Village in NYC. Surprisingly, it wasn't too crowded, and we got our own semi-private room. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the food this year, but it was very similar to the past - congee, shrimp with brocolli, fish, noodle, fried rice, squid, and other yummy dishes.

In between the dishes and cake, the dumplings were entertaining themselves with the I-touch.

And then the best part came - the cake! This year, guo-te wanted a green cake, and all I could think of was green tea cake. When we went to our favorite bakery, they didn't have a big green tea cake, so I ordered small pieces of green tea cake, and a big mango mousse cake with fruit to satisfy the mothers.

Here is a group shot of our families. We had a nice lunch.

Afterwards, we walked around NYC and met up with friends Vicky/Tommy/ and Josephine to catch up at a local playground. The dumpings also had ice cream and we walked to Planet Donut to pick up some donuts for Vicky.

It was a nice day spend with family and friends.

How to stay motivated to exercise?

2011-05-01T14:26:00.001-07:00

After being away on vacation for almost 2 weeks, it's been a little slow getting back to the daily routine of working out 1 hour. For some reason, we haven't been able to fit it into our busy schedules - so instead of working out 6 days, it's been more like 4 days, which isn't too bad. And I need to stay motivated to work out the next few days while Edwin is out on a business trip to Denver (since we have been working out together).

It's weird, after years of working out solo, I now find myself used to working out with my hubby...so odd the dependency. But it's like a workout buddy. :)

At this point we are starting week 6, and I see some difference in legs and arms, but no change going on in the tummy and hip area (that is my problem area). Better work on abs more...

A Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T19:32:00.001-07:00

Today I woke up at 4 am to watch the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. They got new titles - The Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge. The wedding was beautiful and Kate looked absolutely gorgeous. I am glad that I got to watch the whole thing live, but it's amazing with the social media these days, they can replay everything back as if it was live.

Can you believe they made it a national holiday in the UK?

I am tired now (it's 10:34 pm), so heading off to bed soon. But here are some pics (from the TV) I took while watching this morning. Granted they aren't that clear, but not too bad.

Glasses!

2011-04-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today Xiao Long Bao got her first pair of glasses. We had been to the pediatrician a few months ago as part of her annual checkup, and although she passed her eye exam, I was told that we should get further examination from a pediatric opthamologist. So I finally brought in mid-April, and the doctor said that she did have slight near-sightedness. We originally were going to pick up frames/lens from a nice place right outside the doctor's office, but then I thought we should check out Lenscrafters, since my work has a discount plan with them. Xiao long bao ended up picking a pair of frames from Lenscrafters and saved me some $ (ha ha), and it looks good on her.

I told her to only wear the glasses when she needs to see far away thing, so as to not get so used to the prescription. She has been pretty good about that, AND she isn't squinting so I guess that is a good thing.

Now when I take pictures of her with the glasses, got to make sure that I don't get the "glass-glare".

Back to Normal - almost

2011-04-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Almost being away for almost 2 weeks, and coming back to tons of work emails, household chores, 6 loads of laundry, and suffering pretty bad jetlag, we are back to normal...almost. The dumplings were taking naps during the day and going to bed pretty late at night (1 am). Xiao Long Bao was good during the day but then would crash at 6 pm- 7 pm at night, missing out on dinner and a shower. Gyoza was energetic at night and wouldn't go to bed till 1 or 2 am in the morning!! Guo-te was somewhere in the middle. I was feeling it as well - usually I adjust back pretty quickly but it definitely took me the whole week to get back to normal.

Now have to find time to post pictures from our wonderful trip!

Excited to go on a trip

2011-04-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

The dumplings are excited to go on our trip to Taiwan. It will hopefully be fun and not too exhausting, although with 3 dumplings, it probably will be! Almost done packing and wrapping up loose ends, including work. I need a vacation badly!!! And very excited to see my extended family. So you probably won't hear from me until we get back, and hopefully will post lots of good pictures.

Spring???

2011-03-25T11:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday - more snow

Week 2 is over...just barely

2011-03-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Daddy and I completed week 2 of P90x, but it was tough this week. I had to skip Monday since I came home late from work, and then we tried to wake up early Tuesday/Wednesday/ and /Thursday to work out. But then Edwin was sore so switched back to nighttime Friday/Saturday and today.

I have been tired this week but probably because I need to have more protein or electrolytes or something.

But tomorrow is rest day or stretching, so happy we don't have to work out. And then on to starting week 3!

I feel a little better - at least in my arms and legs. Still need to work on abs and hips.

Warm Weather and Ants

2011-03-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today actually went up to 70 degrees, can you believe it???? In March! The dumplings are actually wearing short sleeve shirts/dresses. We love it. Hope it lasts at through the weekend. I really need nice after the week that I have been having :)

But with warm weather come the return of the ants--- the dreaded ants. So many of them in the kitchen. We are still constantly having look and remove them. And of course tightening the food in the cabinets and on the counter. I hope they leave soon.

Second generation of Lai's

2011-03-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

Second cousins... Guo-te is singled out! Gyoza and her second cousin Alissa - only 22 days apart.

Week 1 is over

2011-03-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

We passed the first week of P90X! It was rough the first two days - doing shoulders/back, then arms/shoulders, cardio, yoga, legs, and ending with kenpo. We were really sore at the beginning but after the yoga, I felt didn't feel so bad. Tomorrow is our rest day and then we start again on Sunday with week 2. Will report back out again next week.

Day 1: P90X

2011-03-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

Today Daddy and I started the P90X extreme fitness workout. Yesterday we did the fitness test, and I think we passed (although I got so tired after doing 2 minutes of jumping jacks). I decided to purchase this last month after trying to address my new year's resolution to be more fit/toned this year. I haven't gone to the gym in over a year, and I could feel the impact of it (more shortness of breath after climbing a few stairs/bad posture). So I told Edwin that we should try this out - apparently a lot of friends have done it (although admittedly I don't think a few were very successfull, but I also heard Edwin's favorites Mike and Mike follow this program). So we will give it a go - how bad could it be? :)

However, I don't think I will follow the nutrition plan very strictly - I think I eat somewhat healthy, but will just try to lessen the sugar a bit. Of course, just keep eating fruits, vegetables, fish, and white meat.

We also got some resistance bands and chin up bar. So we are all set!!!

Will report back out on this in a few weeks....

Everyone is sick....but me!

2011-02-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

This week has been a little stressful....last weekend, we were busy with the usual activities - ballet lessons, piano lessons, birthday parties, baby shower. Then Sunday, xiao long bao fell ill - with fever and cough. On Tuesday, gyoza and Daddy got sick - both coughing, fever. Gyoza and Xiao long bao even had bloody noses. Then on Wednesday - guo-te started coughing really badly and had a 103 fever.

Status now:
Xiao long bao is better now - she was able to go back to school on Wednesday. Gyoza is still coughing (slightly) but no fever, she took a day off from school on Wednesday but went back Thursday/Friday. Daddy is still sick and taking lots of medicine/ drinking honey water. And I am planning on taking guo-te to the doctor for sick visit later today.

My oh my - so many sick dumplings. I am trying to drink honey water myself so as to not get sick.

New friends

2011-02-20T13:18:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the dumplings got a few cute gifts from our friends Jonas and Tanya. Xiao long bao picked the zebra, gyoza picked the giraffe, and of course, guo-te picked the hippo. They are really cute - I think they came from a store in NYC. Really well made and good attention to detail.

Rollerskating!!

2011-02-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Today I took gyoza to a birthday party and she tried rollerskating for the first time. I was so proud of her - she didn't seem scared to try it out, and after an hour, she was even trying to inch her way around the rink by herself. She said that by the time she gets to be 5 years old, she should be a really good skater . I told her only if she keeps practicing!

I haven't skated since I was in junior high school - brings back many fun memories.

Strange Weather

2011-02-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

Last week it was in the 20's....today, it is actually in the 60's (63 to more exact). I can't get over how strange the weather is this season. Too bad the good weather isn't lasting that long. I looked at the weather forecast, and tomorrow is only going to be in the 30's...guess we should go out as much as possible today and soak up some sun!

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

2011-02-02T16:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!!

While we are still getting so much snow and ice this winter, it's nice to have another holiday to celebrate. Even though every one went to work/ school on new year's day, we can't wait to celebrate this weekend with family and lots of food! And finally just getting out of the house, after being stuck at home the last few days.

Xing nian kuai le! Gong hay fat choy!

Will the snow ever end???

2011-01-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

What I made for dinner tonight

2011-01-23T16:23:00.000-08:00

The dumplings liked it!

Long travel week

2011-01-21T20:07:00.001-08:00

This week was a strange week, so I thought I would write about it.

First of all, we had more snow come not once but twice this week - Tuesday and then again on Friday. Xiao long bao only had one full day of school this week, and that was on Thursday. Here was her schedule:
Monday - no school due to Martin Luther King Day
Tuesday - snow day
Wednesday - 2 hour delay due to ice
Thursday - full day
Friday - 2 hour delay due to snow

On top of that, Edwin and I were both traveling. Edwin went to Denver from Tuesday - Thursday, and almost missed his flight (but luckily, he made it there safely). I went to Maryland from Wednesday - Friday for a training, and I almost missed my train (due to traffic and packed parking lot, but I made it just in the nick of time). On my way back home, the train stopped on the tracks for an hour and a half, so I didn't make it home till almost 9 pm. It was a long travel week, but glad to be home with the dumplings.

Piano recital

2011-01-16T16:20:00.000-08:00

Today was xiao long bao's first ever piano recital. She has been taking lessons at the Y since mid-September. Her teacher's name is Miss Sue. And the Y had its first ever performing arts winter recital - it includes students that take piano and also voice lessons. I forgot that xiao long bao's friend Danielle also takes lessons, so we saw her and her family there. That was nice.

We invited A-gong and A-ma to come to the recital as well. Daddy dropped xiao long bao off at the Y around 12 pm to practice, and rehearse before the doors opened at 1:45 pm and the recital started at 2 pm.

We got there a few minutes before two, and there were a lot of parents already there. We walked behind my friend's ex-husband coming into the front door and sat in front of him. They had the piano at the same level as the audience, so I had to stand to see xiao long bao. But good thing daddy videotaped her.

She was great and we are so proud of her. She played "I'm a little teapot" and also "Jingle Bells". She played very well. And her teacher said the same thing.

And her friend sat next to her and played after her, which was nice.

Afterwards, they had cookies and juice for all the kids. We chatted a bit with Danielle's mom. We had a good time. We are so proud of xiao long bao.

Meat and Museum

2011-01-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

January 8, 2011
Today we met up with friends Elsa and Ed, Mirei, and their daughters Anna and Emma in NYC - we went to have lunch at Hill Country (barbecue) together and then went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was lots of fun. It was a nice cold and brisk day out, so we bundled up the kids. Eating at Hill Country was yummy - we got the sides - green beans and corn as well as meats - sausages and chicken and ribs.

The girls

Watching an exhibit

After wards, we took the mass transit bus back to our car since we had left it in midtown and the museum was uptown. We had a fun ride.

The dumplings were pooped but had a good day. Nice way to start 2011!

Pictures...so many of them

2011-01-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

I have spent the majority of today trying to organize my pictures from 2009. Still have a long way to go, and have to start thinking about the 2010 pictures, and which ones to buy/post. So time consuming, but nice to look at the dumplings when they were young and our good memories.

More Snow - only in January, 2011

2011-01-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 7, 2011
Today we had more snow. Another 3-4 inches in our area. Xiao long bao's school even closed for the day. We are really in the middle of winter.

And they are projecting more next week. Ugh.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

We got more snow - it started the night before - hence that is why the pictue is so dark. We got about 8-12 inches of snow in our area when it was all said and done. Of course, it was another snow day for xiao long bao. I had planned to stay at home to work, so it worked out well.

I can't wait for winter to end!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Today we had snow and ice. The temperature was only in the teens/twenties. Xiao long bao had her third snow day in 10 days. And of course, I found out later on in the week that there was more snow coming in Thursday/Friday. Ack!!!!

Guo-te went to the potty!!!

2011-01-03T08:13:00.001-08:00

A first step - guo-te went kaka in the potty this morning. It took 30 minutes but he did it!! We are so proud of him!

I told him he has to keep doing it and he said ok - we will see how well it goes. Wish us luck!

Happy New Year 2011!!!!

2011-01-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

Today is the start of a new year. I can't believe that the first decade of 2000 is already gone. Now onto a new decade. I don't really like new year's resolutions, since I can never stick to them, but here are a few things I would like to work on:

- Get more fit (I haven't actively exercised in over a year)

- Spend as much time with the dumplings and daddy and our families

- Stay connected with friends

- Would like to cook new dishes

- Learn new things

We spent new year's day with the Yang family - and the dumplings had a blast with their extended cousins.

Rockefeller visit - new year's eve

2010-12-31T07:31:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we made our annual visit to the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC. Edwin and I have been going since 2002. We took the dumplings in the afternoon after running some errands and gyoza was at preschool in the morning.

There seemed to be a lot of people in the city that day, so it took us extra long to get to a parking spot in the city - almost 2 hours from the time that we left home.

The dumplings were antsy to get out and walk around. So we went to the see the tree and the star on top (made of Swarowski crystal). As always, the tree was beautiful and big. We even had a sneak peak of the skating rink, of where there were hundreds of people watching the zamboni clean the rink.

And then we were lucky enough to meet up with friends Robert and Jennie for some coffee at Starbucks and a very late dinner at McCormick and Schmicks. We were trying to get to some restaurants around Times Square, but there were still 2 hour waits, even at 9 pm!!

But the dumplings always have fun in the city, and even got to stay up extra late on this special day.

Today - new year's eve, we visited Edwin's family in Brooklyn. We stopped in Fort Lee and picked up some yummy dim sum for a late lunch and then drove over. The dumplings got to exchange gifts with their Uncle Ernie and Gu-gu Jennifer and Po-po. They had a lot of fun visiting them and playing games/drawings/eating.

Happy New Year!!! Can't believe 2010 last day is here!

First hair cut

2010-12-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

Today I took gyoza and guo-te for haircuts at our local haircut place. This would be guo-te's first time getting a professional cut. His daddy and I tried to cut his hair one time using a buzzer, and then grandpa cut his hair once or twice, but he is in dire need of a professional cut, since we are all afraid to trim his back and sides.

I wasn't sure how he would be. I think at first he was scared, but once he saw gyoza getting her hair cut, and how calm she was, I think he thought - ok, this should be easy. So he got up into the big chair all by himself (I didn't even have to hold him, like I did with xiao long bao and gyoza when they were younger), and even the hair stylist Nancy said how good he was. She was so impressed!

Here he is before:

And after:

Doesn't he look cute??? I am so proud of him for being such a good dumpling at the hair salon. Afterwards, he got a lollipop (his favorite).

Cousins

2010-12-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

The dumplings really had fun the past week with their cousin G. They hadn't seen her in person since she was 2 months old, and of course at that age, you don't do much except eat, sleep, and poop.
But they and Uncle Edwin and I really enjoyed spending time with her this week. Here are some shots taken with us and her:

(this shot doesn't include G but it is a cute shot of the dumplings with Uncle Ben and also a new friend Ryan)

We can't wait to see her next year, hopefully in Taiwan!

Snow Blizzard - last one for 2010

2010-12-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, we headed back home after being at the grandparents house for a few days, and on our way back, it started to flurry and shortly thereafter, a blizzard followed.

Today, we had to dig out almost 4 feet of snow from our garage/house.

The dumplings helped out for a little bit but it was so windy (50 mph wind gusts) that they got cold and came back inside after a few minutes.

But daddy shoveled for 2 hours and was able to get the cars free.

Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-25T15:11:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Gyoza's Holiday Party

2010-12-22T17:01:00.001-08:00

Today was Gyoza's holiday party at her school. All the parents seem to show up for the parties - the parking lot was full! Gyoza and her classmates sang some holiday songs for us, and then afterwards, made some holiday cookies. It was cute.

Even Auntie Sherry got to see and get a special treat by the students at TLE!

My first crown

2010-12-22T16:59:00.000-08:00

So if you have been following this blog, I occasionally write a post or two about my teeth. I used to have pretty decent teeth, but ever since the dumplings came along, my teeth have never been the same. I guess pregnancy will do that to you. The last few years, I have had some teeth pulled, and more fillings done, and the most recent activity was today - I had my first crown put in (or phase 1 of it). I was a little scared since they told me they were going to numb me up. Then they took what look like a pick and just started shaving my tooth down a little bit. Yuck. And then afterwards, they made a bunch of imprints of my tooth. That wasn't too bad.

I need to go back in a week and get my cap / crown put on top of my tooth. They gave me a temporary one in the meantime. The permanent one is supposed to fit the rest of my tooth perfectly, as well as the color of it is supposed to match the rest of my teeth. Neato.

Seven...Siete....Chi

2010-12-19T05:07:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to my beautiful xiao long bao!!! I can't believe you are seven years old today. Where has the time passed????

Today you celebrated your birthday by getting to see Uncle Ben, Auntie Karen, and cousin G in the morning before they went off to Boston, and then went to the city to go to our new favorite place - Congee Village, where you got to indulge in your favorite chinese dishes, including shrimp, e-fu noodle, congee, and squid. Popo, Gu-gu Jennifer, and Uncle Ernie came along with A-gong and A-ma.

And of course, at night, we got your favorite - ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and you shared that with your family.

I can't believe how much you have grown in the last year - reading extensively on your own, playing with friends, continuing to draw and color and make new creations for your daddy and me daily, learning the piano this year and being able to play jingle bells in 2 months. You are still very sensitive, and want to be liked, just like your mommy, but you are also being a good older dumpling for your siblings. Mommy and daddy are so proud of you and love you very much.

Future pet?

2010-12-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, gyoza had a playdate with a friend of her's from school, and the friend brought over a pet - a hamster named Elephant. Gyoza and guo-te were fascinated by it, and it got me thinking: since the fish thing didn't work out, was thinking that we might want to get a hamster. They seem to be low maintenance, don't need to wash at all, food is minimal, playing is critical, and just clean out their cage once in a while. The only bad thing I heard is that their expectancy life is only 1000 days. What if the dumplings get attached? Also, don't get a boy and girl hamster at the same time - they will breed! Have to see what daddy thinks.

Silly-ness

2010-12-12T08:44:00.001-08:00

Happy 4, gyoza!

2010-12-07T18:53:00.001-08:00

This year we decided to forego birthday parties for the two older dumplings, since 1) wasn't sure about the weather and any possible snow storms/ice/ etc. and 2) wasn't sure whether to hold separate parties or not, seeing that they are getting older, and 3) didn't have enough time to really plan any, so we decided to take a trip to Disney (which I need to do a separate post for when I get more time).

But of course, on gyoza's actual birthday (which was the day after we returned from Disney), she got to celebrate at school with her friends, by bringing in some holiday shortbread cookies from Trader Joe's, which everyone loved, and then her grandparents took her out for a snack by having dim sum, and then we took her out for dinner to celebrate at where else....Cheesecake Factory!

I can't believe that she is 4 years old. I told her about the time when she was born, and how she came out early, and how she was so tiny. She is still my little peanut, but definitely has more of a personality now - you may even say she she has a little bit of diva / attitude in her. She has learned to write her name this year which I love, and is learning all the letters of the alphabet, and their sounds. She loves to draw, just like xiao long bao, and she can even dress herself (with dresses all the time, which is a phase I know, just have to be patient with her), and I know she loves her family (although fights with her siblings sometimes), and has learned to be more expressive at school.

What I love most about her is her expressiveness and artistic ability - in dance, singing, and acting. She loves taking ballet classes, and listens to her teacher quite attentively, and of course, can sing all the camp rock songs and Taylor Swift.

I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Costco Pizza!

2010-11-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

First time we ever ordered a Costco pizza pie - half plain, half sausage. Not too bad. But don't think we will order a whole pie again. It really is a lot! :)

Good times....good fun....good food...good friends

2010-11-26T20:16:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Brooklyn to see Edwin's school friends, whom we hadn't seen in a long while. It was nice to see everyone and catch up, especially around this holiday time.

Here Emily and I take a self shot (random statement). Afterwards, we drove just a couple blocks down to have dinner with the extended family in Brooklyn Chinatown. That was nice as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T14:23:00.000-08:00

Vacation time....sort of

2010-11-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first day of my vacation this week. I was scheduled to take the whole week off from work, but as it would have it, I did a few hours this morning. I am really trying hard not to work this entire week, especially since I feel like I need the rest (my brain needs to, at least).

Trying to just spend time with the dumplings as much as possible. Although it's really funny how they just entertain themselves, while I am doing some chores and tasks, like cooking dinner. They play school and teacher and sing songs. It's cute. And almost like I don't need someone to watch them....(almost!)

Could this be?

2010-11-21T18:26:00.000-08:00

Gyoza is eating fruit after not having had any for the last almost 2 years!!! She tried canteloupe yesterday (in small pieces) for the first time, and seemed to like it. And then today she had a few pieces of green grapes, and said she liked it better than the canteloupe. I want to see what other fruits I can try to give to her that she will put into her mouth. Till this time, she had only been eating a few bites of banana on a consistent basis.

On another note, guo-te wore underwear for a few hours today, and didn't have an accident. It wasn't till we switched him back to the diaper that he peed and pooped. Could it be that he is aware of when he is wearing the underwear, that he doesn't go???? Hmmm....

I am hopeful on both accounts.

So as to not disclude xiao long bao in this post, she has been playing piano the last 8 weeks, and can now play "Row Row Row Your Boat and "Love Somebody". This week she is learning "Skip to my Lou". She is coming a long way - I am very proud of her.