Merry-go-round

We spent the day with Trung's second cousin Amy and her family, who all came drove up from San Diego for a couple of days. We had breakfast at Jack and Jill and then explored Farmer's Market, Santa Monica Place, and the so-called merry-go-round on the pier. We went our separate ways soon after so that I could pick up Lydia from school and run errands. We met again for dinner at Star BBQ, an all you can eat Korean BBQ restaurant and they were pretty impressed, not to mention, stuffed.

Sophie's new pose...left eye close and shoulder up.

Snow and Tai came out to hang with us for a little while

Li and Joshua

Benihana

My $30 Benihana birthday gift card was about to expire, so Snow and I went there for dinner tonight. I hadn't been there in years, so it was fun "ooo-ing" and "ahh-ing" along with the kids at our table when our chef did little tricks. Maybe I'll talk the girls one day when they get a tad bit older and can understand what's going on.

Our chef

The loyal mom's night out gals

Manhattan Beach Revisted

We hadn't been to Manhattan Beach in ages, so Trung took a nice bike ride down and the girls and I met him there for brunch. It was a lovely, windy day with plenty of surfers.

Lydia looking for surfers

Surf's up!

Party and performance

After a 5 mile family jog this morning, I took the girls to Lydia's friend Natasha's birthday party at Virginia Park. It was our first time inside the clubhouse (the parties are normally outdoor with full access to the playground), but the kids were quite entertained popping balloons, playing with neon lights, and watching a magic show.

My princess and butterfly daughters

The best vegan birthday cake I've ever had

After the party, we went home and quickly got changed for Minji's concert at USC. We arrived a good 30 minutes late because 1) we are always late and 2) all but one of the gates to the campus was open. But we made it and got to somewhat enjoy the music, though the kids wouldn't keep quiet or still, so it was a bit rough trying to pay attention.

Flowers for Aunt Minji


The very talented pianist


The girls found a better use for bike racks

Under the Sea

Sophie attended her friend Kylie's birthday party at Under the Sea, an indoor play area with an "under the sea" theme. Ariel even came out and hung out with the kids for awhile.

Sophie and her friend Napoleon

The kids...more than half of them attend Sophie's class

Another sleepover with the Hansen kids

4 peas in a pod

The girls entertain each other pretty well.

Magicopolis

We had a group night out with five couple tonight. First we went to Border Grill for Happy Hour and then we walked across the street for an entertaining magic show at Magicpolis. Then evening didn't end there...more drinks and snacks during reverse Happy Hour at Border Grill. What a wonderful fun and the shared sitter was only $20 for five hours!

A night out with new and old friends

The Table of Terror

Valentine's

Sophie's class had a Valentine's party today, so we did all thing Valentine. The adults mainly sit around and eat and talk, while the kids are running around on a sugar high, but it's all good.

Our very own Funny Valentine

Mass Valentine's card distribution

Three hours in Disney

Since the girls and I are still recuperating from the week's sicknesses, we decided to sleep in and take it slow this morning. Trung and I cleaned the house from last night's monthly potluck, and then we drove all the way to Rowland Heights for some lunch. We went to Disneyland afterwards and hit back to back to back shows, and then left for dinner. A very easy going kind of day, just what we needed!

Still wearing their capes at the Disney Junior show

Watching some kind of dance-off and Mickey

The Aladdin show, where Genie busted out his new jokes

Photo op

The Boiling Crab for dinner...so tasty! The first location we went to had a 1.45 -2 hr wait, so we went to the new location 5 minutes away and waited 15 minutes instead. Lucky for us, the new location just opened on Wednesday.

Shrimp, crawfish, and crab (not pictured) anyone?

Calling all Superheroes

Sophie and I went to a Rustic Canyon park to attend her "classmate" Benji's birthday party. Older siblings were also welcome to come, but Lydia had a headache and decided to rest at home with Trung. We knew the majority of the kids from Sophie's Learning through Play class, so Sophie felt right at home. Benji's mom made capes for the kids for the superhero themed party and Sophie loved hers; Lydia got one too!

Sophie giving "the frown"

Cady and Sophie

Grabbing candy

The Lone Sophie Superhero

Getting Fraiche

The ladies and I went out Tuesday night to celebrate my birthday. Fraiche has become one of my favorite restaurants lately with their diverse Happy hour menu, so we went there. We had such a great time; what would I do without these nights out? Better not think about it. :P

My complimentary chocolate purse bought out by a super cute waiter.

Julie, Elizabeth, Jess, me, Christie, and Snow aka the ladies!

Playdates on my birthday

Since my birthday fell on a Monday this year, we didn't have anything planned for the day. So, instead, I scheduled a couple of playdates for the kids. In the late afternoon, Guro and her kids came over to hang out. We hadn't seen them in months since their Norway trip, so it was nice letting Norah and Sophie play while the mommies caught up. Then after school, Bella and Isabelle came home with us. The girls enjoyed playing dress up and Tickle Monster; it was nice getting a break from entertaining my girls by myself.

Dancing princesses

Sophie, Bella, Isabelle, and Lydia

Pure sweetness

Pre-birthday events

Trung and I started off the weekend with a morning run Saturday morning with Trung pushing the girls in a double jogging stroller. After getting home and getting ready for the day, we left our place too late for our brunch reservation at The Beachcomber, so we ate at Brodard instead. Stuffed and satisfied, we then killed some time at Downtown Disney, messing with legos and sipping smoothies. Then off to Mike's house for about an hour before leaving for my Aunt Monica's house for dinner. She prepared a delicious hot pot dinner and we barely had room for dessert, strawberry shortcake. A great beginning for my birthday weekend!

Build-a-Bears Ursula and Ariel at Downtown Disney

Birthday cake

Sunday morning we attend Saddleback Church with Mike and really enjoyed the message. The church was huge, but yet you didn't really feel lost in the crowd. After church, we ate Japanese Ramen and then headed back to Mike's place to watch the Super Bowl game. Go Giants!

The line outside of Chinese bakery 83 degrees, which was in the same complex as the Japanese Ramen. The bread was okay, but I'm not sure it was worth the 30 minute wait.

Launch Party

Our local mall, Santa Monica Place, had a launch party for their Kids' Club today. Held the first Wednesday of every month, the event consisted of a puppet show, face painting, a craft, and a raffle. It was a bit chaotic, but then again, what kids' event isn't?

A huge turnout!


The new Ciruqe de Sol bug show, Ovo, helped sponsor the event

Sophie helped out with the raffle

Sophie and I saw actress Alyson Hannigan with her daughter at the Farmer's Market on our way home. She walked right by our stroller!