River Camping

Towards the end of summer, Darin & I promised each other that we will have to go camping the next nice weekend after the Surfslam event. Darin was really looking forward to going boat camping out on the Columbia River...the spot where I've gone for a few years with friends way back when I was very young adult. So I was a bit skeptical about going back out there in such different circumstances...having kids and being a responsible adult! But my husband, being a very motivated and determined guy that he is, persisted and assured me that it will be a fun weekend. And sure enough, as soon as we got to the parking lot and backed the boat into the water, I realized that I was worried about nothing.

Aden literally spent the entire day in the water. It was so shallow that he can walk through the water, from the boat to the beach and he was totally having a blast! Kadence was a little bit under the weather which was a bummer but she was still able to join in on the fun. It was such a fun weekend, we're looking forward to going back there next year!

Surfslam 2010

What an awesome time we had at the annual Blowsion Surfslam event. The weather was absolutely gorgeous - better than any summer day! As expected, we were very busy with the competition schedule and all; we are so grateful that my sister was able to come with us this year and help out with the kids! She is such a trooper and such a great support for us. The kids just loved spending the time with her.

The best part is how Darin did so well. There were so many obstacles he had to deal with leading up to this event that it made me even prouder that he placed 4th overall! This is such a great accomplishment especially since this is only the second time he has ridden his new ski! He is such an amazing competitor and we are all so proud of all of his accomplishments. He will definitely always be #1 in our eyes!

DMB (mini) Tour

We did a road trip to California to see a couple of Dave shows. We went with Beth & Kenny, (without the kiddos!) and had an amazing time. It was like a trip down memory lane. We haven't gone to a Dave show with them in 5 years! Such a different kind of show-going experience for us. Instead of camping, we decided to stay in hotels since we're going to 2 different cities in 2 nights to see a show. It was the first weekend for us to be away from the kids, thanks to my mom & sister who took very good care of them. We missed them terribly, but it was also nice to be kid-free for a few days. We went golfing, swimming, strolled at the Fisherman's Wharf in SF, and of course, had a blast at the concerts. I already made D promise that we will go to atleast 4 shows in 2012...and I promised Aden that he'll see Dave again.

Special Treat

Favorite Past time

Lots of good memories from this summer...I love that both kids so enjoys being outdoors. Just a simple picnic lunch at a park brings lots of fun to our days...

Playground Fun

Our house is so close to a few parks, but our neighborhood hang-out is so handy for us...even on summer days, it's usually not packed at all. The kids enjoy playing there so much and the little miss has been such a dare-devil that she will go up and down toy structures all by herself and LOVES going down slides, if you can't tell just by looking at these pictures.

Views from the sky

The great Salt Lake:

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. Hood:

DMB in SLC

We had a lot of firsts this summer and for the first time ever, I decided to go see my beloved DMB in another venue. I got free tickets to the Salt Lake City show and conveniently enough, it was a great time to visit Jenn & Craig since they're temporarily (hopefully back home soon...) in SLC right now. It was a whirlwind trip, I flew in with another friend, Karly, and her and I enjoyed some "me" time, away from the kids for 24 hours! Huge thanks to my cousins Nico & Danice for holding down the fort for me and to my amazing husband who lets me do anything that my heart desires. I had an amazing time spending the day with Jenn & Karly, exploring SLC. The show was amazing (as expected) and went by way too fast. It was too short of a trip, I wish we were there longer, but I was also missing the kids and wished D & the kids were there with me.

Leading the way...

Finally captured them walking together, holding hands. Aden just loves holding his sister's hands and leading the way. One of the rare moments that she lets him control her.

Summer 2010 Recap

Where did summer go?!!! I CANNOT believe that it is October already. I have definitely been slacking on the blog lately. We had a fun summer, very busy and the lots of outings with the kids. We did lots of trips to the beach, camping trip with the Lims, Darin's family reunion and just enjoyed the sunshine! I took the kids to different parks and playgrounds to enjoy the sunshine and we had good memories with every outing we had. I'm so sad that summer is over, it seemed like it went by too fast

A room with a view

This might not be the best view for others, but I love that every time I look out of our bedroom window, this is what I see:

Is it pathetic that this toy structure is such a great sight for me? Maybe it's the fact that we were able to haul this thing to our home. Or that Darin and I moved this thing around multiple times by ourselves before we agreed to leave it in this perfect spot. Or that our kids love it so much. Or maybe, it puts into perspective the stage I'm at with my life, that I am a mom with TWO kids, who so enjoys being with my kids so much and seeing the joys in their eyes every single day.

Best surprise

Took the kids to one of our frequented toy stores knowing that a certain monkey will be there. I wasn't sure how Aden would respond to him, but this smile says it all:

July 4th weekend

We had lots of fun celebrating the holiday weekend at the beach with friends. At one point, I looked at the kids and it dawned on me that we have more kids than adults. It's sad to see that they are all growing up too fast but we're so glad that they are all so close in age that we know they will grow up as close friends!

Footprints in the sand

I just love seeing the happiness in Aden's face whenever we're at the beach and we are extremely thankful that he appreciates nature so much. Just the simplicity of walking on the beach makes him so happy!

Little girl

My baby is growing up so fast, I took these pictures while we were walking on the beach and she looked like a little girl!

Holding hands

This morning after Aden's swim class, as we were leaving the complex, Kadence finally held on to Aden's hands. Aden has been trying for MONTHS to have his sister hold his hand and she always gets so irritated and won't let him. I don't know if she feels like he's trying to contain her or what. It was one of those moments that I will always remember and I wish so badly I was able to capture on camera. The look on Aden's face was pure joy and pride. When I asked him if he's happy that Kadence finally let him hold on to her, he said "yes, it means that she loves me a lot". It was the sweetest thing - it brought tears to my eyes. I told him that his sister will always love him, whether she lets him hold her or not. He's the best big brother and he loves her so much, I just hope that growing up, they'll stay so close as they are now and feel so lucky that they have each other.

Little Miss Talker

Kadence is starting to talk a lot now, words that we can actually understand. It's been fun figuring out that she actually is saying stuff to us, we just couldn't figure it out before! Here's a little sample of her cuteness...