DT turns 3!

Admittedly we're a little behind with posting this, but our handsome DT turned 3 this summer. We had a fun birthday party at the duck pond, and GM & GP Y happened to be visiting also. For his birthday all he asked for was 2 more each of his "favorite red car" and "favorite green car" hotwheels. Mommy and Daddy were happy to oblige.

little gymnast

He's matured quite a bit since turning 3. He start preschool in the fall, and the teachers have been really impressed with how well he is getting along with his friends and teachers. He even started the routine of hugging everyone hello and goodbye, so now everyone in school does it. We have him go to preschool by himself without Junior on Mondays. At first he didn't like going alone without Junior and would complain. Now Teacher Debbie thinks he's really grown as an individual little person thanks to those solo days.

First day of preschool

Getting tall

Lazy summer

pj pic

The summer flew by this year. Mommy wasn't working for most of it, but with 3 little guys requiring attention, it was hard getting out of the house to do too many summer activities. We mostly went to the local parks and playgrounds when we got the chance.

School's out for summer!

DT dtops sand on Junior's head.

No pictures!

free wheel

New addition

In March we welcomed new baby boy to the family. We kept baby's gender a surprise, and everyone except for Grandpa Y thought we were having a girl. Even at the very last minute, the OB said she saw a lot of hair so she's also betting it's a girl. When the little one came out and the doctor said "It's a boy!" everyone was surprised and laughed with joy. We've decided his code name will now be "HMC". More on that later.

Jr and DT came to the hospital to visit the following day, and both were so excited to meet their new little brother. Ever since he found out that a new baby was coming, he voiced his preference for wanting a little sister, "because I already have a brother". We tried to prep him beforehand that the baby could still be a boy. He didn't really understand why we couldn't just pick the gender and would say, "but I want a sister." We were a little worried about what Jr would feel once he found out that he has another brother, but thankfully Jr is really attached to HMC. Jr will always come over to give his baby bro a kiss and say "Love ya, Buddy!" DT too will try to kiss him wherever he can, saying "He's so cute!"

DT is very much a little boy now. He can speak much better so that strangers can understand almost everything he says. He and Jr are having full conversations (as much as little boys can have). Not too long ago they were working on a coloring page together. Jr was coloring while DT was picking out the colors. Mommy was eavesdropping and overheard DT complaining, "Don't go out of the lines." Jr retorted, "I'm doing the best that I can!"

We stopped going to Gymboree a few months ago. It was just too busy on the weekends. Both Jr and DT are still going strong with swimming lessons though. Jr is in level 3 and can swim several laps. DT is still in the toddler class but earned his level 1 ribbon a few months ago. He loves the water and gets so excited once he's in the pool.

So HMC means "Hot mess C" because this little guy has trouble keeping his milk down after eating. We basically need to do a full load of baby laundry every day. Despite this, he is still growing like a champ. He was born the smallest of the 3 at 6 lbs 8 oz. By his 2 week appointment he had gained a full pound. At 7 weeks old now, he is starting to coo and smile a little. He especially loves lying on his changing table and kicking his legs. So far we think he's the most relaxed baby of our 3 boys.

closing out 2015

Lego death star

It's been a busy last half of the year for us. In July we took a week long family vacation to pleasant San Diego. The main purpose was to visit LEGOLAND, and it did not disappoint. The boys loved it there. We weren't planning to go for so many days, but we ended up spending 3 days there. There are so many rides and fun lego creations, it was their fantasy world. Junior was tall enough for most of the rides, but he still declined to go on the rollercoasters. DT was too short for all but a handful of rides, but he still had fun. We went on helicopter ride several times as a family, and the kids enjoyed the little kid train ride repeatedly. DT was able to get his afternoon nap in the stroller most days without a problem.

We also spent a day at Sea World and the Zoo Safari Park.

Preschool

Junior is the big kid in preschool now that he's in his second year. Most of his close friends graduated last year, so we were wondering how he would like school. The first week or so, he would mention that he missed his old buddies. He soon got over that and is now having a lot of fun with the other kids. His teachers tell us that all the kids love playing with Junior, since he has the best ideas and is so full of energy. He's also "very independent", which I'm sure can mean both good and bad things.

For his birthday this year, he wanted to have his party at our house so that he could share all his toys with his buddies. We had 5 of his closest preschool friends over for a day of fun.

DT started walking with Junior and Daddy to preschool every morning, and spends a few minutes playing there before the rest of the students arrive. DT absolutely loves preschool. He always wants to stay for longer, and it's often very hard for Daddy to bring him back home. He'll start preschool soon enough, and at least we know it will be an easy transition.

New York

Mommy's cousin got married in NY, so we all took another trip out to the big apple in November. Unfortunately Grandma and Grandpa Y had just opened up their store, so they were really busy with its operations. We still got to spend some time with them, and Junior and DT seemed to like playing at the laundromat. Whenever we see one now, Junior will say "Hey, that's a laundry-mat!"

We stayed at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa K for a couple of nights. We were able to get 2 connected rooms, so the boys had fun running back and forth and hanging out at the grandparents side. There were 4 full size beds between the 2 rooms, so Junior slept in his own bed in Grandma and Grandpa's room. He enjoyed having a mini sleepover with them.

The wedding was beautiful, and mommy's cousins have a lot of children that are around Junior's age. Junior really loved playing with them and sharing his cars. He was very sad when it was time for us to go. Too bad that they live so far away from us. Every once in a while he will still ask when he can see his new friends again.

The flights this time were much more civilized than our last experience. From now on, we will have to choose flights that depart and arrive during normal waking hours, and make sure to pack a wide variety of movies downloaded onto our laptops.

Daddy, make the car loud!

"Daddy, make the car loud!"  I heard this from the back of the minivan on our way to the library.

"What do you mean Jr, turn the radio louder?", I ask.

"No, make the car LOUD."

"I don't understand; what do you mean?"

"LOUD like the convertible!"  He must have heard a loudish convertible earlier.

So I asked "Do you mean like this?" as I rolled on the gas as the light turns green, hoping for some sweet Sienna V6 engine notes; I wasn't expecting what really happened.  The engine roared, and the tires spun with a loud squealing sound, shaking the van as we laid down some rubber.  Jr and DT loved it, and now they ask to make the car loud every time we ride in the van.

East coast visit

We spent two weeks in the east coast again visiting grandparents. First we flew into DC on a direct flight from SFO leaving in the early hours of the morning. The kids were so excited to travel that they didn't even complain when we woke them up before 6am. Their excitement turned against us when they refused to sleep on the flight. We survived, and landed in a hot and humid DC area. Grandma and Grandpa K picked us up from the airport, and we had dinner with Mommy's aunts, uncles and cousin before driving back to DE. We spent almost a week at Grandma and Grandpa K's house, where the first activity was getting haircuts by Grandma. The week was filled with other day trips and activities like going to church, the mall, the childrens museum, Thomas the train in Amish country. The kids also spent a lot of time just playing at the house. Grandma K had borrowed so many toys from her friends in anticipation of our visit. The kids especially enjoyed the train set.

DT's haircut

Strasburg, PA

The Please Touch Me Museum, Philly

The second half of the trip was spent with Grandma and Grandpa Y in NY. We ended up renting a car to drive up this time, because it was cheaper than taking the amtrak and we needed the extra car to get everyone around while in NY. The first agenda here was getting everyone's teeth checked by Grandpa. The rest of the time was spent playing in the sand, running around in the house, eating popsicles.

summer treat

Auntie M and cousin DD came a few days after we arrived, just in time for the July 4th celebrations. We watched fireworks from the backyard and went to bed late that night. Mommy and Daddy broke away from the group for a few hours one of the days to go watch Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. It was a nice date. We met up with Mommy's friend for dinner and Grandpa's brothers for dimsum and then the time to go back home came all too quickly.

The flight back home was even more challenging than the first. This time the departure time was too late, and again the kids were too excited to sleep. DT didn't understand why he couldn't run around when he wanted. He ended up crying so much he puked all over himself and Mommy. Luckily there was a change of clothes for him, but poor Mommy wasn't so lucky. All in all, the trip was a fantastic one. We will just plan better next time for the flights. 

DT turns 2 and Train weekend

Our little guy turned 2 last month. He is so active and talkative now. He loves to copy whatever Jr does or says. They both love to run naked around and around the house before getting in the shower. Their favorite bath toys are bottles to keep filling up and dumping out at bath time. DT loves to dance and sing his favorite Chinese song. His favorite song to dance to is the gymboree song.

kid's table

DT blows out his candle

For father's day weekend we went on a weekend getaway to Sacramento to check out the train museum. We decided to make it all about trains. We took the amtrak train from Fremont to Sacramento early Saturday morning. The train ride was 2.5 hours and comfortable. The weather was hot and dry in Sacramento, but manageable. The train museum was very nicely done. We saw all sorts of trains both big and small. The kids loved staying at the holiday inn, especially jumping from bed to bed. DT ended up peeing on the carpet, which was Mommy's fault for letting him run around without his diaper.

on amtrak

Old town Sacramento

train museum