Korean BBQ and Oysters!

May 25, 2012 -- Korean BBQ!
In honor of Uncle Ratha's birthday, we ate in style!  This is the same Korean BBQ we have been eating at for many years... but now that a new owner has taken over, we are very impressed with the food and the service!

 My 3 favorite "boys!"

The next day we packed up the car and drove to Tomales Bay.  Vince bought a kayak that needed some use!
First stop, Hog Island Oyster Co.

 We picked this up!

 Next stop -- a very popular place this was!  It was so crowded that we were told we only had 10 minutes to park, buy our oysters, and leave!

 So we left and found a nice place to BBQ our own oysters!

 Everyone is excited and hungry!!!

 The secret sauce... Tabasco and lime juice...

 I even enjoyed a few!

After a nice meal Vince took the children out.

 That's MD in the front and MG in the middle.  They had a great time kayaking out, discovering different parts of the beach to explore, and observing bat rays!  They were very excited!

After a fun filled day, we packed up and headed home...  It was a long and windy drive home!  BLAH!

 But we were able to drive home crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on the day when everyone was celebrating it's 75th anniversary!

 When we looked beyond the bridge we saw the streets were crowded with people!  There were so many activities going on!  Happy 75th Anniversary Golden Gate Bridge!

Remembering Cong (my dad)

April 1, 2012
It was a blustery morning when we went to visit my dad to pay our respects and to remember him.

 But the children knew the reason why they were there and they all did their part:

 She's very detail oriented:

 Working together to get every area clean:

 We stood awhile to be in the moment.  E had lots of questions for dad... I'll spare you the details.  But  there were a lot of unanswered questions needless to say.  He's still trying to figure things out, that little guy...

 Then we went home to burn incense...

 My aunt was very patient and helped each child take turns with the incense.  She helped them say a few words in Chinese (as I wouldn't have had a clue what to say!)

 Down the line she went... 3 times for each child!  (i'm sure her back was killing her after this!)

 Then to the back yard to burn the joss paper:

 They did well until the wind blew the smoke in their eyes!

 Back inside to clear the table... What a spread, no?

Dad... we miss you...

A wedding!

April 31, 2012

We haven't had the opportunity to attend a wedding  (outside of work) in a long time.  Many of my friends are already married and now working on children... or already have children!  So it was a nice break to attend a wedding of my cousin - well, my cousin's son.  I hadn't seen him since E was a baby.

Baby girl (I know, she's no longer a baby, but she's still MY baby girl!):  

 Little one:

 And the middle!

 he had an important job this morning.  His job was to open the door for the groom when he arrived.  And he was to offer this plate of oranges... for good luck? (not sure... but the bonus was that he would receive a red envelope when he opened the door!  that perked up things a bit for him, as he was getting bored!)

 I was too busy and forgot to take a picture of the groom getting out of the car!  Anyway, here they are burning incense for his ancestors.    The tea ceremony followed and that lasted a bit... so we will skip that section for now!  (Hubby needs to download the family photo so I can upload here)

 The restaurant lunch reception was next...

 The children's favorite plate?  The fried squab!!!

 She ate 1 and a half!  :)

 These two enjoyed a few as well.  :)

 Then they took a break from eating...

 The groom and I:

 The groom's sis and I:

 His favorite part?  The CAKE!!!!

 The evening ceremony and reception followed... I was so tired by then to take pictures...  But here we are at the end... about to leave and saying our goodbyes!
To Groom's sis:

 To Bride (isn't she a beauty?!):

 And the groom:

What a beautiful wedding!  i wish we had more time to spend with everyone... but we had obligations at home that needed our attention so we left right after the reception.

Congratulation Allen and Zee!

Auntie Karen's visit

My sister came to visit!!!!  Here's E waiting for her train to arrive... and it just did!  He was so excited!!!

 After picking her up, we grabbed a quick lunch at the local Pho place.  Then Karen had an appointment to get her hair trimmed:

 Here they are waiting their turn...

 He had a nice cut while waiting for Auntie to finish. :)

 That evening we attended Uncle Matt and Uncle Leo's holiday/open house party.  MG spent some time drawing this pictures -- isn't it cute?!  She is looking at a figurine that Uncle Leo had on display:

 I love their tree!!!!  The blue theme is so calming to me...

 MD was pooped at the end of the evening!

 The next day we went to Happy Hollow Park and Zoo.  E loves the carousel -- today he rode the alligator(to start, that is, he rode a few more animals afterwards and through out the day!)

 MD was being very brave today.  He touched most of the animals and fed them too!  He was fine feeding all the animals BUT the zebu... and of course, I did not grab a photo of him.

 E gives it a try... but he wasn't too sure about it.

 Then we went into the barn and after some convincing, MG touched the miniature ponies!

 She secretly liked it but didn't say much...

 On the way out they met a skink:

 And how's this for some wild fun!!!!

Our last ride was on Danny the Dragon.

That night E drew a picture for Auntie Karen to take home.

It's a reindeer with a .... bushy tail?! ;)

We miss you already Auntie Karen!!!!  Come back soon and bring our cousins!