Bay Area Discovery Museum

Today was a gorgeous fall day - azure skies with not a cloud in sight. We took advantage of the 75 degree weather (in SF no less!) and spent the day at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, one of our favorite kiddie places because its educational and fun all at the same time. The last time we were here was New Year's Eve and Lucas was only 3 months old. He definitely enjoyed himself much more this time! As always, Cruz loved digging in the gravel pit, climbing the ship and creating his own art pieces.

Another great day spent as a family creating memories, and for that, I am thankful.

Balancing Act

Enjoying a water feature

"Fishing"

Watching bullfrogs blow bubbles

Enjoying the warm weather

Lucas loves music

In the art studio

Re-fueling

He had so much fun at the "stream". Cruz loved this area too when he was little :)

Picture perfect weather

Halloween 2012

Despite falling midweek and rain in the forecast, we managed to get the boys out for trick or treating for a good solid hour. This year Cruz was a handsome fireman and Lucas was a Dalmatian! They were such a cute little pair. Happy Halloween everyone!

Lucas hates hats but obliged for Halloween!

Trick or treat!

Alot of the excitement is just ringing the doorbell

A tiny trick or treater

Love my little guys!

Happy birthday Lucas!

I blinked and Lucas went from being a newborn to a feisty little one year old! His first year went by much quicker than Cruz's and I think that's the way things go once you move on to multiple kids. There is so much going on all the time that the days, weeks, and months seem to move at warp speed. Nevertheless, here we are celebrating my baby boy's milestone birthday =) 

His birthday fell on a Wednesday so it was a regular work day for us, but I wanted to still do a little celebration at home with just us 4. I grew up with the tradition of eating noodles on our birthdays to symbolize a long life, so I picked up chow mein from our fave chinese place. Lucas had never had it before and loved eating the noodles and broccoli.

Instead of a cake I opted for chocolate cupcakes, which was another first for the birthday boy.

After Cruz helped blow out the candle, we let Lucas have at it with the cupcake. To our surprise, he didn't shovel it in his mouth like we expected. Instead he played with the frosting and got it all over his hands like he was finger painting!

Squishy icing

Finally takes a taste after manhandling the cupcake

Not bad...

He definitely had more fun smashing the cake than eating it!

The following Saturday we had a big Little Monster-themed birthday bash at my dad's house. Pics to come in a future post. There was a time when I didn't know if I wanted to have a second child or not. And while I believe that we have a hand in how our life turns out, I also believe that some things are our destiny. I am so thankful that it was my destiny to be so blessed a second time with my son Lucas. He is a mama's boy and I cherish every minute with him. Happy birthday to my baby!

Cruz's Thoughts on Halloween

Saw this at Cruz's parent-teacher conference tonight. I love it!

34 Revolutions

This past weekend I celebrated 34 revolutions around the sun...or in other words, my 34th birthday. I took some time to reflect on my life thus far and where I am today, and I am filled with so much gratitude that it's hard to put it into words. I am married to a man who loves me unconditionally and has been in my corner for the last 19 years (yes I know, it's insane to me too). I have two sons who are healthy, happy and the light of my life. I am surrounded by family and friends who support me in good times and bad. I have a great job with a company that I'm proud to be a part of. I have a roof over my head and I'm able to provide for my family financially. I am training for my first half marathon. Life is good. GOD IS GOOD. 

On Friday, my actual birthday, Randy and I dropped the kids off at daycare and drove in to the city. First order of business was a mani/pedi for me at Sutter Nails. Randy went to the Apple store to check out the new iPhone 5 release, and to my surprise, he picked one up for me! It's so cool, bigger but lighter than my 4G version. Next stop was lunch at Wayfare Tavern, yet another restaurant on my long list of places-to-eat. Unfortunately I lost the pics I snapped of our food, but boy was it good! We shared deviled eggs and lobster corn chowder for appetizers, then had fried chicken and seared ahi tuna for our entrees. The food was so flavorful, perfectly cooked and totally satisfying. That Florence Tyler sure knows what he's doing! 

After lunch we did a little bit of shopping in Union Square, and on our way back to the parking garage, we came across a free exhibit by Hermes. Talk about a find - actual Hermes craftsmen were set up at different stations, showing people how their products are painstakingly made by hand. Hermes is known for their astronomical prices, but after seeing the craftsmen at work, I have a new appreciation for the artistry and skill that goes into each of their products. What a treat to find this exhibit!

My birthday ended with a family dinner at Korea House in Concord. My dad, Auntie Girlie, Ate and family were all there and we feasted on some of my favorite Korean dishes. So delicious! Instead of a cake, we shared a variety of bundtinis - adorable little Bundt cakes. 

But the birthday celebration didn't stop there! Thanks to my awesome hubby we had a spa treatment and an overnight at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn. But first, we stopped for brunch at Boon Fly Cafe. 

Famous donuts

B.E.L.T. Sandwich - so good!

It was such a luxury to spend one on one time with Randy, read magazines poolside and sip on champagne in peace and quiet. We rounded out the day with a delicious dinner at the beautiful Farm Restaurant at the Carneros Inn. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday.

The mineral soaking pool in the spa

Randy enjoying the hot jacuzzi

Fresh snacks in the spa lounge

Pretty fountain with my favorite flowers

Cheers to another year of life!

Ariela's Shower

I've had the pleasure of helping plan a baby shower for one of my dearest friend Ariela, and two weeks ago we had the wonderful celebration. Ariela was one of my college roommates and I'm so fortunate that she (as well as my other roomies) have remained very close ever since, despite being geographically distant. Ariela is the last of our little group to get married and have a baby and I could not be happier for her as she begins this new chapter in her life.

The gal to the far right is our good friend April - she wasn't one of our roommates but we also met her at Davis and have remained close with her as well.

I planned the shower along with Ariela's best friends from high school and it was a fun, intimate event. After much research we settled on Sugar Cafe in San Francisco as the venue. By day it is a cool, hip little cafe near Union Square that serves coffee, breakfast, sandwiches and other light meals. In the evening it turns into a night spot with small savory bites and alcohol - so versatile! We kept the shower to the daytime portion =)

There were only about 15 guests and we had a private room/balcony space that was open and overlooked the cafe below. We snacked on puff pastries filled with mac-and-cheese, mushroom empanadas, chicken skewers and mini sliders. Ariela's sister brought mini cupcakes from Kara's Cupcakes for dessert. I was in charge of games and we played some of my "oldies but goodies": word scramble, Name that Baby Animal, crossword puzzle and the ever popular memory game that I've dubbed "Pregnancy Brain". It's like the old-fashioned card game Memory, but baby-related of course, and also related to a candy bar. I know, I know, you're like "whaa?? You lost me at baby-related". Check this out for a very similar version that I just tweaked a little to get an idea of what I'm talking about. It's soooo much fun! It's also pretty unique in that most people haven't ever played it before. 

For a guest activity I found a great tutorial here to make your own baby hair clips. Since Ariela is having a little girl I thought it was perfect. It was so easy, fun and anyone can do it. The guests enjoyed the activity and now baby girl will have hair clips made for her by her many "aunties"! 

April, Lucas and I

April, Cruz and the mama-to-be

Since Ariela has recently moved to the East Coast I am especially glad that I had a chance to celebrate with her on this very special occasion. I cannot wait to meet her new bundle of joy at the end of the year!

Naughty Lucas

Even as a newborn Lucas was very different from Cruz. He didn't need to be held as much, tolerated the baby chairs and carriers better, didn't complain in the car seat like Cruz did, and more importantly, was not nearly as fussy. He didn't need to be rocked to sleep and began sleeping through the night by 4 months (compared to Cruz's 10 months). Basically Lucas was a calmer, more mild-mannered newborn...however, a new side to his personality is emerging and it's a doozy!

At 11 months old, Lucas is more of a handful than his brother ever was. He gets into everything, climbs whatever he can and makes it impossible to take our eyes off of him! He is a spirited, determined little monster and keeps us on our toes. See for yourself...

This day I caught him in the bathroom (in the dark no less) standing on top of the stool that Cruz uses when he washes hands and brushes his teeth)

Here he is about to jump off a storage bin after he finished playing with the light switch

A favorite pastime: emptying the dishwasher of clean dishes and throwing them all over the kitchen floor

He constantly pulls books off the bookshelf

And this is what happens when I have to use the bathroom (quickly) and leave him unattended for a few minutes.

Despite feeling like a tornado sweeps through my house on a daily basis, I love his big personality. He makes me laugh every single day and I am so appreciative of that. I imagine that one day I'll look around at my neat and tidy house and will miss the little tornado because I'll know he's grown up =(. I'm cherishing the moments while I can.