Morning Shenanigans

There's something so beautiful about having three kids who wake up at a decent time and make morning easy.  Lately... I've had the pleasure of a joy filled routine, lots of smiles and happiness, and an overall content me, up until the 10 minutes before we make it into the car to get wherever we have to go (usually Jordan's school which is 2 minutes away...)  Then, for 10 minutes... I am frustrated, annoyed, and constantly repeating myself.  These bozos just can't get their stuff together sometimes!! 

Our routine is simple.  I don't want anyone bugging me until the alarm rings at 7:30.  I normally snooze until 7:45, and on lazy days, I lay in bed until 8 AM.  

My kids are relatively good.  Bubba can wake up anywhere from 6:45 - 7:30, but he's always the first of the bunch.  He likes to make his way into bed in stealth mode and whisper sweetly "it's morning Mommy, time to wake up!'  I politely inform him that the sun is not yet out.  He always says "Ohhhh" like a big epiphany, and then proceeds to play with some toy or book or go looking for Andy if he's still around.  For a while, he was up in time to send Andy off to work, but the realization that Andy was gone before he was up one day sent him in a panic as he roamed the house searching for Daddy.  It was actually quite bittersweet to hear faintly in the background but probably a little traumatizing for the poor boy. 

Jordan has started to wake up around 7:30 not that we've moved his bedtime up (we start bedtime at 7:30 instead of 8:30 now).  

Dagny is my best sleeper thus far, and I hope it lasts!  At her age, Jordan went down for naps and nighttime with a bottle easily too, but if he was tired without a bottle, no nap.  Bubba would never go down easily, he was our "just cry it out a little longer" baby and would only go down nicely with a bottle filled with gatarode.  

Dagny will legitimately acknowledge when she's tired or not tired.  If she's not ready for a nap, she'll shake her head.  FOMO (fear of missing out) is low for her, she knows the fun will always be there when she's awake.  When she is fatigued, she'll just nod when I ask her if she wants a nap.  Her naps are not consistent, but her bedtime can effectively start at 7, we sometimes push it until 7:30, and she will always wake up around 7:45/8 and just chill in her crib.  The only time I've heard her cry for us is when she's wet through her diaper and pjs or when she's pooped.  Third childs are awesome.  

Breakfast is fun and pretty low maintenance with my kids.  Eggs and toast, sometimes cereal too, and when we're feeling fancy on the weekends, we do pancakes, french toast, or if we're feeling REALLY fancy, waffles!  During the week, once I get them all situated, I normally get a bathroom break.  

The other morning, the boys greeted me in their costumes as I made my exit from the bathroom.  Bubba then brought over his old Captain America costume and told me Dagny needed it, which is great because he had been trying to fit into his old costume without much luck and a huge wedgie, and we kept advising him that it was for Dagny now that he had outgrown it.  "No, it my Catan Reca" he would tell me seriously.   Well..I guess he finally got it!

After we drop off Jordan at school, Bubba and Dagny get a chance to play together for a bit.  They're still parallel playing for most of the time, but every now and then, if Bubba misses that I've gone to put Dagny down for a nap, he'll come by wondering where she has gone.  

They're starting to get the hang of each other when Jordan's out of the picture and it melts my heart silly to watch.  I'm reminded to count my blessings when I reflect on the day and think of all the happy moments they've brought into my life.  It helps to counter the times I count sweeping the floor because of their eating skills (or lack thereof).  

Our Sunday Best

Even though I'm already dreaming about ways to dress my future daughters and their bedrooms, Sundays have become a fun opportunity for me to dress up my boys.  As for the weekdays, Jordan isn't a huge fan of dressing up and prefers work out pants most since they give him ample room to run as fast as he can (without them falling since he's so skinny).  So I've slowly moved away from collared shirts and nice sweaters and have instead opted for long crew neck shirts and comfy pants.  He prefers PJs most, but of course - we can only get away with wearing those for so long... after having my 2 year old ask me where we were going and why we were getting dressed, I decided it was okay for me to lounge all day in comfy pants, but that I should make it a habit to dress my kids even if we are just staying home to avoid a long discussion and rebellion.  

So now Sunday bests are a fun chance for a photo-opp!  

Gong Hay Fat Choy!

There's no doubt about it - despite teaching my son how to articulately express his Chinese New Year greetings in Mandarin with gong xi fa tsai! - the Cantonese version is much more fun to type and say... gong hay fat choy!!!!!

I am so ecstatic about Chinese New Year.  Ever since Jordan was born, I've been excited about sharing the story of the Chinese Zodiac and the Monster Nian, as I remember hearing it so many times at Chinese School growing up.  I also have been excited about having an excuse to share a bit of my culture with my son, who let's face it, will be American.  There's something about knowing your culture will slowly disappear into the melting pot of America that makes it kind of neat to celebrate and learn about.  There's also a certain amount of appreciation I have for how less common being Chinese is when you aren't living in Arcasia or LA, how little people seem to know about Chinese food and traditions, and how much I want to remember it all.

Chinese lion dancing...?  Seen it, been there, done that.. big whooop.  Chinese yo-yo's?  Seen it, been there, done that.. big whooop.  Chinese ribbon tying?  Seen it, been there, done that.. big whooop.  Stinky tofu?  Seen it, been there, done that, watched my cousin puke when he got a whiff of it... big whoooop.  8 treasure rice?  Yeah yeah... lobster noodles?  Yeah yeah... sesame ricballs? ... what's new.  BBQ pig... roasted duck... what's new.

But outside of Arcasia (and probably Fluschings New York), it really is not as common!  It really is kind of a big deal.

Have I told you how lucky I am to be in Salt Lake?  How much family we have here to celebrate with us?  After a year without a real Chinese New Year celebration, today was just what I needed.  We started off New Year's Eve (that's when our family celebrates.. always) by having a party with Andy's cousin and her three kids (with boys ages 4, 2 and a girl about 2 months... oh and another Chinese friend I made randomly in Salt Lake too) eating dumplings, green onion pancake, freshly made soy milk (she made it, not me), almond cookies and clementines, coloring a horse photo, opening lucky red envelopes and playing together.  And that wasn't even the end of it!  For dinner, Andy's mom got the entire family together for some amazing Chinese food and then we even got fireworks too (because in case you didn't know, we're connected to a firework VIP)?!  uh---mazing!  Terrific!  Wonderful! I was sooo stoked!!!!

So gong hay fat choy!  Hope you have a year full of prosperity and good fortune.

NOTE: Still learning my camera, had it on auto but apparently it was too slow for my son's insane movements.  Also, the toilet paper rolls - a craft we never got to - making Chinese firecrackers.

These Two Boys

When I found out I was having another boy, I was a bit nervous.  I had heard horror stories of my co-workers' two boys and the older one finding ways to hit the younger one when the parents weren't looking, to feign love but harbor resentment and disdain for the little brother that ruined big brother's days of royalty as the sole heir in the home.  From the beginning of our pregnancy with number two, we got books from the library about brothers, siblings, and baby.  Jordan couldn't even talk much then, was communicating with signs, a lot of gestures, and seemed to get it somewhat.  He'd have days when he'd be really into the "big brother" book we got, and other days when it was the last thing he wanted to read.  

And then I was in the hospital for two weeks before Bubba came.  Still not talking a lot at 23 months, Jordan just knew Mom was gong with Bubba and that Bubba was inside my stomach.  He had a great time with Grandma while Daddy worked and then... Bubba was here and Mom was back.  While Bubba was in the NICU for a month, Jordan still just heard about Bubba, would say "I love you Bubba" as we drove by the hospital, and finally... after almost forever, he got to meet Bubba through the looking glass of the NICU.  And boy.. was he excited.  And that excitement for his baby brother... maybe increased because of how long he was unable to see him and had heard of him, has only seemed to grow.  

Sure he pushes the limits from time to time.  Sure he doesn't understand why he can't just hold his baby brother whenever he wants.  Sure he tries to roll Bubba over and gets put into time out.  Sure he takes toys away from Bubba and makes him cry.  But most of the time, he's just learning and it's pretty dang sweet to see him look out for his baby brother.  Jordan will go grab a toy (albeit it a not so cool and lamer toy) for Bubba, will tell him his planes are not baby toys.  Likewise, he will eat Bubba's snacks and say he wants some baby snacks too, but then tell me that avocado is Bubba's food, not his.  He becomes really defensive anytime other people are around Bubba or other kids are trying to touch Bubba's toys.  Bubba is for the most part, his and Mommy's and Daddy's and everyone else is okay touching him, unless he's sick or tired or hungry.... then nobody can touch Bubba!  

I've been enjoying the perks of being able to witness their love for one another.  Bubba LOVES watching Jordan, he is a pretty great eater and generally focused, but the moment Jordan finishes eating and asks to be excused, Jordan runs out of the kitchen in the morning leaving Bubba cranking his neck here and there in an effort to catch a glimpse of big brother running in the hallway.  It's absolutely adorable.  You can tell he's got an inner struggle of - stay and eat, see what big bro is doing.  Bubba loves being with Jordan and if he's in the car without Jordan, he almost looks anxious until he can see Jordan sitting next to him, and then it's as if he's letting out a sigh of relief and then gives in and goes ahead and falls asleep.  If he's awake, 90% of the time, his head is turned left to stare at Jordan.  

Bubba had his 9 month appointment today, so Jordan got two lollipops and a sheet of four Superman stickers that he has transferred to his PJs to sleep with - it was a great day for Jordan! But it was also so so cute to see Jordan express concern for his baby brother - first while he was getting his shots, telling him "don't be scared Bubba" and "you'll feel better after" and then in the radiology room where he shouted from the next room (where the technician asked Jordan to sit and gave him a lollipop to help occupy him), "it's okay Bubba, don't be scared" (Jordan was just in the x-ray room over Christmas so he might have recalled Andy saying that to him). 

These two are (hopefully) going to be the best of friends!

The Best Kept Secret of Salt Lake City

We've discovered the best kept secret of Salt Lake City (though the Yelp and Urban Spoon reviews would claim otherwise because everyone is already raving about it).... Bombay House who?  This place was good AND affordable... and they have an all you can eat buffet Monday through Saturday for less than $10.  Score!  Only drawback is that it's a bit far.. in the Valley of Salt Lake.  But the owner also has an Indian grocery store linked to it, so you know their ingredients are super duper fresh!  

What is this wonder I speak of?  Zabiha Grill!  This was one of the places on our Wasatch Savings cards (you know those fundraisers they have the kids sell) and boy was it a find and I am so glad we found it now and will have four more years to dine there!

We're not Indian, nor do we know much about Indian food and its authenticity but this place was beyond delicious based on our limited Indian food tasting experiences.  Everything was so deliciously flavored, fresh, and the service was exceptional.  The chef himself even came out to talk to us - it's a whole in the wall kind of place, so it feels very warm and personable.  

Wedding in St. George

A lot of amazing missionaries graced my life during my investigation prior to becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints.  But among them all, two stood out - mainly because they were part of a then new initiative of church tours during an initial introduction to non-members of inactive members of the Church, but also because these two happened to be the two who baptized and confirmed me.  They were younguns when they taught me back here but now both are married!

We had the wonderful opportunity to attend the missionary who baptized me, Marshall Cox's wedding in beautiful and only 4 hours away St. George on Veteran's Day weekend.  I remember when these two boys taught me, they were slightly concerned for their own futures, wondering how they would get married because all these smart, handsome, and awesome guys in our Singles Ward were single (namely Andy, Jamison, and Quinn who were roomies that summer and all joking about how they should have married the first girl they could snatch after their missions). I still think they are awfully young when married (early to mid 20's) but I guess in the Momo world, most do marry young when they are dating to get married (and not to just hook up or have fun or sew their wild oats).  So....

he's married now!  

The other thing that made this wedding so special to us was that we got to see our good friends, the Knights and Wakatsukis (Lee and Banh - maiden names haha), from our Single Ward days.  Even more special was the fact that Lucy and I were both converts (we got baptized within months of each other) that Marshall taught and we were each others' answers to prayers about whether all this stuff was real or not.  It was so fun to be at Marshall's sealing, to sit there and witness his sealing, knowing he was at mine and that he was a huge reason I am where I am today.  It was so surreal and yet so absolutely touching and emotionally spellbinding.  I certainly felt the Spirit testify to me that this was a good thing and something to be super stoked for.  

Following the sealing, we hurried back to grab our kids, who were having a blast with Becky and her husband.  Jordan would run with Jesse and Becky would hold Bubba, but when Becky told Jesse to hold Bubba so she could run with Jordan, Jordan simply said... "no, you hold Bubba, you run with me."  It was so funny to hear Becky recount Jordan's shenanigans.  He really enjoyed the Knights' mansion of a home.  He loved walking down and up the stairs, running around, and yelling for "Jesse? Where are you?!" because it really was easy to lose someone in that huge house.  

And then off to the luncheon we went.  It was pretty much ALL family with the exception of the two Asian girls sitting at the back table with their Hapa husbands and my energetic 2 year old running around.  
The setting was so cute - they had apple cider with cinnamon sticks and brown sugar and it was just delicious - we drank enough apple cider for a table of 10 (we had the four of us plus the kids).

And then we went back to the Knights' home and everyone slept while I tried to do some work. 

Before the reception at night, we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get our wedding presents.  It was there that Lucy and I noticed how clueless we were before getting married around the house.  We went through their list, making our own decisions about what we should get them instead of what they requested.  In some instances, we got what we considered a "better" substitute, but in other instances, we just got him something not even on their list.  Hahaha.  We're so Asian like that.  

Once at the reception, we stood in line to greet the happy couple and their parents... ate a TON of wings, and then enjoyed our celebrity status as family members would approach us and tell us how fun it was to meet us, the investigators that they heard about in all his letters.  As the first person Marshall baptized, I was quite the celeb.  

It was really fun to talk with his family members, to share some of our "coincidences" from the good ol' days, and to witness Marshall so happy and with his new wifey.  I'm so glad we were close enough and that Andy was able to take time off so we could all go.  Good times were had!