Good Investments - Kumon Workbooks

i've started aiden on kumon books when he turned 2.5 years old to prep him for preschool. i wanted him to be confident and motivated to learn. i always try to make it fun. they do have kumon learning centers, but i opted out and taught him myself. i started off with "my first book of tracing" and continued on with other books. it built such a great foundation in how to hold a pencil and aiden loved everything about it. it was also an incentive that every time he completed his "homework", he would be rewarded and would get to play a certain game he wanted.

Pumpkin Patch | Irvine Regional Park

Have I mentioned that our family lives for the holiday??  In preparation for Fall and Halloween, we visited our first Pumpkin Patch for 2011 at Irvine Regional Park (highly recommended). We didn’t mind paying the $5 parking fee for a little fun getaway. We love the view and scenery.  Admission to the Pumpkin Patch is free. Prices for activities vary, but they do have a child-friendly haunted house, picture stands, and a hay maze for free, if you’re not looking to spend money. Other activities included panning for gold, riding a hay wagon, carnival games, and pony rides. Sooo fun! I think I’m still a kid at heart and will always be.

Here are the loves of my life.

the haze maze was really fun for our boys. they were running everywhere. of course, dilly followed aiden in hopes of finding the exit. aiden was stoked when he found it and said "i did it!".

we can never get enough of all the pumpkins we saw.

our not-so-chicken son, dilly, went into the haunted house and wasn't even scared, while aiden declined and kept telling me he's scared of "monsters". we took our boys on the train ride around the park, but before we completed our trip, they had to ride on the pony. they are both obsessed with animals.

for $4 dollars, dilly got to ride on the pony while papa dang walked it. it was really cute. he kept smiling. a smile that melted my heart. they took the pony on 3 laps and then, it was aiden turn.

again, for $4 dollars, aiden didn't want the boring pony instead he opted for the horsey that jog trot. it was hilarious. he loved it when it was bouncing up and down. he didn't even want to get off of it. what a daring little man!

It was such a pleasant day spent with our boys and spending time together is always healthy. It wasn’t expensive and I hope that they understand one day that what makes a happy family is doing things together. It not only helps with building family strength but the importance of quality time spent together is what they should remember. Maybe, that’s why my life is so busy because I devote most of my time to them.  

Our weekends are always filled with activities, if we don’t have to be at any birthday parties or family event. However, our weekdays are kept simple. We don’t ever watch TV and lately started cuddling together in bed together to read Halloween books that our boys find to be exciting and enticing.  We’ve made it a part of our everyday routine each night before our boys go to sleep. It used to be on the floor in their bedroom, but we just recently changed it.
Love my boys. XOXO.

H&M presents Baby Loves Disco

We headed to the Block of Orange (it's called the Outlets of Orange now) to check out the Baby Loves Disco event. They had several activities for the kids and the DJ was great. The event was free. Our boys made their free puppet socks and got their balloon swords. Then, we headed home for our afternoon nap. Something I always look forward to, in order to refuel my energy.

Love my boys. XOXO

Sweet Love

this is what goes on in our home every 2 weeks. i'm glad our boys have their own personal barber aka papa dang. it makes it so much easier and doesn't even cost a dime!

Lion King 3D

We took our boys to see the Lion King on 3D. This was one of my favorite childhood Disney movies of all-time. We went for the experience with our boys even though we have the regular DVD at home. One, the immersive effect makes you think again plus the outstanding, exquisite animation won me over.  I couldn’t believe the movie made me cry again. I love how it teaches life lessons. It’s definitely a masterpiece drawn by the great music, storyline, and character development.

Aiden enjoyed the entire movie and didn’t want to leave. He asked so many questions and found the Timon and Pumba scenes to be hysterical. It cracked me up when he referred them to “Auntie Stinky”. Auntie Stinky is my goofy younger sister. Yes, that’s the name he calls her because she smells. Just kidding. Dylan was great for not being a TV or movie type of guy. He managed to sit still half the time until he decided to get up and walk. Not too shabby.

I love spending time with my boys even though there are days where they’re running a million miles an hour and I just wished that they would calm down. It’s the sugar, but more so, them being kids. Regardless, we are like peanut butter and jelly. I can’t live my life without them.

Love my boys. XOXO.

Week 24

i can't believe i've reached another milestone - yes, week 24 of my pregnancy and i'm feeling great.

　

our little peanut is such a night owl.  he's always awake when i'm about to get some shut eyes. i love all the dance moves he has been doing. as you've noticed, i'm getting big, but it's OK. i can't believe i have a little penis growing inside of me. i know that didn't sound so right, but i love everything about pregnancy minus the morning sickness. even with my pregnancy, i still clean DAILY. i can't stand a clutter house. while papa dang and our boys shower, i normally clean.  

　
my daily night routine:

- wash dishes and put them away in cupboard.

- clean toilet and make sure all the toilet seats are down. 

- empty all trash cans around the house.

- vacuum all the bedrooms. 

- double check to see if all the toys were placed back into toy box

- make sure kitchen counter is cleared of all trash.

- place dirty clothes from laundry hamper in bedrooms into another hamper for the following day wash

- get lysol wipes and wipe down counter or anything i see within sight that is dusty

- if our boys messed up our bed after their nightly pillow fights with papa dang, i will have to remake it before i lay back down to sleep. 

- take a shower and clean while i'm in there. 

　

after this is done, i normally prepare aiden's lunch and draw stick figures of our family on his ziplock bag with his snack inside. he always has a little message from me even though he can't read yet. 

　

i've always been this way and will never change. cleaning is part of my life.

tonight, after i finished my routine, we had art time and watched our boys paint for about 15 minutes. then, we called it a night by giving each other hugs and kisses. we have the same routine daily. it really helps because our boys are so used to it and knows when it's bedtime. basically, the moon is out. we pray. they get tucked into bed with their bears (yes, they sleep with their "friends"). the lights get turned off. we close the door. they quietly fall asleep. it's that simple.

　

love my boys. xoxo.

Pacific Coast Triathlon

He did it! He did it!

Yes, Papa Dang completed his first triathlon. He had this intrinsic motivation, which is basically the desire to do something from his own desire to accomplish his goal. If you know Papa Dang, he trained, but never thought he would be able to do it because of his pinched nerve on his lower back. But, he challenged himself to achieve things he thought was nearly impossible. This was one of his goals in life. What he learned after this first triathlon is that – never say never –

Let me tell you, it required ½ mile ocean swim, 12 mile bike ride, and 3 miles run. He finished in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Sounds pretty impressive to me! He told me that he enjoyed it because of the camaraderie of being around highly motivated and passionate people. Most of the people were in their 40s, 50s and 60s and were extremely in shape! Hell, this is awesome! Um… there were teens as young as 13 years of age, too! Double awesome!

I went on the triathlon website several times during the week to look at the route and determine how I would manage to take our two boys and my pregnant body on a trek to the finish line to surprise Papa Dang. I had a plan, but was convinced by Papa Dang not to go. He knows me well enough to know that I would show up. Haha! He said, I would have had to park my car and walk half a mile uphill to the finish line, which was true. OK, so maybe I’ll struggle with the extra weight I’m carrying but I wanted to be there! Then the plan failed since we went to my sister’s housewarming party and lost track of time. We didn’t get home until 12:30 a.m. and it was way past our boy’s bedtime. My oh-so-sweet girlfriend, Anh, volunteer to take me and drop me off to meet Papa Dang. However, plan failed again. Our boys slept late and didn’t wake up until 9 a.m. – I wanted to wake them up, but couldn’t because they needed their precious sleep.

I stayed up with my husband who couldn’t even sleep until 3:15 a.m. He said there was so much adrenaline running through his body filled with excitement. He even pulled out his hair kit to give himself a nice haircut and tried on his wetsuit at 3 a.m.! What a sexy man! Yes, I tell him he’s sexy daily. Honestly, how he managed to get himself to physically, mentally and emotionally complete the triathlon the way he did was a CHAMP. You go, Papa Dang! We are so PROUD of you!

We love you! XOXO

- B. Spears, Batman, Robin, and Baby Batman

Aiden's First Golf Lesson

Aiden started his first golf lessons in a group environment to see how he would do. It went pretty well.  There were about 8-10 kids and I lost track at one point. They normally do not start kids until 5 years of age because of their attention span and their ability to understand terminology that a 3 year can barely grasp. However, since Aiden showed an interest in golf at 21 months and can behave, we gave it a shot for the first time and the instructor agreed to take him. Aiden was the youngest of the group, but all the kids made him fit in.

The instructor was very patient. He would make a wonderful dad, if not already, based on my observation that day. He started off the lesson by showing the kids three different ways of gripping a golf club. He recommended that a 10-finger baseball grip with their thumbs pointing down the shaft was encouraged for now. Then, the kids took turn hitting the balls with the grip they learned and later moved together to the putting area.

For non-golfers, putting is the most important part of the game and it really takes technique and lots of practice. This is where Aiden came out of his shell when his instructor spent a few minutes teaching him how to putt. He concentrated and when he was able to score, he screamed out “I did it!.” Then, he said it again, “I did it.” Keep in mind; it was quiet until Aiden open his mouth. Ever since he started school, his personality has changed and he’s no longer shy. We sat from a distance (almost in hiding) so he wouldn’t be waving and screaming “Hi, Mommy!” I couldn’t bare but laugh because our little man was jumping in delight. He scored and made sure it was known to the instructor. He’s so goofy and makes us fall more in love with him every single day.

For Aiden’s 3^rd birthday, I had a sign that read “follow your dreams” on his dessert and cake table. As parents, I can say that we’re not envisioning our son to be the next “Tiger Woods”. That would cause harm to our guy’s dream. We’re encouraging our boys to grow with dreams of their own because these are dreams that they should follow and not dreams of what their parents envision their life to be. I’m sure there are parents out there who have a desire to dream for their children because of their tender age, but that’s NOT us. Honestly, all we want from our boys is to make sure they have fun with what they’re learning and are happy. If not, it’s probably not meant for them and they would never be pushed to do it.

For now, these golf lessons are just for fun and to put him in a new learning environment.

Love my boys. XOXO.

Meet our little golfer (a mini-me of Papa Dang)

Practice makes perfect.

The Thinking Chair

People often wonder what form of discipline we use on our boys. It’s simple. We’ve been using what we call the “thinking chair”. Before Dylan, we had the wall and the thinking chair for Aiden and later realized that the thinking chair was more effective than having Aiden stand at the wall. The rule of thumb is to set aside time out for one minute based on the child’s age.

We started to discipline our boys when they turned 18 months old. This was the perfect age in our book because they’ve developed language skills and can understand. We’ve incorporated bad behavior with the thinking chair. Nowadays, all we have to do is authoritatively say that if you don’t behave you’re going to the thinking chair and they will stay put. Nothing happens at the thinking chair besides the fact that they have quiet time and have to tell us what they did wrong. Then, we normally hug them afterwards to tell them we love them and not to behave that way again. The thinking chair is a boring place to be at and who wants to sit there when you can have fun.

If you ask Aiden what happens when he doesn’t listen, he will say “thinking chair”. Dylan also understands and would make this sad face. We’ve used the same chair in the nursery for a long time as their “thinking chair” when we’re home. However, if we’re out and about, we use different thinking chairs. It could be their car seat, restaurant chairs, etc. Chairs are everywhere and we normally make use of it, if we have to …

This is what happens in our home and if you’re a parent, I’m sure you have your own ways too. This is what works for us and we’ll continue to use it.

Happy Thursday!

Love my boys. XOXO.

Week 23

i know. i can't believe it either. there's a picture of me. 

the heat is definitely not fun when you're pregnant, however, i spent most of my day inside my office (yes, my igloo) and had no idea how scorching hot it was until i left to pick up my little man from school. it never cease to amaze me that with this pregnancy there are moments where i forget that i'm pregnant because i'm so busy with my two boys at home. however, i love the fact that i'm pregnant and don't care that i've expanded like a balloon. i've already gained 20 lbs. and probably have another 15-20 at the rate i'm going. it's a really, really special time for me. i love the feeling of my son wiggling and kicking inside of me throughout the day. i love that papa dang and i talk about what it would be like to have another son and the excitement we have to add another boy into the mix. i love to dream and have butterflies of what it would be like one day to be a mom to three boys. i love that my two boys kiss their baby brother daily. i wished i can fast forward because i'm so anxious. another 17 weeks to go before i take part in witnessing another miracle of life. gosh, i'm so thrilled and i hope you are too!


being pregnant is so beautiful.


love my boys. xoxo.

Labor Day: An Evening at Balboa Island

Ever since Aiden started school, we’ve changed our boys sleep schedule since they share bedroom and they’ve been tuned to wake up at the exact same time daily (7 a.m.). Today, Aiden walked into our room and said he had to go pee at 7:04 a.m. Yes, I actually looked at my clock. I wanted to sleep in for an extra hour and told him to come lay with me. Aiden looked back at me and smiled, he said “mommy, the sun is out. i’m not tired.” After this, Dylan comes storming in and my morning started.

Papa Dang had to work in the morning wee hours and I took our boys out to the South Coast Plaza for a nice walk before we met up with my girlfriends for lunch. Nothing is ever confirmed about what we would be doing later in the evening, but we always like to do something. Because our family loves the water, we decided to head down to Balboa Island for the evening after our boys took their afternoon nap. It’s a very inexpensive and relaxing outing if you ever decide to go. Instead of driving there, we decided to take the auto ferry to give our boys a chance of experiencing something different. Both got a nice thrill from it. The ride was short (less than 5 minutes). It cost $1 for adults and children under 5 are free.

Speaking of which, there are fishes under the water and being that Aiden is three years old, he has these fantastical imagination or would I say thinking of things while we were on the ferry ride like: “mommy, I can’t find nemo.” I insisted he sit and scream out Nemo’s name to see if he would come out to play. Both our boys marveled at all the boats they saw from a distance, too. It was a peaceful little ride and here we are at Balboa Island. I can’t believe I haven’t been back since 1998. This was one of the places Papa Dang took me to while we were dating.

For $3 a person, Papa Dang took our boys on the Ferris Wheel and they went gaga over it. Afterwards, we strolled around the shops. I’m going to make sure I try their chocolate covered bananas next time since they’re well-known for it. We ended up on Balboa Pier. Our boys played in the playground for a bit before we went to sit on the sand together. Plus, our boys love to play in the sand, build sand castles, and watch the birds. Basically, just the endless fun they have there. We didn’t prepare ourselves with drinks, towels, toys this time, but rather made use of our time there and allowed our boys to get down and dirty. We allow them to be in charge of their own little world while we watch them from a close distance. We believe in the power of play in hopes of leading them into happier and healthier kids. It’s a good practice for their gross motor skills, too!

The beach, as you may know, is also one of our family favorite spots. Not only is it free, but there are so many things we can do here. It’s also a great place to relax and let go of the daily stresses of life. Nevertheless, today was well-spent and I got to spend it with my favorite people…..my boys.

Love my boys. XOXO.

my boys relaxing and getting ready to leave.

our view of balboa island from the auto ferry.

p.s. i only took a few pictures and wished i took more.... next time! :)

Superhero Lovin'

meet mr. fearless and mr. goofy.

aiden tyler dang | 3 years, 6 months
dylan "dilly" tyler dang | 1 year, 10 months

i've been feeling great and decided it was time to take pictures of our not-so-little anymore sons. it took us about 10 minutes to complete this shoot. kids have a short attention span especially our boys. anyways, papa dang and i just let them do whatever they wanted and i just snapped away. honestly, i love to document our sons live and i love to take pictures. ever since my first trimester (with my current pregnancy), i was so weak and fell so behind. for 5 weeks, i thought i was slowly dying. yes, i know a little dramatic. and ...it was time to take pictures today. i was actually in the mood. papa dang thought i was joking  when i said "leggo, leggo ... take pics of our sons after their nap." haha! both our boys are currently in the superhero phase. they love batman, superman, ..... you name it! i couldn't think of a better theme than this. it took me 5 minutes to gather everything and voila!

here's dilly hugging aiden. out of nowhere, aiden asked dilly to hug him (which he does quite frequently) and he actually did. he's not the affectionate type and caught us off guard. 

mr. fearless aka clean freak is fixing his shades. i wonder who he took after? haha.

dilly waves to random people and things. here he is waving to a passing airplane. aiden was busy with his mini-batman book as you can see.

our "superman".

uh-oh! chet! dilly just did his hand signal to go "potty".  yes, he's 99.9% potty-trained except when we go out we have to put a diaper on him (in the event, we can't get to the restroom on time). 

our superheros in disguise ......

so.....there must be a reason why i'm surrounded by boys only. i could never get a boy to love me the way my husband and sons have. when i found out i was having my first boy, i didn't know what to do and broke down in tears. i've always been surrounded by girls (coming from a family with only girls and mainly girl dominant cousins). i'm glad i've been blessed and am so thankful. they're my everything now. i love the challenges they bring into my life.  honestly, they've taught me so much more about life, myself, and God. and, i'm always busy because i love spending my days with them. it's the only way i'll get to know them better.

you will soon realize that i'm addicted to my boys.  i can't wait to meet our 3rd son coming this winter.

i love being a mom and will do everything in my power to be a good one! 

love my boys. xoxo.

Sand Fun | Huntington Beach, CA

we wanted to take a quick one day trip to vegas to go watch the lion king, but since the I-15 had some closure due to the fire on friday, we didn't want to take the risk. instead, we headed to the beach for some sand fun. papa dang took his rode bike out to the beach early in the morning and said it was "perfect" weather to take our sons after church. there were some high tides going on, so they pretty much stayed on shore and played with the sand.


papa dang decided to see if aiden would be down to get buried in the sand. he dug a small hole and our not-so-scared-anymore "batman" went in. he thought it was funny and later said he rather stay in the sand to stay warm. it was a tidbit chilly with the breeze. plus, it was overcast, but the sun made its way about an hour later.

our boys love the water and i'm glad some made it up close enough to where we were 'chillaxing". aiden was basically doing his own thing and dilly always look for random things to pick up. yes, our fearless son!

papa dang took dilly out to put his feet in the water. the place where he always want to be at and would dive straight in if we didn't have our eyes on him. aiden decided to continue his play in an enormous hole that someone dug up. he met a little guy friend that he started playing with. then, he rolled some sand into a ball and told his "new" friend that was poo. how embarassing!

a simple day at the beach always bring a smile to my face. i like the tranquility of being there and i'm sure papa dang and our boys does too. besides, we were there together as a family. our priorities changed once we had kids. we're always looking for things to do with them because we want to spend time together........... it's I M P OR T A N T. :)

love my boys. xoxo.