Video Clip

here's a video clip from dilly's birthday last weekend. enjoy. i'll be back to blog.

[day 244]: falling behind

Oh, what! How many days has it been since I’ve last posted! Yes, I’ve fallen behind, but it’s all for the right reasons. I swear. I yearn for sleep and spend whatever time possible with my boys. I managed to feverishly blog today though. It felt great. I am so tired of falling behind. I love blogging because it’s a constant reminder that life is best when I’m around my boys. From time to time, I’ll re-read some of our favorite times together.

So, I’ve been back at work for two months and realized I have no career aspiration what so ever. I’m content with where I’m at in my career, but would be more content if I were to be a SAHM. For now, I’m forever grateful that my job offers flexibility, which gives me a work and life balance. Because I’m given this chance, I use this opportunity to hang out with my boys as much as possible. I would never squander it. I basically suck up how exhausted I am– the LA commute is a total kill- just to see them. I miss them a lot. There’s never a moment that I don’t dart to them after work. Then, of course, they smell like sweat. I basically shower for all four as soon as I’m home. It has been a routine. Yup, a daily routine – plus, they have to bathe again before they sleep.

It’s time for this mama to get some shuteye. Of course, I don’t blog without any picture or video. Here you go. These boys are my inspiration, life, and love.

Love my boys. XOXO

[day 204] hubby called it freaky friday.

i worked my five hours from home and after i was done, i had the tendency to get creative and let's be real - i was that crazy mama.

i dressed lan lan up to show my sis several new outfits i bought our queen (nellie). nellie and lan lan are 2 months apart. then it dawn on me that lan lan makes a beautiful girl! please tell me you agree. in fact, i enjoyed every minute of it. it was just a precursor to how our daughter would one day look like.. um... will i ever have one? i hope so. BUT, i'm am thankful and incredibly blessed to be given four amazing boys. they brought nothing but love and simplicity into my life. there are so many reasons why my boys make me feel like i'm the luckiest mama to be alive. lets just be real, they make me feel FABULOUS and sometimes, it could be a tidbit overwhelming.

love my boys. xoxo.

[day 203] i wanna be ....

As some of you might know, I pick yoga over the gym. I hope to be a yoga instructor one day. I love it so much! I only go to the gym as my last resort, if I can't make it to my yoga class. And, today was just that day. After a long day at work and being with my boys, I wanted to hibernate. Then, I looked at my husband who has worked diligently over the past year and a half to get his bod; I wanted the same for myself.  His confidence and energy level has taken a big boost, too. A simple stare at him entice me to get out of bed and head to the gym for 30-45 minutes (thanks honey boo-boo) Yeah, I know – 30-45 minutes is nothing, but at least it’s something.  Kids were already asleep. I really want to get fit for our boys and myself. I want to be that fit mom, but honestly to keep up with them. Working out gives me energy. 

So, I love that I have a partner who helps motivate me, too. Cause that’s how he rolls.  He’s incredibly lovable, giving, and accommodating when it comes to our family.  Sometimes, he’ll have this laugh that shows his capitulation. He’s right most of the time.  And, here’s the funny thing – I never listen and when he defeats me, his crazy self comes out!

How do I make time to squeeze in a workout session with four kids? 

(1) Having a structured family routine gives me my "me" time. My boys are tucked into bed around 8:00 - 8:30 PM and usually knocks out within 5 minutes. We trained Lan Lan to be on the same schedule. It's wonderful. If I missed yoga or feel the urge to work out, I typically do so after they're asleep.

AND

(2) Having grandparents to help babysit is awesome. My parents love spending time with their grandchildren and so do I. I don't ever leave our boys for more than 1.5 - 2 hours (2-3 times a week). 

What are you doing to stay fit?

Love my boys. XOXO

[day 202] homework time.

The house is strangely quiet. Well, our boys are asleep. They all go down between 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM, which works out for our family. I love soaking in the silence but I’ve grown to love the noise our boys cause throughout the day. Every evening, we’ve developed a new routine where they would just go into their room to do their homework.  Yeah, you can definitely say this is mamas after school special! Dylan doesn’t have homework since he’s in preschool, but he has his kumon books. Sometimes, he’ll color. Evan, on the other hand, just loves to color or dump the crayons out of the jar.

While they were kept busy, I walked from room to room putting my ever-ending laundry away. It was then that I looked up to take a picture of Aiden and Dylan to remember this moment forever.  

Ever since Aiden started school, I feel like he matured over night.  The other day, I was wearing Papa Dang’s boxer around the house. It’s loose and you know the phrase, “crack kills”. Well, my crack was apparently showing. I couldn’t precisely answer him back because I was in shock when he walked by to say “hey mom, you need to pull up your pants” and walked away!  OK, big boy! Whatevs. Haha.

He also made me proud when he earned his way to “rainbow” status at school. Whoever earns a rainbow, gets to pick out a prize. Well, I’m not sure what the prize consists of, but he came home with a box of 4 crayons.  I guess, he noticed that I always buy boxes and boxes of crayons. He said he got this today so that I wouldn’t have to waste my money to buy crayons for him and his brothers. Like, how amazing is this! It made me feel so fabulous and warm-n-fuzzy inside. His attitude reflects what I’ve worked so hard to instill.

PS Aiden wanted to feel his superpower. He did his homework in his superman costume.

Love my boys. XOXO.

[day 201] baby play.

dear lan lan. i kept you up for an extra 30 minutes when your brothers went to bed. i wanted to have mommy and me time with you alone. i love it when you squeal and squirm in delight every time we have a babbling conversation. i swear, you're like the coolest little dude in the world. tonight, we normally would have had our tummy talk session, but we played ball. papa took over the second half our time together. i don't want him to feel like he's all thumb and i'm the expert. and, really, i am, just kidding. i kept telling you how cute you are. This made you smile. I asked you if you think I'm funny and then, you answer best by having a mere laugh attack. tonight was an awesome night, but mama is SOOOO tired. love you. xoxo.

[day 200] taste the rainbow.

i'm still using the thinking chair as a way to discipline our boys, but ever since aiden started school, i decided to use his teacher's behavior management technique. i tried it at home over the weekend and it's working great. well, i take that back, only aiden and dylan are using the new technique. evan still uses the thinking chair for any disruptive behavior. 

each day aiden and dylan starts in clear skies. this is a nice and fresh beginning. their objective is try to earn their way to the rainbow, which shows that they've had exceptional behavior throughout the day. once they reach the rainbow, i would reward them such as taking them to the park or store of choice the following day. if he gets a stormy day, he has to explain what he did wrong and will not be able to engage in some of the activities with his brothers (such as playing outside). although, each boy gets several opportunities to move up to their clear skies. it just has to get done before the night is over. i love how it's working though. the key is staying firm and using positive reinforcement - do not let their cry or whine prevail. 

besides this, i ended up the night with this little love art from aiden. he must have snuck it there right before he got tucked into bed. simple things like this makes me feel like ive won a million dollar! thanks for making this mama feel extra special after a long work day. today, i will remember how happy you made me (not that you don't ever do).

love my boys. xoxo.

[day 199] a hidden gem.

treasure island beach.

it was our first time here and we were here for our friend's birthday picnic. i was surrounded by many good-looking beach go-ers (not comparable to Main Street HB where they would make my abs feel guilty for eating my favorite McD's filet o'fish with lettuce and tomato). so, our boys wanted to check out their new space. and that was when it happened. i asked for a picture and they obliged. we were right next to the rock so they all got up. it took less than 10 seconds to capture this photo with my iPhone. we were then approached by this man, who told us not to take any shell, which we didn't plan to, because it's a marine reserve. YOU GOT IT STRANGER. :)

we hung out for an hour before we headed towards our friend's picnic. oh yeah, our boys got a kick out of the seagull attempting to steal our chicken wings.  anyways, if you ever get the chance, head down to laguna beach to check out this hidden gem. it's located right next to the montage resort. it's so beautiful with a stunning view and relaxing ambiance. the water is clear, too. the only downfall is parking stinks donkey balls.

this could possibly be my new sanctuary.

love my boys. xoxo.

[day 198] big splash.

awww yeah, my girlfriend is getting married next year and today i headed to her bridal shower. i knew i had to set aside my attachment issues and just let loose and have fun. i gave my husband an extra help since he worked in the morning. i made sure all four boys took their nap right before i left to allow papa enough time to relax and shower before they got up. when i was getting myself ready, i was so upset that i ate a bowl of vermicelli and egg rolls for lunch - um, hello ---- i had to be in a bikini! i think papa got tired of me complaining. i couldn't help it. i was so hungry i totally forgot about my bikini wear. i knew i was going to be surrounded by a bunch of skinnies, too. 

it was an afternoon i wouldn't forget. everything was just simply amazing. when my bride-to-be asked me for a pic, i wanted to slip away. i'm not the girl who loves being in picture. i just couldn't say no to someone who's sweeter than mrs. fields chocolate chip cookies! .... voila.

after 3 hours, i was stoked to be back home with my boys though. It's where my heart belongs.

Love my boys. XOXO.

[day 197] hitting the waves.

after days of begging, we finally took our boys to the beach after picking them up from school. i basically packed their boy shorts along with all our beach necessities.i wanted to jump for joy when i saw how content they were. i watched their bond. i'm forever grateful that they share their bedroom together. you can just sense the cohesiveness they have and how strong their bond is when you watch them play and talk to each other.  it's OH SO AWESOME. i truly believe that keeping them together is the key. i'll blog about this one day.

yeah, i can say that the beach is our special place and it's so undeniably beautiful. i wished i could spend every day at the beach. today, felt like heaven.

p.s. it's official. i'm the coolest mom. i put them in awesome short shorts.

love my boys. xoxo.

[189] just do it.

i'm a huge sucker when it comes to good marketing. i always get asked how i do it with four kids. like nike's slogan, "just do it" - i can simply say that i just do it. i just don't do it, but i do it with passion and love. i could never ever look back in time and regret not having babies. it's not easy, but i accept the challenge with full force. i don't get much help unless i ask for it, but for the most part, i ALWAYS want to watch my kids and hang out with them if i don't have to be at work. and, i'm so proud of myself. i survived three weeks of work!!! i couldn't believe it. i guess returning part-time helped me with the transition.

the one thing i love about work is that i finally have adult interaction again, but the one thing i hate (just HATE) is being away from my boys. although working part-time these past few weeks was useful, it gave me a chance to enjoy a little break because i have major attachment issues. being able to leave early was awesome too. oooohhhhh, thank you thank you, to california family right act!  

i always look forward to picking up my four boys and spending the afternoon with them by myself. i don't ever get a break, but that's ok. love spills from my heart and into my soul when i'm with them. they can drive me crazy sometimes, but for the most part, i'm living my dream of being a mom. i still can't fathom that i have four boys. it's uh-mah-zing. i've been so blessed that i can't wait to have our fifth. 

today, i was playing with lan lan and evan while aiden and dylan were playing in their bedroom. i love to sprinkle them with love. yes. yes. i really do. i'm also thankful that my camera was in lan lan's room. i was able to take a few photos (ta-da, see below). lan lan still looks like a mix baby at times. 

love my boys. xoxo

[day 176] one of a kind.

Our bond continues to grow stronger and stronger each day. We have this unadulterated love for each other.  He envelopes our family with joy and warmth, but his smile, it’s contagious. I swear, he’s such a happy little man and I’m sure there are plenty of other babies who are, too, but to have one that I own is a different story. It’s pure awesomeness. He bleeds perfection.

The house was so quiet for about two hours today with papa dang being at work and lan lan sleeping blissfully in his crib. Aiden and Dylan were on their way home. it was just evan and i. after i finished feeding him, he went straight to the crayon jar. It was his way of telling me he wanted to color. I couldn’t resist. He elected to rest his head on the floor with his coloring book and crayon. I love our laziness of not sitting at the table. Clearly, we were relaxing and enjoying our time together. With his coy smile, I knew I just brighten his day because i gave him the attention he yearned for.

I’m proud to be his mama.

Love my boys. XOXO.