Successful Sleepover

M and I had an adult-only wedding to attend Friday night, so the kids stayed over at a friend’s place (they have two boys and their older son used to be in the same preschool class as big sister K).  Big sister K has been looking forward to the sleepover for ages now, but I was worried that baby M wouldn’t do as well (I started prepping him weeks ago).  He usually sticks to us like glue, so I was afraid he’d be crying up a storm at night time when he didn’t have mommy and daddy there.  To my surprise, he did really well and didn’t cry at all!  I was told he only woke up once at 3:00am and asked to go pee pee, but he went right back to sleep afterwards.

 

It was our first time ever without the kids (almost six years… sad huh?).  I am extremely grateful for having such wonderful friends to watch them, though it felt weird not having to constantly run after the little munchkins (definitely not used to all the peace and quiet!).  The kids had a blast and came home Saturday morning all smiles.  I’m sure big sister K will be asking for another sleepover in the near future.

 

Hubby and me at the wedding...

Back On Track

After a month of sabbatical, I can finally resume my blogging.  New laptop has been purchased (it's been about two weeks now, though this is just my first time using it), so I don't have an excuse anymore.

November came and went.  It was a busy time, and now that we're at the end of December, things that happened a month ago is a big blur.  Some highlights I can recall:

• We had lunch with family one Saturday afternoon to celebrate the kids' birthdays.  Everyone came over afterwards and as usual, big sister K and baby M had fun playing with all their cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Despite the number of people we had over, we were still left with three-quarters of the Buzz and Woody cake.  Ice cream was definitely the more popular choice.

• Big sister K's soccer lessons came to an end for the fall season.  Here she is, proudly displaying her trophy.

• We attended LY and JC's wedding.  What a blessing it was to watch them tie the knot!  It took big sister K a while to warm up on the dance floor, but once she did, she wouldn't stop.  Even the fact that she was the only one out there didn't deter her from showing off her dance moves.  I couldn't download a video of it, so here are a few pictures instead.

• Big sister K had an all-girls birthday gathering with a few of her friends from school.  We kept it low-key and didn't do a big bash this year (which was actually big sister K's choice).  Here's a picture of them after they made their crowns.  Can you tell that the party was somewhat princess-themed?

• Thanksgiving dinner was held at my brother-in-law's place.  Too much good food as usual.  We had leftovers lasting us for days after.
• We celebrated CW's birthday at Pump It Up.  Baby M finally reached the height minimum, but as much as we tried, he refused to go into any of the bounce houses.  Oh well, maybe next time.

• Somewhere in between, M managed to find a few hours to clean the leaves on our property (though he never got a chance to finish between the cold weather and three snowstorms we got in one week).  Baby M got a good laugh watching his big sister get buried under the leaves.

 

December update to be posted shortly!

Back to Russo's

Congrats to JL and TC on their marriage yesterday!  Thanks for including us in the festivities and for having it at Russo's On The Bay (oh how I love that place)!  It's been eight years... the last time we were there was for our own wedding.  It was great to actually be able to eat this time, though having a sickly 16-month old in tow did not make it easy (I ended up doggy-bagging my entree home).  The bride and groom were beautiful (as expected), the ceremony was sweet (and sappy me did shed some tears), food during cocktail hour was delicious, service was excellent, and the ambiance was impeccable.  The only downside to the night was having a fussy baby in our hands (M even missed the ceremony because he had to take baby M outside).  M and I took turns holding baby M, who would cry bloody murder the second we sat down.  Meanwhile, big sister K had a blast out on the dance floor.  Here's one of the videos (notice at this point, she is the only person out on the dance floor):

 The beautiful bride and groom enjoying their first dance:

This is one of my favorite photos of the night:

Big sister K was enamored by the bride's wedding gown and insisted on dancing with the happy couple (though she's never met them before):

Busy Weekend

This past weekend was quite a hectic one for us.  We had two banquets to attend on Saturday, one in the early afternoon for my relatives who just adopted a little girl from Korea, and the other for M’s relative who recently got married.  Big sister K had a blast at both.  At the first banquet in Chinatown, there was a kids table set up, equipped with coloring books, crayons, markers, paper, and stickers.  Big sister K’s normal shyness was gone as she sat at the kids table away from mommy and daddy (though she did have her cousins A & A keep her company).  She enjoyed coloring and sticking stickers on random pieces of paper, and would periodically come running to our table to show us her latest masterpiece.

We headed off to Brooklyn in the late afternoon/early evening to congratulate the newlyweds.  We got there a wee bit more than what would’ve been considered fashionably late thanks to construction on the Brooklyn Bridge, and were immediately rushed to the front of the restaurant to partake in the traditional Chinese tea ceremony.  Big sister K met BW, her cousin once removed, and the two of them put on quite a show on the dance floor.  BW kept running after big sister K to hug her.  My little girl, not used to all the affection from a 19 month old, just kept squirming as she tried to pry BW’s tiny fingers off of her.  (I caught a video of big sister K dancing Gangnam style, but had trouble uploading it onto blogger.)

Sunday meant a chance to relax as we went to church at CCOB in Old Bridge instead of trekking out to NY two days in a row.  We took big sister K and baby M for their flu shots in the early afternoon.  Prior to leaving, I gave a pep talk to big sister K so that she’d know what to expect and wouldn’t get scared.  Little did I know what wonders that little pep talk would do; big sister K got so excited about getting the shot that I almost had to calm her down.  At the doctor’s office, she pulled up the sleeve of her shirt and practically shoved her arm into the nurse’s face for her shot, all done with a huge grin on her face.  Afterwards, I asked if it hurt.  Big sister K said no, then immediately asked for a sticker.  Baby M wasn’t as thrilled about getting a needle stuck in his thigh (can’t say I blame him), but stopped complaining by the time we got to the car.

The Y family came over for dinner Sunday night.  It was nice seeing them and meeting the newest addition to their family.  Big sister K enjoyed her play date with LY and everyone ended up going to bed late that night.  It was a busy weekend with not enough sleep, but the time spent with family and friends was well worth it.

RL & HF's Wedding

I am so happy for RL and HF who tied the knot this past Saturday.  The weather was perfect, the ceremony was beautiful, the newlyweds were adorable, and baby M got to attend his very first wedding.  M and I enjoyed a brief break from baby duty as everyone wanted to hold him; he got passed around like a football so much that I couldn't even keep track of his whereabouts.  Meanwhile, big sister K had fun dancing at the reception.  At one point, she didn't want to eat her meal and asked to stand in the corner (nothing new to those who've kept up with my blog).  Everyone at the table thought I was giving her a time-out until I explained to them that her "punishment" was self-inflicted.  I'm glad we got to share in RL & HF's celebration, and am hoping that they are now having a blast on their Disneynoon.  Congrats RL and HF!!!

Baby K's First Wedding

M and I took off last Friday and made our way to Queens to celebrate KF and MU's wedding. The church ceremony was literally minutes away from where we used to live. As we exited off the Grand Central Parkway, it brought back so many memories from when we used to make the drive home from Chinatown. It's amazing how much hasn't changed in four years -- the potholes in the road are exactly where we remember them to be, the gas station on the corner of Union Turnpike and Main Street remains standing, the Key Food parking lot continues to be filled with cars, and even the stores along Union Turnpike are still the same. It was a bittersweet moment; if we weren't so pressed for time, I would have been tempted to have M drive by Eden Rock to see our old building.

I was excited for my friend as she entered into this union with her long-time mate. Among our childhood friends who grew up together and managed to keep in touch these past two decades, she's the first to start dating her (now) husband, and the last to get married. There was never any doubt that the two of them would tie the knot, it was just a matter of when. And the way they did it was absolutely perfect. The ceremony was short but beautiful; the 60 or so guests who filled the sanctuary made the affair more intimate and private.

I was also excited because this was baby K's first wedding, and one of the rare times I had the opportunity to put her in a dress. She wasn't on her best behavior during the ceremony, especially when she let out a loud shriek while the priest was talking, but we managed to keep her quiet for the most part with Cheerios. We also had to keep the hymn books away from her, otherwise they would have been torn to pieces. The key is to bring QUIET toys with us the next time we go to a wedding.

After the ceremony, KF and MU had their reception/lunch at Kyoto Sushi & Thai Restaurant, conveniently located across the street from the church. While we were standing outside the restaurant, it suddenly occurred to M and me that we had dinner there once -- it was probably not long after the restaurant had first opened up. Being the small world that it is, turns out that I went to college with the catering manager responsible for this event.

Baby K was long overdue for her nap, and ended up sleeping in my arms as we left the restaurant. I could not believe how horrific traffic was on the way home! It took us three hours to get back! I was disappointed that we wasted so much time stuck in a car on a beautiful Friday, but at least we got to bake in the sunshine. In retrospect, we probably should have just stayed in Queens and headed back out after rush hour, but as they say, hindsight is 20/20. Hopefully there'll be more beautiful days to enjoy as we launch into spring.

Here's to wishing KF and MU a wonderful new life together!

A photo to share with all you baby K fans out there... here she is sporting her new dress and taking mommy for a walk after the ceremony.

Wedding Resurgence

Within a day's time, I just got an invite and a save-the-date note to two separate weddings in the upcoming months. What a great surprise! Aside from being thrilled for my friends as they embark in this next chapter in their lives, I must admit, I miss going to weddings and am looking forward to the celebrations. Last year was the first time in almost a decade where M and I did not attend any weddings. It probably worked out for the best since baby K was so young, but now that she's a bit older, it's time to start the festivities again!

CONGRATS to KF & MU and WT & JW!

Memories of June 18

June 18, 2005: On this very day three years ago, M and I entered into holy matrimony at the lovely Russo's On The Bay. It was a busy day, and everything happened so fast that most of the details are now a blur, but this was the one day that I could afford to overlook the details... because on this day, M and I made a vow to each other that precedes all else - to spend the rest of our lives together. And for that reason, and that reason alone, June 18 will always be a special day for us.

June 18, 2006: We spent our first year anniversary at the Finger Lakes in Skaneateles, NY. M surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers at the B&B we stayed at. The weekend was spent in the outdoors, visiting the Cayuga wine trails, taking a stroll in downtown Ithaca, and we even managed to go to service on Sunday morning at the First Baptist Church in Skaneateles.

June 18, 2007: For our second wedding anniversary, we went to Cape May, NJ. Unfortunately, M was sick this weekend, so much of our time was spent at the B&B resting. We did manage to fit in a game of mini-golf, take a stroll down at the beach, rent a surrey (those two-seater bikes), and visit the Cape May County Park & Zoo on our way back.

June 18, 2008: Unfortunately, today is a Wednesday, so here we are, slaving away at work (well, at least one of us is... I'm just blogging along). This year's anniversary trip will be to Lancaster, PA, home of the Amish. We were there many years ago, when I was still working for PwC and had a client in that area (M came to meet me for the weekend). I remember picking up the best jar of marinated mushrooms I've ever had at some Farmer's Market. Hopefully we will be able to find it again.

June 18, 2009 and onwards: Who knows what the future holds for us and how long we'll be able to continue these weekend trips? As we grow older, the aches and pains that ail our bodies become more real each day. And as we get ready for parenthood (yikes!), the worries we have will only be compounded by the second. But I just remind myself... "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:13

SC & JG's Wedding

I think I'm pretty much recuperated from all of Saturday's events by now, although my feet are still a little sore from standing in heels all day. I wouldn't say the wedding was without glitches, but the bride and groom were still smiling and glowing at the end of the night, and that's all that matters. Here's a picture of the happy couple with their entourage in front of the rented hummer:

Some highlights from the day:

• Great teamwork with the bridesmaids in the morning. We managed to finish making the bride's bouquet and 40+ boutonnieres before heading off to the salon to get our hair and makeup done.
• The hummer arrived at the salon and dropped off the dresses for us, but forgot to pick up some of the bridesmaids to head up to the church. That didn't go over very well with the bride, but everyone eventually got to the church in one piece.
• It was a lovely ceremony. I got a bit teary-eyed watching the bride come down the aisle with her father, but managed to hold it in and not smear my makeup. JG was positively glowing; his love for SC was really evident that day.
• Preparing for the banquet was a bit chaotic, to say the least. We had no seating chart so we didn't know where each table number went, seating cards were missing for many guests, and in some cases, more people were assigned to a table than it would fit. The guests were great though - many offered to help. Too bad I can't say the same for the restaurant. They were dragging their feet to get everything ready, and weren't very responsive when I asked multiple times for them to bring out glasses for the bar.
• George Gee Orchestra was there to kick off the night. Having a live band really does liven up the event. The bride and groom looked awesome showing off their swinging moves.
• Towards the end of the night, KF thought she was off the hook with giving the maid-of-honor toast, but when it came time to cut the brownie cake, she, along with the two best men, were called up on stage. KF didn't have her speech with her, so she winged it. She did a fantastic job at it too.

A Blast From the Past

This past weekend was TY and BT's wedding in northern NJ. It was nice. They had the shortest ceremony I've ever been to though... I think it lasted less than 10 minutes. I got to catch up with some friends from high school, as expected. What came unexpected was the re-acquaintance with someone from elementary school. During cocktail hour, M and I were walking around with our sushi in hand, trying to find an empty table. Since there were none left, we decided to look for two vacant chairs and share a table with other guests. We found one, plopped ourselves down, and introduced ourselves to a couple who I thought were complete strangers. After a minute or two, the guy says to me, "I think I went to elementary school with you. You graduated in 1989, right?" I concurred, and then it hit me... I did go to school with this guy! I vaguely remembered him (at least his name) from almost 20 years ago. We barely spoke to each other back in those days, when we all thought the opposite sex had cooties. I was shocked that he recognized me after all these years. Guess I really haven't changed much since I was 11. Turns out he went to college with BT. We reminisced a bit and tried to think of other people from elementary school we still kept in touch with. It was totally random... talk about six degrees of separation! Now it makes me want to look back at my old elementary school yearbooks (if they're still at my parent's place) to see if I've come across anyone else I may have known during my childhood.