Goodbye Time of Wonder

Goodbye Time of Wonder

It's the end of Noah first full year in Time of Wonder class.
Joel and Mommy went to the End of the Year celebration. Noah helped us find the special ice-cream treat at the end of the scavenger hunt and showed his little brother around. Over the year, Joel has become somewhat of a little mascot. One parent commented, "so this is Joel, we've heard so much about him!" Noah loves to talk about his little brother and Joel loves to visit his big brother, too.

May with the boys

May with the boys

May has been another busy month. We started the month spending a Sunday with Love Madison volunteer project. Our family signed up the help our neighbor farmer at Eppelgaarden. Even Joel pitched in and helped sorted popcorn corn to sell later at Farmer's market. Noah helped Daddy prepared a special dinner for Mother's day: Flan and special steak and salad!
The following week we went to St. Louis to visit Nah Nit and Uncle Trip. Somewhere in between, Mommy took a day trip with the boys to Baraboo to meet up with Mommy's high school friend at the Circus. Then the last weekend we took another road-trip to Ta-Yai with a stop at U of I on the way. Let's just say the suitcase got a lot of use this month!

Disney Trip 2010

Disney trip 2010

We took a family trip to Florida this year since Daddy had a conference there.
Disney sure was overwhelming, especially for the parents. We did spend part of our stay at Animal Kingdom lodge, which sure was wonderful. It was amazing to see so many animals, so close up from our room balcony! The funny thing was that with all the exotic safari animals we saw, when asked what his favorite was, Noah said "bull cow" in the petting zoo part.
As for Joel, pretty much all the animals were "moo-moo" to him, antelope and all. True Wisconsin boys, we have.
Noah and Joel want to go back again and bring out the cousins, too!

Spring Break 2010

spring break 10

Noah and Joel has Spring Break from school and daycare this year.
Luckily, Kun Ta and Kun Yai returned from Thailand just in time to help keep the boys company. Spring is beautiful this year-full bloom. The down-side is that allergies are all also full-bloom!

Child of the Week

Child of the week

At Noah's school, all the kids get their turn as "child of the week". It's a special week when the child gets to bring his/her family, to do show-and-tell and gets picked to be the helper for the teacher. Noah was unfortunately out sick for 2 days that week. We did make up for it as the whole family went to school with Noah and spent part of the day with him. Joel seems to fit right in and became a little class mascot in a way. Everyone loves to squeeze his cheeks!

Spring is coming soon!

Spring is coming

March finally brought us much needed sunshine. Noah came out of the house one day and said "oh, the grass is here!" The pile of snow is dwindling. The birds are out. We took the kids to the zoo one day, and Joel was very excited. It probably was like a first visit for him, since he was able to roam around without being carried so much. He learned to say "turtle" and perfected his "roars".
I think the monkeys are still their favorite.

Cancun 2010

Cancun 2010

What a way to celebrate!
Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year and early Nai-Nai's birthday!
Cancun visit was great despite the cooler weather that we had or the fact that Micah and Joel both were a little under the weather. All the cousins enjoy playing together. Noah became Eli's little shadow, and Ella became a little caretaker of Joel. This trip marks a little more grown-up Noah. He actually was quite independent swimming with his life-jacket, braved the kayak and innertube at Xel-Ha. Joel still is a little shy with water in general. Definitely we'll have to do the trip again, but may be later in the year, so it would be warmer next time.

xmas 09

Xmas holidays 2009

Another Fitchburg xmas holidays.
What's unique this year is that Noah and Joel have all 4 grandparents visiting.
So much love and attention for the boys.
Of course, Noah loves to see his cousin Nolan. Joel also tries to join in the games now with some success. This year, they seem to get the concept of gifts a bit more, so it's fun to see. And, there was progress made in that the doggies get to roam around now that Noah and Joel are not afraid of them. Noah even offered to keep Holly and Lily for Nah Nit.
Thank you so much for visiting us, everyone.

Pre-Holidays 09

Pre holidays 09

December has been a busy month. We certainly did enjoy the crisp outdoor air.
Even before xmas holidays, Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye came to visit.
So we all took a trip down to Illinois to see some old friends and introduce Noah and Joel to them.
Noah and Joel love to visit their "old friends"-Ikey and Ellie, too.
Right before xmas, despite the forecast of bad weather, we travel Wisconsin style to the Dells and enjoyed the indoor waterpark. Wilderness Lodge is definitely a place to visit again.

The making of xmas card 09

The making of xmas card 09

So, mommy has the idea of dressing the boys up in matching PJ's again for Christmas card. The photo session proved to be quite challenging. Noah has developed an aversion to camera in his face. Joel has the opposite issue in that he has too much affinity for the camera. Most of the time, he grabs the camera before a picture can be taken. Hope that you all will appreciate the end result when you get it in the mail. There's always next year!

First blizzard 2009

First blizzard 2009

Snow Day! It was a special treat to have a day to spend together as everything was shut down, school and even work! The area was greeted by 12-18 inches of blowing snow overnight. Noah really enjoys being outside this year. Joel was fine until the snow blew into his face. Daddy also got quite a use on his new snow blower. All-in-all, it did look quite beautiful, all white and peaceful. The only sounds outside that day was the wind, neighborhood kids and snow-plow trucks. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."

Early Winter 2009

Winter 2009

We are enjoying the change in season here in Madtown.
Early on we were greeted by a few very nice days that were unseasonably warm. We even had a picnic on the Capitol lawn, after enjoying outdoor Farmer's market for the last time this year. This year Thanksgiving we spent in Herrin, visiting Kun Ta and Kun Yai. Nah Nit and Uncle Trip came as well as Nah Orm. Noah and Joel loved all the attention. Mommy and Daddy even left the boys for a night with the grandparents! Don't think we were missed much at all. It's great to see how Joel and Noah are able to interact more and more. We even have some tender moments between all the shouting and "MINE" or "ME"!

SoCal visit Oct 09

SoCal Oct 09

We took a little trip to visit Cousin Nolan this Fall.
It was a treat for Noah for his birthday to be able to spend with his cousin and all the family.
Nolan was a great host and took Noah to many places: Mother's beach, Orange County Zoo, Irvine Railroad park and Sea World! The two cousins love to play and sometimes will let Joel play with them, too. Keeping up with Noah and Nolan was a great motivation for Joel to finally walk! The trip came to the end much too soon. It was hard to have to leave for everyone.

Halloween 09

Happy Halloween 09

Noah and Joel picked out a perfectly big pumpkin this year and turned it into Jack-O-Lantern the last minute. Noah dressed up as Spiderman. In contrast to last year, when he was very reluctant about costume, this year he loves to dress up. It's almost Thanksgiving, and Noah will still be found in his favoriet superhero costume. Joel was a bumble bee, just like his cousin was a few years ago. He discovered lollipops and loved to pass out (throw) candies to all the neighborhood kids.

Autumn in Wisconsin 09

October 09

Seasonal change is part of Wisconsin living. Noah has learned about the weather and season in school. The cool crisp air reminds us of fast approaching winter. Cold temperature but lots of warmth in our hearts since it's almost time that the familiy will all get together. October tradition for us: Fire Station Open House, Farm visit, watching the leaves change color and of course, Halloween. It also happens to be when Noah gets another year older.

Boy and Monkey

Boy and Monkey

Joel has quite a social skill and imagination.
He loves to play with his monkey friend.
He also has the stubborn streak that seems to show more each day.
Which side of the family is the stubborn trait?

Eppelgarden

TOW Eppelgarden

Noah's first field trip was to pick apples at Eppelgarden.
Joel and Mommy went along, too.
Noah was quite excited to ride on the real school bus.

Wisconsin Dells first visit

Wisconsin Dells first visit

We got tickets to Noah's ark, but ended up not going.
Noah was quite content at the little water park at the hotel.
Noah also got to have a little adventure at the equivalent of Vegas for tots-Arcade!
Wisconsin Dells did turn out to be a nice short trip that we'll probably repeat soon.
Not a bad spot for outlet shopping either.

Summer 09 part 3

Summer 2009 part 3

This is one of the milder Wisconsin summer.
We still manage to do a lot of things outdoor. Summer concert, playing outside, going to the parks and taking a long road trip to southern Illinois. Noah and Cousin Nolan really got along great and were sad to part at the end of the trip. Joel tried his best to hang out with the boys, too. Of course, the boys both now declared Nah Nit and Uncle Trip as their favorites. (Please see our cousin Nolan's blog for nice photos from the Labor Day trip, our Mommy went shopping and didn't take pictures!)

Summer 09 part 2

Summer 2009 part 2

We continue to keep busy with all sort of activities outdoor this summer.
This year, we took the kids to Opera in the Park-an annual Madison tradition. Noah and Joel both seemed to enjoy the crowd. Noah thinks it's Mr. and Miss Noodle singing (for those who are not familiar-they are Sesame street characters). The boys really seem to interact well. Usually if we see Noah, not too far behind will follow Joel. He is quite efficient in crawling. Among Joel's first words, the one he uses most is "NO-NAH" for Noah!

Happy First Birthday, Joel!

Happy First Birthday, Joel

The year has just passed by in a wink. Our little Joel is ONE!
We have a little celebration with the family.
Kun Ta and Kun Yai came to help with the festivity. Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes from everyone. Joel is surrounded by love as he starts his second year. He had a great birthday!

July in Madison

July 2009

Our family has been keeping busy this July. We take advantage of the nice weather and visit our favorite spots around town. Capitol Square, Olbrich Botanical Garden, all the good eats and of course, our backyard. Noah and Joel seem to love being out and about. Joel is adapting quickly to restaurant outing making it much easier for Mommy. Noah has been a good teacher to Joel. It's always a joy to see the boys together. They are growing up fast!

Chicago June 09

June 09 Chicago visit

We took a short roadtrip down to Chicago, so Mommy can see her high school friends.
We also visited Ikey and Ellie, too.
We took the Metra down from Wilmette so Noah gets to ride the train. We even got to ride on Water Taxi to go to Navy Pier. The boys seem to have fun. Noah also discovered that big dog may not be so bad afterall.

Summer 2009 part 1

Summer 2009 part 1

So far, the summer has been quite fun for the boys. Joel always follows Noah around the house.

Noah started at a new school, which he calls "llama school". The summer session is called Summer on the Farm. So far, Noah seems to be adjusting well, while Mommy is trying to adjust to packing lunch for him that he would eat. Joel enjoys more alone time with Mommy with Noah being at school. The weather has been mostly mild, so we actually got to enjoy the outdoor a bit more when Kun Ta and Kun Yai visited, too.

Last vacation days

Last vacation days

It was sad to leave the island, but we made the best of it. After the beach, we went to Lahaina for lunch and then to Noah's favorite spot-Banyan trees. Mommy got to take lots of photos. We ended the day watching the sunset and said our good-byes to the sea. The next morning we got to go on the Sugar Cane train and got to see the scenary from another perspective. We went back and enjoyed the last of time at the Westin pool and then headed to the airport. We knew the flight would be long, but what we didn't anticipate was the delays and missed connection. The kids did great even though the entire trip back took 18 hours. We can now write a book on how survive a day with 2 kids at Minneapolis-St.Paul airport. After that, we were all thrilled to see our house. Home sweet home.

Revisit Baby Beach

Revisit Baby Beach

Our family has 2 days extra after everyone left. We had to go back to one of the favorite spots, Baby Beach. The sun was hot but the water was nice and calm. Noah played in the sand and water to his heart content. Joel did, too. We also saw some creatures from the sea-Ghost crabs and pink snapper that the fisherman caught. It was such a wonderful time.

Part 3: life with kids in Maui

Part 3-life with the kids in Maui

Maui from the kids perspective are entirely different.
The good news is we still made it to some of our favorite eating spots and earlier to make the sunset special discount! We went to Sansei twice! The day-to-day activities are planned according to nap time to keep things smooth. The babies are fairly resilient and sleep on their own schedule. Beach and pool are the favorite activities. The brothers still got some bonding time after the kids are down for the night. Good-bye to fine dining that last into the night hours. Uncle Jonah did manage to wear white and silk shirt and kept clean, though.

Part 2- Exploring the island.

Part 2-Exploring the island.

Being in Maui with kids are quite different, but we did try to venture outside Kaanapali Beach front. We visited Maui Ocean Center. Went to the famous Mama's Fish House and now understand why it is famous. The view is magnificent as well. We explored Lahaina and even ventured out by bus so the kids can take Maui City Bus. Of course, we still spent the majority of time poolside or beachside to keep cool from the 80 degrees heat.

Maui Part 1-meeting of cousins, May 09

Maui part 1-meeting of cousins-May 09

After a long wait, the Maui trip has arrived. The suitcases were packed to the weight limit. The flight was long-with 3 different stops by final destination. The boys did pretty well, considering the length of the trip. BUT, ahh, was it wonderful, especially to see the cousins all together. The kids really enjoy each other's company. Both Ella and Noah want to do whatever Eli does. Joel and Ezra seem to be content just looking at each other. We sure used up a lot of sunscreen on the trip.

Back from Thailand!

Kun Ta-Kun Yai are back from Thailand, April 09

Kun Ta and Kun Yai are finally back again.
They are greeted by two very rumbunctious grandsons. As always, Kun Ta catches the cold from the kids. Noah enjoys helping Kun Ta in the yard. Kun Yai grew attached to Baby Joel in a short time since he has gotten quite interactive. Her mission is still to fatten up both kids. Short visit this time, but we managed to celebrate Kun Ta's birthday early, so Noah and Joel both get to help blow out the candle!

The Kims visit April 09

A visit from Ikey and Ellie, April 09

Finally now that the snow is gone, the weather is warmer, the Kims made a trip north to visit us.
This is the first meeting with Joel.
Ikey and Ellie have really grown since we last saw them. Noah really enjoys their company and loves to play with them. Joel wants to as well, but still too little to join most games.

Springtime in Madison 09?

Spring 2009

These past few months went by very quickly. We have gotten to venture out some, but Spring is coming so ever slowly in Madison. Lots of birds singing but no blooming flowers, yet. The boys are starting to enjoy each other more. Joel can creep, crawl, roll and really gets around the house now. He always wants to do whatever Noah is doing. Nai-Nai came to stay a few weeks while Kelly was off on vacation. Everyone got chubbier during her stay. Noah really grew attached to her this time as well. He was quite teary when he woke up the next morning and Nai-Nai was not in her room.

Another trip to St. Louis Feb 09

St. Louis Feb 09

Another roadtrip! This time we all went to Nah Nit and Uncle Trip's wedding reception. Noah and Joel got to meet a lot of new faces. Noah took a liking to Nah Ben and Nah Bee, who came all the way from Thailand! We all spent the morning at the City Museum, which is a playground on steroid, essentially. Lots of running around with Nolan and Hall, Uncle Trip's nephew. Noah also thought a shuttle ride from the wedding reception back to the hotel was quite fun, too.
Congratulation to the wedding couple!

A wedding in Mexico

A wedding in Mexico

February is filled with activities for our family.
We all got to escape Wisconsin weather to a special valentine's celebration in Rivera Maya, Mexico. Joel did pretty well with his first plane trip. DVD came in handy for Noah.
Once in Mexico, the kids really enjoyed themselves. Noah discovered swim-up bar concept and really loves Strawberry Daiquiri (no alcohol, of course). Nah Nit and Uncle Trip was happily married at the beach, sunset ceremony. Lots of happy tears. Mommy and Daddy soaked up the sunshine...although Daddy, may be a bit too much sans sunscreen.

Visit to St.Louis

St. Louis Jan 09

Joel enjoyed his first car trip down south with a trip to St. Louis this past January.
The occasion was Nah Nit's bridal shower.
We all stayed at Nah Oy and Dr. Sawat's house. It was like a 5-star accomodation!
St. Louis actually is quite pretty. We all enjoyed the warm weather as well.
Noah got to meet lots of friends, Dillon, since we stayed with his grandparents and of course, the infamous Will, Hall and little Katy-Uncle Trip's nephews and niece.
We all got back without any major incidents.

Brotherly Love

Brotherly love

The new year is flying right by.
The brothers are getting to be even closer.
Noah really takes on the big brother role of trying to always help taking care of Joel. Kelly says that he is this way at her house, too.
Joel just beems when he sees Noah. Even if it is in the morning, when Noah bounces in the room loudly and wakes Joel. Joel is most curious about his brother's long hair. It's amazing how it's such a natural bond that they have for each other.
Joel is now 6 months and Noah is almost 2 1/2 years old!

4-month Joel in action

4-month Joel in action.

Joel is only 4 months old, but he seems so much wiser beyond his age.
He loves to be in the conversation with everyone. He knows his parents and grandparents' voices. He seems to recognize his own name now, too. Always has a big mouth smile or may be it's that he really would love to have some food. His pediatrician does want for him to hold off on solids to hopefully cut down on the risk of food allergies. Mommy is not so sure it will work, but we are following the advise. Just 2 more months-Jan 1 2009, Joel will be 5 months old! Don't grow up too fast my little man #2.

Noah, Lord of the Dance

Noah, Lord of the Dance

One thing about being a big brother, Noah now has to learn to entertain himself at times.
He starts to be able to pretend now, too. A favorite activity is dancing. He can sure keep himself busy for a while. Good exercise if mommy and daddy would try to keep up with him. Do you think he inherits his dancing skill from his daddy?

Holidays 2008

Holidays 2008

It's becoming a tradition to celebrate Christmas at our household. You can always count on having the festive winter weather in Wisconsin. Nolan brought his parents. Nah Nit brought Uncle Trip and the dogs. Our house was only quiet when all finally would go to sleep close to midnight. The boys sure enjoyed themselves (Noah and Nolan,too). This year was a white Christmas, with another record snowfall. Noah really loves to play in the snow. He can even go on the sled down a small hill by himself. We tried to get Nolan to enjoy the snow...I guess we'll try again next year. Here is to a Happy New Year for all!

The making of Christmas card 08

The making of Christmas card 08

Once again, Kun Ta was the photographer for our Christmas card.
How lucky we are.
Noah is learning to pose for the picture more this year.
Mommy bought matching outfit for the boys...but only to realize that Joel outgrew the top by the time we took the picture. Kun Yai got creative and put another one of Noah's green shirt on Joel.
Hope you enjoyed the card and had a wonderful holidays like we did.
Lots of love went into the making of the card.

December 2008

December 2008

It's hard to believe that 2008 is ending. December has been a whirlwind of a month, mostly involved getting ready for the holidays. Noah is enjoying all the snow, while Joel is staying warm inside. The kids get to enjoy some fun time with their grandparents again, while daycare was off for the holidays. It's been great to get a glimpse of what the two brothers will be like in a few years.

November 2008

november 08

Joel turned 3 months old in November. He still got to spend time at home, since Nai-Nai came to watch him while Mommy returned to her part-time work. Noah spent more time with indoor play with colder weather. Joel also got to meet Ye-Ye for the first time this month. Unfortunately, part of the visit, Joel only got to see the mask man as Ye-Ye had a cold! Before Nai-Nai left, we were joined by Kun Ta and Kun Yai again and got to celebrate Thanksgiving together. What a feast for Joel's first Thanksgiving.

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2008

This year Noah actually understands the dress-up concept and trick-o-treat a bit more. He went through a few costume change. First, mommy bought Elmo costume since he loves Elmo, but Elmo scared him! Then, we tried the Bumble bee that Nolan wore last year, but then he looked too sad. Finally, we agreed on the Fireman. He didn't want to dress up at the party at his daycare, but he did finally wear it out to trick-o-treat. As for Joel, he was a perfectly happy little round pumpkin!

Happy 2nd birthday to Noah

Happy 2nd Birthday Noah

Can you believe that Noah is 2 years old? This year we had a week long celebration, with lots of cupcakes and a birthday cake. The theme was Elmo, since this is Noah's favorite at the moment. Noah has preference for frosting on the cake but not the cake so much. He sure loves to blow out candles and did get to do it several time, so Kun Ta can get the "action" shot. He also loves to sing Happy Birthday song...

Uncle Jonah visits

Uncle Jonah's Visit

Noah got a special treat for his birthday with Uncle Jonah visiting. This time he calls him, "Unc Jo-Jo" (last time it was just "Ju"). He learns that Unc Jo-Jo is Daddy's "bro". He even got to hang out with the boys at his first football game-Badgers vs. Illini, tailgate cookout and all.
Noah had fun, though sadly the Illini football team did not. Apparently, Noah even ended up cheering for the Badgers to the delights of Uncle Jonah's friends. Joel also got to see Uncle again, too. Uncle said, Joel has the "curse of a second born", with all the rolls on his arms and double chins to prove it.

Henry Vilas Zoo

Brisk Autumn day at the zoo

The morning before Nolan had to go back turned out to be a sunny fall day, so we had to go the zoo. Both Noah and Nolan really enjoyed themselves. The visit to the Wisconsin was complete when they got to see Prairie dogs. This may be a new favorite animal for Noah. The Badger seemed to have been hiding, must be afraid of all the Illini in the group. Before we left, Noah and Joel got to ride the carousel and the train. Baby Joel rode the train, too, but as usual, he spent the majority of the time sleeping. What a good baby!

Eugster Farm with the cousins

Eugster Farm with Cousin Nolan

Eugster Farm is becoming a tradition for Noah's birthday and fall celebration for our family. We have to bring the city boy Nolan and his family to see the real pumpkin patch. We did the hayride, ate Kettle corn, picked up some pumpkins and visited all the farm animals. Noah even get to see all the tractors up close, which was a thrill to him even more than seeing the baby goats up close. Baby Joel endured the pumpkin outfit Mommy put him in and slept through most of the visit. See you next year, Eugster!

MMA Noah vs. Nolan

MMA Noah vs. Nolan

May be all that UFC fights Daddy watches rub off on Noah. Nolan himself seems to have a natural instinct, but Noah joins in quickly. The two were like little bear cubs.
Definitely much cuter than Randy Couture or Matt Hughes.

Nolan's visit- October 08

Nolan's visit October 2008

Nah Kao and Uncle Steve got some free time last minute, so they brought Nolan to visit Noah and to meet Baby Joel for the first time. Noah and Nolan had a wonderful time, now that they can actually play together. Nolan did hear a lot of "mine", though Noah was able to grasp the concept of sharing soon enough. The house was filled with laughter and signs of busy toddlers. Definitely was hard to keep the house tidy. Uncle Steve had a few chest pain moments at dinner time, especially without Daisy to help clean off the floor. One can only imagine the scene when Joel is big enough to join in.

2-month Joel

2-month Joel

Joel is growing very quickly...
At his 2-month check up he already is over 14 lbs. He seems to be a happy baby and showing signs of being very social. He loves to "talk" and quite loudly.
Mommy was worried about not having a baby monitor on...but as it turns out, Joel's cry when he needs something beats the monitor in its volume. Fortunately, his cry is rare...more yelping to get attention when he is being ignored. His smile sure lights up the room.