StepOut 2010

Walk to fight Diabetes 2010

The boys joined mommy and her team for StepOut-Walk to Fight Diabetes this year. They enjoyed the 3-mile trek through Vilas park and napped about half-way through. After the walk, we enjoyed the unusually warm October day by a picnic in the park and a visit to the zoo. Unfortunately, at the zoo, most of the animals were napping, too. Only a few were awake enough to greet us.

FFD Open House 2010

Fire station open house 2010

Noah gets to bring Joel to the fire station open house this year, finally.

The boys (all 3) enjoyed pretending to be a fireman. We learned more about fighting fire and what hard work it is. It was also an unexpectedly warm October day as well. What a treat!

Epelgaarden with the Giving Trees

First field trip of the year again this time is at the Epelgaarden. It was quite cool, very fall-like weather but the kids enjoy themselves. Everyone was supposed to pick 4 apples, but most picked 4 to take home and sampled some others. Healthy snack all around for everyone.

September fun around town

September fun around town

We left off our traveling shoes for the month (at least the longer distant ones).

The weather was mild, so we still ventured outdoor whenever we can. The boys enjoyed little hiking at McKee Farm Park and also at Governor Nelson State Park. Of course, one of our favorite activities is visiting a playground anytime we can and playing with sand!

Fun at the Dells

Fun at the Dells

We took another short road trip next door to the Dells.

This time we stayed at Great Wolf Lodge, which was a smaller waterpark, but actually just the right size for Noah and Joel. Joel still did not love the water part but enjoyed all the other festivities. The rooms and activities are really set up for young kids. The next day we also got to go the Dells train-which is a really big steam engine model train ride whose 1 mile route included a bridge over a good size ravine. That was quite exciting for the kids. Noah and Joel would love to bring his cousins here when they visit (hint-hint).

Labor Day Weekend 2010

Labor Day weekend 2010

Labor Day weekend this year was a treat with beautiful weather.

Essentially the whole weekend was spent outdoor. We took a long stroll around the lake, and Noah was quite interested to check out all the fishermen and their catch and baits. We then walked toward the Capitol square for the Farmer's market and also to see the vendors setting up for Taste of Madison, which we went to as well once it started. Lots of music and street performers, the kids really enjoyed all the festivities (so did the parents). We did so much strolling that we blew out a stroller tire (brought out a few scream from the crowd)!

First day of school

First day of school 2010

Joel has his first official day of school last week at Kids Express.

He is now a bonafide preschooler.

He was quite excited to get to leave the house with his big brother. Lunch box was a hit. Eating lunch was not so good, though. He did enjoy playing with friends and story time. He was a natural at napping and fell asleep at lunch table.

Noah was a good big brother and promptly told Mommy to ask the teacher to hold Joel, so he can go to his class. He did check in on Joel at playground time and played with Joel through the big kids-little kids divider fence.

Fun at Nolan's

Fun at Nolan's

Noah and Nolan enjoyed their time together. Nolan right away showed his cousins his new room and all the toys. Joel tried to join in when allowed. Their favorite activities for this visit seem to be Superheroes (Joel is the villain) and riding their bicycles. It sure is nice that Nolan is so much closer now, too.

First baseball game

First baseball game, Miners vs. ?

On the drive to Herrin, Noah saw Busch Stadium and asked if he can go to a baseball game, too.
Uncle Trip and Uncle Steve thought it would be fun to take the boys to Marion Miners game since we were right there. We got lawn seating for the night game and the boys have a great time. The Miners didn't, however. Though, who really watches the game anyway, eh?

A visit to Herrin

Herrin visit summer 2010

Since St. Louis is so much closer to Herrin, we did take the advantage of that and paid visit there.
The boys enjoyed spending time there and even got some private golf lesson from Khun Ta, too. Khun Yai was in her happy place with all the grandkids at her house.

Pool time with the boys

Pool time with the boys

The weather in St. Louis really made it seems more south than it is.
With the heat and humidity, we really took advantage of the pool at Parker's house.
Parker even tried to join in, but as it would happen, the temperature dipped to 80s that day from the typical closer to 90s. Noah is quite good with his lifejacket. Now we just have to figure out how to get him out of it and also how to get Joel to enjoy the water more.

St. Louis Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden visit

The Botanical Garden has a special exhibit this summer called Dinoquest. We thought the boys would enjoy it, but as it turned out, Joel was a bit afraid of the sound effect. They did enjoy strolling through the park, though. Parker and her Mommy also came for the outing.

Entertaining Parker

Entertaining Parker

The boys are supposed to keep Parker entertained while Nah Nit enjoys some breakfast time. They really took their duty seriously.

"Parker" by Noah

Noah portraits of Parker

Noah is learning the trick of digital photography.
He actually has quite the eyes for beauty. Parker really was a cooperative subject, too. Mommy only did very minimal editing.

Meet me in St. Louis

Meet me in St. Louis

With summer break for the boys, we decided on a little trip down south to spend some times with the family. We got to see everyone since Nolan now lives there, too.
The car ride was not too bad, both boys behave. Daddy drove down with us, but we brave the trip back without him, since he has to come back first for work.
The boys spent a lot of quality time with the family. Parker really grew just in one month.
In true spirit of vacation, the boys got to visit Botanical Garden, St. Louis Science Center and neighborhood parks while in the city. Everyone had a great time.

Magic Sunflower

Noah and the magic sunflower stalk

Sometimes last year, Noah brought home a packet of sunflower seeds.
He recently planted the seeds in the pot and took care of it regularly. He later transferred it to the ground. It sprouted so big! He is quite proud of his sunflower plant.

More summer fun...

More summertime fun

A summer would not be complete without a trip to the Dells here in Wisconsin. Ikey and Ellie made a trip up north to visit our family with their family. The kids enjoy spending time at the water parks. Joel may have enjoyed a bit less than others, however. We try to spend time outdoor as much as we can. The boys seem to grow much faster in the summer, must be all the sunlight!

Joel is 2 years old!

Happy Birthday, Joel!

Happy Birthday to Joel! Can you even believe that it's been 2 years?
We celebrated the whole weekend. Birthday cakes, balloons, decoration all in dinosaur theme, one of Joel's favorites at this time. He even knows his dinosaurs and is impartial to iguanodon and triceratops ("tops" to Joel). Party guests: Noah, Nolan, Connor and Riley and the rest serve as chaperones. We end the weekend with pizza dinner at our neighborhood hot spot, Roman Candles. Cheers to Joel!

Boys of summer

Boys of summer 2010

We didn't venture out too far from home to enjoy our summer. .Summer means swimming in a beautiful setting at Goodman pool, returning to Opera in the Park, eating Stoneman sweet corn and of course, playing in the park. The fun is even more exciting when we have family visiting us. Noah and Joel were quite a host to cousin Nolan.

Cousin Parker!

First meeting with Parker!

While Daddy was away to spend sometimes with his brothers, Mommy decided to take a road trip with the boys to St. Louis to meet the newest cousin-Parker. Congratulations to Uncle Trip and Nah Nit!
The boys did great on the trip (in-car DVD is a great invention). Noah and Joel were at first a little reluctant but eventually warm up to Parker. Soon enough, Parker will be chasing after everyone. She sure looks like she can take on the boys. There will be plenty more trips down south, since Nolan now lives here, too. It's like going to a summer house-swimming pool and ice-pops!

4th of July?

No real firework this year. The boys were a bit under the weather. We did manage a picnic in the park and then watch the firework from the bedroom window and on TV. Next year, may be we'll brave the real fireworks.

June just flew by!

June 2010

The boys enjoy spending more time outside as the weather gets warmer. Mommy had her official away trip from the family for her annual meeting. Skype came in handy! Kun Ta-Kun Yai came to help Daddy and the boys (all) enjoy the times as always. It is neat to see the personality emerging more from both boys. Noah is so gentle and Joel..well not gentle but definitely is showing himself as quite a jokester!

Chicago Summer 2010

We had a little weekend getaway to Chicago. It just so happened that Nolan visited, too. The boys went to Lincoln Park zoo, Magnificent Mile, Shedd Aqaurium, Milleneum Park and even enjoyed some fine dining. Noah said he wanted to come back again, soon.

Little Gym Big Show

Little Gym Big Show

Noah finished his first session at the Little Gym with the Big Show.
We all went to watch. Noah was quite proud of his accomplishment and we all were, too. He even had a little routine show stopper-Donkey Kick!
We all celebrated with ice-cream at the end. Yeah, Noah.

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.