Some Forgotten Photos From 2016

I’m not sure if I’m ready for 2017 just yet but I don’t think i have much choice here lol !

I’ve found some precious photos from 2016...

Travel | Stay at Moon Palace Cancún

2016.12.14 - 2016.12.21 Cancún, Mexico

千盼萬盼終於到了出門的日子, 對開始累積記憶的恩仔來說應該格外特別...

Merry Christmas 2016 !!!

I want to release our Christmas card photo before the clock strikes midnight... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This year we’re all very thankful for the love and joy little el brings into our lives.

Travel | Got Our Bags Packed for a Sunny Christmas

In a few more hours, we will be on our way to Cancun, Mexico! I’m super excited about this trip. If we don’t count our routine family visits to Taiwan, this trip is going to be our 2nd time traveling abroad as a family since our honeymoon! And this time, we’re taking two little ones with us!

Charles and I are light packers or at least trying to be one. This time, we’re going to challenge ourselves to pack all essentials, including a baby and a toddler stuff into two carry-ons. Here’s a few tips for light packing with kids:

Turning Eight Months

不知不覺站了起來...

DIY a Teepee

I’m really excited here to cross out the last item, a teepee, on my e’s bedroom’s wish list:

* A Crib and a full bed in the same room

 (the crib is currently in use by little el in the master bedroom)

* Gray walls and pop out color green

* 4x2 Ikea Kallax toy storage

* >>>>>>>>>> A teepee <<<<<<<<<<

* A giant world map (from Ikea)

* Floating bookshelves

* Striped baskets storage

Turning Seven Months

時間, 你在開我玩笑嗎? 下個禮拜就要感恩節?!

這個月外婆也回台灣了...樂樂想必很失落, 習慣了時時刻刻有人對她講講話, 帶她到前後院看看戶外...

Out and About | Half an Hour on Hollywood Blvd

微旅行最後一站: Hollywood Boulevard

來到洛杉磯似乎不能不去走一走好萊塢大道, 只是一直不太明白為何這麼吸引觀光客的景點, 再加上歷史豐富的好萊塢, 為什麼不能好好重新設計翻新甚至栽培一下... 我想十之八九的觀光客應該都對這條大街很失望吧?! 查理斯還是第一次去哩, 我們只短短待了半個鐘頭... 不過既來之, 就好好走一走吧!

Additional Caddies for Shower Storage

The standard 16” x 14” x 4” built-in shower niche we picked was not the perfect size but we thought it was acceptable. Besides the fact that two of them would double the difficulty of laying the tiles, we tried to eliminate the unnecessity and keep just shampoo, conditioner, and a soap bar in that niche.

It turns out:

Out and About | Day Trip to San Diego

I’m trying to catch up with my posts about the places we went to with my parents. Time just flies way too fast. All the sudden it’s like halfway to Halloween! My dad has gone back to Taiwan for almost two weeks now, but there are a couple more mini-trips that I want to document:

No. 4: A Day Trip to San Diego

One day, I just realized that my dad had never been to San Diego, where I spent four years during college. I came up with this impulsive decision to make a day trip to San Diego.

Turning Six Months

This past month was a very special month for little el; not only grandpa and grandma were here at the chu’s sweet home but also her brother en stayed and played with her every. single. day in September!

Out and About | Where Peacocks All Around

微旅行第三站: Arboretum Garden, Arcadia

偶爾開車經過這個大噴水池一直不知道是哪裡, 這回才知道, 原來這裡是一座縣政府設立的植物園, 園地規劃和常造訪的 Huntington Library 有著異曲同工之妙, 雖然少了大型的博物館建築, 卻因著開放性飼養孔雀成了園區的一大特色, 走在園區時不時有孔雀出現同行...

Out and About | On Board the Queen Mary

微旅行第二站: Long Beach, California, Queen Mary/ 長灘, 瑪麗皇后號

Out and About | Pick a Day to LA County Fair

Double E’s 公公婆婆來訪, 展開為期一個月的微旅行, 第一站: LA County Fair

距離上回去玩 LA County Fair 恐怕是念高中的時候吧?! 今年加入新成員樂樂, 家裡的車已載不下所有的人, 只好委託奶奶當天幫我們看小樂樂, 到了地點後非常慶幸樂樂沒有跟來, 因為太陽實在很大, 對小 baby 來說實在太辛苦了...

Turning Five Months

My sweet muffin is over five months old. She rolls over like crazy! The time that I could just put her down worry free has come to an end. I have to watch her not to flip over and fall off the chair.

I’ll never get enough of this laughter XD

Welcome to Hotel The Chu Sweet Home

My parents are coming next month! not only to see their baby granddaughter but also to spend quality time with me and little en. I already have some plans in mind to do more outings and mini trips for the next month. :) Anyhow, first thing first. We finally have a finished room plus air conditioning for their visit this time. When they visited the first time, the “guest room” was not yet insulated, which made the room super hot in the day and super cold at night. The second time they visit, the room was halfway done like this, no painting or anything.

Camping | Fellowship at Barton Flats Campground

2016.08.05 - 2016.08.07 Barton Flats, California, United States

Our 2nd camping trip this summer was to Barton Flats, not too far away from Big Bear City. The size of the campground was nice and big! We went with the fellowship families at our church, approximately 20 families!

Turning Four Months

小樂樂開始會認媽媽了, 一看到媽媽的臉就會燦爛得一笑:D才小小四個月大, 就跟著全家一同露營了兩次! 似乎沒有不適, 山上寒冷的夜晚依然睡得很好, 很厲害喔~

開始會吃手手了

Out and About | Mommy and Son Date to Kidspace

little en and I had a mommy-and-son date on Tuesday:)

I found this place, Kidspace Children’s Museum, in Pasadena on the Internet a while ago. We visited the place twice already when little en was only a few months old. Now he’s two. I figured it was about time to revisit again!

Camping | Camping with Little Ones in Idyllwild

2016.07.15 - 2016.07.17 Idyllwild, California, United States

上個周末我們挑戰帶著三個月大的小樂樂和恩仔體驗他們第一次的露營; 做爸媽的確是辛苦了點, 不過這難得的經驗也讓我們對於野地旅遊增加了信心, 尤其一家四口可以安然地睡在一處, 對於平日習慣各睡各的我們都是一大突破!

Lego is Making Its Way to Break My Bank

My Disney minifigures have arrived! All the way from Portland!

Take a guess who’s in this blind pack:

Turning Three Months

小樂樂滿三個月了! 頭髮長好長啊~ 樂樂哇哇哭得時候還會伴隨著 ma..ma..得聲音, 好像叫媽媽一樣, 妳是真的會叫媽媽了嗎? (笑) 樂樂也從這個月起開始沿用哥哥的布尿布, 感覺省很多...

DIY Sandbox Table

Remember the new bathroom medicine cabinets? Charles actually attempted to work on the door but then failed. As we always tried to repurpose everything, he turned this 2.5ft x 2.5ft junk piece into a base of a sandbox.

Classic Volkswagen in Lego’s Version

Charles sent me a link the other day. It’s a blog post that gives a little preview about the new Lego Creator vehicle -- Volkswagen Beetle

I didn’t feel bad missing the first version of the Beetle because this new one is so much better. It got the smooth curves and additional cute accessories. It’s definitely going to be added to my collection.

Turning Two Months

Hello my happy girl :) Happy two months old!

I thought it would be difficult for me to love another little one like I love little en. But the truth is that it is IMPOSSIBLE not to love this little sunshine deep in the heart. This motherhood thing is like an ultimate love source that never runs out! 

Keep Children Away From Toxin in the Bathroom

從恩仔開始會翻箱倒櫃起, 做父母的就開始擔心孩子接觸到清潔作用的液體; 凡舉洗衣精, 各類清潔劑, 酒精, 漱口水, 漂白水等... 家中廚房和洗衣間放有防小孩的安全柵欄, 就是廁所問題比較大, 尤其遲早要學會自己上廁所, 於是廁所不再是禁地

Ultimate Changing Table

We bought this Ikea SNIGLAR changing table (the cheapest one in Ikea) when en was born. All the diaper changing, cloths changing, hair drying, and teeth brushing happen on this table in the bathroom. Now en’s sister little el has joined the family. This table carries out more duties than before.

First, Charles added the casters. Sometimes the table can be in a way. It is nice to have it movable.

Turning One Month

我的小天使滿月囉! 說她是個小天使因為出院後沒幾天她就自然而然調整了日夜顛倒的作息, 半夜可以安安靜靜地喝完奶直接再接著睡, 實在太神奇了

Honeycomb Wall Decoration

恩仔的房間又有了新的進展:

Make It Better

Finally, here comes the home improvement post! Remember I turned an Ikea bench-with-shoe-storage into little en’s play table? And I mentioned that I wanted it to be a little wider so that it could be more functional as a play table? Charles really spent time to make it better. He not only extended the width but also attached a splash board!

Turning Twenty-Four Months

昨天恩仔過完了他的第二十四個月, 非常不一樣的第二十四個月, 晉升成為哥哥了!

恩仔表現地超乎預期的成熟, 我們都沒想到他這麼開心妹妹的到來, 每天起床第一件事就是要去看妹妹, 還會關心妹妹哭哭或是便便, 他更是爸媽的小幫手, 會提醒爸爸要去抱抱妹妹, 還會幫妹妹擦去嘴邊溢出來的奶, 妹妹的出現好像讓恩仔突然長大了好幾歲... 希望他發現妹妹之後會要分享玩具, 分享爸媽的時間等, 依然能夠坦然接受...

Welcome to the World

We threw a library building shower for her last month, and I used a couple of her new books to take this cute picture:

Dear Baby Girl - Week 38

Out and About | Hear the Dinosaurs Roar

在洛杉磯這麼多年, 居然是第一次去 Natural History Museum

Admission: 成人$12, 三歲以上小童才需買票入場$5

Transportation: 洛杉磯就是塞車討厭, 開車直達需付$12 現金停車費; 想避開塞車又省錢, 可搭乘 Expo Line (5am-12:30am) 在 Expo Park/ USC 或是 Expo/ Vermont 出口步行不到五分鐘即到

正巧恩仔最近在看這本恐龍書 Dinoblock (Alphablock), 對恐龍充滿興趣

Find Time for Lego

趁 baby girl 還沒出來, 特別搬出塵封好久好久的 The Simpsons House 拿出來拼一拼, 雖然本身並不是 Simpsons 的忠實觀眾, 可是怎麼能錯過這款色彩鮮艷又有特別主題的房子咧? 其內容和結構無法和原著一模一樣, 但設計師竭盡所能配合原形, 甚至是地板, 每一塊磚瓦在顏色上都把電視上的感覺完整呈現; 我還特別在書架上清出了一個空間來展示...

Travel | I Miss You, San Diego

2016.02.26 - 2016.02.27 San Diego, California, United States

Turning Twenty-Three Months

昨天是恩仔的生日. (I know, I’m a month behind…) 因為想繼續把他第二年的 photo project 不間斷的完成, 所以還是貼上了差了一個月的 update... 

Anyhow, happy birthday to my sweet boy! We did a simple celebration for him a week before at his baby sister’s shower.

Dear Baby Girl - Week 34

Down the Aisle

February 27, 2016 Jessie & Tom’s wedding - Blush, Gold & White

My sweet college roommate got married last month :D  I couldn’t be happier for her!

Out and About | Pretend City Children’s Museum

Last month we attended little en’s cousin’s birthday party, where was held at Pretend City Children’s Museum in Irvine. There are children size of library, bank, post office, cafe, supermarket, garden… all the places you can imagine.

The city street traffic is little en’s favorite. I bet he can drive that car all day long :D

Turning Twenty-Two Months

The past 22 months is by far the most amazing month to me. There were tons of milestone that kept surprising me every single day! His vocabulary increased tremendously. Seeing him make his way to use complete sentences just plain cracks me up! I could also see him using his imagination to play with toys from time to time. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments happened in this 22-month! I’m so thankful to be able to witness these moments everyday!

He witnesses his room from scratch to finish. The whole transition to the new bedroom went very well. He was so excited to finally be able to sleep and enjoy his room.

As he becomes more and more confident staying outside exploring the world, there will be more and more out and about going in the near future! Well, at least before his sister pops out… XD

Adding Some Green to the Space

E’s bedroom (現在應該說是 double E's bedroom) big reveal!!

恩仔在一月底左右成功搬進了新房間

Out and About | Valentine's Date at Griffith Park

這個情人節周末我們和恩仔有個小約會

本來打算去 Griffith Observatory, 超級討厭排隊的我們不願意挨著飢餓感排車隊上山, 乾脆留在山下晃晃, 於是打個彎繞到上個月去 LA Zoo 時經過的一大排蒸汽火車, 還沒找到火車展覽, 倒是先停了一站: Pony Rides