out and about

The last few days has been a blur of activity for my little family. We have been trying to squeeze in as much time for each other as possible as these days, the hubby and I never have the same days off anymore (yes, it's a small sacrifice we made to ensure that our little man is raised by us mainly).

So what have we been up to??? Here's a glimpse...


Hubby and baby at Granville Island enjoying a beautiful sunny day (although it was chilly!)

The little man in his Olympic gear getting ready for his first haircut!

Yummy olives at the Public Market --- it really is too bad I can only down a seethroughgrassskirt (Smirnoff vodka, peach schnapps, Soho cranberry, and freshly squeezed OJ) these days, and even that is very rare!

A beautifully handcrafted wooden boat --- I would have loved to purchase for the the little boy but I'm afraid it will just end up in pieces. So maybe when he's a little older....

Ahhh --- a stop for lunch! Salmon fish and chips for the little man and I (yes, he loves salmon and loves fries even more!) and Halibut burger for the hubby.

Overlooking the Granville Bridge while having lunch.

Making a stop to visit Lola (and Lolo who is not in the photo) to drop off Dylan for some 'mommy & daddy' time.

After watching Canada win the first hockey game along with gosh knows how many people walking along Robson Street, we headed to Robson Square to catch a glimpse of th outdoor skating rink.

On our way to see the Olympic Flame, we had to stop to take a photo with the actual torch they used at the relays!

Which way, daddy???

The rotating/hanging Earth at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Ahhhhh --- finally, the Cauldron! We definitely are heading back this way with the little man as soon as he is feeling better!

The way to the cauldron (we were heading the opposite) is a sight to behold with massive amounts of people still pouring in from all over (this was at roughly 10:30pm on a Thursday night!)

I wish you were all here in Vancouver right now --- the atmosphere is really something to behold and it's such a beautiful way to re-discover a city that I already love.

his "daddy haircut"

when we were first discussing the concept of giving dylan his first haircut, the hubby and i were on opposite ends. i wanted my little man to shave all his baby hair off as supposedly, his hair will come back thicker and better and the hubby was opposed to it as he wanted dylan to only receive a trim. by the time we actually were at the salon, it was an entirely different matter...

let's fast forward to last wednesday at The Hairloft:

dylan with a full head of hair waiting patiently for his turn for haircut!

trying to look for a chair --- more like a car to sit in!

we of course had to take home the first locke of hair that was cut off.

and so the buzzing begins (with the little man turned the opposite way!)

my little big boy sitting through his first "daddy haircut"

the first and only time he ever cried was 5 minutes into the cut. he screamed at us for 5 seconds and stopped when he saw diego on the tv screen in front of him.


voila! here are my twins :)

Family Date Night

We began our little celebration of a late valentines (and I'm talking THIS very evening) with a family date night checking out the local Live Site, O-Zone, located here in our city of Richmond, BC (that's a 5 minute drive over the bridge to Vancouver).


Dylan posing with Miga, one of the Vancouver 2010 mascots.


My two boys taking a break from all the walking we did.


Happily waving and proudly showing off his Canadian flag!


Posing with mommy in front of the mascots by the Richmond City Hall.


Finally --- dinner time. Enjoying his favourite mashed potatoes from Boston Pizza.


Downing some yam fries and mashed potatoes.

I really am looking forward to Part II of our late valentines celebration --- that is coming up tomorrow!

Beautiful Eyes

Goodness knows how long it took us to teach Dylan how to do his "beautiful eyes" trick... but now that he does know how, it's so much more harder to stop him!

The yelling and very loud laughter in the background was my mom --- forgive her --- Dylan is the very first grandchild in my side of the family and this type of reaction bubbles out of everyone when Dylan does something as simple as point, say "what this", or even smile!

Hope this video lights up your day 'coz it sure does mine!

my mushy valentine

I had the bestest date for Valentines this year.

Actually, he was also my date last year along with the hubby --- but the hubby had to work this year so we are not celebrating heart's day until a little later this week.

But really, I am not complaining about my date because he was uber gorgeous, uber fun and uber delightful to be with!

Yes, he is definitely my mushy valentine ---

Learning to spoon his favourite peach yogurt.

Ahhh --- there goes the mush all over my little valentine's face!

The look of utter bliss.

I hope your Valentine's was just as delightful as mine was!

home is wherever my boys are

Back in 2004 before I turned 21, I asked my parents if I could move out of our house. I had a full time job and I was in love with the idea of having my 'own' space. My very supportive parents, though hesitant, said that I could definitely move and I found the perfect place not too far from home (ok, so it's a 10 minute bus ride and a 5 minute drive but who cares, right? it was mine alone!).

As I was browsing through some old photos of mine, I actually found these hidden in a folder somewhere in my laptop (hence the blog about it)!

My tiny living room complete with a tiny TV and centre table

My favourite greenery --- bamboo! Along with bridal magazines (because I was newly engaged then) and some coins???

Can you tell that I love Winnie the Pooh?

My very bare and very white kitchen.

I lasted three months living by myself --- I was lonely with no company though the hubby (then bf) would often visit me. I moved myself back home after that and promised myself that I would not move out until I got married (which I did the year after!).

Anyways, I was happily browsing the web today when I came across someone's blog about her studio/flat. I was so jealous and wished that I had half her style when I was living on my own because I probably wouldn't have bothered moving back home if I had even a smidgen of this type of flat (and to think I actually had a bedroom!).

I love the personality in this room!

Overlooking her whole space.

I really do love what she has done with such a small space!

Anyway...................

Sometime last year, the hubby and I purged most of our things so we don't have too many items anymore (unless you're talking baby things --- our 2nd bedroom is a miniature version of Babies R Us). I'm thinking that come spring or summer, I just might do a little thrifting myself and we might just find the quirky pieces I need to make our tiny abode into a more welcoming home.

But really, it doesn't matter to me how small or big my house is, how much beautiful furniture I have or how much time I've spent making it pretty --- because it's my boys that make anywhere I live become a home.

Welcome World!

"but we're more than just hockey and fishing lines
off the rocky coast of the maritimes

and some say what defines us is something
as simple as 'please' and 'thank you'
and as for 'you're welcome'
well, we say that too"

excerpt from "We Are More" by Shane Koyzcan
as narrated at the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies

begginings...

a spotlight on us

photo via Wunderphoto Search - posted by galeao

We arrived home tonight just in time to bundle up and head outside the house again to catch the Olympic Torch Relay happening just outside our house. Though it was bitterly cold this evening, kids and adults alike lined our street here on No. 1 Road in Richmond, BC to catch a glimpse of flame that has been passed on all over Canada.

I took snapshot after snapshot of the actual relay happening less than 20 feet away from me but with a little boy who was screaming and yelling along with the crowd (he was definitely excited to see all the police lights), it was difficult to get a great shot so forgive me on this one, but I will keep my blurry photos to myself.

I can't believe that the Olympics is going to be upon my corner of the world in less than two days! Such an exciting time to behold and I can't wait to attend a few celebrations with a certain little man.

grins and giggles

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."
- Author Unknown -

all the way from...

I opened my mailbox today and saw this come in!

A postcard from Bianca who is all the way from Germany!

Her beautiful writing --- some info on herself!

I can't wait to pick out the perfect postcard to send back to my new snail mail friend!

in celebration (a quick glimpse)

Birthday decorations (c/o Ninang Arwen & Ninang Leah)

Posing by the Lechon (from Lulo & Lula)

Uber delish Chocolate Ganache cake from Sweet Obsessions


Blowing out candles amidst the Happy Birthday song

His presents loot --- composed mainly of clothes (thank you all so much!!!)

Thoroughly enjoying his new sofa (from Ninong David)

More photos are found here and here so head on over to check them out!

ONE!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY DYLAN!!!!

MOMMY & DADDY LOVE YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!

in a few short days...

... we are celebrating the little man's BIG ONE.

i'm also going back to work very shortly after.

so instead of spending my time blogging, i'm going to bed and cuddle my sweet smelling baby while he's at the age where cuddles and kisses are the most precious gifts you can give.

ready to send

i was thinking of shopping for the perfect postcards to send for my very first Postcrossing project when I realized that a number of years ago, I purchased a slew of cards on a weekend trip to Victoria, BC. being a vancouverite means "Thinking Green" so i decided that because the postcards are just sitting pretty in a little box in my closet, that i would rather send those cards to my recipients in China, Finland, Germany, USA & Poland because they would most likely appreciate it better than i would!

in my excitement for this project, all five cards have been addressed and each contains a personal note from me. now off i go to the postal office on monday to personally send each of my cards out!

Postcrossing...

photo from weheartit.com

I have always had a love of writing letters. When a friend of mine mentioned Postcrossing, I knew my love was rekindled as I read what it was about. I had to sign up right away and be part of the group!

I am also so very excited to receive my very first postcard project (more like 5 cards to send!)! I am going to hunt for the perfect cards to send out and hopefully, the people who are going to receive it will be able to learn a little about me and my piece of the world.

Meet Lucy!

She's our (or should I say Daddy & Dylan's) new pet, a dwarf hamster!

Though I'm not such a big fan, I've got to say that she's kind of cute.

Oh well, she makes for a great photo subject so head on over here :)

a night out

on the cold evening of Jan. 15th, the hubby and i decided to take the little man out to stanley park for a quick drive. we made a quick stop to take a couple of pictures in commemoration of the upcoming winter olympics here in vancouver!

the olympic rings overlooking the sails of the vancouver convention centre

dylan and daddy braving the cold to get a snapshot!

i wish i could've taken more photos but we weren't really dressed for the occassion (it truly was a cold night out by the water!)

a very belated happy birthday

this posting is VERY VERY late.

nontheless, this was the hubby's uber late birthday celebration!

enjoy more of our photos here :)

goodbye palm,

Hello Bold 9700!!!


After much peer pressure from the hubby to get an iPhone considering that he, along with all our friends have it, I am so glad I did not succumb to it because I heart my new phone!!!

Date Night

the hubby and i stepped out tonight for some much needed 'adult time'. for the first time in months, a much needed date night was spent in the dark recesses of the theatre watching Avatar.

i'm joining the massive train where everyone seems to have loaded themselves into (the bandwagon is just too small) by saying that i truly loved the movie!!!

if you haven't had a chance to see it yet, make sure to pay the extra moolah to see the 3D version. it truly is worth it.

uber-delish

The other day, we could not resist handing over half a delicious mini-cream-puff-èclaire over to the little man.

Curiousity gets a hold of him as he tries to figure out the feel and taste of new food


Such bliss after finishing half of his uber decadent èclaire


The end result --- a bath to wash off the grubby little hands and chocolate filled face.

finally!

This certain post certainly needs to be blogged about.

After 2 weeks of impatience and driving me insane, the hubby's much coveted item of the year (or should I say last year?) has finally arrived.

Thank goodness his new 3GS is here (it actually arrived on the 4th). I don't think I could've stood another day of the whining.

:)

two days late but nontheless...

I hope that 2010 brings all of you prosperity, love and your true heart's desire. For me? I wish for 2010 to be just as exciting, challenging and rewarding as 2009 was.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!!!