Picnicking on the Deck

Since we're back in our first home and have this amazing view, you'd think we'd be out there all the time. Except, we're not. One word: bugs. Well, two, bugs and SUN. We're east/west facing so we get some crazy sun. Sean's more of the bug-a-phobe (entomophobia for those needing the exact terminology). Maybe he's not so much of a bug-a-phobe, but more of a bug-hater....like he really, really, really does not like bugs.

Anyhoo, I digress...weather was good, deck is freshly painted, and both kids are home...so with grilled cheeses, a fresh juice concoction (spinach, blueberries, red grapes w/seeds, strawberries, ground flax, & water...all whipped up in the Vita-mix), and our picnic blanket (we still need new deck furniture)...we headed outdoors...along with Jax.

It was really nice. The kids loved it and watched the butterflies flying around our bushes. Sean missed out...on all the flies, that is! HAHAHAHA. The kids are so used to disciplining the dogs they were yelling "NO!" to the flies instead of swatting them away!!

The only sad thing is, I realize how fast the kids are growing and that both of them will be in school this September (well Jaron possibly only part-time...we'll see). I feel like I've just missed out on so much even though I've been with them almost everyday of their lives (save a total of 5 days for Kaia and 2 days for Jaron).

Really...where did time go and when did my babies grow up?

Order Up!

As I was giving the kids a light breakfast before having lunch in two hours...they already had their toast and I was giving them their fruit salad, Jaron looks at the fruit and says:

"I didn't order that!"

Pu-hahahahahaha.

Yes, welcome to Tanya's Cafe.

Plague

The plague that is Tanya has managed to infect her poor, poor PREGNANT sister!!! What a good big sister I am! SORRY SISTEE!!!!!!!!!!!! This cold is a whopper too...definitely the sickest I've been this year.

Yeah, I can't even remember how many times I've been ill since the beginning of January. Definitely more than 6 times now. I cannot wait for the weather to be warmer and school to be out!!! ;o) Hil reminded me that I've been sick more than I've been healthy. Great.

We spent the weekend up in DC celebrating family birthdays. Po-po turned 59 and we got to eat (even though I didn't have much of an appetite...you know I'm sick if I don't have an appetite) at Texas de Brazil...a carnivore lovers paradise...SOOOOOOOOOO YUMMY!!!! I also made a yummy coconut cake for my coconut-loving nutty mom!

We also celebrated the 1st birthday of our nephew Aidan!! He's more of a tank than Jaron was and is so super yummy! He's such a little charmer and just so adorable!! We got him a bomber jacket from the base and Sean attached patches of jets & subs on it that will hopefully remind him of us! Papa & Mama Yuan made some maaaaaaaaaad good food...as usual!! Our cutie niece Lina was also there and is equally as delicious as her first cousin! It's so nice to live closer to home and be able to spend time with family! Sean keeps saying that it's nice to drive 3.5-4 hours rather than the 12 hours from FL...not that he drove it too often. Anyway...good to see our family and celebrate our nephew's milestone! Hopefully, I did not infect anyone there!!

No photos this time...too sick! Wah, wah, wah.

The biggest shout-out this weekend...my hubby. He did EVERYTHING this weekend so all I had to do was take care of myself (which I normally complain he should do, but I was so sick that I wanted no one around to catch my plague). This man did all the packing up (the car, that is), took care of the kids...canine & human, drove, ev-er-y-thing!!!! He was so awesome. PLUS...Kaia was still getting better so she was still having crazy nightmares...esp. our first night in DC...where Sean slept with the kids all weekend and I was in my little cave. Poor guy. Really...he busted his sweet little tookus off this weekend and never complained or showed he was even bothered by it.

My hubby...I'm really lucky.

McDonald's

So, our kids are funny. Given Mommy's training and background, we've tried to instill a big sense of multiculturalism in them...through diverse ideas, people, customs, and FOOD. Yeah, yeah, yeah...so I'm not big on the whole "Let's do a food festival to showcase our culture"-thing, but with stomachs and tastes like ours...our kids NEED to have diverse food tastes.

Now, I miss me some South...esp. the Southern Fried Chicken...*droooool*. But, having to drive an hour-plus to get some Indian, Chinese, Korean, etc. food was re-dunkulous. It's great being back up here with a newly-opened International Supermarket (one of those ginormous Korean-owned supermarkets) right down the street and more diversity in cuisine all within a 30-minute or less drive...we're so happy. STILL...food in the Hampton Roads area (Norfolk, VA Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, etc.) is NOT known for fabulous food. In fact...if you ever see something that's been voted "Best of the Beach/Norfolk"...you might wonder who the voters are and if their tongues are working correctly. Yes, I am a food snob...but if it's voted best...it at least better be GOOD...not "ok".

Anyhoo...I digress...we've posed the option of pizza or some other kind of fast food option to our kids. Often, since we're uber close to our fave Vietnamese location, we throw in Pho as an option as well. For those who don't know, pho is the wonderfully delicious Vietnamese beef noodle soup (which also is available in chicken) that you can top with some fresh herbs & other condiments and is soooooooo addictive!! Funny thing is, no matter what option is stacked against pho...pho always wins!!

Welcome Home & Happy Birthday, Ba-ba!!

Happy Birthday, Ba-ba/Bear!!

So, Sean went out to sea and came back home...again and again these past few weeks. He finally got back and early AND just in time for...HIS BIRTHDAY!!!! We had gotten word that he was pulling in at 6pm...so I had a good idea of when & what to make for his birthday. His birthday gift of "cleaning the house" didn't quite make the deadline. Shoot, it didn't even get past the thought of it. Ok, so I exaggerate...I did tidy up a little bit and the kiddies did clean up their gazillion toys. So, it was a bit cleaner....but hardly noticeable save for the toys.

Anyhoo...we made a mint-Special Dark chocolate cake for his birthday. We made it from scratch since I can't bear the thought of putting the junk from boxed cake mixes into my family. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE the taste and ease of boxed cake mixes, but do try to avoid them. It's like the Breyer's commercial when you see the kids trying to pronounce the junk that's in non-all natural ice creams. We also made some favorites of his...churrasco (with my cousin Luis' chimichurri recipe), cabbage salad (my 98 year-old maternal grandfather's concoction), garlicky steamed cauliflower, & brown/white rice. You can check out my food blog for any recipes. The cabbage salad has become one of his favorites when Mom first made it for him. Not to mention that the raw cabbage is uber-healthy too (along w/the tomatoes & olive oil in it). Cauliflower is something that he JUST started liking last year when I started making it really garlicky. Sean's come a loooooooong way from when we first started dating. Veggies were really foreign to him. BUT...now he's lovin' them. Now, we just have to convert his Mini-Me (aka Jaron) into liking them. We're making big headway with the little turkey...so he's slowly starting to eat them or at least TRY them! WOOHOO!!

Anyway...the kids had a really late night and we finally got them down at 11pm...a full 3 hours after I NORMALLY get them down! Sean & I settled in for a movie ("Elizabeth the Golden Age") and finally got to bed at 2am!! We celebrated today with disappointing dim sum (go figure for NE Florida)...followed IMMEDIATELY with an Indian buffet (literally several shops down from the Chinese place). Yup...gluttons! I didn't take photos, but dinner was salad, grilled asparagus, & grilled pork loin chops with a gauva sauce. YUM!

That's all for now. It's on to planning Kaia's birthday coming up next week. We'll be in Orlando with The Fam. Woohoo!!!! We can't believe (not-so) Baby Girl is already turning 5!!!

Hopefully Sean will be contributing to the blog now that he's home!

Kaia cheesin' & Jaron continuing his piece de resistance!

Now Jaron's turn to cheese & Kaia creating her masterpiece.

A close-up of our son's artsiness.

This is a bad angle since I actually had 1/2 plate covered in veggies & I flattened out my rice portion to make it look like more. ;o)