Ski Trip

Our winter break vacation was spent in Telluride, CO this year with the Chun family. It was an awesome trip with lots of fun and milestones made for the kids and myself. It was the kids' first ski experience and they did great! Ethan and Hayley took their ski lessons and Ethan even skiied down the green slope on his own! Wow! I had not skiied in over 15 years and got back into it with lots of great encouragement. I went down the green and double green slopes with not too much trouble and even made it through the blue slopes with some difficulty, but still survived it! Phew! I'm just glad that we all came home with no injuries.
Telluride is such a beautiful place and it was my first white Christmas! We stayed at Hotel Madeline which was highly recommended on TripAdvisor and it sure was a great hotel at a perfect location. The ski school and ski lifts are just outside the hotel and it has a ski valet which you can ski right into and check in your skis when you're done. We didn't even have to drive anywhere and we took the gondola to town for dinner. There is an ice skating rink right outside the hotel as well and Hayley really liked ice skating. What a great find, thanks to Linda!
Now that we're back, Ethan is already asking when we can go skiing again! Maybe we will have to plan another ski trip soon....
We took many pictures and you can check it out here.

Christmas Presents from the Kiddos

Both Ethan and Hayley made Christmas presents for us from school.

Holiday Baking

More baking for the holidays. They made wonderful gifts to family and friends.

Coconut Macaroons

Peppermint Kisses Pretzels

Peppermint Chocolate Chip

 

Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk

Chocolate Chip with Pecans

White Chocolate and Cranberry

Molasses Cookies

Holiday Gift Packaging

The History of Candy Canes

Ski Prep

We have planned a trip to Telluride over the Winter break and Hayley and I went shopping at Big 5 for some winter gear. Check out this pair of goggles on Hayley. I think she is ready!

Let's Go For A Ride

We have had many generous hand-me-downs from friends and Hayley acquired a bike that she really enjoys. Thank you Chau Family!

Thanksgiving 2012

We celebrated this Thanksgiving with family and friends at our home. The feast was enjoyed by all. I went a little crazy on the desserts, but they all turned out delicious! Here is my menu:

Appetizers

Tomato Confit

Sausage and Pineapple Kabob Appetizer

Fig Jam with Brie Cheese

Main Course

Turkey

Rib Roast

Sides

Mashed Potatoes

Corn

Cranberry Relish

Corn Bread Stuffing

Green Bean Casserole

Sautéed Mushrooms

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Honey

Cheddar Biscuits

Dessert

Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping

Whoopie Pumpkin Pies

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Easy Oreo Truffles

    

 

Hayley the Baker

Hayley has been interested in participating whenever I'm baking or cooking. Here is her first Rice Krispy Treats with M & Ms. They turned out pretty good though the M & Ms were a little crushed.

My Kindergartener

Ethan's Kindergarten school picture came in and here it is! Such a big boy now....

Cake Pops Baby!

The girls celebrated our friend, Jennifer's upcoming 3rd baby boy at Mimi's Cafe with a nice lunch. After that we went to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for some tea. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon. I ordered some yummie cake pops from the Cupcake Cafe' and I put them in clear plastic cups filled with some blue and white paper strands. They turned out really cute.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween was quite hectic this year - Hayley had the International Lunch at preschool and Ethan had a Fall party at kindergarten. We tried to have an early dinner and ended up taking longer as the kids just couldn't sit still - I guess they were excited and ready for trick or treating. Hayley loved her ladybug costume (thanks to aunty Christy and Lauren) and Ethan was just fine with his astronaut costume from last year. He even said he would want the same thing next year. We'll see. The kids got to go trick or treating with Bumble Bee Bellamie who we have not seen in months. Check out some of the pictures:

 

The many faces of Jack-O'- Lantern

We carve a pumpkin every year and here are some of the many faces we have used - mostly happy.

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

Clifford the Big Red Dog

I won some tickets for the Clifford the Big Red Dog musical from work. It was a cute musical and the kids enjoyed it very much.

Hayley's First Dentist Visit

It was Hayley's first visit to the dentist. She was a little scared at first and was not a happy camper when we sat her down on the dentist chair. Then she decided that she didn't want her teeth cleaned and wanted to only lay on daddy while her teeth got cleaned. But the dental hygienist managed to get her to sit by herself for X-rays. Ethan was also there for his teeth cleaning and was quite supportive. Overall she did great and had a good experience. And best of all no cavities!

Cheeeze...

Hayley's first school picture. It's funny how she and Ethan had the same smile when Ethan took his first school picture back in 2009.

Socks

One of my mom's friends knitted these cute socks for the kiddos. They will come in handy during the cold nights at bedtime.

Mid-Autumn Festival 2012

We celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节 this year at the Kan's. It was a fun and memorable night. There were lots of delicious foods and lots of lanterns to go around. The kids truly enjoyed it. Great company!