Happy Friday!

TGIF!
Happy Birthday to Chef Will. Blessings to you, your work, your cooking, your relationship, your family, your spiritual life, your friendships, your health...every aspect of your life. Have a good one. =) Going to Big Bear for a camping trip with the church tomorrow for the long weekend. A little embarrassing to say, it will be my first time sleeping in a tent at a campsite. =P I hope it will turn out to be a positive experience and I won't freeze in the cold a night. I just checked the weather and the temperature drops to 30's at night. I guess I'd just wrap myself in layers with blanket and stuff myself in the sleeping bag. It sounds like a sushi roll. hahaha ^__^

Have a safe and fun long weekend everyone!!

Baby Shower Gifts + Clean-ups

The baby got so many gifts that day. It seemed like we had even more stuff to bring back home than we first came. I think the most difficult part for hosting a party is to clean up afterwards. Again, big family means more hands to help. We were very tired after the baby shower but still had the energy to open up all the gifts. Well, I guess I was the one who wanted to see the gifts. heehee =) We did open all the gifts after we got home. It was very exciting to see all those cute outfits, blankets, toys, gadgets, etc. I feel so thankful that everyone has been so gracious and generous to Janice & Will & their baby. THANK YOU!!!More Photos for Baby Shower Foods & Gifts

Baby Shower: Fun + Laughter + Blessings

This part is the actual baby shower. Only Bug & Jimmy showed up on time, that's why they deserved a prize. We started the baby shower by introducing the guests, most people are mainly from our church, some are Janice & Will's friends back in high school and college. Then we began to play a series of games:

Game One: Guess the size of mommy's tummy. Only one person got the correct answer.

Game Two: Guess how many weeks is the baby. This is an easier one.

Game Three: Guess the price of each baby item. This is a pretty fun game! The organic baby formula is $27.99! Unbelievable! It costs a lot to raise a child...heehee

Game Four: Bottle race. It's hilarious to see guys holding and sucking those tiny baby bottles. haha =)

Now it's girl's turn. Good job Penny! (Did you practice at home with Tra-Tra's bottle?!?! j/k haha)

Game Five: Diaper-changing demonstration by grandpa-to-be. Then daddy-to-be practiced for us. They are actually very good at diaper changing. =)

Game Six: Stick the baby on mommy's tummy.

The reason for having a baby shower is to celebrate and share the joy of having the baby, and help the mommy-to-be and daddy-to-be prepare for and be excited about the arrival of their baby, and get ready for their new bundle of joy! More importantly, give thanks to God and bless the baby and the parents-to-be.

Game Seven: Baby Lotto. The winner will be revealed once the baby is born. =)

It was a very sweet and fun baby shower, filled with abundant blessings from our heavenly father and dear brothers, sisters & friends. Praise the Lord!

More Photos for Baby Shower Games (Click Here)

More Photos for Baby Shower Group Pictures (Click Here)

Baby Shower Setup + Decoration

On the day of the baby shower, we arrived about two hours earlier to setup and put up the decorations. The challenge was to move everything from our home to our cars, and then from our cars to one of the meeting rooms on the second floor of the building at the church. Fortunately we found a cart and we tried to load as much stuff on there as possible to save some trips. One good thing about having a big family is that we have plenty of hands to help.Everyone is working hard...good job guys! Babies...and more babies..Bottles...and more bottles...More Photos for Baby Shower Decoration (Click Here)

Baby Shower Preparation

It's a little stressful to plan a party, especially a baby shower, especially for someone who is very artistic and expects perfection. (Did I say Janice?!?! haha) I'd never planned or hosted a baby shower before. This is my first time, my first time being a real auntie Sydney.

Back in April, we had the idea of throwing a baby shower for Janice & Will. We first picked a day and time in May, which is approximately two months before the baby's due date. Then we went to Babies"R"Us to "take a look" and register for the baby gift registry. It's a little overwhelming to see so many baby items in the store and so many brand names to choose from.

The difficult part of the planning is to come up with the guest list. Who should we invite? We ended up with a list of more than 70 people. Babies"R"Us provides free invitation cards and envelopes for people who have baby registry with them. I printed one by one and hand-delivered, emailed, and mailed out the invitations two weeks before the baby shower date.

The difficult part of the planning is waiting for people to RSVP. I guess people don't really do that at all. I had to make a lot of phone calls four days before the shower in order for me to have a head count. Otherwise it's really hard to plan and prepare the foods and party favors.

Once I know the approximate head count, it's time to get things moving! We started shopping around for decorations, favors, materials needed for games, and ordered cakes and foods for refreshments. The pressure was on but it was a lot of fun.

More Photos for Baby Shower Preparation (Click Here)

Mother + Daughters + Flowers

The Friday before Mother's Day, Mom, Janice and I had a girls day out to The Flower Fields at Carlsbad. The weather was beautiful and it was breathtaking to see the vibrant colors of flowers. It's awesome to enjoy in God's wonderful creation. =) Girls love flowers! We took tons of pictures...It was fun to tour around the entire field on a wagon/tractor ride. Here is the Rose Walk of Fame!After taking millions of photos and walking around the field, we came to the Sweet Pea Maze. Sweet Pea is one of my favorite scents from Bath & Body Works but I didn't know how it looks like until I actually went into the maze. It smelled really good while finding our way out.It took us awhile to walk out the maze, not as easy as we thought. We got so hungry and went to the Carlsbad Outlet that's next to The Flower Fields. We had lunch at Ruby's Diner and had a banana split as our dessert afterwards. yum yum! Of course, since we were at the outlet, we wouldn't miss the chance to shop around. I got myself a hat! (Janice forced me to take a picture with the background from Ruby's..haha) Praise God for giving us a beautiful and relaxing day to enjoy with Mom. =)More Photos for The Flower Fields
More Photos for Rose Walk of Fame
More Photos for Sweet Pea Maze
More Photos for Ruby's Diner

Bridal Shower

Last Saturday was Lillian's Bridal Shower. Lots of people. Lots of games. Lots of fun. Lots of gifts & unlimited lotions and hand soaps. Lillian looks very cute in her pink outfit. I really like this picture of her. Lovely smile~ ^______^ More Photos for Lillian's Bridal Shower (Click Here)

Birthday Girl

May is an action-packed month for me. Last Saturday was baby Jocelyn's 1st birthday party and Susan & Jack's house warming pot-luck. For this weekend, Lillian's bridal shower is coming up this Saturday and we plan to do BBQ on Mother's Day. The following week will be the baby shower and we are heading to Big Bear for the long weekend, which is the last week of the month.

People are celebrating different moments of life, such as growing up, moving into a new place, getting married, expecting new baby...I am thankful and happy to be part of their lives and share the joy with them.

Baby Jocelyn just celebrated her first birthday. Once again I realized that time goes by so quickly when I see how fast kids grow. I still remembered the first time I met her; it was three days after her birth on May 5th, 2006. We happened to have her bday party on the exact same day after one year. Baby Jo has grown so much from a baby to a toddler, so adorable and cute. I just want to hug her when I see her. I pray that Baby Jo will continue to grow in God's love, have favor from God, and learn to love God more and more as she grows up!

Left: Me and Baby Jo on 5/5/2006

Right: Me and Baby Jo on 5/5/2007

Baby Jo 撒嬌的模樣...very sweet girl...

Murano

We visited Chef Will at Murano last Friday night. Murano is a new, upscale restaurant located in West Hollywood that serves Italian and French cuisine. The restaurant uses white as their theme color and adds bright red chandeliers to make the contrast. The whiteness of the place plus the natural light from the window makes it really elegant and peaceful, but when it gets dark, it looks totally different. All the candle lights and those red chandeliers bring the warm and comfy feeling to the place and it's actually very romantic in there.

The highlight of the night was to taste and enjoy all those delicious dishes from appetizer to dessert.

There is a fancy name for every single item on the menu but I am not able to remember or even pronounce it. Upper left is the salad and upper right is the appetizer pork wrap with crunchy pastry inside. Lower left is the sweet corn pasta which Chef Will recommended. Lower right is the most famous and popular iron steak made entirely by Chef Will. =)

To complete our dining experience at Murano, we had a dessert, chocolate cake with vanilla gelato on top and cherries on the side. Our waitress also gave us two shots of lemon sherbet.

Every dish brings its unique taste and distinctive flavor. We just love every single dish!!! On top of all the delicious food at Murano, they also provide the friendliest and high-quality service. It was a little awkward in the beginning to see so many waiters and waitresses standing around us...felt like we were been watched. It seemed like they know when you finish the last bite.

It was a really fun experience to visit Chef Will and enjoy the dinner. If you are interested in going Murano, you can book the reservation through OpenTable.

More Photos: Dinner at Murano Restaurant (Click Here)

Children's Prayer Breakfast

Last Thursday was the National Day of Prayer and there was a children's Prayer Breakfast early in the morning that day from 6:30 to 7:45 at our church. Parents can bring their children to have breakfast together and pray together before sending them to school. I think that's an awesome idea for kids to learn to pray and know that parents see praying as a very important part of life. I was really looking forward to this breakfast prayer even though I don't have any kid. =)

It turned out to be a great prayer breakfast. It's really touching to see many families coming that early. Some families were there even earlier to prepare and set up the tables for us. We had our breakfast for the first 20 minutes, then we had kids worship team to lead one worship song with dancing and singing. After that, the pastor gave a short message on why we need to pray and how to pray while kids might wondered what's the big deal about praying. I like the part when the pastor said that you don't have to follow the grammar rule when you pray; you can have run on sentences and simple vocab. =P

The most fun part of the morning was to PRAY! We prayed for our neighborhood, city, California, and country. One kid from each table would pick the flag from the centerpiece and start to pray, then pass the flag to the next person to go around the table. I was so much moved by the kids' prayers, it's simple and short but it's from their hearts. I definitely believe that kids are blessed when their parents pray with them and for them.

Children's Prayer Breakfast Photos (Click Here)

Weddings

Anyone getting married in May? It seems like there's a wedding every month this year. We attended Tiffany and Shine's wedding last month. Tiffany looks great in her wedding gown and all her evening dresses. The banquet was filled with endless games...heehee. It was just so good to see so many old friends who I hadn't seen for a long time, really miss you all.

04.21.2007 Tiffany & Shine's Wedding Photos (Click Here)

Next month will be Lillian and Peter's big day. Lillian, you still got about one month to enjoy your life as a single girl. Don't stress out! Everything will fall into place on that day! =P I am very impressed when I saw their hand-made invitation. Looks awesome girl...you're approved by my standard. You will be soon moving into another phase of your life and just want you to know that I am here to answer your questions (you can ask more than one) and you have all my deepest blessings. So, who is next?
Congratulations to Steve and Joann. I was going to blog about it earlier last last week but then you all know I am a slow blogger. Here I am again, congrats to both of you!

National Day of Prayer

America, Unite in Prayer
May 3, 2007

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Dogs

Are you a dog lover? I am in the process of becoming one. When Brownie first came to our home, I only liked to watch him for he is so cute and tiny. But then the excitement fades and I only like to hold or play with him when he is groomed or smells good. I didn't even allow him to come into my room....

As time goes on, Brownie is like part of the family. I start to enjoy having him more and more. He knows when we call his name. He is playful and has emotions like us. He knows how to shake hands! The only problem is that Brownie is not potty trained. heehee

I am not completely in love with dogs but I am making progress little by little. Last weekend I saw this big dog, MiMi, at a friend's house. She is huge, compared to the size of Brownie, but she is only 8 months old. Mimi is a very passionate dog...If you are a dog lover, enjoy the pictures!