Baby Kyle!

This afternoon, Jas and I went to a party held by Fran & Ryan to meet their little guy, Kyle. Wow, he looks like a white baby boy and I don't see any asian in him but I'm sure as he gets older, he'll have some asian features. It was good to catch up with Fran and I saw people that I haven't seen in years. Altho I don't really have much in common with these people esp when it comes to their babies and kids, it was still good to see everyone. Thankfully, I don't have to do these sorta things too often. It's really strange to see Fran as a mom since I've always known her to be so career oriented and not so interested in raising a family. She still plans on heading back to work real soon and they will be getting a live-in nanny when she goes back to work. I also saw Bryan and his new family which is cool since I can't believe how grown up we all became. I remember the days of partying in Seattle and now all these guys are married and having babies! I think it was hard for Jas to be surrounded by kids and babies since she's not interested in having any. I also felt a bit uncomfortable since I've already had one and mine is a teenager! With all the kids running around, I def did not feel the baby bug and I think I'm done with having any more babies! Mine is almost out of the house! After the gathering, we were suppose to head out for dinner with Fran and family but it looked like everyone was leaving and Jas and I decided to take off as well. I'm sure Fran will have an awesome time raising her little boy and hopefully, she'll be able to juggle baby and career!

Happy 1st Birthday Colin!

Today, we celebrated Colin's first birthday, I can't believe he's already one! Time flies by so fast when you have children and everyone is having babies! I finally met Cyrus (Olivia's first child) and he is adorable but then most babies are adorable! It was a nice b'day gathering and it was nice to catch up with everyone. After the celebration, Rhoda and I headed over to Metrotown to do a bit of shopping cos she is in need to buy something, she hasn't bought anything in 3 weeks! We headed over to Aritzia and she found a beautiful boyfriend blazer in a metallic colour which looked really awesome on her and it is much dressier than her other boyfriend blazer. I picked out a Talula black sleeveless dress with pockets and a sweetheart neckline which I did not think I would like cos it looked kinda short on the hanger. Surprisingly, it fit me perfectly and was not at all too short! I really should not have bought anything but I couldn't help it, the dress is so pretty and so me! After shopping thru the mall, we headed over to Superstore cos I needed to pick up some items before dropping Rhoda off at her house. My brother dropped by our place to chill out cos he was in the area and he hadn't seen my mom and grams in a couple of weeks. We stayed in for dinner and I introduced him to the Fringe series, he is now hooked! He is going to go out and purchase the blu ray dvds for the first season. I can only imagine how cool it will look on his TV, the series has some really awesome special effects in the show!

Happy Birthday Jordan!

Wow, I can't believe Jordan turned 4 (actually his real birthday was a couple weeks ago) and it seems like yesterday that I went to his 2nd birthday party! Gosh, how time flies esp when you have children, Kay will be turning 16 next year and that to me is still so unreal! Rhoda and I headed over there together cos it made sense to take one car into Langley. Surprisingly we made it to their place without having to call Travis for directions! It was a smaller gathering this year and it was really nice to see everyone. Grace, Colin and Isabella were there and those two are so big! Isabella is holding mini conversations and it's so cool. I remember when Kay used to talk like that, gosh how time flies. Jordan, Tristan and Travis's niece are also growing up so fast and getting so big plus those kids are just so adorable. After the party, we headed over to Superstore on Lougheed cos I needed to pick up a few items. Brentwood was our next stop to enjoy some air conditioning cos it was soooo hot today! We also picked up an iced drink from Starbucks to help cool us down. We stayed a bit before heading home, Rhoda had dinner plans and I needed to get home to watch the complete first season of Fringe cos season premiere is this Thursday! I love this show!

Sala Thai & Baby Jacob

Tonite, we finally meet little Jacob, Tim & Kelly's baby boy! How much has changed in the last 4 months, wow they grow up so quickly. But he is def Tim & Kelly's baby boy! Looks like Tim & Kelly, can't tell who he looks more like. We alll meet at Sala Thai cos for some reason Tim thought that was more central to everyone. I think Basil in Burnaby would have been more central but oh well, it was still nice to head over to the Cambie Village. We order a few dishes to share and dessert of course, ST's coconut ice cream is the best! After a few hours of catching up, it was time to call it a nite! Rhoda and I came back to my place (she drove over and parked her car) and I decided to bake cookies! Tomorrow I'm going to make a cheesecake brownie, mmmm.....

Dinner with the babies!

Tonite, Rhoda and I headed out to Langely for dinner with Grace, baby Colin, Travis, Lisa, baby Jordan and Tristan for dinner at Coza, an italian restaurant. I hadn't seen the babies in a couple of months and I can't believe how much Colin and Tristan have grown! It is always so nice to catch up with everyone and so nice to spend the time playing with the babies!

Spring Break Visit!

It was so nice to finally see Michael, Darlene and their beautiful girls, Hailee and Linnea! They are in Vancouver for spring break (relocated to Tumbler Ridge, BC) and I haven't seen them in over 5 years! Esp the girls, Hailee - whom I've only meet a couple of times when she was just a baby plus Linnea who I haven't met cos she is 2 and born in Tumbler Ridge! Those girls are adorable, I can't believe how fast they have grown and how much time has passed. It was lovely time and good to catch up. Michael and Darlene are getting married sometime this year - that is wonderful since it's been a long time coming. Both confirmed they are going to raise their family in the quaint town of Tumbler Ridge with no plans on moving back to Vancouver and maybe, in a few years, another baby?? Michael has mellowed out quite a bit, he's matured a little (esp when it comes to family and life - buying their very first house!), he is a great father and a loving husband. I am a bit surprised to see the changes esp with his attitude but very happy for him. Although some things don't change like he still acts like a kid (esp around his kids), he still has a bunch of Audis in his back/front yards and he is still driving a Audi (shocking that it made it to Vancouver without falling apart!). He did upgrade to a driveable (not rundown fixer upper) Audi, a newer model in silver with leather seats and all the gadgets of course! I'm happy to get the chance to see them before they drive back up. It's too bad HonHon isn't in town and Kay was not around for this visit cos Mike and Dar would not have recognized Kay, she's grown a few inches and a few years since and they haven't seen HonHon in ages! Maybe we will do a road trip up to see them sometime..... no probably not - 10 hours on the road is much too long for me!

Welcome Jacob!

Congrats to Tim and Kelly!

Baby Jacob arrived on Feb. 10th at 11:14 PM :)

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Tristan!

Wow, I can't believe it's been a year! Time flies by so quickly and the babies are growing up way too fast! It was so nice to spend the afternoon with the babies and friends, they are such good people. The food (as always) so yummy and this year, they decided to pick up a birthday cake from Cupcakes - mmmm... cupcakes, I am so addicted to their cupcakes and cakes! It was lovely to see Grace, Isabella, Colin - can't believe the changes in his features,, he's looking very Chinese and very surprised to see Sheldon - Grace's husband! Overall, it was a great afternoon but my headache started to go from bad to worse and the pounding just go worse esp after the slice of cake the jello cheesecake! Time to take a nap. Photos to be posted, I didn't bring my camera.

Baby Shower

Tonight, Rhoda and I headed over to Tim's house for a baby shower. I can't believe he's going to be a daddy! We are all very excited for him and we know he's going to make a great dad. Tonight, for me, this was many "firsts" like meeting his wife, visiting his not so new home and meeting his group of friends. Altho Rhoda knows some of his friends and I recognize a couple of people - guess we hung out at one time or another with them due to common friends in high school back in the days, it was def an interesting night. He and his wife live in a nice and new area, the townhouse was modern but a bit small (to my standards) and I didn't like how the garage was designed (tandem garage) but I guess with limited space and the desire (the builders) to build as much as they could, I can see why it was designed this way. A lot of wasted space as they only own one car but Tim has big plans to make half of the garage a "boys" room. But we had a good time and it was nice to catch up. Before we left, we got a very interesting party favour, baby Coronas with a drink umbrella! Such a Tim thing to do!

New Baby Boy!

Tonight, we all met up for dinner with Grace to meet her new baby boy, Colin. Rhoda and I always drive wherever we need to, to meet up with Grace, Travis and Lisa cos they have little kids and we don't mind driving the distance to see them. We know how hard it is to get all the little kids out and about. Grace picked a newly opened Malaysian restaurant in New West (which is convenient for both Grace and Trav) called Tamarind Hill Malaysian Restaurant. The restaurant is a bit on the small side but the service and food was great! The ambiance of the place is very Malay as well.

It was so nice to finally meet Baby Colin and he is adorable! It was also good to see Jordan, who's becoming a little man and Tristan, growing up so quickly and he is so full of energy! It was a lovely time as always and it's really nice to have dinner with such wonderful people and kids!

Happy First Birthday Isabella!

Today, we celebrated Isabella's very first birthday and wow, I can't believe how fast she's grown! She is now officially one years old! How time flies.... the lucky birthday girl received so many gifts, gosh did she ever get spoiled. The whole living room was filled with so many great gifts and I felt that my little Roots t-shirt and lucky red envelope didn't seem like a lot. The food was excellent, lots of yummy food and homemade samosas which were super yummy. Lots of people and friends, many whom I didn't know and I wish I came with Rhoda and Nel but I didn't cos those two were coming from Ladner. I was on my own for about an hour (Kay didn't come, she had homework and plans with a friend) and I felt a bit awkward since I didn't know anyone there except for the birthday girl and mom. Grace is an awesome hostess and she tried to keep me in the gathering and I tried to mingle with the other guests. Before long, food was being served so I decided to grab a plate and sample all the yummy food. As I was finishing up, Trav, Lisa and little ones were just coming through the door. It was good to see them, Lisa looked great even though she was super tired and you can tell she was a bit worn out from taking care of two little ones. Since they just arrived, I held little Tristan so mom and dad could grab a bite. Gosh, is he ever tiny (just a bit over 8 pounds!) and I can't believe that Isabella was once that small! Rhoda and Nel arrived a bit after Trav and Lisa and about that time, my arms were getting super tired so Rhoda took over a bit. After a couple of hours, it was time for the birthday cake and presents. It was such a lovely time and so good to see everyone. Next small gathering, we are heading over to Trav and Lisa's place to have a dinner at home cos we know how hard it is for those two to come out since they've got a newborn with them. More photos on flickr.

After the party, I headed over to Metrotown to see if I could get my Hello Kitty alarm clock fixed cos this morning I accidentally knocked it over and the seconds ticker fell off. Lucky for me, Times Fashion (which has been there forever!) was able to fix it at a price of $6.00!! While I waited (30 or so minutes before it would be done), I headed over to T&T to pick up some milk and bread, right next door is Maxim's and I picked up some baked items for Kay. Then I walked over to the other side to Superstore as I was looking for a pastry cutter (to cut butter into a batter - I'm going to try a new scones recipe this coming w/e) but Superstore didn't have any which surprised me. I could have gone over to London Drugs to buy one but it's a bit expensive and more than what I was willing to pay. I don't want to spend more than $10 on one and lucky for me, I found one at Home Outfitters just under $10. I also looked around for a new swimming suit cos I am going to take up swimming soon but didn't find any that were cute or flattering. It's so hard to find a swimming suit to fit your body type. Also, I think most women don't like being in a swimming suit and I am one of those women. I find there are very few pieces that look decent on me. I think I will have to head over to West 4th this weekend and check out Blue Crush and/or outdoor shops (Comor etc.) for a swimming suit. A few years ago, I picked one up from West 4th but it was getting old and needed to be replaced so I finally threw it out. HonHon bought one for me a year ago (from La Vie en Rose Aqua) but it's way too big now since I've lost all this weight. The weather was super nice and warm, almost like a spring day! Sunshine and the temperature at a little above 10 degrees C which is quite warm I think. I hope this upcoming week will be nice and sunny! Oh yes, it's time to go shopping for new sunglasses!

Olive Garden

Tonight, Rhoda and I had dinner plans with Travis, Grace and family. We headed over to La la land (Langley), a party of town that is very far far away when you are from Vancity, for dinner at the Olive Garden. I had no idea there was an Olive Garden in the lower mainland. What a great dinner deal they have, every entree comes with unlimited amount of soup or salad and bread sticks! I ate too many bread sticks with soup and couldn't even finish half of my pasta! Lots of leftovers to take home which means I don't have to worry about the next lunch or dinner!

It was so nice to see Travis, Lisa, Grace and the babies. Rhoda and them were meeting up to exchange gifts and Travis and Grace felt bad that there was nothing for me but I reassured them I was only there to see the kids and I didn't pick anything up for any of them either. I had given them both a Christmas card with a lucky red envelope for the babies. The food was pretty yummy and as always the company was great. They are really really genuinely nice people and so good to be around with. I can't wait until Lisa is due, she's expecting another little boy and they've picked out the name already! Can't wait! I am def. not ready to have any more babies of my own but so happy and excited about Lisa's newbie!

Date with Leo and Robyn

{Click photo to enlarge}

This afternoon, I went for a walk with Leo and Robyn! I haven't seen them in months and although I have left numerous voice messages and emails, she has been quite a busy lady. Taking part time brokerage classes, being an at home mom to an infant and a teenager, quitting her job at the insurance firm and trying to get in some quality time for herself. But as luck would have it, I bumped into her and Leo at Thai Away last night. Last night, I had dropped Kay off at Douglas Community Centre (she had a pre-tween Valentine's dance), before heading over to pick up some yummy thai takeaway (my one night dine out for this week) as I planned to have a quiet night (or couple of hours!) on the couch in front of my Friday Night TV. But I had decided to stay in and catch up with Robyn as she was just finishing up but stayed with me to keep me company while I ate my dinner. After dinner, we made our way back but before going home, she needed to pick up some coolers at the liquor store and some soup for her teenage daughter, sick at home with the flu. As we parted out ways, we made plans to meet for today to go for a walk and to catch up more on each other.

Lucky for us, it was a beautiful day and I got some beautiful shots of Leo. We decided to walk around Douglas Park a couple of times, before settling on a dry bench in the sun. Gosh, I can't believe how much Leo has grown! He's like a little boy now, not the little quiet baby I remember him to be! Such a gorgeous boy and what a cutie pie! He is super cute when he smiles and looks up to you with his beautiful eyes. Awww, I almost almost want to have another one.. He is also very snuggly and sits comfortably in your arms, like a teddy bear. Love it. It was great spending time with them and I hope to see them more often but if they decide to move to Richmond, we will def. have to set "play/lunch dates". I wish them luck in finding a house large enought and within reasonable rent price to fit the lives of 2 adults, 2 kids, 1 dog and 2 cats!

Babysitting Katie

Tonight, Kay and I had a great time babysitting little Katie! But I did forget how much work it takes to care for a little one. Katie was a sweetheart and a very easy to please baby! No problems at all although it took the two sets of hands to put her to bed. I am rethinking my plan to get pregnant! I don't think I am quite ready to have two little ones running around.....

Thanks Erin and Geoff for having us over for dinner (and boy what a fabulous dinner it was!) and letting us babysit Katie!! Any time you need us, you just let us know, we wouldn't turn down a night with Katie!!!

Oh one more thing....

Ken's Good Bye Lunch / Katie's Visit

This afternoon, we headed over to Savory Coast (yes, again!) for lunch to say good bye and to wish Ken T Great Happiness and Luck in Japan. He has been with the company for quite a number of years and even though he did not want to make a big deal about his parting, we could not let him go without a lunch! Just a small group of people whom he has worked with over the years were there to wish him all the best. I managed to snap a few photos of this lunch and with some people in the office so we do not forget Ken! Although, I am sure none of us will, he is a really nice guy and a great person to work with, we will miss him lots and it won't be the same without him.

Why to Japan, you ask? He is leaving us because his wife took on a really great job in Japan (originally where she is from) and they decided it is her time to be where she wants to be as she has been in Vancouver for many years. We wish him all the very best. Good for them and Good Luck Ken! (Photos from Lunch, Click Here)

Erin and Katie also came out for lunch and I got some pretty great shots of her too! (Photos from the Office, Click Here) Click onto the photo to enlarge: