smileface

how we celebrated our 10 year anniversary

front side

we rented a little cabin in the woods.

backside

we were supposed to go to italy for 2 weeks, but last year we went to chuck e cheese, so i guess this is a step up.

 

it was perfect, though.

we had our own creek, fire pit, jacuzzi, and the kids had a small loft to sleep in.

have you ever had a tin foil dinner? i was really proud and excited about these until i realized the meat had a very metallic taste. hmph.

my favorite part of any trip is when we stop talking to each other and hang out in peace and quiet. i know, i'm so much fun. but telling ghost stories in the jacuzzi was a close second this time.

breakfast always tastes better in the woods, always!

that there yonder is an alpine slide. something like half a mile long i think. it was soooooo fast, i was terrified! but i'm chicken.

not these guys. fearless!

that is not us.

bungee swing. i should've tried this. maybe next year.

think this mini-golf course took about 5 minutes to complete.

if i remember correctly, this is called a "zorb," which is essentially a human hamster ball.

 

i swear the guy let them stay on these gocarts for 20 minutes. they looooooved it!

 

that's my fearless baby girl way up there!

what i would do for some maria's? the search for good mexican food in oregon continues...

that's what she said.

month of glory: day 30

our last night in socal. april seems like eons ago. we capped off our trip with one last family dinner at los angeles institution- el tepeyac.

we waited centuries for a table big enough for our clan. everyone was starting to lose their cool. do you enjoy hearing about our first world problems?

holy burrito! my fam rules.

month of glory: day 29

we are seriously amusement park freaks, no?! sigh.

cal actually hit this bonus! it was amazing!

awesome, awesome day.

month of glory: day 26

uncle paul & auntie fo's kiddie pool.

froyo.

and i believe this is also the day we took 4 exhausted children to picture people and forced them to smile for mother's day pictures. that didn't fly, needless to say...

month of glory: day 25

ahhhhhhhhh... day 25 was spent relaxing... the kidlets and i grabbed some in n out and ended up at a nearby park for a day of kite-flying. lemme tell you, kite-watching on a breezy, sunshiny day never gets old. love.

if only every day could be a kite-watching day! love, love, love.

month of glory: day 24

on this the 24th day we celebrated rylan's 3rd birthday adventure, and it was good.

happy birthday, little ry!

month of glory: day 22

according to my iphoto calendar, this took place the day after legoland. fo, did you seriously drive out to loma linda the day after leaving carlsbad?! you crazy lady. oh, how i wish this photo was in focus. alyssa's expression is priceless.

month of glory: day 21

here's the whole gang at legoland. from oldest to youngest- caleb, noah, casey, jacob, alyssa, tyler, brady, and andre. we took 8 children under 8 to a giant amusement park. we's crazy people.

here are the two big boys. not a single peep out of them the whole day, they were awesome.

here we are at what is essentially the teacup ride from disneyland disguised as bionicles slash hero factory. off-camera is our little casey bawling her eyes out. old enough but not tall enough to ride.

lookie who we found! these guys are enjoying their SECOND day at legoland. lucky duckies!

while the big kids were off playing carnival games, the little ones got their faces painted.

we waited an ETERNITY for this ride. 6 cars for 100 crazy kids. no bueno, legoland.

this was the kid's favorite exhibit. forget what it was called but you build your own lego-car and then race it on a ramp against all the other kiddos. they were having so much fun in there that i...

...snuck out to see miniland for the first time. i loved it! it's amazing what you can do with legos.

ok, i feel like i'm going overboard with these.

i have to draw your attention to these two gentlemen behind the miniland hollywood bowl. they are cutting the grass with scissors. seriously.

and that concludes our day in carlsbad. :)

month of glory: days 18-20

there are no pictures because we spent these three days recuperating from our hectic schedule.

we: 1. ate at maria's, twice. 2. ate at adong, twice. 3. went to cabazon, once. sigh, i wanna do it all over again...

month of glory: day 17

enjoyed a lovely day at oak glen in yucaipa w/some of our favorite people in the world. we were there for the apple blossom festival, but there were no blossoms. apparently the blossoms are waiting another 3-4 weeks. in other news, have you ever had apple cider donuts? oh my.

month of glory: day 16

pharoah's lost kingdom. oh yes we did! this colossal mess was built when i was in high school and though it's undergone a recent renovation, it's still as boring as it was 17 years ago. too bad, so sad.

month of glory: days 14-15

finally... in LOMA LINDA!

month of glory: day 13

six flags magic mountain. i took this picture as our tram was pulling away at the end of the day. oops.

dear lisa, you are simply the best. we love you.

month of glory: day 12

day 12 kicked off with a trip to visit newborn amelia in the hospital. here she is at a wee 3 days old. babies are such a miracle!

the kids were so proud of themselves for being old enough to hold their cousin without any adult supervision. congratulations, joey & sarah!

we spent the afternoon in hollywood.

here they are comparing hands to shirley temple.

my cousin lisa got us some VIP tickets to el capitan to see mars needs moms. the movie didn't fare well in the press, but i thought it was so fun!

here we are at the old-fashioned disney soda shop next door killing some time before the show.

this is a rootbeer freeze. muy delicioso.

i used to love the walk of fame when i was younger. can't believe i'm old enough to bring my own children now. it's wild.

thank you, auntie lisa, for an amazing afternoon!

oh yes we did.

month of glory: day 11

month of glory: day 10

we woke up sunday morning in sierra madre- we are traveling animals! originally we had planned on meeting sarah & joey for brunch, but surprise! her water broke that morning and she went into labor. WELCOME, AMELIA! (i'll save that for another post). here we are enjoying froyo before brunch because the wait was too long - do you spy deanna & rylan?

cute little restaurant in south pasadena.

nothing like a little buttcrack in the morning.

it was the perfect day for kidspace museum- lots of sunshine and lots of breeze. what would've been even better is if we could've hopped over to the rosebowl flea market that was going on next door. someday!

month of glory: days 4-6

after 3 days in vegas we parted ways with the maternal side of my fam and hit the road to cali in a trusty rental car (kia forte). first stop: my dad's house in apple valley.

there sure is a lot of water in this particular section of desert (answer: man-made lake)

my dad's office. he has promised to help me drop 20 pounds. when this happens i will let you know and give you his number. :)

since both my dad and stepmom work during the day, we had a lot of time to kill. that meant hours of aimless wandering at the local super target and lots of vitamin d consumption at a nearby playground.

we also hung out at the victor valley mall which is possibly the lamest mall ever. there were some shady characters hanging about, i was actually afraid at one point.

thank goodness for scandia!

and for three square meals a day of homecookin goodness. yum.

 

month of glory: days 1-3

we met the fam in vegas for a reunion long overdue. caleb was the only child at our last getaway and that means 2 things: (1) it's been that long and (2) i can see why people think 1 child is enough. just kidding.

creatures of terror.

miniature creatures of terror.

but i am powerless against this face.

the children left the pool only to pee, poo, and sleep and if i'm being honest, not even then!

aw, we miss you, daddy.

by the way, happy birthday, old man!

here's a picture of the house. it served us well.

here we are at gameworks on the strip.

dinner buffet @ the cosmopolitan

not a bad way to start off our vacay. dear family, i love you. love, sonia

i luuuuuurve vegas

happy birthday to me!! thank you, honey :)

THE MOTHERLOAD

emery sehrin oh is born / portland, or / jan.2010

kevin / ocksda church / jan.2010

open gym / precision elite / jan.2010

visiting emery / @ the ohs / jan.2010

cc kindy / good roots community church / jan.2010

caleb & rylan / @ the shims / jan.2010

esther's baby shower / @ the shims / jan.2010

bowling day / big al's, vancouver / jan.2010

w/the kwons / big al's, vancouver / jan.2010

bella's art party / ceramicafe / jan.2010

roc youth come over / @ the shims / jan. 2010

caleb / in the car / feb.2010

assembling care packages / ocksda church / feb.2010

skating lessons / sherwood ice arena / feb.2010

bffs / @ the shims / feb.2010

charis yuna lee is born / portland, or / feb.2010

making art / @ the shims / march 2010

orange bear / sinju / march 2010

sydney's tea party / the dollhouse tea room / march 2010

looking for breakfast / st.helena, ca / march 2010

w/daddy & charlotte / san francisco, ca / march 2010

jen & dave's wedding / san francisco, ca / march 2010

lizzy & baby / photo receive via text / march 2010

cc end of term party / good roots community church / march 2010

introducing himself / good roots community church / march 2010

superstar / good roots community church / march 2010

snow day w/friends / mt.hood, or / march 2010

ten grands concert / arlene schnitzer / april 2010

well-check / east portland pediatrics / april 2010

w/uncle brent & cousin emery / @ the ohs / april 2010

roc women's retreat / yelm, or / april 2010

roc women's retreat / yelm, or / april 2010

golfing on his bday / langdon farms / april 2010

casey takes a picture / nordstrom / april 2010

casey takes a picture / nordstrom / april 2010

cc friends come over / @ the shims / april 2010

youth lock-in / @ the shims / april 2010

youth lock-in: the morning after / @ the shims / april 2010

alyssa & casey / seattle children's museum / april 2010

packing up the car / on our way to bend, or / may 2010

babysitting cousin brady / @ the shims / may 2010

shopping w/mommy / anthropologie / may 2010

my brady / great wolf lodge, wa / may 2010

portland rose festival / waterfront pdx/ june 2010

lunchtime / @ the shims / june 2010

besties / @ the changs / june 2010

hanging w/dad / oregon zoo / june 2010

girls' trip dinner / kokkari estiatorio, san francisco / june 2010

emily's birthday dinner / red robin / june 2010

fourth of july fest / hv park / july 2010

pet hospital / portland children's museum / july 2010

w/ rowen / portland children's museum / july 2010

father & son camping / location unknown / july 2010

father & son camping / location unknown / july 2010

rylan comes to visit / oaks park / july 2010

storytime / bridgeport village / july 2010

henry's swim party / mt.scott aquatic / aug.2010

belt-testing / westcoast tkd / aug.2010

belt-testing / westcoast tkd / aug.2010

audra nicole saesim is born / loma linda, ca / aug.2010

roc camping trip / beverly state beach / aug.2010

roc camping trip / beverly state beach / aug.2010

goobers / @ the shims / aug.2010

hen house / @ the paks/ sept.2010

chuck e cheese / se portland / sept.2010

brian & katie get married / laguna beach, ca / sept.2010

taekwondo lesson / westcoast tkd / sept.2010

chuck e cheese again / se portland / sept.2010

foodcarting / 12th & hawthorne / sept.2010

cc of milwaukie / good roots community church / sept.2010

annelise's gym party / precision elite / sept.2010

annelise's gym party / precision elite / sept.2010

sara bareilles / roseland theater / sept.2010

ella's princess party / @ the kims / sept.2010

swimming w/cousin becca / @ the kims / sept.2010

sophia sungah lee is born / loma linda, ca / sept.2010

grace & lisa / portland marathon / oct.2010

rocstars!! / portland marathon / oct.2010

ice cream w/sophie / pdx waterfront / oct.2010

cow train tickets / sauvie island, or / oct.2010

cousins / oregon zoo / oct.2010

gomo grace & alyssa / liepold farms / oct.2010

sienna rielle im is born / portland, or / oct.2010

brady @ the pumpkin patch / sauvie island, or / oct. 2010

andre javier cheng is born / los angeles, ca / oct. 2010

nixon hwanju cho is born / pasadena, ca / oct.2010

ninja / halloween / oct.2010

shark girl / halloween / oct.2010

harvest fest / ocksda church / oct. 2010

brother & sister / maui, hi / nov.2010

sungoddess / maui, hi / nov. 2010

cal & alyssa / kirkland sda / nov.2010

gomo & emery / ocksda church / nov.2010

thanksgiving dinner prep w/eemo / @ the shims / nov. 2010

thanksgiving dinner / @ the shims / nov.2010

alexis taehee kim is born / loma linda, ca / nov.2010

cc xmas party / mt.scott roller rink / dec.2010

cc xmas party / mt.scott roller rink / dec.2010

olivia paige liao is born / loma linda, ca / dec.2010

casey turns 5 / build-a-bear / dec.2010

casey turns 5 / spaghetti factory / dec.2010

roc fellowship boys' choir / ocksda church / dec.2010

staff christmas dinner / a cena, sellwood / dec.2010

kev & rielle / secret santa party / dec.2010

casey & auntie esther / secret santa party / dec.2010

caleb & auntie jenn / secret santa party / dec.2010

family portrait by andy / ocksda church / dec.2010

here's to another incredible year. happy 2011!!!

i think it's time to move...

wailea beach, maui / nov. 2010

it's not over till it's over

e & c / maui airport / nov. 2010

we've been back from maui for 24 hours now so it only makes sense to pack up again for a short trip to seattle tomorrow. i have so many pictures to show you! that's the plan over thanksgiving break. see you soon...

this is the face of gratitude

church harvest fest / oct. 2010

this is my daughter looking pissed off because (a) this is the face she believes sharks make before they attack or (b) because i was disrupting her prize-winning streak by sneaking in a quick photo. you decide. (they are, in fact, equally true.)

guess what? tomorrow morning our family will board a plane destined for maui. i am so excited i could piss myself. i have no idea what to expect, but i do know this: (a) i will sleep 12 hours a day and (b) i will be poolside/beachside the remaining 12 hours consuming all manner of guiltless garbage (in one form or another). can i get a hip hip for vacay!? wish you were going!

back to life

city lights / san francisco / june 2010

catch-up post #6: punta laguna

punta laguna / spider monkey reserve.

bano = hole in ground. toilet tissue? nice try.

no smoking in the jungle. probably a good idea.

it should be noted that an actual monkey sighting was not guaranteed on this tour, but we were very fortunate to spot one in the first 10 minutes!

also of note is that we were deep in the mexican jungle. no glass enclosures here. we were warned to be quiet and careful.

the monkeys preferred to stay high, high up in the trees. this was perfectly fine by me.

my sister with our fabulous guide vanessa.

holy monkey balls!!

i forget what kind of monkeys these are, but they're the more aggressive ones. they and the spider monkeys intentionally live in separate areas of the jungle. it's some kind of code of the jungle.

this is the entrance to a cenote. a loooooooooong way down. this one supposedly has some very important human skulls inside of it. national geographic took a few samples to test. if you go diving in there you can see and touch them. we, did not.

mayans used to believe that these cenotes were entrances into the underworld. unfortunately, this is also where they needed to go in order to obtain fresh water. they set up shrines nearby to pray for protection.

vanessa was such an amazing guide! please contact her company manzano's expeditions to book your own tour in the future. (and if you're planning on hiking around the mexican jungle, please remember to pack good pants and sensible shoes. bug spray is a must.)

catch-up post #5: coba ruins

and here's where we travel back in time to tulum, mexico. october '09. finishing up our tour of my 30th birthday as i rapidly approach my 32nd... (holy eff!)

oh, tulum, tulum... if i had a left nut i would give it just to go back this very minute.

these particular ruins in coba are important for various reasons. if i could remember i would tell you.

mush for brains. knock, knock, anybody in there? nope.

this is our tour guide. he had the craziest lisp/speech impediment/tongue thrust situation that i have ever witnessed. my sister and i didn't understand a single word he said for the entirety of the 40 minute tour. my failure to capture it on video is one of my greatest regrets. unreal.

the absolute best part of coba was the bikes.

cutting through the stifling 105 degree heat plus 100% humidity at an aerodynamic rate of 5 miles an hour is a kind of priceless you must experience to understand and appreciate.

behold, my shining star.

if there was a sign, i took a picture of it.

lunch was chicken cooked in the old mayan way. underground for 3 hours. it was possibly the moistest chicken i've ever had. supremely delicious.

i wanna say this was some kind of hyacinth hibiscus juice. i can't remember for the life of me. intensely sweet.

delightful little homemade tortillas. yum.

if i had a right nut, i would give it to go back right now...

tulum ruins

shall we continue our tour? today we head to the ruins of tulum...

the entrance. i can't tell you how amazing it felt to be in such close proximity to the grandeur and magnificence of these ancient mayan buildings. it was jawdropping. how did they do that?

sigh... THE EXIT! it was excruciatingly hot & humid that day. like... for reals... you have no idea... thank you baby Jesus for the helado stand we found outside the ruin walls. mine went from mouth to belly in 2.3 seconds flat, you'd better believe it, baby.

next week, COBA!

we ain't in kansas anymore

the walkway towards our bungalow

tulum is truly a piece of paradise.

entrance to bungalow

view from the front (this is our neighbor's)

looking at these pictures makes me want to go back immediately. when's the last time you were somewhere so magical?

protection from all the jungle critters

but then i remember the stifling heat in our room.

of which there were in abundance. (shown: dead gnats. unpictured: rodent droppings.)

due to the ill-placed sandbar in front of our window, air-circulation was impossible. try sleeping in a sauna for 3 days.

our closet.

not that i'm complaining! it is the jungle, after all. i felt rather adventurous and brave.

thatched-roof built in the traditional mayan style. aside from our 20-watt bulb, we had no electricity. this is what happens when you stay in the "eco-zone" of tulum.

but a little oxygen couldn't have hurt. just sayin'.

exterior- restaurant

luckily for us, we had no plans to stay indoors! why would we do that?!

interior- restaurant

isn't it the cutest restaurant you ever did see?

huevos rancheros para mi y chilaquiles para tu. muy delicioso! (my spanish doesn't go past sophomore year in high school, obviously. is this even grammatically correct?)

sister..beach..bar..restaurant..hut. is there anything else i could have possibly desired?

no way.

TOMORROW NEXT WEEK- tulum ruins!

viva mexico!

somewhere over mexico...isn't it lovely?

this month i turn 31, which means that it's already been a year since my sister surprised me with an all-expenses trip to the mayan riviera for my 30th. (i love you, g!)

surprisingly edible!

which means that it's also been a year since i showed up at LAX with an expired passport.

black as night when we arrive...

did you know that you can't board an international flight without a valid passport?

we arrived to find out that our hotel restaurant doesn't serve dinner, and after 12 hours on the road, we are in desperate need of sustenance, stat!

down the dusty road a ways, however, we find a hotel willing to oblige.

it is about a 100 degrees with 100% humidity in our room. stifling and suffocating beyond belief. (it is actually funnier than it sounds.)

and believe it or not, we laugh ourselves to sleep as only sisters can.

TOMORROW...the hotel grounds!

san diego, ca

 

we went to seaworld.

these are the luckiest kids in the world.

don't you think?

what i wanna know is... who's the first wiseguy who thought it'd be a good idea to take a giant killer whale and train it? wow.

this little one was too short to ride the rapids. we were waiting and waiting and waiting for eons!

finally!

 

soaked through!

here we are at dinner getting our korean bbq on. as far as i'm concerned, only the city of angels gets it right. (still beat pdx by a landslide though!)

and here we are at sd korean sda church the next day.

breakfast at cafe chloe the following morning. (thank you, hedy, it was great!)

and that about sums up our weekend in sd. happy birthday to my wonderful mother-in-law, lydia. we hope it was a special one for you...

a knight's tale

man, time sure does fly. back in february, during our month long excursion to los angeles, we had the opportunity to visit a medieval castle. did you know that there is a medieval castle in buena park, orange county? it's true.

this is before star wars took a strangle-hold over the boy's life, and he was still interested in other things like knights and pirates.

front-row, where the action is!

this mesh is meant to protect you from dust and horse excrement while you are enjoying a dinner of turkey legs. and judging by said turkey legs, the animal in question probably stood about 4 feet tall, i'm not kidding. also, everything is eaten sans dining utensils. i'm led to believe that this is the medieval experience.

my strawberry daiquiri was served in a mammoth chalice the size of a child's head.

some very excited participants.

our knight in shining flannel armor. THE GREEEEEEEEEEN KNIIIIIIIIGHT!!!! (he actually won the tournament to our giddy amusement.)

sir caleb and the victor. a great time was had by all. (my cousin lisa is curiously absent from all these pictures. i'm so sorry, lis!)

oh a camping we will (did) go...

ah, the great outdoors. our annual trip to florence, oregon occurred just a couple days after my return from the big city and the juxtaposition, lemme tell you, was stark. (but in a good way, i swear).

the orange tent adjacent to ours was home to jenn and andy. hi, neighbors! i can't tell you how much i love having them (her) with us in portland. jenn and i are soul-sisters, it's pretty clear.

the nice thing about an annual camping trip is that (1) it's only annual and (2) it gives us a chance to reconnect with nature and (3) it's only annual (did i say that already?) and we are forced to remember how blessed we are to have luxurious shelter, reliable plumbing, and central air/heat. amen.

our contribution to the mass stash of junk food provided by all the church members in attendance. i wish i had the capacity to eat without remorse, but no, i always kick myself afterwards. that s'mores was the death of me. sigh.

in year's past i distinctly remember WALKING to the beach. since when do we get a leisurely ride in the bed of a giant truck? we just ate 5 bags of smokies, people!

guilty as charged- yeah, i'm talkin' to y-o-u!

i never seem to know where this guy is when we're on trips. does he run away or am i conveniently oblivious to the fact that i have children? hmm...

view from the front.

from the side.

from the back.

if i remember correctly, i have 2 children. i think.

where there is sand, there are, inevitably, some buried bodies. wanna see the cutest thing?

how 'bout a buried dog? the sweetest, gentlest dog in the world- ruby chang! what a cutie.

you can't tell from the looks of things, but THE WIND, THE WIND! it was nuts. not to mention butt-cold. that's an actual term, look it up.

see?

that's better.

he slays me! so cute.

who invented these things?! they-don't-MOVE!

here's lloyd rescuing his son from peril. before i could finish screaming "LLLLLOOOOYYYYDDD!" he was already crashing into the water. wow, so manly.

aw man, i wish i got a shot of emerson in his aviator shades! you shoulda seen him.

the boys' club.

the not-so-lady-like ladies.

and this is only half of 'em, i swear. we just LOVE to procreate up here.

close-up on these two troublemakers. yoom, you ready for their teen years?

sneaky peeky

church camping trip to honeyman state park in florence, oregon.

** sniff, sniff **

here we are at the end of the road. balthazar's again for brunch.

i'm dying to stay longer, but all signs point home. with only 2 hours remaining, i decide that i must pay respects to the mothership before i leave-

i'll be back, mister.

it takes a mammoth amount of mental strength to tear myself from 5th & madison aves. and back on the trail towards my hotel. 

pretty apartments on the upper east side (this is me walking back to the bentley to collect my bags).

this is what public school looks like for city kids (still walking).

after grabbing my luggage i decide hey, i've walked this far, i might a well keep going. another mile later, and severely dehydrated, i seek shelter in this cute little bakeshop.

good idea.

right on time, i've made it. goodbye, manhattan...

and the tour continues...

why hello there, gorgeous! irene woke me up at 8:30 am with the news that she was already waiting downstairs in the lobby.

irene is an unabashed, unapologetic tourist and her must-sees included famed haunts serendipity (closed) and dylan's candy bar, which is basically a sweet factory on steroids.

people did not hesitate to eat from this fountain at 9 in the morning. me, i still had sleep in my eyes and sour on my breath. no, thank you.

next stop- the plaza! surely there are some delectable croissants au chocolat and frothy cappuccino inside this famed luxury hotel. there are not.

we settled for second-rate scones and iced coffees at a nearby deli and hopped onto a horse and buggy for a tour of central park.

the buggies have their own lanes.

we explored a bit on foot as well.

this used to be a dairy. now it is an information center, which makes perfect sense. (it does not).

the glass steps leading down to the underground apple store supposedly give people vertigo.

lookie who's here! jess (straight from the airport/hotel) met us up during our lunchbreak across rockefeller center. she was supposed to be accompanied by elena, who was also an unfortunate last-minute cancellation. elena, i missed you so much.

judy and her boyfriend john digging into their onion tart. the wild mushroom pappardelle was most excellent.

judy, you were a wonderful hostess, and i can't wait to see you again- thank you!

starting to miss home a little bit? shyeah right!!!

time square was just beyond. a virtual sea of human beings.

what we got tickets for. what we should have gotten tickets for. yet another rookie mistake.

we were very excited about riding this taxi. wow.

rest stop- thomas keller's bouchon bakery in the time warner center. delicious blueberry macaron. yum.

showtime!

we left the show at intermission, because it was that good and we were starving, ha! late dinner @ risotterria in the west village. risotto is one of my all-time favorite foods, we had to go. the mozzerella/portabello/truffle oil combo- oh yum. we sat next to this guy and one of these guys (i don't know which). it was too hard to stare because they were so close! gelato @ grom pictured above.

washington square park. the passerby who snapped this photo fully believed he was capturing the essence of the arch. i'm serious.

empire state building beyond? i think? 

the day's damage- faux fur from zara. and that concludes day 2.

i love you, manhattan

i don't know where to begin. there was so much. here is a view of the sunrise as my plane made its decent into JFK on friday morning (my flight buddy esther couldn't make it at the last minute- i missed you, girlfriend!). my belly was all nerves and butterflies. oh, the anticipation!!

it was 9:30 by the time i made it to my hotel on the upper east side. by 10 i was out the door. no time to waste!

met my friend judy for breakfast at balthazar's in soho. the eggs benedict was SUPERB!! (i should mention that on the way to meet her i got on the wrong train and ended up in brooklyn, hehe, what a rookie).

i should also mention that i was so overwhelmed by the newness and grandiosity of everything that i kept forgetting to take pictures. DOH! 

here we are at uniqlo, which is basically the japanese version of the gap. one of many stores that are exclusive to nyc. lucky punks.

here we are at ground zero. a giant void in the middle of the bustling city. it's hard to imagine what it must have been like that day...

we also took a short walk on the beautiful brooklyn bridge, but the high temperatures and humidity forced us to seek immediate shelter.

voile, century 21- where the AC was blasting and the designer discounts were beckoning. well, sort of. there was a mob of people inside, which made it difficult to filter through all the wreckage. it wasn't easy unearthing the hidden treasures (but of course i did!). gryson @ 75% off. cha-ching!

afterwards we wandered into chinatown, because i wanted to experience the secret backrooms filled with illegal counterfeit merchandise. i have a feeling all the drama is staged for the tourists though. i felt like i was being had!

here's the very art deco-inspired bloomingdale's just right off the train near my hotel. after parting ways with judy i caught my second wind and did some power shopping before calling it a night. chloe @ 60% off. i love new york.

after resting my weary feet for a bit, i took a few-blocks stroll and ended up catching a movie. popcorn & diet coke sounded like a good dinner at the time, but it was $12 down the drain. why didn't i go to morimoto's or something!? oh yeah, i was butt tired! what a day!

my humble abode:

gorgeous river-view. that's the queensboro bridge.

the day's damage- aforementioned sandals and bag plus tees for the kiddos and necklace from madewell. not too shabby. tomorrow is another day, after all...

what feels like so long ago

so it seems our lovely vacay to turks is coming to a close at long last...

i really do miss the water.

i sure do miss our friends & family.

where we going next year, guys?

miscellaneous

and just because i don't think you've seen enough of him yet..........

goodbye, turks & caicos! thank you!!!

sunset photo shoot

the color coordination going on in this photograph was no mistake, my friends.

activities-planner saesim made sure to get our group together for a sunset photoshoot.

the kids were more interested in the sand, though.

it was coming down quick! we had to mobilize.

family 1.

family 2.

family 3.

family 4.

family 5? heehee. just kidding, tommy!

cute!!!

of course, the requisite beach-jumping photos.

notice how utterly ridiculous the guys look, though. why?

sunset-in-hawaii prom 2009.

the parade

(doesn't that look like rihanna circa 2005?)

poolside outtakes

we sure did a lot of swimming.

that is his father's child.

and that lil' one hamming it up is definitely mine.

swimming lessons paying off.

christine, you're so right about getting these hats wet! one time use only, too bad.

our one character sighting on the grounds. what a moment.

here's ry gettin' fresh.

here's danny wrangling all the big kids while the rest of us enjoy brunch onshore. thanks, danny!

lots of fruity beverage was had.

that's some good stuff.

this may have been the day i was suffering from a horrendous case of heatrash and was forced to stay indoors in air conditioning reading back to back issues of us weekly and ok! magazine. (i am not complaining, fyi). 

heehee.

life is good.

baking w/cookie monster

the kiddies got to bake cookies with monseiur cookie monster himself!

i was elsewhere getting my 90 minute tropical bliss massage, ahem, but their dad was good enough to take time off from his busy chest-exposing schedule to make a visit to the cookie monster bakery.

i missed all the fun.

not that i regret spending 90 minutes in tropical bliss.

not at all.

the only negative side to my being gone, i'd have to say, was leaving all the photographing of the children of mine loins to their father.

i mean, really, is it that hard?

sigh.

more beach

i believe this was the day before our departure date. pretty, isn't it?

trying to savor the last hours of clear sky and crystal waters before heading back home...

this reminds me that i need to have the boy's underwater camera photos developed. that should be interesting.

boy, did she get dark!

the fam.

my loves.

my baby daddy.

the grounds

hey, see that? this is the sesame street resort! it says so right there!

too bad this sign is a lie. it is outright lying to you. it is saying, "you think this is the sesame street resort, but you are wrong, because i am lying." just sayin'.

they have giant chess though. that's pretty cool, i guess.

if it wasn't 95 degrees with 100% humidity, i would'a been able to show kev wassup.

'cause all i did in high school was smoke cloves, drink buckets of black coffee, and play chess.

'cause i was cool like that.

i could'a shown kev that chess is my thang. that i rule at chess.

but it was just too dang hot. oh well.

the pirates island waterpark

the waterpark was a kiddie favorite, that's for certain.

just the right size for our tots, and the lazy river was a welcome change of pace for the grown-ups too.

here's kev assuming the position. someone please remind this man that we are at a family resort.

here's the lil' one.

there's my big boy.

here's a very rare glimpse of paul's skin actually coming in contact with water.

group shot.

how lucky is our little casey to have all these handsome gents around to protect her from harm?

what a lucky gal.

though she likes to remind me that she can take care of herself, thank you very much.

it sure is nice though. just in case.

sesame street breakfast

scheduling an activity at 8 a.m. while on vacation probably isn't the brightest idea i've ever had... (as you can see, we rushed out of our room so quickly the boy was shoeless. nice.)

even at merely 8 a.m. it was hot as blazes. think these poor guys in their giant character suits are well-compensated? i certainly hope so!

bert was just insanely tall. this picture does absolutely no justice. i completely understand brendan's reaction here.

and the lil' girl's reaction here.

abby-cadabby. never heard of her.

grover must've been overwhelmed by all the tiny asian people. he kept raising his hands like, "what do i do? what do i do?" his handlers kept trying to get this one adopted chinese girl to join our group in the photos. it was so chaotic and confusing. "SHE'S NOT WITH US WE SAID!!!!!!!!" poor family.

elmo was definitely the superstar of the group. "ELMO!!ELMO!!ELLLLMOOOOO!!!!!" mass hysteria.

zoe. never heard of her. what happened to big bird? must've had the day off... (if you're wondering why kev's chest is exposed so provocatively at a children's breakfast, you're not alone.)

nobody ate any breakfast as i recall. and it was all over in 20 minutes, but the kids had a memorable time, and that's always enough. good times.

adults only

we did actually manage a couple nights of grown-up time, believe it or not.

since the children's club was universally declared by our group as inadequate for animals, let alone our precious children, we opted for private childcare in our rooms.

and because the squeaky wheel always gets the grease, all nanny fees were eventually comped. remember this lesson, boys and girls.

here is activities-coordinator saesim showing us how he has mapped out our pubcrawl to maximize efficiency and fluidity of movement.

who's that?

mamacitas.

anybody who can get kev to button his shirt has got my mad props.

after which i lose track and give up documentation.

we walked into club liquid only to realize that everyone was literally a third our age and officially repulsed by our presence. good times.

mas manana...

more tomorrow...

the beach: day 1

a little overzealous with the sunblock SPF 100 on the first day.

sang-mi looking like she enjoys sand.

she does not.

the watermelon is wholly acceptable, however.

and gomo is a close second.

all-inclusive water sports.

fo & i went paddle-boating. we look relaxed, but we were seriously huffing and puffing. ha!

paul showing off his newly-acquired physique. thank you for skipping the weigh-in, boys, i owe you one!

the first day was slightly overcast and cool, which we would come to realize was hugely taken for granted.

he's going to kill me, but oh well! so sekshi.