4 Family Fun at LA County Fair

We picked Christine and Elyse up bright and early this morning and headed straight to Yung Ho for Taiwanese breakfast. I got the location mixed up with another restaurant of the same name, so Jean and family just got their food to go and met us at the fair. Henry, Susanna, and Ethan met us shortly after. The five older kids did a few rides and then we had a chaotic lunch. Then off to the barn to visit the animals, play in the haystacks, and drink some fresh milk. The girls hit the princess area again and played dress-up, and then we visited the trains, which was more of Teddy's cup of tea. After an exhausting, but fun day at the fair, we ate a delicious dinner at New Capital Seafood and had milk tea. The kids had fun going on the rides together and the parents enjoyed chatting. We should definitely make this an annual event!

Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser

Parachuting

Bumper boats

The must-do teapots

Looks like someone took over the bumper car

These bumper cars were definitely not made for adults

Traffic jam

Chauffeur Teddy

The group!

Teddy's intricately placed arm (that I placed :P )

Choo choo! Oh wait, Sophie needs to go pee pee

A Dentist Day

I spent my morning off getting 8 fillings done...no fun, but at least it's done and I am cavity-free. It stinks that two of the cavities should have been avoided, but my horrible Austin dentist at Castle Dental did a bad job on the fillings in January and the cracks that she left harvested cavities. Anyways, we won't go there. So we got the better, more expensive dental insurance so that we could get all our major work done this year and then next year, we'll go back to the DMO...don't tell my dentist! :P

Lydia and Sophie also went to their dentist appointments this afternoon and they did pretty well. Lydia did wonderfully getting her x-rays and cleaning done. She does have a few cavities due to a lack of flossing, but thankfully they are baby teeth and she'll get a second chance at having a filling-free mouth when they fall out (in another five years). We have an appointment for fillings next week, so we're hoping the laughing gas will be enough to get her through the procedure. Sophie was the opposite; her check-up went so-so with her eyes shut the entire time, but at least no cavities!

Getting x-rays...sometimes I forget how young Lydia still is; she looks so tiny under the vest

Getting ready for a cleaning

Surfing USA

Trung has been wanting to take a surfing lesson for some time now and with the heat wave this weekend, it was definitely time to do it! Five guys and instructor Kai hit the waves early this morning and a couple of them even managed to stand up. I am a little under the weather, so the girls and I arrived late in hopes of catching Trung surf, but we couldn't find him amongst an ocean full of other surfers. We finally saw the group just as the were heading back to shore, at least we got to see them in their get-up.

My stud muffin

Practice makes perfect

The "must" pose


Trung literally "hitting" the wave

Surfer girls

Surfer dude

The Getty Villa

My Austin friend Ravel came into town, so we got to experience more of Santa Monica with him. This morning we went to The Getty Villa, which is a museum exhibiting antiquities. The villa was lovely and housed some interesting pieces, though we didn't stay too much longer after the mini tour since the kids were getting restless and hungry. After a lunch of Japanese Ramen and milk tea, we parted ways and went home for the girls to take naps. Christine and Elyse came over for dinner, after which Trung stayed home with the girls while the mommies had a night out. We met Karen at the theatre and watched "You Again" and had dessert at Ugo's across the street. What a fun day!

The multi-layered Getty Villa

The seeping wall

Me, Lydia, and Ravel making art

Lydia wrote her name on pottery; the family room at the Villa was pretty cool


Group pic

Family pic

Sweet Lydia

Trung, Sophie, and art

Hercules, Lydia, and I

Like a statue

The Amphitheatre

Cute kids

Friday we met Christina and the kids at Porto's Bakery for a delicious lunch and then headed over to Clark's shoe sale at Glendale Galleria. The kids were nuts as usual, but they had fun entertaining each other as we shopped (mainly for them anyways).

The kiddos

Beaches

We had a late start Sunday morning, so we decided to go to our default place...Santa Monica Farmer's Market. This time we went early so that the kids could play on the playground on the beach and Trung & Sophie even took a little stroll. Then off to our favorite farmer's market where the kids sampled LOTS of fruit, I bought some produce, and we ate a very fatty lunch of sausage and pork sandwiches. After naps, we discovered a quaint Asian fusion restaurant down the street called Destini Cafe and had a lovely dinner. We finished just in time to see the sunset over the Pacific!

Walking back from a nice stroll. Lydia met Trung and Sophie as they headed back.

Lydia snagging more samples as we waited for Trung to get the blanket.

The fountain at Destini Cafe

Good night, LA!

Brrr

Douglas Park

This morning we met Christine and Elyse at Douglas Park in the heart of Santa Monica. Once again, it was a gorgeous day with a slight chill. After the kids played on the playground for a bit, we picnicked on ham sandwiches. Leftover bread and old bread heels that I brought along went to feeding the hungry ducks in the pond nearby.

Sweet Elyse

Lydia and Elyse

Christine and Elyse feeding the ducks

Sophie munching on a brownie bite with fighting ducks in the distance.

Super turtle!

Movie in the Moonlight

We watched the movie "Up" on the lawn of Concert Park and enjoyed free beverages and popcorn. Our apartment itself may not be so great, but the Playa Vista community is awesome! Sophie was very focused while watching the movie, but Lydia got frightened (again..."Up" was the very first movie she saw in the theatre), so Trung went strolling around with her. Too bad the lawn was wet and out blanket wasn't waterproof, but a lesson learned to bring lawn chairs next time.

Gotta love that Russell! Check out the palm trees in the backyard...so California!

Sophie growing up

Sophie attended her very first Mother's Day Out aka "school" and did very well. I expected tears to be shed at drop-off, but instead got smiles and waves. Maybe having an older sister and going to the Mommy and Me class the day before helped Sophie adjust better, but I was a little sad that she didn't care that I was leaving her. At pick-up, however, I was informed that she did cry for me, so that did make me feel good; she is after all my "baby". :)

Sophie ready for school with her panda backpack

"bye, Mama"

Mommy & Me

Sophie and I attended a Mommy and me class at Emerson Adult School this morning and we both had a great time. Sophie enjoyed playing with all the toys, making crafts, and reading books; while I got to meet some cool moms. This class is so popular that there is actually a lottery for it, and fortunately the number I picked was a small number, so we got in. I now see why it is so popular...you have time to interact with your child, then with other moms without the child being around. Oh, AND it's very affordable. I wish I had done a class like this with Lydia and maybe it would have strengthen our bond. I can't wait until next week!

Playing in the playground

So much activity that Sophie fell asleep on the way home (at 12:15) when she normally naps between 1:30-2

Big sister eating Sophie's leftovers