Category: Life

With all the children now, we find it’s much easier to celebrate special occasions like Mother’s Day or birthdays at home rather than at a restaurant. Not only do we avoid all that chaos that comes with squirmy children, we get to spend a lot more quality time together. This past weekend, Sam’s brother (Danny) and his family (his wife, Arlene, and their children, Quincy and Koda) came down from LA and we all met up at my in-law’s house.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. The photo above was taken at a nearby playground. I love how my niece, Quincy, is holding hands with both her dad and granddad.

Remember the picture pillows we bought for my mother-in-law? Here’s how she displayed them.

The grandparents bought Parker a brand new remote control car. I was surprised by how well he could drive it.

Sammy watching Parker playing with his remote control car.

I’m glad I was able to take this picture of Sammy’s mom and grandmother together. His grandmother is an incredible 94-years-old!

Koda is the youngest kid in the clan. He’s so adorable, isn’t he?

Quincy let me take this picture of her smiling.

We bring bikes and toy cars to my in-law’s house because their house has large areas to play around.

Parker rode his toy tractor around the backyard.

Logan is obsessed with riding in the golf cart.

I don’t have many shots of Logan alone, so I was happy that I was able to take this one.

Quincy enjoyed sweeping the driveway.

Quincy and her grandpa let me take this picture of the two of them.

At the nearby playground, Parker wanted to push his cousin Quincy.

Logan will forever be my baby. He looks so small here, I love it.

It’s been a fun week. No sick kids…yay! We actually headed out to the beach for a sunset dinner (with kids in tow of course), we enjoyed a nice breakfast at one of our favorite French cafes (not bougie), and the boys played a lot outside. The weather has been great in So Cal. Here are my family’s top 10 moments of the week.

Above: The kids let me capture this picture of them lying next to each other. When they’re calm, they’re so cute. (Mothers, you know what I mean.)

On one random day this week, Sam and I enjoyed a nice, quiet breakfast without the boys. We hit up a French cafe, called Vallee d’Brume, that primarily serves desserts. Through Yelp we found out that they also have some killer breakfasts. Sam went a little rogue and ordered this meat and cheese plate. It was just as good as it looks.

These are some few outtakes from our beach trip. Sam doesn’t let me capture many pictures of him. I like the colors and background in this shot.

Sammy watching Logan throw rocks at the beach. I like how relaxed we felt there. The kids did their own thing and we just hung out and watched them.

This is a rare picture of Logan. The guy never sits still. I like how he’s not smiling. Man, he loves playing amongst the rocks.

What would a beach photo series be without the classic “feet in the sand” picture?

That’s Parker screeching down the driveway in his tricycle. He’s outgrown it but still likes to ride it fast.

Logan and Sam sharing a sweet moment. It’s amazing how much Logan loves his daddy. He runs up to him every day we get home from work and it’s all “Appa, Appa, Appa”! (Which means daddy in Korean.)

I like this picture because it looks like Logan is meditating. Of course, it’s on the driveway but, hey, I can’t seem to sit still for more than five minutes anywhere.

Finally, here’s Logan and Parker in their pjs. They’re getting ready for bed. I tried to get a shot of them for grandma, who bought them their pjs, but ended up getting this. It’s so perfectly captures their personalities.

Next week, I think I’m going to try and capture more photos of what inspires me. I’ll still be taking pictures of Parker and Logan, but I’m going to change it up a bit to keep things fresh.

This year, my sister, Grace, pulled out all the stops for Mother’s Day. She picked up delectable desserts at Bottega Louie, fresh strawberries at Tanaka Farms, beautiful pink peonies at Trader Joes and then hit up multiple markets to create a whole, handmade feast. On the menu was fried chicken, salmon, three salads, a breakfast quiche and more. Best of all, I got to celebrate Mother’s Day with my two best friends, my sisters Grace and Carol, along with Grace’s good friend Anne and her daughter. After our early dinner, the kids had a blast playing outside. Here are some pictures from yesterday’s festivities.

The spread. My sister really outdid herself. The food was delicious!

Here’s my sister Grace cooking up a storm.

The fried chicken being prepared.

All of the desserts, which included mini cakes topped with macarons, were from Bottega Louie.

My brother-in-law Keith is re-doing his whole backyard. Here Sam and Keith are looking at how much he’s completed.

My niece, Berry, is a pro at rollerblading.

Berry and Logan looking up in the sky at an airplane passing by.

My nephew, River, was checking out Parker’s bike. Think he wants one, too.

My oldest nephew, Evan, is trying out an electric scooter. (Secretly, I want one, too.)

Parker was eager to try out his cousin, Bobby’s, skateboard. One day, I’ll learn to ride one, too! (It’s on my bucket list.)

The older boys played hockey on the street.

The kids used blankets and stuffed animals to build a fort. It was quite impressive. Logan had a fun time playing in it.

Peek-a-boo Logan, I see you!

Parker checking out one of Bobby’s cool toys.

After all that outside play, the kids got to spend a little downtime on their iPads.

Soon, my niece, Berry was back outside rollerblading around the neighborhood.

My nephew, River, looked through the bars on the upstairs deck. Looks like he wants to join Berry outside.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mama’s out there!

Last week, the boys were sick so we had to stay home for the majority of the weekend but we managed to make it out to a Sunday dinner at my sister’s place for my nephew, Evan’s, birthday party. (We missed out in staying at Great Wolf Lodge, which was the first part of the celebration, and attending my friend daughter’s first birthday. Total bummer. From what my sisters said, Great Wolf Lodge was especially designed for kids, particularly those from five to 12.)

The cousins love seeing each other. In fact, they see each other so often that they’ve developed strong bonds with one other. The older kids are so gentle and sweet with the younger ones, it warms my heart!

I remember the day when Evan was born like it was yesterday. My sister Grace and I put our ears to the door (only the mother-in-law and father were allowed in) and when we heard Evan’s first cry we burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion. (I think we even hugged!) Since Evan is the first of all the kids, he holds a special place in my heart. “Auntie Alice” found such pure love for her sister’s son it even shocked her. (Yes, I am writing in the third person.)

I can’t say enough about how much I love that kid. Once, when I tore one of my leg muscles skiing, he asked me what happened and then a month later followed up, inquiring about it again. The crazy thing is that he was probably only five or so at the time! What compassion, I thought.

In any case, here are some of the pictures from the party.

It was a panda-themed birthday party, since Evan loves pandas.

My niece, Berry, putting together the DIY flower arrangements by cutting some flowers from around my sister’s garden.

Logan playing with a colorful slinky.

Parker and Berry sharing a sweet moment.

Evan and Parker’s warm embrace.

The kids watching a movie, eating popcorn. That’s my nephew, Riverton, in front and Logan right behind him.

Evan reacting to the present we gave him. Cash is king!

Riverton and Logan enjoying their pre-meal popsicles.

The feast! For his birthday dinner, my sister, Carol, and her husband, Burt, cooked up all of Evan’s favorite foods.

Burt made all the steaks. They were cooked to perfection! He uses the sous-vide method. (Highly recommend this.)

Evan looking contemplative while Riverton watches his brother from the side.

Parker wearing his hat and enjoying the meal. We all ate outside.

Carol said whoever sang “Happy Birthday” the loudest got rewarded the first cupcake. (Parker won. That boy doesn’t sing, he screams.)

Evan blowing the candles out on his cupcakes.

Happy Birthday, Evan! We love you.

Hey there! It may be hard to believe but I worked on this site for six months before I officially launched it to the public. Now I finally get to tell my friends and family what I had been doing, albeit secretly. I started this site thinking I would become the next lifestyle blogger like Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo or Joy Cho of Oh Joy! But then, I was surprised to learn along the way that my true calling is to become a professional photographer a fashion designer.

To give all of my new visitors a quick peek into this blog, here are my top 10 posts from the 138 that I’ve written. They should give you a good feel for what you can expect to find from this site.

Who are the Yoos?
Easter Sunday 2016
Celebrating Birthdays at Pelican Hill
The Pep Talk That I Needed
66 Positive Things to Say To Your Child
A Big Hot Pot of Delicious Miso Soup
Fixed vs. Growth Mindset in Parenting
The Classically Beautiful World of Rodney Smith
Stop Saying ‘Sorry’ and Start Saying ‘Thank You’
My New Foray Into Fashion

Above: Parker and Logan sharing a sweet moment.