About once a week, Parker goes to his grandparent’s house to sleep over. He’s four-and-a-half now, which means he’s independent enough spend time with them alone. (My baby is all grown up!) Sam’s parents spoil him, they buy him lots of toys and play water balloon fights. Yesterday, they took him to Finding Dory. (He lasted almost the whole time.) He does the “happy dance” when he knows he’s going to his grandparents’ house. They shower him with love.
On our way back from dropping him off, Sam and I hit a Yellow Basket up for the first time. We had the bacon cheddar fries. Covered with ranch and then topped with melted cheese, bacon and pieces of green onion, the dish was a hit! We couldn’t get over how delicious it was.
Here are a few more pictures from yesterday.
In honor of 4th of July, we bought the boys each a flag. Next to Logan and Sam is a gallery wall we put up of Sam’s parents’ photos. As a hobby, they travel the world taking pictures at different locations.
Anything goes at grandma’s house. When we arrived, she gave the boys some popsicles to help cool them down.
Sam’s mom collects Lladro sculptures. Behind some smaller nude sculptures, you can see the woman on a balcony holding a parasol. It’s one of my favorites.
To kick off of my Photo a Day project, I bring you a photo of the kids going crazy over an ice cream truck. Remember when life was this simple? I captured six more images yesterday, that I’d like to share with you today.
So many choices! I remember those hot days when my siblings and I would stand in front of an ice cream truck waiting for our bomb pops or strawberry shortcakes.
The menu items haven’t changed much since we were kids. Of course, the prices have gone up.
Sam and I were so surprised that our little Logan was able to walk Charlie all by himself! They probably weigh the same and Logan’s only two! He held on tightly to that leash.
Parker prefers to walk his dog, Fozzie.
Sam and I are always trying to steal a kiss from our kids.
That’s our Fozzie bear. He’s four years old but people still mistake him for a puppy.
We’re back! It’s been a fun-filled past few days over at the Yoo household. We took our mini-trip to Mission Beach in San Diego and the boys got to ride a train for the first time. Everything went smoothly, there were no major hiccups, which is always good. The boys had a blast at the beach, they loved getting wet in the waves. In lieu of Top 10 Moments of the Week, here’s a set of pictures from our vacation. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Logan threw a major tantrum before we got on the train but loved it once we were on. Here he is looking out the window. Of course, this rapt fascination only lasted about an hour.
Parker gave me this original pose for his train ride picture.
After the train ride, our first stop was the aircraft carrier, the USS Midway. Near the parking lot, a man stood with two parrots by some trees. Of course, the boys gravitated toward the birds so we got a few shots of them with the boys.
This was my second time aboard the USS Midway and the boys’ first. It’s so huge!
Sammy was excited to show the boys all of the different exhibits. Did you know that the Midway was commissioned a week after the end of World War II and that it was the largest ship in the world until 1955? It was also the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal.
Of course, the best part is seeing all of the aircraft aboard the ship. The boys loved seeing all the different planes.
After all that walking, the boys got tired so Sammy carried them to the car. He gets in quite the workout.
That late afternoon, we headed to the beach. (We stayed in an ocean front condo so it was only a short walk). Here’s my mother-in-law smiling for the camera.
I was able to sneak in this picture of a surfer walking through the water.
Usually, when we go to the beach the boys just play with their trucks in the sand. This time, they actually wanted to touch the water. Parker was having a blast.
That evening, the sunset was just breathtaking. This shot was taken from our balcony. The sky was just this beautiful cotton candy color.
The next day, we headed to Balboa Park to go to the railroad museum and the science center. Right when we got to the park, I took this picture of Parker and our nanny, Cindy, together.
One of the workers at the railroad museum picked the boys up to look at one of the running trains. The boys never get tired of this place.
That evening, we headed out to Belmont Park (San Diego’s beachfront amusement park) to check out the arcade games and rides. Before we left, Sammy snuck in this kiss on Logan’s cheek.
At the amusement park, we mostly stayed in the arcade playing games like skeet ball. The boys could barely throw the ball far enough but they still had a great time.
There’s a HUGE rock climbing wall and a zip line through Belmont Park. That’s Parker looking super small next to the wall.
This was one of the rides at the park. They were all a little too crazy for the boys so we headed back after the arcade.
Sam and the boys walking back to our condo after Belmont Park. Overall, we had an incredibly fun time. It’s another one for the books!
I’ll be taking off the next few days to vacation in San Diego! We’ll be taking a train from Irvine, first train ride ever for the boys. See you back on Friday. Till then, enjoy these pictures of Parker absolutely drenched with water. Sometimes, all you need is a kiddie pool and some plastic red cups to have some fun. Hello, Summer!
Wow, that week went by fast! On Tuesday, my sister, Carol, our friend, Kat, and I went to a paint night. Basically, you sip on wine while an instructor guides you through creating a painting. It was nice to get out of my normal rut and do something creative. I added a few pictures of Sammy in here, in honor of the upcoming Father’s Day.
What are you up to this weekend? We’re pretty wide open, which is nice. We’ll probably end up taking the kids to the museums at Balboa Park. Next week, I’ll be gone from Tuesday through Thursday. My mother-in-law wants to take the kids on a train ride. We’ll start in Anaheim and then make our way down to San Diego. We’re staying at an Airbnb rental that’s oceanfront. The boys love playing in the sand so I think they’ll enjoy their time at the beach.
Above: That’s our older dog, Charlie, getting petted by Sam.
Parker was so proud to show me his drawing.
The boys are still young enough where the smell of their hair is intoxicating.
I thought the rules at Paint Night were pretty funny. No whining and no hitting!
We started with blank canvases.
This is how my painting turned out. It was fun creating the red trees.
I liked the slogan on the aprons. “Drink creatively.”
I’ll never tire of watching Parker or Logan play with Legos.
When we’re at my in-law’s house, Logan insists on riding their golf cart.
Logan spotted Parker playing with Legos. I like how you can see Sam watching the boys while sitting in the shadows.
This past Saturday, my side of the family gathered at my older sister, Grace’s house, for an early Father’s Day celebration. All the kids came together to eat some galbi and then swim in the community pool. I tried practicing my photography. All of the photos were shot naturally, I never asked one of the the kids to pose. I’m not sure if that’s the kind of photography I like or if I’m just naturally drawn to authentic moments, you know, the kind that just unfolds before your very eyes.
Instead of grilling the galbi, we pan-fried it and then stuck it in the oven. What’s a family meal like without galbi?
We brought Parker’s scooter. My sister has a lot of space in the back of her house where the kids can play. That’s Berry, my niece, behind him, rollerblading around.
I like how little Logan looks in this photo. Pictures like this remind me of how small he actually is, still.
That’s Berry touching Riverton’s arm. I caught a sweet moment between cousins.
There’s Logan being held by Sammy. He’s always in the same spot, above the left shoulder.
My brother-in-law, Keith, just finished the deck. Having a deck changes the whole dynamic of the house. All the adults and kids could be in one room (and not split up, upstairs and downstairs).
These are two of the older kids, Evan and Bobby. They’re enjoying cookies out on the new deck.
Grace bought each of the dads a succulent for Father’s Day. The reason? It’s hard to kill them!
Though Riverton is now old enough to walk, I still like the juxtaposition of him crawling on the floor while his cousin is standing up.
I like how Berry isn’t looking into the camera. She wrapped herself up into this blanket because it was getting chilly.
Here’s my Logan after a nice, long sip of apple juice.
This is one of my favorite shots. Evan, the oldest kid, didn’t know I shot this photo of him. He looks pensive.
Evan and Bobby horsing around on the couch. Bobby really looks up to Evan.
Logan all dressed up and ready to go swimming.
Parker trying on Berry’s swim goggles.
Overall, it was a fantastic day. Happy early Father’s Day to all the dads out there.
Welcome to another addition of Life Unfolding. This week, we took the kids hiking at Santa Rosa Plateau and headed to our favorite beach, which is in San Clemente. Last Saturday, we also attended an air show in Hemet. Boy was it scorching hot! Parker got a kick out of all of the planes on display and we were able to watch a simulated helicopter rescue. Oh, and did I mention that the apples in our garden are finally ready to be picked? Now it’s a race against time, got to eat them before the squirrels do.
The picture above shows Parker, Logan and Sam all running toward the sea at San Clemente Beach. I love my three boys.
We’ve been trying to grow fruits in our backyard for years now and we were happy to see that we have an overabundance of apples this year!
This is Parker and his grandpa walking hand in hand at the Hemet air show. It was over 100 degrees!
I like this candid shot of Sam, Logan and the dogs. The boys sometimes act like Sammy’s a jungle gym. Secretly, I think he likes it.
At Santa Rosa Plateau, Sam threw Parker and Logan up in the air a few times.
Boys will be boys! On our hike, the kids furiously rubbed their hands in the dirt. Rather than freak out, we let them be kids.
At San Clemente Beach, we watched as the trains rolled on by. Logan kept saying, “More train!” Like we could make that happen!
We always bring a bunch of toy trucks to the beach. They boys don’t like playing in the water, they much prefer playing dump trucks on the sand.
I caught this pretty picture of a lone man walking near the lifeguard stand. I love how the sky and sea were so blue.
After our pizza dinner, we cut up a watermelon we got at Tom’s Farm and voraciously ate it. Even though the watermelon was small, it was super sweet.
This week’s been all sorts of fun. Sam and I checked out the Do Ho Suh exhibit at the downtown MOCA in San Diego yesterday and we were blown away by his work. In other news, Parker got a brand new Hot Wheels play set and we spent a fun evening at the mall where the boys got to jump around on toy cars.
My sister, Carol, stayed with us for Memorial Day weekend. Here’s her son, Riverton, huddled together with Parker and Logan. I think they’re checking out a roly poly.
I love watching the kids blow on dandelions. This is Logan in front of our house blowing with all he’s got.
I captured this picture of Logan and his dad sharing a sweet kiss.
A curious Parker checking to see if the jumping water fountain was working.
One of our stops at the mall is the water fountain where the boys love to throw in pennies. Here they’re checking out where the pennies all landed.
Inside the mall’s playground, the boys climb onto these big plastic cars. If you look closely, you can see Parker’s foot.
Parker and Logan were exhausted from all the play in the mall’s playground so they had to catch their breath on a bench.
I ordered the Tattly scented tattoos from the Colossal Shop and I received a surprise Field Notes notebook in the mail along with a sweet Post-it note. Made my day.
This is a shot of the bathroom and the kitchen. He meticulously recreated different parts of his New York home using fabric. Here’s the brief synopsis: “This exhibition will transform MCASD Downtown’s Jacobs Building into a maze-like installation that replicates the artist’s apartment spaces from a single building in New York City. Created in luminous swaths of translucent fabric, the ghostly rooms and hallways are mysteriously supported by a subtle stainless steel armature.” You’ve got to see it to really appreciate it.
This was a cute sculpture of a big rig carrying his Seoul garden.
This is a blueprint like piece by Do Ho Suh. Depicting a plan of a room in a house, it was made with blue colored pencil.
This was Sam’s favorite piece. It showed rooms of a house from three different perspectives.
Last week, I was helping with the fair so I couldn’t put up my Friday’s list of Top 10 Images of the Week. This week, I thought I’d combine the past two weeks into one post and show you 15 total images. Not only will you get a peek into the fair, you’ll see some photos of Logan playing at the park and hiding inside a huge box. As mentioned last time, I also took some photos of patterns that caught my eye.
Photo above shows Sam pointing out a hummingbird in a tree. This was during one of our hikes at Santa Rosa Plateau.
Parker borrowed this toy car from a neighborhood kid. He loved zooming around in it.
I like the look of the colorful wheel at this angle.
On our walk, I spotted this yellow fire hydrant surrounded by pink roses. Pretty sight.
That’s Logan listening intently for the ice cream truck. (Sadly, it didn’t come that day.)
I took Logan to a close neighborhood park. I like all the lines in this picture.
The park was really empty so I got to place around with symmetry.
At this year’s fair, I only brought my iPhone but was happy to capture this shot of Parker greeting his dad.
First stop at the fair was at the fireman’s truck. They were kind enough to give us this photo op. Surprisingly, Parker was pretty shy.
Can’t beat 50-cent snowcones! Bu the time Logan finished his, all of the syrup was over his white shirt.
At the fair, in the petting zoo, Parker got to feed both the turtle and the birds.
Here’s an outtake from our Disneyland trip. I love Riverton’s face of pure joy.
Out of all the toys at my sister’s place, the boys gravitated towards this big, empty box. I guess it’s like a mini man-cave!
These stones are part of a pathway at my in-laws house. I like how they’re all different sizes but they make up a cohesive pattern.
Smooth stones look beautiful when interspersed with golden leaves.
I’ll be out tomorrow because I’ll be helping to prepare for an annual community fair. Now in its 16th year, the Temescal Valley Community Faire brings over a thousand people together to enjoy lots of free entertainment and cheap food. These are some pictures from last year’s event.
There are lots of FREE things to enjoy like games and prizes, jumpers for the kids, arts and crafts, live local entertainment, and all-you-can-eat watermelon. The food is really cheap at 50-cents for hot dogs, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, and sodas. They keep the costs of food low on purpose. You can enjoy a whole family’s meal for under $5!
Sam’s been head of the committee who puts it on, The Temescal Valley Heritage Foundation, for over 10 years now. We’ve seen this community fair grow from just a few hundred people to now over a thousand. If you’re in the area, drop by the Deleo Regional Sports Park on Saturday, May 21, 2016 from 11 am to 4 pm. It’s a really low-key event that’s perfect for the family.
A helicopter flies in and out of the park. The kids get a real kick out of it.
This picture cracks me up. The boys each had a balloon but Logan accidentally let go of his. That’s my nanny, Cindy, in the background with the genuinely surprised expression.
There’s a small train that the kids get to ride on for free. Parker went on it three or four times. Here he is with his grandma. The train is perfect for the little ones.
Hello, I’m Alice Yoo! I’m founder and CEO of Skylar Yoo, a company dedicated to inspiring and empowering women to be bold. We sell apparel, art prints and accessories to the modern feminist.
In my former life, I was editor-in-chief of the art and culture blog My Modern Met, which I founded back in 2007. I curated and wrote about art, design and photography for more than seven years. (In fact, I published over 7,000 articles which were seen by millions of people worldwide.) I’m also co-author of a book called For Love: 25 Heartwarming Celebrations of Humanity, which is on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
I live in southern California along with my husband and my two toddler boys.
This blog is about what I love, the tough experiences that I’ve learned from, and my journey as a second time entrepreneur. Right now, I’m in the midst of a 365 day challenge, to read one book a day. If you share my passions or want to learn some cool new facts, come along for the ride. I hope to inspire, educate and entertain you!
