"Walk all over Daddy!"

Yup, that's Adrian alright. He literally does "walk all over his daddy!" Poor daddy! Adrian is a typical boy's boy. He loves to jump and climb onto his daddy, while he can be incredibly sweet with me. I'm not sure if Ed agrees, but I'm fine with this arrangement! :)

A Sunday afternoon at The Jungle Gym

We took Adrian to The Jungle Gym in San Jose to take advantage of their free after 2PM promotion. Evidently, the little munchkin had fun blowing off some steam, climbing around, stacking and knocking down the blocks and just doing what a child should do -- just have fun. Life is good for kids! :)

Mickey Mouse training chopsticks

We ordered some Mickey Mouse training chopsticks off Ebay so munchkin can get used to the basics of holding a pair of chopsticks. We made some noodles for dinner the same night that we received the package so that he could try them. I'm not sure if he was excited to use his beloved Mickey Mouse chopsticks or if he was happy that he gets to eat noodles (his favorite), but it sure looks like he's a pro at it already! :)

Seafood, anyone?

Adrian usually doesn't like to get dirty, whether it's his hands or feet, he would normally ask us to wash or wipe away the dirt. Ironically, when we were in the seafood section at Ranch 99, he didn't seem to mind getting his hands dirty while "playing" with the shrimp and clams!

(Note: All of this happened while under Daddy's supervision while I was busy buying groceries)

Dim Sum @ Joy Luck Place

My favorite go-to dim sum restaurant is Joy Luck Palace in Cupertino even though their prices are steeper than their competition.

Ed has never been a big fan of seafood especially shrimp so we rarely have dim sum if it's just the two of us. I, on the other hand LOVE seafood, but don't subject Ed to it since I know he doesn't enjoy it. Luckily (for me), my goofy little munchkin is down for anything and was able to share half (maybe more than half) of all of my shrimp dim sum! HOORAY! The little goofball appeared even goofier during our lunch outing too! :)

Summer Picnic @ Great America

My company held its summer picnic at Great America this year. It is definitely one of the better venues we've had in the past several years! This was Adrian's first trip to Great America and much to our disappointment, he was not comfortable riding any of the kids ride by himself. We did manage to get him to ride on one ride and that sadly, was the only ride he rode by himself! We were fortunate that the lines were super short that day so we didn't waste too much time waiting in line only to have to pull him out right before the ride started!!!

On the bright side of things, "our little fish" had a fantastic time in the wade pool! Ed also won a giraffe at the water shooting games (competing with 2 elderly ladies)! :)

Ultimately, what we learned today is that we should put our Disneyland trip plan on hold since Adrian simply isn't ready to go on any of the rides and may not enjoy the full experience that Disneyland has to offer!

"Time-out" with MAJOR style

We started to "Time-out" Adrian after he was around 1.5 year old. We've learned through books and online articles that the recommended timeout session should last no more than 1 minute per year of age and we try hard to adhere to that rule. Adrian has been good to stand in his "Time-out" spot until we release him. We've also established the following routine for him:

1. Mummy or Daddy (whoever ordered the timeout) must be the one to release him
2. Mummy or Daddy would then explain what the munchkin mistake was
3. Munchkin then acknowledges the mistake by apologizing followed by kissing his Mummy or Daddy
4. Munchkin is then released to go off and play happily

One afternoon, we arrived to my Mum's home and found that Adrian and his cousins had all be misbehaving. I know you shouldn't be taking pictures while he's being punished, but I couldn't help but notice how "stylish" he looked during his "time-out period!" I especially LOVE the last picture in this series!

Boys playing with Scotch Tape

It's amazing how resourceful kids are. Add a tab bit of imagination, you now have the recipe for some light entertainment that can last for hours! Below are some pictures of the cousins, Alan, Ethan and Adrian having a ball with rolls of....yup, scotch tape! How adorable!!! :)

Helping Daddy build a cabinet

I recently bought a cabinet to add to our bedroom collection to "hide" stuff that we've accumulated over the years. The problem is, it needed assembling, but we hardly ever have time to ourselves for these "mini-projects" until Adrian is asleep. And by then, we're usually exhausted from the long day that we've had. Over the past weekend, I suggested this would be a great project for father and son to work on and to no surprise to us, Adrian quickly volunteered to help.

I'm sure it would've been quicker for Ed to perform the job himself, but it was super cute to see Adrian's eagerness to help and how he exhibited such dedication. Good team work, father and son! :)

Home-made Wonton Noodles

I rarely have time to cook a real meal for my little family due to our busy schedule and hope that come the weekends, things would be less hectic so that I have a chance to make something special to eat. This weekend, I decided to make some wonton noodle soup. I've always been a big fan of wonton and since Ed and munchkin are such big fans of noodles, this would be the perfect meal for the 3 of us!

After slaving away for an hour while Ed took munchkin to the park, I produced the following for our little family to enjoy!

Adrian's School Bus Pencil Box

Every 1st Saturday of the month, Home Depot holds a kids workshop at each of their locations free of charge. We decided that would be a perfect event for father and son to bond while Mummy stays home and work on some household chores.

This month's workshop activity was a School Bus Pencil Box. Although the recommended age for the workshop is between 5-12, Adrian had fun hammering away and applying the stickers (with Daddy's help of course!). In fact, the little munchkin was really proud of his completed project, he was eager to parade it around the store! Mummy & Daddy couldn't have been more proud of our crafty little munchkin! :)

(Note! No fingers or thumbs were injured during this activity!) :)

Biker Boys

Adrian received a number of bikes and rides from his last 2 birthdays, but haven't really put them to much use. We brought a few of them over to my Mum's house so he can ride around with his cousins. Although he still hasn't mastered the skill to ride a bike, this didn't discourage him from following his cousins around by WALKING instead of riding a bike! LOL! See clip below to see how he managed to keep up with his cousin.

Vietnamese Community BBQ

We attended the Ca Mau Vietnamese Community annual BBQ event at the park. Besides a jump house, there was face painting, lots of food, sack races and a rope pulling game for the kids. The community also provided all kids with a ziplock full of school supplies as they prepare for the approaching start of school.
Adrian reluctantly got his first fish tattoo on his hand and had a ball playing with his cousins, and friends, Vinnie and Vivian in the jump house!

Don't let their size fool you, but Alan, Ethan and Vinnie's team actually won their rope pulling contest! Well done, boys! :)