Just point me in the direction of who invented....

MOUSETRAP. Because I'm going to have he/she sit down with my kids and put that thing together everytime they wanna play. I grew up playing very little board games. In all honesty, we didn't own anything but LIFE, and that wasn't until high school. I played checkers and chess in elementary school and then any other games I played, were with my Godmother's daughter, Jessica, during Thanksgiving. Other than that, I barely played any board games. Now, Carmen San Diego...well, that was a different story.

Anyway, I didn't want our kids to grow up not knowing how to play the basics...like CandyLand, Monopoly, Operation...but Ryan, well Ryan -- he decided they should play Mousetrap. So on our last trip to Pittsburgh, my dad offered to buy the kids some stuff and we asked for board games, instead of small junk we'd probably throw out. We came home with 3 or 4 new games and one of them, well, I now cringe when they ask to play it.

This game doesn't require much thought or reading. But, I have come to the conclusion that you have to have some sort of engineering degree to put it together. And, you have to be patient and want to pick up the same pieces over and over and put them back to where they were. Because that's what we have to do. It takes what seems like forever to put the game board together and then the kids just want to let the ball go through the course OVER and OVER and OVER again.

Unfortunately, the "oh, the batteries are all gone" trick doesn't seem to work for this game because THE GAME DOESN'T REQUIRE BATTERIES! What the deuce?! What kids' toy/game/object doesn't require batteries these days!? LOL. Anyway, although I'm glad the kids are experiencing the board game thing I didn't, I just wish there was someone here to put it all together so we could just enjoy the family time without the hassle of assembly.

USCGC Blackthorn Memorial

On our way home from the Sirata Resort, we stopped at the memorial for the Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn. Click HERE to read the story behind it.

I feel like I should have more to say about it...but we mainly stopped to just check it out and pay our respects to those that died after it collided with another ship over 29 years ago.

Just Beachin' It

This past Thursday, we had the opportunity to stay at a resort on St. Pete beach for a night...for FREE! Sirata Resort offered the military one free night during the week of Memorial Day and we were lucky enough to be one of the guests to take advantage of it. We took Riley out of school early on Thursday, just so we could take advantage of the weather and time on the beach.
I didn't bring my camera out on the beach with me that afternoon, mainly because I didn't want to have to worry about it. But, I really should have, because it would have been nice to have pictures of the kids playing in the 80 degree water. It was so warm, that even I got in. And no, I normally don't get in...I can't swim (I know...I know...I'm married to a Coastie and I don't know how to swim), I don't like the waves crashing over me -- so I wouldn't go far anyway, and I don't like stepping on sand that could possibly house something that would sting me.

I got over it, though, and got in with Ryan and the kids. They absolutely loved it. Well, Riley did, until a wave hit her in the face and she swallowed water that made her throat hurt. After that, we spent more time closer to shore and digging in the sand. Ronan could've spent all day running from the hole they dug to the water collecting it and dumping it into the hole. And I could have spent all day watching them.

But then it was time for dinner and we were told by our neighbors to hit up Crabby Bills down the street. We couldn't turn it down, considering we could walk to it...

The food was delish. The atmosphere was relaxing and best of all, it was kid friendly. You can tell by the photos below how much fun the kids had...they didn't whine at all.

I just love these kids soooooo much....

And I had to share this picture of Ryan (even though he said he didn't like it...) because you can just tell how gorgeous his eyes are...it's the reason I married him...(and how presh is Riley?!)

After dinner, we weren't sure exactly what to do. It was still early, but we didn't want to drag the kids back to the beach and do the sand thing again. So, we headed down the road a bit to John's Pass and opted to walk around there. Such a cute little beachy area.

I couldn't resist forcing the kids to pose with the utterly scary pirate outside one of the boutiques along their boardwalk...

And the next morning, of course, we woke to RAIN. The one day we get to sleep by the beach, we can't go to it. Riley was so disappointed. We headed out to breakfast and by the time we had finished eating, the rain had stopped! So off to the beach we went...just wasn't nearly as warm or dry as the day before...

The kids had a good time playing and it was nice to be able to go to the beach and not bring the sand home with us...instead, it's at the resort on the bottom of the bathtub! But a big "thank you" to Sirata for appreciating the military and giving us a night to enjoy what St. Pete beach has to offer!

Jon and Kate Plus 8 drama

I have to interrupt my normal family posting to just put my two-cents in about the drama surrounding this family. If you don't know about them, they are the Gosselin's, a family consisting of a set of twins and sextuplets born to Jon and Kate. They live in Central PA and started this series Jon and Kate Plus 8 about 4-5 years ago, mainly as a way to document their children's lives...but has escalated to so much more. (It's on TLC.)

Recently, shady photos came out showing Jon, the dad, out with a 23-year old teacher. There was definitely speculation that he was being unfaithful, but he has denied it. Then the photos came out with Kate, the mom, accusing her of having an affair with her bodyguard. She, too, has denied the rumors.

I guess the reason I even care, is that I feel bad for these kids. I can't begin to imagine what they do, will, or must feel like being chased by paparazzi or having cameras around them 24/7. I watched their season premier, with somber undertones throughout, just so saddened by the fact that they walked around their birthday party just completely unaware of all the crap surrounding them.

I'll be honest...I don't really have a positive feeling about Kate. Call it TV, call it ratings, call it whatever you want...but that lady was nothing but mean to her husband on national television. Her interviews during the season premier were depressing and you almost felt slightly sorry for her, but then you just have to think about how rudely she treated her husband all that time and that feeling goes away...

I don't know...I just feel bad for those kids. Maybe it's because they are mixed babies like mine (LOL), but the whole thing is just sad. Oh well, I'm done. Just had to let that out!

Meet our soon-to-be new neighbor...

Mr. Derek Jeter.
Okay, so he's not really going to be MY new neighbor. Obviously, his income playing baseball, compared to my income as a stay-at-home mom/personal assistant to 2 kids, doesn't put us in the same neighborhood...but apparently, this guy is building his compound only minutes away from Ryan's office on Davis Islands. To most of you, not a big deal. I'll be frank, it's not really a big deal to me, either. I had to drum up as much excitement as you can get out of a centipede, when Ryan asked me if I wanted to see the house he was building.

But then I realized all the amazing possibilities this piece of property would mean. The famous people will come. The ones I read about on PerezHilton.com might actually be in the same town, walking the streets. Madonna could be here. Oh wait, is that A.Rod I'm thinking of? Whatever. Regardless, his new home could lead us to 6-degrees of separation from someone else famous and the prospect of that is pretty cool.

Stop rolling your eyes. This is what I do, okay? When you are at home with a 2-year-old all day, it can be nice to dream, right? Kidding. Anyway, it's not a great picture because I took it while we were driving by...but this piece of real estate has wings. An east wing, a west wing and some crazy other stuff going on. It's huge. Looks like it's on three lots, practically.

Guess the guy got it for a good deal. A few million or so. Whatever. My house is bigger. There.

She sells sea shells by the seashore.

No, we didn't go to the beach...we went to the Florida Aquarium this past Saturday. I'll be honest. I didn't have a desire to go there at all. And it's not because I don't like aquariums...but mostly because I feel like if you've seen one, you've seen them all. In San Diego, we lived 10 minutes away from the coolest aquarium around...Sea World. BUT, because they had this great special for the military, we only had to pay $7.50 for Riley to get in. How can you pass up a deal like that!?!

After we got there, I realized what a bad Asian I was. I forgot my camera. *Gasp!* I know. I know. Shame on me. Luckily, I have a nice little camera option on my phone, so I was able to take a few cute pictures of my babies.

You shell sea them below:

The kids had a fun time and the best part was that it was practically free!

Just exactly HOW MANY are there?

Nine. There were exactly 9 sippy cups in our playroom. So when Ronan asks for his cup of water and I rummage through the cabinets like a racoon in a garbage can and cannot find a darn cup, well, I know where I'll look. The playroom. The room that I gave up, so that the kids would have a place to play, lounge and, well, store sippy cups.

Oh where...are the Little Einsteins?

I wasn't going to waste a blog post about this, but for the past 20 minutes, it's all I can think about. Since the birth of our love for Disney World and all things Mickey Mouse, we have grown to LOVE LOVE LOVE the Little Einsteins. Although it might seem a silly cartoon to most, it's really quite educational and one that I don't mind having the kids watch, moreso, Ronan. He loves them. He loves the classical music and even though he isn't always a man of many words, I know he understands what they are teaching.

Well, for the past month or two, I have not been able to find even one episode of it on the Disney Channel, the HD Disney Channel or any channel affiliated with Disney. Yeah, yeah, I DVR'ed a bunch a while back, but we tape a lot and had to make room...and with that, was the sacrifice of all our Little Einstein episodes. Had I known that they were going to stop airing them, I would have saved them all...but alas, I have found not one episode.

So here I am, lost. And believe it or not, I have not one Little Einsteins DVD. It's not a huge deal, in the big scheme of things...but I feel bad when Ronan asks for "Ein-tines" and we have nothing for him -- so then he asks for Yo Gabba Gabba and blah...well, you know how I feel about them. Guess I'm going to have to break down and buy me a DVD today...

No Gabba Gabba!

Ronan has a new fave. Yo Gabba Gabba. If you have never seen it, well, don't start! I am no exactly how it came to be a staple in our house, but after Ronan's tantrums or if he's tired, some how, some way, it ends up on our TV.

I prefer to not sing any of their goofy songs in my head and I would be ever so appreciative if my husband would stop singing them out loud, also...especially when it's NOT on TV and then triggers something in Ronan's mind to ask for it.

Thank you.

My Coota (Ronan-ese for My Scooter)

I recently purchased a scooter from a consignment shop in the area. And since I don't yet have a helmet for the little dude, I've resorted to only allowing him to scoot around here and there in the house. He's figured out that the fastest place to scoot is in the kitchen (don't mind the slight mess) and he doesn't just scoot around, he is artistic about it.

And he doesn't call it a scooter, yet...it's either his "cakeboard" (skateboard) or "coota" (scooter). Luckily for us, we understand what he is asking for!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

The other night, Ryan went out for a couple hours and so the kids and I hung out at home doing random things. At one point, I pulled out my camera and just tried to get photos of them laughing and smiling...but being that they are my children, they couldn't just NOT POSE for the camera, so when I would point it in their direction, they would instantly cheese it up and smile. Riley is wearing an outfit she got from my dad (that he got from Vietnam). I just love this color on her!
The funniest part of this outfit is that she calls it her "China outfit" because it looks Chinese, I guess. No matter how many times I say it's from Vietnam, she still says it's her "China outfit." Someday, it'll stick.

And of course, the cheesiness didn't stop with Ronan. He was so goofy around the camera, I almost wished I would have done a video instead. He would make me take a picture, ask to look at it and then do this dance where he'd spin around in circles, scream like a girl and point his fingers like he was doing some sort of John Travolta move. It was hysterical. This is the look he would have right before he would start his dance:

And then this is the look he would make when he would tell me to take the picture, BEFORE he would ask to see it, do his dance, scream like a girl and do his John Travolta moves.

What a fun night that was for us!

Story Time with Riley

"Wead me, Why-Wee!" Translation: Read to me, Riley?

Now that Riley is reading a lot, it's been really beneficial to Ronan, who loves to read or rather, have someone read to him. It's so nice to see how well they get along when reading is involved...no hitting, no yelling...it's pretty relaxing!
You can sorta see in this picture that Ronan's arms is around Riley...it was so adorable.

Just love it when they love each other like this....

Too Sweet on Tuesday

Most of my days are ordinary.  Or maybe even ordinarily crazy...but today, although manic at some points, had one of the most sweet and tender moments I could possibly experience in my lifetime...

Ronan is a lovey kid.  I won't deny that he has his moments when he hits his sister or screams like Mariah Carey or when he discovers his favorite tool and says, "my pee-nish momma!"  But today, well, I wish I could bottle it up and save it for those trying days.

He had been awake for a little while already but was still cuddly with me when I had him sitting on my lap facing me.  He gently grabbed my cheeks and said, "momma, you purdy. you a pwincess."  And then he made me stand up and walk to my wedding picture, where he pointed and said, "momma, you a pwincess. you purdy."  

How could you not love that?!  Such a sweet boy.  And the best part?  I wasn't wearing any make-up!!!  And he STILL said it to me...

Can't you call BEFORE you are supposed to be here?

I just have to perform this quick vent...and then I'm done.

Our alarm system has been beeping strangely and after a phone call to the company, they insist that they need to come out and charge us a $25 service fee. Fine.

We scheduled this on Thursday, for TODAY...living all weekend with this annoying beeping. They schedule to come anytime from noon-5 pm. That's fine and all, except that for about 25 minutes of that time, I have to go get Riley from school. And with my luck, it would have been the short window of time they would have showed up and charged me $25 for nothing because I wouldn't have been home. So, I work it out with Ryan that he pick Riley up from school and at 2:30 p.m. they finally call us and tell us they can't come.

Really? You can't call us at noon, or preferably BEFORE noon, to tell us that you can't keep an appointment? So now, we have to live with the beeping for another 4 days. Nice, right?

And it's probably something we can fix, too. Argh.

RaysBall Game

I could probably count on one hand the number of baseball games I have been to in my lifetime. I've just never really had a strong interest in going to these games that seem to last forever. I will say, though, that since Ronan has been born, I have had this inkling desire to get him into sports and baseball just happens to be one of them...so maybe someday, I'll be one of those moms going to every game. Until then, this is all I have to show for it:
The Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is pretty cool. It's indoor. And being that we are in Tampa, it just seems to make sense. I would've never volunteered to go to a game if it were outside, either in the brutal heat and humidity or the insane afternoon rains. But, I did want to go to a game, so Ryan was able to get our family some inexpensive tickets for Coast Guard Day with the Rays.

And yes, that is a big blow-up something wearing a Coast Guard uniform. Pretty cool, huh?

Our seats were out there. We were near the broadcaster guy I see on TV occasionally, when I happen to be in the same room when Ryan watches the game. Other than that, not too exciting. Haha.

Hmmm...let's see...How should I sum up our experience at the game?

4 tickets to the game: $34.00

Parking that was supposed to be free, but wasn't because they said the lots were full, but weren't: $10

Blooming Onion and a Beer from the Outback Stand: $15.50

An order of nachos with cheese and jalepenos: $12

Going to the baseball game to have the kids play at the play area: Free

Hearing Riley ask how long this was all going to be, one minute after we parked: PRICELESS, and slightly painful. LOL.

Can't wait for the next one, although I think Ryan said, under his breath...that he was going to the next game alone. Not sure why...since we had such a blast. Haha.

Stop Being So Cute!

I call them hambones. Because they are. Naturally, I take lots of pictures. I'm Asian, that's what we do. So, being that these little beings are my children, they have had their picture taken more than a Victoria's Secret model during a fashion show. They see the camera and immediately say "cheese." They pause after the flash and then ask to see the picture on the screen of my digital camera. It's what they were trained to do. These photos were no exception...they smiled and smiled and laughed...and these are the shots I got:

No, really, could they be any cuter?

So fresh and so clean...

Why give them a bath, when you can just clean them with the laundry?

Ronan and I do laundry together. I prop him on the washer, hand him dirty laundry and he shoots baskets with it. After he finishes putting everything in, he looks at me and says, "My do wand-ree? My put feet in?" To which I nod my head yes...and there he turns, letting the "fountain" run over his tiny feet.

He only does it for a few seconds before he realizes that the water is cold, too cold to stay for long. He turns around and lets me dry his feet and graciously says, "fank ooh" and I smile...until he loses his balance and has the fear of God in his eye because he almost falls in.

"Hold me momma." I grab him and we go back for the next load after the dryer buzzer goes off...never-ending cycle.

Annie

Last night, Shelley, Riley and I went to see a local high school production of "Annie." (I am so sad to report that the photo I took of Shelley and Riley became a 'file error' on my camera...boo hoo!) Anyway, it was performed by the students at the high school. Funny thing is that none of us had ever seen the movie -- even though I knew a few of the songs. I just love musicals and it's a good excuse to support the local theater. Riley was a bit hesistant at first, but she ended up loving it (and asking me a million questions about what orphanages were and why kids had to live in them...)

I'm totally looking forward to going to see more productions, wherever we can find them...especially with Riley. I finally have a partner-in-crime.

Happy Birthday, Courtney!

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, Courtney! She's all the way in Harrisburg, PA, so I can't be there to celebrate with her, but I hope she has an amazing day! Love you, Court!
And of course, a picture of us...where else, but Disney!!!!

Listen, you'll have it forever.

Ronan first discovered it over a year ago. He yanked at it, pulled it and slapped at it. I was mortified. I thought it was going to fall off, considering how rough he was with it. Now, he doesn't try to pull it off, instead, he sleeps with it...making sure it'll still be there when he wakes up. Picture perfect moment.