Limos + Kids = Great Time

This takes place after our dinner at Crustacean.



First, I have to describe their reaction when they first saw the limos. It was one of pure joy and happiness. They were so excited!



As you know, we had all the kids and they were active the whole ride to Crustacean. They drank all the soda. They were amazed by the colored lights in the limo. They sat on the floor and kept laughing the whole time.



Anyway, after our wonderful dinner, we were off in the limo once again. The kids were still restless, so we decided to play some games with them. The first one we played was the question game. We asked them questions like, why do people get married? What does it mean to be in love? Who do you like better Zoey 101 or Hannah Montana? I should tell you their answers, it was pretty funny. After a while they got tired of this game, so Jase decided to tell them a "scary" story.



The kids sat on the floor of the limo in front of Jase. He told Hubby and I to help him out with this story by scaring them at the right time. Of course we agreed. So the story was about some kids who happen to have the same names as Sonny, T, Jay, etc...Jase talked in a low voice and the kids seemed to really be scared! Finally, in the story, the kids were taking a walk in the woods and felt something on their backs. This was our cue to touch all the kids on the back and scare them.



So we grab the kids and they are genuinely scared because they scream. Sonny has tears in his eyes. Jay has her hands on her face. EJ is just quiet, I think he got a little too scared. I think Buggy Bug is just laughing. But T...oh boy, he is ANGRY! He gets up right after we scare him and tries to tackle Jase! Hubby holds him back and calms him down. He's sitting quietly by Hubby, but he's muttering some things because I see that his lips are moving.



Well, at this point, Hubby, Jase, Elle, and I are trying to hold back our laughs. I look away from T and tears are coming down my face because this was just a funny sight. I guess you just had to be there. There's just something about giving little kids a good scare that is just so funny.

GOLDEN NUGGET: Although they wreaked havoc in Crustacean, they made the limo ride so much fun. This is a memory I will never forget.

The Park

After being sick for little over a week and being cooped up at home, we finally got to enjoy some fresh air this past Tuesday at a nearby park. We haven't been there in while since we've been playing at the school playground. Anyway, it wasn't a sunny day, yet the weather was perfect: not too hot or cold.

Hubby was able to join us that day and they've put in a new play structure since the last time we've been there, which was almost three years ago. Anyway, there was a tube slide there that I would bet my life on that it was about two stories high. Being the brave and adventurous kids that they are, Sonny and Buggy Bug quickly climbed the stairs up to the top and came out of the slide two seconds later. It was super fast! Needless to say, the kids had a blast.

Zokey on the other hand enjoyed the baby swing and protested when it was time to go. Afterwards, we crossed the bridge to get on the "island." The kids saw a couple of ducks and a turtle! Hubby showed them the spot where his brother Jase almost drowned when he was kid. He stopped "drowing" when his uncle told him to "Stand up!"

Hubby had to go to the library, so we went to the local library. The kids enjoyed the books. They played with the little puppet theater with all the puppets and the cardboard blocks.

This was just a simple,wonderful way to spend time with the family after being sick with this awful flu for the second time this winter season.

GOLDEN NUGGET: Being reminded of the fact that my children are truly gifts from the Lord and being able to enjoy them on this ordinary day.

Kids and Fancy Restaurants

Here I am, ready to finally tell this story. I'm smiling as I type this because I think I mentioned this earlier, but this was a night that I will never forget.

To start: the reason we were all heading out to this fancy restaurant was to celebrate my sister in law's (R) birthday. Being the family person that she is, R wanted to share this day with just family; hers, my brother's, and J and E (who are like family to them.) Anyway, yes, that meant the kids and all. At first, Hubby and I were going to find a sitter for the kids, but when Hubby heard that J and E were bringing their kids, we decided to bring ours. Plus, I thought this would be a neat experience for them. If I had only known!

We met up at their house because we were going to be driven by limo. My brother and R really went all out and graciously gave us all a ride to the restaurant. Since there were so many of us, we had to take two. R's family went in one limo and my brother's family went in the other. Guess which limo had all the kids? Yes, our limo. We had Sonny, Buggy Bug, Zokey, Jay, EJ, Jed, T, and Jayday.

I wish I had gotten a picture of my kids' faces when they got in the limo. They were so impressed and so happy to be in there. Their excitement made Hubby and I laugh. The whole ride to the restaurant they kept touching everything, opening drinks, and just having so much fun. Poor Zokey was strapped to her carseat (so were Jayday and Jed), so she ended up taking a cat nap.

We got to San Francisco in good time. There wasn't even any traffic in Berkeley! Did I mention what restaurant we went to? One of my favorites: Crustacean. Why did we dare to bring our kids to this wonderful restaurant? Actually, I know my reason, it's because we weren't paying for it. : )

Anyway, there are two tables, and of course, we're at the table with ALL the kids. Here's where the fun begins. Buggy Bug has a fit because she wants to sit next to Jay after telling me that she wanted to sit next to Sonny. They are both on opposite sides of the table, so it wasn't easy to switch it up. Plus, EJ wanted to sit next to Jay too and didn't want to move from his spot. After a few minutes of whining, Hubby finally gets up and has a little talk with her. This is at the same time that my brother takes DenDen from the table and has a little chat with him as well. The conclusion to this is that Buggy Bug can sit next to Jay and EJ has to sit on Jay's other side.

Next, the food comes. I get the chicken. Hubby gets the crab, and Sonny gets the prawns. We decide to share our noodles with the girls. It turns out that both Sonny and Buggy Bug wanted the crab. So poor Hubby is working to get the crab meat out...for the kids! I'm sure if she knew what it was, Zokey would have wanted some too. So, the kids are bugging Hubby for crab and Zokey is just demanding to be fed, so there's very little eating happening for Hubby and me. Plus, these kids seem to automatically get food on the floor. I don't know how this happens, but after a meal, there is always food on the floor.

So, imagine all this happening at the same time as EJ breaking out because he's allergic to something, DenDen having yet another fit, and Sonny and T laughing really loudly about something and kids at different times having to use the restroom. Whew!

Finally, it's time for dessert. The kids get this wonderful orange sorbet served in an orange, but of course, they don't want that. They want Jaylen's chocolate cake, which she eventually shares.

Two hours later, our bellies finally full almost to bursting, we leave Crustacean. Now, I'm sensitive to snootiness. If someone is being snooty towards me, I could usually sense it. Though, I have to admit that I got none of that from the Crustacean staff. They were very kind to all of us, even the kids. They didn't seemed fazed by the noise or the mess that we made. But even so, I don't think I want to show my face back there for a very long time.

The ride back home is another story, so you'll have to wait for that.

Here are some pictures from that night. These are mostly the kids that were at our table.

My sweet girl


Boy...did she make a mess!







Ej, Jay, and Buggy Bug




Patners in crime Sonny and T

My sister Mare and niece Aly

GOLDEN NUGGET: Learning that kids and fancy restaurants don't mix...and we didn't have to spend a dime! : ) Thanks, Bro! Thanks, R!

Afterschool

Since we've moved, Sonny had to start going to the elementary school nearby. Coming from his other school, this school is nice. Don't get me wrong, his other school felt like home. It was actually harder for me than it was for Sonny to leave that school. But driving all the way there from our house was taking it's toll. I'm thankful that Sonny was finally transferred after Christmas vacation.
Anyway, as nice as this school is, it does have it's problems. For instance, trying to get out of the parking lot afterschool takes forever and a day. Thank goodness Sonny likes to run because he runs to our meeting spot and we run to the car and on good days we're out of there in less than ten minutes. One day, we were out of there in three!
The past couple of days have been so nice and so I decided to do a little experiment. I was going to wait until the traffic died. While waiting for that to happen, we decided to play on the play structure. Guess what? It took 15-20 minutes for the traffic to pass.
In the meantime, the kids were having a blast, burnt off all that extra energy and spent some quality time with each other. Is waiting that extra 5 to 10 minutes worth it? You bet! Next week, we're going to play four square and I honestly can not wait.
GOLDEN NUGGET: I found a built in, guaranteed, quality time with my kids...outdoors!

Anniversary Weekend

Okay, so I'm feeling a little bit better, so I think I can finally post that Kids and Fancy Restaurants story from a week or two ago. But before I do, I wanted to share this story of when Hubby and I celebrated our 9th anniversary in San Francisco.

We stayed at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel near Union Square. This was such an ideal location because we were smack dab in the middle of everthing. There literally was not a dull moment.

Anyway, Saturday night, we wanted to have a special anniversary dinner. So, after being told that this was THE restaurant to go to by several people, Hubby and I decided to go to Crustacean. Mmmm...my mouth is watering as I think about this place. If you've never been there before, this is an asian/european fusion cuisine restaurant and they are known for their roasted crab and their very delicious garlic noodles. Since this restaurant was only half a mile from Union Square, and we had been walking around all weekend anyway, we decided to ditch the car and just walk there.

BAD IDEA. The earliest reservation available was 8:45pm. Since we wanted to take our time, we left our hotel at 7:30pm. And you know it's really dark at that time of year. So, we leave Union Square and it's fine for the first few blocks, but then we notice that it's a little bit darker and there are hardly any people and there are questionable items in the storefront windows. And you know that feeling you get when you're being followed? Well, I had that feeling for a couple of blocks and I'm trying to drag Hubby along to walk faster, but he doesn't. In fact, I think he's walking a little bit slower. Why?!? Doesn't he know that I've watched a few episodes of Dateline and how one of my fears is to end up being on that show? Many prayers for safety were said during that short walk.

A few blocks later, someone passes us up, and I'm at ease once again. We arrive at the restaurant by 8pm and are seated immediately to one of the best dinners I've ever had in my life. I had their Shrimp ravioli and their fried banana with ice cream for dessert. Hubby had their lobster with garlic noodles and their chocolate mousse cake for dessert. Afterwards, we decide to take a cab back to our hotel, which only took five minutes and cost less than the valet parking at the restaurant.

Later, I asked Hubby why he did what he did, and he tells me that if we really were being followed, it would have been obvious because we were walking so slow and Hubby would eventually have turned around and asked the guy if he really were following us. Plus, he was ready for anything. Sounds crazy, right? But I don't doubt that's what he would have done.

GOLDEN NUGGET: Knowing that God's protection was on us, just by the mere fact we weren't mugged that night AND knowing that I can count on my husband's manly instincts.

Harsh Winter Season

This weekend, I suffered from the flu. This is the second time this winter season that I've gotten it, hence, the title of this post. In all my years, I don't ever remember getting the flu more than once a year, if at all. This time wasn't as bad as the first time I got it. First of all, it's not Christmas. Yes, I got the flu during Christmas. I went to sleep on Dec. 23 and I woke up Dec. 26. I wasn't in pain from head to toe and my fever didn't get as high.

Nonetheless, I was still miserable and had a couple of nights of tossing and turning. When I can't sleep at night, I believe one of the reasons that I can't sleep is because God wants me to pray. I've come to learn that I need to do it, and not try some other way to fall asleep. Like reading a book, or watching TV, or warm beverages. So, you can imagine how many times I prayed late in the night this past weekend.

Some of the things He's shown me is: 1) He's the Great Physician. 2) Everthing will work out for my good. 3) I can trust my life in His hands. 4) I need to be more compassionate when Amel and the kids get sick.

Out of all the things He's shown me, He humbled me with #4 the most. I have to admit, when my family gets sick, I'm pretty no nonsense. I give them their medicine, give them what they can eat, and send them straight to bed. But for me, I don't think that's enough anymore. In my heart, I need to be more compassionate. I need to give them extra hugs and kisses and I need to pray with them more often.

People always want more time with their family. That's just impossible, because God has given us a certain amount of time on earth that can never be subtracted from or added to. We just need to make the most of the time that they're given.

GOLDEN NUGGET: In my sickness, God showed me my need to be more compassionate.