As mentioned earlier, we had to postpone k’s party to the day after Christmas. This was not ideal, as many people understandably already had plans for that day. However, it probably turned out for the best since we can only hold so many people in our house comfortably.

The theme was pinwheels and we kept it pretty simple. Light snacks, cake, ice cream, cookie decorating and a cookie swap.

Everything went smoothly until what will now be called the “birthday candle incident”.

See, k could not blow out the candles because they were too far away.

So, we turned the cake around, she leaned over to blow out the candles, and her hair caught on fire! Luckily, D quickly put the flame out, k was unhurt, and no major damage was done to her hair. Just some fried ends. I didn’t know what was happening until it was over, so I didn’t have time to be scared. The smell of burnt hair lingered in the air for a bit, but we were just relieved that k was OK. Lesson learned.

Wow, the past week has gone by so fast. I can’t believe it is already New Year’s Eve and I haven’t posted about Christmas. We celebrated Christmas on both the Eve and the Day at my parents’ house. On Christmas Eve we were able to spend time with our nephew:

I think n likes not being the youngest for once.

On the other hand, k likes having two boys to boss around.

Skater n. This was actually k’s birthday present which we bought over the summer (since her birthday is so close to Christmas, we try to buy her gift for her half birthday). However, n has become quite proficient on it.

Sporting his Christmas present from Hiroshima!

No Christmas would be complete without a piece of my mom’s Bouche de Noel (aka “log cake”)…yum!

I enjoy a themed party, and the “Up” party we went to last weekend had a lot of cute details.

Is this not the cutest?

Here are the caricatures of k + n. I think I will hang them over the doors to their rooms.

Saturday night we went to a wedding reception for a couple who, just like us, consists of a Japanese American girl and Chinese American guy. We were noting how this combo seems very common these days. Anyway, they had Chinese lion dancers at the start of the reception and the bride changed into a kimono.

I like creative attention to detail: tangerine place card holders that said what table we were at.

Prime rib w/horseradish sauce

Chocolate Mousse Cake

I couldn’t get a picture of the bride and groom together.

Bride

Groom

There were some “small world” connections too. Someone D knew from Sacramento recognized him from 16 years ago, so that was kind of funny. My second cousin on my Dad’s side was there because he knows the groom. Plus there were relatives from my mom’s side as well.

We were pretty tired and had to pick up the kids, so we left before my favorite part of receptions, the slide show. (We didn’t even make it to the ceremony since my parents couldn’t watch the kids as they were at the ceremony). We had a good time, though, it was like our “date night”, and we wish all of the best to the new couple.

As mentioned before, a couple of weekends ago we went to my second cousin’s wedding. I am sad to say, I didn’t take any pictures of the bride and groom! Ack–I can’t believe it. Well, you will have to trust me that they were a good looking couple, and should be back from their honeymoon in Costa Rica (so jealous!)

The ceremony was held in a Catholic church. This was my first Catholic wedding, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It turns out we didn’t make it through the whole thing with our two squirmy kids. D took n out first, and then I had to take k out a little later. The church itself was beautiful, and according to the sign outside, 100 years old!

The reception was held at the Westin in Pasadena.

For the favors, there was a candy bar for guests to help themselves. Our table was close in proximity, so D decided to help himself before dinner! This led to other guests going to the table, which the wedding planner people quickly put a stop to. The DJ made an announcement that the candy was for AFTER dinner. Sorry about that, Mindy! :/

The reception opened with a rousing set of taiko drumming. That was a unique, memorable touch! Dinner was a duet of filet mignon and salmon which I thoroughly enjoyed. k liked her chicken strips and french fries, but she liked the salmon, too.

The bride made a touching slideshow for her dad, and then there was another traditional slideshow.

Red Velvet Cakes

The attention to detail was quite present throughout. This was the basket that was given to everyone who stayed at the hotel.

It was so nice to be able to crash that night in the hotel, since it was WAY past the kids’ bedtimes. The next morning we had breakfast with my parents and sister at Lucky Boy Drive-In. We tried the famed breakfast burrito from the “Burrito Nazi”. It was VERY filling, and we still made it to church in time for the last half of Sunday School. 🙂

Finishing up D’s parents’ trip last week…on Sunday we went to church. There was a Father’s Day breakfast featuring Loco Moco. We heard a message on the importance of fathers “fearing God”. D’s dad wanted to go back to Capital Seafood for dim sum, so we did, and there was over an hour wait! I guess a lot of other people had the same idea. While we were waiting we saw two families that we know, including one of D’s old college friends. She has a son whose name is n’s middle name, and is only two weeks older! She had made reservations two weeks beforehand…will do that next time.

D’s mom said we better plan for dinner, so she walked over to Tokyo Lobby and made reservations. Yes, we went to Diamond Jamboree three times in three days!

We had been wanting to try Tokyo Lobby for a while. It’s mostly traditional, but there are some dishes with a twist.

Sushi Pizza

D’s sushi combo

I thought k’s kid’s meal was a good deal. $4.99 for chicken karage, yaki soba, french fries (ha!), orange juice, a toy, and vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Note the tissue box on the table. k had a runny nose all weekend and kept asking for tissues, so we brought a whole box for convenience’s sake.

k had a good time with her grandparents. She doesn’t get to see them too often, but when she does, she really enjoys all of the attention.

On Saturday my mom and I went to a bridal shower for my second cousin at the Japanese Garden at Cal State Long Beach.

The setting was so serene.

Her bridesmaids did a lovely job with all of the details.

We were sitting at a table with various relatives, (including people from my church!)but I had a hard time keeping track of how everyone was related. I need to do a family tree.

My second cousin giving some words of thanks. She is usually the party planner, so I’m sure it was nice for other people to do the planning. We are very excited to go to her wedding in July!