Hummingbird in its nest

My shot at the 10x MAX zoom...then Anson had to trump me with his super cool camera...nevertheless, it was cool to be able to see the hummingbird up close and perched in its nest.   The birds seem to have a few nests around the Mahs' backyard, esp the vines around the patio area.

Tending their Garden...at the Mahs :)

Work...then play!  Uncle Steve planted some citrus (kumquat and myer lemon) and tomato varieties for Quyen and Anson... and it's GREAT!  The kids get to tend to the garden without ME having to really "take care" of it!  They get to water and watch the plants grow whenever we are there...which is almost every other day or so :)

See Jane Run Half Marathon

WE FINISHED!! and we ran for chocolate and champagne...and a medal!  It was actually for a good cause, Girls, Inc.- a non-profit organization "inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold."

But all I have to say is WE FINISHED our 2nd year in a row!  I guess now I really appreciate why people "train" before such events...I have never been so sore before. OOps.  Will seriously need to train for Nike Half in October!

Memorial Weekend - Miya

Memorial Day Weekend - Hoyems

We spent the weekend basically at the Mahs. Between all the visitors and Mark being sick, we just hung out, ate, the kids got another art lesson, ate some more, and play with the Hoyems and Miya's entourage :)

Co Vi and Uncle Steve with the kids...

Maddie's 1st Tooth Fell Out!

FINALLLLLLLY!  The tooth fairy will be visiting....

de Montelimar Nougats

OMG!!! I am NOT a nougat fan at all...until I ate one of these de Montelimar nougats!  It's so yummmyyyyy!  One of our family friends hand makes these individually wrapped candies...and what an awesome surprise it was to receive a bag, especially during a week when Mark was out of town :)

As soon as I ripped open the bag, ok, after I carefully opened the outer bag, the aroma was incredible!  The pistachio and almond smells were so enticing, especially added to the sugar aspect right?  I can not even begin to describe what the first bite was like, but the second and third, it just made you want to eat another...and another... Most nougats are rather pasty to me, or just way tooo sugary, even with my SWEET tooth!  

YUMMMMM, to order:

nuricandies@gmail.com

fyi: origin of 'de montelimar' is a region in France, for which "nougat" was famously made, and the "simple" recipe of honey, sugar, eggs, pistachio and almonds make it a generic term not a brand :)

Kids and Gender

As they are playing Caillou on the computer *yes, they are very proficient on the computer*...

Adam starts getting upset all of a sudden. 

Maddie is "planting" flowers. 

Adam stomps off grumbling about how "Boys don't like flowers! I wanted to plant vegetables!"

Maddie turns to me and says, "Mommy, boys do like flowers because they have to pick them for the girls."

OK?!

 

Well, Adam has come back and says he's ok with flowers now (although he likes vegetables more) because he can give the flowers to Mommy.

AWWWWWWW :))))

Boo Boo's curly hair

It definitely did not come from the Trinh genes :)

First swim (at home) of the Season

Maddie asked if she smiled, would I put away the camera and play with them..."Sure! Once I get the shots for our blog!" ;)

Sonoma - Mark's dream

Sonoma - w Ong

We spent last weekend in Sonoma at one of Quyen's co-worker's pad.  It was HOT but we had fun just hanging out with the family :)  

Sonoma - Artiste and Protoges

Each time we see Brian and Miho, the kids have been getting lessons in art :)  The kids are like mini- Bu's...everywhere we go, I always have to make sure I've got paper and pens/crayons!  Not to mention, placemats are NOT for food or water, they are "canvases!!"

Happy 5 month Miya!

Doesn't she look so precious and peaceful?

Dinner @ Sumiya

Kaeli did NOT want to be photo'd...but with Mommy by her side, she was ok...I'll take what I can :)

Lankha "DR EMMA" in her school play

OK, so these aren't the best shots... my excuse is a 35 lb thing attached to my hip and it was hard to maneuver ourselves around other parents to take a clear shot of her performing.  So I asked her to pose after her great performance with the brats..next to her artwork :)  SO CUTE!!!  (sorry but I really wasn't able to follow entire story line since SOMEONE*said 35lb thing* got a BOO BOO mid performance and we had to go stand outside for a while.)

Stu and Boo

TWINS!  Boo Boo (Mini Stu) was happy he dressed "same same" as Chu Steven (ok, shades of green and tan are off, but he doesn't know better ;P)  

Our inheritance from the Mah's big move!

We've been eyeing this thing since we first walked into Anson's loft...FINALLY!  We inherited it when the Mahs made their big move out of the City :)  3.9 miles away from us!

The kids LOVE Cartman (NO! they have not watched any south park episodes!).  They pose him and take pics of each other with him, even with their friends, like when Aidan came over for dinner.