A couple months ago, Janie very calmly asked Mama, “when will I get my own room?” We knew the day would come but didn’t know when it would be a good time to put them in their own rooms again. We often forget that they used to sleep in separate rooms when we first moved to Alameda but then they consolidated on their own. Today, Janie brought it up again and decided today would be the day. We had just received an email from Peanut’s school that they will be closing starting Monday. So, since they will be spending more time at home right now, this was a good time to make the change.
Since Janie’s desk and computer are already in Peanut’s old room/guest room, she moved her clothes and books into the room and we moved some of the toys that were in the closet into her old room, which will now be Peanut’s room. They both slept in their separate rooms tonight and did rather well. I think Mama’s is the most affected by this change. The kids are cool but Mama is sad to see them growing up and needing space. 🙁
The kids were really good about getting up before the sun came up this morning and the flight was uneventful. When we arrived in Oakland, the kids thought it was funny how the stroller and carseat came out of a little door off to the side.
We walked to the bus stop and Peanut thought it was funny that he looked like a turtle with his jacket worn over his backpack.
The bus was totally empty, as usual, and we were home in no time.
The early flight resulted in a good long nap for Peanut later that morning.
Mama also made a big pot of jook – always a great meal to have after so much travel. Thanks to Auntie Amy for showing Mama how to make it.
We had such a fun time in Vancouver and really made the most of Ski Week this year. We hope we can keep doing this every year and truly appreciate the Koo Family for hosting us, taking good care of us, and showing us a fun time again.
It’s our last full day in Hawaii and we had plans to make the most of it!
We were up early and took a walk to Eggs n Things. We walked along the beach and we had really comfortable weather.
At breakfast, Peanut drew a picture of all of us hiking Diamond Head yesterday.
After breakfast, Janie and Dada headed back to the hotel for an ukulele lesson.
Meanwhile, Peanut and Mama went shopping.
We walked through the International Marketplace and found a statue of Don Ho.
Before heading back, we stopped at Mitsuwa Marketplace to pick up lunch for everyone. Peanut had so much fun with the shopping basket.
He also picked out two boxes of Pocky sticks to share with the other kids.
Here’s all the food we bought for our two families.
We also picked up some mochi donuts from MoDo inside the market.
On the way back, we caught a ride on The Bus. It came right as we were walking up to the stop!
Back at the Paradise Pool, the kids were swimming and after they stopped to eat lunch, they went back in the pool and went down the tube slide over and over again. Even Janie conquered her fear and went too! It’s a dark and fast slide but Peanut absolutely loved it.
After all the swimming, Peanut fell asleep while still holding a chip in his hand.
In the meantime, the girls had moved over to the beach and Uncle Jamie rented a floating island. They had fun trying to balance and also throw each other off.
Once Peanut woke up, he and Mama got to play too.
It’s hard to believe that this is the same girl who was so terrified of even the sound of the ocean as a baby. Now she’s a floating pro just like her Dada and never wants to get out of the water.
For dinner, we walked to the hotel down the street to have dinner at KatsuMidori with Auntie Yoon, Uncle Kurt, and Trevor.
It’s a cute Japanese restaurant that lets you order from an iPad and some of your food gets delivered by a train!!!
We walked back to the hotel along the lagoon with the full moon to light the way.
It was another gorgeous morning in Hawaii. We are so spoiled waking up to this every morning!
We went exploring this morning before breakfast.
The kids also wanted to play at the beach so Dada took them down while Mama went for a run. You can see them playing from our lanai!
Auntie Yoon later picked us up and wen went to lunch at Tonkatsu Tamafuji.
After lunch, I took Peanut for a walk and he finally fell asleep once I let him run around a bit.
In the meantime, Janie stayed with Auntie Ranee and Uncle Jamie for the afternoon. They hung out at Paradise Pool and the lagoon until it was Happy Hour time.
Peanut did, however, wake up in time to ride on the pedal boat with the girls.
Back at Ali’i Pool, the girls continued to play in the pool and the grown-ups enjoyed Happy Hour prices.
In the evening, the kids showered and ate dinner in Yai and Ta’s room while Mama and Dada had a date night. Thanks for watching them!!
As expected, the kids were up super early and so were Yai and Ta. So we took a walk around the village and found Lappert’s open and serving coffee and bagels.
Then we walked to the beach and played in the water and sand while the sun came up.
Once Dada woke up, we headed out to the lagoon.
We rented a stand-up paddle board and gave it a try. It was surprisingly easy and even the kids went out on their own.
Next stop was the Paradise Pool where they had a couple water slides.
Dada and Uncle Jamie went off property to pick up a bunch of Spam musubis for everyone to eat for lunch. The kids loved them and probably tasted even better by the pool!
Then it was time for Peanut to take a nap and he was able to fall asleep in the stroller as soon as we started moving. In the meantime, the girls continued to swim and then we met up for ice cream.
For dinner, we walked to Ala Moana Shopping Center to try out Shirokiya Japan Village Walk. It’s a huge Japanese food court complete with all the different foods you would want to eat.
They also had a bunch of toy machines that started at $1/piece. Yai bought a token for Peanut and he scored a Pokemon badge.
It’s become a tradition for us to take a trip to the Ferry Plaza to buy bread for leftover turkey sandwiches so that’s what we did! Since we live in Alameda now, we take the ferry, which makes the trip even more fun.
We also lucked out with gorgeous weather after a day of rain yesterday.
At the bookstore, we found a plush of the bridge twins that are on Janie’s San Francisco t-shirt.
For lunch, we went to Hog Island Oyster Company and Janie was so happy to have her pick of the oysters.
Peanut also got his favorite grilled squid salad, which he calls “squid jerky”.
Uncle Victor forgot his hat at our house last night so they met up with us after lunch. Janie got to walk Lil Boom on his leash for the afternoon.
We stopped for treats and drinks at the Hyatt and saw all the pretty holiday decorations.
By the late afternoon, we had to head back to Alameda so the kids could take their swim lessons.
Luckily, Peanut managed to catch a quick cat nap on the ferry ride over too.
