Month: August 2019

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20 Months Old

How are you 20 months today already?! It felt like only yesterday that we were celebrating you turning 1 on the Disney Wonder. The image of you smearing chocolate cake all over your little face and tiny chubby hand (and got some on me too 😆) is still so vivid I can almost smell the chocolate!
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Since you’re our last baby, I know I’m more emotional celebrating every milestone and birthday 😭😘 Cherishing every day, hour, minute, second with your chubby thighs, adorable giggles and baby cuddles. I now know just HOW quickly it all goes by! 😔
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Note to self: Awwww remember Lynn from the background? It was so nice to make friends with other families on the Disney Cruise! They were such a sweet family! .

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Shanghai Disneyland

Between Hong Kong and Shanghai, I definitely LOVED Shanghai Disneyland more! One of the reasons is Shanghai having the tallest/biggest, and in my opinion the most beautiful Disney Castle (while HK has no castle at the moment) in the world! Seeing the sparkles in my kids’ eyes at Disney, and EVERY time we talk about it definitely made the 15 hour flight worth it 😍✨
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It’s called the Storybook Enchanted Castle, and it has so much magic to offer! Inside the castle we had an enchanted storytelling experience, where the fairytale stories came to life. The staircases leading up to “Once Upon a Time” had all the princesses lined up on the wall carved in stone. We met Rapunzel and Cinderella at the castle, enjoyed dinner with Aurora and the Disney Junior characters, went on a voyage to the Crystal Grotto, and loved the beautiful firework at night.
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The Enchanted Storybook Castle in pic 5 is made of @swarovski diamonds, and goes for almost 2 million RMB 😱 It IS beautiful though! This is our favorite Disney castle experience to date out of the four we’ve been to, highly recommend it! Although the stories are told in Mandarin Chinese in “Once Upon a Time”, which made it a super unique and awesome experience.

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Real Chinese Food

One of the things I will miss so much going back to the states is authentic Chinese food! Once you have lived in China for a while like a local, you will know why Panda Express is NOT considered Chinese food (um you can’t even find fortune cookies in China!).
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Sharing a few of my favorite dishes! (I didn’t take enough pics, too busy eating 😆) Everything is always prepared beautifully and delectably, using fresh, local ingredients and seasoned to perfection. Some of my favorites include #桂花糖藕#十三香小龙虾#鸡头米炒虾仁#上汤小笼包，fruits like #杨梅#水蜜桃#山竹awwww I’m drooling! The only “gross” thing I really enjoy eating is frog legs, they are so good in Nanjing hotpot!

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Friends since I was 6

I got to hang out with my best friends since FIRST grade!!! It’s amazing we’ve kept in touch thanks to social media, and more awesome that we’re all moms of multiples!
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I became a Texan right after elementary school. The mama in the blue dress lives with her family in Silicon Valley. The one in white shirt went to Singapore as a teenager, and the last one studied and worked in Norway! It’s always so fun to be in the same city again for a brief second, and meet up for dim sum and catch up.

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It’s My Birthday!

I’m another year older!! 🥂 Every year on my birthday I become extra reflective, and feel some level of existential crisis as well. I realize it’s the never ending chasing of something that robs my joy. So my resolution for the 33rd year is to count my blessings every morning when I wake up, and to thank God every night before I sleep! What better way to fight for joy than to stay grateful?
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To be honest I felt kind of negative all day. For whatever reason I was reflecting over the failures I had in life – the times I lost my temper as a mom, the times I was misunderstood by a friend and lost a friendship, the times I felt betrayed by someone I trusted, the times I felt I wasn’t good enough just being me, or worried about people’s opinions more than God’s approval.
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I know I am blessed beyond measures – a fairytale marriage, 3 beautiful and healthy children, amazing family and friends, the privilege to stay home etc, so I shouldn’t dwell on those negative experiences, but rather focus on the blessings, and learn from my difficult experiences. It takes conscious effort to stay present and choose joy, and I want to do just that! 😊

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No Mommy Guilt

I need my alone time Every. Single. Day! I no longer feel any mommy guilt after 3 kids, because I know I simply function better and have a lot more patience when I’ve had my alone time. .
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Even at the most magical place on earth recently, my patience by the end of day was at a minimum, having carried around a sleeping baby and whiny middle child (you would think kids don’t whine at Disneyland heh? Lol what did I say about expectations? 😂), having to step in when the girls fought over stickers and who got to sit in the stroller, I was exhausted.
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The kids were at the beach with grandparents this afternoon, and I chose not to go for my sanity. Not exercising for a month is already driving me a bit nuts (I need you in life @lorifraze!), I had to get some peace and quiet so I could be a better mom!
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Needless to say, the kids were so excited to see me after being separated for 2.5 hours, and vice versa when they got back – “mommy look at the hermit crab we got! And the seashells!” 🦀🌴☀️ I gave them my full attention for the rest of the night! As a stay at home mom, it is so important to find this balance 💕 If you’re a #stayathomemom may you find some quiet and alone time to recharge today, and every day!

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Bye Disney Hong Kong

Disney World Florida ✅
Disneyland Anaheim ✅
Disney Cruise ✅
Disneyland Shanghai ✅
Disneyland Hong Kong ✅
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Bye Disney Hong Kong! We will miss this view waking up in the morning! This hotel reminds me of the Grand Floridian ✨Hong Kong is surrounded by oceans and beautiful mountains covered in lush green trees, just beautiful! Next stop, visiting the grandparents in Hong Kong 🇭🇰 .

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No Castle

I will share about our Shanghai Disneyland trip soon for comparisons (spoiler alert: BEST, biggest and most beautiful Disney castle ever!) 💕 .
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Today was our last day in Hong Kong Disneyland, presenting you the beautiful but castle-less…Aurora’s Castle 😆😱😔 .
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Though slightly bummed about no castle, my girls still really enjoyed the park, met princesses and talked to every one of them enthusiastically (sang with Moana, asked Snow White how she felt when she ate the apple etc), did their favorite Small World and Toy Story rides, ate Mickey shaped everything, and my oldest who is tall enough, got to experience the Hyperspace Mountain the Grizzly Gulch rollercoasters too! .
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I must say though, I loved Shanghai Disneyland more despite the much shorter lines in Hong Kong. This was a fun experience overall! Will share more later! 😉

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Disney Parents

One of the coolest things about becoming a parent is becoming a kid again!!! I had only been to Disneyland once before I became a mom, Disney just wasn’t a big deal for my parents. As a mom however, I got to go on Disney vacations 5 times already! 🥰🥰🥰

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Hong Kong Disneyland

Guess what? There is no castle at Hong Kong Disneyland until 2020! 🤦🏻‍♀️ I totally didn’t expect that, and was kinda bummed not to have a family photo in front of each Disney Castle around the world now. Hubby joked we should get one in front of the sad wrapped up castle under construction anyways, since it would be recording Disney history in the making! 😆
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Our experience so far – Not only is Hong Kong Disneyland the smallest Disney theme park we’ve visited, it’s the least crowded one, which is awesome!!! Most of the rides have a 10-15 minute wait, the Cinderella Carousel was only a 5 minute wait, and my kids’ favorite Small World ride was 30 minutes due to it being hot in the afternoon and people wanting to go indoors. That was considered the longest wait! We didn’t even bother using our fast passes! 😱
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We got to watch the amazing Lion King show, did lots of fun rides with kids with minimal wait, and ended the night with delicious food and Disney parade. 20,000 steps easy, and another magical day with my littles in the books! 🥰
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The beautiful red polka dot dresses my girls are wearing are by the talented mama from @peyperkids!!!