mod about this cutie, and we are mod about our lunch dates trying out new eateries.

with mommy and daddy’s anniversary, this one took it upon herself to dress up as a bride.  the minnie bow was her ‘tiara’ and notice the stylish blue train. :)

we celebrated with a steak dinner at home and smores for dessert.

we showed the kids our wedding video for the first time, and that was a fun start to the weekend.

we celebrated auntie k’s special milestone birthday over lunch and cake!  we love you, auntie k!

cousinly love.

great america family day for daddy’s work was a blast.  i’m afraid of heights and i totally flipped out on this ride not knowing it went so high.  haha.

he loved the ‘peanuts 500’ ride and went on countless times!

m wasn’t feeling this ride as much and was a little scared as it zipped you around as you turned the corner.

snoopy shirt, check.  snoopy’s ride, check.

bumper cars for the first time!

watching the performers at a show.

joe cool and jeremy cool.

pure joy coming off the slide.

first pretzel treat was a big delight!

when you’re super excited, because you get your first pretzel too!

what a fun and memorable day!  i was on bedrest the last time daddy took them, so it was special for me to experience this day with them.

we had the best time meeting uncle jay (daddy’s college buddy from guam) and family.  they loved playing with k.

reading with oldest sis k who was moving out to seattle for college.

1:1 date with mommy and he got to try his first cotton candy sample at the mall after playing some games.

daddy got to take maya on a date, such simple pleasures.

reading elephant & piggie books to cupcake the seal.  these two are obsessed.

so on a whim, we decided to make our own gerald the elephant + piggie puppets.

the boys chilling at auntie kristina and uncle todd’s house for their gender reveal party.

it’s a girl!!  excited for another girl cousin!

maya was on the winning “team pink”!

i can leave the room and come back to it in a totally different state.  these two certainly can be creative with their toy bins.

ballet all day everyday for this one.  she said the foot of her bed made a good ballet barre.

her twin brother gets to (has to) attend ballet class as she gets to be the teacher.

park time with their buddy josslin – they liked making their mamas dizzy on this one and then dramatically acting out being very dizzy and falling to the ground consecutive times after getting off.

playing at cousin b’s park after dinner.

the toddler life is good. :)

a few weeks ago, the twins started pre-k.  they are now considered the “big kids” in the busy bees classroom.  when this one grows up, she wants to be a princess. :)

meanwhile, this one told me he wanted to be darth vader.  not exactly where i was going with that question, but we were in a rush to get to school!

because photo shoots always go smoothly with 4 year olds. :)

love my sweet babies.  they are growing up so fast.

best buddies.

on school days, we have courtyard picnic lunches.  we were excited to reunite with our good friend miss ruth who works at the church on the same school property.

mommy packed a great lunch for them and just because it was the first day, i cut out little airplanes for their ham.  they told me that it was a classmate’s birthday (so of course they had all kinds of treats) and weren’t that hungry for lunch. (yay).

my leftovers for lunch in the car on the go.  don’t ask me what i was thinking putting it in a bowl and then a colander!  why didn’t i put it in a tupperware or a foogo container to hold it all in??  it held up surprisingly well.  #lifeofamomonthego

miss ruth used to be a kindergarten teacher so has lots of tips for mommy.  it’s always nice eating with her and catching up.

at 4.5, she loves books, ballet + tap dance, gymanastics, drawing, workbooks (homework), asking a ton of questions, and is a responsible little people pleaser because she loves doing chores (she loves surprising me and making my bed in the morning and will gladly do the same for her brother!).  she is one who experiences highs and lows at an “extreme” because she will reflect often on the “lows” (just like daddy) and can even cry again when thinking about them and retelling them to daddy.  she is definitely daddy’s girl and the boss aka “bigger sister”.

at 4.5, he loves books, star wars, pretend play (every morning he’s asking me to be the mommy animal), gymnastics, playing with legos, eating rice in all of its various forms (did someone say sticky rice?), humming star wars soundtrack songs, and doesn’t complain too often although when he’s tired he droops his little head to the side and walks around to show us he’s tired (and it kind of cracks us up).  he’s sweet, sensitive, and thoughtful.  he loves breakfast foods like mommy too.

waving goodbye to ruth as they saw her one more time.

wishing these little ones the best as they embark on another year of learning and growth!

it’s crazy to think we’ve been married now for ten years.  i mean, we were just kids in our twenties.  and look at us now!  (people still think we’re kids).  haha.  i’ll blame the hubby for his youthful look….they must not see my grey hairs that are popping up everywhere!

so this was the beginning of “mewie”.  september 9, 2006.

babies.  i loved our wedding day.  a beautiful ceremony and amazing and fun reception dancing the night away with our family and friends.  we had our surprise in store for the “first dance”, i surprised mr. mewie with a hummer limo, my brother surprised all of our guests by breaking down when reading my appreciation letter to our parents saying “i feel like the luckiest girl in the world”, i threw in some surprises in our slideshow, father of the bride “uncle barry” showed us his dance moves, and so it’s no wonder why we look back on this day as one of the most memorable days of our lives.  although there are now things that don’t fit (wedding band + wedding dress), this day and those vows hold an even deeper meaning to me now.

marriage is hard work.  there are seasons where you thrive, and seasons where you’re praying to survive.  there are days where you’re on a healthy cycle of showing love and respect, and other days where you’re thinking you’re lucky if you can “co-exist” and hope the other doesn’t see your eye-rolling.  (guilty of plenty of that).  i was made with several flaws.  so was he.  we get caught up in expectations and often our own thoughts, comparisons, and desires.

it has taken commitment and complete surrender to god to reveal his intentions and blessings in our marriage, and god’s hand in carrying us through some of our deepest struggles and wounds.  we were made perfect in him.  we’ve had to find our way together through the tough times, but also prayed fervently.  what we found was a deeper connection, strength and peace.

a wise woman once said, “the greatest gift you can give to your kids is a strong marriage“.  i truly believe this and have my parents to thank for being a wonderful example to me of a strong marriage, and for inspiring me to always be seeking and loving the lord and serving others.

today, i celebrate ten years of marriage with my best friend and best soul mate a girl could have.  he has shown me grace, patience, faithfulness, love, forgiveness, kindness, and a special sense of humor that has endeared me and made me a better woman.  he has grown into being a dedicated husband and loving father, and i am excited to continue ‘growing older’ with him each day.  i love you, mr. mewie!  “when god made you, he must’ve been thinking about me”. xoxo, sweetest love

our staycation in sf was a sweet little getaway.

we enjoyed a delicious dinner after checking into our lovely hotel with a view.  ten years later, we have been blessed.

i love a good brunch and this was all so yummy.

we trekked to see the painted ladies.

marriage is a lot like taking a leap of faith, am i right?

it’s supporting one another’s endeavors (like walking miles and ubering with a new york driver!) just to get your wife to THE “full house” house and then taking a bunch of pics of her acting like a crazy person.

“everywhere you look….everywhere you go…there’s a heart (there’s a heart)…a hand to hold onto”.  to say my siblings and i were obsessed with this show growing up would be an understatement.  we proudly still quote the show til’ this day.

it’s laughing together and finding the best in one another (he was carded for ordering this drink and the waiter and staff were highly amused).  his t-shirt doesn’t help obviously. :)

it’s realizing that wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you’re simply better together.

1 Corinthians 13:13 – “and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love”.

this past july we had a wonderful week with family on the island of oahu.  it was our first time taking the littles and they’re still talking about how much they miss beautiful hawaii.

here are some highlights from our trip!

beautiful views.

we swam a lot at the hotel.

we took walks on the beach and watched the sunset together.

hanging out at the lovely aulani resort.

grandma gave maya a beautiful purple flower hairclip, and it happened to match her dress.

so grateful to grandma and grandpa louie who made it possible for us to vacation here and make such special memories!

someone hearts spam musubi.

cousins time is the best.

shaved ice treat at waiola’s.

we double dated on an adventurous waikiki food tour with mark and di.

beach time at the lagoon.

we love oahu!

feeding the koi fish at the hotel.

it was national dance day, so naturally, we celebrated.

this picture is a reminder of god’s faithfulness.  five years ago, i stepped onto this very beach after a devastating week coping with my first failed IVF cycle.  i struggled immensely with god’s plan for me.  they remind me of his miracles, of hope, perseverance, sacrifice and love.

maya drew all of these hearts to tell me that she loves me “so so so so much”.

heading home….we had three seats and then 1 across the aisle and this is how we sat.  it was a relaxing trip home for mommy!