Lunch get-together

Today we had a lunch get-together at our friend Patty’s house where we all had pizza.  Once lunch was finished it soon became playtime for the 3 kids there: Caeden, Patty’s daughter Charlotte and Jennie’s daughter Ivy.

Since Caeden cannot walk yet he found himself quite comfortable inside a playpen filled with little plastic balls

Charlottle loves running around back and forth between the living room area and the kitchen. I managed to catch her when she took a break

Caeden and Charlotte 'sharing' baby biscuits

Pictured from left to right: Jack, Caeden and mom Jeannie. Today Caeden doesn't seem to mind when uncle Jack pokes his belly!

Even though Ivy, the oldest of the kids, was quite absorbed with her Hello Kitty Nintendo DS game, she still was polite enough to look up briefly for this shot. Thanks Ivy!

Kids will be kids. Ivy was very good with this toy. She would sketch objects within seconds and then have me guess what her abstract creations were. Pictured here is her rendition of a 'volcano?'

Chinese New Year Dinner

This year for our Chinese New Year’s eve dinner my family went to Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant in Vancouver.  We had pre-ordered our food in anticipation of a very busy kitchen.  We ordered the usual Taiwanese favorites such as string beans with minced pork, shredded fish with yellow chives, chicken with 3 spice, stir fried clams, prawn in ketchup & chili sauce, five spice beef in chinese pancake, lamb with bean curd and vegetable hot pot, spicy pork with organ stew and pork shank in brown sauce (seen pictured below).

Mom and Caeden posing for a quick picture before our food is served

Pork Shank in Brown Sauce

Today also marks Caeden’s first Chinese New Years he will be celebrating.  And ofcourse what would Chinese New Years be without red envelopes!  Here Caeden receive his first official Chinese New Years red envelope from my parents. 

After the traditional exchange of red envelopes and after dinner chit chat, we headed off on our separate ways.  Back at home Caeden would received a surprise red envelope from uncle Jim, auntie Cindy and grandma.

Torch visits Burnaby

Feb 11 marks the 105th day of the Olympic torch’s journey to Vancouver where it will host the 2010 Winter Olympic and ParaOlympic games this year.  My family and I was at the Burnaby Village Museum this rainy morning along with hundreds of school children, parents and media crew who were lining the path in anticipation of the torch runner.   The torch only spent a few minutes here before continuing on to Vancouver.  Among the 4000+ spectators was a large childrens choir represented by students from Marlborough Elementary school.  Wearing Olympic mittens and jackets and each carrying a hockey stick, the choir performed three songs for all who were in attendance. 

My son Caeden with his mom waiting for the torch runner.  Grandma is holding the umbrella

After the torch had left the village grounds, there was a mass exodus of children and parents.  We stayed behind and visited one of the exhibits on site instead.  There was an old reconditioned railcar that allowed visitors to board and learn about what it was like to ride the railcars back in the 1950s.