The Chan Clan

Birthdays

2011-02-10T00:51:00.001-08:00

Girls turned 4 on December 11, 2010

Noah turned 2 on January 20, 2011

Happy Halloween

2010-11-06T01:15:00.001-07:00

Halloween is probably one of the kids' favorite holidays. This year they were really into the whole Trick or Treating thing...as they passed the stickers, balloons and pins in their halloween bags to me. Which left....ah, yes, all the candy. We went to a couple Halloween events in our neighborhood.

I had no luck in getting Noah to wear his Thomas the Train costume. The closest he got to a costume were his shades and a halloween shirt. The girls talked about wearing their princess costumes but two of them changed their minds to wear Minnie Mouse, which was last years costume. Thank goodness they still fit and thank goodness I did not give them away yet.

While in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago, we visited a pumpkin patch. The girls loved going on the bungee jumpers and Noah had a blast playing with all the pumpkins and hay.

I look at last years Halloween pictures and see how quickly they have grown. The girls were just potty trained and Noah was just starting to take a few steps last year. My babies are growing up too fast.

First plane ride

2010-10-24T23:03:00.001-07:00

We took our first ever plane ride with the kiddos this past weekend. Can you picture 2 adults and 4 kids under 4? Well, the flight and the trip went quite well and we all had loads of fun. The flight attendant even commented (or in her words, couldn't believe) how well our kids were doing. Our outbound flight was on time, but our return flight was 3 hours delayed due to the weather at SFO.

Lessons learned:

bring an iphone for each child with each childs favorite youtube videos saved

bring lots of snacks

bring lots of patience

look for the family line at security, which is usually a much shorter line

We went to visit our friends in Las Vegas and had some free time at night to visit the strip (after the kids went to sleep) as we vaguely remember going to before kids. The kids had a great time with the Hou Family and meeting the newest addition to the Tien Family.

Riding the shuttle to the terminal

Vacation at the Happiest Place on Earth - Disneyland

2010-09-19T23:23:00.001-07:00

Visiting Disneyland the week after Labor Day is much better than going the week after Thanksgiving. The lines were not very long, the weather was perfect and pushing 2 double strollers was easy (well, easier) without the crowds of people on Main Street. I know when the kids start school, we won't have the option of when to go, except during their school breaks/vacation.

The kids had a blast. Some of their favorite rides were It's a small world, Dumbo, and Autopia (Noah's fave). The girls loved the Princess Fantasy Faire. We spent alot of time at Mickey's Toonland too.

And for mommy and daddy, we were able to see the new World of Color show as the kiddos rested in the strollers.

Day out with Thomas

2010-08-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

All the kids are fans of Thomas and friends. We made the trek to see Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt at the annual Day out with Thomas event in Felton.

Great America

2010-07-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

Visiting the home of Snoopy and friends. Chan Clan with Lucy and Charlie Brown.

Funny Bugs graduation

2010-06-10T23:11:00.000-07:00

Sophia, Hannah and Alexandra just graduated from their gymnastics class. They have been taking the "Funny Bugs" class at the Little Gym since January.

Here they are at their class graduation on the medals stand.

ER visit

2010-05-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

I have often heard of kids sticking things in their noses, but it was one of those things where I didn't believe it until it happened to me...tonight. Sophia, our playful, curious, dramatic daughter decided to play with crayons after dinner...which is fine. Except, she decided to place a small crayon piece into her right nostril.
She panicked initially and screamed that she couldn't breath. But since she was screaming at the top of her lungs, I knew she was breathing. And then she said that she couldn't get the crayon out of her nose.
We tried to get it out at home, but ended up taking her to the ER.

She is such a trooper. No crying or whining. We waited patiently in the waiting room until she was called in. It took a while for the doctor to remove it, but once that little green crayon was removed, she was good to go, with a couple, "I survived the ER" stickers in hand.

Here she is playing dress up a few days later.

Walking

2010-02-08T00:27:00.000-08:00

Noah has been walking for about a month. Taking a winter stroll at our local park.

Oh what fun it is to ride

2010-01-19T21:28:00.000-08:00

First family trip to Tahoe.

We went the week after Christmas for 3 days. The kids really enjoyed playing with snow. They even braved the bungee jumping apparatus. Not sure what it is called, but they had loads of fun.

Ice Skating

2010-01-07T22:02:00.001-08:00

Here are Sophia, Hannah, and Alexandra's first time on ice skates. There was a free session at our local ice skating rink and amazingly, the girls enjoyed it.

Disneyland and California Adventures

2009-12-07T00:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

2009-11-25T22:49:00.001-08:00

It's the start of the holiday season. I love this time of year especially when you see that holiday sparkle in kids' eyes.

Our Minnies and Tigger too

2009-11-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

The morning of Halloween in our front yard.

Dressed and ready to go trick or treating for the first time.

Pumpkin carving

2009-10-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Everyone was recovering from a winter bug the past couple weeks. Finally carved the pumpkins Halloween morning. Here are the 3 jack-o-lanterns smiling at you. Noah was napping so Alexandra drew a face on his pumpkin.

Pumpkin patch

2009-10-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

We made our yearly visit to the local pumpkin patch farm in Half Moon Bay a couple weeks ago. It just happened to be one of of the coldest days of Fall.

Smile!!!!

2009-10-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

These are some of our favorite pictures. Taken after bath time and getting ready for bed.

First day of preschool

2009-09-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sophia, Hannah and Alexandra officially started preschool today.

Here they just hopped out of the car and are walking to school.

Sitting and Crawling

2009-08-23T00:12:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, Noah was learning to sit up on his own. Here he is still practicing, but I think he got it, as you can tell with his proud grin.

He is also learning to crawl, or should I say edging forward like a catepillar.

Santa Barbara and potty trained

2009-08-23T00:04:00.001-07:00

So what does Santa Barbara have to do with potty training? Well, we decided to take a mini vacation to Santa Barbara this past week. They have a zoo there that was very kiddie friendly. The fences were low enough for a toddler to view the animals so that mom or dad didn't have to carry them to see. We stayed right across from the beach so we were able to walk there instead of loading all the kids up in the car.

Here are some pictures from our trip. This trip also served as a potty training experiment since the girls were all diaper-free during the day. Overall, it was a successful experiment and we would like to report that our girls are potty trained!

Noah chilling in the hotel room.

Summertime fun

2009-08-08T00:26:00.000-07:00

We will definitely miss the warm days of summer when the weather begins to get colder. Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying the hot days of summer in our front and back yards.

Just staying cool

Before we invested in a kiddie pool, we used this water table to stay cool.

Look at our new tricycles

Art time

Gilroy Gardens

2009-08-06T23:33:00.001-07:00

Gilroy Gardens is one of our favorite places to go these days. It is a very kiddie friendly amusement park. We never finish walking the entire park in one trip before the kids need to nap so we have gone multiple times. It's always been 90 degrees when we go so the kids love cooling down by the waterfall.

Look forward to going there during their Holiday Festival of Lights.

Mommy's little helpers

2009-07-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

I took the girls grocery shopping with me to Trader Joes. They have the "shopper in training" shopping carts so each of the girls pushed one. Basically, I loaded their baskets with what I needed to buy. It was one of the cutest sights I have ever seen.

These pics were taken by my iphone

Sand, water, sun=fun beach day

2009-07-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

We took our first trip to the beach last week. The girls have been eagerly waiting to go all summer and were so excited as we got ready in the morning.

Sophia loved dipping her feet in the beach waves. The water was freezing cold to me, but it didn't seem to bother her. Hannah loved playing in the sand, filling her bucket with sand and dumping it out 5 feet elsewhere. Then, she would repeat that again and again. Alexandra enjoyed sunbathing and relaxing by the ocean breeze. Noah was a trooper. He really enjoyed his first beach experience and had lots to look at, especially his sisters running around and exploring.

If the weather stays warm, we'll be making another trip to the beach very soon.

Noah is 6 months old

2009-07-20T01:11:00.000-07:00

At Noah's 6 month check up, his stats:

21 lbs. 7.9 oz.

28 inches

He is growing super fast and reaching many milestones. He has graduated into a Britax Marathon carseat since outgrowing his infant car seat. Now, he has the same carseat as his sisters.

One of his favorite toys is our beloved jumperoo which has lasted through all three girls. This toy is well-built considering how much we have used it. Here's Noah reading his Pooh book in between jumps.

First ballet class

2009-07-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

The girls are starting a ballet class through our Parks and Rec. It's a 2-3 year old class and they make up half the class.

Here they are at home getting dressed for class.

In class and checking out the other little girls with leotards and tutus.

Berry Picking

2009-06-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

We are going to miss summer when it's over (but look forward to Fall). The girls went on their first berry picking trip. Here they are sporting their hats.

Smiling for the dentist

2009-06-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

Sophia, Hannah and Alexandra had their first dental check up today. Nothing to report. After a quick check of their pearly whites, they each got a goodie bag with toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and stickers.

California Academy of Sciences

2009-06-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

First trip to the California Academy of Sciences

BART trip

2009-06-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

Here they are checking out the map.

Waiting for the BART train

We took a family excursion on BART. They have a specific fare for those who don't exit the BART terminal. Plus, kids ride free. It was a pretty fun morning out and about.

Twin Pines Park

2009-06-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

The Chan Clan

Well, we are all looking at the camera, but at 9 am, not everyone is smiling.

My first pony ride

2009-06-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

Last week, we took a trip to a local farm. Sophia rode a pony for the first time, insisting that I walk next to her. After a few times around, she was brave enough to hold onto the saddle with both hands, but still insisted that I walk next to her.

Pastorino Farms, Half Moon Bay

Hannah and Alexandra decided not to ride the ponies after standing in line 3 times and changing their minds as we got to the gate.

The girls also visited the petting zoo, went on a train ride, a hayride and played in the jumpy house. We hope to bring them back later on for another fun day at the farm.

Haircuts and lollipops

2009-06-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

The girls had their first, yes first haircuts a couple days ago. I have trimmed their bangs but they finally got haircuts from a real hairdresser, mommy's hairdresser. It was a totally fun (and painless) experience. I say fun because I think the girls had a fun time. I say painless because I have heard horror stories about kids getting haircuts without a fancy chair or videos to watch and this salon was a basic salon with none of those kiddie bells and whistles.

Of course, the lollipop basket helped

Hannah

Alexandra

Sophia

Noah sitting up

2009-06-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Noah at 4 1/2 months

Playhouse or outhouse?

2009-05-30T00:16:00.000-07:00

A high school friend of mine passed her girls' playhouse onto us. We are so grateful for her generosity. The girls absolutely love playing in it. They even ask to put their pottys in the playhouse and have been successful using it.

4 months old

2009-05-20T19:56:00.001-07:00

Noah is 4 months old today.

He is growing so fast, eating and sleeping well.

17 lbs. 13.7 oz.

26 1/2 inches

Filoli Gardens

2009-05-15T00:20:00.000-07:00

Last month, we took a trip to Filoli Gardens to check out the beautiful Spring flowers in bloom.

The girls having lunch.
Noah getting some sunshine.

Puppet Show

2009-05-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

The tortoise and the hare as told by puppets.

Last month we went a puppet show sponsored by a local mother's group. They girls really enjoyed watching the whole puppet show set up; not sure it they fully understood the Aesop fables being told. Actually, I think they enjoyed the cookie decorating table more than the puppet show, but did sit still for quite a while eating their lunch and watching the puppets.

Cookie decorating table

Noah awake from his nap

The Amazing World of Jellyfishes and Seahorses

2009-05-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hannah checking out the Penguins

A couple weeks ago, we took a 3 day trip to Monterey. Last time we went, the girls were 17 months; they sat in their strollers with snack traps and water bottles and were very happy campers. This time, our 2 1/2 year olds were active, active, active. They absolutely loved the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Dennis the Menace Park. Noah also took in alot of the scenery, but he mostly slept when we were out and about.

Just finished lunch at Fisherman's Wharf

Alexandra and Noah

Sophia posing with Dennis the Menace

The Many Expressions of Noah

2009-05-14T13:52:00.001-07:00

3 months old

Just having a snack

2009-04-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here are the girls having a snack and sharing their little table.

Heads up

2009-04-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

2 1/2 months

Who dialed 9-1-1?

2009-02-21T22:16:00.000-08:00

This evening, we got a visit from a Belmont police officer at 6:20 pm.

Here's our story about our exciting Saturday night.

The time was about 6:00 pm, shortly after dinner. The girls were playing in the living room and Noah was napping on the swing. In a matter of minutes, but more importantly, all in unison...Noah started to cry and the girls started to fight/scream/throw a tantrum over who could hold the cordless phone.

Daddy went to change Noah and mommy tried to distract the girls with other toys. Sophia said she heard a knocking at the door, but since I didn't and we weren't expecting anyone, I did not go check the front door. The knocking continued and it grew louder. I finally looked through the peek hole and asked who is it. He responded with, "Belmont police". I asked who is it again and then opened the door. Then I asked for ID. I was so paranoid that he was an intruder dressed as a police officer. He asked if everything was ok because they received a 911 call. I immediately thought (with embarrassment) that the girls accidentally dialed 911. John came to the front door and asked the officer if there was a message on the 911 call. The officer said, "yes, there was a crying baby and kids talking." He peeked in our house and said, "you got your hands full, don't you? Just as long as everything is alright." I told him that everything was fine and apologized because one of our kids probably dialed 911 by accident.

After the officer left, I checked our phone messages (our ringer was off). There was a message at 6:15 pm from a dispatcher who received a 911 call from us and if we did not call back, she would send a police officer to our house. Five minutes later, when we were calming down 4 kids in our house, the police officer showed up.

What are the odds of them dialing 911? Well atleast we don't have to worry too much about teaching the girls to dial 911. However, I suppose we ought to teach them to only dial 911 if and when there is an emergency. ;)

We like to think this is a typical evening with the kids, but this is a rare photo of them "playing nicely all together".

Big sisters welcome little brother Noah

2009-01-27T21:46:00.000-08:00

Noah Jacob Kwei Chan was born on January 20, 2009 at 6:14 am. He weighed 9 lbs. 6 oz. and measured 20 1/2 inches long.

Mommy and baby watched the Inauguration in their Labor and Delivery room, waiting for Daddy and sisters to visit.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T23:14:00.000-08:00

A little belated, but the Chan Clan wishes everyone a healthy and prosperous 2009!

We celebrated New Years Eve (Natal, Brazil time) at our friends house. So, the countdown was much earlier than the actual time. We were able to enjoy good food with the company of good friends (I think there were more kids at this party than adults). And we still made it home to bathe the girls and get them to bed by 9 pm. The girls were so tired from all the festivities that they fell asleep quite quickly.

Just some random pics of the girls.

Sophia Hannah checking out the kazoo

Alexandra and Sophia

All in Perspective

2008-12-30T23:11:00.000-08:00

This is the same change table we have had since the girls were born. They can now climb onto and off of it by themselves. It is bolted to the wall but I still worry that it may tip over, especially when all 3 decide to climb up at the same time. Atleast they brought a magazine to read, just long enough for me to snap a few pictures.

Two weeks old....Yes, it is the same change table! These pictures really made me realize how fast they grow up.

Sophia, Hannah & Alexandra

Here are the three of them (with Elmo) on top of the toy chest (yes, they did climb on there by themselves and even switched seats), enjoying their snack trap full of grapes.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T23:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

The girls have had a very busy pre-Christmas 2008. We didn't put up a tree last year, but this year, we put one up, even though it was a very sad looking tree with minimal ornaments and decorations. The girls helped us assemble our beloved artificial Xmas tree over Thanksgiving weekend.

We spent Christmas Eve at grandma and grandpa's house. The girls really enjoyed spending time with their cousins, Madison (2.5) and Ethan (1). They opened presents and played together until it was time to go home.

Christmas morning, the girls got another visit from Santa.

I think their favorite toys are the doll strollers and dolls, although they are also very interested in the big wheel and cozy coupe car.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Nice to meet you, Santa Claus

2008-12-17T01:19:00.000-08:00

I have been preparing the girls to take a picture with Santa at our local mall. We have been reading an Elmo and Santa book where Elmo sits on Santa's lap. We visited the mall a couple times during the last few weeks and watched other children take pictures with Santa. The girls were enthralled by all the holiday decor and babies and kids sitting on Santa's nap. I thought for sure they were ready to sit on Santa's lap. So, today, I took them to the mall. As they skipped through the mall towards Santa's station, they seemed very excited. Santa said he remembered them from last year. As soon as we walked around the gate and stood in front of Santa, the girls stopped in their tracks and clung onto my legs for dear life. As I edged closer to Santa's bench, that was our picture moment. Even with help from Mrs. Fields' chocolate chip cookies, there was no way they were going to sit on Santa's lap.

Here are two pictures: Santa 2007 and Santa 2008.

Happy 2nd Birthday to Sophia, Hannah & Alexandra

2008-12-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that our girls are 2 years old. Last week, we celebrated their birthday with some friends at the Little Gym. This is the same gym they attended a Birdies class when 14 months old. It is amazing how much more confident they are on the gym equipment. They were still shy in the beginning, as they usually are when around alot of people. I noticed that they like to scan their surroundings and observe before they jump in and participate. We all had a great time, eating pizza & fruit and singing Happy Birthday and having cake.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

On their actual birthday, they had cake again....it was a cupcake, but still full of sugar, with frosting and a #2 candle. Here they are making a wish and enjoying their birthday cupcake.

Speed racing down our hallway

2008-11-20T23:10:00.000-08:00

This has become a popular post-dinner/milk and pre-bathtime activity. Who knew that our 15 foot long hallway would become a speed racing track for 3 toddlers. Since it helps them burn off energy before their bedtime routine, we really don't mind.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Music Together

2008-11-19T23:24:00.000-08:00

The girls have completed their music series. This is probably the last class I will be taking them to until after baby boy is born. There has been a huge difference in their comfort level and participation since week 1. The first few weeks, they observed alot and wanted to just sit in my lap. Half way through the series, I think they became more comfortable and started to interact with the the other kids in the class. They also participated more by swaying, dancing and tapping the various instruments and musical props. We all had loads of fun. Wish we could continue this class; we'll probably bring them to another music class next year.

Where's Obama?

2008-11-16T23:16:00.001-08:00

Our girls love to flip through magazines; I think sometimes more so than their board books. So we have a stack of Time, Parenting, photography magazines and various catalogs by their bookshelf. One day, Sophia was flipping through the latest Time magazine and grandma pointed out a picture of Obama. She told her he is our new president. (This was all in chinese.)

The next day, Sophia picks up a different issue of Time and flips to a page with Obama's picture. She pointed to the picture and said, "O-ba-ma". In chinese, I asked her, "Who is Obama?" and she replied, "he is our president". Hannah and Alexandra also recognize Obama's picture and are able to tell us who he is.

Let's just say, mommy and daddy were in awe.

Here are some pictures of the girls reading. They look so serious.

Playing dress up in their Christmas dresses

2008-11-11T23:07:00.000-08:00

The girls wore these red dresses for their 23 month old pictures. I had planned to have them wear these dresses for our holiday card, but couldn't get all three to pose. Can't expect three 23 month olds to pose together, but it's always worth a try. They just enjoyed wearing the dresses and running around. They are such active toddlers. Still can't believe that they are almost 2!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pumpkins and butterflies

2008-10-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Three little pumpkins, 2007 Halloween costumes

We took the girls to two pumpkin patch farms today in Half Moon Bay, dressed in their Halloween costumes. Didn't expect the weather to be so hot, but they still wanted to wear the top half of their costumes, until the sun really started to shine through the fog. This years pumpkin patch visit was completely different from last year. Last year, we had 3 little pumpkins, barely walking, who just sat in the middle of the patch (for the most part) and posed for pictures. This year, we had 3 little, very mobile, very energetic, butterflies fluttering around the entire farm, zigzagging around the pumpkin patches. Luckily, we went early enough in October, on a weekday, and early in the day before the crowds so that we were able to see where our butterflies were fluttering (or should I say, running) off to.

22 months old

2008-10-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our girls are 22 months old. That means, 2 more months until they turn 2! And 3 more months until their baby brother arrives. They are each showing very different personalities, wanting to be independent, and learning to talk so much, mostly in chinese. All of them are beginning to say complete sentences, telling mommy, daddy, or their sister what to do. Or they will just chat away, saying what they are doing. One day, as I sat down for dinner with them, Sophia said, "I am sitting next to mommy." Alexandra said, "I am sitting across from mommy." And Hannah said, "I am sitting in front of mommy." That was exactly how we were seated and all I could say was, "That's absolutely right x3".

Sophia can recite the alphabet from A to G. She would grab a book with the ABC's and start singing, "A-B-C-D-E-F-G-la-la-la..."

Hannah can sing and dance to the songs we have been learning in music class.

Alexandra can sing and dance to "Ring around the rosy". I think it's her favorite song right now.

Right now, they all love the song, "Head, shoulders, knees and toes".

They also love to dance in circles, wear play jewelry, mimic models they see in magazines, and strike a pose (then ask mommy to take pictures). They are definitely little girls now and not little babies anymore. (sniff sniff)

We've been taking them to a toddler music class the past few weeks. It's more of a music exploration class, but it's amazing how fast they learn to recognize the songs, especially when movement is incorporated with the singing. At home, they have a musical ladybug toy and when they hit the ladybug's back with the stick, they sing, "do-re-mi".

Family Vacation to San Diego

2008-09-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Japanese Tea Garden, Balboa Park

We recently embarked on our first family vacation to San Diego. It took us about 9 hours to drive there. Luckily, the idea of driving at night worked out for us. The girls slept the whole way down so we decided to also drive at night on our way home. The girls had a great time visiting the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Sea World and Balboa Park.

We brought 3 peapods down for them to sleep in but as you can see in one of the pictures, they opted to sleep on the big bed.

Hanging out at the Kiddie pool at the hotel

Enjoying the complimentary breakfast at the hotel

Camels and pandas at the San Diego Zoo

Having a snack and waiting for Sea World's Shamu show to start

People watching at the Shamu show

Visiting with the geese at the Wild Animal Park

Sleeping through the night...

Happy Birthday to Daddy

2008-09-14T12:15:00.001-07:00

The girls helped celebrate daddy's birthday by taking a choo choo wagon ride down to our local Starbucks. They even helped him eat his morning pastry, but not his macchiato.

Here is how they all sing Happy Birthday.

"Happeeee to you, baba. Happeeee to you, baba"

Daddy also enjoyed a surprise birthday dinner with his friends. Here we are at a local Italian restaurant celebrating, a day before embarking on our weeklong vacation to San Diego with the kiddos.

Can Sophia be slowed down?

2008-09-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

Sophia loves to run and climb around the house. The other day, she climbed onto one of our dining room chairs and fell. She didn't cry much but wanted to be carried. This was right before bath/bed time so I thought she was just tired. Then we noticed that when she tried to take a couple steps, she was limping. Poor girl! So, we think she sprained her left ankle. There was no bruise and she didn't complain of it hurting her. And she continued to run (with a slight limp), climb, jump, dance, and play on the slide. Her limp gradually went away after a few days. Now she's running, climbing, jumping and dancing more than ever! There are no signs of her slowing down anymore. Even with her ankle sprained and the slight limp, I don't think she slowed down much either.

Here are our girls at 21 months old.

Belmont Greek Festival

2008-08-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

Every Labor Day weekend, the Church of the Holy Cross hosts a 3-day Greek Festival. Since it's only a 5 minute walk from our house, we decided to take the girls to check out the festivities. The festival features homemade Greek food and desserts, live Greek music, dancers, cooking demos and boutiques. John and I went a few years ago and still talk about how yummy the food was. I don't have any pictures of them because we were too busy feeding them (and feeding ourselves). Anyways, our girls had their first taste of Greek food and they really liked it. Not too shocking since they are generally pretty good eaters.

Random pictures taken Labor Day weekend

Happy Birthday to Mommy

2008-08-19T00:03:00.001-07:00

Singing Happy Birthday to you

We celebrated mommy's birthday with a short trip to the SF zoo again and then came home for cake.

I think they have been to several birthday parties (for both kids and adults) that they are beginning to understand the whole birthday concept.

First, sing Happy Birthday
Second, blow out the candles
Third, enjoy cake!!! (and have seconds)

Daddy surprised mommy with a cool gift...a digital photo frame, which proudly displays pictures from the past 20+ months.

Hannah having seconds

Grandma and grandpa with mommy

San Francisco Zoo

2008-08-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

The girls are checking out the penguin pond.

Family picture by the Bear Gulch.

We have family passes to the San Francisco Zoo so we took the girls to see some animals today. It was a bit chilly, but they love going to the zoo so the cold weather didn't seem to bother them. I just bundled them up in lots of fleece. Unfortunately, mommy and daddy didn't have any extra clothes, as we were freezing in our shorts. Some of their favorite sightings were the giraffes, zebras, tigers, hippos, polar bears, penguins and flamingos.

Swimming

2008-08-13T21:45:00.001-07:00

It seems like I have been signing the girls up for so many classes. Since the classes are only once a week, it doesn't feel too overwhelming and I schedule them on days when I have at least another adult to help me. When they were 14 months old, we started to take them to a 20-week gym class at The Little Gym. It was quite amazing how comfortable they got climbing all the gym equipment, jumping on their own and running around the tumbling mats.

Here they are in their swimrobes getting ready for Water Babies.

In July, they started a Water Babies class. We have been getting them used to water (besides bathtime) at water parks and the wading pool at our local gym. They are so eager to go to swim class as we change them into their swim attire. Alexandra is our best "swimmer". She likes (or should I say, doesn't mind) being submerged in the water and she seems to have the most fun playing all the swim games...Humpty Dumpty, Motor Boat, Ring Around the Rosie...

20 month check up

2008-08-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Alexandra, Hannah & Sophia (l to r)

Our girls had their 20 month check up today. They are all growing and developing so well. Here are their most recent stats.

Sophia - 26 lbs. 4 oz., 34 1/2 inches

Hannah - 27 lbs. 7 oz., 33 3/4 inches

Alexandra - 26 lbs., 34 1/2 inches

We always thought Sophia was the shortest, but maybe she had a growth spurt in the last month. Either that or she stretched herself out on the examining table when the nurse was measuring her. Hannah had a runny nose so she wasn't feeling that great and was crying when I lay her down on the table. Anyways, they are all doing so well and we are so proud of them.

Sophia and Hannah sharing a laugh.

Gelato

2008-08-11T00:19:00.001-07:00

View from our Club Level seats

John got a pair of free tickets to a Giants game today so we took a little break (from the kids) for some fresh air and soaked up some sun. It was a beautiful day in the city. We had good seats and I indulged in a cheeseburger, fries and gelato.

John enjoying his gelato

I have always been a Peanuts fan.

We got home before the girls' dinner time. They were in good hands with

grandma and our nanny. Here, the girls are just chilling out after dinner, wearing the necklaces they made in art class.

Helping mommy with laundry

2008-08-07T22:17:00.001-07:00

I have 3 little helpers...

The girls like to help me push the laundry basket down the hallway to the staircase so that I can bring it downstairs where our washer and dryer are. Somehow, their short attention span and quick thinking made them decide to use the laundry basket as a toy. The picture is a bit blurry since they were in motion.

I am surprised that all three can still fit in this basket, even when it's full of laundry! After a while of fun play, I did decide to take it away as they were fighting for space and tipping the basket as if it were a row boat.

My First Art Class

2008-08-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

I signed the girls up for an art class at our local community center. It's more of an art exploration class (50 minutes of different art stations and 10 minutes of music). So far, they are enjoying it and I have been able to display their creations on our walls. This past week was an animal theme. They made caterpillars out of egg cartons, turtles with colored rice, snake balloons, and owls with colorful feathers. There is always a play doh station which has been Hannah's favorite.

Playground fun and a splinter

2008-08-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to a local playground today for lunch and to burn off some of that dynamite energy. They have gotten so much more active in climbing the play structures and fearless in going down a "big kid" slide. Check out Hannah taking that huge step on the spiral ladder as her sisters watch and follow her lead. I still watch them with an eagle eye, but they just seem more and more comfortable each time we go to a playground. Our tiny Little Tikes slide at home has been outgrown...already!

All three are pretty fearless, but Alexandra is our most fearless little girl in terms of pain tolerance. Ever since she was a couple weeks old, she has not been afraid of shots and needles. I mention this because she got a little splinter on her left index finger today, probably from playing with the tanbark. She didn't cry or complain about it but pointed it out to me when we got home. When I finally figured out what she was trying to tell me and saw a tiny, flush splinter in her finger, I tried to squeeze it out. That didn't work. So, after dinner when John came home from work, he used a needle and tweezers to pull it out. Their hands are so tiny, we had to use a magnifying glass to help see it. All three were fascinated with daddy's magnifying glass.

Cupcakes, Piano & Bubble Wrap

2008-08-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

I love the fact that our girls enjoy being together, whether it's snacking, playing, reading or just hanging out. I made cupcakes a few weeks ago and froze some as an emergency snack. It's a simple, low-sugar apple muffin recipe. I defrosted them the other day so here are the girls having their own cupcake, in their own bowl. If they saw me break a muffin in half and place them in separate bowls, there would be a meltdown. Hence, each has her own bowl, plus her own, whole cupcake.

I think this piano shot is pretty cute. They were so into making music together. I did get a few shots from the front view but when they saw me with the camera, they stopped playing nicely and decided to climb the piano.

There is something about bubble wrap that kids just love. It must be the unique sound it makes when 6 little feet stomp away to their own little "bubble wrap tune".

A year in photos

2008-08-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

Many of you have seen pictures from their first year of life. We tried to take posed photos of all three each month among the millions of other posed and candid photos we took on a daily basis. Here are just a few of our favorites.

December 11, 2006

2008-07-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

We were blessed with triplet girls on December 11, 2006. Here are their birth stats:

Sophia MeiYing Chan (Baby C in the u/s, but Baby A at delivery) - born 12:19 am at 4 lbs. 2.5 oz. 16 inches
Hannah Mei Chiao Chan (Baby B) - born 12:20 am at 4 lbs. 11.5 oz. 18.5 inches
Alexandra MeiHui Chan (Baby A in the u/s, but Baby C at delivery) - born 12:21 am at 4 lbs. 14 oz. 18 inches

Note: Alexandra broke my water on December 10, 2006 at 10:30 pm. I got to the hospital by 11:05 pm. 3 beautiful girls entered the world the next day!

The latest stats we have of the girls were taken at their 14 month appointment in February 2008.

Sophia - 20 lbs. 15 oz. 29.5 inches

Hannah - 22 lbs. 2 oz. 30.25 inches

Alexandra - 20 lbs. 2 oz. 31 inches

We are so proud of our girls. They have reached their milestones and continue to amaze us in so many ways every day.

Finally joined the blogging world

2008-07-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally joined the blogging world. We've been wanting to set up a blog of some sort to document the life and activities of our kids. Our kids are now almost 20 months old so it has taken a while...Let's just say, life raising triplets has kept us very busy, but we are loving every second of it. We hope that our family and friends will enjoy this blog once we post more stories and pictures of our clan. Here is an 18 month picture of the girls.