Merry Christmas 2011

It's so hard to believe that another Christmas has gone past. That means another fun filled year has come to another end, and a new year is coming right around the corner for us to fill with memories.

This Christmas was a very busy one. From one party to another, the kids were full of joy and laughter, and not to mention..full of gifts!!

We started with attending our company kids' christmas parties in the beginning of the month. We attended my work's annual kids Xmas party where the kids get to play and do crafts and meet Santa as well as getting their presents. They were both very excited the night before and couldn't stop talking about going until they went to sleep that night. When we finally got there, mama and dada were equipped as usual, with their walkie talkies and their cameras. Yes, the plan was to always have dada go with Chocho to do the big boy stuff, and mama go with Jasmine to do the girly stuff. So that's why the walkie talkies come in handy. Chocho always enjoy the jumping castle and all the boy stuff like basketball. Whereas Jasmine would rather go do crafts and visit the petting zoo. In the end, they both were doing craft together.

We then went to meet up with Santa, and of course the first thing Jasmine did was show off her outfit, and also her crafty work. Santa was very pleased to see the art project Jasmine created. It gives him something to talk about other than the usual Merry Christmas-have you been good this year-stuff.


After visiting Santa, the kids went off to pick up their presents. Santa is so generous at giving them presents, especially after mama and dada pay him. :) Nicholas got a cool remote control toy whereas Jasmine was so happy when she found out she got another baby! This one comes with its own baby car seat which doubles as baby carrier. Jasmine loves baby so much that she is now a proud mommy of 6 babies. Yikes!!



The kids also attended dada's company kids' X'mas party! This one was just as fun as the other one they attended. At this party they got to watch a magic show, and Nicholas just loves magic shows. He was amazed at all the tricks the magician can do! Jasmine went off to do more crafty stuff, Jasmine even made a huge snowflake! Unfortunately at this party we didn't get to take a family picture with Santa, but we were lucky enough to run into Santa outside just before he flies home so we were able to get a quick picture with him. Nicholas didn't get to meet with Santa because he had to go to his abacus class, which conveniently was located right next to the party place! :D At this party Jasmine also got to meet with one of the Smurf!! Although, this guy was a little bit too thin and way too tall to be a smurf. Jasmine still enjoyed meeting him, though.


At home the kids always help out preparing the christmas tree. They're always so excited to decorate it that they actually work together as a team to complete the job! Nicholas was helping Jasmine put up the ornaments, and if she can't reach, he would help to lift her up so she would be able to hang it up at the spot she chooses.





On Christmas Eve, the kids always set up cookies and milk for Santa to snack on when he comes to our house to drop off the presents. This year we got butter cookies for Santa, but Nicholas decided that he only gets one cookie because he's probably full of eating cookies at the other houses, and plus this one is butter cookies!!

In the morning, they were delighted that the cookie was eaten and the milk cup was empty! Santa definitely arrived at night while we were all asleep!

Nicholas woke up pretty early all by himself on Christmas morning, since he was way too excited about opening gifts. Jasmine, on the other hand, needed a little push to wake up. But once we reminded her that it was time to open presents, Jasmine was wide awake and went straight down in her PJ's! When she was by the tree, she started feeling all the gifts. There was one that was soft and she yelled out "Mama this one is clothes!" I couldn't help but laugh. How would this 3yr old being know that it was clothes inside??!! Who taught her these things? But she was right. Dada was handing out the gifts and Jasmine & Nicholas were ripping them open like there's no tomorrow. Nicholas also kept saying "Yiay I'm not on the naughty list!" as he was opening his gifts. There was one gift that Nicholas received that was funny. He ripped out the wrapping only to find a box of SHREDDED WHEAT cereal!!! :D He was shocked that he yelled out in fear that it was truly a box of unsweetened-fibre packed-shredded wheat cereal!!! Couldn't Santa have given the sweetened one at least!?

But to his relief, the cereal box was filled with clothes. (Jasmine didn't guess that one!!) His reaction was pretty funny, though. And after seeing that, I got the most brilliant-est idea to do a similar joke on my brother that night! :) I just love playing jokes on him! I decided to wrap his giftcard inside a green-tea box. So needless to say, when he opened it he was shocked and confused. :D I was hoping to find something better to wrap his giftcard in, like a diarrhea pills box or something. Too bad we didn't have those. :D

The holiday season just wouldn't be the same if it wasn't shared with family. We had our usual dinner dates with both sides of the family. The kids were stuffed some more with more gifts from their aunts and uncles and grandparents while mama and dada were stuffed with more food.



Jasmine: "Look mama, I'm a donut!"

It was a very Merry Christmas indeed in our household, and hopefully it was in yours too. Merry Christmas!!

Magical day

When little Jasmine woke up this morning, she had no idea how the day would turn out to be. It was another ordinary Saturday where she, mama, and Dada would spend their morning at the grocery store while big brother Chocholas is trying to get smart in his abacus class. After they pick him up, they normally would go buy their combo lunch at the Taiwanese pick up resto in the building (a Saturday lunch favourite!!) and eat it at home. But since they finished grocery a little bit earlier than usual, they decided to break out of their Saturday routine and hang out at the T&T store nearby his class to kill some time. As soon as they pulled into the T&T parking lot, Jasmine shouted from the back seat "I want to eat dumplings! I want to drink bubble tea!". That's what she likes to do when they get a chance to go to T&T. The bubble tea is especially good, very yummy and cheap, too! They then decided to go to First Markham Place so big brother Chocholas would be able to eat his lunch, while mama wanted to look around for some gifts.

The parking lot was full, as usual, but today felt like it was especially fuller than normal. Since the lot was rather full, Dada had to park a bit far from the entrance.

The first funny thing that they noticed was the car that was parked nearby.


Look closely at the hood of the car. Chocholas had to announce it so loudly that it was "Princess" car. Mama couldn't help but to reach out for her phone right away to take a picture of little Jasmine next to the princess car. :)

When they walked in towards the foodcourt, a princess dressed in a blue gown suddenly wisked by. It was Cinderella. Mama was trying to tell Jasmine to look, but she totally missed her since her little eyes were caught by a picture of the Disney princesses in one of the stores they passed by. Chocho came and asked his sister if she saw the princess walked by, and she quickly pointed at the princess picture in the store. Turns out that they were also promoting Disney on Ice, so that's why Cinderella was there. They were selling tickets, and Cinderella was there to meet and greet the little princess wannabees. Yes, that includes little Jasmine. :D Santa was there, too, to have photo sessions with the kids. But alas, an old hairy man (no matter how jolly) cannot compete with a gorgeous young princess who just doesn't seem to age at all after all these years!! Yep, Santa's business was definitely dry today. So Mama asked the kids to take their pictures taken with Santa, but they both didn't seem to be too crazy over the idea. Nicholas would rather eat, and little Jasmine wasn't too sure of meeting anyone with that much facial hair. She was never really a fan of Santa. Until today.

Mama kept persuading them to have their picture taken, especially since Dada pointed out that it was only $5 for an instant print out! Finally the kids caved in, and agreed to have their picture taken with Santa. (turns out to be $5 for a single 4x6, $10 for a single 8x10 which Mama thought was a complete rip off but the kids were already spotted by Santa!!) At first Mama told Nicholas to hold Jasmine's hand since she thought little Jasmine would be afraid. But it turns out that when they went to see him, she was not afraid at all....and infact, she did the usual thing she always does when she meets people: she shows off her outfit!! Not sure why she always does it, but she likes to do that! :D Mama was watching them from outside the stage area, with their backs toward her, Mama knew exactly what little Jasmine was doing when she heard Santa said "ooh... verrry niceee!!!" as he looks down at her. :)



After chatting for a while, they finally decided to sit on his lap to take a very merry christmas picture together.



And Jasmine just couldn't leave without hooking up with Princess Cinderella first! They are both Princesses after all!




To top it off, a clown came by and was giving out balloons to all the kids (for free!). What a great treat! Not to mention the single star Nicholas spotted tonight when they were outside. The kids quickly made their wishes (and so did Mama), and now they're fast asleep. Mama wonders what wish little Jasmine and big brother Chocholas made! :) What a magical day indeed in the land of Richmond Hill for Princess Jasmine and her big brother Chocholas. :)