D took n to his second Blue and Gold Banquet.  This year there was supposed to be a dessert competition.  n and I had fun planning our cake for entry.  n made a sketch and we discussed what we would use for each component.  Unfortunately, the competition was cancelled at the last minute due to low participation.  Since we already bought all of the ingredients we decided to make it anyway.

n was presented with some of the achievements he has earned.

While k had an epic sleepover with some of her basketball team, D took n to LEGOLAND last month.  Meanwhile, I was sick in bed at home. 🙁  D and n were able to meet up with another family that has passes, so that was fun.

We’re looking forward to the opening of the waterpark soon!

Last year, n and D entered n’s Pinewood Derby race not really having any clue what to do.  His car ended up in the bottom half of almost all of his heats, but he did win the “most realistic car design” award.  This year, D watched some YouTube videos and enlisted the help of our brother-in-law.  n’s car ended up doing much better–4th place out of twelve cars, placing 2nd in most of the heats.  The races are always pretty close–just a few hundredths of a second makes a difference!  There’s always next year…

n’s car was #29.  We’ll call it a “utilitarian” design-haha.  For the record, the light green car with two black stripes down the middle won first place (for the second year in a row!)

The boys (and dads) really get into it.

Costco is having a pretty good deal for LEGOLAND annual passes.  Since the last time we went was about five years ago, and n did not even remember going, we decided to take the plunge.  We had a random Friday off for teacher planning day last month, so it was not crowded at all.

Our first ride was the Ninjago ride.  This Ninjago themed area of the park was not there the last time we went.  I am kind of curious as to how the Asian food is at the restaurant here.

This ride was pretty fun, but it makes your arms tired.  It is a Toy-Story type ride in that you are shooting at targets, but you just use your hand, not a gun.

We were able to go on rides that the kids were not tall enough for last time.

We had the apple fries again, but I felt a little cheated by the small portion.

I believe this is the Star Wars character n was for Halloween.

n appreciated the little details in the Star Wars land.

I really liked this RV camping scene in Miniland.

Lego Batman was there to promote his new movie.

I skipped this ride (like the Teacups) since I didn’t want to get sick.

We checked out the Xbox room.

LEGOLAND Taj Mahal

I was curious as to how the kids would do at the Driving School attraction.

Scary to think k could be behind the wheel of a real car in 5-6 years!

Loved this hot dog cart!

k and n ended up crashing into each other and needed assistance at the end…

…and they continued on their way.

January has gone by in a flash, but we did have some fun that I would like to remember.  One event was celebrating my youngest sister’s birthday at Tabi-Ji in Orange.  We sat at the teppanyaki table for lunch, which I do not remember ever doing before with my family.

Our chef was very friendly but not too in-your-face, which I appreciated.

Making the fried rice with the egg flip.

The ever-popular onion volcano.

Our nephew j was scared by the flame!  The chef asked n if he wanted to try to catch a piece of chicken in his mouth, but he refused.  D tried and came close!

Our next stop was the University of Arizona campus in Tucson.  I always enjoy checking out college campuses.  School was not in session, but there were still others milling about like us.

We lucked out with a prime parking spot just outside the campus.  The surrounding neighborhood had some trendy restaurants and shops and looked like a fun place to hang out.

Nice landscaping and buildings.

I liked how this sculpture has saguaros intermixed with scientists.  I’m not sure what was so funny!

Wildcats!

Next we checked into Towneplace Suites courtesy of D’s Marriot points.  The kids slept on the pull out sofa bed.

A kitchen is always nice to have.  The first night we ate the free chicken breast sandwiches offered by the hotel.

Then we had a second dinner at El Guero Canelo.

I was excited to try the regional specialty: Sonoran Hot Dogs.  The menu describes them as: “Bacon wrapped Frank, Beans, grilled onion, fresh onion, tomato, mayo, mustard, & jalapeño sauce”.

The condiment bar was quite diverse, with various peppers, onions and salsas.

The hot dog was all I hoped it would be.  The pocket bun was nice and soft, but did its job in holding all of the ingredients.  The beans were an interesting addition and the overall combination of flavors was quite delicious.  I can see why this place is a local institution.

A couple days after Christmas we went to Victoria Beach in Laguna for a quick picnic.  The tips on Yelp for finding this hidden spot were helpful.  Park on the beach side of PCH for free!  Do not even attempt to park in the residential neighborhood, or you are basically asking for a ticket.

Walk down Victoria Street…

and admire the multi-million dollar homes…

…until you dead end into Sunset.

There you will see a set of stairs which lead you to the beach.

Take the stairs down…

to Victoria Beach:

Climb over the rocks to the right and you will find a children’s pool…

…and then the “castle”!

Our Christmas break has sadly come to an end.  I love the Christmas season because there is so much family time together.  However, we inevitably end up driving each other crazy…and then it is a relief to get back to a routine and productivity.

Christmas Eve peppermint brownie sundaes.

Part of k’s expanding Hello Kitty ornament collection.

Exhibit A of “driving each other crazy”.

The kids set their alarm at 5 a.m. on Christmas morning unbeknownst to us.  We put on the KTLA virtual fireplace.  It was pretty entertaining watching the fire grow and being stoked.

I bought the kids matching PJs since there are probably not too many more years where they would comply.

No Christmas is complete without my mom’s Yule Log cake.

D grew up skiing with his family.  It has been D’s dream to take the kids skiing since they could walk.  Finally, last week, this dream became a reality.  Before Christmas, we went on a day ski trip with a girl who is on k’s b-ball team and in her girl scout troop and her mom.  We went in their car to Mountain High, which is conveniently located just off the highway.  The snow was not that great but they were expecting a storm that night and flurries started just as we were leaving.  The good part is that I think a lot of people were waiting for the snow and the mountain was not too crowded on the day we were there.

We were able to borrow all of our gear, but I did buy the kids base layers from Costco.  Now that we know that the kids enjoy it, we may invest in some pieces.

The helmet rentals were $5 extra, but I would say they are a “must-have”, even on the bunny slopes.

Taking the magic carpet ride to the top of the bunny slope.

Both of the kids practiced on the bunny slope before their lessons.  I could not believe how fast they picked it up!  I have been skiing a few times and snowboarding once, and I think they are already better than me.  Learning when you are young is definitely the way to go.

Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some tumbles in the beginning.  At one point, n fell and then D had to jump over him with his skis to avoid him (this was when I was grateful for the helmet!)

We explained how k had just turned ten a couple of days before, so we were able to but k and n in the same beginner’s class for 7-9 year olds.  There were three 9 year olds, and n, but he was able to keep up.  After the class, we ate lunch at lodge cafeteria (where I hung out most of the time).

Then everyone went on the green runs “Snowflake” and “Coyote”, and tackled the ski lifts.  D reported that k and n never fell down.  This is amazing to me, who has experienced many a fall on greens!

These were taken by my friend when they were on the bunny slopes before the lesson.  I like the “GoPro” angle!

D learned to ski when he was ten years old, so he is glad that k was able to go this year.  n has a head start, since he is younger, but he was still frustrated when k went on one extra run at the end that was a little harder with her friend and her mom.  I guess I will never fully understand the youngest child mentality, but D can relate.