Nathan's 5th Birthday

March 27, 2011

Here's a quick recap of Nathan's 5th birthday weekend:

Yesterday, we had breakfast crepes, sweet and savoury.


Nathan opened his gift from Semele, who had spent hours trying to decide what to get him, and had two Skype dates with Andrew's side of the family. Then, our friends invited us over to their beautiful home for dinner and Nathan played Wii all night.


This morning, we Skyped with my side of the family before church and Nathan got to have cake "with" them for breakfast.

After church, we headed to Sunnybank for a dim sum lunch. When we got home, Nathan and Andrew got to work putting together his brand new bike from Andrew's parents. He took it for a spin after all that hard work.


When he was done riding, he came back in for some Lego Batman, then a quick birthday treasure hunt to find the present from Andrew and I. I based most of the clues on Nathan's current favourite books and he figured them all out so quickly without having to look at the books. Even the Cat in the Hat clue that I accidentally mixed up.






We convinced Nathan to have a quick dinner before playing with his new Ninjagos.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

March 11, 2011

We got our internet back just in time to Skype with my family for my dad's birthday!

Happy birthday, daddy!

Hope you enjoyed your cake... we enjoyed watching you eat it!

Caleb's Dedication

February 20, 2011

Just before we left Toronto, we asked our pastor if we could sneak in a quick baby dedication for Caleb. We wanted to have it done at a church where we felt was "home" to us but with there being so little time between the busy Christmas season and our departure, we weren't sure if it could happen.

But it did. Because our pastor is awesome like that.


He prayed for our little boy, that he would grow up to know the love of Jesus.

He prayed for Andrew and I, that we would raise our boys according to God's will.

And he prayed for our little family, that we would have a safe trip to Australia and settle in quickly.

Twenty Five

February 12, 2011

My first Aussie birthday went a little something like this:


After skyping with Andrew's family, we ate some yummy crepes Andrew made for us. I had bought a tub of custard and was dying to use it.
Crepes + custard + fresh fruit = best birthday breakfast.


Then, we made a quick detour to the mall to pick up some diapers for Caleb. While we waited, Nathan made me an airplane out of tissue. It was so cute! He was worried Andrew would throw it in the garbage...


We met up with my friend Semele for some "yum cha" as per Andrew's request. It sucked compared to what we're used to. But everything can't be perfect.


Then we spent some time at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We went right near the end of the day so there weren't a lot of people around and it wasn't so hot outside.


We saw some cuddly koalas hanging out in the trees. I asked Andrew if I could maybe take a baby koala home. He didn't reply with quite as much excitement as I had hoped.


We fed some kangaroos. Some other kangaroos were too full from being fed by overeager visitors all day. One of the downfalls of visiting at the end of the day.


Nathan loved it!


Hello, Kangaroo!


And we saw a couple other animals enjoying the perfect afternoon warmth in the shade.

Afterwards, we headed home for a little break before heading out again to Sizzler's for dinner. We were going to go for ice cream after dinner but we were way too stuffed for any more food.

My first summer birthday. It was perfect.

CNY 2011

February 3, 2011

Happy Chinese New Year!

I can't believe it's Chinese New Year already!

And I can't believe today is also the one-month anniversary of our last day in Canada!

It was one month ago we arrived at Pearson Airport with our 11 pieces of luggage, 4 carry-ons and 1 stroller to board a plane heading to the other side of the world.


It was one month ago, an entourage of people gathered at Pearson to bid us a fond farewell.


The same group of people we would've been enjoying a huge Chinese New Year feast with.

I miss my peeps. Come visit us soon (please)!

Caleb Is One-Month Old!

January 8, 2011

Our little Caleb is one-month old today! It's so hard to believe that he's already been with us for a month! And in that little time, he's done so much already. He's been such a trooper with all the traveling and adjusting to different temperatures. What a brave little guy.


Happy one-month! Mommy loves you!

Christmas 2010

December 27, 2010

Tidbits of our Christmas:

1.
Before tucking him into bed last night, I told Nathan, "Tomorrow is Jesus' birthday!"
Nathan then asked me, "How old is he turning?"

2.
Andrew and I stayed up to wrap Nathan's gifts. Andrew did most of the wrapping. Actually, scratch that, Andrew did all of the wrapping. I just made the tags.

We had to wrap Nathan's gifts last because we had a close call when we first bought the gifts. Nathan heard little rattling noises coming from the trunk and said "Did you get me more Mighty Beanz?" to which we replied, "Why would you think that?". His response: "I just thought you might have bought be more Mighty Beanz!"

He was right. But we didn't let him know.

3.
We decided that this year, for the sake of our sanity, we would not put up a Christmas tree. It was a tough decision, but it was for the best. Fortunately, a lady from church gave Nathan a fully decorated mini tree!

4.
We used this mini tree and put our gifts to Nathan under it for him to discover in the morning. He had already opened all the other gifts he received - the gift-givers wanted to see him open them. (Thanks, gift-givers!)


5.
We went over to my parents' place for Christmas dinner. They stuffed us full of delicious food. Afterwards, we each received our gifts and made guesses as to who our Secret Santas were. Then, my uncle showered us with good wishes for our time in Australia, and unexpectedly presented Andrew and I with a gift from our entire family to help us as we begin a new chapter of our lives down under.

We're so grateful to have such a supportive and loving family!

A Little Bag of Cookies

December 24, 2010


I've always loved those Danish butter cookies. You know the ones. They come in a dark blue, round tin. Those cookies remind me of get-togethers at our house when I was a kid. My parents would never buy them so around our house, those cookies were a treat and would only be present if there were guests present. Most of the time, those butter cookies would show up around Christmas time.

Now, I love these cookies more than ever. This year, I kind of used being pregnant as an excuse to buy the largest tin available. I later introduced the cookies to Nathan and he liked them as well. But only the smooth round ones. He has no interest in the ones sprinkled with sugar, but that's okay with me. Those are my favourites.

Anyway, as we were getting ready for Blue Mountain, I asked Nathan if he wanted to bring any snacks. He was pretty sick at the time but had just enough energy to let me know he wanted to bring the smooth round cookies. So I packed some up for him in a little Ziploc bag expecting him to maybe regain his appetite and gobble them up. But each time I asked if he wanted a cookie (I really just wanted him to eat something, anything!) he would insist that they were for everyone and he wanted to share.

Throughout the couple of days we were up at Blue, I'd occasionally find him clutching the bag, not eating any of the cookies but ready to share. I've said this many times before but I'm so proud of Nathan and his willingness to share. It makes me even more proud that Nathan chose to share his favourite cookies, despite all the other less-preferred cookies that were available.

It kind of makes me think about how willing we are to share and give, especially around this time of the year. And how willing are we to share the best of what we have? I'm so thankful for Nathan and his little baggie of cookies that reminds me that we need to share with everyone the best gift of all, and to reflect on the birth of Christ.

Merry Christmas, everyone. May the love of Christ fill your hearts and your homes.

Early Christmas

December 23, 2010

Last night, we had some of our university friends over for an early Christmas get-together. We ordered 2 platters of sushi and filled our bellies.

Andrew and I decided to let Nathan open all his gifts, seeing as how we don't have a Christmas tree this year for the gifts to be put under. In fact, the only Christmas decoration we have this year consists of 3 balls I made, sitting around a cinnamon-scented candle (more on that later).

Nathan had a blast opening his gifts. His gifts all had one common theme: cars.


My boy sure loves cars!


And we love having our friends over.

Andrew's 23rd

December 1, 2010


Andrew chose a race car - he knew Nathan would love it and he said he'll have a happy birthday if we (Nathan and I) are happy.

To celebrate Andrew turning 23 today, I got out of bed extra early to drive Nathan to school with him. Yes, these days, that's a treat. Pregnancy has drained me of all my energy and it's a miracle if I get out of bed before 11. An even bigger miracle if I get to say goodbye to Nathan before he goes to school (and I love it when I get to). And the biggest miracle of all if I get dressed and ready to go in time to drop Nathan off.

Then, I had a chiro appointment, which really wasn't that big of a treat for Andrew, except that it let me sit through the movie he chose for us to watch. That's right, for the first time in who knows how long, Andrew and I sat in a movie theatre and watched a movie. And the great thing was it was free - we had vouchers that needed to be used up, with free drinks and popcorn. And we had the theatre all to ourselves... well, until about 5 minutes before the movie started when 4 women walked in, but other than that, completely empty. AND Andrew liked the movie. RED. You should go see it.

After that, we picked up Nathan from school... together - another rarity.

But after that, I was pooped. I ate a bit and went to bed. Andrew thought I was going to sleep through his entire birthday, but luckily, after a 2.5 hour nap, I was up and at 'em again. I made Andrew go out to buy his own birthday cake (I know, it was a sad, sad situation and I am a horrible wife) but Nathan really wanted to make something for Andrew so we compromised and instead of baking an apple pie to put Smarties on like he originally wanted, he said it was okay for daddy to buy an ice cream cake. Nathan got to put Smarties on that instead.


And now, we're getting ready to watch another movie.

Last Day

October 15, 2010

I can't believe this day has finally come.

When we first decided when my last day was going to be, it seemed like an eternity away. Then, it slowly crept up on me and it's finally here.

Elements that make the last day perfect:
- Crisp autumn air and the bright sun shining on me
- Well-wishes from some really awesome work friends
- A card filled with encouraging words
- A husband who shows up unexpectedly with...
- A caramel frap
- An evening with my favourite 4-year-old!

Surprise Muffins

September 20, 2010

There's been a lot of baking going on in the Tsoi household lately. Mostly because we've had a lot of fruit sitting around that was getting too ripe too fast. But also because we enjoy freshly baked goodies.

On Friday night, I coerced Andrew into staying up until 2am with me (unheard of since we decided we needed to start acting like adults and get more sleep) to bake a double batch of apple cheddar muffins. We specifically had to make apple cheddar muffins because we have a certain friend who has been longing for those delicious treats since the last time I bake a mountain of muffins and we just happened to be celebrating her birthday this weekend.

We also had to make it on Friday night because we knew we'd be super busy all of Saturday with various appointments and a wedding to attend. Luckily, Andrew was a super help and we got them all baked and ready to go.


I'm glad I got this opportunity to cross off #54 on my list (Bake something to give away) and add one to the count for #26 (Achieve 10 goals with different friends) because the times we get to meet up with old friends are so few and far between, and I know she was really craving those muffins.


(Wow. Is it just me, or do I look like I'm sitting on top of everyone?)

Valentines 2010

February 14, 2010


Thought I'd just share the Valentines we made for Nathan's friends this year. (And when I say "we", I actually mean "we" because Nathan put a whole lot of effort writing his name on each and every single one of those cards. I'm so proud of his hard work!)


Now, it's off to church for us, followed by a yummy spaghetti lunch at church *cue scene from Lady and the Tramp*.

Hope you have a lovely day!

Olympic Fever

February 13, 2010

When Nathan came home and spontaneously told me all the names of the Vancouver 2010 mascots, I was shocked. How did he know? But then I remember what a sponge he is and that school has probably been talking about it, at least a little.

Anyway, last night, he sat patiently through the entire opening ceremony, waiting to see the mascots, but they never came on! It was a little heartbreaking.

And though I wasn't as impressed or thoroughly moved by the ceremony as I had anticipated, it did remind me of all the things I love about the Olympics. So, to celebrate my Canadian pride and love for the Olympics, I informed Andrew it was time to go shopping. No more of his indifference for the Olympics. I was determined to convert him.

Remember when he laughed at me when I told him I wanted a Quatchi?

Well that came back and kicked him in the butt because look what we came home with today:


Crazy? Maybe a little. But Nathan loves them, and so do I.

GO CANADA GO!

Beginning of Birth-Week 2010

February 8, 2010

How to start a birth-week the right way:

1. Spend a weekend up at Horseshoe Valley with 12 of your craziest relatives.
Snowboard. Drink. Play Twister aggressively. Eat. Choose teams. Play Cranium WOW.

2. Watch the Super Bowl with your two favourite guys, eating pizza and wings.

3. Rest, while you wait for the effects of the weekend to wear off.

4. Get a call about the interview you went for last week. Get offered a job!

5. Witness your son zip his jacket up by himself. (Finally!)

Merry Christmas 2009

December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas everybody! May your Christmas day be filled with love and joy.



Love,

The Tsois

Do You See What I See?

December 24, 2009

It's Christmas Eve!

I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow! For the past couple days, we've had freezing cold temperatures but no snow. I didn't realize I'd be so affected by the lack of snow. But I think if I ever move to a place where it doesn't snow for Christmas, I'd definitely have to come back for a week. It wouldn't be right otherwise.

Anyway, I was sitting at my table, getting the last bit of Christmas wrapping done, and writing out some recipes, when I looked out the window and saw this:


Do you see what I saw? Here, take a closer look!


Snow!!!

It's finally snowing here. I'm really hoping, wishing and praying that we'll have a completely white Christmas!


Yay! Christmas is finally (almost) here!

Bacon and Cookies

December 20, 2009

It's been a while since I've had to cook or bake something for a potluck. I can't even remember the last time. But the young adults group at our church had a Christmas potluck last night so it was time for me to whip something up.

When we were deciding who was making what, we were originally thinking of buying dessert. But I thought, why buy dessert when I can make something? Surely I can make something to satisfy everyone's sweet tooths? teeth? Sweet teeth.

The longer I thought, the more indecisive I became. What if the one thing I made couldn't satisfy everyone? So I had a plan. I'd make a variety of desserts! So yesterday morning, I started baking. And by the afternoon, I had lemon bars, a pumpkin cheesecake and some Christmas-y cookies to share with everyone!


It's been so long I almost forgot how much I love baking (and how much I hate doing the dishes after... especially when our kitchen sink is out of commission. Again.)

I was also put in charge of potatoes. Apparently the idea was to have meat, vegetables and potatoes. Now, growing up, we never did that sort of meal at home. It was a more traditional Chinese meal with rice and the "soong". (I don't even know how to translate that into English. It's basically the meat and vegetables that accompany the rice.)


Anyway, so I don't really have a lot of experience cooking potatoes. Nor have I even been really motivated to experiment with them. Most of the time when we buy a 10lb. bag, about 8lbs. of it goes into the garbage. (Really bad, I know).

Luckily, I learned how to make mashed potatoes last week while helping out the hospitality team prepare for our church Christmas lunch. So that's what I made. Except, I wasn't sure if it was "good" enough. So I needed to kick things up a notch, jazz up the boring potatoes if you will. Our potatoes came with bacon bits, cheese and sour cream for the potluckers to add on.


At the end of the night, all the guys were so stuffed they could barely move, and the ladies, well we were just too polite to advertise it ;)

The holiday feasting has officially begun!

Happy 22nd, Andrew!

December 1, 2009

Today, Andrew turns 22!

In honour of this momentous occasion, Nathan and I made not one, but TWO cakes for my dear husband to celebrate his 22nd birthday!



Two's a really special number 'round here.

When Andrew and I were dating, we celebrated our anniversary on the 2nd of each month.

Then, we got married on August the 2nd, 2008!

And when we got married, Nathan was 2 years old.

Two is when we became us. It's a really. Big. Deal.

So happy birthday to you, dear Andrew. You're the most awesome 22-year-old husband and father I know.

Love, your wife.

P.S. Please share some of your cake(s) with me :)

No Tricks, Just Treats

October 29, 2009

I've been spending heaps of time planning and preparing for Halloween.

Which is weird, because I'm not really into Halloween - never have been. But this is Nathan's first Halloween at school so I figure I'd put a little bit of effort into it.

Plus, our young adults group thought it'd be fun to put on a little Halloween party for our kids at church, too.

Here's what Nathan will be handing out to his classmates this year: