2011 Reflections

This has been by far one of the most eventful years for our family. We sold our duplex in Marpole and moved to Steveston. We got pregnant and had our baby girl in November. New jobs. New friends. New neighbors. It has really been a fantastic and stressful year to say the least!

We look forward to settling down and getting used to being a family of five. We are thankful to be surrounded by loving family and friends as we have received so much encouragement and support during this transitional period. We are most proud of our boys because they have welcomed Emmy into our family with open arms, showering her with kisses all the time and fighting over who gets to hold her first.

Wishing you a wonderful 2012!!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Happy 1 month Emmy!!

Wow, it's hard to believe that one month has already passed since the birth of our baby girl! Emilia is a joy to have and the boys have adjusted so well with their new sister. We are so proud of both A and N!! They love her so much already. Just the other day, Aidan tells her out of the blue: "I'm going to love you forever". That totally melted my heart.

Surprisingly, the transition from having 2 to 3 kids has been more seamless than from 1 to 2 kids. It might be because Emilia has been an easy baby or maybe I am just more of a relaxed mother. I must also add that I have a lot of help from Vince, my mom and my sister. Reality will set in at the end of the month where I will finally be on my own.


Many, many thanks to Auntie Melissa (owner of Green Pomme Photography) for taking our family pictures for us! You are awesome. xoxo, Chan familia

p.s. The first picture shown is known as the "Lea" pose

Our Baby Girl

It all started in the evening of Tuesday Nov. 8th when Isabel's contractions were about ten minutes apart while having dinner at home. We were so thankful that baby decided to wait until Auntie Lulu came home from China as an extra pair of hands to take care of the boys while we went to the hospital was crucial. Mom was already here from TO and we were already enjoying home cooked meals and her wonderful care!

We left to the hospital at 10:00pm and baby came at 2:27am. Isabel would concur that this is by far the most laborious labor even though she felt as though she's had prior experience. With no meds, and a painful (very, very PAINFUL) back labour, Emilia was born after four pushes. What made Isabel endure this kind of pain is knowing that this will be the last time!! And of course, having Vince's enduring support through it all, also made it more bearable.

We would love to introduce you to our newest addition to the Chan Familia:

Emilia Grace Chan
November 9, 2011
6 lbs. 12 ounces

Bring it on!

Just the other night, I was having some intense false labor contractions and I felt so unprepared for baby #3. His/her nursery was still under renos and the crib wasn't even put together. Thankfully, Vince had two days off from work and managed to finish the room!! Yay for Handy Hubby!!! It's been amazing watching how he has renovated three bedrooms in our new house in the last two months. I always think that he takes on more than what he can handle but alas, he has proven me wrong again by completing the nursery before the arrival of baby #3. As I was going through the contractions, I also kept thinking about the boys and who will take care of them?

At that point in time, all of our family were still away on vacation so we would have had rely on our friends. I was honestly freaking out!! This all happened in the middle of the night and after two hours of panicking, I finally got up and started to clean/nest/finish packing my hospital bag/find my care card and etc. After all that work, I said, "Okay baby, you can to come out early then BRING IT ON" :) Surprisingly the contractions slowed down and I felt much better, so much better that I even managed to get some sleep before the boys woke up!

I am officially on mat leave as of yesterday. It feels good that all the marking is done and all I have to worry about now is the arrival of baby. When is he/she coming? I guess I just have to wait....

Homemade playdough

I have always wanted to make playdough from scratch and after trying a couple online recipes, I really like this one because of its soft and doughy texture:

Play Dough Recipe:

1 cup white flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoon cream of tartar (find it in the spice section)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
food coloring

Mix first 4 ingredients in a pan. Add water and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 – 5 minutes. Dough will become difficult to stir and form a “clump”. Remove from stove and knead for 5 minutes–add food coloring during kneading process. Play dough will keep for a long time stored in a covered plastic container or plastic sandwich bag.

taken from: www.mommyfootprint.com

Happy, happy 2nd birthday, Noah!

Noah, for the last two years that you have entered our lives, we have been blessed and enriched in many, many ways. You are such a happy and easy-going boy! Thank you for being so loving, patient and gentle! We just want to squeeze your cuteness all the time. We love you very much, Nono!

Why A loves his daddy

During the month of June, the kids at A's daycare were asked: "Why do you love your daddy?" A replied and said "He takes me to the park"

Why A loves his mommy

When I dropped A off at daycare today, I noticed that there was a list of what the kids had said about why they love their mommies and A said:

"She gives me a treat after dinner"

Izzy & Vince + 3

We have very exciting news to share!! Guess who is also going to be a Big Brother, too? Our Noey is joining the big ranks with A and they will both share the big roles of big brotherhood.

Baby Chan #3 will join us around November, the expected due date is Nov. 12. We will experiencing two major changes in the months ahead: moving to Steveston at the end of May, and then baby joining our family later on in the year. We can't wait to have another baby to cuddle, love and play with!

Grace Flows Down

As we have started packing our stuff and getting ready for our move in May to Steveston, I came across one of my favourite CDs. I was listening to the Passion CD and was reminded of God's unending love and grace for me.

Grace Flows Down

Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound
Amazing Love
Now flowing down
From hands and feet
That were nailed to the tree
As Grace flows down and covers me

Chorus
It covers me
It covers me
It covers me
And covers me

A's poo-poo theory

According to Aidan:

-poo takes a long time and can happen while farting

-if you eat strawberries, your poo will be brown and if you eat blueberries, your poo will be green

-you should poo daily or it's bad...

A New Year, A New Interest

A has a new obsession: DINOSAURS. I am slowly learning how to say names like Gallimimus, Pterodactylus, Archeopteryx, etc. I am really liking this new interest b/c I find it a lot more educational than "Cars" and "Thomas the Train". We've been borrowing a ton of books from the library and learning about these amazing prehistoric creatures. This was all prompted when we were in Toronto and A was playing with Uncle Nick's old dinosaurs. My mom kept all of our old toys!!

I've been meaning to blog about our favourite Aidan sayings (almost 4):

-Let me read you a book, Daddy. "Bad Poo" by Aidan Chan

-I asked him "Do you love, Daddy" A replies "No, I love myself"

-The taste is similar to blue

-Aidan woke up one morning and described his dream to us "I dreamed of penguins flying"

-A affectionately refers Daddy as "didi" and Mommy as "nini"

-When talking to his friends ie. Joshie and Ethan, he says "Come with me, man"

-The other day, he managed to use the word "eventually" when he was talking to Daddy :)