Christmas

We had such a great time over the holidays. This is the first time, in a long time that we didn't travel for Christmas and was able to wake up in our own home on Christmas morning. It was wonderful! Even more wonderful is that Ryan's brother and best friend came to visit us over Christmas. We all had such a fun time together.

The weather over Christmas was unseasonable warm. Carson woke up on Christmas morning and came running into our room saying, "It's Christmas!! It's Christmas!!! Let's go look at all the snow outside!" He thought since it was Christmas that there must be snow on the ground. But not this year. Not even a flake of snow...at least until later in the week.

Here are some pictures that highlight Christmas 2011. Aunt Melissa and Uncle Alan bought the kids matching PJ's.




The kids {and Aunt Melissa} decorated cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve to set out with a glass of milk.



Some pictures of the adults opening the presents on Christmas Eve after all the kids were in bed...




Opening presents on Christmas morning...












What a blessed Christmas we had!

Thanksgiving

We got to spend Thanksgiving with the Hiatts again this year. Susan and Keith hosted, and as always, the kids had a lot of fun playing together.

Look at all that food!


The turkey veggie tray...


Mike and Mom filling up their plates...


I think I need TWO plates!


The kids' table...


Ryan even managed to take a couple outdoor family pictures for us! Say "cheese"!!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Princess Leia and Jedi Carson! I'm not sure how many years I can get away with coordinating costumes but for now I am loving it! Carson loves all things Star Wars right now so we went with that this year. Kadence instantly got the hang of the whole trick or treating thing and followed her big brother to each and every door holding her bucket up high so people would put candy in it. Maybe next year she'll be able to say "Trick or Treat".

Kadence is 18 Months Old!

Kadence had her 18 month doctor appointment today. Everything looks great and she's a happy 18 month old!

Here are her stats:
Weight: 22 lbs. 3 oz. (25th percentile)
Height: 32 1/2 in. (75th percentile)
Head: 18 1/4 in. (50th percentile)

Her favorite things to eat are pasta, yogurt, and anything sweet! She loves to color (aka scribble) and chase her brother around the house. She has 8 teeth right now but all of her molars are working their way through so she'll have a mouthful of teeth real soon.

Chan Family Picture

It was wonderful having Ryan's parents here to visit for a whole month. They were a huge help with the kids, I learned how to make more Chinese meals from Ryan's dad and we went on lots of fun little adventures including:

* Raspberry and Blackberry picking at Makielski's Berry Farm
* Domino's Petting Farm
* Ann Arbor's Farmer's Market
* Ann Arbor's Museum of Art
* The Hands On Museum
* Toledo Zoo
* Matthaei Botanical Gardens
* Ohio's Air and Space Museum
* and many others

It was great being able to get all the Chans together and get a family picture! With 3 photographers in the family, we were sure to get a good picture! :)

Lake House

We've been able to go to my sister's lake house two times this summer. Each time we go the kids have a blast and I enjoy eating tons of junk food! :)

This is the first year that Carson has enjoyed "swimming" all by himself with either floaties or a life jacket on. He is just like his dad and has no fear of the water. It was a lot of fun watching him jump into the channel time and time again. He loves the water!





Like Father...


Like Son...







Even Kadence seems to have a real love for the water!

Wow. I am way behind in blogging lately! I will try to catch up a bit.

Ryan's parents came to Chicago and Ann Arbor for 2 months this summer to visit. We decided it would be the perfect time to take a Chan Family Vacation so we headed to Now Jade in Riveria Maya, Mexico. There were 13 of us in total. The four of us, Alan's family, Ryan's mom and dad, and some friends with their 2 boys.

The plane ride to and from Mexico was a bit challenging with a one-year old, but once we got there everyone adjusted quickly and we had such a fun and relaxing time.

Here are some of my favorite photos from our trip...

Kadence is 15 Months Old!

Kadence is 15 months old today! She went to the doctor yesterday for her exam and scheduled vaccines. Here are her stats:

Weight: 21 lb. 6.5 oz. (27th percentile)
Height: 32 inches (91st percentile)

She just started walking this past Friday and has been enjoying her newfound freedom by walking laps around our house over and over again. It's so fun watching how excited she is about her new milestone.

Kathie's 2nd 5K Race

Today I ran in my 2nd 5K. My friend, Catherine, from Chicago also joined me in this race. It was her first 5K. We tried to stay together while running but there were 1772 other people running the 5K so we determined very shortly after the start of the race that we weren't going to be able to stay together. It was a fun race. Lots of downhills, scenic views along the Huron river, and also a few challenging hills. I was able to finish in 36 minutes and 55 seconds. That is 37 seconds faster than my first 5K back in March. I guess I'm a pretty consistent runner. :) Here are some pictures of the event. You will notice that the clock in the pictures says 37:37 but my actual time was a bit faster because my race time doesn't start until after I cross the start line. (There are little chips behind our number is order for them to track each runner's exact time. Because obviously 1772 people can cross the start line at the same time!)

Before the race...






Finish Line!