Jason, Heather, Ashlyn, Jaxon & Tyson

Oh baby baby...

2011-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Now that our newest addition is nearly 3 weeks old, I guess it's time to update this thing again.

On September 9, I went in for my 39 week check-up. I was really hoping that this baby's birthday would be 9-10-11. So we do the routine, do some membrane sweepage, told I'm dilated 1 cm, get an ultrasound to make sure my boy is big enough (this happens every pregnancy. Jason and I are small people. We aren't going to have monster-sized babies!), and then we walked the mall for 5 hours hoping to get things going. Nothing.

Friday, September 16. One day passed my due date. Still pregnant. Another check-up. Do the normal routine, some more sweepage, told I'm now 3 cm. Schedule an induction for Monday morning at 5 am. Bummed it's not going to happen on the weekend, but glad the end is in sight.

Monday, September 19. Call the hospital at 3:30am, told there is no room for me and they will call me when there is. We waited until 8 am, and decided to head down there to see if it would speed up the process if we were close by (the hospital is an hour away). Our proximity did not help. We did get to spend the day with some friends, so the day was not a total waste.

Tuesday and Wednesday. Still waiting for the hospital to call. Although we still called every few hours to see what our chances were. I think the staff was pretty tired of us. Finally on Wednesday afternoon that blessed phone call arrived. "be here at 7:30". Yay! I was starting to think it was never going to happen. I'm pretty sure my body doesn't know how to go into labor on its own. Besides, I really didn't want to make that drive in full-blown labor anyway.

We get to the hospital and the nurse took us right to our room. We were all checked in and the pitocin was hooked up by 9:30. I started having some mild contractions, and so we just hung out and watched some "Restaurant Impossible" and "Property Brothers" for the next few hours. Around 2:30 am, the anesthesiologist was out of surgery, so they offered the epidural. I still wasn't in much pain, but I didn't want to be, so I gladly accepted. Everything was in and working a little after 3, and I was still dilated only 3cm, so I went to sleep. About 6:30 my nurse came in to see if I was feeling any pressure "down there" because the baby was acting like something was going on. I was, sort of, so she checked. He was right there! The doctor came in a few minutes later, got all set up, and this kid was out within 10 minutes. A vacuum was used though because his heart rate was dropping and staying low, so she had to get him out fast. His cord was wrapped super tight around his little neck, so Jason was off cord-cutting duty (much to his relief. He hasn't cut any. Too squeamish).

We just got to the hospital. This is the one and only belly shot taken this whole pregnancy. Yep. Looks ready to pop. 40 weeks, 6 days.

Here he is!

Tyson Marshall Tang

6 pounds 12 ounces

19 1/2 inches

September 22, 2011

6:54 am

Tyson and Daddy

Family photo. I still can't believe we have 3!

Big sister. She can't get enough!

Proud big brother.

We sure love this sweet little guy!

Stems

2011-06-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you that don't know, or who don't look at all of Jason's facebook status updates, we are in fact having another boy. Jason "put the stem on the apple", as he puts it, for a second time. We found out the end of April, and have just been major blog slackers. I like this picture because he has his feet up and his arms behind his head real chill like. Hopefully that means he will be calm (yeah right!) Now we just have to solidify the manly man's name!

Wish Granted

2011-04-17T23:20:00.001-07:00

Ever since Jax was born, Heather and I made a pact that she would make the decisions for Ashlyn's hair and I would make the decisions for Jaxon's hair. I think she regretted that when I began refusing to cut his hair. However, today Heather got her wish, but she can thank Jax for it. He finally told me multiple times he wanted his hair cut, so I finally gave in.

Ash and Jax right after church and eating a ring pop for lunch?

(Heather's doing, not mine...)

After dinner it was to the powder room to start snipping

Jax was actually saying he didn't want his picture taken after the hair cut, but as it turns out he looks like he's posing... what a poser... haha!

He likes his new doo!... so does Ash and of course Mom!

Stair Jumping and Moto-Jax

2011-04-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

While looking through some older photos, I saw these ones we never posted so in an effort to rekindle our blogging spirit, here they are. They're from December 2010, but our kids love jumping, and especially off the stairs onto pillows. I thought these were pretty funny shots, so here you go! The video is more recent, it's Jax riding his trike with a helmet he found in a closet from who knows when! Silly kiddos...

Parasites

2011-03-07T10:40:00.004-08:00

I contracted a parasite sometime in the last few months that has made me nauseous, tired, fatigued, and tired. However, this is one little bug we can't wait to kiss and cuddle come September!

A real Chinese boy!!!

2011-02-05T09:08:00.004-08:00

Let me take you back in time for a moment. It was June of 2002. Heather and I were at P.F. Chang's in Orem, Utah on our 2nd date ever. Heather, in years past, had tried to use chopsticks to eat but was never successful. Enter Jason Tang. I showed her the right way to use them, and that evening she had what she calls, "the most successful chopstick attempt" of her short 18 years. (YIKES! She was young!!!) Heather ate an entire meal for the first time with chopsticks! No fork necessary! That summer, after returning home to Yucaipa, she told her family that "A real Chinese boy" taught her how to use chopsticks....

Now fast forward 8 1/2 years and check out the up-and-coming "real Chinese boy":

Watch out ladies...

Me get it out!

2011-02-01T08:53:00.004-08:00

This morning my sweet little boy came into my room saying that his nose hurt. He sneezed a few times, so I told him to go get a tissue and I would help him blow his nose. He came back a few seconds later and our conversation went like this:

Jax - "Me get it out"

Me - "Oh, did you get your booger?"

Jax - "No. No booger. Geen ting"

Me - "huh?"

Then he showed me. It was a little green foam sticker. Yikes! I just hope he doesn't make a habit of sticking things up his nose!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-24T13:01:00.001-08:00

Blogging is so 2007....

2010-12-09T19:39:00.002-08:00

I'm not gonna lie, I really don't like blogging. Takes too long, there's too many steps involved in getting pictures on, and you can't add that many at a time. However, it's also a good way to keep in touch with family and friends in a deeper way than facebook or twitter etc...

So here you go, three pictures of a family shoot we had with Matt and Melissa McIntosh. They're pretty awesome photographers and wanted some more urban lookin' shots for their portfolio, and you can't go wrong with us if you're looking for photogenic peeps.

The end.

(I know, pretty lame, but at least we have a post for December!)

2010-09-15T04:30:00.002-07:00

Nearly a month ago we went to Utah for Nancy's wedding. YAY! We had so much fun visiting family and friends! Here is just a small sampling of pictures chronicling our adventures...

First off we stayed with Nate and Mandy. Here are Ashlyn and Edie making silly faces for me.

Jaxon got over his fear of dogs. He even shared his fruit loops!

Michelle and Nancy and some pre-wedding silliness

Awwee...so cute! Congrats to Adam and Nancy! And check out that bouquet! I made that!

My little sweeties. I don't know why, but I seriously love this picture!

Princess Lilly always perfectly posed. Annie did an amazing job on these skirts, huh?

Jaxon. Steve. James

I know you wanted to see a close-up of Nancy's flowers. Not gonna lie, I was pretty proud of myself. I had never made a bridal bouquet before!

After all the Tang's parted ways, we went and spent a few days with Adam. Look at how he has the kids mesmerized with his sweet helicopter.

On the drive home we stopped in Cedar City to see Kim and Phil and their sweet little baby. He was born 2 months early, so at 6 weeks, he was still less than 6 pounds! Such a cutie!

Then we went to St. George to see Ben, Jena and their beautiful baby girl. Check out that awesome playroom! I could not keep my kids out of it. I don't blame them!

Phew! Now that my September post is done, we'll see you next month....maybe....

First Day of School

2010-08-17T22:20:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was Ashlyn's first day of preschool. She was so excited. She actually woke up and got herself dressed first thing in the morning. What was more impressive is that her outfit didn't look like someone threw up paint all over it like it usually does when she picks her own clothes. She even tried to fix her own hair. I love that she was so excited to go to school! My little girl is growing up way too fast. When we dropped her off she gave me a hug and a kiss and ran off to play. When did she get so big?

JUNE

2010-07-08T13:06:00.005-07:00

Here is a recap of what fun June brought us....

I actually got Ashlyn to wear the dress we bought in China, and if I may say so, I think she looks super cute. She just needed to be putting up peace signs instead of the one finger to really get the look right...

Bubbles! We bought these bubble guns in China, too! The kiddos LOVE them! And they actually work! Bonus!

Scrub-a-dub-dub. There were some cave-man drawings in the hallway by the kid's room so I put them to work cleaning them off. A couple of magic erasers and a spray bottle of water did the trick quite nicely. They even cleaned a few of the door jams!

POOL TIME!! Ashlyn was finally brave enough to go down the water slide all by herself (with the floaty ring). Fun times at Grandma's!

Ryan. Amber. Staci. Tami. Kira

SHOOTS! We took Mike's shotgun out for a spin. I hadn't been shooting for a couple years. I forgot how fun it was! Here is Amber. You can see the little orange clay pigeon in the distance.

Jason. Mike. Spencer running away.

YUM! We went blueberry picking. We took Jet along with us. The kids had so much fun filling up their baskets!

Amber and her gang were there too. And some random kid who thought our group was fun.

Spencer. Trevor. Staci. Jason. Ashlyn. Jet. Brooklyn. Brinley. Allie. Amber. Heather. Jaxon. Kid in Red

Happy Father's Day! A few days before Father's day we were in Cost Plus, and we entered a drawing. They took Jason's picture with Ash and Jax, and put in on display with the other dads. the day before Father's day we got a phone call that Jason won a basket full of goodies!

On June 25, Jason turned 30! Look at all those candles! We had a little party, and even Nancy and Adam came to help celebrate! (oh, and to plan their wedding, too)

BEACH! After Nancy and Adam left, Andrew and Liew came to visit. We went to the beach on of the days and the kids had so much fun digging in the sand...and the dad's did too! But I think Jaxon had the most fun watching the sea gulls. This is right before he took off after one.

And a trip to Balboa is not complete without riding a ride in the "fun zone". Those kids sure love carousels!

And that's it! Phew! I feel like we are almost caught up. Good thing we aren't too far into July yet!

CHINA! Days 4 - 12

2010-07-03T22:22:00.007-07:00

Alright. This travelogue was taking WAY too long. So, here is the rest of the trip...one picture per day...

Day 4: We met up with Jason's aunts and uncles and went to the Hong Kong temple. After the session and lunch we headed up to see yeye's (Jason's Dad's Dad) grave.

Heather. Annie. Nancy. Auntie Fanny. Auntie Grace. Uncle Tony. Dad T. Jason. Clarence.

Day 5: We took a ferry to Cheug Chau Island. Dad T used to work at his dad's jok shop here. It was a super cute little island to hike around. Probably my favorite place in Hong Kong. Here are some of the dragon boats.

Day 6: We bussed to the Shenzhen airport and flew to Xi'an. We stayed at the Shuyuan Hostel. It was super cute. Highly recommend it. Here is the wall all lit up. So pretty!

Day 7: We took a bus to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. This is one of the pits. You can see how massive this room was! All those little soldiers are life-size, to give you some perspective. If you ever get a chance to see them, take it.

Day 8: We rode bikes all the way around the Xi'an city wall. That was pretty stinkin' fun, too, although it gave us some sore booties. I think it was about an 8 1/2 mile ride.

Day 9: We took a sleeper train to Beijing! We started off the day at the silk market. Great place to do some souvenir shopping. Then we went to the Temple of Heaven. I guess the emperors would come here to pray for good harvest. This is what's pictured. Then we went to see a Chinese acrobat show. Also a must-see.

Day 10: Tienanmen Square and the forbidden city. We also ate some nasties at the wangfujing market that night, but you'll have to check out Annette Bailey Tang's facebook pictures to see all the disgusting things you can buy.

Day 11: Last day! We went to the Great Wall. If you zoom in on this picture you can find Dad T, Nancy, Annie, and Jason. 10 points if you can spot them! This was definitely the highlight of the trip. It is so amazing to see how long the wall is. It seriously seems to go on forever.

Day 12: We flew back to the good ol' USA!

CHINA! Day 3

2010-06-20T19:03:00.007-07:00

Thursday, May 20 we went to Lantau Island. Here, at the Po Lin Monastery, is the Big Buddha. And by big they mean GINORMOUS.

The "original" Tangs: Jason, Dad, Clarence, Nancy. You can see the Big Buddha way in the background and the gazillion steps you have to climb to get there.

Just in case walking down all those stairs didn't hurt our old knees enough, we had to finish them off with some sweet jumps.

Jason being, well, Jason.

They have those "stick your head in the hole" picture things in China, too!

Outside the monastery were these random holy cows. They fit right in with the Taxis.

The best part was definitely the "toilet" signs. Not only were they entertaining to look at, they also spared me from using my only Cantonese phrase. Chee-saw hai bin do (Where is the toilet)?

And this work of art was inside one of the restrooms. Isn't it great? However, 99.9% of the restrooms failed to provide hand-soap, leaving this poster useless. Good thing I always carried my trusty hand sanitizer!

After some debate, we decided that the tram would be the best way to get back down the mountain. We took a bus up, and while the views were incredible, the winding road was too much for some of my fellow travelers to handle. This is one of the cars we passed. The views from above were even more spectacular. I never tired of the beauty of this region. So green and lush!

When we got back to the metro, we were feeling a little bored, so we entertained ourselves with some silly pictures.

love those camelbaks!

How many different shades of hands in one family?

Since we hadn't done tons of walking, we decided to head over to the Temple Street night market. This is the only picture I took there. Oops.

CHINA! Day 2

2010-06-18T10:31:00.006-07:00

Wednesday, May 19. We went to go meet Dad T and the gang, and on the way ran into an old friend. I'm lovin' it!

Dim Sum at Cheer's. This place was seriously amazing, as is evident by everyone's faces. For reals though. It was fantastic. We had sooo much food. There were 8 people, and it was less than $10/person!

Uncle Edward. Auntie Fanny. Annie

After breakfast we rode the metro to Tseun Wan. We made our way towards where Jason's Mom lived, but first made a little detour to explore this Monastery. It was beautiful.

Here's Jason, Nancy, and me at the front gate to the monastery.

Down the road from the monastery. It's hard to believe this is how a lot of people live. There were little run down shacks/homes all over. Very humbling.

After some walking and a lot of asking (thank goodness Dad T was there to speak for us), we found where the Chan family once lived. The house is no longer standing, but this was the general area. To the left of this picture is a little stream where Mom T used to do the laundry. I can see this as being a pretty fun place for a kid to run around and explore!

From here we went to Ping Sahn. This is a Tang Temple. It isn't a direct line to our Tangs, but they do share the same ancestors.

A few blocks from the Tang Temple is this beauty. This is the house Dad T lived in when his family first moved to Hong Kong. The picture is a little out of focus, but you get the idea. It's amazing that is is still around.

When we were done in Ping Sahn, we went to Yeun Long. On the way, we had to stop for a potty break, and Jason grabbed some tasty snacks. Why don't we have these crazy flavors here in the US?

In Yeun Long. Dad T lived up this stairwell. It's all commercial now.

He also lived in another place a few stairwells down. It's hard to imagine this place as apartments 45 years ago.

We couldn't leave Yeun Long without a visit to this noodle house. Dad T used to go here as a kid. He said nothing had changed in all those years..the decorations and everything were still the same. And the noodles were just as good as he had remembered!

By the end of the day, we were completely beat. Annie and Clarence konked out on the bus home...as did the random guy behind them. I am pretty sure we all passed out as soon as we got back to our hostel. Day 3: Big Buddha!

CHINA! Day 1

2010-06-12T20:30:00.001-07:00

It's been about 2 weeks since we returned from our amazing Asian vacation, so I guess it's about time someone blogged it. I only have pictures from our camera, though. If you want to see more from other's eyes, check out Annie's Facebook page...

Sunday, May 16, we left the good ol' USA to head to Hong Kong. We had a 1 1/2 hour layover in Tokyo, where I first laid my eyes on one of these bad boys. No, the picture is not sideways, and yes, that is in the ladies' room. That, my friends, is a squatter. And, sadly, that was not the last one we would see.

We arrived in Hong Kong Monday around 10:30 pm. Luckily, when we were in the vicinity of our hostel, Clarence and Annie were outside waiting for us. Otherwise I think we would have been wandering for a lot longer. This is the door we would have had to find on our own. Yikes!

Our hostel (Hong Kong Budget Hostel) was actually quite nice. Jason and I were able to have our own room and bathroom! Our room was teeny! It was only wide enough to fit the set of bunk beds. We estimated it to be about 8'x9'. And that may be generous. Our bathroom was set up very efficiently though, with the toilet, sink, and shower sharing the same space. BUT, the toilet wasn't a squatter! Yay!

In the morning we got up and went to a delicious bakery. I especially liked the pineapple bun. The really great thing about China was the food. Super cheap, and even more delicious!

We walked down to the ferry and met up with Dad Tang.

Clarence. Jason. Dad. Nancy. Heather. Annie

Here is our destination. Hong Kong Island!

Once we got to Hong Kong Island, we jumped on a bus to go up to Victoria Peak. We ended up at a mall where you could pay $25 HKD to go on the roof. Although a little hazy, it was a pretty sweet view!

After our eyes feasted, we headed back to Kowloon and to the markets to try our hands at bargaining. So fun. I bought a couple trinkets at the Jade market, and then we went to get some fruit.

Lychee! We got some lychee fruit and walked over to Kowloon Park to rest our aching feet and eat a tasty snack. It my my first time eating the stuff fresh. Yummy!

Also at Kowloon park were these cute little buggers. No, they aren't bugs, just teensy weensy frogs. They were about the size of a finger nail. So cute! I would put one in my pocket if I weren't so afraid of it's germs!

Later that night we went back down to the ferry dock to watch the "Symphony of Lights". It was impressive how they had all the buildings participate with their lights and what not, even if the music was a bit lame.

To give you an idea of how exciting the show was, this is the position Clarence and Dad assumed during the majority of the show.

After the show we were thoroughly exhausted and went right home to bed. Up next...New Territories!

Summer is almost here!

2010-05-16T07:12:00.006-07:00

We can't wait till it's warm enough to swim in the pool, but for now playing in the hot tub has been pretty fun! I think Jax and Ash are pretty close to swimming by themselves!

Family underwater photo

Jax doing the ring dive

Ash swimming for the camera

(we had to bribe her with 10 jelly beans!!!)

No need to bride Jax though

Jumping off the side of the spa

Underwater angle

Jax attacks!

MANcation

2010-05-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Ever get the urge to pee in a bush?

Go a day without brushing your teeth?

Eat only meat for dinner?

Burn everything you can find?

Well, if you don't, then you are not a man, and you would not have liked our overnight hike to Dobbs cabin in the San Bernardino mountains.

Our group consisted of: (From Left to Right)

Dane Winkelman, his son Jet, Cory Ferguson, Matt Horspool & Jason Tang

Jet is only three, but he still made the trek... of course, that's not too hard when your dad is half man, half amazing. Dane carried Jet on his shoulders for most of the way, with us giving him a break every now and then.

The hike wasn't very long, only about two miles in, but it was a very steep climb. The base of the mountain started out dry, but the higher up we got the more snow, and the more wet we got.

When we arrived at our campsite, we quickly made a fire so we could dry our all our clothes and start cookin' up our meal.

On the menu -- T-Bone steaks a la Winkelman.

What's that mean? Seasoned steaks, skewered and cooked over an open flame.

This one is a la Tang. Cooked on the hot rock. Good if you like your steak rare!

Unfortunately, steaks weren't the only things cookin'. Dane and my shoes ended up a little too well done.

The next morning we did a little fishing, and Dane was the only one that caught anything. He caught a small little trout (I think), and a little lizard that Jet loved.

Going down the mountain was pretty fun too. We did a little shoe skiing.

Looking forward to the next one!

Time MARCHes on

2010-04-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

Another month has come and gone. SO, here is another picture-packed post to catch up on all the latest and greatest.....

Building blanket forts with Daddy. I can't remember where I was, but when I got home Jason had built this awesome fort with the kiddos. They were all in there, armed with flashlights and everything.

Visiting new babies. Matt and Melissa McIntosh welcomed little Elliot into the world. She is such a little sweetie and it was so fun to see her on her birthday! Ashlyn still tells us how much she loves her.

San Diego sight seeing. We spent the weekend with Kim and Dane Winkelman and their kidlets down south. We started off with the San Diego Zoo. Jaxon loved playing with this green mamba.
Ashlyn and Jet were inseparable. They had so much fun running all over together.

Ash loved jumping from one platform to another. That girl has no fear when it comes to jumping off things. She stuck the landing every time, too. We have got to get her in gymnastics!

Baby elephant riding. Loved this part of the zoo!

We stayed the night at Dane's parents' condo in La Jolla. This also where Jason and I spent our honeymoon. It is such a beautiful place! Ashlyn loved the "noculars" and trying to spot wildlife. That morning I watched a pod of dolphins from the window. They were hunting. It was amazing! There were tons of them just swimming and jumping in circles corralling fish. Then all of the sudden hundreds of birds came to get in on the action. It was like something from the discovery channel!

A short walk from the condo there are all these seals. It was pupping season, and some of the babies still had their umbilical cords. They were so cute!

Peek-A-Boo!

I just loved this picture of Jet. He's always chasing after something...whether it's Ashlyn or a bird!

Ashlyn is easier to catch though. So, Jet had been trying to hold Ashlyn's hand the whole trip, but in true girlie fashion, she was playing hard to get. On this walk, Jet was just kind if wandering around, seeing what there was to see, and not paying tons of attention to Ashlyn like he usually does. I guess she was missing his affection, so she says "Hey Jet! I thought you wanted to hold my hand!" That boy's face just lit up. He grabbed on so fast! They here laughing and giggling and just being so cute! But then they tripped and the fun was over.

We went to this look-out point (the name escapes me) with an incredible view. I just love how much the San Diego temple sticks out!

After that we went to Ikea, and then home. Thanks for the good times, guys!

Primary Activity-ing. It was Ashlyn's very first primary activity! Jason took her. I don't know how much she liked it, but she did win the candy jar for guessing the closest!

Turtle time! We went to LA to take my mom and niece to the airport, and then spent the rest of the day in Chinatown. While there, we stumbled upon these two little cuties. I just had to take them home. Now every morning, the first thing Jax wants to do is say "hi" to the turtles. It is so funny how excited he gets to see them every day!

Beach Going. Mike and Jason had to go to some meeting in Orange County, so Amber and I decided we wanted to make a day of it. We went down to Balboa, and it was a GORGEOUS day! I had packed all sorts of warm clothes, and as soon as we got there I was wishing we had brought our swimming suits! It was a perfect day...even with the Ruby's debacle.

More beach! Anthony and Valerie Huynh came in from Arizona to take their little guy to Disneyland for his birthday. We met up with them and had a bon-fire at Huntington. It was fun to see them and catch up.

Ashlyn and Tate hit it off, too. Maybe a little too much. At the end of the night Tate pinned her against the wall and planted a big kiss. I think she liked it though, because when we were leaving she asked if she could spend the night. Yikes! Gotta watch her like a hawk when she gets older!

Mmmmm. S'mores face.

I think Ashlyn misses going to the beach so often. That night she asked if we could stay there forever. I wish!

Ice-Cream walking. Tami and I decided to go on a 3 mile walk with our kids. It just happened to be that Rite-Aid round trip is 3 miles. We rewarded ourselves for a job well done with some delicious thrifty's ice-cream. I got root-beer float flavor and it was delectable! I think this needs to become a weekly tradition....well at least monthly!

Andrew and Josh

Tami

Kira, Caitlyn, and Ashlyn. I guess I uploaded the wrong picture. There was one with Ryan, too. Maybe I'll go back and fix it...when the computer with the pictures is free

Jax - eating Ashlyn's cone.

Yellow Tang

2010-03-20T12:37:00.004-07:00

This is a Yellow Tang:

This is OUR Yellow Tang:

Earlier this month he decided he has no fear of water, and to our surprise, he even knows how to hold his breath. This is his first day of "swimming" by himself.

Suffice it to say we watch him like a hawk by the pool. We also hope Ashlyn is watching too, because she is still terrified of learning how to swim. As for Jax, he's getting better every time we get in the spa. His favorite is jumping off the ledge and kicking and paddling towards Mom or Dad. Stay tuned for a post about our San Diego trip with the Winkleman's!!

February

2010-03-09T13:20:00.013-08:00

Oh man have we been SLACKERS!! Once again I am doing a catch-up post for an entire month. Whoops. So, here is a quick synopsis of our February happenings...

Beginning:

Kids busy tearing apart the house, dumping out drawers and emptying the contents of the pantry. At least they stacked it nicely on the table!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Middle:

Park day

Valentine's Day. Jason surprised me with a "getaway" in the back house. It's tradition to eat pizza and rent a movie, but this was the first time we ate our pizza on fine china!

End:

Disneyland with the Miyahana's. They came out from Hawaii and we could not pass up on the chance to play with them. We closed down the park. What a fun day!

And last but not least, Ashlyn's new favorite activity...playing Uncle Tay's Wii. She's getting pretty good!

Horspool's have chops

2010-02-05T00:42:00.002-08:00

The new decade began in style at Horspool Haven. A tree had to come down, and we had to document the ambitious project. For more background, check out Tami's (our sister in law) blog on New Year's day (click on the link).

[As a disclaimer, this isn't my best edit, but in my defense I was using a subpar program (movie maker) and did it in less than two hours ending at 1am. Anyways, it was meant to be funny, so hopefully you get a little laugh. I just wanted to get it done since I'm a month late... ]

Oh yeah, and it took two days to chop the tree down, but unfortunately on the 2nd day we were on the road to Utah.... sorry that you don't get to see the epic ending to the tree!

Snow Daze

2010-01-25T20:07:00.005-08:00

This last Friday it snowed. And snowed. And snowed some more. We woke up to fat flakes falling fast. It snowed so much that school was cancelled! Those of you from less-temperate climates may scoff at this, but here in California we are not used to so much white. Especially on the roads. It usually snows once a year here, but rarely does it stick. So, to take advantage of this rarity, we had to build a snow man.

Unfortunately, our kids do not own snow clothes. I dressed them in the warmest clothing they had, and I think they had a great time. It was the first time either of them really played in the snow. Maybe now that we are back on the mainland for good(?) we better invest in some warmer get-ups. Jaxon especially liked eating the stuff.

The finished product. Doesn't he look so happy?

A little too ironic? Yeah I really do think!

Tang Time!

2010-01-14T14:49:00.009-08:00

On Saturday, January 2nd, we made the trek back up to Utah...again...for a Tang Reunion. It was a lot of fun! The last Tang reunion was in Edmonton, Alberta in June of 2007. It had been 2.5 years since I had seen Jason's 2 oldest siblings and their families! That's way too long! Andrew, Liew and their boys weren't able to make it though. Hopefully next go round!

We drove in Saturday night and pretty much went straight to bed. On Sunday, Nate and Mandy Knoebel just happened to be visiting from Boston, so we spent the day with them. Ashlyn and her very first friend, Edie got to play all afternoon. It was so great to be able to talk and laugh and have the kids completely entertained by each other!

Sunday night we headed back over to the Leavitt's (our gracious hosts) to meet up with the Tang clan. Ashlyn and her only girl Tang cousin Lilly hit it off right away. They were inseparable, and now Ashlyn asks to see her Tang cousins often. In the days that followed we went bowling, walked BYU campus, visited Temple Square, and saw Avatar (again). The nights were full of catching up and playing games. Wednesday afternoon we all parted ways, but the Utah adventure didn't end there!

We went up to SLC once again to visit Jason's old roomies, Adam and Russell. We toured Mrs. Cavenaugh's chocolate factory, bowled again, and the dudes went sledding. We came back to sunny California on Sunday. It was an action-packed trip, and I am sure glad to be home!

Fall?

2010-01-14T14:21:00.003-08:00

On New Year's Eve Eve, my bro Matty raked all the leaves in the front yard and then offered the pile to Ash and Jax. At first they didn't really know what to do, but Ashlyn soon jumped right in. Jaxon, on the other hand, decided he wanted nothing to do with them.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T11:05:00.003-08:00

After 3 years of having children, I still haven't gotten used to the fact that every Christmas and Easter the kids get new Sunday clothes. (And they still get new clothes whenever a big sale is on anyways!!!)

However, they always look so adorable. In fact, this "tradition" is so important to Heather that she spent a whole month looking for Ashlyn's ensemble! And you can't see it, but Jax also got new pinstripe pants and new Sunday shoes. Now bring on Santa!!!

November

2009-12-17T09:20:00.013-08:00

Instead of giving each event the attention and time it deserves, and never catching up, I decided to just lump it all into one.

Nov. 4: Jaxon turned one. I was a horrible mother and didn't take a single picture of him on his actual birthday...but I did get some of his party!

Nov 6: California adventure with Brooke and Tami...and we left the kids with Grandma! So fun!

Nov. 15: Jaxon's "PuPu" Birthday Party. Lots of food, friends, family, and fun.

Nov 16 - 25: We embark on our first road trip of our kids lives. We drove up to Utah for my old roomie's wedding. It was so good to see so many old friends! But oh how I loathed that drive. I think the kids were pretty tired of the car by the end of it too. And poor Ashlyn was so confused about where "home" is.

Nov. 26: Thanksgiving. We went over to David and Mary Ellen's (My aunt and uncle) house for a fantastic dinner and a night of games and hayrides. And Nancy came too! Nov. 28: We took Nancy down to Huntington just for fun. And on the way home we stopped by The Gingerbread Shop at the Mission Inn for the world's best hot chocolate.

Nov. 30: We spent the day in LA. It was such a beautiful day. We first went to Hollywood so Nancy could see the "Stars", and then we headed over to the temple. The sky could not have been any bluer. After that we went to Santa Monica and took Nancy on her first Ferris wheel ride! When we were done, it was time to take Nancy to the airport. Talk about an action-packed day!

And there you have it. November in a nutshell.

New Bike!!

2009-12-07T22:22:00.004-08:00

After months of riding bikes in Wal-Mart, we told Ashlyn that after we moved we would buy her a bike. And, like the good parents we are, we followed through on that promise just days after we arrived in California. She was SO excited. And she looks super cute in her little Dora helmet and elbow pads!

In the morning we took her to the park to practice her skills. She is getting pretty good!

We took a little break to enjoy the swings, since we were there and all...

Even Jason got in the "swing" of it. Get it? Haha! I couldn't resist.

Halloween

2009-12-01T09:36:00.008-08:00

Halloween started off with a trip to the pumpkin patch. Ashlyn was finally brave enough to feed the goats all by herself. All the "Yucaipa Cousins" joined in the festivities. It is so much fun to finally be around for this stuff!
Then we went back to the house and carved our over-priced pumpkins. (At least ours was...)Tang style. Ashlyn colored on it and then Jason carved what he wanted. I believe this is the Chinese character for the Tang name, but I think it looks like a crazy cool face.Our little teddy bear. Jax didn't have a costume until right before trick-or-treat time. Thanks Amber for coming to the rescue!The whole gangTami, Amber, and me. The "rat pack". That is some extra-large hair. After we had gone down and half way back up the street, Jaxon was still like this...
While Ashlyn was like this. We had a cute little cheerleader costume for her, but in true Ashlyn fashion she refused to wear it. So, Amber saved the day again by providing this cute little Monkey with a costume she would allow us to put on her.
Since we finished with the trick-or-treating so early, we decided to decorate some ghoulish cupcakes. Idea courtesy of M&M McIntosh.
Here are Ashlyn and my finished products. The computer was being ridiculous so I gave up trying to upload the rest of the cupcake pictures. Either that or I just didn't want to be put to shame by everyone else's awesomeness. You be the judge...

Disneyland

2009-12-01T08:46:00.007-08:00

I know, I know, this is way past due, so, hopefully there will be a plethora of blog posts in the next few days to catch us up before Christmas!

The day before Halloween we went to Disneyland and took my mom and Caitlyn (my niece) with us. We had a blast! I was lovin' all the Halloween decor. So cute!

Gotta love the Dumbo ride!Ashlyn's fav: The "Merry-Go-Circle"
Jax loved Finding Nemo with Grandma on the sub rideCaitlyn and Ash were best buds for the day. They went on all the rides together, except when I bribed Ashlyn with candy if she would ride one with me! It was so nice to have Caitlyn there to help out though!It was Mike's birthday, so he and Amber and kids came down to join us for a few hours. Amber even brought us a yummy dinner, complete with caramel apples and cupcakes!Sweet little babies. Jaxon and Brooklyn
For your viewing pleasure: The tea cups.

Aloha Oe

2009-11-14T08:02:00.007-08:00

Our last few days in Paradise were full of goodbyes.

On Saturday, 10/24 we said goodbye to Jason's frotastic hair. I was so sad to see it go (NOT!! That thing was sicknasty!)

We said goodbye to our beautiful view of the PANAM building. Oh how I will not miss the city lights and noise. Although, I do miss the convenience!

On Sunday, after church we went over to the Miyahana's. Ashlyn and Jaeden were just beginning to be good buddies, too!

Jaeden and Ashlyn saying bye. See, she acts like to her friends, too!

On Monday, we met the Nitahara's at Bravo for dinner. They were our first friends in Hawaii. They took us in and treated us like family.

Ashlyn and Kiera

Jaxon Kyle with Uncle Kyle

Tuesday night we had a BBQ with the Hong's and Abelmann's. Here is the Hong Fam.

And here are the Abelmann's. Jason and Rick would go boogie boarding a couple times a week...at 6am!
This picture is just too funny to leave out! Kai is such a stud!
The next day we hopped on a plane back to good ol' California. The last 2 years went by way too fast. We loved our time in the islands, and can't wait to go back! (But only for a vacation. That move was beastly!)

Graduation

2009-10-16T21:33:00.009-07:00

On September 27, Ashlyn graduated from the "terrible twos". It was a glorious occasion that gave us reason to celebrate for 3 days! The Friday before, we started off the festivities with an all day bake-a-thon. Cake-pops, cupcakes, and brownies were on the list. Ashlyn is my #1 helper.

When all the baking was done, we headed to Chuck E Cheese's with the Hong and Abelmann families. The only other time we had gone there was when Ashlyn was just a little older than Jaxon is now. It was much more fun for all this time around.

On Saturday, we had the big birthday bash. The Dalisay's were kind enough to let us use their pool and BBQ area. I am ashamed of the amount of pictures that I didn't take, but here are a few of the ones I did!

Ashlyn and her bestie Kiera

Little Isaac Barlow chowin' on some watermelon. We have the same birthday.

The best group shot taken. Gonna eat some grub

The treat table. The reason for the previous day's marathon baking.

These little guys took FOREVER, but they sure were cute...and tasty! Thanks Tami and Bakerella!

When everyone started singing to Ashlyn, she tried to crawl under the table.

Luckily she likes blowing out candles too much to hide too long!

One thing I have learned about living in Hawaii is that birthdays are a big deal. Ashlyn couldn't wait to tackle the gifts once we got home! Thanks everyone!!

I had to take a picture on her actual day of birth, and this is the best I got. I'm pretty sure she is only smiling and looking at the camera because of either a bribe or treat. She was not in a cooperative mood. Surprised? You shouldn't be!

We sure love this little girl! She brings so much silliness and spunk into our family. Ashlyn makes me laugh every single day. I am so glad we have her and I can't imagine life without her. Love you little sweetheart!!

Walker, "Hawaii" Ranger

2009-09-20T21:45:00.002-07:00

Just this past week, Jaxon really picked up on the walking thing... now, he's no Chuck Norris, who when doing a push-up is actually pushing the earth down... but Jax is getting pretty good!

No new word on the job front yet, but it's still early. We're just enjoying our last couple months in the Islands. Don't worry, when we'll find out something you'll know. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

Tang given notice of layoff; Will move back to mainland

2009-09-09T23:48:00.008-07:00

Honolulu (TANGNEWS) - The vacation is over. The Tang family is moving back to the mainland. Recently KHNL News 8 Sports Director Jason Tang was given a 60-day notice of layoff from his job of almost two years.

"It's definitely sad that we have to leave, but we're choosing to look at it positively," said Tang. "We get to be closer to family."

Tang is one of almost 70% percent of the KHNL news team that was given notice of layoff. KHNL, the NBC affiliate in Honolulu recently agreed to a shared service agreement with KGMB, the CBS affiliate in the Islands. With the merger, only one news team will be needed as the newscast will be simulcast on both stations.

"It's sad to see so many good people getting laid off at KHNL, but it wasn't a surprise. They laid off two of three of our news managers and kept the ones at KGMB, so their news team obviously had the upperhand," said Tang. "But they were also the station that had the most momentum in the ratings, so from a business standpoint, why ruin a good thing I guess."

With his 60 day notice, Tang's last day at KHNL will be on Monday, November 2nd. However, if he finds a job before, he'll move his family as soon as possible. But he's keeping tight lipped on the progress of his job search.

"I have a lot of good people in my corner, including my family, and while I don't have a job offer as of right now, I have some pretty solid leads. Stay tuned as they say in the biz," said Tang.

If he doesn't find a job before November 2nd, the family of four will move back to California and shack up with Tang's mother-in-law.

"I think she would prefer that to me finding a job," said Tang jokingly. "But seriously, she wouldn't mind us moving in for a little bit I think."

As for his family, his wife Heather, and two small children will definitely miss the Island state. Well, most of it anyways.

"I will miss the beaches, the weather, the people, and even the plate lunches," said Heather. "I won't miss the cockroaches, or the high cost of living though, and luckily Jaxon is too small to understand the move, but I think it'll be hard on Ashlyn. When we sold our table and chairs, she broke down in a crying fit. And that was for a table and chairs."

The Tang family is excited to move closer to family, and buy a house when they land a new job. That's right, they're saying "when", none of this "if" business.

"Come on! He's Jason Tang. You think he's not going to find a job on TV? Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pleeezzee, HE'S SEXY!!!" said Jason in his best impression of Heather. Heather did, however, agree with at least one part of that statement.

"Yeah, we're confident he'll find a job, but that's all I'm agreeing with," said Heather.

2009-08-30T23:39:00.002-07:00

I know I promised pictures from the trip, but unfortunately the majority of my pictures are still on a computer in Yucaipa. So, to help make the wait a little easier, here are the most recent Jax Stats as of August 25:

Age: 9 months 3 weeks. (we were a little late on his check-up because of our trip)

Weight: 20.5 lbs (25-50th%)

Length: 29 inches (50-75th%)

Head: 47 cm (90th%)

He is one active little boy with a giant head. "Well, that's a huge noggin. That's a virtual planetoid." (what movie?)

And he got 4 teeth this month! The bottom 2 came in the day before we left, and the top 2 poked through sometime while we were in CA. He likes to show them to people by biting them on the shoulder. It's great fun. He even left marks on Ashlyn with the new chompers the other day. He bites and then laughs. Don't know what I am going to do with that kid. Gotta love him!

We are going to Grandma's house...

2009-08-18T10:26:00.012-07:00

What fun it's going to be! The beginning of August all of the Horspool kids were going to be together with the exception of Matt (who is on a mission) and me. Unbeknownst to my mom, we were able to join in on the festivities! It was hard work keeping it a secret, but her reaction made it worth it. (Jason's Edit --- CHECK IT OUT!!!! She did cry, but I left it out!! :) Taylor had a pretty good reaction too)

It was so much fun seeing everyone and having all EIGHTEEN grandkids together for the first time. And the family is still growing! Taylor and Aubree will have #19 this October!

Front row: Andrew (2), Grace (4), Raegan (3), Josh (11 mo), Caitlyn (10), Alexandria (10), Jack (8 mo), Ashlyn (2), Jaxon (9 mo), Ryan (5)

Back row: Staci (5), Riley (5), Madison (2), Emilee (12), Kira (6), Spencer (7), Brooklyn (2 mo), Brinley (9)

How do you get 18 kids to stay still for pictures? Why with a little bribery of course!

Stay tuned for a super long picture post of the fun we've been having!

Once there was an... Ashlyn

2009-08-01T18:00:00.006-07:00

While going to pick up Grandpa from the airport for his quick layover in Honolulu, the candid camera caught Ashlyn singing, until she busted the cameraman. Her reaction is priceless.

This is the same trip, longer video, and she didn't turn it off this time. Not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing though...

Other rather humorous things Ashlyn has said recently:

"Dear Heavenly Father, please bless that we can watch Word World... (A PBS show)"

After she beat Heather in a game of memory, and Heather declared Ashlyn the winner:

"Ashlyn, you're the winner!" "Mommy... we're both winners..."

And as some of you in the Tang Family know, Uncle Sam (Dai Bak), and Auntie Lily came to Honolulu. We saw him at church and then went to Dim Sum later that week.

It was good to see them, as they were visiting Kenneth Fong, the man who baptized Uncle Sam, and who just so happens to be in the Makiki ward with us.

Hooray visitors! Grandpa pictures to come.

Manoa Falls

2009-07-26T11:16:00.010-07:00

For the longest time I have been wanting to hike to Manoa Falls. It's only a few minutes from where we live, and the hike is not hard at all. I don't know why we took so long to finally go. Was it worth the wait? Sure. I mean, the falls weren't that spectacular, but it's always fun to try something new!

The falls from afar

And here they are up close

Since Rick is still familyless, his wife and son are in Utah while he studies for the Bar, he joined us on our excursion. The best part is he carried Jaxon, so I didn't have to carry any kids! Woo Hoo! And yes Alicia, he still studied while hiking (note the paper in his hands).

By the end, the kids were tired of their backpacks. Jax was lovin' his new perch over Jason's shoulder.

little girl BIG TREE

Check out the size of that leaf!

Beach Boy

2009-07-24T23:15:00.008-07:00

Jason promised a post about Jax, so here I am, NOT making a liar out of him. This boy LOVES the beach. He is just so happy and content crawling around. That same Saturday out in Kailua was the first time I just let him have at it. He also loves the water. We could not keep him out of it! When I was holding him he was constantly trying to jump out of my arms so he could splash around. I think we have a little dare-devil on our hands!

Some like the sand between their toes, Jaxon loves the sand between his cheeks....yes, those cheeks. That kid eats sand by the handful, and that's exactly where it ends up. TMI? Maybe. But since when has that stopped us from posting something?

Jaxon even did a face-plant, but that still didn't stop him. He was right back doing his thang in seconds.

Here is our little man in action. He has gotten pretty good at crawling. If he is this much fun at the beach, just imagine the good times at home! Let's just say that our bathroom doors are rarely open these days...

This is their newest game. They just yell back and forth. They were doing this the whole way from the parking lot, but I didn't capture it until we were riding up the elevator (hence the beeping). And yes, they are sitting side by side in a single stroller. We have a double, I just don't like it to get sandy :)

Surfer Girl

2009-07-12T13:19:00.007-07:00

For the longest time I've been trying to get Ashlyn to ride some waves on the Boogie board, but she always resists -- until this weekend at Kailua beach! This is Ash with Uncle Rick who made the first successful run with her.

And she actually let me take her too! (I guess I destroyed the trust the few times I put her on and just pushed her onto the wave...) To be honest though, she was done after the ride with me. But she did proudly tell her Mom, "I rode the big board Mommy!"

The cruddy part of the day was when I got stung by a Portuguese Man o'War. It was just a small guy put he stung pretty good, even sent my upper quadracep into a short spasm. Heather laughed. Nice huh?

Here' just a couple random pics from the day. We're slowly weening Ashlyn off the water wings, but not in the ocean.

Jax loves the feel of the water, and the taste of the sand. A post is forthcoming about him.

Super mom!

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-07T17:54:00.010-07:00

I never understood why people say "Happy 4th of July". It's Independence Day, is it not? You don't go around saying "Happy 25th of December" or "Happy 17th of March". It ranks up there with "Merry Xmas" in my book. The most important part of the holiday is missing!

Now that I got that off my chest, we did have a fantastic Saturday celebrating our independence. We started off the day sleeping in, which is always great. Then we were going to all go on a hike with our Abelmann friends, but sleeping kids ruined the plans. So Ashlyn and the dads went.

Goin' on a hike. When did my little girl get so big?

When they got back from hiking, we had a "tea party" and took some pictures of our patriotic-ness.

In the afternoon, we headed over to the Abelmann's place for some swimming and bbqing. The food was soooo scrumptious.

The little boys: Kai Abelmann, Caden Hong, Jaxon Tang

Jason was so proud of his ginormous burger. And yes, it tasted as good as it looked.

Once it started getting dark, we headed upstairs to get ready for the show. They have a fantastic view of Ala Moana Beach Park where the fireworks were being shot off.

Fireworks pictures just never do them justice, do they?

All in all it was a great day, but I think Ashlyn's favorite part was eating ice-cream in her underwear!

Another birthday, another forgetful sibling...

2009-06-30T12:30:00.004-07:00

We won't mention which sibling forgot to call me on my 29th...

But here's a hint:

It begins with a "C" and ends with a "larence".

Since I had to work on my birthday we saved our "festivities" for Saturday and hit up Coldstone Creamery. If you haven't signed up for the birthday club or whatever it is, you should. You get a free "Like It" size ice cream with one mix in. We used the coupon to get Ashlyn her own ice cream and she picked the "pink ice cream" with M&M's mixed in.

Heather and I had a buy one get one free coupon for a "Love it" creation and we even splurged a little and got the waffle bowls. Yummy. Heather chowing the Cookie Mintster.

And here's Ashlyn and I enjoying an afternoon together as a family. I got the Strawberry Blonde for the record.

But of course our family isn't complete with out our little monkey boy. Jax got treated to a nice cup of luke warm water. Lucky boy. Maybe his luck will be better next year.

It's Back!

2009-06-17T12:19:00.005-07:00

We FINALLY got our camera back....just in time for Mom's visit. We sent it in a while back, and had it back for maybe 2 days before it crapped out again. So we sent it in again, and got it back about a week ago. It was working fine, and I was able to get some amazing pictures and video, but then it decided to not be waterproof yet again. So, I sent it in a third time, and Olympus said they would send me a new camera! So, once again we are camera-less. When we get the new one, hopefully this time it will last longer. Time will tell.

Anyway, we have been having a blast having Mom around. The weather has been perfect, and so has the water. Here is Ash and Grandma enjoying a little R&R at Kaimana Beach.

Ashlyn and Jaxon going down a water slide. Do you know any other 7-month-olds that can swim? I don't. Just kidding! Jason just sat them there for a quick pic.

Whoa! Jax looks extra chunky!

Snorkelling at Shark's cove

Of all the times I have snorkeled there, I have never seen a turtle. This time we saw 4!

The beginning of the video is of a baby. There were two swimming around with a bigger one that you will see towards the end. I seriously could have stayed out there with those things all day. They were so beautiful!

Just Because....

2009-06-04T01:13:00.003-07:00

The poop was getting old and nasty to look at....

Ashlyn definitely endorses Nacho Cheesier Doritos.

Beef... it's NOT what's for dinner

2009-05-22T13:32:00.010-07:00

WARNING!

Nasty Picture Below!!!!

Okay, so you can probably see it despite my warning. Oh well.

A couple days ago while changing Jax's diaper Heather told me to come over and look at it. Of course I hesitated, but like the obedient husband I am I came over. Well, here's what I saw. Paper in our boy's poop. Of course that only means one thing, he was grinding on something he shouldn't be. We didn't really want to pick through it to find out what it was, but by evening Heather figured it out. Ashlyn had gotten into some business cards I have and left them out. And of course since Jax is mobile now, he saw the opportunity and took it.

(You took it, and broke a major rule of engagement..what movie?)

Well, as it turns out, he ate half of KHNL's assistant News Director Rich Meiers business card. You can see the "Mei" and part of his phone # in the fecal matter. Yummy.

But here's something to warm your heart and unturn your stomachs, look how cute our kids are!

(And compare this first pic to the one on our sidebar! Yoiks! Jax has grown!)

Boom Boom Pow.

Six Months

2009-05-13T13:04:00.008-07:00

Holy cow! How could my baby boy be 6 months old already?!? Here are the current stats as of Monday, May 11.

Height: 25.5 inches (25-50%)

Weight 18 lbs. 11 oz. (75-90%)

Short and fat...just the way we like 'em

Here is the most recent picture we have. Our "waterproof" camera decided it didn't want to be waterproof anymore...on the day its warranty expired. Arrrghhh!!! It is currently receiving medical attention and will hopefully come home soon. Hopefully Olympus will be nice and repair it as if it was still under warranty. Keep your fingers crossed!

A few of our favorite things

2009-05-07T02:11:00.008-07:00

I'll tell you why we love visitors coming to see us, besides the obvious fact of seeing our friends and family. For one, it gets us out of the house, and two, it helps us realize how nice it is to live in the Islands.

Seriously, living here is not like vacationing here. But when people come it flips a vacation mode on for us, and we appreciate our surroundings more. This month our visitors were Mark and Moe Williams. I'm sure Moe will post something when she settles back home. They stayed with us for three days and two nights, but we only got one full day with them. They were on Maui for most of their vacation. But when they asked us to take them to do our favorite things, it was easy. Lanikai Beach and Castle Beach.

Ashlyn never hesitates to accessorize for beach days.

Kind of looks like Heather left Ash in the middle of the ocean here, but they were pretty close to the shore at Lanikai, and Ashlyn loves her freedom with the water wings.

Lanikai is great because of it's beauty and warm waters, but for a little fun we headed north to Castle beach to do some body boarding. Funnily, after all our trips to the beach, both in California and Hawaii, I think this is the first time I've seen Heather on a board. She crashed into me, as you can see.

It was Mark and Melissa's first time, but they picked it up pretty good.

Plus Heather showcased her new found talent, wave photography. Looks like a huge wave huh? It's actually only about a four foot face though.

Here's a nice little curl, not bad for her first time shooting in the waves.She even got pummeled a few times, but what good ocean photographer doesn't?!
I tried to get a nice little shot here, but Ashlyn's desire to get in the water trumped her desire to please her parents for a picture.

But she still came through for me. My sweet girl.

And boy!

I Love you

2009-04-27T18:39:00.003-07:00

Here is a conversation I just had with Ashlyn:

Heather: Ashlyn, did you know I love you?

Ashlyn: I did

Heather: Do you know what "I love you" means?

Ashlyn: It means you're pretty!

Making Her Daddy Proud

2009-04-22T00:51:00.004-07:00

Tonight I made fish, rice, and green beans for dinner. This is a common meal in the Tang household. Usually Ashlyn will devour her fish, or whatever the night's meat happens to be, eat a few bites of rice, and maybe 1 or 2 bites of the evening's vegetable. Tonight, I was pleasantly surprised. The girl could not get enough of the green stuff! I made extra so Jason would have some to take to work tomorrow, but Ashlyn ate it all!

I wish I could say that I am just that good of a green bean cooker, but all the credit really goes to Susie's terimiso sauce from Sam's Club. Ashlyn will eat anything that sauce touches...including her own hand apparently...

I was even able to use the green beans as a bribe..."if you finish your fish and rice, you can have more green beans!" She ate every bite.

The New Jax

2009-04-12T13:58:00.004-07:00

No matter how cute this guy is, Heather hated his rat nest, mop top. For weeks she's been beggin me to cut it, but I never wanted to. This week, I gave in. So as my stump for legs son sat in his chair, I buzzed it!And look how much better he looks! My wife was right the whole time. Silly me for not listening. Almost five years of marriage, and I still haven't learned.
Add just for fun, at 5:01pm, Heather found this guy in our oven clock. No worries, he's cooked, but still, kind of gross huh? To this day, some of his ligaments are still there.

Our Troublemakers

2009-03-28T19:09:00.003-07:00

Well, you might think all we do is vacation while we live it up in the Islands, but we do normal life activities as well. Since Nancy and Dad have left I thought I'd give you a video update of the new milestones our "Troublemakers" have reached since D & N's departure.

Jaxon now eats rice cereal, and Ashlyn is a computer game freak.

Ashlyn loves her computer games so much that to end her prayer once, instead of saying

"In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen,"

She said

"PBSkids.org, Amen"

Oh dear... Are we bad parents?

The Adventure's Final Day

2009-03-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 13th

Despite it being a superstitious day for some, for others like ourselves, it was a beautiful one! And there's no better beach to hit up than Lanikai beach. Does anyone see ANYthing wrong with this picture besides the fact there are no waves though?

Let's just say, a good old 'zoom in' took care of the problem. Please don't make me point it out...We also went to Pali lookout, but that's for Nancy to post, I'm getting tired of daily posts and searching through literally hundreds of pictures. But here's a nice one that Heather took. I think it's a hibiscus, but I don't know my flowers very well. A good sign of manliness if you ask me. As you saw in the previous post, Dad got some good color (aka a burn) on his face, so he did what any responsible adult would do. Make sure it didn't happen again. Too bad the same couldn't be said for his body and arms.
A dog walking on the beach all of a sudden decided to park himself right next to Ashlyn, she was delighted as you can see. Nobody really swam except for Ashlyn and I, but we did bust out the horse shoes. It's one of Dad's favorite games. Unfortunately for him, he came up short against a superior opponent.Can't beat the setting though huh?Even the girls got in on the action, after we moved the line up about 10 feet! Heather even threw a double ringer! Too bad Nancy killed her the rest of the way. No pictures of Nancy you say? Well, that's on purpose. Just wait for her post, I wouldn't want to steal "all the good pictures." Haha!After spending most of the day at Lanikai, we had to hit up Waikiki, just to say they went. It wasn't the best day there, but we did take some pics. Here's dad spotting a great pic with his photographer eye.And there's no better way to end a trip than by going to McDonald's Ashlyn loves her McChicken sandwich... but not the bread... and I love the price. $1!! Alright!
Suffice it to say we had a fabulous trip with Dad and Nancy, lots of great memories, lots of great food, lots of great pictures, and lots of great laughs. However, I'm sorry to say, I will most likely never do a daily post for every day a visitor is here. It's too much I tell you! Stay tuned for Nancy's post though! It ought to be a good one! :)

The Hawaiian Adventures of Dad & Nancy - Day 11

2009-03-25T11:38:00.009-07:00

Thursday, March 12

Whoops, slacked a little bit with my daily posting... Let us continue. On their 2nd to last day in the Islands, the sun finally came out... on the leeward side anyways, it was still wet and rainy on the windward side though. So knowing the weather, we hopped in the car and drove to Ko Olina resort to do the beach thing on one of their four man made lagoons. It was nice to have warmth... plus it helped Dad and Nance get the best souvenir ever -- a sunburn!

It was a cloudy, sunny, cloudy, sunny for a good part of the morning so we started out by just laying in the sand. Ash and Nana decided to cover me in it, and then Ashlyn figured why not celebrate while she's got me down.

Our little water baby kept bugging everyone to get in the water with her, but I have rule. I don't get in unless the sun is out in all it's glory. I know, I'm kind of a sissy boy. So to appease the princess, I took her for a ride on the boogie board. However, when I turned around to check her, her face was full of water and sand... whoops, must've been kickin' it up at her while running at an incredible rate of speed!!Well, in the end Ashlyn finally got her wish and I went into the water with her... I think my face tells you if it's cold or not.Dad decided to get in on the action too, and came with us on round number two. It's pretty easy to tell who's the tourist and who's the guy who lives here. They don't call me the chocolate one for nothing. Nice board shorts for Dad though huh? Soon after Ashlyn, it was time for the ladies to hit the water. The lagoons aren't the greatest place to snorkel, not a whole ton of fish, but there are some. Like this one here! A Nancy fish!
Even Dad tried snorkeling, Ko Olina is definitely a good place for beginners since you can touch the bottom, and the lagoon is quite protected... which is probably why there aren't a lot of fish, it's not easy to get in or out!Being sunny also had it's cons. We now had to build a little shelter for Jax so he wouldn't get burnt. You can't tell, but he's pretty much lying underneath a beach lounger with body boards surrounding him to give him shade. Ashlyn is a good big sister.But a water baby can only stay on dry land so long, soon she dragged her Ye-Ye off into the water again. Dad was more than willing to oblige his grand daughter. And this is what I ended up doing. It's not fake either, Nancy thought it might be when she took the picture, but then she saw the drool... haha.
You might think I'm trying to show you our lovely dinner here, but nay, check out the color on the faces of Dad and Nana. Mission accomplished!

But speaking of dinner we had a pretty good one. (A la Kevin.. here is a picture of the food) Instead of going out to eat with the kids, we figured we'd buy a lot of nice things and make food at home! And when you have Terry T. Tang at your disposal in the kitchen, that's never a bad idea! For dinner we had Basil pasta, tri-tip steak, asparagus, salmon, prawns and for dessert a chocolate haupia pie! It was delectable.

The final day is tomorrow! Stay tuned, and thanks for your patience!

The Hawaiian Adventures of Dad & Nancy - Day 9 & 10

2009-03-24T02:31:00.000-07:00

Tuesday & Wednesday, March 10th & 11th

Hang on to your knickers... this one is going to be longer. So we went to Hilo on the Big Island to check this out!

We went for two full days and one night, and it was a jammed packed trip. We left on Tuesday morning, took the 50 min flight to Hilo and started sight seeing right away. It wasn't a pretty day, it fact it was down right pouring. Our first stop of the day was at Akaka falls. Kind of reminded me of my first childhood trip to Mt. Rushmore where it was so foggy we didn't see a thing!This is what it's supposed to look like
We only had two umbrellas with us, so whoever was holding a child got to hold it. Heather obviously got one with Jax and Dad and Nancy split on the way there and back. I just got wet. It's okay, they don't call me the MAN for nothing. Or was that, I don't call myself the MAN for nothing... oh well, that's not important.After Akaka falls we went to Rainbow falls. It was more like septic tank falls though. Still cool though.And again, this is what it's supposed to look like:
After that we saw what led up to Rainbow falls, and then went to the local grocery store to pick up some supplies. We then headed southeast to Pahoa where we stayed in a vacation rental called Hawaiian Retreat. We quickly dropped off our stuff and jumped back in the car... oh wait, here's our car! Sexy... I know.But our last stop of the day was Ahalanui Warm Springs where the water is naturally heated by the volcano. It was quite nice... Plus, Dad went swimming?! Yup, here he is.. can you tell he hasn't gotten sun yet?
Poor Ash was so tired, we put her in her car seat to head back and she was gone, cracker in hand and all.

When we got back to our place we whipped up a hearty meal of Kalbi, veggies and pan fried potatoes. It hit the spot.Here's where we stayed, it was really nice, and not much more expensive than a hotel room would've cost. But instead of a room, we had almost 1700 square feet to hang out in. It's just too bad we all crashed really early.
After a good night's sleep, we got up relatively early, made breakfast, did a little lounging, but decided to get out early so we could spend the day at Volcanoes National Park. Oh, but have you ever seen a shower set up like this? No need for a fan I guess... hopefully there weren't any "fans" either!

Oh yeah, and have you ever seen chickens in the trees? Well, they were at the Hawaiian Retreat... I even found a rooster in the van after I left the door open while loading!So off we went again, but first a quick stop at the Lava Tree State Park. Trees here are covered in Lava, and it's kinda cool I guess.But finally, we made it the place where we had planned for a couple months. You can't really tell, but that's a lot of sulphur dioxide being spewed out of Kilauea behind us. You couldn't go any closer though, for safety reasons. In fact Rangers told us people used to pass out from being too close, so finally they just closed the roads. Silly tourists.

It's kind of one of those trips that you can't really show in pictures or blog posts, you kind of just have to go. But we had a lot of fun, Ashlyn kept us entertained.Since the road around Kilauea was closed, we had more time on our hands than we thought, so we hiked through Thurston Lava Tube. It's a tunnel like path where the lava used to flow through. Hmmm.. didn't import a picture, guess Nancy will do that :) but here's us on the trail! (Couldn't of been that hard if we're wearing slippers/flip flops though!)
We drove down the entire chain of craters road and at the end saw the Holei Sea Arch.However, time was going fast and we still needed to make one last stop, to see the Lava enter the ocean. It wasn't as cool as we thought it was going to be, but it was still fun.We had to hike over lava rocks, and Ashlyn was on my back while Heather toughed it out with the chubby guy. You can see pretty clearly where the lava is hitting the water.We couldn't get as close as we wanted, but the real show began when the sun started to set.

However, because we had to catch our flight back to Honolulu, we couldn't stay as late as we wanted! But it was still a sight worth seeing, it's just too bad we couldn't get closer! But before we knew it, it was time to fly back to Oahu. It was a memorable trip though. I'm sure NANCY is planning to update her blog soon with more too.... :)

The Hawaiian Adventures of Dad & Nancy - Day 8

2009-03-22T13:57:00.005-07:00

Monday, March 9th

Goodbye SUNday and hello Monday... or Mundane-Day is more like it. Despite the rainy weather, we were running out of days on our schedule, so we decided to forge ahead and hit up the North Shore. We only have five seats in the car, so Heather and I shared the front seat anytime we all went out. Comfy Huh?

Our first stop of the day was Laie point. The hole in the rock is relatively recent, during a big storm, a wave blew the hole out all at once. The picture does not show what we experienced - heavy rains, and choppy waves. It was still cool though, it was our first time checking out the point.

While up North, we met up with Peggy. I don't know her last name, so I will call her Auntie Peggy. She knew Mom and Dad's family when in Hong Kong. She works at the library in Kahuku.Since it was so rainy and the conditions were poor, we decided to forget the body boarding and just do a car tour of the North Shore. Here's sunset beach, and the weather sure didn't detour our favorite Japanese tourists!

After Sunset Beach, it was over to Laniakea Beach where Sea Turtles come to lounge. There's never been a time that we've been there where turtles weren't lounging away. Plus the sun also broke through for about an hour, and that's when most pictures were taken.

Ashlyn also wanted to put her foot in the water, so Dad took her, but before he knew it a big wave came and hit them. It was funny, nice timing with the picture Nance!
Back to the turtles, here's one, but check out what Dad and Ashlyn are doing. They're building sand castles. So while everyone is looking at turtles, Dad and Ash are over them.

A moment of reflection for Father and Daughter. A classic Asian pose by Dad too.

Next up was shave ice at Matsumoto's. You can't beat the Guava, Mango and Lilikoi combination! Trust me. It's good!
One problem with Haleiwa though... not many bathrooms around. So we made our own. Ashlyn is "feeding" the bushes, not me though can't really see her. Nice. It'll be big and strong the next time we see it!

Business taken care of. Time to go. So it was a fun day, but the weather did change our original plans, but what can you do.
Tomorrow we fly to Hilo on the Big Island! It was something new for us too! Because for all our past visitors who read this blog, I'm sure many of these days are very familiar to the ones we took you on when you came! The next couple days will be brand new though!

The Hawaiian Adventures of Dad & Nancy - Day 7

2009-03-21T13:48:00.007-07:00

Sunday, March 8th

Go figure, our first sunny day is on SUNday. There would be no beach going though, but before we had 1pm church, we decided to hit up historic Pearl Harbor. It wasn't a super busy day, but we just happened to go when about 4 tour buses dropped off their load. Oh well, we got in and still made it to church which is all that matters. Here's the gang in front of the anchor from the USS Arizona. Not the greatest framed pic, but as you can see, the real photogs aren't behind the camera.

I've decided to not show as many of the "touristy" pics so Nancy has some things to post about, so instead I'll show pictures of the best looking people in the world! Haha! JK. Seriously though, I love when Ashlyn puts her arm around my neck and hugs for a picture. That's my daddy's girl.And here's my hot wife with our big boy. I know, I know, how did I get her... I've heard it a thousand times. This is a picture from the boat taxi that takes you to the Memorial. I thought it was a very nice picture done by T-Cubed. But when you're a professional photog, you better be good.

And here's the memorial as we motored away. Always a somber and reflective time there, Nancy will have more details I'm sure... right?Check out these tourists. Oh wait, that's Nance and He-May, i'm not sure what they're taking pictures of, probably palm trees or something. If that's the case, I can guarantee you this, we have hundreds of the same picture on our hard drive. After the memorial we went to the submarine graveyard to pay hommage to the greatest submarine in the fleet - The USS Tang. Sadly, it was named after the fishies instead of the Family. But nobody needs to remember that...
After Pearl Harbor we went to church, and then had a scrumptious turkey dinner with the Nitahara's... and this time, Andrew, we didn't start an oven fire!

Finally, this has nothing to do with our "vacation" but aren't these guys so cute!!

A rainy excursion to the North Shore is next on the intinerary!

The Hawaiian Adventures of Dad & Nancy - Day 5 & 6

2009-03-20T03:16:00.006-07:00

Friday, March 6th

Forget Denny's, this is the only breakfast you'll need. The Spam Musubi. You always know it's going to be a good day when these bad boys welcome you in! What a treat for Dad & Nancy! :) They actually thought it was pretty good... I love them.

That morning Ashlyn also showed how small she is. She can fit inside a baby wipes box from Costco. But I won't complain about her smallness. Because today we hiked Diamond Head Crater!Which meant I had to carry Ash on my back, but she wasn't too heavy, and she actually enjoys being up there. Thanks to Andrew and Liew for lending us their front carrier which was much nicer than the one we have, it saved Heather as she carried the "chubby guy" as Ashlyn calls Jax. The trails were definitely not hard, but they weren't stroller friendly. The hardest part is climbing the almost 300 steps that are seemingly at a 60 degree angle!

The view from the top is pretty nice too, it gives you a nice profile shot of Waikiki as represented here by Dad and Nancy.Plus, you can see Diamond Head Lighthouse, and for Dad thats always a plus!Here's T-Cubed pointing at Koko head. Nice pose Dad. Of course he was playing around. And what better way to end a morning of hiking than by going to Leonard's bakery for malasadas. They're so good, very eggy and light... but they're still deep fried and can't be very good for you. Oh well, you only live once!

That evening D & N also came to the studios to see me do the 10pm news, our digs are much nicer than the one they saw in GJ, so they were impressed.

Saturday was my first day of vacation, but it rained pretty good, so we didn't do much. Well, we made trips to Costco which took half the day, and also perused Don Quiote. So we don't have any Saturday pics... but we did do Pearl Harbor on Sunday before Church. That is coming up next!

The Hawaiian Adventures of Dad & Nancy - Day 4

2009-03-19T03:18:00.006-07:00

Thursday, March 5th

Today we decided to go on a hike. Rain or shine, we were going. Luckily it was a very pleasant day to walk to Makapuu lighthouse. But first we stopped at the Halona Blowhole where we hoped to see a whale there, but there was none.I guess it wasn't really hiking since three strollers did accompany us on our stroll! We had Jaxon and Ashlyn in two strollers, while Mahele Nitahara, our neighbor and good friend, came with her youngest daughter Kiera.

If you've seen the movie 50 First Dates, this is the lighthouse that's in one of the scenes, it's also has the largest head lamp in the U.S. I believe. Dad loves lighthouses which is one of the reasons why we went.

Here's the gang at the top, it's less than a two mile loop, so it wasn't too bad. I'll let NANCY post some pictures of what the views look like since on her blog today, she was trying to cheat her way out of making any Hawaii posts and just referring her loyal readers to me. Punk face.

On the way down, Nancy and Mahele cruised there way to the bottom, while Dad, Heather and I stopped at one of the whale lookout points... and wouldn't you know...
It was far away, but with your naked eye you could see it pretty good. This is a humpback whale doing a pectoral slap. We also saw his tail slap, but never got a picture of it.

This is Mr. Whale blowing out water. Let me tell you what, if this whale was the Gospel, then everyone would know the message because Heather May literally shouted from the mountain tops, telling everyone she saw there were whales. It was quite funny to see, because that's very out of character for her. She was excited nonetheless and it probably made her year.

I then had to go to work, but Ashlyn got some bubble time in, and the three monkeys also took the young ones on a beach walk. But that's for NANCY to post. Aloha Friday and another hike coming up after the sunrises again!

The Hawaiian Adventures of Dad & Nancy - Day 3

2009-03-18T12:23:00.006-07:00

Wednesday, March 4th

We were going to do a hike today, but the weather was ominous so we went with plan B. We didn't do much that was super photo worthy though. It started off with a drive up to Tantalus lookout point. You can pretty much see all the south shore from this spot.

It was obviously windy and cloudy up there. Diamond Head crater is in the background of the picture above. Heather didn't come with us, electing to stay home and let Jaxon get some sleep from a long day at the PCC.

Here's a zoomed in shot Dad took of the Ala Moana area which we live. If you see the building with the roof that looks like white triangles (it's the Hawaii Convention Center) and you go all the way to the right of the photo. We live right behind that building!

and here's just one of the many creatures from the insect world which we live with. Unfortunately, the cockroach is the most common one!

After that we just went to Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, then I had to go to work. Heather took Nancy and Dad and the kids to Ross later where they picked up a sweet swimsuit for my dad. We'll reveal it on a later day!
Heather then made up some dinner with her super helper, and they watched me on the news all night long.... yeah right. They didn't even watch me everyday! Oh well.

Day #4 coming up next!

The Hawaiian Adventures of Dad & Nancy - Day 1 & 2

2009-03-17T14:22:00.008-07:00

Dad and Nancy flew in on to Honolulu on Monday, March 2nd. They pretty much ate dinner and went to bed.

The real adventures began the next day. On Tuesday we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the entire day, but first made a stop at the Macadamia Nut Farm where we sampled all kinds of different flavors of Mac Nuts, and even cracked a few open with a rock.

At the PCC we were lucky enough to get passes for all of us to the villages and the night show, not the Luau though, we had our own little Luau at McDonald's across the parking lot. Ashlyn really wanted to ride on the canoe, so off Nancy and Dad went while Jason and Heather took pictures and walked with Jaxon.

While visiting the different villages, we played a spear throwing game at the Isle Kingdom of Tonga. Nancy's form looks good here, but her spear was way off. :) Can you see the spear in the pic?

Dad got it into the circle, but the photo shows an obvious foot foul. After two practice throws T-Cubed even tried to win a prize. In the end, he came out one dollar poorer.

And here's where Jax stayed the entire day, poor guy, nobody wanted to break their back holding him.

It rained for part of the day, but it didn't damper our fun. We had a fun and long day at the PCC!

Day#3 Coming up tomorrow!

And He Grew a Little Bigger...

2009-03-14T01:18:00.003-07:00

Jaxon had his 4-month check up on Monday, March 9. He is currently 17 lbs 2 oz and 25 Inches tall. His Dr. actually told me to start him on rice cereal to SLOW DOWN his weight gain!! And here's the kicker. Ashlyn, at 2 1/2, is only 25 lbs. He'll have her beat in no time.

**Stay tuned for an extra-long post about the adventures of Terry and Nancy Tang**

Counting Machine

2009-02-23T17:37:00.002-08:00

Ska Ska Ska...Jamaica Ska

2009-02-16T09:04:00.003-08:00

What Movie?

Back to the Beach!!

We FINALLY went to the beach again for the first time since Jaxon was born. It was such a nice day. Jaxon's first time at the beach went surprisingly well. He only cried for a second when we first put his feet in, and now he's a regular old beach bum.

Baby Bear ABC's

2009-02-06T22:08:00.006-08:00

This video is a few weeks old, but it still makes me laugh. Ashlyn is mixing the book "Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do You See" with "Dr. Seuss' ABC's".

What do you see? I see a lion, and a lollipop, and a kite and a mouse in the moonlight. k? Turn the page.

Big Boy

2009-01-24T00:39:00.004-08:00

Earlier this month Jaxon had his 2 month check-up.
Weight: 13 lbs 4 oz (75-90 percentile)
Length: 23 inches (50 percentile)

The doctor called him the anti-Ashlyn because he is growing so fast. He now weighs about the same that Ashlyn did at 8 months! My boy needs to slow down!

I will say though that he is one of the happiest, smiliest 2 month olds that I've ever seen. Maybe it comes with the size...

More Ashlyn Funnies...

2009-01-21T23:50:00.002-08:00

Two more funny quotes from Ash:

She was watching me on the news with Heather and the story we were doing was about horse polo in Hawaii. Well, Ashlyn saw the horses and said, "I want to ride the horse, I need to jump in the TV!" What a monkey girl.

The other one happened when Heather was singing to her. They were singing "Give Said the Little Stream" and when they finished, Ashlyn asked for it again. Heather had already sung it numerous times in a row and asked her to choose another song. Then Ashlyn said, "How 'bout Give Said the BIG Stream?" Love that girl.

Two going on Thirty...Then realizing she's just two

2009-01-15T13:42:00.002-08:00

Just a couple days ago Ashlyn had another one of her funny moments. This is basically how things went down.

Ashlyn got into Heather's purse, grabbed her credit card, and then proudly exclaimed while showing the card, "Bye-bye, I'm going to California, going to Disneyland, I'll see you later, love you, bye!"

Then as she went to the door (most likely wearing only her panties) we heard the door knob turn a few times. Soon after a small voice came back saying, "I can't open the door, I'm too little."

She did the same thing the other day when she told Heather she was going to the car to go find daddy at work. But this time, she said, "I can't open the door, I'm too whimpy."

Silly Ashlyn.

California Adventures

2009-01-08T19:23:00.024-08:00

Ok, now I realize this should have been done in like 15 different posts, but here is the synopsis of our Christmas vacation.

These first 2 pictures were the Sunday before Christmas of our little cuties in their Christmas outfits my mom got them. Funny story about Ashlyn's shoes: She didn't have any black ones, and white would look ridiculous with this outfit, so we went shopping. She tried on 1 pair, and she was kind of indifferent towards them. Ashlyn then put on this pair and said "that's better!". She refused to try on any other shoes, and would not even take them off to pay for them. She wore them out of the store. It's a good thing they were on sale!

Here we are on the plane. The kiddos did surprisingly well. Jaxon slept the entire time, and Ashlyn, well, let's just say it's a good thing we each had our own little screen. "Happy Feet" kept her occupied until she finally fell asleep.

We arrived in LA around 5am on Christmas Eve. Poor Taylor had to make the trek down to the airport to pick us up. Thanks Tay!

Santa comes to my parent's house every Christmas Eve to bring the little kids presents. We had been trying to warm Ashlyn up to the idea of Santa since before Thanksgiving in preparation for this night. She may not be smiling, but she sure isn't crying. Success!

And Santa brought her a "Dora" movie and dolls!

Jaxon is just happy to be held.

This crown came with her Dora DVD. This girl is so into princesses lately.Christmas morning. We actually had to wake Ashlyn up so she wouldn't miss all the present opening. The poor girl was kept up 'til at least 11 every night, but at least she would sleep in most mornings. Today was no exception.Reading a Disney Princess "look and find" book with G-paJason assuming his usual position

Ashlyn's favorite gifts were the "My Little Ponies" that Grandma got for her. When all was said and done, Jason asked her if she liked Christmas. Ashlyn quickly answered "No! I like my ponies!"

Later Christmas day Mike and Amber came over with their kids. Ashlyn LOVED playing with her cousins. Spencer even let Ashlyn have a turn on his brand new DS!This is my super cute smiley nephew Joshua. He belongs to Brooke and Tami. They came over later Christmas night. He was born on 9/9. Josh and Jax are only 2 months apart. Ashlyn had been talking about riding Grandpa's motorcycle for weeks. We finally took her for a ride on Saturday the 27th, and when I asked her if she liked it she said no. But when I asked her why, her reason was "It's cold outside!" I think we've been in Hawaii too long...Later that night we blessed Jaxon at my parent's home. When I first got Jaxon dressed in his clothes to be blessed in, he spit up all over them. He was absolutely soaked! Luckily, Mrs. Rachel Nichols (formerly Adams) had brought over this super cute suit for him. It was perfect!

The 4 of us right before the blessing. Jaxon may look unhappy here, but he was super good during the blessing.Me with my sweet boy in his sweet suit. Thanks Matt and Rachel! And thanks to Matt and Melissa McIntosh for taking the pictures for us that night!The Adams family...du du du dun *click click*. Bishop Frank made sure everything was done by the book. After most everyone had left, Uncle Tay taught Ashlyn how to jump off the stairs onto pillows. I think she looks like she is playing an air guitar.On Sunday night we had a cookie decorating contest. It was fun to see what kind of shapes people could come up with. We had a sea horse, some palm trees, a guitar......but I'm pretty sure this one was the winner. Tami baked each piece separately before assembling it. Too bad it got eaten before she had a chance to frost it!On Monday we went to Olive Garden with my mom, Amber and kids, Matt and Rachel, and Sarah and Debi Adams. Ashlyn fell asleep on the way, and so we just laid her on the floor where she slept through most of lunch. After lunch we went to Victoria Gardens (sans Adams and Nichols) to ride a train. But first we had to have a quick photo shoot.
Spencer, Ashlyn, Brinley, Staci

Jason modeling Pottery Barn's furniture

Ashlyn did NOT want to get off the train. We literally had to pull her off kicking and screaming. It made us really nervous for how she would react to ...

DISNEYLAND!!

Tuesday, December 30th was our 4th anniversary. What better way to celebrate than with family and friends at the happiest place on earth?
This is one of my favorite pictures. First of all, I love that Ashlyn and my mom are matching. Second, their faces crack me up. They both look so excited!

The Dumbo ride! Princess Ashlyn

We waited in line FOREVER to meet the princesses. Ariel, Jasmine, and Snow White were there. Ashlyn went right up to them and gave big hugs, but she still wouldn't smile. When we left them, she said "I wanna go see Mermaid". Little Stinker.

Jason and Jax on "Small World"

It was all decked out for Christmas. We thought this sign was especially fitting.
The "Bug's Life" 3-D video at California Adventure.

Watching the Electrical Parade. Ashlyn was waving to the people on the floats.

New Year's Eve was spent playing games and eating lots of yummy food. I didn't take a single picture. Sad day.

New Years Day was simply gorgeous. It had warmed up to almost 90! So, we decided to go swimming. Kira and Ryan were the only ones brave enough to jump in the pool though. The rest of us stuck to the hot tub.
Ashlyn loves the water. She even let me take her under a few times! I really want her to be swimming on her own this year. Hopefully she'll be just as brave in the ocean!
Ry-guyJ-Dog and KiKiThe most beautiful backyard in YucaipaPlaying "Hearts" with Brooke and Tami.On Friday we went to the temple with Taylor and Aubree. After we ate lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant Cuca's. It was delicious! Man, I miss that place!Mike and Amber now store their trampoline in my parent's backyard. Since Ashlyn is a little jumping bean, she was in heaven on this thing.My babiesAnd 90% of the time you could find Jason here. Guitar Hero was played way more than any game should be played. Let's just say that we will not be buying any video game system in the near future. However, he was pretty excited to beat a few songs on expert.

Even little Ash tried to get in on the action. Rocker Babe!

Our last night. Ashlyn and Kira were hammin' it up for the camera. Cute cousins!

We were there for a week and a half, but it wasn't long enough. We didn't get to do everything or see everyone we wanted to, but it was still filled with lots of food, fun, friends, and family. Hopefully it won't be too long before we meet again!

Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

2008-12-20T22:43:00.008-08:00

I can't believe we're already five days away from Christmas and we soon welcome in 2009!

Because of some mild scoldings from my oldest brother Clarence, and since I don't want to be hypocritical after calling out my other older brother Andrew for failing to post ANY pictures of his new son, I must correct my folly and update our blog, just a warning, this is going to be a long one! (Sorry Clare, no time to edit video)

It's been quite the adjustment for us to have two kids instead of one. We now have to play man on man defense, and can no longer double team. Sometimes, Heather has to play zone defense when I'm at work, but it looks like she does a good job don't you think?

Right after the Thanksgiving holiday it was time to focus in on Christmas. Without a doubt this is Heather's favorite time of year. She always wants to listen to Christmas music and set up the tree before Turkey Day, but I tell her she can't till after. Seems like we'd be ungrateful Americans to not give the Pilgrims their due respect. (The next two pics are on T-Day)

For those of you who know Adam Rich, don't you think Jax resembles him here in the pic below? You know I love you Adam. And I can assure everyone he is not the father... or the mother.

Our little Jaxon will be 7 weeks on Tuesday and he's growing leaps and bounds.

He's definitely eating more, and is already up to almost 10lbs. This is him on December 18th.

And here he is on the 14th looking all studly in his church threads.

Little Ashlyn is still little, but she's growing so fast. We can hardly believe what a chatter box she is and how quickly she picks up on everything! Almost nothing gets by her, especially if you're trying to sneak some candy or any kind of food for that matter. She'll bust you every time. This is her today downing a giant brownie from Uncle Jared and Auntie Leslie Keo.

We also recently had our ward Christmas party, it was lots of fun and even though we tried to prep Ashlyn for Santa Claus for an entire month, she was still scared of him when she met him. No picture there. Jaxon was pretty good though.

The Nursery and primary did a song together, and it was so crazy to see my little baby on a stage "singing." Where has time gone? That's her good friend and pretty much her sister Kiera Nitahara next to her. They're trouble together.... but so cute.

The Relief Society also sang a carol in Hawaiian. I wish I had video of Heather, or even a picture to show you. I think she just kept mouthing "watermelon" over and over. The Elders did the 12 Days of Christmas Hawaiian style. I was assigned the fifth day and the verse said "On the fifth day of Christmas my bishop gave to me, Five big fat pigs..." So I drew pigs on a poster board and Ashlyn modeled a few of them for me.

I must confess, with 99% surety we won't be sending out Christmas cards. Time just ran away before we knew it, but we are grateful for this time of year. We are so thankful for the Gospel in our lives, thankful for our little family, and thankful for the knowledge that we will be together forever. We miss our beloved mom and "MaMa" but we are comforted to know she's in a better place and we'll see her again.

Here's a quick update on all of us though:

Jason has been working at KHNL news 8 for over a year now. Highlights from work include covering the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, traveling to American Samoa twice, and covering and meeting some of our Olympic stars like Bryan Clay. He loves living in Hawaii though misses his family. His contract ends in October 2009, so we'll see where life takes us next or if we re-sign. His new year's resolution is to be more cardiovascularly fit, and be more patient.

Heather retired from the workforce in September. She's now a bona fied full time mother, functioning on less sleep than humanly possible. She loves spending time with her babies, though she is both sad and excited that they grow up so fast. She loves going on walks 12 months out of the year and taking friends and family to all the beaches on O'ahu. She loves the Aloha state, but is also sad family is an ocean away.

Her new year's resolution is to keep on NOT making resolutions.

Ashlyn is two. Enough said. She's actually very sweet but full of attitude when she wants to be. She is a very smart girl. Her accomplishments this year include getting potty trained and getting her ABC's and 123's down. She loves to sing and dance, and has the calf muscles to prove it. She loves chocolate, dino-sours and meat. Luckily she'll still eat veggies every now and then.

Her new year's resolution is to learn how to swim.

Jaxon is the newest addition to the Tang Ohana. He's our chunky buddy and is pretty much an exact duplicate of what Ashlyn looked like when she was born. He's learning to hold his head up and is starting to smile. He's also learning how to survive an over-loving and sometimes jealous sister.

His new year's resolution is to take his first step to becoming the first Asian American President of the United States.

(He was born on election day, Nov.4th)

On Tuesday we're leaving for California for a nice break, we plan to eat a lot, sleep a little, go to Disneyland and enjoy time with family and friends. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and wish everyone a prosperous and happy 2009!

You Turkey!

2008-11-28T02:31:00.007-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Love, Jason, Heather, Ashlyn & Jaxon

(The title is a classic saying from the one and only Terry Tang)

You know something's wrong when...

2008-11-21T15:28:00.004-08:00

Somebody asks to borrow your wifes' hair dryer and your daughter says,

"That's Daddy's hair dryer!"

And then when you sit down to watch TV and you hold your remote and she says,

"That's Mommy's remote!"

I guess she's just saying what she sees the most.
Dad getting ready for work in the mornings.
And I guess Heather's watching TV the rest of the time.
Wonder what else she's thinking?! We'll keep you posted.

Winnipeg!

2008-11-18T22:31:00.004-08:00

Well, my mom's funeral has come and gone, it's still hard to believe she's really gone.

We all lost some pretty good water weight thanks to the free flowing tears, and expectorated snot, but I'm pretty sure all that weight and more was replaced by the palette blowing invention known as ketchup potato chips!

Bags upon bags were consumed, and it was glorious.

It was so good to see my brothers and sisters, my dad, and extended family. We experienced every emotion together (which is incredible for a family who usually only knows how to laugh and poke fun of things, usually the bum...) and I feel all the closer to them for lifting each other up. I don't have any pictures to post since Heather wanted to keep the camera at home for Jax, but Nancy did email me two, so here they are.

(Above) This is me with my three jackets on. I'm also wearing the touque and scarf Mom H bought for me for a dollar at Old Navy. Not the most "Jason" kind of accessories, but it kept me much warmer.

(It was 85 degrees in Hawaii when I departed, 18 degrees in Winnipeg when I landed)

(Above) Here's little, but big, James Tang, Clarence's youngest of four. He's rockin' a tuxedo Ethan and Isaac wore for our wedding thanks to Mom H again. He looks like he's in the hallway of the David Letterman show ready to strut his stuff as the child prodigy pianist.

I do have video of the trip, I'll be posting some later, but I need to catch up on life before I get working on the blog again. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but can't wait till we're all together again... preferably at a reunion this time around :)

Jaxon's Video Debut

2008-11-07T15:34:00.008-08:00

Jaxon Kyle Tang

2008-11-05T14:57:00.004-08:00

(Sorry Clare, it won't be Jaxon Kyle Amy Zolo Horspool Tang....)

I came home to take a shower and grab my toothbrush, but I wanted to post some pics.
Born: Tuesday, November 4th 2008 @ 9:12pm
Weight: 6lbs, 10oz
Height 20.5 Inches

Ashlyn was a little unsure of him the first time she met him. She pretty much ignored him the first hour, but she soon warmed up to him and liked to point out all his body parts. More later, gotta get back to the hospital!

P.S. Thank you to all our amazing friends, family, and loved ones whose outpouring of love has overwhelmed the entire Tang family. We hope to thank you all individually, but wanted to throw out the safety blanket too. Love you all.

The Circle of Life

2008-11-04T11:38:00.002-08:00

My roller coaster ride continues. With the passing of my mom I will be leaving for Canada soon, but not before I welcome in my new son. Heather will be induced this afternoon so we can be together for a few days before I leave. Pictures in the coming days!

My Mom

2008-11-03T19:33:00.005-08:00

1947-2008

She's the greatest mother a son could ask for. I love you forever.

Thank you for teaching us the Gospel so I know we will be together again.

For those of you who don't know, my mom passed away unexpectedly on Monday, November 3rd 2008 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada while she was visiting her mom. Not much is known on exactly how she died, but it was by natural causes. We weren't ready for her to go home yet, but know that God must've needed her. Our family will be going to Canada for services in the next few days, we appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers.