Happy 2015!

Oops, 3 weeks late! Is it already mid-January?? I think the holidays along with my parents anniversary wiped me out, and I've been in recovery mode. Here are some photos over the past few weeks.

Snow day at Kidspace! Photo by Joy Cho

This year we've had 4 new babies join our lil' group! (1 not pictured) Photo by Bob Cho

Checking out the new Tomato Pie in South Pasadena

No wait at the Din Tai Fung at South Coast Plaza!

We had a very cool opportunity to film a commercial with the whole family!

Warm days in LA calls for some frozen yogurt at Menchie's! Photo by Bob Cho

Her new trick: "Oh no!" Photo by Bob Cho

Spending the MLK holiday riding ponies and trains. 

She loves her sister so much!

I hope everyone is off to a great start in 2015!

Foodstirs: Brownie Cupcakes

Leah finally got the chance to bake her Foodstirs kit with my mom. She had so much fun and loved every second of it. She has been really into helping Matt and I in the kitchen, so she wanted to be actively involved in every single step. The first kit in our series was the Brownie Cupcakes. They were so delicious! We ate them with a scoop of ice cream, and they didn't last long! We're looking forward to our next box!

Remember you have until 12/31/14 to get $5 off using the code KELLYKRONICLES! Happy baking!

Ice Skating in Pershing Square

We took the metro to Pershing Square in Downtown LA to take Leah ice skating. I was a little nervous about whether she would even go on the ice, but she was fearless! She stepped right onto the ice and didn't fall once! She was done after about 15 minutes.  I don't blame her. It takes a lot of work for those little legs to go around twice! Afterwards, we walked across the street to eat a little snack and sip on some hot chocolate at the Biltmore Hotel. The hotel is so beautiful during the holidays. Such a fun little morning! I highly recommend checking it out if you're in the area!

Cake and Thanksgivings

Photo by Bob Cho

Photo by Bob Cho

Photo by Bob Cho

We decided for Leah's 3rd birthday that we weren't going to throw a big party. Instead, we had a joint playdate with her buddy Cammy {who's 6 days younger} and invited 3 of their closest friends. We held it at Brookside Park in Pasadena where there were plenty of tables and a big playground. We had pizza, a balloon artist, and of course cake. The kids had a lot of fun and didn't seem to notice the lack of a big party.

Unfortunately, Leah ended up falling at the playground and having a clavicle fracture. She took it like a champ and barely complained of any pain after the first day! I'm so proud of her!

On her actual birthday, we had dinner with my parents and enjoyed our favorite ice cream cake! I will try to remember to update with a video of us singing "Happy Birthday" with a crying Ava in the background. ;)

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house. Leah got to make her first gingerbread house, and she was super patient waiting until after dinner to eat the candies! The kids always have a great time playing with each other, and it's also nice to have extra eyes to watch all of them! 

There are so many things I'm thankful for, but this year, I'm most thankful for the addition of Ava into our family and for having two healthy kids. Our family is complete. 

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

Holiday Gift Giving Ideas 2014: Foodstirs

It's that time of the year again! I tend to over think what kind of gifts to give my friends and family because I want them to be fun, meaningful, and useful. I want to share some things I found recently that I think would make great gifts! A couple weeks ago, I attended Club MomMe Family Fall Fest. If you've never heard of it, I encourage you to attend one of their events. There's food, giveaways, fun activities for the kids, and best of all you get to discover so many cool companies. One of those companies that grabbed my attention was Foodstirs.

The past couple months, Leah has been interested in "helping" me cook in the kitchen. I will let her stir the bowl or pour ingredients into the pot, and she loves it. When I saw the Foodstirs table, I knew this would be something fun for our family. Foodstirs is a "food crafting" kit designed for kids 5-12. You can choose an individual kit or subscribe to a monthly series. Each kit provides everything you need to create super cute edible projects like brownie popsicles, gingerbread people, and more! Foodstirs designed these kits to teach cooking skills, encourage kids to expand their palate, and best of all create fun memories. I encourage you to visit their website to learn more!

Foodstirs is giving readers a $5 discount on purchases using the code KELLYKRONICLES through 12/31/2014. Have fun making yummy treats with your kids and get them as gifts for their little friends! I wanted to post photos of Leah making her first recipe, but I wanted to get this post out ASAP so you can take advantage of their kind offer! 

*Photos by Foodstirs. No compensation was received for this post. All opinions are my own.

Anaheim Packing House

We visited Anaheim Packing House for lunch one afternoon after Disneyland. It's such a cool space filled with over 20 merchants. Most of the vendors serve food and desserts, and there was such a big variety that it took me awhile to figure out what to eat! There's coffee, juice, Indian, hot pot, Ramen, Vietnamese, poutine, beer and waffles, custom made popsicles, and so much more! There's indoor and outdoor seating, and there's a mini stage where they play live music on weekends! I will definitely be coming back!

New York 2014

Ava's first flight was a success!

We got invited to our niece's Bat Mitzvah in New York, and we jumped at the opportunity to see family and visit NYC. I have to admit though, pre-kids I would have been so excited and planned our activities and booked reservations at restaurants weeks in advance. This time around, I was a little anxious at the thought of traveling with two kids for the first time. Matt and I made tentative morning and afternoon plans for each day, but did not set anything in stone depending on what family activities might be occurring that day.  Overall, we had such a great time. Leah was so happy to play with her big cousins, and Ava happily let everyone hold her! 

San Diego 2014

We decided to take a family vacation before Leah started preschool, and it would be Ava's first trip away from home. We booked 3 nights at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, and I was excited and nervous all at the same time! Our friends with kids the same ages as Leah and Ava also joined us, so Leah could not stop talking about how she was going on vacation with her friend. 

We booked a junior suite which happened to actually come with a separate living room area. The Del provided a "pack and play" and mini crib for the girls to sleep in. This would be the first time the girls slept in the same room together, and fortunately, it went well! Besides waking up a little earlier than normal, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night to tend to either of them. {I was happy to have them back in their separate rooms once we got home though!} 

Ava's first time in the water! She loved it! 

We pretty much spent all day, everyday at the pool and beach. The kids were having so much fun swimming and playing...

... that they ended up passing out for 2 hours in the funniest positions!

The Del had a cute s'mores roast on the beach where they set up a bonfire and provide the crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. The kids might have had a major sugar high afterwards. :)

While I wouldn't say the trip was relaxing, we had a lot of fun. In particular, it was nice to have another family where the dads could play with the older kids, and the moms could hang back with the babies. Leah still talks about wanting to stay in the hotel and can't wait to take more trips with her buddies!

*this is not a sponsored post. all opinions and words are my own.