Cake boss

I made a cake for Selah's birthday. In order to milk it, I used it for her party, monthly picture, and plan on busting it out for future birthdays too. It's pretty with white ranunculas and pink spray roses, and I thought it would look nice on a pretty pink plate. Well, forget the hours of shopping for just the right size/color/shape flowers, time it took to assemble it, and the glue gun burn while adding the final rose. This gal sent the cake sailing and dove for the plate! Have a look...

 Let's see that again...

And again...

 And yet again...

 One more time...

 Okay, one more...

Watch out, Jennie Finch - look at that wind-up! So this girl sent the cake nearly a dozen times, and after each one I had my poor hubby jump in to chase the rolling cake and plop it back on the prettier plate in hopes of getting that "one" shot. You buy them a toy; they want to play with the box. You make them a cake; they're interested in the plate. Nevertheless, I had fun. Selah had a blast. Mr. Woo probably not so much...

Any birthday cake stories to share? ;)
 

A Letter to Princess Tu-Zi Bunny

My dear Sweetie Pie (Mommy's favorite kind of pie),

Has it already been six months since you've made your traumatic entrance into this noisy world, where I can protect you from laptop cords and icky bugs but not your sinful nature nor mine? I remember those painful 28 hours but cherish each day I have at home to take care of and play with you. You look up at me with your almond eyes and sometimes furrowed brows, wanting me to join you on the blanket that once lay beneath me as an infant. I oblige, and you scrunch your nose. You're happy, but I think I might be happier. I'm so happy that I want to document every waking every moment, so I have you sit, or sleep, through various photo shoots which include all sorts of props and outfits. You oblige, and I scrunch my nose.

Let's remember to thank Daddy when he comes home from his grueling day of work. He understands his role as a father and the weighty responsibility that comes with leaving and cleaving. Because of Daddy's diligent work, Mommy can sit next to you on the couch, instead of a babysitter sitting you in front of an "idiot box" known as a TV. With your excellent hearing, you'll look up at the sound of the keys in the lock. And when he walks through the door, you'll give him a ginormous grin, drool dripping down and all, with a squeal of delight. He just might be your favorite, but there's no question that you are Daddy's girl. You won't remember it, but Daddy reads to you often. It's a precious sight. The two of you even go for a stroll to watch the cars, greet the dogs trotting by, and pick up the mail on the way back. You find it funny when he does his sit ups, and oh, how you love the hide-and-seek games.

After all that we've been through, and it sure was quite a bit for both you and me, I'm convinced that there's nothing we can't do - by His grace. If there's anything you learn from Mommy and Daddy I hope that it would be to love the Lord. Rejoice, give thanks, and serve Him, little one. This world will eventually and perpetually let you down, but He remains steadfast. The glorious God who has been so good to us will be the same faithful God in your pilgrimage. Hopefully you'll continue to express the observant, inquisitive spirit that you possess now, in digging through Scripture to find the many gems, but my hope is not in you nor my imperfect parenting. Just as you don't like to be alone, cling to the cross. Just as you babble lengthy conversations, speak Truth. Just as you get excited in your jumper, be glad in each day that the Lord gives you. And just as you look at the front of your hand, the back, and the front again, examine the life you live. May it be for the One who knows the number of hair on your head, crafts each watercolored sunset, and will come again so that every knee will bow.

Here's to however many more years He lets us borrow you. :)

Much love and some sleepless nights,
Mommy

P.S.  Mommy can't believe how darling you look in this picture and can't stop gawking at it.

18-mos and counting

By golly, it's been a whole year and a half already! Time is put into perspective when I see some of our little tykes, who were born around the time that we married, running around the church now. That's kind of like our relationship, I suppose. We've learned to crawl and walk and now we're learning to run with all the changes thrown our way.

So how did we celebrate?

• I started off with Starbucks and completed my last day in my summer school commitment; Mr. Woo graciously chauffeuring me.

• For dinner, we went casually to La Piñata, using a gift card Mr. Woo received the last week of school (they must know how much he likes eating).

• We redefined "You can't have your cake and eat it too" by forgetting to eat our cake. This happened for our one-year too, leaving half of it still in the freezer... Phooey. (The other half was eaten on our one-month.) 

• Then, we revisted the lake(?) where we took our engagement pictures back in 2008. Ah, the memories of the bridge, the autumn leaves, the duckies...

• And we concluded the evening with some lovely talk of how Mr. Woo bearing one hour of shopping should (somehow) equal one hour of us watching anime together. o_O

♡  ♡  ♡

Confession of a wife: Being married for a year and a half now (and, Lord willing, many more years to come!) there are times when I look over at him and have no idea what the man is thinking:

But I'm learning (slower than I'd like) to embrace this new role and to just joyfully submit to his leading:

OH SNAPfish

Gift-giving ideas to the parents don't seem to create uniformity among brides. One bride does this, another does that, and everyone agrees to disagree. Personally, I didn't want to do a formal bouquet presentation, nor did I want to give them something that was not practical. So I decided on pictures.

When I was studying on Bear Territory figuring out what to do to maximize my 3.5 years there, my momma was at home (after a hard day of work) looking at the latest pictures I had uploaded on to their computer or pausing in front of hard-copy pictures that I'd sent to her. That was her way of coping with her child leaving the nest. It hasn't changed much since I started building my own nest with one of the male species who sang out to me.

I did my homework and read up some reviews on various companies to find out who wouldn't mess up my first-ever order. The choice was an easy one. I used Snapfish back when Oprah was doing her free photobook giveaway (another one of those "just because I'm Oprah" events - Thanks, O!) The book took me hours of editing because I was very particular about what I wanted where and how large/small. But in the end, they couldn't wreck free and it was most definitely worth it. It was a hardcover with 20 pages, pictures on front and back cover, text on front and back and spine (I really liked that). The pages are nowhere near the thickness of our flushmount album, but it's definitely thicker than paper I would use to print my essays. Quality of everything was better than I expected, and it was even shipped in a flat cardboard box. (The second time I ordered multiple so it was bubble-wrapped.)

Now on to the visuals!

Front

Back


Inside

Some photographers offer these parent books as an a la cart option for their customers. The books are not the same as the flushmount, but are still quite expensive for what you're receiving. Hence my decision to take the concept and find a solution to come out as the (satisfied) winner, not the (money-) loser.

Note: This decision was made independently from Yong Studio. Never did he pressure us to do/sign anything. He understood our budget situation when we came up with a package to obtain a hi-res DVD of all our pictures edited and this is one of the beneficial outcomes of that.

Would I recommend Snapfish? Yes. (But use coupon codes for discounts!)

For 20% off ALL photobooks, use coupon code BOOKSALE. Offer ends July 26, 2009.

Picture this

Our photographer from Yong Studio has been so wonderful to work with!

First of all, he's very down to earth while being kind and professional (triple-threat, huh?)

Secondly, he and his wife put together a slideshow for us as a gift. (It was beautiful.)

Also, whenever we have any questions or concerns, they respond quickly with answers and/or resolutions. (Hard to find that from many professions.)

And most importantly, we like his work. :)


Mr. Yong, as I like to call him without him knowing, also blogged about his impression of EBCB. Check it out here.



My tips for choosing a photographer:

Choose a photographer...

+ who is professional (note that this is an adjective and not a noun).

+ whose contract is clearly written and can answer all your questions.

+ whom you get along with.

+ whose work that YOU like - not others!

While on the topic of vendors, compare apples to apples.

If you're comparing a package that includes 6 hours coverage / all the pictures on a DVD / and no assistant, verses another package that gives you 8 hours of coverage / 100 prints / and a second photographer, you've got an apple and an orange.

Some photogs use better flush mount albums. Others throw in an assistant at no charge. The best things you can do for yourself is to do your research and ask questions (remind you of school?). Check out Yelp, Project Wedding, other sites that share reviews, and any personal references you might have. They have one shot to catch the Kodak moment, and you have one shot to choose the one to do it. Go get 'em!


***Edit: The grammatical error has been corrected. I was in a rush to get home and feed my hubby and then make it to WEW. :P

Why does he not quit his job?

I'd like to introduce to you our ever-so talented (and humble as he is always willing to serve without banners and streamers) friend, BSLee.

His photography has become quite the sensation here at EBCB. So when we needed someone to take our engagement pictures, it was a no-brainer to go to this brother. Knowing all this, we were still blown away by the images he was able to capture during a couple of hours at the park behind the Safeway on Bayfarm in Alameda.

Here's our favorite:

BSLee: "Cyrus, what shampoo did Jane use? Did she even shower?"

It was so much fun getting paparazzi'd and enjoying the scenery and nice weather. Oh, and good company is always a plus. :) I "heart" you, Fiance!

In the end, we was very impressed by the length that our wonderful photographer would go to get the shots that he did, and for that we are so thankful. Which brings me back to the question: Does he not know how good he is?