The Mc Chungs

Baby Wang #2 Update

2011-02-01T16:19:00.003-06:00

I wanted to drop a quick update out to those who might still follow our blog...I'm terrible about updating it! We are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Wang #2. 2+ days overdue and counting... The good news is that there is an end in sight (unless we get bumped) as we're scheduled to be induced this Friday. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday morning and went in with the conviction that I wasn't leaving without an induction date. Of course, I got the usual "we don't like to do elective inductions"...my reaction was "I'm not waiting another week and 1 day just for it to be considered non-elective...CHECK THE CALENDAR NOW!" (Vinh can verify this) Since this time around I'm not the niave 1st time Mom figuring doctor knows best...nope, I'm the overdue, over-tired (which I realize will be for quite some time), over-uncomfortable, over-hormonal, over-the-top woman who is trying to feel like she has some control over her own body!! (I know it's a stretch, but the truth) So now we wait for it to either happen naturally between now and Friday or be induced and get the show on the road.

As for Addy, we are continuously watching the "Dora - Big Sister" moody (movie) and Addy official can say sister, but we're still not sold on her understanding the ramifications of that word. We're pretty sure she thinks it involves a big brother monkey named Boots, but we could be totally off on that :) We read her "Big Sister" book every night before she goes to bed in the hopes for another seed planting opportunity, but the book has a puppy in it and that seems to take most of her attention...oh the fun we are about to embarq on!

To top it all off, Thursday is the official Chinese New Year. Ever since joining the Chung family, I've had quite an appreciation for trying to learn and understand the cultural nuances. Chinese New Years is a big deal and the one take away that I've always listened to is the belief that "what happens on Chinese New Years is an indication for what will happen to you all year". (do you know where I'm going with this?) That's right, if this baby decides to come on Chinese New Years...I can't even begin to think about what that would mean...ha/ha!!!

We'll keep you all posted on the arrival of the newest member of the Chung family!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-08T21:43:00.003-06:00

We had a great Christmas! We hosted both the Chung and McCabe families and enjoyed every minute of it. The Chungs kicked it off on Christmas Eve in which Vinh cooked up a feast as usual. We played a fun game with all the kids...Christmas karoke...the kiddos had to sing a Christmas tune in order to pic a gift from the fireplace...of course, the it was the gift of cash :) Vinh's immediate family all stayed over night which has been a tradition over the past 5 years...it's great because Santa brings gifts for everyone and we get to do the whole Christmas morning gift opening together. This year it was kicked off by McKinley & Carter at about 7am! We then opened gifts and then cleaned up! The McCabe Christmas was dinner on Christmas day so my parents, Ross, Molly and the kids joined us that afternoon. Vinh cooked a delicious dinner again and we enjoyed watching the kiddos rip into gifts (whether they had their name on them or not!). It was quite comical...Grandma Jeanie and Grandpa Red went overboard as always so it was complete wrapping paper chaos!! Vinh had gotten a ping pong table and set it up in the basement so everyone enjoyed that over the weekend. Enjoy some pics from our fun-filled weekend (in no particular order)!

35 weeks along...baby's 1st Christmas!
Addy, Isaac, Hudson & Ime getting ready for dinner

Addy's Cozy Coupe from us...I always wanted one as a kid!

Addy's patent leather "squeaky" boots from the Kwan family...she loves the squeak (but it's removable)!

Addy's rocking horse from Ama & Aya - it makes trotting noises, the tail wags, the head goes up and down while neighing (sp?)...quite the horse!!

Christmas morning...Santa brought Addy an art easel which she LOVES!

Our version of Christmas karoke...game for the kids...it was alot of fun!

Addy & McKinley with Auntie Kristina all dressed up!

2010...What A Year It's Been!

2010-12-31T20:57:00.006-06:00

We've had quite a year...lots of changes! We decided to build a new home and little did we know that soon after deciding that we'd find out that we were expecting baby #2. What a rollercoaster that would put us on. As I sit here on New Years Eve (knowing that I will more than likely not make it until the ball drops) I think back to the challenges we faced through trying to sell the house...while raising an active little one and continuing life as we normally would :) In the end everything worked out and we got to live with Vinh's parent for a month, which Addy LOVED!! We are so happy to be settling into the new house now being here for about a month and enjoying the holidays. We hosted the Chung family on Christmas Eve and the McCabe family on Christmas Day. Vinh was in heaven cooking for everyone and we were excited to host our first big events in the house! Today I finally got around to unpacking neutral baby clothes and putting things away in the nursery. As I sat in the rocking chair in the baby's room I was reminded at how excited we are to be adding to our family! I had a doctors appointment yesterday and the doctor wasn't sure if the baby was heads down yet so we got to have another ultrasound. It was such a treat as Addy and Vinh were with me...Addy definitely knows where "baby" is, but it was fun watching her see the baby on the screen! We were able to confirm that the baby is in fact heads down so that was a relief...no worry of having to try to "turn" the baby or possibly plan for a c-section. YEAH! It was fun seeing the baby's pudgy cheeks as well...we never had an ultrasound this far in the pregnancy with Addy so it was fun to see. Thought we'd share some pictures from the past few months as well...

Our 1st Christmas Tree Hunt...Addy loved it!

Addy's favorite hang out spot in the house

Our 1st dinner at the house...Five Guys with the Dorns!

The Office

The Dining Room

The Great Room

The Kitchen

More holiday pictures to come! We hope everyone has a Happy New Year...have a cocktail for me :)

Update on the McChungs!

2010-11-12T09:06:00.005-06:00

Everytime I blog I commit to doing it more often...clearly I'm not living up to that goal! Well here's an update on the McChungs and our adventures over the past few months. First of all, we've been on quite the rollercoaster and I must say, I've got one of the best hubbies who has been a great support to his pregnant hormonal wife throughout the entire thing :) Where to start...

We moved out of our house about 3 weeks ago as it turned out we found amazing people to move in and see a great friendship starting with their family! We feel it all worked out for a reason on both sides. The move out of our house was quite the ordeal as we underestimated just how much "stuff" we really had. We filled up 2 storage units...to the point of pushing things in to get the storage unit door to close :) Off we went our suitcases in hand to live with Vinh's parents in St. Paul. Addy, of course, has been in total heaven getting spoiled rotten by A-Ma & A-Ya at all hours of the day and night! I was most worried about her in this whole transition, but she seems to be doing the best out of all of us!! I've been really busy at work so working long hours and some weekends which has been tough on Baby Wang #2...but he/she keeps reminding me of their presence by being a pretty active "mover-arounder"...at all hours of the night and day! Our motivation has been solely on getting into our new house and starting to finally get settled. It's amazing how unsettling it is to even be in your previous house having to have it "show ready" all the time...the stress was really wearing on us. Now it's just a different type of stress...being anxious the get into our new home and for me to be able to "nest" before Baby Wang #2 comes. Needless to say, that process hasn't been the smoothest up to this point with our new house...there have been multiple delays where I get my hopes up and then something comes up. Again, Vinh has been the rock to keep us all together and ensuring that it will all be worth the wait! I must say, I have to also thank all the family and friends who have been supporting us throughout this process as well...YOU'RE THE BEST!

So now back to the fun stuff...I just had to share this picture of Addy as she loves visiting A-Ma & A-Ya's restaurant. We've been "visiting" coincidentally around dinner time multiple nights out of the week and have been spoiled rotten by A-Ma's cooking...YUMMY! As you can see Addy enjoys helping A-Ya take orders from the customers...

That's all for now. I'll hopefully be able to post some pictures of the new house after we get settled in...keeping our fingers crossed that we close early next week!

MN Zoo Trip w/ The Burds and The Hoffmans

2010-08-15T21:21:00.002-05:00

We headed to the zoo a few weeks ago to meet up with our friends the Burds and the Hoffmans. It was a "beastly" hot day, but Addy was introduced to her first splash pad near the grizzly bear exhibit...and as you'll see below, LOVED it!!

There was no fear looking directly into the spray holes and waiting for the water to gush up into her face...HILARIOUS!

Clearly she was into RUNNING around the splash pad...which was a little scarey for Mom & Dad!

I LOVE THE ZOO!

Happy 1st Birthday Addison Jean!

2010-08-15T21:02:00.005-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday to our little girl...who turned 1 on July 29th! We can't believe how fast the first year flew by...(and we survived) :) Addy enjoyed her favorite pasttimes on her actual birthday...going to Chucky Cheeses and unrolling the toilet paper...both very FUN!

Addy's 1st Birthday Party!

2010-08-15T20:29:00.007-05:00

Of course we were excited to throw Addy her 1st birthday party and much like her 1-month party...her Dad just couldn't resist!! This time the non-resistance party item was a bouncey turtle, which was so large we almost had to put it up in the neighbors yard. Oh and based on the size of the turtle the rental company threw in a snow cone machine to top it off...I'm pretty sure Vinh was drooling the entire time! In between drooling he managed to take over 400 pictures from the day...hence why it's taken me this long to update the blog...I have the attention span of a 1 year old and just picked out a few to share...ENJOY (we sure did!) :)

Will it fit? (Vinh supervising the set-up of Mr. Turtle)

Addy & Daddy enjoying the first bounces...check out the head on Mr. Turtle!

Mr. Turtle was just so kissable!

Addy had a blast bouncing around...literally, she didn't care how many times she fell down and rolled around!

Her favorite position...try this bouncing around!

Pre-birthday cake outfit

Family and friends singing "Happy Birthday"...and Addy just watching us all going..."you guys are crazy"!!

This frosting stuff is merely coincidental as Addy wasn't that interested in eating the cake or frosting...it just "happened" to get all over her! (hence the bath water was blue/green when we quickly washed her off!)

New House Pictures

2010-07-19T20:24:00.006-05:00

Addy & Daddy with the house in the background

Addy loves the big open soccer field that is our backyard!

Here's a pic from the house looking onto the soccer field

Addy admiring the view from the 3rd floor bonus room

Daddy & Addy on the landing to the 3rd floor

Baby Wang #2's room (note the garage backing up to the window...we're already planning for sneakouts...pretty sure Vinh will still have the video montior going when the kids are teenagers!)

Big sister Addy's room

Front of the house...come on in!

Kitchen...Addy standing on "the island"

Daddy & Addy in the greatroom

We're still here!

2010-07-11T21:12:00.003-05:00

I've had a blog update on my "to do list" for quite some time! Instead I live vicariously through all of you, my friends/family, that are regular updaters!! You're an inspiration :) As much as I love the pictures posted...I have to apologize b/c I'm only going to put my posting up and hopefully pictures will soon follow :)

There's so much to catch-up on and of course so little time. Where to start...to add to our craziness of life with selling our current home, building a new home, keeping up with an almost 1 year old, work, school (the list could go on)...we're managing all of this amidst my 24-7 nausea and tiredness...yep, I'm pregnant :) I'm almost done with the first trimester which I'm hoping means the nausea and tiredness will subside. We are REALLY excited about the baby and Addy has absolutely NO idea what's going to be hitting her. She is learning to say "baby" and I think it's clear as mud :) We're due January 30th so Miss Addison will be a whole 18 months! Vinh, of course, has been amazing letting me sleep in and take naps as much as possible...he's such a great Dad & Husband!

The new house is coming along...it seems SO fast at times...but I think that's just because we're patiently (anxiously) awaiting the sale of our current home. We have the electrical walk through on Tuesday and have been in the house quite a few times throughout the process. It's amazing to be able to see where all the plumbing is running through the walls...never thought about that before. With baby on the way it makes me even more anxious to be able to get into the new house some time in November and be able to settle in somewhat before baby comes. Along with that I'm ready to be done keeping a clean house 24-7 in case of a showing...it's amazing just how quickly it gets messy...Addy may have a little something to do with that!

We hope everyone is having a great summer!

Twins Game

2010-05-27T08:31:00.004-05:00

We finally got to our first Twins Game this season in the new stadium! We actually got a 2-for-1 as we got to see the last innings of the prior night's game and then the actual game. We've been hearing from lots of people how great it is to watch baseball outdoors...and we would have to agree. My team at work had our company suite for the night. The suites are amazing (oh and the dessert cart was only the kicker!) as we could get both the outdoor seating feel and indoor space for Ms. Addison to roam and play. Addy LOVED the excitement of the game which made her Dad pretty excited as he's been a life long Twins fan and hoping she follows in his tracks :) We thought of Grandma Jeanie, Great Grandma Connie & Great Grandpa Jack during the game, too...as we knew they were glued to their TVs/Radios watching/listening to their favorite team, too!!

Mother's Day Weekend at Ruttger's

2010-05-19T21:34:00.004-05:00

We had another great year at Ruttger's for Mother's Day weekend. Besides the fact that Vinh got the stomach bug on Friday night, the fact that it snowed enough to cover the ground and cars when we woke up on Saturday, and the fact that I got the stomach bug on Mother's Day...the weekend was a lot of fun relaxing and enjoying being together with great friends! The Quan's, Ruska's, Oejler's, Johnson's, Omang's and Eisenmenger's were able to make it this year. The guys golfed on Saturday afternoon...after the snow had melted...that' true MN dedication!

They had a harpist at the Mother's Day Brunch...Addy loved Grandpa Gary's beard!

It was a great 1st Mother's Day...I can honestly say it's the best job I've ever had :) Addy has been an amazing addition to our family and we are having more and more fun everyday!

Ime's Preschool Graduation

2010-05-19T08:28:00.007-05:00

Our niece Ime graduated from preschool last night. Addy and I were at ECFE class in the same building so we snuck in and caught the last song and the official certificate hand-off. It was SO cute!!!

Meeting Ms. Cecilia!

2010-05-08T17:47:00.003-05:00

We got to meet the newest Roth family addition, Ms. Cecilia Anna! What a cutie she is :) Addy can't wait until she can crawl after her and chase her around. It was amazing to me just how big Addy was compared to CeCe...it seems like just yesterday she was that size. It was so great catching up with Maria and Eric as we don't get to see them as much as we'd like to. They are doing great and are absolute naturals at the whole thing!! We can't wait for our next playdate guys :) Congrats!!

Neighbor love

2010-04-14T22:07:00.009-05:00

I just had to post this adorable moment we caught! We had our neighbors Chad, Kelli and Kennedy over to grill out on Saturday night. Kennedy is 2 years old and loved playing with all of Addy's toys. He's going to be a big brother so it was good practice to see all the baby toys :) Vinh and Chad think we've got quite a pair on our hands...

It's Official...

2010-04-14T21:57:00.006-05:00

Addy is CRAWLING! She just started this past weekend. She's been crawling backwards for a few weeks, but just couldn't get going forward. She's pretty excited about it!

We just started back up with ECFE classes on Tuesday nights. Addy's in class with the 6-12 month olds. We hadn't been in class since she was about 2 months so she's changed a lot in the past 6 months! She is now able to get to all the toys on the mat and we've realized that we have a pretty agressive people person on our hands (we wonder where she gets that from?!)! She loves any toy that any of the other kids are playing with. Any toy her new friend Joey would pick up she was all over snatching it right away!! We just looked at eachother and shook our heads...how do you teach "sharing" to an 8 month old?! Addy loved meeting all her new friends and especially LOVED singing all the songs. Her favorite, by far, is still "Hello Everybody".

Mom's decided that she prefers Tuesday night ECFE class over her Monday night Managerial Accounting class!!

We're Building!

2010-03-29T10:40:00.004-05:00

Where to start?! We've made the big decision (one that I never thought I'd ever do) to build a new home! It was quite the decision for Vinh and I, but after a lot of looking around and talking it over...we decided to go for it. We are building in The Lakes at Maple Grove development with Toll Brothers as our builder. Here's our future home!

We've put our house on the market...I'm pretty sure it's never been as clean as it is right now! (and will hopefully stay that way untill we sell) We are sad at the idea of leaving our current neighborhood as we love all of our neighbors. The good news is that we've already met some of our future neighbors and we're all at about the same stages in our lives with young families so that will be fun! The kicker in the whole deal is that we've already been invited to a neighborhood happy hour...SERIOUSLY...do they just know me so well already or what?! :) It seems like a pretty tight-knit neighborood so we're excited about that.

We had our first selection meeting this week which was SO MUCH FUN! In a matter of 3 hours we selected floorings (carpet, tile, hardwood...you name it) all the way to backsplash tiling detail...thanks to our designer Kim for all her great insight and help!! Of course, we're not done yet...next on the list is plumbing and lighting selections. I've enjoyed guessing which selelctions Vinh would choose throughout the process...the great thing is that we have mostly agreed...which I've heard isn't always the case :)

To the Zoo!

2010-03-28T21:16:00.002-05:00

Addy got Vinh a family pass to the Minnesota Zoo for his birthday. This weekend was our first chance to try it out! Both Vinh and I couldn't remember the last time we'd been to the zoo so it was fun to experience it all again. It was a beautiful day so we enjoyed the quality outdoor time we got, too! Addy was more interested in the people than the animals for the most part, but did really enjoy the fish. All in all it was a great afternoon and we look forward to going back again!

Addy & Mommy in the Tropics

Addy loving Mr. Bear!

Addy & Daddy checking out all the amazing fish...Addy thought she just might catch them with her own hands!

Future Olympic Curlers!

2010-02-23T22:03:00.004-06:00

5th Annual McChung Bonspiel

2010-02-23T21:23:00.003-06:00

The 5th Annual McChung Bonspiel had an Olympic theme this year! In fact, Vinh opened the spiel with an oh so inspirational speech that the winning team would receive a bid to the 2014 Olympic games!! Each team represented an "unrepresented" country with team Fiji taking the bonspiel...and of course the traveling trophy! All in all everyone had a great time...including the losing teams that had to grace us with their mad karoke skills...

Team Yemen (Novotny's) bringing down the house with a rendition that was quite memorable...they come from a land down under!!

Grandpa Jack and Mom led us in the "Grand Ole Game" song...after Grandpa explained that he has led that same song many times over in years past...only usually after a "few hookers"! This of course led to a crowd of laughs...ending with Grandpa explaining that "hookers" actually meant drinks :)

Here's the crew after another successful bonspiel...it's amazing how tired the day makes all of us!!

New this year was the McChung daycare for the bonspiel...Grandma Jeanie had her hands full with Addy and her friend Xavier Haffley. The kids enjoyed their playtime and naps...like mother like daughter...I remember basically growing up at the curling club :)

Addy's 6 Months Old

2010-01-31T19:42:00.006-06:00

We can't believe our little girl is 6 months old already. We've looked at each other multiple times this weekend saying just that! Addy had her 6 month appointment last Thursday and was a trooper. She weighed in at 17 lbs and 26 1/2 inches long. Both measurements land her in the 75th percentile...'atta girl! She got 5 shots too...not so cool :( She was able to get the seasonal flu and H1N1 shots, too now that she's 6 months old.

Of course, I save up all my questions that I want the doctor to answer in my favor so that it convinces Vinh of it :) The first being SLEEP!! Addy has turned into not the best sleeper over the last month or so waking up multiple times during the night and still being fed once in the middle of the night. Dr. Swann assured us that she was now big enough to sleep through the night without getting up to be fed...WHOO HOOO! Vinh proceeded to ask how we should go about getting her to sleep through the night (I didn't even have to prod him to ask that...). The answer was to let her cry it out. That wasn't what Vinh wanted to hear, but I knew it would be the answer and I knew Addy would survive :) She has done just that and become a better sleeper in just the past few nights...in case you're wondering...Vinh has survived, too! We are all happier and healthier because of it :)

The other questions involved eating...Addy's doing really well in that area. Vinh's continued his cooking skills and become a baby food connoisseur...Addy loves it! (and so do I)

Our Little Ruffle-butt Girls

2010-01-25T20:02:00.008-06:00

Addy had her first swimming lesson on Sunday with her friends Julia Omang and Ella Hoffman! They all had the cutest little swim suits...ruffle-butts and all. Adds loved the water and was all about kicking her little legs to get around. Mom was even brave enough to dunk her twice. There were no tears just AWE after coming up. The girls had a blast. Ella was really good at blowing bubbles in the water, but decided to drink the pool in the mean time...unfortunately she preceeded to throw up all over her Mom...poor little girl :( That meant swim lessons were OVER as we had to clear the pool so they could clean it!! Juls was so bummed..."mo simming, mo simming"!

Juls & Adds while singing "Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall..." (seriously couldn't remember the words!)

Beth & Juls enjoying the water

Adds on the look-out

(note "objects under water may appear larger than they are"...it was just as exciting for Beth and I to find ourselves in swimsuits...thankfully without ruffle-butts)

We are learning that Addy is an avid observer of all her surroundings. I'm always amazed at how she is so intent on watching everything that is going on around her. She must get that from her Daddy!!

Can't Get Enough...

2009-12-30T22:48:00.003-06:00

...of those giggles! Addy absolutely gets a kick out of her Daddy :)

A Blessed 2009!

2009-12-30T21:20:00.011-06:00

As we look to ring in 2010 I think back to all the blessings that we received in 2009. Addison has been such a miracle! I thought about putting together a Christmas letter...and that's as far as that got :) So I figured I do some reflecting on our blog.

What a year we've had. From pregnancy classes to the "real deal", it's been an amazing ride! Vinh and I often look at Addy and simply say "can you believe we created this?" :) We have absolutely enjoyed these past months and seeing our family grow.

My maternity leave went by so quickly and we've all adjusted pretty well into the routine of our work week. Addy enjoys going to A-Ya & A-Ma's house during the week all while juggling seeing Uncle Phuong and Aunt Kristina on any given day based on schedules. Our little girl is definitely learning to be flexible as each day is "an adventure". Vinh has coined a new title for himself as "primary caregiver" during the week as he does the pick-ups and drop-offs and everything in between. We feel so blessed to have Addy spending so much time with family!

Vinh is still at the U of MN and I'm still at Navarre. We both enjoy what we do which makes it that much more rewarding. I've taken on additional responsibilities at Navarre and am enjoying the new challenges and learning how to juggle work and family. I know I couldn't possibly do it without Vinh! Vinh continues to run the JO volleyball club that he started, NIVC. The program is in it's fifth year and has three teams. Vinh loves coaching and in this capacity gets to mentor his coaches.

This Christmas was a whole new experience with Addy as a part of it. We wanted to share some of our favorite moments. We were able to celebrate the McCabe Christmas at the farm the weekend before Christmas and then the Chung Christmas on Christmas Eve where we all stayed over at Phuong and Mariah's. Addy was amazed by all the chaos of gift opening and such. Her real interest was in eating the wrapping paper. She got LOTS of fun stuff and of course Vinh had to put it ALL together so basically our living room looks like a Fisher Price Ad :)

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's Official...

2009-11-17T20:28:00.002-06:00

...she's a gigglin' girl now! Daddy loves to make her laugh at any and all opportunities. I enjoy watching :) Addy's growing everyday. It's amazing how I feel like I'm transitioning her closet with new clothes every weekend as she seems to grow out of the size that I just get transitioned to. It's more stressful figuring out what she's going to wear than dressing myself!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T20:12:00.008-06:00

Addy enjoyed her 1st Halloween with a busy weekend! Grandma Jeanie came up and stayed with us and watched Addy on Friday. Addy loves it when Grandma Jeanie comes to visit :) Then on Friday night we headed over to Ross & Molly's to carve pumpkins. The kiddos all had a blast picking out which patterns us parents would try to recreate! Then on Saturday we got the kids all together again to take pictures in their costumes.

Ime (cheerleader), Isaac (Lighting McQueen), Hudson (skunk) and Addy (ladybug)

The ladybug costume seems to be the "hit" for little kids this year as I saw ALOT of them...so just to be a little different Grandma Jeanie coined Addison as not only her "lovebug", but as her "Asian beetle" :) We stayed in (just a little change for us this year...ha/ha!) to hand out candy and enjoyed seeing all the kids from the neighborhood!

Addy LOVES her mobile

2009-10-19T16:24:00.003-05:00

One of Addy's favorite things to do is lay under her mobile and "sing" along with it. Everytime I pull out the camera to catch her "in action" she stops when she sees it...so, this is the best I could do. It's super cute and Mom's got it down that the mobile runs for 4 1/2 minutes...so A LOT can get done in that timeframe :)

Catching up on Laundry...

2009-10-19T16:02:00.004-05:00

Addy LOVES to help with laundry! Folding and putting away...

Daddy & Addy Weekend

2009-10-19T15:52:00.004-05:00

This past weekend Mommy went on a girls weekend to Chicago so Daddy and Addy got lots of quality time together! Daddy made sure to document it all with his phone camera and text Mom updates throughout the weekend :) Dad had a full schedule planned of fun things to do which included lunch dates, a play date with Melena and Gangi, going to work with Dad including going to help him give his golf class final to his students and lastly a day with A-Ma & A-Ya! It was hard for Mom to leave, but just as exciting to get picked up at the airport by Dad & Addy!! Oh and the massive amount of shopping that was done with Sara & Denise helped ease missing Miss Addy :) Thanks to S. Bailey & D for a GREAT weekend! ...and thanks to all of Daddy's "helpers"; Kori, Lamar, Melgaard, Beth & Diane :)

Addy's fav shirt..."the drama starts here"!

Just a lazy Sunday...

2009-10-11T18:47:00.005-05:00

I love Sundays in the Fall...football on in the background and just lazing around the house! Well today we decided to take advantage of all the Minnesota sports action going on TV. Our neighbors had extra tickets for the Twins game, but we opted to stay in and enjoy being home for once!! Of course Addy had to make some appropriate outfit changes for the Vikes and Twins games. We hope you're all enjoying this Sunday as well!

Pink is the Twins REAL color :)

U fo MN Homecoming

2009-10-11T16:07:00.005-05:00

This year homecoming was a little different with Gopher football being back on campus. The homecoming parade and pepfest were held on Friday night. We decided to brave the cold with Addy for the parade as we just had to see Dad's Rec Sports float that he'd been "working on" ALL WEEK!! Addy was bundled in a million layers and snug close to Mom thanks to the Golden Gopher sling that Grandma Jeanie made for us! We lasted just in time to see Dad run by in a referee outfit...too funny...and give us some candy :) We then woke up bright and early and headed back to campus with the Omang's for tailgating and the football game. Addy lasted about an hour at tailgating and then Dad took her to A-Ma & A-Ya's house for some grandparent spoiling while Mom and Dad enjoyed the game!!

Addison's Baptism

2009-10-11T15:35:00.005-05:00

Addison was baptized at our church, St. Joseph the Worker, last Sunday, Oct. 4th. Addy's Godparents are Auntie Molly & Auntie Kristina. We decided to have Addy immersed for her baptism and it was a pretty cool experience. My biggest fear, of course, was that she'd "shat" in the baptismal font...but the good news is, that didn't happen!! She was fast asleep and was rudely awaken by Deacon Kevin when she got dipped three times :) Oh did the tears come!

all the McCabe and Chung grandkids

Big Day!

2009-09-29T22:30:00.004-05:00

Today was a BIG day for Addy...and Mom & Dad! Addy had her 2 month doctor's appointment. Mom was really anxious to see how much she weighed (and more exact then just standing on our bathroom scale with her). Well our "little" girl weighed in at a whopping 12.2 lbs and is now 23 inches long. She's growing growing growing and we couldn't be happier happier happier. She also had to get her first round of shots today. Mom and Dad braced for the worst and we realized that Addy still has cries that we've never heard...I mean an all out red face, hold your breath, SHRILL of a cry is what she let out with the first shot, but quickly regained her composure when comforted by Mom and Dad! She did GREAT and we were SO VERY proud of her...it's amazing how that seems like a whole new sense of being for us :) Just thought we'd share the good news and a little picture of Ms. Addy at the doctor's office after all the great news...as you can see she is just a sweetheart!

Who has the time??

2009-09-16T16:02:00.004-05:00

So I have to apologize it's been SO LONG since I last posted anything! We were without internet for quite a while and thought I was going to DIE. Let's see what have we been doing over the past 8 weeks:

Lunches, lunches, lunches...Addy and I have been going on a lot of lunch dates or having visitors over to the house! Addy does fairly well out and about...she actually prefers being out rather than home with boring ole' Mom, I think :)

BYOB...Bring Your Own Baby Yoga at Blooma yoga studio! Addy and I went with our friends the Mays (Carrie, Addie & Ella). Addy loved all the other babies and dug the stretching. Mom actually got somewhat of a workout as well.

We introduced Addy to our favorite Fall pasttime...Gopher Football! What a treat for her...she experienced her first tailgating and seeing the new TCF Bank Stadium. She loved it!

There have been lots more, but I'll just have to promise that I'll try to do better on postings going forward :)

Everybody Baby "Wang Chung" Tonight!

2009-08-05T20:46:00.005-05:00

We're excited to finally update the blog with our BIG NEWS! Addison Jean decided to "join the party" one week ago today on July 29th. We were induced last Wednesday and after only 8 hours of labor Baby Wang made her grand entrance weighing in at 7 lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long. Both sets of Grandparents were there to be the first to greet Addison.

Obviously being that Addison's already a week old and we hadn't updated the blog yet...you've assumed correctly that we've officially gone back to pullin' all nighters...definitely a different kind of all nighter! Grandma Jeanie has been staying with us and has been a HUGE help!!

All Smiles!

More pictures to follow later when we've had time to organize all 800 of them that Daddy has taken...or as he refers to it...Addison's daily photoshoots!

Grandpa Jack's 84th Birthday

2009-07-28T16:11:00.006-05:00

We enjoyed a day at the races at Canterbury to celebrate Grandpa Jack's 84th birthday. There was a big group of us and everyone had a great time. Of course Vinh and I weren't sure we'd be able to make it, but Baby Wang held out long enough for us to enjoy the day (and then some)! Nobody won big, but everyone had a GREAT time! Thanks to Aunt MaryAnn for setting the whole thing up :)

Grandma, Grandpa and I (& Baby Wang)

Uncle Vinny & Huddy goofing around

Grandpa Red w/ Ike-D & Ms. Ime watching the Horses! (I'm pretty sure Ike-D is teaching Grandpa a little something about how betting works...go for the Exacta!)

Grandpa Jack watching his horse win...Huddy thinking it was pretty fun, too w/ Grandma Jeanie!

Baby Wang's Nursery

2009-07-25T14:07:00.004-05:00

We thought we'd share some pics of Baby Wang's nursery. As you can see we're ALL READY...now we just need the baby :)

Still Waiting!

2009-07-24T13:34:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to give a quick update to Baby Wang's ETA...status is still unknown :) We're scheduled to be induced next Wednesday, but are hoping that Baby Wang decides to come all on his/her own...in the next 5 minutes! Thanks to everyone for thinking about us and we'll keep you posted should we have any "activity" :)

2009-07-14T20:38:00.001-05:00

Test!

Who's REALLY Nesting?

2009-07-06T21:58:00.006-05:00

VINH IS!!! Tonight when I got home Vinh was backing into the driveway with a little surprise...that's right folks, a SHED...because that's what Baby Wang really needs! Actually, what for you ask...for the riding lawn mower that our "huge" yard (ha/ha) needs in order to keep it in tip top shape. According to Vinh it helps to have a father-in-law in the "Nothing Runs Like a Deere" business :) I personally thought...FABULOUS...what 9 month pregnant lady doesn't want to help assemble a shed in order to induce labor?! Time will tell :)

Oh and not only are we building sheds, but we're dog sitting for my in-laws. Daisy is enjoying watching us put the shed together! Also, if you look really close you can see Vinh finished off the patio with a fountain and all...it looks GREAT!

Have we had the baby yet?

2009-07-02T11:12:00.002-05:00

A co-worker shared with me a great way to keep people posted on if we've had the baby yet. So just click on the website below and that will keep you posted :)

http://www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

Wishing everyone a great 4th of July weekend!

McCabe Family Vacation

2009-07-01T10:36:00.006-05:00

This is a little delayed posting, but we enjoyed an extended weekend up north with the McCabe family on Little Winnie in mid-June! We vacationed with the Stenzel's and Mathai families as well so it was a big group. Just thought we'd share some pics of Ross & Molly's cuties...as they are growing up so fast!

"Ms. Ime" (Ime - 4 yrs old) striking a pose!

"Ike-D" (Isaac - 2.5 yrs old) playing hide-and-go-seek!

"Huddy" (Hudson - 6 mos old) just being his ADORABLE self!

Grandma Connie's 83rd B-day!

2009-05-31T21:23:00.006-05:00

We headed down to the farm for one last weekend before Baby Wang enters the world! We got to help celebrate Grandma Connie's 83rd birthday by going out for dinner on Friday night. A bunch of the family met at Northwoods in Mankato for dinner and to hear the live entertainment. Grandma Connie and Grandpa Jack really enjoyed the singers and of course Grandpa Jack sang a long with most of the tunes!

It's amazing to think that Grandma turned 83 and that Grandma and Grandpa have been married for 63 years...and still going strong!!!

I even got Grandpa Jack up to dance...only 6 months after his stroke...no slowing him down!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T21:16:00.010-05:00

We had a productive "nesting" weekend with lots of projects! My Mom and Dad came up to stay with us and of course got put to work. We did find time to play by going to Cantebury Park on Saturday afternoon and the Twins game on Sunday. As for the projects...

Project #1: We are getting things ready in the nursery for Baby Wang. One of the projects we undertook involved recovering a rocking chair and ottoman. Thanks to the Burke's for passing along their rocker and ottoman as they're PERFECT! We (mostly thanks to my Mom's master recovering skills) got the chair done and will soon have the ottoman done!

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Project #2: Vinh and my Dad finished off the brick patio in our backyard...and it looks GREAT! Now we just need to get the patio furniture all put out and the landscaping done and we'll be all set!!

Thanks Grandma Jeanie and Grandpa Red!

2nd Annual McChung's Mother's Day Getaway

2009-05-10T13:51:00.019-05:00

This past weekend was the 2nd Annual McChung's Mother's Day Getaway to Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge! We had a great time golfing, shopping, singing karoke (the Quan's are a MUST hear duo), eating, drinking and just having a great time. We had a group of about 25 this year...kids and all...growing every year. Thanks to everyone for a fantastic weekend!

The Gopher Girls, Jess & I - also Baby Wang's 1st round of golf this season
(Vinh only had to tee up my ball for 6 of the 9 holes I lasted!!)

The Dynamic Mother/Daughter Duo - Michelle & Nina (Happy B-day Nina!)

The Johnson's made it! (Jody, Craig & Colin)

The kids enjoying a movie meanwhile the parents...

Enjoy some adult beverages and playing cards!

Who doesn't golf w/ an iPod & speakers...sing it Phil Collins!

A friendly game of Kubb...a fun lawn game!

The boys redefine the Kubb skill of a balanced throw!

...and finally the amazingly talented Quan duo - Billy & Jen with back-ups from Lane...is Brady covering his ears?!

Getting Started...

2009-04-27T22:02:00.008-05:00

Thanks to Em we are now officially bloggers! We are hoping this site gives you a little glimpse into the journey we are about to embark on...PARENTHOOD...and all the fun that goes with it!!

Again thanks to Em, Ryan & Hattie for a great weekend in DL a few weekends back. Hattie is ADORABLE and we can't wait for Baby Wang to meet her!

How'd I do on my first post Em?!