Brianne’s Visit

We got a little sidetracked with our unpacking, but for good reasons. My sister, brother in law, and my lovely niece came to visit us for the week from Hong Kong. Despite the mess around the house, we loved being able to spend a fun, eventful week together. My mom happened to be in town as well and overlapped with them for a few days, so she was elated to spend time with both her granddaughters in one location.

We didn’t have any real agenda for their trip, as we weren’t sure if Brianne would have jetlag. Fortunately, she adapted to our time zone just fine, and did not suffer even one night of jetlag. It may have been her excitement to see her BFF Bridgette!

We had been preparing Bridgette for Brianne’s visit for some time now, helping her to count down the days on the calendar, making special cards to greet her at the airport, etc. Needless to say, when the day actually came, Bridgette could hardly contain her excitement to greet ‘Je Je’ (chinese for ‘elder sister’, which is what she calls Brianne)

Here, you can see the back of Bridgette running past the barriers at SFO to greet Brianne

Holding hands, the girls enjoy their Bouchon giant macarons at the airport

The girls spent every day and night together, completely inseparable. They played, hugged, kissed, napped together, slept together, and got along miraculously well to all of our amazement. I suppose they finally realized how valuable this time is, considering that they live across the world from each other. Each minute was precious, and they did not want to spend it fighting!

Bridgette gave Brianne her belated birthday gift, and insisted that Brianne needed her help in opening it.

The girls reading to one another at Talbots, Bridgette's favorite toy store in San Mateo

Having a good 'ole time in Hillsdale Mall

Even the rain couldn't dampen their spirits, for it allowed them to use their cute little umbrellas!

Sampling goodies at Costco on a rainy day

The girls had a blast at Costco. They loved sampling all the food. It was really cute to watch them go up to each sample station and ask ‘Is this spicy?’ If the answer was yes, they’d move on to the next one. If the answer was no, they’d stand around waiting patiently to get their samples.

We dined at The Melting Pot, and the girls were in awe of their first fondue experience

The girls enjoying the park, even on a chilly day, with Por Por

Bridgette absolutely LOVES taking goofy pictures.

Enjoying a mini cupcake from Kara's Cupcake after lunch

A froyo break is always necessary, especially Pinkberry! Love how Bridgette is holding her own cup while scooping from Brianne's cup, haha

We also took the girls to one of my favorite tea house, Crown & Crumpet in Ghiradelli Square. They loved being girly girls!

Brianne went right for the sweets from her tea set 🙂

Bridgette did her best to be 'ladylike' for this tea session

They each got to blow out a birthday candle. A belated celebration for Brianne and an early celebration for Bridgette

It was a beautiful day by the pier, and the girls wanted to be by the water

One has got to wonder what's on their little minds at times!

We spent a good hour just watching the girls draw in the sand, throw rocks into the water, and enjoy the tranquility of the afternoon. Sometimes, just watching your children be completely absorbed and focused on a small thing like looking for rocks can really help you slow down and put things into perspective.

They were dressed in nice clothes and boots, and my natural instinct was to not let them go into the sand, but on second thought, why not? Clothes and shoes can easily be washed and is certainly not a reason to pull your children back from exploring the world!