thosecoolkims – Page 9

Wigwam Motel Holiday Lighting and Donut Exchange

When we found out Charles Phoenix, The King of Retro!, was going to host a Holiday Lighting & Donut Exchange at the uber kitschy Wigwam Motel in San Bernadino off Route 66, we knew we had to be there. We stayed at The Wigwam in Holbrook, AZ a few years back on our kitschy southwest road trip and we were dying to see what the one in CA was like, and come on — any event hosted by Charles Phoenix doesn’t take much convincing for us to attend. :)

The Wigwams were in great shape, much nicer than the ones in Holbrook.

But the real sight to behold was the solitary teepee Charles adorned with lights. Here he is counting down before the switch was flipped on!

People took the donut exchange part of the gathering very seriously. There were SO many donuts! Someone even kept the kitsch theme alive by creating an Astro-DONUT Tree (inspired by the Astro Weenie Trees of the era). Boy was it a beauty!

Ruby had a blast – “The teepee has lights on, the teepee has lights on!”

We got to meet Charles, too (he was a fan of our glasses!), but unfortunately my iPhone flash turned everything this ugly green color. :(

All in all, there couldn’t been more of a perfectly fun & festive way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We love Christmas, we love Charles Phoenix, we love kitsch – and we love donuts!

Santa Visit Success!

After two years of terrifying visits with Santa, it seems that Ruby has finally warmed up to Ol’ St. Nick. We’ve been taking her every year to see the Santa Claus at Lil’ Devils Boutique, a super rad shop on Retro Row in Long Beach. It’s casual there, Santa is slightly punk rock with a small tattoo under his eye, and we just like to support small business.

The 1st year was easy … Ruby was just about 5 weeks old. She slept through the whole visit.

Then, at 13 months, Ruby was NOT feeling it.

Last year, at two years old, the visit was equally as terrifying.

But this year, somebody wised up and figured out there’s nothing to be afraid of … and, you can even ask him to bring you something that you want!

I guess it’s all just proof that this little girl is growing up!

Big Girl Bed!

After the very disappointing debacle we had last week (we tried to put together Ruby’s new twin bed to surprise her when she woke up on her birthday — but they sent the wrong parts in the box and it had to be shipped back), her new bed arrived last night and we got to surprise her this morning!

She has been begging for “the Vegetable Bed”, so we happily indulged that request … stuffed broccoli and all! :)

A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF HER GRANDPARENTS! Halmoni, Harabuji, Grandma + Papaw – we couldn’t have done it without your help!

Ruby’s 3rd Birthday!

At long last, here are a few pics of Ruby’s birthday celebration last Saturday. We did a small lunch with just the Grandparents at Goofy’s Kitchen, and boy did the grandparents all have a blast watching the birthday girl interact with all the characters. Then we went back to the house for some cake and ice cream, and Uncle Eric, Auntie Shirley, all the cousins, and Grand-Uncle and Auntie Luke & Grace joined us. It was a super fun day!

Elizabeth and Violet stopped by early to kick off the birthday celebration, and surprised Ruby with her very own princess dress. Our little Snow White couldn’t have been happier.

The crew at Goofy’s Kitchen

Harabuji, Grace, Ed, Ruby, Goofy, Carrie, Papaw, Grandma, Halmoni, Wonil

Special cupcake!

Hi Baloo! (Or is that Briar Bear?)

Ruby’s two birthday cake requests were “Pink” and “Ballerina”. I’m happy to say that I made the birthday girl happy with my creation! More on that (and more pics!) on my Four-Eyed Girlie blog.

Presents! (Yes – you will see Miss Ballerina rocking TWO new ballet outfits!)

Elder Yang (Ed’s Grandma’s best friend) sent this cool Learn-to-Speak-Korean set for ALL of us!

Time with cousins always makes this girl shine!

AND … on Monday, Ruby even got her own special celebration at school!

We just can’t believe that this girl is THREE!

Interview with a Three Year Old

It’s been a big day. Goofy’s Kitchen, Cake + Ice Cream with the fam, and a few spontaneous ballet performances. Ruby Alice Kim is officially three years old. We’re too tired for a full recap right now (pics coming soon, promise.), so we’ll leave you with Ruby’s closing interview as she wraps up her big day turning THREE!