blahblahblog 2.0

fun with shoes!

2011-04-04T15:25:00.002-04:00

this was from last year, but i wanted to post, cuz i think its so cute! i love how these two interact. they are going to be TROUBLE as they get older!!

life changes

2010-12-01T17:37:00.005-05:00

two weeks ago, my dear father in law passed away... he was such a warm, loving, patient person and these are the things i've learned from him. i wrote this on the morning of his funeral, in tears, before everyone in our house woke up, and was compelled to read it during the burial.

*******

Dad, thank you for teaching us that the most important thing in the world is to love your family...

Dad, thank you for showing us that watching others be happy is sometimes better than getting what you want...

Dad, thank you for teaching us that pursuing your passion in life may not always make us successful in the worldly sense, but that it WILL leave us fulfilled...

Dad, thank you for showing us how to understand that there are two sides to every story, and that each person deserves to be heard...

Dad, than you for allowing each of us to have some quality time with you before your passing...

You have left your mark on this world with your music, your bloodline, and your unique values.

We will miss you!!!

******

(ryan's drawing)

it will take time to adjust to this loss, and we are really focusing on helping mom to move forward step by step. i get emotional still, but typically it's when i'm alone and driving, and thinking and praying... kids are doing pretty well. Alex can't articulate his thoughts well yet, but i can tell he definitely feels the loss. initially, ryan was very distraught. he totally understood that grandpa was not coming back. but he talks to him at the cemetery, and prays to him (tho i try to teach him that we pray to God only, but he is free to talk to Grandpa). According to him, granpda is in heaven, but also in his head. i love that!

also wanted to update with some changes in our household. mother in law did not need to be in the basement any longer, so we moved her up to Alex's room. There were two beds in there for a while, and I think that helped her initially. Alex liked sleeping near grandma so much that we needed to get creative in helping him adjust to his new room (ie, our old home office). the office moved down to my in laws old bedroom. very spacious, but there is a huge bed in there, as it's also our only guest room. hope that doesn't tempt me to take naps when i need to be getting work done! so, Alex is really into spiderman. we decided to paint and decorate his room with that theme. here is the result:

ryan teaches alex how to brush his teeth

2010-08-30T21:27:00.001-04:00

stepping stones 3 year old program end of year show

2010-06-29T23:12:00.001-04:00

discovery

2010-06-29T23:09:00.002-04:00

ryan: hahahaha, alex! you're naked! i can see your weeeener!
me: ryan, that is his penis. ok? penis.
john/simon: weeeener!
me: ryan, you're a boy, and alex is a boy, and you both have a penis. does mommy have a penis?
ryan: noooo, you're a girl! mommy, you have two butts!
me: what!???
ryan: yeah, one in the back (points to his butt) and one in the front! (points to his groin).

NICE.
i was laughing so hard i lost the opportunity to teach him a new word. tomorrow is a new day!

kids bath remodel

2010-01-30T14:40:00.001-05:00

posted on fb, but wanted to keep it here on my blog as well.

before:

after:2010 GUEST BATH REMODEL

EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES... See More
toilet $ 268.00
plumbing supplies $ 102.82
walls - primer, paint, spackle $ 157.17
faucets $ 136.00
lights $ 19.98
flooring tiles $ 47.20
vanity base (craigslist) $ 160.00
knobs mirrors towelracks $ 278.22
subtotal $1,362.99

ACCESSORIES
cabinet (home goods) $ 70.00
towels, stools, etc (target) $ 144.00
shower curtain (amazon) $ 60.15
subtotal $ 274.15

watching the kiddos really appreciate their own new bathroom --- priceless!

kids say the darndest things

2009-12-07T23:56:00.003-05:00

this was a while ago, but i didn't want to forget...
one day, after dropping ryan off at daycare
ryan: mommy, are you going back home?
me: yes, ryan. i'll be back later to pick you up.
ryan: are you going to play with all my toys?
(ummm, yeah. that's what i do all day)

also.
me: ryan, did you know that alex's full name is alexander?
ryan: oh. is my name ryanzander?
me: LOL! sure! most people have a shorter nickname, but you can have a longer one.

alex has a new stuffed puppy that he loves.
me: alex, what is your doggie's name? sparky? ruffy?
alex: doggie chang (with a look on his face that says "duh mommy")

alex: (after tripping in the snow) i fall down....i can't get up!
simon and i just looked at each other and smirked.

halloween 2009

2009-10-31T21:22:00.001-04:00

ryan's first sleepover

2009-10-01T12:36:00.003-04:00

Ollie came over last weekend - he and Ryan were overdue for a playdate, and Jean and Harold had to go to a wedding, so we did a sleepover! Ollie brought each of them a sleeping bag backpack with a flashlight, water bottle and compass, it was really cute. Our teepee was too small for them to both fit inside lying down, so I found a monster tent (love Target) that was just the right size.

kids playing

boys in their monkey pjs having a nighttime snack of cookies and milk. we learned that ollie likes to dip his cookies in milk, but not actually drink the milk. how cute!

Bedtime! I read them books, and they played with flashlights and glow sticks. Then, I left them there and watched the video monitor. They talked and giggled for almost 2 hours! I was eavesdropping on their conversation - how could two 3 year olds have that much to talk about?? At 10, I went back in and told them they must go to sleep if they want to have time to play in the morning before Ollie has to go home, and they were asleep by 10:30. Around 1am, I heard them talking again, but thankfully, it didn't last long.

I can just see, in a few years, the two of them with their younger brothers camping out in our backyard in a real tent! That will be Daddy's domain. :)

Alex is finally 2!

2009-09-27T23:36:00.005-04:00

party at daycare

with Grandpa (don't they look alike?)

trip to see Thomas, the Really Useful Engine

cake at home.

My dear, sweet, Alex.
You are finally 2 years old! In case we are to ever forget what it was like for you at two years old...

here are some of your favorite things:

"bear" - stuffed lamb that you carry with you everywhere
"blankie" - that i think you need to have only because Ryan has one as his lovie.
your 3 cars - lighting mcqueen, the king, and chick hicks - that you also need to take everywhere. somehow, you are convinced that you can fit all of the above items in your arms at once. (cars is also your favorite movie -- you're lucky, Ryan wasn't even allowed to watch tv, let alone movies, at your age)
ryan - you follow him everywhere!

some milestones:

giving up your "minkie" (pacifier) - I know it's tough, and you cried for it for about a week. Once, you even got mad when you found it under the couch and grandma had to take it from you. But today, you saw one, and said "for baby?" and I was SO PROUD of you!!
speaking in sentences (!)
counting from one to...fourteen. i'm not sure what you have against the number 15, but if you skip it, you're not really counting to twenty.
able to sing twinkle twinkle, and most of ABC.

Sometimes, Alex, you can be stubborn or hard to convince, but I admire your persistence (mostly) and so happy you are able to express your needs. You're such an affectionate child, and I always melt in your hugs, especially when you lay your head on my shoulder. I am so lucky to be your mom! I love you, my cutie!

choked up

2009-09-15T09:57:00.003-04:00

well, today was ryan's first full day of school. and i'll admit, i got a bit choked up. no tears, mind you...just a lump in my throat that you get when you FEEL something...

ryan, of course, couldn't wait to get there and put the check for his extra music class in the yellow mailbox and get on down to his penguin class with miss micky, ashley, and the other kids.

it happened in the carpool line. at this school, nobody, i mean nobody is allowed to walk their kids into their class. we drive the car up to where the director is and let them out there, where she will usher them in the main door. i saw a boy kicking and screaming (he was also screaming yesterday because he was mad at his parents for leaving him), and told ryan that that boy is going to have a hard time being at school and might not be as happy as him. i asked ryan to talk to him and play with him. and i thought...wow, i am asking him to do something so grown up...

so, i'm not sure if that lump in my throat was for the other boy's parent, or because i sent ryan to school...

that's all!

ryan's first day of school

2009-09-14T23:33:00.007-04:00

pre-school, that is.

Ryan: Can Alex come to school too?

Me: Alex is not big enough to go to school yet.

Ryan: But I love him!

A few of my friends and coworkers asked me if Ryan or I cried today. Umm, no. Ryan was so happy to be going to school and has waited all summer for this! (Besides, this boy will go to any stranger who will smile at him and doesn't wonder where mommy went if I leave him at church, gramma's, wherever). If he was excited, why should I cry? I can't believe we were so worried in the spring that he wouldn't be potty trained by Sept, or otherwise not be ready for school. Our little boy is starting to grow up. I was hesitant about this particular school because it's so very different from the type of early childhood philosophy I was trained in. But I do think it might just be exactly what Ryan needs at this stage, especially considering it's only 3 hrs for 2 mornings a week. I'm also glad that he'll be in class with his friend, Ash!

my cutie

2009-09-12T23:52:00.004-04:00

Ryan and Alex have nicknames (that only I call them). Ryan is "my sweetie" and Alex is "my cutie." Gotta think up something else before too long. Can't imagine calling them that when they are 12 and 14!

Alex is just exploding in terms of language development. I really can't believe his 2nd birthday is coming up...I feel like he has been 2 forever! I guess that's what happens when you have an older brother to show you the ropes. Most of the time, I can make out his words and pseudo-sentences, but sometimes...like today...he was running around the house (foyer to living room to kitchen and back around, again, and again, and again) chanting something that sounded like "Thomas na na doo!" I think the only way I will ever figure it out is by watching the Thomas videos. Reminds me of when Ryan used to say "Swiper, no swiping!" and I had no clue until I watched Dora.

Some of his recent phrases:

Yeah, sure
I want it
You bad
Escuse me
I drop it. Uh oh. Eat it?
Dinoco is all mine!

but his favorite... No daddy, no!
For his 2nd birthday, we will have cake with family, and Saturday, just the 4 of us will go up to Strasburg to ride on the REAL Thomas the tank engine courtesy of grandparents. Funny, we're going for Alex's birthday, but he's the only one who doesn't have to have a ticket. I know he's going to be so excited that it will be worth the long drive.

long weekend in NJ/PA

2009-08-06T23:45:00.000-04:00

click on the picture to view a larger version.
sesame place and the please touch museum
July 2009

thanks, grandma & grandpa!

2009-07-22T23:35:00.001-04:00

> Blue crabs!
> Ryan did notice they were no longer blue when cooked. Alex just
> wanted more.
>

2009-07-22T23:22:00.001-04:00

Testing mobile blogging via blogger. Seems easy, but does it work?

go michelle!

2009-07-14T00:22:00.001-04:00

our awesomely talented niece just won 3rd place title in the national dance competitions!!!! to get the title, there is an onstage interview, class critique, and solo dance routine. you go girl! (this picture is from her recital last month).

potty training progress - finally!

2009-07-13T23:17:00.002-04:00

ryan has been wearing underwear off and on, but didn't quite get the concept of asking to go to the potty. i'm all for child led training, but i was starting to get worried thinking about the fact that he will need to be potty trained before preschool starts in september. but i'm happy to say, he's now daytime trained!

i think the thing that did it is the incident that happened one day when i took ryan and alex alone to costco. i said "if you both behave, mommy will buy you a toy!"
as soon as i parked the car and went to get ryan out, he said "mommy, i pee peed" and sure enough, his pants and carseat were all wet. he had just gone to the bathroom before we left the house, so i had a diaper (for alex) which i could have used, but i had no extra pants for him. i did quickly ponder the thought of having him go to costco in just a diaper (we really needed toilet paper), but i'm glad i took them straight back home, telling him, "i'm sorry, but i don't have any extra pants for you, so we have to go back home, and now there will be no time for toy shopping. of course the expected wailing ensued...all the way back home, and for about 30 minutes therehence. (good thing Alex is still too young to understand how he was affected by ryan's accident). but you know what? every single time since then, he knows how to say "mommy, i gotta wee wee" and we even took a successful 3 hr long car ride!
it's been a week and a half, and no accidents! now we just have to work on naps and night time sleeping, but i know we will get there soon.

whew!

say "i love your hair"

2009-07-08T11:59:00.001-04:00

Found this poem from Patty who found it from Trudy...i love it!

I Confess

I stalked her

in the grocery store: her crown

of snowy braids held in place by a great silver clip,

her erect bearing, radiating tenderness,

watching

the way she placed yogurt and avocados in her basket,

beaming peace like the North Star.

I wanted to ask, “What aisle did you find

your serenity in, do you know

how to be married for fifty years or how to live alone,

excuse me for interrupting, but you seem to possess

some knowledge that makes the earth turn and burn on its axis—“

But we don’t request such things from strangers

nowadays. So I said, “I love your hair.”

-Alison Luterman

summer job

2009-07-01T00:51:00.004-04:00

simon taught daniel, our 14 y.o. nephew, how to mow the lawn. this is "the lesson" (doesn't it look like he's teaching him how to do the lawn mower dance?LOL

check out his first attempt...look closely at the randomness of the rows. haha! well, we're proud to say that he is MUCH better and doesn't need to be supervised anymore. don't worry, we aren't violating any child labor laws. he does this willingly, AND he gets paid!

thanks, daniel! hope you get your PSP (or whatever you're saving up for) soon!

simon's bday dinner

2009-06-30T21:22:00.003-04:00

we went with our buddies john and jia to makoto to celebrate simon's birthday. this is jia after a few too many sakes!

the fresh wasabi was so good! i wanted to wrap it up in my bag and take it home, but i think they would have noticed...

conch soup, served inside the conch shell. this was also really yummy. the food was pretty traditional japanese cuisine (actually, i've never had traditional japanese cuisine, but it's what they said :)

look behind us in the picture. can you see how small this restaurant actually is?

ryan's first soccer camp

2009-06-30T21:01:00.007-04:00

ryan at his first soccer camp - complete with british coaches! at first, he was really excited and ran around like crazy. his coach said he was the fastest runner. but after the first 45 minutes of each hour long class, he was pooped and sat the rest of it out... guess we have to work on endurance. the kids' favorite part of each day hands down were water breaks. haha.

this was a great experience for him, and i think we'll do it again next summer. he did learn how to stop the ball with one foot, and dribble - albeit slowly. thanks coach omar and coach dibs!

as a side note...fairfax county has some good rec programs available. ryan and alex are both taking swimming lessons and loving it.

happy birfday to simon

2009-05-30T00:00:00.004-04:00

Hey Simon! Happy birthday! You are now 35 years young.
Here is the restaurant we are going to for your birthday dinner. Hope you like it!
Makoto: http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/restaurants/makoto,792022.html

Editorial Review

Critic Rating:

2007 Fall Dining Guide
By Tom Sietsema
Washington Post Magazine
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007

Tradition -- and excellence -- reign at this intimate Japanese restaurant. At the door, patrons shed their shoes for slippers. At the table, sake is proffered in a small cedar box, the wasabi with your sushi is fresh, and the waitresses tend to their charges as if they were geisha, dabbing the tiniest drop of beer from diners' black marble place mats (and covering the briefcase you park on a free seat with a starched white napkin). To catch the best show, request a place at the wooden counter -- so close to the open kitchen that you feel the heat of the flames every time the chef adds a splash of alcohol to a pan -- and order the eight- to 10-course tasting menu. The edible pageant that follows might embrace mussels in a ginger-y broth, silken tofu dotted with salty plum, crunchy soft-shell crab served with green tea and chili powders, delicate fingers of sushi, an elegant salad of slivered apple, onion and shiso -- plus whatever mushrooms are in season, rosy beef with a light gravy of soy sauce and sake, and sparkling shaved ice flavored with grape and Grand Marnier. The details at this 16-year-old gem are exquisite. When's the last time you saw a cocktail napkin worthy of a frame?

children's voice

2009-05-29T10:56:00.005-04:00

Hey all! I have lots of pictures to upload, but haven't gotten them organized yet. In the meantime, I thought I'd share this. My org has a bimonthly magazine and our picture (you've seen this before, I'm sure, at www.jenniferkimphotography.com) was selected as the cover! It was funny, because this magazine happened to be the one that came out at our National Conf. in late Feb and everyone got a copy in their tote bag. We're famous!

Fortunately, the parent-child visiting issue is not one our family is familiar with (hope nobody sees this and thinks we're actually involved in the child welfare system, hehe).

Here is the link if you are interested in child welfare, foster care, adoption, etc. and want to buy a copy: http://www.cwla.org/pubs/pubs/pV181.jpg

(Jen, I have 3 copies for you, just need to mail them!)

happy boys

2009-05-11T10:40:00.000-04:00

chillin wit my homies

2009-04-25T00:12:00.002-04:00

this was leesburg animal park last weekend with ashley and hannah.
i think alex enjoyed the pony ride the most. kimbap provided by "ashley's mommy"

cherry blossoms 09

2009-04-25T00:05:00.004-04:00

fun times!

i think if you click on the picture, you can view a larger version.

Quick trip to NYC

2009-03-27T23:14:00.009-04:00

A few weekends ago, we went to visit friends in NY/NJ.

First, we went to chinatown where my mom had an appointment with her acupuncturist (who apparently works wonders) and while she was there, the rest of us went to chow down on some dim sum at Golden Unicorn. That was some good eats! And incredibly cheap.

Here we are at Matthew's first birthday bash. Ryan realized there was a mic in the room and sang happy birthday, which was cute, but he wasn't done with that. At first I was slightly embarassed, as it was a pretty formal atmosphere as far as birthday parties go, but he proceeded to sing "amazing grace" very um...soulfully? I was impressed. It was a proud mom moment.

Sunday, we went swimming in the hotel pool where Alex had a blast jumping into the water. He doesn't quite "get" jumping, but he sure does try. Ryan learned to hold his breath with the help of my mom, and is on his way to learning how to swim. (these days, he wears his goggles into the bathtub and insists on putting his face underwater).

After that, we headed to the Shin's for a family playdate. Jean made us a fabulous lunch and the kids got to play outside for a while.

Here's Ryan and Ollie playing hopscotch for the first time.

And a picture of all 4 kiddos!

twinkletwinklebows

2009-03-04T22:55:00.005-05:00

I browse through etsy and marvel at how creative/crafty these people are. I envy that kind of talent. Just today, a good friend of mine started an etsy shop! She has a toddler who kept losing her hair clips, so she had a go at creating them herself, and voila! a business was born!

What little girl doesn't need a barrette to go with every outfit? I've seen these in person and they are very very nice, nicer than store bought hair clips. They stay on well, too. The best part is that they are affordable. Happy shopping!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6995934

snow day!

2009-03-02T23:15:00.001-05:00

we got off work a little early to take the kids sledding. we never knew this giant hill was behind the school until today. they both loved it! think they're ready for whitetail tubing park?

toy wash!

2009-03-02T23:10:00.000-05:00

this kept them entertained for a really long time.

fruit/flowers from american samoa

2009-02-27T01:03:00.003-05:00

tweet!

2009-02-27T00:25:00.002-05:00

changed my blog look, and no, it's not real purty, but everything fits better this way. i want to spruce it up a bit more. also, i added a twitter thingybobber to the left side menu of my blog. i've been spending the last week or so getting acclimated to twitter, and i have to say, it's pretty useful! i was explaining the benefits to my 16 yr old niece, which must mean i really like it. so what do i use it for? of course i've learned so much about social media and it's myriad of uses, abc's lost thoughts and theories, and that gmail was down for 7 hrs (7 hrs!) one night this week, but beyond that, i've used it at conferences. people will "tweet" comments about sessions throughout the day, and it gives the feel of passing notes in class, but everyone sees it at once. next step, tweetdeck, a desktop app so i can manage my tweets. so far, i think i see: socmed/association, parenting, teleworking, and news/entertainment, child welfare/SACWIS as the main categories.

here are some useful links i got from my twitter feeds

AWESOME post about 10 privacy settings every FB user should know. Seriously--I didn't know half of these. http://cli.gs/jLHtqL

"Google + Twitter = Twoogling?" http://tinyurl.com/bnodlw

Congrats, Realtors. You have the fifth most stressful job in America. http://tinyurl.com/b73sn4

"Your Focus: Successful Children or Being a Successful Parent?" http://bit.ly/15b0HZ

so follow me, and i will follow you! @julieohmchang
:)

i want another gadget!

2009-02-10T00:52:00.005-05:00

the kindle recently got a facelift, and i really want one now!

although i love to read, i'm not really a book collector. i usually read my books (averaging 3 or so per month these days) and once i'm done, they sit on my shelf for a few months. then, after i realize they are taking up space, i purge (usually give away to friends who don't mind used books). i will get to test drive the first generation model next week when my boss is in town. i already got to see it, and the screen is amazing. it's really true that you can read it in direct sunlight and it doesn't hurt your eyes.
over time, it will save money, i think. a book costs somewhere between $12-$24, right? and the average cost of a book on kindle is $9? so, in a year or two, it will cost less than...oh whatever, it's way to late at night to do math. (or spell, apparently)
so, i really "need" this device. however, with no special occasion coming up, (valentine's day doesn't count...we don't do gifts, just a meal together, if that).
the closest gift giving day is simon's birthday, but...hm...maybe he'll want one?

ryan turns 3 at chuck e. cheese

2009-02-09T01:48:00.003-05:00

the plan was for ryan's birthday party/gift to be a trip to Great Wolf Lodge in grapevine, tx during my team meeting there the week of his birthday. it's basically an indoor water park with games and arcades all inside of a hotel. plans were canceled because the other child who was planning to come had an unfortunate accident and broke her leg. (she's still healing, but doing fine - what a trooper!) so i hastily put together a birthday party at chuck e. cheese, and it was the easiest party i've ever planned. kids loved it, and all i had to do was bring a cake!

this set of pictures was just too funny, i had to post. alex and grandma meeting chuck e. for the first time...

second time...not so scared, but still wary.

ahh, finally...friends?

microsoft photosynth/inauguration

2009-01-27T15:36:00.002-05:00

have you seen this? it's called The Moment, by CNN using a tool from Microsoft.
what a great example of crowdsourcing!
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/44.president/inauguration/themoment/

where was i at this exact moment? um. at the airport watching it on TV, until they ushered me (picture white gloves in tokyo's subway system) onto the jetway or whatever it's called and said, "you really need to board the plane". well, guess what? we landed in Dallas a full 45 minutes early. sheesh.

happy new administration (and lunar new year)!

Learning to "saebae"

2009-01-01T23:04:00.003-05:00

happy new year! hope you have a blessed 2009!

holiday get togethers 2008

2008-12-29T20:27:00.004-05:00

Christmas Eve with the Ohms:
My mom's best friend from high school who lives in Korea has a daughter studying in the U.S. (NYC) so her and her friend came down to celebrate Christmas with our family. HeyJung and KiYoung came out with John, Melysa, Joy and I and a bunch of friends on Tues night and we had a blast at Panache and Ggool dwe ji. If you want to know more about our exciting adventures, you have to be my facebook friend.

My dad and Alex. Oh my gosh, they look so alike!

birthday girl (woman) Eunyoung and her mom (my aunt). Yay for turning 21~~

me and my favorite ladies

I like this picture (below). I think I'll print a big one for our house. Look at Brie! She looks like she just belongs there!!

The most (dare I say) exciting (or maybe most expensive) gift Ryan and Alex got on Christmas eve was a battery powered car from John. Shoot, I didn't get a picture of them when they saw it. It's this one, and they both LOVE it. I think everyone my age had always wanted one as a kid (especially John) so it was really neat to see them get one. Oh, I guess we captured that moment on video at least. (I need to find some video editing software so I can transfer it from the tapes to the computer. I have a shelf full of videos just waiting for me to get to it. ~recs anyone?)

Christmas Day with the Changs:

On Christmas day, we opened gifts from friends, grandma/grandpa, and Santa and had a leisurely day at home. (see video of Ryan below) Then we went to Sue's house.

Here are all the kids on Simon's side of the family hamming it up.

This year, we got the teenagers all iTunes gift cards, but they were wrapped up in random houshold items, like um, soap and toothpaste. daniel opened his up first, and he was like "what? that's so random" and never bothered to open the box. michelle got a used wiggles DVD that she was sure was supposed to be ryan or alex's gift but it was so worth it to hear her busting out laughing after she opened the case. afterwards, i heard habeen (who's 11) said he was disappointed he didn't get a funny gift. next year, i'll be sure to include him as one of the big kids. Although I did hear from his mom that he is really digging his circuit board activity that we got for him.

We did take more pictures, but they're on other people's cameras, so I'll upload them as soon as I get them.

santa's been here!

2008-12-28T22:33:00.005-05:00

and he dropped off a pwesent for ryan and alex!

we did not teach this boy a thing... i guess it's in the genes.

magic kingdom and seaworld

2008-12-15T10:10:00.005-05:00

We had a really good time in Orlando, and I think Ryan absolutely loved being an only child for those few days. We went with our friends Minsoo, Clair, and their 3yo daughter. Hannah and Ryan played got along great (they normally play well together) but this time, with not even a little argument and we realized it was partly due to the fact that they had no toys to fight over.

I want to say that it's possible to go to Disney as a budget vacation. I know the entrance fees cost a lot, but i think this was the cheapest vacation I've been on. We arrived Tuesday and settled in (Hilton Grand Vacation club on International Drive was a perfect temporary home for us, I would definitely go again). They have a huge pool (actually 2) and a playground. The suite we stayed in was a 2bd with 2 baths and one large kitchen and a smaller kitchenette. Right across the street from a grocery store too. So how did this figure into the budget? Well, we attended a timeshare presentation so we got a great deal! ($250 for 3 nights).

We spent Wed at Magic Kingdom (brought snacks and drinks since we had the stroller to cart it all around in) and Hannah and Ryan were free (since they were "under 3" haha). Since it was a weekday and between holidays, there were hardly any lines to stand in. I think their favorite ride was the tomorrowland speedway. They rode twice! Notice how Ryan can't even see over the steering wheel...i thought that was hilarious.

This was Aladdin's magic carpet ride.

Their favorite attraction was the castle.

Ryan: "ooh, it's beeyootiful"

Hannah: "it's pink, no! it's purple. and SHINY" (at night when it was lit up)

The cutest thing was when Hannah was worried about the castle during the fireworks - it did sorta look like they were falling on the castle, and there was smoke around it.

Thursday we were just exhausted. Even though we had strollers, all four of us spent a good deal of time carrying the kids around the park, holding them up to see things, etc. We had a lazy day playing in the room, going to the playground, and then swimming.

Friday was our day to go home, but our flight was at 9pm. So we packed up and went to see Shamu the Killer whale at Seaworld (again, the kids were free J). It was a smaller park and their main attractions were shows. Each one was different, so I really enjoyed them. I think Ryan was a bit traumatized by the Shamu show when we sat in the splash zone and got wet, so the next show (he was also very tired from not taking a nap and being overstimulated) he cried and wanted to go up, up, up, the bleachers to the very top, and even that wasn't high enough, so we had to leave the show. While Simon was consoling him, I snuck back in to watch the last part. We were also able to get on a few rides, and there was NO waiting! This is really a great park to take young kids. If we had more time, I think we would have spent a few hours on the huge climbing playground.

Our plan was to go out for a seafood buffet before we headed to the airport, but both kids were beyond tired and their little brains were probably melting from all that stimulation so we just went straight to the airport. They still managed to have fun while us adults relaxed there before heading home. I even squeezed in a 10 minute massage (my biggest splurge while we were there).

I can’t wait to take both Ryan and Alex when they are a bit older (maybe when they are 15 and 16? Haha).

more pictures from orlando

2008-12-14T12:54:00.000-05:00

Watching fireworks. "woah..how did tinkerbell get up there?"

Cinderella

Mickey's house

The castle at night.

Swimming at the resort pool.

Extremely happy 2year old.

kwismiss is almost here!

2008-12-09T15:12:00.001-05:00

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/SOXrGGgFviPFfCEtGTqi

john created this for us. i thought it was funny last year, but this one had me rolling. featuring BRIE, the "feather duster" as someone referred to her on facebook.

what do you do when you just don't feel like raking?

2008-11-23T20:48:00.004-05:00

play in the leaves, of course!!

life goes on...

2008-11-17T22:45:00.002-05:00

i've been meaning to post some pictures on here forever, but i have been kinda busy with work stuff... also, i post status updates on facebook, so i feel like i have communicated my daily tidbits, but i'm sure some people are itching for new pics of the kiddos. i will get to it once i am back from my trip to CT. i know, this trip is only one day, so that's not a good excuse, but it's been cumbersome to hook up my camera and upload pictures. especially now that i have an iphone and can do mobile uploads -- no wires necessary! right now, every time i get the phone out to take pictures, ryan and alex are fighting over it. even THEY are intrigued!! ryan likes the driving game and koi pond, and alex just likes to see the screen change when he touches it.

alex is walking 99% of the time now, and he just loves it. his new thing is carrying stuff from place to place. he'll pick up a ball, toy, shoe, whatever he can and just takes it in both hands and walks with his arms out in front of him. you can just see on his face that he is so proud of himself. he really has the most interesting facial expressions. like instead of gesturing, grunting, or pointing, he'll communicate by the way he looks at you.
ryan is talking up a storm. the other day, i heard him say "flies above the water and sees a school of fish. she swoops down and grabs some of them" and i was like... ??? then i realized that he was reciting a book that simon reads to him every.single.night. there's this dinosaur series paige got for him that comes with a CD and he listens and looks at the book all the time. i guess it's not that surprising that he would have it memorized by now.

other updates -- i signed up for an all day yoga workshop with Baron Baptiste. it's next Saturday, and i am nervous...haven't practiced in such a long time, but i'm excited to go. one of my friends asked if it was possible to do yoga all day long. good question! i guess i'll find out!

simon convinced me to stop typing because he said without pictures, nobody will care to read this post!!

go amazon!!

2008-11-03T19:34:00.002-05:00

the home page for amazon notes that they are working with companies to change the packaging for some of the items they sell. see "wrap rage" at http://www.amazon.com/
wrap rage takes on a whole nother meaning when you have kids and they want their new toy RIGHT NOW. takes me about 30 minutes of mangling my hands and then yelling "SIIIIMON! I NEED HELP!" to get the dang boxes open and toys extracted. way to go Jeff Bezos. parents all over the world thank you! (makes sense considering amazon products are not sold in a store where it can be easily stolen but shipped directly to you after you've forked over the money).

a lion and a green power ranger

2008-11-03T09:07:00.003-05:00

hope everyone had a safe and happy halloween!

2 dads thinking "wow, life sure has changed us"

my "costume"

alex and his first lollipop

edited to add:

when i walked with ryan up to one of our neighbors houses for trick or treating, the lady said "i like your hair!" referring, of course, to my wig. which then prompted ryan to ask at each respective house after that"do you like my hair?"...i wonder if any of them knew what the heck he was talking about or if they thought he was just a weird kid!?

an accent on authenticity

2008-10-16T10:22:00.002-04:00

i used to wonder why my mom used a "pusan" accent when speaking with only certain people, and why i heard myself dropping my g's unintentionally when teaching in a pre-school classroom. then i heard this on NPR yesterday talking about W. Bush, Palin, and Obama, and thought it was really intriguing...

listen to the podcast or read the commentary

"If authenticity is a matter of heeding your true inner voice, then it probably isn't surprising that people listen for signs of it in the way you speak. And our idea of an authentic accent reflects our idea of the authentic self. It's the natural speech you sucked up from the surroundings you grew up in, unfiltered and uncorrected. It's how you're supposed to sound when you're talking to yourself."
by Geoffrey Nunberg, Linguist

still more pictures of alex's birthday party

2008-10-13T01:25:00.002-04:00

i know you're probably tired of hearing about Alex's party - you've probably seen gazillions of pictures by now. BUT...these are the best ones, I promise!

http://jenniferjpkim.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/alexs-dohl-party/

(thanks, JP!)

misc..

2008-10-09T20:57:00.004-04:00

chugga chugga...

i think this is dorothy from wizard of oz.

abby's birthday party (my pathetic attempt at a toddler group shot).

kids at maddy's birthday party

um. yeah. never attempt a group kid shot, it's useless! they were having too much fun together to stay still for a photo.

both maddy and abby's moms had really great parties for their babes. i've got a lot to learn when it comes to party planning and decorating!

happy 5th anniversary, sweetie!

2008-10-04T22:30:00.003-04:00

remember this day?

five years already? they say time flies when you're having fun! simon, i guess a lot has changed in those five years, but then again, a lot has also stayed the same. i love the fact that we have such a steady, content life together. two kids, living with your parents, busy work schedules, not enough money... and yet, there's no drama! and i know i owe it all to you. i couldn't have asked for a better husband or a better father to our boys. i thank God that you are my life partner.
i love you!

cox farms pumpkin patch

2008-10-01T09:15:00.003-04:00

this picture is too cute. looks like alex and abby are having a conversation about something serious!

hannah and ryan goofin off as usual...

don't worry, alex didn't freak out. he liked this!

\

(pictures taken by paige and connie.)

kaboost

2008-09-30T21:44:00.001-04:00

2 words.

LOVE.IT.

ok, and a few more...

i received this in the mail today and set it up in about 2 seconds. ryan loves being in the big chair like the adults, and now alex is in the booster. yay! no more ugly space hogging high chair to deal with. lemme know if you could use a navy blue fisher-price high chair.

the kaboost doesn't leave marks on the floor, isn't too ugly (thank goodness they have other colors besides lime green), doesn't tip over...whoever invented this is a genius. one of the few baby products that simon would agree is worth the money.

little buddiloons!

2008-09-29T09:10:00.002-04:00

Here is the link to Nancy and Karen's balloon company:

http://littlebuddiloons.wordpress.com/

As I said before, I was absolutely amazed at the work they did for Alex's party. They took the time to really figure out how we wanted to decorate: what the theme was, what colors I preferred, and showed me lots of examples. We've been going to birthday parties almost every other weekend where Little Buddiloons is decorating, and I've been blown away each time! If you're planning a party, don't wait - call them, as I'm sure they're getting booked up fast.

september 08 beach trip

2008-09-26T14:32:00.005-04:00

last weekend, we went to Ocean City, MD and stayed at the hilton suites. i loved the hotel. it was really convenient (kitchen, laundry across the hall, indoorpool), and the view was awesome.

that weekend was really windy, so ryan only played on the beach for about an hour, if that. alex got to dig in the sand a bit, too. surprisingly, he never once tried to eat it. we also went to the boardwalk, and ryan got his first taste of cotton candy.

then he went nutso. seriously, he was so wiggly and giggly, and of course started dancing in front of the band like he was trying to start a mosh pit. mind you, this was some kind of country music band with lots of grannies sitting in rocking chairs in the first row.

after checking out, we went to play putt putt, which ryan really enjoyed. i can just imagine him thinking thats what grandma and grandpa do when they go to play golf 2x a week! haha

we also stopped by annapolis because we HAD to stop. on the way back, the kids were whining so much and wouldn't go to sleep. we just kept driving for a while, thinking...they'll just fall asleep eventually, right? after about an hour, ryan passed out, but alex just kept getting louder and louder.

quote of the weekend:

ryan looking out the window in the morning watching the waves: "the water wake up"

runner up:"the water is really windy"

phil & teds recall

2008-09-25T12:38:00.003-04:00

Not to worry, the report has nothing to do with injuries of children. We have this stroller, which we love. But Simon hurt his finger one day and told me to be extra careful when unfolding the thing. Looks like people reported it. Interesting we haven't gotten anything in the mail about it (though it might be cuz maybe I forgot to register the stroller). The company is being really good about this (considering Regal Lager didn't own P&T until recently) I went on their site to request the "fix". Seems simple enough, said it should be here in 2-3 weeks.

Recall info:

http://cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08377.html

Company site:

http://www.regallager.com/recalls/pt/hingecovers.aspx#

note to self: find the darn canopy cover!

par-tay!

2008-09-18T21:31:00.005-04:00

alex's first birthday. heebeen restaurant.
we tried not to make it a huge deal, and even though we had half the number of invitations go out compared to ryan's dol...the families multiplied several times over within less than 2 years! the balloons and the cupcakes were fantabulous. oh, and alex grabbed the golf ball after hesitating with his hand above the rice bowl.

special thanks to...

· Grandma and Grandpa Chang for caring for our little Alex 3 days a week and for putting up with the general everyday craziness that comes with having 2 children under 3 years old in the house.
· Grandma and Grandpa Ohm for providing weekend babysitting services, lots of diapers and formula, and dduk for this party (and in the future, golf lessons J).
· Tita Maria and Tita Tony for their awesome dependable home daycare that Alex and Ryan both love to go to.
· Balloon decor by Nancy Lee and Karen Yang of Little Buddiloons (littlebuddiloons@gmail.com).
· Photos by Jennifer Kim Photography (http://www.jenniferkimphotography.com/) and Mr. Chung*
· Cupcakes by Justin at Bakeshop DC (http://www.bakeshopdc.com/).

*photos posted here are by Mr. Chung.

happy first birthday to ALEX!!

2008-09-18T00:05:00.000-04:00

my sweet alex.

today is your birthday, you are ONE year old. i thank God for bringing you to our lives.

at one year old, you...

shake your shoulders instead of your head when you don't like something.
have a quiet, observant look when you're in a new situation. like you're studying the scene around you
wiggle your butt from side to side when you hear music.
hate bananas. i still don't understand how you can eat everything else we give you, yet bananas make you gag. (sorry for continuing to give you tastes of it, i think it's funny!)
love to push toy cars around
aren't walking on your own yet, but sure can crawl fast.
know which remote control is the "real" one.
try to climb on ryan's back as if he could carry you.
are getting so BIG!

i love you very much...

simon's side of the family

2008-09-08T14:15:00.001-04:00

simon's uncle the drummer

2008-08-29T21:48:00.004-04:00

simon's uncle, aunt, cousin and her family came to visit from Korea and LA. if you know simon, you know he's musically talented. last weekend, however, he was demoted to bass guitarist. his uncle is a drummer, dad a guitarist, cousin's hubby is a pianist, and of course mom is a singer. i think the in laws have been waiting for a real jam session ever since we moved into this house.

a tour of our nations capital.

sue took them to a peach orchard near west virginia:

and before simon's uncle left...we asked for drum lessons.

cub run pool

2008-08-29T21:35:00.001-04:00

ryan's friend kristen celebrated her 3rd bday at cub run indoor pool in chantilly. i had no idea this place existed until now. we'll definitely be going back later this year when the kids need to burn off some energy.

national zoo

2008-08-13T22:55:00.003-04:00

two weekends ago, we went to the zoo.

look closely, it's a lion!

PSA - watch what you say....

2008-08-12T22:04:00.004-04:00

A little public service announcement...
I had a funny experience with facebook just now. You know how you can post status updates and people will know what you're doing/how you're feeling/etc? Well, yesterday, I posted "Julie is going to see what it's like to be a stay at home mom" simply because my daycare provider is on vacation this week and we divided up the child care responsibilities between family members. I have them today and Thursday. You would not believe how many people asked me -- hey, what are you trying to say? Thinking I was planning to quit my job to stay at home with my kids. Some of them were coworkers of mine! Thinking back on it, I guess I could understand why people would think that, but that was not my intent. I love working and having a life outside of my wife/mommy role. And I can't say it wouldn't be nice to have the option of being a SAHM, though, but that is not my situation...
Anyway, the point of this story is -- with facebook and linked-in and twitter and all these online social networking tools, the line between work and personal life is getting blurred. so be careful what you say (write)!!
On a related note...if you're ever lonely or bored, change the status message on your facebook and people seem to crawl out of the woodwork. :)

alex is growing up!

2008-08-06T12:46:00.003-04:00

our little alex is turning into a little boy right before our eyes...he is now pointing at everything that interests him. it's like he's saying "i want THAT!" or "YOU, pick me up!" He is into dancing whenever he hears music. He tries to communicate by grunting, and plays peekaboo with us by crawling behind walls and peeking out. as Ryan would say "so funny!"

one day, i noticed his hair was getting long so i stuck a pin in it. then i remembered i still have some girl outfits i never bothered to return from way back when...

he definitely does not make a cute girl. he just looks like a boy wearing a skirt! i'm sure he'll hate me for this when he is older. just look at that expression!

"geez, ma...this is so NOT funny"

shaving cream party

2008-08-06T12:32:00.003-04:00

Last week, I took a few hours off here and there after having a busy couple weeks at work. I went to Ryan's daycare and brought activities for the kiddies. Shaving cream is always a hit, so I brought some, and added food coloring for extra interest. They loved it! Even the older kids who I didn't think would be interested had a great time. Only thing was...our Ryan wanted no part of it. He said "me don't want to be messy..." and walked off to play on the swings! Oh well, maybe next time.
He did enjoy painting with water - I brought kid size buckets and some paint brushes, and when I busted those out, some of the kids were like "ummm, where's the paint??" I filled the buckets with water (invisible paint) and they got to work painting the trees, deck, and playground.

JP kim's blog

2008-07-29T14:49:00.003-04:00

our precious boys are featured here!!
http://jenniferjpkim.wordpress.com/2008/07/28/young-lawn-mower-buggy-riding-sidekick/

sneak peek:

seriously amazing work! if you are friends with JP(K) get your appointment before she becomes famous!! jennifer, thanks again....

jw tumbles

2008-07-07T23:51:00.008-04:00

joshua's bday party was a hit! ryan with leonardo (or was it rafael?) cowabunga!

alex participating in the turtle theme...

daredevil...

giddyap!
ryan and ollie jumping together. click on the picture to see their facial expressions.

july 4 bbq

2008-07-07T23:43:00.005-04:00

bubbles!

we have several other rooms in this house, but everyone congregated in the kids' room.

alex just can't get enough of that corn!

these photos need a caption...

2008-07-07T23:38:00.003-04:00

i'm usually pretty good about guessing at what ryan is saying or doing but...WTH?

Yejin's 3rd bday

2008-07-07T23:27:00.007-04:00

the three stooges...

tug of war...

bday girl! she surprised us by going upstairs and changing outfits all by herself (seriously, no one prompted her) before coming to get her cake and presents. her mom wasn't all that excited about her choice of clothing.

"happy birth...day...to...youuuuu!"

like to dance?

2008-07-01T14:15:00.003-04:00

apparently, so does everyone else in the world. well done, matt, whoever/wherever you are! (why can't I be paid to do this?)

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

love the DMZ part in this video...

help daddy!

2008-06-24T22:25:00.002-04:00

mommy did this to us!

just like old times...

2008-06-17T20:29:00.002-04:00

ever been to limelight? yeah, simon got pretty trashed that night. he's swore off alcohol. again.

teamwork!

2008-06-17T20:23:00.004-04:00

it was so cute watching the kids play. ryan and tally get along really well. look at them "working" together!

just after this picture, ryan went to dump the water he collected in the pool. he bent over at the waist...and fell head first into the deep end. what i wouldn't give to have had that on video. it was only funny because 1. he had that vest on so he stayed right at the top, and 2. he didn't even cry.

working from home

2008-06-10T22:05:00.003-04:00

photo from here: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KqD5TDrSVV8/R-7o0ESs7XI/AAAAAAAAAgA/diU8s_7XQ6w/s200/Telecommuter.jpg

for the most part, i love the convenience of working from home. no need to worry about hair and makeup, spend less on work clothes, sneak in a load or two of laundry, etc. but it's been 3 years now, and since the boys are in full time care (MIL still watches alex 3 days a week, and he goes to Ryan's "school" the other two days), being by myself gets old. plus, i like to get out of the house. so i have been making plans to "work from home" out of the home. i've been to java daves, my dad's office in chantilly, and will try panera's tomorrow. free wifi is the key...
most days i do have lots of con calls or web meetings for which a busy coffee shop is not conducive to getting much done, but if i need to write a report or work on a budget, i feel much more productive working with others around me. vickie and i have been trying to meet up to be coworkers on a regular basis, and now i have a few more friends who will be telecommuting either part time or full time.

here's an article i found that talks about this very thing: Get a Life!: Teleworking away from homePublished on June 4, 2008 - 12:30 PM

time for a change

2008-06-06T16:19:00.002-04:00

I don't care if you're liberal, conservative, or somewhere in between. It is time for a change.
and Yes. We. Can!

jennifer kim photography

2008-06-05T10:43:00.004-04:00

YAY! JP (oops, JPK) is coming over later this month to photograph our boys!

check out her website: http://www.jenniferkimphotography.com/

and blog: http://jenniferjpkim.wordpress.com/

happy birthday to my better half!

2008-05-31T04:04:00.005-04:00

ryan looks like he is about to attack those cupcakes!! they were from http://www.bakeshopdc.com/. YUM! Thanks, Jin-Lin, for introducing me to them. I'm hooked!

obx 2008

2008-05-30T00:13:00.003-04:00

We went to the outer banks and had a blast with 2 other families (total 6 adults, 5 kids and a dog).

As I predicted, we had a FULL van. (hoopdie rollin'...tailpipe draggin...) and Simon could not bring along his guitar. To my defense, we did end up using everything we brought except for the mountain of kiddie snacks, which were also brought by Dino's family.

Ryan was so excited to play in the sand with his buddies Talya and Bella, and Siya (Chang and Negar's baby dog). Talya and Bella's older sister, Angie, was such a great help with the toddlers as well as a great Wii coach. I kept thinking she was one of us...when we said "whew, the kids are finally asleep." she would say "um, i'm still here." haha. she's 9!!

Monday was a very warm day, so Simon took Ryan in the water, and he kept wanting to go deeper, even though he was shivering cold. Alex just kept trying to eat the sand and was always falling asleep. I think the sound of the waves reminded him of his sound machine we play at night.

Needless to say, it wasn't a very "relaxing" vacation, but we had a great time!

Welcome, Kyle!

2008-05-29T03:24:00.002-04:00

Ollie's baby brother is here!! Kyle was born on Tuesday, May 27th at 12:31am. He weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz and was 19" long. Congrats, Jean, Harold, and Ollie!

twins?

2008-05-27T22:01:00.002-04:00

one time this lady who had small children of her own asked me if our boys were twins...i was really surprised at how she could be so DUMB, seeing that there is a world of difference between an 8m old and a 2.5 yr old. after seeing this picture, though, i could see...maybe at first glance, they might really look like twins to someone!

window rock

2008-05-27T20:10:00.004-04:00

the window rock.

this was actually in a store in old town albuquerque. aren't these dolls adorable? the little boy one on top reminded me of ryan when his hair was all crazy.

last minute vacay

2008-05-24T01:29:00.002-04:00

we are off to the outer banks! this is our first extended trip with both kids. you would not believe the amount of luggage we have... i'm not even sure it will all fit in our car - and we have a mini-van! i'm thinkin simon needs to give up on bringing "rock band." hope everyone has a fun or relaxing memorial day weekend!

typical saturday

2008-05-21T19:46:00.001-04:00

we usually put alex in the bjorn or backpack, but he's big enough for the cart now!

where i am today

2008-05-13T23:36:00.002-04:00

this is the google satellite picture of where i am...pretty cool, huh? well, in real life, the "rocky mountains" as my coworker is calling them, are absolutely beautiful. why, oh why, did i not bring john's camera that he left at our house last weekend? you'll have to settle for pictures from my point and shoot when i get back. anyway, on the way here, we were lost (yes, i was at the wheel) and had no cell service, no map (the one we got from thrifty was only for NM and we had crossed the border to AZ), and no nav! if i had not found our destination after a few more miles, i probably would have panicked.

btw, i'm in Window Rock, the capital of Navajo Nation.

mother's day...continued

2008-05-09T12:04:00.002-04:00

Happy mother's day to my beautiful mother in law!
I am trying to find more videos, recordings, etc. so if you run across any, PLEASE let me or Simon know!

my 3rd mother's day

2008-05-07T20:48:00.004-04:00

simon: is it normal in your family to always get gifts before the occasion?

me: no, just me. i haven't quite mastered this thing called delayed gratification...

thanks for my gift, simon!!!

i will admit, i love my gadgets. i just can't afford new ones all the time. when i got my treo it was a gazillion years ago before normal people thought handhelds/blackberries were cool. and i shelled out a pretty penny for it. oh wait, that was a gift also, from my hubby and very generous brother. anyway, the centro is less than half the cost, but i can't quite figure out why. it does all the same things as a treo, only better. and i finally have bluetooth. a lot of people complain that the keyboard must be made for pygmies but i don't find it hard to use. good thing is, if i ever decide to switch to an iphone (you know you want one, too!), AT&T will let me upgrade, instead of buying new.

alex crawls!

2008-05-05T23:16:00.001-04:00

just thought i'd let y'all know...

happy LOST day!

2008-05-01T18:52:00.003-04:00

can anyone explain the difference between a wormhole and time travel? also. what does it mean that "ben changed the rules"... i think this is more than a high stakes game between two powerful people, even though he referred to his daughter as a pawn. possibly something to do with what can/cannot happen in the future based on events in current time. i'm still working out my theories, but unfortunately, my memory is just so bad that i have trouble piecing together people and happenings from prior seasons. well, that and the fact that i missed season 3 because it was getting boring.

anyway, my new favorite character is....Farraday! he's so geeky it's cute.

trip to minneapolis

2008-04-24T16:47:00.003-04:00

i'll update on the conference that i went to (it was awesome, i learned a LOT about native american children in foster care).

but i could not resist visiting the mall of america. i ended up with 3 (yes, 3) of these shirts, in different sizes of course.

how i love spring in DC

2008-04-22T23:50:00.003-04:00

my gym

2008-04-22T23:49:00.002-04:00

here is alex "walking" down the slide at my gym during max's birthday party.

testing blogger

2008-04-22T23:48:00.001-04:00

looking for a better blogging tool. blog-city was wearing me out.

ballerinas!

2008-04-01T21:33:00.002-04:00

talya (simon's goddaughter) and her sister bella had a birthday party not too long ago...here's some pics that simon wasn't too happy about, but every guy has an embarassing picture that their mom busts out when they are 20 and bringing their girlfriend over, right?

and this is what alex was doing at said party...

da boyz

2008-03-13T21:48:00.001-04:00

mayorga grand opening

2008-03-11T21:52:00.001-04:00

after what, a year? mayorga had their grand opening party! i hadn't been out in ages, so i partied it up. surprisingly, simon was the one who wanted to go home first...

just a glimpse of the craziness...

an observation

2008-03-11T21:50:00.001-04:00

finally!!

2008-02-25T21:55:00.000-05:00

Grand Opening of M lounge Saturday March 1st 2008. Come enjoy the best International Lounge in Washington DC. For more info or to be on the guestlist email min_park@mayorgalounge.com

feb 22

2008-02-22T21:56:00.003-05:00

ryan update: ryan has started singing! it's absolutely adorable to see - of course he never does it when prompted or else i'd have video footage to prove it. one evening during his bedtime, i was singing ABC, and out of nowhere, he starts singing along with me. This totally surprised me because he still only says a few words at a time. like "daddy, go downstairs" or "no! my sit down". the ABC part is ok, though he skips over letters or mispronounces them. the end of the song goes something like this "now i now i a, b, CEE, next time wa wa sing. with. MEEEE." LOL. he now hums to the lullaby song on his fisher price aquarium. he is a bit off key, but the rhythm isn't so bad. We'll have to get together wtih Ollie and his new drumset and Ryan can be lead guitar and vocals. Do we have a volunteer for bass player? maybe we'll have to wait a year or two for Abby to catch up.
alex update: alex is such a cutie. he loves to laugh and blabber these days. we're still working on his sleep schedule, and i think i see the light at the end of the tunnel. for the past few weeks, i have been a sleep deprived mess because i was really trying hard not to lay down with alex after his middle of the night feeding. he was asleep by 8, and woke up crying at 9, 12, 2, 3, etc. but for the last few days, he's been able to fall asleep by 7:30 or so and stay down until he eats sometime between 1am and 3 am. then he's back down until 6 or 7am. i think letting him cry for 10 minutes or so has been doing some good. he's also been working on his hand-eye coordination. i'll put an object in his one hand, and he'll bring his other hand to it, sometimes missing the first time. then, into the mouth it goes! it's amazing to watch the amount of concentration it takes to do that.
alex "talks"

julie and simon update: hmmm. what have we been up to lately? oh yeah, each of us went snowboarding (separately). i definitely want to go again, even if it's just whitetail, but it's so hard to take an entire day away from the kids. we also made it out to jae uook's birthday bash. jieun threw a great party! their house was a perfect setting for it, with the furniture pushed away to form a dance floor right in front of the bar/kitchen area, and the gazillion candles she lit up to set the mood. i wish we could have stayed longer, but our curfew was midnight since MIL was watching alex.
currently reading: Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama. it's very interesting! i've never read any political-type books before, but i like this one. he's a really good communicator, and is overall an inspiring, spirited individual. i better hurry up though because i'm the one who selected this book for our book club, and the meeting is tomorrow! his first book wasn't as good, i barely got halfway through it. it's nice to know about his background and childhood, but you could tell he wrote that when he was young. it'll be interesting to see the outcome of the 2008 democratic primaries.

TGIF!

uncle sam and miss jean

2008-02-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

(card made using picaboo -- boy am i gonna have fun with this tool!)

piano cafe

2008-02-14T21:59:00.001-05:00

while we were down in richmond, we wanted to see eunice and john (my bible study leaders from VT days). eunice happens to be mijin's boss (small world!). she owns a piano store/lesson studio as well as a new cafe. i was so impressed by how cozy yet elegant it was. they serve coffee drinks, desserts, gelato (yum!) in a relaxed atmosphere with a variety of live music.