sweet sixteen :)

Sixteen months and always on the move!  There's never a dull moment with you around. :)   J, you amaze me every day with all the things you're learning!!! I thank God for you, little boy  :)  Ever proud of you!
This is what you can do at 16 months (learned in the past 2 months):

• Pull yourself up onto dining room chairs (This makes life more interesting for your dad and me).
• Climb, climb, climb.  As in, trying to climb up the bookcase while standing ON your toddler bike while giving your mommy another heart attack.
• Kick a ball
• Throw things over the baby gate and down the stairs...and then beg for us to get it back :)
• Point to your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears when prompted.  You also willingly do it for other people (you know, in case they forget where their facial features are...)
• Pretend to sleep and snore, especially when you see pictures of people sleeping
• Dancing that consists of bending and unbending knees, nodding head, and waving fingers back and forth with both hands.  You also tell us when you want to dance by saying "more!" and pointing to the ipod jiispeaker.  Favorite music:  Psalty (old school stuff that Daddy grew up listening to!)I
• Attempt to imitate us when we wink (you just forcefully close your eyes quickly!)
• Twirl (I guess "spin" would be a less-girly word to use)...and, to my delight, you can do it on command! :)
• Bring us your shoes (and our shoes) whenever you want to go outside.  You also love to clomp around in our shoes!
• Fold your hands together and bow your head to pray before meals, unprompted.
• Bring your daddy the mail, piece by piece.
• Point to each member of extended family in photos when we prompt you with a name.  You do this with the people in the room, too (including emos, samchuns, noonas, hyungs, and "tia").  You can also recognize Mommy & Daddy from our childhood pictures!

Words you now say (learned in the past 2 months):

• Amen! (after and often during prayer)
• Sounds for animals-  lion (throaty roar), dog (high pitched "arf! arf!"), cat (meowww), pig (snort)
• Oh no!
• Hey man (Daddy taught you this one)
• Baby (what you call yourself in pictures and any child you see on the street, no matter what age)
• Noona (Korean for "older sister")
• Shoes
• Whale
• Boo!

Words you've recently made up to consistently mean something else:

• Burr - bird
• Buh! buh! - up
• Me! me! me! - milk
• Guldul (or similar sounding gibberish) - goldfish crackers
• ih-mo  (Emo= Korean for maternal aunt)
• Ha!  (haraboji & halmoni = Korean for grandpa and grandma)
• Eez - string cheese
• Ow - outside
• Dar - car
• May - mail
• Bah! - bath
• Hah- hat
• Bruh - brush
• Boon - spoon
• Eh-doe! - Let's go!

election 2012

So I have an EMBARRASSING confession to make...

 I've never voted before.  Not ever...in the past 12 years of being able to!  It's so, so bad, right?

I am in no way a political person.  But now that I'm a mom, I'm conscious of the fact that I want to set a good example for my boy to recognize that we live in a country where we have the freedom and right to vote!  And we should!

But the thing is, this year's election has me all confused and bewildered over who I should vote for!  I found this civil forum online (personal interviews) hosted by Rick Warren for the 2008 election with Obama and McCain.  I watched clips of it and was very interested to see this year's, because basically he asked each candidate the same questions (which they answered one at a time, with the other in a sound-proof booth)...but I couldn't find anything on youtube.

I finally discovered that Rick Warren had actually canceled the forum this year because:

“It would be hypocritical to pretend civility for one evening only to have the name-calling return the next day,” Warren told the Orange County Register. “I’ve never seen more irresponsible personal attacks, mean-spirited slander, and flat-out dishonest attack ads, and I don’t expect that tone to change before the election.”

Anyway, with all of this confusion, I found a lot of comfort and encouragement in the following message by Max Lucado.  So thankful for a King who sits on the throne, no matter who is in the Oval Office!!!

Praying for the leadership of our nation...

psalm 71 = wow.

But as for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise You more and more.
My mouth will tell of Your righteousness,
of Your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim Your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone.

Since my youth, O God, You have taught me
and to this day I declare Your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare Your power to the next generation,
Your might to all who are to come.


...it's like a heart song begging to be written.

fourteen

Months, not years...*heart attack averted*

***please be forewarned:  this is a Dear Baby post...just my attempt to preserve the present***


Baby J, you are no longer.

Toddler J, you are fourteen months today!  You started jibber-jabbering all day long today - an attempt to mimic our conversation?  Or your way of expressing what's on your mind? Either way, I love it.

This is what you can do at 14 months:

• Walk (& almost run) all over the house!
• Crawl up and down stairs
• Climb up onto our laps or the couch by stepping on objects
• Climb onto my back for a piggy back ride
• Identify and point to familiar people when prompted
• Identify and point to familiar toys/stuffed animals when promptedM
• Bend over & pick up an object while standing
• Throw a ball overhand (your absolute favorite game)
• Pound on a drum & piano; strum a guitar (your 3 absolute favorite instruments)
• Follow 2 step directions
• Point to your eyes when prompted
• Look wherever I point
• Turn pages in a book
• Wave goodbye/hello, blow kisses, "talk" on the phone
• Laugh when you hear loud laughter, clap when you hear applause
• Put your head on the floor/bed when told "good night!"
• Dance and bop your head to music
• Eat with a fork, drink from a straw
• Scribble with a crayon
• Give hugs and kisses
• Brush your teeth  (although help is needed for thorough brushing)
• Bow/nod when prompted to say thank you (in English) or hello (in Korean)
• Push Mommy & Daddy's heads together to make us kiss;  push others' hands together to make them clap
• Fold your hands together and bow your head slightly before eating or when we say, "Let's pray!"

Signs you know:

• More
• Please
• All done
• Milk
• Please give it to me (in Korean)
• Thank you (sort of)
• Help (work in progress)
• Outside (a sign you made up yourself to consistently mean "go outside")

Words you say:

• Appa (Daddy)
• Umma (switched to Korean for Mama, ha!)
• Mool (Korean for "water")
• Ball (probably about 352,983 times a day)  :)
• Mum-mum (baby cracker brand.  But you use it to mean any type of snack food)
• More (just started saying this recently)
• Uh oh!
• Duck
• Dog
• Bear

Words you made up to consistently mean something else:

• Ba - this can mean bird, butterfly, ball, brush
• Nana - banana
• Da - downstairs
• Mo  (Gomo = Korean for paternal aunt)
• Brrrr - balloon
• Doop - soup

No matter what you do (or don't do), always remember that I'm proud of you and that I love you!  Thank you for making each day so joyful, and my heart so full :)

what? 2 posts in one week?? miracle!

I just love her voice.

And this video is the cutest, sweetest thing.

abc's

Saw this survey on Crystal's blog and it totally brought me back to my high school days, when we'd email all our friends these type of surveys.  And yes, I filled out and forwarded every single one. :-P  Here we go...

A. Age: 29  (haha. never mind that my birthday is 2 weeks away...)

B. Bed size: King.  And it's the most comfortable bed you will ever encounter.  (no wonder J never wants to sleep in his crib...)

C. Chore that you hate: The absolute worst - cleaning the kitchen floors.  Never feels clean and makes me sad :(

D. Dogs:  Love them...especially golden retrievers and dachshunds.

E. Essential start to your day: coffee & a bagel. hugs from my boys. 

F. Favorite color: fuchsia :)

G. Gold or Silver:  I used to always and only wear silver, but in the past couple of years, I've discovered I like dainty gold too.  So...both.  How's that for indecisive?

H. Height: 5' 4"

I. Instruments you play:  Piano (bad), Clarinet (worse), & Violin (abysmal).  Would LOVE to eventually learn the guitar one day...

J. Job title: Kindergarten teacher & Stay -at-home mom (part-time for each)

K. Kids: one almost-14 month old boy that steals my heart daily.  23 little five year olds that wear me out but make me smile.

L. Live:  by faith...relying on grace...

M. Mother’s name: Deborah

N. Nicknames:  I love nicknames - especially giving them to people!!  Unfortunately, my name is not too conducive to nicknames (although some call me sarrilly or sayre).

O. Overnight hospital stays: Being born, 3rd degree burn, foot surgery in China, giving birth

P. Pet peeves: Grammar/spelling mistakes (esp. from teachers), redundancy with acronyms (PIN number, ATM machine, SAT test).  

Q. Quote from a movie: "It's tradition!"

R. Right or left handed: Righty! 

S. Siblings: Older brother Dan, sis-in-law Kat, younger sister Es, & bro-in-law Fred, bro-in-law Joe and sis-in-law Sarah

T. Time it takes you to get ready: I always think I only need 5 minutes, but my husband knows to allot extra time because I can be pokey.  He actually sometimes tells me we need to aim to be ready an hour earlier than we do, just so we can be out of the house on time.  I think this is an undeniable part of why our marriage works :)

U. Ultimate Vacation: Our honeymoon to Alaska was actually #1 on my list.  Next up would probably be the Caribbean!  Or the Maldives. I'm dreaming of crystal clear water, colorful fish, and white sand...

V. Vegetable you hate: Beets.  Although I must say they're not that bad when juiced and mixed in with lots of sweeter fruits/veggies that mask the taste...

W. What makes you run late: My forgetfulness. I think I lose my phone at least 4 times a day - no joke.  Thankfully, I discovered this week that J (who is obsessed with phones) understands the word "phone," remembers where I put it, and points at mine when I've lost track of its whereabouts. 

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth & head (softball-to-the-eye scare!)

Y. Yummy food that you make:   Mr. A would say it's my stuffed crust pizza.  But then again, he's not picky and very generous with compliments... :)

Z. Zoo animal:  Penguins.  OK, they can be smelly, but they're so cute!  Love the waddling and diving into the water...

praising Him in the storm

I have the Casting Crowns song stuck in my head, as I reflect on this past week.  Lots of storms - of all sorts.  Let's recap:

1. Last Friday - dear friends from college visited with their beautiful 7 month old daughter.  What should have taken them 4 hours ended up being around 6 hours due to the torrential downpour and lightning.
   
2. This past week - throughout Grace retreat, J suffered with a recurring fever and then a rash that broke out over his body upon our return home.
   
3. This past Friday - somehow I missed the news that a storm was coming, so it took me by surprise.  Thousands without power in the DMV area alone, including my sister's neighborhood.  As of tonight, the power still hasn't returned in her neighborhood.  This also affected J's best friend's first birthday party, as they scrambled to find a new venue at the last moment due to power outages.
   
4. Today - the Mexico mission team left for the airport as planned, in the wee hours of the morning.  However, every flight to Houston was delayed, causing them to miss their connecting flights into Mexico.

For each of these situations, my first gut reaction is to despair, to worry, to panic.  
Yet I'm learning (s l o w l y) that God is sovereign.  He reigns over every situation - both the good and the bad, both the convenient and the inconvenient.

In each of these situations, there was no reason, ultimately, to despair.  My friends arrived safely through the storm, J recovered completely within the week, the birthday party was relocated to an even better location, and I believe God is redeeming the traveling situation that the team is encountering.

I received a call from Mr. A during this morning's Sunday service, saying that there were no more available flights to Mexico for 1/3 of their team until Wednesday. (Bear in mind that this is a 9 day mission trip!)  He was looking for any alternative and asked me to research the driving distance between Chiapas, Mexico and the airports in Belize and Guatemala.  We really didn't know what to do or what was going to happen.

During the service however, we read a verse in 1 Corinthians and my eyes wandered over to 1 Corinthians 15:57-58.  It was so encouraging that I immediately texted it to Mr. A.  It says:

But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.


After service, I was driving and began to pray that God would redeem the situation - knowing that God could very well turn their traveling mishaps into a mission trip itself.  I remembered their prayer topic - that they would be have victory wherever they go and in every situation, with every person they encounter.

Later, Mr. A emailed and shared that he had had the opportunity to pray for the lady who managed to get them tickets to Mexico City (while everyone else was telling them they should just return to Maryland).  She started crying and told him how customers usually treat her poorly when these issues arise, but to have someone pray for her was a blessing.  When I later talked on the phone with Mr. A, I told him how encouraging it was to hear about her, and he told me that he had been thinking about victory before praying for her, and then received my text and shared the verse with her when he prayed for her.  The lady's name?  Victoria.

I believe this is just the beginning!

Through all of this, I am realizing how honored God is when we choose to praise Him in our inconveniences...to thank Him, even for the storms.  It is a declaration that we recognize that He is way bigger than any problem that we might face or any glitch that may arise.

Thank You, Jesus, for teaching me with such patience and gentleness.  I believe and claim victory for our mission team, even as they are en route to Mexico... in whatever situation they are in, You are able to and so willing to work in amazing ways that cause every eye to turn to You.  I choose to trust.  I choose to praise!

slow down, you're going too fast...

Dear J,

As I write this, you are 11 months and 2 weeks old!  How can that be?  As time flies, I forget more.  I lose track of when you hit certain milestones or when you start doing new things.  I don't want to forget - I want to preserve every little moment and lock it up in my brain forever.  I told Mr. A that I want to start video recording all the sounds you make...because one day I know I won't be able to remember all the cute sighs and babbles and even your experimentation with the upper range  :)

Fingers in your mouth help produce cool sounds

I don't know if I am just acting like the typical mama, but I am super impressed with all that you're learning!  In just the past 2 weeks, you began:

1.Waving hello and goodbye, fairly consistently.  You have us all flapping our hands at the wrist to encourage you :)

2. Eating from a banana directly, without a spoon (as Mr. A likes to call them, "daddy-size bites!")

3. Tilting your head and pretending to hold a phone to your ear when I say, "Hello?"  This, I suspect, has developed from your obsession with cell phones.

4.  Drinking from a straw...a regular grown-up straw!  None of this baby straw stuff.  You did this all by yourself (after practicing using the straw a couple times), thus redeeming my guilt from never buying you a sippy cup past Stage 1 (beginner sippy cups for 4 month olds)!

5.  Walking, holding on the handles of your hippo cart, all the way across the living room and back!  You do this with a huge grin on your face and with such glee.  It makes my heart happy and also kind of makes you look like the world's smallest grocery shopper :)

Showing off your hippo cart to Grandma Lee

6.  Calling me "Mama."  Not quite as often as you like to call for your daddy, but it's enough to make me smile :)  I find it hilarious that you are the quintessential Korean-American...calling me "Mama" and yet using the Korean word for daddy ("Appa").

Mama & me  |  First trip to Annapolis

7.  Giving lots of hugs and kisses.  I never want to let go. :)

8.  Laughing at everything!  You're really developing an awesome sense of humor.  Today you cracked up so much every time I would blow raspberries on you.  And then when I did it to your daddy, you laughed even harder.  You're also amazingly ticklish.  Just two days ago, you suddenly burst out laughing and I didn't know why... until I saw that you were tickling yourself!

Giggly boy  |  First softball tournament (2nd place!)

You are growing  s o o o o   fast!   Your emo pointed out to me recently that I always make a sad face when she comments on how fast you're growing or how cute you are.  It's just a natural reaction for me as I think about how this is all going by too quickly!  Don't ever forget, though, that I do want you to grow (in so many ways) and love to see you do it!

I love you, baby boy :)  We are so proud of you.
Love,
Mama

return

After a season of blog-fasting, I'm back!

This morning I woke up with a very dry and scratchy throat.  There's this perpetual feeling of thirst - and despite being surrounded by water bottles (literally...we have 2 cases of water bottles in the house), my busy-ness today has kept me from quenching the thirst, though relief is right at my fingertips.  I can relate to this spiritually - the feeling of being so dry and thirsty, yet stubbornly selfish and foolishly ignoring the Source that quenches my thirst again and again.

Yet there is grace.

I tasted this today during today's service- experienced the sweetness of His Word as if it were for the first time.  I love how our Father loves to give us good gifts - the most supreme of these being Himself.  I am slow to learn, forgetful of His grace, and disobedient in my decisions, but He is patient, loving, and generous with His kindness and mercy.  He doesn't withhold from us His presence - but freely gives of Himself when we merely ask...refreshing my heart and awakening my soul with renewed HOPE.

and for this I am ever grateful.

i love... (in no particular order)

-bright sunshiney mornings
-my keurig coffee with hazelnut creamer
-new beginnings
-colorful buttons
-sweet clementines
-anything with magnets (like this new bracelet I received for Christmas...magnet clasp = genius!)
-kindergarten hugs
-writing with new pens (esp. with <0.7 tip)
-watching J shake his head with glee
-good hair days
-capturing beautiful moments on camera
-mr. A's dimples
-dutch blitz
-rainbow sprinkles on yogurt
-family
-crystal beads
-francine rivers
-stomping around in rain boots
-yuca
-amazing grace
-our cherry blossom tree (particularly in April)

it's going to be a good day :)