What to do about Christmas?

So, this year Rob and I decided that we were going to take our Christmas budget and spend it on a trip to Florida with the kids. We are excited to go, but don't know which "fun place" we should spend money on. What do you think? DisneyWorld-Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios- Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Epcot? We really have no clue. We only want to go to one of these. Most of our time will be spent at the beach, enjoying each other, and having fun building sand castles and cooking as a family. I'd LOVE any suggestions you may have!!

Taesun's Obsession with "the Triplets."

Taesun is seriously obsessed with a set of triplet boys at our church. They just turned twelve and Tae looks up to them soooo much. During Sacrament meeting, Taesun always is unruly. It is extremely hard to keep his attention and keep him quiet for such a long period of time. (It's an hour.) During the passing of the Sacrament, Taesun was acting up. I acted quickly on my feet and said, "Mitchell is coming by to give you the bread and water. Where is he, Tae?" Taesun then looked around and said, "There's Mitchell AND there's Mitchell. There are TWO MITCHELL'S!!!" He was of course pointing at one of the other triplets, Simon. I was cracking up hysterically. He really thought that there were 2 Mitchell's. I love the innocence of a child. His eyes lit up and he got really excited. Thank you Mitchell for allowing my son to fantasize about being such a big kid like you. He really does look up to you!

What's It Going To Take?

SERIOUSLY, WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR TAESUN TO WEAR HIS SEATBELT?????
I was trying to get Taesun to go to sleep for his nap which was much needed today after going to a normal day of school for the first time in a week. He kept on kicking/hitting me and squirming out of his bed. He WOULD NOT go down. Then, I remembered that he does well when we get in the car and take a ride. He tends to fall asleep fast this way. I put him in his 5-point harness and started to drive. Once we got out of our subdivision, he started squirming and wiggling out of his seatbelt. I thought he would stop and fall asleep so I ignored him at first. Then, as I was just gettting ready to creep up to the fire station, he got out of his harness seatbelt. I was livid!! I pulled right over and told him that we were going to talk to the policemen and firefighters about wearing your seatbelt. He couldn't believe I did that. He was shocked. I told him that we were at the jail, (a little fib every now and then won't send me to Hell, I hope.) and that if he didn't wear his seatbelt, that I was going to turn him into jail. He STILL wouldn't put on his belt. So, I did what any maniac mom at her wits end would do....
I actually went inside and asked to speak with a fireman so he could explain to my 3 year old why he needs to wear his seatbelt. They complied and sooner rather than later, we were standing in front of a fireman. He was WONDERFUL!! He told Taesun that he could get hurt really badly if he didn't wear his seatbelt. He also said that the policeman could pull mommy over and take her to jail and make her pay alot of money, because it is against the law to ride in a car without a seatbelt. He scared Taesun just enough. I made Taesun tell the fireman that he PROMISED to ALWAYS WEAR HIS SEATBELT from now on. He shook on it. Now, we'll see if it works...
Next step is to take him to jail and let him visit and talk to the policemen about seatbelt safety. No joke- I will do that. It's just that important!!

100 Posts!!

I can't believe that this is the 100th post!!! When I began this blog- some people who are close to me thought I would never keep it up. So much so that they decided to not even LOOK at the blog since it wouldn't be around very long. To those people- I say, "HA! HA! I SHOWED YOU!!!!"
We love our little family blog. It is such a great way for us to document what is going on in our lives. This blog is dedicated to thoughts on marriage and raising a family. I just read a book called, "The Poisonwood Bible," which had the best description of a mother's love for her children. Orleanna said that you love your eldest. You love all your children. But the love that you have for your youngest is a different kind of love. I really pondered that. Do I love Taesun differently than I love the girls? Yes. Is it because he is a boy? Is it because he is the youngest? I'm not sure. What I do know is love is a complex thing.

Love between a woman and her husband is different than love between a woman and her boyfriend. It is more intense. It is a special bond that can only be explained to people who have been through it or are in it now. Until you have lost a loved one and are down so deep in depression that you can't see the light of day- and your husband is the ONLY one who can lift you up and show you reasons to keep on living. Until you have a child in the emergency room at Children's Hospital with a blood clot in his brain, a fractured skull, and doctors cannot give you answers that you deserve. You feel like all is lost. How are you going to be the rock that your child needs? How are you to act calm and make sure your child stays calm and doesn't worry? Your spouse is the only rock you can lean on. The only one that knows you so intensely that he knows when to speak, when to be silent, when to reassure you, and when to just hug you. That is LOVE.

As far as my children go-
Addison: I love her for her maturity. I love her because she reminds me of me when I was younger. I love her because she takes care of me when I need her. I love her for the person she will become, once was, and already is. She is pure LOVE.

Jenna: I love her for her spunk. I love her spontaneity. I love her for her passion for life. Her will to be older than she is. Her personality is truly one of a kind. I love her for being my "tiny baby" which she will probably never outgrow. I love her for her desire to know Jesus personally. She is pure LOVE.

Taesun: I love him for being my baby. I love him because his are the only kicks I can remember from when I was pregnant with him. I love him for reminding me that I am needed. I love him for being my son. I love him for his apolegetic attitude when he knows he did something wrong. He is pure LOVE.

As you can see- I don't know how God provided me with all of this love to give. As much as my kids quarrel, bicker, disobey, fight me to eat their dinner, and talk back to me... I still love them. That will never change. You know God's pure love once you become a parent. It is everlasting. It never dies. Thank God for that.

Addison's New Website

Addison has created her own website. I can't believe that she figured out where to go, how to develop, and put into action her very own ideas on the web! She is only seven(Okay, she is almost eight...). Check it out and leave her a comment in her guestbook. She'd LOVE it!! http://addimarmar.webs.com/

By the way- two kids (the girls) out sick today. We'll see how Tae is doing tomorrow... I'd rather have all three sick at once than have them spread apart!!

Nature Walk

We had such a good time with Family Home Evening last night. I made dinner earlier than usual which was chicken and stuffing casserole. So yummy!! Then, we got ready and went outside to walk down to the nature trail by our house. I thought it would be fun for the kids to get out and "explore" since we are in a condo now with little to nothing to explore in our own "backyard."

We began walking down the main street in Plantation Pointe and about 1/4 mile later, ended up at the beginning of the trail. By this time the kids were antsy to get going. They were so excited to begin our trek. Rob told them that if they heard any weird noises, it was probably just the witches that lived in the woods. Of course there were noises.... so our kids just looked at us like, "Yeah right!!" Then, we came across a firepit that someone tried to make and we told the kids that it was how the witches cooked the little kids they found hiding in the woods. They roasted them over the fire using this very firepit. Next, we came across some boards that were all lined up in a row... (it kinda resembled a bed) and we told the kids that we ran into the witch's bed. By this time, they were skeptical but buying our story a bit.

We also gave the kids paper bags with their names on them and told them to find their 5 favorite things from the nature hike to share with the family once we returned home. The girls found lots of pretty "flowers" (weeds) and fossils... Tae found 4 walnuts in their casings, a large walking stick, and a HUGE leaf on the ground. It looked like a fan it was so big.

We had a blast on our nature hike. By the time we got off the hiking trail and were heading home, Tae started falling asleep standing up while walking. He kept on saying, "I need a rest," everytime we passed by a bench. Lots of friends saw us walking and we waved hello and had a blast as a family. What a great way to enjoy this fall-like weather!!

Food, Fun, and Family!!

So, this weekend is going to be filled with fun, family, and food!! This week, I have been in a major red meat mood, and so when I went to Kroger for my grocery shopping this week, I discovered that Rib-eyes were on sale, they had a new packaged thinly sliced steak meat, and we had already decided on making Bulgoki burgers (a Korean marinade for steak meat). The burgers were yummy, the Bulgoki we made for last night's Korean meal was delicious, and the Ribeyes tonight I'm sure will be quite amazing. Yummy beef...

That's bulgoki...Korean barbeque!!

Enough about food. Now for the famliy... Rob has been gone working out of town quite a bit lately. It seems like when he is in town on the weekends, he is playing out in his band. He plays for a band called LuLu's closet in Cincinnati. They have a myspace page if you are interested in finding out more. http://myspace.com/luluscloset. He plays the bass guitar. This weekend is quite different however. He will be home BOTH weekend nights, which means that we get him all to ourselves! On Saturday morning, he will be the deejay for Erpenbeck Elementary's 5K Mustang Stampede. He has to be at the school at 6:30 am. He hates me for this... but he is perfect for the job. Great music, exercise, and friends= good times!!

Enough about family. Now for the fun... Since we have Rob all to ourselves this weekend, and since Mott (my mom) got five free tickets to Disney On Ice, we are going as a family on Friday night! The kids are super excited... and believe it or not, Rob and I are too. It's always fun to see your kids faces light up. (Our faces might light up too since it's free... that always makes us happy!!!) Look for an upcoming post about Disney On Ice. I'm sure it will be fun!!

Movie Date with the Kids

Okay, so tonight, I thought it would be fun to take the kids to see the movie, "Aliens in the Attic" at the cheap theater. It was fun until after the movie. We needed so badly to stop by Target to pick up a birthday gift for Addison's best friend, Marlee. It was going fine and then HE SNAPPED...

Taesun went haywire. I even offered to buy him Legos which we have been toying with the idea for some time now and since they are sooo darn expensive, I just haven't done it yet. I put the Lego box in the back of the cart and before I knew it, Taesun was throwing the box out of the cart and screaming "I hate you" while crying hysterically. What a way to end the week alone with the kids. Major tantrum which couldn't be stopped under any circumstance right in the middle of Target. We immediately left, but still had to check out. While at the check out lane, I was literally wrestling Tae and pleading with Addison to hurry up and swipe the card. I couldn't even swipe my own card! The tantrum was insane. I knew it was late, but he has done late nights before and been fine. What a difference ten minutes makes in the life of a 3 yr old.

When I was putting him to bed, (as soon as we walked in the door) he wanted to hug me and tell me he was sorry. Major mood swings!!! So glad today is over. Now onto tomorrow. As crazy as it will be, at least I'll have two extra hands to help out... Rob will finally be home!! Thank goodness for spouses!!

Yet another crazy day with these kids...

So, today began at 6:30am when my children decided to wake up extra early. I had taken two NON-DROWSY allergy pills last night which knock me out completely. I was so groggy this morning that I told my kids to leave me alone and go back to bed. I should have known better than to do that, because surely they aren't going back to bed. But, I was truly out of it. I wake up at 7:20 which is my normal time to wake up and find three kids standing in my room saying, "Good morning mommie!!" I was so confused. As I began to wake up and realize what was going on, I noticed that they were wearing white t-shirts that they had decided to decorate with markers. All the shirts were about how much they loved me and how I was a #1 mom. I was not happy that they decorated their t-shirts which can never be worn again, however, how could I be too upset. Then they said, "Wait mom, there's more..." On that cue- they turned around and showed me the back of their shirts. On each shirt there was one letter written really large and then "RO" written on the top. When they lined up together, their shirts spelled 'Mom'. Cute, huh? Then they brought in the "Mickey Mouse breakfast" which consisted of pepporoni with a little piece of swiss cheese on top, two halves of toasted bagel, and plain white bread(non-toasted) with butter on top. All was arrainged in a mickey mouse face. These kids....they really do love me!!

Bunco!!

Rob has been traveling a lot lately and although I miss him when he is gone, it just makes it that much sweeter when I get to see him next. After you are married for awhile, you forget how waiting to see each other can make such great happy feelings when you guys are together again. Rob has been great about letting me have Stacey time lately. On Saturday, I went to Bunco with my girlfriends and it was a blast!! I honestly don't know what I would do without "me time." Does that make me ultra-selfish? Anyway- Saturday afternoon, Addison had her third soccer game. The first two games, her team had won and kinda easily too. This last game though, was a booger!! Totally competitive game and all for a U-8 league! I was honestly on the edge of my seat watching them get up by one goal and then watching the other team score. They ended up tieing at 3-3. So- 2 wins, 1 tie... I'd say they are pretyy good!! Addison's favorite part was seeing her teacher from school at the game. Her daughter was on the opposing team and she was so kind to come up to Addison and let her know that she was cheering for her. Addison's face lit up!! She can't wait to tell everyone in her class that her teacher came to her soccer game!