Tae's Halloween Costume

Tae has recently become obsessed with Star Wars. For Hallowen this year, we decided he should be Darth Vadar. He calls it, "Dark Mater" like from Cars. Crazy kid!!

Mismatch Day at School...or NOT?

Addi and Jenna swore up and down a few months back that it was "Mismatch Day" at school on Friday. They said it was on the announcements and they were absolutely going to do it!!! So, Friday morning came and they figured out their outfits by themselves. They looked absolutely hideous!! I couldn't believe kids were actually going to school dressed like that, but okay, whatever, right? So the day progresses and the kids come home from school. They then inform me that it was only "Mismatch Day" for the fourth graders...not the whole school. Being as though they are in 1st and 2nd grade...they were completely embarrased. Oh well... they learned their lesson. Enjoy the pics taken before school!!

Farm Haven Playgroup Pics

I know these are horribly late, but better late than never, right? At our church, we have a playgroup that meets on Fridays around 10am. It is a lot of fun getting together and socializing while our little ones talk/play together. One of my fondest times at playgroup was when we took a field trip to a local farm, Farm Haven. So much fun!! We saw lots of animals, played in a hay tunnel/house, picked pumpkins, went on a hayride, fed huge cows, pet horses, and walked through a corn maze that was incredibly long and terribly confusing. Seriously, one of the best corn mazes around. I begged Rob to take me on a date there just the two of us so we could get lost in the corn maze together, but he thought it was a stupid idea...so just Tae and I experienced it from our family. Here are some shots of the farm. I hope you enjoy!! (PS: The best part of all of this was that it was hours of entertainment for only $8/person!!)

New Moon and My Mama

Ok...so my mom is seriously OBSESSED with Twilight!! I got her hooked on it when I practically had to force her to read the series. Within weeks, she had read all 4 novels. Previous to that, she probably hadn't read anything in years. She fell in love with vampires of all sorts. She even got me hooked on another series called "House of Night" by P.C. Cast. All this from a woman who wouldn't let me watch scary movies all growing up... Since Twilight came out on film, she saw the movie in the theaters at least 15 times. No joke! Then, she proceeded to buy some kind of book that was a movie companion guide with all kinds of pictures. She owns Twilight on DVD and has probably watched that DVD at least 35 more times. So, you could imagine how excited she is to go see "New Moon" in a few weeks. We planned a night out with dinner at Dewey's Pizza at the Levee and then on to see "New Moon". I'm sure it will be a blast. It's just funny that Twilight is what my mom and I bond over.

Thanksgiving

This is my favorite time of year. I just love the southern style Thanksgiving meal. Lots of butter, gravy, skin of the turkey, HOME-MADE mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, apple pie a la mode, broccoli casserole, rolls, etc. Yum, YUM!! My fondest memories of Thanksgiving are going to Virginia to visit friends and family. I remember playing basketball with my cousins and uncles on Thanksgiving day. I remember seeing my cousins and Uncle Tom coming home in their camo-gear from hunting deer on Thanksgiving afternoon. We usually ate around 2pm and then watched the football game afterwards followed by basketball outside. All my mom's side came to Aunt Bonny and Uncle Tom's house. They live out in the country a bit and have only 1 bathroom. Rob always says he can't believe we can have 25+ people in one house with only one bathroom!! But it always seemed to work alright. I remember always going to a movie with my family and their friends on Thanksgiving night. Friday night was always the night my parents went out with their friends and the kids were left at home with the older kids to babysit. It was fun. We always made our own fun whether it would be from playing "beauty salon" or having a "dance recital." I have so many fond memories of Thanksgiving. Another memory is of my sisters and I staying the night at Aunt KK's (Kelleigh) apartment. Her roommate was Aunt Donna and no they weren't "together." They were just buddies that are still friends to this very day. Even though Aunt KK is a mom of two and married now, I still secretly wish that we could have sleepovers still and stay up late watching "Dirty Dancing" and eating pizza and popcorn. Shopping was always a must on Friday after Thanksgiving. That is when my mom always made us stand in line to get our picture with Santa. Today, she displays all those pictures at Christmas time. (Wow, isn't that embarrasing...being 12 and on Santa's lap!!)

This year, we will be going to Rob's hometown of Canfield, OH to Thanksgiving. He is having a 15 year class reunion the Friday after and so, we will be having Thanksgiving lunch on Friday and celebrating "Christmas" with his folks on Thanksgiving. Kinda mixed up and definitely not what I'm used to, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

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!!