Monday, October 13, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Remembering September 11th
My maternal grandfather recently passed away. In reflecting on what I knew of him and his life, I felt that his survival of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941 seemed to define his life. I recall him telling the story of the sinking of his ship the USS West Virgina and of swimming to shore and even of helping friends who were not strong swimmers to shore. I remember him saying that he brought bodies of friends who perished to shore. Initially after the attack, his mother was told that he had died. His hometown paper even printed his obituary but his mother refused to believe that he was dead. Her gut feeling was right. My grandfather survived. My mother tells me that her father would wake her and her siblings early every December 7th and remind them of Pearl Harbor and tell them never to forget the attack on Pearl Harbor. He went on to lead the Texas Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors and to preserve the memories of that day and to remember those that died.
On 9-11 I was on my way to my first class of the day at SLU law when I heard that a plane had "clipped" a building in New York. By the time I was back in my car after class on my way to work I was hearing that both towers had collapsed. I remember when I heard in real time that a plane had struck the Pentagon. I remember thinking, "This can't be real. How is this happening?" I was in such shock I wanted to pull over and cry. That was the moment where I felt the most fear. I believe that in my own life, 9/11 forever changed my whole perspective and sense of safety and security.
As a child I thought my grandfather's old war stories were told to entertain or for my grandfather to relive some adventure of his youth. After, 9-11 I understood much more deeply the feelings of Americans on Dec 7th 1941 when America was under attack on our own soil. I understood their drive to do all that was necessary so the events of that day would never happen again and their drive to never let that day be forgotten. I thought today, while watching the 9-11 remembrance ceremonies: I hope my children never experience the emotions we experienced as individuals and as a country on that day. This is all the more reason why we should never let that day be forgotten.
I hope my grandfather and those that died on 9-11 rest in peace.
On 9-11 I was on my way to my first class of the day at SLU law when I heard that a plane had "clipped" a building in New York. By the time I was back in my car after class on my way to work I was hearing that both towers had collapsed. I remember when I heard in real time that a plane had struck the Pentagon. I remember thinking, "This can't be real. How is this happening?" I was in such shock I wanted to pull over and cry. That was the moment where I felt the most fear. I believe that in my own life, 9/11 forever changed my whole perspective and sense of safety and security.
As a child I thought my grandfather's old war stories were told to entertain or for my grandfather to relive some adventure of his youth. After, 9-11 I understood much more deeply the feelings of Americans on Dec 7th 1941 when America was under attack on our own soil. I understood their drive to do all that was necessary so the events of that day would never happen again and their drive to never let that day be forgotten. I thought today, while watching the 9-11 remembrance ceremonies: I hope my children never experience the emotions we experienced as individuals and as a country on that day. This is all the more reason why we should never let that day be forgotten.
I hope my grandfather and those that died on 9-11 rest in peace.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Levi
p.s. Levi clapped his hands today a whole lot. Also, he is a perfect Halloween baby as he has teeth coming in on top with a space between them. So I think he will have to be a pumpkin this year.
bedtime prayers
Tonight Kai prayed:
"Dear God:
Thank you for giving me a wonderful day and blessing me and protecting me from Giants, and Scarecrows and Pumpkins. And thank you for the Zoo and the spray park. Amen."
First given all the time outs today I am glad he still feels it was a wonderful day. Second, I want in on the protection from Giants, Scarecrows and Pumpkins!
"Dear God:
Thank you for giving me a wonderful day and blessing me and protecting me from Giants, and Scarecrows and Pumpkins. And thank you for the Zoo and the spray park. Amen."
First given all the time outs today I am glad he still feels it was a wonderful day. Second, I want in on the protection from Giants, Scarecrows and Pumpkins!
Friday, August 29, 2008
More funny stuff
ok, yesterday I went to a craft store ( totally foreign territory) to find Halloween stuff for Levi's upcoming Halloween/birthday bash. I spotted these paintable wooden masks that looked like a neat activity for any older siblings that might be there so I picked up a few and some paint from the seasonal aisle located at the front of the store. At the checkout line I realized I had forgotten to get paint brushes and there weren't any with the masks. The clerk and I were both unsure of exactly where else in the store they could be.
As we were discussing how we could go about finding the right brushes Kai said, "Just use your instincts mom, just use your instincts!"
Sadly, mommy has no crafting instincts!
As we were discussing how we could go about finding the right brushes Kai said, "Just use your instincts mom, just use your instincts!"
Sadly, mommy has no crafting instincts!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Our new neighborhood has lots of paths through the woods so we take nice long walks with the kids a lot.
This picture was taken on the 4th day or so of the cruise to Mexico and I remember this being the first time on the trip that we truly felt relaxed.
Cruise to Mexico when Levi was 4 months! The first time he was at the beach was in Mexico.
Friday, August 08, 2008
funny stuff
Well, last week was Kai's first VBS ever and he had a blast of course. The VBS day would start out with a little play around the theme of a treasure hunt as a metaphor for seeking God's word. Well the first night after VBS when we were saying prayers Kai said, "Don't forgot about God's Treasure!". I said, "where's God's Treasure?". Kai replied, "In the flowerpot!". So, at least on Day one, the treasure hunt metaphor did not quite accomplish its goal. But by the end of the week I think Kai figured it all out. Since I had Levi with me during the Day, I helped out the VBS by helping in the snack room. Some of the groups had a little more time than they needed for snack and their group leaders would have a little trouble keeping them in their seats. Well one morning on the way to VBS Kai said to me, " I am going to eat my snack . . . and then I am going to run around like a maniac!" It was funny to see him *planning* out his disobedience for the day.
Kai has an imaginary sister which is new. I am feeling a little pressure. :)
Kai has an imaginary sister which is new. I am feeling a little pressure. :)
Friday, July 25, 2008
moving
We listed our house and sold it in a month. We close next week. Now we are furiously working on moving. I am not sad about leaving this house even though there are a lot of memories in it. This last year it has felt so cramped that I am more than ready to move on. We bought this place when it was just the two of us working downtown and now we have two kids and both have jobs that require home offices so we need more space. We found a nice big place in a really family-oriented neighborhood. We are renting while we think about what we want to do next. We might decide to settle in for another few years here and buy a place, or we might move out of state for job opportunities. We are excited about all the possibilities and while we look at those we will enjoy more space. It is a lot of work for right now though .
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Teaching reading
Well, for a while now I have used the Starfall.com website for teaching Kai letters and letter sounds and beginning phonics. He has learned a lot through it and I definitely recommend it for teaching these skills to toddler boys. However, recently Kai became a little bored with it and I began to try to encourage sounding out words using the "Bob" books. I was certain of success, but Kai did not respond well to the Bob Books. The style of sitting him down to sound out one-word sentences was not one for which he had any patience or attention span. After re-reading old materials on teaching styles that appeal to boys and reading additional resources I was reminded of the effectiveness of using hands-on learning methods with boys. My first idea was to make letters out of playdough and put those letters together to make short words. That idea worked! I tricked him into sounding out words! :) Then I found some Melissa and Doug wooden puzzles that require children to fit the letter pieces in to spell the word that represents the picture on the puzzle piece. This has been an excellent resource. he loves it and easily transitions from playing with the puzzle to using the letters to form other words. Within just a few days of these new methods I have seen some stunning progress over the hurdles of turning letter sounds in to a collection of sounds that form a word.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Mother's Day
A Good Mother's Day
Even though you love your children and wouldn't change anything, I think it takes some time for the professional woman to adjust to the concept of being a stay-at-home mom. I knew from the beginning that staying home was the choice I would make because I believed it would be the best for the kids, I still felt guilty about it; as though I was in some way failing for not maintaining my career. I have continued to work part-time from home to assuage my guilt more than anything else. I don't even check my paycheck to make sure it is correct.
In addition to career-guilt, I have carried imperfect-mother guilt. The new Mom gets lots of advice, reads lots of experts, compares notes with other moms and one point or another (or perhaps multiple times every day) is on the receiving end of a disapproving glance, a "If you were as good a mother as I am you would never let your child watch tv" type statement, or a "No no no, you always start a baby on green beans before applesauce" comment from your pediatrician. This guilt I still feel. I have gained a lot of confidence with experience though and realized that whether your baby likes green beans has nothing to do with whether they tasted the sweetness of applesauce first. Kai was picky, he hated all babyfood. He was a year old before he had a substantial diet of solid foods. Levi wolfs down 2 cartons a feeding and wants more. And there are all kinds of other things that people have strong opinions about that don't really matter. If your kid is potty-trained at 2, great, if he is potty-trained at 3, great. As long as he is not wearing a pull-up to 1st grade you are not a bad mother. :)
Finally there is the "I can't control everything guilt." All moms feel like their biggest job is the safety, happiness and well-being of their children and yet eventually you have to give your child more freedom and place them in the care of others and trust that you have done your best to ensure that they will be just fine. When considering more children, the thought has often crossed my mind that I can't possibly handle trying to ensure the perfectly safe life of another child. I am learning to accept the reality that I can do everything in my power to ensure their well-being, but that I have to trust God to hold them in his hands. This has freed my mind quite a bit.
Well, today is a good mother's day because I think I am finally getting past all these worries. I still work, but I am so convinced that Motherhood is so much more awesome than my career was or ever could be that I no longer struggle with self-doubt over giving it up. I look the pediatrician straight in the eye and tell them that I have been feeding my baby applesauce without their permission and while I will always be an overprotective Mom, I have accepted that life is in God's hands and that he cares for our family and that I can trust his providence.
Today is also a great Mothers' Day because I have two amazing kids that are a constant joy. I love my two boys tremendously. These feelings are not new, but I am better able to enjoy them now that some of that nagging guilt is out of my head. I am amazed at how much the kids change everyday. Today, in honor of Mother's Day, and, perhaps as a sign to me that I may have a rebellious kid on my hands, Levi said "Da Da!!!" :) That's ok, I am thrilled anyway. It was funny because he got a big reaction out of us when he said it for the first time and then wouldn't stop babbling all evening. In actuality Levi is very sweet-natured and easy baby. So I would be surprised if he turned out to be cantankerous.
Kai told us he was going to teach his brother to say some more words. That should be fun to watch.
Kai turned 3 and has been changing so fast. He has definitely left the bulk of the terrible twos behind him which is a relief. He is 100% on his own with bathroom breaks which makes life a lot easier. He amuses himself by "reading" books in his room for an hour at a time. Time Outs happen a lot less frequently now. He is really growing so fast. He has never been a good sleeper and at night when he goes to bed he always tries to get one of us to stay with him. Tonight I gave him a goodnight hug and he grabbed my arms and wouldn't let go. I said, "Your baby brother needs Mommy too. He needs a good night hug, won't you share?" Kai said no at first but then he let go of my arms and said, "OK I will share." That melted my heart as I know the adjustment to sharing mommy with his baby brother has been hard on him.
I am very blessed and I am grateful for every day with my children and grateful for every day with my own parents.
Even though you love your children and wouldn't change anything, I think it takes some time for the professional woman to adjust to the concept of being a stay-at-home mom. I knew from the beginning that staying home was the choice I would make because I believed it would be the best for the kids, I still felt guilty about it; as though I was in some way failing for not maintaining my career. I have continued to work part-time from home to assuage my guilt more than anything else. I don't even check my paycheck to make sure it is correct.
In addition to career-guilt, I have carried imperfect-mother guilt. The new Mom gets lots of advice, reads lots of experts, compares notes with other moms and one point or another (or perhaps multiple times every day) is on the receiving end of a disapproving glance, a "If you were as good a mother as I am you would never let your child watch tv" type statement, or a "No no no, you always start a baby on green beans before applesauce" comment from your pediatrician. This guilt I still feel. I have gained a lot of confidence with experience though and realized that whether your baby likes green beans has nothing to do with whether they tasted the sweetness of applesauce first. Kai was picky, he hated all babyfood. He was a year old before he had a substantial diet of solid foods. Levi wolfs down 2 cartons a feeding and wants more. And there are all kinds of other things that people have strong opinions about that don't really matter. If your kid is potty-trained at 2, great, if he is potty-trained at 3, great. As long as he is not wearing a pull-up to 1st grade you are not a bad mother. :)
Finally there is the "I can't control everything guilt." All moms feel like their biggest job is the safety, happiness and well-being of their children and yet eventually you have to give your child more freedom and place them in the care of others and trust that you have done your best to ensure that they will be just fine. When considering more children, the thought has often crossed my mind that I can't possibly handle trying to ensure the perfectly safe life of another child. I am learning to accept the reality that I can do everything in my power to ensure their well-being, but that I have to trust God to hold them in his hands. This has freed my mind quite a bit.
Well, today is a good mother's day because I think I am finally getting past all these worries. I still work, but I am so convinced that Motherhood is so much more awesome than my career was or ever could be that I no longer struggle with self-doubt over giving it up. I look the pediatrician straight in the eye and tell them that I have been feeding my baby applesauce without their permission and while I will always be an overprotective Mom, I have accepted that life is in God's hands and that he cares for our family and that I can trust his providence.
Today is also a great Mothers' Day because I have two amazing kids that are a constant joy. I love my two boys tremendously. These feelings are not new, but I am better able to enjoy them now that some of that nagging guilt is out of my head. I am amazed at how much the kids change everyday. Today, in honor of Mother's Day, and, perhaps as a sign to me that I may have a rebellious kid on my hands, Levi said "Da Da!!!" :) That's ok, I am thrilled anyway. It was funny because he got a big reaction out of us when he said it for the first time and then wouldn't stop babbling all evening. In actuality Levi is very sweet-natured and easy baby. So I would be surprised if he turned out to be cantankerous.
Kai told us he was going to teach his brother to say some more words. That should be fun to watch.
Kai turned 3 and has been changing so fast. He has definitely left the bulk of the terrible twos behind him which is a relief. He is 100% on his own with bathroom breaks which makes life a lot easier. He amuses himself by "reading" books in his room for an hour at a time. Time Outs happen a lot less frequently now. He is really growing so fast. He has never been a good sleeper and at night when he goes to bed he always tries to get one of us to stay with him. Tonight I gave him a goodnight hug and he grabbed my arms and wouldn't let go. I said, "Your baby brother needs Mommy too. He needs a good night hug, won't you share?" Kai said no at first but then he let go of my arms and said, "OK I will share." That melted my heart as I know the adjustment to sharing mommy with his baby brother has been hard on him.
I am very blessed and I am grateful for every day with my children and grateful for every day with my own parents.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Kai is a big brother!!!
Well the big day finally arrived. Kai became a big brother on Halloween. Kai says "aaaww he's so cute" a lot. Also he tries to tickle him and he says goo goo gaa gaa and coochie coochie coo to him. I have NO IDEA where Kai learned that was how to play with babies -- possibly from the marathon of cartoons he watched while his Aunt Amanda babysat him. Yesterday I walked out to the mailbox and when I came back in Kai was sitting next to the baby. He said, "I'm just hanging with Levi." It is funny to see him walk over and poke the pacifier back in the baby's mouth when he starts to fuss.
It is hard to believe I have two beautiful boys.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Update
Well, Kai is doing great. He is such a personality. He says the funniest things. The other day he said, "Daddy . . . You are my hero!" WOW! What an encourager. He knows daddy's love language, words of affirmation! It is amazing to see how similar his personality is to his daddy's. It just confirms what we already knew - that God has a plan and it is perfect.
Kai is very musical. He likes to hear his daddy play the guitar and sing. He says, "Daddy, Sing Blackbird!" Nothing warms our heart like Kai becoming a "Third Day" fan at all of 2.5 yrs old. :)
"Love Song" was the song at our wedding and "I will always Love you" that spoke to us when we were completing Kai's adoption.
Now we just need a song for Kai's little Brother. Kai is very excited about being a big brother. He doesn't know what he is in for, but he likes to watch the ultrasound videos of Baby Levi and talk to Mommy's belly. We are so thrilled to be having another boy. We think it will be great for the boys to be close. We are expecting Baby Levi on October 16, 2007. If he came sooner . . .that would be fine by me.
I will post photos of Kai soon.
Kai is very musical. He likes to hear his daddy play the guitar and sing. He says, "Daddy, Sing Blackbird!" Nothing warms our heart like Kai becoming a "Third Day" fan at all of 2.5 yrs old. :)
"Love Song" was the song at our wedding and "I will always Love you" that spoke to us when we were completing Kai's adoption.
Now we just need a song for Kai's little Brother. Kai is very excited about being a big brother. He doesn't know what he is in for, but he likes to watch the ultrasound videos of Baby Levi and talk to Mommy's belly. We are so thrilled to be having another boy. We think it will be great for the boys to be close. We are expecting Baby Levi on October 16, 2007. If he came sooner . . .that would be fine by me.
I will post photos of Kai soon.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
No Regrets
Today is the 1 year anniversary of bringing Kai home. Time has passed so quickly. It still seems like yesterday when we were just beginning to figure out diaper changes and formula and how to be a little less selfish. It was not an easy adjustment at first, as I am sure parenthood never is, but we got through the tough part by rejoicing in all the joy of getting to know Kai.
Kai has grown into a bright, sweet-natured, energetic little toddler. He surprises us everyday with something new he has learned. He says a lot of words and communicates with us a bunch which has been so much fun. He loves music. He sings along with a lot of songs like the ABCs Row Your Boat etc. He has so much energy and enthusiasm for whatever he does.
I freely admit that he is completely spoiled. :)Oh he gets time-out now and then, but most of the time we are too entertained by his antics to enforce the rules. I am sure things will get less entertaining at some point. But for now we are wrapped around his little finger.
We have no regrets about the path we are on right now. Bringing Kai home was a great joy for us. Living and learning with him has been an even greater joy. Kai is the best part of our lives. We cannot imagine life without him. In fact it is hard to remember life without him.
I sometimes wonder about those who long (or longed) for children but hesitate or refuse to adopt because of fear of the unknown and a host of other concerns. I don't judge, but I do say that when you check on that little boy or girl in the middle of the night and they reach their arms out to you and say "Mama?" none of those things matter and you wonder why they ever did. To think that such little things have kept you from one of the greatest blessings in life. It breaks my heart for the relationship that could have been.
We have been tremendously blessed to be Kai's Mom and Dad. We thank God every day that he led our hearts to Taiwan.
Kai has grown into a bright, sweet-natured, energetic little toddler. He surprises us everyday with something new he has learned. He says a lot of words and communicates with us a bunch which has been so much fun. He loves music. He sings along with a lot of songs like the ABCs Row Your Boat etc. He has so much energy and enthusiasm for whatever he does.
I freely admit that he is completely spoiled. :)Oh he gets time-out now and then, but most of the time we are too entertained by his antics to enforce the rules. I am sure things will get less entertaining at some point. But for now we are wrapped around his little finger.
We have no regrets about the path we are on right now. Bringing Kai home was a great joy for us. Living and learning with him has been an even greater joy. Kai is the best part of our lives. We cannot imagine life without him. In fact it is hard to remember life without him.
I sometimes wonder about those who long (or longed) for children but hesitate or refuse to adopt because of fear of the unknown and a host of other concerns. I don't judge, but I do say that when you check on that little boy or girl in the middle of the night and they reach their arms out to you and say "Mama?" none of those things matter and you wonder why they ever did. To think that such little things have kept you from one of the greatest blessings in life. It breaks my heart for the relationship that could have been.
We have been tremendously blessed to be Kai's Mom and Dad. We thank God every day that he led our hearts to Taiwan.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Latest photos
Not so sure about the slide!
Swinging at the neighborhood park!
Kai takes a break from all the Christmas shopping!
Eary T-giving with Brad, Amanda, Mom, Dad, Nathan, Ashley, Me and Kai.
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