The Han Dynasty

On Christmas Day, we went to Disneyland which is supposedly the happiest place on earth. I might argue that it is the craziest place to be on Christmas Day bar none. Nevertheless, my whole family flew in from Chicago to spend the holidays at our home and we wanted to show them as much of L.A. as possible. It was a week full of Disney, Seaworld, visiting other family, the beach, crab @ Redondo Beach pier, and lots of good Korean food. Despite half the world being at Disneyland, we had a blast. More importantly, Jude & his cousins had a very memorable holiday. They loved driving their own cars, seeing It's a Small World, meeting Buzz Lightyear and the Disney princesses, watching the amazing parade, and capping the night off with spectacular fireworks. So really, being there with my boys, my parents, my sisters, and their families made it the happiest place for me.

 

Don't the boys look great in their Chicago Bears jerseys? They were a gift from my younger sister & brother-in-law: 

 

#54 Brian "Ooohlacher"

 

Before my family flew in, we celebrated Christmas with Kwang's family.

 

"Wait just a minute, did I agree to give this Tot Rod to Justin hyung?"

We also got to meet Micah, the son of our friends Ma & Jen Somsouk:

Thanks to my mom, Jude ah-juh-shee and Eli ah-juh-shee would like to formally wish you a happy new year. Doesn't Jude ah-juh-shee look absolutely thrilled to be wearing shiny pink pants? What a good sport...

 

 

 

Housing so many people meant that my little family of four had to share one bedroom. We moved Eli's crib into Jude's room and had ourselves a slumber party. It was great to be there for those special moments like when Eli sneezed so hard in his sleep that he let out a noisy little fart at the same time. I suppose only at this age is something like that so cute.

 

 

I miss my family already.

 

To the Left, to the Left...

The kids caught a nasty bug this past week so things were pretty uneventful at the Kim family home. Just your normal activities like bathtime, which is always a hoot:

How about we never tell Eli of this pic when he grows up, yes?  Even when he's not feeling well, he is still a chunky monkey of adorable goodness. Feeling less than 100%, however, may have been the reason his older brother, Jude, wasn't a star performer at his school's Holiday Program. Jude's class sang "Jingle Bells" while each child held a bell to jingle during the song. Being the terrible parent that I am, I didn't think anything of this production... the production that would mark Jude's very first and very memorable performance of his academic career. It was scheduled for a weekday morning when Kwang and I would both be at work. But Kwang, being the more wonderful parent, was so sad about missing it that I decided at the last minute to try and make it. Good thing I did, because I was able to get excellent, thrilling footage of Jude up on his school stage... NOT singing a note of the song... and NOT jingling a single bell. That's right, he was too busy checking out all the faces looking back at him to be doing any sort of singing or jingling. The parents behind me looking at my camcorder screen must've been thinking, "Why does she keep filming the kid that's not doing anything?"

My son is already a slacker in school.

 

Happy Feet

I can't say enough (or maybe to you I can) how very happy I am to be Jude's mom. Not so much for times like when he ran full speed into a clear glass wall at the Gap store in the local mall... although I have to say that incident brought quite a giggle to my belly (after I made sure he wasn't hurt, of course). But apart from typical toddler behavior, he possesses a maturity I often say surprises me. This past weekend, we attended another wedding and Jude was the ringbearer. However, we didn't know he was going to be the ringbearer until after the rehearsal dinner. We got a call that night asking if he would do it last minute, because the first two boys that were asked wouldn't.

You want me to do what?

Fortunately, without even going to the rehearsal he made it down the aisle. Unfortunately, he didn't walk in the most charming fashion... he instead had a funny waddle. So in his too-big-for-him tux he resembled a penguin. We're not quite sure if it was because of the large tuxedo or what, but because we knew it wasn't a comfortable situation for him, we're just thankful he delivered. He's clutch, as his father would say.

Now Eli, Eli makes me laugh as well. But not so much for reasons that would make a mom "proud". Whenever we're in public, he gets a lot of attention from strangers. As all parents have experienced, strangers will make you feel like your child is the cutest baby on the planet (even if he isn't). The only problem is, whenever people stop and adore him, Eli stares at them for about two seconds and then suddenly begins wailing as if to say, "Why?! Why are you looking at me?!" No joke. EVERY SINGLE TIME. He brings new meaning to the term "stranger anxiety." The person feels so bad for making a baby cry that I have to explain to them that he is like this with everyone, not just this particular kind stranger. It's really quite hilarious. Very opposite of Jude, who even to this day will go with the first stranger that asks. Eli is my lovable, snuggable, sensitive one. I'm thankful to the Lord for giving me such wonderfully different children, because it makes this go-around even more interesting and enjoyable. Eli received a new hat this weekend that, while totally age-appropriate, is too small for our growing boy. When I put it on him, he reminds me of the animated character Mashi Maro:

   

 

"Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to New Year!"

That is Jude's holiday greeting to you all. He's having a little difficulty with "Happy New Year". Funny how a two year old can have a deeper voice than his mom:

 

I was telling Kwang the other day that I think I've become an anomaly. A couple of people I know who just had their first child have been telling me lately that although they originally wanted three or four kids, they are now considering having less. Lunatic Lisa, on the other hand, has a growing desire to repopulate the earth. If I were younger, I think I'd want at least two more kids. Must be the sleep deprivation induced delirium talking. But Jude & Eli are just so much fun right now. Very tiring, but very fun! Those close to me are probably thinking this is SO NOT Lisa... and they would be right! When people think of women who have that wonderful maternal instinct, they think of my older sister and not me. I take no offense, that's just the truth. She's the type that enjoys creating nice crafty, educational projects for her kids to work on at home. Me? Well, our family passes the time by playing "Pest Control: Find And Kill Ants That Have Raided The House." Seriously, if this xanga site has taught you anything, it is that they will let anyone be a parent.

But really, if you heard Jude proudly say "Geh-mee! Geh-mee! I killed it!" every time he found an ant, you'd get a kick out of it, too. Unfortunately, our hope of Jude learning Korean as he spends time with my mother-in-law has sort of backfired on us. Instead of having a bilingual son, we now live with a two year old FOB who doesn't really know Korean but pronounces English words with a Korean accent. Milk is now "meel-keu", orange is "orange-ee", and the letter "V" is sadly no longer "veee" but "boo-eee".

Cousins Justin (8½ mos) and Eli (7mos):

Our friend Elsie & her daughter Kate were in town from Chicago and stopped by for a visit. Jude immediately took to Kate and enjoyed sharing his toys:

Eli is also making leaps and bounds in the developmental process. The following clip was uploaded for my parents back in Chicago who have become my #1 xanga fans because they miss their two grandsons so much. My mom told me that my dad watched last week's 8 second video clip for an entire hour. Eli loves doing "jahk-jahk-goong"-- this is the phrase koreans say repeatedly in a giddy voice to teach their baby to clap on command. He's even learned to clap when he hears music thanks to the many Jude And Lisa Band concerts he's attended. A friend of mine likens Eli to a squirrel storing nuts in his cheeks for the winter. But another friend recently told me Eli is finally thinning out. I'll leave it to you to decide. Whatever the case may be, he is still my constant bundle of adorableness.

Homegame

I suppose I don't mind Kwang hosting a friendly game of poker 'til 3:30am if the kids have this much fun with his deck of cards the next day:

Jude loves his little brother. When Eli cries, it makes him uncomfortable and he sings all the songs he can think of to console him. And he loves to make Eli laugh. I don't know of many things more pleasant to the ear than a baby's laughter.

Hope everyone shared a nice holiday with family & friends. Over the long weekend, we visited my cousin Danny, his wife Ericka, and their son Caleb:

And finally, an enthusiastic comment by my friend Jean requires me to elucidate a previous post. Some of you may remember that before we were married, Jean and I were tripoholics. She was literally my personal vacation planner and the only one I have driven across the entire continental US with, coast to coast. Gail & Oprah had nothing on us.

We had many unforgettable excursions, but the most memorable was the one to Las Vegas back in 2001. I referred to this as "serendipitous" because my meeting Kwang was, for us, very unexpected and very fortunate. It was not a surprise for Jean, however, because it was all in her (& God's) master plan that both Kwang and I be on this trip with about 10 other people. She knew me (and my allergy to set-ups) very well. She worked hard to get us to spend time together on that trip... maybe too hard, because it was unfortunately due to an argument she & Charles had one evening that left me alone to have my first memorable conversation with Kwang!  Jean never shared her intention with me until sometime after I returned to Chicago. So I will always be thankful to her for that. I look forward to telling my sons one day that it was because of Auntie Jean that their father and I met. As for him falling head over heels for me, well, that was all because of my undeniable charm and witty personality.

The holiday season is here... a time to reflect on the birth of my Savior as well as exploit my kids for a memorable photo Christmas card. Be on the lookout... they're in the mail!

 

Jude-of-all-trades

So my husband gave me a little grief about my last post. Remember how I said he was a little rough around the edges? I don't think Mr. Darcy would give Miss Bennet such a hard time.  That's okay, Kwang brought home some chocolate cake for me yesterday from the only PORTILLO'S in the LA area. A taste of Chicago. He knows the way to my heart is through a chocolatey dessert. Here is another taste of Chicago: Emma & Jude. Emma's family moved out here from Chicago shortly after we did. Unlike us, however, they have decided to head back. The thought did cross my mind to hide in their luggage.

Well, it seems I've become rather loquacious on xanga even though I have nothing monumentally important to write about. I'm quite talented like that. I've considered putting the lockdown on my site, but part of me wonders why because strangers would probably take one read and promptly close their browsers to shield their eyes from all the nonsensical posts and run-on sentences found on lisaekim. Then again, the pics and clips of the kiddos ARE scrumptious. Hmmm..

 

On Saturday mornings, the Kim family likes to enjoy a nice breakfast together if there are no prior commitments. There's something very wonderful about spending time as a family on a peaceful Saturday AM. I'm tempted to say that this something wonderful may just be the Original Grand Slam at Denny's, but I really think it's being able to enjoy each other's company without feeling rushed. Unfortunately for the rest of the family, Kwang played golf with some friends yesterday morning. So how did the peanut gallery pass the time? Well, Jude has declared a short hiatus for our musical band, so we've since moved on to become celebrity dancers with Eli being our lucky audience of one. That's right.... Stop. It's Hammer Time. I didn't watch the "Dancing With The Stars" series, but I did catch part of the semi-final episode which immediately made me an Emmitt Smith fan and DVR the final episode. What a cutie patootie that Emmitt is on the dance floor. But even cuter is my little Renaissance man, Jude. Baller, musician, and now... ballroom dancer. As I mentioned, Eli is the only audience because it's just not sufficient that I sit and watch Jude. He makes me dance WITH him. It's all about everyone doing everything "together", and I'm not about to be the one to teach him what a spoil sport is. So I'm afraid I don't have a photo of the two of us dancing freestyle. Shame. Sometimes I wonder why I post our family's goings-on because let's face it, we're just plain crazy.

 

Look, ma, no hands!

The beauty of xanga is that I can type ad nauseam about my sons without forcing anyone to read. I can also take an egregious amount of photos and chronicle our spectacular decision-making abilities as parents:

What can I say, we are korean parents. We feel compelled to balance our 20 lb baby in the palm of our hand. In our case, it takes exceptional skill considering the size of Elijah's head. I may have mentioned that in the evenings, Eli usually suffers from a bad bout of the grumpies. Well, his mom finally figured out that all he wanted was to go to bed earlier than everyone else. How was I supposed to know he didn't want to stay up for the party?? So now, he'll go to sleep as early as 6:30pm and won't get up until I wake him 11 hours later. And then once I nurse him, he goes right back to sleep for another few hours. This morning, he is going over 12 hours without a peep. He is my little superstar!

My other little peanut is lovin' the pre-school life. Normally, it is difficult to get Jude to smile directly at the camera. With Mrs. Debbie at his side, however, I don't even have to ask... even at 7:15am and he still has bedhead and a puffy face from sleep. She really is the best teacher I could have dreamt of for Jude. But really, how could you not love my Jude? More than impressing her with his letter sounds or alphabet, he cracks her up when she throws something in the garbage and he cheers, "Nice shot!"

Well, if I didn't have kids that made me laugh so much I'd probably be waxing poetic about my husband, because before I fell for Jude & Eli I fell for Kwang. Good thing I have kids, eh? Kwang and I attended a wedding yesterday. It was a beautiful wedding. I have always enjoyed weddings. Even when I was 27 and my mom worried why I wasn't in a rush to sign up for one myself. Despite what she thought at the time, I was always a prayerful and hope...ful romantic. Waiting for my Mr. Darcy, my Gilbert Blythe, my Mr. Knightly. Just didn't meet him until a serendipitous trip to Vegas. He was rougher around the edges than the aforementioned Mr. Darcy, but I am proof that God is too good to his children. As long as the list was of qualities I prayed for in a husband (there were really only about 3 or 4 or 186), I never could have imagined meeting as perfect a partner for me as Kwang (Laker fanaticism aside):

So now I pray for my sons. I pray that one day they will each meet a girl that loves them as much as I love their dad. It's inevitable that from time to time Jude & Eli will see my mood flavored with irritability or selfishness. This comes with the daily grind of life and the fact that, again, I am a korean mother. But I hope that as they grow, the mother they see and remember most is the one that cherishes and adores their father to no end.

Parenting

When Jude was a newborn I didn't think he was physically cute. Yes, I am proof that not all mothers think their babies are cute. Of course, it could also be that I am the only one. As an infant, Jude charmed many with his mellow and good-natured personality, but trust me, if you saw his baby pictures I know you would agree with me deep inside. That's okay, though, because I have always believed that unattractive infants can only get cuter over time. And now, well now I can't get enough of my Jude. I definitely think he's gotten much easier on the eyes, but that coupled more importantly with his delightful and charming personality make me just want to eat him. At least once everyday. Pour a little ketchup on and gobble him up.

Of course, as a Christian I also believe we are all born with a sinful nature. And my son is no exception. So Kwang and I feel that discipline is a necessity in our home. I think every child and parent is different and what works for one family may not work for another. Some disagree with our approach and feel it is unnecessary because Jude is "naturally" well-behaved. We believe he is well-behaved due in large part to our discipline. Contrary to what I thought growing up in my parents' home, I've learned in two years that much of parenting is more painful for the parent than it is for the child. I'm constantly fighting the urge to do what's easier for me in order to do what we feel is ultimately best for our child. Sleep training, feeding, disciplining, and on and on.

Well, the other day Jude was being defiant. Yes, my little angel was bullying my littler angel.

"Why would anyone want to pick on me?"
  

Since Kwang wasn't home, I had the unwanted task of being the disciplinarian. When Jude gets a meh-meh, it doesn't hurt but he doesn't like it. After all, it is about breaking the will, not the bum. But while I always make a point to tell him I don't like punishing him but need to when he's being disobedient, I didn't realize how obvious it was to him until the other day. As soon as I gave him a meh-meh, he got up, put his hand on my shoulder and said, "It's okay, Uhmmah.... it's okay" as if to tell me that though punishment is unpleasant, I'll be alright.

My delightful and charming son.

 

Happy Dress-Your-Kidlet-Up-In-A-Costume!

Call it Hallelujah Night, Shout for Joy, or (gasp!) Halloween... I'll just say Happy Early Dress-Your-Kidlet-Up-In-A-Costume Day! Heheh. Eli's bumblebee suit is too small for him (surprise, surprise), but these hand-me-downs are enough to satisfy my thirst for amusement:

bzzzz.... bzzzz....

I think these pictures will be filed under Amusing Pictures for Future Wedding Slideshow. My inspiration? An old picture I have of Kwang and his brother as toddlers wearing white tights with short shorts. 

Opting for more indoor activities as the weather here in LA dips at times to a 'chilly' 68 degrees , Jude has decided that he, Eli, and I are in a rock band together. I made the semi-regrettable decision one day to watch a performance of Snow Patrol on TV w/Jude. Since then, we have a daily recording session where Jude plays a tiny toy guitar the size of a TV remote while making me sit in a tiny toddler-size chair, hold Eli, and play a toy piano. It's times like these that make me wonder who the parent in this relationship really is.

So instead of displaying a picture of our band which you can just imagine in your head, I will post a more edifying photo from the weekend. While his parents were watching football on TV, Jude decided to pull up to his desk before bed and read his Bible... all by himself.

It was a special weekend as our little Eli was infant baptized. This was a day Kwang & I vowed to raise Eli in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and endeavor to set before him a godly example. I pray the Lord will enable us to raise our sons wisely and lovingly to be men of great faith, character, & integrity. Sometimes I feel selfish for having brought children into the world when I feel so ill-equipped to be a mother. I need much prayer. It makes me all the more thankful to have Kwang.

And finally, here's an updated picture of Eli & Matthew (Jean & Charles' son). As I uploaded it, I realized what a fantastic picture it is of Eli for the sole reason that for once his head doesn't look as big as it is in actuality which is about twice the size of Matthew's. What excellent strategic positioning by my friend Jean! 

 

A cute and surprising moment

Jude: "Uhmmah!"

me: "Yes, Jude?"

Jude: "Wook. I show you."

me: "Yes?"

Jude: "See!  'JUDE'..."

And a typical evening at the Kim family home:

May it be a sweet, sweet sound

So the Bears were on Monday night football and what a game it was. They were down 20 points with a few seconds left in the 3rd quarter and my husband was losing hope (despite being a Lakers fan, he is sensible enough to be a Chicago Bears fan! ). With my extensive knowledge of football, I reassured him the game wasn't over and they still had a chance to overcome the large deficit though time was running out. Okay, so really, my expertise of the game is minimal but wow, guess what? I was right! DA BEARS WON!!

But the best show of the night is below. Kwang is teaching Jude the Lord's Prayer. You will see by Jude's confusion that it is still a work in progress. But I wonder, is it as adorable to God as it is to us?

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  Matthew 19:14

My son Dude

This picture of Eli was taken for my sisters and friends back in Chicago. So they can be close enough to smell his cuteness from here in LA.

Last week, Jude's teacher shared with me about a boy in Jude's class who can't pronounce "Jude" so he calls him "Dude". Good thing we didn't name our son Mork.

  

It was Kwang's first week at his new job and despite his long commute (we get excited when it's only one hour), we still make the effort to have dinner together every night. I imagine it will only get more difficult as the boys become older and dread eating with their "uncool" parents. But for now, Jude likes to be around us.

I usually have him fed before Kwang gets home, but sometimes Jude will eat again just to be with us. He doesn't have much interest in eating, but to him it's better than going to bed. Oh, the torture of having to sleep at night!! There may be nothing more painful for Jude than bedtime. Every night after his bedtime story, he looks up sweetly and asks, "Again?" If we let him have his way, we'd be reading book after book until the sun came up.

One night as we were all eating dinner last week, I was holding Eli in my lap. It was around 7pm so I asked him, "Eli, do you want to go night-night?" Night-night is my term for sleep and I asked this rhetorically, of course, since Eli can't understand me let alone respond. Well, Jude was sitting next to me at the table, busy eating his dinner and playing with a toy. But he overheard what I asked Eli and, without looking up, kindly informed me a few seconds later, "Eli says no."

So apparently, bedtime is disliked by all creatures under the age of three including those who can't even say they dislike it. If only I could be two years old again and be forced to get some yummy sleep.

 

Legoland

Wow, thanks for the kind comments! My shameless adoration for Jude and Eli must have been in overdrive the past few posts. But while it's effortless to gush about my boys, I can't say I am handling this thing called motherhood, or what I affectionately call the total and utter chaos that is my life, with any form of grace. But oh, how I wish it were true!

I think this is most notably marked by Jude's recent imitation of the phrase "Oh my gosh!" How did he learn it? Most likely from the countless times I've said it after having taken my eyes off one of my children for a millisecond which, wouldn't you know it, is just enough time for Jude to get into something he shouldn't, eat something chocolatey he shouldn't, or use Eli as a tool for something he definitely shouldn't. My poor Eli, the human sticker book:

And then there is the issue of food.  A few times on my way to work I've realized I forgot to make rice in the morning for Jude's lunch that day. And the sesame oil and soy sauce levels in the cooking pantry have barely dropped since Eli was born, because we've had to order out more than I'd like. My poor Kwang. Of course, he never complains... but this is probably because take-out tastes better than most of my home cooking, but that's really beside the point. And then there are the times I think I have more hands than I do and feel the sudden need to prove my multi-tasking capabilities. In a brief moment of insanity I wonder why I can't prepare Jude's dinner, throw in a load of laundry (seriously, why is there so much laundry?), watch my recorded Oprah, and hold Eli simultaneously without having something go terribly wrong. One day Eli is going to turn to me and in baby talk lovingly remind me that such dim-witted idiocy is my own pet peeve.

So since I've had Eli and returned to work, I still haven't gotten the mothering thing down quite yet. But I'm learning to better organize my time and do things on a more reasonable schedule. Of the two "careers" I have, the one at home is far more rewarding and fuels me for the one at the office. The two things I thank God for every morning are my salvation and my family. And if I think about it, when it comes to smothering the boys with hugs, snuggling with them and a good book, singing them a song albeit slightly off key, or kissing them until they literally have to peel me off, well, I think I just might be the most fantastic mom!

Having said that, we now return to our regularly scheduled shameless adoration.

This past weekend we took a trip to Legoland where kids under three are free! Jude had a blast. And we had even more fun watching him. Can you believe the mini New York below is made entirely of Legos?

  

Eli spent the majority of the day looking up at the sky from his stroller. But he seemed to have the time of his life as well.

Finally, as we were leaving Jude ran into three of his great friends, Dora, Boots the Monkey, and Diego. Their contribution to Jude's education has been to teach him how to count from 1 to 10 in Spanish... uno, dos, tres, cop-to, cinq-to...

 

 

Here he is with Diego saying "Goodbye Legoland! I had a fantastic time!"