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.