Still life #2

Art at home is fun... I usually throw the big easel pad of paper on the floor with a bunch of crayons. Today I noticed Noah grabbed three crayons: blue, white, and black. In his other hand, a Captain Rex's helmet which measures about 2 cm. He started with the big white circle, asked me for help with the triangles, and then finished the rest of the piece on his own. It' so fun to watch him draw, but when will it be about something other than Star Wars???

At the store

The kids love going to the ka-geh (which means store in Korean). When we say ka-geh they know we're not talking about Trader Joe's... they know it means their grandparents' store. My parents have had this store longer than me and a lot of my childhood memories revolve around this place. I hope it's the same for the kids. When were at the store, Micah only has eyes for Harabujee because he never says "no." Micah will point to something and my dad will open it right then and there and hand it over. Last time, Harabujee opened three different ice creams because Micah kept at him (by the way, this is not the same dad that I grew up with). Micah also has run of the store. He can knock things down and my dad will not discipline him or let me discipline him (again, not the same dad I grew up with). Tonight Micah was playing with the produce and knocked down two five pound watermelons that cracked on the floor. Billy mopped up the watermelon juice and my dad went to the back of the store and cut the rest of the watermelon up for the kids. Micah's mishap turned into a great healthy treat. I love this photo... Noah chomping down, Micah biting the rind, and Kaitlyn nibbling. Will they remember these good times???

Tomatoes

Harabujee and Halmoni planted tomatoes in their yard. This is a great thing because Noah loves his lycopene (Micah not so much). Today the boys were up bright and early picking tomatoes in their pjs. Harabujee obviously got to Micah because you can see his shirt is tucked in like an old Korean Harabujee. Wonder what my parents will grow next???

Ode to Micah (part 3)

This is typical Micah... sitting on the floor with the toys scattered around him (after he dumped AND kicked the box that the legos were in). Micah is screaming, I mean talking, all the time. He says things like, "Mine... No Noah... No Daddy... Micah happy...Obi-daddy (as in Obiwon Kenobi) and Star Wars" (if he's going to keep up with Noah he needs to know the lingo). Micah can identify all the Star Wars characters but he has difficulty identifying colors... show him a red apple and he says "red" show him a red car he says, "red blue" (go figure). He is very stubborn, I mean determined, and he wants it his way, or no way. He hums Darth Vader's theme song and the cutest thing is if you tell him "two sone bobo" (which means two hand kiss) he'll grab your face and give you the sweetest kiss. Micah is our tough baby boy, often making Noah cry out of frustration (or fear that he will get hit), but those dimples melt our hearts. What will he do next???

Ponyo!

The boys love a good movie (and by "boys" I'm including their Dad). Jawsh bought Hayao Miyazaki's, Ponyo, which is a love story between a goldfish princess and a young boy. It's a great movie for little kids because there are no real scary elements. Anyway, while we were at the Zimmer Museum, Noah and Micah were at the water table and they were playing with the boats. Micah kept screaming, "Ponyo" because the main characters are on a toy boat for sometime in the film. Noah wanted that boat as well and to his dismay, Micah would not let the boat go down the water. He wanted to hold it. What will the boys fight over next???

"Follow the recipe"

I've been experimenting with Barefoot's recipes and through my head I hear dialogue from Pixar's movie, Ratatouille. It's the scene where Linguini and Colette are collaborating on a dish. She says, "It was his (Gusteau) job to be unexpected. It is our job to follow the recipe." I am pretty good at following the recipe... tonight I made Barefoot's sole meuniere with french green beans and it turned out well. But this mantra of "follow the recipe" is difficult to do when I am asking my mom about a Korean dish. Case in point, tonight I also made Moo Gook (radish soup) for Micah (he prefers to eat Korean). I never really tried to cook Korean, because if I wanted it I would just go home. Now that I have someone who wants Korean food, I have to learn how to make it! It contains significant amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin B6 which not bad for a soup that's built around a humble white radish. But my mom's recipe has no measurements, no exact cooking time, and no ratios. Needless to say the soup was okay, but not great. When I called my mom later in the evening she said, "it just takes practice." Really? Riding a bike takes practice. I need a recipe to follow! Will I learn how to make a proper Moo Gook???

32

My birthday started with the sounds of the boys pouting. Micah was upset about something and Noah was distressed because he could not find his Obiwon figurine. But we made it through, out to the kitchen, where Jawsh made me birthday crepes before he left to work. Nutella, banana, strawberries, and whip cream made everyone feel better. Jawsh came home for lunch and brought me a birthday donut and Noah sang Happy Birthday to me at least seven times. And for dinner, we went to Ktown where we ate Eun Dae Goo Jorim (a spicy black cod dish) and Bulgogi (for the kids). It was a great day where I got to spend all my meals with my three most beloved boys... 32... wow... am I ready for this year???

Birthday at Bubbe's

Today we spent the afternoon swimming in Bubbe's pool. Noah wore his goggles and went underneath the water to count how many fingers we were holding up while Micah loved to ride the noodles like a rocking horse. It's so nice to finally have the summer weather here. For dinner, Bubbe made this amazing Moroccan inspired meal with butter lettuce salad. It was so good. And for my birthday cake she made my favorite chocolate banana cake. It was such a nice way to spend my birthday with the people I love... what will we do on the 24th???

Father's Office

To kick things off for my birthday weekend, Jawsh took me to Father's Office (the original off of Montana). Cathy was kind of enough to watch the boys, and we enjoyed the F.O. Burger and a special menu item, fried shrimp. Yum. It was so good that I could of come back to have dinner (I really wanted to order the soft shell crabs) but I had the Noah's orientation to attend to. When will we head back???

Goodbye summer camp

Today was the last day of Noah's summer camp. We had a special outing to Santa Monica Beach where the kids were able to go to the Heal the Bay Aquarium and the pier. We missed the first half, but when we got to the pier, we let the kids go on the rides. Noah had a great time going on the rides with his summer camp pals. Since we bought an all day ticket, we may have to go back later in the evening with Daddy! Will Jawsh go for it???

Baking with Barefoot

Tonight I attempted to bake Barefoot Contessa's chocolate cake. I want to take this to Noah's preschool orientation meeting this weekend, so I had to try it out. I got a late start and with all the waiting for the cake to cool before icing it... before I knew it was approaching ten o'clock. We had a late dessert to say nonetheless but it was well worth the wait! What dessert should I tackle next???

Tooty-ta? I don't think so...

Noah's summer camp performed Tooty-ta and a few other songs. Unfortunately, Noah did not want to perform. He stood there, center stage, looking at the ground! It wasn't until the performances were over and Teacher Judy put on "I Like to Move It" (a 1994 music track performed by Reel 2 Real which is featured in the Madagascar film series) that he started to dance. What will his next performance be like???

Ina and Kim #2

Tonight we had Barefoot Contessa's baked shrimp scampi. The recipe called for butter, butter, and more butter. It was delicious (paired with a nice white wine). After tonight, I have to take a break from Ina but I will start exploring again in a few days! What will I make next???

Ina and Kim

Last week, Jawsh and I saw the movie, Julie and Julia. I was kind of inspired by it. Now, I am a big fan of Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) via my mother. And instead of going through all her recipes, I want to try a few a month. So I started tonight with her rib eye and cornmeal onion rings (paired with Blue Moon beer). Boy, was it good. Jawsh really loved the whole meal from start to finish. What will I make next???

4 little monkeys

Here is a recent picture of all the kids. It's near impossible to get all of them looking at the camera at the same time. Don't they look sweet???

Hi Reno Rubins

The Reno Rubins were back for a few days for their annual Camp Caryn summer trip. For some reason, I have absolutely no pictures of the crew! But I did find one image of Micah's typical reaction when he first met them. He just put his head down. It was completely hilarious because he's usually more outgoing. It was great catching up with everyone. When will go visit them in Reno???

Money, money, money

It's very unexpected when my parents come to LA. Today they had to run an errand that brought them to Koreatown. I took the boys to meet them for an impromptu lunch at the local Korean mall and of course, Noah made his way into the toy store. My dad, who is not known for buying toys, bought Noah a Thomas the Train wallet and let him have the change. The whole afternoon, Noah kept telling people what he would buy them with his two dollars! I would hear him say, "Micah I'm going to buy you a lightsaber, okay? You have to make good choices." Or he would tell me, "Mom, I'm going to buy you Luke's lightsaber okay?" I have to love his generous spirit. But how long will everything revolve around Star Wars???

R4 again...

To further illustrate the point.. here is Noah and his lego versions of the Star Wars robots. C3PO, R2D2, and R4. He's just a little obsessed, right???

R4

Here is Noah's latest drawing of R4. If you only know R2D2, you can't hang with Noah! Noah takes Star Wars very seriously... so much so that he quizzes Micah all the time. First it was Thomas the Tank Engine series, now Star Wars, what's next???

Star Eco-Station

Noah's summer camp took a field trip to the Star Eco-Station. It is a non-profit environmental education and exotic wildlife rescue center, dedicated to the mission of Preservation Through Education. They work in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other government and environmental organizations to provide a last chance for illegal or abandoned at-risk exotic wildlife. Noah got to meet several animals that were rescued and of course, he did not pass up a chance to hold a snake! I personally enjoyed learning about the programs and the animals... when will we head back???

Age of Mammals

Kaitlyn and Crew went with us to check out the Age of Mammals permanent exhibit at the the Natural History Museum. The Age of Mammals tells an epic evolutionary story that spans 65 million years! But its theme can be distilled into just six words: Continents move. Climates change. Mammals evolve. This picture shows Kaitlyn doing her tiger growl! We went on the first free Tuesday and it was way overcrowded with summer campers and families on vacation! When will we head back???

Air and Space Gallery

We went to Exposition Park to meet Kaitlyn and Crew, but we arrived earlier so we had time to check out the Air and Space Gallery. It was interesting to see the boys' reactions. There are life size satellites, airplanes, and helicopters on display hanging from the ceiling, so it was somewhat intimidating at first. Noah was hesitant but started to make connections to Star Wars (of course) and warmed up quicker than Micah. Micah on the other hand, was timid, walking slow, and clasping his hands together! I have never really seen Micah look so nervous! Noah really enjoyed going into the helicopter, but Micah wanted nothing to do with it. Will Noah want to be in aeronautics when he grows older???

The Getty Villa

Today we went to Malibu to check out The Getty Villa with Joel, Kristie, and Linnea. The landscape is beautiful and there is a amphitheater where they perform Greek tragedies in the evenings. The kids were able to paint frescoes and play in the family room. And we enjoyed walking around and eating lunch in gorgeous weather. Noah did not want to leave Linnea, but I promised him we would meet up again soon... maybe at the beach???