Happy New Years Eve

Today we celebrated the new year with our family friends, the Westerfields.  We have known each other since 2009 (which seems like a life time ago).  Although the kids attend different elementary schools, we make it a point to sign up them up in the same sports league or to meet up.  We feel fortunate to have good family friends that we can depend on.   We had a pasta bar and build your own ice cream sundae (the latter was definitely better) and the kids did an early toast to the new year.  It was a great way to end the year, wouldn't you agree???

Camp Snoopy

Our Christmas gift to the kids was a trip to Knotts Berry Farm.  It was a crazy mad house, packed with too many people, but the kids had a great time. Funny enough, our children were the only ones dressed in appropriate gear with Snoopy!  All the other kids were dressed in Disney clothing!  No respect, Blockheads!  The older half (Kaitlyn, Noah, and Micah) braved the roller coaster, Jaguar, and waited 90 minutes for 30 seconds of fast, terrifying turns and twists!  I don't foresee a trip back soon, but if we do head back, I wonder if the kids will brave Montezuma's Revenge???

Baby Brady

Welcome to the crazy Christmas Min house, Baby Brady!  He is 7 months old in this picture but wearing size 18 month clothing!  We can't wait till you're stomping around next year!  What will that be like???

Merry Christmas

This Christmas we had a delicious holiday meal consisting of my Mom's rib roast, artichoke dip, two types of corn, scalloped potatoes and of course, kimchi. We did miss my sister (who was recovering from surgery in DC with her in-laws) but we were overjoyed to see my cousin and her baby, Brady.  I was holed up in another room with a cold that I could not shake (did not want to be near that precious baby) so it was a lonely Charlie Brown kind of Christmas for me.  I did watch the kids open their  gifts as they received many more toys than they needed from "Santa Billy." My favorite part of the evening was when we face-timed with Kelly and her hubby, Zack, who got to watch all the madness.  What will Christmas bring next year???

Chanukah- Night 7

Three nights of Chanukah in a row is a lot but Cousin Seth was in town so we had to celebrate with him and friends!  We kept the menu short and easy and enjoyed the largest game of dreidel we have had yet (15 people).  The kids had a blast and it was fun hosting!  I don't know when we will host an event again this large, so this will do for the rest of the year!  When is Chanukah in 2015???

Chanukah- Night 6

Tonight we headed to Bubbe's where we spent a lovely evening with relatives from out of town (GA and Seth) and some of Bubbe's friends.  The kids loved going over to celebrate and instead of a rousing game of Dreidel the boys settled for a game of Monopoly.  They really enjoyed the food, the company, and the attention!  When will we see everyone again???

Chanukah- Night 5

Happy Chanukah!  The tradition of the Smith-Shields celebration took a break this year because K had surgery (he's recovering well).  So, the game of dreidel lives on with Grandpa, Grandma, and another childhood friend, Doug, and his family.  The kids had a great time playing with G and we enjoyed each other's company over matzo ball soup and yummy latkes!  When will we celebrate with them again???

Candles By Noah

Noah's gift to us was a candle that he made at school along with this piece of poetry.  Isn't this beautifully written????

Winter Concert- Orange Cluster

Noah's class sang two songs:  Let's Go Fly A Kite made famous by Mary Poppins and Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland.  It was really beautiful listening to the kids sing these songs.  I wonder what they will sing next year???

Winter concert- Silver Cluster

Micah's class sang two songs:  Frank Sinatra's High Hopes and The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell.  It was really beautiful listening to the kids sing these songs.  I wonder what they will sing next year???

LACMA

Today we ventured to LACMA to see the Children's Animation Show.  It was okay... definitely not as good as the one that Redcat produces but it was interesting nonetheless.  The boys enjoyed going to the exhibit, Samurai, and of course they enjoyed Korean brush painting at the Boone Gallery.  When will we head back to LACMA???

Father and son

Here they are at a hip cafe in Midcity, Paper or Plastik.  These two are alike in many ways from the clothing brand they wear (as seen here) to the pastries they enjoy eating and a lot in between.  Noah has the best role model to look up to... someone who sees beauty in a world of chaos, is patient in a city of non-stop motion (except in parking lots at the Grove right before Christmas), and loving to his family.  I hope Noah turns out to be just like his Daddy with a little Mommy thrown in, to keep it interesting!  What will Noah be like in 20 years???

Toy sorting

For the past four years we have been giving our time to help kids in need of cheer over the holiday season.  It started at 9 AM this morning in the FOX Studio warehouse, where we sorted hundreds of toys that would be shipped to kids in need.  Micah and Noah opened bags and sorted them by gender and age and then helped count them to go to specific charities.  They did a great job!  What else can we do to help???

Handball Champ

I had no idea that there was such a thing as a Handball Champ, but at Open School there is! Noah competed in a grueling match against kids between first and third grade and he came out the victor.  He was very proud of his achievement because his rival, S, is "very good." When they announced Noah's name on the PA system at school, Noah told me he was "famous."  What will he attempt to do next????

Happy Birthday Halmoni

Happy Birthday to my mom... she loves being Halmoni to these five precious kids.  Wonder what she wished for???

Christmas is around the corner

This year is going by so fast... here is Noah and Kaitlyn finally old enough (and interested enough) to handle all the fragile Lenox ornaments on the tree.  These two are so close and really enjoy each other's company.  Decorating the tree is great fun and I hope that they will always remember these special times.  What will we do with the kids this year???

KJM

Girl's Night

The mamas from the co-op like to go out very few weeks to have dinner and catch up.  Tonight we went to hinoki and the bird.  It was just as yummy as the time I went with Jawsh.  Where will we meet up next???