Happy Birthday Bubbe!

Today we spent the day at the happiest place on earth with Bubbe to help celebrate her birthday. Noah had a great time with her at the park and we all enjoyed the nice weather and company. Here is Bubbe with all her boys... wonder what she wished for???

Happy Chusok!

Chusok is a Korean "Harvest Moon" festival. Although there are many traditional components to this special day (like visiting ancestoral graves, wearing hanboks, and dancing) we put a different spin on it and celebrated Emma's first visit to my parents' home. While she was swaddled and held with care, Noah and Kaitlyn were outside finding pumpkins and the last of this season's tomatoes, and Micah was walking all over the backyard grabbing golf clubs and bats! What will future celebrations be like with four kiddies???

September 27, 2009

After a fun filled evening at Yongsusan for Micah's Tol we weren't up to visiting a museum as planned. Unfortunately I was feeling under the weather and we spent the day chilling at home. Later in the evening we had a small Baskins Robbins cake at Auntie Cathy's to celebrate again... and Noah loved blowing the candle out for his little bro. The first year went by so fast, what will year 2 bring???

Micah's TOL

Micah's first birthday was such a wonderful celebration. We feel so blessed that we were able to share this time with so many people who love him. The room was filled with silver and blue balloons, Korean rice cakes, fruit, and of course items for Micah to grab during the toljabee. There was a book (scholar), stack of money (fortune), string (long life), stethoscope (doctor), and paintbrush (artist). I wanted Micah to grab the money and Jawsh wanted him to grab the paint brush... this time around I got my wish and he grabbed the stack of money! Although there were many highlights throughout the evening, we will never forget how later in the evening he grabbed the stack of money and the blue paintbrush at the same time! He is very special... wouldn't you agree???

Paging Dr. Smith

This is Noah's way of wearing a stethoscope. By the way, didn't you know he could hear the heart from the leg???

Dr. Dre

My good friend and college roommate, Andrea, came by for a visit. Last time I saw her was at her graduation party and now that she is doing her residency in Bakersfield, I hope that we will be able to see one another more often. Don't they look happy???

Snakes

We love the fact that Noah's preschool has easels set up for the children to paint everyday. Here is Noah's first art piece entitled, "Blue snake, red yellow snake." Since Noah chose the paint brush during the toljabee, and since his father is an artist, I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a world renowned artist (no pressure, right?). Will this piece be worth millions in the future???

Noah's first day of pre-school

Noah was very excited to take his lunch bag to preschool, making sure that I did not forget to pack his "strawberries and blueberries." The morning was great, he was a little attached to the hip at times, but he really enjoyed exploring the learning stations and of course, eating lunch. We can't get over how much older he looks when he is lining up to go into class, sitting with his peers eating, and going to the potty (no accidents today- knock on wood). Will the rest of the week go by smoothly???

Happy 3rd Birthday Kaitlyn!

Today we celebrated Kaitlyn's 3rd Birthday at the Children's Museum. The theme was Dora the Explorer and in honor of that, Jawsh made some shirts for the kiddies to wear. Kaitlyn had a Dora shirt that read, "I am 3 years old," Noah had on a Diego shirt (Dora's cartoon cousin), and Micah had on Swiper, the raccoon in the series that steals Dora's things. This picture was taken outside of the museum in the park. Don't they look absolutely adorable???

I wanna hold your hand

The boys fell asleep in the car holding hands. Isn't this the cutest thing???

Baby Emma

On Wednesday, September 9, 2009, Emma Min entered our lives. She weighed 7 pounds 12 ounces. She is absolutely beautiful! Michelle is doing well and is recovering nicely (Billy is also doing well). A lot of people think that she looks like Billy but I disagree. I think she looks like her Aunt Jennifer, but we'll have to see. I wonder what she'll look like with her eyes open???

Quiche

I never blog about food but this is a first for me so I had to take a picture (because y'all know that I prefer cleaning to cooking). I made a ham and onion quiche from scratch! Jawsh helped with the filling, but I did the crust. Not sure when this will happen again, so we had to take a picture! Doesn't this look tasty???

60

Today we celebrated Grandpa Art and Grandma Tina's 60th wedding anniversary! It's such an inspiration... we only have 56 years to go before we make it. These past 4 years have gone by in a blink, so 60 years should feel like a snooze, don't you think???

First steps

Micah recently took his first steps at home. He has been taking one then falling, but today he was in the living room and he just started to walk towards Jawsh. GA, GT, and Bubbe were there to witness his little feet move. Now that he can walk he tries to keep up with his big bro but he usually ends up getting on his knees and crawling because it's much faster. How will our lives be once he can walk quickly???

Mickey Mouse Club? Naaa... 30 plus 1 club!

Today we went to Disneyland for my birthday. My parents came along and for anyone who knows my family, it's a big deal when my dad joins us out. It was so nice to see my parents with our kids... we love to see how they interact with them and how they turn into typical "Grandparents..." spoiling, over indulging, and doing silly things to make them laugh. My dad has not been to Disneyland in over twenty years and the first thing he said was, "It looks exactly the same." Hopefully, I'll still look 31 in twenty years time... is that possible???

31

Here is the official 31st birthday photo. We had some yummy Korean BBQ and a coconut cake! It was a nice relaxed evening with family and friends. I wonder if my wish will come true???

Noah's Ark

We went back to Noah's Ark at the Skirball Museum with Noah's friend, Phillip. They had a great time climbing through the ark, playing with wooden animals, making rain and thunder, and much more. Here they are sitting on one of the animals, made out of recycled goods. Isn't this too cute???

Finding Nemo

Blackout dates have passed and now we are able to go to Disneyland again! We decided to let Noah try the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and he loved it. At first, when Jawsh and Noah were getting into the submarine, Noah covered his ears and said that he did not want them to get wet (we think he thought he was going into the water). Once the ride started, Noah was mesmerized (as you can see in the picture). When will he get to go on with Kaitlyn???

BIC Buddy

We went out to downtown LA to support Marisa's toy design. Unfortunately we were unable to purchase her design (it was a blind choosing) but we were excited to see all the great work there. Will we be able to get Marisa's toy later???

Moving on up

Micah is now sitting in the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair! Noah was reluctant to move from this seat, but now he is in a booster and he enjoys that much more because he can get in and out of the chair by himself. Yet another perk to have babies so close in age, huh???

Beach baby

Micah's first beach experience was with the Rubin clan at Seal Beach. It was a clear beautiful day and nice to be with the family. Micah spent a good amount of time sitting in the shade but then crawled around here and there. Unfortunately Jawsh had to finish up some projects so he missed out and was sorely missed, but Noah didn't seem to mind. He was busy playing in the sand with Seth and Mason and asking Uncle Zach to take him deeper in the water. Will Micah be as adventurous???

Sleepy baby

Micah fell asleep in the chair (Jawsh was rocking him a bit). Doesn't he look huge???

Diggin' for dinos

We took advantage of yet another free museum day... this time we headed to Exposition Park and went to the Natural History Museum. Noah had a great time at the Discovery Center, especially enjoying excavating dinosaurs bones. Micah was too small to go into the pit, so he had to watch from the sidelines. Here is a picture of the boys next to a dinosaur... Micah wasn't too thrilled and Noah was having fun constructing the dinosaur. Will the boys want to be archaeologists when they grow up?

Playing with Plato

Noah has entered the world of Plato. He enjoys making shapes and using the Plato scissors. I remember seeing Plato on the toy store shelves last year thinking, "Noah's too young, he'll put it in his mouth." Now he's the Plato Prince. He's growing up so fast! What will he get into next???

Later that night...

We really enjoyed our time at Shutters on the Beach, eating brunch and spending time in Santa Monica, but we decided not to head back in the evening. Instead we headed to Venice where we had a nice seafood dinner and time to play at the playground on the beach. Noah and Micah really enjoyed the swings, especially Micah... can't you tell???

4

We went back to the exact spot where we were married (7-24-05). Yes, it's been four years! Last year I asked, "We may decide to go to Shutters for brunch instead of dinner with both of our sons... will that happen???" and it did. We had a nice relaxing brunch, Micah was asleep and Noah was a perfect angel. Jawsh ordered his sweet usual, lemon ricotta pancakes, and I had the savory soup and sandwich. Next year, we hope to book a babysitter in advance so we can have a more romantic celebration for the our 5... will that happen???

4 years almost...

It's the night before our fourth wedding anniversary! Four years ago, I was in a room at Shutters on the Beach with my close friend, Cindi. I remember thinking "this is my last day of the single life." Fast forward to today and I am so blessed to be married to Jawsh... he is still ever patient and loving. And we both feel blessed to have the most wonderful baby boys. Tomorrow we head to Shutters for brunch as a family (no sitters this year) to enjoy the Santa Monica breeze and to take a trip down memory lane. Wonder what tomorrow will bring???

Ode to Micah

This blog is solely about Micah. As I blog about my family, I know that Micah is not getting his equal share. I forgot to post his crawling (which happened in June), his teething (he has 3 on the bottom), and I didn't post about how he started babbling mama! What kind of mother blogger am I? I know from experience, as the youngest, we can get short changed. Well, here is my ode to Micah. He is definitely developing the need for speed... he crawls very quickly, he's pulling up to standing position (he even stood up for a milli-second unassisted), and he lets you know what he wants. He can be impatient with me, when I am trying to get his food ready and he screams when big bro takes a toy from him. He's physical... he likes to "body slam" Noah and he also loves slapping us in the face... it's a sign of affection! At his last appointment, we found out that he was in the 97 percentile for height and 70 percentile for weight. We also found out that his iron levels were normal, so no iron supplements needed (hooray). Micah also was a finalist for a State Farm print campaign, but it didn't work out (next time). What will Micah do next???

Not so rosey (again)

Micah has a virus. We think it's roseola because his temperature shot up and then he broke out in rash. Noah had this too when he was about the same age. We're glad that Micah is feeling a bit better and we are hoping that we won't have another illness anytime soon. Anyone know where I can buy a bubble for Micah???

Chino Farmer's Market

Did you know that Wolfgang Puck gets his corn from Chino? We were there for the Farmer's Market and had a great time. It was nice to sit, relax, and eat! Noah and Kaitlyn had a great time on yet another train (no it doesn't get old) and bounce house (no not that either) but I think they had the most fun just jumping around in the grass. Who needs a train and bounce house when you have these two???

Griffith Park

Today we spent the good part of the day at Griffith Park. First we went to the Autry Museum where the kids had a great time in one of the galleries featuring a Chinese American family in the 1930s. Noah and Kaitlyn loved exploring the family’s antique store, restaurant, and home. Afterwards we headed to Travel Town where the kids got up close and personal with trains. We even got to ride a mini train headed to "Chicago." Here in the picture you may have noticed that Michelle is pregnant! Pretty soon it will be even: 2 boys and 2 girls. What will it be like when my niece arrives???

Nifty fifties

My cousin, Yojin, and her cousin, HanSung, came over tonight. HanSung is visiting from Seoul and we thought he would get a kick out of Cafe 50's so we headed there for dinner. We think he had a great time looking at all the decor and eating all the scrumptious fried food. When will we head back for more fried macaroni and cheese???

Pavilion of Wings

The Pavilion of Wings has returned to the Natural History Museum. This time around it was just me and the boys. Noah took charge of the camera and took many pictures of butterflies, the ground, his shoe, and his shadow. It was a great time. Noah also took his monarch butterfly book and was able to find some in the plants. That was really exciting. Do we have a budding entomologist???

Pool time

We continued the celebration at Bubbe's house the next day. Noah and Micah were both in the pool enjoying every minute. Micah was so chill in his float device and Noah was learning how to jump in the pool. It was such a beautiful relaxing day. When will we go swimming again???

Happy 4th!

There was plenty of traditional fare like hamburgers and hotdogs as well as some Korean bbq to celebrate the 4th. Jawsh played bartender and made yummy mojitos for all to enjoy (Dan called them Joshitos). The kids had a great time in the water-it's nice that Micah is big enough to interact with the "big kids." Later in the evening, the fire works scared my boys just a bit so they stayed inside the house. What will it be like next year???

Playtime with Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn (in her cutie Princess Leia hairdo) came over to our place today to hang with Noah. Granted we don't have as many toys at our place, but I think she still had a great time. Noah liked showing her his stuff, like his tricycle. Who will learn how to ride it first???

Circle of toys

Some dads are proud of their sons when they learn how to throw footballs. Jawsh was proud of his son when he made the shape of a circle with his toys. This happened while Jawsh was in class but when I showed him the video footage he almost shed a tear =) As time passes, I see how much Jawsh is in Noah... that's a special thing, wouldn't you agree???

Long Beach Aquarium

Today we took advantage of the free teacher day at the Long Beach Aquarium. Last time we went, Noah was almost two and found the pigeons more interesting than the marine life. My how much has changed. Noah pet sharks for the first time, fed lorikeets, and interacted with a sea lion. It was a fun time had by all. We even came prepared with swim clothes so Noah could jump in the tanks, just kidding, he was able to play in the wet zones outside. I can't wait for Micah to be able to have all this fun with Noah... he was chilling in the baby bjorn with me for most of the time. When will we head back???

Church carnival

Inland Church was having its annual summer carnival. I remember volunteering at these many years ago when I was in high school and it was a much smaller event. Now the carnival has rides, jumpers, wet zones, games, trains, and plenty of cotton candy and snow cones! Noah had a great time playing with Kaitlyn, and Emo stayed out of the sun with Micah. What will it be like next year???

It's Your Show

One of Jawsh's illustrations was chosen for UCLA Extension 2009 "It's Your Show" exhibit. The show is at the Westwood Center Gallery and will be up until July 16th. We are so excited that Jawsh's work was one of the selected pieces. What will he show next???

Micah's first ride

Aunt Kelly, also known as Emo, is visiting this week. We took a trip to Disneyland and she took Micah on his FIRST ride... the Casey Jr. Circus Train. Jawsh and I rode with Kaitlyn and Noah in a cage and Kelly and Micah opted for a seat. Afterwards we took the kids to It's a Small World and I got to hold Micah on that one. What will be Micah's favorite ride???

Fun with Mary

Our last day in Reno was spent with family. The guys went golfing and the gals went shopping. We went to a local mall and Noah found that very exciting because he got to play in the water with Mary. We can't wait to see them again in August when they come to California. What will we have planned for them???

Hi Jin and Chris

We found some time to visit my cousins, Jin and Chris, Sunday evening. It's been years since I have seen them. It was so weird to see how these two have grown... I remember changing their diapers! It was a nice calm evening and I secretly hope they will move from Reno back to Vegas so we can see them more often. When will we see them again???

Happy Father's Day

This year we celebrated all the fathers on the Rubin side. We had a nice brunch and some time to show our appreciation through gifts. I think that Jawsh is the BEST father to Noah and Micah, hands down! What will we do next year???

Party!

The evening celebration was so much fun! There was a lot of good food and music! It was great to see everyone dancing and Seth and Mary high up in the chairs during the Hora. Noah couldn't help but get his groove on, until it got so loud that he wanted to leave. Where did he get his booty bumpin' skills from???

Mazel tov Seth and Mary!

Seth and Mary were called to the Torah and did an amazing job. They were composed, well spoken, and they looked very mature! Here they are with Isaac (who just graduated from high school). We are so happy that we were able to witness this and share in the celebration. The whole family was there and everyone was so joyous... when will we all be together again???

Friendly skies

Micah's first trip on an airplane went really well... we flew to Reno for Seth and Mary's b'nai mitzvah. The trip was smooth thanks to the boys' dispositions and Uncle Zach traveling with us. It was nice to have an extra set of hands to help! Micah was laughing as we went up in the air and then slept peacefully in his seat until we landed. Noah was in the row behind us with Dad watching WALLE on Kaitlyn's DVD player. Now we know that we can take the boys anywhere! Next stop: Maui. Anyone want to join???

Congrats Zach

Zach completed his screen writing program at UCLA. We can't wait to see his new Pixar movie in the future. I wonder if we can get Noah and Micah to voice some of the characters???

Guinea pig

Today was a nice overcast day so we decided to go to the LA Zoo. We were there for a short time and we were able to see the bird show. Noah also got to brush the hair of a guinea pig! He did such a nice job stroking his hair gently. I wonder what Noah's first pet will be???

Do I hear 2000?

For our school annual auction, my class created a book and chair inspired by a book entitled, Melanin N Me. The kids painted the bottom of the chair as well as the poles, and Jawsh did the art. This chair caused quite a commotion as many people bid on this... the final sale price was $2000. Not twenty. Two thousand. Fortunately, it went to one of the students in my class. What will Jawsh help create next year???