Force Cookies

Today we baked Star Wars sugar cookies at Halmoni's house. I got the cookie cutters at Williams Sonoma and the recipe came in the box. It was so much easier baking using my mom's Kitchen Aid Mixer (instead of my hand mixer). The cookies came out just right and Noah loved them. Micah, took the Darth Vader cookies, and fed them to Watts (until I caught him in the act). I think I may have to ask Santa Claus or Hanukkah Harry for a mixer this holiday season... we'll see... a girl can dream right???

Just hangin'

Micah really loves going to Noah's preschool. After we sign Noah in, we hang out and play outside with the kids. Micah is really coordinated and not afraid to try new things, so after watching the boys swing off the bars, he decided to try it for himself. Sometimes my heart just stops watching him do these things, but I have to remember that he's an active little boy who is going to fall and get hurt at times (although I want to minimize that as much as possible). So, here is Micah just hangin... what will he try to do next???

LA Korean Festival

Today we spent some time at the 37th annual Koreatown Festival. It's been a few years since I have gone, but my Mom and Kaitlyn and Crew wanted to check it out on the last day. Although there was plenty of food vendors we ended up at out usual restaurant, Dol Il Jang. It was nice to see everyone for a few hours although it would of been nice if my Dad could of come along. When will we all get together again???

Happy Birthday Bubbe!

Jawsh and Zach took Bubbe out to a lobster dinner on the Santa Monica Pier for her birthday... just Bubbe and her boys. I know they had a great time eating delicious lobster prepared different ways. After dinner they came back to our place for dessert and Bubbe's birthday song. I wonder what she wished for???

I'm 2!

It's hard to imagine that only two years ago, Micah entered our lives. He is such a bundle of energy, always keeping us on our toes. Micah teaches Jawsh and I have to more patience and hopefully he inspires Noah to take more risks (because we all know how Micah can assert himself). Today Micah is officially considered a "toddler" so this marks a new chapter in our lives. What will the terrible twos be like with him???

Happy 2nd Birthday Micah!

In honor of Micah's 2nd birthday, we went to Disneyland to celebrate. We spent sometime in Fantasy Land but the majority of the time we were at the Jedi Training Academy Show (we watched it three times)! The highlight of the day was when Micah was chosen out of the crowd to train as a Jedi to fight Darth Vader but then immediately sent back once they found out that he was only two! When will Micah get a chance to fight the Dark Side???

Birthday with Bubbe!

Today Micah enjoyed hotdogs from Portillos and his first Hostess cupcake at Bubbe's place! Tomorrow we head to Disneyland... wonder what ride he'll like best???

Happy Chuseok

Chuseok is a Korean "Harvest Moon" festival. This day is kind of considered like Thanksgiving in Korea. The celebration starts with a family get together at which rice cakes made of rice, beans, sesame seeds, and chestnuts are served. Although there are many components to this special day (like visiting ancestoral graves, wearing hanboks, and dancing) we put a different spin on it and celebrated Micah's birthday. Wonder what he wished for???

Happy 4th Birthday Kaitlyn!

Today we celebrated Kaitlyn's 4th Birthday at Harabujee and Halmoni's house. The theme was Dinosaurs! There was so much food and games that everyone had a good time (with the exception of Noah who is still feeling under the weather, and Jawsh, who is also fighting a virus). Fortunately, Micah had a great time going up and down the jumper and hitting the pinata (finally he was allowed to swing a stick and hit something). I can't believe that Kaitlyn is already 4 years old... where did the time go???

Sick

It started with Micah last week... fever and cough. Then Noah got a fever, stomachache, and sore throat on top of his cough that he has had for weeks (probably due to allergies). The poor guy just wants his "Bubbe blanket" and a tummy rub. When we went to the doctors I was desperate for him to eat something on the way back home. I offered his favorite staples, udon and cheese pizza, which is refused. I then took it to another level offering him Yogurtland, Sprinkles cupcakes, and raspberry macaroons and he declined that as well! You know this kid is sick! When will he feel better???

A blessing

We were running afternoon errands when we were rear ended. This blog entry is entitled "A blessing" because no one was severely hurt. Thank God. Now we have to deal with the aftermath of insurance and fixing the car, which is not how I want to spend my time, but again, a blessing that we are all okay. Can anyone recommend a good body shop???

First day of pre-school

Noah was excited to return to preschool. He really missed his teacher, Cynthia, and he was looking forward to playing with his friends (although a lot of them have either moved or graduated). Since we are at a co-op and I volunteer on Mondays, I was there the whole time. The morning was great, he enjoyed playing with his friends and inside time he was at the building table making Star Wars spaceships. Here is a picture of Noah with his sidekick, Micah, who is holding his Star Wars lunch pail. How will the rest of the week go???

Emma's Dol

We celebrated Emma's first birthday with family and friends. Jawsh made an incredible slideshow that reflected upon Emma's first year of life, games were played, and the food was enjoyed by all. A highlight of the evening was the Toljabee. Laid out in front of Emma was a stethoscope, pencil, thread, and money. It's said that the child's future is predicted according to what they grab. Emma grabbed the money (signifying prosperity). What will she do when she grows older???

Happy Rosh Hashanah

This year we celebrated the new year at home with Grandpa and Uncle Zach. This was a good thing as poor Micah threw up his apples and honey. After we cleaned him and the area up, he fell asleep on the couch. While he was sleeping, the rest of us enjoyed matzo ball soup, roasted chicken, veggies, and for dessert a Barefoot apple tart. This is the second time that I made this tart and it came out pretty good. Since I am using frozen puff pastry that folds out smaller than what Barefoot uses, I am still adjusting the amount of sugar and butter that I should use. It was a nice evening with the guys (with the exception of poor Micah not feeling well). We continue the celebration at Bubbe's house on Sunday... what's on the menu???

Hi Kyer

Kyer came over this morning to play with trains and crawl through tunnels in our living room. We had brunch at La Provence and had a nice time catching up with Uncle Jay and Aunt Delee. When will we see them again???

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???

Roller coaster #2... Journey to Atlantis

Today we took a day trip down to San Diego and spent sometime at Sea World. Noah and Micah loved the Shamu Believe Show (again) and this time Noah and Jawsh went on a roller coaster called Journey to Atlantis. We weren't surprised that Noah wanted to go on (because he just had a great experience with Suzy). But Jawsh was surprised at how fast it went. There were many fast turns, high drops into water, and Noah was holding on to dear life. When Noah got off he said, "that was too fast." Will he want to ride a roller coaster again after this???

Noah's first roller coaster

My cousin, Suzy, flew in from Texas! She is getting married 1-11-2011! Noah is going to be a ring bearer so she spent some fun time with him this visit. Highlights were getting lunch at the Kogi truck, driving to Santa Monica, and eating it at the beach. It was such a nice day. Then we walked to the pier, where we let Noah choose one ride. He decided to go on the roller coaster! He barely made the height requirement of 42 inches and he was off with Suzy! I was nervous for him, but he did great. What will be his next roller coaster ride???

5

This morning we went back to the exact spot where we were married (7-24-05). Yes, it's been 5 years! Afterwards we took a stroll on the beach and had lunch at one of our favorite places, Cha Cha Chicken. For dinner, Jawsh and I ate at Providence. It was such a wonderful dining experience... we ate so many delicious things. Jawsh's favorite was the wild black sea bass with braised artichokes, candied orange rind, and basil and my favorite was the big eye tuna and kumamoto oysters! Yum! Thanks to Bubbe, Uncle Zach, and Dolly for watching the boys... where will we go next year???

Whole Foods Fieldtrip

Noah went on his a fieldtrip to Whole Foods with his summer camp. I always thought it was weird when kids go to grocery stores for fieldtrips, but it was sort of fun. The kids got to try all types of food, starting with the desserts! I think Noah's favorite part was eating the organic banana. His next fieldtrip is the Eco-Station... I wonder how that will go???

5 years tomorrow!

It's the night before our fifth wedding anniversary! I feel so blessed to be married to Jawsh... he is still ever patient and loving. And we both feel blessed to have the most wonderful boys. Tomorrow we head to Shutters on the Beach for a quick visit (no brunch this year) and then to a romantic dinner at Providence! Wonder what tomorrow will bring???

mygym with Micah

Micah has been enjoying mygym classes for the past few weeks. Since I did Gymboree with Noah, this is a nice change. mygym focuses more on gymnastics and there is a lot to do. Micah has been enjoying the trampoline and the ball pit. He also loves somersaults and flying down a zip line in a plastic airplane! Will Micah want to be a gymnast when he grows older???

Santa Monica Pacific Park

Today Noah and Kaitlyn went to Santa Monica Pier to enjoy all the amusement park rides. I got a great deal on groupon which gave them all you can ride passes. I originally bought these passes for Jawsh and Noah, but when we went Noah would not go on any of the rides with his Daddy! Of course, with "Kaitlyn Kourage" by his side, he went on all the rides with no problem. Here they are going up and down, enjoying the view of the Pacific, while Micah is on the bench enjoying his view of his older brother and cousin. Micah was a bit upset that he could not go on any of the rides, but all in good time, right???

Captain Rex

Noah's fascination with Star Wars continues. He is sort of into the Clone Wars (the library has first readers about this series) which upsets Jawsh because it's not the original. Anyway, we were at Toys R Us and even though I usually do not succumb to Noah's requests this costume was over 50% off. So, for 11 dollars, why not, right???

Pavilion of Wings (again)

It was time for our annual visit to The Pavilion of Wings. Like last year, Noah took charge of the camera and took many pictures of butterflies (and not the ground, his shoe, and his shadow like last time). He also identified different butterflies and the stages that they were in! He could work there as a volunteer! Micah, on the other hand, sat in the middle of the dirt path and played with the dirt. He also liked standing on the rocks and holding the signs. Now you might think, "oh Micah's just too young," but when I looked back at the blog archives, we took Noah at around this age and he did not exhibit the same behavior. I chalk it up to... they're just different! What will Micah really enjoy... spiders???

NHM

We took advantage of the Natural History Museum free day (the first Tuesday of every month). Noah and Micah had a great time at the Discovery Center. We also went upstairs to see the dinosaur fossils and as soon as Noah saw the teeth he said, "Mommy, that dinosaur eats kogi because it has sharp teeth and that one eats salad." Noah has a great memory, wouldn't you agree???

Bikes at the beach

We spent a few hours at Santa Monica Beach riding bikes and going to the play park. It was really crowded there today but a beautiful day nonetheless. When will we ride again???

Happy 4th!

This Independence Day was spent with family. My mom made kalbi, rib eye, and salmon and Jawsh played bartender (again) and made yummy blood orange mojitos for all to enjoy. Later in the evening, we watched the fire works in the backyard and my dad also lit a few. He was in a great mood dancing around the lights, holding Micah. Yup, Micah was not scared. But Noah was sitting in my mom's lap holding her hand over his eyes! Will he like the fireworks next year???

He did what?

I am beginning to think that my dad really loves Micah, not just loves but really loves. He bought a small inflatable pool for Micah. Now of course, Noah and Kaitlyn can enjoy it too... but it's really for a smaller kid. And if anyone knows my dad, he does not go to the store to buy things. As I was explaining to Jawsh, my dad's inner GPS takes him to only a few places: home, work, golf, LA, and occasionally Home Depot. So when I heard that he went to Wal-Mart and bought this I was shocked. As you can see on Micah's face.. he loves it. What will my dad buy next???