BOOK REVIEW: THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Written By: Barbara Robinson

Number of pages: 90

Number of stars I'm giving it: 5

So it is a Christmas tradition to always read this book. 

It has been one of my favorites since about the 4th grade. 

 Is it pathetic that all I have read in the last
month is children's books? Probably. 

 Do I care? No way! 

This book makes me laugh so hard, I have known people exactly like all of these characters while I was growing up. This year I felt especially bad for the mom who had to put the whole thing together and still make dinners for her family.  I am sure everyone has read this book, if so you must read it again.  If you haven't then you must, must, read it this year. 

 Another bonus is that it only takes about an hour to read. 

"Hey. Unto you a child is born!"

A Close Shave

I finally had it with Liam's cow lick today. 

I LOVE his hair long, its very cute and very unmanageable.

No matter how many times I comb it during the day, it looks as if I never have.

The thought has crossed my mind more than once in the last few

days to put cute little elastics in like I did when Isabelle was a baby.

Since I don't think that is a wise decision I really only had one other option.

I shaved it off.  It is very hard for hair to stick up all over the place

when it is only a quarter on an inch long.

Here's Liam before his terrible mother got to him...

Look how cute my little man is!

He has no idea what's going thru my mind right now!

And here's Liam after.  Soungsik likes his hair better short. 

I think he is too cute for words either way.  

I also can't stop rubbing his head - it feels so cool.

This is proof that he is incredibly thrilled with his new do!

I asked Isabelle if she wanted the same cut, she declined,

I can't imagine why?

BOOK REVIEW: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader                                   
Book 5 of 7 in the Narnia Series
Written by: C.S. Lewis
Number of pages: 248
Number of stars I'm giving it: 3.5

I needed to finish this book by Saturday because we are going to see the movie made after it this weekend.  The other books in the series have only taken my a couple of days to finish because I have liked them so much.  This book took me almost 2 weeks.  It wasn't a bad book, but it was very hard to get into.  Actually I think that for once the movie might be better than the book.  My biggest issue with this book is that everything just seemed disconnected.  All of the things that happened were interesting, but problems got resolved quickly and characters moved on quickly. I would have liked more depth in a lot of places.  The ending also seemed rushed and I didn't care for it much.  There was no pull between good and evil, very few hard decisions for the characters to grow from.  I do think that kids would find this book entertaining, and while I didn't hate it, it's probably not one I will be reading again for myself. 

Christmas Piano Recital

Isabelle had her 2nd piano recital tonight.

She has been asking me for weeks "Is today the day, is today the day?"

She has worked really hard, and while she made a couple of small

mistakes, overall she did great!

Isabelle's cousins (Jakob, Corrine, and Sariah)

also performed tonight and did wonderfully!

This is Isabelle playing "Spanish Guitars"

Here she is with her teacher, Betsy Fox, playing

"Hark the Herald Angels Sing".

We have been teasing her for not curtsying after,

she was laughing and can't believe she forgot.

We are so proud of you Isabelle!

We hope you continue to work hard,

and continue to love the piano as much as you do today!

2010 Year in Review

I know I am a bit of a Grinch, but I really hate Christmas letters.

Especially ones that are 3 pages long and just go on and on and on about

how some families cure diseases, win peace prizes, write novels, and how

their children never, never, never do anything wrong.

I was a little on the dumb side this year and put my

 blog address on our Christmas cards.

After I did that I realized that people will probably be expecting to

see some kind of family update if they do come here.

So I have decided to just write 3 things for each member of the family.

Don't get your hopes up too high - we didn't even cure a disease!

William - or Liam as I like to call him...

1. He has learned to crawl, climb, walk, run, kick, punch, roll, jump,

and do backflips this year! Well not really the last one, but you get the idea.

2. He will be officially done teething by the time 2011 rolls around!

 YAY for Mom! I guess it's good for him as well.

3. Finally starting to speak. He likes to say: binkie, blankie, kitty, doggy,

cookie, thanks, aupa (korean for dad), grrrrrr, grandpa,

and finally at long last, mama!

Isabelle

1. Still doing Taekwondo, and she also started piano and gymnastics.

 She is loving it all. The day she can actually perform a

real cartwheel we are going to have a party!

2. She has been doing great with her school, especially her reading.

We are so proud of her progress.

3. She makes us laugh at least once everyday. Thanks sweetie!

Me

1. I have had multiple personalities this year.

Angry mom, happy mom, crazy lady, nice lady, hollering maniac, peacemaker.

There may be more, but its hard to keep track of all the voices in my head.

2. I have had multiple jobs this year.

Taxi driver, chef (ha ha ha), house keeper, teacher, counselor, primary teacher,

translator, secretary, baby sitter, state delegate, moving man, dishwasher,

 clothes washer, psychic, nurse, thats pretty much it.

3. hmmm, 3 is alot. Sometimes less is more, right?

Soungsik

1. He did a little fishing this year, but he has started to go shooting much more.

He even built his own gun. I hope that doesn't backfire on him (he he he)!

2. The awesome parent of the year award in our family undoubtedly goes to him.

He is way more patient and fun than me,

my kids are so lucky! I am pretty lucky too!

3. We opened our 2nd taekwondo center this year.

 He also helped his brother get his school opened.

He has been incredibly busy with that!

We are just grateful that we survived the year with

no health problems or broken bones.

We are grateful for family that's always there:), and for good friends.

We are grateful our house is still standing,

even if there is a spider in the bathroom...I gotta go!

Ooh La La, Braids

Sometimes girls do extra girly things.

I am going to suck up as many moments like these as I can

 before Isabelle won't let me anymore!

Here's the before...

Isabelle sat and watched "The Last Unicorn" while I did this.

YES, it took that long, because I am slow.

Also I remember loving that movie when I was a kid,
now, not so much.

And the after...

This was after being in braids for 2 days.

We are definantly washing that hair in the morning!

Oh yeah, you work that kinky hair!

Ooh la la!

Belt Testing December 2010

Yet another belt testing for Isabelle. 

She has done so many now that she doesn't even get nervous.

Actually she's starting to think testing is pretty cool!

This time she was testing for her orange belt,

and she did really good too!

There were 20 kids in her group this time.

I think its great that she's half the size of the kids behind her.

I don't think she's even aware of that fact.

Here's Isabelle waiting patiently

(I know I didn't think it was possible either),

 while watching another student on his form.

Here's William NOT waiting patiently for testing to be over.

It is so hard to take him to testings. 

 I think that I the mom deserve some kind of

 trophy for wrestling with a

wild beast for over an hour and for

keeping him almost quiet the whole time.

We're Having Some Fun Now

It's official.  I am the most sporadic "photographer" on the planet. 
Therefore it makes sense that my blog should also be sporadic.

 Just realize that there is no rhyme or reason to what I do.  

Playing cars is pretty fun, but sitting in/on buckets, baskets, boxes, bins, bouncy chairs, balls,

or anywhere else that starts with "B" is funner.

He's either praying or ignoring her.

I gotta go. I just realized my mom was trying to get pictures of me while I was holding still.

Budding artists. And Liam, who thinks he's a big kid already.

Whoops, I lost a couple of testing pictures in my camera for a few months.

She actually got her trophy this time too, whoops again.

Here she is with her cousins (from right): Corrine, Sariah, and Jakob.

Hello you fierce thing!  I am terrified!

I also do own more than 1 outfit, but after looking at this blog you may not believe it.

Peace Jee Hoon - we love you!

And nice new braces by the way!

Here we are at one of Isabelle's girl parties.

I really have more pictures than these, but I can't find them. 

Sometimes cameras are hard!

We did these parties almost every Friday night for about the past 6 months.

We would have anywhere from 2 to 10 girls.

At first it was pizza and movie nights, then I realized that when you get that many little girls together eating does not happen.  Talking, giggling, laughing histerically, and nonsense happens a lot though!

After a few weeks of that we switched to princess pajama parties.

Oh what an experienced mom I am becoming, I hope!

PEEK-A-

BOO

There are some advantages to being the size of a doll.
I love it!

Random happens.

Facebook Status - 2010 Year in Review

This is incredibly long so I really don't expect anyone to read this.
These are most of my status posts for facebook for this past year.

Its mostly there for me!

January

Happy New Year! This morning I was so grateful for undereye cream!* I am going to spend all day in my sweats today. Pretty much a first for me. I guess I am really slipping in my 30's!* Should I be concerned that Isabelle has been walking around for a few hours with toilet paper shoved in her shirt? She says its for if she needs to cry, but I am not sure! LOL*I just gave William his 1st real haircut. We buzzed it with a #3. It’s way cute!* Okay, 2 things I find extremely annoying...not being psychic and waiting for things!* Thank Heaven for tender mercies...* Isabelle could have won an Oscar for best performance of a 13 year old girl this morning. She got mad and SLAMMED the bedroom door, then she stomped upstairs, griping all the way. Needless to say Soungsik followed her up and a few minutes later I had my beautiful teary eyed 4 year old apologizing and giving me a hug. But seriously, what am I going to do when she is actually 13?* So Liam is really a boy...He thinks he needs to attack then kill his food before he eats it! RRRRRR*William had his 6 month check up today. It has gone by sooo fast! He is all the way up to 25 inches and 14 lbs. He is still in the 5th percentile for weight and 8th for height. My poor children can never seem to get above to 10th percent ♥*Today at Costco Isabelle told Soungsik, "Daddy, you are a little cranky, I think you need a N-A-P!" :)* You are getting sleepy...your eyes are getting heavy...you are getting very sleepy...Oh sorry I was just talking to Liam!

February

Why does being a "good" mom sometimes make me feel so "bad"!?!*Sometimes having sarcasim as thick as syrup is not a good thing...* We made the decision not to go to Korea yesterday. We feel like it would be better for us to open our 2nd school here instead, and we will also be helping Soungsik's brother open his school. Our new schools will be open here within 2 or 3 months :) I will keep you all updated, but thanks for the support you have given us so far ♥*Cleaning the bathroom is fun to do, fun to do , fun to do. Cleaning the bathroom is fun to do, to do, to do, to do....I guess that song doesn't work with everything!* Happy 36th Anniversary Mom & Dad! ♥*Happy Valentine's Day! Love you Soungsik ♥*Whew...I survived Valentine's Day! I remember when it was so much more romantic, before kids loaded up on sugar cookies roamed the house like wild beasts :) It was still a very fun day though!* I have jumped through so many hoopes this year I feel a bit like a circus dog!* Isabelle looked out the window and got really excited. She said "Santa must be coming tomorrow, because its snowing!!!" Don't get your hopes up girlie!* We just got back from Isabelle's taekwondo belt test. She did AWESOME!* Isabelle insisted on wearing her princess crown to bed tonight, "because that's what pincesses do mom..."

March

I have been boxing with Soungsik...awesome workout, but now I am so tired! And whats with the jump roping??? I hated it when I was a kid, and big shocker, I still hate it. I think SS is just enjoying watching me suffer!* William is so close to crawling! He has been army crawling for a couple of weeks now! He keeps trying to pull himself up to stuff and he is rocking on his knees!!!* Would you rather be a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big pond?* Its amazing how I can put William on the floor with 50 baby approved toys, and he can manage to find the 1 thing he shouldn't play with! My baby MUST be a genius :)* With the time change this morning it was like waking the dead, and after I managed to get myself out of bed it was ever harder to get everyone else up! We are NOT morning people, unless you count 1:00 am ;)* I love my kids more than anything, but there is nothing sweeter than when they both finally fall asleep!* In Isabelle's prayers she's been saying "We thank Thee to bless...the soldiers, Grandma & Grandpa, sick people, ect." I think she's trying to kill two birds with one stone, I don't know why someone didn't think of that sooner!* We had fun at the Children's Museum today! It was free, so there were 10 million kids there. The only thing that bothered me was when an employee came up and told me to spit MY gum out, because it wasn't allowed! I had horrible elementary school flashbacks all over again. Really, did he think I was going to "lose" it somewhere?!?* Just got back from the caucus meeting, I got elected as a state delegate! I am really excited, but I mostly wanted to say thanks to those of you who supported me! It was a really fun process to be a part of.* Some days the eliptical machine HATES me!!!* Still sick...but i feel worse because my kids are getting this icky cold too!

April

You never realize how much stuff you have until you try moving it all! I used to be able to pack everything in just a few hours, I thought it would be the same this time, but its totally different with kids!* William got his 1st tooth on Friday, another one yesterday, and 1 more is pretty close! OUCH Baby!* Should I be depressed that Isabelle just drew a picture of me and then named it "fat mom"? I'm sure its just because she doesn't know how to spell pretty, right???* Next to getting married & having kids, this is the BEST DAY EVER!!! And no I'm not telling you why, Sorry!* Isabelle was flying around with wings this morning and told me "I am an angel sent by God to bless people"! She also said thet she felt bad for me "being human" because I can't fly.* Taxes (yes I leave them to the last minute), register corporation, sign lease agreement (I hope), finish moving in & organizing, Isabelle's taekwondo & schoolwork, ironing, laundry, dishes, cleaning, get ready for school assembly tomorrow...seriously I could cry :( But I won't :)* At my sisters’ house watching kids. She had to go to the hospital with kidney stones.* I am so excited for my sister, they get to go adopt their little boy today!!! We are so excited to have Hayden be an "official" member of the family, we didn't know if it would really happen or not but finally the day has come!* I was driving in the car with the kids today and Shania Twain's "Man I Feel Like A Woman" came on the radio. Isabelle listened for a minute or so and then said "but mom, she IS a woman!"* Tomorrow is our 9th anniversary, and I won't be spending it on facebook :). So thanks Soungsik for 9 years of excitement, fun, craziness, hard work, stubborness, patience & love! We haven't had a dull minute yet, and I hope we never will! ♥*Isabelle had her 1st gymnastics class today. She LOVED it and did so great too!* So William just climbed up 5 stairs by himself (twice)!!! Heaven help me!* What is with the blizzard today?!? I can't take it anymore!* Liam is 9 months old today!!!! It goes way too fast!

May

YAY! I just got my new (new to me) car! Its bright blue - I love it!* Why do I always play games with people who beat me everytime...and why do I think its fun???* Isabelle has an invisible friend Kennedy from "South Jordan, Florida" and its freaking me out because Kennedy's parents and grandparents were killed by the bad army so now she is living with us. The other freaky thing is she keeps standing right behind me :(* Back from the convention. Bennett is OUT (your welcome)!!! Bridgewater led Lee 57% to 43%. Go Bridgewater!* Liam is giving me 3 new teeth for mother's day...poor guy!* So am I really supposed to believe that body wash that you put on and then wash off 5 seconds later is "age defying"?!?*Church, nap, play outside with the kids...nice day!* I need Nancy Drew to solve the case of the missing pencil sharpener.* So I did some boxed potatoes instead of homemade (1st time) and Isabelle tasted them and said "Hmmm...I don't think so mom". :)* WHAT in the Sam Hill...SNOW???* I am hiding in my room eating the LAST piece of chocolate fudge cake - don't say anything to Isabelle :) (I wonder if hiding to eat food officially makes me an addict?)* Yay! Isabelle just passed off her kindergarten reading! WAY TO GO! Now we get to go on our Mommy/Daughter celebration date!!!* Isabelle had her 1st piano recital today. Even though her pieces were super short - she did an excellent job! I can't believe she's my daughter because she never gets nervous with stuff like that!

June

We finished the fence around our walk out patio today! It looks great and it only took about 5 years to finish. One thing off of the To Do List!* I am so ready for the next 2 weeks, but they are going to be crazy! Today I have to finish getting my boutique ready, then Saturday we have Black Belt testing. We have 2 weeks to finish construction on our new school and get ready for the grand opening on the 19th. We are helping my parents move this week and then Soung Siks mom is coming from Korea next monday - Good bye "normal". Hello insanity!* Isabelle came running in my room this morning really excited and yelled "Today is tomorrow!" She was pretty disappointed when I told her today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow.* Went and waited for an hour at the airport today for my mother in law, who apparantly cancelled her flight and then forgot to call and let us know! We were freaking out for a while thinking she was stranded in San Fran, or who knows where else! But going out to dinner and a movie made up for it all!* Oh yeah, funny story... Isabelle and I were looking at some old pictures last night. She saw one of Soungsik in a swimming suit and she says "WOW, look at all those knuckles (muscles), where did they go???"* I am probably going to kill a contractor or landlord sometime in the next week, but the question is which one? I am aware that anything you type on FB can and will be used against you!* Why do I hate Mother's Day and Love Father's Day? Anyways - Happy Early Father's Day Soung-Sik!* It’s our grand opening today. And really with construction only being about 75% done and getting only 3 hours of sleep - what could go wrong?*

July

IHOP, Korean BBQ, Games, Toy Story, Carnival, Fireworks...I am pooped! What an awesome day!* When dealing with Mother in Law problems I have found the last few days that it helps to love my husband like crazy - despite his mom, adore her beautiful grandkids that she graciously lets me keep, and dip head first into the dark chocolate velvet ice cream container ;D*Hello pre pregnancy weight! I haven't seen you in over a year - welcome back my friend!!!* Happy 60th Birthday Dad!!! We love you!* Isabelle told me "mom you are really pretty with makeup on" I thought "Oh man", then she said "but you are beautiful without makeup". And that’s why we have little girls :) :)* William takes his chocolate very seriously!* Happy 1st Birthday William!!! We love you so much!*

August

That was a big storm last night. It woke up both of my kids, so we had a little midnight party in our bedroom. Isabelle was scared of the thunder & lightning until I told her it was just God bowling - yes I lied. She heard a really loud one and she shouted "He got a strike - GOOD JOB!"* We just started Isabelle on a home chart where she can make money by doing chores. Today was payday and I asked her how much of her $6.00 she wanted to put in her long term savings for college or a car, ect. She thought about it and went to put $5.00 in. I told her that was almost all of her money and she looked at me... and said "Mom, cars are REALLY expensive!!!" I love how she just skipped over the college idea!* Ahhh, Soung-Sik took Isabelle for the day, William is sleeping I am in a totally silent house with a book...SWEET!* William has been taking hs 1st independant steps the last 2 days. Not enough to "officially" be walking, but its so close!!!* I had an actual "is it poop or chocolate?" moment with William today. No I was not brave enough to taste! It was chocolate!* Isabelle did so great on her taekwondo test today!!! Good Job Baby!* Oh boy - Liam can climb on the couch all by himself. My life is so over now!!!* So I thought I would be productive this Monday and get some weeding done. The 1st weed I pulled a wasp came and stung me in the hand! It kills!!! So the weed pulling is done and now I am sitting here with soy bean paste on my hand because Soungsik swears it helps - actually it seems to be helping - its just making me hungry!* William's favorite new game is saying "UH OH" and dropping whatever he has in his hands on the floor - of course the fun part is when I pick it up for him. I wonder why I don't have abs of steel after doing 400,000 "sit-ups" a day!?!* Why can't arguments ever turn pretty?* I have been practicing my Korean. I think my head is going to explode!* Holy cranky 1 year old, did you wake up on the wrong side of your crib???* Had to post again, Liam stopped crying, walked over to me and grabbed to remote control, changed the channel to sports then he left. Maybe he was just complaining about the girlie programming and not his teeth!* Liam has a light case of chicken pox to go along with his teething :( He is being a pretty tough boy though!

September

We got 2 kittens today. We went there for 1, but Isabelle conned us into the 2nd.* Well after much debate we have decided to name our kitties Prince Caspian (Caspian for short) and Aslan.* Isabelle said in the car today "Mom, I am so glad that you are my mom and dad is my dad. I know some kids don't have that." Made my day!* ‎1 roll of toilet paper + 1 one year old + 2 kitties + 5 minutes alone = a BIG mess!!!* I was feeling pretty annoyed about a couple of things this morning, then I remembered it was 9/11...I will get over my little issues!* Single handedly cleaned out the storage room today. Good to have that off of my list!* Liam fell out of his crib yesterday, fortunately no broken bones like his sister did! I spent most of this morning taking down the crib and moving in the "big boy" bed...I am just not willing to admit that he is a "big boy"!!!*Right now I am listening to "pleeeaaasssse, please, please, please, pleeeeeaaaasssse mom". Has that ever worked before, and do you really think that dragging out words will make me change my mind?* I just had a whirlwind day. Canned pears, had some construction going on at home, Isabelle's belt testing, then Isabelle's movie & pizza night (we ended up with 10 kids by the end), and then game night! If I can wake up in the morning I think I'll see if I can recover the house from the natarul disaster! :)* UGH! Somedays my brain just doesn't seem to wake up with the rest of my body. I'm not complaining...just reporting!* My husband makes the best homemade chicken soup. Yummy!* I just put Isabelle to bed at 7:00. She was "tooooo tired" to practice piano but wanted to watch a movie. Then she had the nerve to talk back to me AND roll her eyes, she should know by now that after 6 pm mom isn't as understanding!

October

Isabelle comes to me with a fairy godmother figurine and asks "what is your wish?" I tell her I want to marry a handsome prince. "No you all ready have a husband, pick something else." Okay then I would like to live in a palace. " No you all ready have a house...I'm leaving."I guess all of my wishes have all ready ...come true!!!* We had someone break into our taekwondo center in Lehi. They didn't know Soungsik was there, he caught them and he took their pictures. Needless to say they were pretty freaked out :)* Don't you hate it when you have a quilt laid out on your floor ready to be pinned together and then you realize that the guy at walmart didn't give you the bag with your pins in it? And Liam is down for a nap so I can't go get them - thank heavens for good neighbors and their pin supply!* Lovin today, clean house, well behaved kids, perfect weather and Friday on top of that - it doesn't get better!* Isabelle finished her "hooked on phonics - 1st grade curriculum" today! Way to go Isabelle you have worked sooo hard!!! Tomorrow we go celebrate at Incredible Pizza!* I have been looking for my almost new camera that I lost about 2 weeks ago. I have looked everywhere and was beginning to give up hope. This morning Soungsik found it in my car - which we had both looked in at least 5 times! I am so relieved! :)* I ♥ boxing with Soungsik! Awesome workout, but I wish my arms didn't feel like limp spagetti noodles now :O ~~*I was telling Isabelle everthing we are going to do tomorrow. She then said "Mom, we better clean the house too because it is TRASHED!" Thanks baby I hadn't noticed ;D*My parents are starting to move today, my sister in law Jenny is having her baby (as I type), and I have a billion and one things to get done this weekend - BRING IT ON!* Thanks for all the birthday wishes everyone! I have great friends, I am so blessed to have you all in my life!!!

November

I was thinking " I am almost caught up on everything", then Liam has a HUGE blowout diaper. So bath, load of stinky clothes, washing machine smells wierd, baby sock sucked up in the filter, water spills all over laundry room, clean that up, leaks again...now I have at least 2 loads of towel to wash...TGIF!* Happy Birthday to my amazing, determined, funny, loving, inspiring, hard working, and so much more, best friend!!! ♥ you!* I love when you hear a big crash with sounds of something breaking followed by UH-OH. Do I really have to go look?!?* Isabelle came downstairs in just her pull up asking for some help with her jammies. Liam walked up behind her and grabbed her pull up and flipped it then ran off! I was laughing so hard, some things you really don't have to teach little boys!!!* My house is mostly clean and my laundry is mostly done! I will take mostly any day, because as all mom's know there's no such thing as completely done!* Isabelle asked me today if we could change her name. So I asked her what name she would like...Rapunzel. I told her we would think about it.* It still feels weird getting dark so early. I keep wanting to put my kids to bed at 5!

December

Looking forward to a night with my girls tonight!* Laughing so hard right now. Isabelle just asked me if I could call Santa and tell him she wants a pillow pet and Tangled slippers. She said "make sure you tell him he can find them somewhere at Walmart, but he will have to hurry or they'll all be sold out!"*

Bun-O-Matic 4000

I am not sure exactly how it got there but there is definanlty some kind of sensor hidden somewhere in my behind (sorry for any graphic images that may be flashing in your mind right now). I may have been ubducted by aliens, maybe girls are just born with them but they don't get activated until your wedding day, or it may just be some kind of twisted and well thought out practical joke. It is amazing that within 10 seconds of me sitting anywhere on planet earth someone will start calling out my name, the fed ex guy will start pounding on the door, or one or more phones will start ringing. 

I used to think my mom was crazy when she said that everytime she would try to go into the bathroom the phone would ring.  I would think in my smart little teenage brain "Whatever mom, you are so dramatic...why would you care if someone calls you??? Talking on the phone is the best, I could do it for hours and hours and hours, who needs a bathroom - seriously?!?"

If I was abducted by aliens then I have bigger things to worry about. If all girls are born with a sensor that doesn't activate until your wedding day I suggest becoming an old maid.  If it is some kind of practical joke that 50 people are in on, they are going to get it bad when I find out.  However it got there, I guess I will have to just deal with it.  For now I am hoping that it has a battery that will run out or that we will get an EMP attack that knocks it out. If any of you other moms have found a solution to this, please let me in on your secret!!!

Proud Little Moments

There are countless moments each week were I get to be a proud Mom. Isabelle reading a new word, showing concern for William, or her thinking that Santa shops at Walmart.  William saying "Grandpa, Grandpa" (but of course not mom yet), sliding down the stairs at record breaking speeds, or learning how to cuddle.  I am terrible when it comes to talking about my kids constantly.  Isabelle did this...William did that.  I am sure that everyone around me wishes they had some duck tape for my mouth sometimes. Oh well, I doubt I'll ever change, and if there is something wrong with a mom being proud of her kids then there is something wrong with the world.
But while there are moments every day where you feel a little pride in your children, that is what brings so much happiness to parents;  there are also monumental moments in your childrens life that make you happy beyond compare. I had 2 this week with Isabelle at church.  Small moments that probably didn't mean much to others, but they meant the world to me.  They both happened in Sacrement meeting.  Isabelle has been practicing "Hark the Herad Angels Sing" for her piano recital next week.  She has picked up the words and walks around singing it for the better part of most days.  Well this week Bishop Chase decided to spontaneously do an extra song, and you'll never guess which one!  Isabelle was beside herself with excitement because she actually knew a song that we were going to be singing in sacrement.  She sang loud and proud, the best rendition I have ever heard (truthfully, maybe not, but it wasn't bad), but we had people all around us just staring at her because she was singing with her whole heart.  A few minutes after that testimony meeting began.  Isabelle has never bared her testimony, but last Sunday she asked me if she could.  We talked about what a testimony meant and I promised her that if she would think about what she wanted to say and she practiced a little that she could go up the next time we had testimonies.  She thought alot about it and when the time finally came she started to get a little nervous.  She didn't want to go until she saw a few other kids go first and then there was no holding her back.  She went up by herself, very reverently, she spoke slowly, and clearly holding the microphone the whole time.  Here is what she said "I want to bear my testimonies, I know this church is true.  I know that President Monson was becoming a true prophet.  I know that Jesus Christ was resureccted, and we will be too. I love my mom and dad and little brother. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen." Then she reverenty came back down and buried her face in my arms.
I had to bite my lip to keep from crying because once I start crying I can't stop.  A small thing to some people will be a memory I will love forever.  Proud mom - and no I won't stop talking about my kids!

Night Owls

If the saying "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" is true, then Soungsik and I are in big trouble!  We can't seems to force ourselves to bed any earlier than midnight, it just never happens. Last night I thought "I have to be up early beacause we have the ward Christmas party in the morning" somehow I ended up going to bed at 1:00. Tomorrow I have to be up early for church, but I already know that early sleep is not going to happen tonight, I will be busy playing with some friends! After I came home from the Christmas party this morning I was required, by myself, to take a 3 hour nap.  I feel much better. 
I probably shouldn't broadcast to the public my lazy habits and need for napping, but its all part of my honesty in blogging! Maybe I should make it a new years resolution to go to bed at a reasonable hour - it couldn't hurt to try. 
The real probem lies in two areas.  First, I love my kids but I also love "ME" time after they go to bed.  It is so sweet.  No one jumps on me, I don't have to watch cartoons or play guessing games, I usually don't even have to yell at anyone for getting into trouble.  Second, there are many nights when Soungsik doesn't get home until 9 or even 10.  He still needs to eat dinner, and really who wants to go to bed right after they eat dinner?  It would be very mean of me just to leave him all by himself, I am sure he doesn't like "ME" time, right?
It also helps that we are very spoiled parents.  Usually our kids don't get up until at least 8:00 or 8:30, and 9:00 or 9:30 is not entirely out of the question either, especially when we have to be somewhere at 10:00 :)!  I am so happy that I found someone compatable with my night owl life, and that being a night owl must come from heredity. 
I guess after saying all this, what I really want to say is that if you truly love me you will never call before 9:00 in the morning, and you will never come over before 10:00 in the morning. Please know that if you come over at 10:30 there will be a good chance everyone will still be sitting around in pajamas eating breakfast.  If you find yourself in need of a friend at midnight feel free to call.   

Carl Bloch Exhibit

Today for school we got to do a field trip!

Isabelle and I, along with Grandpa, Grandma, and
Camille and her kids

 went to the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU.

 He was born and lived in Denmark,
 although he traveled thru much of Europe.

He was born in 1834 and died in 1890.
He was the 4th of ten children.

He was a father to 8 children. He was very religeous and was a Lutheran his entire life.

I have always loved may of his paintings.  Being LDS you see much of his work in church literature.

This picture of Christ casting out Satan is very powerful.

They had the original painting of this one entitled "Come Unto Me".  All of the originals were huge.

It really must have been a full time job to create his masterpieces.

While this painting was beautiful it wasn't my favorite.  However the thing that struck me about this painting was the girl on his right side.  In the painting she looks so real it was almost scary. 

I wanted to go up and touch her just to make sure.

There have been very few artists that can make people look that life like.

This painting of Jaruis' daughter was so amazing.

It was one of my favorites we saw today.

I also love this story in the bible.  The daughter looks so "at peace" considering she's dead.

And my favorite part is her father kneeling at the door when Christ walks in.

This painting is very calming.

This painting was by far my favorite.

For me it had alot of energy to it. You can see his pain, you can see the comfort, you can feel the love.

Too bad I couldn't bring it home! While canvas prints may be beautiful, they don't hold a candle to how stunning the original paintings are!

I think that people can and should work hard to develop their talents, but I am beginning to believe that to be a true master of something it has to be ordained by God!  I guess if we all painted, sang, invented, created, ect. at the same level we wouldn't appreciate it.

  Maybe that is my talent, to truely appreciate others actual talents! 

If that is my talent, at least it is very entertaining!

BOOK REVIEW: FABLEHAVEN BOOK 5

Book 5 of the Fablehaven series named Keys to the Dragon Prison.

Written By: Brandon Muhl

Number of Pages 588

numer of stars I'm giving it: 4.5 (entire series)

I have really enjoyed this series. I can't compare it to Harry Potter or Percy Jackson because I haven't read those yet, but I feel like this is a great series for young readers. 

It is also a fun read for adults, if you don't take it too seriously!

 Despite the fact that there are demons and evil forces in this series it remains light and hopeful throughout.  It is a good book to examine the differences between light and darkness, evil and good, and to make you examine what choices you would make in regards to those areas.

I thought that each of the 5 books were better than the previous one.

I never quite got over the fact that Seth was just an obnoxious little boy.

However I did learn that even obnoxious little boys can care about important things and make the right choices even when it is hard.  I think that is one of the best lessons kids will take away from this book.

Kendra seemed a little on the naive/dumb side most of the time, even though everyone was constantly praising her for being very intelligent.  I didn't really see that, but I think she is a good examples for young girls too.  She did the right thing everytime she had too, even though she was scared and even though she was alone. 

One of my favorite quotes in this book was

"Some imagine the difference between Heaven and Hell to be a matter of geography. Not so. The difference is much more evident in the individuals who dwell there."

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something simply entertaining and fun!

The Most Wonderful time of the Year.

Whew.  The whirlwind has begun.  The days are flying by so fast and I am so busy its hard to believe!  I am happy to say that I have almost finished Christmas shopping & the wrapping of presents!  I have 1 nephew and neighbor gifts left to get.  Its pretty sweet to get to this point.  I have discovered that when you buy only 25% of the gifts you usually do, it only takes you 25% of the time.  At first it was bothering me having a small Christmas, but now I am actually getting really excited.  I have bought just enough stuff to make it fun and exciting, but not enough to lose the focus and the spirit of Christmas.  A mistake I have made the last 3 years.  Now I can just sit back and enjoy the season. The food, movies, family, and especially the music. It's the most wonderful time of the year!