Scared Straight By Trojan

Today we celebrate Halloween. A time of ghost and gobblins. But really how scary can a cute little Korean Tiger be? Today he has a costume parade and party at daycare. Then trick or treat around the neighborhood tonight. Candy and the little guy, that should make for a wickidly good Halloween!

Check Out That Tail

Ladies, isn't that one cute tail?

My Baby Tiger

Happy Halloween

New Bath Toys

The little guy made out like a bandit from my surprise baby shower thrown by my office.  He loves his new tug boat.  But the real biggie, are stickers that come on and off the walls.  This morning he happily placed them on and then promptly threw them off, all while giggling and clapping.  Bath time just got a whole lot more fun.  

And we've been working on our Touchdown Trojans signal.  We're hoping for a great Trojan victory against Stanford, or the Farm as we like to calm them.  

Calm Before Storm

Tomorrow the weather forecast calls for light snow.  Snow, this time of year.  Ugh.  I'm definitely not a cold weather fan.  Four years in LA have ruined me for life in that respect.  Thankfully, most of the snow is supposed to hit further north in the mountains, near Aunt T and Uncle J.  So today, we bundled up and headed out for a long walk.  The fall colors were absolutely beautiful.  And the little guy whistled his way around the park (his newest interest).

To the business of eating

It's been a crazy fast week here.  And in the midst of it, I made the transition to the IPhone.  Now that I have figured out how to send pictures, the trials and tribulations of the little guy will continue.  Here he is this morning eating his breakfast.  What is not seen....two little pups sitting patiently below him in anticipation of dropped food.  

This week was filled with yet another hair cut.  I must say, Koreans are born with such naturally beautiful hair.  A few clips here and there and the little guy is looking like a rock star again.  

Which brings me to Wednesday.  The little guy and I mowed the lawn on the riding motor while daddy did his last round of golf for the season.  He loved it!  His little feet kept kicking with excitement.  And those man sized hands kept grabbing for the wheel.  

Lately, diaper and cloth changes have become a mini battle.  He giggles, twist and turns, and squirms his way out of both.  Did I mention that he is as strong as an ox?  This Wednesday, I had the honor of an all out war.  It began innocently enough: a poopy change.  The next thing I knew, the little guy (absent his diaper) saw the perfect opportunity to make an escape.  All I saw was this cute little tush crawling away at what I can only describe as a slow paced race.   Two escapes later and the diaper was finally on.  Which, of course, only left the tiny detail of clothes!  I'll give the little guy one thing:  he's persistent.  After another 10 minutes of tossing and turning (and laughter), he was finally dressed.  Round 1 goes to Mr. Poopy Pants!

Favorite dinner

Someone was a little interested in the waitress while we went out for my birthday dinner.  Thank you to Pop Pop, Ma Ma and Great Grandmom for taking us out.  Much appreciated.  We always love spending time with them.

And to top off the night, my Trojans got a great victory over Notre Dame.  Nothing like winning on their home field with the lights on.  It's been a tough 2 years, so my boys deserve this win.  Fight On!

High tech grandmom

And there is nothing like Great Grandmom showing us her tech savy.  Leave it to our family to stump Siri with quality (and not so quality) questions!

Playing blocks

Thanks to Aunt Chris for these amazing building blocks.  The little guy is starting to get the hang of it with the guidance from Ma Ma.

Birthday Wishes

Yesterday, we celebrated my birthday.  And I have to admit that it was pretty cool having the little guy hand over my card with daddy.  We've been pretty blessed this year, but having him finally home was definitely the icing on the cake.

Eating on his own

Today for lunch we renewed our efforts to get the little guy eating on his own.  Yes, it was a little slow and unsteady, but I have to admit that he didn't do that bad.  And true to form, he's much better at getting it in his mouth than getting it on the spoon!

Lately, we've also noticed that he makes a big "whoo" sound when he's about to eat.  This little guy loves his food and makes no bones about it.

Little Guy's Artwok

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Rear View

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A Man & His Executive Chair

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Perfect Chair Placement

Lately, the little guy has been enamored with chairs.  He constantly wants to sit in a "big boy" chair.  Luckily for us, Mike's parents found a table and chair set at their church fund raiser.  And the little guy has been in chair bliss every since.  Today, he moved his chair into the perfect window view.  You may notice that just so happened to be right in front of mamma's perfect view!  Maybe this kid has a future in real estate because as they always say: location, location, location.

A Man & His Executive Chair

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What's that you say? Two diff socks

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Dupont

Today we headed down to DuPont Country Club to snap some pictures of the little guy.  Doesn't he look like a natural with the club?

Check Out the Follow Thru

And how about the concentration and follow thru with this amazing putt.

Dupont

After snapping this picture, the starter came to talk with us and offered to take a group picture (which is on dadda's phone).  We said that we're planning to start him young.  And without missing a beat, the starter said I should get his autograph now before he gets famous.  Well, he is Korean and golfing seems to be in their blood (at least with the ladies).  Hopefully, he'll help pave the way for the men.

Shot Gun

Someone called shot gun, but then took over the wheel.

First Dinner Outing

Last night, we had our first official dinner outing.  And the little guy didn't disappoint.  He swooned the waitress with those big brown eyes (we got a "what a cutie").  Flirted with the lady behind us.  And generally danced and giggled throughout the dinner.  It didn't hurt that it was his favorite: chicken nuggets.  And a special treat: pumpkin spice ice cream (delicious).

Grandmom's Late Bloomer

With all of the warm weather that we have had lately, my roses are thoroughly confused.  Here's a beauty from grandmom's roses.  And I am happy to report that the minister's rose that she gave for our wedding (aka the big guy) is still branching out.

My Baby's Big Noggin

So, dadda decided to surprise mama with the purchase of an SC toddler hat for the little guy.  Let's just say that someone's head didn't fit in a toddler size.  You know what they say about a kid with a big head?  You betcha, he must have a big brain!

It Has Arrived

Would it be wrong to take daddy's phone?  He's called two times this morning to see if Fed Ex had arrived.  Someone is awfully excited to play with his new phone.

Milk makes the body strong

Did I mention that the little guy LOVES milk.  And he seems to know when it's that time of day.  His little arms go reaching out for the cup with "ooh, ooh" for excitement.  Here he is this morning drinking his favorite beverage.  

Change in weather

After such lovely weather the last few days, today brought a vastly different type of weather.  Rain and wind and a cool down in weather.  We still managed a quick trip around the park with the dogs.  But I couldn't resist snapping this picture with his big brown eyes.  (Mike still working on the Linvilla pics :)

The little guy also enjoyed a good day.  He got to play on a real life fire truck.  They were a little worried how he would react to all the lights and sounds, but he made his way right on up onto the truck.  That's my boy.

Mattie

My Baby Girl enjoying the day.  She was so happy with the walks today...and simply exhausted tonight!

Picking Up Leaves

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Hello, Is Anyone In There

We are having a little bit of an Indian Summer (and I love it).  The weather could not have been more perfect, and I was off with the Columbus Day Holiday.  So, the little guy and I spent a good portion of the day outside, including 2 long walks with the pups, time at the playground and picking up leaves in the back yard.  I'm still having problems getting pictures to Blogger, not sure what the issue, but I'm glad this one came through, too cute.

Yesterday, we also spent time with Mike's side of the family at Linvilla Orchards.  Pop Pop shot some great pictures that Mike needs to upload to the blog.  We had a great time with everyone and I know the little guy enjoyed himself.  And I found a new favorite apple:  Honey Crisp, a simply amazing tasting apple!  (Pictures coming shortly).

All Boy

The foster mom described the little guy as "all boy".  And boy was she right.  Our initial attempts at baby proofing the electrical outlets proofed no match for him.  Game, set and point to the little guy.  So, we just got a more heavy duty outlet---let's see him outwit this one (and if he does, I'm evaluating him to genius level (or at least smarter than mom and dad!)).

And did you notice his intense attention while dadda was putting the new outlines in?  Yes, something tells me that the little guy is going to be enamored with tools!  Great Grandpop would be so proud.

Kimchi Chronicles - Title Sequence / Opening

Mike and I discovered this show on PBS.  It explores Korean cooking by an adopted Korean who returned to her birth land.  If I haven't mentioned it already, Korea is an amazing country.

And the food is so rich with texture and flavor.  We really want our son to experience his homeland someday.  We also plan to introduce the foods of his native country.  Here's to Korean barbeque and Kimchi!

Sausage Fest

Yesterday, we went to Mike's office colleagues "Sausage Fest".  While I'm not a huge fan of sausage, this was amazing.  He shipped in speciality ones from California that were absolutely amazing.  And there were multiple varieties, my personal favorite Sweet Onion.

The little guy spent most of his time feeling his oats.  And it was great that Naomi brought her 16 month little girl, who is absolutely beautiful.  The day would not be complete without a shout out to Tony.  I knew right away that he was a daddy.  And I was right: he has two twins that are 16 years old.  He immediately charmed the little guy with ball ball (see picture below).

That's what I really love about Gore, not only do they have great jackets, but they are routinely ranked in the top 10 of Fortune for places to work:  the reason their people.  It's a great environment and very family friendly.

Playing With Tony

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We Turned Around To Find This

Lately, the little guy has been very interested in the girls' cage in our bedroom. He climbs in and shuts the door.  Today, we found him in it with Trojan.

I talked yesterday with the leader of the Wobbler's Group.  She mentioned that the little guy is doing great with day care.  He interacts well with the other children.  And she said that he is very sweet, never seeing a tantrum out of him.  Personally, I love it when I walk in to pick him up.  As soon as he sees me, the little feet start to move and his arms go out to be picked up.  No better feeling.  And on the way home, I hear chants of Ojan because we immediately go for a walk in the park with the pups. (still working on him saying Mattie, for now she gets a point and wave)

And yes, we are very disappointed with the Phils losing last night.  Mike said that as a Philadelphian fan he's used to it and expects them to lose.  Not me, I'm a Trojan at heart and bring that Fight On mentality to all games (that's why when my team loses, I take it personally).  It's going to be a long fall for sports!

So for now, I'll be rooting for the Detroit Tigers, in honor of my Grandpa Linn's baseball hat.

Fightin Phils Need A Big Win

This little fan is hoping for a big win from the home town Phillies.  With Roy Halladay leading the way, we're feeling pretty confident.  The guy is a pitching machine.  Let's hope that it will, indeed, be a Red October.  And who knows, with those baseball size mitts on the little guy, maybe he'll be a future pitcher!

Ball Ball

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Boy's Best Friend

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A Boy & His Shadow

Someone may have his first girlfriend.  When Mike dropped him off this morning, a cute little girl came running over to welcome him.  Mike said that she seemed pretty excited to see him (well, who wouldn't be).  When I asked Mike what she looked like (to scope her out, of course), he couldn't really remember (why are men so bad with details).  Girls beware, I got my eye on you, so cute and innocent looking.  But I must admit, it's hard not to swoon over him with those deep brown eyes and provoking grin.  What a ladies man!

Thinking about my Two Babies

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Dinner Time

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Must Get All Of It

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After Work Walk

Yes, this is how we roll in our family.  The little guy in the jogging stroller with the pups leading the way.  And yes, we get a lot of strange looks, but we manage just fine!  Why, Oh Why, did we not teach Mattie to walk in a straight line....

Walking Trojan

Today was our official first day back to work.  For me, it was a rough one that started with a restless night of sleep.  Mike & I both were worried how the little guy would make the transition to day care.  The good news: he seems to be doing ok.  Mike said that as soon as he dropped him off, the little guy made a v line for the toys.  And when I picked him up, it was so cute.  He had his back to me really engrossed with a toy.  The lady said "mommy is here".  He looked up, focusing in, and immediately dropped the toy and came running to me.  That makes you feel pretty special.

We are still working on our new routine.  As soon as we got home, we bundled up and headed for a walk with the dogs (yes, the pups would not be happy without their walk).  The little guy also snuck in some quality walking time with Trojan on the tennis courts.  After dinner and a bath (and a good half hour of Baby Einstein), the little guy crashed in bed.  And I can honestly say, that mommy won't be far behind him!

Groove on with dinner

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Fly Eagles Fly

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Still Poppin

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Sketch of the Little Guy

Mike's dad ran this picture through a new app on his I Pad.  Simply amazing.  If you double click on the picture, you get the full effect.

15 Months

Today, the little guy turns 15 months.  To document his journey:

1.  He weighs 28 pounds
2.  His height is 32 inches
3.  Walking soundly with occasional run
5.  Says mama, dadda, duck, ojan
6.  Loves Baby Einstein animal videos
7.  Understands many words (Trojan & Mattie, Ball, Tiger, Come Here, Sit Down, Hungry, Drink)
8.  Eats well
9.  Sleeps soundly 11 hours a night with 2-3 hour nap
10. Brushes teeth and hair
11. Waves hello and bye
12. Strong as an ox

Giggles

On the way home from the shore, someone got the giggles.  And they went on for a good half hour.  Every time I turned around and laughed, he let out a hearty laugh....too cute.

Community Yard Sale

This morning we walked around our community yard sale.  And the little guy made out with some new toys.  This one in particular is a big hit.  We also got a really cool police head set from Pauline.

As we talked with Pauline, it was really neat to watch the little guy interact with her older children.  They played different kinds of ball ball.  But watching him pick up the basketball and roll it was funny.  After each successful roll, the little guy giggled and clapped his hands.  I think he is going to fit right in with all of the boys in the neighborhood.

Our other neighbor was gracious enough to give us their Pack N Play.  We offered to pay for it, but they refused to accept our money.  Very nice.  We're really lucky to live in a neighborhood with such nice people.  We all try to recycle our stuff through the community, which is awesome.