Amelia's First Birthday

Well, it's over. The last Dohl I ever have to throw. Haha. I enjoyed it, most of the time. My goal was to cut $1K from what we spent on Big Kid's party, and I pretty much achieved it. That translated to more DIY and more work for me, but it was worth the money saved.

Thanks to my BIL, David, for taking most of these photos.

Welcome sign by Aileen.

Head table. Collaboration between Edible Delights and myself. DIY burlap flowers on wall, burlap runner & bunting.

Mini macarons and "1" sugar cookies.

Photo board from Costco, DIY letter "A" made from yarn & burlap, DIY star wands made from washi tape.

Grandma Ellie from Portland and my sister from Seattle.

Birthday girl

SD Church Senior Pastor

Eyeing dessert table

Helpers

Making lemonade

Gymnasium next door. Kids running around had a blast.

My two lifesavers, Monica & Aileen

Guests

Pastor Liwanag, giving prayer

Clinton, our MC. Hands down best MC ever.

My cousin & her B/G twins. Their Dohl is a few months away.

Ben's parents

Traditional Korean food. SD catering isn't bad.

Fruit tray by MIL

Becca, at a reunion with all her 20-something friends. There were other kids her age at this party, but she spent the whole afternoon with all her old LA friends. She's been missing them a lot.

Balloon Chef. I randomly found him on the internet, and he didn't turn out to be a con.

Our little family

Monkey in a palm tree

I present these next 5 photos to point out how long girlfriend took in deciding her "fate".

She would touch one item...

...then the next...

and the next....then look out at the audience and stop.

She finally decided on the coins. Here's to fortune!

Darth Vader

I wanted a teal & brown burlap rustic theme for this party. The cake matched perfectly!

Ten bouquets of ranunculus, from a flower field in Vista. Got 'em all for $35 bucks!

Thanks to my FIL for picking up the food that morning and delivering it to the church, to the grandmas who made salad/homemade dressings/fruit salad, and to Jen/Dave & my sister Hanna for helping to set up the church on Saturday night. It was a hectic weekend, and it wouldn't have been possible without all of your help!

Sneak Peak

Last minute fairy wands for baby's party:

All good things this week:

Joey's parents are here, which means free babysitting day & night! Wahoo!!

Mom is arriving Thursday, and siblings this Friday.

Then Joey & I are off for 4 days by ourselves next week. No kids. My excitement cannot be translated through this blog.

Baby, You're 1!

(The is the email I sent my daughter this week.)

Dear Amelia,

Wow. You are already a year old.

You have the name that I always wanted for you. It means "strong, industrious."

Now let's see what you've accomplished in your short life.

You have taught me that 1-year-olds have strong opinions and that parents should regard them. Sometimes you do this with a forceful "EH!!"

People that know your sister well, assume that she is the diva, the one to reckon with. However, you're the one with the mischievious glint in your eye. You flirt, and are already "in on the joke".

You have a cheerful disposition. You didn't have long crying jags as a baby. Only a few discover your 2 dimples.

You already have almost 8 teeth. You don't live to eat, you eat to live.

You are the smallest walker I know. You took your first steps around 10-months-old, and your daddy & I were able to witness that together.

I smother you every day with kisses all over your face. I hug you as often as I can. You don't mind cuddling, like your sister did.

You are so independent. In the mornings, after you've had your meal, you will wander around downstairs and play with whatever toys you can get to. (Your sister tends to keep all her toys on the couch so that you can't reach them.) You wander off by yourself to another room, exploring all the cabinet pulls, picking up dust bunnies off the floor, and touch everything. Everything goes in your mouth.

You have no fear. We've built a rudimentary barricade around the fireplace, because you've gotten to it numerous times, stuffing rocks into your mouth without hesitation.

You don't resemble me. I stare at you sometimes, wondering where you came from, how you came to be. I am humbled to have such a precious baby in my life.

There's a saying in Korean, that translates to "Love flows downward". I certainly feel that with you.

I love you so much. Happy first birthday baby.

Love,

Mom

Two Bunches of Ranunculus

We had high hopes for the day. We got our kids ready, packed up in the minivan, and set out.

It was Sunday, April Fool's, but of no relevance to us this year. (Our last big prank was in 2007.)

I was looking forward to some family time at the Carlsbad Flower Fields, for their advertised Kids' Day. Joey had taken the time off of his usual Sunday morning basketball with the UCSD college kids.

We went, made the rounds, did the kiddie crafts, and left around 5pm. It wasn't anything particularly memorable. I was wavering on whether to buy some ranunculus, but in the end passed. We had already paid $22 for two adults, and I really didn't think we had gotten our money's worth. Hayrides alone were another $15 per adult. Needless to say, we didn't ride them.

We had been invited to our friend's home for dinner & headed over there. They have four kids, and plus our two, there's a brady bunch of fun in there. We had a delicious meal, talked and laughed for hours, and finally left for home past the kids' bedtime, around 8pm. Unaware.

When we got home, my husband asked me, Hunny where is my black (man) bag? I went back into the garage to check. It wasn't there. And I felt that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.

My memory suddenly went on rewind mode. A car pulling up next to us to park...the stroller being in the way...moving it to the front of the car....changing both kids' diapers...then getting into the car to leave for dinner.

And I realized that we had left the black bag in the dusty dirt parking lot of the flower fields. Four hours earlier. The black iPad bag (which was a Christmas gift from me), along with an iPad, wallet, and $200 in cash were sitting in our trusty Maclaren umbrella stroller. Easily totaling over $1000. We had both assumed the other had put the stroller away.

So the hubby drove that night back to the flower field. I waited, tense, for 30 minutes. Then I got a text with one word: GONE. I hoped it was an April Fools' joke. When he got home, I realized it wasn't.

We looked online to check if there had been any fraudulent charges on the credit cards. First stroke of luck: there weren't any charges, yet. Then we had to decide if we should cancel all 6 credit cards and go through the hassle of waiting for new ones....or risk dealing with fraudulent charges and wait to call the Flower Fields first thing in the morning. We decided to wait.

I called them at 8am on the dot. No answer, an automated answering line, with no chance of speaking to a live person. I thought quickly. There was a flower shop next door. I called and spoke to Kent. He said that he hadn't seen a stroller in the parking lot the night before, on his way home from work. I knew the chances of finding our items were slim to none.

He said he would check with the Flower Fields at 9am, when they opened. I went about my morning.

And he finally called me back, a little after 9, with these words, "They do have a stroller that was turned in. Can you describe it to me?" I described it quickly, and he said "Yep, that's it."

I ran downstairs to tell my hubby the good news. He left a few minutes later to go and pick up our things. Several hours later, after running errands, he returned home with our things, every item intact.

We never discovered who had turned in the stroller, or if an employee had found it. But I discovered my faith in the people of Carlsbad. We wanted to reward someone, but didn't know who. It felt like I had just hit a hole-in-one and should buy everyone dinner. But we didn't.

Instead, he brought me back two bunches of pink ranunculus.

Time Out

my daughter and her stuffed dog, on a self-imposed time out (which really makes a parent wonder: what's the point of time outs??) ~ As of January 8, I officially became a stay-at-home-mom. I was petrified. I thought: What WILL I do with two children all day every day?!? Back when I was working, I'd come home and I really had trouble entertaining my kids for 2 hours before bedtime. Ha! Ha! I laugh at my old self now. I guessed that SAHMs were busy, but let me say it now: I have never been busier in my life.

~ I'm on a quest to lose that last 10 pounds. I am at the gym 3x/week but nothing is happening. WHY?!? On a side note, there are 50-something and 60-something women at the gym who are in (MUCH) better shape that I am. San Diegans are serious about their work out.

~ I love our new church. There are some growing pains as we all get to know each other, but I really love attending such a diverse church. All ages, all backgrounds, all cultures. Mixed together, the way I imagine heaven to be.

~ We've been in SD for 2 1/2 months. People continue to ask me how we like it here. Honestly, what's not to like? Even my husband is sporting a Chargers jacket (haha, okay it was a gift).

~ Did I mention we sold our home in LA?? It was hanging over us when we moved down. But our realtor was awesome, got us in escrow in 2 weeks, and closed in <14 days with a cash buyer. Kind of a miracle.

~Are you watching Batchelor? Is he the dumbest batchelor ever or what? He deserves Courtney. Don't judge me, I can't stop watching. It's like a train wreck.

~ We've test-driven three different M-vans. I can't even say the M word. Haha. I've accepted it. We've narrowed it down to one, and the next time you see me I'll be a full-fledged soccer mom. Yikes.

You Had Me at Hello

welcome dinner @ clinton & liz's

view from our dining room

tangelo orchard out back
fresh squeezed TJ

local neighborhood park

local mall

cheetahs & giraffes live 3 miles away

escondido children's museum

local library, borrowing our first book

carlsbad outlets (there's a barneys!)

Del Mar

San Diego you, really do, complete me

I'm Still Here

Yoga House, October 2011 I so enjoy yoga these days--it is the antithesis of my daily grind. It is quiet. Peaceful. Hands-free. I used to think yoga was too new-age for me, but Farzi (my instructor) changed that misconception. Plus, I'm still refraining from aerobic exercise due to post-labor issues. Ha!

~My big kid is currently in the throes of the terrible twos. She has multiple meltdowns per week. She's also developing a little bit of a 'tude:

Like the time Jess was feeding her potluck and asked her "Aren't you full? Haven't you had enough?". To which she answers, "it's just rice" (with the LOOK to accompany it).

Or the time that Junie was pretend-playing with her and asked her "Can Pastor Junie have some food?" I'm soooo hungry." To which she answers, "too bad" (again, the LOOK).

I'm still scratching my head where she's picking this stuff up??

~Baby is now 7 months old. I know I haven't been blogging her life as much as kid #1--but with 2 kids, free time is a precious commodity. Anyways, A is in 99% for weight, and 95% overall. We make 'em chunky, yes we do... She is now rolling over, sitting up, smiling and laughing frequently, has explosive poops, eats squash/pears/sweet potato, and is still driving her parents nuts with her inconsistent sleeping habits. But her little dimples and hearty laughter bring me such joy. Seems like I just had her yesterday, but her dohl is already around the corner...

~Me: I gave notice back in August, and am, for the time-being, a stay-at-home-mom. (More thoughts on that in another post.) Also took my licensing exam in October & passed! Which is a miracle, considering I was studying during baby's naps (and while carrying her around in her carrier around the block in the hot sun!). It's a relief & a high to be done with that chapter in my life. No more tests....forever?!

~Hubby: went and came back from Bolivia trip #2 in September. Got a call to be the Associate Pastor of Poway/San Diego church merger. Decided to accept, and move down in November. We found a realtor, put our house on the market, and found a home to rent--all within a week of each other. Next week will be our last weekend at LAC. (More on that in another post.)

What I've learned so far--all the pieces are falling in to place, I don't think I should worry so much! (Even about this current housing market & all the short sales/foreclosures around us.) God takes care of us, always.