Showing posts with label Birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birthdays. Show all posts

3.02.2013

Birthday Party - Lego Style

About a year ago, Chipmunk informed me that for his 5th birthday he wanted to have a lego-themed birthday party. Many moons passed, and periodically he would ask, "When am I going to have my lego party, Mommy?" Persistence must pay off, because he got exactly what he wanted.

Happy Birthday Banner

A banner for the birthday boy...

Build-A-Car

The party-goers participated in lego crafts, even built their own cars...

Race Track

...then raced them down the ramp we created...

Lego cake and candles

There was a lego cake...and lego-shaped candles...

Lego Party Favors

...and each kid received their party favors...lego head prize balls filled with little goodies...

Chipmunk? He was a happy camper. Despite being exhausted from partying, he continued to wear his contented smile for the rest of the day.

2.12.2011

I'll Never Forget that Tuesday

Yup, it was a Tuesday when you were born. I'll never forget it. Neither will your dad, since it was his birthday. Suddenly, sometime after noon it became your birthday as well. My little boy...who came out with a bottom lip in a pout and a whimpering cry (which you still do to this day)...

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Oh, my silly little boy. I can't ever get you to sit still, and you always make me laugh, even when I'm trying hard not to. You're carefree and you're super stubborn, but you've got a light-hearted joy that makes other people want to be joyous with you.

Three years old. Sigh.

Happy Third Birthday, Chipmunk! And happy (fill-in-the-blank) birthday, Matt!

1.03.2011

I Can't Believe You're Five

Five. I can't believe you're five years old.

Happy 5th Birthday!

It behooves me that you've already reached half of a decade. When did that happen?

It feels like just yesterday you were four years old and so proud of your birthday cupcakes.

Birthday Girl and her cupcakes

And a moment before that, you were three.

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I still remember when you were two and you were so excited to blow out your birthday candles...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Bear!

...and even when you turned one and didn't know what a birthday was.

Blow out the candle!

Five.

Please don't grow up too fast. I don't know if my heart can take it.

4.28.2009

Eighty Years

In college, my friends and I used to joke about what we'd be like when we were out of college. We pondered what life would be like in the work force, whether we would plan to marry, or even have children. Yet, now that we've come to this point in our lives a decade or so from where we once were, it's hard to recall what we were like back then, living in the dorms, hanging out on campus, studying at coffee shops...

So this past weekend as we celebrated my grandmother's eightieth birthday, I pondered what it would be like looking back after eighty years. It seems so far away from me now, but one day, God willing, I'll be there trying to remember how I spent my previous eighty years...Watching my grandma blow out her candles and celebrate with her nearest and dearest, I had to wonder what kinds of memories stood out most for her...what life events seemed to shine brightest for her in her eighty years on our planet earth...

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Here's to eighty more years, Grandma!

2.12.2009

One Year Ago Today...

Matt with his son

One year ago today...Happy Birthday, Chipmunk!

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...And thanks for sharing your birthday with your son, Matt...Happy birthday to you, too!

2.09.2009

It's a first!

First birthday, that is.

Our little Bubba (er...Chipmunk) is turning one this week...So of course, being that he's half-Korean, he got his very own celebration of life.

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Here he is all decked out in Korean garb taking part in his dohl jabi. He picked up a pencil and proceeded to stir the rice with it. Apparently that means something really good...(Remember what Bear picked up?)



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Besides the cute kids in Korean clothes, I think this was one of the highlights...

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Yum! Gotta love that cheesecake.

One already. Wow.

1.11.2009

Paint, Squish, Glue, Smile

Art.

That's what Bear told me she wanted to do for her birthday party. So a little research led us to the Art Zone. After a brief visit to see what they had to offer, we were hooked. Plus, we couldn't get Bear to leave the place...so it was decided...

Seriously, clay, some goopy stuff, easels stocked with paint, projects with glue and beads, a play area with dress up clothes, paint that you can spray on fake windows and then squeegee, and a mud and water room for...yup, playing with mud and water. It's one of those places you walk in and think, "man, I wish I was a kid again."

Add some pizza, spam musubi and a chocolate cake, invite some friends from play group, and you've got a party!

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She was so tired afterwards, she passed out on our couch...hopefully dreaming about fun, art-y things.

Now on to plan Chipmunk's dohl.

12.31.2008

The rest...

So our trip wasn't all bad. There were some good memorable moments...

Chipmunk's 1st Christmas

...celebrating the fact that it was Chipmunk's first Christmas.

Flying Ace

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...visiting the Snoopy store and ice rink in Santa Rosa, CA.

Zamboni!

...Bear learning the word "zamboni."

Happy 3rd!

...celebrating a birthday.

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...spending time with loved ones.

Hope you all had a wonderful...virus-free...holiday.

12.26.2008

3 years

I can't believe our little girl is three years old today.

Happily Swaddled - Day 2

I still remember that night three years ago...coming home from a family Christmas, feeling like I ate one too many scoops of super cheesy mashed potatoes...Matt felt it, too (indigestion...ugh). We couldn't sleep that night and little did we know that we wouldn't sleep that night. I remember it was 3 am when I decided that I just couldn't sleep so I propped my pregnant self up with pillows to read a book. About 5 minutes into my reading I felt really weird and decided to get out of bed. As soon as I stepped into the bathroom my water broke, surprise hit my face and with a weak voice I managed to yell out to Matt who responded, "what! are you serious?!"

Calmly, yet quickly...we were out the door, into the car, driving quietly into the night to the unloading zone at the hospital...I remember a security guard wheeling me into labor and delivery...getting settled into a room and then the constant questions, check ups, contractions, ivs, whirlwind of procedures...

And then it all stopped...at least that's what it felt like to me. It was as if time slowed down as my little girl was being placed into my arms...my tiny baby girl with her chubby cheeks and soft mound of black hair. It was surreal.

And today, she's three years old. She's no longer my baby, but rather my child. She's roasting bears, drawing monsters and calling firemen on the phone. With her constant conversation and her insatiable curiosity (why? why? why?) and her beaming personality, I'm still as amazed now as I was back then.

3 years old. Wow.

Happy Birthday, Little Bear!

2.12.2008

Turkey is done... (by padawanlee)

Just an update for everyone. Our newest member of the family came out healthy and well done today. He was born at 12:30pm at 8 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long. Both mom and baby are resting and doing well in the hospital, mom is recovering well from the delivery and dad is happy that everyone is well and he is adjusting to being a parent of a newborn again. There will be no more tickets for sale for the traveling mommy show anymore but a new attraction will be soon taking its place. More updates and pictures to follow once we settle down.

Thank you all for your support, prayers, and words of encouragement over the past few months as God has blessed our family with this new baby boy.

1.08.2008

Christmas Wrap-Up

Sometimes I wonder if Bear will remember any of these moments. My earliest memory was when I was 3 years old and my sister was born...Perhaps it's ingrained in my memory because it was such a happy (er...traumatic) moment in my life. My brother once recalled a moment when he was 2. I've heard that (although rare) some people actually remember being in their cribs watching their mobiles. Spooky. Whatever the case may be, I still wonder how much Bear is impacted by all of these moments in her life.

Christmas

We spent Christmas with Matt's family in Sacramento this year. It was nice. Bear had a great time eating and of course, opening presents (Abre Peh-sent?). As I've been heading towards immobility, it was nice having lots of family around to care for and entertain Bear. Being as inquisitive as she is, Bear followed Grandma and Grandpa around constantly asking, "What doing?"

After Christmas

For Bear's birthday we headed West and visited my side of the family. Bear continued to eat and open presents. We went to this pizza place in Berkeley called Zachary's. For those of you who have never been, their pizza is a serious deep dish pizza. I could only manage one slice. Bear meanwhile ate about half a salad and almost 2 pieces of pizza. Amazing.

Fun Being 2

Bear rode a carousel for the first time. I couldn't tell if she was enjoying it while she was riding it, but after she got off she promptly told me "Dun (Fun)."

I think throughout our week in Nor Cal, I enjoyed most watching Bear take in all of her surroundings. We took walks in Sacramento where she was fascinated with leaves and rocks and grass. Visiting her Great Grandma she enjoyed opening all the cabinets and finding "treasures" here and there. Even when it was just so cold Bear was running around in her blue parka on the grass or she was watching the rainfall. We even had an engrossing conversation about "poo" when she asked about the brown turd on the car window (B: Bir poo poo? Me: Yes, all animals poo poo. [later in the conversation] B: Tanta poo poo? Me: Does Santa poo poo? Uh, I don't know.).

Out for a walk

Going Home

This year we didn't have to stuff a 4 foot pink pony into our car...but if anyone looked in our trunk they would have thought that we were building an altar for Dora the Explorer (Dora clothes, Dora games, Dora books, Dora bandages?). I guess brand marketing worked on this family.

After a week Matt and I were exhausted...on the other hand, Bear was revved up and even more of a conversationalist than when we arrived. Seven hours (of toddler conversation) later we arrived home and rang in the New Year by falling asleep.

Ah, good times.

Opening Christmas Gifts
Bear's 1st Christmas Gift of 2007 from her mom and dad

11.02.2007

Thankful for 30

Now that I'm thirty, here's 30 things I'm thankful for:

1) A wonderful husband who always knows when I need a hug.
2) Bear, who makes me laugh on a daily basis.
3) Waking up each morning knowing that it's another day God has blessed me with.
4) My family who knows all of my quirks and still seem to keep me around.
5) The friends near and far that have each touched my life in one form or another.
6) Baby Lee who we can't wait to meet in February (or possibly January).
7) Lots of pillows that I can wedge myself into bed every night.
8) A place that we can call "home" even if the ceiling falls in every now and again.
9) The fact that I always cry on the last scene of "M0nster's Inc."
10) My mom who taught me everything "crafty" as I was growing up...who knew they'd come in handy so often.
11) My artsy sister who if I didn't have her around growing up, I'd always walk out of the house wearing 2 different colors of black.
12) My brother who without I would not know anything about anime, Pl@ystation, or good cheesecake.
13) My 5th grade teacher, who encouraged me to be myself, and still remembers my name to this day when I run into her.
14) Binder clips...I like binder clips...they're so handy.
15) Avocados...yum.
16) Craft stores, of which I could spend hours perusing items I don't need.
17) My guitar, my piano, and for music that helps to soothe my soul.
18) Rainy days, because everything is always so clean after the downpour.
19) Bear's pediatrician, who really knows her stuff, and truly cares for Bear.
20) Quarters...of which without we wouldn't have clean laundry.
21) Noisy neighbors, who help me understand the joy of peace and quiet.
22) People who are extremely down to earth...especially when their position in life would generally cause them to have their head in the clouds.
23) My childhood memories of fun times that I think back on and hope Bear will have a chance to experience.
24) My church, all the good and the bad, and the things I learn week after week.
25) My memories of teaching, my memories of my students, and the things they taught me each week.
26) Those moments when I actually get a chance to brush my hair.
27) Books of all sorts...that I can read to learn or read to relax.
28) God's creativity, that I see everyday, in everyone and everything.
29) My fears, that keep me on my toes, but don't consume me.
30) The trials and challenges in my life, the tears and heartaches, and the joys and sorrows that made me into the person that I am. Thanks.

Of course, I'm thankful for a lot of things...but these are the first 30 that I thought of...I'll close with a picture from Bear's October 31st fun.

Deciding which game to play...

Children's Night

1.14.2007

Celebrations!

Our Baby Bear truly is a lucky one.

At 100 days old she got to celebrate her baekil Her Granny came over and brought her some white Korean rice cakes to toast the occasion.

At the age of 3 months old she had a Red Egg and Ginger Party thrown just for her. Baby Bear got to celebrate life and she even received her Chinese name.

Now at 1 year, she gets yet another celebration. Lucky girl!

Party Fish

She loves fish, so just for her, Auntie made her these cellophane fish which hung from balloons all around the room. Granny made sure there were lots of balloons to create an ocean just for Baby Bear.

Mommy, what do I do?

She got all dressed up in her hanbok and participated in her dohl jabi. (Not sure what that is? You can read about it here) Baby Bear picked up a paintbrush, waved it around, then handed it to mom. Afterwards she played with the rice a little bit.

Rice...

There was cake. Oh boy, was there cake. Just for Baby Bear, Nemo and Dory were affixed on a beautiful blue cake.

Blow out the candle!

Here's to the next celebration!

1.07.2007

A Week of Firsts...

For the week between Christmas and New Years Eve, we were visiting my in-laws. I call it a week of firsts...Here we go!

1) Baby Bear's 1st Christmas - She just missed last Christmas by 12 hours.
2) My 1st whole week at the in-laws - I got to see more of why padawanlee is the way he is...(I mean all good things, of course)
3) Baby Bear's 1st Birthday - Yay!
4) Baby Bear's 1st bite of cake - Tiramisu cake - yum!
5) Baby Bear's 1st bump on the noggin - she fell off her new toy car, cried, but was soon appeased with another toy
6) My 1st ride in a Porsche - Padawanlee was driving, I was closing my eyes and holding on tight.
7) Baby Bear's 1st Stuffed Animal that is larger than she is - Er, it's a 4 foot stuffed pink pony. Try to imagine driving 7 hours in the car with that thing in the front passenger seat (Carpool lane anyone?).
8) Baby Bear's 1st (and hopefully last) Stomach Bug - Yuck! She promptly passed it on to her dad, her grandma & grandpa (and upon returning home - her auntie and her granny).

Needless to say it was a busy week. Pictures to come soon...

2.12.2006

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday, padawanlee!

With love from,
Songwriterlee & Baby Bear