Increasing Decibels

I've been telling myself for months now that once Chipmunk starts to "get it," things will be much better on the parenting front. I don't know why, but I imagined with Chipmunk understanding more of what's going on, parenting two kids would go smoother.

Nope. Definitely not the case.

Granted his communication has been better, but what I didn't account for was that Chipmunk and Bear would understand each other better as well. Now in most circumstances that's a good thing, but when they start playing together, they have this kind of rapport where they feed off of one another and...boom...chaos ensues.

My mom used to tell me that when all three of us (me, my sis, my bro) were together in the same room, the noise level in our home increased enormously. Something about having all of us there...we would have livelier conversations, laugh more, bicker more...the decibels would increase dramatically.

I see what she means.

I can't complain. Bear and Chipmunk play really well together, but they're crazy sometimes. They egg each other on to do things that neither of them would do on their own. If I step out of the room for a minute or two, I start to feel a sense of dread at what I might find upon returning.

They chase each other screaming at the top of their lungs. They dismantle the couch and then repeatedly jump off of it into the pile of cushions. They manage to dislodge every toy from every possible place onto the floor. They wrestle each other (Really, I've witnessed Chipmunk body slam Bear to the floor). They argue. They fight. They yell at each other and throw things around. Chaos.

Oh, and they somehow think that by acting together they can get away with things...like coloring the tiles on our kitchen floor with crayons and colored pencils, or attempting to climb up onto the dining room table to sneak snacks. Really. It's like they plan their attacks together while I'm not looking.

So it's nice that they get along so well, but goodness, I may have to invest in a pair of earplugs.

Tomatoes?

Well, now that August is here, we've finally got red cherry tomatoes adorning our window.



Nice, huh? Well, they're nice when they're shot close up and then the picture is cropped.

In reality, these suckers are puny...miniscule...diminutive...itty bitty...



I could pick a half a dozen of these and they're still not even comparable to the size of a normal cherry tomato.



Oh well...at least they're cute.

A Bit of Magic

Bear asks me a lot of "whys" these days. Why is the man going over there? Why do I have to sleep? Why are we not going to the zoo today? Why I have to wear pants? It's excessive at times, but what can I say? She's curious.

So I try my best to answer her questions as best as I can. Sometimes I find myself at a loss for words trying to explain some of the more difficult things.

One day after asking another why (Why the plants grow up and up and up? Why the clouds are hiding the sun? Why does the radio make music?), she came up with her own answer.

"I know! It's magic, right?"

I thought about it a while and didn't really correct her. If you look at it from a three and half year old perspective, most things are "magic." It's only as we get older and learn about things like cell growth, atmospheric change and radio waves that we stop seeing the "magic" in plant growth, a hiding sun, radio music or in a great many things for that matter.

Bear sees magic and miracles in all those things that seem so mundane and ordinary. Water spraying out of a fountain has no pipes or mechanisms connected to it, tomatoes turning red as they ripen have nothing to do with pigmentation and chemical change, and fun house mirrors are just fun and not a trick of bending light. To her, it's a magical world.

And so it shall be...

Yet, we get older, we learn more and we lose that appreciation and wonder of things that we can't explain. We see more heartache, we suffer through more challenges, and our days become settled in routines. The "whys" that we ask, tend to air more on the side of "why me?"

Perhaps seeing a little more "magic" in our days might be good for us...

Playing Games

So the other day we went to the market with my sister and I witnessed this...

Bear: I know! I got a good idea! Let's play a game!

Auntie: What? (Meanwhile Bear comes up behind her and hits her on the rear end)

Bear: Let's play butt tag! (Giggling and runs away)

Auntie: Bear, I don't know if I want to play this game.

Bear: Come on, Auntie! Touch my butt! Try to touch my butt!

Auntie: Who taught you this game?

Bear: I don't know. Come get me! Touch my butt!

Seriously, who taught her this game?

SD Version 2009

Some of the things we did this past weekend:

1) Visited the New Children's Museum. Chipmunk loved the bubble display (ended up rubbing bubble solution all over his tummy - too bad I forgot the camera battery - boo). Bear enjoyed the Grand Prix project where she got to make and then race a car down a ramp.

2) Went to Sea World. Chipmunk wasn't much for the shows, but Bear really enjoyed herself.



This is her screaming at the Shamu show.



Chipmunk was more at home in places where he could run around and play...

3) Had a grand ol' time at the zoo (yes, after months of Bear asking, we finally went).



Bear made sure to figure out where to find the gorillas.



She also made nice with a sabre tooth tiger.



Chipmunk enjoyed his time in the Children's portion of the zoo. He even got to pet a goat.

4) We visited our dear alma mater...although we were rather confused where it went.



Where did this building come from?



It took us a while, but we eventually found our way.





5) We finally made it back home...





...tired, but happy...

Ballerina Bear

For those of you who would like to see Bear in action...

Ballerina Moms

Taking Bear to ballet classes has immersed me into a whole different culture that resides within the confines of dance studio lobbies. I feel like an alien in a strange land of pink tutus and shiny tap shoes, where the most common greeting is, "so which one is yours?" as the well-groomed parents look through the plexi-glass windows pointing at their pint-size progeny. It's where they talk about which ballet teacher is the best at teaching technique to three year olds and compare which child seems to have the most elaborate hair-do. They share about the other extracurricular activities their children participate in (hip hop, gymnastics, soccer, voice lessons, piano, drawing etc.) and then discuss the ramifications of what would have happened if they didn't make it into "this class.". Their cell phones are abuzz confirming play dates and they rapidly discuss with each other which children's museum has the best technologically interactive display to engage their budding geniuses.

Having little grasp of words such as "Nanny" or "Spare Moment", I stand off to the side and quietly wait (er...run after the elusive and quick to wander Chipmunk) while the other ballerina moms "ooh" and "aah" at their children stumbling through grand jeté and échappé sauté. Then as the clock strikes 10:40, we rush in to change our dear daughter's shoes so another 20 minutes of shuffle hops and taps can proceed. And the moms watch with stars in their eyes imagining futures of standing ovations and encores, delighted at their child's interest in art and culture.

Then the teacher dismisses and all the girls run out of the dance room prim and proper, hairstyles intact, with beaming smiles on their faces. Their mothers pick up their brand name tote bags and receive them with open arms and bottles of water and ask them how their ballet class went while escorting them towards their minivans headed for the next enlightening destination.

Meanwhile, Bear runs out of the studio, with her ponytail falling out, secondhand leotard, a ruffled Sonja in one arm and a freshly printed ladybug stamp on the other and proudly announces, "I love ballet class!" I in turn respond, "I'm glad you had a good time."

Summer continues

Bear's tomatoes are finally starting to grow. Granted they're only the size of marbles at the moment, but they're there and she's excited.

I wish I could remember when I was three years old and simple things like plant growth were the highlights of my week.



Ballet has also begun. About 2 months ago she ran up to me and asked, "Can I go to ballet classes?" Matt and I figured why not and signed her up. The only problem being that for the past 2 months she has been asking, "I go to ballet class tomorrow?" She has also been asking, "Can we go to the zoo tomorrow?" and "Can I buy shiny shoes?"

She loved loved loved her first ballet class. Although I did have to have a little talk with her afterwards. After her class, one of the other moms told me, "Your daughter is a natural born leader. She's the smallest one there, but she made sure all the other girls were doing what they were supposed to." Of course, that was the nice way of saying that our little girl is "bossy." I watched her spend her whole first hour in dance class pointing and telling the other girls what to do.

But besides her natural leadership skills, she's been happily practicing her spins and her shuffles (yup, she's learning tap, too!) all over the house.



Fourth of July we spent with some good friends, barbecue and 7-layer dip. It was a nice relaxing Saturday. Of course, Chipmunk wasn't too happy after a while and made sure that everyone knew. Lately he's been showing a lot of frustration at not being able to do what everyone else can do. He even does this little temper tantrum thing where he lies on the floor and kicks his legs. Of course, I don't really think it has the intended effect he's looking for. Most people watch him throw his little fit and say, "Oh, that's so cute!" and then just let him continue with his toddler rant. Poor kid.

Now off for some more summer fun...

New Quirks

Chipmunk is growing up faster than we can blink. He looking less like a baby and more and more like a child.

He's also picking up interesting quirks here and there. My recent favorite quirk of his is his "faux-thinking" pose. He stands, pokes his finger into his cheek and says, "ummmmm," like he's pondering what to tackle next.



Heh heh. I'm still trying to figure out what he's actually deciding while striking this pose.

His other recent quirk that I've been enjoying is his love of exploring the outdoors. Living in a rather urban area, he doesn't get much of a chance to wander and explore nature. The last time I let him "explore" he picked up a piece of dog poop (yuck!). Last week we were in more wooded areas during our trip, so he took it upon himself to take nature walks whenever he could (Meaning: as soon as the front door opened he ran out and down the block). So instead of reining him in, I let him wander. He picked up rocks and held onto them. He stomped on leaves, followed bugs, swatted at bushes and pointed to trees yelling, "Teeeeee!" He stared down a dog, picked up sticks, and made sure to play with each patch of dirt. I showed him a ladybug which he found fascinating and he even attempted to follow a flightless bee.

I imagine that he'll be my mud pie making kid who brings bugs and worms home as pets. Bear, on the other hand, will always be the girly-girl with her shoes, purses, skirts and dresses and abundance of anything pink and fluffy...

Summer Once Again

Here's a list of some things we've been up to in the past week:

1. Swimming - Okay, one kid was swimming. The other was running from the pool screaming in fear. Granted it was his first time in/near the water, but our home video is mostly of Chipmunk crying out of utter fear of the water. Poor kid.



2. Staying out of the heat - Hundred degree weather is not fun. We've also discovered that Chipmunk is going to be one of those "sweaty little boys." You know, the ones who run a little bit and end up with pink cheeks and a wet head?

3. Visiting parks and mini-amusement parks - We tried the park but it was just too hot after a while despite the area being a highly wooded area. We ended up at a mini-amusement park where Bear was running around asking, "Can I ride this one, Daddy?" Meanwhile Chipmunk freaked out while riding a merry-go-round pony. So no on water and carousel horses for him.

4. Visiting family - We visited almost all the grandparents this past week. That's no small feat. We missed one, but that would have involved passports and international travel.

5. A movie in a theater - Very exciting. Matt and I haven't seen a movie together in a while. It's been so long we couldn't come to a consensus on what the last movie we saw happened to be.

6. Berry picking - Wild berries grow in abundance in my grandmother's backyard. We took the kids out back and helped them pick some berries of their very own. Surprisingly sweet. Of course, before we set out I made sure to study up some photos of poison ivy...just in case. That apparently grows wild in the backyard, too.



7. Wedding - We were very happy that we could also attend a wedding during the week (Congrats to M & H!). It was nice to be sans kids again (I know! Twice in one week! Amazing.) And it was a joy witnessing our friends tie the knot...

Ah, it is summer once again...

Bath Time is Fun

Pea Harvest

Everyday Bear waters her little garden. She inspects her plants, excitedly points out each flower and pea, and asks repeatedly when she can eat them.

Well, the day arrived. When I told her that it was time to pick some peas she ran to the window so quickly she practically pushed me over. She repeatedly asked if she could pick them herself. Chipmunk stood in the back complaining hoping to join the fun himself. So the four of us (dad was home, too) picked a handful of peas and then I washed a couple and gave them to the kids to eat. The rest I steamed and added to a salad for our dinner.



So now Bear has taken if upon herself to alert whenever she thinks any pea is mature enough for the picking. She then insists on pulling the stem off and eating them before I get a chance to cook them.

I'm glad she's excited about it all. She should be, this is her garden and she is now able to reap the benefits.

Passing Thoughts

I read that Ronald Takaki passed away last week. Many people remember his culturally defining teachings and writings on race and ethnicity. I remember him as the author I first read that quoted my grandfather's work. I remember sitting in my dorm reading Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans for my beginning Ethnic Studies course and coming across my grandfather's name briefly here and there. It made me feel proud of my grandfather and his works. So reading about Ronald Takaki this week just made me reminisce about my grandfather.

I mentioned to my grandfather once that I saw his works quoted in my textbooks and he just responded with a smile. For being an author himself, my grandpa was a quiet man. I didn't know much about his life until after he passed in 2005. To us, he was the man who took us on walks around the neighborhood, counting the steps down to the park and back. He would clasp his fingers together and make us count his fingers to make sure they were all there. He had this little laugh that I still remember usually when he was setting us up for a joke, and he would always slip us money when grandma wasn't looking.

At his memorial service there were all sorts of people there who called themselves either his colleagues or his pupils. As they shared, it opened up this whole side of my grandpa that I just didn't realize was there. He was called a mentor, a teacher, a distinguished scholar, a man who went through political pressure, a man who wrote about his beliefs even when others didn't agree. Later reading biographical articles about him in books and periodicals, I couldn't believe how little I knew of his difficult yet distinguished life.

Yet, history tells us that we can be who we are because of the way our predecessor's fought to preserve rights and humanity in this country. I will never really understand how hard it was for them to claim their stake in the American dream when racial prejudices and cultural misunderstandings beat them down at every turn. Even now, yes, prejudices occur, but it is nothing (not even close) to what our grandparents and great-grandparents had to put up with in order to get to the place we are now.

So for those writers/professors/cultural forerunners of change like my grandfather and Ronald Takaki, I'm thankful for the path that they started paving long ago for understanding and acceptance. It's something I take for granted far too often in my charmed American life.

Window Garden

One day, if and when we ever get our own home, I'd love to have a garden. Doesn't matter, small or large, but I'd love to be able to have a space that has a little bit of greenery. Our current living situation doesn't really have much outdoor space for a garden of any kind, but in the interest of educating Bear about seeds and their growing needs, we set up a little window garden. Well, it started small, just a couple of seeds and pots, some sunshine in the window, a spray bottle for Bear to water...



We just didn't account for the green thumb. Seriously, they're taking over the window. Okay, so part of it is probably the fact that there's not enough sunshine so the plants are growing in search of it (Gibberellins, right?). Despite the overabundance of leafage and stemmage, our little Mendel is starting to see her pea plants flower and fruit. Every day she inspects her plants and excitedly exclaims, "Look, mommy, it's growing!"



So perhaps in a couple of weeks I'll get to teach her about harvesting and then sautéing. Yum.

No Vegetables, Please!

Our son is not a big fan of vegetables. He'll eat them only if there is nothing else available. He's definitely a meat and potatoes kind of boy.

Although we found out that he's not a big fan of cartoon vegetables either. On our car ride home on Monday we popped in some Veggie Tales and he started to pout. After a few minutes he had a look of terror as he watched those dancing and singing vegetables. A couple minutes after that he started to bawl.

So we tried again today to see if it was just a fluke.



Nope. Apparently he's not a fan of veggies in any form.

Some Fun...

Our weekend was more of a whirlwind rather than a trip due to its brevity, but we managed to squeeze in a little fun for the kids...Here are just a few pics of the fun...

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...



Here's to eighty more years, Grandma!

"Tippy Steps" song

Today in the car Bear announced that she was going to teach me a song. She said that it was called the "Tippy Steps Song." She then sang a random song about being in a car and dancing on tippy steps (which I'm guessing is her way of saying "tippy toes") and something about Chipmunk throwing his toys on the ground. It was her first original song. I'm so proud.

Nicknames

I have been known to refer to my daughter as a troublemaker. After Chipmunk was born he became the new troublemaker. Every now and again I'll actually call him by the name "Troublemaker." Today, after I spent a couple hours at a birthday party running after his wiggly little self, I was pooped. Matt asked me how the party was and I told "It was fun, but boy is your son a little troublemaker." Bear overheard and promptly said:

"Baby not a troublemaker. I da troublemaker! Baby is Grumpy-maker!"

Grumpy-maker, huh? Actually, it's kind of fitting.

How I Spend My Days (by Chipmunk)

Ever wanted to know how I, a 14 month old, get through the day?

First things first. I eat. And boy do I eat. Here are the remnants of my breakfast: a whole banana and a bowl of cheerios (which I followed soon after with a cup of yogurt and a couple mandarin oranges).



Then I get down to business. Kitchen first. I make sure to take all the magnets off the fridge and all the pots and pans out of the cupboards.



Next, I target my sibling. I always go for the toys she's playing with. It's just more fun that way.



Then, I work on my climbing skills. I aim to raise the bar each day climbing to newer and higher heights. Here I managed to climb Mt. Desk.



"What? I'm not supposed to be climbing here?" (See I'm feigning innocence...another skill you must practice on a daily basis)

Mischief. Ah yes, another "must" in my day. Here I am pouring Goldfish crackers into the exersaucer. I don't know about you, but for me crackers just aren't right unless they're spilled all over the place. Same goes for cheerios, raisins, cheese, and well, any food actually.



More Mischief. Any of the following tasks work best if repeated multiple times throughout the day:
1. Pulling my sister's hair
2. Emptying laundry baskets and clothes drawers
3. Dropping food into hard to reach places
4. Getting into the toilet (listening to my mom freak out!)
5. Body slamming my teddy bear
6. Finding the telephone and calling random phone numbers
7. Throwing my toys into the shiny bin my mom calls the trash can
8. Practicing my awesome Rock Band skills on the pots and pans

After knocking a few of these tasks off my to-do list, my mom usually tries to hinder my work by turning on the mind-control device (television), hypnotizing me into a passive state.



I can usually break free from it's evil paralyzing ways after about 5 minutes, where I make sure to make-up for the loss of time by doubling my efforts.

And that, my friends, is how I spend my day.

Shiner

Our little Bear had a little accident at church this morning...



She had a close encounter with a file cabinet after a bout of spinning. Bonk! She immediately started bruising around her eye and wasn't too happy for a while...

She seems better now...although perhaps a little more wary of spinning.

Walking

"So is he walking yet?"

We've been getting asked that question since Chipmunk was 9 or 10 months old. I guess if a baby starts to crawl and cruise early, walking seems like the next logical step. Apparently, it's not so.

His first birthday passed and still he insisted on crawling and being carried.

"He's still not walking yet?"

We weren't worried. We figured that the later he walked the better for us.

"Oh, he's cruising...he'll be walking any day now!"

Well, he's been cruising since 8 months old...he's been cruising for almost 6 months now.

So Matt and I joked that Chipmunk probably already knew how to walk, he was just choosing not to. That's also the joke we told everyone who questioned us about why he wasn't yet walking.

Apparently we weren't that off...

This morning he woke up, played a while, ate breakfast, played some more and then around 11 o clock he decided that it was time to move on. Not just one or two steps, but full on walking from one room to another without any assistance. It's like something just went off in his head and today was the day he would become a walker...

Perhaps tomorrow he will decide to run...

Korean food

Driving home from dinner tonight...

Matt: I'm going to have to get a night job or something.

Me: What? Why?

Matt: Have you seen the way our kids eat?

We just spent the hour before gaping at our children as they inhaled bowls of soon du bu, bulgogi, rice, and broiled fish.

I learned that if I want to actually eat some, I need to order two rather than one to share. Bear practically ate a whole stone pot of tofu goodness on her own. Chipmunk? He almost seemed chubbier after dinner if that's possible.

I'm just glad they like Korean food. Bring on the kimchi.



Bear's leftovers: an empty pot, empty bowl and fish bones.

Unconcerned

Bear is usually like a "little momma" to her brother, so sometimes when Chipmunk is out of my sight, I will ask Bear to report on his current condition. This morning as I was cleaning up I asked for a status update.

Me: Hey, Bear! What is your brother doing?

Bear: (nonchalantly)Um...nothing. He's just choking.

Me: What?!

[Don't worry...he wasn't really choking...like as in heimlich-maneuver-choking...more like, shoved too much food in mouth and coughed]

Sometimes the best thing to say...

...is not to say anything at all.

I realize that writing any of my thoughts at the present time would probably result in a "whine" fest. Therefore, I'm going to just end it here...



Hope you all have a great weekend!

Breakfast (by Chipmunk)

Today, mommy let me eat breakfast on my own. She let me use a spoon and everything. I only got a little bit messy...hee hee.

Happy Pictures

We all deal with our daily stresses in different ways. Me? When I feel a little blue, I go to my "happy pictures." These are the pictures of my kids that I look at and can't help but smile. Hope they make you happy, too.



Chipmunk riding the slide. I love the look of glee on his face. I can almost hear his little voice yelling out, "EEEEEEEE! (Wheeee!)."



Ah, Sibling love. Bear is, as usual, overly loving. Chipmunk just looks like his eyes are going to pop out.

And the oldie, but goody, "happy pictures"...



Bear at 6 months, riding the swing...oh so very chubby.



Bear at about 18 months, up against the blue sky.



Instant love. Siblings, day 1.



Carefree and happy...

Makes my heart melt every time I look at them...

Minus 18 inches

Well, I finally did it.



Minus 18 inches later...(and donated for a good cause)



Phew. I should of gotten it cut sooner.

Needful Quiet

Early afternoon and all is still.
I dare not disturb the peace.
My prayer asks for steadiness, for safety, for ease of mind.
I hesitate to move. My eyes are at watch.
My heart is saddened and full of worry, but it must not be seen.
Instead I revel in the silence of our needful quiet.