Rico...

Suave.... I'm so blessed. I get to spend my days w/ this handsome little guy!

Dear...

Dear Daisy,

I never did get to meet you...but I know you were one loved little baby girl. I have thought about you so many times over the past year. I wonder if you would look like your momma....I wonder if you and Jude would grow up to become BFF's like Zoe and Brody...I wonder...

Happy Birthday, Daisygirl. I'll see you in heaven...

Love,
Aunt Kimmy

..heehee..

So...I'm the SAHM, right? You know- quit my job b/c I wanted to raise the boy...so that I wouldn't miss out on any of the milestones in his life...

...so yesterday afternoon, Derrick and I came to the conclusion that we needed to go grocery shopping...I quickly volunteered, as it gave me a reason to get out of the house sans boys. Well...in my selfishness to get away....my son laughed out loud with his dad. What. The. Heck! Granted, I was SUPER excited and happy for Derrick to be able to experience this with Jude...but I did feel a wee bit ripped off! I've been trying to get him to laugh for ages! But- Jude was so gracious- when I got home, dad showed me what he did to get the booger to laugh, and Jude did. Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Derrick's such a good dad! :)

...my little lover...

Jude is growing up so fast...too fast! He's no longer the baby of the family.....Our sisterinlaw, Niki (wife of Derrick's brother, Jerrod) just had her baby on Wednesday! Braylon "yettobemiddlenamed" Logan. He was 4.5 weeks early...but STILL weighed 7lbs 8oz and was 19.5 inches long. Unbelievable! Mom and baby are great...and should be released sometime today...

Anywho...Jude has been so cute (and sometimes notsocute) lately! He's graduated from cooing to squealing- which is the funniest thing ever b/c it kinda scares him to hear himself! He's tolerating tummytime a wee little bit more...He follows us around the room (w/ his eyes, of course)...He plays in a new "walkerish" type toy- the Step&Play Piano- which is wicked cool and perfect for a musical family! There's a piano thing at his feet that makes everything light up and plays music whenever he steps on them...and a little drum and trumpet and mic and keyboard and...a cowbell! YES!He is still in love w/ Mr. Zebra that hangs off of his carseat (his grandma Logan bought him a new toy to go on his carseat...a frog thing that lights up and has things you can spin- yeah- Jude has a love/hate relationship w/ it!!! It's too funny- he plays w/ it...then scowls and yells at it)...and is learning how to swat at things and grasp them. I have busted out some plastic keys and rattles that I had gotten at my shower- Jude loves to watch me shake them and swats at them. I have started teaching him to grab for them- which he is doing so great at. Once he gets the toy in his little chubby hands, he just flings his arm around...and it's too cute!

I am just so blessed to be his mommy. I love spending all my time w/ him- even though he's been way fussy lately (I think he's starting to seriously teethe- he'll stop when I let him suck on a chilled teething ring)- I wouldn't change it for the world!

is this a joke?!...

So...I've been really into the Olympics (btw- have you noticed that I like to start by blogs w/ so?)...tonight I flipped it on to see what the competition of the night was.... a 20K walk. What? a 20K walk. What? Laugh. Out. Loud. What? It was probably the funniest thing I've seen all day. What? And to top it off...these women were like not really walking- it was a cross between jogging ("sometimes pronounced yogging"- j/k- that's a quote from Anchorman) and flailing on a tightrope! Hi-lar-i-ty. I really sat there and stared w/ my mouth slightly hanging open for a while!

So. If you are a competitive walker. Laugh. Out. Loud. No offense! And if you know someone who is...then I apologize but...Laugh. Out. Loud. Fantastic! Almost made the fact that my precious angel cried for an hour tonight! I think he's teething! GRRR.

PS. To Walker #2771. It's okay...you CAN eat something once in a while!

Dear Blogger.com...

I loathe your formatting skills.

백일

100 Days. That is what, if your computer can show Korean fonts, my title says. 100 Days. That is how long my son has been out of my womb. 100 Days. I cannot believe it. How does that many days go by so quickly? How?

We celebrated Jude's 백일 (Baek-Il or 100 Days) today Korean style. In Korea, on the 100th day after a child's birth, the family has a small celebration for the baby's health and the mother's recovery from delivery. On that day, people make Korean rice cakes called Baek-seol-gi or Su-su-pat-deok, and pass them around to neighbors, believing that sharing the cakes with 100 people will lead to the baby's healthy growth. Those who receive the rice cake return the plates with threads, rice, or money on them. Threads represent a wish for a long healthy life, and rice and money mean a wish for wealth for the baby.

It was important for me to celebrate this with my son because I want him to know his Korean heritage. Although he looks...completely...American...there is a lil' Korean in him! :) Derrick and I (I should really say my "mom and I"!) invited our families over to celebrate with us. My parents, aunt, cousins, Derrick's parents, grandparents, brother, sister, and cousin Ary all came. It was such a fun day. Jude was the cutest thing in his 한복 (Hanbok). Although he only wore it for like a half hour- he was a champ! We all feasted on the most delicious 갈비 (Galbi- ribs) and 불고기 (Bulgogi- bbq beef). Other 반찬 (Banchan- sides) consisted of 짜장면(Jajangmyeong- noodles), 새우 (Saeu- shrimp), and some fish/egg thing and veggies/fruit for the white folk! It was topped off with 떡(Tteok- sweet cake made w/ rice). Yum. Everyone had full tummys...and mommy/daddy have TONS of left overs! Jude was SUCH a good little guy! (even though he hardly napped at ALL!!! He has to be awake to not miss a thing!)

Dear Jude,
100 Days ago, God blessed your daddy and I with a beautiful boy. We cannot possibly remember life without you. You bring your dad and I so much joy. We love you and we're proud of you!
-Mommy




Lord-
Why have you blessed me so much? I haven't deserved it...I love Jude more than I could ever imagine. Thank you for trusting Derrick and I with him... Please guide us in raising him...give us patience...help us to be more like You so that he will want to be more like You....God- I just thank you for answering our prayers....

...so funny...

I love this kid...he cracks me up! He's really into eating his hands lately...he attacks them all the time!

?!

I guess when you upload pix to blogger- it goes into a picasa web album...so I wanted to create a login to delete some pix that I uploaded a million times and whatnot...and the username kimbasa was taken!!! ?! WHAT?! I'm a wee bit perturbed...

Ode to...

Love. Oh man...is she going to LOVE this blog post! :)

So...Love. I met her my second year of teaching. She was student teaching at the time. All I remember about Love from that year is that she was "mean." No, no...not to me- the kids that used to be in my class the previous year told me so! When we were doing interviews (all nine trillion of them- remember Jaime and Katie?!) to hire new teachers for DSE, we knew that Love HAD to be one of our teachers! She brought it- military style...and we all liked that! Our first year at DSE...I wasn't sure what to think of Love. She was loud. And she had no filter. NONE! But...wait a second...I'm loud w/ no filter...so...I thought- hmm...I'll get to know her. I pretty much didn't know what I was getting myself into! I'm PRETTY sure I got spanked more from the big dawg b/c of laughing at her during the staff meetings- it's like...if something "dumb" was said or done- she knew to stare me down...she knew I was using every fiber of my being not to burst out of my skin laughing (or screaming- same diff!). My friendship with Love grew...as did my photography portfolio...girlfriend likes to get her pictures TAKEN! LOL... No...what I was going to say was...my friendship with Love grew after she (and her then boyfriend, Eddie) visited CCV with Derrick and I. It was pretty funny...CCV was just starting their Ripple Effect campaign...so the sermon was pretty much about $$$. Her and Eddie visited several more times...the most comical time would be Easter Sunday @ UofPhoenix Stadium (do you remember Love?!)...I'll let her elaborate if she so pleases...after that Sunday, Love shared her testimony with me....and I knew we had bonded...They started attending PVC after Derrick accepted the Worship Director position. They are by far his biggest fans...and they thoroughly enjoyed Greg's message (and front tuck!) :) The irony of it...the first time they visited...we were started the Seize the Moment campaign...so the sermon had hints of $$$ talk! LOL. But I was so glad they were coming- especially b/c they'd save me a seat when I was late...which was every weekend!

Anywho- Dec 1st was a sad sad sad sad sad day in AZ. The Breaux family left me. Love's hubby, Eddie finally got his orders to go overseas- to Japan! JAPAN!!! Oy! She's so far away from me...and yet- our friendship only continues to grow. I cannot express to you how much I miss that girl- and her cute lil Elijah- and her hubs...and her loud laugh!

So...thank you, Love...for being such a good friend...for being thoughtful...and funny...and real.

These are the things I miss...
*falling asleep on the sectional while the boys play Madden...
*Elijah's reenactment of Tarzan&Jane...
*Elijah's vomit- oh wait...don't miss that!
*Elijah's ashy ASHY legs...that I DO miss!
*inappropriate staff meeting rants and raves
*your trying to laugh like the 4th grade team...
*Carrabas...
*Chicfila chicken platters...wow
*calendar shoots...
*bean bags...
*celebration Eddie and lil Eddie
*eating your candy EVERYday after school...
*the computer lab
*apple of my eye! LOL- sorry Katie!
*your different wigs!
*honky tonk ba donk-a-donk (yes, I googled it to spell it)
*youtube videos
*aww sad- your lack of a Christmas tree! (I'm seriously going to send you one this year!)
*the Costco blanket
*manly voices
*Wii tennis! LOLOL
*when you get excited and yell "YES!"

Wow...my list can go on forEVER! I am so blessed to have you as a friend! I read once in someones blog "some people are in your lives for a long time...others are in your heart forever"...Love, you'll always be in my heart- even if you're in Japan! I can't wait until you meet Jude!

Nursery

So....I totally took Jude to the nursery this past weekend! I know- you are all ALL kinds of proud of me! It was kinda hard- I ALLLLLmost ditched church all together so I wouldn't have to! But then, I thought that was kinda lame! Jude had been crying all morning and all afternoon- I think he might be teething (if the drooling is any indication)....so it was really hard for me to do the drop off....but let me tell you...I just love my church... Tracy was wonderful and the nursery peeps were so good to my lil boy! He's already gotten TWO postcards from the nursery! Maybe we'll make this a weekly occurance :)

So...I thought...hmmm- it's kinda like the first day of school...I should take pictures! But I only got a few...the lil guy was zonked out when I dropped him off!!! (Which I'll admit, made it easier to do!)

Seriously...

I have like 5 other blogs in my head right now that I'd like to write out...but I must save them!!! Oy!

Stay tuned for one tomorrow!!! :)

...My Grits!

KISS MY GRITS!!!! (Or should it be fries?! or maybe toast?!)

'The United States 400-meter freestyle relay team of Phelps, Cullen Jones, Garret Weber-Gale and Jason Lezak came from behind to win the gold medal, upsetting France. The biggest hero of the day turned out to be Lezak, the American anchor. The Americans' relay victory was all the more sweet considering the way France declared itself the favorite prior to the Olympics. The Frenchmen weren't shy about repeating it either. In a news conference prior to the start of the Games, Bernard, who boasts a tattoo of a shark on his abdomen, was asked what he thought about his country's chances against the United States. "The Americans?" Bernard said. "We will smash them." Several of Bernard's teammates followed his lead, even going to far as to suggest that the Americans were scared of the French. "This morning, Bob (Bowman) had said the French was saying some stuff, talking a little bit of trash," Phelps said. "It fired me up more than anything else. I told Garret, and he said 'You know what?' We're going to let our swimming do the talking."' (taken from an article on baltimoresun.com)

...Lezak realizing he won (see Frenchie? not so happy eh?)...

















...Phelps realizing USA won...













GO USA!!!

Smell the Color Nine...

Neuf. Nueve. Ah-hope. Neun. Negen. Nine. 9.



That is how many hours Jude slept last night.

Technically- it was nine and a half.
Can I get a HALLELUJAH?!

Proximity

Am I a freak?! (Wait- don't answer that...) I have this thing w/ proximity. I've always sorta known it, but I fully realized it after having Jude. So...get ready to learn something new about me! I do NOT like to be touched by people I do not know- or do not know well. As a matter of fact- I remember the first time Derrick put his hand on my back (we were 18...and had only been dating for less than a month)- I flinched! When I visit Korea, my mom and I travel from place to place by taxi or bus...and the buses are jam PACKED....people are ALL UP in my business....and I literally internally hyperventilate! And when I was younger, and would visit "huggy" churches- I thought I would just DIE! (wee bit dramatic?!) I'm alot better now about it...but I still have a cringe factor!

That all being said- When it comes to Derrick and Jude- I have this strange thing where I have to be near them. For example- I can't sleep if Derrick is not in bed too. So, we ALWAYS go to bed at the same time. If he wakes up to go to the restroom or get a drink- I will usually wake up. If it's morning and Derrick is up before me (which rarely happens!!!) I am typically up within that 1/2 hour. And I always just feel...I don't know...better- when we're near each other- even if we're not actually interacting with one another.

Well...I'm kinda like that w/ the Judester too.... Jude has been sleeping in our room in his Co-Sleeper since we brought him home from the hospital. When he was about 5 weeks old, I reeeeaaaally wanted to move him into his crib at night, and started trying to get him to nap in his crib to get used to it....yeah- he didn't like napping there- so I resolved to wait. He is now 3 months old- and sleeping 7-8 hours a night...and I just can't do it! Knowing that he's not near me- it's killing me!!! It's even hard for me to imagine taking him to the nursery at church (which I'm hooooooping to do today!)!!!!

So- Derrick has told me that I have until next Saturday...and then Jude is going into the crib...
...yeah...we'll see about that!!! :)

3

I had to post this picture! How funny is he?! It's like he's staring down his bear! I can't believe it. My little man is 3 months old today. Where in the world does the time go?! Three months ago- I was probably lying on that darn uncomfortable hospital bed...looking over at my new little guy. I will NEVER forget just wanting to stare at him all night...and he was staring right back at me ("who is this tall lady!?!")... I feel like he's been in my life forever- I cannot imagine life without him!

And...what an awesome baby he is! We celebrated his 3 months (and a belated father's day) today by going to the Dbacks/Braves game. I had bought these tickets for Derrick for Father's Day- b/c he LOVES the Braves (who killed the Dbacks 11-5)!!! I was SUPER excited to buy him these tickets- and he was excited to take his son. Jude was SUCH a great little guy. He fussed a combined total of LESS THAN 1minute! He sat and watched the game...napped...ate...watched some more...cooed...oh it was TOO CUTE!

Anywho...Fireworks have always meant alot to Derrick and I...Derrick claims that the first time he realized he loved me was the 4th of July (thus the fireworks)...and we got married late June- and spent part of our honeymoon at Disneyland on the 4th- and you KNOW Disneyland does up the whole fireworks thing!!!! Anywho...since tonight was a Friday...the Dbacks was doing a "Family Fireworks" thing. We decided to stay and watch since it would be a nightmare getting out and to our car w/ all 27,000 people who were in attendance to the game. At first, I wasn't quite sure how Jude would like it....but the kid was GLUED to the show! He did not flinch once...not when Derrick cooed at him (which usually gets him cooing and talking back)- not when Derrick stuck his finger near Jude's mouth (which usually makes him attack the finger like a piranha)- not even the flash of my camera phased him! Un- Be- Lievable! It was the sweetest, cutest thing ever! Even the people in our row and the row in front of us were mesmerized by Jude's fascination w/ the fireworks! :) So...yeah- not sure if a 3 month old should be looking at/listening to fireworks- but...he loved it!

Here are some pictures of our night:

Dear Jude-

You're already 3 months old! You're getting to be such a big boy- literally! Mommy cannot even stand how cute you are! I just want to hug you and squeeze you and bite you ALL the time! We love you so much, your dad and I. I never want to forget your cute bubbles...your drool...your big blue eyes (will they change?!)...the way you kick your legs when I change your "shiners"...the way you talk to your daddy...the smell of your hair after a bath...when you act "crazy" during a feeding...your loud burps...when you attack your hand...the way you stare down Mr. Zebra... It's only been a short time, but you've captured my heart! You make mom and dad want to be better people.

Remember that Jesus loves you. And I pray that you will use Him to guide you to be a great man.

Love,
Mommy

SAHM

So...I'm officially an at home mom. Yesterday was the first day of school for all my teacher peeps. And I wasn't there. It's honestly very bittersweet- as I have made lifelong friends in my profession...and I really do like being a teacher- if teaching was all that I had to do. I do NOT miss the non-teaching aspects. I can't help but think of what I'd be doing at such and such time. Who would be coming into the library for specials? Who would be whining that they cannot login to their computer b/c they don't remember their password (hem hem- LORNA?!) And then...I blink- look at my son, and those questions dissolve. I am so blessed to be staying at home w/ him (although the lack of a paycheck is killing me softly...). I know in the end- God is in control and will provide (anyone need pictures taken?!) I AM meeting w/ a lady from the DO this week, to put my name on the sub list for this year- just in case! I think it will be nice to sub here and there!

Anywho- so...in the 2 days that I have been a SAHM...we have- Gone shopping on Monday...and had breakfast w/ a friend this morning! Fun Fun Fun times. Tomorrow's plan? Nada as of yet...but the night is young! :)

Pwn'd

Yeah...I don't really know what that means...but I see it alot in techie world...makes me feel old that I'm not down w/ the OPP anymore... I digress.

So...last night we had our good friends Adam and Amy Waltho over for dinner. They have two beautiful daughters that are just the smartest little munchies I have ever seen. After dinner, we were playing a quick game of I-Spy (gotta love children!). Adam was spying...his clue was..."I spy with my little eye- something that is black and square" So the girls go around looking for everything black and square. Kayla, the older daughter, was so smart....she goes to the couch and says... "is it these speakers?" Wow...Seriously?! How did she know that they were speakers?! She's barely 4 (Literally- tomorrow is her bday! Happy Birthday, Kayla!)!!! But that was NOT what Adam was spying.... Finally, she guesses the TV, and Adam confirms that yes, he was thinking of the TV. And then the best thing ever happened. Adam got owned by his own kid! Kayla says, "But that's more of a rectangle." L. O. L. I hope Jude is that smart at 4....I just love how innocently honest kids are! :)