Family Pictures

Well, my amazing photographer, Angie, did it again! I love how these turned out!!!

How cute is this kid? Seriously, we're going to be chasing the girls away in a few years!

He isn't wearing his glasses because he lost them...again. I think we need to invest in a spare pair.

I know right now you're thinking, "Awww, how sweet!" It's not what you think my friends. Ethan is not giving Tyler a big juicy kiss. He is being fed a fruit snack. Just a little trick I had up my sleeve! ;)

And finally a few pics of our little pumpkin. I can not believe how fast my baby is growing up!

Funny Boy

Situation #1:

As most of you know, my mom is Korean. She often has Korean people over at her house, and many of them bring their kids to visit as well. What you may not know is that Korean kids are wild. Consequently, Tyler hates it when "Korean people" are at my parents' since the kids tend to destroy his toys. Well, it came as quite of a shock when we told him that HE is Korean too! Ok, so he's only a quarter Korean, but still, he has it in his blood. The funny thing is, that now he loves anything Korean! And he loves to tell people that he is a "quarter Korean".

One day, Ty's little neighbor friend was at our house playing. Tyler ran up to me to ask (in a very serious tone) "Can I tell Elissa what I am?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Ty: "You know...that I'm a quarter Korean" (whispered)
Me: "That's fine."
Ty: "Elissa, did you know that I'm a quarter Korean?"
Elissa: "What?!? You're not a quarter Queen! You're not even a girl!"

Situation #2

My kids have big heads. I mean, REALLY big heads. They are always 100 percentile in the head department. We tell them that it's to hold all their brains, but honestly, it's kind of a pain when it comes to clothing. It's hard to find shirts & sweaters that fit over their big noggins. And hoodies...forget about it! One day, as I'm getting Ethan dressed, I overhear Tyler in his room grunting & mumbling "Come on big head!" I peeked in to find him struggling pulling a shirt over his head.

Situation #3

Growing up, I hated going out to eat at buffets. I still don't love them, but I do love the variety of foods to feed to my children. And my kids love buffets. A couple months ago when my parents had their wedding anniversary, they invited us to go out to eat with them and they let Tyler choose. So where did he pick? Why "Chuck -a- Grandma" of course!



Situation #4

There are a couple of strange things about me. I won't reveal them all right now, but one thing is that I love the smell of rubber. Strange, I know. Ever since I can remember, I've loved the smell of tires, inner tubes, etc.

One day I was out shopping at Target with my boys for some church shoes for them. When we got to the shoe aisle, there were on display, a lot of rain boots. As soon as we were within sniffing distance, Ty sticks up his nose and says "Mmmmm...what is that WONDERFUL smell?!? It smells beautiful!" I was dying! Apparently, weird traits (like loving the smell of rubber) can be passed onto your children. Who knew?

Summer Lovin'

I love summer! And now that I have kids, I think I love it even more. The winter months are hard for my two little boys who LOVE to be outside. We've been spending countless hours watching soccer practice

Going on long evening bike rides

Catching "bugs" (isn't my dad such a good sport!)


Cooking, grilling & baking. I love Ty's new "chef's hat"


Playing in the sand

And eating lots of messy treats: popsicles, ice cream, and E's favorite...chocolate!

I'm proud to say that we officially have a walker! 15 months and not a day sooner. Good thing cause this mama's arms couldn't handle lugging around this 26-pound cutie for very much longer!

Here is Ethan trying to make his great escape. Luckily he couldn't squeeze out past his shoulders. :)

Thomas, Swimming & More

We took the boys to Heber Railroad's Day Out with Thomas this year. To say that Tyler was excited would be an understatement. He loves trains, cars, planes, you know, all the normal boy stuff. And in the last year or so has become a little obsessed with Thomas.

In addition to the train ride (which thank goodness was only 25 minutes!), there are a bunch of other activities for the kiddos. Ethan loved the mini-golf & imagination center.

I'm so glad that I bought the tickets for Friday morning. It was a little crowded & crazy even then. I can't imagine what Saturday & Monday would have been like! Ethan was exhausted & fell asleep in the car about 1 minute after we left.
Yesterday was the first time it was warm enough to go to the pool. It was Ethan's first time ever, and I think I should have let him get used to the place before I took him in. He was a little overwhelmed, so we wrapped up in a towel and relaxed on the sidelines for a bit.
Then after an hour of snuggling, I decided to try it again at his pace this time. He obviously warmed up & enjoyed himself the second time around.

I love this picture! It makes my heart melt. Sometime Tyler can be so sweet with his little brother. I love capturing moments like this!


On a sort of unrelated note, Ethan has discovered that he can climb into things. Boxes, drawers, pretty much anything his cute little body can fit into! He looks so proud of himself, doesn't he?
And lastly, here is a picture that Tyler drew in Primary the other week. In case you can't tell, it's his self-portrait. It makes me smile. :)

Ethan's Dol

So it's been almost a month since Ethan's party, and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. I cannot believe my baby is already one! Where did the last year go? He is such a happy little boy, and full of personality, as you can see below. What a tease!

My mom was amazing (again!) and cooked for two days straight to make this delicious feast. Lots of yummy Korean food for the whole family to enjoy. Thanks Mom! There were lots more people there, but we forgot to get a big group shot.

Ethan kept making this face while we were trying to take pictures. He was tired & ready for a nap!

Tyler on the other hand, was his usual charming self. We're still working on a "natural" smile for pictures. :)

The best shots are always the candids...

After everyone had their fill of food, Ethan had to "choose his destiny." The doljabi is a traditional ritual where several items (pen & paper, mouse, money, rolling pin, whistle, book, thread) are placed in front of the child. Then they pick the items that foretell their future. For example, if the child picks up a book, he is destined to be a scholar. If he picks up money, he will be wealthy. If the child picks up the thread, it is believed he will live a long life.

Ethan chose the money first. Went straight for it! Which is funny, since I've never let him play with money, real or fake. Hopefully this future is real...I'd like my children to support me in a manner in which I'd like to become accustom. ;)

Next was the computer mouse...of course!


Here's the traditional Korean rice cake. I actually made this one myself, thanks to YouTube & a girl named Mangchi.


And the cake for him to devour. Didn't it turn out cute?


He wasn't quite sure what to do with it...


So he squished it...


And played with it...


Then Tyler had to try some...


And share with his brother, since he wasn't eating it himself.


We love you Ethan!