cravings

I'm craving Korean food... again. It's not a pregnancy thing. It's a Korean person thing. Sadly, there are no good Korean restaurants near where we live, or bad ones for that matter. To plan, to drive, to take the baby... all of that leaves me going for weeks without Korean food.

I wish there were trucks that would drive around and sell Korean food. I see them all the time with Mexican food. Why haven't the Koreans picked up on this??

Treasured

I joined an on-campus women's Bible study at church. These studies are where 100+ women come together to study a book/topic. Each person is assigned to a table with 6-8 other women, including a table leader, for the length of the study. We have a corporate time of worship, we listen to teaching , and then we discuss and share with our small group.

A few weeks ago, my friend asked me to join her table for this study specifically for moms of preschoolers. I had to give it some thought because I wanted to make sure I wasn't joining just for the heck of it. I wanted to be certain that 1) this study would be something that I could benefit from at this time in my life and 2) I was going to be fully committed, completing the homework, and attending every week. Participating in this study would also be a sacrifice since Karis would miss her morning nap (as would I) and then I'd have to deal with whatever that would result in for the rest of the day...

Today was the first day and I'm happy to say that I'm glad I joined. I'm in a great group of women with whom I'm looking forward to getting to know better.

During the time of worship, I looked around and saw so many mothers. And for the first time, I realized, "Wow, God really loves mothers." He delights in us. He created each of us for this role and He knows the importance, the value and the difficulties of being a mom. I was so overwhelmed by this realization and felt so loved in that moment.

My husband appreciates me and often verbalizes his gratitude for the things I do for our family. He even helps Karis to say thank you every once in awhile! It feels good to hear those things. It's also fun to banter back and forth with my mommy friends about motherhood and what our little ones are doing. But I have to say that nothing compares to the feeling of being completely loved and understood as a mother from our Heavenly Father. He knows the constant stream of thoughts that run through my head every day about my child. He knows my heart for my family. He knows my desires and intentions. He knows the tiredness of my mind and body. He knows how much it takes sometimes to do the simplest task. He knows each time I put my self aside. He knows. And He understands. And He loves us completely.

I have never felt as important and valued as I did today in my role as a mother. I hope I never forget that.

some random stuff from Derek

Food
I am on a kick for a few certain foods lately.

• Asian pears... cannot get enough of them. I remember selling them at the Jewel grocery store back in 1987. I thought they were so foreign. They were expensive. And they had their own special protective sleeve. If I had only given them a taste back then....
• Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Mini Pretzels are hard to resist. I love the touch of salt flavor. Typically, not a fan of salt. Tried to cut it out of diet. But with these chocolate covered pretzels, yummy!
• Double chocolate Milano cookies dipped in coffee. They're great solo... but dipping them in coffee takes it to the next level.

Thoughts on Karis
I had a revelation last Friday. I've been watching Karis on my non-working weekday for quite some time so I'm surprised that I haven't realized this sooner. I find myself getting a bit frustrated with her exploratory nature. Yes, I have to appreciate the fact that kids do that. It's part of their learning process. But if she's getting into things she shouldn't, I realized that I could be sitting on the floor with her interacting with a toy, book, etc.

Granted, I do that. But I can do a lot more of it. I can remove any intentions or thoughts I have of my agenda for the day trying to squeeze this or that in. I need to focus just on Karis. So, this Friday I'm hoping for far less frustration and far more productivity with her.

Life
Our church is doing a 8-week series on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). It is subtitled "Life's Healing Choices" and compliments the book of the same name by Pastor John Baker. It basically explains how we all have hurts, habits, and hang ups and how we can learn to free ourselves of them from what is taught in the Beatitudes. I like the content so far, but what really makes the difference is doing a study WITH OTHERS.

We cannot simply listen to weekend messages and expect our lives to change. We cannot simply read books and expect our lives to change. We have to play an active part. We need to get out of isolation. We need to be strong and courageous and "expose" ourselves in the safety of other trusted individuals. If you don't have other trusted individuals in your life, then it's likely your hurts, habits, or hang ups are preventing you. Take a risk. If you truly want to change, it will require a risk on your part. I strongly encourage you to seek people with whom you can be authentic and vulnerable. When we are weak, He is strong!

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

Life is not meant to be lived in isolation and fear. Get the book, get the study guide, gather some friends, and start the healing process. I am so thankful that I've taken risks to be vulnerable and shared my weaknesses. Ah, the freedom.

Here We Go Again!

Look who's excited to be a big sister.

We will be adding one more to our family! Our newest member (still in the making) is due to arrive on March 26, 2010. Here is the first look at our new baby at 9 weeks.

We just had our another ultrasound at 13 weeks. So far, everything looks good! Check out that leg!

The Remote

Two Facts about Karis:

1) She knows that the remote does something to the TV. You'll see in the video she looks over her shoulder a couple of times. She is looking at the TV.

2) She clearly knows what she should not be doing or playing with. This is displayed in the last couple seconds of the video.

Karis' First Tooth

Karis finally has her first tooth! A second one is just starting to break through. It's amazing how one little tooth can cause so much drool!

Karis isn't quite walking yet... but check out how her feet move!

We went to our friend Peter's for dinner tonight. Karis was feeling pretty active and was under the influence of peer pressure.

Enjoy this video... forgive us that it is not vertical. The Quicktime Player file was vertical, but it didn't upload that way. =(

The Search Is On (Again!)

We found out today that our babysitter will no longer be able to watch Karis for us. She has put in her 2-week notice. In the past 7 months, we've had several short-term arrangements which has led to us having to look for a new caretaker every 1 1/2 to 2 months. Finding someone is always difficult, but we've never been without one. We trust that God has someone else for us to find in the next couple weeks.

If you know of anyone you could recommend, please let us know. If not, we would appreciate your prayers. We long to find someone who we trust and feel comfortable with and who will give Karis great care. Here are some more specifics about our needs:

• One day a week, preferably Thursdays
• 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
• The day includes feeding her two bottles and a snack and putting her down for two naps
• Karis is 9 months old and on a schedule. There isn't a lot of guesswork to taking care of her. She's a pretty happy and easy going baby!
• We can drop her off at someone's (baby-friendly) home or they can come to ours
• This is a paid position

A Little Bit of Labor on Labor Day

We spent Labor Day at the Lee family's home. My cousin and her kids also came and spent the day with us. We hung out, took naps and had a great Korean dinner.

It was a relaxing day for us, but Derek put our nephews to work. We drove up the Mazda which we rarely drive and it sits on the street most of the week. The car was looking more brownish gray than yellow, so Derek asked the older boys if they would want to make a few bucks in exchange for washing the car. They willingly obliged. $5 a piece was $10 well spent for Derek. And now the car looks great!

Sophie, Karis and I stood in the shade and watched. I fielded all kinds of questions from the little 5 year old about babies. Where does she sleep? Where does she go to the bathroom? Does she get in trouble? Why does she spit so much? The innocence of all of her questions were great!