Five and Beyond

[Celebrating the gift of 5 wonder-filled, joy-infused, adventure-never-ending years of life
(pictured here with his brother & sweet cousins)! ]

Dear CJ,

On June 10th, we celebrated your 5th birthday with family.  I know it's so cliche, but I really can't believe how quickly time flies!  You went from a little peanut to this tall exuberant boy in what seems like a matter of minutes.  I remember trying so hard to imagine what you would be like while carrying you in my womb.  I dreamt of the endless possibilities for your future and could not wait to meet and hold you.  Five years later, I still dream of the possibilities and still am eager to see what kind of man you will become.

At five, I can already see the making of a young man with a strong personality.  In fact, you showed that side at 15 months and haven't turned back since.  You know what you want and don't want and aren't afraid to vocalize it.  This can be quite frustrating for a parent, but I believe (and am really, really hoping) it's a quality that will become a positive attribute in the future.  You are quite determined at whatever task is at hand and will get frustrated if it doesn't turn out the way you want.  And God forbid we try to get you to do something you don't want to!  Trying new things can be quite challenging for you, and it takes you a while to adjust (i.e. preschool, catechism club, swimming class).  You are certainly not laid back like your father.  In fact, you are a spitting image of me . . . looks, personality, and all (except, to my dismay, your disdain of spicy food).  Determined, easily frustrated, impatient, bossy . . . not qualities I would boast about.

There are some wonderful attributes though!  What I admire most about you is your curious mind.  You want to know how things work, soaking up everything around you and trying your best to process the information with what you already know.  And you're not afraid to be creative and think outside the box, either.  Anything and everything is possible.  There are no limits to your imagination.

And you still loves your veggies.  Friends told us you'd probably outgrow your love of vegetables at age 5, but it's really the only thing you'll eat.  I don't know too many other parents who have to yell at their kid to "Stop eating just your vegetables!  Have some chicken or meat, too!"

Though there are many days I am easily frustrated with coming head-to-head with this little walking-talking mirror of mine, I love you with all my heart.  I'm being refined and changed every day because of you, and I understand grace in a way I never knew before.  I also see great potential for you to become a man who is loving, compassionate, kind, thoughtful, and giving - just like your father.  It's my prayer you'll continue to grow in character, as I do so as well parenting you and your brother each day.

You are my joy and treasure, CJ.  I love you dearly.  Happy 5th birthday, sweetheart!

Love,
Mom

Celebrating Three!

My son turned 3 recently, and as soon as I saw this eye-popping cake on Pinterest pinned from Enchanted Mommy's site, I knew it was the perfect one for his birthday celebration!  He fell in love with M&Ms while we were potty-training him this past year (for every successful potty trip, he got 2 M&Ms as reward).  Many thanks to the mommy who originally made this fun and creative cake!

I basically followed the instructions on the site.  They seemed simple enough:  (1) take two bundt cakes, slice and form together to make the number 3, then (2) ice with chocolate frosting, and (3) cover in M&Ms.

I decided to make Martha Stewart's Lemon Ginger Bundt Cake (if you want to keep things really simple, you can purchase two bundt cakes from the bakery or grocery store).  This lemon ginger cake is fabulous!  It has great flavor and texture.  If you're not a fan of ginger, you can leave it out but I love the addition of the flavor (you can find crystallized ginger in the baking section of most grocery stores).

While the two bundt cakes were baking in the oven, I sorted out the M&Ms by color.  This would have been a fun exercise for my boys except I couldn't trust them to leave enough M&Ms for the cake!  I used four 12.6 oz bags of dark chocolate M&Ms to get enough of each color (did you know there are more orange and blue M&Ms than any other color in any given bag?).

When the cake had finished baking and cooled off, it was ready to slice.  Here are the slices I made to form the number 3 (by the way, this would also be a fun 8th birthday cake!).

Once formed, I iced a thin layer of chocolate frosting onto the cake (I used Savory Sweet Life's Dark Chocolate Ganache recipe but canned frosting works perfectly fine!).  The frosting acts as glue for the M&Ms, but beware, too much frosting and your M&Ms will drown in chocolate!

Obviously, the most tedious part was strategically placing each M&M.  It took about an hour to accomplish this.  But the finished product is, oh, so worth it!

This little guy made it worth all the effort.

This cake is perfect for any special 3rd occasion!

Three and Full of Surprises

My sweetest Nathan,

Happiest 3^rd birthday to you, darling!  It’s hard to believe 3 years have already flown by since you entered the world and into our lives.  You went from being a peanut that we could hold with one hand to a mini linebacker that can wrestle your brother to the ground!  Can I tell you what a funny child you are?  Even before you were able to speak, you had Daddy and I laughing our heads off.   We can always count on you to say or do something that has us grinning from ear to ear, even if we’ve had a rough day.  It’s your gift.  Your easy-going, sweet, and fun nature helps to bring a smile to so many faces.  You have an infectious laughter and are always full of surprises.

Though we try very hard not to compare you, there are so many differences between you and your brother.  CJ is a spitting image of me, whereas you are a mini-Daddy!  And though the twos were quite terrible with your brother, it was a simpler age with you.  Your personality seems to be much more laid back and easy-going.  You kind of just go with the flow (or maybe it's just that second time around Mommy and Daddy became more laid back!).  You're curious and adventurous, which also means you're more accident prone!  You also have a much heartier appetite, although you don't have quite the fondness for vegetables your brother does.

You started 3-year-old preschool this September and with an October 1^st cutoff, you barely made it in!  You are the youngest in the class, but your teacher assures me you are doing just fine and always giving her something to chuckle about.  Your current obsessions at this age include monster trucks, cars, m&ms, lollipops, monster trucks, dancing, rice and soup, Mr. Puppy and Mr. Monkey, Jake & the Pirates, and more monster trucks.

In the past couple months, you’ve really started to increase your vocabulary and ability to speak in complete sentences (as demonstrated in your prayer below).  Sometimes you’ll just ramble on and on, and it’s the most adorable thing.  I never want you to lose your sweet, baby voice, but I know that day will eventually come.  You’ve already lost much of your baby fat – the round cheeks have thinned out and the super chunky thighs have elongated.  You’re becoming a little man.


Record and upload voice >>

But I won’t care how old you are and will be down the road.  You will always be my little peanut.

I thank God for you and for bringing such great joy into our lives.

Happiest birthday wishes, darling.

Love with all my heart,

Mom

Birthday Reflections: A New Song

For my birthday, I had planned on writing a lengthy post reflecting back on the year, particularly speaking about God's faithfulness in restoring my soul after a long and very dark period precipitated by my miscarriage a little over a year ago.  But sometimes words simply fall short.

So in one sentence and one Scripture passage, I'll sum it up:

I am grateful for a life filled with love, God's healing hand restoring my broken soul, a future filled with great hope and promise, and a new song in my heart.


Psalm 96: 1-6
1  Sing to the Lord a new song;
    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
    proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

4 Years and Counting

My dearest CJ,

Today you went from being a curious, willful 3-year-old toddler to an incredibly bright, independent, and mature 4-year-old boy.  It's amazing how much you've grown in the past year alone!  Two was a tough age (the infamous "terrible twos" hit pretty much after you turned 18 months), but three was even more challenging!  At three, you clearly knew right from wrong but tested the boundaries anyway.  Your vocabulary grew and excelled, yet you still chose to wail and scream when you wanted to be heard.  You adored your baby brother and yet could not stand to share anything with him.

But three was also a magical age where I began to see you develop and mature in so many ways.

You started preschool at age 3, and you had to learn to be courageous and be on your own for a few hours without mommy, daddy, or grandparents around.  When I went to drop you off, you cried and kicked at our parting every day for almost 4.5 months while the other kids quickly adapted and marched into school without a whimper.  The teacher always reassured me that once the doors closed and I was out of sight, your tears vanished and you were fine.   But it was still difficult to see you cry every morning.  Then magically one day in February, you decided you liked preschool and to my astonishment, was the first one to run inside the school as soon as the teacher opened the door.   The teacher and I both did a double-take, not certain how or why this happened but were extremely happy and proud of you.  Since then, you've always been the first to rush through the door.  What a change!

You've even made friends of your own, and it's quite endearing (at least when you're playing well and sharing with them)!

You have a beautiful, nurturing nature to you.  When your brother was first born, you were extremely kind, gentle, and loving towards him - even though you were only 15 months yourself!  But at 3, I see the way you care and look out for your brother (most times) and those smaller and younger than you (as long as they're not touching your cars), and it amazes me how nurturing you can be.

Your creativity and imagination are operating at full throttle, and I love it!  I love to see the artwork and crafts you create at school, and your ability to tell stories and make-believe never cease to amaze me.  Every day is an adventure for you and a new story to be told.  It's one of the things I want to learn most from you - to look forward to each day and to make the most of every opportunity.

Despite what some people told us, you still love your vegetables.  Some said you would outgrow your love of vegetables by age 3, but let me tell you -  I don't know any other 4-year-old who loves a good salad like you do!  But you also have quite the sweet tooth (much like your mom).  You'll never say "no" to ice cream.

What is most astonishing to witness at age 3 is your ability to ask deep and profound questions about faith and God.  Just recently at bedtime during a Bible story, you asked Daddy if you could go to heaven with him.  He answered, "Yes, of course."  And then you declared that everyone should go to heaven with you.  When introducing you to the Trinity, you asked if Jesus is God, then who is Jesus' father?  "God," Daddy answered.  And you simply accepted it as fact.  Such big concepts for a little boy!

And honestly, your dad and I don't have all the answers.  We won't be able to answer all your deep, profound questions.  But the one thing we want to make sure you know full well is how magnificently and beautifully created you are by the God of the Universe.  The very One who holds the stars and planets that make up our galaxies in the palm of His hands, the One who breathed life into this world simply with a word, the One who sacrificed His greatest treasure to call you His own - He is your maker, Father, and friend.  I can't explain why He would love us so much or go to such depths for us, but never doubt it.  Never question it.  Never let anyone tell you otherwise.

And the world will never stop being a wonder to you as He reveals His love for you in ways that will blow your mind - now and for years to come.

Happiest 4th birthday, my darling sweet boy.

Flower Power

Here are some highlights from CJ's dohl.  Although we had many more guests at his party, it was much more lowkey than Nathan's in terms of preparation because we held it at a local park (CJ is a June baby so we took advantage of the nice weather).  We kept decorations very simple and had subs, gimbap (Korean california rolls), pasta and other simple picnic fare for lunch. 

{ sugar cookies made with lots of love }

The most work went into prepping the favors - homemade sugar cookies.  I thought these would make great centerpieces.  So I cut the cookies into flower shapes, stuck them on a lollipop stick, decorated each one, put them in a clear treat bag, tied a ribbon, and then placed a few in several pots (sticks were held secure by styrofoam).  Then guests took one home as a favor.

Decorating was easy.  All it required was some Betty Crocker cookie icing (in white and then you can add food coloring to make any color you want), candied sprinkles, and lots of love.

* * * * *

Here's the recipe I used (from AllRecipes.com):

SUGAR COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

* * * * *

These were a hit. 

{ a very manly cake }

I also contemplated making the cake for CJ's birthday but decided it would be too much work in addition to the cookies.  So we ordered from a local bakery in Tenafly called Cafe Savoy.  We've had their cakes in the past, and they are delicious!  We flipped through their cake catalog and chose a large white cake with strawberries featuring a monkey.

We had no idea it would be pink!  [This is probably why I decided to make Nathan's cupcakes for his party.  :)]

But the birthday boy didn't care.  He was as happy as could be.


{ We had similar items out for CJ's dohljabi as we did Nathan's.  CJ chose the yarn (which represents long life) and then the stethoscope.  By the way, Nathan chose the stethoscope and then the Bible.  I'm not sure how I feel about both of them being in the medical field.   And the pic of CJ and daddy is my absolute favorite.  Melts my heart each time. }

Dohl Celebration!

{ traditional korean rice cake }

We celebrated Nathan's one-year birthday on September 26.  In Korean tradition, the one-year birthday (called "dohl") is a big celebratory event because long ago, many children didn't make it to their first birthday. 

It seems like the current trend is to throw incredibly elaborate dohls which could easily end up costing a couple grand (if not more).  I always thought this was absurd considering the baby wouldn't even remember the birthday!  But tradition is important and every birthday is worth celebrating, so we have been elaborate while trying to keep the costs affordable.  For each of my sons' dohl, we incorporated the traditional elements such as the hanbok (Korean outfit), duk (rice cake), dohljabi (selecting an item to foretell future), and colorful decorations.

Since we were working within a tight budget, we hosted a small, intimate party for Nathan at our home and invited family and our church growth group.  I also had to be creative but economical with the decorations.  I think the end results came out nicely.  So here are some ideas for those working on a budget.

Decoration, Food, and Favors

1)  Make your own decorations.  The "Happy Birthday" banner above the fireplace served as the main decoration.  I got the idea for the tissue fans from Martha Stewart and found them for a really great price at Devra Party (twelve 18" fans for $10).  Cutting the fans into various sizes and hanging them was probably the most time consuming part of decorating but so worth it.  I simply printed out the "Happy Birthday" letters on white cardstock paper, cut them out, and then taped them onto the fans.  The dohljabi items (bottom center) were gathered from around the house.

2)  When you're serving more than 15 guests, it's sometimes easier to order food than prepare it but you can do both.  Order a few main dishes (li.e. gimbap, fried shrimp, chicken wings, bulgogi) and make a few side dishes (i.e. pasta, salad, and noodles).  We also ordered the rice cake from a caterer in Palisade Park; they also supplied the plastic fruit display for free. 

3)  When it comes to favors, I've learned from past experience to keep it simple.  I found some simple and adorable mini pinball games at Michael's in their clearance section for $.49 each (top left) and decorated it with ribbon.    

4)  For additional personal touches, I printed out photos of the birthday boy and placed them in various places.  The train photo piece (upper righthand corner) came from Michael's as well.  You can purchase the wooden cd case, train decal, wheels, and frames separately.  The photo frames come painted, so I just had to handpaint the train and wheels with acrylic paint.  I then put in flower pots and inserted these colorful pinwheels from Pier 1 Imports (set of 16 for $2).  the cute 1st birthday photo frame (bottom left) was a gift from our cousins.  The white photo tree (bottom center) was also a fabulous Pier 1 Import find (in the clearance section for $7). 

 Dohljabi Game

5)  Keep the dohljabi game simple.  I've seen people spend lots of money to make posters for this game, but it's so simple to create your own.  I simply printed out photos of the different items and placed them on the kids' easel (courtesy of Ikea).  Then I glued the same photos on little brown bags from AC Moore ($1 each).  Guests wrote their names on little sheets of paper and dropped it into the bags.  Winner got a small gift card to Starbucks.

Hanbok & Cupcakes

6)  Rent or borrow a hanbok.  Here's our sweet birthday boy!  He was rather uncomfortable in the hanbok (traditional Korean attire) so it was hard to get a good photo of him.  We ordered the hanbok from ebay, but you might be able to rent one or borrow from family or friends.  

7)  Make your own cake or cupcake.  Despite being uncomfortable, he had a great time especially when it came time to eat cake!  Instead of purchasing a cake, I decided to bake simple vanilla and chocolate cupcakes instead.  These were super easy to make and piping the swirls on top was really simple.  Here's a great website for learning how to pipe swirls and great cake ideas in general.

Though we were able to save costs, it did take a lot of work and preparation on my part (lucky for me I had just quit my full-time job).  It was a splendid affair for our little guy and worth every effort.

One-Year Birthday Celebration!

{ a collage of photos from nathan's dohl }

Nathan celebrated his 1-year birthday (dohl in Korean) on September 26.  Hard to believe a year has already gone by since our little guy's arrival into the world.

We had a small, quaint celebration in our home with family and our growth group from church as guests.  Nathan had a great time until he had to wear the hanbok (traditional Korean outfit) -- he was not fond of the material.

For the doljabi (Korean custom where the child selects an item to determine his future), he picked the stethoscope and the Bible.  Looks like we have a future medical missionary on our hands!

Nathan, you are such an amazing blessing to our family.  Before you came along, we found it very hard to imagine loving another child as much as we do your older brother.  But as soon as you entered into the world, you proved us wrong!  Your infectious smile and sweet demeanor brighten up our days.  We love you dearly.

Happy 2-year birthday, CJ!

{ cj on his 2-year birthday }

Happy 2nd birthday, darling Christian! 

We can't believe how quickly two years have flown by!  And what a fine boy you're growing into (well, we need to work on sharing and not being such a bully to other kids).  But overall, you're quite the happy, energetic, and curious child!

You brighten up our days, son.  After a long day at work, Mommy and Daddy eagerly anticipate your big smile and bear hug upon entering the house.  We love hearing the words "mama" and "daddy" out of your mouth and how you eagerly take our hands to show us what new thing you've discovered or what simple joy has captured your heart for the day.  You remind us of the great wonders there are in small things.

We pray that as you continue to grow in body and mind each year, you would do so in spirit as well.  We pray for Jesus and His love to infect your heart in such a way it will be contagious and others will be affected.

In that token, we've set up a donation page in honor of your birthday:
http://www.onedayswages.org/birthday/cause/christian-jonas-sang

We pray others will celebrate by sharing the joy of simple treasures to those who go without every day.

We love you, sweet child, more than words will ever be able to express.

Happiest birthday wishes to you,

Mom & Dad