Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas! It's hard to believe another year has come and gone with the celebration of another Christmas. It's great to look at these photos and think of how much life has changed over the years. Jae and I have been married for nearly three years now with our first child on the way. The kids keep growing bigger and bigger with each year too. Just look at how small they were just a few years ago. (This is probably my favorite photo of Lydia & Joshua.)


Our family has also grown with the addition of Peter this year. The family just keeps on growing and growing. I may be getting ahead of myself, but hopefully next year will include another addition to our family with the coming of another baby. I know, Caleb hasn't even been born yet and I'm already thinking of a second child, but it's been such a great first pregnancy thus far even with all the discomfort and aches that I can't help but to think of another. So if all goes well, perhaps next year's Christmas family photo will include little Caleb and a little brother or sister for him in mommy's tummy. :)

Here's the Son's: Namjin, Yeonah, Lydia and Joshie.



And a cute photo of Jae and the kids . . . and Miffy. Joshie's an especially big fan of Miffy and so the kids decided to give a Miffy stuffed toy to Caleb on his first Christmas. :) Joshie was first introduced to the little Dutch bunny when Jae and I returned from the Netherlands with a Miffy souvenir tshirt for Lydia. Turns out that Joshie fell in love with the bunny immediately and when Lydia eventually out grew the shirt, Joshie claimed it for himself and it's been history since. I suppose the kids wanted to return the favor and share the joys of Miffy with their new cousin. :)


Ah, and here's Uncle David with the kids. I would never have guessed, but the big hit of this year's Christmas were these books used to organize/display the new collector's edition of quarters. I was surprised to learn that the kids really enjoy coin collecting, and as soon as they opened their gifts, they began jumping up and down for joy. Transformers and GI Joes were the long sought after toys of my days, but I suppose times have changed, the economy isn't what it once was and kids have become more financially savvy. Who'd a figured? :|

Pregnancy, Weeks 32 & 33

Rounding-off week 33 and Jae's & Caleb are doing well. The baby continues to grow and grow. Jae's even begun to feel the effects of Caleb's now 4 pounds of weight on her body as well. Along with the usual nudge I give her to help her roll out of bed, she recently asked me to help her get her socks on. I guess bending for Jae will have to be put on hold until the little fella is born. It'll be fine though. I think it's kinda cute.

Knowing that the baby's growing at a healthy rate is very reassuring, but it hasn't been easy on my normally coordinated wife. Jae's begun to accidentally bump into things more than usual. It's come to the point where I've learned to move things far away from table edges, especially the kitchen island. There have been times when she's bumped things off the island and not realized it. She walks by, maybe turns a bit, falls to the floor something or another, I pick it up and return it to the counter top, she continues to walk (or waddle) by like nothing happened. That's another thing that's changed, her walk has transformed into more of a waddle. I think it's adorable, and as soon as I figure out how to post videos, I'll have to film her walking as only she can. :)

Here's Penelope!

Meet my tiny little niece, Penelope Quinn Rose. Only 6 lb 11 oz at birth, this little girl has all the power to capture my heart. There's almost nothing better than holding her in my arms as she sleeps while making the softest, sweetest sounds, well, except when she opens her eyes and begins looking at me. :) At this stage, it doesn't happen very often, so when she does open her eyes and looks around, it feels great to look back into her eyes and wonder what she thinks of the world around her. Probably that it's very bright, spacious, and dry -- nothing like mommy's tummy. Hopefully somewhere in between those thoughts, she'll come to like her new uncle Doug who tries hard to gently sing sweet lullabies to her even though he's tone deaf. :/


Being a new uncle to little Penelope is great, but I can't wait to finally hold Caleb. To think I'll be a father in a few weeks. I can hardly believe my sister Pearl's a mother. It wasn't too long ago when we were just kids sitting on our big brother's lap on the front porch of our old house. We were so young back then and world seemed so big. I remember thinking that my father was a giant, and to think that someday soon, little Caleb will probably think the same of me. Hard to believe, but I can't wait. :)

Pregnancy, Week 30

It's the beginning of week 30, just about ten more weeks until Caleb arrives, and not leaving much time left for us to prepare the house for his arrival. Nesting I suppose is what it's referred to, and we've a long way to go. The painters are finally coming in tomorrow to begin work on the nursery and a few other rooms, leaving the carpet to be replaced. Once those two are complete, the remainder of the renovations should be fairly minor. Let's hope all goes well.

Caleb is doing well and still very active. His movements no longer feel like little jabs any more, but more like quick strokes across Jae's belly. They're even visible, sending Jae's belly shaking with each stroke. It's kinda like he's waving hello from within her. I just smile and stroke Jae's tummy hoping to feel Caleb's next wave. I like to think it's his hand that's pressing against her belly, and so when he moves again, it's as if he's giving me a high five. :) Just ten more weeks.

So as I was setting up the expose for Jae's weekly pic, I took the test shot below and was surprised at how it turned out. It's a bit over exposed in the lower left hand corner due to the off camera flash, but I like the effect. It's a bit more of a profile shot of Jae's tummy too, a nice change from the usual 3/4 view.


Here's a shot Jae took of me while I was setting up the flash. The CLS was enabled so the flash fired as Jae took the picture. Pretty neat effect.

Pregnancy, Week 29

Week 29 and all is well. Jae and I began our birthing classes last Wednesday. The first session was very informative, outlining much of what can be expected during delivery and all that leads to it. The dreaded delivery video was even shown, both of the child birth and something I never really considered . . . the placenta birth. Not quite sure what to make of it just yet, but I've been told the actual experience isn't half as . . . let's say, unsettling. I think I'll try my best to remain beside Jae during the entire delivery as best I can. The view from mommy's perspective I think is not so . . . intimate. I just can't wait to finally hold Caleb. Nine weeks and counting.

Best Tacos in Plano

Jae and I stumbled across some of the best tacos we've ever had at Home Depot of all places. I was just picking up a few things for the house and as we were leaving we came across the tool shed turned snack stand placed right in front of the store. It didn't look like much at the time, hardly even noticable except for the aroma coming from it. It was so good we had to stop in for a peek and I'm glad we did.

The tacos above don't look like much, but man do they taste good. And as strange as this may sound, the meat used to fill the tacos were cooked in a crock pot, not grilled. Yeah, I know, hardly sounds like a taco to me too, but it was excellent. The meat was tender and juicy. It was covered not only in the fresh diced onions shown in the photo, but with sweet caramelized onions that were cooked along with it. And the spices, oh the spices. Fantastic. It was so good, Jae and I tried returning a couple of days later while on our way to another store near by just to pick up a few tacos, but unfortunately the stand was closed. We are officially hooked.

Here's a shot of the taco stand. Color coordinated to fit Home Depot's decor and all. Too funny.


And another wide angle shot of it including the Home Depot just off of 75 and 15th. What a find?!

Hamming it up on Thanksgiving

Just a couple of pictures taken of Jae and Lydia just after Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone else was too stuffed to take pictures.

"Peace!"

Ah like aunt like niece. Lydia with her best peace sign too.

Apple Peeling Made Easy

Peeling apples has never been easier with this apple peeler I bought at Bed Bath Beyond. I usually bake an apple pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year, and as much as I enjoy do it, peeling ten apples with just a paring knife can be a real pain in the wrist. So this year I thought I'd do things differently and buy the contraption to the left. I had seen ads on it floating around the internet and had my doubts on its effectiveness, but after having used it first hand, I'll never bake another pie without it ever again. Not only does it peel, but it also cores and slices, all with the simple turn of a crank, practically taking all of the work out of peeling apples. Love it. To the left is a shot of it peeling, just before it begins coring and slicing.

And here's one of it peeling, coring, and slicing. The slices form a tight spiral that's easy to cut into perfect quarter chunks -- just the right size to fill a pie.


And here's a profile shot that includes the turning mechanism. Easy as pie!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!!

Pregnancy, Week 28

Well, after two weeks of missed pregnancy updates, I'm finally getting around to our latest post. Life's been abnormally hectic these days, and is finally beginning to resume its normal pace. There was an especially worrisome bout of cramping over the weekend that left Jae home bound. Fortunately, it wasn't anything too alarming. Aside from the unbearable pain Jae felt throughout the ordeal, Caleb was doing fine (and still is) and without any signs of prematurely being born. The little guys doing just fine. Still kicking away at mommy's bladder with all the gusto as before. :)

The pain eventually passed and Jae is doing much better. The only pain that arises these days is usually due to over eating. Belly real estates been awfully scare now that Caleb's 28 weeks old and over two pounds, leaving mommy with little space to ingest as much food as she once was able to. So on the days she tends to eat a bit more than what would normally be comfortable for her, we try to walk around the block more.

Boy, it's tough being pregnant, isn't it. With three more months to go, I hope Jae will make it through with minimal pain and discomfort. And with some luck, the second pregnancy will be more pleasant.

Arkansas Fall Foliage 2008

Jae and I spent the weekend in northwest Arkansas, checking out the fall foliage. The pregnancy has forced us to take things pretty easy, leaving us with very few traveling options. So I dug around the internet and discovered that Arkansas of all places has some of the most brilliant fall foliage, possibly the next best thing to New England. And so off we went on a little road trip to take in some fresh air and some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. Behold, Arkansas and the beauty of fall.

Taken at Prairie Grove Battlefield Memorial Park. I've never seen a tree so orange in all my life. Isn't it amazing? Jae just had the best time. She's so into this kind of stuff. Can you see her just beneath the tree tossing leaves into the air? She's such a kid at heart.


Orange, red, yellow, and greens of such brilliance. What a sight? And what's more is the photo just doesn't do the trees justice. They were even more radiant in person.


Here's Jae tossing more leaves beneath another bright yellow tree. I've got the cutest wife. I hope Caleb is having a good time too. :)


Look at her. She just can't get enough.


She loves it so much, she's beginning to sprout leaves out of her ears. :)


Here's one of us together.


And another. Jae thought I'd look good with a leaf behind my ear too. Gosh, the things I do for her.


Here's one I took of Jae as I was setting up the exposure for the shot. I don't think she was expecting it. I couldn't help resist posting the photo though. She's just too cute not to. Just look at the face.


Here are a few pics taken along the Cossatot River. Just as we were about to reach the river, we came across these trees and had to stop for a quick photo.


And maybe another photo or two of Jae . . .


. . . and one of the largest and hairiest caterpillars I've ever seen. Almost looks like a pipe cleaner, huh?


Okay, and finally, a couple of Jae taken off of the Talimena Trail. Jae and her finest bunny impersonation taken in front off leaves of the deepest reds.


She's just so cute. I can't wait until Caleb reaches an age when he'll be able to appreciate these. He'll get to see how beautiful his mommy was even when pregnant with him. :)

Ultrasound Images

I've finally gotten around to scanning in the images of our ultrasound printouts, and so here they are. Presenting Caleb at one month. He's barely even a bump on Jae uterus.


And here he is at one and a half months. Grow Caleb, grow.


And here are the latest images of my boy from week 20. I'm father to a skeleton. The doctor says babies don't have much fat beneath their skin at this age and so hence the skeleton likeness. I was reassured though that he'd look more like a human by week 28. Sigh. :)


And here's a profile shot also at week 20. It's not very obvious from the photo, but Caleb was kicking up a storm when this still was taken. His legs were just about straight while the pic was taken. I think he was ready to come out at this point. Even more so today.

Pregnancy, Week 25

Week 25 and Jae is doing well. In addition to the growing strength of Caleb's kicks these days, Jae was a bit startled by the onset of Braxton-Hicks contractions. I had a chance to feel her belly during an episode and it definitely felt more dense or tense than usual. The thought of this little guy coming into the world in about three months is becoming more and more real. Soon those practice contractions will be full blown and out will come Caleb. I can't wait. :)

Do you like Jae's striped shirt. She says people at work pay particularly close attention to her belly when she wears it. She thinks the striped accent the contours of her belly. What do you think? Does the pregnancy show more in this photo than in weeks past?

It's a Jungle Out There

I'm convinced I'm living in a jungle. As I was taking photos of Jae today for our weekly pregnancy pic, she noticed a lizard perched on a cactus plant beside her. The little fella was just sunbathing . . . taking a little tan. Here's a few pics I caught of him after I was done shooting Jae.


Look at 'em climb those leaves. Kinda reminds me of Godzilla scaling the walls of a building.


Keeping a watchful eye on strangers with cameras.



Up close and personal.


"They'll never see me if I just remain still."


I came across another lizard earlier last Saturday. It may have been the same one I saw today. If it was, he somehow managed to lose his tale last week and regrew it in time for today's shoot. Here he is on our lily plant.


Trying to get his attention.


Ah, finally, a portrait. Gotcha.


He blends in perfectly doesn't he?

Pregnancy, Week 23

Here we are at week 23. The book says Caleb's about 7 1/2 inches from head to tail, and about one pound. And here's Jae giving her "Hook 'em Horns" in celebration of Texas' victory over OU this weekend. I bet Caleb's givin the "Hook 'em Horns" too. :)