The Oh Family

2009-02-15T15:40:00.010-05:00

Ok, Ok...Enough, Already!

If I hear one more comment about the sad state of my blog....I'll......I'll........I'll cave, and write an entry just so you have something to read! :) That's how much I love my friends and how weak I am to nagging. It is my cryptonite (spell check?)...ask my mom.

Ok. So here is my awesome blog entry to make up for the past...5 months of silence.
Here is a joke from Nate (my 3 year old). Ready? It's a good one!

Nate: Knock, Knock.
Hanna: Who's there?
N: Banana.
H: Banana, who?
N: There is a banana on your head and underwear too. The monkey on tv wants your banana. It is NOT a yellow banana...it is weird, like, a blue one. haha. Blue banana on your head with underwear! (hysterical laughter)

Get it?! Get it?! No? Hmmm....that's weird.

Ok. How about a short story? It's a good one. I promise. I'll even give it a title.

The Red Crayon Tragedy

It was a beautiful Friday morning on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten. The tropical breeze was blowing in through the windows. Our heroine (person, not drug), a gorgeous, intelligent, kind-hearted stay-at-home mom, was finishing up her last chore of the morning...laundry. Little did she know that in the very next room, her nemesis (aka 3 year old son) had hatched a plan. A very evil plan. It was an all-out assault on her laundry. The weapon of choice? A red crayon.

In the past, he had already tried applying crayon, marker, paints, food to various articles of clothing but had only been able to inflict minor damage. This time, however, he wanted to annihilate the laundry. It was an ingenious plan. Sneak in a crayon...get it past his sick, darling mother, make sure that it makes it into the dryer with the clothes most needed by the family.

The heroine, not even suspecting foul play, opened the dryer and out dropped a crayon wrapper.
Ominous music begins to play...crescendo...music swells...scene darkens.
Close shot of heroine's face, as she shouts in slow-motion, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Lots of face contortions and slow motion frantic movements...maybe she claws at the dryer in vain or something. Use your imagination...the more dramatic, the better.

Time out. Sorry. I guess this isn't a short story but a screenplay? Well...no...screenplays are pretty complex. How about a synopsis of a screenplay. Haha. Ok. Time-in.

Of course, the heroine is too late. This is a tragedy, afterall. The entire load of laundry is ruined. RUINED~~!!! Every single piece of clothing that she pulls out of the dryer has melted crayon drizzled and hardened all over it. How does one crayon do so much damage? Well...the villain is crafty and uses a jumbo crayon so that there is that much more wax to spread around. White shirts that the heroine's husband adores are now overall pink with concentrated blobs of red wax here and there. School uniforms that belong to the older son look like they've been tie-dyed. Cute tank tops that actually flatter the heroine are now unrecognizable.
Crying commences...hysterical, snow-angels on the floor, full-on temper tantrum crying with wails of "Why?!! Whhhhhhyyyyyy??!!" accompanied by angry fist-shaking at the heavens. Continues for about....oh, just a wild guess, 15 minutes? That sounds about right.

In this last scene, the heroine is sitting in a pile of ruined clothes and shaking her fist at the heavens. "As God is my witness, I will never forget to check the pockets again!!" (think Gone with the Wind, Scarlett O' Hara. Sorry, I am from Georgia) Tears stream down her face....screen fades and music crecendos. End credits roll.

As in all tragedies, the hero learns their lesson but it's too late. You know, like in high school English class when you're studying Shakespeare and you want to grab Romeo by his floofy collar and just, SHAKE him. Sigh. Anyway, this red crayon play is just so tragic! I almost feel as if that very thing happened to me a few days ago....WAIT! Maybe because it DID! Yeah...sigh. My life is tragic.

Well, actually, it's not that tragic because after I stopped crying, I remembered Google. So, I googled "How to get melted crayon out of clothes" and got sent to a few different sites. If you ever need a good formula for removing crayon...email me :) I had to borrow Oxyclean from a couple of friends, and run the washer about 5 times more but I got most of it out except for a few greasy spots along the seams of my shirt and a few pinkish/orangish spots along the seams of a couple of Daniel's shirts. But, I consider us very, very lucky. It was a 'learning' experience....or something like that.

Ok. Am I good on blog entries for another 5 months? :)

2008-09-04T14:29:00.005-04:00

Heartwarming Scene...
With all the press about bullying and knowing how mean kids can be...I have been worried about JT at school. He is the THE youngest kid in the grade 1 class and he is so much smaller than the other kids that it seems likely he will eventually be left out of games or told he is too little to play. He seems to be making lots of friends and having a great time but a mother never stops worrying. I know that adversity will only make you stronger, but as a mother, it is always hard to see your child sad or upset.
This morning while we were waiting for his teacher to take the kids to class, JT and I watched the older kids play soccer in the school yard. Some grade 3 & 4 boys were running around and having a great time. JT shed his backpack and handed me his lunchbox, and said "I'm going to play too." I nodded for him to go ahead, but inside, I assumed the boys wouldn't include him and that he would probably just head back. I struggled in my own head, trying to find a way to make this situation into a lesson about resilience, when I saw a heartwarming scene...
JT has a friend in his class named Tommy who he talks about often. Tommy is a good head taller than JT and fits in well with the older kids. That is probably why I didn't notice that he was playing soccer also. Tommy ran over to JT who was standing on the fringe of the game and asked him if he was waiting to play. When JT said yes, he grabbed onto JT and pulled him into the middle of the game. While the boys were organized into teams, JT just ran around aimlessly chasing the ball. He had no idea what he was doing and was helping no one. After a bigger boy, made a goal, the game paused for a brief moment. Just then, Tommy said, "Hey! My friend JT never got passed the ball. Can he have a turn?" At this point, I worried. But the older boys just passed JT the ball, showed him where the goal was (a place against the curb) and gave him pointers on how to shoot. They cheered him on and let him try several times. Once he seemed to get the hang of it, the game continued, but Tommy put his arm around JT's shoulders and guided him over to me. "JT's Mom, did you see JT's goal?"
Yes, I did. Thank you for reassuring me that little kids can be so very thoughtful and kind; that despite all the stories about bullying and negativity...most children are sweet and caring. That even though my little man is a little fish in a sea full of bigger ones, he will be okay. Hopefully, in the future, JT will remember how hard it was to step into a game without the assistance of a friend, and maybe one day, he will be the one to reassure a friend. I hope so.

2008-08-28T12:40:00.004-04:00

Tropical Storm HANNA

Here I am! I am a Tropical Storm! Luckily, I am not going to affect St Maarten...so yay for me! I hope I behave myself and just rain on the ocean...but I guess you never know what I'm going to do. I tend to be a little unpredictable at times. Looks like I might want to head home to Georgia. I hope I don't turn into a hurricane...I don't want to be remembered for making trouble...

2008-08-26T23:48:00.005-04:00

Extreme Zipline!

Daniel and I finally had a chance to do something with just the two of us! We dropped JT off at school and dropped Nate off at a friend's house (thanks a bunch, Ash!) and took off for an adventure! This is something that I've always wanted to try but never had time to do...and I've always been a little nervous about it too. Many of our friends have tried it and I was assured we would love it and that it wasn't scary. It was pretty awesome! I am so happy that I got to experience it. The pictures and even the video don't do the zipping sensation any justice. You'll have to try it for yourself!

All geared up and ready to go! Nervous and wondering what I had gotten us into, we followed our guide to a truck. He drove us high up into the mountain where there were some beautiful views of the surrounding area.

Our first few zips were short and good for practice. It helped us get comfortable with the sensation of hanging from a cable high off the ground. In between ziplines, there is a ropes course that you have to cross to get to the next zip. You are still suspended in between trees and high off the ground...so it was a little unsettling at first. A girl in our group started to cry...(it wasn't me!) but you quickly get used to it and it is super safe since you are always tethered by at least one safety harness. (Don't worry, Mom!)

The next picture is Daniel before a long zip...it is still pretty high up and the view is amazing...

As you go along the course, the zips get progressively longer until...you are doing 700, 800, and finally a 950 ft long zip. The last few zips were super fast and exciting! I wish we had succeeded in filming while we were zipping...but after multiple tries, we gave up. All you can see in those videos are green blurs and our arms or the gear. But, we did get some good footage of each other doing the ziplines...I uploaded to facebook but can't seem to upload here...darn! Once I get it figured out, I'll post it here, too!

2008-08-24T15:12:00.000-04:00

Our 1st Week of School and Our Awesome Vacation So Far

We did it! JT finished his 1st week of school and he loved every minute of it. His teacher gave them an 'award' for finishing the 1st week and he couldn't have been prouder of himself. He randomly talks about how much he loves school, his classmates, and most of all his teachers. I am so relieved that he is enjoying himself...I don't know what I would've done if he had come home unhappy (probably cried). It definitely lookes like Hanna worried for nothing as usual!
Where has the time gone?! The 1st week of vacation has come and gone and we are nearing the end of break. It has been relaxing yet eventful for the past week. Daniel has really tried his hardest to spend as much quality time with the kids as he can. He has taken them swimming, to play basketball, they have washed the car, done crafts, played with every toy in the house...hehe...
Friday, Danny treated us to mini-golf followed by an awesome dinner at Skip Jack's. I have to be honest...I wasn't too thrilled with the mini-golf idea. We went at 3:30 and I was so sure we would be miserably hot! But it was a lot more fun than I thought it would be and the boys loved spending time with their Daddy. Dinner at Skip Jack's was a real treat. We went early enough to get the 2 for 1 happy hour special, so we all treated ourselves to Daquiris and Pina Coladas...the boys' were virgin of course! The boys got to watch tons (thousands...maybe hundreds of thousands) of these tiny little fish swimming off the dock...there were so many the water looked inky. The highlight of the day was when the boys got to pick which lobster we were going to have for dinner. They pointed one out in the tank and then the server, snatched it up, weighed it, and put it on the floor for the boys to play with before they took it back to the kitchen. Ok...so here is the problem...I don't think Nate quite got it that we were going to EAT the little guy. When they brought out the lobster dinner, he was clearly disgusted and would NOT touch it, let alone eat it. He was really disturbed and kept saying how the mean men 'broke' his lobster. By 'broke' he means they had split it in half before putting it on the grill...I guess that is pretty gross when you were playing with the little guy just a short time ago! JT made no comment but quietly declined to taste the lobster. Daniel and I enjoyed the lobster just fine! The boys stuck to their shrimp and pasta. Haha!

This weekend, we hit Orient Beach and Le Galion...

Daniel took the boys out to ride some waves at Orient but the wind was really kicking up and the waves were pretty harsh (Hurricane Gustav was passing by far enough away not to really affect us except for some wind and huge waves). Well...the boys were anxious about going out in the big waves because they are pretty seasoned beach-goers and they have been rolled in big waves plenty of times. Silly mom told both of them that it would be fine since they were going with Daddy...I was pretty wrong. They were tumbled around enough where Nate left the water crying and that was enough of Orient for the Oh Brothers! Moms are not always right! Le Galion is just down the street and we spent the rest of the day there. It is much more fun not being out-numbered by your children! Daniel and I were able to take turns lounging around and playing with the kids. I haven't had such a relaxing day at the beach in the looongest time.

The boys swam out to the dock to jump off...it is actually pretty far away but I zoomed in for a picture.

Building Nate a 'bathtub' out of sand...it was quite a construction project...haha

Nate taking a 'bath'

2008-08-18T17:49:00.001-04:00

the END of the Semester but the BEGINNING of School

What a bittersweet day! Daniel took his last test of the semester today. We have him for 2 whole weeks!! It is such a great feeling to get my husband back!! But, JT started his 1st day of school so we will be seeing less of him. I guess you can't have it all!

JT's 1st day of school was harder for me than it was for him. He never shed a tear but I cried multiple times. I cried last night after he went to bed, I cried this morning when he followed the teacher to the room, I cried when I came home to a quiet house, and I cried this afternoon when I stalked him during recess (I know...I'm unstable) and saw him look nervous. Apparently, he had a wonderful day so I had nothing to worry about! Doesn't he look handsome in his uniform?! Enjoy the short montage....in case you can't tell...I was feeling nostalgic...

2008-08-17T16:54:00.007-04:00

The Finish Line is in Sight...

The semester is almost over which means we will get our Daddy back for two whole weeks! But until then, we are still on our own. We have been trying our best to keep busy to pass the time. Here are some pictures of the past couple weeks...

This morning, our friend, Chanak took JT skimboarding. It took lots and lots of practice and falling...(and patience from Chanak) but he kind of got the hang of it towards the end.

Thanks for an awesome lesson!! He had a blast!

2008-08-07T23:49:00.003-04:00

I know, I know...Time for an update...

By now, you must have figured out that I haven't been in a blogging mood...surely, you know that! Life has been chugging along on the island the past couple months, but backlogging would take ages and I'm just too lazy for that! So, here are a few blog-worthy pictures from the past week.

Our Pal, George...

Yes, that is a monkey! It is our pal, George. He is our very good friend that comes to visit us when the kids are feeling particularly sad or lonely. Most of the time, he thinks of clever ways to amuse them and make them feel better. He is just like part of the family...

Well...actually, no. There are monkeys in St Maarten and we have heard lots of people tell stories about monkey encounters, but this is the first time we have actually seen one. We were at the playground with some friends when all of a sudden, a monkey decided to take a stroll across the playground (...maybe to amuse the kids?!) Well, I sprinted for my camera so I could document our first meeting...but that sucker moves pretty fast! Meanwhile, the kids were all in awe and I was a tad afraid one of the kids might actually attempt to touch him...he was pretty big! Not to mention, wild. Note to self...remind JT & Nate that wild animals are dangerous and can bite when frightened...

As you can see from the picture above, he was about the size of a medium dog. (That is JT in the picture) And you can also see that the kids weren't too shy about getting close to him. Once they started to mob him, he high-tailed it outta there.

One last parting 'bum' shot. Bye George! Come visit us again! I think the next time we visit the park, I'll pack some bananas...

2008-05-24T21:22:00.008-04:00

Happy Anniversary! Daniel & I have been together 7 years since these pictures were taken. I cannot believe it!

Our Korean Wedding was so cool :)

The picture above was taken right before we were married. I can't believe how much younger we look! Since then, we have had 2 kids and we have changed so much!

This past week was our anniversary but Daniel was busy with school and my sister was visiting, so we had a mini-party with the family that day. We had a yummy cake from Sarafina's :)Last night, Daniel took me out to a romantic restaurant, Mario's Bistro on the French side of the island, to celebrate. (Thank you Sam & Diane, for babysitting!) It was nice to get dressed up and get away, just the two of us. We spent a lot of the time watching the HUGE fish swimming next to us in the channel that connects the ocean to the lagoon. We talked about random things, snapped pictures of each other, and stared at each other a lot, too. Haha. We had an awesome time! The food was yummy, I highly recommend it!I really lucked out in the marriage department...for the past 7 years, I have always felt loved and special. Daniel is the best husband and a phenomenal father. I really don't know how I got to be so blessed. And during the past 11 years that we have been together, we have grown together so much! When we started dating, we were just 2 clueless kids...and now...we are still clueless, but no longer kids, and have gotten to a comfortable place where we know we can depend on each other, no matter what. Here's to many, many more years of wedded bliss and to growing old and cranky together! I love my husband!

2008-05-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

The (Mis)Adventures of Nate

It seems that two is the age when kids are trouble-magnets. No matter how hard a mom tries to keep her eyes on the little boogers, they somehow manage to get into some kind of mischief. If I wanted to write a book about my mischievous Nate, I probably could. For instance, right now, my dear little boy is missing an entire nail (it fell out after he tried to climb up my entertainment center, fell, and knocked over a chair onto his finger). Another example, the other day, some toys that I had put away on the very top shelf of his closet...miraculously appeared in the living room. When I went to investigate, I found Nate had climbed (like a monkey) up the metal shelving unit that houses toys in his closet, and was dangling from the pole that you hang clothes on, and teetering (leaning backwards!!) at the very top of his closet. I have to use a step stool to reach that shelf so I was very disturbed that he would even think to climb up there! Mommy was unhappy but couldn't stop laughing for some reason.

Anyway, most of the time when he is naughty, I am too frazzled to take pictures...but here are some recent Nate-esque things that I was able to document.

The Abstract Self-Portrait

Sometimes, Nate gets happy with a marker and pen and draws on the wall or the table...or the sofa...or if he is afraid of getting in trouble, underneath or behind the sofa. This isn't a HUGE deal, because most times I can wash it off just fine although I am still very unhappy about it. We are still working on that issue, everyday.

But, when you tell a child to "Draw yourself" you definitely don't expect to see....THIS!
He certainly took me VERY literally. It took a few days and some good scrubbing to get that masterpiece off of him. Fun, fun, fun! Still couldn't help laughing. haha.

The Haircut I didn't pay for...

This one is sort of a toss-up on whose fault it is. So, I will give you a play-by-play. I was putting away laundry in the boys room and the boys were 'drawing' in the living room. When I walked out to the living room, I noticed suspicious behavior but that is pretty normal. I didn't think much of it until...I saw this...

"Ahhhh!!! Oh no!! Please, No!!" That's what I was screaming inside my head. Then, I was thinking, "Ok, it's not curly, so it's not JT...Oh no! Nate must have chopped his own hair off!!" At this point, I'm afraid to look, but I force myself to look over at the boys. This is what I saw.

Yes, half his hair is missing in the front and half is missing in the back!!

Adding two and two together, I started interrogating JT.
Calmly, "JT, did you cut your brother's hair?"
Matter-of-fact answer: "Yes, Mommy."
Not so calmly, "WHY would you do that?!!"
Still very matter-of-fact: "Nate handed me scissors and said he wanted short hair. He was hot."
In the background, I hear Nate saying, "It's too HOT, Mama! Too Hot!"
What can I do? I was torn between hysterical laughter and manic rage. I chose to laugh and grab my camera.

Isn't JT the absolute sweetest and most considerate brother?! Little booger!
Well, if Nate wasn't Nate, I would say JT probably forced a haircut on his brother, but well...he's Nate. This whole episode sounds very Nate-like. If he hadn't wanted a hair-cut, JT would never have gotten those scissors anywhere near his head. This I know for sure. At some point, Nate consented to have his hair cut, but I'm still trying to figure out whose idea it was in the firstplace. I guess I'll never know for sure. I tried my best to even his hair out and now he has a very attractive bowl-cut look in the back and a Jim Carrey 'Dumb and Dumber' look in the front.
I'm just absolutely thrilled!

2008-05-20T23:16:00.000-04:00

Hangin' out in Atlanta I know, I know! I've been extremely lazy about blogging...I get it. If I tried to backlog everything, it would take forever, so I'm just going to recap our visit to Atlanta over the last break and let the last couple of months go.

The semester ended in the middle of April so we had a couple of weeks to spend in Atlanta and it was really great. It was paradise having Daniel around after 4 months of never seeing him. The boys got lots of quality Dad-time and I had a husband again! We basically, hung out with the family, saw friends, and tried our best to eat as much as we could before we came back. Daniel insisted on having Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast almost every morning...the kids and I do not need to see a donut for a very long time, but Daniel misses them already.

JT had a list of things that he wanted to do in Atlanta, so we tried our best to do as many of those as possible. Most of the time, we had our favorite little girl, the boys' cousin/my niece, Kaylee with us.

We spent a lot of time outside...a few playgrounds that we like...

Went cosmic bowling...twice!

Went to the Children's Museum

Had some fun playdates...these are our best buddies, Spencer and Claire

Had a sleepover..

and did lots of other fun things we can't do in St Maarten.
And, on the last day, we asked JT what he wanted to do and he wanted to go on a date with his girlfriend. So, my mom (JT's slave) drove across town to pick her up and bring her over. JT's girlfriend showed up in a pink dress with a crown on because she wanted to look pretty for their date. Too cute. We took the kids to one of my least favorite places ever, Chuck E. Cheese, where the two lovebirds took off without a second glance in our direction. That left Daniel and I to take turns chasing Nate and my brother-in-law, Johnny, and my sis to chase Kaylee. All in all, it was pretty fun. We had pizza and played some games and caught glimpses of JT walking around holding hands with his gal.

Alas, this story is not just a love story, it has some tragedy also. The tickets that they had been saving all day for cotton candy and toys was stolen about 5 minutes before we wanted to cash them in! The kids were absolutely devastated. We all were...because it was a lot of tickets! If the thief is reading this, I want you to know that you should be very very very very ashamed! Luckily, you can purchase the prizes with money, (1 cent per ticket) so I was able to get them their cotton candy and told them each to pick out a small prize. It wasn't the same, but it was better than nothing and most times, cotton candy can make kids feel happy again. It did.

We moved onto Grandma's house, where JT played 'house' for the first time ever, I think. He vacuumed and responded to "Honey" while she cooked dinner for him and fed the baby (Nate). I was doubled over laughing, it was so funny. He is going to make a fine husband someday! haha. When it was time to say goodbye, it was a very sad and heart-breaking farewell. Ah, young love! What a great way to end our spring break!

2008-05-07T23:55:00.003-04:00

Cookie's Escape...and Return

For those of you that don't know...the Oh family adopted a couple of hermit crabs. We found one, whom JT named Cookie, half drowning in our pool soon after we moved here, so we "rescued" him. And the other one, we found at the playground, whom Nate named Elmo, so we "rescued" him, also. They live in a tupperware container filled with sand in our living room and live off of fruit loops, teeny pieces of fruit, and Daniel's protein powder. They get to come out and "play" with the boys in the living room for exercise once in a while, but for the most part, are given their space. All in all, a happy hermit crab existence.
Now, the next part remains a mystery because there is only one witness, Elmo, and he doesn't speak. Sometime during the night, Cookie escaped. Nobody knows how he managed it. Forensic evidence shows that it is possible he might have climbed up some rocks placed too close to the walls of the tupperware, but we cannot be certain. All we know is that he was there during the day, and the next morning...he was gone! Naturally, our family was very upset. The boys were frantic. We turned the house upside-down looking for him. We moved the sofas and started a detailed search of the house. Daniel and I were crawling around looking for him everywhere...we searched every nook and cranny but couldn't find the little guy! Yes, it was tragic, but we called off the search and gave him up for dead. I was just hoping that I would find the little lifeless shell before he started to stink.

Then, the miracle happened. A couple of days later, Daniel went to close our patio doors before going to bed and noticed a little shell outside on the terrace. When he went outside to examine it, he found a scared and most likely, very hungry, Cookie sitting outside. Back in the safety of his tupperware container, he ate and drank all he could before passing out. In the morning, JT and Nate saw that their pet was safe and everyone was very very happy and relieved. It was a touching reunion.

We are not sure how he got outside, maybe the screen door wasn't shut properly and Cookie took his chance at freedom. All we know is that, it is a miracle that he didn't plummet to his death since we are 5 floors up! Some of our faithful readers will remember that not too long ago, we lost a sand crab to that terrible fate. The memory stays with us even to this day. The important thing is that our brave little Cookie managed to survive two days out on the patio by himself, but he is safe and back with us again! A very happy ending.

2008-03-19T13:00:00.004-04:00

Pirates of the Caribbean

Yohoho...!!

Don't ask...it's not Halloween. They just like pretending to be pirates and it doesn't help that boats that look like this...pass by our window everyday. It wouldn't be that bad if they kept it in the house but when I have to walk to the park with the boys looking like this....um. Well, let's just say, at least I'm not a shy person and neither are my kids!

2008-03-15T16:24:00.004-04:00

Last weekend was the 28th annual Heineken Regatta where sailboats race around the island for three days. Lucky for us, we have an awesome view from our house...we can see where they start off in the horizon and they pass right by en route. The boys and I really enjoyed watching them go by... JT took something like 200 pictures with 'his' camera. Here are several that I took.

The regatta also hosts parties and concerts all around the island so it is one big island-wide party for an entire weekend. Sounds like fun until you take into account that both drawbridges were up more than down and there were a gazillion people on the island!! The boys and I didn't even dare venture to the grocery store. But, the view was worth it....Gorgeous! The pictures don't do the scene any justice...you just have to see it yourself!

2008-03-07T18:50:00.013-05:00

JT's Triathlon

(Feb 24th 2008)

Flex, Ironman, flex!! Number 18 Rules!! That is his 'mean' competitive face, by the way...JT has always had an interest in sports and exercise...so I signed him up for a kids triathlon just to show him what it is like, you know, for exposure. I figured, he'd like it or hate it, and then, we'd know. I was a little worried that he would be upset if he didn't do well since he is extremely competitive. Well...his age group, the youngest one, went last so that they could see the older kids do it. Everything was the same for each group except the number of laps that the kids had to complete. As he watched group after group, he started to get really excited and couldn't wait until it was his turn.

And....They're Off!! The first leg of the race was a dash into the ocean and a swim out and around a buoy and back. JT's group had to have a parent with them at all times, so guess which lucky parent went into the cold water with JT? Well, let's just say, Daniel didn't even pack a suit...and that there won't be any more pics posted on this leg of the race...

~~Go, Baby, Go~~

After the swim, the kids put on shoes and helmets and took off on their bikes. By the time, JT had hopped on his bike, there were kids already biking but there were also kids still swimming so we were pretty much right in the middle. The bike trail is a dirt road so a lot of the kids were falling or getting stuck. Daniel ran beside him and they passed a couple kids on this leg...haha.

~~The Final Leg~~

Throw your bike down and run a lap of another course before sprinting to the finish. This trail was also off-road so we didn't see them for most of it. Here, they have finished the lap and are closing in on the finish...

~~The Dash to the Finish Line~~

I know he's only five, but I swear he kicked it up a notch when he saw the tape....JT crossed the finish line happy and tired. We think he placed fourth, but we're not sure. (They didn't rank the little ones) He was just happy to get his goody bag and some juice.

~~Worn out but happy with his finish~~

Any comments, JT?

"Yes...I want to do it again next year!"

2008-02-23T14:48:00.005-05:00

Back in St Maarten & Happy Valentine's Day!

We are back on the island and it is BEAUTIFUL!! I forgot how amazingly gorgeous it is here. The weather is awesome...no A/C needed and no yucky swarms of bugs. We are happy with the island right now. The picture above is the boys on the beach in front of the house...Cupecoy.
Daniel is very happy to have us back and the kids are so happy to be with their daddy again. They flew out of the baggage claim area and straight into his arms. I think it took Daniel a few minutes to even notice me, he was hugging them so tight! Of course, it could have been that I was hiding behind a stroller loaded with little carry-on bags and two huge 50 lb bags...that could have been it! It is good to be 'home' and it feels strange that I feel that way, but that's how I feel. I missed my husband more than I ever thought was possible and I missed my friends here. It's been fun catching up with everyone and it has been hectic trying to settle down to island-life again.

Two days after we arrived, Daniel took me out to a Valentine's Day Dinner at a really nice restaurant, Temptations. We were celebrating a day early but it was romantic and nice to be alone together after a month apart. We had an awesome time reconnecting and it's always nice to dress up. Thank you to Chanak for babysitting for us!

On Valentine's Day, we went to a party at our friend Hallie's house. We saw a bunch of our friends there and JT & Nate had a chance to play with their buddies. The kids exchanged valentines and the adults talked and ate some yummy food. It was a great party!

This is a picture we took when we had lunch with friends at a restaurant in Phillipsburg called Chesterfields. It was right on the water so it was really gorgeous. We have had a few lunches and dinners with friends but I have been bad with the picture-taking, as always.

2008-02-14T21:53:00.005-05:00

January 2008: Atlanta & Toronto

(a very short summary of January & early February)

The rest of our stay in Atlanta was spent catching up with all the friends we missed while we were away. JT had playdates with friends and I caught up with my friends too. But mostly, we spent as much time as humanly possible with the family. My mom is about to claim bankrupcy because I made her take us out to dinner all the time...sushi and more sushi and still more...spoiled brat that I am. My sis and I saw each other nearly every day...to the point where we were getting on each other's nerves :) The cousins enjoyed the time together though and it made up for lost time. Also, we got a rare Atlanta snowfall which was a bonus for the boys. The snow actually stuck around for a few days which NEVER happens in Georgia! Enjoy some pics from Atlanta!

In Toronto, we saw enough snow to last us the rest of the year!! From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, it snowed everyday, sometimes, all day. Needless to say, the boys were ecstatic! They waded through snow, made snowangels, shoveled, jumped off the deck into it...you name it, they did it! Also, at a nearby park, there is a sledding hill, where we took the boys for some super fast thrills. JT wanted to spend every moment he could in the snow, but I was afraid of having two sick boys for the loooonnng trip back to St Maarten so it was a constant struggle between us. We loved hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma and catching up with our cute cousin, Isaac. Isaac is very used to snow since he lives in Michigan so he probably thought the two southern boys were so uncool fawning over the snow like the couple of Georgia hicks that they are! It was a short trip, but it was great to see everyone and spend some time with the family. Enjoy some pics from Toronto!

2008-01-04T23:18:00.002-05:00

Winter Break Catch-up (Part 2)

After gorging, exploring Atlanta, and some basic catch-up with friends, it was time to celebrate Christmas!

With the Christmas decorations and piles of presents under the tree, it really felt festive around the house. It was the 1st year that all the kids really understood what the presents meant. Nate actually thought it was his birthday (again). He kept saying "My birthday party" and even opened a few presents the day before "by accident." We taped them back up and put them back under the tree...it must have been torture for them to walk past the gifts everyday! Christmas Eve, we went to Church for the Service. JT had a mini-pageant which was really quite adorable. Afterward, we went home to wait for Santa.

The next morning was pure chaos! JT was up and running around waking everyone up so that we could open presents...needless to say, we were all not looking our best for the pictures! It was fun though. After spending a cozy Christmas Morning with the family, some family friends came over for more all-day gorging and gossip. It was a great day!

The 26th is my birthday, so Christmas Evening, Daniel and I left the kids with my parents and headed out to meet our good friends, Sang and Hannah for some drinks. We stayed out and sang our brains out at a Kareoke place. They sang me Happy Birthday at 12 am :) I loved it! On my Birthday, we bravely headed out to get some shopping done...but it wasn't crowded at all. That evening, we had my birthday dinner at a steakhouse and cut a yummy cake there. Afterwards, Daniel drove me downtown to see if we could catch the fake snowfall at the Christmas tree there. We missed it, but it was really nice hanging out with just my husband. We walked around and it felt like a date. Enjoy the pictures, below...

After a busy Christmas, our family (meaning my parents, my family, and my sis's family) packed up our things and headed out to Philadelphia. It was my Grandparent's Golden Anniversary and the whole clan wanted to get together to celebrate. It was hectic flying with 2 toddlers and a preschooler! It was a short trip but it was worth it to see everyone together again. We have visited back and forth but it has been years since everyone was together at the same time and it was the first time we've all been together since my sister had her baby. It was pretty awesome! There are some pics below but I am sure other people have better pictures.

After a difficult flight home...(very difficult, ask my poor sister and Bro-in-law)...it was New Year's Eve! We made it home in time for the count down. Danny and I watched the Times Square Ball Drop and had our Traditional midnight kiss. We took a pic of ourselves since my parents had my kids, but I will spare you that particular picture. It is not very flattering. Anyway, Happy 2008!! New Year's Day was fun and relaxing. We had our traditional Korean New Years food and some close family friends came over for more food and gossip. The kids got New Years money for bowing to the adults and Kaylee even wore her traditional Korean dress which was too cute. I wish I had the pictures, but I don't...poop.

The only down side to that day was that I spent a good part of it packing bags for Daniel and that he was pretty sick. He had a flight out early the next morning so we were really worried. He was sick all that day and night and when I dropped him off at the airport the next morning...my heart was aching because he was having to go by himself. I really regret not going with him! It was a lonely and sad ride back from the airport. I have another month without him and it is going to be much tougher than I thought. The past few days, I have busied myself with the kids and meeting friends but I still miss my husband. The kids miss him so much, too. Danny, please take care of yourself!! WE LOVE YOU!! And to all our friends who are still in or have just returned to SXM...we miss you all and can't wait to see you again!! But until we return, we will enjoy all the fast service, good food, and megastores enough for all of you...HAHA! Love to you all...

2008-01-04T12:11:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas & Happy 2008!!

Ok...I have not been very good about the updates lately, but in my defense, I have to say that I have been busy getting fat. I don't think I thought about food this much even when I was pregnant! But take away something and you know you're going to want it bad. It only took 3 weeks, but I have successfully checked off all the foods I wanted to eat while in the States...so now it's time to get back to a normal life. Let's start with a long-winded backlog...it'll probably take a few posts...sorry in advance!

The kids decorating Cookies

The last few weeks in St Maarten were very stressful and busy. I was busy Christmas shopping, getting some last-minute time with friends, and preparing the house for a few weeks of emptiness. Daniel was, of course, busy studying. We had somewhat of a fiasco right before finals, to put it mildly (most of our sxm friends will know what i'm talking about). One of Daniel's professor's decided to make life difficult and I think it was the hardest week of Daniel's life. I felt so horrible for him...but it was a life-lesson, for sure. At the very least, it was a crash-course in "Supportive Spouse 101" for me! He made it through finals successfully and in one piece, despite all the drama. My respect for him is at an all-time high! I married a genius pretending to be an airhead :) Finally, we made our long-awaited trip to the good 'ole US of A.

One of the 1st things we did in Atlanta? Cut Daniel and JT's hair!! Why? Well, look for yourself...this is what JT looked like before we left SXM...

Daniel's hair was worse but the pics are just too painful to post, so I'll spare everyone.

In Atlanta, we got busy eating all the food we missed in St Maarten and going to all the places we missed while we were away. We went to every playground near the house, the children's museum, the Georgia Aquarium, Target, bookstores, the mall, Korean bakeries, on and on. If I really wanted to...I could bombard you with about a 1000 pictures but I'm too nice. Here are a few choice pics to sum up our 1st few weeks...

2007-11-29T16:35:00.000-05:00

No Water...and now...EARTHQUAKES

Yes, you read right. I experienced my 1st earthquake and it was NOT fun.

For the past few days, we have had our water turned off several times a day, sometimes hours at a time. Our toilets were getting icky and showers were at a premium. Luckily, we are prepared with multiple huge 3 gallon jugs of water to use for simple washing, etc. As soon as the water is back on, I refill them, so we should be ok. Apparently, there is a water shortage on the island so it will probably be common for a while.

Well, that was annoying enough and I was already moaning and groaning about that situation when our world shook...literally.

(I snagged this pic from Chuck's blog...thanks Chuck, hehe)

Today, while Nate was taking his nap and JT and I were playing, the building sort of shuddered. I thought, "Wow, that was weird." And then, it shook again, harder, and harder, and harder.
This went on long enough for me to process that we were in the middle of an earthquake and to yank Nate out of bed and pull both boys under a door frame. As I stood shaking and nervous with both boys glued to me...I saw our ceiling fans swinging, heard our glasses clinking in the cupboard, and the furniture bob around. I knew the building was swinging because I watched the view out our windows shift back and forth. It only lasted, maybe 30 seconds, but it was plenty for me. Our books shifted and a couple of Legos fell, but nothing was damaged. Luckily, JT wasn't scared and Nate slept through the whole thing. Now, I don't know, if it is because we are several stories up that it felt strong or if everyone felt the same thing.

After, I realized it was over...I headed onto the terrace to look out onto the ocean...because I am a dork and I was afraid of tsunamis. I knew if the water started to recede, we were in trouble. The ocean was still beautiful and there were no waves at all. Several sunbathing neighbors down at the pool yelled up to me, asking if I had felt it and if the kids and I were ok. I was a nervous wreck because I wasn't sure if it was really over so I tried calling Daniel but the phones were down. I hate being alone during scary things!! I kept thinking about how to keep the boys safe. As time went by, I calmed down and became a rational person again.

According to CNN, the earthquake was a 7.2 and was centered about 260 miles south of here near the island, Martinique. Luckily, it was far enough underground that the shocks we felt weren't as strong as they could have been and there is no tsunami danger.

I worry enough about hurricanes and now, I have another worry to add...earthquakes. I love it here...but it sure is an adventure and at this point, I can't WAIT to go home.

2007-11-24T15:50:00.000-05:00

An Island Thanksgiving

What do you do when you're stuck on an island for Thanksgiving?? Get a group of friends together and throw a Thanksgiving Bash!!

We hosted our 1st Island Thanksgiving at our House. It was a potluck, so everyone divided up the food to cook separately. Most of my duties included drinks and misc items like plates and napkins...and of course, a clean house!!

BUT...I took on the famous Turkey. So...for most of the day, I had my head stuck in the oven trying to make sure it was doing ok. I was nervous about ruining it...but it ended up pretty good (if i do say so, myself) I had help, of course!! Geneva came over to help season it the day before. And Chuck brought over the stuffing in the morning! But, I buttered that sucker up...and basted and poured stock all the livelong day! I also made a yummy gravy and cute little mini cheescakes. My mom would be proud.

The host carves the Turkey (which looks good, huh?)

Hanna & Steph popping open some wine!

Our yummy feast...minus desserts!! My kitchen was full of cakes, pies, puddings, and all sorts of things that are bad for you!!

No Fancy Seating on the Island!! My table was the buffet...so we ended up scattered through out the living room. Hey, we take what we can get!

Some Cute Group Photos...but some people are missing!!

Nate going into a food coma

After Dinner Recreation. Wii Boxing and Home Run Derbies.

This is what our table looked like after dinner...not too different from before, huh? That'll teach us to cook so much!! We packed a lot of it up for people that couldn't make it but were still left with tons of food. Next year, hopefully, we will be more practical...although, I plan to cook two turkeys so we don't run out...and next year, I'm taking on the Stuffing!

2007-11-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

Our Night Out (Minus Kids!)

Monday Nov. 19th 2007

We have gone the whole semester without getting out by ourselves. Well, after the last block, we needed some time off and Sheryl was sweet enough to let us borrow her son, John, for the evening. (On a school night!! Thank you SO much) So, after feeding them dinner and getting the boys ready for bed, we left them to play with John and basically, BOLTED out the door. Don't get me wrong, we love our boys to death...but eveyone needs some time-off.

What was supposed to be a sushi night somehow ended up a fajita night! We all met at Bamboo Bernies excited for sushi, only to find it closed. We were all pretty bummed. But after a quick parking lot conference, we headed over to Jimbo's for dinner. I think more than half of us had fajitas...so it was a Mexican-themed dinner...complete with pitchers of Margaritas.

A Picture of the Girls...

I have no idea what Steph said but it must have been hilarious! Ashley looks shocked and I'm cracking up!!

Hanna & Steph

Brandon & Daniel...looking happy.

Our relieved 1st Semester Group...One more Exam to Go!!

The only picture with the two of us.

Either Heidi or Steph took this.

After dinner, it was onto Fathoms for some drinks...but luckily, I don't have any pictures of that!

2007-11-16T22:31:00.001-05:00

I Ran...Really, I Did!

Sunday, Nov. 11th

Team AUC ran in the 20th Annual Around the Island Relay Race! There were 10 of us and we each ran a leg adding up to 25 miles. We definitely didn't win...not even close...but it was a Blast. And I can seriously say, I will do it again next year.

I am still asking myself what...WHAT was I thinking?! Somehow, Steph & Ashley wore me down is what I think happened! What with Ashley's "Think of all the great pictures!" & Steph's "Self-Motivation!" Anyway, it sounded fun and if nothing else, I can forever say that I ran in a 'relay marathon.' It was for bragging rights that I did it, actually. The day before, we made t-shirts to wear and I put my kids hand/footprints on mine. It said "Run, Mama, Run!"

The legs ranged from short to long, flat to super hilly. I asked for the shortest and easiest leg since I don't run....EVER. Sweet Sheryl followed through and gave me the easiest one...but it was the second to last run and it went straight through Phillipsburg at the end of the day...in the heat of the day.
Megan passes to me

What was I thinking?!
So, at some point, I should mention that I, um, got....LOST. Yes. I missed a turn and kept running down the wrong road for, like, a 1/4 of a mile. I know. It sucked. In my defense, I have to say that the girls following me in the car, pointed me in the wrong direction but really, it was totally my fault since I should have known my leg. It was totally demoralizing. The girls came and got me and I ran the rest of the leg...in the right direction.

At this point, I was totally ready to be done running. So, when I saw some teammates standing by the side of the road, I started to SPRINT! Stupid. Very, very Stupid. Since it wasn't the checkpoint and I had a lot more to run. Darn! So, I ran some more and saw some more teammates, and Sheryl, who was kinda like our captain was there. What did I do?! I sprinted AGAIN! I just don't learn, do I? Yup...it wasn't the checkpoint. Steph wasn't waiting for me there. I almost died. Sheryl yelled at me to keep running but at this point, I was dizzy. Somehow, with Sheryl's help, I made it to Steph. But I have to say...next time I run a race, I am going to MEMORIZE the map. Maybe I won't get lost and sprint needlessly and almost have a heart-attack.
The best part of the race? NOT running!!

Megan, Steph, and I hanging our feet out the back of Kara's car while cheering on our team. And while running, I could hear my boys cheering me on!

Mom...You Didn't Die!! Good Job!! At the end of the race, they had subway, drinks, and t-shirts waiting for us. We didn't get a trophy...too bad.

My son was still proud.

2007-11-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Daniel!!!

Thursday, Nov. 15th

The boys and I made decorations and cards, blew up balloons, baked a breakfast cake (blueberry bread) and hid them all before Daniel came home on Wednesday.

He came home exhausted and tired since his exam is looming closer and closer.

Early Thursday morning, JT, Nate, & I hung up the decorations, balloons, and laid out the cards. Then, we waited so that Daniel could get some sleep. He had gone to bed really, really late.
After an hour of JT hopping up and down, we invaded Daniel in bed with a candle-lit birthday breakfast cake. He is going to kill me for posting this pic! I'll post it really small.

After a super quick breakfast, Daniel was off to school! My poor husband didn't even know it was his birthday until we barged in with the cake. He was actually sad to know that it was thursday and not wednesday...you know, one less day to study!

While he was at school, I cooked traditional Korean birthday soup for dinner. And I baked my first birthday cake! I baked a two layer butter cake with chocolate frosting! So, so proud :)

I hid the cake until after dinner and surprised Daniel with it.

It wasn't the ideal birthday...since we didn't get to spend time together. But considering the circumstances, I think we managed. I also told Daniel that we couldn't be friends anymore since he is now in a different age bracket than I am. Hey, I'm still in my 20's no matter how late in them I may be! My Sweet Daniel is now a 30-something. Isn't life crazy?

2007-11-14T18:18:00.000-05:00

Sugar & Spice: My Nieces

Maybe having 2 boys makes you appreciate the sweetness of little girls more! At any rate, flipping thru their pictures has made me miss them more, so I thought I'd post my purty little girls.

Kaylee is my sister's little girl. I miss her sooo much but I think the boys miss her more. We missed her 1st steps which was a bummer. I can't wait until I can see her run around. She used to follow the boys around on all fours so it'll be interesting to see how she keeps up now!

Ali isn't really my 'niece' but she kinda is...
My best friend had a baby girl right before I moved down to the island and I'm missing her cute baby antics! I can't wait until I get to hold her and smell her baby smell!

2007-11-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!

Today was my mom's xxth birthday...i can't say exactly or i might not reach my birthday! I think this is the 1st time I've ever missed her birthday and it breaks my heart. We miss you sooooo much! Especially JT. He talks about you every day and is counting down the days until he sees you again! See you in exactly one month!!

2007-11-10T19:18:00.000-05:00

A Week in St Maarten
Business as usual on the island. Daniel is studying like crazy and we are trying to keep ourselves entertained. Just a few snapshots for ya!

The boys giving their "pet" (plastic) turtles a bath on the patio. So easy to entertain...

You know you're in St Maarten when you find iguanas in the storage room!! Lucky for me, it wasn't MY storage room. This is the storage room at the tennis courts where we take lessons. Nate and I were walking around while JT was having his lesson and we ran into this guy. Nate was scared/excited and chased him farther into the room. The photo above doesn't show it but that poor thing is trying to claw its way out the window to get away from my son!! Those suckers are SUPER FAST!!

Way to give Mom a stroke, JT!! I flipped, when I heard, "Mommy, look at me!!" and saw THAT! What can I say?? I gave birth to a monkey! No bones were broken but I think I hurt my neck and back from standing under there bracing to catch him if he fell. On the plus side, I didn't scream at him to come down at once (I'm trying to relax) and let him climb up and down the tree several times. That doesn't mean I wasn't anxious, though.

St. Maarten's Day is a holiday and there were no classes. Some students and spouses got together for some volleyball at Mullet to enjoy the day off but my Daniel opted to study :( The boys and I had fun though. JT had a blast on his boogey board...some students were nice enough to be surrogate dads since Daniel didn't come. Poor Cody was out in the water with JT forever!! Nate and the rest of us girls hung out on the sand. The photo above is Geneva and Rachel with the boys.

Ashley and Steph teach the boys how beach volleyball is REALLY played. haha. I got some action shots but didn't want them to kill me. I should have posted the one where Ashley is diving into the sand (minus a volleyball)!!

2007-11-03T20:40:00.000-04:00

A Special Day

Any day where I see Daniel more than 2 hours is special...but a day where we eat out? Now, that is soooo rare and unusual I feel like I must be dreaming!! Yup! Today was as special as it gets for me!

The boys & I went to the beach with some friends this morning and it was the perfect day for it. Of course, I was having fun and forgot to take pictures so I have no pics to post. That's a bummer. It was a beautiful day though. After a day in the sun, the three of us were exhausted and before long it was time for me to cook dinner. In walks my husband ready to save me!! Usually, he comes home right in time for dinner and walks out once the last bite is gone...but today he came home in time to stop me from cooking!! My knight in shining scrubs!!

He whisked us off to the Peg Leg Pub and it was a blast. It's not fancy so I didn't feel bad taking the kids and the food was pretty good for St Maarten. Not cooking is always fun, too. We had yummy steaks and had a good view of the lagoon. Now that hurricane season is ending the yachts are returning so we saw quite a few nice sailboats and yachts.

We watched rich yacht people ride in on little boats (like the one in the pic above) and 'park' at the private dock, which was pretty amusing. Seriously...how rich do you have to be to own or even rent a yacht? It makes you wonder...

The photo above is courtesy of my five year old!! JT offered to take a pic so that his Dad and I could both be in a picture together....sweet thing. He did a fantastic job! No cut-off heads or limbs!

The boys made friends with this sweet couple visiting from Connecticut. They were one table over and doted on the boys since they have grandchildren the same age. Well, if you know my kids, you know they love attention so the boys were pretty happy. That poor couple knows everything about us thanks to my talkative JT, who never knows when to leave people alone. He invited them over to play tomorrow!! haha.

Daniel is back at the library studying and the boys are in bed so it is just like any other night. But seeing my husband outside of the house was really great for my psyche!! I can't wait for Christmas break!

2007-11-01T23:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!!

ok...i have awful luck with cameras or something because my camera died...again!! But luckily I have a some great friends who are also great photographers. Thanks Megan & Nicole for these awesome pics!! Megan is now my official photographer....poor thing.

The Spouses Club had a Halloween Party and it was so much fun!! We had decorations, games and tons of food. I even did a table for decorating cookies. Yes....me!! hahaha! I know it sounds absurd to anyone in Atlanta! We also had "trunk-or-treating" where the kids went from car to car and trick-or-treated. It was so cute and great. I was a cowgirl because I'm lame and I had a hat. And my incredibly creative husband was a 'doctor in scrubs' which was particularly difficult since he had just gotten out of lab!

JT was a skeleton (i don't know...that's what he wanted!!)

Nate was a robot (by default because that's what JT was supposed to be until he changed his mind).

JT playing a hockey game with Anabel the monkey.

Nate's had enough of dressing up!!

*Pie Eating Contest* Ok...so Matt asked who wanted to do the pie-eating contest...and JT volunteered!! I think he thought they were just going to GIVE him a pie. At any rate, he had no idea what was going on and the other boys were so much bigger than him!! Anyway, they said 'Go' and while the other boys shoved their faces in their pies....JT took very civilized licks of his chocolate. As you can see...he couldn't reach very well, either. (he's on his tippy toes)

So....Super-Competitive Hanna stepped in and shoved her son's face into a chocolate pudding pie. I think I win a Bad Parenting Award for this one!! He was done after that.

Nathaniel demolishing the pinata!!

Actually....no. The pinata was so indestructible that they had to rip it open...but he tried his best!!

JT & Proxy-Mom, Kelly. I was handing out candy from our trunk and Daniel was chasing Nate around so Kelly took JT trunk or treating. What a cute pair!

Halloween was super fun, which was a total surprise. I thought we would be missing out on the festivities hereon the island but the party was a hit!! My kids were so high on sugar that they were twitching until 11 pm when they crashed!! It was SOME night!

2007-10-23T09:35:00.000-04:00

A Gloomy Morning to Play Catch-Up...

Well, no tennis again. Two mornings in a row, I have been rained out. Of course, the day becomes beautiful once my lesson time is over...go figure!! The pic above shows the rain clouds moving on and leaving us with sunny skies. With my morning suddenly empty, I thought I'd post some pictures from this past week.

Halloween is just around the bend and we were sad about not having a jack-o-lantern. But, then, we found this little pumpkin & indian corn while we were running errands. It's not much but it's something and it kinda spruces up our dining table. Around here, you take what you can get. Happy Halloween!

Good Food but Better Company. We had a night out with the girls..but I am a dorky mom so I only stayed for some sushi & a martini. Luckily, I am not the only dorky mom, so at least I had great company on the drive home, too. Jessi is leaving soon & that depresses me. I don't know if I can keep losing friends at this rate...

JT & I at Bay Rouge

JT draws in the sand

Ok, ok...time to get some things done around here...the day is young...

2007-10-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

JT's Birthday Party

(Special thanks to Kelly & Megan for all the AWESOME photos)

We had the party on Friday, Oct. 19th at the Simpson Bay McDonalds. We rented the playroom which has play equipment and they provided decorations, cake, favors, happy meals, hats...etc.
So, that sounds awesome...but on this island, you really never know what you're going to get...so, honestly, I was a little worried. We showed up early ready for just about anything. So, we were sooo pleasantly surprised when the room looked GREAT!! It had all these balloons and decorations hanging everywhere and the tables were already laid out. The tablecover they had matched our Spiderman theme so JT was bouncing off the walls. All I had to do was put out the extra cake I brought and set out the pinata. That was it!! This was the easiest party I have ever done!

Our Guests Start to Arrive...

Ok...Hillary is the only one looking at the camera...and the kids are all holed up in the playground and not in the picture. You can see Tyson whizzing by, though...

Let's Get Ready for Happy Meals...

The kids wore hats and colored while they waited for their food...but the coloring didn't last long. Most of the kids managed to escape back to the playground.

...they came back for the food, which most of them only nibbled while eyeing the cake and pinata...

On to the Cake!!

~~Happy Birthday to~~~ You~~

We had 2 Cakes. One was a McDonalds Vanilla Cake and one was a Chocolate Cake I brought. They were both very yummy.

Nicole & Tyson smile for the camera while Laura & Peyton concentrate on cake.

*Family Photo Op*

Finally...Pinata Time!!

Ok...first of all, everybody knows what a flake I am!! So it has to be no surprise that I forgot to bring a stick to hit the pinata with...duh! Luckily, you can pull a string to open it up...but it's just not as cool! Oh, and THANK YOU, Derrick for being our pinata holder...you can see his feet on the chair...hehe.

After a few good tugs on the string, a rain of candy and toys came down on JT's head and the kids all dove for the floor.

SCORE!!

*Laura Rescues Noah*

Ok...Noah was playing in there forever before I think he decided it was too hard to get down. Well, unless you are a child, it is hard to climb that darn thing...so, Matt, Noah's dad/ wasn't gonna fit. Laura bravely climbed on up to fetch him...and managed to scare the poor little kid!! The moment she got up there, he started bawling. It was hilarious. So, this is a pic of Laura and sobbing Noah at the top of the play equipment.

Happy Birthday, Bro!!

**Thank You for Coming Everyone!!!**

Sorry for the super long post...

2007-10-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday JT!!!

My baby is officially FIVE!! That's just creepy and scary to me!! Somebody needs to invent something to keep kids (and moms) from aging!! If I could keep my kids at the ages they are, I would. I love the dynamics we have now...I still have a baby since Nate is only 2 but he is pretty independent and I have a big boy who is still young enough to think Mommy is the best. My kids' birthdays are hard for me. I am happy and sad at the same time...but today was fun for all of us.

The day started with Daniel and I rolling out of bed early so that Daniel could have breakfast and open presents with the kids. Last night, I baked blueberry bread (JT's favorite breakfast) in a cake pan so that we could do a 'cake' for breakfast. We lit the candles and burst into the boys' room waking them up with a LOUD Happy Birthday song. Of course, with me holding the cake and Daniel filming...we didn't get any pics. But we re-did the candles and cut the cake at the table before breakfast. You can tell it is early because we are a mess!!

After that, we opened gifts at the table that I decorated last night. It was so fun watching the kids freak out!! JT got lots of nice gifts from us and some from their aunt (my sister Hahnee). Daniel left for school and the boys played with their toys forever. We played 'store' about a billion times.

Nate put his baby bear in the shopping cart and only bought balloons!! So cute!

For lunch, JT proclaimed he wanted Mac & Cheese...because I told him he could eat whatever he wanted all day. So, I happily agreed if they also had salad. Hey, very little cooking is always a plus! Daniel came home for lunch and announced that we had a package at the post office! Hooray! More gifts!!

After lunch, we drove like mad to the post office to pick up the package. Guess what? It was closed for lunch! I had an hour to kill so I was bummed. Nate had fallen asleep and I was holding him when I walked up to the office. BUT...wait!! A nice, helpful employee?! (Now, this is crazy and very unusual for the island) She opened the door to say they were closed...when I told her I only wanted to pick something up. She looked at Nate sleeping and said that she would make an exception, just this once. THANK YOU! So, that was a lucky and happy ending to what could have been a miserable experience for me. A security guard even carried the package to the car for me! The locals really DO like kids and I am so grateful. So, we ran home and opened gifts from my mom. Birthday gifts for the boys and household goodies for me. Thanks Mom! What a happy day!

*Pretty Moment of the Day* So...after playing with all our new toys, we headed to the AUC playground for some running around. We played tag until I thought I would have a heart attack (I seriously need exercise) and had a great time. As we headed home, it started to rain. So we ran to stand under the nearest tree for some shelter. After brushing the rain off my arms, completely irritated, I looked at my kids to see if they were ok. JT was happily skipping around in the rain and he looked at me and said, "This is just what we needed, Mommy, since we were hot from running. Today is a perfect day!" Nate was catching rain water in his hands and smiling. If I could freeze a moment from today, that would be it. My two boys staring at the sky, happy that the rain was cooling them off. And a moment before, I was annoyed! That'll teach me, for sure. Adults are so negative and kids are so awesome! If only I could remember to think like that...

Back home, we went on the computer and read all the ecards people sent which JT loved. Thanks everyone! The day closed out with JT's choice for dinner: PB&J and Sunchips. I was thrilled! How many meals can Mom get away with without actually cooking? Hmm...

At bedtime, JT said his birthday was really happy. I think it was. I wish I was five.

2007-10-16T23:45:00.000-04:00

Should I be concerned?!

Is it bad that Nathaniel looks better than me in my shoes? Or that he can run around the house in them and not fall? hehe. ok, i'm not concerned but I thought it was a cute pic.

I should be asleep...but i've been up wrapping JT's gifts so he can open them tomorrow morning. The gift table is set up with balloons and presents. Hopefully, I can drag myself out of bed before the boys get up and surprise them with a 'Happy Birthday' breakfast before Daniel leaves for school. Wish me luck!!

Eek!! I have a FIVE year old!! How creepy is that?!

2007-10-13T23:01:00.000-04:00

A Pretty Day

Today was a beautiful day on the island. We woke up to turquoise waters and clear, sunny skies. There are times when the views take my breath away. Those moments are random. Like during a long drive back from grocery shopping...when you look down from the big hill coming back from the city, you see the lagoon, the rest of the island, and the ocean beyond. It's gorgeous and then, I realize that I am really living on a beautiful island where people come for their honeymoons. If only, living here was really like that everyday! Now, if only the power/water outages and monster bugs wouldn't interrupt those nice blissful thoughts!!

But this past week, with the 2nd round of exams over and my husband returning from the medical school living dead...life has been nice. Daniel looks happier therefore we are happier. I actually had a whole conversation with him yesterday over lunch. I was in heaven. I almost felt like I was on a date (almost because we had 2 kids there, too!) and I could feel myself grinning like a fool. Even the food tasted better. haha.

The picture above is of my boys at Mullet Bay. In the background, you can see our condo (the building still under construction) and the pretty ocean. JT had a great time riding the waves on his boogey board. The boys have come a long way since moving here...when they were afraid of the waves and refused to swim. We were exhausted when we got home, but it was nice to get out. We saw schools of big angelfish swim right by us a few times and JT, of course, wanted to bring one home. BUT, we won't be bringing home any animals anytime soon...the crab incident scarred me!

2007-10-12T09:51:00.001-04:00

Last Backlog!

Ok...This is the last one of my update blogs. It has been hard trying to fit 2 months into a few posts. I hit on the big things so I'm moving onto the little things. We try to keep ourselves busy, day to day. We go swimming, walk to the park, paint on the terrace, or hunt for sand crabs on the beach in front of our house.

*Funny Story* Cupecoy Beach has a colony of sand crabs which never cease to entertain my kids. We never bring them home because they kind of gross me out...BUT, last week, we caught a big one and JT insisted on bringing it home to show his dad. SO, smart Hanna agreed. We brought it home in a bucket and left it there until dinner to show daddy. Daddy saw it and thought it was neat and that was that...or so i thought.

After dinner, we turned on the webcam so the kids could see my parents. JT, of course, wanted to show them the crab he had caught that day. While, he walked the bucket over to the computer...the bucket tipped, and the crab escaped!! It scurried around the house until it settled under our sofa. Well, then it was chaos in the house. Nate jumped up on the sofa farthest from the crab and sobbed that he was afraid. JT kept screaming, "My crab!! Save my crab!!" And Daniel and I started running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to find the little sucker. Everytime we got close, it scurried away!! Those little suckers are super fast!!

Finally, after rearranging our whole living room, we had it cornered in the crack of the sliding door to the patio. Well, I couldn't fit the net into the crack to catch him and I didn't want him loose in the house again, so I opened the door. Daniel was yelling, "Close the door, he'll escape!!" but I thought if I could get him our of the house, I would get him on the patio. I had no idea that crabs were THAT stupid. Well, they are...stupid, that is. I watched in horror as the crab scurried at super high speed out to our terrace and off the side where he plummeted 5 stories to his death. In slow motion, JT screamed, "NOOOOOO!!!! MY POOOOOR CRAAAAB!!!!"

Yup. Our crab committed suicide off our patio in front of my 4 yr old son, who was inconsolable. Daniel flashed me this look, like, you murderer. Wow, I felt terrible. All this time, my parents were watching us running around like complete morons. JT cried, for what seemed like, an hour. Not quiet sniffling but full blown heartbreak sobbing. To make him feel better, I told JT that the crab's hard shell protected him and he was on his way to the beach to be with his family. That story calmed him down, somewhat. But I am pretty sure that stupid little sucker died a quick death.

Moral of the story: Never bring home a crab! I definitely never will!

2007-10-11T14:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!!

Today is my Daddy's Birthday.

This is probably the first time I have missed his birthday dinner and it breaks my heart.

We will make it up during Christmas break!!

2007-10-11T13:42:00.000-04:00

Daniel's Parents Visit

My wonderful in-laws came to visit us!! They are always so great to be with and the kids thrive in their presence. They are very busy people, so we felt very loved that they decided to fly around the world to come see us for three days. Now, that's devotion!! A 15 hour flight from Korea to New York, a layover, and then another flight to St. Maarten. They have been here before, so there wasn't really a need to go crazy with the tourist stuff. Just a nice visit from the grandparents. They hardly saw their son (but I know they were more interested in the kids, anyway) except at meal times. They came with a suitcase full of korean food which made me giddy!! haha. We went to Fort Louis in Marigot (again...it is becoming a must see for visitors) and walked around Phillipsburg. Aside from that, the kids and grandparents just doted on each other.

When they left, I was sooo worried because they had a layover in San Juan and I have heard the most horrible stories about that airport...but luckily, they were ok. After another looooong layover in New York, they flew the 15 hours back to Korea. Whew! They must really love us. We sure do love them!

2007-10-10T22:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Nathaniel!!

Sept 17th 2007

Nate started the day waking up to a bed full of balloons with JT and I singing 'Happy Birthday.' He practiced blowing out candles on a pretend cake (a pillow) after each song. Of course, we did it about 20 times, each one just as enthusiastic as the last.

We spent the rest of the morning with both kids eyeing the presents lined up on the coffee table. Oh, the anticipation. I made them wait for Daddy to come home from his block exam and it was driving them crazy. Daniel's test ended later than we thought so we actually had to start the countdown over again...that didn't go over so well for JT!!

Oh, and the presents were wrapped in torn out pages from a magazine...because I am such a dork and forgot wrapping paper. A friend of ours was nice enough to loan me some (thanks, Nicole!), but then I realized, half of the gifts were too hard to wrap anyway. Didn't matter in the end because, once Daddy came home after his exam (exhausted) the paper was on the floor in about 5 minutes.

After a quick lunch, Nate and Daniel lied down for a nap while JT and I went down to decorate for the Pool Party!! The decorations were a Backyardigans theme since Nate loves them. We had hats, blowers, masks, balloons and hanging decorations. Not a lot of them made it through the party, what with the wind and rain, kids, and pool water! In hindsight, I wish I had taken a picture! Live and learn. The turnout was great considering the weather wasn't cooperating. It poured on us at one point. People were clustered under the umbrellas until, like most island showers, the rain stopped after 15 minutes. At some point, it occured to me that the birthday boy and daddy should probably make an appearance! Ryan took a trip to the house to wake them up...and still no birthday boy. When Kelly, Ryan, and I marched up to get the cakes out of the fridge, they were changing into their suits. (this is when it started to pour)

Once the boys came down, we cut the cake and had a blast. Oh, funny story!! We have an adorable friend, Peyton, who is also two. After the birthday song, Peyton ran up and blew out a candle. (there was still one left) It was hilarious to see Laura's (his mom) expression, though. Nate could have cared less because JT had been making him practice on my Glade candles all week. It was a classic child's birthday party issue. I wish I had a picture of that, too. We got it on video, though!

Ryan was our unofficial photographer and managed to somehow get everybody still left at the party into a group picture. Thank you, Ryan!!

Thank you for coming to our party, everyone!!

We ended the day relaxing with the Daddy we hadn't seen in 3 weeks. It was great luck that Nate's birthday was the same day as Daniel's block exam. He was exhausted but at least he got to spend time with us. We got ready for bed, threw on our Backyardigans masks and played until we were pooped.

**Sigh** Can he really be two?! I feel like somebody is playing a cruel joke on me since I swear that I JUST had him!!

2007-10-10T15:57:00.000-04:00

My Parents and Grandparents Visit!!

Lucky Me!! Seriously. Just when I started to panic about not having my husband around...my family swooped in to rescue us. They came for a week to 'vacation' but really, my mom and grandma came to see if we were starving or not. haha. My poor mom cooked the entire time she was here. I really appreciate it, Mommy!! My kids were spoiled rotten with lots of attention and junk food/candy (thanks to their Great-Grandma).
We enjoyed our week together by swimming at the pool. We visited Orient Beach and Le Gallion, Phillipsburg and Marigot.
We miss you all SOOOO much!! Can't wait to see you!!

2007-10-10T15:25:00.000-04:00

August 2007

The only time we spent time with Daddy...

By the time we settled in, we had a couple weeks left before school started.
We tried to make the most of it by using it like 'vacation' time.
We went to swim with dolphins in Anguilla, Marigot, Phillipsburg, the butterfly farm, the zoo, Pinel Island and various other beaches and swam at the pool practically every day.
Looking back, though, I wish we had done more with Daniel while we had him...hindsight is 20/20.

2007-10-09T23:02:00.000-04:00

1st Post

OK....So, I was writing MASSIVE emails....trying to explain my life to everyone. Instead, I have decided to try this. This blog will chronicle our adventures in St. Maarten...where it can be paradise or it can be hell, depending on the day. I will try to sum up the high points of the past 2 months, so bear with me...Happy Reading!!

The above is a pic of the view from our house. Now, that's a perk of living here!!