tuesday's tidbits.

just a little bit of this and a little bit of that...

*i can't get enough of dance moms. those moms are totally on the crazy train and it's full of such over-the-top drama...but it is SO good. here's one of my big issues with the show, though: why do these 7, 8, 9 year-olds wear make-up all.the.time?! for the performances, whatever. but during rehearsals and all their confessionals? it's like toddlers and tiaras (which, b-t-dubs, i do *not* watch. not that i would judge you if i did, since clearly i have very highbrow taste when it comes to watching TV).

*i feel that it is time for my yearly ode to cadbury mini eggs.

in the form of a haiku:
i love mini eggs.
crunchy, chocolate-y and sweet,
perfect little bites.
thank you. my book of food inspired haikus will be coming out next month.

*today we got to watch the space shuttle discovery's last flight as it made its way to the air and space museum. its flight path was directly over our school and it was SO amazing to see. and such a neat moment to share with my 5 and 6 year-old students...it was incredible to think that 26 years ago, *i* was in kindergarten having my own first experience watching a space shuttle. granted, that was the challenger and it was a very different scenario, but watching today was kind of like coming full circle from that first experience.

so, so awesome to see! i still have chills thinking about our students watching from the field and cheering...so geeking out!

*i am so thankful that spring is here. truly, i am. but dang it, these allergies are here with a vengeance! they make me want to hide in my bathroom, safely inside and away from any windows and all that evil pollen. and i've resorted to only taking half a zyrtec every day because if i take a whole one, i feel like a zombie all day. no win. and, while we're on the subject of allergies, where are those antonio banderas bee commercials this year? not that i miss them or anything...just always amused that it's actually him. ;)

*i really, really want to learn how to sew. mostly so i can make these slim slacks for choi boy:

{source}
because seriously, how ridiculously cute are those? and more importantly, how ridiculously *ridiculously* cute would cb look in those?!

*my little boy is ALL korean. he comes alive when eating korean food. it's kind of hilarious.
do not get between him and his bahnchan (little dishes):

especially myul-euh-chee (tiny little anchovies -- yes, ANCHOVIES.) and kong jang (marinated soybeans). for reals, yo.
he reminds me of when my little sister would back rice, seaweed, and kimchi in her lunchbox with zero shame, while i stuck with turkey and cheese. :)

*my dear friend, dana, and her husband, ben, welcomed home their own little korean boy last week and we could not be happier for them! they have waited over a year for sweet little ollie to come home and we are just rejoicing with them as they enjoy all their firsts! :)


*i've been checking fb like crazy because i cannot get enough of dana's sweet ollie and i am loving seeing her little videos of him. thinking about our own first days, i took a trip down memory lane and watched this gem about 50 times last night...

and i kinda got motion sick afterwards. ;)

happy tuesday to you!

firetrucks, helicopters, and chicken -- oh my! {a giveaway}

hey, local peeps! are you looking for something to do this weekend that's fun, family-friendly and FREE??

the northern virginia chick-fil-a stores are hosting a FREE special fire and rescue family event at bull run regional park this saturday, april 21 from 11am-4pm! there will be fire and rescue vehicles (including a helicopter!), live music, fun activities and entertainment for kids, and of course, food (the food will be for sale and all proceeds will benefit the national fallen fire fighters foundation)!


come on out and join the fun! we will be there and would love to see you!

and leave a comment below (whether you are local or not!) and share your favorite chick-fil-a menu item to enter to win some free chick-fil-a! for additional entries help us spread the word -- facebook, blog, or tweet about the event and leave a separate comment for each for up to 4 total entries. the winner will be randomly selected on thursday, april 19. good luck!!!

and just for fun, here's my chick-fil-a lovin' little dude:


p.s. this giveaway is sponsered by ME! we are so looking forward to this event and we seriously heart chick-fil-a, so i asked my dad if i could help publicize the event. :) hope to see you there!

small style: easter sunday best.

alternatively titled, "who says green pants aren't versatile?"
alternatively alternatively titled, "another one with way too many photos of my boy"

:)

you guys.
i'm madly in love with these green pants on cb. they're just too stinking cute!

so, of course choi boy had to don his green chinos (with a few select accessories, of course) for easter sunday. {and what a very blessed sunday it was...so much rejoicing!}


ack. i just love him!

we tried to get a good family shot, but cb was feeling so silly that this was the best we got:

{he kept trying to bang our heads together. ow.}

we did, however, get some sweet and hilarious snaps with cb and each of us:





"are you going to let me take your picture, cb?"


"no, mommy. but i love you."
dang it. i am putty in this child's hands!

he even roped tippy eemo into a silly shot.

my sister would like me to point out and clarify that she did not wear those grody velour lounge pants to church. they are her my-annoying-older-sister-dragged-me-out-to-take-pictures-of-her-family pants.

the sillyness did provide some gems, though. like this quintessentially korean "i'm so cute" one:

haha!

poor cb.

his momma is so annoying.

all he wanted was to eat his fruit snack in peace.

sheesh.

;)

and of course, here are the details:
hat: old navy
shirt: janie & jack (gift from my aunt)
bowtie: crewcuts
suspenders: american apparel
pants: gap (gift from my mom)
shoes: tiny toms (gift from my sister)

and just for giggles, i had some fun with one my favorite shots because we jokingly kept calling cb "poindexter" all day...

i couldn't help it.

CB says.

two and a half is such a fun age. really and truly! i adore just hanging out with my boy and interacting with him and his hilarity.

language development has always been a favorite of mine (major nerd with my langauge acquisition classes in college!), and watching it unfold and build and grow right in front of my eyes in my own child has been fascinating. and belly laughing funny.

here are some snippets of cb and his hysterical insights on life. and just so you don't think alllll we did during spring break was sit on the pot, i'm sprinkling this post with some snaps of a fun easter treat we made for our friends and family. pinterest insipired, natch -- holla! :)



cb on stock phrases
me: what does a daddy say?
cb: i love you.
me: awww, and what does a mommy say?
cb: pay attention.

um. i guess that's what happens when your momma's a teacher?



cb on piper
{piper barking and whining...likely at a groundhog outside. sigh.)
cb: oh no! piper crying!
me: yeah, why?
cb: she love me.

methinks my boy has a bit of a complex if he thinks living beings cry because they love him so much.
though...i suppose he's kinda right. ;)



cb on magic words:
{cb is envelopped in a giant hug from me}
cb: mommy, no!! let go!
me: okay, but you have to say the magic word!
cb: ...meeska mouska mickey mouse?



cb on his mama-razzi:
{cb pretending to take pictures of me}
cb: cheese! cheese! like this! cheese! cheeeese!
look! cheese! like this! cheese!
okay, all done. here, have treat now!

yup. i'm pretty sure that's *exactly* what i sound like. without a doubt.



and finally, a little potty humor. sorry. but, we seem to have turned a corner on the #2s and choi boy is quite proud. :)

after a success tonight:
me: yay! i'm so proud of you!
cb: i poop like a big, giant man!!

uh...

yes, don't let this sweet face (he opted to sit on the bench on a recent carousel ride and had his hands folded in his lap with such decorum the entire time.) fool you:

he is totally a gross boy.


well...gross, but cute.

happy easter!

this is from last easter, but i love it so much, i wanted to repost it for today. plus, i love seeing little(r) cb. plus, i'm too lazy to come up with a new easter post.

:)


He is risen!


He is risen indeed.


hallelujah!


HAL-


LE-


LU-


JAH!


oh, and one more thing.


we hope you have a joyous easter!


that's right,


we're talkin'


to YOU.


:)

small style: potty training casual.

i promise after this, i'll stop talking about potty training.

okay, this is going to sound so, so ridiculously shallow and well, ridiculous. but i'm a little sad that potty training means choi boy will have to spend most of his coming days in elastic waist pants. i know, i told you. shallow.

thankfully, with spring in full bloom and warmer weather here more often than not, tiny little basketball shorts are a semi-acceptable weather-appropriate alternative to skinny jeans and colored chinos.

i know, i know, groan and throw tomatoes at me. i told you, i'm ridiculous!

anyway. cb spent most of this week pantless. it made it easier for cb to run to the bathroom and do his thang.

but, for a few minutes when we couldn't bear just staring at the sunshine from inside, i threw some shorts and cb and we went out for some fresh air and sun rays.


and football. always football.

we spent a little time drawing with chalk,


and playing with a new "big boy" toy given to him by his foster umma (she sent it to her daughter who gave it to us when we saw her this weekend)!



okay, i suppose the basketball shorts are kinda cute...

and here are the PT casual details:
linsanity shirt (GO KNICKS!): gift from the amazing christine and doug, straight from NYC!
shorts: target, hand-me-downs
shoes: crocs, gift from my mom's friend (same sweet friend who gave us cb's wellies!)


and just for kicks, here's what cb looked like most of the time this week:


(why yes, that *is* a bart simpson pajama top on cb. from, where else? korea. ;) it was what cb was wearing on the day we got him -- heehee)

i wish i could show you how stinkin' cute his little bum looks in those tiny undies, but alas, a momma's got to draw the line somewhere when it comes to embarrassing her kiddo on the interwebs. ;)

notes from the battlefield: PT days 1 & 2

okay, so it wasn't *that* bad.

bad, but not *that* bad.

we started day one of the three-day method with cb eating a high-fiber breakfast (the massive amount of fruit was gobbled prior to this snap):

unbeknownst to him, we are about to enter big boy territory...with no turning back.

choi boy chose a pair of big boy underwear (from a selection he chose last week at costco -- on sale for $9.99/8 pack!), threw away his last diaper and then went around the house collecting all the diapers to be "sent away" to the babies that need them.


while appa helped cb with the diaper haul, i set up cb's big boy presents downstairs and we made a big deal about how it was big! boy! day! :)



among his big boy presents were his former downstairs diaper basket filled with all his new underwear; a box filled with potty supplies (potty seats for upstairs and downstairs, a step stool, and big boy flushable wipes); and a new fun toy.


the toy was a cars2 shake n' go race track that was actually given to cb on his birthday in september by our friends. with the ridiculous amount of loot he got, we decided to set aside some gifts to give cb when he was a little bit older and better able to use and appreciate them. we had brought out this gift to give to choi boy on christmas morning, but once the train table made its appearance, there was no attention given to anything else, so we stashed this one away to give to him as his big boy present. and we're so glad we did because it was perfect!

while appa opened up the box (what is it with these crazy hard-to-open toy boxes?! sheesh!), cb spent some time decorating his big boy wipes with the stickers that came with them.


cb worked hard to "help" appa set up the race track,


all while alternating between munching on salty snacks,


and chugging juice!


the goal was to give him lots and lots to drink so cb would have to "go" lots and lots! and any time he did start to go, we would run him to the bathroom, sit him on the toilet and have him finish there.

this continued all day long, with the liquids being varied: smoothies, juice, water, and even popsicles.


so, yes, we were literally running to and from the bathroom all.day.long. the good thing was that cb didn't have any full-on accidents. anytime he would start, he'd yell, "uh oh!!" and we'd run to the bathroom and finish.

upon which, he'd receive a yummy little treat!

(sidenote: see those creepy m&ms? that's truitt cathy, the founder of chick-fil-a, on them. my parents ended up with a ton of little cartons of them after their annual chick-fil-a conference in february and then gave most of them to us for cb. since we had them on hand, we just used them for potty training rewards. cb couldn't care less that there is a man's face on his m's and calls them "hahbee face m&ms"!)

at one point, cb caught himself *before* starting to pee and yelled "mommy! i gotta peepee!!!" and ran to the bathroom. that also happened twice on day 2 and three times this morning (day 3).

i think he's starting to really get it and is loving being a big boy. in fact, up until now i refused to call him a big boy and called him my "little boy". i told him that he would be a big boy once he went pee and poop on the potty. wouldn't you know, any time i've called him my little boy over the last three days, he's stopped and corrected me, "no, mommy. big boy now." he is so proud of himself!

we tried to get rid of diapers/pull-ups altogether and try nighttime training, too, but the first night was disasterous, so we threw a pull-up on him last night. and of course, he woke up dry this morning and ready to do his business. :) we'll see how this continues, but i'm not going to push it with the nighttime training unless we see a long string of dry nights.

now, the number 2s? totally different story. not gonna say much except: yuck. not so successful. serious and literal nastypants.

and we're a little tired of being cooped up at home, especially when it is beautiful outside...but, we are trying to keep things fun and managed to do some egg-dying yesterday and some cooking this morning with plans to bake this afternoon.




we are half-way through day 3 of the 3-day method and choi boy is taking his nap. and we've got just a few more waking hours of this potty training bootcamp left. do i think he'll be full trained by the end of the day? i'm not sure. but if not, he'll be awfully close, especially with the pee. am i glad we took the plunge and did this? yes. though it hasn't been the most glamorous way to spend half of our spring break, it's been kind of a fun adventure. and the fact that we are spending every waking minute together (literally side-by-side or face-to-face) has been really special. even if many of those minutes were spent running to or sitting in the bathroom. :)


grown-up cb, if you read this one day, i'm sorry i shared so many details of this experience, but i gotta tell you, i am so super proud of you and didn't want to forget all that we did to celebrate your transition to being a diaper-less big boy. :) and if you want me to take it down, i will. promise! ;)