Ketchup With Us #28: Be Afraid

'KETCHUP WITH US' - Prompt 28

In the spirit of Hallowen - and all things spooky and scary - Michele and Mel bring us the latest, chilling and frightening installment of 'Ketchup With Us'. In it, we are prompted to post our best terrifying OR terrified face.

Sticking with the Halloween theme, I submit the following. Look if you dare:

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Happy to be home

Each fall I try not to do it, but every once and awhile I need to make back to back weekend trips to Buddy Walks.  This was one of those times.  Last weekend I was in Fargo, this weekend I was in Indianapolis.  I had barely set my suitcase down before Liv asked me if I wanted to go take a walk with her and Jazzy.  Although I was exhausted, I was happy to be home with my family, the weather was beautiful and I knew days like this would be few and far between.

Off we went into Farmer Brian's field behind our house:

...and they're off!

Thankful Liv is strong enough to walk/run Jazzy now! 

Sprinting

What's in the hole?

The wooly bear says it is going to be a cold winter. Boo.

Getting a closer look

Running home

Too fast for the Mama. :)

After our excursion with Jazzy, it was time to wake the boy up from his nap. Joe-Joe was happy to see me, but even happier to go outside and play with his noona while Brian was working outside.  I came out and wasn't quite sure what they were up to, so I decided to investigate.

Hmmm. What are they up to?

Liv and her trusty bug box

Digging in the dirt. Woohoo!!

Finding rolypoly bugs to feed the chickens

Checking out the bugs

Digging machine ... and his "dirt"

SURPRISE! It's a snake!

Papa to the rescue!

So. Much. Dirt. And. Stuff. (Happy boy)

The Simple Things

I absolutely love the relationship that the kids have forged over the past two years.  Even in the past 6 months, the bond between Liv and Joe has deepened exponentially.  He absolutely adores his noona and she is, without a doubt, his favorite person in the family. 

Liv has a knack of finding an ordinary, simple object and turning it into something that will bring lots of giggles and smiles from the two of them (as well as anyone in their general vicinity.) Their love for each other and joy that comes from being together is contagious. 


Last week, (I know, I've been remiss at posting lately) we were at Grandma and Grandpa's and Liv found some hats.  She had a feeling Joe would like to play with them (we had our doubts) and brought them, of all places, into the bathroom.  Needless to say, they were a big hit and kept him busy until he was done taking care of business.

Kisses for his big sister

The fun continued in the sun room as everyone took turns trying on the various hats.  Who knew hats could be so much fun?

The boy in action

This made me remember the importance of slowing down, enjoying the simple things and finding joy wherever we are.  I challenge you to do the same.  Stay tuned. :)

Joe Sung Min is 3! (Better Late Than Never)

We celebrated a pretty big day a few weeks ago - Joe Sung Min turned the big 3!  In the weeks since, everyone else in the family has been sick for a few days (if not longer) and I'm just getting back on track.

Joe had a GREAT time this year and enjoyed being celebrated.  We did it in true Grandma and Grandpa style with a two day celebration.  We started off with a little pre-party celebration on Saturday afternoon, with both Joe and Liv each getting a special present.

Joe got the surprise hit of the weekend (and beyond) with a ramp and cars set that Grandma and Grandpa picked up during a recent trip to Amish Country. The cars flip over as they go down to each different level - it is quite fascinating to watch.

Nuna got a new horse bedding set from Grandma, Grandpa, Mama & Papa to celebrate her doing such an incredible job in her horse shows this summer. We are so proud of how hard she worked  and how well she did. She LOVED it and couldn't wait to get home and make her bed all "dressed up."

We tried on the kid' hanboks and were so relieved they still fit.  We decided to do our photo shoot on Saturday to avoid any possibly meltdowns during the party.  *Phew*

Aren't they adorable?

Yay! Grandpa got one with his hat.  So handsome!

On Sunday afternoon (his actual birthday), friends and family joined us and G&G's house for a little party. The kids had fun playing together, the adults enjoyed catching up with each other and the food was delicious. What more could we ask for?

His one request was for a "Firetruck Cake."

EVERYONE loved playing with this toy!

Cake time!

Nuna was ready to help him blow out the candle

He blew out the candle all by himself!

He couldn't wait to get his hands on the little fire truck!

Showing the girls how the ladder goes uuuuppppp on his big, new firetruck!

Here's hoping the terrible 2's (he wasn't really THAT bad) are behind us as we look forward to the terrific 3's.

Stay tuned!

Ketchup With Us #25: My Birthday In A Body Cast

I'd like to start out by wishing Ketchup With Us a very happy birthday.  Yes, it is about a week late, but this weeks prompt is still going on so *technically* this is still on time.  Right?  For installment #25, Michele and Mel are encouraging us to write about a very memorable birthday in our lives. If you've read my blog before, you're probably thinking I'm going to write about Joe's 1st birthday celebration in Korea ... or his first birthday with us. Nope and nope.   Instead, I'm going to write about one of my most unusual - and memorable birthdays.  It involves a body cast.  Read on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not many kids can say they celebrated a birthday in a body cast. 

I turned 5 between hip operations and did so in (70’s) style: 

a custom wagon/cot (with seat belt), 

a turtle cake and, apparently, a box of oranges. 

My grandparents came over, we played games, had a great day.

(The oranges STILL crack me up.) 

Just hanging out ... with a big box of oranges ...on my birthday

I affectionately named my cast "Simon" and said I felt like a turtle in a shell.
My very creative mom made me a turtle cake to celebrate the day.
(Look: I'm holding an orange in this picture! Mmmm) :)

OK, this was "technically" a few weeks later, after another operation -
but even girls in body casts can get all dressed up. :)