I started to sing the 12 days of Christmas as I hopped on my iPhone and tried to quickly google what came after the 7th day (I couldn’t remember!). I managed to find it just as I got to day 8 (I strategically slowed down the tempo as I went along) and went through all 12 verses. Aves asked me to sing it again. Over the next week, Aves kept asking me to sing the 12 days. I think I sang it, at most, a dozen times. Aves must have been absorbed because this was the video she wanted to do on Friday for Nana, Grammy and Auntie DD.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
12 days
Last weekend, we spent a lot of time in the car going back and forth between home and MR. We were driving on Saturday when Aves asked me, out of the blue, to sing “Last Christmas’. I guessed it was the George Michael song and started singing accordingly. The kids were singing along with me and we had a little chorus going. Then Aves started to sing, “Last Christmas, my true love gave to me…”. OK, apparently I was singing the wrong song!
I started to sing the 12 days of Christmas as I hopped on my iPhone and tried to quickly google what came after the 7th day (I couldn’t remember!). I managed to find it just as I got to day 8 (I strategically slowed down the tempo as I went along) and went through all 12 verses. Aves asked me to sing it again. Over the next week, Aves kept asking me to sing the 12 days. I think I sang it, at most, a dozen times. Aves must have been absorbed because this was the video she wanted to do on Friday for Nana, Grammy and Auntie DD.
I started to sing the 12 days of Christmas as I hopped on my iPhone and tried to quickly google what came after the 7th day (I couldn’t remember!). I managed to find it just as I got to day 8 (I strategically slowed down the tempo as I went along) and went through all 12 verses. Aves asked me to sing it again. Over the next week, Aves kept asking me to sing the 12 days. I think I sang it, at most, a dozen times. Aves must have been absorbed because this was the video she wanted to do on Friday for Nana, Grammy and Auntie DD.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
what a day
Really, though, what a weekend.
The funeral service for Bri's dad was on Friday and though it was was wonderful for the family to see so much support, it was overwhelmingly emotional for all of us.
Before I get to the point of this post, I wanted to mention a couple notes on the passing of Bri's dad and how it affected the kids. Firstly, many have asked me how the kids have been comprehending death. I would say that Avery is still too young and doesn't comprehend much of anything. She seems to be going with the flow.
Josh, on the other hand, is trying to makes sense of everything. He asks LOTS of questions and we are trying to give him the God and heaven version of death. He understands that he won't get to see his Opa anymore. This makes him sad.
But he doesn't quite understand where Opa has gone and how his body and spirit have separated. With all of our explanations of one's spirit and how it goes to heaven, Josh once said that he pictures a heart, like the ones we draw but with lots of lumps, floating up into the sky until it reaches heaven. Ha. And he asked what Opa's body was like without his spirit. Aiyah. He also asked if Opa could run in heaven (he was walking with a cane for the past couple of years). What a sweet kid.
I overhead him a few times last week telling people, out of the blue, that his Opa went to heaven. I think he wanted to hear different people's responses to see if he could make better sense of things.
The 2 times I felt like Josh had made some sense of death in his head (i.e. he gave me an "aha" sort of look) were when I told him that my grandmother (whom he remembers) and Opa would get to see each other in heaven. And then when I said that we don't really know how God takes spirits to heaven. We can't talk to people in heaven and they can't talk to us, so no one really knows how spirits get to heaven. Ironic how uncertainty made him feel more certain.
The second thing I wanted to mention was that the kids fared quite will despite being at a funeral service. Understandably, Adrian's 7 grandkids were the only kids at the funeral service. And Josh and Aves were the youngest. It didn't dawn on me until we sat down in the church that my 6 year old and 3 year old were going to have to sit through something similar to a church service. Uh-oh. Well, they didn't really start getting fidgety until about half way through the 1 hour and 20 minute service. And even then, it was just an exercise for Brian and I in managing movement. They were pretty amazing.
But, and here comes the real reason for this post, I think that all of this finally took it's toll on Josh. As we were gathered with family on Friday evening, Josh started to complain that he wasn't feeling well. He couldn't describe what was wrong, so we just thought he was exhausted from the day's events. He was fine all day Saturday, but by Saturday evening, he started to complain again and this time, he was also feverish. He passed out on the couch at M&C's house and we brought a sick child home and straight to bed.
We had a full Sunday schedule of catching up with family and friends. But when Josh woke up, he was still feverish. I brought him downstairs to the couch, where he lay, looking very lethargic and miserable. I knew at this point that we weren't going to make our breakfast plans.
I was going to go back upstairs to tell a still-sleeping Brian to cancel brekkie plans, but Nikita, who had been experiencing diarrhea the previous day, was subliminally telling me that she needed to go outside. I brought her outside and sure enough, she still had diarrhea. Poor dog. I'm not sure what she ate that is giving her diarrhea.
After Nikita circled and squatted 3 times, she finally came back inside. After surveying my feverish child and my diarrhea dog, I finally went upstairs to tell Brian to cancel brekkie. Just at the time that I was thinking, "I'm surprised Nikita lasted through then night with diarrhea...', I got to the top of the stairs and saw the 2 piles of dog diarrhea on our carpeted den floor. Seriously?!
And just when I thought that waking up to a feverish child and dog diarrhea wasn't enough, as I walked back down the stairs to the family room, Aves greeted me standing on the rug in front of the coffee table saying, "Mommy, I just peed in my pants."
Wow. This was the point that I realized that this family would be spending the entire Sunday at home. Gratefully. What a day.
The funeral service for Bri's dad was on Friday and though it was was wonderful for the family to see so much support, it was overwhelmingly emotional for all of us.
Before I get to the point of this post, I wanted to mention a couple notes on the passing of Bri's dad and how it affected the kids. Firstly, many have asked me how the kids have been comprehending death. I would say that Avery is still too young and doesn't comprehend much of anything. She seems to be going with the flow.
Josh, on the other hand, is trying to makes sense of everything. He asks LOTS of questions and we are trying to give him the God and heaven version of death. He understands that he won't get to see his Opa anymore. This makes him sad.
But he doesn't quite understand where Opa has gone and how his body and spirit have separated. With all of our explanations of one's spirit and how it goes to heaven, Josh once said that he pictures a heart, like the ones we draw but with lots of lumps, floating up into the sky until it reaches heaven. Ha. And he asked what Opa's body was like without his spirit. Aiyah. He also asked if Opa could run in heaven (he was walking with a cane for the past couple of years). What a sweet kid.
I overhead him a few times last week telling people, out of the blue, that his Opa went to heaven. I think he wanted to hear different people's responses to see if he could make better sense of things.
The 2 times I felt like Josh had made some sense of death in his head (i.e. he gave me an "aha" sort of look) were when I told him that my grandmother (whom he remembers) and Opa would get to see each other in heaven. And then when I said that we don't really know how God takes spirits to heaven. We can't talk to people in heaven and they can't talk to us, so no one really knows how spirits get to heaven. Ironic how uncertainty made him feel more certain.
The second thing I wanted to mention was that the kids fared quite will despite being at a funeral service. Understandably, Adrian's 7 grandkids were the only kids at the funeral service. And Josh and Aves were the youngest. It didn't dawn on me until we sat down in the church that my 6 year old and 3 year old were going to have to sit through something similar to a church service. Uh-oh. Well, they didn't really start getting fidgety until about half way through the 1 hour and 20 minute service. And even then, it was just an exercise for Brian and I in managing movement. They were pretty amazing.
But, and here comes the real reason for this post, I think that all of this finally took it's toll on Josh. As we were gathered with family on Friday evening, Josh started to complain that he wasn't feeling well. He couldn't describe what was wrong, so we just thought he was exhausted from the day's events. He was fine all day Saturday, but by Saturday evening, he started to complain again and this time, he was also feverish. He passed out on the couch at M&C's house and we brought a sick child home and straight to bed.
We had a full Sunday schedule of catching up with family and friends. But when Josh woke up, he was still feverish. I brought him downstairs to the couch, where he lay, looking very lethargic and miserable. I knew at this point that we weren't going to make our breakfast plans.
I was going to go back upstairs to tell a still-sleeping Brian to cancel brekkie plans, but Nikita, who had been experiencing diarrhea the previous day, was subliminally telling me that she needed to go outside. I brought her outside and sure enough, she still had diarrhea. Poor dog. I'm not sure what she ate that is giving her diarrhea.
After Nikita circled and squatted 3 times, she finally came back inside. After surveying my feverish child and my diarrhea dog, I finally went upstairs to tell Brian to cancel brekkie. Just at the time that I was thinking, "I'm surprised Nikita lasted through then night with diarrhea...', I got to the top of the stairs and saw the 2 piles of dog diarrhea on our carpeted den floor. Seriously?!
And just when I thought that waking up to a feverish child and dog diarrhea wasn't enough, as I walked back down the stairs to the family room, Aves greeted me standing on the rug in front of the coffee table saying, "Mommy, I just peed in my pants."
Wow. This was the point that I realized that this family would be spending the entire Sunday at home. Gratefully. What a day.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
merry christmas to all
It was a Liem-centric Christmas this year. Because of the trip back east, I did not make heroic efforts to get out a Christmas card. So, in lieu of a mailed out Christmas card (an perhaps a new tradition?!), here is our Christmas card photo.
We wish you and your family much peace and love over the holidays and into the new year.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
We wish you and your family much peace and love over the holidays and into the new year.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
 |
| The Liem Family (we miss you J&C!) |
Monday, December 24, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
snow fun
Well, apparently my complaints were finally heard. We drove home from L&T's last night in freezing rain and wet snow. And when the kids woke up this morning, Aves cried out "Look! There's snow outside!'.
Since Josh is an old pro at snow now (ha!), he didn't say much. But Aves could barely contain her excitement to go out and play in the snow. It was killing her that she had to eat and brush her teeth before she could go outside.
When I rolled out of bed at my usual 10am (my body is stuck in PST!), the kids were just getting ready to go outside. We went through the 15 minute production of getting their snow gear on and Brian took them outside. I went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and I heard the door open. Brian called me back to the door to get Aves undressed. "Mommy, I'm not ready for the snow" is what she said. Sigh. So, I took off all those layers that we had JUST put on and then went back to the kitchen to get that coffee. Not 5 minutes later, Aves comes into the kitchen and says, "Mommy, I'm ready for the snow now.". Seriously?!
So, I gave her the 'if you go outside now, you have to stay outside with Daddy and Josh" lecture and dressed her up again. Turns out, she was indeed ready now because she was just fine after that.
I was still in my jammies so I didn't go out right away. It was a good thing because there was a knock on the door while I was inside. It was Josh looking for a carrot for his snowman's nose. I knew my mom wouldn't want me to use her produce for a snowman (we were never allowed to use it when we were growing up) but I rationalized that the carrot would be stored in a big outside fridge and we would eventually bring it back in to eat it. When I brought the carrot, Josh asked for a banana. I asked him what the banana was for (??!!) and he said the snowman's smile. Ha. Good thinking! I couldn't deprive the snowman of his smile!
A little while later, there was another knock on the door. This time, it was Aves. She wanted a carrot and banana for her snowman! I couldn't see another snowman outside, so I figured she hadn't built it yet and I told her to just share the snowman with Josh. She gave me her whiny voice and pointed at her snowman that was peering out from behind a tree. Damn. I could hear my mom's appalled voice that I took all that produce, but how could I deprive my daughter of HER snowman's nose and smile?!
At this point, I relieved myself of produce smuggling duties and decided it was time to throw my jacket and boots on over my jammies. I needed to get some photos of all this winter fun-ness.
 |
| Josh and Aves with their eyeless (but smiling!) snowman |
 |
| Aves happily cleans the slide |
 |
| The easiest way to clean the rest of the slide |
 |
| Swings still work in the snow! |
 |
| Face-down snow angel?! |
 |
| Literally. Face down. |
 |
| Josh gives himself a face wash |
 |
| The joy of snowballs |
 |
| Aves' I'm-done-with-snow face |
 |
| Mom & Dad's snow-covered backyard |
Sunday, December 16, 2012
home alone
One of the many plusses of becoming a parent is that kids force you to slow down and take a look around (yes, stop and smell the roses. But I didn't want to use that phrase because I used it about 3 blog postings ago.).Yesterday, we had a layover at Chicago-O'Hare airport. As we were walking through a busy concourse, Aves said, "Mommy, look up!". I looked up and there was a wonderful display of Christmas lights in the skylight archway. Wow. If Aves hadn't stopped and told me to look up, I probably would have seen it, but not really "looked' at it. Thanks, Aves.
Then, as we were walking through that same concourse, I was reminded of the scene in Home Alone when the family was running through O'Hare (around the 12 second mark in this video). I couldn't help but to feel relieved that we didn't have a layover that forced us to do the same dash (though we did cut it a tad close at Sea-Tac!).
Oh yeah, and as we settled into my parent's place, my dad flicked on the tv and low and behold, Home Alone 2 was on! Of course, we had to watch it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)