feels like fall

hooray, we made it through the crazy crazy month of october! amidst weddings, showers, birthdays galore and this almost fall weather that keeps psyching us out, the pyo clan made it out to tanaka farms for a fun afternoon of roaming through pumpkins.

yes, we were tired from caden's 3rd birthday party earlier that morning, yes, we had to save energy for our karaoke-fest later that evening, and yes, we were all too cheap and tired to actually buy any pumpkins for the kiddos but we were there! and we've got pics to prove it!













loving the cousin camaraderie, the happy (sometimes confused and angry) little faces, and especially loving colin's hair in the group pic. ha! happy fall everyone! :)

a neon party for james

very happy to be posting pics from jamesy's first birthday party that i've been antsily pantsily waiting for. thanks a bunch, pam! love them!
special thanks to jenny for letting us borrow her most perfect backdrop, my aunt pauline the florist, best cousin hyein for her slave labor, and all our wonderful friends and family for coming out to celebrate with us!

we love you, jamesy! sorry for putting you in such merf-tastic shorts on your big day, though...hehe...

analyze me!

just for kicks, i recently retook this personality test, wondering if it would produce the same results it did when i took it 8 years ago. ends up i'm the same ESFJ me after all!

talked to some of you about it, so here's the link. TRY IT and don't forget to let us know what you are! :)

zippity zoo day

one quiet friday a couple weeks ago, joe and i were hit with the crazy bug and came thiiis close to packing our bag, strapping the little one into his carseat and making a mad dash for vegas. enter voice of reason, and reality found us heading out early the next morning to san diego instead for a nice little day at the zoo.

it was actually kind of a big deal, because this was the first time being at the zoo EVER for both james and joe!

here's jamesy - a little bit scared, little bit excited (mostly not sure what's going on) to see all the animals.


a couple of our fave friends.


ooh look, a new exhibit next to the pandas in the asia section!


gorilla, man, back to back chillin'.


elephant squeeeze!


good times, especially thanks to cutiepie cousin london and fam.

jamesy is one!

dear james,

happy 1st birthday, son! if i could, i would name 365 things i love about you, but that's kind of a lot, so i'll try to boil it down to 12 -- to match each of the above pics, and for each sweet month we've had the blessing of raising and loving you.

1. i love when we sneak into your room and "accidentally" wake you up in the middle of the night and you look up at us give us the biggest sleepy smile. i hope you will always be so happy to see mommy and daddy, even when we do bothersome things to you like this.

2. i love how you are a master-signer, from "please" to "thank you" and "more." recently, you even added a new one where when we say "ow!" you take it upon yourself to smack your head with your hand and crack up at yourself. that's some dedication!

3. i love how you are strong in your baby-convictions, like refusing to do tummy time early on and not crawling until you felt ready. i pray that as you grow, this will translate into your strength and not your weakness and make you a brave boy and a wise man.

4. i love the moment we shared the first time you got sick and could only be consoled by mommy's arms. i wish i could promise to always be there for you any time you fall or get hurt or feel bad, but i know that's something only Christ can do. trust in Him, son!

5. i love how your face beams when daddy comes home from work and how you pout when he's leaving. it makes me so happy to see your bond growing stronger each day.

6. i love the few quiet minutes before you go down for the night when you rest your head on my shoulder as we sing to you, and you pat my arm with one hand as the other clutches your yellow towel. just for the record, mommy's not the one singing off key.

7. i love how you are (as alaska-grandma told you a million times during her last visit) full of emotion and so expressive. you "ooh" and "addahh" and "mmm" as if you already appreciate the mini-world around you.

8. you love food. and i love that! as auntie connie puts it, when you eat, it's like you are a teenage boy. people probably think you get that from daddy, but i can't deny, when i see you shovel those snacks into your mouth, maui onion chips do tend to pop into my head.

9. i love it when you get excited when you hear music. you bounce, wave your hands in the air, and even pretend to snap your fingers. sorry i can't teach you much in the dancing dept, but even if you do adopt mommy's weird moves, hope you will bust them out proudly. no fear!

10. i love how affectionate you are with your stuffed animals. as i watch you clutch and hug each of them, i pray that it's a glimpse into the big, loving heart you will have for all sorts of people as you grow older.

11. i love the look you get on your face when you are so focussed -- the pressed lips, the intense eyes. so far this usually means you are pooping, but we're starting to see it when you look at books and play with your toys too.

12. i love you just because! some times i can't even explain it, but when i look at your little face i'm swept away with love about to explode in my heart and i just want to give you nonstop kisses and make cheesy lists about you all day long!

i can't wait for this next year and discovering a whole new list of things to love. thanks for bringing so much joy to our hearts, baby boy!

love,
mom

today, joe is 30! and even though he never ever reads this blog named after him, i wanted to take the time to gush about how thankful i am for him and how much i love him. it's so easy to forget in the day to day (especially when that day happens to involve golf or basketball or really lame phone games), but when it comes down to the big stuff, the important stuff, i'm oh so proud that he is the man i follow.

dear joe...i, i love you like a love song baby and i keep hitting repeat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat. love, rosie

almost one update (and wish list)

oops, looks like i got stuck in bad blogger mode again. in case anyone's keeping tabs, i'd like to use party planning as my excuse. that, and... teething? (gotta throw that one in whenever we can, right moms? ;)).

but really, i feel like i've been on a conveyor belt going between michael's, party city, dollar tree and the mall (though this one's not really related). and being the type of shopper i am, i end up doing a lot of walking slowly through aisles, deep thinking, calculating, looking items up on amazon and then going home with one pack of glue sticks. true story.

slow as it may be, i do get a kick out of this running around and planning. can't believe a year ago i was on bedrest, surrounded by fans and bottles of water while counting down the days for james to be born! so crazy how fast the past year has gone by. i had a moment today watching james play when i realized how much he's grown and how much he can understand now. his toys are now actually getting some real play instead of being banged together and eaten.

speaking of which, a couple people have asked for help in the bday gift department, so i had james put together a wish list on amazon. i know. already so computer saavy. must be the product of a tiger mom huh? :)

mother's love

[photo credit]

since recently becoming a mom and coming to grips with the unexplainable force of nature that is a mother's love, it's made me think a lot about my own mom and that love she must have felt towards my brother and me when we were babies.

all those times she would say to us (whether in so many words or with just a look), "i fed you, bathed you, changed your diaper, you ungrateful child!" if only i could take back every eye roll. it breaks my heart now to think of the heartache we've caused her in the years that have followed and makes me so much more grateful for the amazing job she's done to have endured it all with so much love and grace and beauty still left to give.

i only hope i can follow in her lovely footsteps.



on a different mother's day note, how come it is so much harder to get together gifts and mail them out in a timely fashion with a baby? yes, i am the crazy lady wrapping gifts at the post office at 4:55 p.m. and yes, i am the worried daughter that has an icky feeling she might have sent pyo-mom a framed picture of park-mom with james and vice versa. this could be bad.

family fun day in la

last friday, joe took the day off from work and took james and me to venice and santa monica for a fun-filled day of good eats and quality family togetherness.



rewind back a week before that though and the picture wasn't quite so pretty. what was supposed to be our fun day in LA instead became a conflict of epic proportions, including (with details to spare): driving out to santa monica, driving right back, tears, anger, el dorado park/marshalls, road kill, boba (somehow got to fit that in hehe), more anger, silent treatment, and santa monica again. whew. let's just say my instagram got to take a nice little vacay that day.

honestly sometimes i feel like my nasty days outweigh the not-as-nasty. marriage, motherhood, family, friendships, church, ministry -- such good things, but when they start to stray from my genius master plan for the universe that revolves around me, it's game over!

i finally sat down and watched this video that's been up, down and all around my facebook wall this week. hello, tears! (very different from the "i hate everything!" tears from 2 weeks ago). what a reminder of how beautiful and amazing marriage is when centered not on the people and what we can bring to the table, but Christ, the ultimate example and embodiment of love.



"when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay."

room for the little one

yesterday at james' 9 month check-up i got another reminder from our pediatrician to child-proof our house as james becomes more mobile so i figured i should really get some photos of the nursery before any of this rearranging, removing, padding, covering actually takes place. (any tips, moms??)

thankfully it happened to be a decent day where his room was relatively clean. heaven forbid the blog-world catch wind of the version where drooly bibs retire on various pieces of furniture and a massive humidifier sits most obtrusively next to the bowl of doritos mom was munching on while watching baby play, right? ;)



ROOM DETAILS:
crib - pottery barn kendall crib via craigslist with skip hop mod dot crib sheet and crib skirt made by donna
mobile - ikea fabler hot air balloon mobile (no longer sold)
burlap bunting - DIY adapted from here
lighting - world market maru round paper lantern
dresser - ikea hemnes dresser via craigslist with button knobs in various colors from anthropologie (no longer sold)
lamp - ikea bran table lamp
alarm clock - thrifted
wall art - air transportation print gifted by janice, alphabet and hot air balloon prints made by me
mirror - target frameless circle mirror with rope pulled off old drawstring pouch
laundry - ikea kusiner mesh basket in red
chair - ikea ektorp jennylund chair via craigslist with gray check slipcover gifted by pam
wall color - benjamin moore stonington gray

9 months, baby!

can't believe the little man is 9 months old today. from his slowly but surely growing head of hair down to his carpet-clenching toes, i just love him to bits and pieces!

there hasn't been anything too monumental to update on, but here are some things i did note on james' agenda...

TODAY'S TO DO LIST:
- compete in cheerio-eating contest against myself
- take a ride on the alphabet train
- star in iphone video to send to daddy at work
- pretend to read, then start chewing on books behind mom's back
- get mom to sing "itsy bitsy spider" 10 times in a row
- clap at random times throughout day to make mom smile

GOALS FOR THE MONTH:
- stop army-crawling and learn to crawl foreals
- figure out how to lessen the gaping hole between front 2 teeth
- overcome gripping fear of the vacuum and magic bullet
- find a pool and master drifting in a floatie
- stop being stubborn and finally sign "please"

THINGS TO TELL MOM TO DO:
- start planning my 1st birthday party
- get me into a convertible carseat, already!
- make some prints for etsy instead of watching korean dramas
- refold that blanket sticking out of my bottom drawer

{eye} try: homemade milk tea boba

undeniably, one of my greatest loves as of late has been boba. according to my trusty calendar, in the last 20 days, i've had boba 9 times. that's like every other day. that's like kind of a lot, huh? i like to tell myself it's research for the boba biz i'm starting in my imagination.

in fact, this morning i went out to the chinese market to find myself some ingredients to make homemade boba and whipped up my first batch during james' nap using different recipes i found online.



turned out pretty decent, as i'm sure anything with a little condensed milk action would. no time now, but i'll try to post the recipe i ended up going with soon.

hoping to try making the blended ice boba and honey aloe boba next. oh no, this could be troublesome.

e+m engagement

a couple weeks ago, joe and i, along with baby james, were able to be a part of eric and miriam's sweet engagement at ucla. though it was a bit more difficult roaming incognito across campus with a bright orange stroller in tow, we had a fun time jumping from building to building, hiding out in bushes, and witnessing our dear friends move forward in their journey from dating towards marriage.








i've been friends with this pretty lady for almost 10 years now and i must say through the years, i've learned so much about friendship through her - of loving one another and being there for each other through all the good, bad and ugly. so excited to see what this next chapter with her bff4life has in store. congrats again, you two!

favorite items: mommy vs. jamesy

kinda late in the game, but thought i'd jump on the trend and compile a "favorite baby items" list. james took one look at the items and didn't seem to approve though. instead of trying to argue back and forth with him, i just made a separate list for him below. enjoy! :)

M O M M Y // T O P F I V E



1. jesus storybook bible - love how it goes through all our favorite bible stories in easy to follow fashion. helps us see the big picture and how everything points to christ. not gonna lie, sometimes makes me tear up.
2. agabang pajamas - as much as i tried to resist these fresh off the boat gifts from korea at first, must admit the quality of material is most excellent and quite comfy (not that i've tried it on, but you know). fobulous sleepwear ftw.
3. bumkin waterproof bibs - recommended by concon, these bibs have come in very handy for our daily adventures with solids. good coverage, super easy to clean, and cute designs too!
4. sleep sheep - good thing concon had an extra one of these noisemakers to spare. early on, it was the perfect background noise to lull james to sleep. and now as soon as he hears the waves, he knows it's time for lights out.
5. baby deedee - before james started flipping, we swore by the miracle blanket, and now have switched over to this sleepsack, which we equally love. it's plenty warm and cozy for those cold cali nights and shoulder snaps make for easy on and off action.


J A M E S Y // T O P F I V E


1. ty liony/matty doll - when we first moved into our place last year and i was pregnant, our awesome neighbor got this for us as part of a welcome gift. what started off as a beautiful flowy mane has now become a short, matted fro due to time spent in the washer/dryer (hence the name change).
2. fisher price whale-of-a-tub rinse cup - in or out of the bathtub, for some reason, james has a huge affection for this little orange plastic piece and clutches it as if we all want to steal it from him. we don't dude, relax!
3. graco doorway jumper - we have this on loan from shar and have been putting james in it starting around 4 months. he loves to jump up, jump up and get down in it, especially when mommy turns on some good (and clean) hip hop tracks.
4. goofy pook a looz plush doll - an early gift from susie, this is the only doll that accompanies james in his crib. he loves holding onto the ears and biting on his hat. and i love it because it's furless and seems cleaner than the other dolls.
5. organic puffs - had to include this because i'm pretty sure if you were to put any of the above items next to these (or any) puffs, he would quickly betray goofy and liony/matty for his snackies. hm, wonder where he gets that from? ;)

hey cuz, what should we do today?

spontaneous photo shoot at the park! (said london, hopefully).










looks like at the rate i'm going, this blog gets updated every 4 months, 3 times a year. eek! well, jamesy is now a big, healthy, happy 8 month old boy who devours all his solids as well as most of his toys and books, squeals like a dinosaur, fake laughs, army crawls at impressive speeds, greedily picks up puffs and puts them into his mouth at even-more-impressive speeds, and pretty much melts mommy and daddy's hearts with every smile.

ok, with every cry, burp, poop and glance too.

seriously, sometimes it scares me how much i love this little guy. each day i think to myself how crazy and amazing being a mom is. and this feeling i could have never imagined before just seems to grow and grow with each day. of course with it comes bouts of frustration, anger, fatigue and helplessness, but all in all i'm so thankful for this great blessing. and hopefully i'll do a better job of sharing it with you here! :)