I ain't sayin' he's a gold digger...

ha ha ha ha ha This picture just cracks me up! Matt's cousin Brandon took it the other night and it just makes me laugh every time I look at it.

It's all about Matthew!!

When you stay at home with your baby alone all day, you will find that there is really not too much to do around the house. I usually turn on my computer and check my email and go on facebook, then I smell something sour -usually Matt's poo-poo-, I change his diaper, I read Matt a couple of books, turn on TV, watch Malcolm in the middle on DVR for a while, then go for a walk for a little bit, then back at home, then Sean gets home! Between these activities, Matt entertains himself for about an hour or so, the rest of the time, he wants to climb up on the couch and sit by me or tries to fall off the couch and understands the concept of the rule of gravity - but he forgets it all way too easily.

Matthew loves being on the couch next to me and plays with wires and cords, looks out the window for a while, points at things, laughs for a while... but sometimes I really wish that I had my own car so we could just drive to a park or go to the mall or just do something more fun. I am getting a license this month though. I did a driver's ed thing this morning and the guy said I was really good and shouldn't have a problem passing the driving test. So I am really excited. When I get a license, I might go get a cheaper used car for myself and Matt so we can do something during the day while Sean is gone.

Matthew has found his index fingers! He always points at things now. Everywhere we go, he points. If he sees someone, he points at them to say hello. We usually put out finger on the tip of his finger and say "Elliot" (From E.T). He loves it.

I love when Matt does new things. I'm hoping that he will start putting food in his mouth on his own. He wouldn't even put a cheerio in his mouth on his own, which is really weird. He puts everything else in his mouth though, so it's not like he doesn't know how to put things in his mouth.

Matt wants you! :)

I know you all want to be bendy like Matt in this picture. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if their bones bend, too.

If there is one thing that I am proud of doing with Matthew everyday is having home-made dinner all together as a family. He sits at the table with us, we pray before our meal, and eat together. He loves it. He behaves pretty well at dinner time. He still stares at us when we pray but I think he's getting used to it. I can't wait until he folds his arms when we pray.

I love taking pictures after dinner because Matt's all full and happy. He loves solid food now. He still doesn't like a lot of sour and sweet food but loves rice, chicken, fish, potatoes, carrots, peas, noodles, sweet potatoes, bread, etc. He likes chocolate icecream sometimes but I don't think he's into cold food just yet. He makes the funniest face when he tastes orange.

Here are some family photos that we took at Akebono (The best Japanese restaurant ever!) on my birthday.

Matthew has four cousins that he absolutely loves - Brandon, Garrett, Nathan, and Alex! They love Matt, too. I love it when we are at a restaurant all together, the kids all come and gather around Matt, trying to make him smile or laugh. They even brought their own cameras and took pictures of Matt. I think one of them got a picture of Matt picking his nose and smiling. I got a cute picture of Matt and Alex together.

After a long day, he fell asleep in our bed. He slept through the night.

So Matthew is pretty busy in his own way. What a life, huh?

Red Carpet Premiere for "Hotel for Dogs"

If you saw my mother-in-law, Sue, on the Price is Right in December, you might remember she won a trip to the red carpet event of "Hotel for Dogs". She also received a free limo ride during her entire trip to L.A and $600 spending money for food each day for three days. They stayed at a really nice hotel in L.A at a penthouse. Pretty sweet, huh?

She took her daughter Jodi to the event and they had a blast. They got to take photos at the premiere and see one of my favorite "Friends" actresses, Lisa Kudrow. They also got to go to Jay Leno Show and see Hugh Laurie!! (He is one of my favorites, too.) I guess Hugh Laurie is in a band called "Band from TV" and he gave out free CDs to the audience. My mother-in-law went up on the stage after the show was over and asked them if she could get an extra CD for me for my birthday! :) So I got one. I haven't listened to it yet but am really excited to listen to it in the car.

I'm glad that they were able to spend some mom-daughter time together!

Sean's 25 random things about him

25 Randoms about yours truly

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I hate chain letters and the like. So I am doing this only to appease certain people, but I'm not sending it to 25 people like you will.

2. Onions make me want to vomit.

3. I love playing Battlefield 2. Its so much fun. Who wouldn't. I try to play on Thursdays when I can make time. Not every week though cuz Sook hates it even though she doesn't admit it.

4. I know I'm still a fatty but I have lost about 30Lb since May. Another...a lot to go.

5. What is it with Asian snacks? (Breads! cookies, cakes, ect. Oh and the Bread!) They are so good. It baffles me as to how they can still be so skinny over there.

6. 6 is my favorite number. who knows why.

7. I can look at electronics over and over again and I still want to look at them again. A guy has to dream I guess. My wife doesn't like to go that often though so I go when shes at the gym. Matt likes it too.

8.I hate working with number, I never planned on working with numbers and yet I am a data analyst. Amazing how things work out.

9. I am pretty forgetful. Wait... what was I saying? Oh yeah, forgetful. Yep.

10. I don't want an I-phone and really can never imagine buyine a Mac. I do have an I-pod though. Wish I would have gotten the Creative brand player though. Oh well. I have an I-pod and I'm a PC.

11. My family is a little nutty and very naughty. If you really know them you know exactly what Im talking about.

12. I play chess! Yes I'm a nerd but you knew that. This does make me even nerdier but its a great game. I might add that I'm pretty good or at least I used to be. I was even in the chess club.

13. Its linked to my last one but the chess team was the only sports team I was on during high school. You might say its not a sport but that would only be if you are that ignorant. Even ask our coach, Coach Stevens.

14. I teach a primary class every week. I have four very wild and cray kids. Wow it is one of the hardest things I have ever done. You would have to be there to really understand. One boy is autistic which presents different challenges.

15. My wife is Hott! If you dont believe me take a look. Ok...stop staring!

16. My keyboard has no letter "B" Because my little boy ripped it off and broke it.

17. Maximum PC is my favorite. Read it, study it, love it.

18. I graduated college in 3 or 3 1/2 years depending on how you count it.

19. When I was younger my favorite toy was GI Joes. I still have 4 or 5 huge boxes in my parent's garage.

20. Sometimes I eat Matt's snacks. 2 Cheerios for him one for me. What? They're good.

21. It has become a tradition that when I get home Matt crawls at top speed to me I pick him up kiss my wife and then Matt gets a kiss too. Its hilarious when he crawls at top speed because he often falls over because his little legs are moving faster than his little arms.

22. We have 4 laptops a desktop and 2 monitors but I still want to build a new computer.

23. I really like watches. I would have 50 if sook let me but they are so dang expensive. Some day I want a Rolex. It can replace my Rolox.

24. I think 24 is Awesome! Not the number, the show!

25. My mom won on The Price is Right. She won the showcase. Pretty cool huh? Well she won it twice. Craziness!!!

Am I really 28 years old today?

At 6:10 a.m., I wake up to a "Happy Birthday" song in bed. Sean comes into the bedroom with my favorite cake -Betty Crocker chocolate cake with layers of chocolate and coconut frosting. I am surprised because I don't hear Sean sing very often. I am still half asleep as I pretend to blow out candles in the end of the song - Sean realized that we didn't have any candles to put on the cake late last night and wanted to run to a store to get some but I forced him to go to bed because he planned to go to a cycling class at the gym at 4:45 a.m - But it's okay, it's the thought that counts. Sean asks me if I want a piece of cake and I say no. I'm not really a breakfast person and I am still so, so sleepy.

Wow, so it's been exactly 28 years since I saw the bright light of this world for the first time. I used to only think about myself on my birthdays. It's my day and everything should be centered around me, right? But as I get older - or it may be because I'm so far away from home... or maybe because I'm a mom myself - I have been thinking a lot about my MOM.

MOM -Umma in Korean- There is something about that word, don't you think? I think you appreciate your mom more and more as you get older. Whenever I am around Sean's family during holidays, I think about my mom and the things that we used to do together. My mom has always been proud of me - although I am not so sure if I have always been a daughter that she can be proud of but I try. When I was a teenager, I was sad because I thought she was the most miserable person on earth. And I always thought that it was my fault that she was misrable, sad, and unhappy. Well, time went on and we moved on. When I went and saw her with Sean and Matthew last year, she seemed to be doing whole lot better - She was no longer the miserable, sad, unhappy person I remembered. She laughed and joked around with her son-in-law whom she had never met in person before. I got her to laugh with her mouth open, her teeth showing - This was one of my biggest accomplishments in life. Now I have many pictures of mom smiling, proudly showing her beautiful teeth, not so self-conscious about the way she looks when she smiles. I was delighted that Sean and Matthew got along with her so well. Matthew never fussed with my mom. My mom would put him on her back and wrap him up and go outside for a long walk. One day, they were out looking at beautiful flowers for an hour or so and I was never worried because I knew mom was taking good care of Matthew. I just wish that I lived closer to her so she and Matt can bond more. I try not to think too much about mom because it makes me homesick. But I know distance makes our hearts grow fonder - It is true for mom and me. I think we are closer than ever because we have been far apart for a while, now we appreciate the time we are together even more because of it - although I wish we could see each other way more often!

So I thank mom for going through all the pain to give birth to me. I wasn't born in the best situation. - It was a stormy winter day. It had snowed up to your knees. There were no cars on the road. Mom couldn't make it to the hospital. Dad was on duty in military 2 miles away. He walked through the pile of snow for two hours and arrived at home just in time to deliver me. Mom was only 18 years old when she gave birth to me. - But my parents always say I am a blessing to them. Well, but I should say they are a blessing to me.

Happy birthday to me. I am grateful for you, mom and dad, for being there for me all the time. I love you and miss you very much.

엄마 아빠 사랑해요!!

I've been tagged!

25 Randoms about yours truly

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.

1. This is my second attempt to write this note... The first one I wrote was deleted and I'm pretty upset about that. Hopefully, I can remember what I wrote in the last note.

2. I've always hated my name (Yong-Sook) since I was a little girl. "Yong" means dragon and it's just not very ladylike. I always envied girls with pretty names. My grandpa gave me the name because I guess it was a tradition back then that grandparents name their grandchildren. My mom wanted to name me Ga-eul which means autumn. I wonder if my life would have been different with that name.

3. I never thought I would end up in America. I seriously considered going to Australia or Canada to study abroad. Maybe I would've learned to speak English with Australian accent if I went to Australia instead.

4. My baby boy Matthew thinks that he owns the world - he does- He's got a little bit of temper but hilarious and comical at times.

5. My husband thought I was Japanese when we first met.

6. I absolutely hate folding laundry. It's embarrassing but sometimes I keep clean clothes in laundry basket unfolded for several days...

7. I can't stand reality shows.

8. I am allergic to baby carrots. My tongue goes numb when I eat them.

9. I haven't had fast food since December 08. Go me! I plan not to eat fast food for a long time!

10. I puked in my mouth when I tried hot cereal for the first time on my mission.

11. I firmly believe that people "can" change but choose not to. Too many people try to justify their wrongdoings by blaming others but themselves.

12. Cleaning toilet and tub is Sean's job - He is so good at it - Thanks, Sean!

13. I think Best Buy should've gone out of busines, not circuit city. I can't stand their customer service. The sad thing is I keep going back there because they do have better deals on things than circuit city.

14. It bothers me when parents don't take care of their children.

15. I wonder why God created cockroaches.

16. I do not like playing sports. However, I do like hiking and exercising.

17. I am turning 28 tomorrow - Only 2 more years to 30! I never thought I'd be 30. Oh gosh, that means I will be 40 in 12 years.

18. I am addicted to facebook and blogging. I don't know what I did when there was no internet.

19. Malcolm in the middle cracks me up.

20. I wish all my close friends lived around here.

21. I am scared to open those pillsbury rolls tubes. Usually I have to wait for Sean to get home to cook those. I am terrified of those!!

22. Adam Sandler is overrated.

23. I love Korean snacks and cookies. Have you tried those? Yummm...!!

24. I miss all the crazy people I met on my mission.

25. It is interesting how all the D.A's in Law and Order: SVU look like super models.

January 2009 Update

Here are some of the things that happened in January...

• Matthew started clapping. When he is in a good mood or when he is proud of himself, he starts clapping. It is also fun when he claps whenever Sean and I clap. It is a good way to get his attention and also helps when he is fussy.


• Sean and I started going to the gym everyday (except for Sunday) and have been losing some weight. So that's good news. We plan to do this until we reach our goal and hopefully even after we reach our goal. Since we started exercising, we feel healthier and stronger. We are going to reward ourselves with a gift when we reach our goal. I am getting a nice cannon camera and Sean is getting a brand new desktop (He is going to build one just the way he likes it).


• Sean might be getting a new job at Sutter Health. Two of his bosses that he used to work with as an intern last year emailed him a job posting, saying that they would really like him back. It's a database analyst job, which is pretty much the same thing that he's doing right now but better pay and much better benefits. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he will get the job. So pray for us! (If he does get the job, we are seriously considering buying a house, maybe in the beginning of next year - everyone says to wait since they predict that the housing market will go down even more, up to 20%-


• Matthew is standing up a little.... He stood up for three seconds on his own the other day which was really exciting! Then he hasn't done anything like that in 3 days. I think he's just taking his time. I'm totally okay with it, though.


• My birthday is coming up on the 30th! I will be 28. Wow, I can't believe I am 28 already. I still feel like I'm 20 or something, well, except when I look in the mirror.. ha ha


• Obama became the new president of the United States. Although I am not fond of some of his plans and policies (I really do not like his pro-choice stand) but I am excited to see what kind of a president he will be. I hope that he will make some good changes that will help the economy and the people in America.

Here are some pictures of Matthew and the family.

I did Matt's hair that day. I was blow drying my hair in the bathroom and Matt came in. So I put some wax on his hair and blowdried it. It turned out cute, I thought. :)

After crawling around everywhere and fussying for a whle, he fell asleep on my lap.

Just posing for another picture...

On Sunday, we took Matthew to a park right by our apartment. He loves swings. So I decided that I am NEVER allowing Sean to take Matt to the park alone! Wow, he was pushing the swing way too high up!! I about screamed when I saw how high the swing went up!! Daddies are always too risky.... :) I kept on saying "Not too high!" and Sean didn't care anyway. Matt seemed to enjoy it, too. He was laughing and giggling. It was so cute.

A cute picture of Matty and Daddy.

Matt was attached to the swing so much, he had to bite it.

Matt enjoying the swing ride :)

Mommy and Matty

Sean insisted that we get the oak tree in the background...

Matt always makes the funniest face when taking pictures with his daddy.

We went down the slides. I am not so sure if Matt liked it or not... But I sure had fun going down the slides! :)

If you're interested...

I've always been very interested in learning about World War II and found a great show on History Channel the other night. It's about the resistance group that was organized to kill Hitler in Germnany. Recently, a famous director Brian Singer came out with a new movie called "Valkyrie". The show focuses on this Valkyrie: The plot to kill Hitler. It's pretty interesting.

Looking back...

Tomorrow, I will have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints exactly for 10 years. I was baptized in Korea on January 16th, 1999, just before I turned 18. Unfortunately I don't remember what exactly happened minute by minute but I do still remember the way I felt that day.

I always believed in God, even when I didn't have any religion. I went to a Catholic school for three years where I learned about Jesus Christ and his crucifixion. I loved the Catholic religion. I prayed before I ate even though I didn't really understand how to pray. But it broke my heart every time I watched the same video about Jesus' crucifixion every month. It was uneasy for me to watch the pain and suffering that Christ went through. I used to go to the chapel at school to meditate and pray.

I remember praying every night before bed. My prayers back then were very simple but sincere. I didn't exactly follow the prayer patterns that our church teaches. I just let it all out, whatever was on my mind. I loved to pray. I used to pray for a happy family. When that didn't work out, I stopped praying. I spent years crying over my parents unhappy marriage, all the abuse, and alcohol, pitying myself. I was not a happy person at all.

That's when I met the missionaries. Two of the greatest missionaries helped me understand the true meaning of happiness and how I could change myself, my attitude towards life. When I learned about Christ's atonement (I had not truly understood this until the missionaries explained it to me.), I nearly cried. When I read about Alma's affliction, I knew that I wasn't alone and that there was a way for me to overcome my negative feelings towards my family. That is when my journey of healing began.

About a month after I started meeting with the missionaries, I was baptized to be a member of the church. It was a very special day for me. My heart was filled with joy and love... the kind of love that I had never felt before. Not too long after I was baptized, I got back in touch with my mom (I hadn't talked to my mom in years). I love my mom. I am nothing without her. I am so glad that I didn't stay angry at her. It took me longer to get along with my dad. But I am almost there. I love him so much. I am so grateful for the changes that he has made in his life. He's a different person now. And my brother, he graduated from college in computer graphic design and works at a company that pays him to do what he loves doing. He is a very talented artist.

Joining the church completely changed my life. I don't know where I would be without the gospel. I truly appreciate all the great changes and blessings that it has brought in to my life. Heavenly Father has always been there for me through good and hard times. Sometimes I feel like I don't even deserve the blessings I receive from Him. People say being a member of the church is hard. But I think being a member of the church has made everything a little easier for me. I know we face trials and oppositions in our lives because of our beliefs but I know we become stronger and happier as we follow the commandments of God.

The last 10 years have been the greatest years of my life. I had an opportunity to serve the Lord as a missionary in Mesa, Arizona. I met some of the most amazing people there. I will never forget the feelings I felt during some of discussions and the visitors' center tours. God was there with me, leading me to His children. I also had an opportunity to go to the greatest school ever, Brigham Young University-Idaho. I learned not only Sociology but also the way of life I should live for the rest of my life. I met and married the most amazing guy, Sean, there. I used to pray for a kind, thoughtful, and cheerful husband. Well, Sean is all those things. I love him dearly so very much. Now, we have a beautiful and somewhat crazy baby boy in my life. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. I think I understand when people say "I could die for my children".

I know I am not perfect. There are so many attributes that I need to acquire throughout my life. That's the beauty of the gospel. It makes you want to be a better person everyday.

Matthew these days...

Matthew really enjoys dinner time. We always sit together for dinner and Matt loves it so much. He's been eating a lot better lately. He loves vegetable, fish, chicken, and cheerios. He still isn't too fond of sour fruit but he's beginning to like bananas a little more.



He was in a very good mood when I was taking these pictures.



Showing off his beautiful teeth. He has 7 teeth so far.



Matthew started clapping not too long ago. Whenever we clap, he claps too. It's the cutest thing ever!!! I love it.



I love that eye smile.



He's been raising his hands like that lately. It's so funny.







Matthew is obsessed with our kitchen. He always finds a way to crawl to the kitchen and gets into everything! We need to buy locks to keep Matthew away from getting into our cupboards but just haven't gotten around it.





At Cheesecake Factory... He's clapping again.





Look how big he's gotten!





Before we went for a walk.



Matthew loves swings.