International Day: Korea, and Josh

A few updated photos of Joshua

Here are a few new photos of Josh in case anyone in Korea checks this :) WE MISS YOU IF YOU ARE CHECKING UP ON US! Especially our friends at Tony Roma's...please check out our MySpace page also at http://www.myspace.com/melbamarie27

ENjoy the photos of Josh!

Back in the US for good

Hello to all our friends in Korea.... we miss you terribly! We miss the good Korean food... we are getting fat on the American food now! Here are some new photos of the fam! Also a few photos I took of the garden with my new camera!

GO KOREA!!!!!

Living in S. Korea means that we get to enjoy the excitement and enthusiasm that Korea has for its soccer team! Tonight, many celebrations are underway. I can't believe how the entire city of Seoul is gathering in large groups around Seoul just to watch the game on big screens. Its really cool, and I'm glad we got to be here and see this before leaving Seoul. We will miss this country because of their unsquelchable spirit. I have never seen an entire country with so much positive energy for something like this, its truly a cool experience! I am just dissapointed that I did not take my camera with me tonight to get pictures of this.

OUR boy is GROWING UP!

This is one of my favorite things these days, seeing my husband play with our son. Joshua is growing up now and loves to play with his Daddy. If he doesn't see his daddy in the morning, he says, "Daddy??" and looks around for him. They are the best of pals!



This photo was taken about one week before Joshua started to walk all on his own, which he now does on occasion!



Poor baby has been getting his top right incisor tooth and its taking FOREVER!

Josh's Birthday Dinner, and Gifts!

It's SO hard to believe that our baby boy is now 1 years old! He loved his toys sent by his Nana!

This is the toy that we gave to Joshua for his birthday, he really is enjoying it!
This was our dinner for Josh, he got to eat ribs!~
The morning of his birthday!

Joshua's 1st Birthday

Some photos of Josh's first birthday!!!

Joshua's Surgery Update

Well, we successfully crossed the pacific ocean and arrived at our destination on Wed. Feb. 8th. Joshua saw the dr. on Thursday and surgery was scheduled for Friday. The surgery went great! There were no complications and no problems or reactions to the anesthesia. Joshua is a healthy little guy so he fared well! The first day home was slow and he slept most of it. His parents were filled with glee since sleep was much needed after the 24 hours of travel. He's managing to be up more now than he was before, but is still very sleepy! The area that was operated on looks pretty nasty, but is actually alright. He'll have his catheter removed in ten days.... a day I'm very much looking forward to getting over with.

I'll post some photos soon of him.

Melissa

lost along the paper trail...

ever noticed how life accumulates endless amounts of paperwork? i am so annoyed with paperwork... I spent the day going through old statements, emails i saved, cards, pictures, scrapbooking materials, and all the other material things life throws at us. i have always wondered what life would be like if we lived longer ago. what annoyed them? was it when they ran out of firewood and couldn't keep their homes warm enough?? Or running out of time in the day to complete all the tedious tasks that demanded their attention? hmmm... not sure.

Recently while watching Korean tv, i realized that this country which is very modern is still rooted in many old traditions. i really respect this about Korea. i find it sooo unique that even in their modern, overpopulated city, they still ferment food on their porches in stone pots, have outdoor cooking areas in some places. this week as Korea celebrates Lunar New Year, I wish them the best in the years to come. they have maintained traditions that stretch back thousand of years, and yet they have many modern conveniences. Of course, some of those modern conveniences need to stretch a little further like providing changing tables for babies in more places. despite this, Korea takes the cake for maintaining such a balance.

~~Mel~~

A Day in the life of Josh and Nathan

Josh says HI everyone back home!!! I'm coming to see you really soon, and live there too!

Me and Josh :) We had fun taking pictures of ourselves :)

We aren't exactly shy!





Just a fun photo of the park.



Here's Nathan, who refused to stay in his stroller the last part of the day....Poor Sunny, she had to carry him back, it was like 2 miles.

Photos from Joshua's Baby Class

Here are a few photos from today, and also a photo of my friend Sunny with her son Nathan. :)

Dreams... Truth of Fiction?

So lately, I've been dreaming ALOT! I'm not quite sure what is up with this. Most of the dreams have ranged from very happy to very sad. Last night I was bothered by a nightmare in which a dear friend's husband had died. I'm not sure how to respond to a dream like this. I've never had one like it before. All I remember doing in the nightmare is sobbing uncontrollably, because I know how much it would hurt and how devastated my friend would be. Some truth is found in dreams, and I have to wonder what was the truth here, did it symbolize how much I care for my friend? She recently confided in me her distress and sadness about another situation. Maybe its the fact that a parent of a student has recently died and very suddenly. Anyhow, I know that dreams are fictitious at least I hope!

~~~ Melissa~~~

Have you Ever Wondered???

Have you ever wondered what the world be like if we confronted our problems or people that offend us? I've wondered this for awhile. Recently, my reputation was slandered and the effects are unimaginable. I often struggle with the desire to say how I really feel, and with what I know is appropriate and right to say instead. As much as I want to confront the person who has tried to destroy my career, I hesitate. I worry about the outcome or long term affects of such actions. By confronting would I be just as terrible as them? What if trying to set the record straight only blurs the line between right and wrong? Then enters the idea of what is right from a Christian point of view? Doesn't it say in Matthew to confront the person face to face? What happens if this person uses that ultimately to hurt you more? Just curious what anyone else thinks...

~~~~Melissa ~~~

Wonderful evening in S. Korea

Tonight, we had dinner at some friends' house, and the food was delicious!!!! The evening was ALOT of fun. We enjoyed a meal with mostly Korean speakers, but I find it amazing that even in a room where people cannot communicate 100%, fun can still be had by all. Josh enjoyed rolling around and all the attention that he received. He loves going out, he's a real social butterfly!
Upon arriving home we discovered that Josh might be attempting to pull himself up to a standing position. Children grow too fast. Even in the first month that he was home I cried while thinking about how fast he was already changing and that someday he'd grow up and leave. I think all parents realize this at some point or another. This baby whom is completely depending on you for everything will one day be self-sufficient and hopefully a positive contributor to the world around them. He's so wonderful and we are enjoying him while he still views us as the best thing since sliced bread. I'm sure it won't last forever!

That's all for tonight, we are thankful for many things... our son, and friends that are so kind.

photos of josh today

This is Joshua's handstand that he keeps doing for us ALL the time, crazy, huh?

Josh is enjoying playing by himself in his own room these days... I guess he's getting to an age where he can be more independent, I wonder who he takes after! Its a mystery!

here we go...

So here we go... we've entered the world of the bloggers... we hope to use this as a way to share our life experiences and our photos. Please visit often. We'll do our best to keep it updated!