A Hiking We Will Go!

So, our Young Women have been working on Pre-Certification for YW's Camp, and since we're hiking in an open field at an old Army Post, hiking was one of those requirements. So last night for Mutual we ventured off on our 4-ish mile hike. There are some fantastic trails behind our apartments and our camp director's apartments. I don't know about the rest of the girls, but I am S-O-R-E today! Erin, our camp director took us up these seriously steep hills and said the rest was easy. I should have known "easy" was a reletive term (Erin's the super fit and sporty one with the bright pink pants). Yeah. Me and my big belly were huffing and puffing nearly the whole way! But, it was all good! We had lots of fun and great memories! Here's some before pictures of us all!

Memorial Day Fun

I hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day spent with family and friends! We decided to spend the morning at Everland (the Korean version of Disneyland) and had lots of fun. Although, Kami was in a daze for most of the morning. She fell alseep in the car just as we got there, so most of the time she acted as if all she wanted to do was crawl back into her carseat and go to sleep. She perked up a little bit after we got her an ice cream cone...nothing like waking your kid up by putting sugar in them! Anyway, here's some pictures of our day:

See what I mean? Kinda sleepy looking!

This ride is kind of like the teacups at Disneyland....and Kami didn't like it so much! She learned lots of description words like: fast! around and round! scary! sad!

She did start to enjoy herself a little more in the ball room. Drew had lots of fun trying (and succeeding) at pegging us in the head with these soft balls. We got him back, though! :^)

And finally she really started having fun at the water that spurted out of the ground! Sugar must have kicked in then!

YW Lesson #19, cont.

Okay. So, I'm not so uncreative! As I was studying the lesson more and reading about Lehi and the tree of life, I had the thought of a fruit tray of some kind with the message attached that would say something like: "A Fruit Desirable Above All Others. What Kind of Ancestor Will You Be?". I was wanting to tie the tree of life dream to the point that the greatest tradition you can leave your posterity is a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, after looking around my house, here's the final outcome of my original idea.

As we were talking about the tree of life and were describing the fruit, I took one of the handouts from the middle of the table, and as the girls described it as being very white, I laughed and said, "Yes! So, white in fact, it was purple!" ;^) So, if you want to change the color of your tissue paper to more accurately show the description of the fruit, go ahead!

Potty Training Blues

Okay. I think I must be the worst mom out there when it comes to potty training. I know so many moms I talk to would love to have their two-year old potty trained. But, for some reason I'm the one resisting this next step to toddlerhood. Kami's all sorts of ready to go. At first she would just tell me when she went potty in her diaper. So, I put off any potty training (except for putting her on the potty before a bath) because she couldn't tell me when she had to go potty. Then, she started taking off her diaper. Argh. So, we switched to pull-ups. But, she still would only tell me when she went, and not when she needed to go. NOW, she's not only taking her pull-ups off, I think she's also telling me when she has to go potty. Like today, I put her down for a nap and all of the sudden I hear her say, "N da Toy-et, N da Toy-et" over and over again. I ignored her because I figured she was just telling me that she went potty in her diaper again. A few minutes later, she was still saying "N da Toy-et", so I went to check on her. She had taken her pull-up off and had gone potty in her bed! And again, tonight, she pulled her pull-up off and said, "Sitz Toy-et, Sitz Toy-et"; me, being just lazy, kind of said, "yeah, yeah, yeah" and didn't hurry to help her on the pot. When I finally did, she was standing by the potty and the floor was wet! Poor Kami!!! I think I'm going to have to finally break down and go to the store tomorrow and buy her some big-kid panties. Maybe I'll have a little more energy when Drew's home the end of this week, too. But, either way, I think Kami's ready to be out of her diapers and pull-ups. With or without mommy being ready!

Mary Jane Socks Boy Alternate

So, okay. Are these not the cutest alternate to the Trumpette Mary Jane Socks?? They're called Johnny Golf socks. Yep. I'll be buying these for AJ! Our little future golfer!

YW Lesson #19 - Heritage

Okay, first of all, I have to admit. I'm not as creative as you all think me to be. That's right, the word is finally out; I'm a copycat. I was even telling the Sisters in an Enrichment Lesson that I gave on Scrapbooking a few weeks ago, 90% of the work I do in my scrapbooks I have recieved direct inspiration from sombody else. Sometimes my creations end up looking simalar to those I mark in the magazines, and sometimes they turn out completely different.

So. Okay. A few months ago, I stumbled upon this super-ultra-cool-holy-cow-is-this-lady-creative-blog. She taught YW's in a ward in California and always had the cutest handouts that would sometimes work with what I was wanting to get across to the girls. Unfortunatly for me and I'm sure the many other people who checked out her blog for lesson ideas and inspiration, she moved from her ward and no longer teaches in the YW's. :^( So, for nastalgia's sake, I check her blog now and again (and hoping that her new ward will also call her into the YW's program!). Then I had the thought. Ya know, I'm not too shabby when it comes to computer stuff, I wonder if I can sort of create my own lesson handouts using direct inspiration from her handouts. So, I gave it a shot this week, and it turns out, I think I did a pretty good job of creating something that she might have created herself. For those who want to check out all the other cool projects this sister creates, here's her blogsite: http://www.angbrimwil.blogspot.com/ .There. Now that that's out there, I thought I'd post the lesson handout I created for YW's this week:

I am also notorious for including Personal Progress Worksheets (again, not my idea, but I did spruce up what someone already created quite a bit!), in my lessons. I really love this idea because I feel that it really shows the girls that both what we talk about in church on Sunday and what they are working on on their own really goes hand in hand. I look back at my own Young Women's experience, and as fantastic as what it was, I always felt that the Sunday YW's at the Personal Progress Program were two different things. Sometimes we'd work on PP during weeknight activities, but never do I remember them being talked about in church on Sunday. My goal is for these young women to leave church on Sunday wanting to know more; and more for themselves. In steps the Personal Progress Program. Okay, so I'm not sure if my theory really works, but, it's worth a try! Maybe sometimes, some of them go home and complete a PP Value Experience. :^)

He Did It!

Yay! Drew got his final grades back from his classes this semester and he has now officially graduated with a Masters in Electrical Engineering! I am so incredibly proud of him and all the work he has done these past few years to get to where he's at now. It's not easy meeting the demands at work, deploying overseas for months at a time, moving...twice, taking care of the needs of our family and on top of that making time for attending classes and studying (often times into the wee hours of the morning!). He's back in Colorado right now, taking a break from Korea and his super stressful job. He did get to go down to Arizona and attend his graduation ceremony at ASU (go Sun Devils!), as well as squeeze in some golfing time while he was at it! We miss him lots and look forward to him coming home next week! :^)

Conversations & Things She Says

So, I know I keep saying at each stage in Kami's life that each stage is my favorite (minus the "NO!'s", throwing things and tantrums). But, I think I'm really loving this stage in her life when she is learning so many words (some I didn't even know she knew!) and being able to hold a pretty good (I think) conversation with me. One of my favorites from yesterday went like this:

We were driving home from the base and I started talking about Kami's friends. So I said to her:
Me: Kami, you have so many friends here, let's try and list them all!
Kami: Ha-ee.
Me: Yep. Hailey.
Me: Harley.
Kami: Har-ee.
Me: Let's see. Charlee.
Kami: Cha-ee.
Kami: Pocher.
Me: Chopper?
Kami: Yes.

So, Chopper is our friends dog. Sure! He can be Kami's friend, too, right?

She's also on the verge on potty training (we've had a number of successes), since she's telling us when she's going potty. Here's how that conversation usually goes:

Kami: Phee-you!
Me: Did you go potty?
Kami: Yes! N da toi-yet. (pointing to her diaper)

I'm trying to get her to tell me when she needs to go, instead of when she's going/or went. I'm also working with her on knowing the difference between her diaper and the toilet.

And, I couple of my favorite things she says:
"Mommy ca-ee you?" (aka, Mommy hold/carry me?)
"He fu-nee" (usually says this about Mr. Noodle from Sesame Street)

I never realized what a challange motherhood could be. And after a long, long day it all becomes worth it when for no reason at all, your child come up to you, gives you a great big hug and says, "MOMMY!!" Even after you've kind of been a meanie. I am amazed at the unconditional love Kami has. I feel lessons learned almost every day that I'm around her.

The Burning Question on Everyone's Mind....

Okay, I've gotten so many email from different people, I don't even remember who has asked the question and who I've answered. So, I thought this an appropriate place to reveal how we came up with the name AJ so quickly, does it stand for anything and if so, what.

I think almost every couple before they get married, thinks and talks about having kids (if you are engaged and haven't discussed this.....I really think you should, by the way!), right? Well, when Drew and I were engaged and even years into our marriage, we not only talked about kids, we tossed around name ideas, too. Here's the list of names that both did and did not make the cut: Kamden Renee, Savannah Nicole (anyone seen the movie 'Savannah Smiles'? it was my favorite when I was a kid - that's where this name came from), AJ, Donavan Anton. I also liked Malory Rae (*wink at my sister!*), but Drew wasn't a fan of the name Malory. :^(

How did we decide on AJ so quickly? Drew's best friend in college was named Donavan, but went by Donny. I quickly nixed the 'Donny' idea. No offense to my father and brother who share the name Donald or Don. I've just never been a Donny fan. I would want him called by his full name and no other nicknames. But with a name like Donavan, there's too much temptation for other people to use the nicknames. Anyway...long story there. Sorry. So, AJ it was!

Does AJ stand for anything? It absolutely does! His full name will be Andrew Jerome; after Drew and Drew's dad! So, I was thinking one day of something that would be a cool family tradition. So, Drew's full name is Andrew Peter (Peter after his grandpa), our baby is named Andrew Jerome (Jerome after his grandpa), so, wouldn't it be cool if AJ grew up, got married, had a baby boy and named him *fill-in-the-blank* Andrew (after his grandpa) and so on and so on? I guess it's really not for me to decide that, but I thought it would be cool. Do you hear me future generation???? ;^)

So. There you all go. You are now all the wiser! Now...I'm going to bed, because I'm really starting to do some crazy blogging here! LOL!

Feth Look-alike Meter

Okay, I'll admit it! I was totally snooping around other peoples blogs this evening after Kami went to bed! I found a link from my friend, Ruths' blog to a family that recently visited Korea (they're husband/father is on a one year remote tour here) and I actually met them at church. Anyway, I think they are just fantastic people! So, here's what I found on Veronica's website, that I thought I'd give a try. Alright, I've got to ask. What do you think of this assesment?

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Vintage pics - Roots

Lantern Festival

Sunday was a unique day for me. All but one of my Young Women were out of town, so we only had one girl to teach! So, we decided instead of having a lesson, we'd lend our help to the Primary. Me, on the other hand decided with Drew that we would take a family trip (with some friends from Drew's work) to Seoul to the Lantern Festival in celebration of Buddah's birthday. It was pretty cool. They had a street festival with tons of things for kiddos to do and make. In the evening they had a parade, but we didn't make it that long. Kami and I were both about done by dinnertime. But, we had a really fun time. As you can see, I'm sporting a Buddah belly of my own! I'm not sure how much of this is baby and how much is, for some reason with this pregnancy I cannot stop eating! In another picture, you see just what a crowd Kami can attract. Craziness!

On a seperate note, we have been having some absolutly beautiful days here in Korea! So, today Kami and I met up with a bunch of friends from church and ate lunch in the park! She was nice and worn down for her afternoon nap! Muaah! What a tricky mom I am! ;^) Okay, I'm off to get Kami ready for bed!