Thankful Thursday

There have been some low points and deep valleys for our family during the past 3 and a half years.  So during the peaceful times and the windows of respite that the Lord gives us, it's hard not to be utterly thankful.  That's how I've been feeling this week.  And so I'm going to try and resume my weekly lists of thanksgivings starting today.

1. Mike's mom is back in Maryland right now with Miriam.  It was a sad good-bye but we're hoping, a very temporary one.  I'm thankful that the Lord is sustaining them despite the pain of being back at home without Dad's presence.  I'm thankful that Mike got to spend extended time with his Mom after the busyness of funeral preparations and other logistics.  I'm thankful that when I looked in our patio one day, I saw remnants of Grandma's time with her grandkids and that in spite of her heartache, she had a joyful time with them.



2.  I'm thankful that we finally taught Audrey how to play Checkers.  She's hooked!  Totally reminds me of when I was her age and I was so happy to win a game against my mom or dad, even if I knew they let me win.  Thankful that Marcus also thinks he's playing too, and screams during the whole game because he's so excited to play a big-kid game with his sister.



3. I'm thankful that Audrey has such great taste in fashion.  (I will devote an entire post to her relationship with clothes in the near future.)



4. I'm thankful that Marcus had a rockin' session of PT this week.  It's so neat to see that he's slowly gathering the missing pieces of his physical development in order to learn to walk independently one day, Lord-willing.  Our homework with him over the next few weeks is mid-range control and bending of the hips and knees.  Very thankful that Marcus has been enjoying his time with Mr. Mark and that he gives the biggest smiles during his workouts.









5.  I'm thankful to have 3 kids.  I can't believe God gave me 3 children!!!









6.  Derek is like honey, sugar, and maple syrup all combined into one huge roll of buttery dough.  I remember writing this post with such a heavy heart and thinking for 9 months that it would be a miracle if Derek turned out to be healthy.  It turns out that God allowed him to be healthy...and boy is he healthy!  I don't take it for granted that he is grabbing for toys, lifting his head up so well, tracking our faces and voices with his eyes, and smiling at us without us even saying word.  He's not yet sleeping through the night, but I hold him at 3am with my hair in a crazy ponytail and my glasses on crooked, not knowing really where I am, but certain that I am profoundly grateful for our sweet Derek.







(BTW, he's teething already.  Oh boy!)

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

It's my dad's birthday tomorrow.  Many of you know that both Mike's dad and my dad are pastors and that they are both extremely musical.  My dad (and mom) majored in music and then he became a music teacher before he came to the States where he continued his musical talents and conducted many choirs at different churches.  To this day, he still uses his musical training at church and also to reach out to the community through music classes.

I thought I'd try to give my dad an appropriately musical birthday greeting from the kids to show that his musical talents have been passed down to his grandkids.  Little did I know that it would also be a chance to show him that his rascally qualities have also been bestowed on his grandson.

Happy birthday, Dad.  We love you and miss you!  Enjoy!  (And please excuse my son.)

My Little Bieber

For some reason, I really want to see the Justin Bieber movie.  Not that I've ever really listened to his songs or stalked him like I did with NKOTB.  So I'm not sure why I want to see it so bad.

Maybe it's because my son is starting to look like his Asian counterpart.





Maybe because all Marcus ever wants is more instruments to add to his collection.



But Bieber's got nothing on Marcus.  I bet JB never did #1 and #2 while jamming on the keys.

3 Weeks of Love

Most people get just one day to celebrate Valentine's.  We scored and got 3 weeks of love with Mike's mom staying with us.



She left the 10-inch snow to take a breather in the mild California winter.





And she finally got to meet her newest grandson.



Before his passing, Mike's dad came up with Derek's Korean name:  Tae Hee, which means "great and profound joy".  It turns out he's living up to his name.



Grandma also got to see how much Audrey loves brother #2.



And how much Marcus loves him too music.  Here he is, jamming on the new saxophone he got from Grandma.  We're seriously considering throwing him on a busy street corner to start him on a part-time job.



A visit from Grandma wouldn't be the same without a trip to Yogurtland...which is always a spiritual experience for my children.







And she knows it's never too young to start them early.



The older ones were so thrilled that they erupted in spontaneous kisses.



It was actually a full day of love for Marcus.



He and his gang at school exchanged Valentines.





And hugs.



And I got to crash the party.



Audrey was full of the Valentine's spirit as well.





Derek has got a thing for grandmas.  Boy, was he spoiled with cuddles and giggles and kisses.  After the sweet bond they've forged over the past few weeks, he is going to have some major G-ma withdrawal after she heads back to Maryland tomorrow.



When Derek was born, I thought he was God's gift to us.  But now, I'm wondering if he was actually meant to be the balm to Grandma's soul.  The timing of Grandpa's death and Derek's birth seem to be weaved together from above, and though the loss of her love can never be replaced, we're seeing that Derek is doing a pretty good job of making her fall in love with him.