Scotch. Handguns. Family. Cake. 40...nuf said.

My Freddy turned the big 40 on the 18th of this month and I have been blessed to be involved in the last decade of those birthdays! It has been such a gift to witness first hand the life-giving changes that God has made in those 10 years. Love you sweetie! What will he have for you in the next ten years? I'm looking forward to walking in that with you!

Rest in Peace

My grandma. What can I say besides She...Was...AWESOME. She was tough and kind. She was the quintessential little Italian Grandma and showed her love through food. She would cook 10 pies in one sitting to make sure we used up those apples and would have something warm to enjoy in the middle of winter. She cooked pots and pots of sauce and made sheets and sheets of ravioli. She fed us and loved us. She was a mean poker player, and I spent many full afternoons drinking 7-up floats and playing Chang Hi Rummy, or as we lovingly called it, Grandma Wins.

Tonight my grandma met Jesus, in person. Rena Georgi Conley past way after 99 years and 7 months. She was loved and I miss her.

*poof* 2 Months Goes By

It's no mystery that time flies.

It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating Elsie's 3rd Birthday... but now it's 8 weeks later! I don't think it's having a lack of things to write about, but rather, being so caught up living life that we seldom find time to take a step back and think or talk about life. That's when I remembered that this is not simply a scratchpad for us, but also (hopefully) a collection of snapshots throughout Elsie and Elias' lives for them to be able to revisit later in their lives.

SO, having said that, the last two months have been very fun, challenging, and wonderful. We've had some sicknesses run through the house (RSV - respiratory somethingerother virus) which turned Elsie into a barking seal and contender for the longest continuous snot-stream to exit a human being.

Elias also has been dealing with his first cold, but it has been concurrent with the introduction of 6 new teeth. Yes, you read that correctly - SIX. Poor little guy is going from 2 teeth to 8 in one fell swoop. Little overachiever. This does, however, explain why he has been slightly less than interested in eating, sleeping, or smiling.... but thankfully mostly all of those teeth have cut now and he's back to being himself... whatever that means as he seems to be changing daily.

She's Three

On January 21st, 2010, Elsie turned three. No big fanfare or anything, just a really nice time with immediate family and her best friend Evey and the Myers.

What a fun and interesting three years it has been! Elsie has learned and grown so much. We love her.

Without further ado.... pictures.

 

A winged Elsie in a BEAUTIFUL outfit her ever-talented Halmuni made for her.

 

Closer view of the outfit. Good color for her!

 

The overachiever version of cupcakes from her loving mommy. 

 

It didn't take much cajoling to get her in her princess dress that her Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Ed got for her.

 

Evey in the fairy princess outfit.... and Andrew's butt. I couldn't crop this without making it look really awkward.... which Andrew is probably feeling right about now.

 

The princesses.

 

Can you tell that the teen years are going to be fun?

 

Our little girl.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. - Psalm 127:3

You are such an amazing blessing to us Elsie. We love you. Happy birthday Elsie-girl!

It's Not All Roses

So, it has occurred to me lately that most of this blog is flowers, smiles, and blissful moments and as we all know, the contrasting moments make these so sweet.

The last week has been one of those weeks with the girl. You know (or maybe not), one of those weeks where you would trade your child for a bag of Skittles?.. and not even a big bag, just a Halloween fun-size.

So here are some thoughts from the dark side of the moon.

• Soon to be parents or parents with newborn/infants - For whom does the bell toll? YOU. Your turn is coming.
• Parents that either have kids that are this age, or parents that have older kids - pray for us, you know where we're at.
• Parents that can't relate at all - please send us a sample of your happy pills.

Discipline your son, for there is hope. Do not set your heart on putting him to death. - Proverbs 19: 18

Harrumph.

Sure He Smiles, but Does He Laugh?

Anyone who has met, or seen pictures of the boy knows that he smiles. A lot.

Interestingly enough, while he smiles more than Elsie did, he definitely doesn't laugh like she did. As a matter of fact, it's somewhat of a challenge to get him to laugh.... unless you're Elsie.


Laughing with Sister from Fred Choi on Vimeo.

Not Hiding Behind the Lens

I'm usually the one hiding behind the viewfinder of the camera, but here are a few pics Dana snapped that came out. Please keep comments positive.

Discussing the upcoming photo session.

Level of participation - low.

Good enough... and with a 2.5 year old, good enough is perfection.