The day of gadgets

You know I honestly miss the days of not so many gadgets.  Especially the communication kind.  Like so many others on the internet have said we've forgotten how to communicate thanks to the internet avenues like Facebook or texting. 

My boys got Ipod Touches for Christmas.  I loaded some freebie apps on them, but that was it.  Well, neighbor boy who has little to no rules and free reign over anything he want had all kinds of apps and proceeds to load them onto my boys'.  The boys just handed them over.  He's 10 like Chase.  So not very old to have free reign, and not responsible enough for it either.  He put a texting app on.  I only found out because Cole answered the phone and the answering machine picked up with H saying to text him.  So I questioned him, naturally.  I let it go so I could think about it a bit.  I decided that while I wanted to trust the boys I needed to see what they were doing with their texting ability along with seeing what other apps were loaded.

That ended up being the only app I had an issue with.  Chase hates these fangled ways of communication so he hadn't used it.  Cole, on the other hand, had quite a few text conversations.  One was with one of Chase's other 10 yo friends who used cuss words most adults would be offended by.  Granted Chase isn't close friends with him...thank goodness.  But, I was appalled.  Of course, Brian tells me that he guesses most boys this age talk like that.  This is being heard by me, a girl who didn't say her first cuss word until well into teenage years and I remember apologizing to God for it.  Cole was never mean mean and never used foul language, but H had given Cole his girlfriend's (yes girlfriend, eye roll) cell number so he could text her, pretend he was someone else and bug her.  It worked.  She was perturbed.  He wasn't rude or hateful; just annoying.  Really annoying. 

So, after all that I deleted the app and told them that if H ever downloaded on their Touches again without me seeing what it was they would be taken away.  I then called H and told him (very nicely) that he needed to do me a favor and not do that anymore since it's my house rules or he couldn't come to my house anymore.  He actually respects me and listens pretty good to me once I talk to him.  At home he seems to have no rules, so he does whatever. 

I'm waiting for the day that the 14 year old (almost) matures enough for me to EVER trust him with a cell.  He needs to learn now he can't use texting to aggravate anyone.  It could get you into a world of hurt you do not want to enter.  I'm PRAYING lesson learned.

How wonderful it was

to drop off a check in the mail for our condo today.  It was snowing pretty good out and I was on my way to drop off a check so we could go on a vacation with some friends this summer.  I can hardly wait!  I'm as excited as the kids.  I'd love to do one of those things where it's this big secret until then, but I can't do that.  I can't stand it myself.

So, I confess I'm a bit nervous.  This is our first vacation since having kids (yeah 5 in 13 years) that we've done a vacation without my family (mom, stepdad, sister and brother-in-law).  The couple we've been able to take in these years has been us tagging along with my mom and stepdad to their timeshare.  While it has always been a great time and oddly enough I love being a small 2 bedroom condo with all of us together, but since we always had kids and so many I did feel a little bad. 

I've spent the last week emailing around trying to get estimates on the cost to go there, etc.  I was SO happy when we got an email and it was only $1500 for the entire week...and then we get to split it with some friends.  We weren't really planning to spend any money on a vacation before our big Korea trip in a couple of years.  Especially, since that will exhaust pretty much whatever we have by then, but with Cole's heart surgery in the next couple of years we decided we needed a vacation before all of the unknowns of when and how long set in.  Plus, honestly, I don't think he had too much fun on vacation a few years ago when we tagged along to FL with the parents.  I can understand though.  Who would want to be 11, go to FL and just have had an appendectomy and told you can't swim.  Though we did break the rules the last day.  I couldn't take it and we put on a massive waterproof bandage.  And then you've got the whole Chelsi had her febrile seizure on the same trip and spent the night in the ER in Orlando and STILL had a 90 minute drive back to the condo.

EEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm just so excited!!!

The icky green goo

That describes quite a few of us off and on since two weeks before Christmas.  Nice huh?

I haven't written since the day after because, well, that's the day I started getting sick.  It all started after Jaemin headbutted me right in the nose.  Talk about an eye waterer that made me cry and really want to scream.  I had a slight black eye a couple of days later, but not bad considering how bad it hurt.  Anyways, two weeks before Christmas Jaemin and Chase had bad colds.  They both have asthma that creeps up with colds and allergies, so they always sound really bad. Right before Christmas they both cleared up and seemed fine, so no doc.  Right after Christmas they both got sick again.  Poor guys.  Cole got sick too, but he got better so quick.  For a heart kid, he's pretty darn healthy, knock on wood.  Chelsi's starting in now.  Just for the record, she's not green....yet.

Chase swore up and down he was getting better so he didn't go to the doctor.  However, I was feeling pretty bad and Jaemin couldn't seem to shake it and was running a fever over the New Year, so he went too.  Poor guy had a sinus infection and ear infection.  I only had a sinus infection.  His ear infection was the first I've ever had in one of my kids in 13 years.  Can you believe that?  He hadn't eaten much of anything in a couple of days, so I'm glad she gave him an antibiotic.  He's now on day 2 of his meds and his cough still sounds horrendous, but he's running crazy again and eating a little more, so that's better.  He actually asked for 'more' at supper tonight.  That's my normal little guy.  I'm really not bad, but dang if I could just stop coughing.  I've had a hot totty and every medicine that's supposed to quiet coughs and nothing works.  I'm hoping for no coughing fits tonight.  Jaemin sleeps right through though.  Little stinker!

4 Christmases

Not the movie.  We've just had 4 days of Christmas.  Brian actually said "I'm glad I have to work tomorrow".  He said he's tired of all the getting and going.  Thursday night we were just home, so we let the kids open their presents from one of their grandparents (out of state) so they could enjoy and not be so overwhelmed.  Oh, yes, the woes of being spoiled by everyone. 

Friday (Christmas Eve) we went to Brian's grandparent's for the big family Christmas dinner and the kids got some small gifts there.  Then, we had to leave for church and came home to find out Santa had come and the kids had more gifts.

Saturday we went to breakfast at Brian's parents and more gifts.  We took the kids home for a small nap and then went to my moms for dinner with the big family.  No more gifts there, but tons of food. 

This morning we had breakfast at my moms and yep, more gifts.  Now we're done with Christmas and I know everyone is tired!  So after all those days of Christmas, I narrowed down the pictures quite a bit.  I really didn't take too many anyways because I'd rather sit back and watch the kids enjoy.  We don't usually have big Christmas', as in big gifts.  First I don't want to spoil the kids, even if we could afford that and second we usually can't afford as much as a lot of their friends get.  I know that doesn't necessarily mean they can afford it, but that conversation is for a different day.

The kids got everything they wanted.  I really, really don't think there was anything left.  They had made lists early on and dispersed them to grandparents, Godparents and great-grandparents.  They were extremely surprised this Christmas.  I do NOT want to hear "I'm bored." for a very long time.

Here are their pictures.  Kaelin seemed to be the most surprised about everything.

My two best buddies.

Jaemin wanted his cousin to be his baby last night.

This show gets my heart every single year!

http://www.tv.com/video/10510653/home-holidays--home-is-like-open-arms?tag=vid_carousel;vid;2

Unfortunately, I missed the original airing.  I haven't missed in years!  But, watch the various clips here if you need a cry.  I cry every single time, every single clip!  These kids and families are amazing!

My baby girl is an actress!

Yep, she's only 5 and got her first part, very small but speaking part, in a play.  She's already in bed and I'd just checked their website, so she doesn't even know it yet.  She auditioned last night and they were finishing up tonight.  After auditions last night she didn't want to do it.  She really wanted to audition, but I think she got kind of rattled at the audition.  I couldn't prep her since I had no idea what to expect. 

She can fully read at a 3rd grade level, but was too scared to do it then.  But, when the director would give her her line she's say it loud and proud with plenty of tone.  They couldn't help but oohh and aahh over her, which I think made it a little scarier for her.  She completely chickened out afterward and told me she didn't want to do it anymore.  I told her just to think about it because I was afraid she'd regret it.  It took a lot more nerve than I have to even audition and she did that much completely on her own.  So, this morning I asked her if she felt differently about it and she said she was ready to be in the play.

Looks like I get to tell her in the morning she got it.  She's only in a couple of scenes and only has several lines, but that's really great for her first play anyways.  Very proud of her to be so brave to do something I would never have done.

Just as a precursor, I wanted to say not to take offense to what I have to say.  I'm not good with words, so I don't always quite convey what I mean in a well constructed manner.   Basically, some of the things have to say are just my interpretations of certain areas of the world based on both personal observations and just things learned through other avenues.  This does not make them true and I'm well aware of that.  It may sound very stereotypical from time-to-time, but it's not really meant that way.  I'm just pondering.

I just finished watching a movie about Apache Indians.  Not a true story by any stretch....just a story.  But, everytime I watch a movie with Indians I can't help but wonder where I came from.  I've said time and time again that I feel no culture for myself.  I know of people who eat corned beef and hash on St. Patricks Day or celebrate certain ethnic holidays such as Cinco De Mayo.  We celebrate the US customary holidays as well as our Christian holidays.  But I find the blends of other cultures and customs from other countries so intriguing.  When I used to study my ancestry (years ago) I had found the mixture I came from.  This did not help how I felt lost.  Even my very German side no longer really celebrates anything German.  I mean there's no particular foods and no body speaks German any longer.  Probably since my great grandmother passed away years ago.

My dad's side is even more complicated.  That's where I found evidence of Choctaw Indian; even though by his mother's account (my grandmother) they're Cherokee.  We have never found this evidence though.  There are family stories and many of them, including her name.  His family is also directly from England with a mixture of French, Irish, Spanish, German and Scandinavian.  As Brian says, this makes me a mutt because he's 100% German.  Though I sometimes tell him he's just American like me.

So, when I watch movies I sometimes wonder if some of me is becoming of my biological beginnings.  Do I have certain instincts because of my Indian ancestry?  And really I have fairly good instincts.  Do I believe in signs and look for them for the same reasons?  Am I sort of prim and proper sometimes because of my English ancestry?  Yes, the girls at work like to make fun of me because they can easily make my face turn red with conversation.  It takes very little.  Not to mention, though you can't always tell it here, that I tend to speak fairly properly.  I take it upon myself to constantly correct the kid's English as if I were a teacher.  Bad habit, I know.  I see my very dark brown eyes and wonder where I came from.  But am thankful for those same eyes that give me likeness to my Korean born children.

In turn, I wonder if my Korean born children will have certain tendencies biological to their own ancestry?  Will they wonder...very possible, one of them will, at least.  But will certain things just come to them because of where they came from, not because of who or how they were raised?  I have trouble thinking not.  I already see likenesses to the few facts I know about their birth families.  I sometimes dream about what they will be like as they grow older.  I wonder if these likenesses and the things they seem to be drawn to will continue over the years as if they knew the loves their birth families had? 

I just can't help but wonder how biology plays a part in who we are and who we become.  The mixes of where we came from.  I mean, as the US grows older the mixes, like myself, will become more and more.  I think you will eventually find fewer families that are all Jewish, all Irish, all German. 

Honestly, I'm not even sure where I was going with this or where I want to go.  I guess it's just some thoughts I have that seem to pop back into my head over and over again.  And I think because of how I feel about my backgrounds I tend to cling to my Korean born children's culture even more.  It feels more like my own sometimes.  All in all, I'm just American.  I know that.  They are too.....now.  But, I love culture and traditions.  There's nothing better than having that to remember and fall back on for comfort.