MERRY CHRISTMAS!

our tree

so we put up our tree a couple weeks ago--it was pretty low-key but still done in the hwang tradition, pulling out ornaments and remembering where they come from, who they were from, etc. the kids just love helping to decorate. and jeff does a grande job of all the grunt work--lights included. i love my role of making sure the Steven Curtis Chapman Christmas CD is on and the hot tea is made.

i am trying SO hard (and hope you are too) to sit still in the midst of this exciting advent season--Christmas truly is wondrous to me when i absorb its magnificence and beauty--all in a baby.

our prayer each evening is simple:
"Thank you God for baby Jesus."

fun at the cracker barrel

on the way home from our thanksgiving in baltimore we stopped for dinner at the cracker barrel. as we arrived noah says, 'let's take our camera and you can take a picture of me and joshua in the rocking chairs.' 'okay,' i reply! so here they are! so cute.

hot cocoa

it's been quite cold--something that i actually enjoy! it seems like, as dear becky said yesterday, that a cold winter hasn't been had for many years. so it's cold and my boys are LOVING hot cocoa! this is a shot of joshy having his first cup ever. i'm realizing now that the mug he has is one given to me by jeff when we were dating! fun. stay warm out there!

the band

i frequently find my boys in noah's room, cd playing the doodlebops, and jamming out on their instruments. love the new peanuts shirts too!

thanksgiving was a real vacation for us. we enjoyed a fun night in a hotel on the drive up, great time being cooked for (yes!) on the actual holiday, riding ponies & trains and making a gingerbread house at the festival of trees, visiting jeff's aunt and uncle in D.C. for a great chinese meal, and finishing our drive with a stop at the cracker barrel and watching too many dvd's in the car.

now we're preparing for christmas around here and it's quite soul warming for us all.

happy thanksgiving!

we're heading to baltimore tonight to celebrate the holiday with my brother and his family. may we all be reminded of the power of gratitude and the beauty of a thankful heart.

the thanksgiving feast

noah had his first thanksgiving feast at school today. it was so fun! they dressed up like pilgrims and indians and made pumpkin pie, cranberry jello, and cornbread--all to share with the church staff, and to eat with the other 4's & 5's at the school. i got to volunteer and see him in the middle of his school day--such a treat. he named himself "Chief that Goes to the Movies." ha!

poor joshy

this picture is from halloween when joshua had to leave the firetruck he was able to get on and see, but it also represents how he has been the last couple of days. he's got an ear infection and is just kind of in a schmoopy mood--real clingy and such. for some reason i find this face adorable! sometimes we just have those days..........

the ugly scarecrow

each time i see this scarecrow i just laugh to myself. it is truly the ugliest scarecrow i've ever seen! noah specifically asked me to buy a scarecrow for our front porch and i saw this at rite aid of all places. so i've learned a VALUABLE lesson--probably an obvious point--but don't buy home decor at a drugstore!

happy weekend.
:)

on being a mom

being a mom is really a gift...to have these creations of God, for us to know, teach, and love. i'm very thankful today for such a privilege, in all of it's brain-dead fatigue, and whining frustration.

off to rake the leaves! (photo from sept 07)

trick or treat!

halloween was lots of fun and the scale tells us all how much yummy candy was enjoyed! yay fall!

pumpkin patch

love the hands in the pocket--noah is TOTALLY becoming his dad--scary and cute all at the same time. joshy is becoming more of a mess (like his mom?!!!yikes!) as he ages. just after picking out this lovely pumpkin i saw him pooping (yes!) in the lawn of this lovely church. oh my! we did get some great pumpkins and i can't wait to carve them!

my first trophy

even with strep throat we managed to be a part of the trophy ceremony. sad that most of our first soccer season was spent NOT on the field due to illness or travel, but nonetheless i think it was a great opportunity. yay noah!

first field trip

today we had noah's first school field trip, attended family-style (meaning joshua and i accompanied him!). it was a fun trip to a local farm, seeing horses, experiencing a cattle call, and petting a random brahma cow. the wagon ride was fun, and it was great to be with all of his classmates and their parents. the carpooling was fun too!

philly

so jeff and i had a get-away last weekend and it was SO refreshing! a great friend of ours was getting married and we decided to make it a long-awaited vacation, sans children. some highlights: sleeping in, flat-screen tv's in our hotel room, walking around the city, seeing bruce springsteen, drinking beer at octoberfest, great guacamole, and lots of dancing at the wedding! we missed our kids so much and found ourselves drawn to those with young kids around us. our favorite accomplishment was running the art museum stairs, rocky-style.

as usual, once we got back everything was the same. it's good to have some couple time and i'm thankful we were able to go.......a shout out to my mom and becky & jacob for keeping the kids!

haircuts

so the boys had their hairs cut yesterday and i think they look oh so cute. take a looky....

my two sons

on this very cool and rainy evening i came across these photos of my boys and wanted to share. they are busy with, and enjoying their new school schedules. yay! i do love a routine and also the freedom of some breathing room. noah had his first day of 'lunch bunch' at school and stayed late and ate turkey--novel for my picky eater! jeff is away for five days, so the true test of motherhood is to come. can i handle them 'all by self'??? so far so good, thanks to the train table at barnes and noble and the prepared foods provided by our local costco.

Joshua turns 2!

We had a great day celebrating Joshua's birth yesterday. Yah-Yah and aunt Stephanie came to visit, we saw friends at church, and then we had a sweet little party with friends in the afternoon. Our budding athlete received a new basketball goal and basketball as gifts--he LOVES to play ball. what a fun age! he is, however, becoming a little fiesty. yesterday he started saying 'stop it!' when you did anything he didn't like. yikes.

we love you joshua-man!

big boy bed

we've had quite a week of changes for our little man. potty training, preschool, and moving into a big boy bed! it's gone surprisingly well, and he's only fallen out once (yikes!). he seems to like being like his big brother. and for all those harrassing me about the potty training, it's not going very well! we'll get there eventually.

i've been slow to take photos lately and missed the first day of school pictures. oh well! the kids are doing great and noah is especially thriving in this new schedule. the summer was good, but we're glad to be back in a routine.

i couldn't help but post this photo--finally without his thumb in his mouth!

sweet noah

he's getting so big too! :)

potty training begins....

should be a long day! wish we could put newspaper all over the house to protect the damage i know will be done to our rugs. but a small price to watch this cute kid become a big boy! we'll keep you posted to our success!

Cheeeeeeze!

joshua's favorite new place...

on the train table (thanks sarah!) and inside the castle!
both kids are sick so we're ready for normal pooltime and fun to come soon.

popsicle time!

every afternoon, after naptime, we have popsicle time on the porch! luckily we found these great mini popsicles, so the amount of high fructose corn syrup is limited! my boys are getting bigger and cuter each day! yay!