The Tea Party

So I went a little crazy. For her birthday, Lily knew exactly how she wanted to celebrate and that was with a princess tea party. For as long as I can remember, I have resisted the whole princess thing...you know the whole being rescued by a man, doves flying and pink everywhere. It never sat well with me. Little by little though, I'm seeing that no matter what I say or how I try to divert from it, the princess thing comes up. Even when Lily plays with her dolls, I would ask "So is this girl a doctor or maybe an engineer?" and the answer is always "No, she's a princess." I was more than happy to dive in to creating our first ever tea party. For years, I had been surrounded with all things boy...dinosaurs, trains, cars and being that this was going to be our first big girly bash, it had to be awesome. Off to the thrift store I went...not to mention a few stops at Michaels, Home Goods (my happy place) and Party Depot. The stage was set and the girls began by crafting their wands... Of course, Korean green tea was our featured tea... with lots of sugar filled pink goodies... Our special guest arrived... And after the songs were sung and the fairy dust had settled, a wish was made... Even the boys jumped in for a bit... Glitter and tulle, crowns and wands. There's a 5 year old girl in our house and yes, I caved. I caved to the princess thing. And really happy I did.

Thank-you Yeosu

The sea...it's in her blood. Yeosu is a maritime town in the Jeollanam do province South Korea. The southernmost part of Korea, Yeosu is a port city. It has a beautifully long coast line with 317 small islands off of it. It's known for it's delicious seafood and last year it was the site for the Expo 2012 Yeosu. At this Expo, people from around the world pledged to enhance their cooperation to protect the ocean for the future survival of the world. Lily turned 5 yesterday and just like every year, we are so thankful to her birthland. Now that she is growing, she is able to understand more about her birth country. We will visit one day soon as a family... The sea...she loves it. Happy 5th Birthday to our little beauty from Yeosu!!

Not Enough Time

This weekend, the boys were on their own. Some quality boy time together with lacrosse games, movies and slurpies. For Lily and I, it was girls weekend as we traveled to NY for a visit with my sister and my 7 year old niece. There was cousins bonding going on over French toast and Barbies... A morning dance party broke out... Lily made some friends, while I learned a thing or two about bows and glitter... and a talent show wrapped up our Saturday... We shopped for furniture and didn't get kicked out... Caved in to the treats... and yes...more dancing. Silly faces and playing together till the end... and as always, saying goodbye stinks... So great to hang with just the girls!

Can It Be?

Can it really be 4 years ago this week we were in Korea? Look at how she's grown... Can it really be 4 years since we were first introduced to a culture that would change our lives forever? Can it really be 4 years already that we have been celebrating both a Birthday and a Family Day? Can it be that we have had a swirling, twirling bright little dancer in our house for 4 years? Is it possible...we've watched this strong girl blossom for the last 4 years? Making friends, writing her name, growing her hair... Have we really been a family now for 4 years? Yes, it is possible...every crazy and breathtaking second of it. Happy Family Day Lily Claire. Love you forever!

Nonna's

At least once every Summer, we make the 4 hour drive to the Jersey Shore to see Rick's Mother and Grandmother. The kids have always known them as "Nonna and Biz Nonna," and my parents are simply "Grandma and Grandpa." The disturbing MTV house is nowhere in site, but Nonna has a house right on the bay which equals crabbing and boat watching, oh and can't forget about feeding the ducks.. A trip to Nonna's also means we check our low carb diets by the door. Theres always a ton of Italian food and a visit or two by the various Aunts and Uncles who may drop by to join us in a meal... I love it when Italy meets Korea... and my boys faces as they listen to their Nonno's voice for the very first time... I'm a bit behind on this post but it was a memorable weekend that really deserved a proper salute... Until next time Nonna...see you soon!