thosecoolkims – Page 16

Ruby’s 2nd Annual Valentine Party

Ruby hosted her 2nd Valentine Party this year, and it was super cute and super fun — but there is a HUGE difference between having nine 2-year olds at your house vs. 1-year olds like last year!

I didn’t go as crazy as last year, but I still managed to whip up a few mini-cupcakes and some snacks, and we had a little craft station set up outside to make Valentine picture frames for the dads. The kids ~~kept stealing toys from each other~~ played, the moms ~~broke up fights~~ got some chatting in, and Charlotte even managed to model her picture frame for us!

The best part was the Valentine card exchange! I just couldn’t envision anything cuter than these kids passing out little cards like I used to when I was in school. All the moms were into it — some got crafty and made their own beautiful cards, while some moms went old school and bought the kind in the box just like our moms used to do! We even got lucky and got them all to sit for two seconds before passing them out.

I can’t help but love the day of love, and I especially love seeing all these kiddos and their mommas feeling the love as well!

Rubyisms

This kid is growing.

And changing.

SO. FAST.

And sometimes, it’s just so hard to keep up. She’s been blowing our minds lately with some of the things she says and does. She’s so funny. And so smart. Here are some of the latest Rubyisms:

“Mom, look. I put booger on you sweater.”

“Mom, you play Sesame Street wif me. It’s good for you.”

“Hi. I Dr. Ruby Kim. I listen to the heart now?”

Dinnertime, mid-tantrum:
Ed: Ruby, you can sit here and finish your dinner with us, or you can go to your room.
Ruby: THOSE ARE NOT GOOD CHOICES, DAD!!!!!!

After explaining to her that Ed is Korean, and I am Caucasian (and she is both):

“Daddy is Kahweeean. Mommy is Cockcajun.”

Singing sweetly to herself:

“A,B,C,D,E,F,G. Q,R,S,T,U,V … W,KISS,Y,N,Z!
Now I know my A-B-C, next time won’t you sing wif me?”

Holding her baby doll, and talking to her other giant stuffed toy:

“Look, Muno. This is my baby sister.”

FAVORITES AS OF LATE
Music. Can’t get enough lately. The request of, “Mom, can I have a song?” is multiple times daily, while we eat breakfast or lunch or when we’re in the car. And of course, no matter what volume it’s at, she asks “How about loud?” Her favorite bands are Django Django, Sonny and the Sunsets, Jack White and Cat Power. Fortunately for us, she still rejects most pop music.
TV. She is slowing down on the Yo Gabba Gabba, but is becoming more and more obsessed with PBS Kids’ Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.
Foods. She has been digging green beans lately (to our delight), and she likes Beef with Broccoli. Well, she makes us take the meat out. “No meat! I don’t want meat!” She is also a huge fan of “strawbubbies”, “bluebubbies” and pears. And, so far, she’s never met a frozen yogurt she didn’t like. Look out if you plan on sharing with her, she’ll bogart the entire thing!
Play: She loves to pretend to talk on the phone. She loves playing “Dr. Ruby”. She lays her blankets out on the floor, lays her babies down, and takes their temperatures, listens to their hearts and gives them “medicine”. She also adores Winnie the Pooh and Piglet (pronounced, “Piguhlet” in Ruby speak). She kinda loves anything Disney as a matter of fact. She especially loves Lightening McQueen and Mater from the movie Cars, and she loves Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy. She can name just about any character, thanks to all the Disney stuff at Grandma and Papaw’s :)
Activities: She loves going to Miss Suzi’s music class and she likes her swim teacher, Harrison.

I’m sure I’ll think of more, but I just don’t wanna forget this stuff. Everything is so new to her, and so exciting. I just can’t believe how much she’s changing …

Saebae 2013: Happy New Year!

In Korea, the new year is celebrated with some very special rituals and customs, and naturally we want Ruby to grow up with them. Called “Saebae”, it involves bowing in front of your elders as a sign of respect and appreciation. The new year is also brought in with some great food!

We first brought Ruby down to my mom’s place, dressed to the nines in full Korean regalia. The dress, called a hanbok, was a hit with Ruby. She kept admiring herself in the mirror, and explaining over and over to us that she was wearing a “Korean dress”. We tried teaching her the traditional saebae saying to say to her halmoni (Grandma in Korean), “Sae hae bok manee badusaeyo”, as well.

She never quite got the Korean words right, at least not in their entirety, but she delighted in saying parts of it, like “BOK MANEE!!!” or “BADUSAEYO!!!!”

As you can see in the first photo, though, she got the bow just right. It’s such a beautiful picture, undoubtedly one that will be an iconic image in our family for years to come.

Ruby also learned that saebae involves considerable financial reward too!

In Korea, the New Year is rung in with ddukgook, a hearty, delicious, and nourishing soup with rice cakes and other tasty ingredients. I might be biased, but my mom’s is the bomb. A couple of obligatory food shots!

And a couple pics of Ruby with Halmoni and Wonil!

After a wonderful time at my mom’s, we headed to see my dad and his wife, Grace. In addition to the festivities celebrating the new year, January 1 is also my dad’s birthday so there was double reason to celebrate. I regret we have no picture of Ruby bowing to my dad and Grace, but it was late in the day and Ruby was tired, cranky, and not really in the mood for photos. Let’s just say that it happened!

And here’s the birthday boy blowing out his candles on his cake, incidentally from one of our favorite bakeries in our area, Paris Baguette. Don’t let the name fool you; it’s not a French baker but rather a Korean one. Korean cakes and pastries are a delight, with less overt sweetness than most other cakes and a subtler, sophisticated taste. We love them! Happy Birthday, Dad!

Best wishes for a wonderful 2013 from the Kims!

Songs We Liked in 2012, and Our Favorite Three Albums This Year!

A new year calls for some reflection, and we like to do that by reflecting back on some of our favorite songs. As usual, we both compiled a mix, and we love sharing them. Please feel free to download both mixes at the links below, or visit our tunes page (you can grab past mixes from years before there, too!)

We aren’t saying these are the best songs of the year, we’re just saying these were the songs we loved. Most of them were released in 2012, with exception of a few that we either just discovered or never really got into until this past year. There is some artist overlap (hey, we’re married – we like some of the same things), but I assure you, they are two completely different mixes. Hope you like them!

>>Click to download Carrie’s “Songs I Liked in 2012” Mix

Track list:

01/Teen Age Thugs* – Sonny + The Sunsets
02/Only in My Dreams – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
03/Feels Like We Only Go Backwards – Tame Impala
04/Better Girl – Best Coast
05/Sixteen Saltines – Jack White
06/Ruin – Cat Power
07/When the Lillies Die – IO Echo
08/Hail Bop – Django Django
09/Clouds Are Lies – The Brian Jonestown Massacre
10/Elegant Design – Pond
11/Origins – Tennis
12/Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover) – The Kills

*Track not released in 2012, but 2012 was when I discovered it … so there you have it.

>>Click to download the “These Made Ed Flip Out in 2012” Mix

There was a lot of great music this year, but I had to include a significant number of tracks that weren’t released in 2012. As usual, you can see my musical tastes are all over the place. I mean, what other playlist includes both The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Psy?

Track list:

01/I Follow You – Melody’s Echo Chamber
02/Ain’t Hungry – Lanie Lane
03/I Wanna Hold Your Other Hand – The Brian Jonestown Massacre
04/Elephant – Tame Impala
05/Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark) – Unknown Mortal Orchestra
06/Ruin – Cat Power
07/Found Love in a Graveyard* – Veronica Falls
08/Tell Me a Tale – Michael Kiwanuka
09/Hail Bop – Django Django
10/The Only Place – Best Coast
11/Light in Your Eyes* – Vivian Girls
12/Blue Suede Shoes* – Carl Perkins
13/Falling from Grace* – The Gentle Waves
14/Zou Bisou Bisou* – Gillian Hills
15/Wait and See – Holy Ghost!
16/Invisible* (feat. 4hero and Natalie Williams) – Nu:tone
17/Gangnam Style – Psy

*Track not released in 2012, but 2012 was when I discovered it.

If you’re on Spotify, feel free to subscribe to our lists there if you don’t feel like downloading them!

Our Favorite Albums

We both agreed on our Top 3 albums this year … and we’re willing to share!

#1: Tame Impala – “Lonerism”

We couldn’t wait for the second Tame Impala album to come out this year, and when it got here it didn’t disappoint. It’s a play-through. Listen to the whole thing!

Click to download

#2: Jack White – “Blunderbuss”

A no-brainer, especially if you know about Carrie and her obsession, er — respect for Jack White. Admittedly, the album is all-over the place, but it’s still a huge favorite. Ruby can even sing along to all of these tunes, too.

Click to download

#3: The Brian Jonestown Massacre – “Aufheben”

This album was a big surprise this year and one both Carrie and Ed spent a lot of time with. It’s a great album to put on while you’re working on something. It’s very atmospheric and pretty wonderful, actually. We’re sorry we don’t have this one for download, but just sign up for Spotify and check it out — you won’t be disappointed.

Two Year Photo Shoot

Right before Christmas, we were so lucky to have the opportunity to do a photo shoot with the VERY talented Michelle of Monarch Lane Photography. Michelle suggested we head up to Pacific Palisades to take some pics of Ruby, and what a magical spot it turned out to be! We’re so in love with these photos. Please enjoy and look at more in our photo album (It’s so hard to pick favorites!).

Thank you SO much, Michelle for capturing such gorgeous shots of our two year old!