Top 10

Here are the latest top 10 phrases heard at the Meyers' house, keeping us entertained (along with my own commentary):

1. Hold on. Me show you trick.
   (used as a delay tactic or a sneaky way to show us something he knows he shouldn't be doing)
2. You came back!
   (said upon our return to him, regardless of where he is -- daycare, sunday school, our house...)
3. I come back!
   (said upon his return to one of us when he was away with the other parent)
4. Me have energy now.
   (said when he is supposed to be having quiet time but doesn't want to rest)
5. I can't remember. You tell me?
6. I a good baker. I bake cookies. Cakes too.
7. I be Astrid, you be Hookfang.
   (said to me, numerous times a day, when he wants to play Dragons)
8. Let's go on a bear hunt
   (includes eating our way through a candy factory and swimming through a peanut butter and jelly lake -- after packing our milk and crackers, of course)
9. I give you big hug and smooch
10. I love you

Oliver has been talking up a storm -- carrying on full conversations, enjoying lots of imaginary play, and making us laugh. He's full of snuggles, hugs and kisses. Overflowing with energy. Keeping us on our toes. 

Family Time & Citizenship

Family

This past weekend Tony, Oliver and I hopped on a plane heading south...all the way to St. Louis. Oliver does surprisingly well on the airplane, though the iPad movie helps a fair amount. He called the window seat (on both flights), managed to woo the flight attendants, and had a lot of fun raising and lowering the window shade. He doesn't seem to get nervous about take-offs or landings, little bumps along the way or the general idea of flying through the sky. He just takes it all in stride.

It was our first visit since mid-October, so long overdue. This was an especially exciting visit because Oliver and Uncle Andy finally got to meet! I know Andy enjoys being an uncle, and Oliver seemed to warm up to him right away. It turns out that Andy is also an excellent bedtime story reader!

So serious!

Having fun

The weekend included a number of fun and special activities. We were able to spend a lot of time with Grams, who was in town for the weekend. Oliver met his Aunt Lacey and his cousin Aly for the first time at a family dinner Saturday night. I had the opportunity to catch up with two very good friends over a delicious homemade crepes brunch (and I didn't have to worry that our catching up time went longer than planned). We also watched Ian play basketball and enjoyed some quality family time.

Two other "big" things happened: First, Ian was baptized! What a joyous and special time. Just shy of 11, he made the decision to publicly declare his faith and to follow God's word and be baptized. In his church baptism is done at infancy, so I think it's an even bigger deal that he asked to do something out of the norm -- and he handled it all very well.

A proud pose with the Pastor after the service

The second was the celebration of Uncle Andy's birthday (technically on the 24th, but we celebrated a couple of days early). I can officially welcome my brother into his 30's (and will share the decade with him for two and a half years). Happy birthday!

My bigger little brother...now 30 years old! How did that happen?

Oliver had a terrific time and was very sad to leave (as was I). I wish we were able to see everyone more often. I appreciate how welcoming my Mom and Dan are to us when we are in town. Their house was overflowing (they even slept on the couch), but they treated all of their guests with love, patience and kindness. Thank you!

Citizenship

My daily stalking of the USCIS Case Status website has finally paid off! This morning I was greeted with this message:

11 months. That is how long it took for them to process our request for an amended certificate (one reflecting Oliver's legal name). Once the certificate arrives we will be able to:

- Prove he is a citizen of the US

- Obtain a social security number

- Get him a passport

I am so relieved. With talks of Homeland Security shutting down I feared our case would be delayed even further. I still do not understand why it took more than 11 months, when the average processing time is 5-6 months. But, we have made it through. Not a bad way for February to end.

Happy New Year - the Year of the Sheep

Today is the Lunar New Year, known in Korea as Seollal. Many of us might consider it the "Chinese New Year," but the Chinese are not the only ones celebrating today. In fact, Seollal is one of the most important holidays in Korea, a time when many return to the families to celebrate, preform ancestral rites and spend time together. It is a national holiday and most people are off work for two or three days. 

This year is the Year of the Sheep. Each Lunar Year is represented by one of the 12 zodiac signs, which take the form of twelve guardian animal deities collectively known as Sibijisin.The year 2015 is referred to as Eulminyeon or “The Year of the Sheep.” The sheep is the eighth animal deity among the Sibijisin, which literally means "twelve (sibi) gods of the earth (jisin)."

We are not able to do much in the way of traditional celebration today as it is a busy day (and week) for our family, but we are making an effort -- if takeout thai food and Korean snacks count! We did manage to wrangle Oliver into his traditional hanbok, which is customarily worn on this holiday:

Seollal is actually a rather interesting holiday, though the preparation for the feast sounds like a tremendous amount of work. I pulled some interesting information from the Visit Korea website and dropped it in below (you can read more here if you are interested).

Seollal (Lunar New Year; January 1 of the lunar calendar) is one of the most celebrated national holidays in Korea. This year, Seollal falls on February 19 of the Gregorian calendar. More than just a holiday to mark the beginning of a new year, Seollal is truly a special occasion for Korean people. Not only is it a time for paying respect to ancestors, but it is also an opportunity to catch up with distant family members who travel home to get together for this special occasion. During Seollal, Koreans traditionally wear hanbok (traditional clothes), perform ancestral rites, play folk games, eat traditional foods, listen to stories, and catch up with one another. 

The morning of Seollal begins with an ancestral rite. Family members, each dressed up for the occasion (traditionally in hanbok, but often in Western formal attire), gather in front of the ritual table and set on it an ancestral tablet and dishes of ritual foods, which are according to the laws of ancestral rites. Once set, the rite begins with deep bows as greetings to the ancestor spirits, and proceeds with offerings and prayers before ending with bidding farewell to the spirits. The ritual is conducted to express respect and gratitude to one’s ancestors and to pray for the family’s well-being throughout the year. 

Following the rite, everyone gathers together and eats the ritual food. The main dish of the day is tteokguk, a traditional soup made with sliced rice cakes, beef, egg, vegetables, and other ingredients. In Korea, eating tteokguk on New Year’s Day is believed to add a year to one’s age. People often ask each other, “How many servings of tteokguk have you had?” as a fun way to ask each other’s age.
After the meal, the younger generations of the family pay respect to their elders by taking a deep bow called sebae, and by presenting them with gifts. Then, the elders offer their blessings and wishes for a prosperous year. Children often receive sebaetdon (New Year’s money) as a Seollal gift. For the remainder of the day, family members play traditional folk games, eat food, and share stories.

Happy Lunar New Year! May you enjoy a prosperous year.

My Valentines

Happy belated Valentine's Day! It may be a sappy, pretend holiday but I have to admit to enjoying the celebration of it quite a bit this year. 

Thursday

Flowers arrived at the office. The front desk woman was giddy with anticipation, wondering who they might be from. After eight plus years of marriage, I knew (which was fortunate, as the card was unsigned!). A thoughtful surprise from my better half! 

The second surprise of the day was waiting for me at Oma's house. Oliver made Tony and I Valentine's cards! Oma said he put them together mostly on his own, and he was so proud. These handmade cards are quite possibly the best Valentine's gifts we have ever received. 

Friday

The day with Oliver was hectic but included a chance to catch up with a good friend while our kids played. Friday evening was a long-needed date night, just Tony and I. We went to see a movie -- the first we've been to in well over a  year. American Sniper. Not the most romantic movie but a great one to see in the theater. We followed that with a late dinner, adult conversation and an opportunity to just relax. Lovely. 

Saturday

Valentine's Day was all about Oliver. He's been begging to go swimming, so we went to the local community pool. He had a blast! We followed that with one of his favorite restaurants, Noodles, for lunch out. He crashed for an extra long nap (meaning we got a little rest too), then got to sample his way around Costco. Afterwards we surprised him with How to Train Your Dragon 2, which he loved. Tony made us a yummy dinner and we enjoyed a little Valentine dessert. A nice ending to a day of fun. 

Tomorrow (Tuesday)

The fun continues with Oliver's first school party. Parents get to join in the fun and I'm excited to be there. Afterwards we are taking Oma out for a Valentine's Day lunch. Can't wait!

Since my last post, a few other things have happened:

1. Oliver and I visited Opa's office. Oliver did really well, and Opa snapped this picture:

2. We can officially cross "stomach virus" off our parental checklist. The bug lasted five days and we felt terrible for Oliver. Thankfully he made a full recovery.

3. Sass. Back talk. It's official, his language is far enough along that we now hear a lot of: "me no like you" "me not want to" "I can't" (said when he doesn't want to do something) -- and he's learning how to use "but"

4. He's not just picking up on back talking, though. Some recent phrases include: "I have great idea" "love you" (not a new phrase but used more often) and the names, types and descriptions of all the dragons related to How to Train Your Dragon. Cute!

Here's a final photo -- pretending to be asleep on the way to Oma's today.