He has many strengths as well

...but the weaknesses are much funnier...

Charlie got his regular "report card" a week or so ago.  Yes, he does have many strengths ("can be sympathetic, smart, funny, happy..."), but we thought his [thankfully short] list of weaknesses was more entertaining.  The hitting thing?  Yeah, he does that, but I think he intends it to be funny rather than mean.  The crying when told no?  Ummm, yeah, only it's more like screaming.  Although our girls really were never bad toddlers, I think this is pretty much par for the course for a 2 year old.


Love you Charlie!

Bathing Beauty

Charlie in the hotel room in Seoul -- age 10 months

Charlie last night after bathtime -- age 26 months

Just a Twinkle in my Eye

Ever heard the expression that a baby, before conception, is a twinkle in his/her parents' eyes?

Whenever Rose or Lucy, upon hearing a story about Ella or us prior to their birth, ask,"Where was I?" I tell them: "You were a twinkle in my eye."

The other night, as we were driving to Ella's birthday dinner, I told a story about the night Ella was born. I told Rose and Lucy, "You weren't there because you were still a twinkle in my eye. And Charlie was also a twinkle in my eye."

Pause.

Rose: "Ummm, how could he be a twinkle in your eye?"

Me (knowing she was trying to figure out in her mind how Charlie, who she knows grew in another lady's tummy, could have been a twinkle in my eye): "All babies are twinkles in their parents' eyes before they are born, and Charlie is my baby."

Rose: "No, he was a twinkle in his other mother's eye."

Me: "Yes, I guess he was a twinkle in both our eyes."

Rose (in know-it-all fashion): "Well, he was a twinkle in his other mother's eye first."

Hmmm...

The Last of the Korean Clothes

When Charlie came home 14 months ago, his foster mother sent along several outfits, PJs, etc. Most of the clothes he outgrew long ago, but the other day I happened to find the last of the Korean clothes in one of his drawers. This little green size 3 Ralph Lauren cardigan is just too cute (yes, Charlie is only newly-turned 2, and this cardigan is tight on him...don't judge!).

Doesn't he look dapper (and slightly suspicious of me taking his picture)?

This is Charlie's new reaction to any grown-up crouching down to take his picture. He squats as well!

Mama, why do you keep following me around with that camera!?

Enjoying fake ice cream...

Happy New Year!!

If my love of holidays were on a spectrum, Christmas Eve would be my favorite, followed by Christmas Day. New Year's Day, not so great, probably because I associate it with football and having to go back to school the next day:) New Year's Eve, however...pretty fun.

We have a family tradition of staying home on New Year's Eve, getting lots of yummy appetizer-type food (Sheref and I call this "fancy cheeses," though non-cheese items are also welcome!), sparkling beverages (both alcoholic and non), and watching movies.

Child-friendly sparkly beverage

Ella and I went to a party store and bought

New Year's hats, noise makers and other assorted decorations

Ella-bella

Lucy-Lu

Miss Rosie

Chuckles wasn't so sure about the beads...

But he did like the chocolate...

Dance party in Rose & Lucy's room. Rose & Luce do hip-hop one day a week after school, and Sheref takes Charlie to watch. Chuckles is clearly a fast learner when it comes to anything musical, as evidenced by the fact that he knows their routines as well as the kids in the class! There is one "song" in particular (some rap-ish song about Skittles...I put "song" in quotes because when Sheref and I googled other songs by this "artist," the titles are literally porn-worthy...the kids only dance to the cleaned up version:) that Chucktown can get down to. Hysterical!

Either this mask is really small, or Sheref has a gigantic face...

Ella thinks they're all nuts

On our way home from Tennessee on Friday, I brilliantly had the foresight to stop at a rural roadside fireworks stand to buy firecrackers for New Year's Eve. There are definitely pluses and minuses to living in South Carolina (the dumbest drivers in the universe being one of the minuses), but legal fireworks sold in every gas station and along random roads?? Definitely a plus!

I learned not to aim bottle rockets at large oak trees that still have dried leaves on them

The aftermath...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Christmas PJs

I hate matching clothes. Really really dislike the whole idea of it. I even make a special effort never to dress my identical twins even remotely similarly. My sole exception is...(drumroll)... Christmas pajamas. What's not to love about matching Christmas Eve PJs?

The past several years, my sister Shannon and I have organized matching PJs for our kids. Shannon has 2 boys: Cooper, who is just a few days older than Rose & Lucy, and Ike, who is 15 months old and waiting for his Emigration Permit in S. Korea.

Cooper & Charlie. Cooper picked out the PJs.

All the kids in front of the Christmas tree

Christmas morning, waiting at the top

of the stairs for the"ok" to come downstairs

Did I say my sole exception was Christmas Eve PJs?

Ok, make that Christmas dresses too...

All 3 girls in front of the tree

Sweet girls

Rosie

Lulu

Merry Christmas!

This One's for Shannon...oh, and Happy Birthday Jin-yeong

Chucktown's birthday is on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the year, so the fact that my son was born half-way around the world on Christmas Eve is, well, pretty awesome. For both of his birthdays to date, we have been at my sister Shannon's house for Christmas. Both times, Shannon has completely organized all aspects of Charlie's birthday celebration. Well, except for the soju.

This year, Shannon ordered barbeque from our favorite Murfreesboro place, Slick Pig. She also had Charlie's cake made by an acquaintance from work. Last year, his cake was locomotive-themed, and this year it had a farm theme. Thanks, Shannon, for taking care of all of this. We very much appreciate it!!

Charlie waiting on the party. He looks bored, doesn't he?

Chucktown and his sisters

We toasted Charlie's birthmother with soju. Last year, we stopped at H-mart (a Korean grocery store) in Atlanta and bought some soju for his party. It was, well, horrible, but you get what you pay for, and since I spent $2.99 on the entire bottle...you get the picture. This year, I decided I'd splurge on the soju. However, despite rows and rows of sake and American/European wine in the largest H-mart in Atlanta, there were but 3 choices for soju. We went for the most expensive bottle, which was still only $4.99. Waiting in line at the register, I realized I had only Pororo items (Korean version of Mickey Mouse) and a bottle of soju. The difference between $2.99 and $4.99 was surprisingly dramatic. Much better this year.

The Geburtstagstisch (birthday table)

The awesome cake

Super awesome, no?

Charlie liked the cake too!

After cake and presents, we tortured Charlie by

dressing him in his hanbok (a.k.a. Jin-yeong suit, if you're Rose) for pictures

This picture sort of cracks me up. The hat has

pushed his ears down and forward so he

kinda looks like an elf, no? From his recent

toddler behavior, I'd say he is definitely a South

Pole elf...(Will Ferrell, anyone?)

Ok, South Pole elf or not, he's pretty cute here

Just had to add this picture. It pretty much sums

up the effort we went to for the very few "happy Charlie in his hanbok" pics above!

40 Weeks

Exactly 2 years ago, Charlie's birth mother was 40 weeks pregnant. Her due date. I'm speculating here, because I don't really know, but my professional guess is that she was induced at 41 weeks. I know for sure that Charlie was born at 41 weeks, and, because the risk of stillbirth rises quite a bit between 41 and 42 weeks, labor induction at 41 weeks is a common practice.

I imagine baby Charlie, all curled up in her belly, one week left with his birth mother. I wonder what she was thinking. Was she sick of being pregnant, just wanting it over with? Or not really wanting the pregnancy to end, since she knew delivery meant giving up her child?

She has to be thinking of him now, though. How could she not? I imagine she thinks about him all the time, but on the eve of his birthday, she must be thinking of him more than usual.

We are thinking of her as well. When we celebrate Charlie's 2nd birthday on Christmas Eve, we'll think of her. We'll drink a soju toast for her (oh yes, we will...family, be prepared. We are already planning a stop at H-mart in Atlanta, and this year will spend more than $3 on the soju!). We'll take photographs for her, and send them to Seoul. We'll thank her, as we do often anyways, for giving him a good start in life, and giving us our son.

Enter the Way Back Machine

From this...

To this...

p.s. I have no idea which twin that is in the "incubator" picture...pretty much no idea who is who in most of their newborn pics...:)

Can't you just hear and smell this scene?

This is one of my favorite photographs Sheref took in Seoul. I know the quality is poor, but I still love it. I love the vibrant blue of the bus, contrasted against the bright yellow of the taxi light. I also love that you can just feel this scene. Don't you think?

I would love to get a large version of this made into a wall-hanging for Charlie's room.

Anyone out there know how to get the photo enhanced/improved, and then blown up to a good quality image??

The Jin-yeong Suit

This is Charlie Jin-yeong in his hanbok on his birthday last year.

A hanbok is a traditional Korean outfit, and all Korean children wear

their hanboks on their first birthday. The foster mothers in Korea

typically gift a hanbok to the adoptive family, for the child to wear on

his or her birthday and other special occasions.

I've told Sheref a few times recently that we have to be sure and

pack Charlie's hanbok when we go to Tennessee for Christmas, so that

Charlie can wear it on his birthday, which is Christmas Eve.

This evening, Ella, Rose and I were shopping in T*rget.

I stopped to look at the boys' clothing and said I might buy

one of the sweaters for Charlie to wear on Christmas.

Rose said, "But isn't he going to wear his Jin-yeong suit?"

Meaning his hanbok. Ha, funny Rose-ism.

I Ruined Charlie's Awesome Hair

No, no pictures. That would be too embarrassing.

I think I've posted stuff before to the effect that I'm awesome at cutting kids' hair, how great I am at cutting the dog's hair, etc.

Well, no longer.

A few weeks ago I basically scalped the poor dog. He literally looked like a starved rat. Only now, after about 4 weeks of new growth, does he look cute again.

Happily for Charlie, that little guy is so darn handsome, he still looks cute, despite the fact that I butchered his awesome mohawk and ended up having to buzz his whole head.

Pics will resume after a few weeks of new growth...

The Spirit of the Unal Family Christmas

Anybody get that reference? No? Okay, whatever.

I've had a complaint from one of my followers (a.k.a. my sister...) that I don't post enough. Apparently she can't get enough of my fascinating posts.

We usually buy and decorate our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Our tradition is that I take the girls (and soon Charlie, once he is old enough to be trusted inside a store sans stroller...I'm thinking next year) to buy a new Christmas ornament. Then Sheref and Ella go get our tree.

This year, there was only one rule for the Christmas ornaments: no Barbies or princesses. Oh wait, that's the rule every year. Well, this year was different, in that I enforced the no Barbies or princesses rule.

On the way to buy Christmas ornaments.

Ella and Sheref on the way out the door to get the Christmas tree

On the way back in the door with said Christmas tree...

And with the tree in our house

Chuckles has the camera thing totally figured out. He smiles like a cheeseball when he sees a camera, then quickly runs back and turns the camera to see what fabulous Charlie image we've captured.

Cheeseball!!

Hot chocolate

Plate after consumption of the Christmas tree decorating cupcakes. I wasn't fast enough to capture the "before" image...

And a rousing game of "pull Chuckles around on a blanket." This game never fails to entertain!

Notice Charlie trying to climb over the couch

This kid loves anything shiny...

Charlie's ornament for 2011 -- his first John Deere. Poor tractor only has 3 wheels now...guess I shouldn't have let Charlie play with it before hanging it on the tree. Oops.

Ella's owl

Rosie's choice...classic Rudolph

Lulu's 2011 ornament. She was so excited because she knows Sheref likes Charlie Brown. She was so excited to show him what she had picked!

(And not a Barbie or princess in the bunch)