I resolve to write in this blog at least 4 times a week, even if it’s only a couple of lines of inane observation (which is, after all, what the blog is basically titled).
I want to become more consistent about it because I need something that I’m fully in control of at home to be done on a consistent basis. Who knew kids had free will from the day they were born?
On June 29th, Andrew graduated from his preschool. Two years ago, we had barely brought Zoe home from the hospital and had taken Andrew out of his daycare so that he could gain a richer set of experiences and education than what he would’ve gotten there.
In many ways he still looked and acted like a toddler at that time, and I remember the first few days of dropping him off and him crying as I left. Now, he’s such a big kid. I’m so proud of everything he’s achieved and how much he’s grown. I look forward to the future and how much more he will grow as a human being.
Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. – Albert Einstein.
Magic Lantern Preschool’s resident hedgehog came to visit our house for the weekend. He was a nice addition given what had transpired just the past Thursday. It was nice to have a new little pet to take our minds off of little Robie.
Photos after the jump.
My little Zoe turned 2 on Friday. I was a horrible father last year and did not blog about even though I blogged about Andrew’s birthday the month before. Oh, the shame! Well, this year I am not going to be lazy again, and so here is the blog about Zoe’s 2nd birthday.
I cannot believe it’s already been 2 years. I suppose I will say that every year as she gets older. She’s such a little spitfire, our Zoe. She came into the world looking a little concerned about things with just the slightest furrow in her brow indicating her slight disappointment or displeasure with the state of the world. But we could tell early on that she wasn’t going to take things lying down.
And she hasn’t. She’s a very opinionated little spitfire and she likes what she likes and isn’t afraid to let you know. She can be totally sweet one second and a ball of angst another. But she gets over things soon and gives you a big smile to let you know she’s over it.
Happy Birthday, baby girl! We love you so much!
Zoe at Birth
Zoe – 1 year old
Zoe – 2 years old
Several weeks ago, our cat Robie escaped the house when someone who was working in the house inadvertantly left the door open to come and go. Robie was never an outside cat and was always afraid of being outdoors even as a little kitten.
I remember when we got her. Emma and I were driving around doing some errands on a cool, gray January Saturday in 2001 when we saw a sign for kittens. We drove to the address and discovered a little hole in the ground apartment underneath a little convenience market. We told the people there we were there to see the kittens. There were only 2 left: Robie and a little black kitten. Even though this was a little hole in the ground apartment, we could tell that the cats there were well-loved. Anyway, Emma picked up the black kitten and I picked up the little tabby. She was such a small, adorable little kitten. This was who I wanted to take home.
Well, the owners didn’t want to let her go so young, so we let her stay with her mommy for a couple more weeks. Then Emma brought her home one day. She was still tiny, but she was pretty frisky. When we got her home, Emma’s cat – Teacake – instantly hated her (naturally, since Teacake more-or-less hates everybody). But, she eventually acclimated to her presence.
I named her Robie after the Robie House, which is a Frank Lloyd Wright house built in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Robie was an affectionate kitten, always wanting her morning nuzzles. This was before even Andrew arrived.
Well, she got out a few weeks ago and we kept a lookout for her hoping she would come back. Like I said, she was not an outdoor cat, but the few times she did venture out she zipped right back in. We didn’t see her for weeks, and our hope grew dim. Hopefully, she had at least found another family to live with.
Last week we had finally resigned ourselves to never knowing what happened to her. THat is, until she magically seemed to appear in the backyard and scoot underneath the deck over the weekend! Emma thought she saw her, but the cat never came out. Then on Monday, Andrew and I saw her scoot under the deck! Maybe Robie had come back!
Well, today our neighbor found her in their garage and we finally got her back. She was in bad shape, though, and wouldn’t eat or drink anything. And she seemed to be having trouble walking. Emma took her to the emergency room for pets.
The doctor said that while she had no broken bones, Robie was very, very sick. She came back, and we all got a chance to say goodbye. Goodbye, Robie. We love you.
Robie Cat Hong
January 2001 – June 14, 2007
Andrew turned 5 yesterday. It’s amazing how time flies. It’s also amazing what a truly wonderful little boy he’s become. The interactions we have now can be truly fun and thought provoking. He’s not only asking some of what I would consider “typical” kid questions, but also some interesting, challenging ones as well. And he also can be quite thoughtful about how he answers some of the questions we ask him.
Anyway, here he is sometime within that first week:
And here he is at 5 years old:
Hey! We’re okay after the big blow of ‘06. We lost power just before 11pm on Thursday evening. We regained power right around 2:30pm on Friday. After thinking about it, the power decided it had prematurely reinstated itself and promptly went away again at 9:30pm that same day.
The next morning, we were still without power. Therefore, it was the perfect time to get a Christmas tree, which we did after managing a short gas line. On our way back from successfully killiing another tree, we pondered whether or not we were going to be able to man-up for another brisk night. Y’know, cuz we have small children and all. So, on the way back I got on the horn with Starwood Hotels reservations (Starwood being our hotel chain of choice). There was ONE open room across ALL of the Starwood properties between Everett and Tacoma.
Being mindfull of the rising Christmas bills, I chickened out and didn’t pull the trigger. Happily, when we got home, the ol’ Alternating Current was rockin’ the Hong household and we were set to fire up all of our electronic gear. I tell ya, without the soft hum of at least a dozen electrical machines running in the background, it’s downright spooky in the house!
Now, we’re cuddled up in the warm glow of plasma radiation and microwave technology. Just as Norman Rockwell would paint were he still be alive (ummmm, if he’s still alive, my apologies).
Today, after accidentally pouring the laundy soap into the washing machine instead of allowing Andrew to do it, Emma was banished from the laundy room.
Andrew drew up a sign and taped it to the door. It “reads” NO WOMEN ALLOWED and is now only a place that Andrew and I can go into.
Emma was fine with that.
Last week was our son’s 4th birthday. I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone by and how much he’s grown in the last 4 years:
In other birthday news, I turned the big 37 on the 11th and Emma turned 3* on the 16th, so it’s been a busy week of birthdays here at the household (trust me, you don’t want to see ~60 pictures of us).
I think it’s safe to say that we have dodged a bullet with Zoe and the Chicken Pox. It’s now been almost a full 4 weeks since exposure and she hasn’t broken out with the little white pox. Thanks the Lord!
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