Equipment Malfunction

After cleaning some of the garage, Woody decided to pump up the tires on my bike and take Annika for a ride. He cleaned the bike, put on her helmet and loaded her onto the bike carrier. I was ready to take a picture of my husband riding my bike. The wheel made one rotation and Woody said he turned but couldn't see Annika. "Look Down!" I yelled. There was Annika, not quite in the right position for riding. The bolt had fallen out. The drop made the back of the carrier crack. We decided that was the end of the bike carrier.

Look Who's 40!

I ran around like a crazed wife today. I somehow procrastinating my dear husband's birthday and had done none of my usual preparations and planning. The girls (ok Annika) insisted their dad have a superhero party. I did not want to do some suprise party with friends - I knew Woody would prefer a more quiet affair. So after coming home from work with a planned dinner and party supplies, I admonished Woody to the master bedroom with Ingrid while the girls and I "transformed" the playroom into a superhero party, fit for any man.

Woody displayed "mock surprise" since the girls were neither quiet nor secret about the party. He was thrilled to have superman plates and a cornbread 40th birthday cake was right up his alley.

What does any 40 year old superhero need by way of presents? A Chainsaw? Chestwaders?

"Dad, you're a strong superhero!!!"

Caring for Twins

Caring for twins must be rough. Double feedings, twice the diapers, never crying in sync. They are cute to look at until you have to lift two car seat carriers at once! My aunts are twins so I can only imagine the amout of work my grandmother went through caring for them. My mom described a time when everyone came down with Hepatitis in the area. She was the only one not infected and stepped up to care for the baby twins - and she was nine!

So it came as quite a shock when I peered into the crib and saw my TWINS. Just kidding.

Vikings can stand the Cold

Today is truely a milestone for the Phoenix area. Last night the temperatures dipped to 29 degrees fahrenheit. That means all "mild" trees and plants are exposed to the elements and probably won't survive. We'll have to see in the AM.

But what about inside, where it's all nice and warm? Certainly for the Chung house this is especially true. And why not, only four days ago we spent a whopping $2300 on a new HVAC unit. Our unit had finally died. The install went smooth and we were ready for some nice heat in the winter and more importantly, great A/C for the summer. And what a super quiet unit!

Wait, I think it's too quiet! Why is the temperature inside the house dropping. Something went wrong with our brand new unit. Woody tried to look at the unit and the attic and couldn't figure out the problem. We called the emergency line for the HVAC company. I made sure Woody let them know we had a six month old baby and a brand new warrantied unit. The emergency crews were really backed up with calls. Luckily we had a fabulous quality space heater that was Woody's. We brought the girls into our room in sleeping bags. Ingrid's crib is in the corner of the master suite. We have an HDTV for entertainment that swings into the master bath. Ingrid's formula station was set up in the bathroom and we had a picnic dinner. The girls thought it was fabulous.

The house temp dropped into the low 50s outside the master suite. The atmosphere inside the suite was cozy. We took turns "running" errands to the kitchen.

After two days in our "cozy" suite, the HVAC unit switch was fixed in 3 minutes and we were back to heat. But for awhile, we were cold Vikings.

Cleaning with the Strength of a Viking

Were you expecting a picture of Thor?

Grandpa the Toymaster

Grandpa can create some of the best traditional cherished toys for the girls. When Morgan was little, he made this beautiful doll highchair. And, as with Annika, before Ingrid gets any bigger, it seemed logical (or ill-logical) to catch a photo of our "doll" before she grows.

Family Gathering

The New Years continued on January 2 when everyone gathered for an evening tea and cake with some family silliness thrown in for good measure.

Sur Nahr

This News Years we made a last minute trip to California to see the grandparents, Harmony and Harabagee. The highlight of the trip was celebrating Chur. By tradition, the children, grand children, and great grandchildren go before their elders and bow out of respect. The elders (grandparents) sit on a mat and dole out advice and other words of encouragement to each child, always starting with the youngest. There is a gift of money and for the youngest, some small trinkets.

Ingrid was exempt this year (she can't even sit up on her own!). But we put her in her purple chair to "hear" the words of advice and good fortune for the upcoming year. Next came Morgan and Annika. They practiced bowing in unison and the traditional Korean words of respect. They were given $20.00 and a gift bag of small school supplies. Next came Andy. James should have been next but he was still sleeping!! Woody and I took our turns. We were given the advice of patience and joy for our children. The girls were given the task of waking James who overslept! He was given some good words including making good use of his time. This is a traditional time to take family pictures.

Here are some Chur pictures.