my favorite part of the day...

...OTHER than when Daddy comes home...

...is when Marc, Emma and I all go into Marc's room to calm down and get ready for nap time.  It has become a routine to let Emma sit in the bouncy or bumbo seats (or lay/roll on the floor) while Marc picks out books, then lays on his bed, and we all read them together.

I have really been surprised at HOW MUCH Emmalyn gets into it!  She loves looking at the pictures and hearing different the intonations of my voice as we read together and often encourages me with really big smiles...

Marc also pays attention well...

 ...but sometimes decides to do his own thing. ;)

No complaints here.

the things Motherhood does to you...

Before I was a Mother there were some things I was pretty sure I would never do...

Like sing alone in public.  
If you know me... that is a HUGE one.  While I love music, I have never promoted myself as a singer of any sort - more of a "joyful noise maker".  However, if you were at the pediatric clinic in Soonchunhyang University Hospital today, you would have heard an exciting rendition of the Pororo theme song, Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star, and the ABC's all come out of my mouth without regard to who was next to me.. my only thought was: keep Marc happy and WITH ME since we are next to go in to see the Doctor and I didn't want to chase him while dealing with Emma...
I think the most shocking part of this was that it wasn't until I was driving home that I realized I performed a solo in the hospital today.  Even though I was only encored by my son, I am pretty sure that the other parents were at the very least, sympathetic... and maybe amused... but I don't remember scaring anyone away from the little well-baby waiting room...  Oh well...

There are other things I could write about (like counting all the stairs out loud, changing a diaper in unexpected places, not paying much attention to my own appearance..), but the bliss of nap time is now over and therefore any sort of reflection and musing must be put on hold.  Until next time..

What do you catch yourself doing that you never thought you would do??

Shout out to my brother, Caleb!

One of the hardest parts about being far away is missing out on chances to celebrate with our loved ones during special events in their lives.  We have missed many events in our families lives - but celebrated them from afar.  This post is dedicated to one of those special people, Caleb, for a successful completion of his college coursework at the United States Air Force Academy! He is graduating this week and we are so proud of him.  As he begins a career in the Air Force, we pray that the Lord be with him, protect him, use him mightily for His Kingdom.

Caleb's last major life event was October 2010, when he turned 21 years old.  Luckily, we had a delightful eight month old ready to sport some AFA gear and cheer him on.

For this next major life event, his college graduation and commissioning into the United States Air Force, we have an adorable four month old to help us express our congratulations on such an achievement.

Way to go, Caleb! Looking forward to celebrating with you in person this summer! 
 ...and Caleb give us at least 9 months notice for when you are planning another major life event. No promises on having a baby for that one, too.. but we'll see what we can do. ;)

Breaking News!

I am so excited. Why else would I be writing a blog post at 6am?!  I won't keep you in suspense any longer than needed (especially since my bed is waiting for me to return to it) and I'll get right to the point:

Last night I put Emmalyn down to sleep around 6:40pm.  It was a little late and she was a little more tired that she should have been so she cried a little bit longer than I would have liked (which is not at all) but then she went to sleep.

At 10:15pm we were going to sleep - I opened her door so that I could hear her when she woke up.  She was sleeping so sweetly!

At 5:25am I woke and and noticed it is light outside... and then I thought, I haven't gotten up with Emmalyn at all yet!  Jarrod was getting up to go play basketball before work (crazy, I know - it takes dedication) and so I told him: "I HAVEN'T GOTTEN UP WITH EMMA YET!"
ok, I said it in a calm voice but I was jumping up and down and shouting inside...

We both quickly walked to Emma's room to make sure she was still breathing.
Hooray! She was laying in her bed a little crooked, dreaming about her mommy. Or nursing.
AND breathing!

Jarrod casually mentioned that this was a huge milestone and then continued to get ready for basketball/work.  But I couldn't go back to sleep since:
a) I was SO EXCITED
b) she must wake up soon, she misses her Mommy. Or nursing.
c) Jarrod was making some noise so she probably would wake up soon. no use falling asleep to have to drag my sleep-eyed self back into her room. I wanted to enjoy that morning cuddle with her - since we only get those 10 minutes together ALL NIGHT.

She did wake up. At 5:35am.  My bright-eyed self nursed her sleepy-eyed self for 10 minutes and she was asleep.  And while Jarrod left for basketball, I gently put her back in bed. She peeked her eye at me. Then both eyes. and then gave me a gorgeous smile. So I stared at her a bit to enjoy this amazing little girl that has blown away all expectations of babies, and left to tell you about it.

'Cause SOMEONE has to share my joy at 6 in the morning!

---
ADDENDUM: For those who want to know without getting insanely envious, Emmalyn woke up cooing at 9am.  Let's hope this is repeated tomorrow, and EVERY morning.

Emmalyn's Dedication

This past Sunday we dedicated Emmalyn to the Lord.  As with Marc, we were able to dedicate Emmalyn at the Dogok campus of Onnuri English Ministry, our church here in Seoul.  For Marc's dedication, we were the only ones being dedicated that day.  This time with Emmalyn, we shared our joy with several good friends - including our former married couples small group leader and our senior pastor, Eddie Byun, who also officiated the dedication.

Here  is some of what was shared during the service:

Children are a gift from God.  Psalm 127:3 proclaims that "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him." 
As believers, we realize that children are a reward from Him!  Parents receive this gift from God totally by grace. They are to enjoy this gift, but also they are given a responsibility for this gift.  Because children belong to God and are given by grace as gifts to parents, it is only proper and appropriate that children be dedicated back to God.
We are told in 1 Samuel 1 that Hannah presented her son Samuel to the Lord. In Luke 2:22 we read that Mary and Joseph brought their baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem in order to present him to before the Lord. In the same way, Jarrod and Stephanie Puffenbarger (and the other families) today bring their daughter - Emmalyn Elizabeth Puffenbarger (and the other babies) - presenting first themselves and then their daughter before the Lord our God. 

Parents, I call your attention to the commands of God recorded in Holy Scripture.  Deuteronomy 6:4-7 tells us: "Hear O Isreal: The Lord our God is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Ephesians 6:4 says: "fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." God's instructions are plain.
Parents, love God with every ounce and fiber of your being and teach your child to do the same.

And then Pastor Eddie asked that all the men hold their babies (him taking his own son in his arms) and repeat these vows after him:

"I promise before God and His people, as the spiritual leader in this family to raise up my child in the ways of the Lord. I promise to lead by example in trusting God first, each day of my life. I promise to lead my family into His presence with prayer and Scripture. I promise to love and cherish my wife. 
We promise before God and His people to train our child in the instruction and discipline of the Lord and to encourage our child to one day trust Jesus as Lord and Savior.  We dedicate and SURRENDER our child to the Lord today."

Pastor Eddie continued, addressing both parents:

Having come freely, I ask now that you enter into the following commitment in the presence of God and his people. So that EMMALYN may walk in the abundant life that Christ offers, do you vow by God's help and in partnership with the church, to provide EMMALYN a Christian home of love and peace, to raise him in the truth of our Lord's instruction and discipline, and to encourage him to one day trust Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord? Please respond with: "We do."

"We do."

And now, I ask that the church make a vow as well. It has been said that "it takes a village to raise a child." Parents have first responsibility. But parents need the help and support of the community. So I direct my questions now to the church. By being present in God's house today, do you hereby declare yourselves to be the children of God because you trust in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life? If this is true, please respond by saying "we do." ("We do.")

Having come freely, I ask now that you make the following commitment to those who stand before you: So that EMMALYN (and the other babies) may walk in the abundant life that Christ offers, do you vow by God's help, to be faithful in your calling as members of the body of Christ, to help JARROD and STEPHANIE (and the other parents) be faithful to God, and to help teach and train EMMALYN in the ways of the Lord so that he might one day trust him as Savior and Lord? If you accept this responsibility, please respond by saying "we do." ("We do.")

And then Pastor Eddie called each family forward, one by one, to pray a prayer of dedication over the babies.

Our sweet friends, Ron and Sheretta King, with their daughter Janet, shared this day with us. 

The church game Emmalyn a Beginner's Bible. 

We are so blessed and praise God for giving us this sweet baby girl.  We pray that she comes to know her Savior at a young age, that the love the Lord her God with all of her heart, mind, soul, and strength, and that she desire to live a life that bring her Heavenly Father all glory, honor, and praise! Please join us in praying for Emmalyn.

Happy Mother's Day!

To my mothers and grandmothers - you have been a source of love, strength, and encouragement, and I am so thankful for you!  To my mommy friends - thank-you for laughing and crying with me, and inspiring me to love my children well. Happy Mother's Day to you!

 Now, if I may... I really need to give my husband a bit of affirmation.

Jarrod and Marc went on a walk on Saturday night, and when they returned, Marc was carrying the little basket of flowers.  He was so cute running in the door to give them to me.  I expected that this was my Mother's day gift - and was pleased and touched at my son's enthusiasm and my husband's facilitation. :)

That night was particularly rough (I couldn't sleep well), so Jarrod got up this morning and let me sleep in.  I didn't have much hope for sleeping longer.. but the next thing I knew, Jarrod walked in with breakfast on a tray (eggs, roll and jam, yogurt, banana, juice..) AND this home-made flower!  I was so surprised and delighted.  I got to have breakfast in bed... and found out that it was 9:30AM (that is late in Mommy-world)!

TIME to get up for church... I mean it was a big day, Emmalyn's dedication, friends coming over.. gotta get going!!
So, I walked out of the bedroom and found the HUGE bouquet of flowers waiting for me.  I was shocked. delighted. amazed. impressed. shocked. ;) wow.

Every time I walk by it, I have to do a double take. That is mine? In my house?  Look how pretty! Look at the flower bunch back here - I didn't notice that one before!

I love flowers.  And I REALLY love flowers that were given to me by my family because they love me and want me to feel loved.  I do. feel so loved.  I will thoroughly enjoy my two bouquets of flowers from my two special guys - and then have my homemade flower to enjoy long afterwards.

So glad someone invented Mother's Day.
They knew we needed it.
Now who do I talk to about making it bi-annual? ;)

Thank-you, Jarrod, for making this Mother's Day so special for me! I love you!

Marc's go-to-sleep routine..

Every time we put Marc in his bed - for naptime or bedtime - we do the same routine.  Read, Sing, (pray at bedtime), press the light/sound machine and leave the room.  Since we made the great room swap and Marc lays down in his bed looking up at Pororo and Friends - it has added an interesting twist to this routine.

We still read a couple books at night - but instead of reading in a chair, we read laying in his bed.
We still sing the same songs about how much we love him, and how much Jesus loves him... sometimes with Itsy-Bitsy Spider or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star thrown in (Jarrod will sing a variety of songs.. I pretty much stick to the same ones).  I always singing end with "Jesus Loves Me"... and depending on what time it is, I will sing anywhere from 1 to 4 verses of the song (thanks to a book Denise gave us, I have the whole things memorized), but end with a made up verse about how Mommy and Daddy love Marc that is most often this one:

"Mommy Loves Marc, Daddy, Too

Oh Marc Charles, We love you!

Emma loves you a whole lot, 

So does Stephen, Shaun, and Scott.

Yes, Mommy Loves You,

Yes, Daddy Loves You

Yes, Emma Loves You,

 and Jesus Loves you, too."

Now when I get to the "Yes, Mommy loves you" part.. Marc looks at his wall and starts naming all of his Pororo characters for me to include...
"Po-roro""
"Yes, Pororo loves you"
"Peh-y"
"Yes. Petty loves you"
"Hair-ree"
"Yes, Harry loves you"
...and so on, until he has named ALL of the characters.. sometimes he names a few of them twice..
 and then we go back to Mommy, Daddy, Emma and Jesus.

Well. At least he knows he is loved. :)