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| When you get pregnant, it's easy to get caught up in trying to prepare for things that could possibly go wrong. Me: If we get in an accident and I die, you need to find something sharp and cut the baby out of me right away. Won Bin: I'm not cutting you open. Me: You have to! He's your son! He'll die within minutes unless you cut him out of me right away! Won Bin: (flatly) I'm not going to cut your body open. It takes all the fun out of being tragic when no one will be tragic with you. So . . .that's why I want all my friends to know- if we're in an accident together and I die, you'll need to find something sharp and cut me open and save my baby's life!!!  | | |
| We just want to thank everyone for their immense love during this difficult and sad time- for all your phone calls, emails, meals, gifts, gift cards, cards, babysitting, flowers, help, and sacrifice. We were so blessed and overwhelmed by the many of you who came out to Won Bin's mom's viewing and funeral service, and we know that many of you left work and other important things on your schedules to be there for us. I know that at a funeral service, you barely get to hug the those mourning and say a few things, but that one hug means SO MUCH! The comfort you gave by your presence alone, standing with us while we cried, is something we cannot forget. If I had to describe Won Bin's mom with one word, it would be COLOR. She had such a vivacious, embracing personality that people often said that she was safer than a grown man working in a store in a dangerous part of LA. (Won Bin's dad needs a gun and bullet proof glass surrounding the counter to survive the area.) She could get the scariest looking men to crack a smile and a laugh at her jokes. She would befriend babies and their single moms with free candy treats. Everytime we went to visit them at the store, she had plenty of customers to introduce us to because they all wanted to meet her kids and grandkids. They called her "Mama Song"; "Ya! What up MamaSong? Dat ya kids?" One customer, who spent much time with us in the hospital (who became a Christian after robbing 38 banks and being on the FBI's Most Wanted List) told us that Won Bin's mom got him to stop smoking because she refused to sell him cigarettes no matter how much he would throw a fit. It would amaze me how many different types of people she could reach with her thick Korean accent because of her uninhibited love with no fear. She even talked to us in slang sometimes with her Korean accent; "Whatsup guys? You sho betta tell me whatsup!" I can hear her laughing even now. As a mother, she truly loved loved loved us- Won Bin said during the eulogy that he often felt like he was his mom's favorite, and then he found out Hae Won thought she was the favorite. That night, Joshua was laughing about that and said, "But mom, I know that I was her favorite grandchild." She often told the kids with a big smile, "YOU MY HEART!" After we found out she had leukemia, we thought that we would have more time with her. She left us quickly and God spared her from a prolonged period of pain. The night she passed away, she hadn't been responsive for 4 days, and Won Bin had a strange feeling that she was going to die that night. He went to talk to her from 12:30 am to 3 am. (The nurse said the last sense to go is someone's hearing.) He told her how proud he always was of her as his mom, to not worry about dad cause we would take care of him, and if she wanted, to go be with Jesus and not to hold on for our sakes. Although we hadn't seen any response for days, Won Bin saw a tear escape from the corner of her eye. Right after he left, her heart rate began to drop. They called Won Bin back to the hospital, and she passed right when he got back. It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, I was hugging her; and that 2 months ago, she was at church with us for Easter. Life is so fragile; never take anyone for granted. A few nights ago, I had a dream that I saw her laughing and smiling at us- completely healthy, without pain. What a comfort it is to know that that dream is true! We buried her in the hambok she would wear for choir performances, and now take comfort that today she is singing. Singing in front of God Her Father. Finally at home. We miss you, uhmoni, and can't wait for the day when we see you again! 
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Hi Family and Friends, We are humbly asking you to pray for Won Bin's mom, Pyong Song. She has been diagnosed with acute leukemia and is undergoing chemotherapy. The doctors at UCLA medical hospital (gave us a worse prognosis today than the previous doctor) said that 15% of their patients die from this type of chemo and 5-10% go into remission. The others go through chemotherapy for nothing. We know that God holds all power to heal her. Please pray on her behalf. She is in Day 1 of chemotherapy. The doctors said that Day 10-14 are the worst. She will be in the hospital for one month. My mother in law is a great, generous Christian woman who is always laughing and smiling. She owned a liquor store in one of the roughest neighborhoods of LA, but she would befriend the gangsters and punk kids who would steal from her store by giving them used jeans or just by smiling at them and saying, "You're too good to be doing these kinds of things." She quickly became "Mama Song" to all. People have asked what they could do to help, and I couldn't think of much but prayer. She cannot have flowers or a lot of different types of food because of the bacteria. If you want to encourage her, you can send cards written in simple English or Korean, scarves or hats for when she loses her hair, or balloons/fake flowers(?). But most of all, we just ask that you pray for her. Thanks for all your love and support, Christine and Won Bin | | |
| SLEDDING We had a formation. Joshua and I were on our bellies. Head first. Holding hands to connect our weight. Isaiah was on my back. We went down fast. I felt myself flip and crush Isaiah under me. To this day, I can feel Isaiah crunching into the snow under my back, and for a second, it felt like I was using his body as a "sled". He doesn't look too happy here, but he's a tough kid. By the end of 4 hours, he's the only one who wanted to keep going. On my back. Head first.
The Alpine Slide  
HIKING The next day we went for a 5 mile hike. 
The kids named this tree the "Leaning Tower of Pisa". 
The Big Bear catalogue said that we were going to hike to Solar Observatory, but we just ended up at a sign that said, "END". Who's the dummy now? 
This is Joshua before he fell off a high tree. (Really great acting job, Joshua!) 
Kayla doesn't seem to be having as many problems as Joshua. 
He has the nose of a Roman god and has slick, black, shiny hair like a raven. 
We ended the hike by skipping rocks on the lake. 
PICNIC BY THE LAKE We noticed two picnic tables half submerged in the lake. I dared Joshua to try to cross to the furthest one. How come I ended up being the first to go? 
WE MADE IT! (It's much harder than it looks. In reality, it's about ten times the distance than it appears.) 
Both Isaiah and Kayla cried when we had to leave. They also cried at home because they missed Big Bear. I remember being a little kid and getting really attached to places like that too. The best part for me was slowing life down, going out to see many stars, and getting to enjoy God's creation. We miss you Big Bear! | | |
| I love dancing and have a hilarious time at it, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm not very good at it.
"I don't have a lot of body awareness," I confided in a friend, "Whenever I dance, I have no idea what I looked like afterwards."
Instead of making me feel less self-conscious, she agreed with me. "I'd say that's about right. You and your brother's dance moves are in the same family," she said making apostrophes with her fingers when she said "family".
For those of you who have never seen Dan dance, it's really hard for me to find the perfect words to help you visualize it. Epileptic kangaroo? Electrocuted octopus? But you gotta hand it to my brother- that although it's extremely dangerous to stand in close proximity to him while he's dancing (amputation, beheading, etc.), he dances with a huge Cheshire grin on his face and brings out energy in people like no other.
So I went to my sweet husband and asked him what I look like when I dance. "You look sort of like a white girl who dances good," he answered. What's that suppose to mean? The Carlton?
For Christmas, I got one of the best funk cds of all time and popping it in, I decided that the kids all needed to learn to dance. So jazzing up more flavor and pizzazz than any Rose Bowl performer has ever pumped up, I executed these following historical dance moves for them. (These dance moves should be in those books "What Every Fourth Grader Needs To Know".) - The Roger Rabbit
- The MC Hammer
- The Electric Slide
- The Robot
- The Kid N Play
- Vogue
- The Running Man
- The Backwards Running Man (*my specialty. Confirmed by my high school Chemistry II class.)
After huffing and puffing enough to blow all the little piggies' houses down, all I got from all three kids were blank stares from the couch. They hadn't even stirred.
So I decided to FREESTYLE it. This oughta get them!
"WOAH! Watch the wave going through my arm, through my head, through the other arm! Pop the back! Pop the back! POP! POP! Look kids! I'm running in place! AHHHH! The floor is moving underneath me! And. Now. I. Am. A. Robot."
It was at this moment that Kayla said the magical words, the diamond in the rut, the pearl of all pearls, finally, a compliment I had been starving for. She looked and Joshua and muttered underneath her breath, "Mommy should have been in High School Musical." I just got bumped up to a Latino!
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