A little Chloe quiz....

The following phrases are the top seven "Chloe-isms" (among many) that I will never correct. They are just too darn cute. Please read the following and try to guess what she is attempting to say. Answers are at the bottom. No cheating!

7. "Hello, little fellup."

6. "Cin.der.ella-ella-ella-ella-ella. Really-Really-Really. Cin.der.ella-ella-ella-ella. If you wanna be my rover...If you wanna be my rover... if you wannna be my rover. I'm on the phone!"

5. "Awww, cute little puffy."

4. "More lemolade, please!"

3. "Don't forget my pandy!"

2. "Daddy, do you know where my canda stickers are?"

1. This one comes with a story (my new favorite). Today on the playground, Chloe and a little boy entered into a "scuffle" over a certain yellow slide. Chloe struck the first blow, and I promptly removed her from the situation, applied a little discipline, and insisted that she say, "I'm sorry" to the offended party. At first, she attempted a measly, "imseree..." from across the playground, but I insisted that she say it to his face and very loudly. To my shy little one, this was the worst punishment she could endure until I offered that we could leave the playground. After deliberations that make the health care reform look like the "paper or plastic?" dilemma at the grocery store, she finally decided that, nay, leaving the playground would be far worse punishment. So she mustered up the courage to say "I'm sorry." She marched over to the little boy, huffed and puffed a minute, whispered to herself (I kid you not) "one, two three..." then yelled at the top of her little lungs.... "THANK YOOUUUUUUUUUUU!"


aaaaand the answers...

7. This is said almost daily to her little sister when she wakes up from a nap. Chloe gently caresses Maple's cheek, softens her eyes and intends to say, "Hello, little fellow."

6. In order for this one to make sense, you must watch this clip:



5. No, my daughter does not see a great green dragon with pink wings. "Puffy" is, in fact, "puppy."

4. Lemonade. Her new favorite drink.

3. After she goes potty, she subtly reminds us, "Don't forget my candy!"

2. Panda. As in Panda bear. Those "p's" and "c's" are confusing sometimes.

1. In this case, I think "Thank you" should be interpreted as, "I'm terribly terribly terribly sorry that I even thought about hitting you, and had I known that my actions would have led to this kind of humiliation, I would have let you have the darn slide. And by the way, after this display of stage fright, I am fairly certain that my dream of being a Broadway star has been dashed to pieces. I blame you, thankyouverymuch."

Poor little bloggy...

...I have not forgotten thee.

Saturday Survey

A meme from Amy Beth

Three names I go by:

1. Mommy

2. Honey

3. Tudda

Three jobs I’ve had in my life:

1. Cookie baker

2. Pretzel maker

3. Insurance Agent

Three places I’ve lived:

1. Georgia

2. Tennessee

3. South Korea

Three favorite drinks:

1. Coffee

2. Coffee

3. Coffee

Three television shows I watch:

1. Prison Break

2. LOST

3. ... that's it, since we don't have TV.

Three of my favorite foods:

1. Chocolate Cake

2. Macaroni and Cheese

3. Watermelon

Three of my favorite restaurants:

1. Marti's at Midday (in Athens)

2. Panera (in Cleveland)

3. Mr.Pizza (in Korea)

Three things I couldn’t live without:

1. Jesus

2. Jesus

3. Jesus

Three things I can’t stand:

1. Wet, cold feet

2. Anything cream-filled

3. The THX sound at the beginning of movies in the theater

Three things I’m decent at:

1. Writing

2. Cooking (when I have an oven)

3. Singing

Three things I’m looking forward to this weekend:

1. Going to Yung-Deong Church

2. A yummy meal in Seoul

3. Maybe seeing Ansley???

Three things I’m addicted to:

1. Reading blogs

2. Coffee

3. Planning

Remember that scene in E.T. when all the men in white suits came running through the big plastic tubes to take E.T. away? Yeah, that was awesome.

One week and one day ago, we arrived home from English camp. Seriously, y'all, those two weeks of camp were, like, the best weeks EVER! Eighteen (18!) American friends of ours flew all the way from Georgia to be counselors, singers, actors, dancers, targets, and candy givers. I basically did not see Chloe Jane for those two weeks, except at meal time and bed time, because she was totally into hanging out with the American kiddos (and the Korean ones who spoke English). All in all, it was a great two weeks that ended in... well, the worst sickness I've ever had. Seriously. (Anyone else noticed that's the third time I've used that word so far? Seriously.)

Yup, good ol' tonsillitis took hold. A bad case. How do I know it was bad? Well, for starters, I couldn't swallow my own spit. And also, when the doc looked in my mouth, he gasped. Yes, friends, a medical professional who sees sick people all the time actually gasped when he saw my tonsils. I'm pretty sure I should get an award for something like that.

ANYwho. By this past Wednesday (a full week, two shots, and two rounds of antibiotics after this thing started) I was able to take my first bite of solid food. Today, I'm still a little sore in the tonsil area, but I finally have some energy... just in time for Chloe to get a nice little cold.

Funny story... took Chloe to the doctor. He brushed it off as a cold and gave her some fever medicine (read: Tylenol). As we were walking out, my friend mentioned to him that we had been hanging out with Americans for the past couple weeks. That doctor looked at us like we had aliens popping out of our armpits, and then sent us to the Korean version of the CDC because everyone from the United States must have swine flu and therefore a two-year-old's head cold will quite potentially wipe out the entire Korean population. Everyone was dressed in white, snapping gloves, breathing through uber-fancy face masks, sticking Q-tips down little kids throats. Sheesh. Ultimately it was decided that, yes, she probably has a cold. But until the H1N1 virus tests come back, we are quarantined (QUARANTINED!) for the next 2-3 days. Lands sakes alive, our life feels so dramatic sometimes.

So, all that to say, I have quite the to-do list up in my noggin'. So, even though "blogging" falls somewhere alongside "breathing" in my list of priorities, I may have to set it aside for a few more days until that list is a little smaller.

A note to certain family members who seem overly-concerned about the status of our picture taking: We DO have tons of pictures and a few videos from camp. I AM planning to post them as soon as possible. But as having clean underwear takes precedence over the two-hour process of sorting and posting pictures, it may be a few more days. So sorry, dearies. So sorry.

Ok. I guess that's it. Time to start unpacking...

Saturday Survey

Because no one procrastinates like I do...

As always, participating in Amy Beth's meme.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7am, can you believe it?? I felt like I was on vacation.

2. How do you like your steak? Medium. But I'll take a veggie burger over a steak any day.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Star Trek - hubby's choice and one of the few showing in English.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Don't watch TV. Bummer dude.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Memphis, TN

6. What did you have for breakfast? Fried eggs and toast.

7. What’s your favorite cuisine? Does chocolate count?

8. What foods do you dislike? Korean. :) Nah... I don't reckon there's any food I won't eat.

9. Where is your favorite place to eat? Starbucks. Have you had their oatmeal with fruit and granola... or brown sugar and cinnamon? I mean, pair that with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and there you have my favorite meal ever.

10. What is your favorite salad dressing? Balsamic Vinaigrette in the winter, Homemade Strawberry Vinaigrette in the summer. I'm a bit of a dressing snob.

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? I don't drive these days. It's probably the thing I miss most over here.

12. What are your favorite clothes? My white peasant skirt, red v-neck t-shirt, and white flats. Comfortable, feminine, and oh-so-Korean. :)

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Israel.

14. Is the cup half empty or half full? I never understood that question. Can't it just be half a glass of liquid? Why can't we all just get along?

15. Where would you want to retire? In a Winnebago, on the road.

16. What is your favorite time of the day? Nap time.

17. Where were you born? Northeast Georgia

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Boxing. Seriously.

19. Are you a bird watcher? I have a hate/hate relationship with all manner of bird.

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Used to be a night person. These days, I'm neither.

21. What did you want to be when you were little? The President - the idea of bossing people around has always thrilled me.

22. What’s your best childhood memory? Playing on the trampoline with Nick, Rodney, and Cassidy

23. Do you always wear your seat belt? Depends on how long the taxi ride is, but yes, I usually do.

24. Do you have any pet peeves? My number one, absolute, I-really-hate-it pet peeve is when I can't get in touch with the person who has my child.

25. Favorite type of pizza? Pizza Hut, thin crust, beef'n'bacon

26. Favorite flower? Buttercup (Dandelion, but isn't Buttercup a much cuter name?)

27. Favorite ice cream? Cookies'n'Cream.

28. Have you done anything spontaneous lately? Nope. I should plan to do that soon. Wait.

29. Do you like your job? Best job I've ever had. *wink*

30. Do you like broccoli? I LOVE raw broccoli with Ranch Dressing, but I'm allergic to most raw veggies. I know, right? I tolerate cooked broccoli.

Three days...

Only three days, y'all. Three days until 18 lovely Americans land in my country and come to my city. Three days until my girls and I will board their bus and head to two weeks of kids camp. Three days until I can spend every waking moment speaking slurred, southern, Georgia-style English, knowing that I will be understood every time. Three days until Chloe has English-speaking children to play with. Three days until I hug my very bestest friend in the whole wide world whom I haven't seen in over a year. Three days, y'all. THREE DAYS!

But that also means...

Three days to pack up four people. Three days to prepare my home for the visitors who will be staying here when the camp is finished. Three days to wash every article of dirty clothing in my house... plus sheets and comforters... without a dryer. It will take a miracle with sunshine on top. Three days, y'all. THREE DAYS!

So... things may be a bit sparse around this here little bloggy over the next three days. Lots to look forward to, but lots to do beforehand.

Happy Weekend, y'all!

Pray for Trey

I'd like to introduce you to a beautiful family in Tennessee:
the Winderweedle's.



I went to school with Bud Winderweedle from the sixth grade until graduation and then for a couple years in college. My fondest memory of Bud is from our first day as freshmen at Lee University. My parents had driven me up to campus, helped me settle in my dorm, and then sat with me through freshmen orientation. They were then planning to take me to lunch at Cracker Barrel before leaving me all by my lonesome at this "huge" school for six weeks. I remember forcing down the lump in my throat as I finally began to grasp the fact that I was no longer a mediocre fish in the 33-student pond from which I had graduated. I was now the algae the fish ate in the much larger lake, or ocean, or whatever. Coming out of orientation, as the lump in my throat threatened to push tears over the brim, we rounded a corner and ran smack dab into Bud and his family. I was so relieved to see somebody I knew, even if he did look different than I remembered. At our Christian high school, the male students had to wear collared shirts and keep a "good Christian" appearance (meaning, short hair). When we ran into Bud, his hair was flapping over his ears (gasp!), his shirt was un-tucked, and he was in sandals. When my parents asked him about his college plans, his response was, "I wanna be a rock star." No joke. I walked away from that brief conversation with a small sense of relief in knowing that I was not alone on that big campus. As it turns out, he wasn't too far off with the whole rock star thing. He became a big worship leader on campus at Lee University where he met his beautiful wife Melody.

I am sad to admit that I haven't had many opportunities to get to know Melody, us living in separate states and all. What I can say is that she was one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen. (I can't find pictures to prove it to you; so you'll just have to take my word for it.) Their wedding was in a lovely historic farmhouse in North Georgia, and - get this - their reception? In a barn! I know, right? I was so very beautiful - like something from Martha Stewart Weddings - and I felt so blessed to be there to witness the beginning their life together.

So, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes TREY in the baby carriage.



Isn't he just the cutest little bundle o' all-boy you've ever seen?! Trey was born last fall, a strapping little boy who won the hearts of parents and grandparents alike. His full name is "Howell Edward III," which means "Remarkable Protector of the Inheritance," an amazingly prophetic name, considering all this little trooper and his family have endured since his birth.

You see, Trey was born with two holes in his heart. As if that weren't enough, a week after he was born, a virus attacked his little heart and sent him and his family on this long prayerful journey which has landed them at Vanderbilt hospital today.

This Wednesday, little Trey will have open heart surgery.


If all goes well, Trey will gain weight and grow into the normal tree-climbing, worm-catching, summer-smelling, girl-hating, mommy-loving little boy he's designed to be.



So if you get a minute or ten, please stop and pray for this beautiful family. They deserve the best, and our Lord is big enough to do it.



And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28

For more information about Trey and his family, go to: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/treywinderweedle



* Trey just got finished with his very successful surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery! Praise the Lord!