Monthly Archives: April 2010

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Ty’s First Haircut

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So, on the evening of Monday, April 26, Ty was given his first haircut.  He didn’t have much hair to begin with since a lot of it started falling out last month, but the remaining strands were getting pretty long.  Lala and Nana were leaving the next morning, so Nana offered to cut Ty’s hair.  He did a pretty good job at sitting still and not fussing.  She didn’t bring her scissors and supplies, so she had to use our ghetto scissors and Israel’s beard trimmer, but the cut turned out so well!  Ty looked so different, but very cute. 

Ty sitting in his comfy barber chair.  

In commemoration of this milestone, all of the other boys (Israel included) supported Ty by also getting their haircut.  It was the boys’ first professional cut!  Nana used to cut Israel’s hair back in California when he was a little boy.  We really appreciate her for giving so many haircuts in such a short amount of time!  Israel got his hair cut after Ty.  The next morning before leaving for the airport, Imanuel got his hair cut.  And believe it or not, Micah got his haircut en route to Marquette airport in our big blue van, Leon! 

Now all of the boys in this house are well-groomed and looking sharp.  


Ty & Nana

The final results!

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Lala, Nana, Mama & the boys

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From April 13-27, Lala and Nana Margie came to stay with us. Israel was scheduled to be in France for evangelism meetings from April 15-26. On the Thursday that he left, he drove to Marquette airport then flew to Detroit where his first layover was. And he never got any farther. The volcano that erupted in Iceland shut down all air travel into Europe temporarily. So, after a few days stuck in Detroit, he ended up driving back home with Daniel who happened to be downstate for that week. It was nice because we got to spend more time together and for the first time in a while, the number of parents (including 3 mothers!) in our house exceeded the number of kids. This resulted in scrumptious meals, plenty of playing for the kids, wonderful conversations, fun outings, 2 birthday parties (for Nana & Lala), an immaculate kitchen, a clean house, and a virtually stress-free 2 weeks! We were so blessed to have them here and we were so sad to see them go. Here are some of the highlights from their visit:

– receiving all of the special gifts from Lala & Nana (like Bible Bingo, books & clothes)
– Lala finding our big green ball in the woods
– Bentley protecting Nana from the porcupine and other porcupine stories…
– spending a couple days at Camp au Sable
– doing a sauna together
– Ty’s first solid feedings of rice cereal & his first haircut!
– all of the boys getting haircuts by Nana, a professional hair-stylist!  <–a separate post soon to come
– lots of walking/playing outside & being healthy (except for eating all of that cake)
– many trips to Walmart
– and plenty of hugs and kisses  🙂

We hope we can see them again soon! In the meantime, we have pictures to help us remember our fun times together. 
 

Lala & Nana, thank you so much for coming!

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The Gracious Reunion

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During our last trip down for Ian’s dedication, my sister met Ty for the first time.  It was special because not only did my sister name him, but Ty is also indirectly named after her.  My dad chose the Korean names for our kids.  Korean siblings (& cousins) often share a generational name syllable in addition to their family name.  So, in our kids’ generation, their common name syllable is “woo” which is derived from the chinese character meaning “friend”.  Imanuel’s name is “Sun-woo” (good friend), Micah’s name is “Hyun-woo” (wise friend), and their cousin Ian’s name is “Myung-woo” (bright friend).  Ian is named after my dad whose Korean name is “Myung-keuk”. 

When Ty came along, my dad decided to name him after my mom and sister who both share a common syllable, “Eun” which means “grace” (or “silver”).  So, Ty’s name is “Eun-woo” (gracious friend).  Their three names are special to our family because not only do all three of them share a common syllable though they span three different generations, the other part of their name is their generational name syllable shared with their siblings.  In our family, our names have been instrumental in giving us a sense of identity and belonging as well as pride in who we are.  It is my prayer that our boys will share in those bonds as they grow together in the Lord.        

Graces
Three of my favorite people, Ju-eun, Eun-bok, and Eun-woo, at their first reunion. 

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Built Ford Tough

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The other day, the two older boys wanted to play outside so while Ty was napping, I stole an hour or so to go out and play with them in the backyard.  We first went for a walk and admired the purple wild flowers that blossomed.

Bentley hung out with Edna…until he found a bone in the woods! 

Then, Imanuel wanted to ride his trike.  He LOVES riding his trike.  Micah has a mini-bike with training wheels that my parents also bought for them, but he still hasn’t quite gotten the hang of it yet.  So, I thought, maybe I could just pull him around in a sled.  I was getting so tired that I just couldn’t pull him anymore.

Then, Imanuel thought of the brilliant idea of pulling him on the sled with his trike!

Yeah, right.  He was only able to get Micah to move for just a few inches and that was on an incline!  I ended up having to push them.  That’s when we knew what we had to do.  We realized that the only way we could pull Micah was to use something really tough…Ford tough.

Success!  (Well, sort of.  They still did have some trouble going uphill.)

Last month, for Micah’s 2nd birthday, Thanksgiving, Ty’s birth present, Christmas 2009, and Manu’s 4th birthday, we bought the boys a Ford Harley Davidson Edition Power-Wheels Truck.  :]

They used their truck to help with some yard work. 

Then it was time to go inside.  Manu parked the car in our garage where only Fords are allowed. 

So, here’s to many years of good use on this car…because we decided this is only car they’ll be getting from us! 

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Easter with Grandma Karen

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This past weekend, Israel was in Georgia for GYC BOD meetings.  The kids and I were able to spend some time with one of our favorite people, Grandma Karen.  Since we’ve moved to the U.P. nearly 4 years ago, Karen has sat with us and helped me take care of the boys during church.  Thanks to her, our boys have learned how to sit quietly (for the most part) while the preacher preaches.  She has put together Sabbath bags for Manu and Micah, and each week, she puts different books and quiet toys in them.  Even when she is away for the weekend, she makes sure to drop off the bags at the church so the boys will have something new and quiet to look at during church service.  That is how it all started, but Karen has become so much more to us. 

She remembers the little things.  None of the boys’ birthdays have gone by without Karen remembering to get a present & card.  (And she makes sure to get a little something for the other kids’ too so they don’t feel left out.)  And every time we see her, she always has a little snack or treat to give the boys.  We have been blessed with wonderful church members, but Karen is extra special.  The boys absolutely love her and we know she loves them so much too.

She has become a part of our family.  Not only does she keep Israel in line when it comes to church business, she makes sure we are taken care of.  I remember a few times when she called to tell us about coming snow storms.  We usually had no clue, but we were able to be prepared when we got snowed in.  Then she gave us a weather radio to make sure we would be prepared.  Embarrassingly enough, a few times she’s offered to shovel our roof because the snow would be dangerously high.  Israel would then make sure to get that taken care of (-by hiring some guys to do it).  She is an amazingly strong and capable woman and she gives us guidance when we need it.

Most importantly, she loves the Lord.  She has endured severe trials in her life, but has come out victorious.  She is filled with wisdom and knowledge, and I love spending time just talking with her.  She keeps it real and is always willing to learn and grow.  I appreciate that about her.

That is why spending so much time with Grandma Karen this weekend was so wondeful.

Sabbath afternoon at the park


Easter Sunday dinner out


She surprised the boys with special Easter baskets filled with fun things!

There are very few people outside of family, that you are able to love like family.  She would definitely be considered one!  Thank you, Grandma Karen, for being such a special part of our lives.  We love and appreciate you so much!

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Spring 2010

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While there are still some scattered remnants of snow on the ground, I think I can (almost) say with certainty that spring is here!  There have been many changes in the Ramos household: 

1.  We have developed a monthly menu for all of our meals to eat healthier and to help streamline our shopping and spending.
2.  We are trying to grow our own herbs this year.
3.  We started working out.  (I’m training for a 5k and Daddy is training for a sprint triathlon!)
4.  We started taking the kids to the public library in Houghton where the boys have already enjoyed storytime/crafts, playing on the kids’ interactive computers, and checking out lots of books. 
5.  Imanuel is 4 years old and can almost wipe his butt by himself!  One of his b-day gifts was receiving his own library card.
6.  Micah often tells us that he would like to go pee pee in his pickle cup (-the pickle jar where he is supposed to go pee in) but has only done it once.  Hopefully some day.  Other than that, he’s still eating, singing, and acting silly.
7.  Both Imanuel & Micah have the exact same size feet.  So, now they share hats, undershirts, neck ties, socks, and shoes.  Manu weighs 38 lbs and Micah weighs 36 lbs, but Manu is several inches taller still.
8.  Ty is close behind at 20 lbs.  He is now 3.5 months, he wears size 9-12 month clothes, and is now sleeping 9-10 hours at night!
9.  Bentley has a lady-friend, Edna, who has been making daily visits much to the chagrin of her owners. 
10.  The kitties have finally ventured outside!


Our first outing to the park by the canal.


His nicknames include: “Tai-bai-bo”, “Tae-bo”, and “Ty-Ty”… he’s our 20-pound-3-month-old wonder.


Bentley and Edna during one of her visits. 

We are so happy that Spring has decided to make her appearance early this year.  🙂