Quoting my Toddler, Part 5

I had about an hour to spend with Isaac while Zoey took a nap, so I was trying to find something for us to do together. I took him to his closet and started naming things off: car puzzle, air hockey, candyland, building blocks, etc. He grabbed my hand and softly said "no mama, I don't want to do those." Then I asked him what he wanted to do. He grabbed my face in his hands and said "Let's just talk, mama." I didn't think he really meant it, but we went to the couch and it was true, he just wanted to talk! What???

Get to work!!

25 things

25 random things about me:

1. i am completely obsessed with coffee and am a different person when i haven't had any (just ask the youth!) i actually have to limit myself during the day or it would be all i would ever drink.

2. my favorite tv show growing up was "the young riders" which was about the pony express. jimmy was always my favorite guy, but i loved teaspoon and the kid. (does anyone even know what i'm talking about besides keri?)

3. i love scars... mine and others. i think the stories behind them are so interesting. i used to try to get scars when i was younger by messing with my cuts and scrapes.

4. i would eat mexican food for every meal if it was available to me... and i love putting tabasco on almost anything.

5. i LOVE to travel.. for mission trips and vacations. i've been a lot of places, but if i could choose one place to go next, it would be either greece or mongolia.

6. i took a trip to uganda, africa when i was 15 years old. while i as there i ate a large fried ant, snake skin soup and some very questionable gravy. we also were not able to shower for the entire month. I tried to clean up by rinsing my hair in a bucket of water.

7. i hate wearing socks, and try not to whenever possible... i think i passed that trait on to my son.

8. i love to cook, and would do it all day long if i could, BUT i HATE to bake and am horrible at it!

9. during a spring break impact trip my senior year of college, i was on a wave-runner with a friend when he crashed it into another friend at a very high speed. our group also crashed 2 boats on the same trip- we had to dish out a lot of money for repairs!

10. there is nothing in the world i want to do more than indoor skydiving! chris promised to take me one day and i am still holding out hope.

11. i can name all of the states in alphabetical order (yes, it's a song and i love to sing it to the youth at least once a year)

12. i always need chapstick

13. while in africa i was able to go to the source of the nile. it wasn't at all what i expected... it's so intense that if you were to fall in you would not survive

14. i love looking at people's feet. i don't really care to touch them (unless they belong to my children), but if you have them exposed, i will probably check to see what they look like.

15. chris and i talk about going back to alaska at least once every month- it was one of the most beautiful places i have ever been and i cannot wait to go back.

16. gene kelly is my favorite actor of all time. i know a lot of his movies by heart and did a report on him while in high school. my favs are "on the town", "anchors aweigh", and "take me out to the ballgame"

17. in high school, my sister and i would always use pet-names for each other when we played sports together.... "nag/mule", "L and K all the way", "rocky/colt" and "zip/zap" Anyone know what these are from?

18. i went scuba-diving in the caymans. when i 1st got in i didn't think i would be able to do it, when i was done i told chris it was the most amazing thing i have ever done and couldn't wait to do it again.

19. i love libraries.

20. the time in my life that i changed the most was the 4-years i was away at college. my life would have been much different if i would not have moved to springfield.

21. i love watching hockey.

22. i would have only had to take 1 more class at college to have a english minor. my reasons for not doing so were so lame and now regrettable.

23. i prefer to be cold than hot.. in ANY situation!

24. i love spending time with my kids and miss them terribly when they are not around, even though i know they are fine without me.

25. if i have Jesus and my family, i will always be ok... oh, and maybe a grande coffee.

Confucius says...

"The superior man is modest in his speech,
but exceeds in his actions."
Happy CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

Although we don't agree with most of the stuff associated with the Chinese New Year, we thought it was a great opportunity to study a new country. We ate Chinese food in Chinese take-out cartons, played games with chopsticks, made Chinese lanterns, learned how to write in Chinese, and of course, watched Kung Fu Panda. For lunch, we made General Tso Chicken with a veggie stirfry... I am making that again, so good! We also learned a lot about China and even prayed for some of the persecuted Christians imprisoned there for their faith and are going to be sending a couple of letters their way. We prayer adopted a woman named "Li Mei" who is currently serving time in China for being caught at a worship service. Her crimes were: singing hymns to villagers, showing the Jesus film in a nursing home and praying for healing for a disabled man. You can find out more @ Voice of the Martyrs.

chillin' in the jacuzzi

The eyes are watching me...

For some reason, Isaac is obsessed with his CARS watching everything that is going on. Whenever we are about to do something, whether it's doing a puzzle, making dinner, taking a nap or even going on the potty, the CARS have to be watching. He lines them all up and they stare you down as if they are unimpressed by your performance. I was feeding Zoey this morning with all 5 cars glaring at me and I started to become extremely uncomfortable. What do they want from me?

Bidding starts at $1

Nap time Nightmares
2009

A 21st century original piece by the artist Isaac Christopher. The vibrant jewel hues are slightly muted by the softened earth tones to signify bravery and stubbornness, and is reminiscent of the early works of Wassily Kandinsky. An eclectic, modern piece, this work of art shows the artist's passion for ritz crackers and avoiding nap time.

Bidding starts at $1.00

NOT Quoting my Toddler, Part 4

Since we've been potty training Isaac, he has been talking a lot about his "dupa" (pronounced doo-pah, and is the word us Bunk's use for your bottom). He loves to say "Zoey has a small dupa" and "Isaac has a big dupa". Next, he wanted to tell Chris and I what size dupa we had. I am not going to tell you what he told me... but let's just say that he is getting a special snack today as reward!

Favorite Chew Toy

After Kids...

Last night was rough: wet beds, stuffy noses, hungry baby... and then somehow I ended up "sleeping" on the couch as my son snuggled with his father. I am pretty tired this morning and it got me thinking about how different my life is now that I have kids. Here are just 3 ways I thought of on my limited brain power this morning:

1. Before kids, there were only a few things I needed to grab on my way out the door- my purse, my cell phone, my to-do list and my coffee mug... Now that I have kids: strollers, diaper bags, extra clothes, hats and gloves, snacks, sippy cups, a binky, my "occupy my kids" bag and whatever toy Isaac HAS to bring with him that day.
2. Before kids, if I ran out of half-n-half I would just stop at Starbucks on my way to work and order a grande toffee nut latte with a muffin.... Now that I have kids, if I run out of half-n-half I just grab one of Isaac's granola bars and drink my coffee black (but I have to admit I've seriously considered putting formula in!)
3. Before kids, I would put things away in my house and they would remain there until I moved them again... After kids, I wake up to find my hair dryer in the crib, my cell phone under the couch and a plastic hammer in my bed.

So I know you can think of some too...
In what way has your life changed AFTER KIDS?

Family Fun Days: Dinner and a Movie

I had a great idea to take the kids out on the town... but after enjoying a lazy afternoon, we decided that staying in was the better option tonight. Isaac made us some delicious pizzas, we rented a movie and had "spiderman" ice cream. I love being active and seeing new things, but sometimes just staying home as a family is the best medicine! I feel relaxed, refreshed and ready for another week!

Quoting my Toddler, Part 3

This morning after Chris woke up, I blessed him with time with his kids and went back to bed... I had been up with Zoey a couple of times last night. Well, Chris and Isaac snuck in on me and jumped on the bed to tickle me. I tried to be excited and act surprised, but I was SO TIRED. When Isaac saw that I wasn't getting into it, he stopped and asked if I was ok.... Chris on the other hand wasn't deterred. Isaac saw that Chris was still bothering me and that bothered him, so he kept trying to get his dad's attention to leave me alone. Finally he yelled, "DADDY BUNK!" Chris and I laughed so hard. He must hear us use his last name when he is in trouble and tried to do the same to his dad!

Atlanta 1996

So I was scanning some old youth group pictures this afternoon and came across this picture. My mind FLOODED with incredible memories of all the trips I took while I was a high-schooler. My favorite trip was when we went to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. We had so much fun and I learned so much about trusting God and stepping out in faith. Look how young we all look!!

From left to right, Chris, Lori, (I think Keri might be in here somewhere, but you can't see her!) Aimee, Matt, Joel, Michael, Jessica, Nate, Shannon... and the little boy in the center is Josiah!

I think...

...we may have ourselves a teether!

every morning...

This is the view I have from my kitchen window every morning I pour my coffee. I usually get semi-annoyed by it because it blasts me in the eyes before I've had a chance to wake up, but this morning I couldn't get enough. I'm so grateful for the "new every morning" compassion and mercies of the Lord.

Well, it's not Mount Vesuvius

Isaac's Volcano from lori bunk on Vimeo.

Take Turns!

Tonight Isaac and I went to cheer our girl Janelle on in her basketball game. Isaac had me laughing all night long: he didn't understand why they kept making a loud buzzing sound, everytime they took a time out he would say "oh no, they get in trouble?", and he kept yelling for them to take turns. Things are so much more exciting with a toddler!

right place, right time

This is one of those moments that I rarely catch with my camera.

Time Flies...

My baby is growing up so fast! I know eating rice cereal is not a momentous occassion in the grand scheme of things, but it does mean that my girl is on to the next phase, and that makes me a little sad. I do enjoy every new step, but I wouldn't mind keeping her an infant forever... especially because she is my cuddly child. I can only hope that this will help me get some more sleep at night!

one of life's greatest mysteries...

I can't figure out for the life of me why the youth boys still think they can take on my husband...
they never learn!

Girl's Day Out

Isaac started Preschool yesterday with Grandma, so Zoey and I took advantage of our 1st girl's day out. We went to the DR, got some coffee and did some errands before heading to church. I don't know what it is about this little girl, but she stole my heart. It's funny to look back HERE at a post I wrote before she was born... I have such different feelings now.

Quoting my Toddler, Part 2

During a quick run to Costco, we were sitting in the food/concession area behind a elderly man in an electric scooter. The man was trying to leave, but couldn't control his scooter and smashed really hard into our cart and our table. I had the baby in my hands, but I quickly did what I could to help the man. It was like a movie... he would go forward and hit something, then go in reverse and hit something. Once Chris helped him get everything under control, Isaac looked at me very seriously and loudly said, "Mama, that man is CRAZY!!" All the people sitting close to us starting cracking up and I couldn't correct him properly without bursting out into laughter, so I just let it go.

Happy Birthday Jordie and Connor!

We had a wonderful time today celebrating Jordan and Connor's 3rd birthday at The Bounce House. So much fun!

The boys having to wait to get in

Me whooping Keri in the joust

Only because they didn't have Galaga

Just curious why they would have a row of slot machines at a bounce house for kids...Alina getting hooked on video games
Singing the boys Happy BirthdayIsaac getting his thank you hugAll done and ready to rest

Quoting my Toddler

I thought I would join in the "quote-your-toddler" posts.
This one had me laughing all day:

This morning Isaac walked out of his room holding
his head in his hands, when I asked him what was wrong,
he said, "Mama, I need coffee."

Happy CiNnAmOn Day!

It's CINNAMON day and my house smells amazing! We made cinnamon french toast, scratch-n-sniff cinnamon bears, cinnamon clay, cinnamon buns and learned about what cinnamon is and can be used for. I even snuck a mug of cinnamon coffee!
Did you know...

1. is native to Sri Lanka
2. can be used to treat toothaches and bad breath
3. has been used as an insect repellent
4. it's impossible to swallow a tablespoon without choking
5. it was a luxury in Bible times
6. it was an ingredient in the tabernacle anointing oil
   

Exodus 30:22-29
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 24 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.

Maddy Time!!!

A totally good sportsmanship game of air hockey!

Sitting down to watch "Horton Hears a Who"

Joining in the movie festivities

All the toys that were confiscated throughout the night