Christmas Eve in San Francisco

Christmas Eve we headed up to San Fran for some fun! {Max had never been before}

But before we went, we stopped by San Jose so that I could get my hair cut and done. 

Yes, I chopped off like 10 inches [and i'm embarrassed to say I didn't donate it....but i did donate it last year...and i will do it next time!] 

So far I love my short hair {except for the fact that I'll probably be the only one with super short hair during BYU Lu'au this year :P } I just like change and it was definitely much needed.

So pardon the awkward I-just-got-my-hair-cut-and-I'm-not-used-to-it-look in all of these pictures :P

Candid. ish. :)

i love our familHEE

 what a hunk!

My dad doing the "Gangnam Style" Dance. In public. My dad is hilarious.

My cute lil sis. I can't believe she's a high school student now! So crazy!

Cho-Scoville familhee love :)

I had to get a good picture of the Golden Gate Bridge because we have the worst luck with foggy weather whenever we go to San Fran. This was the first time I have ever seen the WHOLE bridge without any fog covering it! :P

Because we knew Sonhee was going to call on Christmas Eve, we stopped by the Oakland Temple and talked to her in the parking lot there. It was super awesome to talk to her (she get's done in 2 MONTHS!) and we loved feeling the spirit there on the temple grounds :)

Oakland Temple--we were too cold/lazy to go outside and take pictures in front of it ;)

When we got home we sat around the fireplace just chatting and hanging out. I think that little things like this we do with our family are sometimes the most memorable things ever :)
{{note to self: get a house with a fireplace}}

my mama keeping the fire going for the fam.

midnight snacks--korean style: steamed broccoli and gochujang (red pepper paste)

Photos: San Francisco, Oakland, and Home, CA. Christmas Eve. 2012. 

It was an eventful Christmas Eve and I was so sad that it went by so fast! I've really felt this year that the most important thing in life is FAMILY. and I'm so darn grateful I have such a bomb-diggity great family whom i love and who loves me :)

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

So here's the thing. 

our family is super asian. 

and in Korea Christmas just isn't as huge as it is in America. {at least it wasn't when my parents were growing up}

When we were little we had this huge christmas tree (actually it was only 4ft tall..but it just seemed ginormous because Sonhee and I were (and are) so short).

But when we moved to California we had to leave lots of stuff behind and give away stuff to DI because we had so much stuff. So the Christmas tree was one of the first things to go. And then we had to live in this super tiny apartment in California, so we didn't bother setting up another tree because it just took up so much space! {i know some of you are probably gasping at the fact that we didn't have a Christmas tree for like 5 years.. but for us, it's was nbd :P }

Eventually {like 2 years ago} or something, my mom bought a christmas tree and decorated it and everything because we had finally settled into our house. 

This year, my mom made a special effort to be more Christmas-y so that Max felt more at home while spending the Holidays with us. 

Photo: December 21, 2012. California :)

our lil korean ornaments :)

look at that cute face ;)

sometimes i look like a monkey...

candid!

Our first christmas together. 2012. 

Part of my Jerusalem Olive Wood Nativity set. There's like 10 more pieces but I thought I'd take some artsy pictures with the most important ones :)

So Max is in the process of learning Korean. He's actually quite fast at catching onto things {especially since he's already fluent in Spanish}. It also helps that both of my parents work as Korean Language Instructors, so they're naturals at the whole teaching thing. 

Me on the other hand...well I never really sat down and learned Korean grammar. I know how to speak it correctly {for the most part}. But when Max asks me why something is said in this way or why some object marker is included/excluded I just tell him I have no idea. It's just how it is. It's kind of how most Americans (myself included) don't know how to explain grammar to other people. {unless you're like an english major or something...}

Because of my lack of Korean teaching skills, Max takes advantage of the time we're in California to learn as much as he can. And my mom absolutely adores Max and loves spending time trying to talk to him in Korean. It's pretty much awesome. 

Photos: December 22, 2012. Christmas in California.

One day I hope that Max will be able to speak fluently, so that we can teach our kids Korean. I know it's gonna be hard, but I think it's something that I'd really like my kids to have! I'm so grateful that my parents tried so hard to teach us Korean because it's been such a blessing! 

ilovebeingkorean. ilovemyhome. ilovemyfamilhee. ilovechristmas. :)

Christmas Break In California

The first few days in California were kinda foggy and cold. But a few days in we got some beautiful sunny weather! It was still a bit chilly, but we took a quick trip to Carmel to window shop and enjoy a California winter :)

{{ I would so LOVE to live in Carmel Valley when I get older after all my kids are grown up or something. It's seriously one of the most beautiful places every! }}

My dad is a stud :)

loving the california weather :)

my parents are adorable.

twiner picture!

Photos: December , 2012. Carmel, CA. 

It was so fun to just walk around and window shop at the little stores around Carmel. We even went to Tiffany's, which was a blast. Everything was ridiculously expensive (obviously) but it was still fun to try things on... {it's a girl thing} ....maybe in like 25 years... ;)

Later that week, we went to CPK with our favorite neighbors--Larry and Linda. They're pretty much the best and it's always fun to catch up with them when come home from school. We always go out to CPK or Gianni's--we're pizza loving families, to say the least ;)

Dinner with our favorite neighbors--Larry and Linda

Photos: CPK. December , 2012. 

It was definitely a great start to our Christmas break. Can't wait till we visit CA again--I already miss it [especially with this freezing tundra weather we're having right now >.< ]