Like Father, Like Son

Or is it .... Like Son, Like father?

Jared's Tol Ceremony

The Tol Ceremony is a Korean tradition that takes place on the first birthday. As part of the Tol Ceremony, the child is seated in front of a table with multiple items on it. Korean tradition says that whatever order the child picks the items in, this will dictate aspects of their future.

Jared did not wear a hanbok for the ceremony because the one his auntie brought him back from Korea was WAY WAY too big. :)

The pencils represent education, the rice represents wealth in that you will never go hungry, the bible speaks for itself (added by Halmonee to the collection of items), the money represents wealth, and the yarn represents long life.
With no hesitation whatsoever, Jared went right for the pencils! Oh no, another academic in the family...
Much to Mom's chagrin, from every angle, Jared clearly went for the pencils!

"Yes, mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a professor! Apparently its in the blood!"

Does an elbow in the rice count? Mommy and Daddy are hoping for just a LITTLE wealth for their son... :)

After the pencils, Jared reached for the Bible. Does this mean Halmonee will get her wish for him to be a gospel singer too?

And finally, Jared played with the yarn on and off for the rest of the night. So apparently he will live a long, educated, spiritual life. That's our pensive babyson!

Jared's First Haircut

"Well, Mom brought me in to see her hairdresser to get my first haircut. She wants me to look nice for my first birthday party.... "

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Ms. Sylvia?"

"Okay, well as long as you let me comb it myself, I guess it's okay..."

"I am not sure how I feel about this yet..."

"After my haircut was over, Dad and I walked around while we waited for Mom to get her hair straightened. I practiced walking in sneakers!"

"Okay, well here we are after our new hair-dos! I guess they turned out pretty good!"

Jared's First Girlfriend

When he was only 9 months old, Jared met his first girlfriend, Jordyn! In this photo, she is only about 12 hours old. Jared was a little concerned about robbing the cradle, but since he was still sleeping in a cradle at the time, he figured it would be okay. :) (Look how proud her daddy is!)

"What do you think, Mom? Do we make a cute couple?"

A few months later, Jared and Jordyn were reconciled. "Hey--Jordyn! Remember me? It's been a couple months, but I've been thinking about you!"

Jordyn feels a little uncomfortable expressing affection while she is being photographed, but Jared has no problem with it! (Jordyn's mom and Jared's dad seem to approve the match.)

Jared is pretty protective of Jordyn. "Don't try to come between me and my girlfriend! She doesn't have a ring on this finger yet, but wait til I get a job!"

On the evening of Jared's first birthday, Jordyn came to visit. Jared initially felt a little shy...
(Auntie JoJo sure looks comfortable holding Jordyn!)

But soon, he reached for Jordyn again. The happy couple are reunited once again! (Okay the mildly curious/sleepy couple... but don't they look adorable together?)

A Birthday Strike

"Mom and Dad took me to Donovan's 3rd birthday party at the bowling alley this weekend. In the corner, they set up a lane for us kids and Dad tried to teach me the finer points of bowling."

"They rigged the alley up for us kids where I put this ball on a metal thing that helps me aim the ball for the pins. I am not sure who picked this hot pink ball for me, but I will do my best!"

"Hmm, this ball is bigger and heavier than anything I play with at home, Dad. Okay... here goes... I'm gonna give it a shove..."

"Uh-oh... I was aiming for those middle arrows, but it's not looking good! I think it's because of that hot pink ball!"

"Okay, Dad, I can't look, I can't look! Did I get a strike???!"

"Even though I got nowhere close to a strike, my parents celebrated like I bowled a 300! All in all, it was a fun party!"

Lil Mr. Firecracker

"Today mom and dad decided to enter me into a baby pageant! I am not sure what all this is about, but apparently it involves getting dressed in the mall with a lot of other little kids!"

"Dad and I walked around the mall for a little bit before the whole thing started. As usual, Dad looks excited and I look serious. I am trying to practice my GQ look."

"Hey Mom-- here we go!!!"

"Here we are standing in front of the 3 lady judges. I am way more interested in playing with those white chains, but mom says I have to wait until it's all over."


"Aunt JoJo also came to cheer me on! Aunt Marisa came too, but we don't have any pictures together."

"Next we got dressed for sportswear... I played with Dad until it was my turn to go again."
"Here we go again!! Apparently I used up all my giggles with Dad because once again, I look so serious."

Mom Note: Please notice how LONG Jared is getting! I cannot believe how fast he is growing up before my eyes! He isn't even 1 yet!

"Now that I am finished with all this dressing up I can relax... Here I am wearing Aunt JoJos sunglasses... one of my favorite toys!"
"Whew, I am so tired, mommy, can we go home?? The next time we go on one of your excursions, Mom, can you be sure it doesn't overlap with my naptime?"

Mom Note: Yes, I cut my hair off and straightened it for the weekend.

"On my way to sleepyland!"

"Okay, I am home and well-rested from my nap, so I thought I would check out these trophies... apparently I won Most Photogenic and placed 2nd runner up for Lil Mr. Firecracker. Dad said he always thought my first trophies would be for football or basketball, but he is proud of me anyway."

Mom Disclaimer: Yes, today we entered Jared into a baby pageant (his first and only). We thought it was a fun, silly way to spend a Saturday afternoon. He dressed up, we took pictures, and met some other adorable children.

cousin mina's wedding

"Now that I am refreshed after my nap, I am on my way to the wedding! Don't I look snazzy in my new outfit? And I am actually wearing shoes!"

"I snuck in to see the bride before the wedding but I was a little upset because she messed up my outfit! She's so happy she can't see she's squeezing my little belly!"

(Mom Note: Jared actually wasn't letting anyone but Mom hold him when he first woke up from his nap... but Mom insisted on making him pose for pictures anyway!)

"I am not sure why Cousin Micah is giving me a pep talk before the wedding, HE is the ringbearer! "

"Here I am -- still patiently waiting for the wedding to begin! I have been surprisingly patient considering the wedding was late getting started! Mom let me practice walking down our aisle so that kept me entertained."


"After the wedding, Cousin Sarah carried me around while we waited to pose for wedding pictures. Doesn't she look pretty?!"

"After the pictures were over, Halmonee scooped me up to take me to the reception!"



"The reception was on the 48th floor of a hotel in downtown Dallas and our table was by the window. Mom spent alot of the night sitting on the window ledge letting me walk back and forth playing with some of the 1000 cranes that Minas mom made for the wedding blessing."


"Sometimes mom is so silly I can't help but laugh at her!"


"Every once in awhile, Halmonee and Papa would come and squish me up with love!"

"Later on Mom and I went exploring and found this comfy couch by the wedding cake. Mom let me roll around for a bit because I was getting tired! "

"After playing with Mom a bit, I got my second wind!"

"As the party started to wind down, I took Mom's phone so that I could say goodnight to Daddy. Oh, you can see some of the 1000 cranes here too."

"Hmm... mom... what is Dad's cell phone number again?"

"And then.... FINALLY-- Back in Gainesville with my daddy! Dad-- you'd better come on our next trip-- I missed you!"