Barnyard Birthday Babies

Maddie's birthday festivities didn't end on her birthday.  We continued her celebration a few weeks later with a joint birthday party with her friend, Declan Littman, who is only a few weeks younger.  It was perfect timing because we had another reason to celebrate:  Jin's graduation from business school!  Yes, folks, my husband is now decorated with multiple professional degrees!  So proud of him!  And to help us celebrate, extended family members came in town for both events.  It was a full house in the Yun household with grandma and grandpa from both my side and jin's side visiting, along with Auntie Won, Uncle Ed, cousin Faith, and Uncle Sun.

But back to the birthday party for Maddie.  The day started with the one-year Korean celebration, or  tol, hosted by our friends, Cathy and Marcus.  Maddie and Declan wore the traditional Korean hamboc.  Here she is squinting from all the flashing camera lights:

  

Declan's One Year Old!

This is where, in my limited understanding (with the help of google), I say a few words about the traditional tol celebration.  The tol had four major components:

1) Praying and giving thanks 2) Making and wearing the birthday clothes 3) Preparing the table and performing the Toljabee 4) Sharing the food with guests and neighbors

The birthday table was decorated with all the traditional treats, handmade by Declan's grandma:

 
Yes, Declan's grandma hand-stacked each and every peppermint, cookie, fruit, etc.  Now that's dedication!

The highlight of the tol was the Toljabee, where Maddie picks up items that attract her.  As the tradition goes, whatever the child grabs will predict her future.  Usually, the first and second items the child grabs are considered the most important. Parents typically place items that they want the child to choose near to the edge of the table, and the child's future is predicted according to the items:

-bow and arrow: the child will become a warrior - Sorry, didn't have a set lying around
-needle and thread: the child will live long - needles + babies = trouble
-jujube: the child will have many descendants - Not sure what this is so we didn't have it
-book, pencil, or related items: the child will become a successful scholar
-rice or rice cake: the child will become rich (some resources say choosing a rice cake means the child is not smart) -  didn't want to risk having a dumb kid so we omitted the rice cakes
-ruler, needle, scissors: the child will be talented with his/her hands 
-knife: the child will be a good cook - Knife, really?

I'm not exactly sure what parent would put a knife in front of a one-year-old baby, but all I can say is we had a book and Mr. George Washington front-and-center, in hopes that intellect and fortune would be in her future!  But as much as we wished, Maddie grabbed a far-reaching item that at least would grant her longevity:

Thread symbolizes longevity

Her next grab was for the sharp pencil that she waved dangerously close to her eyes:

Pencil symbolizes a scholarly future

Much to our dismay, the next item grabbed was the book, followed lastly with the dollar bill:

Who wants to be rich anyway?

Yun's and Littman's with the Babies of the day

After the tol, family and friends gathered at a local park for our Barnyard Birthday Celebration.  The parents and siblings came dressed in cowboy gear, which for Jin was a dream-come-true.  Finally, he had an excuse to wear his plaid shirt and leather cowboy boots.  And who could forget his hideous cowboy belt buckle?

 

Insanely expensive cowboy boots and ridiculous and hideous, belt buckle.

For fun the kids played on the playstructures, the jumpyhouse, and were entertained by the rent-a-character cowgirl that performed a magic show and face painting:

 

While the kids were occupied, the parents feasted on the catered BBQ grub:

  

Maddie had such a great time that she failed to nap all day long.  Needless to say, she was super amped and spent the latter half of the day snuggled next to me in the baby carrier:

 

Snuggly baby

Happy Birthday, Maddie!