A day in the life of us...: July 2007

Silly faces

Sophia's silly friend Lindsey!

Summer Sensation

Bella and Daisey

It's a perfect fit.

It starts with skipping one day, next thing you know its been 2 weeks and you don't know where to begin (heavy sigh).

Family friends...

We have made friends with the "Director" of Sophia's school, Jenifer. Jenifer's family has had a significant impact to our life in Korea, it's been a blessing.

Jenifer's mother has advice on health improvements through the Korean diet. She introduced the "organic black bean". I would describe it as being similar to the kernels of popcorn (the ones you dig for when the popcorn is gone) but not nearly as hard. I was told that it aides in keeping your hair black and improving your digestive system. I simply fell in love with the black bean as a snack, all the health benefits are a bonus! When I sit down to read a book I find myself reaching for the bean bag. Isabelle has also found that the beans make an excellent snack. She also gave us "Organic Sesame Oil". I use it for cooking but I was also told that if I take a teaspoon every night before bead, it will help in the texture of my skin. I don't think I have ever smelled such pure sesame oil. I'm apprehensive to use it, as if its a magical serum and to use it sparingly. Jenifer's mother is very wise.

Jenifer's husband is an avid cyclist. I have seen him with various bikes. In a conversation on the Fourth of July I expressed my love for biking, at the end of the evening, he offered one of his bikes as a gift.

I don't think we were able to communicate our happiness. The "Dahon" is the perfect commuter bike. It's light and folds up to fit in the back of our minivan (space in the back of the mini-van was not one of the selling points) I can carry it down the stairs with one hand. This is the perfect commuter bike. Once it was registered, I couldn't wait to take it for a spin. Since then the bike has become Chris's new form of transportation to and from work. He's a lucky guy.

a week lost...

About 2 weeks ago I came down with a head cold. It left me tired and out of sorts for an entire week. I'm very glad to see it gone. Luckily I was able to keep it from the rest of the family.

the ladies...

Isabelle and Haley completed the "Korean Culture" class. They have a better understanding of the language and have become pros at origami. As soon as the "Korean Culture" ended "Soccer Camp" began. The camp was just a week long. On the 4th day of camp, the camp counselor came running up to a few mom's (myself included) and said there was a child who had broke his arm. Slowly walking up behind him was a little boy with an arm that looked like it had 2 wrists. I volunteered to drive Ben to the clinic, 2 blocks away. I had never seen a clean break, it looked like a spaghetti string. Isabelle went with me for moral support to Ben, she was great! The clinic on post was unable to do anything but put him in a sling. The military American orthopedic doctor in Seoul requested that he come up to have it repaired and highly encouraged the parents to not seek out medical attention that would be given in a Korean hospital (only to be used in a life or death situation, this worries me). Seoul is 2 hrs. away on the bullet train, 4 hrs on a traditional train. His parents had to drive to the train station and then take the 2 hr ride. I can't imagine doing this myself. Two days later and Ben was at Soccer practice showing off his new cast. What a brave little boy. His mother was very sweet and gave me a bouquet of flowers as a thank you.

Ben's family...

We had met the family about 2 months ago and have been bumping into each other ever since, not that this post is large enough that this is uncommon. Kate came her with her 5 children and set up home while waiting for her husband to complete his year long tour up north and move out her to begin his next 2 with his family. Kate is a very vibrant woman, she makes me smile every time I see her. I think that's her gift. The entire family is very motivated about assimilating to the Korean lifestyle, its very encouraging to see another new family so motivated.

workout buddy and friend...

In my fitness frenzy I have finally met someone as passionate and committed to the gym as me. Crystal has 2 kids, Kayla (11) and CJ (9). Conveniently, they live a building away. Kayla is a nurturer at heart and taken to Sophia, Sophia adores her. CJ is Isabelle's buddy, both rough and tumble. Last weekend Crystal invited Sophia and Isabelle for an overnighter. This was Sophia's first overnighter, it went over with great success. Crystal's house is kid heaven... cable, chips, candy, ice cream and so much more (it's all the things I wont let my deprived children have) not to mention her personal sweetness. Sophia had a blast, she didn't even want to come home!

Things are going very well. Chris says, "this tour in Korea dedicated to getting fit". I couldn't be more excited or agree more.

The girls first swim meet!

We had our first swim meet this Saturday. The girls did great. We were told that Izzy took first in one of the races. We aren't sure what race it was since the age groups were mixed.

more details to come...

Go Izzy!

Chris volunteered to take swim times for the teams, I joined him after I was able to take pictures. Sophia spent her day with Lindsey (a younger sister to a swimmer) her mom and grandparents.

Everyone had a great time!

To see more photos from the day click on "Family Photos".

On our way to see, "Surfs Up"

Last weekend we went to see, "Surfs Up" at Camp Henry. The distance from our house to the theater is about a 10 min walk. The picture above is taken right outside of our the gate. There aren't any sidewalks, cars park on both sides of the street and it can get pretty congested at times. It's not often that you see a group of Americans, especially kids, walking single file line. We got plenty of attention on this expedition.

Single file line from oldest to youngest (mom and dad not included) Haley, Beth, Kayla and Sophia.
This picture was taken right before Haley threw her arms up in the air and spun around singing, "Yes, I'm famous...anyone need an autograph?"

When we first got to Korea we were uncomfortable with the amount of stares that we got. Now we just smile and wave. The response is usually very warm; they smile, nod, giggle and wave back.

Sophia's 3rd and 4th tooth.

Sophia lost tooth number 3 & 4 this week.

Just like tooth 1 &2, they fall out within a week of each other.

Wrestling mania!

Unplugged

We have a musician among us! Meet our neighbor, Nicole. How lucky are we?

Fourth in Korea

4th of July on Camp Walker

Nina Sky

Isabelle with Crossfade

Isabelle with Adassa

Isabelle with Second Nature

We invited all the teachers from Sophia's school. There were 17 of us total. We had such a good time, it was fun to see the excitement of the 4th through fresh eyes.

This is Isabelle with Mrs. Ha Young. She was the teachers aide from second grade, Isabelle adores her.

All the musical influence of the day motivated Isabelle to take to the stage and do some Karaoke. She was accompanied by her friend and chose to sing "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt.

Isabelle can be very determined when she sets her mind to something. Earlier during the day Isabelle had briefly mentioned that she was considering singing a song. I was standing with my back to the stage when I heard the song, "You're Beautiful" and I knew it had to be one of my girls. I turned around and saw that Isabelle had the stage. Not only did she gather the courage to get on stage and sing but somehow she had managed to get a very shy friend to accompany her. I was delighted and the song was sung beautifully.

This was taken the night of the third. If you look closely you will see that Bella has been to the groomers. The shaving didn't seem as dramatic this time.