Everland.... in Christmas decor!

Seriously, this place was so much fun! Christmas stuff everywhere!!! We've been to Everland a zillion times now, but this was a perfect trip. The only thing that could have been better would be some western food! That's okay though, I've come to accept that we pack a lunch every time we visit this Disney World equivalent. We had a blast, and managed not to freeze (thanks to all the layers we were wearing). We even saw Santa; the confusing part was that we live in Korea, and we're sure Santa was from Holland (due to his accent). I guess you just never know where all of the Santa's come from!

my friend, Susan

Jordan, Maria, Santa, Jannah and Gabby (Maria & Gabby are Susan's daughters)

Sunday Finest and a few Thoughts

So, it's my favorite time of the year....Christmas! The tree is up, the lights are on the balcony, the Yankee Christmas Cookie candle is burning, a few presents are under the tree, cards are being addressed, the kids and I have already made some cinnamon ornaments, the Gingerbread House will be made this week, Christmas music plays all the day long (has been for a few weeks now) and one last thing...lots of pictures of my kiddos in their Christmas apparel...by the tree! Like I said, it's my favorite time of the year!!

One more thing...my mom will be here in 11 more days. I'm just as excited about that as kids are about Santa Clause; maybe even more!!

Black Friday at the BX (Base Exchange)

We didn't have to make out a list as to where we might go on "Black Friday". In fact, we had only one choice, the BX on base. For those of you who don't know, the BX is like a small department store...like Kohl's or kinda like Target. Kelly and I both miss the shopping after Thanksgiving, so we planned on hitting the BX at 5:00 a.m. They had some great sales, just nothing I needed; except for that $20 gift card to the first 100 customers! We got up early, in the cold, and headed to the BX, a long 2 minute drive from our apartments! We had fun while waiting 2 hours for the doors to open, and while we made no major purchases, we did get a gift card!!

This was the line waiting for the 7:00 a.m. opening, and this is us as we are wide awake and ready!

Proud holders of the $20 gift cards!

Happy Thanksgving

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good: his mercy endures forever" Psalm 107:1

On this Thanksgiving Day, I do thank the Lord for all he has given me. His love for me, his goodness and mercy, and the blessings he so generously pours upon me and my family day after day. The truth is God's goodness is so vast, he's already given me more than I deserved or could have asked for.

Our day was spent with our friends, as we ate a delicious dinner at church. After dinner, we had 2 families over and we played cards, while all of the kids played; truly, the day was wonderful.

my friend, Kristie

Jordan, Alyssa & Jannah

Jordan & Alyssa playing at church

Our church has apartments above it. As we left, there was a bunny sitting on the couch of the foyer (I know that sounds silly, but seriously... it was). One of the Korean residents that lives in the apartments and also goes to our church had left it there. The kids were beyond thrilled to pet and hold the bunny! This may have been one of the highlights for their day! Our little friend Alyssa announced that she wanted a white bunny like that for Christmas :)

Alyssa & Jannah playing...in their matching pj's

the adults playing

Cold Weather Days

This is the way we walk Jannah to school...all bundled up! The cold days are here, which means jackets, gloves, hats, and a weather shield for the stroller. All of this also means an extra 10 minutes at the door, getting bundled up, so that we don't freeze!

These are pictures from the park...on a cold day!

the ball (Jamison's favorite thing), Jamison & Preston

I've been Tagged!

I was tagged by my friend Leah over at Downs' Days....to go to the fourth folder on my computer and post the fourth picture. I was a little concerned over what that picture might be. But, no worries, it was a cute one of Jordi-on his 3rd birthday, with his requested football cake.

I tag: Kaycee, Leslie, Lori, Kim

Seoul Grand Park

Last week, we went up to Seoul to visit the Seoul Grand Park; it's a large zoo, with a lot of things to look at and guess what...the leaves were beautiful (remember, I have a minor obsession with the leaves and their beautiful changing of colors). Anyways, as it turns out, it was a warm day and we had so much fun, just taking our time, walking around, and looking at the animals. J and J were thrilled to get cotton candy; actually that was one of the big highlights for them! Gone are the mild, pretty fall days! It is FRIGID, all of a sudden. Cold, like you don't step out of the house (apartment) without your big coat, gloves, hat and a scarf...seriously!! I am starting to ramble, I'm sorry. But I just have to say that the whole layering process adds what seems to be about 10 minutes to our morning routine; I don't have time for all of this, but I also don't want us to freeze as we walk Jannah to school! One more ramble, if I may. It snowed yesterday!! Not enough to stick, but enough for the kids to go out on the balcony, all excited (and barefoot), and enjoy the flakes!! I do like winter, but I think this is going to be long, as I'm already a little weary from all that goes with cold weather...too bad I have about 4 more months! Back to the original post, our great day trip...

Giraffes, meerkats and bears...oh my!

J and J with their cotton candy...the highlight of the day :)

isn't he such a cutie...what color do you think his hair is?

being silly; actually, Jannah wanted to "have a sit and eat a snack", so we did

Check out this kimchi pot waterfall; do you have one of these in your backyard?

one last picture of my babies in the leaves!

Mt. Sorak & the East Coast

We ventured out to Mt. Sorak, a very popular place here in Korea. Many tourists visit in the fall, simply to enjoy the changing of the leaves and hike. We missed the peak week, but there was still some beauty to behold. Lately, the beautiful leaves have just been food for my soul. I have been obsessive with kids and pictures, and leaves. But, that's not the only reason we made the four hour trip to the mountains; we wanted to "mark" this off of our list! It was a quick trip (due to rain). Actually, the lack of food choices might have been factored in as well. We have not developed a taste for Korean food, and that was the only choice there. Anyways, it was beautiful, and the morning we woke up, we saw snow-capped mountains. I am really glad we visited this area of Korea. The kids had so much fun too. We were with the Watts' family, and it's always fun when other kiddos are around. We basically hung out in the hallway of our hotel once we settled in. Remember, we missed peak week, so we had the 8th floor to ourselves!

precious, precious, precious

view of the mountain from the cable car

this is my FAVORITE tree

Does anyone know what this sign says? I think it says something about the cutest kids in the world :)

After leaving the mountains, we were driving along the coast for a while. We stopped at a fishing pier, and took in the beloved sound of crashing waves and smell of fish!

the fishing dock, with lots of boats!

This was inside the fishing dock/pier. There were people trying to sell fish that had been caught, I guess! We really couldn't figure it all out. We did figure that you could buy fresh fish, and then it could be cooked for you, right then and there...talk about fresh caught and cooked fish!