Please call me chef...or...the next LPGA champion

 Elizabeth spends her free time playing house or playing golf.  PING!  Please sponsor our daughter. -S

Preschool Birthday Party

For Elizabeth's birthday, we wanted to throw a little party for her at her preschool. Nothing big, just something where she could celebrate with her friends. Also, the Korean school term ends at the end of February and we wanted her to celebrate with the classmates she had spent the last year with, so she had her preschool birthday a few days earlier than her actual birthday.

Well, today was that day. We picked up a cake and the rice cakes that we ordered for the kids and teachers to share and dropped them off in the morning. Her teachers rearranged the class schedule a little so that she could have her party in the morning. At the designated time, we went back to her school. The teachers had already set up a table with the cake and rice cakes on it and Elizabeth was sitting in a chair behind the table. She must've known that the party was for her because she didn't even get up to greet us. She just sat there staring at the cake. We sang "Happy Birthday" and she blew out the candles. We didn't stay much longer after that, but assumed they had a good time eating the goodies on the table. It was great to see and I'm sure Elizabeth felt special for that moment. -T

Indoor Faux Skating

Elizabeth's favorite TV show is the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  We have DVDs for the house, for the car, and more than 20 episodes on Korean Cable On Demand, in English.  On multiple episodes, Goofy skates around town on inline skates.  After play skating around the house in her slippers, Elizabeth found something else to give her that skating feeling.  Those containers on her feet are from her kid sized kitchen and are usually filled with plastic fruit and vegetables.  Every time she wants to skate, she pours out all the fake food onto the floor and faux skates around the house.  She hasn't fallen yet, but she can really glide in them.

We can't wait to take her to Disney World in a few years.  She loves all things Minnie Mouse! -S

Baby Fair at the Seoul COEX

Twice a year, at the convention center in Seoul, there is a large Baby Fair.  They have all the newest and greatest baby gadgets and contraptions, along with other booths for nutrition, pregnancy, insurance, etc.  We took the bus up to Nambu Terminal and then cabbed it to the COEX.  Due to the traffic, it took a bit longer than expected, but it would have taken hours to get there in our own vehicle.  There is a bus only lane on the expressway and I'm finding it more convenient to travel up to Seoul by public transportation than driving.

There were many things to see and play with at the Baby Fair and Elizabeth especially liked playing on all the baby/toddler furniture.  I bought a few layettes and a swaddle blanket for the new baby and Elizabeth got a new lunch container and snacks.  One disadvantage of public transportation is having to lug all the things back home.  If we had driven, I would have definitely looked into some bigger ticket items.  There was this interesting bassinet system that can be placed on any type of surface and looked very useful as a storage area for stuffed animals and toys when the baby outgrows it.  I was tempted to buy it, but our small apartment will probably be maxed by one additional human and any more baby gear may cause a burst at the concrete seams. -S

The Catch

When you visit the ocean there are lots of things to catch and eat and be entertained with. -S

Ocean Castle Spa

This is Elizabeth's first experience going to a Korean Spa (Google it if you don't know what it is).  The Ocean Castle Spa is a little different than other Korean ones, because they have salt water tubs. Interestingly, there was a tub filled with ash from a volcano in California, but we didn't go in that one.  -S

Great Uncle's new restaurant

Recently, one of Elizabeth's Great Uncles opened a new seafood restaurant and we had a chance to visit for the first time.  According to Tim, it was the best oysters he's ever had and that is saying a lot, since he does not favor them at all.  All the interesting and acquired tastes the family is experiencing while living in Korea. -S

E-Mart Traders in Yongin

If E-mart is like Wal-Mart, then E-mart Traders is the Sam's Club equivalent.  They sell Korean and imported items, but in bulk.  The savings are very good, even compared to a regular E-mart store.  The first Traders opened up a few months ago in Yongin, about 30 minutes north of us.  It has a full service pet shop with pet cafe, large electronics area (think Best Buy), and then the regular perishable and non-perishable items you would expect to see in a warehouse setting.  Elizabeth enjoys looking at all the cute puppies and kittens and wishes she could have one to play with and smother all day long.  

Every time we go to Traders, there is a long line in the bakery waiting for fresh 모닝빵 (morning bread).  We always wanted to try it, due to the hype, but never wanted to wait in line for it.  Well, today we waited, and waited, and waited some more.  Forty-five minutes later, I finally had my bag of 모닝빵 (morning bread) and before reaching the check-out stand, I ripped it open to try this delicacy.  I expected some type of delicious, sweet, buttery bread...instead, I took a huge bite into a dinner roll.  A plain dinner roll that you would find at any buffet, ignored by most for its lack of nutrients and high caloric content.

In every good size grocery store, there is always a fish tank from which they make fresh sashimi.  Koreans eat different sashimi from what we're used to back home.  Their common raw fish delicacies usually have white flesh and the texture is chewier than what you would find in a Japanese restaurant.  One common type is the flounder. Whenever Elizabeth sees this fish, she says that they are sleeping. -S    

 Please Daddy....I want this one...

Elizabeth chowing down on 모닝빵 (morning bread).

Happy Valentine's Day Daddy!

Due to Valentine's Day being on a Monday this year, we weren't able to spend the whole day together as a family.  Instead, Elizabeth and I prepared for a Valentine's surprise to give to Daddy when he got home.  We made enough of these cupcakes for Daddy to take to work the next day and share with his work friends.

However, we did have one special visitor this Valentine's Day...GRANDMA! Due to us being so sick these last few weeks, Grandma came to nurse us back to health.  Three days of Grandma's tender loving care and we were all back to our healthy selves.  So, it turned out to be a special Valentine's Day after all, enjoying Grandma's yummy cooking and her endless love. -S

Sick...again...

Yup, again. This winter has been pretty rough on the family. Out of the winter months (not by calendar, but by when it was cold), Elizabeth was without a runny nose or coughs maybe a total of 2 weeks. But, it's kind of expected seeing as how she does attend preschool. We keep her at home if she's not well or if she looks like she just needs to rest at home, but other parents seem to send their kids with anything short of a high fever. At least one or two kids in her class are sick on any given day with red, faucet noses or severe coughs, so it's hard to avoid bringing sickness home. It doesn't help that the teachers say something along the lines of "It's OK. Other kids are sick too, so it's not a problem if your kid is sick." We do make it a point to wash our hands regularly and especially when we come home, but that only helps to a certain extent. Plus, Elizabeth isn't used to covering her mouth when coughing, so when she does, it's usually in Mom's or Dad's face. Surprisingly, it's only Sana that seems to get sick. I would get a sore throat or coughs, but that only lasts a couple of days. Sana would get the congestion and coughs that last much longer. Maybe all that time I've spent in the dungeon with circulated air has boosted my immune system.

This latest round of the cold has hit Elizabeth and Sana pretty badly. The last time Elizabeth got this sick is just before we transitioned to Korea, which was almost a year ago. They both cough a lot at night and Elizabeth is pretty congested, which leads to more coughing. All this leads to no one getting a good night of sleep. We really need Spring to come quickly. -T

Happy Lunar New Year

This is our first time celebrating the Lunar New Year.  It is the most important holiday in Korea, lasting three days and full of cultural traditions.  All the stores are closed and there isn't much outside activity, except the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the interstate for those who are traveling home. Since we celebrated the New Year on January 1st, we did not do much at home for this holiday, but Elizabeth sure did at school. -S