Naturally

Last week we enjoyed a couple of hours at the Seodaemun Museum of Natural History here in Seoul. We went with a group of friends, and in all I think we had 6 ladies with 14 or 15 kids - invasion of the Americans:) This museum is kind of small, but it was still fun, and it cost me less than $5 to get me and my 4 kids in - Beat that Thanksgiving Point! Here's what we enjoyed.

Giant Clam eating my children.

Outdoor play area, surrounded by tall apartment buildings

and beautiful mountains. Stuffed baby elephant - kind of creepy, kind of cool.

Dinosaurs bones - you can't call yourself a natural history museum without them.

Fake fish tank.

Real fish tank.

Cool chairs - kind of Mork and Mindy. If you're sitting in these chairs, then it really doesn't matter that you can't understand what you're watching.

Garbage. No really, this display was about not littering. Garbage is fascinating when put in a cool display and lit up.

3D short film, in Korean, about the Big Bang theory. It's important to educate our children on the way the world was REALLY created....yeah, right;) I stole this picture from my friend Amber. I'm on the right, taking my own picture, which apparently didn't make the cut.

Madelyn was either really tired, or she really, really liked this huge grasshopper. Just look at that huge grasshopper - what's not to like? Okay, I think maybe she was tired.

Topping it all off, the piece de resistance, a huge outdoor sandbox, complete with dinosaur bones just waiting to be excavated.

Stay tuned for our next outing with these fun people, to the Seoul Forest.

She's This Many

Madelyn is a very girly girl, so we were a little bit surprised when she requested a camping theme for her 5th birthday. But hey, what the heck. Decorations were simple. I just had Cora cut out big pine trees from green posterboard. Then when the kids got to the party, I told them that we needed some more help with our decorations, and would they please take these Crayola window markers (love them) and draw more of the forest on our big glass sliding doors. They were happy to help.
We had a BBQ, thanks to our George Foreman grill. And I supervised the kids roasting marshmellows over our gas stove so that we could make smores. You can't go camping without smores - it's a rule. Then the kids made a big tent in the living room with blankets and chairs (dang it, I forgot to take pictures), and I provided the mini-flashlights for everyone. I had some stories and games planned, but we didn't end up doing any of them because the kids were just having too much fun playing.

Then we opened presents. I failed to go over proper gift opening etiquette with Madelyn. She went through her presents the same way that a tornado would have, literally throwing them out of the bags, barely even looking at them to see what she'd gotten. It was all over within a few seconds. She did enjoy the gifts though, and played with/tried on everything after everyone left.

This was her cake. Kind of scary on the close-up:)

I added the campfire and the tent myself. I know, I'm talented. Try not to be jealous of my skills. The bakery didn't have any camping or forest themed cakes. I found this tropical theme cake that I thought would work if they just switched out the palm trees for pine trees. So I wrote in the instructions on my order form that that's what I wanted (and the lady who took my order said that would be no problem). Of course, I KNEW that when I picked up the cake it would have palm trees in it, and it did. I explained to the girl behind the counter that I wanted pine trees, and asked her if she could quickly switch them. She gave me a strange look and I thought she didn't know which trees I meant, so I pointed to some pine trees that they had on display behind the counter. She got the pine trees, came over to me, stood there for a second, and then said, "But these are for Christmas." I told her that I was going for a forest look. She paused again and then said, "But these are for winter, and this cake is supposed to be for summer." I tried to not be impatient, or just laugh, and I tried to explain that what I wanted was a forest with pine trees for a camping theme. She finally agreed to do it, but I could tell that she still didn't agree with what I was doing. Gotta love those cultural differences:) In any case, the cake was a big hit, especially when I lit the candles in the middle of the bonfire, and then it looked like a cute little real bonfire.

I don't know what she wished for, but I hope it wasn't a tropical themed cake.

Now, I have to do the mommy bragging thing here for just a second, and it isn't even about Madelyn, even though this is her post. Cora wanted to make something special for Madelyn's birthday. She's always all about the homemade gifts. She decided she wanted to sew a skirt. Cora has never sewn anything before, and didn't know how to use a sewing machine, and I thought it would end up just being more work for me, but I agreed to let her try. She ended up making a matching skirt for herself, and here's how they turned out.

I did not make these skirts. Cora designed them, picked out the fabric and ribbon, and sewed everything on them except for the elastic wastebands. I was very proud of her, and she was very proud of herself. Way to go Cora! We have two stinkin' cute girls!

Okay, back to Madelyn. Madelyn, Madelyn, Madelyn. She makes me shake my head, that girl. Madelyn hates me - she tells me all the time. Then I tell her that I love her enough for the both of us, and she says she does too, and I know she does:) I think she might have split personality disorder. There's the fake laughing, over the top, mellowdramatic, star of her own show, posing for the camera, "Look at ME! I'm so cute!", flirtatious Madelyn. Then there is the lips pulled back over the mouth snarling, you can't tell me what to do, I hate you and I hate the whole world, screaming at the top of her lungs, slamming doors, monster Madelyn. These two Madelyns show up on a regular basis, and we laugh, and we cry, and we tolerate them because we know the REAL Madelyn is in there somewhere, just around the corner. And oh, that real Madelyn, she'll win you over every time.

Madelyn is happy, and always has a smile, or a funny face to pull.

Madelyn is carefree, and she doesn't hang on to the negative things in life.

Madelyn is confident, and she knows she can do whatever she sets her mind to.

Madelyn is determined, and doesn't give up easily.

Madelyn is brave, and was crawling on top of the table before she could walk, and was diving into the swimming pool before she could swim.

Madelyn is loving, and always ready with the kisses and hugs, or just a compliment or encouragement like, "That was a good job Daddy!".

Madelyn is helpful, and she tries to "help" everyone out a lot.

Madelyn is outspoken, and is never afraid to tell you what's on her mind. For example, today we had this conversation.

Madelyn - When I grow up I'm going to have a car just like this.

Me - you mean a mini-van?

Madelyn - Yes. I could buy this one from you for $5.00.

Me - That sounds like a pretty good deal.

Madelyn - My kids will be 4.

Me - You'll have 4 kids?

Madelyn - No, all my kids will be 4 yrs. old.

Me - All your kids will be 4 yrs. old?

Madelyn - Yes, and I will be married.

Me - Who do you think you'll marry?

Madelyn - I don't know, but it will probably be a grandpa, or Matthew (her friend).

Me - Hmmmmm.

Madelyn is creative, and maybe she's told you that her dad is going to have a baby, or that her first mommy died. It could be anything, really.
One of my favorite things that Madelyn started doing this year was high-fiving us for everything. We've never done high fives in our family, so I don't know where she picked it up, but she was seriously doing it for EVERYTHING. It made me laugh so much that I started doing it too. Now we're all giving high fives, and I smile and think of Madelyn every time I do. High Five!

Madelyn is an amazing person to have around, and we are so grateful to have her, and all her personalities, in our family.

LOVE YOU!

Letters from the Editor

Dear Motivation. I feel like you don't really take our relationship seriously. You are always coming and going, with no explanation as to where you've been, and no apologies for your long absences. I can't do this alone. Please try to be more committed. Oh, there you are.


Dear Joe, thanks for being so committed. Honestly, I don't know how you put up with me sometimes, but I'm glad you do. I'm glad you let me put up with you too:) I think you should quit your job and spend all your time with me. It's just a thought.

Dear Bachelors degree, you can call me the Little Red Engine that Could....I think I can:)

Dear JT, I like the rules that you posted on your bedroom door ("Do not eat in her. no skreaming. pleas Do not mess up mi room:). Do these rules apply to you too, or just the rest of us?

Dear Humidity, let's just agree to disagree.

Dear Hair, just hang in there. We've got 2 more years left.

Dear Alex, I think it's funny how you have to have Spiderman EVERYTHING (shoes, bike helmet, blanket, umbrella) even though you've NEVER seen the Spiderman movies. What's up with that?

Dear Spiderman movies, are you seriously going back to the beginning? Didn't we already go over that?

Dear Body, why are you sending me mixed signals? I accept the few white hairs, the tiny wrinkles, the occasional achey joint, the age spots, etc. But zits? What the crap? Please stop treating me like a teenager at the peak of puberty.

Dear Cora, I can't wait until you're old enough to babysit. I will try not to take advantage of you when you are, but it's going to be hard:)

Dear Madelyn, I can't wait until you're old enough to do your laundry. Of course, by then you probably will be out of the habit of changing 53 times a day, so you'll have less laundry to do. That's totally not fair.

Dear Kitchen Sink Drain, I think you are disgusting. That's all I have to say to you.

Dear Dad and Dad-in-Law, I hope you guys don't feel left out because I didn't write you poems for Father's Day. Just in case you do, this is for you. "If everyone had a father who was more like you, The whole world would be blessed, Just as I am blessed with you." - Karl F.

Dear Air Force, we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We've got 10 more to go, and then we're going to have to break up. It's not you, it's me. We can still be friends.

Dear Books on my To-Read List, thank you for your patience. Your pages are very important to me. I will be with you at the next available moment. Enjoy some elevator music while you wait.

Dear Blog Readers, this is the part where I solicit your comments so that I can feel validated and loved. Thank you for your kind support.

6.25

Last Friday, the 25th of June, marked the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War.

At the end of that devestating civil war, Seoul was about 90% rubble. Rebuilding started slowly, but living here now, you can see that it is truly a testiment to the power of the human spirit. If you do not know much about the Korean War, you should look it up.

We decided to take the kids to the Korean War Memorial the day before the anniversary.

We have been there before (it is really big and takes more than one day to see everything), and some of these pictures are from previous trips. This time they were getting ready for a big concert for the anniversary.

There were a LOT of people there that day, including Korean soldiers, Korean War Veterans (who had traveled here from all over the world for the anniversary), and many, many groups of cute school children,

and us.

This is my favorite. It is the Korean War Monument. It is massive.

The plaque on it says, "We erect this war monument in order to pay tribut to those who sacrificed their lives and to leave the eternal peace to our sons and daughters with the hope and promise of the unification of the nation." .

I think it is a very moving monument. There were people taking weird pictures with the statues.

Did you notice the purse?

I thought it was a little disrespectful....kind of funny....but disrespectful.

Inside this one was a beautiful tile murial.

There were lots of people with picnics on the grounds. These people were all asleep, except for the little boy, who was just laying there. If that was Alex, he would have been half-way around the country by the time I woke up from my snooze.

The memorial is not just for the Korean War, although most of the displays are specifically about that, but it also covers all the wars that Korea has been involved with. All around, both outside and inside the memorial building, are the machines of past wars.

I also like the section inside that shows the historical military uniforms of different countries.

This is the Memorial Hall inside.

And other various fun things.

We still haven't been through the entire place, so we'll go back another time. We learned alot, and had a lot of fun.

Cora and JT also had a really neat opportunity. They were a part of a group of children that got to sing in a big concert for the anniversary. It's kind of a funny story. We found out about it through a friend. There were 20 elementary school-age, American children chosen. Over half of them were from the primary in our branch. The kids were going to sing "Heal the World" (by Michael Jackson) with "somebody famous". There weren't going to be any practices until the day of the concert, so they had to learn the song on their own. If you've ever heard the whole song, it is LONG, and kind of complicated. We tried to find out if we were supposed to memorize the whole song, or just the chorus, but never got a clear answer on that. We had one month to be ready for it. About a week before the concert, some of us got together to practice. We discovered that none of the kids knew the WHOLE song very well, so we crossed our fingers and just hoped that they would only need them for the chorus. The night of the concert, Joe went with the kids because I wasn't feeling well. Joe was surprised to find out that the kids were going to sing with a boy band called 2AM. They are all the rage amoung the young students at his University. They will all be so jealous:) Anway, with their first practice they learned that they would only have to sing the chorus, and only at the end of the song (thank goodness). But that wasn't all. Not only were they singing with 2AM, they were also singing with 20 Korean children. Not just any Korean children, though. These were all trained "professionals", who had not only learned the song, but choreographed movements as well. In the end, I think our children were chosen simply to add an international flare to the performance - just eye candy:) It makes me laugh just thinking about it. But our kids had a good time, AND they got PAID for it! The video is below, in the previous post. Good times.