Turning 30

A colleague here talks about the "0" birthdays, referring to 20, 30, 40, 50, etc. Well, Darren hit one of the "o"'s this week the big 30~it was full of the usual excitement as birthdays always are. There is also the fact that we tried to go out to dinner with my family that is in Korea and we had to wait 1 hour and 15 minutes for our dinner...which all in all isn't that big of a deal except that we had four kids 5 and younger, which always makes dinner interesting. Here are some pictures. It really was as chaotic as it looks, but fun nonetheless. We did have another evening with some friends and no kids, although no pictures to show for that.

All the kids watch on as Uncle Darren/Daddy opens his gifts.

Seth, "What's on your head?"

We really are still at Outback when this picture is taken.

Lisa and myself in the midst of the chaos look somewhat relaxed.

Sara got a little nervous with all the candles and singing. Her birthday is next week.

Penang #2

Sorry for the hiatus from the blog. It has been a little hectic since the holiday.

So, Penang may be one of the most beautiful and relaxing places on earth. Here are a few more pictures/memories of our trip...

As previously stated, Kacy really enjoyed the food. Here is some dry Wonton Mee. She can really slurp it up. I see some TCK issues that are going to have to start working on.The Botanical Gardens(or what we more recently refer to as the Scary Monkey Gardens)...wow, we really did forget that there were crackers in the stroller and were attacked shortly after arrival. Fortunately Darren remembered to give the monkeys the crackers and get away. We definitely did see monkeys-a whole troop of them. And of course, the one with one eye followed us for the longest time. Oh yeah, we saw some beautiful flowers too.


Kacy and Sara both loved the pool. Kacy decided for the first time that she could put her face underwater and swim. By the time we were leaving she could swim across a narrow part of the pool (with mommy close by). I was amazed! We'll try to add some video later. She enjoyed her pink goggles and was quite brave.





My favorite days were the ones in which we started with breakfast outside, followed by pool time, an extended lunch by the pool, some more pool time, and then dinner with friends. What more could you ask for...pool and food--good food too!


And Sara loved the cookies we found.

She has acquired 1 tooth on the top recently with a 2nd just starting to poke a corner through. So nearly totaling 4 teeth. She will be excited to add more chewable food to her diet soon.

Penang

First, happy belated Chusok for those that wish to celebrate the Korean thanksgiving holiday. The actual holiday was last Tuesday, but we got the week off. In an effort to truly celebrate, we headed out of the country to the beach in Malaysia. Penang is an island off the northwest corner of Malaysia. It was a former British colony and it is one of the most diverse places I have visited in terms of an intertwining of cultures and ethnicities. The island is populated by Malays, Indians, and Chinese. As in much of SE Asia, the Chinese are the business people. Many Indians came during the British era and came as rubber tappers. Anyway, a neat place with awesome food that is ridiculously cheap. I will say that the taxis were a bit higher priced than necessary--more expensive than Korea and the gas and overall cost of living is significantly lower there. It is not government regulated--or at least enforced--so it has a gotten a bit out of hand. Regardless, a fun vacation.

Here is our two girls "anxious" to depart on the plane...well, at least one was an eager beaver.


We enjoyed some fun time by the pool. Sara loved the water...she has grown a ton and seems to be stretching out and getting much taller. I can easily tell this when I put her in my lap to give her a bottle these days.



Kacy loved the Penang Butterfly Farm. Yes, it sounds like a bit of a tourist trap and pretty much is, but she LOVED it. We managed to get some butterflies to land on her and even in her hair. It was quite fun and worth the little excursion.


Sara wanted to get in on the action but I'm not sure the butterflies are ready for her "gentle" caress.


Kacy ate all kinds of food. The locals were amazed at her ability to eat curry and other foods that contained spice. She is our little Asian girl. Sara found plenty to eat as well. She can sit down and eat for a VERY long time...the other day I thought she dumped the food off her tray because it was gone so fast. I never found a pile of tidbits so I must assume she just downed them. She is quite fun and enjoying her food immensely along with all the other explorations she embarks upon.


More Penang commentary later...

Up and at 'em!

Sara continues to grow. She is taller than ever and reaching new heights--literally! More than one shelf has been cleared by this little adventurer. She pulls up easily and is will let go and stand by herself. She walks around campus with Ms. Kim all the time holding onto fingers. She can't wait to get her wheels going.

Kacy is the "oni" (big sister) to everyone in the ELC. She takes care of anyone and everyone in the ELC, Sara and all her ELC friends. She is the big helper as the oldest one left in the ELC in the mornings. Kacy loves her "hand buddy," Jaime and takes special care of her.

All I want is my 2 front teeth...or is it 4?

Sara is finally getting a 2nd tooth. She is anxious for big people food but this is problematic because she only has 1 tooth (on the bottom). Just yesterday, we noticed a 2nd one poking up right next to the existing one. On several occasions, we thought she was teething due to general crankiness, drooling, etc. over the past couple months--and we were expecting teeth. But never any teeth. Hardly any signs or discomfort with this one. It just broke through without much fanfare.

So now she will have 2 on the bottom, hopefully some will arrive on the top soon so she chomp into more of the "big people" food.

Saturday Fun!

We had a fun day today. Sara loves to start her day with breakfast...



...which gets her ready for her morning walking tour of the apartment.

Sara is getting closer and closer to walking. She gets faster and braver all the time. Check her out walking with "lawnmower".

After chatting with the grandparents on the computer, Sara enjoyed some inquisitive play with some blocks and other toys.

After a lunch of Indian food, we headed to Hannam pond to feed some fish and birds...


...and Sara managed to attract a small gathering...

...and a strawberry smoothie later...

...we weren't sure who ate more bread, the fish or Kacy?

Sara was all into hugs for Mama this afternoon...

...while Kacy enjoyed the slide and swings.

The Evening News

Headline from a BBC news article: Goats sacrificed to fix Nepal jet

Nepal's state-run airline has confirmed that it sacrificed two goats to appease a Hindu god, following technical problems with one of its aircraft.

Nepal Airlines said the animals were slaughtered in front of the plane - a Boeing 757 - at Kathmandu airport.

The offering was made to Akash Bhairab, the Hindu god of sky protection, whose symbol is seen on the company's planes.

The airline said that after Sunday's ceremony the plane successfully completed a flight to Hong Kong.

I can hardly wait to head to Katmandu. In other news, the weather forecast for Korea is...RAIN! With rain for 8 of the last 9 days (and that is all day--not scattered showers throughout) on the Korean peninsula and more in the forecast, keep the umbrella handy. The monsoons have hung on quite late this year. But hey, full rivers and green plants abound.

In the Price house, Sara continues to be a hoot. She pulls up on everything she can grab. She loves to laugh out loud and sidestep along tables and such. Kacy is the ever-present big sister and helper...for everyone at all times.