Oh my Owen!

So it has been six years since Kevin's last deployment to Iraq.  How do we know this?  Because Owen was born while Kevin was deployed.  Six years later, we are all deployed together (which makes the time away from the States a little more tolerable.

So, how do you celebrate a 6th birthday in style?  After all, the birthday in question fell on 11-11-11.

 For me?  Really?

 The surprised look is what I do.

 Lorri ran out of frosting.  Oops.

 Six looks a lot like five.

 That pool is 10 degrees warmer than the big pool.

And, it has a funny yellow tinge to it.

Presents!

Mt Seorak, one last time

Grammie came to visit, so we took her to Mt Seorak to see some Autumn leaves.  Just our luck--when we came here two years ago, it was raining.  Guess what it didn't stop doing the entire weekend this time--raining!

We stayed in a funky hotel that is actually in the national park.  Bare bones--a few beds, a TV, a hairbrush (with complimentary hair stuck in it) and lots of slippery walkways.  We spent the better part of one morning using a hair dryer to dry out the kids' shoes.

Did I mention that we thought the tour bus left Osan at 8, but instead it left at 7?  It actually left without us, but came back for us.

We did get to try a lot of Korean food that we were unfamiliar with.  Thank goodness that the food shops also carried copious amounts of Churros and plain white rice.

We rode the gondola up the hill, and tried to get to the top of the mountain.  It was slick.  And by slick I mean fall on your tail and slide down the mountain slick.  Jacob, Ethan and Kevin made it to the top.  Grammie hung back on the trail, while Lorri, Owen and Anna Grace started the ascent, but turned back. Lorri validated her flatlander status with a stunning rearward flop.  Fortunately for her tender backside, Anna Grace was within easy reach, so Lorri tried to use her to break the fall (to no avail).

Let's take this trail.

 Buddha, known to our kids as, "That fat guy the

people are praying to."

 Even the monks need to use the phone.

(That's a monastery in the background)

 Like a Beatles album cover.

 Grammie and her crew.

 Did you see that caterpillar?

 The gondola to nowhere.

 On top of Old Smokey.

 The clouds really take away from the awesomeness.

 East coast stormin'.

 Reality check--that's a guard shack.  Ever vigilant.

Another monastery.

How you like them apples?

It is apple season in Korea, so we took off last Saturday and headed for Yesan.  Yesan is famous for their crispy and sweet apples.  Apparently the soil in the Yesan area is particularly proficient at producing a certain level of sweetness in the apples.  Sort of like Vidalia onions, Bogue watermelons, and Champagne, if the apple is not grown in Yesan it cannot be called a Yesan apple.

We left with nothing more than a GPS coordinate (and extra underwear--always bring extra underwear).  We weren't even certain about where exactly we were going to pick apples, but hey, we wanted apples.  We arrived in Yesan around 2:30 in the afternoon.  After wandering up a few windy roads into the hills without seeing a big sign in English shouting "PICK APPLES HERE (you silly Americans)," we pulled up to a barn with a picture of an apple on it.  Lorri pantomimed picking an apple out of a tree to the nearest farmer-looking guy, who nodded and beckoned for us to follow him.  10 minutes later we were picking apples.  Lots of apples. Three bushels of apples.  How much do three bushels of Yesan apples cost?  Well, in Korean they cost hoblibitygibberish.  In English that translates roughly to, "Here's a pile of money, take what you want."  The farmer ended the day about $100 richer, and we ended our day with three bushels of delicious apples.

Oh, but the day wasn't over yet.  Not by a long shot.  The farmer's wife took the kids to a garden where they picked soy bean leaves, then led them to a barn where they fed the leaves to several dozen long-tongued and grateful cattle.  Boy, that was fun.  Should we head home yet?  Oh, no.  The farmers busted out their version of a hayride, so we took a quick "hayride" through the orchard.  Topped that off with several fun pictures with the farmers, then headed back to the van.  And just in time, too.  Literally as I closed the door to the van the first drop in a huge rain squall hit us.  A perfect end to a wonderful day.

Two possible translations:

1. Pick sweet, juicy apples here

2. Can you believe those silly Americans drove all this way

just to take a picture of this sign?

 Just part of the magnificent view.

 Junior apple picker.

 Apple-Picking 101.  The crash course.

 Anna Grace figured it out real quick.

 So did Jacob.

 Lorri seemed a bit dazed and confused.

Korean crop ying-yangs.

 A bit blurry, but this is all Jacob.

 I'm not sure who is more curious--Owen or the cows.

Of course Anna Grace had no problem making friends.

 Lorri made a friend, too.

 HAYRIDE!!!

Sheesh, what else are you supposed to do on a

hayride through an apple orchard?

Oh yeah!

And the Oscar goes to...

 Can you tell this is the same apple everyone else was holding?

 A row in a Korean apple orchard.

The apple farmers and the hired help.

Scenic orchard.

That's us!  In front of a 400 year old tree.

 That's Jacob and Ethan.  Climbing a 400 year old tree.

Argh!!!  Pirate Anna Grace says, "You all have a great day!"

First Days of School, 2011

A quick pictorial rendering of the kids on the first day of school.  Unfortunately, there are no good pictures of Jacob.  He refused to allow us to walk him to school on his first day of middle school.  My solution--bum-rush him after school with a camcorder.  Right in front of the school.  Right in front of all the kids in the school.  I think the lesson was learned.  Denying mom and dad what they want will result in something far more embarrassing.

 First day of 4th grade. 

"No more stinking 5th graders!"

 Springing the ambush in Jacob.

Kevin is center photo, camcorder in hand.

Jacob is in the cluster of kids left of him.  Oblivious.

 Owen set out his first day of school clothes.

And back pack.

And socks.

And shoes.

 A touching farewell on the first day of kindergarten.

 Getting ready to go in.

It's good to have a big brother looking out for you.

 Hmm.  Kindergarten.

On the way to 4th grade!

A Day at the Beach

This week was the last full week of summer vacation for the kids.  Jacob had middle school (yikes) orientation on Thursday night.  Owen had kindergarten (yikes) orientation on Friday morning, and Ethan had 4th grade orientation Friday afternoon.  Anna Grace meets her pre-school teacher at Mission Baptist Academy next week.

Jacob and Ethan begin school next week, while Owen and Anna Grace begin the following week.

Lorri went out of her way to try and provide some memorable moments during the week, including a trip to Malipo Beach, on what the Koreans call the West Sea (known to the rest of the world as the Yellow Sea).  She could not have picked a more gorgeous day for it.