The Joys of an International Move

We've been busy. T-27 days (ish) and we're S. Korea bound!

We've had to read and fill out lots of papers like this (including E's passport with the most adorable photo and many doctor visits)...

We've been stocking up our American supplies...

And clothes...

And diapers...

And toys and English DVD's...

We've had to decide what to sell or give away...

And what to store or take with us...

We've had to eat a LOT of food (or have people over for dinner every night)...

We've had to get the house ready to sell by doing some home repairs and paint...

All this and I don't think we've regretted the decision to go...yet.

Pack in the Fun!

March is the best time of year in Houston. The weather is wonderful and it is the time to do everything! It doesn't help that we are trying to do all our fun things before we move. We've been quite busy with all the hustle and bustle around I don't think it has even set in that we are moving.

Earlier this month some friends and I had an awesome ladies night out. We went downtown for dinner then off to the ballet where we saw our dear friend Sara perform as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. It was amazing and she is an outstanding dancer! (Thanks Bri for taking pics).

We then had our 3rd annual Houston Rodeo weekend with the Nydeggers and Walkers. It unfortunately wasn't our best year as Jackson was sick. One year we really will do as we always say and leave the kids at home. It was still wonderful to get together before we leave. I regret not taking many photos but here is E and me in the petting zoo.

Over the past several months we've been preparing to be a Ma and Pa for our Stake's Pioneer Trek. When we found out we were moving we weren't sure if we were still going to go but had made arrangements for Ben's mom and sister to come down to stay with E. We ended up going and were grateful for the experience. I think Ben's family was glad too! They must have had fun because after they left E only wanted to go to the park and play outside and with her new golf set. We miss having them around!

I hate to reveal any awful "Little House on the Prairie" pictures of me but this one is such an example of how awesome our trek family was! I hardly did any pushing of the handcart (as you can see them forging the river and me taking my leisure time across). Doesn't the gentleman in the bottom pic look hardcore?

Now that things have settled a bit we are getting ready to go full force on the moving arrangements. We plan to leave the beginning of May!

Paris

I had the great opportunity to accompany my hubby to Paris while he was on business. Lucky for us he had a one-day meeting on a Monday so we flew in early Saturday morning and rushed to do everything over the weekend. We flew home on Tuesday making it a quick trip but enough time to do just about everything.

Day 1-Arc de Triomphe, Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame

The weather wasn't great. If it looks cold and rainy it is because it was.

We had a 2-day museum pass which allowed us to go in and up most places. The view from the top of Arc de Triomphe was amazing as it is in the center of the city and has 12 streets coming straight into that round-about. (Below is a view down Champs-Elysees toward the Louvre).

Sainte Chapelle was breathtaking. It was built in the 1200's and the stained glass is amazing!

Notre Dame was beautiful inside and out. It was great to go up top and get close and personal with the gargoyles. We went up to one of the bells where B got in trouble for knocking on it causing some intense ringing.

Day 2-Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Night Cruise on the Seine

The Louvre was fascinating. There is no way one could see it all in one day. We hit the main three (Venus de Milo, Winged Victory and Mona Lisa) before exploring more. Not only was the artwork amazing the actual structure and design of the palace was outstanding.

The Eiffel Tower was amazing...much, much larger then I expected. It was beautiful at night. We had fun with our camera and lenses here.

Day 3-B's Meeting, My visit to Sacre-Coeur, Shopping and a Stroll down Champs-Elysees (fashion blvd.)

Here is the view of the Grande Arche from outside our Hotel (Renaissance Marriott). Overall it was a whirlwind but such a great trip...lots of culture, lots of great food and lots of fun!

"Wear the White and Blue"

Yes, I can sing the entire BYU fight song and it came into use here.

A few weeks ago we made a quick trip to Fort Worth to see the famous Jimmer and his Cougs work their magic on the court.

E spent most of her time going up and down the stairs, in and out of the arena, and dancing to the band...which, of course, allowed us to have complete focus on the game. Good thing more than half of the stadium was fill with Mormon families not easily distracted by someone else's kid.

"We'll raise our colors high in the blue and cheer our Cougars of BYU!"

Month 18

Our little E is becoming a big girl! By big girl I mean she is just acting grown up but still in a little body! B and I can't stop talking about what a good girl she is. I'm not sure how we lucked out so much. Here is the rundown for E.

Height: 2' 6" (10%)

Weight: 20 lb 10 oz (5%)

Head: 46.5 cm (49%)

We have moved up to 12 month pants (mostly due to length and not her waist) and can wear 12-18 month shirts. She is getting enough hair on the back and lower parts of her head to make some pretty cute pigtails (see pics below).

E's vocabulary is getting much better! We were trying to list her words last night and here is what we could come up with...mama, dada, Emma, more, backpack, map (she likes Dora), teeth, juice, fish, shoes, bubbles, ball, baby, beep, trash, baa (sheep), moo (cow), neigh (horse), roar (lion), grrrr (bear), vroom (car).

She loves to read books, play with her baby doll, play pretend kitchen (stir and stir), color, watch movies, clean the house (vacuum, wipe the floor, sweep), play outside (especially climbing the playground equipment).

If you can't tell by now, we just love her!

See Ya Later...

We have HUGE news...and it's time to let the blogosphere know! Let me just give you this picture.

That's right...we're moving to S. Korea! It is amazing how quickly the word gets out so we are settling all rumors now that we have more information. We don't have all the details worked out but we know it is going to be a very quick process.

Ben works for ExxonMobil and has been assigned to the Arkutun Dagi topsides projects. He will be building the platform for offshore gas production off the coast of Sakhalin Island, Russia. The work takes place in the city of Okpo on the island of Geoje which is off the coast of Busan, S. Korea. It sounds like we'll be living in a expatriate community but aren't sure of all the details yet. We are pretty sure Ben will start work over there the first part of April. E and I will join him shortly after that once things are settled in Houston (selling the house and cars, moving things to storage, getting visas and a passport for E, etc). We will probably be there for about 2-2.5 years.

Shocked? We are too. We can't wait for all the new experiences we'll have. Of course, we'll keep the blogosphere posted as new information comes in!

2.2

It started out 4 years ago with these...

A year later we went here...

To do this...

With all of them...

And then we added her...

And became this...

Now we celebrated by going here (Harlem Globetrotters)...

And by getting this (telephoto lens)...

Happy Anniversary! Here's to capturing many more!