First Day of School

E started school this month.  For July we are only going 1 day a week because of other commitments but in August we start 2 days per week.  She is going to a cute international playschool where they play, sing songs, read stories, do crafts, have snacks, etc.  She will go for about 3 hours/day.  She loves having friends there too and has really enjoyed her first couple of days.  Can't believe she is growing up so fast!

Independence Day

It shouldn't be a big surprise that July 4th is just another day in Korea.  We tried to celebrate a little by having a couple other American families over for burgers.  We didn't get a firework show but we did watch from our rooftop one of the local motels on fire.  E still talks about the firetrucks and the smoke building.

Bamboo Forest

A new Bamboo Adventure Park and Forest opened near us.  It is a large forest with tons of old bamboo.  At the end of the trail is an adventure course with zip lines and other obstacles in the trees.  Unfortunately the girls needed to be a little taller to participate.  We loved wandering through the bamboo looking for panda bears!

It wouldn't be a good Korean hike without a display of various animal scat.

Photo Shoot for Dad

This post is a little late but here was our DAD photo shoot this year.  We used the first one...I just like some of the faces of the second one.  She's a cutie!

While we were at it I tried to get her to take a birthday picture as this girl will be 3 in August!

Goodman Family Reunion in Seoul/Geoje: Part 3

Sunday evening we made our way down to our island (Geoje) for a few days.  We look Chelsea and Thomas with us and the others would arrive the next day.  It was a great chance for us to be with Chelsea and Thomas alone for a bit.

Ben had to work on Monday so the rest of us decided to go to one of our favorite beaches, Gujora Beach.  E was in heaven with Thomas digging big holes for her and taking her out into the water.  I was in heaven to have 2 fantastic 'babysitters' while I sat and did nothing all morning!  Now every time we go to the beach E always asks if her family friends are coming too.

That afternoon Chelsea and Thomas walked around the boardwalk and played with the starfish.  That evening we went to dinner at one of our favorites, The Turkish House.  (Yes, Turkish food in Korea).

The next day, after everyone arrived, we took a ferry to a nearby island called Oedo.  The owners of this island have made it into a beautiful botanical garden.  It was the first time we've been and were not disappointed!  That afternoon Ben took the boys on a strenuous 15-mile mountain bike ride while the girls and kids napped!

That night we went to one of our favorite Korean restaurants, The Dino Meat Grill.  It is what is sounds like...an all-you-can-eat, grill your own, Korean BBQ meat place.  Everyone loves the authentic sit on the floor arrangement!

Everyone was leaving the following afternoon so we took advantage of the beach one more time.  Again, great to have such good helpers and playmates at the beach.

We feel so lucky to have had the entire Goodman gang here in Korea.  We have such good families and treasure the time we get to spend together!

Goodman Family Reunion in Seoul: Part 2

Our first adventure after everyone arrived was to Gyeongbokgung Palace, a large and famous palace in the center of downtown Seoul.  We briefly watched the changing of the guards and wandered through the many sections of the palace.

Connected to the palace is a folk museum and children's museum.  We wandered around and let the kids play before stopping at the Noodle House for lunch.

On our way home we stopped by a Buddhist temple that was highly decorated for Buddha's birthday which was earlier that week.

Our next adventure was to the top of Namsan Mountain which happens to be my parent's back yard.  There is a large tower on the hill and gives a great central view of Seoul.  This location is also known for it's 'lock fences' where lovers have locked their love together on the mountain.  Of course we had to join in on the tradition.  Most of the gang walked the paths up the hill while mom and I took the kids on the cable car.

The next day most of the gang went on an intense hike to the summit of Bukhansan Mountain.  Jill and I stayed home with the kids.  From what we heard it was a pretty strenuous adventure.

We did quite a bit of market shopping...which is always fun.  Here are a couple gems...

The best event of the trip was to the temple.  It was great to have my entire family in together...couldn't ask for a more perfect day!

Goodman Family Reunion in Seoul: Part 1

Because my parents now live in Seoul they wanted the entire family to experience Korea.  With my brother about to leave for his mission they found this the best opportunity to get everyone together.  We drove up to Seoul for a week then spent a few days down on Geoje.

Bobby and Jill's family arrived first (Chelsea and Thomas came several days later).  We met everyone at Seoul Forest, a lovely park similar to Central Park in New York.  E was thrilled to be out of the car and thrilled to see her cousins!

We loved the fountains.

The next big adventure was to the zoo in Seoul Grand Park.  The zoo was quite large so we only got a glimpse.  We rode the subway to the park which was fun for the kids.  It was also a goal for the trip to try just about every street vendor snack we could.

E thought the flamingo show was hilarious!

The next day was mellow.  Chelsea and Thomas were supposed to arrive the night before but their flight had problems.  We didn't want to do all the fun without them.  We spent some time at a park in Yeouido, an island on the Han river.  From there we had a Costco Korea experience and stocked up on food for everyone.

With kids and jet lagged people we had a bit of down time as well.  Groups would often go to the markets near by while others stayed home with sleeping kids.  E and her cousins were best of friends/worst of enemies this trip but it was great to play together.