Christmas in Korea

We decided to spend Christmas in Korea.  We weren't sure if we would be moving back to the U.S. before Christmas or if it would be shortly after the new year so we decided not to plan a trip.  It ended up being better than I thought because we were with each other and surrounded by wonderful friends.

I flew home from Las Vegas just in time to catch the end of E's school party.  Good thing these kids are young and didn't really notice how unrealistic Santa looked!  She loves her school and friends there.

Singing Jingle Bells.

I forced everyone to snap a photo on Christmas Sunday.  Not too bad!

We were able to decorate cookies thanks to the cookie cutters and sprinkles I bough while in the U.S.

Christmas Eve was spend with our church family.  We had a wonderful feast and present exchange.

We made it home late but quickly opened our Christmas Eve jammies then let Santa do his work.

We enjoyed the magic of Christmas when we watched E go through her presents and talk about what Santa and his elves had done.  We were quite spoiled this year with many, many gifts from family.  Ben and I decided our gift to each other would be a trip to the Philippines leaving late Christmas day.

E and P with Santa gifts.

She loved opening gifts.

The aftermath...can we say spoiled?

Playing with her new Play-doh ice cream maker.  An instant favorite.

We are grateful for the season to celebrate the real reason for presents and giving as our thoughts turn to the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Quick Trip to the U.S.

About a week and a half before Christmas I decided I needed to go to the U.S. to help with my grandparents who were quite sick and on their last days of life.  We worked it out for baby P and me to fly into Las Vegas while Ben and E stayed here.  Ben was such a super star taking care of E for a week.  He had a few days he needed to take off so it worked out great!  Baby P did quite well on the plane considering how long the flight is (her first international trip at only 6 weeks old!).  It was wonderful to see my grandparents and spend time with them.  I felt like I could really help and was needed.  Grandma passed a few days after I returned home so I was so grateful I could be there.

Isn't this sweet?  A picture of my young grandparents I found in their house.

On of the last photos of them together.

With Grandpa.

A few of my cousin's wives.

We had some overlap time in Las Vegas with my parents.

At the airport...how we got around.

Snoozing on the plane in the bassinet.  Best idea airlines had!

Poses

This little girl is quite the diva.  Check out some of her poses (she comes up with these herself).

Baby Faces

We are over 2 months now with baby P.  I know they do this, but they grow so fast!  Here are a few photos of her sweet baby faces over these couple of months.  We're loving those chubby cheeks and every single roll!

Baby Blessing

While Ben's family was here we decided to bless the babe on November 18.  We belong to a small branch where about 15-20 people attend each week.  With my parents and Ben's parents and sister we almost doubled the attendance that day.  P was blessed by her father and had both grandfathers, the branch president, first counselor and another branch member assist.  It was a nice blessing and a great day with family.

Visit From the Idaho People

E likes to refer to Ben's family as the Idaho people.  We were lucky to have a few of the Idaho people come visit us.  A few days after we got P's passport we picked up Ben's parents and sister, Anna, at the airport in Seoul.  They stayed with us just over a week.  They got in some baby snuggles, playtime with E, and some Korean culture experiences.  (But we all know the real reason to come was for these kiddos.)

They arrived Sunday night then spent Monday wandering around the markets and streets of Seoul.  This, of course, was quite the experience for them.  After living here 18 months you forget how strange some things are!

Mom with some odd man trying to sell something at Namdaemun market.

Items for sale.

Trying on traditional Korean clothes.

Anna at a local pavilion.

After all the exploring, eating and shopping we headed down to our house.  Anna and I rode the bus with baby P while everyone else drove down.

For most of the adventures I stayed home with the babe and sometimes E.  The first stop was to the Tongyeong Cable Cars.  We went with Emma for her 2nd birthday.  From what I hear they had a great time enjoying the beauty of Korea.

On the cable cars.

Along the trail.

At the top.

They also went to the P.O.W. camp from the Korean War which was located on the island.

We enjoyed a dinner at our favorite Korean BBQ.

They also went to a neighboring city, Jinju, to the fortress used in the 1500's.  

They went on a drive around the island.

Ben had to go into work one day so I took them to the bamboo forest where we enjoyed a nice walk (my mom also came along).

It was fun for Ben's family to see where we live, where E goes to school and the just see the girls.  We enjoyed reading, playing, dancing...

and snuggling!

Passport

Ten days after baby P was born we loaded the car and drove to Seoul.  We needed to go to the U.S. Embassy to record the birth and apply for a passport.  Luckily we have grandma and grandpa to stay with to make it easier.  Check out this little one's passport picture!

It really makes me smile.  And it makes me smile that this will be her passport for the next 5 years.  The process was fairly easy for us.  Fortunately we had all the correct paperwork!  It also helps that we are both born U.S. citizens who have only been married to each other.  We sure heard some crazy stories while we were there.  Congratulations on your U.S. citizenship baby P!  (No, we did not file for Korean citizenship.)