Constant Beginnings

We had our first real snowfall on Tuesday. The girls were so excited about it because it actually accumulated to the point where we had an inch or two on the ground. We hear conflicting reports on the amount of snow that our area actually receives, so I too, was excited about this small accumulation. After our nap, I took the girls out to play. I pulled them around in the sled, threw some snowballs and we built a snowman. It was a fun little afternoon. They loved it. This was Mya's first experience with snow as she was just a wee baby last year. Living life through the eyes of a child (or two) is such a wonderful gift. If only I could box up these little moments...

i am so glad christmas is over. we are still reaping the benefits as gifts continue to arrive. can we say--SPOILED?!! chris and i did not follow our one gift per child rule this year as i was afraid gifts from family/friends may not arrive in time. we did a budget guideline instead. i think it worked out rather well, although we could have used more restraint on ourselves ;) it was a good christmas. my parents bought mya a little people zoo set. it is/was her favorite to open. she wanted that baby out of the box immediately. both she and claire have enjoyed putting the animals in their little habitats and of course, the cute little carrying case that mya seems to think is her purse. so sweet. we got claire a fisher price iXL and my parents and santa got her some games. she is in love. i must say that i am pretty impressed with my find as well. this little machine can do everything--writing, drawing, games, reading, photo viewing, mp3 player, and of course, learning tools. it will

a few weeks ago we received a special present from santa. he sent an elf to come and watch over us until christmas. claire and mya were very excited. maggie the elf has been with us ever since and she runs back to santa each night while we sleep to tell him of the good and not so good things we've done. claire and mya enjoy looking for her each morning, but little miss maggie has found herself in the same spot the last few mornings. gasp! i tell claire that she must really like the view from on top of the air conditioner. thankfully, claire is satisfied with that answer. the elf on the shelf is a great little find that i came across last year. i didn't buy it then, knowing our kiddos were a bit too small, but i am so glad that i remembered it for this year. it has added to the christmas spirit and will become a little tradition of our own.

we took the kiddos bowling a week or so ago. they had a blast. thankfully, the bowling alley was equipped with bumpers and the ramp so even mya could push the ball down. she needed no guidance. i think bowling may be her forte. could she take after her papa?? i envision watching sunday afternoon bowling on tv in our future to pick up some tips and maybe a wrist guard! ha.

It is finally Christmas Eve. Amen. I feel like I have been working for far too many days in preparation. I am thinking I should have resorted to my procrastination ways as I am pretty good under pressure. Regardless, I have alot to do. We are making the traditional Norwegian meatballs (edited for Lisa & a tradition begun by my Grandmother & continued by my Mom), gravy, mashed potatoes meal tonight, followed by church and of course, opening presents. Tomorrow we are entertaining 15 of our friends and their families for a Christmas dinner and game/craft night. It should be fun, but I am guessing a bit stressful. We are hoping this will be a great Christmas even though we are thousands of miles away from our families. We love you! Have a Merry Christmas! I think I first saw this or read this two years ago when Chris was in Iraq. It is a great reminder. Now for something fun and uplifting. This going round and round the bloggosphere. Gotta love Jack Black.  

i finished work on friday. we had a base wide christmas party that night, which is where the real craziness begins. just as the kids and i were about to pick up chris to go to the party, he calls and says he had to go to a meeting. fantastic! i wasn't sure that i'd really know anyone at the party and quite honestly, wasn't up for tackling two kiddos on my own all evening. that being said, i decided to go and check it out. so glad i did. it was fun. my friend, misty and her clan, were there. she was a kind soul and helped me out with mya so i could do some of the crafts with claire. both kiddos were traumatized at the sight of santa. thankfully, we didn't have a santa to visit this year, which spared us that agony. claire eventually warmed up to the jolly man, but it took several of her friends paving the way. both of our kiddos were ripping up the dance floor; however, this wasn't a dance per say. they had entertainment--a bubbleman, sand guy, quartet, so our kids,

this is her surprised or excited  look. we see it often and love it more and more each time. piggytails. finally. her hair is finally long enough to fit into piggytails. so darn cute. sweetness (even though she is clearly pulling claire's hair.) mya is a bully too. she loves to read and loves being read to. ahhhh. my love. hmmm. could she be causing trouble? I am probably going to make some of you faithful readers faint at the mere idea of posting without a 3 week wait. I know, impressive! The fact is simply that I am home with a sick child today and have a big ole head full of data and facts from her 18 month check up. That, and quite possibly the fact that I've been overcome by guilt lately as I look back at all the nifty posts of nothingness that documented Claire's every moment and the lack thereof for our poor little Mya. Disappointing. My only comfort is that I too, was a second child who has the gift of reminding my Mom of her s

Mya lovin the lights.   we had the pleasure of having mark help us decorate the tree. hopefully it gave him a little taste of home too. we definitely think of him as family.  claire was a great little helper. she loved learning which ornaments were hers. i am so glad i started their collections right away. ornaments are a cherished possession in my family. both mya and claire already have several ornaments courtesy of my mom, sisters and of course, me. can't wait to see the collections grow. chris made several comments about missing the after christmas sales this year. hopefully my sisters/mom think of me and score me some cute ones?!! the hallmark rush will be missed! claire and i also put up my little tree with my hallmark miniature ornaments in her room. she loved it. i think that may be a new little tradition for us. it was a good quality moment together. last year our christmas decor was set up two weeks BEFORE thanksgiving. this year, we set it up

the view from our house overlooking the garlic fields and the vast ocean beyond. this is the house we rented. it was actually divided into four apartments. i couldn't believe how american it looked. this is not typical for korea. single family homes generally have an asian flair or very contemporary look--not this one. claire posing by the ocean view garlic was aplenty. they covered the fields with plastic similiar to what many in america do with their gardens. i've never seen this done with fields until coming to korea. the fishing docks. very interesting process. carts are used for so many things here--carrying boxes (cardboard collection is similar to aluminum collection in the states), fish, trash, you name it. sardines. these are of the highest quality, which means more money. buyers come to this market just off the docks to buy their supply. chris, claire and mya on the ferry. mya on the beach, eating her first "fluffernutte