firecracker update

David at Lim Twins asked for pics of the infamous photo shoot I blogged about below. This is supermodel L'il Sis:

At least her personality really came through in some of the shots. After all the pain the photographer and I experienced trying to get her to just look toward the camera, I'm grateful for that!

backseat driver

At 3, Lil Sis is already a backseat driver. Today, I got a steady stream of "Go! I want you to go!" while we ran errands, never mind red lights or those pesky cars in front of me. Then, as we were trying to get out of a parking lot, a car turning into the lot made the widest turn I've seen in a long time. Although he had the stop sign, not me, I stopped well away from the intersection to accommodate this turn. Showing great restraint, I just commented, "Dude! How much room do you need?"

From the peanut gallery behind me, Lil Sis admonished, "Stop talking! That's enough talking!" Well, excuse me!

Firecracker, indeed

This morning the girls and I had an appointment to have portraits taken. It seemed like a good idea at some point. I can’t remember when.

We decided that we would coordinate our outfits by wearing red, white, and/or blue. The outfits were picked out the night before and everyone was happy. This morning, I left the girls in their PJs while I got ready. Then, 30 minutes before we needed to leave, the TV was turned off and the girls herded upstairs for teeth-brushing and dressing. The eldest had issues with her shoes (not especially surprising but still frustrating for me). Then the youngest decided she had to get her dress off...yesterday. Fortunately, I had a back-up outfit for her. But maybe I was tempting fate, since her t-shirt read , “Lil Firecracker.”

We managed to get the pictures of all 3 of us first. Then I wanted shots of the sisters. Well, that sort of happened. Then, it was time for L'il Sis to have her close-up. She ran around, turned her back to the photographer, hammed it up, bared her teeth and grimaced when told to smile, ran some more laps. Even the promise of ice cream afterward if she just cooperated wasn’t enough. Toward the end, she actually said, "I. am. not. happy."

I think the photographer muttered, "We aren't, either!"

We did manage to get a few good shots but I think I lost years off my life that I will never get back.

The sad part is that EVERY time I take the girls to get portraits taken, I swear that it is the LAST time I will do so by myself. Clearly, it is a lesson I still haven’t learned. In my defense, the last time I did this was almost 3 years ago, so the memory wasn’t exactly fresh in my mind.

Thank you, Marines!

My daughter's school had an assembly today to thank their Marine volunteers who do so much at their school. Just their presence at the school, in uniform on a daily basis, is comforting to many kids who have a deployed parent. Some of the classes did little poems or songs. Big Sis' group (4 classes together) put on what can only be termed a production! A group of kids in cammies marched in, calling a cadence, followed by 2 kids (in cammies) in one of those toy battery operated jeeps with some tubes mounted to the back. The whole thing was painted camouflage. When they got to the stage, the other kids were all dressed in red, white & blue, waving flags and then they sang their song "The Great Defenders," complete with choreography. It was so cute!





*The Marines who volunteer at the school are often attending a school here or waiting to attend it. Some are recuperating Wounded Warriors.

If you give a mom a muffin...

If you give a mom a muffin
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee
She'll wipe it up
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks
She'll remember she has to do laundry
When she puts the laundry in the washer
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan for supper
She will get out a pound of hamburger
She'll look for her cookbook
(101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger)
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail
She'll see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow
She will look for her checkbook
The checkbook is in her purse
that is being dumped out be her two-year-old
She'll smell something funny
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup
And chances are . . . If she has a cup of coffee
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it


(A friend emailed this to me and I had to share!)

Tough Girl

Our newly minted 3 year old has a new catch phrase. I am really not sure where she got it but would like to know because it is cute and disturbing at the same time. Grinning like a maniac while she (sort of) channeled Pacino, she chased her sister around the house saying, "You want a piece of meat?!"

update: Now it is: "Want a piece of meat? Yeah! Want a piece of meat? Yeah!" (repeat on a loop indefinitely)

Military Spouse Appreciation and Mother's Day

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day and Sunday is Mother's Day. I hope you all had/have great days. I got my Mother's Day present today. With assistance from my sister, my husband found someone who cleans houses and contacted her (from Iraq!) to arrange to have my house cleaned! How fabulous is that? He gets major brownie points for that!

my so-called celebrity look-alikes

I'm not convinced...

Just let it go...

We've been having a strange problem here in the land of "Now what?" Our youngest just turned 3. She doesn't particularly want to be a big girl or learn to use a potty. No, that's not the strange part. She has some serious bladder control. Just last month, she amazed both me and my friend that we were staying with when she held it for over 9 hours. But this hoarding of her urine has led to another nasty problem. It caused a UTI over the weekend. She was only going once or twice in each 24-hour period. So now she is REALLY afraid to just "let it go." The only bright side is that she seems to enjoy taking her antibiotics (knock on wood). But seriously, if anyone out there has any suggestions on getting her to drink more and "let go" more often, I'm all ears!

From the mouths of babes...

Big Sis brought home her journal from school the other day. Big Sis is a first-grader. There were some cute things in it so will share some excerpts:

• The beginning had a lot about her friend Elizabeth (in Korea). Then, there was a picture of an airplane with this under it: "I was sad win i lifeed her all alone with tia."

• Under a picture of a girl writing with a sad face: "Scool is pretty boring I say becase it's alway's write write writeing time I hate it very much I just hate it."

• The very next page, picture of playground: "We have fun at School a lot scool is cool"

• "I played with my dad and we played race my dad won."

• "I Love my dad. becase he is my goodest dad ever in the whole wied wourld"
  
• My dad Helps me when I am hert I am glad"

• "My daddy is strong and is not scard of enything one timeI came in my mom and DaDs room (?) do that. I said ok and ran away."

• "My DaD is on deplowment I am sad he misses me alot I hope he comes back soon."

Happy Birthday!

It's hard to believe the "baby" is now 3 years old. Of course, her refusal to cooperate in potty training doesn't help. L'il Sis had a small party with family and friends on Saturday. She had the "yellow" birthday (cake) that she wanted. When I brought it out, she started reaching for a plate. When I told her we had to sing to her first, she sang to herself: "Happy Birthday to Me..." Then she started to blow out the candles as I lit them. She really wanted her cake!

Like a weed

With her 3rd birthday coming up next week, L'il Sis had a check-up today. Since her last exam in early Feb., this child has grown 1-1/4 inches! Good grief! She's just over 3'3" now. I really am going to be the shrimp of the family and it's going to happen a lot sooner than I'll be ready.

Hero

Last week, the girls and I drove to Virginia to visit old friends during Spring Break. When we got tired of the radio, we switched to CDs. One of our favorites lately has been the Shrek 2 soundtrack. As we listened to Jennifer Saunders' version of "Holding Out for a Hero," my 6 year old suddenly said, "They're singing about Daddy." She went on to add, "The song. They're describing Daddy. He's strong." A little later, "He's fast, too." And he's definitely our hero.


Here are the lyrics:

• Where have all the good men gone/And where are all the gods?
• Where's the street-wise Hercules/To fight the rising odds?
• Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
• Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need
• (Chorus)I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night/He's gotta be strong/And he's gotta be fast/And he's gotta be fresh from the fight/I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light/He's gotta be sure/And it's gotta be soon/And he's gotta be larger than life(larger than life)
• Somewhere after midnight/In my wildest fantasy
• Somewhere just beyond my reach/There's someone reaching back for me
• Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat/It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
• Up where the mountains meet the heavens above/Out where the lightning splits the sea
• I could swear that there's someone somewhere/Watching me
• Through the wind and the chill and the rain/And the storm and the flood
• I can feel his approach/Like the fire in my blood(like a fire in my blood x4)
• hero
• I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light/and he's gotta be sure
• And it's gotta be soon/And he's gotta be larger than life
• hero/oh I need a hero/I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
• He's gotta be strong/And he's gotta be fast/And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
• I need a hero

[Thanks to www.stlyrics.com for the lyrics!]

Easter

L'il Sis missed out on Easter egg decorating when she fell asleep coming home from dinner on Saturday night. But her sister and cousins made enough mess for themselves and her. (Check out Big Sis's hands) My sister had provided an egg coloring kit that billed itself as "less mess." Au contraire, mon frere! We might have been better off just dipping the kids in vats of dye and getting it over with.

Enjoying Easter morning with the cousins.

So, what's in your basket/bucket/whatever?

It was so cold that the kids originally had their egg hunt in the living room. Later in the afternoon, the older kids hid eggs for the younger ones in the front yard. Here, Big Sis is "helping" L'il Sis find eggs. Since she hid them, she knew just where L'il Sis should look! Actually, she was really sweet and it was one of those moments when you look at them and think, "Now why can't you be this nice to each other ALL the time?" Yes, I know, major wishful thinking on my part. Hey, a mom can dream!

What a difference a few months make

The girls with our neighbor's dog: The amazing thing about this picture is that neither child would have been this close to a dog (willingly) before we left Korea just a few months ago. Our older daughter has taken her new-found comfort level with dogs to frightening new heights. She managed to trap a stray dog in a neighbor's garage last weekend. It was skittish and eventually would only follow her. We had several lectures afterward, including one by email from Dad, about not approaching or touching strange dogs. Every word seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Maybe if I keep lecturing, she will absorb the message eventually? While we don't want her to be afraid of dogs, we also don't want her approaching every dog she sees as not all dogs are friendly. Fortunately, her little sister (usually, the daredevil in the family) still has a healthy dose of caution in this area. Which is so ironic considering their personalities.

Conversation with the 2 year old...

• (While getting her dressed)
• Her: What's that? (pointing to herself)
• Me: (deep breath) That's your nipple.
• Her: O-o-h-h...nipple....
• 
  (Later, while I'm getting dressed)
• Her: What're those?
• Me: (another deep breath) Breasts.
• Her: (pointing) Belly!
• Me: That's right. Belly.
• Her: (walking around and patting me) Body!
• Me: Booty?
• Her: (singing while twisting and gyrating) Shake your booty!
• 
  
  I had to laugh because I swear I did not teach that to her! Yes, I might have taught her older sister at that age but I did not teach her.
  

Weekend getaway

My wonderful mother-in-law came down and watched the girls for me so I could meet my friend and her siblings in Alexandria, VA for a weekend away. It was a much-needed break! While I missed the girls, I think we all appreciated each other more when the week-end was over.While the cherry blossoms were in bloom, it was incredibly cold!

It was slightly warmer the next day when we shopped in Old Town Alexandria. We were able to browse in crowded little shops. Bliss! Plus, we were able to linger over meals. More bliss!

Movie quote

I came across this and had to share. It's a movie scene as it relates to military spouses.... http://www.spousebuzz.com/blog/2007/03/the_best_milspo.html#more
"Super-suit" indeed!

Pieces of my heart

Lately, it seems that my heart breaks a little every day. The first few weeks after Daddy left, L'il Sis thought Daddy was home when she heard the front door late in the afternoon. She eventually stopped announcing Daddy was home.

Recently, I learned that L'il Sis told two people that HER daddy is far away at work and can't come home. This past weekend, Big Sis noted that she and L'il Sis had their daddy dolls but Daddy didn't have anything like that and could we send him a Big Sis & L'il Sis doll. She also wanted to know when Daddy was coming home. So, to give her some idea of time, we talked about all the birthdays and other special occasions that he would miss.

On Sunday afternoon, I found Big Sis down the street getting some daddy-time with a couple of borrowed daddies. They were playing t-ball. By the time, L'il Sis and I arrived, Big Sis had stopped playing and was watching, her eyes shining and looking happy. And that broke my heart.

Then there are all those little silly moments when I wish Sam were here to share them: the girls pretending to be mermaids in the tub, L'il Sis walking up to the neighbor's dog with only a tiny bit of trepidation, Big Sis being comfortable with almost all the neighbors' dogs, L'il Sis being uber-friendly with fellow diners at a restaurant ("Hi, people!"). For all of these reasons and so many more, it often feels like my heart is breaking and I wonder if I will be left with nothing but little shards at the end of this year.


Don't get the wrong idea. We live our lives and carry on with a daily routine. We do not mope about feeling sad and sorry for ourselves. We get together with friends and have fun. The girls and I smile and laugh every day. Anyone with a 2 year old knows their cuteness and antics guarantee smiles and laughter. Even when they are being total stinkers. So, for the most part, I try not to dwell on the negatives. It doesn't really serve any purpose other than to get me upset. And that isn't helpful when I'm trying to stay positive in front of my girls. I'm trying to maintain some sort of routine and normalcy during this time. Kids need that and so do I. Wallowing in self-pity and sadness is counter-productive. Do I get grumpy and short-tempered? The obvious answer is yes. I do try to keep a lid on it, but sometimes I can't. Something has to give. Some things particularly irritate. Well-meaning people asking very earnestly, "How ARE you?" and when the answer "Fine" isn't enough, the follow-up question is, "No, really, how ARE you?" or something similar. Essentially, I feel that the asker (no matter how well-intentioned) is emotionally rubber-necking. And I'm in no mood to indulge that. So if you can't accept "fine" as my answer, don't ask. Because I really don't want or need to tell you or anyone else how broken my heart is today.

Her royal crankiness

I haven't posted in awhile so thought it was about time. However, there isn't much to write about except how crotchety I've become. So... You've all seen that sign: "I can only please one person a day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either." Let's just say you may as well write off the whole next year! It started around the time my Marine deployed (for a year!) right after we moved from Asia to North Carolina (no culture shocks there). Then, there was the episode at the Exchange parking lot: I was getting my 2-year old out of her carseat when 2 Marines walked by in all their blue verbal glory. Now, there was a time when I wouldn't have said anything or I would have agonized about what to say. This day, there was no thinking, only reflex. I shot out of the side of my minivan and snapped, "Hey! Watch your mouth!" Then, when the offending Marine mumbled, "Sorry, ma'am" instead of thinking, "Ma'am? I'm not old enough to be a ma'am," I thought, "Damn straight, you better call me "ma'am," you little heathen." I guess it's true, as my older daughter keeps reminding me, I'm just a mean old woman.

Daddy Dolls arrive

Hooray! Big Sis and L'il Sis received their Daddy Dolls today. Big Sis immediately took hers outside and climbed a tree. L'il Sis took hers with us to dinner (Big SIs's stayed in the car, but L'il Sis's literally went to dinner). These are much easier to hug than a picture!

If you are interested in donating toward providing these dolls to needy children, you can do so at http://daddydolls.com/donation.php . Recipients are chosen by military Chaplains based on need. Also, 100% of the funds donated will go toward the manufacture and delivery of these dolls to children of servicemembers who either cannot afford a doll or have lost a parent in the line of duty.

Jump Rope for Heart Event

Big Sis is participating in the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart event at her school March 22. This is her first fund-raiser. At any rate, kids are discouraged from going door to door and since we are new to the area, I decided to post the event here.
Thanks for your support of the American Heart Association!

update: We are turning in all of Big Sis's donations tomorrow. She has raised $265! Thank you to everyone who participated and supported her in this.

Some good news...

In addition to a move followed immediately by a deployment, we've also been waiting on the release of a promotion board. It was delayed over and over. Originally, it was to be released in late December. Then, it was going to be January. It was pushed back to just before Sam was to leave. Then it was delayed again (and again). Finally, it was released today. I'm happy (and relieved) to say that Sam was selected for promotion. I wish I could say, "Show me the money." But chances are that he won't actually be promoted until next year after he returns home. But then we'll have 2 things to looks forward to, won't we?


Congratulations to everyone who was selected!

So I'm not a gardener....

Today a neighbor asked me if I knew anything about jasmine. It took me a moment before I realized she was asking about the plant, not the Disney princess. This is just one of the perils of having princess-crazed little girls. Another is a berry pink room...

Squirrelly

You've just got to love what comes out of a 2-year-old's mouth, usually in public and embarrassing ways. Take today for example, L'il Sis and I are standing at the library counter, sending a fax. Other than the librarian and one other mom and little one, everyone else in sight is a young male Marine. So what does my little angel do? She keeps poking my belly fat, finally asking, "What's that?" Before I can answer, she decides that's really not humiliating enough, so she points to one side of my chest and asks (loudly, is there any other way?), "What are those?"

She's just very tall...

L'il sis and I went to the library for the first time this morning. The librarian told us that we could just make the tail end of the storytime for her age group. Well, no. The storytime that was wrapping up was for 4-6 year olds. So, clearly, this woman assumed L'il Sis was FOUR. Yes, she's tall. And she has long hair. But she is TWO, I tell you. Okay, two and three-quarters, but still technically two. Nowhere near four.

Happy Valentine's Day

These came this afternoon. What a nice surprise, especially the cards for each of us. I put the girls' roses in the vase Big Sis made during a pottery field trip in Korea.










I just realized that the last post was dated Feb. 14. I guess something on my computer is still on Korean time. That was yesterday (the 13th). Today is the first full day of married single parenthood. Happy Valentine's Day to me!






L'il Sis crawled into bed with me last night, but (this is the important bit) let me sleep. Big Sis got off to school this morning with only a minimum of whining (much less than usual).



So far, so good. Yes, I know it's early days, but I need all the optimism I can get right now.

Hopefully, NOT a sign of things to come...

Today was the day. Sam left for his year-long deployment today. And I began my year-long journey as a single parent. I almost titled this entry, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride..." but, hopefully, that won't be (too) true.

Big Sis came home from school this afternoon and, after a snack and checking to be sure all homework was done, I convinced the girls to go outside for a bit. That was a mistake. Shortly after arriving at the playground, the skies opened up and poured buckets of rain on us. There were no warning sprinkles. One minute it was overcast but pleasant, the next minute we found ourselves in a deluge. I grabbed L'il Sis, threw her into the wagon, and ran for home while yelling at Big Sis to run home. Usually, when L'il Sis sees rain she sings, "It's raining/ it's pouring/ the old man is snoring/ bumped his head/ and didn't get up 'til morning!" Today, she screamed because she was getting wet (she doesn't enjoy getting her face wet in the bath and this was like a power shower!). By the time we made it to the garage, we were all soaked. So, plan B, everyone was bathed and dressed in PJ's a short time later. And I decided I could hobble something together for dinner instead of going out.






Well, let's hope we have nowhere to go but up from here.

Readjustments

• After living overseas for 2 years, there are a few things that take a little getting used to upon returning to the States. For example, we lived in a country roughly the size of Indiana and, frankly, didn't drive all that much with all the public transport available. So I'm not sure if it's me or the kids having more difficulty in adjusting to how long we are in the car here, whether it's running errands around town or driving across the state(s) to see relatives. And speaking of driving, I'd forgotten just how HUGE those trucks on the interstate are. They have trucks in Korea, but they're not THAT big. And I miss the rest areas on Korean highways. Not only were they a place to stop for a bathroom break, but they usually had a convenience store, food court, food stalls, restaurant, and information center (with a person in it). Often, there would be a playground as well. Plus, there seemed to be one of these rest areas about every 15 or 20 miles.
• Another silly thing to get used to is pennies. Seriously, the only place I ever saw pennies was a the military post office in Korea. Everywhere else on the base, we rounded up or down. So when my daughter's first grade teacher suggested parents start using pennies to practice counting, etc., I seriously wondered where I was supposed to get all these pennies. Of course, there's something to be said for only having to keep track of one type of currency.
• A nice thing to get used to is not having to account for a 13-15 hour time difference when calling friends and family. Trying to remember what time it was (and what day) where you were calling was such a pain that my husband didn't bother with it. He just asked me.
  
• I can buy something in a shop here AND return it if I need to. I couldn't do that in the markets in Korea. Returns were possible in department stores, but I just didn't have the language skills or confidence to manage it. This is especially important when trying to buy clothes for the oldest since she is both hard to fit and hard to please (and hard of head).
  
• Commercials have been another adjustment. And one the kids have embraced a little too much. It's also been strange to have so many radio choices. In Korea, unless I wanted to listen to Korean (usually I only found talking and very little music), my choices were limited to AFN on FM or AM. I still find myself switching between AM and FM instead of scanning through the FM stations while in the car. The first time I drove for any length of time, I found myself listening to a station I didn't care for mile after mile until I finally remembered that there were CHOICES out there and I didn't have to listen to that station!
  
• It's the little things.

Hawaii in December

As promised, here are a few pictures from our stop in Hawaii on our way back to the mainland after a 2 year absence.

We attended a luau at our hotel one evening. L'il Sis enjoyed the evening more than Big Sis, who wouldn't even cooperate with having her photo taken. The MC was Glenn Medeiros. Does anyone remember him? (hint: think '80's pop) Apparently, he is from Hawaii and is now teaching elementary school in addition to MC'ing luaus.

The USS Arizona Memorial

These are some of the "scenic" pictures I took.

This was the view from our hotel balcony, looking out over Waikiki Beach.

Timeline of an international move

For those of you curious about what an international move (with kids!) over the Christmas holiday might be like, here's our move:

• October 17: Ship the car (note to other military movers: This was WAY too early!)
• November 7: Our Household Goods shipment is packed and loaded into large wooden crates. This is our "big" shipment and probably goes by ship, making it the slow shipment. The fact that it only took them one day to pack and load should tell you that we didn't have much to pack. In fact, the inspector looked around and shook her head and saying, "Not much, not much."
• December 5: Our "express shipment" or "unaccompanied baggage" is packed and taken away. This is the small shipment of "essentials" that we want to have right away on the other end. We had some kitchen items, linens and our computer in this shipment. This is also the day we moved out of our home in Korea and moved into a hotel, marking this as the starting point for living out of suitcases. In the time between moving into the hotel and flying off the Korean peninsula, we stay busy saying good-bye to good friends made during our time in South Korea.
• December 10: This is the big day! We fly from Seoul to Honolulu. That's right, Hawaii! I'll post pictures later. Now, don't think about this next part too much as it will give you a headache. We leave Korea Sunday evening and arrive in Hawaii about 8 hours later on Sunday morning. Crossing the international date line can really mess with you! We are met at the airport by my mother and stepfather (they come armed with leis for the whole family). They came to Hawaii a few days before and stayed to spend time with us (okay, the girls).
• December 15: We fly to Raleigh, North Carolina, where we are picked up at the airport by my very pregnant sister and her toddler (who we hadn't met before as she was pregnant with him when we moved to Korea).
• December 18: There is a revolving door at my sister's house today. Sam's parents drove down the day before and are ready to take the girls with them this morning. Sam and I rent a car to go in the opposite direction, to Jacksonville, in order to find a place to live, among other necessary errands. That same day, after we leave, my mother arrives to help my sister. The baby is born a few days later.
• December 18 - December 21: We stay with a friend while picking up a new car, meeting with a realtor, looking at houses, buying a cell phone, etc. We return to my sister's on the 21st to visit her and the baby in the hospital.
• December 22: We are back on the road. This time, we are headed to Sam's parents and our girls. That evening, our oldest, Big Sis becomes ill with a stomach virus. She has little more than saltines, water and Sprite for the next 2 days. But no one else is sick. Yet.
• December 25: Merry Christmas! Big Sis is feeling better. But when she sees the candy in her stocking, she puts it aside, shaking her head and saying, "I'm not eating that! I got sick from sugar last time!" (Not to worry, she got over that a few days later.)
• December 27: We rent another car. This time Sam drives across North Carolina then to Portsmouth, Virginia, to pick up the car we shipped from Korea. The next day, he drives back across Virginia. Meanwhile, at his parents' house, his brother comes down with Big Sis's bug. Then, I come down with it. Fun.
• December 30: We leave Virginia and return to my sister's house in North Carolina to celebrate Christmas with her family and my mom.
• January 2: We return to Jacksonville, again staying with our friend, but this time we have the girls with us. What a great friend!
• January 3 & 4: We sign the lease for base housing and get the keys to our new home. We've decided to paint 2 of the rooms, so we head to the home improvement store to get what we'll need. I get Big Sis registered at her new school. This turns out to be more complicated than expected and requires 3 trips.
• January 5: Sam's mother arrived the night before to watch the girls while we paint and otherwise get the house ready for move-in. We get the girls' room painted today and paint the living room the next day.
• January 8: L'il Sis was taken to my sister's yesterday. Today, Big Sis starts school, Sam starts work, and I get the house ready for the movers to arrive the next 2 days. We are still staying with our friend. We still need to buy a bed for L'il Sis. (She went to Korea while in a crib and transitioned to a twin bed while we were there, but it wasn't our furniture.)
• January 9: Two shipments are delivered today. The first is our express shipment from Korea. Then, our storage shipment arrives. This is all the stuff we put into storage over 2 years ago before moving to Korea. Wow, why do we have some of this stuff? Big Sis begins taking the bus after school to our new neighborhood.
• January 10: Our household goods shipment from Korea arrives. All of our "stuff" is here. Now, we just need to unpack, hang pictures, and on and on.
• January 11: L'il Sis's bed is delivered.
• January 12: After Big Sis gets out of school, she and I drive to my sister's to spend the night and return with L'il Sis the next day. We think this is Grandma's last night in NC. Sam moves into the house while we are gone.
• January 13: This is our first night in our new house as a family. This is the first night since Dec. 5 that we are not living out of suitcases. There are still boxes everywhere and lots of work to be done. But, at least, we are in our own space.

Coming soon....

We have arrived in North Carolina and are still getting unpacked and settled in. New entries will be coming... eventually!

New name?

We'll no longer be on the ROK soon. Which makes this blog's name a bit obsolete. So, any and all suggestions are welcome. Either email me or leave a suggestion in the comments.

On the road again...

How time flies! It's almost time for us to move from Seoul, South Korea to the East Coast of the U.S. Yes, that would be on the other side of the planet for you geography buffs. And, lucky us, we get to deal with the Holiday madness AND look for a new home all at the same time! Since we are moving into a hotel next week and flying shortly after that, I'm making my list now of the things we will and will not miss about being on the ROK.

We won't miss:

• traffic and insane drivers who think traffic laws are just a suggestion to be ignored (seeing 5 lanes of traffic trying to fit in one painted lane is a prime example);
• the itty, bitty, teeny, weeny apartment we had in Daejeon -- I think it was roughly 800 square feet, including the enclosed balconies, and only boasted a kitchenette to cook in ;
• soju, a potent rice liquor, often featured at whay-shiks (a male-bonding extravaganza that Sam says he won't miss either);
• monsoons, enough said;
• smog, so bad you can't see the hills and mountains that completely surround Seoul; and
• yellow dust, courtesy of China, that infiltrates everything every Spring (and Fall this year);
• being 13-14 hours ahead of East Coast time (14-15 hours of Central) and trying to remember what time and day it is back home before calling.

We WILL miss:

• Ms. Cho, our aujuma, who cleaned our house and helped out with the kids once a week;
• Mr. Alex, the care giver at the daycare who usually watched L'il Sis on the occasions that she went;
• AFN "commercials" -- they were mini-lessons on history, geography, military life, etc. While some could be a bit on the corny side, my kids don't really ask for much because they haven't been exposed to commercials for toys, etc.;
• the ease of public transportation: cabs, buses, subways, even "bullet"-type trains for outside the city;
• maintenance workers (and movers, etc.) who actually show up when they say they will;
• really cheap entry fees to museums, palaces, and other attractions;
• Korean foods such as bibimbap that will be hard to find in the States (Sam will also miss speaking Korean on an almost daily basis); and
• all the wonderful U.S. and R.O.K. friends we've made in our two years here.

Happy Birthday, Marines!

We celebrated the 231st Marine Corps Birthday at the Seoul Hyatt this year. Included among the guests were the current Republic of Korea (ROK) Marine Commandant and 9 former ROK Marine Commandants. Our guest speaker was GEN B.B. Bell, the U.S. Army general who commands the American military forces, the U.N. forces, and the combined U.S.-ROK forces here in South Korea.


Although the U.S. Marines here are a small group, the Birthday Ball was a big event and the Marines did a great job organizing and hosting the Ball. We filled the ballroom at the Hyatt and had a great time. Unfortunately, the Marine in charge of the event placed a bottle of soju at each table. His wife (a good friend of mine) thought it would be a good idea, or at least very funny, to have her friends each do at least one shot of the stuff. It is horrible. A bit like trying to drink rubbing alcohol. I don't know how Stretch stood it last year. Despite that experience, we really had a great evening with our friends.


Usually, I get one token slow dance a year at the Birthday Ball. This year, Stretch actually danced quite a bit with me, even to faster music. And while my shoes started off comfortable enough, I eventually had to kick them off, along with many of the ladies on the dance floor. Then, after the taxi dropped us off outside the base, we had to walk about half to three-quarters of a mile to get home. Yes, in those shoes! Plus, I was trying to keep up with Stretch. You may have noticed in the picture that his legs are a little longer than mine (by about a mile!) He was sweet and tried to carry me part of the way, but that didn't really work.


All in all, it was a memorable Birthday Ball made more so by the company of good friends. We will definitely miss our many wonderful friends here when we leave the peninsula next month.

*Despite the picture, but I'm not really that short. I'm 5'4" but Stretch is 6'8".

Trick or Treat!

Halloween came early for us on Yongsan. Official Trick-or-Treating hours were on Saturday night from 6:00 to 8:30. We ran out of candy before 7:30. This year, Big Sis decided she didn't want to go trick-or-treating, so she handed out the treats. Apparently, the candy wasn't worth having to dress up. Big Sis explained to one mom who came by with her little ones that she already had enough candy. L'il Sis, on the other hand, had a blast. She had no qualms about going up to strangers, saying, "Trick or Treat!" and holding out her bucket. Sam said even the scary masks some kids had on didn't bother her once he told her they were okay. Once her bucket got too heavy for her, we cut her off. But L'il Sis still wanted to walk around the neighborhood and see everything.

C'mon, Dad! There's candy out there waiting for me!

Big Sis decided she liked handing out the candy better than getting the candy. Probably because she could just toss things into bags without actually saying anything.

Loose teeth and mummies

Big Sis finally has some loose teeth. Okay, one wiggly tooth and one sort-of-wannabe-wiggly tooth. But they both start better start doing some serious wiggling soon as the adult teeth have already pushed through her gums behind the baby teeth and are anxious for their debut. Silly me, I thought this was something to be concerned about and rushed her to the Pediatric Dental Clinic on Wednesday morning before school. Yes, we were late for school that morning, but I thought this was more important. There I was told it was perfectly normal and nothing to be worried about. Of course, I started asking questions regarding at what point we should be worried. Anyway, x-rays were taken, and I was told to have her wiggle the teeth to encourage them to come out at home. Otherwise, we're to come back in a couple of weeks. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.


Now for the "mummies" portion of this entry. We found Big Sis asleep in her bed tonight with her top sheet pulled off the bed and wrapped tightly around her, kind of like a mummy. Or a baby burrito. You know, when babies are newborns and you wrap them in receiving blankets like burritos so they feel secure. What I can't figure out is how she managed to get the sheet wrapped so tightly around her 3 or 4 times. That had to take talent!

Happy Birthday, Big Sis!

Big Sis's birthday fell on Chusok this year. Chusok is the biggest holiday of the year here in South Korea. It's a harvest celebration, as well as a time to reconnect with family and pay tribute to ancestors. Most Americans compare it to our Thanksgiving, but its also very different. At any rate, between Friday being a day off for Chusok and Monday being an American holiday (Columbus Day), we decided to hold Big Sis's party next week. Big Sis decided her actual birthday would be for our family "fiesta." Have I mentioned she's in a Spanish "immersion" first grade and receives Spanish instruction the last half-hour of every school day? Yes, I know, how ironic: We live in Korea but our child is being taught Spanish. But back to the birthday...

So we had a small cake and Big Sis opened gifts from family. She had a pretty good day and was very gracious, sharing all her new toys with her sister. Then, Big Sis spent the rest of the 4-day weekend telling us at every opportunity, "I'm six, you know," or "Well, I'm six."

So what's in your purse?

My friend shannon challenged me to do this. I'm sure it's meant to be revealing about your personality, but here goes anyway! What is in my purse...

First, I switch between this black "Prada"-esque bag that I won during the raffle at an Armed Forces Spouse Club luncheon last year and an earth-toned striped "Kate Spade"-esque bag that is not quite as tall. And sometimes not everything makes the shuffle! Anyway, when I inventoried the contents this morning (Friday), I realized not everything was present to be accounted for. So I've put in ( ) the items that can often be found in my bag that were mysteriously missing this morning.

Compartment 1:

• 1 small bottle of ReNu rewetting drops
• 1 Clinique Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick in Blushing Nude [I don't even know why that is in there since I rarely wear lipstick anyway. It probably got left behind from last Sunday!]
• Thursday's (yesterday's) "to do" list
• Tuesday's "to do" list [don't ask about Wednesday -- I don't know]
• 1 receipt proving I paid the cable bill for both Sept. and Oct. (it saves me a trip next month)
• 1 size 4 Huggies diaper
• (travel-size container of Huggies wipes)
• (sippy cup)
• (bottled water)

Surprisingly, there was nothing in the zippered middle compartment.
Compartment 2:

• wallet
• checkbook
• pen
• (cell phone)
• (sunglasses)

I think this just proves that I'm nowhere near as high-maintenance as my husband sometimes thinks I am.

So, what's in your purse?

(I'm tagging Amy of Savage Stories, as a working mother of twins, she's got to have way more interesting stuff in her bag than I do!)

Red alert: "Fuffy" withdrawal

In an effort to curb L'il Sis's pacifier addiction (she calls it her "fuffy"), Sam snipped the tips off all her "fuffies" on Sunday night. She did okay Sunday night, but then it got ugly. On Monday, she took only a 45-minute nap. Then, after she went to bed that night, she woke up around 10:30 p.m. and was up for most of the night. At first, she was inconsolable. Since I found her on the floor next to her bed, I thought she'd fallen out of bed at first even though I didn't hear that "thump." But now, I'm beginning to think she was just hacked off about her pacifiers being "broken." Of course, the real question is "Why, oh, why did we have to mess with the pacifiers Sunday night when there is a perfectly good 4- day weekend in just a few weeks?"

make-up artist

You can get the idea although this picture isn't that great -- it doesn't really show the full impact of what L'il Sis did to herself. She kept spinning away every time Sam tried to get a picture. Imagine! A 2-year old who didn't want to cooperate.





L'il Sis decided she needed a bit of color last weekend. Somehow, she found some crayons after escaping from her room in the early hours of Saturday morning. We found her like this -- the area around her mouth covered in purple crayon. She was also grinning away and laughing. Fortunately, she didn't eat the crayons -- she just used them as lipstick. So in addition to scribbling on the walls and doors any time she finds a pencil (muralist), she's now adding make-up artist to her coloring resume.

Butterflies and more butterflies

Big Sis has been on a butterfly- catching kick lately. She could spend hours at it. Sadly for her, she doesn't have a butterfly net and had to make do with a net that came with some Sassy bath toys. I was amazed at how many butterflies were placed in captivity by that little net. Big Sis waited for the butterflies to land on the ground before pouncing. She began by putting them in a jelly jar with holes poked in the lid but that was too small, apparently. She moved on to the plastic container you see in these pictures that Sam slashed in many places to allow air flow. The new hobby came in handy when Big Sis had an assignment to catch an insect and bring it to school to share.
L'il Sis has only been mildly interested in what Big Sis is doing. The running about is what she enjoyed. Although, she did get jealous when Big Sis was hunkered down showing a butterfly to a neighboring 3 year old girl. She ran across the play area to where Big Sis and the other little girl were and knocked the poor girl over. I made her say she was sorry.

"I need help"

L'il Sis has a bad habit of screaming very loudly and very shrilly whenever she wants something. is frustrated, needs help, etc. So we've been asking her to say, "Help, please" instead of screaming when she needs help. Yesterday, as I was making dinner and Big Sis was working on a tally chart and chattering away to me, I was vaguely aware that L'il Sis was saying something. Both girls were in the playroom. Big Sis was working on the counter on the other side of the kitchen sink and L'il Sis was on the floor near her (where I could hear her but couldn't see her). Anyway, poor L'il Sis must have been on her 3rd or 4th repetition before I realized what she was saying: "I need help. I..need...help. I...Need...Help. I NEED HELP!" Although initially neglected, L'il Sis did get heaps of praise from both Mommy and big sister for asking for help so well instead of screaming. And, yes, she did get help.

First day of First Grade

I can't believe my baby is in first grade already! But she is and today was her first day. Big Sis completely shocked me by getting out of bed all by herself (on time!) and getting ready for school with only a minimum of fuss. She was nervous but you'd never know it!

Fortunately, L'il Sis was going to daycare after Big Sis went to school so her backpack was ready to go as well. She took that as a substitute for Big Sis's lunchbox that she was trying to carry (until Big Sis tucked it into her backpack). As you can see, both girls were more than ready to go well before we needed to leave.

Big Sis was so pleased when she learned that a classmate from kindergarten would be in her first grade class this year (no easy feat, considering there are at least 7 first grade classes at her school!). After school, about the only thing Big Sis would tell me about her day was that her teacher had taken all her glue sticks. She told me this over and over and over. Apparently, it was quite the tragedy and she is having a difficult time getting over it.

August pictures

I know I haven't posted any pictures lately. It's been a busy month. Although I haven't posted, I have been taking pictures. Here are some of my favorites from the past month:

Claire and Daddy share a dance.

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I had been telling Maeve we'd go to the Aquarium at the COEX Mall all summer. Finally, last Thursday, I realized it was my last chance before school started. Of course, it seemed every nursery school in Seoul was on a field trip that day! Maeve still had fun, though.

Claire looking sweet, while dressed in her princess/ballerina finery.

Claire eating her broccoli. This was a rare night when she announced, "I like broccoli! More broccoli, pease!" Of course, she only nibbles the florets off and leaves the rest.

Maeve and Claire coloring together:

2 year old carjacker

"Mommy! Look at Claire!" Maeve yelled. I immediately started looking around for Claire. She wasn't in the playground (like I thought she was). She was a few yards away, standing next to one of those motorized toy Jeeps, trying to pull a little boy out of it. Let me backtrack a bit. There were 2 little boys in the Jeep, both older and bigger than Claire. But she didn't let that stop her. She wanted to be in that Jeep, so somebody had to get out. So there she was. Pulling on that little boy, trying to get him out. As soon as I saw her, I yelled, "No! Stop that, Claire!" Not that it had any effect on her whatsoever. I had to physically pry her away and carry her away from the scene of the crime. Claire continued to tell me, "I sit in truck! I sit in truck!" She was plainly not listening when I tried to explain that (a) she didn't know those kids; and (b) carjacking just isn't nice!

how old are you?

Maeve is always saying the funniest things, usually made funnier in the context of her age and the fact she is saying them. This weekend she lived up to this again. It has been very hot and humid in South Korea lately. (They really aren't kidding about the dog days of summer here.) So, there we were, walking across a parking lot. Maeve was moaning and complaining about being thirsty. Then she startles us with, "I have to hydrate... to stay healthy!" Sam asked if she knew what "hydrate" meant. She didn't, but she still used it correctly!

Claire says...

We've been talking up the whole potty training thing lately. "Big girls use the potty, babies use their diapers...." you get the idea. The other morning, I tried to get Claire to just sit on the potty. Without looking at me (she looks away and ignores me if I'm saying something she doesn't want to hear), Claire responded, "No thank you sit on potty...[big pause]...'kay?" with a big smile.
Later, when I asked her if she was a big girl or a baby, she answered with an emphatic, "Baby!" So I guess that's that. She is definitely not interested for now!

Then there's the dinner battle. Lately, she hasn't wanted to eat much of anything at dinner. When we ask her to take a bite, Claire usually gives us a big grin (to the point I sometimes worry her cheeks will explode!) and says, "I drink-a milk!" One night, after 20 minutes of asking her to take just one bite, she finally did and pronounced, with great surprise, "I like it!" Meanwhile, I'm aging by the minute! Whoever it was who said that kids keep you young, they LIED!

military brat

Maeve really is a military brat. On last Friday's movie night, she opted for Bambi. During a scene with the hunters, Sam tried to assure her that the hunters weren't trying to kill ALL the deer, they were just looking for food. Maeve response was, "Why don't they just go to the commissary?" By the way, I don't think she ever says "grocery store."

I don't know if it's sad or funny, but C-O-M-M-I-S-S-A-R-Y was also one of the first words she could read (hard to miss those huge letters on the front of the building).