Popcorn popping and Another POP!!!!!!!

Korea is beautiful right now! Our family traveled down to ChinHae Naval Base and toured the Cherry Blossom Festival that they had there. It was beautiful!!! We had a great time. The boys were able to eat one of their favorite foods. Pineapple on a stick. Yum! One of the things that we are finding here is that there is so many opportunities to exercise. We found a little staircase leading up to an observatory area to see the entire city. And what a hike that was!!!! The boys were complaining and wanting to ride the tram to the top. Guess we've got to get out and hike stairs more often. Most of the hiking trails in the mountains are quite steep here but are very beautiful. We loved being able to shop and look around at the different things to see. Brandon even got a little surprise of his own. As we were looking around there was an area where they had a spanking table and I thought it would be great fun to have a picture of the boys getting to spank their dad. So I had Brandon go lay down on the bench and the boys were to take the paddle and gently paddle dad. Well a little lady saw what was going on and took the paddle away from Isaiah and shouted STAND BACK (in English)! So Isaiah did as he was told and she lifted the paddle and hit down. I think she didn't realize how hard she was swinging until after Brandon's shout out in agony! I must be a bad wife, but I was still giggling about it when we got home. He had a red bum still when we reached Daegu almost three hours later. He did however get a consolation prize... A pink key chain. You can't live in Korea and be male without owning something pink. Everywhere we go there are men sporting pink and purple bikes and purses to boot. She just wanted Brandon to fit in.

Daegu is starting to look just as beautiful here. My running course down by the river is gorgeous! Hopefully I'll be able to use it while it's blooming. My life is going to be staring to get crazy next week and with spring break happening this week not much is getting done. Well let's face it nothing is getting done. Yikes!

I looked out the window and what did I see?...





Traditional teeter-tooter game played in the folk villages here. They are only quite a bit bigger and longer. They are made for adults to throw each other into the air quite high and then continue the process for some time.


The picture that I wanted with one extra boy in there!



The picture I got!!!!!!!! OUCH!!! Look at some of the faces of the spectators. That says it all! She raised the paddle above her head and slapped the paddle down.

Pinewood Derby and a Bear

Brandon and Braxton had a father and son outing to Braxton's pinewood derby this past weekend. Braxton received his Bear along with his religious knot, a gold arrow and five silver arrows. He has worked very hard this year to be able to achieve all of these. We are so proud of him and his accomplishments. Our troop has a tradition of when the boys earn a patch for the year they also have a face painting ceremony. Brandon was able to paint Braxton's face and you can tell just how nervous Braxton was by how his face looked. He is usually smiling, but with all eyes on him; he takes on a new look; expressionless. Braxton placed second in speed in the races and received a trophy (8 inches tall Braxton had to measure it for us). Way to go bud! We love you!

Onyang Amethyst Cave

Isaiah and I were able to go to an amethyst cave this past weekend on a date. We had a great time. We were able to take a boat ride into a cave that has been shut down to see where they used to mine the amethysts. Didn't learn anything due to the fact that boat tour guide didn't speak English and on the walking tour there weren't any signs explaining anything. But in the cave, they had an acrobatic team performing, it was very cold inside the cave and I am wondering how the performers could stand it in what little they had on. But it was fun to see. The tour lasted about an hour and the bus didn't leave for another 3 hours and so it was a good thing that there was a small amusement park to fill our time. We had a blast and can't wait to have another date again.

The Big 6!

My sweet little Isaiah just turned 6. He has been such a little mischievous little boy until just recently. He has started to listen and is working very hard at making his mom and dad happy. Wow! He is finally growing up. We love him so much and are so proud of him. He is starting to read and is getting better every day. As we read scriptures as a family we are finding that we aren't having to help him as much as we have in the past. Wahoo Isaiah! He is a math wiz and loves sorting and graphing the most.

Isaiah wanted to have a big boy party just like his brother did. So he invited a friend over from school (his best buddy Levi), and a few kids from church Bruce and Johnathan and we had a pizza and video night. The boys seemed to have a blast and at one point, Isaiah started to open his gifts by himself because the boys were still busy playing. We all had a great evening! Happy birthday little one!

We see dead people

Yesterday we went to Kyong-Ju where there are tombs of King Cheonmachong and other kings and queens. My cousin Shane is here visiting his girlfriend and had some down time, so he decided to come on the trip with us. In the tombs they buried the rulers inside a wooden box then pile rocks on top and then add dirt to the mound and let the grass grow. It's amazing to see. We were told that the tombs in this city are taller than any building there and that no one can build higher than the tombs. If there are two mounds, it it a husband and wife. We were then allowed to see inside Cheonmanchong's tomb. Kind of interesting. We had about 4 hours at the tombs and about an hour of touring there, so we were able to walk around a little and saw some vendors on the street selling kites, so we bought the boys kites and let them have at it. Isaiah found that he could see his kite better if he lay on the ground and looked up from there. It was fun to see both the boys having a good time. There is a picture of a squirrel that we saw there and it was pretty interesting so I thought that I would put it in here too. It looked like a squirrel and rabbit mixed. Kind of funny! We were then taken to Kyong-Ju's National Museum and were only given an hour there and no photos were allowed inside, but we took pictures of what we could. Fun, fun day! And most of all it was nice to be able to see family... Hint, hint, hint!

Fish Feet!!!

We went to Spa Valley here in Daegu today with some friends just for a little relaxation for the adults and some major play time for the kids. This place has some natural hot springs and a huge water park, but we didn't go there for any of that... We went to have Garra rufa, or doctor fish eat at our feet in a little pedicure pool. The adults sat around a fish pond and had little fish eat all of the dead skin off our feet, while the kids played in a large play area for a few hours. Then had lunch and after the kids wanted to try it out. Braxton sat there for quite a while, where Isaiah couldn't stand it. He said they tickled too much, and they do for the first little while, but pretty interesting. I can now say that my feet have been sucked and the fish were well fed today!