The Nanta Show Valentine's Date

For Valentine's Day 2019 we decided to go do a fun show in Seoul called Nanta. It was a cooking comedy show, which luckily was limited in Korean language, so we weren't going to be missing much if we couldn't understand. It was so awesome!

We invited the Liddell's, who we had traveled with before to join us, and after 2 hours of traffic we luckily made it. The Liddell's even got called up to be participants in the show, from Bert getting married to a Korean woman (perfect valentine gift to give his wife) and Adreann who got to make dumplings on stage, it was hilarious and totally clean! After the show, we were able to meet the cast and since the Liddell's were called on stage they got souvenir photos and signatures.

After the show we killed the street market food, as it was the absolute best street food we have had in Korea! We were even able to get chocolate covered strawberries for 1,000 won each (that's like a buck ya'll)...WIN! It made the night so much fun to be out with friends, see a hilarious show, and have some amazing food. 

-Kevin

Yeouido Hangang Park

M&M had an orthodontist appointment in Seoul today, so we decided to make a family day out of it.  After M&M's appointment we headed over to the Yeouido Hanging Park.  When we first got there we found some pretty crazy and unique play equipment.  One was a gigantic metal structure with huge white balloons/balls attached all around the structure.  The balloons/balls would all of a sudden move without warning.  It was funny watching them fall; we never could figure out how they moved.  

Another structure was a huge wood semi circle thing.  It almost looked like the bottom of a boat.  M&M and Big Sis tried to run up the side to catch the edge.  They made it, but Little A needed help getting to the edge.  It's funny how something so simple can keep our attention and provide so much entertainment.

We walked a little more and to my utter joy we came across the I SEOUL U letters.  I have been trying to find this structure in Seoul since we moved here.  I was so happy to find the letters!  This was definitely one of my highlights of the day; pathetic, I know, but it's finding joy in the little things, right?

Another joyful surprise was the bike rental kiosk right after the I SEOUL U letters.  We were super excited about the bikes, because they had a few bikes with child carriers.  I rented a bike with a carrier and had Little Monster in the back.  Big Sis and M&M found bikes that were perfect for them.  Kevin kept singing the song from the Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz.  He said since my bike had a basket, it looked just like the bike from the Wizard of Oz.

Kevin rented a tandem bike and had Little A ride with him.  It was cool, because the seats were adjustable, so it worked perfect for Kevin and Little A.

We rented our bikes for an hour, so we spent our time exploring the park and loving all the super random Korea that the park had to offer.  Our first Korea randomness were the soccer net and PVC pipe "seats" all around the park.  We took time to sit back and relax and soak in some vitamin D.  Monster had fun crawling in, around, on and through them, so they were multifunctional.

The park also had large structures and statues littering the area.  The kids loved the weird monster. Apparently it was used in a movie, then left its mark in the park.

We passed a park at the beginning of our bike ride, and the kids all begged to play at the park.  We road around until we had 10 minutes left on our rental and let the kids play for 10 minutes.  They loved all the different play equipment.  There was a pendulum swing, teeter totters and a huge play structure.  There was something for all kids, big and small.

We returned our bike rentals and started walking back to the car.  This is where we encountered the last Korean park randomness.  Running along the far side of the park was a small canal/ ditch/ water run-off.  Kids were playing and running and splashing in the water.  There were stepping stones and stairs all throughout the canal.  My favorite was seeing the little Korean kids playing in the water, some had swimwear, some had normal clothes, but quite a few had bare naked bottoms and only a shirt on.  We let the kids take their shoes off and walk back to the car through the canal.  It was probably nasty and germ and bacteria infested, but they loved it.  Here's hoping they don't get a nail fungal infection.

Seoul LDS Temple & Sunday Sewing with Grandma

We went to the Seoul LDS Temple with my mom and dad on Saturday.  It's a beautiful temple and Kevin and I had exactly two male and two female names to take to the temple!

The first Saturday of the month is the only day that they have a session in English and Kevin and I had been planning on attending the temple even before we found out mom and dad were coming.  I was super happy that they were totally good with the idea of still going!  I don't know the last time I went to the temple with my parents, so it was super special to be able to be there with them!  I'm also glad we were able to show them their first temple overseas!

On Sunday, we all went to church!  It was so fun to show my mom and dad off and to show them our building and where we went to church!

I completely forgot that Emily had the talk for primary that day, so I pulled Emily out of Sunday school for a few minutes to remind her and to help her set up a talk real quick.  Mom was right there helping us!

When we got home from church, my girls asked if mom would teach them how to sew a pillowcase.  They both really wanted to do something with just grandma.  So Mom took Big Sis first and she taught her how to make a pillow case.

Big Sis made her own quilt earlier this year, so they made a pillow case to match her quilt.  It was fun seeing them work together on this project.  I know that Big Sis will treasure not only her pillowcase that she made with grandma, but the time that they spent together,  just her and grandma.

When Big Sis was done, M&M quickly jumped up and wanted her turn with grandma.  M&M is new to sewing, so I also helped with the pillowcase making.

The three of us worked together and M&M learned how to sew and pin and iron a sewing project!
Grandma was an amazing teacher, she was super patient with her, but also had M&M do everything on her own!

M&M was super excited about her beautiful pillowcase and the memory that came with it!

While we were all working together on sewing and pillowcases, Little A was playing cards and games with grandpa.  Little A had the biggest smile on her face and we kept hearing cute giggles and laughs from the room they were in.

All the kids loved their time they got to spend and learn from grandma and grandpa today!  I know I really appreciate the time they spent with them!  This is definitely one of the cons to living so very far away! Once all the pillowcases were finished, we all spent the rest of the evening playing games!  It was a really great Sunday!!

Changdeokgung Palace (with Grandma & Grandpa)

While my parents were in town, we wanted to take them to one of the palaces in Seoul.  M&M had an orthodontist appointment in Seoul, so we all took the subway up to her appointment!

When she was all done, we had a driver take us to the Changdeokgung Palace.  It was so nice having a driver to just drop us off at the front gates! We bought our tickets then entered into the palace. When you first walk in, you pass through the Donhwamun (돈화문), which is the palace's main gate.  You can see the main gate right behind us!

The grounds to this palace were so huge!  There were so many buildings and courtyards. There was a large ditch that was water-less that Little A really loved, so she asked if she could get a picture with just her and grandma and grandpa! The cool thing about this picture, is that you can see the Geumcheongyo  (금청요), which is the stone bridge in the background and also the oldest structure in the palace dating back to 1411!

After making a wrong turn into what appeared to be living quarters, we snaked our way back on the correct path.  The main walkway in the palace is a long dirt and cobblestone road.  It was not very stroller friendly and I kept getting stuck.  It was an extremely hot day, and there isn't a lot of shade or trees to lessen the blow of the sun. The kids and my dad would keep out of the sun by hanging out under the archways in the walkway.

We walked a ways down the pathway and were greeted by the Injeongjeon  (인정전), the palace throne hall.  It is a beautiful palace.  It was a beauty to behold!  I kept asking my parents if they had ever seen anything like it.  It was fun showing them something they hadn't ever seen!

My dad seemed to enjoy the palace, but my mom was all smiles and excited at all the new things to see and smell!  It was fun being at the palace with her and showing her around Seoul!

It was past lunch time, and all my kids were hot, hungry and thirsty!  We still had a few parts of the palace grounds that we wanted to see, but the kids were beginning to fade quickly.  We went into the little snack bar in hopes of finding ice cream or food, but were disappointed.  Since the Changdeokgung Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, food is not allowed on the premises, so the only thing someone could buy were teas and drinks.  We walked back to the main gate, to eat our lunches and find some ice cream.

We found a little ice cream shop across from a 7-11, so we ordered ice creams and sat at the table and ate our lunches and ice cream.  It was very pleasant being in an air conditioned room.  After we cooled off, used the bathrooms, and ate, we went back to the palace to see the last of the grounds.  We went first to the beautiful Huijeongdang (휘정당), which is the royal bedchambers of the king.  We all loved the roof and the iron statues on the roof!

The Changdeokgung Palace has a secret garden that Big Sis really wanted to see, but after we saw the map and how very large it is, we decided to save the Secret Garden for a much cooler day!  My dad, Monster and M&M stayed in the shade of the little shop, while mom, Big Sis, Little A and I saw the last few buildings before the Secret Garden entrance.

 The building that I had been eyeing since we walking on to the grounds was the Seongjeonggak  (성정각), this is where the crown price lived.  This was actually my most favorite structure of the entire palace!  It was so original and beautiful.  If I lived in one of the houses of this palace, this is where I would want to live.  It reminded me of a princess cottage!

The last building that we saw was the Daejojeon (대조전), the queen's bedchambers.  We all really liked this one because it was up off the ground and in its own little courtyard!

The buildings were all so beautiful and stunning.  The colors were vibrant and it was so neat seeing it all.  We will definitely come back when it is cooler so Big Sis can see the Secret Garden!  But, It was such a delight to show my mom and dad a South Korean Palace!

Seoul Children's Grand Park

As promised, we stopped at the park after we left the Winterfest.  We hadn't been to this park yet, but I was told it was a big park.  After parking, it took a little while to actually find the park.
The kids enjoyed playing on the huge playground equipment!

They loved the huge tire swing!

Little Monster especially loved the slides!

We only had about an hour before we needed to head home, so the kids ran and played.
As we walked back to the car, we stopped by a super cool bench,

a dragon statue that Little A absolutely loved and kept asking me to take more and more pictures of her with it,

and last, but not least, a traditional Korean building!

Seoul: War Memorial of Korea

After failing to see the olympics, we heard about "Team USA Winterfest" held at the army base, Yongsan in Seoul.  We decided to make a staycation out of the weekend and stay at the Dragon Hill Lodge at Yongsan.  We left right after church and checked into the hotel.  We had a few hours of daylight left, so we decided to check out the War Memorial of Korea, which is right outside Yongsan.

As you walk onto the grounds, you are immediately greeted by huge old military planes!  The kids loved seeing the planes, especially little Monster, who kept pointing and yelling, "plane, plane, look mommy, plane!"  Some of the planes had stairs so you could walk up and look into the cockpit.

After seeing the planes, we then went to the main walkway and were surrounded by huge statues of military men in bronze. The statues depicted the difference faces of war.  It was a humbling and special experience to see the statues and to think about the many wars that this little peninsula has undergone.

In the center of the bronze statues was the Korean War Monument.  This one looks almost like a spearhead cut in half.

There were so many more outdoor exhibits!  Next we saw a huge battle ship!  Kevin took the girls up to the ship and were able to explore, go into the different rooms, and walk around the deck.

We then continued along the grounds and saw many other exhibits which included tanks, missiles, boats, trucks, and cannons.

After spending more then an hour seeing all the neat exhibits outside, we found our way into the museum.  You walk into the museum by walking through the Galleries of the Enshrine Monument.  This is a really neat hallway that has plaques all over the walls with names of fallen soldiers and airmen.

The inside of the War Memorial of Korea is huge!  There must be four or five stories!  Each floor has so much to see.  I don't think we even saw half of what the Museum had to offer!  The best part, is that the museum is free and we can go back any time we are in Seoul.

There were huge Korean Drums decorated with amazingly beautifully bright art work.

We also saw models of war ships.

There were many bronze sculptures of the past Empires.

The kids really loved the outdoor exhibits, they did OK with the inside exhibits. There is so much to see and so much Korean War history.  I would like to go back, without kids, so I can take the time to read the plaques and learn more about Korea history, rather then just rush through and see all the cool boats and statues.  The kids asked if we can go back when its warmer so they can spend more time seeing all the stuff outside, so I'm pretty sure we will be making a second trip to the War Memorial of Korea!