keen bliss: So many Es!

OK - So once again, it's been quite a while since I've posted anything. I could go on and on with my reasons why (in-laws in town, a trip to China, piles of paperwork for our move...) but instead I'll just get on with the pictures. I know you're probably all here for pictures of our China trip or N's birthday, but being the person I am, I feel the need to write in chronological order. Therefore, we shall start with Uncle E's and Aunt EJ's trip to Korea to visit us. Bear with me as I try to keep all those Es straight in this post!

The first day they were here, we all headed up to Seoul for a couple days of sightseeing. No, we didn't give them any time to get over jet-lag. Little e had an audiologist appointment, so that was the day we were going! Now, if you recall my previous posts, you will remember that e was down and out with the stomach flu. This hadn't changed. But, up to Seoul we went, undaunted by the exploding diapers in the back seat. Actually, the boys and I just napped in the hotel room the first day to give e some more recovery time. E, Uncle E, and Aunt EJ (this is getting ridiculous) went to another of the Korean palaces in Seoul. (Not the same as the exploding diaper last week, we were afraid they wouldn't let us back in...) I love this picture of the three of them. Those are some strong genes, let me tell you!

I thought I'd include this photo of the inside of one of the palace buildings for those of you in the states. They are beautiful, the paintings are so bright and vibrant. Really neat to see.

When in Seoul we usually get around by subway, driving is a might crazy. Apparently Uncle E thought the subway system was a little convoluted too. Luckily E helped out his little, I mean younger, brother!

The next morning we headed to Namdaemun market (the second time in as many weeks, it's such a fun place!) But first we had to stop and get our morning exercise. These little exercise stations are all over Korea, usually near a playground. Makes sense to me, let the kiddos play while the adults work out!

At the market, EJ and Uncle E try out some Korean yummies, while little e perfected his gangster look...

Then it was off to the Seoul tower. We took this cable car up to the top of the hill where the tower is.

The tower itself isn't actually all that tall, it just sits on top of a high hill, sort of tower cheating I think, but the views are still pretty cool!

While at the top we realized that e was freezing, so we bundled him up even more, and got some great pictures!

The next day Uncle E and EJ headed out for an adventure of their own. We sent them off to E-Mart, and they came back with these little accessories for our "minivan car". These crack us up. We see them all the time over here, protecting car doors from dings. It's so funny to see a really fancy new car with blue Styrofoam pads stuck to the doors!

To give them a little more Korean culture than blue foamies on car doors, we took them to the Korean Folk Village. It's like a Living History Farms of Korea. There are some amazing shows to see, and working farms to walk around in. We all had a fun time playing this traditional Korean game where you try to get the sticks into the little cylinders. Some of us had more luck than others (EJ) but we all had a good time!

Meanwhile, e was mobbed by the Korean paparazzi.

Yes, he is in the middle of all of those girls. This is actually a very frequent scene when we travel anywhere in Korea, they just love kids. Especially blond kids. As you can imagine, N hates it. Little e however, loves it. I mean, he smiles for all he's worth and charms all those Korean girls!

We also took trips to the DMZ and Everland (which will be the topics of later posts) and spent some time hanging out at home (while EJ perfects her Korean photo pose... they all do this),