Hiatus

I am sorry to leave you all in limbo, having not even finished telling you about my amazing trip to South Korea but the day has suddenly gotten shorter and I feel guiltier every day for not getting blogging done so instead of feeling guilty, I'm just announcing that I'm taking a break until things calm down. Hopefully come Feburary you'll get all the posts from October on! (Phew, that'll be a lot of catchup but then again, I won't be trying to plan a trip to Korea or a move across the world so I think I'll have more time!) But! you can check out FB for updates occasionally if you'd like. :)

Miss Happs

1. Lottie fell out of the stroller (accounted previously)

2. Emmaline locks Lottie in the bedroom, Matt and I out (again, previously accounted).

3. Emmaline gets ahold of an ORANGE whiteboard marker and draws all over the walls.

4. Emmaline draws all over herself.

5. Emmaline wanders off in the department store and comes back having drank cologne. (What?!!)

6. Emmaline drinks bubble solution. (Again, WHAT?!!!)

With Daddy Again

Actually Getting There

There are no words to describe how cute this picture is! We had a flight from Seattle to Japan then another one onto Osan. We were all so tired during our layover. Once we got to Osan, we were the first flight into their brand new facilities. Emmaline, Lottie and I were among the first to actually walk through the doors and ended up having our pictures taken. There are perks to going through the brand new facility first, everyone is excited to help and everyone is smiling! But there are definate drawbacks. It took nearly 2 hours to get our bags off the plane because they really had no idea what they were doing. The result of that was me practically being in tears. I was so tired and the bus I needed was supposed to leave at 2. By the time we got done getting our bags, it was already 1:50. So, sad story, I'm pushing the stroller with Lottie and the cart with all our bags, trying to get out to get a taxi. Just as I get out the door, one of my bags falls off the cart. I turned to grab it, letting go of the stroller, and the stroller starts rolling toward the street. I didn't realize there was a slope there. Luckily there were other people around and they caught the stroller before it went careening into traffic. But I felt like a horrible mom because I worried more about the bags than I did the stroller! I was so lucky there were so many people around to help. We ended up making it onto the bus, against all odds.

We ended up getting to Kunsan about 430 pm. Matt was able to meet us because he hurt his back and was put on 'quarters', meaning he wasn't allowed to go to work. I was very glad because there was no way I'd have gotten all our stuff all the way to his dorm with out him being there!

Visiting Family

After finding out we didn't make it on the flight we wanted to we went off to visit Matt's family. Aunt Jenne was kind enough to pick us up from the hotel and we all went out to lunch for her birthday later! Happy Birthday Jenne!

Emmaline, Mariana, Lottie, Ryder, Luca and Delia were all in the same place at the same time for the first time. Hopefully it'll happen agan sooner than later.

We also got to visit Gma and Gpa Beach- Emmaline LOVES grandpa and kept sitting next to him. It was super sweet to see them together.

Aunt Denelle, Lottie, Aunt Melanie

Uncle Mikey, Aunt Crystal, Ryder

Mikey, Ryder and Crystal just headed out to Utah with the Air Force, Denelle and Matt are heading out to Ft Polk soon and Matt and I are heading out to Guam. It'll be a while before we are all together again. Hopefully Gma Beach finds some way to dote on her grandkids with out them being around!

Flying to Korea

Our trip to Seattle went very well. Emmaline and Lottie did amazing on the flights, we were all energetic and excited, nothing could get our spirits down. Emmaline wore her Halloween outfit- for purposes of showing off as well as personal peace of mind- there was no way I was going to loose her if she was wearing Bright Orange!

Lottie slept through the first flight and Emmaline and I played with the goodies in her backpack.

Lottie was content to play and chill, didn't need much more than smiles every once in a while. (Sadly, we lost that toy in the picture...theres at least something we loose every trip...oh well!)

Seattle has a USO, for military members and dependents. We utilized it and I was so greatful for it! They have hundreds of people using it every day- especially because Seattle is a hub for a lot of their international flights. But they have a child's play room, which was so so perfect for our needs.

(The camera was on the wrong setting...sorry for the blurries)

Emmaline practically fell in love with this little boy. His name was Dallon, after Dallon H. Oaks, of the quorm of the 12 Apostles. We ran into 2 LDS families on our trip and it was amazing to not only have the military in common, but our beliefs. Emmaline can marry Dallon...He was a cute kid and his mom was great. :)

(I could hardly get them to stay still for this picture...)

After two flights and about 8 hours in the USO we found out we were not able to get on the flight to South Korea. I cried, got a hotel and went off to visit Matt's family for 5 days! Turns out it really was a good way to spend that long of a layover.

Our three Adventures

So I sat down to write all about my trip thus far and realized I don't have very good pictures AT ALL. Most of them are of Emmaline running around the airport (and you all know what that looks like anyway) or closeups of Lottie in her carseat. So this post will be sans-pictures.

Our trip started out very nicely. We made it through security easily and into the waiting area where we only had to sit around for about 40 minutes before boarding. I did not buy a plane ticket for Lottie but we were lucky enough on both flights to have an extra seat for her to sit in. I was very grateful about that. Emmaline did phenomenal until the last 45 minutes of the second flight where she pretty much went balistic. She kept kicking the seats, throwing her crayons and crying because she was tired of being cooped up. I don't blame her.

Once we got to Seattle we had quite a bit of a wait. The flight check in was at 1030 and we arrived at 3. Luckily there was a USO to hang out in. Unfortunately, there were other kids and no one wanted to sleep. Emmaline ended up crashing on the benches just about midnight after being awake since 4am. Wow.

Unfortunately we did not make it on the flight we were waiting for :(. There ended up being severe wind problems and they had to restrict the amount of weight being allowed on the flight. We are considered category 5 fliers and they didn't even get all of category 2 fliers onto the flight.

By the time we knew for sure I wasn't going to be on the flight it was nearly 1230am. Then we had to find a hotel- I ended up sharing with another girl I met who was trying to get out to Korea to visit her husband as well. She was also LDS, which made me feel super comfortable with her. I dont think I got to bed until 130, which meant I was up nearly 24 hours!

I have family in the Seattle area so I was lucky enough to go visit during my lay over. Emmaline got to play with cousins Ryder and Mariana and we got to meet new cousins, 3 week old twins- Delia and Luca! I was so grateful to have time to get to know my sisters-in-law better. We really have never had enough time to do that!

We headed back to the airport on Saturday night and got on that flight easily! We were still up forever because that flight didnt even leave until 5 am and we couldn't sleep from 11:30 on because of moving around, briefings and getting in lines. But that meant Emmaline slept forever on the flight.

The food was really good, surprisingly, and there were no big issues with flying to Korea at all. They layover in Japan was even nice, even though I could hardly keep my eyes open because of exhaustion! Once we landed in Osan we found out we were the first flight to ever fly into their brand new terminal. And since Emmaline, Lottie and I were among the first few passengers off, we got our pictures taken! But, the downside was that the workers were just figuring out the new procedures and it took an hour and a half to get our bags. I had a bus to catch at 2, landed at 1215 and figured I'd have plenty of time. I was wrong. I was barely getting through customs 10 minutes before I was supposed to catch the bus. Supposedly the bus was only a block away but no. It was a half a mile away. I had to take a taxi. You'd think that on-base taxi drivers would speak english but not really.

Anyway, we got on the bus just in the nick of time. And although the many many people who helped me along the way will never read this THANK YOU!!! I couldn't have done it without the compassion of a few strangers, especially Joe who even went as far as buying my bus ticket for me. He deserves an extra special thank you.

Matt hurt his back (we think it was a pulled muscle) and was required to stay home the first night (he was also on night shift). That was super lucky for me because I wouldn't have been able to get from where the bus dropped us off to his dorm without help. I had too much stuff and I didn't even know where to go! We got everyone settled in and went to bed super early. We were so tired!

That night was when the fun started. At 345am there was a fire alarm. Matt thought it was a drill at first but when the 'drill' dragged on to an hour we realized we were looking at a real fire. I guess someone on level 2 was cooking? I'm wondering why someone was cooking at 345 in the morning... Anyway. We were lucky enough to be allowed to take shelter in the Sonlight Inn- its not an inn at all, just a hang-out spot. Emmaline got to watch Nemo.

So, back to bed at 7 and suddenly the fire alarm goes off again at 8! We woke up the girls again and started tromping down stairs when we were told it was just a false alarm, to go back to our rooms. Sigh. The girls were already up so we just rolled with it and started the day. But, since Matt has night shifts we all had to get to bed again for a nap.

Here was adventure #2. Emmaline got mad at me for making her go to bed. So mad that she was screaming her head off. Do you know what Emmaline does when she screams like that? She throws up. Yup. And she did. She threw up all over herself and the playpen. I had to wake Matt up (as if he wasn't already!) and have his help in cleaning up. Sigh. Emmaline didn't get a nap that day.

So, adventure #3. The next day I was trying to kill time because Matt was sleeping all day and I was bored. I started cleaning out the fridge, cupboards and closets. Do you know what happens when 4 men live in a room but never talk to eachother? Over the life of this dorm room the they have acquired item after item in the cupboards and fridge that never get cleaned out. The grossest thing in the world was food that expired in 2005! Most of the stuff in the fridge was over a year old. I tossed three garbage bags full of food out.

At some point in that, Matt and the girls were both awake. We put Lottie in the stroller and sadly enough, she fell out. I nearly cried. She slid out the bottom and landed on her face. Once I got her calmed down she fell asleep. I don't know too much about head injuries but I figured it was probably important for me to check on her every 15 minutes or so. BUT! Emmaline decided to be helpful and closed the bedroom door while we were in the kitchen. These doors automatically lock and we didn't have the key. So, Matt, Emmaline and myself were locked in the kitchen while Lottie was locked in the bedroom. I was just insanely grateful that she was asleep and not laying on the bed or the floor...

Matt rushed off to call for help but it still took more than an hour to get someone there to open the door for us. And the entire time I was convinced that Lottie had died because of hurting her head. No worries, she's alive.

After that there weren't adventures. Thankfully. Matt ended his night shifts, we were finally able to go outside and enjoy the nice weather and Matt got a few days off. This weekend we'll go on a tour and thats when I'll get the nice, non airport pictures. :)

The Itinerary

Monday 745am- pile into car, head to mom's 815am- load into mom's car, head to airport 1045am- take off! We'll land in Seattle at 2:50 (local time) with a layover in Denver We get to wait around in the USO for a while until boarding time for flight to Japan Tuesday 1am- take off from Seattle to Japan (12 hour flight) Wednesday 12 noon- arrive in Kunsan with a layover in Osan (2ish hours from Japan to Osan, 1.5 hours from Osan to Kunsan) We'll be traveling a total of 38 hours and a 14 hour time difference. I have three suitcases, a playpen, three carryons, 2 carseats, a stroller and two children. The only time I have to deal with baggage on my own is in Seattle- and I plan on getting one of those spiffy carts that I always thought were for the weak (judgemental any? lol). It'll be an adventure for sure. Hopefully I have enough fruitsnacks, coloring books and toys to keep Emmaline busy and hopefully all three of us will get some sleep! We'll see you on the flip side!

The Contents of my Fridge

I'm so out of habit in not only making a menu but in shopping as well. Becuase Matt is gone it feels like there isn't any reason to make a meal every evening, especially because Emmaline will refuse to eat and sometimes, I just don't feel like I'm worth the time and effort I'd have to put in. Yesterday I knew we were out of food so I went shopping. This is a before shot of the fridge, water, a few apples, a few peaches, two slices of bread, a dozen eggs, a few pounds of cheese, a few yogurts, sour cream, and of course, the condiments. This is my fridge after shopping: Yeah, all I added was grapes and a gallon of milk. We still pretty much don't have anything to eat! Its not that I don't have the money to buy food, its not that I have never been taught, its just that I've completely forgotten! When Matt is able to live with us again its going to be completely different. I'll have to relearn how to be a wife and a home maker again! I keep trying to make a menu but I can't for the life of me even REMEMBER what we used to eat. My staples these days are chicken, fish and burritos. And you can only have so much of that before you decide its just better to not eat at all!

Professional Pictures!

I got the girl's pictures taken for Emmaline turning 3 and Lottie 4 months. They. Turned. Out. Awesome. At least the three I have seen already. www.blimbam.blogspot.com Go here and you'll see three of the pics. I should be getting a CD with the rest on soon and then I'll post more. I Love, Love, Love all the colors in the photos, they are so vibrant! I hope you enjoy.

Happy Birthday Emmaline!

We had Emmaline's birthday party today, although her actual birthday is on Saturday. It was Dora themed and I think she had a blast!

First off, we invited her entire nursery class, and I was thinking that only half would show up but that wasn't the case! I got two "nos" and two no-shows but a few kids brought siblings or friends for a total of 15 kids! WOW! Somehow I managed to have enough stuff for everyone too!

So here was the idea: Swiper came and swiped Emmaline's birthday party! Everyone got a "backpack" and a "map" to show them how to find the party. We followed the Map to the playground where we saw that Boots had gotten new shoes and he needed help trying them on. So all the kids got to help Boots (like pin the tail on the donkey, it was pin the boots on Boots!).

Next we went to the Mailbox where we met Esa, Benny and Tico who were so happy to have friends over that they wanted to make frienship bracelets.

We then went through the Lollipop Trail and got to pick some lovely lollipop flowers and onto Turtle Pond. We got to play Musical Turtles and when the kid's numbers were called they got a lovely pair of sunglasses as a prize!

As we went to finally get to the party we all saw Swiper! The kids were very good at yelling "Swiper No Swiping!"

We sung Happy Birthday to Emmaline, ate cupcakes and then opened presents!

A Couple Weeks of Fun

Happy Anniversary Matt!

Matt and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on August 20. I was sad we weren't together, our plan was to go on a cruise for our 5th anniversary but that didn't pan out. But we still really enjoyed our day. We decided to have a 'date night' online. We played card games and asked eachother some 'what if' questions. Matt also sent me a box full of goodies that I really enjoyed looking through. In fact, I couldn't stop smiling the entire time I was opening it!

This is my favorite of the presents. I love elephants and this one is just so fun!:

Matt found this little treasure (if you can't see, it has a laser carving of a man and woman holding hands on the inside) and he had it engraved with "Mostest More for All Eternity."

He also found these two fun things, a book mark sporting a Korean flower and a fun little comb.

The most random part of our date was the huge thunder storm that rolled in and knocked out my power. So the internet went down for about an hour in the middle of our date. Luckily we were still able to finish when the power came back on!

Random pictures

This is one of Emmaline's curls that I couldn't resist taking a picture of. I love her hair! Sometimes it looks like it'll be red and then other times it looks so blond. But her curls are always there! I love how they become little ringlets if I wash her hair and then don't do anything else with it.

And this is Emmaline playing the saxaphone. I thought she had some great style:

Now for Lottie's hair- this is her first ponytail!!! I don't think I'll be putting her hair in another pony tale for a little while because it really was a tad too short. It sorta looked funny. But it was a proud moment!

Magic House!

We went to the magic house again with my mom and Carolyn and Andrew. Emmaline enjoyed the Tom Sawyer room and is helping to paint the fence:

Carolyn and Emmaline dressed up in dresses and bonnets:

The kids enjoyed climbing all over the fake kitchen (Carolyn is a monkey!). Their favorite part was the phone, especially stretching the cord all the way across the kitchen. It was funny to realize that none of the kids had ever seen a phone with a cord before!

Emmaline went fishing:

The kids drove to Grandma's house in a big truck:

And they got to pull a bubble up around themselves!

Play Time at Grandma's!

Grandma found these cute little high heels at a thrift store and bought them for the sake of the dress up pile. In my opinion, Emmaline looked adorable clomping around in those shoes!

And evidently the Piano is a really good pretend house.

Fun Stuff at Home

Emmaline decided that she was ready to go back to school too. Although I beg to differ, I enjoyed how cute the backpack is on her.

Emmaline got a hold of the camera and took these beautiful pictures of Lottie. She looks stunned. 1.

2.

3.

Pretty good photographer huh? lol.

Visiting Valerie We decided to head off to Kentucky to visit our good friends, the Mangum family. It was about a 6 hour drive and both girls did pretty well on the way there and phenomenal on the way home.

We went to the park to feed the Geese:

These were some of the best behaved geese I've ever seen. They slowly waddled over, expecting food. But there was no inordinate amount of bickering over bread, nor was there any one goose that decided it was going to get more than its fair share. One hissed at Emmaline when she got too close but when I stomped in their direction they all waddled off to find something else to do.

Emmaline found some random boy at the park to fall in love with. She bossed him around for about 5 minutes until I guess he was done with it and left Emmaline. Holding his hand and bossing him around was much preferable to her normal tactic of hitting and yelling at any boy that comes to near.

Valerie enjoyed how quiet and cuddly Lottie is:

We went to a playground at the mall:

And Emmaline enjoyed dressing up. Although this is halfway between dressing up and dressing down...

William, a friend of his and Whitney all decided to create a fort in the front yard. The pink tent was for the girls and the boys were trying to build a section off to the right for boys only.

Emmaline wasn't all that interested in the fort but instead got a kick out of watering all of Valerie's plants.

By the last day of our visit both girls were exhausted. This was one peaceful moment out of not-so-many. In fact, Emmaline was going balistic by Thursday night because she was so tired. It was actually funny to watch but I didn't laugh because I'm a better mom than that.

Bye Whitney!

Now that we are home we have a good solid week of activities- a pool party, a baptism, a build-it workshop at Lowe's, the chiropractor, the YMCA, dentist appointments, physicals, a trip to Scott AFB, dinner at a friends... And soon enough it'll be Emmaline's birthday and then we'll be headed off to Korea to see Matt!