2 Birthdays!

 Can you believe it's that time of year AGAIN??!! I have a 5 and a 7 year old! Where does the time go? So last year we had separate parties which meant that this was supposed to be combo party year to give Mom a break. We've done that on all our turning odd number years. But this year they just couldn't compromise. Teddy wanted Race Cars, Sasha wanted fairies, and on and on. So I said they could have their own but it had to be small and mellow. No erutping volcano cakes, no millions of people, just mello. Sasha opted for a sleepover. It was awesome. Easiest party we've ever done! She had 6 little friends over for the evening and they made designer cupcakes by adding mix-ins and then opened presents while they were waiting for them to bake.
 I love this age. They are so sweet and girly and all of them just ooohed and aaahed over each little thing. So nice.

Then we had Birthday dinner. Sasha wanted Spaghetti and meat sauce. Easiest dinner EVER right? That's a "can-do!" She was celebrating her birthday but I was celebrating the fact that we have finally gotten to the stage where the kid can eat spaghetti and not have it all over her dress by the end. Well... most of the time anyway.

 Then we decorated our cupcakes!

 Nice work Sash!

 Even Teddy got in on the action but he and Jeff had to work at a kids table we set up in the living room because there wasn't room for one more person in my tiny, tiny kitchen!

 Cupcake artisans!

 Of course then it was time to sing...

 Later that evening we all got situated and watched a movie. Sasha chose "The Little Mermaid" because she said she hadn't seen it in a long time. Classic.

 And they actually slept! They were pretty much out by 10:30 and got us up at 6:30 so it wasn't even an Epic night. What a groggy crew!

 Jeff made everyone a big pancake breakfast and we all felt like Sasha had celebrated being 7 to the fullest.

 Then just a little while later it was Teddy's turn! They didn't have a race car cake and he wanted cupcakes so I made him the cupcakes and bought the round cake at Costco and just decorated it. Kind of lame but he thought it was excellent.

 Each guest had to bring a race car and Jeff built a ramp. The kids took turns in a double elimination bracket to find out who brought the fastest race car. They loved it! Jeff and Perro did too!

 Ready for another race...

 Then after eating some pizza and what-not Teddy dug into his gifts. This is the first time we've let him actually open his presents at his party so he was stoked and felt like a very big kid.

 Having a blast!

 Then it was cake time! That's one happy Ted there in the middle. Cheese balls and cake all on the same day...heaven!

 He got tons of cars! It was insane. Too many actually. He is picking out some to give to the local orphanage so the boys there can have some cars too.

So that's what we've been up to in the last few weeks. The kids and I are heading home for the summer April 27. We'll be in the US until Sept 6th!! So I guess my next mission is packing....

Backpacking in OR!

 Last summer's adventures continued! While we were in Oregon we had the opportunity to meet up with my friends Beth and Guy and Beth's daughter Aparna. We headed into the mountains to go backpacking...my fav thing EVER! The first night we camped at this beautiful lake that was near the trailhead. The kids were in heaven and got along incredibly well and loved camping. They made this fire and called all the adults over for stories and camp fire time. Love the 3 little headlamps and the moon! (they just made the fire, the adults lit it...)

The next morning we had breakfast and then got all our gear together to hit the trail.

 LOOK at this picture... Tear! I was so, so proud!

 We hiked for about an hour and then stopped for lunch at a beautiful stream. We all got refreshed and gave our feet a good soak in the cold water.

 Then it was back to the trail. Sasha and Aparna were amazing and talked and sang and played games as they hiked while Teddy went ahead and "fast packed" with Guy.

 The 2 buddies were inseparable even during rest time!

When we got up to the Chambers Lakes area there was SNOW! (it was August..) The kids were stoked and had several snowfields to run around on while we made camp.

We had dinner and then the kids had story time with Beth. Love that she brought a kids book on the backpacking trip. Totally makes up for the 1/2 pita with hummus lunch you fed me back in the summer of 2000 baby!

Best picture EVER!!! They look bright-eyed and excited, but they went right to sleep.

The next morning Teddy was up super early. I climbed out of the tent about ready to whine at him and was rewarded with this beautiful sunrise:

We watched the sun come up together. Ted was super-proud that he got to watch the sun come up!

Then we made our hot drinks and waited for them to cool enough so we could drink them. We didn't have to wait long... it was COLD outside!

Meanwhile, back in the tent....

That morning Guy took some trekking poles and the 3 kids over to a steep snowfield for "snow team training". He taught them how to traverse a steep slope, how to kick steps and how to stop yourself from sliding. They loved it. Here are 4 experts returning to camp.

The girls made fairy food from little things they found all over. Nice photo-bomb Ted...

After lunch we headed up and over the pass between the 2 mountains. First we had to climb a steep scree slope:

Then figure out a way down the other side. There was a dried lake bed and a lot more snow!

The kids were amazing. Such a fun, gung-ho little trio. There WAS to be honest a bit of squabbling over who would be the leader but for the most part they were awesome.

When we went back over the pass to our side we had to come down some steep snow fields. That snow team training really came in handy!

Our camp:

Sadly, we had to leave the next morning. We said good-by to our little camp and started the 6 mile hike back to the trailhead.

This picture is every reason that I love Central Oregon!

Me and my Ted. He hiked that whole way out and carried his own pack. Not bad for a 4 year old!

Of course rest breaks and snacks are some of the best things about hiking. We made sure we brought some good ones!

On the way out we stopped by the same log and stream to rest. I snagged this picture of Ted just being tranquil and taking it all in. What an awesome experience. You can be sure it's on our to-do list for this next summer!

St. Paddy's Day - Compound Style!

 We had quite the St. Paddy's day weekend here in Korea. Hanneke Cassel, Natalie Haas and Yann Falquet came over to Korea to play for the kids and the adults in the clubhouse. The 3 of them are amazing musicians and instructors at the fiddle camps that Sash and I have been going to for the last few years. Hanneke is in China for a few months studying Chinese and since Natalie and Yann just happened to be visiting here on dates that included St. Paddy's day, they were able to stop in Korea on the way back to North America. What a deal! So on Friday they spent the morning at the school and did 3 different interactive sessions with the kids based on age. Sasha was in Hanneke's class last summer and adores her. A recent journal entry:

So she of course was spellbound and so proud to have some of her "Hearos" right at her school!

 They played for the kids for about 10 minutes and taught them how to tell the difference between a jig and a reel:

 Then Natalie and Yann played and Hanneke showed them how to do a traditional dance.

 They caught on fast and were amazing dancers!

 Each group was really different as we worked upward in age. The middle group was the easiest and the most fun. The oldest kids were tough because they didn't want to touch each other (cootie alert!!) So it was hard to teach them the dance with all the DRAMA! Each group had a blast though and I loved watching it all!

On Saturday we took our buddies to Ilsan beach and the Ulgi lighthouse area. It was a beautiful day.

Crossing the bridge out to the look out point:

Natalie and Yann are wondering what all the divers are trying to catch. We all were!

Heading out to the point!

Final climb:

After we had worked up an appetite hiking we headed over to the Hyundai Dept. Store for lunch. We got hot stone bibimbab. Don't know exactly what's in there, but it comes out all sizzlin' and when you mix it all together it sure tastes good!

At 7pm the concert started. We sold over 100 tickets!

Ingrid, Sasha and Shivani joined them for 2 tunes....

....and then the rest of the fiddle club joined in for Meg Ryan's Polka. I was so proud of my little fiddle club!

After the concert most of us ran our kids home to the sitters and then got ready for the REAL party to begin. Here's Jeff having a blast in the middle of it all:

We had a great crowd and most people were decked out in their most festive green.

...and of course the music was excellent!

Here's Allison, Karen, Hugh and Paul enjoying the night:

Then I got blindsided by Hanneke! There was nothing to do but give it my best shot!

So we had an awesome weekend! Video clips HERE.