Chesouk and the Scenic Drive

One year ago today I was all packed and ready to go to Korea, my phone rang NON-stop and I was trying very hard to shop on the Scenic Drive with family before we all piled into my mom’s car, complete with car seats and drove to Chicago to board the plane to Korea. I was trying not to think of all the things going on in Korea at the time, like Chesouk (Korean Harvest Moon Festival – similar to our Thanksgiving but lasts longer than our Thanksgiving). I was VERY VERY VERY nervous and I think at least once during the day wondered if I really knew what I was doing (for the record I didn’t). There are moments today where I am right back there – the nerves and everything. I still cannot believe that at 1 p.m. tomorrow it will be a year since I boarded the flight to take me to the babies I now call mine or ours.

Friday night we celebrated Chesouk at our house! A local Korean woman (who we all love) had made us some beef and told me how to cook it, so I made steamed veggies, kimchi stew, rice, meat and some basic side dishes! It was SOOOOOO good and the best part of all my house smelled like Korea to me – yes the smells I remember from Korea are all of food (maybe that is because our room was on the same floor as the kitchen for Eastern!)! Ok before the pictures – yes we celebrated in our PJ’s and that is OK — we checked

Don’t ask me why Aaron didn’t put the kimchi stew on his plate but apparently believed it was best served on his tray – didn’t matter he would not eat it either place!

The same was NOT true of Little Princess – she DEMANDED more and ate every ounce that was given to her. This girl LOVES her kimchi and her kimchi stew! (We put rice with theirs to help a little….and she demanded it on all of her food and then she ate every last drop even food she would not touch before.)

Saturday (which is what day of the week today was last year) we took the kids on the Scenic Drive – though the weather choose NOT to cooperate and it rained for most of our trip, so we had to carry them around or put them in the stroller so no good pictures of them at the drive. It did lead to us coming home early though and I got a few pictures then! I cannot believe all the changes in a year!

I need to STOP calling them my babies….look how grown up they look and just wait until Wednesday when I compare them to the first day we laid eyes on them personally!

She felt she was all set – her drink, her book and a few extra books

Ok before you all think I am completely and totally cruel — he DEMANDED that his sister’s new orange and blue hair bows be put in his hair, so I did – they stayed there until he had a MASSIVE fit about having to share the drink (it was a slush they were sharing) and then they came out!

This is one of my new favorite pictures of her — a real smile!

Her turn with the slush!

Ending the day with a good book, or two or three or hey how about 20!

Yep the attitude I got when I tried to get her to stop reading and look at me!

(P.S. Yes Aunt Amy this is the entire outfit you got her for Christmas last year…it finally is not entirely too big! The pants are perfect and lined she will wear those a lot – until she grows again!)

And finally because you have not had enough of them already…..Playing before bed: