Sunday, November 15, 2015

Jeju Island: Day 3

We packed a ton into day 3 of our Jeju Island vacation.  There was a traditional Korean breakfast buffet offered at the resort we stayed at, but it was pretty pricy.  We hesitated even going, but day 3 of our trip was also Greg's birthday, so we felt like we needed something nicer than cereal and yogurt we would have eaten in our room.  Korean breakfast is very different from an American breakfast.  The buffet was full of kimchi, cold and hot soup, seaweed in all forms, fries, spaghetti, and many other bizarre breakfast foods. There was a small selection of breads and fruits which our family ate.  Reagan was all about the seaweed, so he had several packs of that. We got a lot of looks not only for the three blonde boys we had in tow, but also because those three blonde boys were still in their PJ's and had major bed head. 



We walked around the resort for a bit after breakfast to let Easton run out some energy.  There were all kinds of hidden paths and grassy areas for the kids to play on.



The main thing on our agenda for the day was to hike part of Mt. Hallasan in the center of Jeju.  Mt. Hallasan in an active volcano (active meaning the last eruption was over 5,000 years ago) and has a plethora of hiking trails to explore.  Rain was in the forecast for the afternoon, so we chose a hike that would hopefully challenge us a bit, but be easy enough for the whole family to complete before the rain hit. 

The boys did awesome on the hike! Deagan and Kayden spent the whole hike making up stories and playing and were seriously super hikers. Kayden is usually the kid that complains of his legs being sore and tired the minute we walk out the door to do something, but he really didn't complain the whole time. It was a miracle!


Greg and I took turns wearing Easton on the hike.  He may be small but he sure is heavy to haul up a mountain!










The rain hit around the time we were near the top, but the wind was really strong and it got really cold, so we turned around about an hour and a half in to the hike.  I consider the a success!

We drove to the southern part of the island in the afternoon to eat lunch and to eat ice cream. Eating ice cream on a cold rainy day makes perfect sense doesn't it? It was hard to find food that everyone would eat and enjoy, so we all enjoyed our trip to Baskin Robbins that afternoon.  


We went in search of a trick art museum, and stumbled across this creepy museum.  We quickly exited that parking lot and continued on our search.



We finally found the museum we were looking for, and spent the next couple of hours taking funny pictures with all the art.  Since it was a rainy day, it seemed as if the rest of Jeju Island was also in the museum. It made it hard to get around and to take pictures at times, but we had a good time regardless. It was just nice to be in from the rain. 

























The rain let us slightly once we were done, so we decided to hike a few waterfalls before we headed north back to the resort.  It sounded like a fun idea at first, but by the time we were done, we were all exhausted from hiking and walking all day.  It worth checking out the waterfalls though because they were so beautiful!








Jeju Island: Day 1 and 2

Over labor day weekend, and over Greg and my birthdays, we traveled South to Jeju. Jeju is an island off of South Korea that is comparable to Hawaii.  It is a beautiful place! 

Greg worked crazy hours during August, so we decided to get away for a few days to spend time as a family. We quickly realized that traveling with Easton at this age is just really not that fun, but I feel like the trip over all was a great success! 

We flew out of Seoul on a Thursday afternoon and stayed until Monday. It was the perfect amount of time! 
Waiting to board the plane!



Once we got to Jeju (only a 55 minute flight from Seoul), we rented a car and found food. We were really adventurous and ate at McDonalds. :)


We settled into our hotel that night and basically did nothing but watch movies and veg out.  We were all tired after traveling!

Easton woke us all up at the crack of dawn the next day! We had a small balcony outside of our room that the kids loved to play on. 



Deagan and Kayden spent the weekend sleeping on the couch.  They thought it was so fun!


That morning, Greg and I took turns going for a run. We stayed minutes away from the ocean, so we had some great views.  





While Greg ran, I took the boys down by the water and pier.  There really wasn't a beach area to play on, but there were a lot of these cement paths that we walked along. There were tons of cockroaches and tiny crabs that crawled across the path.  It was kind of gross, but the boys loved chasing them. 




That afternoon, we drove about 20 minutes to the beach to play and swim!








This was the view from the restaurant we ate at that night.  I love ocean views!


These boys have the Korean pose down!


After getting up at the crack of dawn and being out in the sun all day, we were wiped out! We once again spent the night vegging out to movies; my kind of night!





Thursday, October 1, 2015

First day of 2nd grade

Deagan started his first day of school on August 31st. He is in the 2nd grade this year. which blows my mind.  He was so excited to start, and has really been loving school so far.  He has a great teacher and has made lots of new friends already. I hope he has a great year!!


Orange Belts!

Deagan and Kayden officially became orange belts at the end of the summer! They both were so nervous going into their test, but they did great! I think their master took a little pity on them and let a few things slide. He warned them that if they didn't do better the next month he would take away their orange belts. Little did he know that they next 2 months we were taking off to do soccer. Regardless of that, I am so proud of how well the boys did this summer with taekwondo!



Seaweed

Deagan is probably our pickest eater. He doesn't like chicken, cheese, milk, and other very bland foods.  One thing that he is come to love since living here is seaweed though.  I personally think it is the foulest smelling food on this planet, which he knows and repeatedly blows in my face after eating it because he knows I hate it. Thanks kid! :)


Kid's Cafes

One thing I love about Korea is all the amazing things there is to do with kids here.  There are a ton of "kid's cafes" through out the city which we have quickly grown to love.  A place where kids can run and play and moms can relax while the employees watch the kids? A match made in heaven! Every cafe differs on the set up, food or drink they provide, price, etc, and some are more fun than others. The pictures below are from one of our favorite cafes.






We are excited to find more of these cafes through out Seoul!