Rohal Call

2.  ADVICE PLEASE...The above picture will probably be my parents' Christmas card picture this year.  I think it came out pretty well considering we had the camera on a tripod and no one making goofy faces to get the kids' attention.  We also got a good one of Patrick, the girls, and me.....greatly assisted by peek-a-boo playing grandparents.  I am considering turning it into a Christmas header....or should I save it to send in Christmas cards?  Speaking of which, should I send Christmas cards?  Last year I did an email with a slide show....just as good or lame?  Do you LOVE getting "real" cards in the mail or is it just as exciting to get a Christmas email (which sometimes contains more info and better pictures)?  I DO love getting mail, but I must admit, when I get a card that is just signed, "Love, John and Jane Doe" I think..."How nice that they remembered us....did they really just spend money on postage and a card to mail us that?"  Then there is the other extreme....the person who sends a three page single spaced letter detailing every hiccup their precious cherub had that year.  Kinda like the people who update facebook with "going to bed now."  ....but that's a whole other soap box.  What do you think?!?

3.  A Sunday Finest post....just to make Aunt Heidi smile.

As if this isn't cute enough....

Fun fact....I bought the skirt Camille is wearing for Adeline two years ago on ebay.  My friend, Nancy, had two of the SAME skirts which she gave me in case baby #3 was a girl so all THREE of them could match.  So fun!...but not meant to be.  I guess we'll just have to put baby boy in a red sweater vest or something....

I am following my friend, Sarah's, lead today...

Happiness is (a list from today's activities)....

...Adeline's face in the morning when I hear her talking, open her door, and she first sees my face.
...a hot shower with good water pressure
...dressing my baby girl in a cute outfit
...getting out the door on time
...Sta.rbuck's chai latte
...going to the flower market with a friend to help her celebrate her 30th birthday!
...Adeline having no break downs during above excursion
...getting a card from my aunt in the mail
...yummy left overs
...ice cream
...Adeline's laughter
...spending a few hours of quality time with Patrick before he had to go to work tonight
...Adeline crawling na.ked from her room to the bathroom squealing with anticipation for her bath.
...reading bedtime stories to Adeline
...having a quiet evening to myself after 7 pm (Adeline's bedtime) with the house reasonably clean and the dishes done

...Praise God...life is good.....

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we hope all of you did too. We were away from family but were able to call them, and see them (Skype really is amazing!). Here we are before our feast.

The Dragon Hill really is a beautiful hotel. We were surprised by how many people we knew who went there for the holiday. We got to know some of them much better, and we met some new friends. The dinner was quite good (with REAL mashed potatoes, which is one of my requirements for it to be a true holiday feast). In the evenings, we really did congregate in the hallway after the kids were in bed (sans pajamas).

Other highlights of this mini-vacation were a pedicure for Lynn, haircuts for Lynn and Patrick, and some exploring of Seoul. On Friday, we went with a group to the electronics market, where you can buy flowers (just kidding) cameras, TVs, etc. We think the discounts will be better after Christmas, so we did not buy anything there. On Saturday, we went to the Chosen, a store on the base managed by wives of the officers there. They get shipments from all over Asia of dresses, pottery, furniture, jewelry, art, linens, Tiffany lamps, etc. The last time I was there, I bought a rocking horse and a small purse for Adeline. This time, I bought a few jackets (75% off!!!) and some jewelry. I have my eyes on a globe where the countries are in different colors of stone/marble. Perhaps I will post pictures at some point. After lunch, we ventured on our own to two of the markets in Seoul, Insa-dong and Namdaemun. The first is a historic art district that reminded us of Soho. There were shops with pottery, art, tea, woodworking, and other gift items. Namdaemun is pure shopping chaos! It is an outdoor market with hundreds of stands and people everywhere. I bought a beautiful hand crocheted tablecloth. We had a lot of fun on our day of adventure, and Adeline did really well. I am SO thankful for Patrick's excellent sense of direction and ability to get around on any public transportation system.


When we woke up on Friday, after Thanksgiving, the hotel was decorated for....... Christmas!

Well, this post marks the momentous occasion of being my 25th post!!!!  In honor of the occasion falling on Thanksgiving, I decided to name 25 things I am thankful for...in no particular order.