Back to School

So it's that time of year again. The boys are back in school and I have to get used to the quiet house again. I've been thinking about them all day and can't wait to hear about their new classes but I am also enjoying the increased freedom to do what I please. I finally made it to the gym which has been put on the back burner all summer because it isn't kid-friendly. And then I proceeded to eat a much-too-big piece of pie to counter balance my trip to the gym. :) I took care of a couple of housekeeping items and have the time now to write this post as opposed to 10:00 tonight. When I am done here, I will make some chocolate chip cookies for the boys to enjoy after school.

Ahhhh, I think I can get used to this (again). But I am also vowing to make the most of my evenings with the boys. Every day I am reminded that time is slipping away much too quickly. Before I know it, they will be moving out. Sniff, sniff :(

Here are a couple of pictures from this morning...

I think Brody has done more growing recently. You can hardly tell they are 3.5 years apart.

Our 2nd grader

And just for comparison, I threw in a picture of Zane starting Kindergarten. Hard to believe he is a 5th grader already.

Missing Our Rock

Hard to believe but it's already been 2 weeks since we said "see you later" to Abe. He is spending 2-3 months in Kuwait. The mission schedule has taken some getting used to but he is doing well. We miss him but are fortunate to get to talk to him on the phone almost daily. I will never take that luxury for granted. I can't even begin to imagine the wars fought by our not so distant ancestors. I begin to worry when just 24 hours go by without hearing from him. I don't even want to think about what it was like to go months with no word. In this instance, I really DO love modern day technology.

The boys have been real troopers. I do notice this separation being harder on Zane than previous separations. I think that has everything to do with his age. He's more aware of mortality, in general, and I know he worries about his Daddy. We do our best to reassure him and hope it's enough to get him through the difficult moments. Once school starts and we get back into a routine again, I know time will just whiz on by. Daddy will be home before we know it. Until then, stay safe, my love!

Kids Say...

So we were asking Zane about his day recently when Abe interjected "let me guess, you got expelled for cursing." Completely joking, of course. But that led to a brief discussion about what "being expelled" means. To which Zane says "well Samantha Zundel used to do cursive and she wasn't expended". HAHAHA!

He's so cute.

Playing Catch Up with Pics

When you find yourself bored and truly have nothing better to do with your time, check out the most recent albums in our photo collection. You'll find pics from our helicopter ride last March (2010) as well as our trip to Niagara Falls, Zane's 7th birthday and miscellaneous pics from November. Little by little, I'll get caught up again....maybe :)

Strawberry Farm - Korean Style

Well it was no Sweet Berry Farm in terms of activities but the strawberries here in Korea are far superior to any I've ever had in the States. That includes the ones we were able to pick ourselves on Monday. We went with a group of folks from post, about 1 1/2 hours away, in the mountains of Hongseong. It didn't take long for us to fill our containers and then we were free to just run about, eat our sack lunches and help make jam!

 

You can find more photos from our trip in the photo collection, at right.

The Latest

Sorry about the lapse between posts. I frequently find myself daydreaming about blog-worthy things to write about but seldom find, or should I say MAKE, the time to sit down and do it. Here's what we've been up to as of late:

Abe- He's finishing up his Safety Course in Alabama. He'll be back home to us in 2 weeks!!!

Beth- I'm officially substitute teaching at Zane's school (and the middle school). I worked one day last week and have been called in for tomorrow. I'm looking forward to all the things I stand to learn from the students and staff. In addition to returning to work, I've volunteered to (assistant) coach youth baseball. The season hasn't started yet but we have our coaches clinic this week so I hope to find out a lot more then. I know very little about the game and have never coached before so again, this will be a learning experience, for sure. And perhaps the most exciting thing on my plate at the moment is the prospect of getting a Photography Club up and running. It won't be anything formal. Just a means to get those interested out and about, practicing with their cameras and hopefully learning along the way.  

Zane- He's keeping busy with Cub Scouts. He is working on earning his Tiger Badge. The most exciting thing on his plate at the moment is that he has (as of today) saved/earned enough money to purchase his half of the Lego Death Star. Abe and I agreed to match his contribution. What he doesn't know is that it's already in the house. We were out most of the day and it's close to bedtime now otherwise I'd let him in on the big secret.

Brody- He's still going to a Korean Preschool. I get the feeling he is fitting in more and more but he still says he doesn't like it. Fortunately, he isn't protesting the mornings he has to go in. I suspect he likes it more than he's letting on. AND they're starting to have cooking classes there which should be right up his alley.

So that's us in a nutshell. Hopefully I'll be back again sooner than later.

So Simple, So Divine

One of Abe's fellow pilots is Jordan. Jordan is married to Laura and they have a cute little boy named Colton. The first time this lovely family had us over for dinner, Laura made this appetizer and I knew we would be good friends in no time.

They are NOT hot. Anyone that knows me knows I don't do hot.

Jalepeno Poppers

Preheat oven to 350 F or 176 C.



Cut desired amount of jalepenos lengthwise, remove seeds.

Fill jalepeno halves with cream cheese. I like to pipe mine from a ziploc bag.

Wrap each jalepeno half in half a strip of bacon. Try to avoid overlapping the bacon too much. Place on baking sheet.

Bake until bacon is desired doneness.

I apologize for this awful, horrible, terrible "end product" picture. It does this post absolutely no justice. Just take me at my word, these poppers are delicious and make for a fabulous appetizer.

Lunch Menu

So I asked Brody what he ate for lunch at preschool (as I do everyday) and along with the usual soup and rice he said he ate tentacles. He believes they were squid tentacles but I'm not sure how he would know. He said they were cooked but served cold and a little spicy. But he ate them and liked them!

I'm starting to wonder if he's mine. Maybe he was switched at birth.