Banpodaegyo

So one week night when Danny was working late (pretty common since we've been in Korea), the kids and I decided to check out the Banpo Bridge Rainbow Fountain. This is the world's longest bridge fountain.  It sprays water in wave-like movements that are synchronized to music and colored lights.  It was a long walk from a subway stop and we lost Mary Jane's favorite blanket along the way, but we all enjoyed the show.  We fell into bed when we got home, and Joy donated one of her blankets to M, so tears were dried and it was a happy ending.

 

Found a nice, cozy spot to enjoy our picnic dinner.

So . . .  nothing seems to be happening . . . oh, wait a minute,
we're on the wrong side of the bridge.  So we quickly packed
up our picnic and rushed to the other side!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLnoNKSlZQ    My pictures do not do this justice, so check out this link if you'd like to see more.  And, as you'll see, the fountain sometimes plays on both sides of the bridge, so you can understand our initial confusion!

Mary Jane's 6th birthday at the Children's Grand Park

So now you know how far behind I am in my blog posts when I'm posting about MJ's birthday (mid-May) in July!  Fortunately, I haven't been carrying my camera around much lately so I'm hoping to be caught up soon! 

We had been looking forward to visiting the Children's Grand Park in Seoul, and we thought that M's b-day would be the perfect time.  The park is huge.  There is a zoo, children's museum, playgrounds, musical fountain, theater, botanical garden, and lots of picnic and play areas.  We brought a picnic lunch and spent the entire day very entertained.  Of course, our kids are pretty easily entertained.  Just one of the above mentioned venues would have been a days worth of excitement for them.  We practically had to drag them away from the sand box and the monkey cages (and that was after ample time enjoying them).  We are grateful that they still delight in so many of the simple joys of life!  But the show must go on!



Fun-fetti birthday cake.  So glad Danny stocked up on the
"essentials" before we left the US!

The stairs coming up out of the subway at the Grand Park
stop were pretty fun!

Like I said before, the "no feeding the animals" rule often
goes unheeded in Korea.  Look at these beggars!

After failing in his attempt to transition the kids from
the sandbox to the botanical garden, Dad goes back to sleep.

There was just something about this
hairdo that I had to capture!  Kendal
and Brookee?

Saturday is definitely not the best day to enjoy a place like
this, but we really wanted Dad to be there so we endured the
crowds.

There were some really fun experiences at
the Children's Museum for the kids to see
what it would be like if they didn't have all
of there usual senses and mobility.  This is
Hyrum crossing the street and getting on the
subway in a wheelchair.

This is a game the kids played while wearing goggles that made
everything look fuzzy.  They had to try to keep the ball out of the
net with their hands.  The ball had a small bell in it, so they could
hear it coming but could not see it.

Dressing up and walking down the runway in costumes from
around the world.

This is Danny living vicariously
through his son.  I know, I know, I
should have made Danny do it!

Musical Fountain.  You have to get a little excited when you're
an American living abroad and you hear a song by
Michael Jackson.

As if they don't already stand out enough!  These "tokki kabangs"
(rabbit backpacks) were a gift from their Korean teacher.

Check out some of our favorite websites:

Venture Team Building

Ultimate Home Life

College football snack helmets

Mini Football Helmets

Dongmak Beach

The South Korean peninsula is know for some of its unusual tides.  We visited this western beach at low tide, and we could walk out into the mud for about a 1/2 mile!  There were some cool shells and little sea creatures, but the kids definately thought that the mud was the best part!  It was very slippery and at some points could ooze up to your knees.  I didn't plan to walk out as far as I did, but I couldn't help following my cute kids who were having the time of their lives!  I just know there were a number of people along the shore who were thinking how hilarious it would be it the fully-clothed American lady with the nice camera took a dive.  I didn't, but there were a couple of close calls.

 

 

Scroll down quickly for Hyrum's seal impression.

This water is a little chilly for this Texan.

"Look Mom, I have a mud mustache!"

"Oooops!"