Christmas Day!!

On Christmas morning Ana walked right by the living room to get to our room and had NO idea that Santa had come! She got into bed with us to cuddle...and I hear Marc saying, "Ana, do you know what today is"...and she said, "NO" and he said, "Christmas morning and do you know what that means"...and I pounced on both of them and said, "It's time to open presents!!!" They both laughed and we got up! (They didn't know I had been awake for a while! It still kills me to have to wait and I still get so excited on Christmas morning!) Kitties first! They had already gotten into their gifts...smart kitties! :)

Ana's pom poms were in the tree and that was the first thing she saw!

Her own keys! Now maybe she will stop playing with mine!!!

Bird nose...need I say more?

Ana's big gift was her tool bench! She loves to hammer! Her daddy showed her how to use the power drill to drill in all those screws, when she finished she just looked at me with this face...like "now what?" cute! I don't know who likes this gift more...Ana or her daddy!!

Marc SO surprised about what happens when you play with the jack in the box!

My sister found this antique Matruska doll...Made in the USSR! Crazy cool!

Marc's brother and sister in law (who live in Ohio) got us gift certificates to our favorite HOLE IN THE WALL Mexican restaurant in SAN ANTONIO...I didn't even know they had gift certificates!! Amazing!

We all got noses...I forgot to put mine on my nose! :) But I'm sure that previous bird pic. is still giving you a great visual to last you a lifetime! HA!

After Christmas morning we had breakfast and Ana went down for her nap. While she napped we started on dinner. We invited 4 guys over for Christmas dinner who's families are not here with them. Fester offered to make the turkey and I was thrilled (I don't think our Korean oven can even fit a turkey or a ham) That bird was DELICIOUS! Thanks again!

We watched "A Christmas Story" and worked on a puzzle that Marc and I will be working on for weeks to come! These two lucky guys get to go home in less than a month for good! But we will be seeing Mike shortly in San Antonio!! It was a wonderful Christmas in Korea!! :)

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve! Our church had a children's Christmas play and it was priceless...yep, Ana was an angel. We had a couple of "angel practices" and she was making me nervous...but she did great for the actual play! You never know what she is going to do, but when she put on her costume she was truly angelic!

Gerad, Grace, and Ana before the play started!

SO PROUD of our Littlest Angel!

We went home and did our Advent Wreath! We have a wonderful book that is very interactive for the entire family. Every night during advent we do a scripture reading, singing, discussion, nativity building, and a prayer. We ALL love our advent time before bed! It's just a fun way to keep the focus on Jesus!

Ana loves the songs and the nativity building...

We also opened our Christmas jammies! This year was a "Santa Hat" theme...Ana's was monkeys (of course) with Santa hats, mine had penguins, and Marc's was just Santa hats! Being that this is our second Christmas with Ana she still isn't fulling understanding the whole Santa deal so I was cuddling with Ana before bed and was explaining that Santa was coming to put presents in her stocking tonight because Jesus was born and we give presents to celebrate Jesus's birth.... and she sat straight up in her bed and said, "No Santa in my house Mommy!"

Christmas Angel

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders!

I know what I want to be when I grow up now...A DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADER!!! Just joking...but today they were here and we went to see them. They do USO tours and every year they spend Christmas in KOREA! They had a neat tribute to our soldiers and I don't know if it is me being from TX or just me being sappy...but America's Sweethearts here honoring our American Hero's was AWESOME! We went to the BX for lunch and the cheerleaders were there having lunch as well before their performance. This cheerleader, Megan Fox, was LOVING Ana. She has been here 3 Christmas's in a row now! We got to talk with a couple of the cheerleaders and they were all very nice and down to earth! Good ole TX girls!

During their show they called up 3 guys from the audience (Marc was NOT one of them this time...bummer) and told them...whatever happens to them they weren't allowed to move. FUNNY! The boas were classic!

They had many outfit changes throughout the show, but nothing compares to the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader outfit! Yeehaw! Thanks for being here!

AOC Christmas Party

The AOC (Air Operations Center) Party was at the Bowling Alley and it was a good ole time! Considering the bowling alley is one of our favorite forms of entertainment here, Ana just makes herself at home and shows ya how it is done!

Ana Sandwich!

My friends, Laurie and Kathee...

Ana made sugar cookies...got her face painted...made an ornament AND...

Took a picture with Santa...FINALLY. Earlier in the month Santa was at the BX and she WOULDN'T take a picture...we even said we'd stand with her then too. Glad she finally warmed up to him!

Gingerbread House

My Uncle Tommy and Aunt Judi sent us a Gingerbread House Kit! SO fun...more for me and Marc (at this stage)! We are learning that Ana doesn't have much of an "artist/crafty" side...she was done after one side. She is ALL about eating the candy and by the end of the project she was SPUN UP!

Ana helped me with her name...and Marc added the wood pile...for the chimney he created... OF COURSE! :)

Little lopsided, Marc keeps calling it our "condemned" house...but I love it!

7th Air Force Christmas Party

The 7th Air Force is the headquarters for all of the Air Force units in Korea. The division that Marc works for falls under the 7th AF. We had a sit down dinner, a 12 Days of Christmas skit, and sung Christmas carols! There were a lot of Korean special guests and honorees there that night and you know the song....Deck of Halls? Remember that classic scene in the movie A Christmas Story when they go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner and they try to sing Deck the Halls? OH MY GOODNESS...it's true...Fa RA RA RA RA....RA RA RA RA!

These are the boys that we hang around with. :) Fataki, Fester, and Tinman...good group.


These are the spouses of the AOC (Air Operations Center)...Marc's group. Laurie, Kia, Me, Angie, and Laura....sweetest ladies ever! We really do have a great group of friends here!

Part of the evening festivities was a "skit" of the 12 Days of Christmas. The different divisions of the 7th AF each had a part! Marc's part (Combat Plans Division) had the 5 golden rings! SOOO they spray painted hoola hoops gold and every round of the song they performed a different act with the hoops! Priceless!

BUT nothing is as priceless as the 3 star General running around as THE PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE!

We had a great evening!

Christmas Memories

I love all the activities we have done during this Christmas season! We have such awesome friends and family. I have done some REALLY fun things at this base that I haven't done at others...good things that I hope to do again!

My sister in law's parents sent Ana this dress. It's beautiful and fits her perfectly. Last year they gave her one as well with the most thoughtful card. They said that since my mom wasn't here to buy her first Christmas dress (she passed away 6 years ago and last yr was our first year with Ana after her adoption was final) THEY wanted to buy it for her! SOOOO special. Thank You!

Our Officer's Club has a FABULOUS Sunday Brunch and after church last Sunday we went with our good friends the McKee's.

A sweet friend of mine named Kristin had a couple of friends over for a "cookie exchange". We all made our favorite Christmas cookie and brought the recipe to share. With our recipes we made a little booklets to take home along with a yummy container of cookies!

This is our "Cookie Exchange" group! I LOVED this idea! And it was just a fun afternoon with the girls and cookies...what more could you ask for?

I am a member of the Officer's Spouses Club and we had our Christmas Tea. It was the neatest experience! The theme was "Christmas Memories of your Childhood". We all brought a gift that reminded us of a childhood memory and then when someone choose your gift, you stood up and explained your childhood memory. SOOO many fabulous stories and most of us were crying by the end of the function!

Gammy and Ana decorating HER Christmas tree for her room. This year's ornaments were Dora, M&Ms, and Sesame Street! All her favorites!

All done and SO proud!

Christmas Traditions

My friend here in Korea, Lynn, tagged me to fill out this (very fun) Christmas meme. Hope you enjoy learning a little more about our family's traditions.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Under the tree, I usually wrap gifts, but if something isn't easy to wrap, a bag is a great alternative. Before going to a Christmas party, I usually grab a gift bag from the stash in my closet. Kids presents should almost always be wrapped....better pictures, more noise, more mess to make it look like a fun Christmas morning. I also wrap stocking stuffers...which are normally my favorite gifts to open!
2. Real tree or artificial?
Every year except this year has been a real tree. We really enjoy cutting down our tree if possible. I love the fresh pine smell! This year my "winter pine" candle will have to provide the smell for us!
3. When do you put up the tree?
Which one? I normally have a tree of some kind in most rooms of our house! Usually right after Thanksgiving is when Marc, Ana, and I decorate our "big tree". Then Ana decorates her tree by herself for her room. Then I decorate a tree for our bedroom with special ornaments that Marc gives me every year (in my stocking). We love to sleep with the romantic glow of the lights.
4. When do you take the tree down?
After New Years. The first week of January normally.
5. Do you like eggnog?
I like to have maybe 5 sips of it and that's it. I always look forward to it and think I like it...I will see it in the grocery store and think I should buy it and NEVER do. I normally get a glass of it at a party and never finish it. So maybe I don't really like it!
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
First thing that came to my mind was my bunny, Brioche...but really all our Christmas gifts were perfect. My parents were great at making every gift special.
7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes. Marc and I have decided to get a nativity from everywhere we visit. My favorite one is from Russia when we adopted Ana. Another favorite is made from a barn on my mom's side of the family's farm. We have a neat Eskimo one from Alaska too! However, they are all in storage right now! :) I haven't found one from Korea yet...being that it is mainly a Buddhist culture, but I'll keep looking.
8. Hardest person to buy for?
Marc and I both brainstorm together and normally we don't have too much trouble.
9. Easiest person to buy for?
Probably our kitties...they get the same gifts every year...a new collar, treats, and a toy.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Can't think of one.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Definitely snail mail! I love the picture cards!
12. Favorite Christmas movie?
We have 4 favorites that are a must every year...Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, White Christmas, and our new favorite is Christmas with the Kranks!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
All year long. We are normally done before Thanksgiving because I like to get them in the mail the first week of Dec. However, I'm always finishing Ana and Marc up in Dec.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Can't remember doing this. I have returned gifts though.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Breakfast waffles, salsa and cheese scrambled eggs made by my dad (just because it was a fun tradition) with hot chocolate. My mom's Christmas cookies. Drew's chocolates from Iowa.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
clear...however our "big tree" has colored because that was what the family before us was selling before they moved for a great deal...and our room tree DOES have clear! Ana's are colored.
17. Favorite Christmas song
Silent Night in German
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We normally travel at Christmas.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Yes, but only because of the song....
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
An angel that my mom and dad gave me from Nurnberg, Germany. However, she is safe in a closet at Aunt Pam's house in Ohio and this year is a star.
21. Open gifts Christmas Eve or morning?
Growing up it was morning! Sometimes we got to open one gift on Christmas Eve. However since we are always with our family members at their houses it varys. This year we will be home and will open them up in the morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
crowds and traffic everywhere........santa everywhere...people celebrating him and not Jesus.
23. What I love most about Christmas?
Where to start.....I love baking cookies, decorating and watching the house transform, sitting in the living room with my husband and daughter doing our advent wreath, snuggling together with the glow of Christmas lights, being with family and friends, Christmas Eve service, finding the perfect gift for someone, dressing Ana in her Christmas outfits, the music, and all of the fun parties that happen around this time of year...just to name a few. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Dinner Cruise in Bangkok, Thailand

First day in Bangkok we checked into the hotel in the afternoon and went straight to this dinner cruise. VERY NEAT! Dinner was all the "Thai Favorites" and the atmosphere was just amazing.


This was our table on the boat. The boat was open and the air was perfect. Not cold at all, very comfortable. Coming from the chilly winter air of Korea...it was great!

Me and Sandy! You can kinda of see how the boat was set up behind us here. Not a big boat...

Ana with her "Cinderella" drink. That flower is and orchird in her drink...wherever we went, whatever we did, the entire time in Thailand...we were always given an orchird. Pretty!

They had dancers on the boat for entertainment doing traditional Thai dances. So neat!

Along the river were a lot of the different famous temples in Bangkok. We weren't able to go in them while we were there because it was the King's 80th birthday and they were closed. Next time! :) This picture doesn't do it justice, but it was beautiful!

This was our boat! Perfect way to start the trip!

Floating Market

The next morning we went to this floating market. This was ALL of our favorite "adventure" that we did in all of Thailand! No pictures or words can describe this to its full potential! This was a market where you could go and shop on a system of canals. We got on this ity bity boat and went down a bunch of crowded canals and bargained with the best of them for Thai memorabilia. FUN!

The landscape in all of Thailand is just beautiful and green! Very lush and tropical. See the bananas?

This is an example of one of the shops. We would get "hooked" over to the shop and we would "pointy talky" our way through the items.

This is Sandy just laughing SO HARD at the craziness going on. You can kinda see how big the canals are and the shops on either side.

Ana just loving the ride back. After getting through all the shops there was a good 10 mins of the boat driver hauling through the canals and Ana was waving at everyone she saw!