First cookout in Ulsan with friends...

We had our first cook-out here in Ulsan with new friends and it was so much fun.  The previous weekend there was a yard sale at the compound and there are a lot of people leaving so there were a lot of good finds... and here is one.  I had wanted one of these kid bike attachments in Singapore but they were too expensive so we never got one and we never really had the space to ride like we do now.  I had always thought this would be the perfect contraption for Pierce... and it has been a huge hit for our whole family... I think daddy likes it just as much.  Pierce can now stay up with us while riding bikes and can even take a break on the long rides.  So daddy had the great idea to bike to the cookout... I can't bike right now so I took the car.  Here are my boys ready for their ride.

We all finally made it to the compound safe and sound and the kids were off playing, the men were cooking and the ladies were chatting...and it was a bit chilly see all the pants and later we brought out the jackets.

Pierce of course found a gun that belonged to one of the big boys... 

 

Here are some of our new friends... they are all so sweet.... this by the way is a terrible SIDE pic of me and Blake was squatting when taking the pic (which is never that flattering) but I wanted you to see our new girl friends...

Annie's got a gun...

Pierce playing ball with the kids... but he kind of blends into the brick behind him.

Pierce after a couple of hours of playing wanted to go for another spin... so they took a joy ride around the block.

 

 

 

 

We have since then taken the bikes to the river and the boys rode for an hour and I walked... so much fun and good purchase for sure. 

Random moments at home...

Here are some random moments at home that are worth sharing... God sure has been so gracious in this season of our lives while relocating to Korea.  There are many times in the day where He shows me just how amazing He is... and that no matter where we go He is there.  It is in Pierce's smile just at the right moment, the way we get to spend more time with Daddy and friendships that have already been created here... Thank you God for taking care of us and showing us little glimpses of just how in control you are.

Pierce loves that the oven is on the "bottom" so he can kneel in front of it and watch his dinner.  This kid must be growing... he is eating, eating, eating.  He will finish a huge lunch or dinner and say he is done and then 30 min. later want a snack... we can't keep up and he is only 5.

Here is that smile I was talking about... and I recently put out a survey to the family whether or not we should cut Pierce's hair... our house is divided but the family was pretty much unanimous... they all said cut it but I can always count on my friends most of them say "let him have it while he can".

And I am actually enjoying cooking... this is not a great picture (nothing I would post on pinterest or anything) but one night we had fish taco's with homemade cilantro/garlic dressing, black beans, fresh garlic and jalapenos... even Blake seemed to enjoy them... I do feel like I am constantly in the kitchen trying to keep up with feeding Pierce breakfast before school (we actually have time for a hot breakfast), then packing his lunch and 2 snacks for his day at school and then dinner for all (and left overs go with Daddy for lunch).  I hope I can keep up the madness... but so far it is going well (my mom would be so proud).

One night Blake and I were sitting in our living room and we heard some fireworks.. we looked out the window and yes it was fireworks... we got a great 5-7 min show... not sure what they were celebrating but it was a great treat from the couch.

Yeah... our Texas shipment has arrived... and we have all had fun unpacking, seeing all the treasures, cleaning the toys and doing laundry... but most of all Pierce has enjoyed playing with all his old toys and he reminds me all the time that he is happy to share with Asher.... we shall see...

This is my favorite moment in the past few weeks for sure... I had placed the laundry basket in the middle of our room so I would remember that I needed to do it today (it was getting a little overloaded).  I heard Pierce grab the laundry basket after school one day and pull it into the laundry room... and then I heard him humming... I peeked inside and he was sorting.  He saw me and said see mom I know the lights go in the lights hamper and the darks go in the dark.  I grabbed my camera and he was happy to smile.  I did not even have to ask him to do this (nor have I)... I recently taught him how to take his clothes off and put them directly into the right pile (light/dark) and this must have sparked a fire.  I am so thankful... my cup runneth over with this one... I love this little boy.

And here is a sneak peek of the nursery... a little tease to leave you with... more to come and it sure has been fun setting it up.  The bed and bedding was used for Pierce when he was little, it sure has been fun setting it up again.  And thanks to my sweet Grandma (great mama) the room was all pulled together with her sweet hand-made afghan for Asher that matches perfectly (it is draped over the chair).  Thank you Grandma... you are always so thoughtful.

 

Last time to "Kook with Kay"

OK... walk with me as we go back in time... back to Singapore... my last time to "Kook with Kay"... yes most of you just fell out of your chair when I say I took a cooking class... but don't get up yet bc I took a lot of cooking classes... at first it was more of a social thing and then it turned out that I actually enjoyed chopping, stirring, learning, mixing and eating the yummy food that we made.

Here are some pics of our last time together... which was held at GiGi's... a great day for sure and some great food... and the best thing is I have tons of recipes now of asian cuisine... just not sure if I can make most of it without at least 8 other hands helping me.

Can you imagine getting all these supplies for one meal... wow wee...

 

 

 

 

A sweet lady for sure... and if anyone wants information about how to get into one of Kay's cooking classes... leave me a message... she is amazing and it is so much fun.

Cooking with Tita...

Our last week in our condo... we sure do have a lot going on and anticipating all the last... but here is one that we will miss greatly... Tita... what will we do without Tita... she has really become a member of our family and none of us are really talking about it... we know the time is coming that we have to say goodbye but until then we are going to get a lot of Tita time, Tita food and just plain Tita.  Tita knows my love for cooking (that does not exist) so she has taken it upon herself to teach Pierce how to cook so he can take care of mommy and daddy in Korea... here are some pics of them making some of Tita's famous flax seed bread.
 

 

 

 

Cooking with Tita!

This is Tita's (also known as Mary) first blog entry... she is a new addition to our home and we love having her with us.... there is a lot of cooking going on the kitchen and Pierce wants to be a part of it all the time. Here is Tita and Pierce baking cookies... so many smiles.

I am sure there will be more baking and more pics of Tita and Pierce. And just in case you were wondering the cookies were awesome and we can't wait until the next batch.

A new found interest... cooking!

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Pierce has found a new hobby... cooking! He loves to help me in the kitchen... The pictures below are from times that I thought to grab the camera... making jello and once when he was helping me cook beans... he was in charge of getting the loose shells out after it had cooled down (not on the stove)... other things he has helped me do are seasoning the fish fillets, making tuna fish, making play dough and he loves to wash dishes... such a little helper... he likes to eat things to as we go...

Inspired....

Here in Singapore we eat out alot... and I mean alot especially when we have visitors... we eat out like 3-4 times a week... but recently a blog friend of mine has inspired me to cook more at home and then another friend here has inspired me to use Jamie Oliver cookbooks... I don't think that they are the easiest recipes to use but they sure are good....
Here is my first take... Chicken with creamy butternut squash and chili's.... (bottom left hand corner)

Before it was cooked (my version):

After and it was YUMMY....