First Christmas Eve and Christmas

Christmas is a little different in Korea than in Canada. The malls are packed and we ended up taking Joseph to one of those ball rooms. He absolutely loved it and didn't want to leave. He had lots of other fun things to do, including being superman. One of the many presents he got was a blue umbrella he greatly coveted and by coincidence I got a book referring to the same thing! One Christmas Eve, we had my friend Klaus and his family over for our annual late snack food meal In the bottom picture you can see me being Santa. I didn't get much warning that that was a role expected of me, but I guess I should have considered it, given I was the only white guy!

Joseph the Sailor

I'm not sure why Joseph the sailor has a fan, but he had a lot of fun with this recently!

Random Slices of Life in Korea

1.) Klaus' little girls have taken a shine to me.
2.) One of the few ways we could take a picture of Joseph in a suit.
3.) Friends David and Klaus with a table full of kids
4.) Chris as the mother duck on the way to children's ministry
5.) Chris getting the dead skin eaten off his feet by fish. Man, did that tickle!

A Day at Haieundae Beach

1.) The beach of Busan at night. This doesn't really do it justice. It's amazing.
2.) Me with my friend Klaus at a sauna. Truly amazing multi-level place.
3.) Joseph being a plane on the beach
4.) Joseph building a sand castle. He's having a lot of fun!

Joseph Settles in to Korea

Joseph has settled in well in Korea. He has lots of cousins his age to play with and we have a number of great playgrounds in our apartment complex

First Pony Ride

It was just one circle around at Agrifair, but Joseph was talking about it for days afterward.

REAL Fishing

A little while ago we posted a video of Joseph doing some pretend fishing. Joseph enjoys that so much that Grandpa decided to take him to a fish farm to do the real kind. The farm we went to was the kind that was just one step up from "shooting fish in a barrel." There are thousands of fish in a tiny lake and they bite almost immediately after the bait hits the water. Joseph loved the fishing, catching and even "petting" the fish. He thought he should be allowed to eat them immediately too, but he had to wait to the next day. His affection for the fish clearly doesn't go too far!

Camping at Alice Lake

We spent two days at the Alice Lake campground near Squamish, but it was pretty much washed out with rain. Next time we'll pay better attention to the weather forecast!

Also due to the hot weather before the rain, campfires were banned so Joseph made due with raw marshmallows. Regardless, Joseph really enjoyed his first camping experience and we'll have to do it again as soon as we can so he can get a larger dose. (Click for the bigger version)

"Fishing"

During camping Mom and Joseph enjoyed some "fishing" in the lake. Given how much he enjoys this, one of these days I have to take him fishing for real fish!

Joseph Releases His Inner Noisemaker

Joseph had a lot of fun at this site. It's a place where he could make as much noise as he wanted and he took full advantage. If you notice, part of the way through he stops and gets a big smile. That's because he hears the ABC song, a song he actually knows! It took a long time before we could drag him away from here!

Terrific Canada Day

Kudos to the the City of Abbotsford! The program they put together for Canada Day was terrific and Joseph had a blast. With the instruments, sandboxes, toys, hayrides, trampolines and much more, I think this was one of the funnest days of Joseph's life!

Fearless Explorer

As warm weather has come, Joseph is going to be able to truly enjoy Abbotsford's parks. He was attempting to get the baby geese to fly in Mill Lake Park and at Bateman Park he bravely plunged into the unknown "jungle" with grandma. I think this is going to be a fun summer! (click the photos for a bigger version.)

Excellent Recruiter

Every two weeks we as a family still go to the Menno Home to bring them donuts and coffee. Joseph has turned into quite the recruiter and entertainer there. He walks up and down the halls with another Korean lady inviting them to come (being much more successful than I ever was in my 7 years of doing this) and when they come he will occasionally favor them with a Korean version of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" Looking at these pictures reminds me he is no longer a baby, but truly a little boy.

Giving Mom a Happy Heart Attack

Mom knew that Robyn was coming home from Australia, but what she didn't know was that Robyn had moved her arrival date up a week. Robyn asked me to pick her up from the airport to surprise mom and dad. She decided she would phone mom on my cell phone, pretending to be in New Zealand, and, during the phone call, show up at the door. This is how it worked out.

Keepin' in Touch

I had been out of the house for a while, but Joseph desperately wanted to report the progress of his day to me. So mommy phoned me up. Joseph is telling me that he and mommy had just read a book and now (the highlight of his day) he was about to get a vitamin. Good to keep up to date!

Figure Skating Show for Korean Hal-mony (grandma)

Ami and Joseph had a chance to talk to Ami's mom over the internet video camera. Joseph took the opportunity to put on a little show. Previous to his meeting with his hal-mony, he and Ami had watched a Korean figure skater and Joseph figured he would do his best to replicate the performance for his grandma. This is the result. He keeps on demanding that his grandma and 4 year old cousin copy him. They did for a while, but in the end Nael (the cousin) complained that she was exhausted!

Photo Shop Shots

You can click these to see a bigger version

Nice Gift

Ami's friend works in a photoshop and gave us a great gift of some professional pictures. This is the first professional family picture we've ever gotten! About time we got it done!

Buddies

Joseph is finally getting a chance to make some Canadian friends his own age and he's making the most of it. In two year old Sunday School he has a lot of fun playing with the boys and even rolling across the floor with them!

Our Most Successful Christmas Gift

Joseph reacted well to all his gifts, but this was a homerun. Not only does it have is favourite character, Dora, on it but he loves throwing and diving into the balls. Even without the balls he enjoys he own little "house."

Joseph's Winter Going Downhill

This is a composite of Joseph's sledding adventures! The first three are at Mill lake park and the last one is at Bateman park. It was quite a thrill for him and us!