Adventures in Seoul, and adjusting back...

This trip to Korea was the first where we had to buy 5 seats (and 5 entries to most things). So we took advantage of borrowed bicycles... Bikes really helped to keep the kids in their comfort zone. Though we didn't go to many museums or eat too much unfamiliar food, they still absorbed a lot from being in a different environment. 

Our kids are all at different stages and we had to figure out how to meet everyone's needs-- Eli likes to know what to expect and loves to bike everywhere, Hana wants adventure, preferably in the form of playgrounds. Noah doesn't want to feel that someone is trying to coerce him (who does-- but a lot of museums in Korea geared towards kids are explicitly "educational"). We are really lucky to be able to travel and see family, and we don't take such a trip lightly-- we are not relaxed flexible travelers. Everyone did very well, and it is amazing for them to be able to spend time understanding different perspectives on the world, and spend time with Eugene's family.  

Noah turned 9 and got an ice cream cake.

Flower market. We were really inspired by the careful and beautiful layouts.

Even though it's not that easy to find nature in Seoul, we loved the park by the flower market, where there was a fountain, a stream, and this frog.

We stayed at Eugene's Mom and brothers flat, where they live on the 14th floor. 

The miracle of escalators.

We stayed at a hotel for a couple of nights, for the indoor pool. The kids were delighted. 

Palace!

Playground.

children's museum!

The fountains in Bundang hadn't been turned on yet, but in Seoul we got to spend time in 2 fountains-- our kids were the most enthusiastic and wild-- enough that Vietnamese monks kept wanting to take photos of/with them.

We were so grateful to my parents for holding the fort while were away. And back home, we were back to business faster than you could say hot compost...

Back to life: hot composting.

Roasting coffee

Terrifying acrobranch: Noah leveled up to terrifying heights.

Hana is still on Level one, but it's pretty intense for a 3 year old.