Family Fun Night!

We've all been having so much fun with the new Wii games.  Last night everyone joined in for bowling, golf, and a race car game.  Even Molly got in on the action.  She wasn't actually playing the games, but once she got her hand on the controller she knew just how to move her arms like her sissy.  It won't be long until she joins in on the fun!

Bathing Beauties

Wii R Having Fun!!

We acquired a Nintento Wii last weekend.  Mr. Yu was able to work his magic and find us one at the IT market for a really good price.  So here it is, Friday night, the girls are in bed, and we are "bowling" in our living room.  It is so cool!!  We can also play darts, basketball and more.  Morgan likes it too.  She likes "running track" against the cool characters on the tv.  This really is a family game system we can all enjoy.

The House

Well, after two disappointing days of house hunting in Korea, we finally found a house.  Our realtor is currently working on negotiating the lease with the landlord.  One thing we're asking for is to have all of the wallpaper in the bedrooms replaced.  Assuming all goes well, we'll be moving in by mid-July.

The house is nestled in the hills of a northern area of Seoul called Pyungchang Dong.  On a nice day, the view from the living room is outstanding.  Our street is small, but there is plenty of room for the girls to ride bikes.  There is also a little yard/garden area for the girls to play.  

It is a two story house with 3 bedrooms and a study.  When you come in the front door, you are on the second level of the house.  This is where the master bedroom and study are.  There are two bedrooms, a living room and kitchen/dining room on the lower level.  There is no basement, but we do get a 2 car garage.  

Here is a link to the pictures of the house.  Click on the photo gallery named 2008-05-25 House Hunting to view them.  There are no pictures of the outside of the house since the way it is positioned makes it difficult to shoot.  Also, each house has a wall and or tall gate surrounding it. 

http://gallery.mac.com/x95faust

Kimmie and dinner time

We heard from Aunt Kimmie tonight and she has sent us pictures of the girls after she let Morgan make pizza for dinner.  We thought we would share the pictures.  Enjoy.

By the way...

the girls are all doing fine.  It was a rough first day for Aunt Kimmie with Molly teething and Morgan missing her mommy.  But the second day seemed to go much smoother.  Kimmie has managed to pack lunches, give baths and not burn down the house while making dinner.  We have faith in all 3 of them that they will survive this week.  Although it doesn't keep us from missing our girls.  We've been thinking about them constantly and can't wait to see them soon.

House Hunting

We woke up to a rainy day and it didn't get any better from there.  So far, we are not pleased with the housing options.  Out of the 16 or so houses we saw, we only like 2 of them.  And not a whole lot.  But we were warned about this.  In fact, our friend Kristin who has been living here for about 3 years told us that they would show us all of the crap houses on day 1.  At lease we were able to narrow down the areas we want to focus on.  So tomorrow we hope to see more, better options.  

The neighborhoods are very different from what we've lived in before.  This is definitely city living and there are no street light and sidewalk lined streets.  The houses are all nestled on the hills and are surrounded by walls.  Or, the other option is an apartment.  But we are not willing to sacrifice our space for apartment living.  

We are hoping for a better second day of house hunting.  We would like to leave here knowing where we'll be living next.  But there is always the temporary housing option if we can't settle on something right away.  

Korea-Day 2

We started out this morning visiting the local Costco.  Yes, the big box warehouse style stores that are spread across the states.  At first I was a little annoyed that we were going to "tour" the store, but it actually proved to be a successful trip.  I was so happy to see the many western brands that we have missed out on in China.  They had everything from Cheerios to Diapers, juice to shampoo.  It will definitely be on our list of places to return.    

We toured some more commercial shopping areas then hit the bank.  Mark was able to open an account while we were there.  Then we had lunch at a small sandwich shop.  We toured some more residential areas before heading to Itaewon Street.  This is a westernized street with shopping, restaurants and entertainment.  It was first developed as an area for US military to enjoy and has been expanded ever since.  While we were there, our consultant showed us the nearby subway station and explained how we purchase tickets and use the trains.  

Mark and I decided to try the subway tonight.  After we were back at the hotel, we headed to the nearest station to purchase our tickets and catch the train.  It wasn't too hard to figure out.  We caught the train and only had to stay on for three stops before we got off at Itaewon Street.  We walked up and down before deciding on a great little Italian Place for dinner.  We also did some shopping and are unhappy to report that the vendors are not as eager to bargain as in China.  I was sorely disappointed.  We caught a taxi to head back to the hotel.  

After 2 days of touring this large city that reminds us a lot of New York, we are still thoroughly confused on which area of town we would like to live.  We are anxious to get out tomorrow to see the houses and are hoping that will help us to decide.   

Mark's Perspective

As Kristen mentioned in the earlier post we have spent our first full day in Korea and there are some major differences to Shanghai.  This is concern for us but, I was able to arrange for Kristen and I to have time to talk to a close friend of mine that lives in Seoul.  She has put a lot of our fears to rest with the conversation.  She has told us her family went through many of the same feelings and concerns on there look see visit to Seoul.  She has reassured us that things will be fine and that thinks are much better than they seem on the first day of the look see.  I am hoping that this is true and that this turns out to be a great move for the family.  

I have been struggling with this move, more than any other move, as it has been such a short time between moves and am concerned how it will affect the girls and Kristen.  I know I have put them through a lot in the last several years in the name of my career.  I just hope I will not push them too far.  I am just so blessed to have a wonderful family and support group with all that is going on in our lives lately.  We really do appreciate all the mail and e-mails everyone has been sending.  Until you have lived abroad or in total isolation from all of your loved ones you really do not realize how important that kind of stuff is to you. 

Well that is enough for tonight.

PS.  This is for Mom.  You think you have hills in SC you have not seen any thing yet.  Hurry over and I will show you what a real Butt Burner Hill looks like.

A Few Differences

It's our first full day in Seoul and already there are some major differences here from Shanghai.  The weather is noticeably cooler.  There aren't horns constantly blaring out on the streets.  Drivers tend to follow the rules of the road.  There are so many hills here that at times I thought we were in Lake Tahoe or San Francisco.  There are virtually no bikes on the roads, but lots of motorcycles.  It feels like we will have a harder time communicating with locals since English is hardly spoken.  I can go on.  

On a positive note, we're confident that Morgan will have a spot in the Junior Kindergarten class at the Seoul Foreign School.  We were concerned about getting her in based on our experience with the wait lists for the international schools in Shanghai.      

Tomorrow we have more city orientation and get to open our bank account.  We are really anxious to see the houses on Wednesday.  We drove through some of the residential neighborhoods today but it is hard to get a feel for what's available.  Most of the houses have a large wall outside so you can't see what they look like from the road.  We'll try and post pics soon.  

Name Change

PLEASE NOTE the web address will stay the same.  You still find us at

http://lifeinchinawiththefausts.blogspot.com

I've changed the name of our blog.  Considering our upcoming move to Korea, I thought the title "Life in China with the Faust's" wasn't appropriate.  So now you can visit "On the Move with the Faust's" for your daily dose of our view of this amazing world.  Enjoy! 

First Kiss

Mark's worst nightmare came true today...his youngest daughter received her very first kiss.  We were at a birthday party this morning.  There was a 12 month old little boy there that was infatuated with Molly.  Before we knew it he leaned in and gave her a kiss.  It was too sweet!  Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't tackle him to the ground.  She was about twice his size.  But it was cute.  

Friends

Here is a picture of me with my two closest friends (or partners in crime as Mark refers to them).  Sue is on the left and Kathryn on the right.  Both are from Australia and are truly wonderful.  I met Sue when I was waiting to get my residence visa in the first weeks after we moved to Shanghai.  Morgan started school on the same day as Kathryn's little girl, Emily.  We've been inseparable ever since. 

Korea

Mark and I arrived in Korea today for our week long look/see trip.  So far we've already seen a few comforts from home before we even left the airport: Dunkin' Doughnuts and Baskin Robins.  It was dark when we arrived so it was hard to really see our new home.  But I can tell you its mountainous and not as crowded.  We are close to water and should have regular views and access to it.  In fact, it felt a little like driving across the Florida causeways on our ride from the airport to the hotel.  Already I'm a little nervous considering a majority of the road signs are in Korean and we'll have to navigate them on our own once we make the move.  

We are anxious to see what awaits us this week.  Tomorrow we'll visit Morgan's new school.  We'll also tour different areas of town to get us acquainted with the city and the available housing.  Then on Wednesday through Friday we'll tour homes and try to find one that suits us.  It should be a good week.  

Morgan and Molly are home with their Aunt Kimmie.  We've checked in with the girls and so far everyone seems to be doing OK.  We've left them in good hands and it should be a fun week for them too.  

Mmm...pudding!

Molly loves pudding!  She gets so excited when she sees it.  Of course, now she wants to feed herself which makes this delicious snack a lot more interesting.  You can see the glisten of the sticky vanilla pudding on her cheeks, arms, and bib.   

 

Lunch Date

Kim, Molly and I met up with Mark for lunch today.  We ate outside at our favorite Bastian Bakery.  The weather has been beautiful lately.  Summer is in full bloom here.  Mark headed back to work after lunch, while the girls did some shopping at the Pearl Market.  The Pearl Market consists of three levels.  On the first floor you can buy fake goods like purses & watches, as well as cashmere scarves and sweaters, and other souvenir type things.  The second floor is nothing but pearls and jewelry and the third floor has antiques and home decor.  I have not bought pearls at this particular market, but have had really good luck at a market in a different area of town.  The prices can be really cheap and you can get some great deals.     

We have company!!

My cousin Kim is here for a visit.  She arrived OK last night from MI.  Morgan was very surprised to see her "Aunt Kimmie" when she woke up this morning.  Molly has really taken to Kimmie too.  It didn't take her long to give kisses and hugs and play up to her Aunt.  

Kim had a big first day in China.  She's been to Morgan's gymnastic lesson, had a bike ride tour of our area of town, ate lunch at Johnny Moo's, swam in the pool, and had a massage at the spa.  We may hit the fabric market tomorrow, but will otherwise take it easy.  

Kim is staying with us through June, and will fly home with the girls and I when we leave.  She will be able to stay with the girls when Mark and I go to Korea for our look/see visit.  It is nice to have family with us again.  It makes us even more anxious to get home this summer.

Last Call, Final Boarding for ALL Flights to China

You knew it couldn't last long and it sure hasn't.  As of July 1 Mark reports to a new office in Seoul, South Korea.  So that means we are moving...once again.  You can imagine our surprise when we heard the news.  We haven't even been in China 6 months, we still have boxes that need to be unpacked, we just went through all of this.  Mark's group is going through a reorganization and several people are moving to offices in Seoul.  He will be doing the same job, reporting to the same people.  This is merely a job transfer.  A really BIG job transfer.  

In the past, its been easy to get excited about a move.  Yet, its kind of hard to be excited this time around.  We hardly feel settled as it is.  We've made really great friends in the short time we've been here and aren't ready to leave them yet.  There is so much left to see and do in Shanghai, and time is running out fast.    

Mark and I will be heading to Seoul in the coming weeks to find a house, enroll Morgan in school and see the area.  Mark has made several business trips there and knows a little about the area.  It also helps that we have friends from TN that have been living there about 3 years now.  They have been very helpful in answering our questions and giving us information about Seoul.  We've heard good things: its clean, friendly, lots to do for the little kids.  

We're staying positive about this upcoming move, and hoping everything goes smoothly.  There will a lot to coordinate in a very short amount of time.  We'll be sure to keep everyone posted as we embark on yet another new journey.

The girls and I are still coming home this summer.  We leave Shanghai on June 20, will be in SC from June 30-July 9, and head back on July 24.  

Disney Pictures

Sorry for the delay, but we've had some technical difficulty uploading these pictures.  Here is a very small sample of pictures from our recent trip to Hong Kong Disneyland:

Earthquake

We are all OK!!  The earthquake was further north from here.  They did evacuate some of the taller buildings here in Shanghai, just as a precaution.  It is rumored that the tremors could be felt here, but we did not feel anything.  Mr. Yu's wife is a nurse.  He told me yesterday that she will travel to Sichuan to help the victims.  A real tragedy.  Many thanks to all of you for keeping us in your thoughts.

Molly's New Words

Molly has added a few new words to the ever growing list that she already knows.  Whenever we pull out the camera, Molly says "cheese"!!!  Totally unprompted too. If she sees the camera or hears it clicking as we take pics, she scrunches her nose and says her new word.  She is such a ham.  

Another new word is "poop".  I kid you not!  After Molly messes her diaper she says "poop".  Or, like the other day, I asked her if she was stinky.  She made a "sniff-sniff", patted her diaper and said "poop".  I hope this is a sign that potty training will come early and be a breeze.  

Molly is forever talking, babbling and singing.  She loves to be walking or even crawling, and will flop on her belly.  She'll then say "boom".  The list goes on and on.  Here is a small sample of other words she can say:

shoe, side (outside), book, go go (Chinese for dog), juice, uh-oh, OK, Yes, na (NO), ma ma, da da, J-J (Chinese for big sis), Molly, baby, ball, pes (please)

  

Happy Mother's Day!

We want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to our two wonderful Mom's who have done more for us than we could possibly imagine.  We are also sending best wishes to our friends and family on this special day.  Hope you have a wonderful day full of love and happy memories!!   

A Magical Vacation

Well, we're back from our trip to Hong Kong. It was a really great family vacation. We all had a fun time!  The rain held out and we had sunshine for the whole trip. Which was good and bad. The sun was so intense and the humidity was high.  The kind of hot weather that makes you sweat just standing.  Thank heaven for the many air conditioned shops and rides so we could get a few minutes of relief from the heat.  The pool also helped to cool us off.  In fact, I think Morgan would have been happy if we stayed at the pool the whole time.  There was a water slide that she went down no less than 100 times.  She LOVED it!  

The park was the perfect size.  About the same size as Boblo Island, for those of you that remember that park.  It consisted of 4 "lands": Main Street, Fanstasyland, Tomorrowland, and Adventureland.  Morgan's Favorite ride was the Tea Cups.  Between the two days we visited the park, she went on it 6 times.  Molly even rode it once and enjoyed it too.  "It's A Small World" just opened in this park about 2 months ago.  It was a little annoying, but air conditioned, so we rode it twice. 

We had breakfast and dinner with the characters which was a lot of fun!  Morgan enjoyed meeting Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto.  Molly wasn't too sure about them, but they were good about keeping their distance when we told them she was shy.  Morgan says her favorite characters are Mickey and Minnie.  Personally, I liked Daisy.  She was spunky and funny!  

A big highlight for Morgan was meeting the princesses.  We didn't see any on the first day in the park.  So it was our mission to meet them on the second day.  And we did.  In fact, we walked right up and were the second people to see them that day. Morgan was in awe of the 4 beautiful women and had a hard time talking to them.  But they were great!  They asked her if she had met them before at any other parks, where she lives now and who was her favorite.  Aurora (aka, Sleeping Beauty) and Belle are her favorites.  

We celebrate Mark's birthday while we were in Hong Kong.  When we checked in they gave him a pin to wear that says "It's My Birthday"!  He only wore it for a picture, but the girls and I made him pin it to the backpack he wore around the park.  Also, when we got into the room there was a card for him with a picture of all of the characters.  At dinner on the night of his birthday, I had arranged for a cake for him.  The staff all sang Happy Birthday and presented him with a balloon and party hat.  He was thrilled, as you can imagine.  

Overall, it was a really great trip.  We may even go back in a couple of years so Morgan can enjoy it more, and Molly can appreciate it too!  And we'd like to see more of Hong Kong.  I was really impressed with the airport.  More like a shopping mall with a runway.  And the surroundings were beautiful.  It was very green and mountainous.  Although maybe we'll go when its a little cooler.     

Pictures & Video coming soon!

Hello From Hong Kong

Well the Girls (Morgan, Molly, and Kristen) were out by 19:45 tonight. They are all exhausted from the first full day at Disney. I roped into taking a phone conference tonight so I have been on the phone most of the night. As for the first day at Disney.

We got up early as you can imagine and went to the second hotel on Disney and had Breakfast with the characters in the Hidden Garden. (Pictures Posted Later) Then it was back to our hotel for a quick nap for Molly and for Morgan and I to take a quick dip in the piano swimming pool. The water was great, not to cold but yet refreshing. The pool has a great water slide and Morgan went down about 50 time in and hour. I had to go with her the first time and then she did not want me any were near her when she went down. She said she is a big girl and does not want dad there to help her. This broke my hart a little, but it was fun watching her go down and it game me a chance to work on my tan.

Once Molly was up from her nap we went to the park. All I have to say is WOW. Great little park, just the right size for us. We started with Main Street and went on to Space Mountain. Morgan tried Space Mountain roller coast but did not like it. Kristen and I loved it but could not convince Morgan to go again. We were able to ride Space ships and Morgan was able to drive a car with Kristen. We then moved on to the main castle. Molly and I went back to the hotel for a nap and Kristen and Morgan stayed at the park for a while longer and rode the Dumbo, Carousel, and the tea cups (3x). They then came back to the hotel and we all went swimming.

Kristen had made reservations for all of us to have dinner at the hotel and they surprised me with a birthday cake and all the staff signing. (Uncalled for) Any ways it was nice and I got a card from Mikey and the gang. They made me were a pin that told everyone it was my birthday. (Again Uncalled For).

All in all great day and a birthday I will never forget. We will get pictures and videos of the girls up tomorrow or over the weekend. Have a great day.

All Aboard for Disneyland!!

We are leaving today for Hong Kong to visit Disneyland.  Morgan is so excited.  She has her clothes picked out, knows the itinerary, and the list of princesses she wants to meet all packed up.  She is going to school for a couple of hours this morning, then we will pick her up and head to the airport.  We are staying right at Disney but won't get to the park until Thursday.  We're hoping the rain holds off while we're there.  Right now there is a 40% chance of rain, so we'll see.  We'll be back on the weekend with pictures of course.  

M-I-C.....see you real soon!! K-E-Y...  

Speed Demon

Well as mentioned in an earlier post Molly is on the move.  I have been home off of work for a long four day weekend and have had some time to spend with the kids and play with some of my toys. (Cameras and computer)  Any ways Molly has been so cute todays and has not stopped talking since she got a chance to talk to her Grammy and Poppy this morning.  She has just been a little lover and snuggler with me and has not wanted anything to do with Kristen today.  This is a nice change of pace for me and Kristen needed the brake. I have had the opportunity to make another video of my youngest daughter.  I am not to proud of her or anything.  Well have a great day and enjoy the short movie of my little star.

Molly's New Hairdo

Molly's hair has been getting very long and we are debating if we want to cut it or let it grow out.  As you can see from the picture this is one of the new styles Kristen is trying with Molly to keep her hair out of her eyes.  Kristen and I are still trying to figure out if she looks like an alien or a cute baby.  This hairdo is better in my mind than the alternative.  Usually Kristen buts her hair in a single pony tail in the middle of the top of her head. I personally like this look better.

We have had a good weekend and are preparing for the upcoming trip to Hong Kong.  Morgan as you can imagine is very excited and can not wait to she Mickey and the gang.  She has started marking the days off the calendar till we leave.  I have also started marking off the day as well because this means a few days off of work.  This also means no phone conferences till all hours of the night for a few days as well.

We are excited as well because the family pictures that Kristen setup for us last weekend should be here in the next few days.  I think Kristen has sent out a sample of the pictures that were taken.  We will share the rest when we get them.  The lady that took the pictures for us was very nice and easy to work with.

Well that is it for now from Mark.

Molly Walks!

Well it was bound to happen!  The little one is starting to walk and become very independent.  Enjoy this short video of her walking.

Pictures from last weekend's photo session, Enjoy!