The Longest Mile

Well, it's been a looong three months. Chris was extended in Pakistan, so his two month trip turned into a three month trip. He is scheduled to fly home on December 23rd, and we have tickets for Salt Lake City the following day... but I've learned not to get my hopes up until he's on that plane. So, keep your fingers crossed for us!

I wish I could post a new picture of something fun and exciting, but the battery died on my camera about two weeks into this trip to Minnesota and I forgot to pack the charger. So, you'll have to use your imagination. Elise has grown so much these past few months. I hardly think Chris will recognize her. She's gone from baby to toddler, which means instead of flinging her strained peas across the room, she's throwing grandma's cell phone in the toilet. She's a really good girl, most of the time. Just don't aggravate her if she's tired or hungry (aww, just like mommy).

We are so glad to have had this time in Minnesota, grandma has been taking care of Elise during the day while I work for a few hours and we see my dad once a week for Vikings games. They've had a chance to see her grow up a little and it's been really fun.

We're also excited to take her to Salt Lake for Christmas. This will be our first visit to see Chris' parents since they moved from California earlier this year. I cannot wait to see the family and visit Temple Square, all lit up!

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.. and I hope to post some fun holiday photos in the coming weeks!

And The Winner Is...

Quito, Ecaudor!

We are so excited to get our next assignment, in beautiful Quito! It's high in the Andes and on the equator, so beautiful weather year round!

We'll definitely be working on our Spanish from now until July 2011, when we're scheduled to move.

And studying up on the city's rich history. It's been totally restored, and we hear the Old City is reminiscent of Madrid!

So start saving your pennies so you can come visit us. We'll visit the rainforest, straddle the equator, hop over to the Galapagos Islands, and eat a fancy six course dinner for under $10. Quito, here we come!

Happy Halloween

Year two of trick or treating.. still not getting the costume part. Definitely getting the candy part.

Gotta love trick or treating at the mall with Grandma!

Only one unfortunate incident.. we obviously don't see many Arabs in Minnesota.

Putting the Walk in Sidewalk

Even though it's getting cold here in Minnesota, Elise loves to be outside and she loves to walk. She could walk up and down store isles and sidewalks for hours. On this day we were lucky enough to have daddy on speaker phone so he could go for a walk with us.

All By Myself

While staying at Grandma's we're learning all kinds of things.. like how to eat like a civilized toddler. This is the end of mealtime messes, right?

Halloween Dance

Thanks to Great-Grandma Helen, Elise has discovered another dance move, the bob and sway.
She loves her singing Halloween card!

I'll Take That One. And That One.

Well, if Chris has to leave for another two months, I suppose I'll focus on the silver lining. I get to bring Elise back to Minnesota during my favorite time of year. When Fall hits, I know the trees are going to be beautiful, we'll get pick apples at the orchard and the Vikings will be playing. These are a few of my favorite things. Unbeknownst to us, a few of Elise's favorite things now include dancing to Polka music.



On a side note, our family will soon be learning where Chris' next assignment will take us. On October 23rd, we will be assigned to one of the following places: Rome, Quito, Ecuador, Panama, or Cyprus. It's been a long, exhausting bidding process, so we're excited to learn which one we're going to get. It's like Christmas x100. Our start date will depend on which city we get. The earliest would be August 2010, the latest, August of 2011. Cross your fingers for Rome or Quito!!

Lovely Day at Monticello

This photo sums up Chris' relationship with Elise. Pure wonderment. She is so enamored with him and everything he does.

Sweet daddy-daughter moments that melt my heart.

Elise loves showing daddy all her amazing physical feats!

Daddy loves showing Elise the world.

Perfect ending to a long day.

Finally, Some Rest For The Weary

Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it out to Utah this summer because of Chris' schizophrenic schedule, so we asked Utah to come to us. Yes, Grandma and Grandpa Dowling were nice enough to fly out and give us a little break. I'm such a wimp about leaving Elise with babysitters, especially for any extended amount of time, so it was nice to spend some time alone with my wonderful husband and not worry about our sweet baby. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!

We had some amazing weather while they were here, the humidity was virtually non-existent, so we went sight-seeing! Here we are at the Jefferson Memorial (you'll have to take my word for it).

All those wonderful daydreams I had when I was pregnant could not prepare me for just how precious my little girl would be.

Nor did I ever imagine that at 15 months I'd have to use honey to get a bow to stick to her sparse, but sweet, little strands of hair. :)

So Many Swimsuits, So Little Time

I forgot how hot and humid DC gets in the summer.. always a great excuse to take Elise to the pool. Although, these days, she's more interested in walking around the pool than swimming in it.

That better not be a mirage!

The payoff.

This Is The Life

It's been so great to be in our own home, together. Seems like such a little thing, something I've definitely taken for granted in the past, but no more!


Elise is getting so big. She is cruising along furniture, pushing chairs around the kitchen table, ready to walk any time now. She's also such a sweet, sweet baby. She loves to give hugs and kisses and cuddle. Her favorite word is daddydaddydaddy.


Our little sweetie.

Happy Birthday To You!

It's been a great couple of weeks, no time for updating the blog! Chris came home safe and sound and our little girl turned 1!
We didn't do a big celebration on her actual birthday, June 2nd. We did, however, throw a traditional Korean birthday party and a more American-style party, complete with her first chocolate cupcake.

Auntie Diane made sure Elise had a traditional Korean dress for her birthday. Even more special because I wore Diane's little Korean dress on my 1st birthday.


Elise, chocolate.

Chocolate, Elise.

Elise loves her one and only great-grandma, Helen.

Minnesota Dreamin'

Elise and I have been in Minnesota for a couple months now, waiting for Chris to come home. The weather has been absolutely beautiful and we've kept busy visiting friends and family. Here are some photos from an outing with one of my good friends from high school, Heidi.

Heidi took us to a petting zoo called Amazing Farmyard.

I couldn't resist.

The little chickie is all worn out.

Tulips From Baghdad

A thousand miles away.. Chris wrangled up one of my favorite flowers, yellow tulips, and sent them to me for Mother's Day! There were also chocolates. You'll just have to take my word for it.

And here's Elise just seconds after she blurted out, "You're the best mom ever!"

Hi from HI

A few weeks before Chris took off for Iraq, we found a great deal on tickets to Hawaii. To top it off, our close family friends were nice enough to offer their condo and car in Oahu, so how could we resist!? We were a little leary of the 10 hour flight with the baby, but we knew it would be worth it once we got there. Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the trip, all starring Little Miss Sunshine, herself. She wasn't so sure about the ocean at first..

..but she slowly warmed up to the idea..

..and by the end of the trip, we couldn't get her out of the water!

Here are some of my other favorite photos from the trip.

Not For The Faint Of Heart

We were just about to leave for Hawaii, when Elise started running a fever. It was our first time dealing with our little one's temperature, but we were pretty sure 104 was not normal and/or good. Although she had no other symptoms, you could've fried an egg on her noggin, so at midnight, we took her to the emergency room. She had just about topped off at 105 when we got there, but still no sign of illness-- she was sweet as pie. They made us put the little hospital gown on her, which was so cute, in an ominous sort of way.

Then came the barrage of tests. They had to rule out a bacterial infection, which meant lots of blood and urine tests. The worst part was, we were dealing with the 3am shifters. They were nice, but couldn't find a vein to save their lives. So they poked. And poked. And poked. And then it took them another 10 minutes to get the catheter in. Poor baby was so terrified. I don't think I'll ever forget that look in her eyes. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it.

After several hours, however, the tests all came back negative. So, they gave her a big dose of baby Motrin and sent us on our way. We left for Hawaii two days later, and fortunately, the warm sun and tropical breezes made her all better.

Nothing too exciting to chronicle this week, so here are a few fun shots from our most recent day at the park. We'll be in Hawaii next week, so lots of cute 'baby on the beach' pictures are coming your way soon!

No cherry blossoms yet, but in about a week this place is going to look like heaven!

I think this one speaks for itself.