What does the warmest day in the past 4 months call for? A hike up a mountain, of course after Tim’s 2 ½ hour trainer ride this morning. Little did we know we would learn that our boys are “city boys” and view the outdoors different than we did at their age.
We headed out planning to just walk up the wooden steps to the top of the mountain behind our house and then make our way down for lunch before naps. Thankfully it ended up being much more. The adventures began when Titus found a “secret path”, which is a dirt path rather than the wooden stairs up the mountain. We could not spoil his fun, so Tim let Titus lead the way...
We met back up a few meters later where we stopped for a spontaneous family photo in the dried winter leaves. I would say it was a successful day, not only because we had a good time out as a family, but because all 4 boys, including Tim, agreed to the picture, had patience, and even smiled (in a few of the attempts at least). So, after a good iPhone picture of all 5 of us, not much can get me down!
We decided to leave the “secret path” in order to climb the stairs to the top of the mountain. The boys walked the entire way to the top with only 1 fall and no tears! At the top there is a traditional style Korean Pavilion from which you get a beautiful view of the city and a great spot for a snack.
We then decided to go down the mountain in the opposite direction of our home in order to make our way to lunch. As we went down, we had one of the biggest #cityboy moments when our three year old, Isaac, stopped to ponder his route down a tiny hill; spaced out 4x4s like steps, uneven rocks like steps, or a dirt path. For a moment he turned to go back down the way he came up; stairs, while blinding following his older brothers. It was frustrating for Tim to watch Isaac’s timidness on what would have not caused a second thought for him as a kid. However, he saw it as a learning moment and let Isaac discover what would work for him. Isaac was successful taking the all surprising rock step path.
We ended up out and about exploring new routes on the mountain for an hour or so, ending our time with a delicious Korean meal of bibimbap, kimchi bokeumbap, kimbap, and udon for all of us. Those few hours outside, sunshine, exercise, and family, has rejuvenated us and reminded us of the implications of maintaining an active family lifestyle.
We realize it has been a while, we are sorry we have not kept you better informed. A lot has happened since our last post.
Mid January Tim had last-minute surgery to remove a ganglion cyst from his right ankle. Things went well, but not as expected. There were some funny moments and frustrating ones due to language barriers and other cultural differences. Tim is working on a post about his experience and recovery thus far. During his recovery time he has been working hard to finalize his Swim Consulting aspect of the website and hopes to have it up and running very soon. So, check back with us and Subscribe on our Contacts page if you want to be one of the first to know when that launches. We are excited to see what happens over the next few months.
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