One resolution down....

By the time that Addy was born, Logan had figured out how to both climb in and out of his crib. Addy is not so adventurous and a tad shorter so we made the move for her. We picked up some "big girl bed" bedding and put it on the lower bunk. Addy's face lit up when she saw the colorful flowers. Logan is excited to be on the top bunk too.
She had a little trouble getting to sleep cause she was so excited but ended up staying there the entire night.
What a cutie!
Logan has slept up there a few times before when Armando was visiting us in Maryland but, now it is his permanently in preparation for baby #3.
Goodnight kids!

Double teamed by HP and I emerged victorious

So a few weeks ago our HP monitor just went black. I could tell that the backlight was still coming on and there was still sounds coming out of the speakers but there was nothing displaying on the screen. A few days later it mysteriously started working again. Fate killed it again on black Friday so I upgraded to a 36" television. Unfortunately even with the increase in size, the monitor had a better resolution so I decided I would take the monitor to the electronics market and see how much it would be to fix. Fate struck again when the service man plugged it in to see what the problem was, it turned on again. I decided that it must not be a serious hardware problem since it kept mysteriously fixing its self that it was probably a loose wire and something that I could probably fix. Unfortunately, this monitor had no visible screws and I had no idea how to open it without breaking it. After the monitor stopped working again for the 3rd time, I decided I had nothing to loose so I took the plastic pry tools from my bike tire changing kit and went at it. After trying for a while it was obvious that there were four screws holding the shell on from the other side. I could not find any assembly manuals online so I decided to do it the Cottrell way (got a bigger hammer). I drilled out the screws from the back and pulled the shell off. I jiggled all of the wires put it back together and it is as good as new notwithstanding the four new holes in the back.

The next mess was one that I have faced before. My laptop and I have been through a lot. A couple of years ago I tripped over the power cable and broke the connection between the power jack and the motherboard. I found a service manual online, bought a soldering iron and was able to put a bead to restore the connection. Two years and one kid later, Logan's was building a fort out of chairs and blankets and snagged the cord resulting in my bead cracking. I knew what was involved in fixing it but my soldering iron runs on butane and I haven't picked any up since our move to Korea. Luckily I found out that Zippo fuel was a suitable replacement for the soldering iron butane and picked some up today at the four-seasons.
This is what my kitchen table looked like today...
This is the new bead. One of these days I am just going to have to spend the $2 to buy a new power jack.
Logan said a prayer for me and with a little luck and one left over screw... It lives yet again. Six years and counting!

Logan prayed for snow... and it worked!

What a pleasant surprise to wake up to snow. I guess I should not have been too surprised, last night Logan was asking for snow in his prayers.... It worked!
We got bundled up and got our snow masonry tools and headed out to make first tracks on the playground.
Addy Addy Addy.... what a cute little snow angel.
Logan looks like he just got mauled by a Wampa (actually it was a rogue cardboard box he was attempting to shred).
For some reason I am weary about Addy eating Seoul snow... it just is not as white as I remember the snow being in Utah.
Dirty or not, it was perfect for packing. We were able to roll up a snow man in little time.
Dad sacrificed a hat and some goggles, but unfortunately it lacked the same effect that the "old silk hat" has...
Family pic courtesy of snow covered bush tripod... a tad crooked but surprising a better picture taker than most passer-byes.

Merry Christmas

It finally came! After the craziest December we have ever had, Christmas was finally here. Addy, Logan and Mommy were all sick but it was nice to be off of work to take care of them enjoy Christmas, and catch the bug myself.
This was supposed to be the "before picture" but I never got around to an "after" picture...
The spoils of being on the nice list.

Apparently Santa is a connoisseur of Korean beverages. Logan is sure grateful...
Can this girl ever get enough princesses?
First of many epic sword battles (the last to take place by the tv...).
Logan was needing a bigger scooter, and Addy will happily take care of his little one.
We fell in love with this when we saw Brody cruising on his in New Mexico. Great call Santa!
Dual cap guns, I don't know who is going to go crazy first... me or the neighbors :). We had a wonderful, memorable Christmas and hope all of our friends and family did as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas Eve, Dragon Hill and Pizza Hut

This is our second Christmas in Korea. I can't believe how fast time seems to be going by.
On Christmas Eve, the kids each opened up a present from each other. Very exciting!
After opening gifts we were off to the Dragon Hill Lodge to see some lights and pick up our Christmas feast of choice, PIZZA HUT.
Korea has been good to us and I know we will never forget the memories we have made here, the experiences and also the time away from our families that helped us realize how much we have in our own little family.
The Garrison is really good about making Yongsan into a winter wonderland. There are tons of lights, and inside the lodge there are elves, huge gingerbread houses, Christmas trees and Santa Clauses.

ONE MORE DAY!!!
If only those giant candy canes were real.
Logan giving Santa a Buddha rub.
Back at home we enjoyed our pizza and stayed up late singing Christmas songs, and getting excited for the big day. God bless us every one.

The night before the night before Christmas

Before I got home from work, my elves kept themselves busy eating all the sweet ingredients to Mommy's cookies
When it comes to sugarfying mommy's sugar cookies, Logan and Addy are pros.

This is why Santa's belly shakes like a bowl full of jelly.
We spent Christmas eve eve sleeping in front of the tree. It is a very fun tradition and I highly recommend it.
We popped some popcorn, warmed up some chocolate and put in Logan's favorite Christmas movie: Home Alone.
We fell asleep watching the lights on the tree and woke up doubly excited for Christmas.

Christmas with the Cottrells courtesy of SKYPE

Living far from Grandma and Grandpa's has been hard around the holidays but thanks to SKYPE we are still able to enjoy each other as best as is possible. With a cheap camera and speaker, Grandma Grandpa and Aunt KR were able to sing carols with the kids and watch them open up presents.
Logan was surprised to receive a mini replica of Grandpa's little red car. We sure have good memories of riding this fall.
Addy received a doll and some beautiful additions to her princess dress collection.
Mommy and Daddy got a picture of the temple and a scanner so they can digitize their wedding photos. We are very excited about this.

Aunt Kr, thanks for the wonderful books, the kids love them all. We have already read them over and over and over... I especially love the one about what snowmen do at night...

Grandma and Grandpa, thanks again for the wonderful Christmas. We hope you and yours all have a wonderful holiday. We will call you tomorrow.

Cottrell Family Pic

Here is the Cottrell side of the fam all together in October.