Always look at the feet

Here is our five year old. She is hilarious, and keeps us on our toes. She often speaks with a British accent these days because she has been listening to The Chronicles of Narnia (again and again). I think she even sassed me a little one day, in her British accent, and I overlooked it, because it sounded so proper. Oops.

I will post about her birthday soon I hope, though we do travel to Thailand tomorrow. For now, I will just give some tidbits of our first born as she turns 5:

• Recent quote. After we read an Aesop's Fable, 'The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing', at the end I said, 'and the moral of the story is (reading from the book): 'The evil doer often comes to harm through his own deceit' and I discussed the saying, "beware a wolf in sheep's clothing" to which she emphatically said: 'and always look at the feet!' good word.
• She spent over thirty minutes the other day detailing all that she had learned in school about what to do in a thunderstorm. This whole discussion really impacted her. She said it made her scared to go outside, this is one who loves to play in the rain, and I do let her some (when it rains 14 days in a row, you have to give a little). The details she gave were quite incredible. I was impressed with her ability to understand it all, and would quiz her a little by saying: 'now how did your teacher say that' or 'what is that word in chinese', she didn't skip a beat, but she was unwilling to retell it all in Chinese. She now knows exactly what to do or not do in a thunderstorm, even if she is freaked out a little now.
• Sophia loves princessy things for sure, and still LOVES twirly skirts. But when not at school she holds her own hanging out with Caleb S and they do some sword type play, etc. She loves to fight off bad guys...
• She is a huge helper and would cook every meal if she could, I have to limit her help, of course, but I appreciate her willingness. She loves to 'get a rag and wet it' as she says, and then dust the whole house.
• She and Bella are great friends, but lately they fight a lot. I imagine we may deal with this for a while. Still trying to train hard in the 'share, ask, gentle' categories. 
• She is our outgoing, never met a stranger kind of gal. She loves to read good stories and act them out, and has a great imagination.

Happy Birthday Sophia. Love you girl.

Olympic hurdler, or not

 Here is our new apartment's front yard. The fence is plastic, but fairly solid. In this whole 'new apartment' renovation, keep in mind, our landlords are paying for it, it is their place, but they are letting us choose almost everything since we signed a longer lease than normal. This is pretty nice, they tell us what store to go to and we choose stuff (within reason, of course). However, there are a few things we are paying for or paying for part of. Paint color, for instance. On my to do list a week or so ago was to get the paint people over to look at the place, talk about color, and price. It happened to be one day when no one was working inside. The tile had been laid and they must have been waiting on the door framer. Either way, no one was there and I did not have a key. I gently climbed over this fence, walked up to the front porch door to find that it was locked. I then told that to the paint company guy and his girlfriend. But....apparently...I don't know...for some reason, maybe he didn't believe me....he decided to back way up, get a running start, hurdle the fence, and try the door himself. Which would have worked out great, had he actually hurdled the fence. Oh no, he hit it, ripped it all completely up and over and fell himself in the process. I really appreciate what he was trying to do, but had he listened in the first place he would have saved himself a little trouble, and our fence the destruction.

In the above picture, while still quite broken, the fence had actually been put back together. He was quite embarrassed, and I felt sorry for him, he was just trying to help out. This was the same guy who told me if we still had some red left from the room in the other apartment and needed more we could just add white to it. Really? To get some very pink walls, no thanks. Not color savvy, this guy. His girlfriend, however, who is the girl that I had been working with and talking with all along is very good at her job. Really very good, we were thankful for her and how she worked with my peculiarities and indecision. She was very patient.

An inside look. Before painting.That far area in the back with the bigger window will be the red reading/homeschoolish room. Crazy but true. I think if the kids just walk in that area, with all the bright reddy goodness and light shining through, they are bound to learn something, right?

Birthday Eve fun

Since Bella's birthday was also Father's day weekend we had a special Mexican meal. For Sophia's birthday she asked for Lasagne. I then asked her if she wanted to invite Anna and her family for dinner, they just got back in town. She was super excited about this, and this is great for David and me because we love hanging out with this family. The kids play really well together. Since we have been running around with our heads chopped off, this was a great time to reconnect with them, enjoy lasagna and chocolate pie, and great company. They also confirmed that they will be coming to the party tomorrow, so at least one person will be there.

We have been telling Sophia that even if no one comes we will still have fun, and she knows it, because she saw the place we are going and all the fun stuff to do. I am not too too worried if kids don't come, but I do know she wants to enjoy this WITH her friends. Which is what I love about her, she loves being WITH people. She teaches me a lot this way, to get out of my comfort zone and enjoy new and old friends.

The plan: pancake breakfast, ease into the morning, check on the status of the new apartment, play, open gifts, lunch, rest, PARTAY! then, scurry finish packing for Thailand and go to bed at 8 with the kiddos (yeah right! I can dream).

Soph's birthday prep

Caleb S and family left this week so they gave Sophia her gift early. It was a perfect 5-year-old gift, princess pencils, a pencil 'box' with sharpener, erasers, compass (she keeps telling us which way is north), candy, and much more. She has played with it every day. K asked me as Sophia opened the gift when I would start K5 stuff with her. "Oh probably when she is is six or seven... at the pace of our life right now". We laughed about this and watched Sophia enjoy her gift!

For Sophia's birthday she really really wanted to invite her friends from school. I was all ready for this and very thankful that she does have a few key girls that she plays with. She LOVES school. But in this culture the protocol for a birthday party is not the same. Most kids probably really don't celebrate their birthdays with parties (except when they turn one). Here are the steps I took, and who knows if anyone will show up.

• I asked her which friends to invite. She offered 5 friends from school, I offered another school friend because I am friends with her dad, so it was a must, plus she is such a sweet girl. She said her American friend 'Anna' was a must, and I agreed. And I mentioned one girl from our neighborhood, to which she said: 'oh yes, of course!'
• I then asked her teachers for the parents' phone numbers. That is pretty shameless I guess, not sure that would happen in America. But they knew my intentions so they obliged happily.
• I did type up an invitation and got my friend to look it over. And I asked her when I should call and invite. She said day before or maybe two days before at the most. It took all I had in me not to call up a whole week prior. But I just knew that that was not how it was done. We are always invited last minute to everything, that is how it works! They don't even know when some of their holidays or breaks are until the week prior.
• Thursday night I called folks, everyone was super nice. But who really knows if anyone will come? On Friday (today) it was my intention to run into all the parents at school and give them the invite with info on it, but I was a tad late, and two were already gone, and two friends (twins) were not at school at all. Sophia just handed one out to one other girl whose parent I have not talked to, and then we ran into another ex-pat family and Sophia invited her even though she is two years younger.
• Then, shameless again I called the two folks that I did not run into and stalked talked to the parents, to tell them I was sorry I did not see them today and remind them of the party. I now actually think some people may show up. I hope so because Sophia is SO excited.
• And finally today I found the grandma of the neighborhood girl. I told her we could take her and bring her back from the party. The grandma will not be there but she said to come by and see if her granddaughter is at that time!

How to 'bei' a baby

This is our Ayi, 'bei'ing Tobin. This word means to carry on the back. For Asians it is an art form. Seriously. We have all kinds of slings and carriers. I loved the sling for the newborn, and the ergo for comfort. But this is just convenient and easy. Actually it only looks easy. She gave me some lessons today, she whipped him around, had arm placement requirements, body placement protocol, and the knot is special too. One person should be able to do this on their own. Me, not so much, not yet. I actually did get it, I just don't feel that comfortable yet with it, like he will fall out...I have one more day to practice if I use this method for our Thailand travel and possibly U.S. 

 The girls had to follow suit. Isn't this just adorable. I love how they are holding hands.

A little reality

What were we thinking when we decided to move, celebrate two big birthdays, travel 4x (2x as a family and internationally), work on all the housing projects involved in helping finish the new apartment, work on a big deadline for David's degree (in the off-hours mind you), and work on major deadlines for local work all in less than 6 weeks time?

Yes there are days when I forget to eat breakfast or brush my teeth with children's toothpaste, or any manner of things that evidence my sleep deprivation. But all in all we are doing pretty well. Here is a little list of things going on:

• paint color will be finished tomorrow. I LOVE what we chose, so far. David and I went back and forth some, I love the little bit darker richer, warmer, look, but we are still trying to stay subtle so this was hard. In the end he loved it too. 'Felicia Rose' for the girls' room, 'shy sky' for Tobin's room and office, 'foggy day' for our room and dining room, 'quilter's thread' for the living room/den, and the red for the red reading/homeschool area.
• tomorrow is Sophia's big 5th birthday and we have a party all planned. Let's just say God provided the perfect place so that I am not involved in providing any entertainment or cake. At all. All bought and paid for and not too expensive. This was the only way I was going to survive having a big party with school friends (her first) the day before going to Thailand. (and with our house in disarray filled with boxes).
• Bella is signed up for school in the fall. They added a big fat fee for any NEW student (so not Sophia) without a local residence permit, which happens to be a lot of people. We imagine this is to help with the new building they just put up. They would not budge at all. Pretty pricey for a kindergarten, even though most attend for 3-4 years.
• The day after tomorrow we head to Thailand. It will not be restful, but it will be fun. I am the least prepared for this trip than I have ever been. But for some reason I am just not sweating it. I keep thinking of what I should be worried about (usually it is about a baby and how to carry the food, formula, etc.). But at this stage that part is easy (in theory). Plus I have not traveled internationally in a whole year (a record for me), so I am out of habit I suppose. As long as we don't forget diapers or any of the kids, I think we will do okay.

Newborn baby

 This is David's old language teacher, and a very close friend of our family. He got married over a year ago and just had a baby boy!! His son was born on Father's day, though that is really not celebrated here.

 Here is his son, SO cute. And a natural birth, not c-section! This is rare here, they are very quick to do C-sections. We are so happy for them.

Immediately his wife started asking me questions about nursing, and newborn sleeping, etc. I started giving all the advice I could, assured her that her milk would come in, and yes the pain will go away. And then I actually helped her (along with her mother in law), through a breastfeeding session. I did just what the Thai nurses did with me, showed her how to have him latch, how to know if he was latched okay, etc. etc. Yep, there I was a little lactation consultant, something this country is in desperate need of. And of course I am full of confidence and control when it is not my own. But I remember with each of my three thinking, 'how do you do this?' 'are they getting enough?' 'did it always hurt this bad?' 'will the pain go away?'  'will I ever sleep again?' 

The girls just wanted to touch him and cuddle him, but I kept hands off. Kids really usually do not visit in the hospital much here. This family went home the next day, where the wife will 'sit for a month', not shower, and only eat eggs, chicken, and very benign stuff like that for the month. And she will not leave her house, as is the custom. We really hope to go visit them soon and check up on everything! This family is precious to us, and we were so thankful for a healthy baby!

Father's day 2012

 Saturday was filled with festivities celebrating Bella, and Sunday was filled with festivities celebrating David, Daddy Coke. It started with the girls helping me make biscuits, and letting David sleep in (something he rarely ever does). And by sleep in, we do not mean like until 10, our sleeping in is still usually before 8 a.m.

We gave him our first cards. This idea I stole from someone, but it was fitting because we always mimic 'Guess How much I love you' and say crazy amounts of how much we love each other (this is something David and the girls do often)

For Bella's birthday she received this awesome play dough/ice cream making station, and they all went to work.

Then during breakfast we gave him our other cards. We basically had three types of cards. The first 'hug' card: "I love you....this much". Then I had the girls answer a 'Mad Lib' card where they were prompted by what to fill in the blank, and third, an 'all about my daddy' card that is complete fill-in-the-blank.

 For example: (Sophia's). You're as nice as a (nice animal), she put 'spider'. A day without you is like having to eat (something yucky), 'dirt' all day long. And my favorite. If I had all the money in the world I would buy you a (something daddy really loves) 'wife'.


Bella's below: your as handsome as  a (good looking animal) 'kitty cat'. You are so strong you can even lift a (something really heavy) 'box'. And so on...

The 'All about my daddy' survey. Here are a few from Bella:
My daddy's name is: Daddy
His weight is '9' kg.
He knows how to... 'I don't know'.
His favorite restaurant is... 'Jiaozi' (dumplings).
 He likes to...'go in his office'.

From Sophia:
He likes to vacation at...'the Rumples'
His favorite dessert is....'cheesecake'
He doesn't like.....'things in his office that are really old'
He can't....'turn himself into a girl'
His likes to....'go on daddy dates with us'
One day he will....'let me shoot a real gun'
I will always....'be close to him (my daddy)' 

I filled one out too just for fun. Here are a few:
He likes to eat....'er kuai' (a kind of noodle dish here)
He knows how to...'lead and love well'
He likes to vacation at...Wrightsville Beach OR/AND Thailand
He doesn't like...driving in China
He likes to...work out, be a Father
One day he will....finish his other Master's degree (smiley face---this summer!)
I will always....adore him and our friendship

 I laminated all of these and then made a cover and put them all on a little ring.
The cover just had quotes, I said, say one thing about your daddy:
Sophia: 'I love you a million times'
Bella: 'thank you for hugs and kisses'
Tobin: (in a whisper) Baba (chinese for daddy)
Me: 'you are my hero'

 Happy Father's day, David. You are An. Amazing. Father. I learn so much by watching you tenderly love our children. I will keep telling the girls that they need to marry someone just like you!

The face of Tobin these days

Tobin has this look. An expression that is quite funny and we all love to mimic him. He wrinkles up his nose and somewhat puckers his lips.
David captured it well on the iphone:


Here are some other faces of Tobin

Here it is again, or the starts of it.

 He will walk if we hold one of his hands, but is still not interested in going it alone. He has taken about two steps on his own. He has also stopped saying 'Mama', but has a real clear 'bye bye' and a few other words. Still charming his way along in our world. The girls adore him.

Bella is 3, part 3, the party

 Mid day we went to our new apartment to check on things and talk about paint color. The girls loved playing under a pavilion near a fountain and pretending they were in their boxcar (!). Tobin met a friend in this little girl, who has a twin that was not out with her this day.

Above. This is our backyard (within the fence). you can't tell the size, not super big, but it is a yard! With real grass! David was talking to these ladies, who are super kind and were trying to love on our kids (who get tired of all the touches and sometimes run away).

Then back home for party prep. Naps and rest, then festivities. Ayi brought a gift over, a small toy piano (oh no, a noise maker), but Bella loves it.

Party time! Games, singing, eating. The games totaled about five minutes since there were only three kids participating. We played 'Pin the skittle on the right color of the rainbow', musical chairs, skittle bottle toss, and 'guess the number of skittles', the prizes were...you guessed it--skittles. We all got cavities!


She was ready for cake. Though she couldn't quite blow out the candles, Sophia had to help her.

Actually before most of those festivities we did some gifts, here is more furniture for her dollhouse. And then we opened up a card that Aunt Beth had sent. When I told her to sit down and open her card, she sat just like this and got really into it:

It was a precious card that had a cut out crown that said '3' on it.

She really loved it.

And then we received a card via email from Aunt Beth. It was hilarious. A talking Cat that said Happy Birthday. We watched it a dozen times or more! Both girls loved it. And then when I moved the mouse cursor back and forth the cat's eyes moved. After watching it the first time, Sophia said: 'how can her cat talk', I laughed out loud and told her that that cat was not actually 'Mr. T' (the name of Beth's cat), but another cat, and maybe it was a narnian cat!

Bella at 3:

• loves her doll baby, still
• loves to play 'mama'
• loves the colors orange, purple, and red
• loves her siblings (but can get angry at them all the same)
• loves to pick out her own clothes and would change clothes 4x/day if I let her
• likes to watch Dora
• likes to be read to
• likes to 'do math' with us
• is pretty much left handed
• loves fresh fruit over 'american' style sweet goodies
• loves dumplings, and almost any Chinese food (probably over and above western food)
• is such a talker, has a huge vocab in both languages, but sometimes reverts to acting like a baby, and not willing to use her words to communicate, interesting.
• she still sucks her thumb at nap time only (not night, we put tape on her fingers and it has worked so far, though she doesn't go to sleep as easily)
• She naps for about 1 hour in the afternoon
• she loves to touch her eyelashes (long as they are) with one finger, this too is like a 'comfort' to her, so interesting. 
• her most talked about feature here where we live is, of course, her curly blond hair
• She talks about going to school and is so excited about it
• She is a jokester
• she is brave in some areas, very shy in others
• when meeting new people she is very shy and slow to warm up
• She has a completely different personality from Sophia
• She and Sophia are best friends (and still fight a bit)

 Bella, you are so dearly loved, a precious gift to our family! We love you. Happy 3rd Birthday.