Here comes another week

It's Sunday night and I just put Lucy to bed ... an end of another weekend ... sigh. Only three weeks to go, however, until Christmas break. I can't wait for the break, but every time I think about it I am a little sad that we won't be going home. For those of you who don't know, after much consideration, we decided to change our plane ticket and not go home for Christmas. We just decided the time change and the long flight was too much for little Lucy. I know it is the right decision, but it still makes me sad. We'll sure miss everyone at home.
Anyway, it was a pretty mellow weekend. We went to a Christmas bazaar at the German Swiss International School on Saturday. It was WAY too crowded, so we didn't stay too long. Today we just hung around the house and did a little grocery shopping - nothing too exciting.
Lucy's obsession with placing things continues. After she was done eating last night, she picked the scraps of food off her shirt and meticulously placed them on the edge of her highchair. She cracks me up.

She's also obsessed with her dog and monkey - she was playing with them in her crib and then decided to curl up for a nap. Too cute. She's constantly walking around with the dog in one arm and the monkey in the other, giving them a huge bear hug. It's really sweet.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We sure missed home, but it was so good to see the family on the computer. Thank God for technology!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I didn't think Thanksgiving would be too special around here. Since we had to work today, I thought it would just be another regular day. Well, the work part was pretty regular, but the evening turned out to be pretty darn nice. The other day when Pete was at the mall, he found a restaurant that was serving Thanksgiving Dinner. I was going to make something at home, but the thought of preparing food without an oven (or a dishwasher) after a full-day's work got less appealing as Thanksgiving approached. So, we decided to give the restaurant a whirl. Today at school we invited one of our few fellow U.S. citizens (there are only five of us at our Canadian school), Linda, to join us and it turned out to be a lovely evening with good Thanksgiving food, great laughs, and good company. Even Lucy had a good time - and she sat in a booster seat for the first time.

Here we are on the way out the door - I actually think this is the beginning of a yawn, but it looks like she is excited for turkey dinner.

Lucy and Pete on the ferry ride to Kowloon.

Linda and Pete with their full-on Thanksgiving feast (pumpkin soup, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, pumpkin and apple pies - What more could we Yanks want?)

Lucy followed the meal with a good beer and then asked Pete when football was going to be on. :)

The entrance to the mall where the restaurant was ... I think it's pretty. There were about a million people outside taking pictures of this with their big cameras and tripods ... what is it with Asians and photography? Seriously.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We wish we were home celebrating with you, but we are sending you are love from across the ocean. Today I am so thankful for my family - the little one Pete and I are just beginning, the one that was there for me from day one, and the one I joined almost four years ago. I am so grateful for all of you - you are my greatest blessing.

A Very Interesting Day

Well, days like today make life interesting for sure ...
I decided to take the day off because I had my big ultrasound at the hospital this morning. Everything looks great and the doctor reconfirmed that it "looks like girl." So, back to the task of coming up with girl names. Anyway, after the doctor's appointment, I decided to take advantage of my day off and finish my Christmas shopping in Stanley. I had to make a quick stop to pick up some pictures and somewhere between the hospital and picking up pictures, I managed to lose my cell phone. Ugh! I went on to Stanley, got most of my shopping done, then headed home. I used Marianne's phone to call the taxi company to see if anyone had turned my phone in (yeah right) and while I'm on the phone the fire alarm starts to go off. Now would be a good time to remind you that we live on the 42nd floor. Well, the building is made of cement, so I wasn't too concerned about a fire, but I decided we should head downstairs just in case. I grabbed our important documents and my purse, and Marianne, Lucy, and I began our long trek down the stairs. I think around the 10th floor or so the alarm stopped ringing, but we continued down ... until we were stopped in our tracks on the 3rd floor when we came to a locked door and no way out. By this time there were about 8 of us trying to get out of the building. To make a long story short, we ended up trapped down there for like 25 minutes until some of my newfound Chinese friends were able to contact the staff of our apartment building and get us out. Even then we had to climb up a few sets of stairs until they were finally able to open the door! Needless to say, a complaint has been filed. Pete was irrate when he came home and heard the story and went straight downstairs to talk to the manager again. I mean, seriously, what if it had really been a fire? (Mom, Dad, Marge, Norm ... don't freak out. It's all o.k.). I guess it was a good drill for us (and the apartment complex) at any rate. Lucy handled it well - actually I think she thought it was a pretty fun adventure.
Here are some cute pictures from this evening ... enjoy!

A Coug Victory!

Given that neither UW nor WSU had anywhere near stellar seasons this year, Apple Cup was bound to be a good game. The fact that it was in Pullman gave me a little bit of hope for the Cougs, but other than that, they haven't given me much to believe in the season. Pete and I bet a week's worth of dinner - the person who's team lost had to cook dinner for an entire week, whatever the winner wanted. Well, today I've been planning my menu! Go Cougs! Yeah!
Other than the Coug win, it was a pretty good weekend. On Saturday we headed to the mall to attempt some Christmas shopping. There are 8 million people on the tiny island of Hong Kong and I think they were all at the mall this weekend, so we didn't get much done. We did take Lucy to "Snoopy Land," a free play area at the mall. She loved it, so that was good. If I would have known we were going there I would have brought the camera. This morning we woke up and walked to Starbucks for breakfast - an excellent way to start the day!
Here are some pictures I just took of Lucy. Can you tell she just woke up from her nap in the first picture?

Have a great week! I'll try to be a better blogger this week, although I can't make any guarantees. I have four weeks until Christmas break, which means there are four weeks to get all my letters done and all the college applications in this year. This is my busiest time of year, but hopefully it will calm down significantly in January.

Long Week

I only have a minute as I am on my way to IB Parent Night (insert puking sound here), but I didn't want to go two nights without posting. I took about a million pictures of Lucy this afternoon trying to get a good one - this is all I came up with - she's a pistol, that girl.

A Little Bit Crazy

So ... Pete, Lucy and I decided we need to decorate for Christmas this weekend. I know, I know it is way early - we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet! However, we don't get Thanksgiving here and Christmas is the only time our barely decorated, white walled, sanatorium-esque apartment looks remotely homey. We were craving "homey" - so we brought on the Christmas decor. It was actually pretty fun and Lucy loves all the lights! Here is Lucy giving a tour:

And one more picture for the road ... (This is a combo of a smile and the flash going off ...)

Saturday

Sorry for the three-day blog hiatus - things were a little crazy around here for the last two evenings and I didn't get a chance to post. Last night (at 10:00pm) I had an interview for what I thought would be a perfect job for me back in Portland. The Director of College Counseling position is available at a very prestigious private school in Portland, Oregon Episcopal School. The former director is leaving after 40 years on the job - can you believe that? It's especially difficult for me to imagine considering I have never had a job longer than two years - I think that is a little embarrassing for me, actually, but hopefully I am moving on to more long term pastures. Anyway, the interview went well, but it sounds like it is a competitive job pool. There are several acting directors of college counseling applying for the position. Also, the guy who interviewed me (he actually works for an educational search company) told me that private schools seldom, if ever, hire people who don't come for an on-campus interview, so it's likely they'll pass me by. It bums me a out a bit, not just because of the job, but because I think I would be a good fit there. I guess we'll see what happens. If this doesn't work out I am really hoping that I can find something where I am home as much as possible. There are several online schools these days that hopefully will have open positions. I would love to be able to stay home with my cute shmoos for at least a couple of years. As usual, time will tell all of these things.

Lucy is very difficult to take a picture of these days, as she doesn't hold still long enough and completely ignores me when I ask her to look at the camera. These pictures are from last night. She is really into placing things. She took all of her toys off the floor and put them up on the table. It's pretty cute (at least we think so, but it doesn't take much for us to oooo and ahh).

She then admired her excellent work.

Here is a video for Auntie Katy who I know is dying for one. It's not too exciting, but I hope you like it. BTW - The music in the background is from the kitchen. Pete cooked dinner last night and he must have his music to work! :)

Finally!

It is FINALLY getting cooler around here ... AMEN, Hallelujah! This morning when we were waiting for the bus, I was enjoying the cool breeze when one of our colleagues joined us in line. She immediately started complaining, talking about how "cold" it is and how she hates this weather. (BTW, it's like 70 degrees, not really cold in my book!). I stared at her in disbelief and realized once and for all (although, really this isn't too big of a jump) that Hong Kong is not the place for me. Have I mentioned I need seasons?
The upper school students are away on Experience Week this week, so the school is empty and I am just working away on both stuff for school and some other personal things I need to get done. It has been so great to have a week of calm and quiet with no interruptions. It would be perfect if I could bring Lucy with me and see her cute smile all day. Here are some pictures from this evening:

I think all parents realize at one time or another that expensive toys are never as exciting as a common household product, such as toilet paper. :)

Lucy is saying "nice" these days. I have been teaching her to pet her stuffed animals and say, "Nice bear," "Nice doggy," "Nice whale." I think she thinks they are all named "Nice." Anyway, I am hoping that I can teach her to pat gently so she's prepared when Shmoo 2 comes along.

Always in action playing with something. It's hard to get her to look up for a smile if she is determined to play.

Happy Veteran's Day - May we always remember those who have fought and died for our country.

Busy Weekend

It was a busy weekend around here ... well, actually only Saturday was busy - today was lazy, lazy as usual.  Saturday, however, Pete and I went into Shen Zhen to get started on our Christmas shopping.  While we were there, we had two sets of King-sized, Egyptian cotton sheets made for the King-sized bed we don't own yet, as well as a set of twin-sized sheets for Lucy for a bed she doesn't have nor can she even use yet. :)   During the last four years we have made many purchases like this for the house of "someday."  It will be interesting to see how it all turns out if and when the house of "someday" materializes.  Things like this are so cheap in Shen Zhen that it is hard to pass up even if it turns out to be a total flop.

Lucy is turning into quite the ham these days.  I think she is really starting to understand what the camera does and really turns on the charm when it is pointed at her.

I know this is an odd picture, but let me explain:  One of Lucy's new favorite activities is taking a sip of her drink and then slightly opening her mouth and letting it split out, down her chin, and all over her shirt.  She thinks it is hilarious and when I tell her "No, Lucy!" she laughs and laughs.  I am really in for it because truly she thinks me saying "No!" is the funniest thing ever.

I asked her to smile in this pic and this is the face I got.  She's pretty cute.

Have a good week!

History!

I have to admit it was a little weird being in a different country for such a monumental election, but it was moving and emotional nonetheless. I have to say that I am glad my daughters will grow up in a world where anything is truly possible and there are some pretty prominent examples to point to and prove it. This man has the weight of the world on his shoulders in the coming weeks, months, and years, but history has been made. Having been out of the country for the last four years I have personally witnessed the effect George W. has had on the world. Obama has a lot of fences to mend, but I have great hope that he can do so.

I know I have posted pictures similar to this several times, but I always find it so cute (plus it's the only picture I have tonight.) A couple of cuties if you ask me.

Happy Friday Junior!

Tuesday

I swear sometimes it is more difficult to be away from Lucy now than it was when she was just a wee babe. She is just so cute, exploring and discovering all the time. We took her to the doctor again today to get the 2nd half of her flu shot and the MMR. She is basically 24 pounds and 32.3 inches. She's a cute tall girl!

She loves to play with her puzzle she got for her birthday. Of course, by playing I mean gathering all the pieces, carting them around, and occasionally chewing on them. We are on a never-ending quest to find all the pieces.

She also love to wrestle with her stuffed animals, picking them all up at once to give them a great, big hug. Oh, she's cute!

We look forward to seeing who wins the election tomorrow. Don't forget to vote!

Random Pictures from the Evening

We had a lazy weekend around these parts. Pete went to a big rugby match between Australia and New Zeland. It was the first time the teams had played each other outside of their home countries. Lucy and I had a girls' day and went downtown to shop. On Sunday, we just hung out at home and relaxed. It was nice, although the weekend went too fast as usual. Here are some random pictures from the night.

Lucy loves her Daddy's doggy shirt - excellent choice BIL and SIL.

Lucy, Daddy, and the funnest toy in the world - the remote control!