Tuesday, March 18, 2008
3 Cute Kids!
Jon, Mijoung, and Chloie are leaving tomorrow morning. We sure are going to miss having them around!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Where does she come up with these things?
The other day I told Haley not to do something and she said, very seriously, "If you don't let me, I'll break all of your hair so you will be bald forever and ever."
We were trying so hard not to laugh.
We were trying so hard not to laugh.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
More Ocean Park
The Mine Train Rollercoaster
This is my favorite ride at Ocean Park. The rollercoaster is right on the edge of a huge cliff so when you are on it, you have the most amazing views of the ocean. At times, the track goes sideways at the edge of the cliff and all you can see is the ocean below you. Really cool. Mijoung and I went on it first, but the boys didn't take any pictures of us. (I guess because I had the camers, oops!)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Princess Haley
These pictures made the whole trip more than worth it. Haley has been wanting to meet Belle for so long and we've never seen her in our other Disneyland visits. So, she was thrilled when we spotted her. She was so cute taking the picture. She just stood there with a big smile, not moving or talking or anything. She was too excited.
I have to admit that all the parts about Disneyland that I used to just skip over (the parade, meeting the characters, etc.) are really so much fun with little kids. I think Britton and Haley are the perfect age to really soak in all the magic of Disney. It's been so much fun being able to watch them experience it.
Disneyland Fun
Mickey Mouse Waffles and Ice Cream
Holding up Saturn (don't mock my clothes, it's all I had after being thrown up on)
To Infinity and Beyond!
Just Another Manic Monday
This was my morning yesterday:
5:15 am--Alarm goes off in our hotel in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
5:20--Trying to wake the unwakable husband and kids
5:30--Check out of hotel
5:55--Get on the subway at Causeway Bay
6:00--Switch to the Red Line at Admiralty
6:05--Get off at Tsim Sha Tsui and walk underground to the East Rail Line
6:20--Get on the Train to Lo Woo
7:30--Cross the border at Lo Woo and get to Shenzhen
7:40--Wander around looking for a bus back to Clifford
7:54--On the bus heading home
8:15--Sleeping on the bus
9:00--Panicking because the bus is at a dead stand still on a bridge for at least 20 minutes
10:12--Arrive at Clifford bus station
10:15--On bus to Dynamic Garden
10:25--Walk in the door to my apartment, change my shirt and shoes, and back out again
10:28--Pedaling my bike as fast as I can to school
10:34--Walk into the school right as the warning bell rings for my first class
10:35--I begin teaching class.
We had a CRAZY weekend in Hong Kong. I was rushing to get back to work only because I tried to go back Sunday night with Britton and realized that we took the WRONG passports. We had Jason and Haley's passports and he had ours. We had to jump off the train and head back to the hotel. By the time we got there, it was too late to go back to China. And this was the end of a weekend full of crazy things. Here are some of the lowpoints from the weekend:
5:15 am--Alarm goes off in our hotel in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
5:20--Trying to wake the unwakable husband and kids
5:30--Check out of hotel
5:55--Get on the subway at Causeway Bay
6:00--Switch to the Red Line at Admiralty
6:05--Get off at Tsim Sha Tsui and walk underground to the East Rail Line
6:20--Get on the Train to Lo Woo
7:30--Cross the border at Lo Woo and get to Shenzhen
7:40--Wander around looking for a bus back to Clifford
7:54--On the bus heading home
8:15--Sleeping on the bus
9:00--Panicking because the bus is at a dead stand still on a bridge for at least 20 minutes
10:12--Arrive at Clifford bus station
10:15--On bus to Dynamic Garden
10:25--Walk in the door to my apartment, change my shirt and shoes, and back out again
10:28--Pedaling my bike as fast as I can to school
10:34--Walk into the school right as the warning bell rings for my first class
10:35--I begin teaching class.
We had a CRAZY weekend in Hong Kong. I was rushing to get back to work only because I tried to go back Sunday night with Britton and realized that we took the WRONG passports. We had Jason and Haley's passports and he had ours. We had to jump off the train and head back to the hotel. By the time we got there, it was too late to go back to China. And this was the end of a weekend full of crazy things. Here are some of the lowpoints from the weekend:
- Britton throwing up on me twice on the bus (and I only brought one change of clothes since we were only planning on being there one night)
- Chloie not being allowed through the border to Hong Kong, so they had to go back to Clifford to get some paper
- Me crying in front of the border people, begging them to let us back through to help Jon, Mijoung, and Chloie
- Not being able to find them, so just heading to Disneyland without them
- Trying to meet up with Jon and company later that evening at the Mongkok Subway station (There are 2 different Mongkok subway stations--who knew?), we wandered around looking for them for about an hour. This alone could merit a whole post. It was quite comical I'm sure if someone would have been watching us. We were both in a few block radius looking for each other. At one point, Jason's phone died and we got out the charger, found an outlet on the side of the road, and plugged it in to charge. We must have looked pretty silly sitting there on the sidewalk with a phone plugged in, trying to figure out where they were. This would have worked, except that then Jason's phone ran out of minutes. So, it was back to wandering to look for a pay phone. When we did finally contact them again, they were seriously, right around the corner from us. We hung up the phone and they walked around the corner.
- Sleeping on the top bunk with Haley (Fun, but not the most comfortable night's sleep)
- Jon, Mijoung, and Chloie needing new visas in order to get back into China so we had to stay until Monday
- Trying to find another hotel for 2 more nights
- Buying new clothes at the market, then having none of them fit me, so I still ended up wearing the same shirt for 3 days (at least it wasn't the one that got thrown up on)
- Then, worth being mentioned again, taking the wrong passports when trying to go home--Where was my head? It was such a fitting ending to crazy few days.
The weekend actually was so much fun too, but EVERYTHING went wrong. Luckily, we are all back safe and sound. I'll be posting some pics of the GOOD things that happened over the weekend soon.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Celebrating Haley
I want to attempt to write about some of my feelings for my precious little girl. I cannot even begin to express how blessed I am to have Haley in my life. She is full of passion and energy. She does everything with conviction. She has such a great imagination and a big a heart. It's so much fun just observing her. She really is one of the funniest people I know. She is strong-willed and determined and independent. She wants to do things her way. But, she also has a very sweet, grateful heart. Lately, whenever we tell her about something we are going to be doing, even if it's something small, she gets so excited, gives me a hug and a kiss and says "Thank you, Mommy". She says, "I love you" all the time and it just melts my heart. Another phrase she says quite often is, "I'm so exciting!" instead of excited. It's so cute and she says it with such emotion while jumping up and down.
It's been really hard for me to have to work this year and not get to spend everyday playing with her. She's a morning person, just like me, so we get to spend some alone time each morning while the boys are still asleep. But, that makes it harder for me to leave. She tries to block the door every morning and hangs on me saying, "I want you to want me" (We have that song on our itunes and we always sing it and dance around to it). It's so cute when she says it but it makes it that much harder for me to leave everyday.
I think back to when I was waiting for Haley to come. She was a week late and I didn't think she would ever come. Now I can't imagine life without her. I was looking through my journal, reading some things about right before Haley came. I found a poem that I wrote 3 days before she was born. Here it is:
Waiting
and
waiting
and
waiting
there's no distraction good enough
to take my mind off of what
I want most
to see my child
hold her in my arms
touch her face
look into her eyes
and be in heaven for an instant.
I still love to hold her in my arms, touch her face, and look into her eyes. And I'm always in heaven when I am with her.
It's been really hard for me to have to work this year and not get to spend everyday playing with her. She's a morning person, just like me, so we get to spend some alone time each morning while the boys are still asleep. But, that makes it harder for me to leave. She tries to block the door every morning and hangs on me saying, "I want you to want me" (We have that song on our itunes and we always sing it and dance around to it). It's so cute when she says it but it makes it that much harder for me to leave everyday.
I think back to when I was waiting for Haley to come. She was a week late and I didn't think she would ever come. Now I can't imagine life without her. I was looking through my journal, reading some things about right before Haley came. I found a poem that I wrote 3 days before she was born. Here it is:
Waiting
and
waiting
and
waiting
there's no distraction good enough
to take my mind off of what
I want most
to see my child
hold her in my arms
touch her face
look into her eyes
and be in heaven for an instant.
I still love to hold her in my arms, touch her face, and look into her eyes. And I'm always in heaven when I am with her.
Another Picture
Pink Princess Party
Haley's birthday party was so much fun! Haley requested that everyone wear pink, if possible. We played her favorite game, the animal game (charades). Then we had cake and ice cream and opened presents. Then everyone hung out and played. It was just perfect for her. She loved having everyone over just for her. Here are a few pictures, sorry they are a bit blurry, my camera was on a weird setting--I hate that.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Guess Who Came to Visit?
This cute little girl! And her parents--my brother, Jon and his wife, Mijoung.
Britton and Haley are having so much fun playing with their cousin. 
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Blog Confession
I still feel like I am just faking it as a wife and mother the majority of the time.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Mind Reader
Mind Reader.
I have to add that to the list of my Aiee's good qualities. She really is amazing.
Yesterday when I left for work, I asked Jason if he would call the front desk and arrange to have our linens changed. Since where we live is also a hotel, you can pay for maid service through the hotel. We've never done it since our aiee cleans for us, but our white duvet cover and sheets and pillowcases were all starting to look a little bit dingy. So, we thought we'd pay just to have all of our linens changed. When I got home from work and my bed was made with nice, clean, fresh linens, I just figured Jason did it, so I thanked him. He said, "Oh, I didn't do it, Aiee just did it this afternoon, it's like she can read our minds." We really are so blessed to have such a great person working with us.
I have to add that to the list of my Aiee's good qualities. She really is amazing.
Yesterday when I left for work, I asked Jason if he would call the front desk and arrange to have our linens changed. Since where we live is also a hotel, you can pay for maid service through the hotel. We've never done it since our aiee cleans for us, but our white duvet cover and sheets and pillowcases were all starting to look a little bit dingy. So, we thought we'd pay just to have all of our linens changed. When I got home from work and my bed was made with nice, clean, fresh linens, I just figured Jason did it, so I thanked him. He said, "Oh, I didn't do it, Aiee just did it this afternoon, it's like she can read our minds." We really are so blessed to have such a great person working with us.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Clean Hands and a Pure Heart
I taught the Relief Society lesson yesterday. I am the 4th Sunday teacher so I always have to teach from the conference talks. I love it because there are so many good things in the talks, but it's also hard because it's not in "lesson" format. I always struggle to come up with a good sequence and ask good questions to get a discussion going. But, afterwards, I always come away having learned a lot. In fact, every single one of the talks that I've had to teach about have come at times when I really needed to hear the message contained in them.
I just wanted to jot down a few of the quotes that I really enjoyed from yesterday's lesson. It was taken from Elder Bednar's talk called "Clean Hands and a Pure Heart".
The first quote just jumped out at me and really spoke to me. It says, "The purpose of our mortal journey is not merely to see the sights on earth or to expend our allotment of time on self-centered pursuits; rather, we are to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4), to become sanctified by yielding our hearts unto God (see Helaman 3:35), and to obtain "the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16)."
I guess the real reason I noticed it so much is because the last little while my life focus has been "to see the sights on earth". Since we have been in China, I have been planning vacations, wanting to fit in as many places as possible. At Christmas, I remember telling Jason that our Christmas felt really selfish this year. Being far away from family, we didn't really think about anyone but ourselves. I am not saying that seeing the sights of the world or focusing on ourselves is always bad, it just shouldn't be our main focus. So, it was good for me to reflect and think about how I can "walk in newness of life", yield my heart to God, and obtain "the mind of Christ".
Here are two more quotes that I really enjoyed:
"Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that 'we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' (Mosiah 5:12), as did King Benjamin's people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted."
"All our worthy desires and good works, as necesary as they are, can never produce clean hands and a pure heart. It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength. The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us."
I enjoyed the whole talk. It was really a good reminder to me of the power of the atonement. That it's not just there to get rid of sin, but also the desire to sin. It doesn't just cleanse, it also sanctifies and changes our hearts. And it's up to us to allow the Spirit to work that change in us. It is not good enough to merely avoid evil, we need to fill our lives with good. We can continually improve as the Spirit works a miracle in our hearts.
I just wanted to jot down a few of the quotes that I really enjoyed from yesterday's lesson. It was taken from Elder Bednar's talk called "Clean Hands and a Pure Heart".
The first quote just jumped out at me and really spoke to me. It says, "The purpose of our mortal journey is not merely to see the sights on earth or to expend our allotment of time on self-centered pursuits; rather, we are to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4), to become sanctified by yielding our hearts unto God (see Helaman 3:35), and to obtain "the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16)."
I guess the real reason I noticed it so much is because the last little while my life focus has been "to see the sights on earth". Since we have been in China, I have been planning vacations, wanting to fit in as many places as possible. At Christmas, I remember telling Jason that our Christmas felt really selfish this year. Being far away from family, we didn't really think about anyone but ourselves. I am not saying that seeing the sights of the world or focusing on ourselves is always bad, it just shouldn't be our main focus. So, it was good for me to reflect and think about how I can "walk in newness of life", yield my heart to God, and obtain "the mind of Christ".
Here are two more quotes that I really enjoyed:
"Repenting of our sins and seeking forgiveness are spiritually necessary, and we must always do so. But remission of sin is not the only or even the ultimate purpose of the gospel. To have our hearts changed by the Holy Spirit such that 'we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' (Mosiah 5:12), as did King Benjamin's people, is the covenant responsibility we have accepted."
"All our worthy desires and good works, as necesary as they are, can never produce clean hands and a pure heart. It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength. The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us."
I enjoyed the whole talk. It was really a good reminder to me of the power of the atonement. That it's not just there to get rid of sin, but also the desire to sin. It doesn't just cleanse, it also sanctifies and changes our hearts. And it's up to us to allow the Spirit to work that change in us. It is not good enough to merely avoid evil, we need to fill our lives with good. We can continually improve as the Spirit works a miracle in our hearts.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
I love jetlag!
Okay, I love it when Jason has jetlag. It's the only time in our married life that we have close to the same sleeping schedule. He is such a night person and I am such a morning person. Last night he went to bed at about 8:00 which I didn't really like since I wanted to hang out with him more, but then this morning when I woke up at the early hour of 5:30, he actually wanted to get up with me. What a nice treat. It was so much fun having a few hours before the kids got up and then having someone help me make breakfast and get the kids ready. I had such a fun morning. We even got to play a few rounds of Dr. Mario before I had to go to work. I hope his jetlag lasts a long time, like forever.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Royalty
I had to wear a crown all evening yesterday.
Haley called me queen and I had to call her princess.
Girls are so much fun!
Haley called me queen and I had to call her princess.
Girls are so much fun!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
My Sweet, Tender-Hearted Boy
While we were hanging around the house all day today, I turned on some music. The song, "You and Me" by Lifehouse came on and Britton said, "Dad really likes this song." I agreed and said that I liked it too. A few minutes later, Britton said, "This song just makes me think of Dad. I really miss him." Then a few minutes later, I looked over and there were tears running down his face. It was the cutest crying I have ever seen. He has the most tender heart. I tried talking to him and asked him if he wanted me to turn off the music or if he wanted to call Jason and talk to him. He didn't want either. It was like he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts, missing his dad.
We will all be so happy in a few days when Jason gets home.
We will all be so happy in a few days when Jason gets home.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Our Latest Adventure
So, the family next door all got lice early in the week. They got it from some other girls in the building who got it from another girl in the building. Anyway, seeing as we were hanging out with all of these people at our neighbor's house on Sunday night (before anyone knew they had it), I figured my kids would probably get it. And since my kids have been sleeping with me since Jason has been gone, I figured I would probably get. So, I have been checking my kids all week long.
Yesterday morning after Haley's bath, I was combing her hair and I saw a bug. So, I immediately checked Britton. Then I called Jason to complain to him about how unfair it is that I have to do this while he is away.
I didn't find anything on Britton, but I decided to just give him a buzz cut to be sure. He needed a haircut anyway. And then I put all of our pillows, blankets, clothes, etc. out on the balcony. I kept trying to call one of our neighbors who has the shampoo for it, but they were gone all day yesterday. So, I had no idea what to do.
I went to the pharmacy and tried to explain what I needed. None of them spoke English so I just pointed to my kid's heads and tried to make a crawling bug with my hand. The lady seemed to think she understood me and she gave me a tube of cream that I purchased. When I got home, I asked the people at the front desk what the cream is for. They read the labels and told me it was a skin cream for rashes. So, then I asked them where I could get some shampoo for lice and they told me to go to the hospital.
So, I took the kids to the hospital. I went to a dermatologist and luckily she spoke English. But, unluckily, she treated us like we had the plague or something. I told her I thought we all had lice and she was horrified. She didn't even check us. She just asked why I thought that. I told her about our neighbors and she asked what nationality they are (can you believe that?). I told her U.S. and she said, "Americans with head lice?" all amazed. Then she preceded to tell me that only poor, dirty people get lice which of course I know better than to believe her. She said that no one in the city gets it, just people living out in the villages. Anyway, she told me I needed to cut Britton's hair all the way off (remember, I just gave him a buzz) and that I also needed to do it to Haley. And if I have it too I would also need to cut my hair off. Then she prescribed 2 tubes of something to wash ourselves with and then wrote down the name of some cream that we can't even get here, we'll have to go outside of Clifford to a pharmacy to get it. Anyway, it was quite the experience at the doctor. Luckily, I am informed enough (and I can look things up on the internet) that I know I don't have to cut all our hair off to treat it.
Melanie came over and checked my head (now that's a true friend!) and she didn't find anything at all. I checked both my kids again in the evening and I can't find any bugs or nits (the eggs). So, now I'm wondering if I totally imagined the first bug I saw just out of paranoia. I don't think so because I was pretty sure I saw at least one on Britton during the haircut too. But, maybe I caught it soon enough that there weren't a bunch of eggs yet or something. Anyway, I'm still treating us all with the stuff I got from the doctor and sterilizing all of our bedding and keeping us quarantined from everyone until I am 100% certain it's gone. Better to be safe than sorry on this one.
So, all day long today, I have been doing laundry. But, it's not as easy as it sounds. Our washer and dryer are very small so they can't hold much. Also, there is no hot setting on our washer so I have to soak everything in boiling water first to make sure to kill any bugs and eggs that might be there. So, I put a batch of clothes in the tub, boil water on the stove, then pour it in the tub and let them soak for a good 1/2 hour. Then I wash them and dry them. This is such a long process and I still have stacks outside on the balcony waiting to be washed. Has anyone every tried soaking a king-size down comforter in boiling water in your tub and then waiting for it to cool enough so that you can wring it out so that you can actually lift it and carry it into your washer? Yep, good times.
I know that it's no fun getting rid of lice anywhere, but I can't help but wish I was in America to deal with this. I could really use my HUGE washer and dryer with hot settings right now. And a Walmart right down the street where I can buy some lice shampoo and talk to someone in English about the best things to do. Even though it will probably be good and gone by the time Jason gets back, I'm still having him bring several treatments back with him. Just in case.
Yesterday morning after Haley's bath, I was combing her hair and I saw a bug. So, I immediately checked Britton. Then I called Jason to complain to him about how unfair it is that I have to do this while he is away.
I didn't find anything on Britton, but I decided to just give him a buzz cut to be sure. He needed a haircut anyway. And then I put all of our pillows, blankets, clothes, etc. out on the balcony. I kept trying to call one of our neighbors who has the shampoo for it, but they were gone all day yesterday. So, I had no idea what to do.
I went to the pharmacy and tried to explain what I needed. None of them spoke English so I just pointed to my kid's heads and tried to make a crawling bug with my hand. The lady seemed to think she understood me and she gave me a tube of cream that I purchased. When I got home, I asked the people at the front desk what the cream is for. They read the labels and told me it was a skin cream for rashes. So, then I asked them where I could get some shampoo for lice and they told me to go to the hospital.
So, I took the kids to the hospital. I went to a dermatologist and luckily she spoke English. But, unluckily, she treated us like we had the plague or something. I told her I thought we all had lice and she was horrified. She didn't even check us. She just asked why I thought that. I told her about our neighbors and she asked what nationality they are (can you believe that?). I told her U.S. and she said, "Americans with head lice?" all amazed. Then she preceded to tell me that only poor, dirty people get lice which of course I know better than to believe her. She said that no one in the city gets it, just people living out in the villages. Anyway, she told me I needed to cut Britton's hair all the way off (remember, I just gave him a buzz) and that I also needed to do it to Haley. And if I have it too I would also need to cut my hair off. Then she prescribed 2 tubes of something to wash ourselves with and then wrote down the name of some cream that we can't even get here, we'll have to go outside of Clifford to a pharmacy to get it. Anyway, it was quite the experience at the doctor. Luckily, I am informed enough (and I can look things up on the internet) that I know I don't have to cut all our hair off to treat it.
Melanie came over and checked my head (now that's a true friend!) and she didn't find anything at all. I checked both my kids again in the evening and I can't find any bugs or nits (the eggs). So, now I'm wondering if I totally imagined the first bug I saw just out of paranoia. I don't think so because I was pretty sure I saw at least one on Britton during the haircut too. But, maybe I caught it soon enough that there weren't a bunch of eggs yet or something. Anyway, I'm still treating us all with the stuff I got from the doctor and sterilizing all of our bedding and keeping us quarantined from everyone until I am 100% certain it's gone. Better to be safe than sorry on this one.
So, all day long today, I have been doing laundry. But, it's not as easy as it sounds. Our washer and dryer are very small so they can't hold much. Also, there is no hot setting on our washer so I have to soak everything in boiling water first to make sure to kill any bugs and eggs that might be there. So, I put a batch of clothes in the tub, boil water on the stove, then pour it in the tub and let them soak for a good 1/2 hour. Then I wash them and dry them. This is such a long process and I still have stacks outside on the balcony waiting to be washed. Has anyone every tried soaking a king-size down comforter in boiling water in your tub and then waiting for it to cool enough so that you can wring it out so that you can actually lift it and carry it into your washer? Yep, good times.
I know that it's no fun getting rid of lice anywhere, but I can't help but wish I was in America to deal with this. I could really use my HUGE washer and dryer with hot settings right now. And a Walmart right down the street where I can buy some lice shampoo and talk to someone in English about the best things to do. Even though it will probably be good and gone by the time Jason gets back, I'm still having him bring several treatments back with him. Just in case.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
