In The Moment

We're Moving!!!

2011-07-31T16:59:00.003+08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you so much for being a part of our lives here at "In the Moment" over the last 3 years. I love the community of bloggers/ readers that we get to share our lives with via internet. Today (in 2 hours) our family sets off on a year long trip from Hong Kong- Philippines-South Africa- Mozambique- Hong Kong- America. We are very excited, nervous, and expectant. For the next year we will be writing at our new blog "Moving in the Moment". Please add us to your RSS feed and come along with us as a "follower" (no vaccines necessary!) We value your friendship and look forward to hearing from you in blogland!!

Much Love,
Christine and gang

Staying Cool

2011-07-25T22:04:00.002+08:00

We go to the pool practically every afternoon these days since it is like 140 degrees here. It has been really fun to watch Josiah's confidence in the water take off. Last summer he didn't even like being splashed in the face and now he dives under water. Annette is a little water bug too and nods her head and smiles after we dunk her.

When there is not a pool around there is icecream. I love summer. How are you staying cool?

Summer School Safari

2011-07-16T13:36:00.004+08:00

Here are a few pictures from Josiah's first two weeks of summer school. The theme was the Rainforest and the teachers did a fabulous job really transforming the kindergarten into a tropical paradise. It is such a great feeling to entrust him to wonderful Christian teachers that we know. Most mornings Josiah gets a little reluctant to go, but he is all smiles at the end of the day and proud to show us his work. Parents are not allowed to volunteer, but we got these photos off the school's website.

He's pretty easy to spot with his blond hair (:

This was on safari dress up day

I am excited to get to take Josiah to school now as Jason takes his turn teaching.

Spontaneous

2011-07-16T13:12:00.005+08:00

Jason and I love being spontaneous, but have come to learn 1 and 3 year olds prefer routine. One thing we've loved about having a car this month is the ability to explore more spontaneously. On Friday Jason picked me up from school and our two tired tots were asleep before we got home.

Seizing the opportunity I spontaneously grabbed some frappacinos from Starbucks and we drove our little bug almost to the China border. We pulled off the road at one point to have a good conversation at a vista overlooking a waterfall.

Around this time the kids woke up, but in the spirit of spontaneity we decided to stop by Tai Mei Tuk on the way home for a Friday afternoon bike ride. 30 minutes was all our kids really needed, but it was so refreshing and beautiful.

Josiah put his arm protectively around Annette- so sweet!

By the time the bike ride was over our lack of planning had caught up to us and we had a a baby in a soggy diaper and a starving little boy. It was so nice to zip home rather that wait for the bus and train.

Wordless Wednesday- Spreading the Love

2011-07-13T19:09:00.000+08:00

Getting Out

2011-07-05T10:47:00.004+08:00

Our first summer in Hong Kong is now in full swing. I drop Christine and Josiah off at summer school and then I get to hang with my little girl all morning. She is now an adamant walker, which means greater exploration. Speaking of exploration, with our friend's car we have been able to zip around this beautiful place. Annette has been my co-pilot on these adventures.

Independence Day

2011-07-04T19:54:00.004+08:00

(thanks Sara for the title)

While all you Americans were grilling burgers and watching fireworks, we were kicking off the 4th with summer school! We have been preparing Josiah for this school experience for a while and took him last Saturday to tour the school, find the toilets, meet his teachers etc. He seemed very confident and prepared this morning. The summer program was a big jump for Josiah since he has never really been in anything organized unless I was teaching it. And it is 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. He goes to five different teachers for music, art, science, pe, and reading. Pretty full on. The teachers are great and although he is a minority (actually the only white kid) he didn't seem to notice. Josiah reported that he cried a "little bit" but had fun. Fortunately I was teaching at the elementary campus which distracted me from thinking about my big boy that became more independent today.

Biola Reunion

2011-07-03T22:33:00.002+08:00

Five years ago we had a reunion when Biola University's beloved president Clyde Cook was in HK. This week the new president Barry Correy was on an Asia tour so we had the chance to meet him. We also got to hear more about the vision Biola has for the future. It was interesting to meet other alumni in the city and one family that came from mainland China. We LOVED our years at Biola and were deeply impacted by our time there. We hope one day our kids can have a similar university expereince, but we'd better get saving because the sticker price is now 38K a year. Yikes!

Sunset on Monte Vista

2011-07-01T00:06:00.006+08:00

Monday was our last night in Tower 2, 35 Floor, Flat A at Monte Vista. Although we only lived here a year this little home will forever hold sweet memories for me of bicycle rides on the podium, beautiful ocean and mountain views, and a baby pitter pattering happily across the wooden floors. One thing we especially enjoyed about our time here has been the sunsets.

So the last week has been busy as I've been tutoring a lot and going through a very sophisticated/ creative packing, loaning, selling, storing, donating, trashing process. What little stuff we have left is now residing in five different locations across Hong Kong. Cray-zee!I guess the kids have been a bit neglected and I even said "mmm hmmm" from another room when Josiah announced that he was "dwawing on Annette". Yeah, that was permanent marker
Anyways, but look at my sweet accomplishment. An entire kitchen in ONE plastic bin. Don't ask me how I did it.

We are now moved into our friends' house in Tai Po while they are away in Canada. The home is spacious and so accommodating for our family's needs. We have the use of their two cars (we've never driven in HK, it is so nice) and wait for it. . . . . a domestic helper! That means no cooking, dishes, laundry, cleaning for a month plus free child care! We love Elsa and are so thankful for this peaceful arrangement in this time of transition. Here is a pic of Annette and I playing the piano today in our "new house". Here ends one chapter and begins another.

Annette

2011-06-23T22:13:00.001+08:00

Annette is a happy, healthy 15 month old. It seems like she has been a baby for a long time since she is still bald, chubby, cuddly and not really walking. When Josiah was her age he was running circles around us and could not stop moving if he tried. So we are certainly not in a rush for our baby girl to grow up.
Annette Adores. . .
-swinging
- sitting in the shopping cart
- our Nepalese security guard "Mr. Dave"
- Daddy
- really, just men in general
- music, pop music will get her grooving
- waving to people we pass
- Dogs, she goes nuts, starts panting and repeating "Dogga" 3oo times
- water
- sand
- smearing yogurt, spaghetti, (fill in the blank) all over her body
- food of any kind, the only foods she hasn't liked are falafel and Vegemite
- using sign language, especially if it gets her more food
- cleaning up toys
- flashing big smiles
- cruising on her little car
- sleeping in her crib, just say "nigh, nigh" and her thumb goes in and her eyelids shut
Annette Abhors . . .
- any eating she can't participate in
- Josiah in my lap without her
- when I hold another baby
- being in the stroller longer than 10 minutes
- diaper changes, she is a real wiggle
- having her finger nails trimmed
- being tired away from her crib
- headbands
- getting teeth (she is cutting her 16th tooth right now, then she is done for a while!)

Trick or Treat?

2011-06-22T21:51:00.006+08:00

Tonight we went out to sushi with our friends the Lawrences who are leaving Hong Kong. After dinner we got frozen yogurt and were standing around the mall talking. This of course is very boring to Josiah so he practiced his new little trick. He has learned to walk into Chinese shops, flash his friendly smile and make some small talk ("what are you doing?"). If Josiah loiters long enough he is inevitably rewarded with a treat or two or five in the case of the "Santa Claus" in our neighborhood. These "treats" always come in Chinese packaging and usually contain seaweed, corn, sweet potatoes or something of that nature. So tonight was no different, except Josiah happened to wander into a Chinese medicine shop. First they gave him and "Mui Mui" (sister) some wafer candy. But when he came around again they gave him a taste of his own medicine, so to speak. They offered him a dried cicada, cockroach and wasp!
Josiah did not know how to respond and I thought for a moment he might eat it! Later they offered to break off a piece of dried snake for him and then he really started to squirm. I don't know who was laughing harder me or the shop owner (:

In case you are not familiar with Chinese medicine shops, allow me to introduce you. They sell everything under the sun to be used in soups and tea remedies. As you can see there are deer antlers, seahorses, deer tails, and dried worms to name a few

Daddy's Day

2011-06-19T12:49:00.007+08:00

The estate where we live "decorates" for holidays with a series of cheesy posters. Last month for Mother's Day there was a poster of a woman's hands chopping and preparing a table full of food. I couldn't help but be struck by the double- standard when I saw the Father's Day poster. . .

Here is Jason on Father's Day last year

Here they are this year

In the process of cleaning out (in preparation for our move) I found a can of pumpkin I had been stashing. Jason said pumpkin pie sounded good, so I made him a very untraditional Father's Day pie. We discovered that cold pumpkin pie tastes delicous in June heat! We are certainly feeling unAmerican this summer though. It gets even worse because Josiah's first day of school is July 4th. At least Jason is still proudly sporting his Wal-Mart red, white and blue shirt (:

Happy Day to All the Fathers!!!

International Dragon Boat Races

2011-06-18T17:30:00.007+08:00

This is the first summer that we have ever spent in Hong Kong. So far we are making the most of it and today participated in an annual event that we always miss, the Dragon Boat Races. There were teams from all over the world competing in Victoria harbor. Part of the harbor was portioned off by dredging ships to block the big swells from rocking the thin, canoe like dragon boats. Each team had a captian who sat at the front beating a giant drum that the rowers keep time to. Another person stood at the back of the boat to steer using a long stick. Four boats raced at a time, completing three laps (around 2 miles total). In spite of the sweltering heat, we had a good time. What are you doing over the summer?

Josiah Lines

2011-06-16T19:43:00.002+08:00

Josiah saw a chicken in the grocery store, they come with eyes (closed) and feet here, and pointed saying, “Look mommy the chicken’s sleeping in the bag!”

Josiah loves to say, “Don’t be jealous mommy” (he learned this line from a Robert Munch book). He says it all the time, and always out of context

Josiah got a little rugby ball that turns into a towel when placed in water. He was very disappointed at this turn of events and screamed frantically for 30 minutes shouting “make the ball come back!!” Not a good trade to a three year old.

We babysat Jason’s class hamster for a weekend and I said, “look Josiah, the hamster has whiskers”. To which he replied, “Yeah, whiskers like daddy.”

Josiah off- handedly remarked to Jason last week, “thank you for putting your shoes away daddy.” Nothing like positive reinforcement.

During bedtime prayers I was describing to Josiah how much Jesus loves him. He replied matter of factly, “I want to see Jesus on the computer”. Anybody know Jesus' skype address?

I was describing to Josiah how he used to be in my tummy. He cocked his head and said, “please mommy, I want to go again.”

Picture Potpourri

2011-06-10T15:02:00.005+08:00

We're back! We've been working on our list and getting into summer mode. Here's what we've been up to the last week. . .

Swimming. Mostly at the pool, and sometimes on the train platform.

Beaching

Ocean Parking

Umbrellaing the Sun (Chinese Style)

Groving

Entertaining energetic 6th graders

(This is for you Renee) Have you ever seen a vine eating a jeep?

Random I know, but I liked it. Have a great weekend!!

Life Update

2011-05-31T13:21:00.007+08:00

Things are really heating up for us in Hong Kong (literally and figuratively). Here is a little window into what we have cookin'

Summer Schedule:
June 11- Jason's last day at school
June 13- 30- Christine runs Writing Clinics tutoring all morning long
June 30- move out of our house and into a friend's place for July
June 4- 17-Christine teaches Summer School at ICS
June 18- 29 Jason teaches ICS summer school and coaches soccer camp in the afternoon
June 4- 29- Josiah attends pre- school summer school (:
August 1- Fly to the Philippines

*Oh, I guess I should update you that we will be spending August serving in the Philippines with ICM. In September we will then be flying to South Africa. I am SO excited about this change and can't wait to hug those beautiful children!!!*

Here is a picture of Josiah recovering from his first round of vaccines

It feels like there are a million things to do. Fortunately I am a detail person so I have hit my stride. I much prefer prefer longs lists to ambiguity.

To- Do List: (more for me than you)
HEALTH
-vaccinate (2 rounds) and get malaria pills
- test children's blood type
- stock up on Josiah's asthma medicine
- order vitamins for kids
- get supplies of antibiotics and various other medicines/ first aid
- choose and purchase the right health insurance for our family

HOME
- Sell, loan, store or pack all possessions (this is the biggie!)- to save money we actually are not getting a storage unit which means we have AMAZING friends who are sacrificing space in their tiny flats for our stuff. Can you believe that!?!
- get rid of Josiah's toys without devastating him
- Cancel our utilities and cell phones
- Re- paint parts of our flat and do minor repair work

SHOPPING
- Purchase travel items like pack 'n play sheets, travel booster seat etc.
- Select and order water filtration system
- Buy gifts for people we meet along the way
- Keep our luggage under 40 kg.
- research and buy best mosquito nets and repellent
- buy travel nebulizer in case of a severe asthma attack

LOGISTICS
- Book accommodations for Philippines
- Buy plane tickets (we have some already) and apply for visas at Philippines and Mozambique consulates
- Confirm stay at IRIS South Africa
- Have a follow- up meeting with ICM coordinator

PAPERWORK
- Gather reference letters
- Apply to Harvest School of Mission in Mozambique (applications accepted tomorrow!)
- Synthesize and prepare teacher- training materials for working in schools
-Create budget for the year and hope it works (:
- Copy and organize all important travel documents and emergency information

TECHNOLOGY
- Back up everything onto two external hard drives
- Determine whether to bring laptop
- Create new blog and newsletters to communicate with friends and family

SPIRITUAL
- meet with Pastors for counseling and wisdom
- be prayed for and "sent off" by our church
- seek the Father's heart, stay humble, dependent and willing
- take captive fear and walk in faith

2011-05-23T13:44:00.003+08:00

At the moment I am reading A Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, which is challenging me to embrace beauty in the ordinary. This is especially easy for me since I know after June my "ordinary" life will be a bit upside down. Here is my list of ten "gifts" from the last week:

1. air conditioning box turned architectural wonder

2. clean diapers

3. smiles on wheels

4. pudgy fingers in paint

5. big guitar, small boy

6. "fire trees" ablaze

7. welcoming the first storm of the season

8. car collections

9. crabs under rocks

10. nap time

May Moments

2011-05-17T13:37:00.002+08:00

Well I'm not sure what happened to March and April's Moments, but here are some video clips from this month. A big shout out to Grandpa Paine for the amazing airplane ("baby bluebird") he made for Josiah's birthday. Our living room is now a tarmac.
I also apologize for the camera- mom's obnoxious voice. I try to drown it out with the music (:

Still Got It

2011-05-10T15:00:00.005+08:00

This past Sunday Jason entered the first track meet he has competed in for 13 years. He was a bit nervous and didn't have the time to train like he wanted to, but he proved that he's still got it!

Jason was the only competitor without a Chinese name and by far the oldest in the race, with most of the runners born in the mid- 90s. Ai- ya!

Jason's biggest fans

Jason ran the 1500 (almost a mile) and kept to the middle of the pack for most of the race. He took the lead the last lap and held it for a strong finish. His time was 4:25!! Although Jason didn't win the overall race, he won his heat- which was so exciting to watch
This is what it looks like to leave everything on the track. We are proud of you babe!

Zeros Don't Count

2011-05-09T13:59:00.001+08:00

Me: Josiah, today is mommy's birthday. I'm 30.
Josiah: I'm three too! (showing me his 3 fingers)

Josiah Turns 3!

2011-05-08T14:48:00.006+08:00

Josiah's birthday was actually last Sunday sandwiched between the wedding and skyjump. For reasons of sanity we decided to postpone his celebration to the following weekend. We had a small, low- key gathering with friends which was just perfect. Josiah is so proud to be three and loves to show perfect strangers his three fingers and say "I'm this many"
We walked to this beach near our house and met up with Josiah's buds Malcolm and Jack along with their families
Guess who forgot to bring swimsuits. . . not a problem!

After playing at the beach we walked over to a BBQ site (pronounced Be- be-Q in HK) and they have a bounce house for kids- fun!
Annette practiced her walking with Jamila (she CAN walk now, but prefers to crawl)

The guys and the meat

For dessert we baked chocolate cake over the fire inside of hollowed out oranges. It turned out soo yummy and moist especially with buttercream frosting on top.

It was such a fun, relaxed birthday. We love you Josiah and are so thankful for three wonderful years with you!!

Facing Fears II: The Jump

2011-05-04T13:23:00.005+08:00

Who: My friend of 5 years Emily and I. We watched our husbands sky- dive together in New Zealand and since we both turned 30 within a few weeks of each other, we decided it was our turn to do something crazy! We had four children under 3 waiting for us at the bottom!

What: SkyJump from the Macau Tower- about 75 floors high. They boast the tallest bungy jump in the world. We didn't bungy jump, we had a controlled fall, feet first.

Where: China's special administrative region Macau (China's Las Vegas)

Why: I am the world's biggest chicken (really) so I need to be intentional to do things to get out of my comfort zone. I want my life to be driven by love, not bullied by fear (1 John 4:18)

glass bottom floor- look how small the ground is!!

We are HIGH!!

This is my nervous/ excited smile (can you tell?) We were so hyper and silly at the top waiting our turn!

Getting harnessed nice and tight

We had to walk to the edge, hold hands, wait for the count down and at the same time step off into thin air- so exhilarating and intense!

down- part was SO fun, like flying. Yes, Mom and Dad, I screamed (:

Big hug at the bottom!!

We celebrated afterwards with a great lunch at the famous Portugese resturant Fernando's

You may remember a blog I wrote a while back about facing fears. I have now "conquered" 2/3 (Lasik and SkyJump) that means the next big adventure is Africa. We are preparing our bodies, minds, bank account, and hearts for the next big adventure. Everything is not completely in order, which is where faith comes in. I guess the Christian life is sometimes about stepping out even when you can't see the ground in front of you.

Joey and Tim

2011-04-30T22:02:00.006+08:00

Whew! We just got back from a lovely wedding for our friend Joey and her new hubby Tim. It was unlike any wedding I’ve ever been to. Here are some things that made it unique

1. The bride is Chinese and the groom is Australian
2. The whole wedding was pretty much planned in one month
3. Everything was spoken and written in Cantonese and English
4. The guests consisted of Joey’s Christian friends from church and large extended family (all non- Christian)
5. I was the maid- of- honor, Josiah was the “flower boy” and Annette was the “flower girl” (but not part of the ceremony) which all proved to be a bit much
6. We had no rehearsal, just winged it
7. I was in charge of the rings which scared me to death
8. The venue was at a beautiful lake and the weather just sprinkled a little
9. The couple changed into the traditional Chinese clothes for the reception
10. The wedding cake was made of styrofoam so they just took a picture pretending to cut it

Here is Josiah sporting the purple box tie I made with a glue gun the night before (:

Annette loved the sushi at the reception

We did have a few interested "moments" confirming what my gut told me that two is too young to be in a wedding (:
Moment #1- We had practiced Josiah walking down the isle (behind me, in front of the bride) and scattering petals. When I looked back during the ceremony he was very anxiously walking down the isle, clinging to his basket with a death grip, not tossing any petals. When he could take it no more he burst into tears, tossed the basket two feet in the air and ran to my arms sobbing loudly. Fortunately he calmed down rather quickly and then proceeded to take a nap the rest of the ceremony.

Moment #2- During my toast Annette (who had been an angel up until that point) started screaming so Jason took her out. Once Jason was gone Josiah got a little insecure and starting crying. He ran into my arms sobbing into the microphone as a tried to plow through my speech. His 30 pound body clinging to me was pulling my strapless dress down. I tried to stay decent, juggle him and my microphone, be articulate and remember to pause for the interpreter. Craziness.

The best part of the day for me was seeing the love on Tim's face when Joey walked down the isle. These two are SO great for each other and both such fun, passionate, Godly people. I just love them and think we will have to plan a trip to Sydney now to visit them.

Crazy, beautiful moments

2011-04-26T11:46:00.005+08:00

It's been one of those days (and it is only noon). After sleeping literally 2.5 hours I took my children to the doctor which turned out to be a comedy of errors, except I wasn't laughing. After a long wait, a lost file, screaming, a clueless doctor, being overcharged, wrong payment method, more screaming, and an office full of staring people, we walked out covered in sticky cough syrup that we didn't even need.

I have heard it said that boys are physically exhausting and girls and emotionally exhausting. This certainly feels true right now. Lately Annette screams all. day. long. (and recently all night long) making this the most challenging season so far for me as a mom of two.

For all the frustrating moments, there are also the beautiful, priceless moments that remind me I won't trade being home with my kids for all the tranquility the world has to offer. Sacred, precious moments like. . .

sticking a bean seed in soil and watching in wonder as it grows

. . . and grows!!!
dolly hugs
tea parties in tents
"almost" first steps

Thanks for being part of my blog- therapy. Praise God for his grace that is new each morning- or in my case each moment!

Easter

2011-04-24T22:21:00.007+08:00

We have been celebrating Easter all week long with two egg dying parties and two fun Easter egg hunts. It has been fun to watch Josiah piece together what the holiday is about. Because he doesn't really have a concept of death yet, I was a little apprehnsive to tell him the Easter story. But, Angela who is a 2 year old Sunday School teacher, gave me some really good advice. She said, "tell the story so he will grow into it, not out of it." Josiah was really interested and I understood "Jesus had owies on his hands, feet and heart cause he loves us". I did have to laugh this morning when he asked in his sweet little voice "why'd Jesus have to die on the crosswalk?"

Giving the kids directions before the egg hunt

hunt and picnic in Ma On Shan park

Simplifying

2011-04-20T15:02:00.004+08:00

I am in major simplify and downsize mode as we prepare to leave Hong Kong and live out of suitcases for a year. It has really made me think about what we truly NEED. Certainly living in 600 sq feet has been good training for our family.

Here are some things I have lived without at various times in my life since getting married
-TV- 2 years
-vacuum cleaner- 4 years
-microwave- 2 years
-oven- 4 years
-car- 5 years
-car seats (gasp. . . except in America)- 3 years
-clothes dryer- 2 years
-home phone- 5 years
-central heating- 5 years
-built in closets- 5 years- garbage disposal (not a big deal) 5 years
-hot water in the kitchen sink (actually a big deal)- 1 year
-dishwasher (wait for it)- 9 years!!

Things I have learned
- how to cook a big assortment of meals just on a stove top
- how to bake practically anything in a toaster oven
- how to use a broom and mop
- tricks to drip- drying laundry
- how can shop and get home groceries (among other unusual and awkward things) without the help of a car
-how to hand wash dishes, over and over and over and over again - what a lesson!

NEXT year in Africa at different times I will learn what it is like to live with:
- unpredictable electricity supply
- unclean water source from the tap
- hand washing all clothes and diapers
- no air conditioning in crazy heat
- probably more I'm unaware of right now (;

Here is my top five list of things I could not (would not really) want to live without right now:
1. computer with Internet
2. a stroller
3. electricity
4. cell phone
5. hot shower

How about you? What have you lived without? What can you not live without?

Expressive Annette

2011-04-18T21:20:00.003+08:00

Annette is really working to get her point across these days. She is lots of fun and lots of noise. Here is a sample. . .

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-13T14:16:00.001+08:00

Baby 'Siah

2011-04-10T21:32:00.005+08:00

We have two friends that had babies in the last couple weeks and they BOTH named their sons Josiah! At first when I told Josiah about it he was confused and said "no, no no more Siahs!" But, he came around and the next day was begging me to meet "Baby 'Siah". He was very proud to hold him. When we named Josiah I had never known anyone with the name, but now we know several. I am just glad our Josiah didn't "ruin" the name for our friends (teachers you know what I mean!)

Crawling Contest

2011-04-09T20:59:00.004+08:00

Well I certainly don't consider myself a "Tiger Mom" but I surprised myself at the competitive spirit that came out during the intense "crawling contest" Annette participated in today. The contest was sponsored by the estate where we live and Annette competed against 3 other babies. She was the oldest and clearly the most capable crawler (she is almost 13 months for goodness sakes!)

At the starting line

We held out food in front of Annette and called her name. That got her going, but soon she plopped down, fascinated by the mayhem of frantic parents making bird calls, shaking toys and offering gummy bears among other treats. She was loosing her lead and slipped into third place. Finally in a moment of brilliance I pulled a toothbrush from my purse that got her blazing to the finish line. The distance was 10 meters and Annette won first place with a time of 2 minutes 3 seconds (:

Here we are accepting Annette's prize. The event coordinator in the photo with us is wearing a hat which reads " Failure is not an Option". Well, at least we now have something to put on Annette's preschool resume.

Small World

2011-04-04T20:21:00.004+08:00

As I reflected on my rather ordinary day, it struck me how many different cultures I encounter and how interconnected our world is. Here is a run down. . .

8:00- skype with sister Angela in California

10:00- buy shoes for Annette with a gift certificate given to me from a Japanese friend. The shoes are for an Australian/ Chinese wedding Annette is going to be the flower girl in

11:00- lunch at Ikea with friend from Wisconsin. Eat meatballs from Sweden (;

1:00- While kids nap send emails off to missionaries in Africa

4:00- tutor Chinese girl named Rainbow while her Filipino helper watches Josiah and Annette

5:00- go to my new Pakistani friend's house for tea and samosas

8:00- blog about it for all of you to read (where ever you are!)

At church yesterday our pastor was talking about how Christianity can be contexualized into any culture. It is the only major religion that doesn't require conformity to an outside set of rules pertaining to dress, food, customs etc. I love that we can celebrate cultures, and I certainly did today.

Malaysia

2011-03-27T22:20:00.004+08:00

We just returned last night from a week long spring break trip to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Going into the trip we were really seeking retreat, refreshment and renewal for our bodies and souls. It is hard to relax with a one and two year old, especially while traveling in a foreign country. We stayed at a quaint Seaside Lodge that truly made rest possible. We had a three mile stretch of beach virtually to ourselves and a lovely staff cooking all of our meals (Annette loved all the Malaysian dishes from curry to squid) and taking great care of us. For four days I wore no makeup, no shoes, and totted little more than sunscreen and a book. Each day Jason and I made it a priority to have time alone with the Lord. After the kids went to sleep in the evening, we sat on the porch and talked as the ocean waves pounded the sand below. It was beautiful.

The rustic Seaside Lodge

Sunset our first night

We took a jungle river boat ride to see the Proboscis Monkeys playing in their natural habitat

The Island you see in the far right is where they filmed the first season of Survivor

Some girls at school in the nearby village

Jason built a huge sand mountain that the kids spent hours climbing up and jumping off. Just what these city kids need!

The second half of our time was spent at a hotel where Jason attended the EARCOS Teachers Conference. The kids and I played at the beach and pool (dodging some thunder storms) while Jason attended the sessions. On our last night we were watching an amazing sunset over the beach. I turned around and saw a full rainbow behind us at the same time!! I had never seen anything like it. I think God does things like this just for fun to show us his glory.

And that my friends is the most photos I think I've ever included in one post. Just in case you didn't get enough you can look at our photos from KK two years ago here. Josiah was just a little younger than Annette is now and started walking while in Malaysia. We thought Annette might do the same, she is really close!

5000 Words

2011-03-15T22:01:00.004+08:00

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, here are 5000 unrelated, random "words" that I love from our last week. You can tell our weather has been hot and cold from the way the kids are dressed. Hopefully soon we will bid the cold farewell.

Little Lady Turns ONE

2011-03-13T22:49:00.003+08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Annette's 1st Birthday! It was such a fun party with good friends and food. Annette really got into the cake (as you can see). After several fists full she was not slowing down so I had to take the cake away from her. She protested with a squeal and tried to eat the crumbs off the floor (: We could not love this little lady any more. Happy Birthday Baby!

Ridiculousness

2011-03-08T21:58:00.004+08:00

There are so many poorly translated signs around here that I could dedicate an entire blog just to that. This sign is in the playroom of our estate. I find the wording very creative.

February Moments

2011-03-07T10:50:00.004+08:00

Wow- February flew by! This month's video is pretty ordinary, lots of moments around home. Normal stuff. Annette is showing off her clapping which she loves to do these days and you can see Josiah playing cars on the hospital floor. Can't believe only 5 more days til my baby is one (sniff, sniff).
This song is Invade by Watermark

My Emotions= All Over the Place

2011-03-02T12:44:00.005+08:00

This blog is going to be devoted to me sharing the many ups and downs in my head and heart lately. (Deep breath) Here we go. . . Many of you know that Jason and I are preparing for a sabbatical leave next year. We feel like we have been talking about this year forever and now it is really around the corner. I'd like to say our ducks are in a row, but they're not. Our outlook is coming more into focus but is still fuzzy at best. I don't do well with fuzzy. I like details, minor and not so minor detailsl like;

What country(s) will we be in? What vaccines do we need? What is the nearest country with a decent hospital? What do I do if my child gets malaria? What food will we have access to? What do I need to pack? What are we going to do with all our stuff and flat in Hong Kong? How much will this all cost? How can God use me while caring for a 1 and 3 year old? The list goes on and on.

There is one minsitry in South Africa that we are looking to partner with. Last week we had a skype session with one of their representatives, Lauren, to see if we would be a good fit with them. Lauren told us about the child headed house-holds they support. Let me say that again child- headed households!! There are so many orphaned children that the extended family is unable to absord them, so they raise themselves. 8, 9, 10, 11 year olds heading up a household! AIDS has left 15 million orphans in Sub- Saharan Africa. I can't even understand numbers like that.

I find myself dramatically swinging back and forth between worrying about every-little-detial to briming over with faith that we don't need a plan B because God will take care of us. Some moments I want nothing more than to hug the children, pray for the sick and understand their world of poverty. Other moments I yearn to escape to a comfortable American suburb to live in Gymboree, Old Navy and a safe church that asks nothing of me.

One thing I am coming to see is that I cannot live a life commited to radically fulfilling God's call and guarentee the health, safety and comfort of my kids. I've been kind of avoiding God lately, afraid that if I listen to His voice he will ask me to do something that I think is too hard. Last week I broke down and God spoke to me, reminding me of his deep love for me. He wants to be the ulitmate source of my peace, joy, and purpose and I guess that is a pretty safe place after all. God cannot be shaken. Now if I can work that message from my head to my heart and just keep it there.

I LOVE this song and it has been my peace and comfort this last month

Chinglish

2011-02-23T13:46:00.006+08:00

The other day my friend commented, "Josiah speaks with a Chinese accent". I have to reluctantly agree that he has picked up some of the tones and expressions of Cantonese. He likes to call me "Mom-me-uh" and Jason "Dad-de- uh" (which he's heard kids on the playground calling their parents). He also says "no- ah", "why-oh", and "bb" instead of "baby". I think he has discovered that when he adds additional vowels to words that he can draw them for an extra whinny effect. Josiah is probably the perfect age for learning the Cantonese and Mandarin around him. If we make a commitment to be in Hong Kong more long term, we will certainly start him in lessons first thing. But for now, we can enjoy his own unique Chinglish.

Annette is also embracing, or should I say digesting, the Chinese culture. Here she is eating at a Chinese resturant after shoveling fists full of chow mein noodls, bok choi, and rice into her mouth.

Josiah has just about mastered using his set of chopsticks.

Standard Chartered 10K

2011-02-20T20:44:00.007+08:00

This morning I woke up at 3:40 AM (crazy!) to participate in the Standard Charter 10K. This race is iconic in Hong Kong with 60,000 people running either the 10K, half or full marathon. The trains were running early for the event which was fun because every single person on the train was a runner going to the same event. The weather was cold and a little drizzly and we ran the whole race in the dark. Really, were it not for my friends/ training- partners, this would not have been all that fun. I've been building up to this race for a long time and it has provided great motivation for me to train consistently. We finished in 57 minutes, which wasn't that fast, partly due to how closely we were packed to other people.
Jamila, Emily and Dana

After the race we celebrated with an American Breakfast at the Flying Pan. Jason brought the kids to the restaurant by himself to join us. I was so proud of him for getting them both up, ready, fed and onto two buses down to the island. Probably that is harder than running a 10K. (:

Getting Impatient

2011-02-19T13:06:00.002+08:00

When I found out I was pregnant with a girl I celebrated by making an assortment of little hair clips. That was 16 months ago and Annette is not even close to having enough fuzz to clip back. Yesterday Josiah found the hair clips and decided to put them to use.
Who needs hair when you have a smile like this?

You know you're tired when. . .

2011-02-13T20:50:00.005+08:00

. . . you look forward to your laser eye surgery so you can get some rest.
Josiah got out of the hospital Friday night (see post below) and Saturday I went in for laser eye surgery. Jason and I left the kids with some awesome friends and went to Mong Kok for the procedure. The distractions of the last two days kept my mind off the surgery so I didn't have time to get nervous. In fact I called it my "blind date" with Jason because we really enjoyed just having a peaceful moment together in the waiting room. The fact that I had my corneas cut into, lifted up, and my eye's zapped did put a damper on the date, but it only lasted 8 minutes. Jason was a really big support, guided me to a taxi to get home, tucked me into bed, and watched the kids so I could rest. Ah, rest!! Three hour nap after surgery- doctor's orders!!!

Today I woke up and was amazed that I could SEE!! I am so excited to march forward in life free from contacts and glasses!!

HOSPITALity

2011-02-13T20:33:00.004+08:00

Thursday afternoon Josiah was hospitalized after suffering a severe asthma attack. It is so hard to watch him suffer, and stressful deciding the right course of action. The doctors were very concerned about his condition and in a matter of minutes had an iv pumping steroids, antibiotics and fluids through his veins and a nebulizer giving ventolin to his lungs with oxygen between treatments. Up to this point Josiah has been labeled as having "allergic airways" but now that he is almost three the doctors gave an official asthma diagnosis.
Jason spent the night in the hospital, then we switched posts at 5am. The rest of the day I was with Josiah and Jason brought Annette back and forth so I could nurse her.

By the morning he was much better and we had some fun times including hide in the locker, push the locker around the hospital room, kick the "balloon" (an inflated laytex glove), listen to each other's hearts on the stethoscope, say "HI DOCTOR" to everyone who came in the room whether it was the nurse, cleaning lady, or his roomate's mom.

The doctor wanted us to stay one more night until she saw Josiah's rambunctiousness. . . as we were leaving Josiah called out to the nurses station "Bye, bye Doctors. Thank you!" This is the fifth time (including when he was born) he has been admitted the Prince of Wales hospital- and hopefully the last.

Like Mother- Like Daughter

2011-02-09T12:52:00.003+08:00

Over Christmas my parents kept remarking that Annette was a "little Christine". Upon consulting the Ouimette family archives I had to agree. The picture in the cowboy hat I would believe was Annette.

Isn't she such a big girl now? Almost 1 year old!!

Now entering Whyville, Population: 1

2011-02-05T14:16:00.004+08:00

Josiah's talking a mile a minute these days and he has discovered a fun little three letter word that apparently is useful in all situations. At least as long as that situation involves driving your mom crazy. I started counting one morning the number of times he says "why" I began at 7 am and stopped at 9 am when he had passed 50.

Our conversations sometimes go like this

Me: Josiah, would you like to read a book?

J: why?

Me: For fun, come on sit here

J: why?

Me: So we can be comfortable. Can you point to Clifford?

J: I want to hug Clifford

Me: Umm. . .that's going to be hard to do

J: Why? why? why? why? I want to hug Clifford

Me: Okay "hug" Clifford (however you're going to manage that)

J: why?

Ahhh!! If anyone has a good response to whying please leave a comment. I haven't resorted to "because I've told you so"- yet!

Welcome Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-03T21:35:00.003+08:00

We did something new this year and ventured down to the New Years Fair in Causeway Bay. Most of our friends try to avoid the Chinese New Year crowds, but we went right to the most crowded place we could find on the most popular day (New Year's Eve). It was in-sane. You really can't tell from the photos, cause I was a little too overwhelmed to document it. But, it was a fascinating experience and really captured how vibrant and colorful the holiday is. The locals love seeing our kids in their Chinese costumes. Fun times, and I apologize to the several dozen people I rammed in the heals with our stroller.

2011-02-02T13:14:00.002+08:00

One of my projects this year is to compile video clips documenting moments from each month. It is so encouraging to "edit" out all of the whining, crying, impatient responses, spilt milk etc and remember the humorous, ordinary and completely wonderful moments from this phase of our life. These are the moments I want to remember.

This song is "House of Memories" by Ten Shekel Shirt

REAL

2011-01-29T15:05:00.003+08:00

I am so excited, inspired, and passionate about this book written by Shelley- who I've known since I was a girl- and photographed by my sister- in- law Terilee. I just bought my copy today and I hope the international shipping doesn't take forever because I dying to get my hands on it. Oh- and my parents' story of carrying for foster- sister Erica is in the book too!!

Here is a little bit about the book:
Shelley Malcolm uses the image of hands to reveal much of what we have in common, as well as, like finger prints, that which makes each of us completely unique. The pages of REAL tell the stories of actual people who are comfortable with sharing their dreams and triumphs as well as their imperfections, losses and failures. These stories, paired with dramatic and honest photographs by Terilee Dawn Ouimette, present a refreshing and tangible new perspective that can change the way the reader might see his or her self. REAL allows us to not only forgive that which may seem ordinary, have disappointed us, or caused shame… and instead embrace that which does not pretend to be anything but REAL.
To see photos from the book or learn how to order go to Terilee's blog here

Tots Group

2011-01-28T12:34:00.005+08:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged yet about Tots Group! Last October some of my friends who are working moms asked me to start a playgroup for their toddlers during the week. Every Thursday four precious, smiling faces come over to play. We have circle time, songs, stories, a lesson based on our theme for the month, a craft and of course play time! The best part for me is that Josiah loves it! He likes to help me set the mats around, pass out materials and sing the loudest! The domestic helpers who come with the kids are so enthusiastic and help to hold Annette. It is a fun "job" that everyone gets something out of. I just realized we should really call ourselves and International Tots Group since five different nationalities are represented in the group.

This week we celebrated Chinese New Year

I also tutor three students on Monday mornings. Here is Robbie, he is four and learning to read- I LOVE teaching kids this age. This week Josiah said he wants to be a teacher when he grows up. Poor kid, he doesn't know anything else (:
.

Triple Trouble

2011-01-26T21:39:00.005+08:00

We got Jack, Malcolm and Josiah together for a photo shoot yesterday. We bribed them with cookies, and even at that I didn't get a photo with all three boys looking at the camera. It was fun to capture their true colors. . . especially in that last shot! Josiah has the best friends (and so do I!)

Jet- Lag, Children and Banking Don't Mix

2011-01-25T13:59:00.004+08:00

After Annette was born I wrote this blog about the woes of going to the bank with kids. Now I usually stick with the much quicker ATM transactions- which I thought I could handle- until two weeks ago. It was the day after our flight back to Hong Kong and it was nap time, except, of- course little jet- lagged bodies don't understand that. So, since sleep wasn't happening I decided to run a long list of errands to get us back on our feet. First stop: ATM in the train station. I had two transactions to complete, the second of which was take out $600 for groceries, transportation etc for the rest of the month. Right as I stepped up to the machine Josiah and Annette remembered that they were tired (and sick in the case of Josiah) and started a chorus of screams. I calmly (on the outside) punched in my numbers as the screaming and coughing escalated. Mentally moving on to the other things on my list, I punched the flashing "take card" button and high tailed the "singing stroller" out of there. Ten steps out of the station gates I realized something was missing- the money. I forgot to take it! I tried to rush back in, but the electronic system makes you wait two minutes before re- entry.

When I finally dashed back to the machine there was a man with a little girl standing there. Out of breath I burst out "did you find some money?" He shook his head and I felt sick. There was nothing I could do. I just walked away. I called Jason that afternoon and told him. He was so understanding and just said "it's fine, don't worry about it". I was humbled. So truly humbled. Most of all, I was floored by how gracious Jason was to me. No groaning, lamenting, bringing it up again. He extended such grace to me. I wonder if I would have been so understanding.

That was two weeks ago. Fast- forward to last night. I got a notice from my bank in the mail telling me that our account has been credited the amount!! Apparently the machine sucked the money back in and it took them a while to process it! As you can imagine there was great rejoicing!! I was once again humbled by my ability to mess up, and again thankful for the experience of grace- first from my husband and then the bank. Such a happy ending. . .and now I'm pretty sure I'm off the hook from handling money ever again. Or at least til the kids are grown.

Jason Beats the Banana (again)

2011-01-24T14:31:00.005+08:00

Some of you faithful, long- time readers might remember in 2007 when Jason won a 3K awarding him the special prize of running in a banana suit the following year. Which he did with style- such a stud! Yesterday he entered the race again, stating beforehand he would try to win the third place prize to avoid the banana gig. So I had to laugh out loud when I saw him break the finish line ribbon after a quick 9 minute jaunt. We are proud of you babe!

Beautiful day along the water front- i love the harbor, Chinese New Year decor and palm trees

This year's banana

Look at that fierce competition (;

Josiah waiting at the finish line with his octopus

Interviewing next year's banana . . . we'll see about that

Proud of his papa!

After the race we took the ferry across the harbor, had lunch, went to church, and then crashed on the hour bus ride home

2011- Bring It On

2011-01-20T12:48:00.004+08:00

Random man about to jump off the Macau Tower.

Because life has been a bit of a blur, I haven't taken time to do any New Years reflecting, planning, or goal making. But God has been doing that for me. Yesterday morning as a crawled out of my comfortable bed, down the elevator and into the cold, dark morning to run I was not expecting God to speak to me. But in my numb, robotic state I began to hear God's voice- He probably knows this in the only time I am still enough to listen! I sensed that He was telling me 2011 will be a year to face fears. As I picked up my pace a bit (thank you chilly morning) I rolled this over in my head and thought of three events on the horizon that induce fear in me. . .

1. Getting lasik surgery on my eyes (freaks me out a bit)
2. Jumping off the Macau tower for my 30th birthday (seriously terr-i-fi-es me!)
3. Spending six months in Africa with our family, trusting the Lord with health and safety factors beyond our control (definitely the scariest on the list)

My mind wandered (as it often does these days) to thoughts of malaria, financial limitations and the overwhelming realities of poverty in Africa. Soon my run brought me me to the ocean and right above the Tolo Harbor was the most beautiful, perfectly round, bright orange moon I have ever seen. It was seriously enormous and I gasped when I beheld its beauty. It only lasted for a few minutes that set behind the black mountains.

Of course, had I stayed in the tempting comfort of my bed I would have missed this incredible display of God's beauty. At that moment I got it. God is asking me to step out this year BUT not because he needs me and not to make me miserable. God wants to show me more about himself. He has more things for me to lay hold of. If I stay in the warm comfort of familiarity I will miss them. Looking at the moon I knew I don't want to miss anything God has for me.

So even though I am the world's biggest chicken (really). . . I'm going out on a limb~ cause that's where the fruit is.

12 Days of Christmas

2011-01-14T11:55:00.008+08:00

We're back!! The kids and I just got back on Tuesday from a wonderful three week long Christmas holiday in California. I've been too "in the moment" to stop and blog (do you like that excuse? either that or trying to get "with the moment" between jet lag and serious- serious- exhaustion!) Here are 12 highlights from our time. The best part of course was celebrating Jesus' birthday with people we love SO much!

#1 Paine family pajama party and Christmas tree decorating

#2 Seeing Jason and Mike look so twinsy with Mike's new clean shaven look

#3 Playing games while Annette practiced her crawling on the table

#4 Christmas party at Aunt Christy's, complete with an amazing full rainbow across the San Diego harbor

#5 Josiah in suit= precious

#6 Grandparents, cousins and more antlers!
#7 Annette and cousin Anya were so fun together and could NOT be cuter!
#8 Day trips to the beach, elephant seals, Solvang, waterfall and even ostrich farm, why not?!
#9 Cozy evenings by the fire cracking walnuts, talking and watching Monk
#10 Being together to see my Dad baptize Anya (except Jason who had to fly back New Year's Eve)
#11 Disneyland with 12 Ouimettes, such a blast!

#12 Getting to spend time with Papa from Minnesota- we love him SO much!

Snug as a Bug

2010-12-17T12:50:00.003+08:00

The COLD is here. This morning was 4 degrees C (that is 40 F). I know my family in the snowed in mid- west right now might be rolling their eyes BUT our concrete flats are as insulated as your garage. Not that I'm complaining-I am enjoying the Christmas, cozy factor.
My two solutions to the cold:
1. Bundle the Babies
2. Fly to California tomorrow (yipee!!)

Is there anything cuter than a baby in a cow costume?!?

How Sweet It Is. . .

2010-12-15T12:45:00.001+08:00

Monstrosities

2010-12-10T12:39:00.006+08:00

Classy, traditional, understated, simple, elegant. . .not words used to describe Christmas displays in Hong Kong. Each year we watch as the malls try to out- do each other with unique (oh yes), bizarre and down- right ridiculous Christmas displays. Here are a couple monstracities from year's past in the New Town Plaza.

This year the mall closest to our house chose the classy Christmas theme "Molly Bling Bling Christmas Ballroom". Huh? But after living here five years, we don't ask questions, we just robotically stand in front of the display and take a picture on our iphone. Shoot, Josiah's not doing the peace sign- I guess we've got a ways to go in training him in the ways of Hong Kong.

And nothing says Merry Christmas like Hello Kitty in a sleigh
No, really I love Hong Kong and just to redeem my city I leave you with this truly beautiful shot

Because I've Got a Thing for Babies in Santa Hats

2010-12-08T14:34:00.003+08:00

Here are my two Christmas babies- such a delightful stage (Annette 8 mo, Josiah was 6 mo). Although they are oblivious to the whole holiday, they sure look cute amidst the festivities. Josiah is SUPER into Christmas this year. All day he anticipates doing the advent calendar, singing "Away in the Manger", blowing out the candles and reading Christmas stories. Every night before bed he kisses the nativity scene baby and says "night nigh baby Jeeeesus". Hopefully we are balancing out the material ridicuousness going on around us- more on that in the next post

Sorry the quality is bad on Josiah's, I took a picture of a picture

2010-12-04T12:45:00.002+08:00

Here is a photo of Josiah and his best "frienemy" Jack
By the way, I wanted to share with you that Jack's mom, Emily, has a great craft blog Nap- Time Creations. For the month of December she is posting one fun Christmas idea/ tradition/ inspiration a day. Emily is the most "Christmasy" person I know. I'm not sure how she has time to host four Christmas dinner parties, make all of her Christmas gifts, and do this blog while taking care of her newborn and toddler- but she's amazing. Worth checking out here.

Francis Chan- Balance Beam

2010-12-02T12:26:00.003+08:00

Francis used to be a pastor in Simi Valley, CA and would speak in chapel from time to time while we were at Biola University. His message of being sold- out for God really impacted Jason and I at that time. Francis is currently traveling through Asia and our school was blessed to have him speak to the middle school and high school students yesterday. Please take a moment and watch this clip. It really challenged me to live for more than my own safety and comfort

Kicking Off The Holidays

2010-11-29T14:48:00.005+08:00

Yay Christmas is in full swing around here. I have been in project mode and it feels so good
-house decorated- check
- Christmas cards out- check
- Shopping - in progress
- Stockings made- check
- Rinehart Family Cookbook made- check (almost)
- 2010 photo book- in progress
- 90 cookies baked- check (be impressed I can only bake six at a time!)

This morning some friends got together for cookie decorating and a cookie exchange. It was such a fun way to get a great assortment of 7 different cookies. We had four 2 years old boys together for the event, so we had to take them out to run the sugar off!
These are the stockings that I made for our family. The most fun part for me is scavenging the market for materials since there is nothing even closely resembling a craft/ fabric store here. Now if we only had a fireplace. . .

Other Family News
- Annette is still not really crawling. She will get up on all fours, creep a little, then plop on her tummy to slither
- Josiah is now offically potty trained (I know it was a LONG time ago I did the Potty Time post, but I got over- whelmed and chickened out) Now 2 weeks with no accidents and no going back
-Jason is a stud
- I need to stop eating Christmas cookies
- 19 days til we fly to America!

So Thankful

2010-11-26T13:40:00.004+08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Emily and I organized the second annual American Thanksgiving dinner and the food and company left us with grateful hearts and bellies. I didn't do a good job taking pictures since there was a lot going on with the 80 some people who showed up. I love this photo of Josiah with his plate waiting eagerly for the grub (of course once we filled his plate he had two bites and wanted to play!) Annette on the other hand ate hartily as usualy, here she is stuffing her mouth with some bread. Jason said the prayer and organized the annual putting tournment after the meal. Although nothing beats Thanksgiving with family, it was still a great day

~ Psalm 111~
Hallelujah! I give thanks to God with everything I've got—
Wherever good people gather, and in the congregation.
God's works are so great, worth
A lifetime of study—endless enjoyment!
Splendor and beauty mark his craft;
His generosity never gives out.
His miracles are his memorial—
This God of Grace, this God of Love.
He gave food to those who fear him,
He remembered to keep his ancient promise.
He proved to his people that he could do what he said:

In Position

2010-11-22T07:20:00.003+08:00

Breathe

2010-11-17T13:52:00.005+08:00

This fall, as always, has been crazy for Jason. Last week he left for work every morning before the kids woke up and didn't get home til 10pm, long after they were in bed. Most of his out of class commitments are now finished (cross country, Guam, week without walls etc). Jason took a personal day this past Monday so we could have a nice, long three day weekend as a family. It was like a breath of fresh air for everyone.
On the (overly air-condionded) bus with their hoodies
Lion Nature Reserve. . . ahhh. . . nature

Sai Kung is kind of like Sea World, except after you admire the fish you eat them!

Actually we had pizza and gelato- yummy! A perfect end to a fun family weekend.

Story Time

2010-11-13T22:01:00.004+08:00

Often story time is the saving grace in my day. Sitting down to a good book has a very calming affect on Josiah and he will listen to a story til I'm blue in the face or fall asleep- usually the later. He is getting into Curious George (probably he can relate), Clifford, Little Critter, Winnie the Pooh, Dr. Seuss or anything by Eric Carle. I have been getting books from the public library and ICS to keep up with his appetite. As you can see Annette has found some good reading she can sink her teeth into as well. If you have a favorite children's book please leave a comment below, we are always looking for suggestions.

My friend Emily snapped this, I'm with Joy, Max (precious!), Jack and Siah

Makes Me Smile

2010-11-09T23:10:00.002+08:00

Oh Yes He Did. . .

2010-11-05T12:16:00.005+08:00

It has been a heart pumping last week for me as a Mom. It began with loosing Josiah the "explorer". I meaning really loosing him. While on the rooftop garden with Annette I thought he was with my friend, only to discover 10 minutes later he had wandered off on his own. After a mad dash around our estate and shouting his name like a wild woman I found him far, far away. At the ripe age of two he had descended three staircases, crossed two bridges, passed 4 apartment towers and countless hazards (high balcony ledges, fountains, stairs leading down to the buses) to a rock- bed at the far corner of the estate. He was not the least bit concerned, but annoyed that I made him stop throwing rocks and come with me. That was Friday.
Sunday, after naptime we found a piece of corn lodged WAY up his nose from lunch four hours earlier. Another big release of adrenaline. My attempts with the tweasers jammed the corn further up his nose (it was like playing the game Operation, every failed attempt was like hearing the buzzer go off- if you don't know that game never mind). Jason had the steady hands to get that sucker out, avoiding a traumatic trip to the ER.

There is never a dull moments around here. But all of this is making me pray more, and that is a good thing.

Party in My Crib

2010-11-05T12:08:00.004+08:00

Annette loves holding onto her crib bars to stand. It also provides a perfect mouth- level bar for teething and apparently the perfect setting for squeeling, which is becoming Annette's tradmark.

I love how 'boyish' Josiah looks next to Annette (it's probably the tattoo, camo. . .and the fact he is jumping :)

Precious Petite Pumpkins

2010-10-30T20:44:00.004+08:00

Two years ago I took these. . . .

Today I had fun shooting these . . .

Happy Halloween! We decided not to dress up or celebrate this year. . . unless you count scarfing the Halloween Butterfingers Jason brought back from Guam (yummy!!)

I Eat It Up

2010-10-28T12:31:00.003+08:00

One of the little joys in my day is watching the little kids go to school. Most children start school here at 2. Not just playing the sand and eating paste, but school. . . backpacks, learning, homework, and my favorite part- uniforms. I get asked all the time why Josiah is not in school. While I don't think that a structured environment would benefit him at the moment, I would love to get him a little uniform. I shamelessly (with permission) took a picture of these twins in their bow ties going to school yesterday.

2010-10-26T13:18:00.003+08:00

This song JJ Heller wrote for her baby girl, When I'm With You, expresses my heart. Enjoy these 7 month moments with Annette.

Introducing. . .

2010-10-24T13:58:00.002+08:00

. . . Annette's two front teeth! She has four total now and has been the happiest baby since they made their appearance.

(This is for you Gerry :)

Hunkering Down

2010-10-22T21:41:00.006+08:00

Well it has been an interesting week for me. Wednesday morning I kissed Jason goodbye as he took off for a five day trip to Guam with the Cross Country team. On that same day the buzz began about "severe Typhoon Megi" in route from the Philippines threatening to directly hit Hong Kong. In case you are not as well acquainted with Megi, here is an introduction. She:
- killed 27 people in the Philippines this week
- sent 25 ft wave surges crashing into villages.
- has winds up to 260 kph
- is larger than Hurricane Katrina
- looked like the worst typhoon to hit HK since 1974

Normally I am up for a good typhoon, viewing it as the tropical equivalent to a snow day. But this is three times bigger than any typhoon I've experienced. The last three days I've been typhoon tracker. I am happy to tell you Megi has headed east and will be missing Hong Kong. Thank you Jesus! Please pray for Fujian and the coastal areas of Southeast China as they are bracing for this typhoon.

All of the windows were taped in expectation of the wind. . . can you guess what letter Josiah learned today?
Jason got to fly OVER the "super typhoon" not once, but twice on his way to Guam. But look where he is chilin' now. Not bad.

Do I have something on my face?

2010-10-20T13:28:00.002+08:00

Learning Around Home

2010-10-18T12:57:00.009+08:00

The teacher in me LOVES the stage that Josiah is at. His insatiable curiosity ("whats dis called?" all day long) and explorer personality are opening up the world before his eyes. Josiah is not into toys so much, but loves "working". . . using tools, washing dishes, juicing carrots, scrubbing the bathtub, shaving his legs (just kidding). . . anything he sees me doing. With this is mind, my creativity is always being stretched to think of news ways to have him "help" me.

Last week we made an apple pie together. It began so fun, but as the process progressed the kitchen and my one square foot of counter space starting shrinking. An hour and a half later by the time we were finished and had cleaned up the flour (everywhere!) I was about to pull my hair out. Here is a random compilation of some of our play pictures (again sorry for the nudity, he really does wear clothes sometimes!)

home- made puppet theater

playing the guitar

finger painting

counting Cheerios

Going on a "red hunt"
sorting buttons, beans, shells, pasta. .. .

Josiah's favorite: nuts and bolts

shaving cream- this got out of control

sink or float game

we turned his tool bench into a play kitchen for hours of fun

Please leave a comment to share ideas of fun games you play around your house.

2010-10-14T12:30:00.003+08:00

This year I've been taking the kids to a lot of school functions (cross country meets, middle school camp etc). The kids seem to draw a crowd like magnets. Josiah is such a ham, he usually adores the attention while Annette smiles oblivious to it all.
Josiah is caught sucking pool water in this photo. Nice.

My Happy Place

2010-10-10T14:31:00.004+08:00

Confession: I have been known to deliberately "forget" to buy something at IKEA, just so I have an excuse to come back the next week. I love it that much. It is such a great place on a rainy afternoon.

10 Reasons by IKEA is brilliant:

1. you can check your kids in for 40 minutes (count em 4-0 minutes) of playtime where they are entertained by a ball- pit, wooden trains and play kitchen

2. miniature shopping carts for kids to push

3. space. BIG space reminiscent of mega stores in America

4. Josiah can touch just about everything, without breaking anything

5. western food including chicken, salmon, pasta, coffee, cake/ pie and the only meat that Josiah will get near, Swedish Meatballs

6. interactive toy kiosks for kids to play at strategically placed throughout the store, including in the dinning area= peaceful meal

7. fun, Scandinavian style decoctions at Christmas

8. cheap scented candles

9. did I mention 40 minutes of of babysitting?

10. ice-cream at the end

(Don't you just love the "I- can't- believe- you- are taking- a- picture- at- IKEA- you- are- just- like- your- mother" look that Jason is giving me here? )

Picnic

2010-10-07T14:17:00.003+08:00

Hong Kong doesn't have a lot of grass. It probably works out to about one blade per person in the city. However, our new estate has a few grassy patches. I've never seen anyone sit or walk in it, but there are no signs saying not to. So following the letter of the law, we had a lovely picnic Sunday afternoon outside. And to my surprise no one told us to stop. This was the first time we've done this in the five years we've lived here and think we will make it a tradition. I like how these photos have a dreamy sort of quality (or maybe I'm just tired). I cherish simple, little moments with our family like these.

Breath of Fresh Air

2010-10-05T11:51:00.004+08:00

Newsflash- the current Hong Kong temperature is 77 degrees!! Yesterday was in the 80s and we thought that was heavenly, but 77 actually feels chili after four months straight of humid 90+ weather.
This time of year I always get a wave of homesickness when I think about fall. Not that the seasons change much in California, but we at least pretend they do; apple farms, hay bales, cinnamon spice candles, acorn and leaf centerpieces etc. This is the time of year when bloggers put up pictures of their fallishly- clad kids in corn mazes and pumpkin patches (you know who you are). I bought a little pumpkin at the market and set it on my bookshelf. Although to my Chinese friends this would be equivalent to decorating with broccoli or bok choy, it makes me happy. Annette decided to celebrate the temperature change with a hat. Another thing that makes me happy. How are you celebrating fall (I promise not to sulk!)

2010-10-01T22:01:00.006+08:00

Today is Chinese National Day and we siezed the holiday by traveling out to one of our favorite spots, Sai Kung. Lately Josiah has been reading books with kites in them so we thought it would be fun if he could fly a kite. We bought a $4 ($3ohkd) butterfly on a string and soon wondered if we had gone too cheap. It took so many attempts to get the piece of plastic in the air that by the time we were high flying Josiah's interest had moved onto the vendor selling raw pieces of chicken to BBQ. Oh well, Jason was really into it and it was refreshing to get enjoy some ocean breeze.

Up at last!

Jason let me fly at the end. I got carried away singing "Let's Go Fly a Kite" and crashed the butterfly into a BMW passing by. It's okay we were done anyways. (:

Tripple- the- Fun

2010-09-30T14:04:00.007+08:00

My friend Emily had her baby, Max, last week (yay!) and we got to have Jack while they were in the hospital. Jason was at a Men's Confrerence for the weekend so the kids kept me company. Josiah loved having "Jack Jack" spend the night and be a constant companion. I enjoyed the amused/ concerned looks and comments ("whhaaa three") that I got on the train with three kids under two.

Don't be fooled by their innocent expressions, these two are double trouble!

Meeting precious baby Max

Wordless Wednesday- Happy Fall!

2010-09-29T11:14:00.001+08:00

Let it Glo, Let it Glo, Let it Glo. . .

2010-09-23T07:59:00.004+08:00

Okay, cheesy title (yes) for a very fun night celebrating the Mid- Autumn Festival. We started the night by eating at a local Chinese restaurant with friends and then walked to the waterfront park where the party was beginning. On the eve of the Mid- Autumn Festival families gather to gaze at the moon, play with lanterns, glo sticks, and candles. They eat mooncakes (blaa) and just hang out. By 9:30 our kids were falling apart, but the party was just getting started. In this culture that always seems so busy and work- oriented, it was nice to see families just enjoy spending time together. Of course Josiah loved the "festibel" and wants to do it again tonight.

Life Moments

2010-09-19T15:32:00.003+08:00

Enjoy this video slicing together the messy, silly, ordinary yet extraordinary moments in our day. Sorry the quality is bad, I had to compress the file to get it on the blog.

Half Birthday

2010-09-15T22:53:00.003+08:00

We had a fun time celebrating Annette's six months of life. I made a bannana- chocolate cake and Annette got to savor her first bite of banana.
At six months Annette. . .
- has one bottom tooth
- weighs 17 lbs ( 75th percentile)
- smiles responsively
- coos, squeals, and laughs all day long
- can sit up and roll over
- sleeps through the night
- takes two long naps
- grabs at whatever she can get her hands on
- puts in her mouth whatever she can grab
- sucks her thumb to fall asleep
- wiggles and scoots on the rug

We love you Annette! Thank you for bringing so much joy to our lives! XOXO

Glamour Shots

2010-09-14T08:07:00.003+08:00

I've been wanting to take some 6 month pictures of Annette. Yesterday we went up to the roof top garden and I snapped these. I was rushed because Josiah was "expressing" that he didn't think that taking pictures of Annette constituted a fun outing. Fortunately my camera has a "kid" setting that will fire the shots quickly (: Thanks Aunt Christy for the fun dress!

Coca Cola 7K

2010-09-12T14:42:00.005+08:00

This morning we went to cheer on Jason at the Coca Cola 7K in Shatin. ICS had 11 teachers running (including Amber who is 5 months pregnant!) so it made for a really fun and inspiring morning. In spite of the scorching heat, Jason did really well finishing in the top 15 and 5th in his age category.

Adoring Fans

When I first met Jason (at age 15) he was running distance on the track team. I love that (many) years later I can still cheer him on. We are proud of you babe!!

Buds

2010-09-10T13:24:00.006+08:00

It has been such a joy to have friends to expereince the ups and downs of parenting with. Josiah has been blessed with two great buds, Josiah and Malcom. We take turns every week hosting a play-date and lunch in our homes.

When the boys get together they laugh, cry, squeal, run, play, eat, share, hit, bite, apologize, and forgive.

When the mom's get together we laugh, cry, vent, pray, learn, encourage, create, eat, and discipline.

I have so many pictures of these boys together, but we are not as good at taking pictures of the moms. It would be interesting to see how we've changed over the last 2 years (:

4 months

1 year

2 years

Doll

2010-09-07T12:47:00.001+08:00

The local Chinese people often comment, "she looks like a doll". In this glassy- eyed photo I have to agree.

Just Another Day in the Land of Uh- Oh

2010-09-07T12:20:00.002+08:00

Bring It On . . .

2010-09-06T12:58:00.003+08:00

We started Annette on rice cereal this week. We were planning on waiting a few more weeks til she is 6 months, but Annette has been SO interested in food that is seemed cruel to withhold it any longer. Several times she's grabbed a fist full of food off our plates in (an intercepted) attempt to shove it in her mouth. She looks at us mesmerized whenever we take a bite in front of her. Despite her expression in these photos, Annette loved it. Loved it. From the first bite she was lunging for the spoon. We have a great video, but it is taking forever to load. . . .so enjoy the pictures and Bon Appetite!

True Confessions of a Praiseaholic

2010-09-03T08:29:00.003+08:00

As a stay- at- home mom I feel that much of the repetitive (often unglamourous) work that I do goes unnoticed. Josiah has yet to thank me for wiping down his high chair (for the fifth time today) and I didn't get an award for changing my 1,000th diaper. Some days due to weather, sickness or nap schedules I am indoors almost all day. I struggle feeling that the patience, energy and sacrifice I am expending is unnoticed, even unvalued, by the world 35 floors down bellow. I find myself tempted to look to other sources of significance and recognition, longing for the accolades I received while teaching.

Lately the Lord has been showing me that praise is an idol in my life. That when I become focused on making sure that I am appreciated and noticed, I rob God of the glory he deserves.

I have been inspired by two truly humble people who worked quietly for God's glory; my own Mom and the priest/ author Henry Nouwen. These very capable, gifted people both worked with the mentally and physically handicapped. For over a decade my mother cared for Erica, our handicapped foster child, sacrificing her own desires for Erica's comfort. Often friends and family didn't understand her decision, or see the value in what she was doing. Mom would wake up at all hours of the night, rehabilitate Erica from surgery after surgery, and deny herself freedom for the well being of Erica (this is after raising her own four kids, and while teaching full time!)

Henry Nouwen went from a thriving career as a professor at Harvard to a group home for the handicapped. He writes:
"This experience was and, in many ways, is still the most important experience of my life, because it forced me to rediscover my true identity. These broken, wounded, and completely unpretentious people forced me to let go of my relevant self- the self that can do things, show things, prove things, build things- and forced me to reclaim that unadorned self in which I am completely vulnerable, open to receive and give love regardless of accomplishments."

Ultimately the best inspiration of a servant- leader is Jesus
"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross."

So, this is my journey, learning one day at a time to die to myself and live for Him (I'm sure just one of many lessons my children will teach me!)

Kids at Work

2010-09-01T12:47:00.003+08:00

*side note- between the extreme heat and potty training we're not real into clothes these day, but hard hats, of course!*

A Day in the Life of Annette

2010-08-30T16:23:00.008+08:00

6:30- After a good night's sleep I usually wake up smiling in Mom and Dad's bed (where I end up by the morning)

7:00- Dad goes to work and Mom reads us a story, we both want to see the pictures

7:00- 9:30- Play time followed by my morning nap

9:30 11:30-We walk to the store, the park or a friend's house. Today Josiah made sure I wasn't lonely on the ride!

11:30- 1:30- Beauty sleep. On a good day Josiah and I nap at the same time

1:30- 5:30- Some afternoons we go to Daddy's school, go swimming or walk to the beach. I love the sand on my toes. Usually I squeeze in a short cat nap.

5:00- 6:00- I help Mommy cook dinner, if only I could get some of that yumminess in my mouth

6:00- 8:00- Bath and time to show off my new tricks. I can (almost) sit up on my own now!

8:00- I brush my non- existent teeth and get kisses, cuddles, and lullabies. Night, night
Check out my brother's life when he was my age here

Loving this Song

2010-08-28T21:45:00.000+08:00

Wordless Wednesday- Scrub-a-Dub

2010-08-25T11:58:00.001+08:00

Playing Together

2010-08-21T15:32:00.005+08:00

Josiah is very eager to play with (actually wrestle) Annette. She is a pretty good sport and rewards Josiah with big smiles, while I'm sure many kids would run for cover! This week we discovered that Josiah and Annette can swing together. This playground is in our estate and we've been going every day because they both love it!

Yesterday I popped my head out from the kitchen to find that Josiah had given Annette a "few" toys to play with. As you can see they were up to her head!

Back to School Reflections

2010-08-19T12:26:00.008+08:00

I get nostalgic this time of year for new lunch boxes, neatly printed name tags, and boxes of freshly sharpened Crayolas. Jason is now back in the swing of school now so I decided to do a little reflecting myself about the upcoming year.

I got inspired to write a mission statement here. My hope is that I will look at this often and use it as a compass to keep me on track:
My mission is. . .

To create an inviting and peaceful home for my family and all that enter, that is conducive to living simply, loving deeply, and laughing abundantly.

To esteem and respect Jason through my thoughts, words and actions.

To cheerfully and patiently shepherd my children and teach them to develop Christ- like character.

To seek daily to hear God’s voice and live a life that is above all, pleasing to Him.

My goals are (I love goals, but can get a little crazy. I tried to keep this realistic) . . .

1. Rise at 5:30 M- F to exercise (run or pilates)

2. Run the Standard Charter 10K

3. Read the Bible daily (while the kids are napping) and pray for our family and the poor

4. Memorize one Bible passage a month based on themes of Faith and Love

5. Read one book a month (topics include nutrition, parenting, ministry to the poor)

6. Invite a friend, neighbor, or co- worker over for dinner once a week

7. Learn more about Montessori methods and spend 30 minutes each day doing a meaningful activity with Josiah

8. Intentionally maintain the relationships with our refugee friends and look for way to bless them

9. Maintain consistent communication with friends and family (via email, skype, mail, phone, blog)

10. Look for one way each day to express love to Jason

What are your goals for this year?

Check it out

2010-08-17T14:07:00.003+08:00

When we were in California Terilee (my sister- in- law) took some precious pics of Annette, along with some family photos. If anyone needs a central coast photographer she is awesome!
To check them out go to her blog here or view them all in the proofing gallery by entering our email address, password is paine

I love the rain . . .

2010-08-15T14:38:00.001+08:00

. . . when I'm cozy on the upper deck of a bus

I love the way the water on the window blurred the colors of this bus

Come on in . . .

2010-08-12T13:19:00.006+08:00

I just realized that I haven't posted pictures of our new place. We are feeling settled and really enjoying life here. It was a little tricky getting everything to fit. Josiah's bed was such a tight squeeze that Jason took out the saw (with a wild gleam in his eye) and cut off part of the leg. I got overwhelmed at a few points and just got rid of items that I couldn't make room for (bye bye crock pot). We had fun painting the kids' rooms, but didn't include a picture of ours, because it is just a bed.

The entrance to Monte Vista
This is what our living room looks like without toys strewn everywhere. Do you like my domestic helper?

Big kitchen by HK standards, but no oven ):

Here is the Monte Vista play room, which is a life saver on rainy days