Keely's Birthday Part 1

Keely will be having a progressive birthday this year. Last week, our teammates and friends left for the States for four months and we knew the kids would be disappointed if we didn't celebrate Keely's birthday before they left. Then Saturday my parents will be here. For months to help Keely be able to better understand when things were happening we explained that Mimi and Papa would be here for her birthday (even though it was a few days off). It almost got confusing when my mom came unexpectedly to help move, but we just explained that her birthday was when Papa came too. Keely will have gotten to celebrate her birthday for about a week and a half!

Here is Keely's giant chocolate cupcake with purple frosting -- just like she requested.

A month before Keely's birthday we went to a store that had party supplies. All of the different character balloons and other party supplies got her really excited. They had a tall stand of different party favors. Keely first saw these eye balls and just had to have them. I told her she could pick a favor for each of the kids. Jacob went through all the favors with her and she still chose the eyeballs. All through the store this what she did with the eyeballs. "Mommy look it's an eyeball!" She also picked out noisemakers (the ones where the paper rolls out when you blow in them). I'm sure we were quiet the scene at the restaurant we were at!

Our friends made these cute party hats for the occasion.

Keely was mesmerized by the lit candle on the cake. She just stared at it while we sang.

Keely enjoyed her chocolate cake with purple frosting!

Happy 3rd Birthday Keely

2006

2007

2008

2009

Keely's First Day of School

Keely started school last Wednesday. Last week she went two hours a day, this week she'll start going three hours a day. We will be walking her to school and switching off (depending on schedules) between Jacob and Jordan and I dropping her off and picking her up. The next couple months it'll probably mostly be Jacob dropping her off and Jordan and I picking her up. Jacob typically walks her to school though it has been very hot, and it has been taking a lot of energy out of her. Today Jacob is going to try a different route that is shaded even though it is steeper. We'll see if that helps. When Jordan and I pick her up, we walk to the bottom of our hill and then catch our mini-bus up our hill.

She was really excited as we left for school.

All of us waiting for the elevator.

It was a very hot day, and the walk was almost too much for Keely! We were just a few minutes away when the sun was starting to get to her. I pulled out the umbrella to see if that would help. Here we are discussing sharing the umbrella.

We just wanted to get Keely to school in good spirits, and it was too hot to carry her so Jacob ended up holding the umbrella over Keely.

The three of us poising outside the school before we went inside. We had met one little girl in her class before and Keely asked about her as soon as we got there. All 25 kids and their parents waited outside for the principal to let us inside.

When she came out she was manned with a forehead thermometer, and every child and parent's temperature was taken. We have to take her temperature every day and record it before school and Keely's temperature will be taken before school each day.

Here is Keely playing before we left. The lady sitting behind her kept playing with Keely's hair and she wasn't super excited about it! When we picked her up, she talked non-stop about the days events. When we got home, she even asked to go back!

August Misc Pictures #2

Cute picture of Jacob and Jordan after playing at the playground last Sunday.

A couple more pictures from the day we went to Jumping Gym.
Keely on the Merry Go Round.

Keely on the train.

Yet another picture taken by Keely.

The Hong Kong Black Hole

In any foreign country it seems to take more time to do lots of every day things (and of course factor in small children in any place you live). We take public transportation (i.e. train or bus) almost everywhere we go. We have only taken taxis a handful of times because they are expensive and quite honestly I never think of taking one until we are almost home and realize the girls are melting down and I probably should have! It's always too late when I think about it! When I came, I knew that public transportation would take longer to get places than by car, but I'm really amazed at how quick we get to the train station or where the bus drops us off. Then the next thing I know 25 minutes has passed and we are just getting to our destination! Our friends helped us realize the cause of this Black Hole Of Time -- WALKING! It never seems like we are walking that long, but after I have timed it a couple times I have realized it really does eat away the time! Crazy!

One day we were going somewhere new. It seems to be a good rule to allow 45 minutes to get to most places, but we were running late and it didn't seem that far. We made it to our destination train station after taking our mini bus and a train in 20 minutes! We were walking out of the train station with 15 minutes to get to our destination. We searched for the minibus and then stood a couple minutes at the one going the wrong destination and then got on a bus that I thought took us to our destination but actually stopped in a different place than it starts! By the time we walked to the building we were going to 25 minutes had passed!! On our way home, we discovered a mini bus that would take us all the way to the train station where our mini bus starts. It just took 25 minutes with one mode of transportation versus two. However, that mini bus's terminus is in a different location than our mini bus's terminus. You have to walk into the mall, go down two floors on the escalator, outside down a ramp and then to our bus. (Keely really does walk pretty fast with us so she doesn't really slow us down much.) It took us 9 minutes to get from one bus to the other! So, even with one less mode of transportation the walking made it almost the same amount time to get home.

The fellowship we have chosen to go to is pretty far away, but almost every Sunday we look at each other and say it's totally worth it. It takes about 23 minutes or so ;) on the train and 5 minutes on our minibus and sometimes we have to wait a few minutes for the bus or train. Once we get out of the station it just takes a few minutes to get to the building. BUT this station takes FOREVER to get out of! It's so far below ground and is an interchange station that it takes us 3 escalators and some long hallways to get out! (And of course on Sundays there are less buses and trains running so you have to wait longer for the next one).

Oh the black hole of time!

Some recent yummy recipes

I have a habit (it could be bad or good depending on who you ask) of looking for and trying out new recipes as our life changes. Needless to say, our lives are always changing so we are always trying out new recipes! Here are a couple yummy ones that we tried out recently.


A couple weeks ago, I made these yummy and fun rainbow cupcakes. I didn't use a box cake mix, but made a recipe of white cake and then colored it. I also didn't have gel food coloring and my coloring was really bright. Of course I had to make things a bit more complicated by making half regular sized cupcakes and half mini cupcakes AND I changed the colors on the mini ones. However, they were still yummy and fun. I'm even considering using the same recipe for a cake for Keely's school cake on her birthday. I used this icing from a review from a blog I read, but it looks pretty similar (to me) to the one on the cupcake recipe.

Another yummy recipe we tried were Stuffed Pizza Rolls. I made home made pizza dough and we used homemade sausage and cheese for our toppings. I just used cheese for Keely's and those turned out well too. Jacob loves homemade pizza but actually said he'd be okay if I made these instead now. They were yummy!

Sorry I don't have any pretty pictures, but I still wanted to share the recipes!

Jordan update

I can't believe how much older Jordan seems to be these days too! She is 14 1/2 months and sometimes I can't believe some of the things she has picked up! Like many kids this age, she loves to take things out and put things back in, so she really enjoys pick up time putting the toys back in their boxes or bags. One day I enjoyed watching her play with the couch pillows. The larger ones are about as big as her and it was funny to see her carry them across the room to Keely. The most fascinating thing though was when she was done playing with the pillows, she put them back on the couch! Crazy girl! She has really started picking up sign language and communicating with us through that and other hand motions. One afternoon when we had been out in the sun all day, we gave the girls early baths. Close to bedtime, Jordan decided she still needed a bath before bed and went and got the bath mat and then signed bath to Jacob. We didn't even know she knew the sign for bath! The other morning I was making breakfast and had to use soy milk because we ran out of milk and Jordan hurried to pick up her empty milk cup and brought it to me for a refill. She was too cute to turn down. She was so excited with her success that as she pranced out of the kitchen she didn't notice the cardboard she had been playing with and slipped on it! Poor thing-- I always hate it when success is followed by something disappointing and tears!

Keely update

Since we haven't blogged a whole lot this summer, I thought that I would do a little update blog on the girls. It's just amazing to me how fast they grow up. I was just thinking today how much older Keely seems than when we left Thailand and that was just 2 1/2 months ago! Keely starts school on Wednesday and will turn 3 next Tuesday. She has made an amazing turnaround with going to child care on Sundays and is actually excited about going to school! What a big girl! Friends seem to be a really important thing to her these days. Whenever we hang out with our friends, she always cries when we part ways saying that she doesn't want to leave her friends. When we pray at night, after we thank God for each member in our family Keely chimes in first thanking God for Daddy's friends (he's a lot of "friends" come in and out of town the past 2 1/2 months and she loves hanging out with anyone that comes through that we get to hang out with), then for Mimi and Papa, then for Mimi and Papa's friends and then her friends. It's cute. She loves to play at the playgrounds when there are other kids playing. It has taken me awhile to figure out if we have younger kids in our area and when they play at the playground up the street. I went to the store one night and saw a big group of preschool aged kids walking down the street and then part ways at the different buildings. I realized that the helpers (most people seem to have helpers in the area we live) take the kids to the playground around 5 to play. We tend to eat dinner early, but I'm trying to work it out so we can eat later and go to the playground before dinner instead of after. We did go one day last week, but the kids seemed a bit stand offish and didn't seem to know what to think of us and it did feel a bit weird with me being the only parent. Keely likes to bridge the gap by blowing bubbles (and it normally works) but I guess our bubbles were old and wouldn't make bubbles! I felt really bad and need to go buy some new ones! Our friends go to the States this week for a few months and we aren't sure how Keely is going to take it. Ever since we left Thailand, when people leave it has been much harder on her than it has been before -- so we'll see how that goes! Keely has also been very interested in helping me around the house. One night Jacob went to a meeting and Jordan went to bed early, so Keely helped me wash the dishes. The next night when I came home from the store, she met me at the door and told me it was time to go wash the dishes. The next night she got on to Jacob for washing the dishes because she wanted me to wash them and her help! One of the other things she has been doing a lot lately is say she is stuck. I'm constantly hearing her say, "I'm stuck." Then she expects me to go "pull" her out of the spot she is in. Sometimes she will tell us that her fingers are stuck, like in the picture above. We'll give her a bad time and ask her which ones and she'll pull them out. She is too funny and is always coming up with something!

August Misc Pictures

Keely helping me make pancakes.

Jordan enjoying dinner in a high chair that resembles a lazy boy!

The girls enjoying sliding down the slide together.

On busy nights at the playground, you often see a long train of kids right behind each other going down the slide.

I can't believe I actually walk around with two little girls by my side these days!

July Misc Pictures #2

Keely playing with her memory cards (we still play almost daily)!

Keely wearing her goggles around the house and playground the first day we bought them.

Jordan's first time sliding by herself.

Jordan enjoying her grits.

Jordan playing with the foam letters.

July Misc Pictures #1

Keely enjoying a treat of cake.

Savoring every moment.

Keely's favorite past time at the park we frequented at the guest flat.

All the kids taking turns blowing bubbles.

Our Moving Helper

I can't remember what I have written on this blog, especially when I write about things on our picture a day blog too! So sorry if I repeat myself here in the next few posts!

My mom decided two weeks before we moved to come help us. What a blessing she was or we wouldn't have gotten all that we got done done and I probably would have been taken to the funny farm too! Ha! Here are a few pictures of my mom with the girls at the airport.

The Things They Say #3(ish??)

As I have mentioned a few different times that they are still renovating our building including our lift (elevator) lobby. When they started renovation on the lobby they covered all our doors with plastic to protect them. Then they tore off all of the tile on the walls and floor and then removed the old concrete exposing the bricks. We have a metal door or gate in front of our actual door and it was barely still hanging on the wall after their work and we couldn't open it all the way (ours slides instead of opening like a normal door). Then they laid new concrete on the walls. The evening after they did the part by our door, we couldn't get our door open. The way they did it, it pushed our door frame smaller and our door won't fit in the opening anymore! So a long story to get to what Keely said, but one of the men working on the building came to take a look at it. We just kept the door open while he came back and forth getting tools and materials. One of the times that he came back, the girls and I were in the kitchen and Keely announced that he had come back. Then Keely says, "Mommy say Hello. Come on Mommy, we need to be nice." Then he borrowed my phone so that someone could translate what he was trying to tell me (he was having a hard time understanding that I didn't understand him) and Keely said, "Good job Mommy, you shared your phone." She even informed Jacob as soon as we saw him at lunch that I shared my phone with him.

Ever since my mom visited us in the beginning of July, when Keely sees an airplane she gets really excited, points at it and says, "Look it's an airplane! Mimi is flying in it!" Boy mom, you must be busy flying all over Hong Kong all the time!

Keely got a nasty scratch on her face and the next day we went to fellowship. After we picked her up from child care she tells us, "Churchie says no touchie." She would tell us that every time I would clean it. After that she just said Church, but Jacob and I would laugh and say Churchie. Then yesterday we were asking her about a new boy in her class and she said his name was New Boy. We know the name of one of her teachers but not the other, so then we asked her what her other teacher's name was and she told us Church. So her teachers names are Church and Miss Candace. Now her comment that Church said not to touch her scratch makes even more sense -- that's what she calls that teacher!! We should probably find out her name!

Jacob's Birthday

Jacob's birthday was August 2nd. The week beforehand was pretty crazy, but we still managed to have some fun festivities! Read here and here about more of our preparations and fun.

I forgot to buy candles for Jacob's cake, but Keely insisted we needed candles. She has been reading a few birthday books and was all excited about the birthday cake and candles. I offered to take her to buy some, but she wanted Jacob to take her. When she got back, she put the candles on the cake.

Jordan showing off her birthday hat.

Checking In ... Again

Boy it's been awhile huh? It's funny because when we were in the guest flat we felt like we were getting into a routine and starting to get into the swing of things. Then we moved into our actual flat and I feel like I can't get my feet under me! Jordan seems to be sleeping better so that is a HUGE blessing. But Keely isn't. It still takes her a couple hours every night before she actually falls asleep. It's really wearing on us, but we are hoping she will eventually get back into the nighttime swing of things and if nothing else maybe when she starts school it will help!! It appears that all of the noise, dirt and debri from renovations of the public areas in our building may be what are bothering her most recently (you can read a few stories here, here and here from our picture a day blog about the fun). She tells me at night that she wants to go bye-bye and I think the noises and everything are making it really hard for her to settle down at night. I actually thought it was going to be quiet today and then right as we put Jordan down for a nap it got noisy on every side of us again! Oh well! We'll see if I can get back into the swing of things!! HA HA!

Just Checking In

As you can see, I haven't gotten back to blogging yet. Life continues to be crazy! For the past 10 days, Jacob has been helping lead meetings that has had him away from home from 8 am to 10 pm almost every day -- he got to come home early a couple days. The girls have had a really rough time. Keely has acted out a lot more than usual and has had several melt downs in the middle of the mtr station as we have been trying to get to our bus to get home! Both girls have had trouble sleeping -- both at night and at nap time. It would take me between an hour and two hours every night to get one or both girls to sleep! Jordan had trouble going to sleep at night (and this is the child that I normally can just lay down and she's asleep) for 10 nights in a row (it actually started 2 days before Jacob's meetings and ended 2 days before they ended!). Whew! I'm exhausted! Then of course lots of other exciting things have been going on because of course when it rains it pours! But I'll wait until another post of those stories!!

Update: It took Jordan 3 hours to get to sleep tonight! I just don't know what's going on with her!! And Keely told me tonight at bedtime that she was upset with Jacob because he had been gone. Oh my girls are so sensitive!

I May Go Crazy!

I'm wondering how many of my posts the past 6 months have this theme? Living in transition has been an adventure to say the least. Being the idealistic person I am, I didn't move with the expectation that people were still renovating their flats. The building itself is about to finish renovations and then the elevator renovations will start, so I just assumed all of the flats would be about finished too. However, I was very wrong and there is A LOT of drilling, sawing and whatever other loud things are done during a flat renovation! The day we moved our belonging in, there was some drilling done next door but just for 30 minutes or so. The next day is was quiet. Then the day we all moved in, LOUD, LOUD drilling or jack hammering or whatever it is went on from 9:30 until like 4:00. And this has gone on off and on the entire two weeks we have been here. Most of the time it is during the afternoons and the girls are tired enough normally to fall asleep through it. Yesterday, though was an entire day of it!! No one was in a good mood. When it was finally quiet, they started painting outside and we could smell the fumes. We finally left. Then this afternoon they are working right above Jordan's room. I finally got her asleep and things got quiet and I was all set to get started on some housework and the handy man arrives to finish up some projects!! Oh, I just may go crazy!

We have moved!

We have moved into our new apartment and we are close to settled. We have about 3 boxes left -- all are my things!! I have found other things that have seemed more important than unpacking them! Life has been a bit crazy trying to get into a new schedule and learn where the best places are to shop and how long it takes to get places. We did take some pictures last week, so I need to see if they are still up to date or if we made changes since then! I have been busy trying to get caught up on our picture of the day. I posted July 3-12 today -- so go check it out here! I am downloading the 100 pictures we took this past week now, so we'll see how long it takes me to finish those up! Then maybe I'll be back to blogging! Just thought I'd drop in and tell you how we are doing!

Moving Day...

...it has finally arrived! So, I may actually be busy doing other things other than blogging! Just to let you know the reason for the silence!! (Please be thinking of us though because a lot of unexpecteds have already happened and we don't start moving until later today!)

Oh how I despise balloons!

I think it is great that a lot of the restaurants want to be kid friendly. However, I don't understand why all of them seem to think that means giving out balloons. Don't get me wrong, my girls love balloons! It's great fun to sway them around and even hit your sister in the head. I don't think they are fun because I get hit with them as I am trying to order lunch or carry the tray to our table. It's hard to hold my hand to go down the escalator or get on the MTR when there are balloons in your hands. The balloons are always falling off the stick or just being dropped-- of course as we are going down an escalator or getting off the MTR. On this balloon day, Keely asked me if she could have one and I told her not that day. Then the lady with the balloons comes up and we tell her no thank you but she persists. Jordan must have not been in the balloon negoations because she readily took one, which meant Keely had to have one too!! Oh well...I tried!!

Last Week's Misc Pictures Part 4

Here are this week's pictures that didn't make the cut!

Jordan enjoying her afternoon milk in Jacob's arms.

Keely posing for the camera in her new dress. Just recently she has seemed to have shot up and most of her 2T dresses are getting too short. Where we are staying, little shops pop up every couple days selling different things and I found this dress one day on my way to the store. I'm going to miss this little area!

The girls relaxing on the couch -- Jordan drinking her milk and Keely watching her afternoon show.

Keely blowing bubbles with some little girls at the park.

What are your hobbies?

There are a lot of things that I am interested in, but finding the time to do any of them is pretty hard. I was wondering, what are your hobbies? Are you able to make time to do them? If so, how do you make that happen?

A Month of Hong Kong Living

We have been here a month and have one more week until we move into our own apartment with our own stuff!! The funny thing is we have started to get used to living in this area of town and we are going to have to figure out and learn a whole new routine!!

Where we have been staying is a little farther away from things that we frequent, but we are just 3-5 minutes away from a MTR stop! We can get anywhere pretty quickly. The other nice thing is that we are also 3-5 minutes away from a grocery store, two drug stores, a McDonalds and a park that has 4-5 different playgrounds and a swimming pool. It's another couple minutes to a couple more grocery stores and a wet market. In our new apartment, it will be a five minute bus ride to the nearest stores and MTR. The upside is that our place will be a bit bigger and we'll have all of our own stuff!!

Another interesting thing about Hong Kong, which if you have visited you may have noticed, is that you can find all kinds of things...food products, cleaning products... all kinds of things! However, NOTHING is in the same place! You may have to go to 3 or 4 different stores to get everything you want! This is different from Chiang Mai in that the one import store had all of the import stuff! You didn't have to go to three different stores. We will continue to be learning what that looks like in a daily routine!

Another learning curve for our family is that Jacob will be working out of the house. Once we get to our own place it will be easier hopefully. Yet, it will still be a steep learning curve since we haven't done it this way before!!

We have been learning lots of things about living in Hong Kong and how to get around and we will be learning a whole lot more once we move!! Aren't transitions great!?! If anyone has any advice we'd love to hear it!!