Christmas Day 2013

We had a fabulous Christmas day here - one of the best ever! 

In the morning we read the Christmas story and the kids opened up their stockings. Last year my sister in law Angel knitted us all these amazing stockings. She shared her families tradition with us and we are happy to make it a tradition for us too. We got the kids one gift each which they opened then too. 

After that we called Gramma and GP. The kids each had a gift from them to open up too. And an extra fun surprise a package came from them and arrived on Christmas eve!!! So they go to open this x-mas am as well (I still need to get on thank you notes...). 

We Called Nana and Papa and the kids each go to open their gift from them. We are beyond thankful for technology that allows us to do this sort of thing while we live overseas. 

Our close friends all came over a few hours later and we spent the day laughing, eating, playing etc. 

And we all managed to fit!

We did a secret Santa with the adults - someone knew Sean well :)

sillies

Of Course caed would say "BEER"

Back in November the kids and I boarded a plane to attend a homeschool week. It is really fantastic that once in a while these are held to help out us parents who homeschool in places that our kids get very little same language interaction with peers. This was Caed's first one and he had such a blast. 

My little travelers. I think this was Beatrice's 17th flight in 13 months...

The theme was knights and castles - they did tons of singing, dancing, art, reading and acting

One of my closest friends out here and I got to get away for a few hours and enjoy a real treat - Starbucks! In a clean new mall. Where no one was smoking. It was bliss.

Another very special treat - McDonalds!!! I don't know if you can count McDonalds as special until you live somewhere with no hamburgers for months on end :)

And we got to shop at H&M, and spend some Christmas money. Why do so many clothes have cats in them? Is that a thing in the States too?

Caed and his buddy practicing for their performance

And we met a boy with a pet lizard - highlight of Caeds time of course. 

He loves his art time

All boys, I don't get it but there is really an abundance of boy expat children out here! Made for a very rowdy week

my loves

I took Beia to some free gymborre classes there - she loves it!

dance dance

little knight

castle building

And the there is the beer. On their first day they made this circle chart of things you can fine in a castle and things you can find at home, and things in both. When I picked C up I saw one of the answers was "Beer" and right away new that it was him who had said it. I called Sean and told him and we both laughed out loud at our funny, observant boy. 

This Boy

I am loving the 5 1/2  age. There are things I have loved at every age, but right now Caedmon sure is funny. He is really growing into who he is, his likes and dislikes. I just adore watching his personality develop. 

He is sounding out and writing words now all over the place. He made the above book - his "writer famous Caedmon" book to write all his important thoughts.

He plays library and then falls asleep like this. 

He loves making 'parks' or 'lands' for his animals or toys

he is spunky, creative, funny, brave, energetic - like a peacock he says :)

"plants vs zombies"

Graham Cracker Houses

We spent Christmas day with close friends. It was  It was completely relaxing and fun - time well spent. I love that it was focused on playing and hanging out and enjoying the day, and not on presents. We made graham cracker houses (thanks to you who sent graham crackers all the way to China!) and the dads built them for the boys. 

We also talked about different Christmas day traditions. Super interesting as our Dutch friend says they always dress up fancy for Christmas day and for us (well me) I stay in my pajamas all day long!

The kids (all boys here - B is the only girl!) had a blast decorating and eating. 

Here is Beia in her new dress from the Christmas package. 

We had just got Gramma and Gp's package that had bug sprinkles in it - perfect timing! He is also wearing his new Chima shirt from the package. 

The Drawer Sagga (Chouti hai huaile?)

                                     

See that empty space where there should be a drawer in the lower left of the picture - well let me tell you a story. Growing up my Dad could fix anything, and I mean anything. I pride myself in having learned a thing or two from him. The drawer above the broken one broke and I fixed it myself (with a borrowed drill) in late November. The a few days later (still in November!) the underneath one broke.  

But I didn't have the drill anymore. And they built a wall - I mean a huge. brick. wall. right on the only street that goes into town from our house. You can no longer hop on a motorcycle/bus/taxi and go into town and get the parts you need. You have to walk. In the cold.

So it stayed broken. The kids hid toys in it. The hole turned into a play nook. 

Eventually on Christmas eve we were walking past the wall over the bridge and into town and I picked up the parts I needed. But still no drill. 

And I got annoyed at the drawer just sitting on the ground. You see it held tupperware and now all my tupperware sort of made this mountain or unorganized plastic on the ground. But we were busy. Sean finishing up masters classes, and doing finals for his students. Planning and hosting Christmas events. Traveling all over. Going to celebrate our 12 year anniversary (!!!).

And the drawer was still there. And my kids kept climbing in there. And the tupperware kept stacking up. But I learned to just walk around the drawer on the floor. And to lure my kids into playing in 'the hole' while I cooked dinner or did dishes.

Until two days before we left for Thailand (January 13 - a month and a half later!!!) I was walking home and asked the handy man downstairs, who I literally see almost every day if he could come fix it. He said "yeah ill come" - and just like that with a ten word conversation and $5 USD my drawer was fixed in 30 minutes. 

Lesson learned - just pay and have someone come and do it.

Also I need my own drill :)

                                     

Belated Cookie Exchange

Well in real time we are on vacation! In Thailand!! And it's hot here!!!

Via the blog the last time I posted was in early November - oh man. I have been so bag about taking pictures the last few months. Or maybe I take too many pictures on my phone and by the time I share on Instagram I don't want to transfer to my computer then write a blog? Either way I have a few catch up blog posts to do then I will get on to vacation.

In December I hosted a cookie exchange party for all the expat ladies and a 'plus one' local friend. We all brought tons of cookies and I had a wrapping station and two craft rooms set up. 

So many creative yummy cookies

Making ornaments in the front room

wrapping cookies in the dinning room

Cookies!!!

All our Chiense friends had a great time. I really wanted to do something fun and inviting for local friends and this was a big hit. 

This was the first of 6 or so Christmas parties we had over the next two weeks. The other ones I didn't take many pictures though. But all in all it was a very busy few weeks!