Birthday weekend trip to the Science Center

since we first came to SY to visit and check it out, Rachel has loved the Science Center...its actually the building with the big "epcot-esque" ball on top from other pictures. We had been waiting for a van to pick us up, so we wandered in there to get out of the sun, but something in there caught her attention and kept it. When we moved here she kept saying, so, mommy, when are we going to go to the fun place with the ball on top? And has persistantly asked that question anytime we mention that we may be doing something fun . . . so for birthday weekend, we decided it was time. It really was quite fun, even though many of the displays and activities didn't work, there were enough that did to keep us busy for over 3 hours! Educational fun for five bucks, who could ask for more???

Rachel, Lachy and Jo lifting Jerry and Damion on the see-saw. Funny to see the three of them lifting their two dads...but the wonder of it was lost on them...it wasn't fun because they weren't going up and down.

A square-wheeled bicycle, quite a bumpy ride!

Recess with friends

Amazingly it doesn't take long for "RECESS" to become the number one answer to "what do you like best about school?" Our little one is no exception, and who can blame her when she gets to dig in nasty dirty sand/gravel every day?!


And I just loved these pictures of her...maybe just the colors, but she sure looks like a pro to me!

A Blue's Clues Party

Well, it is a poorly kept secret that Rachel's favorite color these days is BLUE...she has for the last six months ranked her favorite colors from 1 - 30 or so...often chiming out with, "oh, mom! You gave me the pink one...that's my 16th favorite color" (sometimes this is with thankfulness, sometimes with disappointment...depending on the day, her mood, speed of the west-australian current and other random factors). So when posed with the question many months ago, what do you want to decorate your birthday party with this year, Blues Clues was the winner by a landslide. So, thanks to Aunt Jo we had some pretty great decorations, party favors for the pinata, party hats/plates/napkins, tattoos. All things BLUES CLUES.

We decided that all the kids she would invite, for the most part, were in her kindergarten, so why not have the party on Friday before her birthday at the school...this worked out great as it was also Field Day and a pretty much non-productive day from the teaching perspective. Rachel decided that everyone should wear blue clothes for the party and that we should eat blue food...hmmm...blue food...hmmm...

For morning snack time I made a giant cookie

Ahh, the calm before the storm

We made homemade ice cream in a bag (blue, of course). Everyone had a turn putting in an ingredient and then we all took turns shaking the bags wrapped in fuzzy blankets.

And then the pinata . . . this year mom got wiser and made it a pull-string pinata. Dad says it's not REALLY a pinata if you don't get to smack it with some kind of stick.

but they enjoyed it anyway!

a BLUE lunch??

BLUE rice, BLUE mac n cheese, BLUE "dip it" (aka: ranch dressing) with veggie sticks and a BLUE hard boiled egg....yum yum! Anyone for dinner at the Joneses?

Now doesn't that just look scrum-yum-a-lummy?!?

I took a chance...I headed to the bakery down the street with a party hat and determination and asked if it were possible for her to draw "this dog onto (pointing) this size cake"? OH, SURE she said confidently...I left not convinced that I wouldn't have to purchase another cake at another bakery . . . but when we went to pick it up I was pleasantly surprised to find it really did resemble Blue's Clues . . . enough that Rachel recognized it as soon as we entered the shop. Ah, the sweet relief of a concept communicated successfully!

OK, I realized too late that the cake needed to be turned toward the camera for the "4" to be right....duh, mom.

One of Rachel's very favorite things about China is birthday cakes! Every bakery around has a marvelous display of beautifully decorated cakes in a very low display case so she can linger over all the pretty flowers, chocolate swirls and creme . . . so to serve her very own cake was quite a joy fo her.

Never see our three year old again!

Well, it's birthday eve and I just can't believe it! We'll never see our three year old again....she told me as she was falling asleep..."mommy, tomorrow I will be your big FOUR year old!" so, i had to run and get the camera to take the last picture we will ever have of her as a three year old. Sigh.

She counted to 200 (or the second hundred, as she calls it) tonight as we were getting ready for bed....all in the course of telling me that tomorrow she would be four, then five, then six....and on and on to 200. It was interesting, when she got to 35...that's my age now... wow. Too much for a mommy with a cold to handle right before bedtime!

Goodnight, my sweet, sweet three-year-old!

BIRTHDAY FUN

Jerry took this picture at my friend Natasha's house on her birthday. We all went out to eat dinner at one of her favorite places (yummy yummy chinese food!) and then back to their house for dessert and coffee. Jerry commented on what a "cross-cultural" group of girls we are...I guess he's right... 1 chinese, 2 colombians, 2 Koreans, 1 Australian and 1 American . . . it's great to live in a city with such great gals!

Our First Sleepover

Last week was my friend Natasha's birthday so we offered to keep their boys overnight so they could sleep in on Saturday morning. Both Lachy and Rachel were croupy-coughy, but they all had a great time anyway! Grilled cheese and veggie sticks for dinner, a run around the play area before bedtime to wear them out a little, many, many many bedtime stories, some snickering and giggling before they were tucked in one final time and then . . . sweet sleep!



Lachy and Rachel after bathtime

Bedtime stories!

Saturday morning "cartoons" (a BOZ dvd on the computer!) while they wait patiently for pancakes.

Ahhh, sweet memories!

Well, it's that time of year when I just love to shop the "end of season" sales . . . here in China, that's not so much a "thing" they do, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this little bargin for just US $6.oo! And much to my surprise, when I got home I realized I had been shopping at one of my favorite stores . . . had I realized it I would have looked for a new Thanksgiving tablecloth . . . KOHL'S always has such nice ones!



Cute little Cinderella dress in BLUE ( a dress in blue is quite a find I'm learning!)

And what to my wondering eyes should appear? But a sweet little tag , a whisper from DAD, "I love you, dear!"

Spider Girl . . . no one knows who you are!

The other day Rachel got off the school bus and we weren't sure who she was . . . she wore this adorable little creation ALL weekend (to the play area, to the market, to the grocery store) my theory is that she loved the fact that no one could see her under all those legs . . . a nice break from being mauled and asked how old she is.

Spirit Day . . . not the holy kind

Today kicked off "Spirit Week" at SYIS (Shenyang International School) where Rachel attends kindergarten . . . this weekend is their first volleyball tourney and everyone (from kindy to seniors, lunch lady to principal) participates. Today was PJ's and Crazy Hair Day. I think for first time "Spirit Weekers" we didn't do too bad! We sure had a blast and a bundle of laughs while we were getting ready.

After getting all those rubberbands in her hair, it still didn't feel finnished to Ra . . . she went into her toy vanity thingy and pulled out some dragonfly clips and curlers, and mom saw some chopsticks on the table calling to be added. . . ahhhh, the finnishing touches! And yeah, no idea what that pose is, but it was too cute not to take a picture of. And the final pic is of Ra and Joe, her 8 year old "big brother" who helps her on and off the bus and walks her to her classroom each day. We love Joe!

Splish Splash!

It's an interesting fact that people here seem to prefer their children to not play on the floor, play in dirt, splash in puddles or anything otherwise associated with dirt . . . so as our child froliced through the mud puddle in her bare feet out in the common area of our apartment complex, we were pleasantly in awe when our upstairs neighbor brought her little grandson right over, proceeded to take off his shoes and set him down on the dirty ground near the puddle of fun Rachel was enjoying . . . she took this as her cue to educate him in proper puddle splashing etiquette.

splash splash fun fun

splashing is so much fun!

"first you have to get the feel of the water . . . "

"then you do a little dance like this . . . it'll get you good and wet"

"and if that doesn't do it for you, you can always get down real close . . . and POW . . . splash as hard as you can with you hands!"

This is the beautiful fountian that creates that wonderful little splashing puddle everyday from noon to 1pm and from 6pm to 7pm. Come on over and splash with us . . . it's loads of fun!

Pre-Birthday Celebration

Jerry and Rachel have September birthdays . . . Thelma and Louise (see previous posts) were sad to miss them, so we celebrated early with some cinnamon rolls made by our new helper, Tian Jie, and some mis-matched random birthday stuff.

Rachel purchased this same golf game for a friend's birthday the previous week and was so proud of her choice of gifts . . . she didn't want the birthday boy to play with it without her . . . so Thelma (or was it Louise?) to the rescue . . . she got her OWN golf game as a pre-birthday present. (and what did Jerry get, you ask? Salt and Pepper shakers . . .finally! . . . the nicest ones Wal-mart had to offer ;) )

Showing her deepest gratitude!