Birthday week

This is a different kind of birthday week than we are used to. THIS week wasn't celebrating any of our birthdays, it was celebrating all of Jack's friends birthdays (three to be exact), and my goodness, they certainly do celebrate!

Celebrating birthdays almost defined our week because besides just going to each party, we were scheduling naps around them, buying gifts for them, and all the kids (and moms) were talking about them all week long! Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, and we did things we wouldn't be doing anywhere else, which I guess is one of the reasons it's fun to live here. Even when we're with our expat friends, it's funny to still feel like it's a whole other world over here!

Party #1: Jack's good friend, Daisy, combined her party with her brother, Henry, who was turning 7 (their birthdays are a day apart). They invited a LOT of kids (I heard something about 80 invites being handed out, and I think almost that many attended) to a private birthday screening of Enchanted at the Emporium cinema. Wow. We arrived late, due to trying to give Jane at least a little nap, but only missed the first 20 min. (my hilarious father-in-law would have had a heart attack to arrive so late! Love you, Dad!). We sat down and enjoyed a really fun movie together! Jane really liked it, Jack got a little bored during the "plot" scenes, and both were a little nervous about the dragon, but overall, we all really enjoyed it. And now, Jack has a HUGE Enchanted poster he's determined to hang on his wall. After being turned into a light saber and all kinds of swords, during the after-movie catered meal (different world, I say!) it's pretty ragged. I think we might lose track of that one this week. Oops! By the time I got my camera out to take a picture of Jack and Daisy together, Daisy was done for the day. So, the picture I have is of her scowling, so I opted not to remember her like that!

Wednesday, no party, but we did have an awesome rainfall (hallelujah! Something other than heat!), and I got to see Jack do an awesome Taekwondo demonstration at his school. He was SO excited for us to come, and I have to say, it was the highlight of my week! He was right on cue with each move, and so attentive as soon as his teacher shouted out instructions. Is this how I need to format violin each day?

I mostly took video of him doing "his moves", but here are a couple pictures. For some reason, all my pictures are really bad this week. The lens must have been dirty or something lame like that. BUT, it was a crazy week, and so this is just one of the many things that went unnoticed! Is Jack cute or what?

He earned a yellow belt this day and was SO excited. He kept telling me not to bring his white belt at all, but I think it was a good thing I did, because they didn't get their new belts until the end! He was so proud to have Master Chai put it on him and get his certificate!

Jack and Oliver requesting a photo shoot. They are so silly together.

Jack's school has been preparing for a special "International Day" ever since we came back from Christmas break. It's been really fun to have him come home with new games, origami, foreign snacks (he thinks soybeans are so cool, especially when you get to throw them at Demons, as in the Japanese tradition), and all kinds of new information about countries we know little about. He's had moms come in to talk about Japan, Indonesia, Bhutan, India, Thailand, and of course, U.S.A.! I am the only American mom in the class, so I got to do it all by myself, and it was a lot of fun! We talked about the flag, the diversity in America, the Statue of Liberty, and ended with fun cowboy stuff. They dressed Jack up like a cowboy (I actually had to borrow a cowboy hat from my friend from Indonesia! I didn't bring anything cowboy-e!), made their own belt buckles, and got to wear their own bandannas. We even had trail mix for a treat. I think they enjoyed this stuff, but I'm pretty sure they enjoyed the authentic American fiddle music the best. I almost didn't pull it out because we were out of time, but I decided to, and the kids just danced around the room, laughing, jumping, and riding "horses" the entire time. It was a good time, and I loved finally being able to do something with Jack's class! Now, I'm looking forward to the actual "International Day" where Jack will be performing traditional Thai dance. He's pretty excited about it too!

Starting from the left: Naam Won, Jaskeerat, Rae, Sonam, Jack, Shonah, Menamu, Kazuya, Maya, Arjun, (on train) Oliver, Anna, and Sasha. You should have seen the way they looked at me when I told them to shout "Yee-Haw!", it was hilarious.

Such fun kids, and it was fun to see them in the classroom environment as opposed to play dates and parties which is where I usually get to interact with them.

Thursday afternoon was Shona's party (#2). Her mother, Yui, is so sweet. We get to enjoy chats when she occasionally gives me a ride home after dropping the kids at a school. She was worried when after 30 min. we weren't at the party! And, believe me, I was feeling bad too, but it was terrible traffic! It turned out to be just fine because then the Build-a-Bear process was a lot shorter, which is nice when Jane wants to try all the bear clothes on herself (which, might I add, all cost MORE than I spend on Jane's clothes... and she's real!). Anyway, Jack thought it was the coolest to build his own little puppy, which he named Jack, and get to carry him in this nice little house.

This is Jane and Justin, Shona's little brother, sharing the hearts with each other. Notice how Justin is as big, if not BIGGER than Jane? He's a year younger! He's a tank, I love it!

I think this was the 3rd time this week that Jane and Brandon got to be together. They are turning into quite the pair! It's a good thing too because his mom is one of my favorite moms in the class, so we are starting to get together more and more these days! I tried all week long to get a decent picture of these two, and honestly, THIS was the best one! They never stop running, jumping, moving around. And, if they do, their heads are always facing different directions. But, this picture does show how much fun they have together (and in this picture, Kazuya also). They light up when they see each other. It's been a blessing that Sukma (Brandon's mom) doesn't have a nanny either, because Brandon is her little sidekick just like Jane is mine! Everywhere we go for school related things, Jane has her favorite buddy to play with!

Jane spilled her entire drink on herself, so luckily, Kazuya's mom (Taka) had an extra shirt to go with the extra shorts I had. Jane looks pretty cute eating her cake, don't you think? This was at the restaurant behind the Build-a-Bear where they had food and cake waiting for everyone.

Jack and Kazuya being silly together.

After this party, we rushed to the park to meet the Wood family (the missionary family from Idaho we had over last week), to play and visit together. Luckily, they were late too (and actually never made it due to illness and traffic, unfortunately), but I did get to meet another amazing missionary family (who are friends of the Woods) from Washington. We had a really nice visit, and their two boys, ages 12 and 8 (I think), were immediately adopted as ideal playmates. Jack and Jane were pulling them all over the playground, and the boys were such good sports! It's so fun to meet such interesting people with great reasons to be here. They have been in Asia for 9 weeks and were only 4 days away from heading home. What troopers!

On Fridays, I've started going to a regular playgroup that a friend from Jack's school got me involved in. It's a group of about 10 women with children ranging from 12 months-3 1/2 that have been meeting together for years (since their older children were this age). It's turned out to be a really fun way to hear different expat experiences, learn about other places, and make connections that I wouldn't have otherwise. Last week, I heard one woman talking about going to China. I asked her about it to discover that she's going to China to run a half-marathon on the Great Wall. I had JUST been telling Jeff how amazing I thought that would be when I saw an internet advert for it! So, yes, I was so jealous. BUT, Jeff and I had also decided just days before that we wanted to start training for the Salt Lake City half-marathon that will take place when we are visiting in April. Karen and I discovered we have been running at the same park, and decided to try running together. I haven't run with anyone since I started to enjoy running, so it was really fun to have a partner last week for one of my longer runs (long at this stage, I guess, I'm still getting back into it!). Anyway, even though our paces are a bit different, I think it will be fun to have someone to run with occasionally and keep me motivated! In my dreams, I keep hoping one of her running mates for the Great Wall race will need to drop out and give away her ticket to someone else. Like I've said before, I'm a dreamer. So, tomorrow is our first day of officially starting our training programs for this race. We're both looking forward to having this schedule and hoping we can fit in our longer runs somehow while we swap who takes the kids!

Saturday was Jaskeerat's party at McDonalds (#3). We decided to make this a family affair, so after Jeff's run, my run, Jeff playing basketball with some church friends, and a Primary presidency meeting, we met up for lunch and playing. Jack was inseparable from Owen this week. They are in different classes, but really get along well. His parents are both from upstate New York and his mom is awesome, so we decided we really need to get these two together more often! It's funny to see who Jack really connects with. Sometimes I can predict it, sometimes not! This connection didn't surprise me much though.

More Jane and Brandon. They were dancing to the music in the party room with the big kids. Funny thing about this party: the music the McDonald's girls played for the kids do dance to, or play musical chairs, or other games was NOT kid music. It was actually pretty obscene, so we were grateful that the kids weren't listening too close and hope we won't be shocked to hear some choice phrases down the road that they picked up on from a party at McDonald's!

Last but not certainly not least, Jack and I were able to attend the funeral broadcast for our sweet President Hinckley today at the church. It's been nice to read thoughts about our dear prophet on so many of your blogs, and feel like I can relate in many ways. We learned Monday morning (Sunday evening MST) of his passing, and I was a little bit in shock. It took me a few minutes to process the texts and phone calls that all came at once, then I immediately started to feel happy. I will miss President Hinckley dearly, but as sad as it will make me to not see him at the pulpit this coming April for conference, that sadness is all but forgotten when I think of how happy he must be. He lived such an exceptional life of service, of reaching out to others, of caring and loving those from every walk of life. He has so many reasons to look back and be happy about the way he spent his life and the things he experienced. It just feels like the next step, moving ahead in the eternal realm. And, I have to admit, the happiest thought of all is the thought of him reuniting with his darling wife. They were meant to be together forever, and now their four years apart is in the past. They are together again, as was always intended.

A few favorite things I love about President Hinckley:

I love his focus on temple work and building temples so more people are able to participate in the work. I smile when I think of how wonderful it must be for him to see the results of all his hard work now that he is on the other side of things.

As a young women leader, I always loved to hear him be so encouraging to the youth of the church. Instead of seeing the mistakes and weaknesses in them, he saw the good. He saw their potential, including mine, as I was still in high school when he became our prophet, and was confident that we could reach it.

I love his emphasis on the family. The Family: A proclamation to the World is such an inspired document and I love that it came out at a time where the value of the family was declining.

I LOVE his relationship with his wife. The way they would walk together, the look in their eyes, and especially the way they spoke of one another is inspiring as a young wife and mother. I think Jeff and I could be like that, if I was a little more like Sis. Hinckley. I'll keep working on that.

I don't know where I heard President Hinckley say this (in so many words), but I always think of it when I see him with his cane, "My doctor said I needed a cane, but he didn't say I have to use it!". I loved to see him waving it around in greeting, rarely even touching it to the floor!

Again, thank you for all your thoughts this week about President Hinckley. It is obvious that he has touched millions of lives. We were lucky to have him for so long, and as my mom pointed out to me, we are so lucky to have so much to remember him by.

Have a great week everyone. And, if you get the chance on Super Tuesday, VOTE!

Jeff... my Thai pop star

We've had some really good moments this week. Unfortunately, not many that we got pictures of, but overall, it's been a good one. We had plenty to do, and got to enjoy lots of friends this week. I just wish I would have pulled out my camera a little more (particularly when Jack jumped in the pool and swam to the side all by himself, or when he had a big breakthrough on his violin) Things are just getting to be so normal here now that although I almost always have my camera with me (just in case we see the extraordinary), I often think, we've got LOTS of pictures like that! BUT, I've looked back on my blog a bit this week, and there isn't anything that I wish I wouldn't have taken pictures of, so I guess I taught myself a lesson this week! Also, looking back, I've realized how grown up Jane's become. She really has grown up so much since we've been here, and it's fun to look back and read about her taking her first steps down by the pool at our first hotel, or discovering that she loves rice. All those people that tell you to keep records of things, they really know what they're talking about!

My friend, Catherine, came over on Friday with her kids and we had a great visit! Jack and the twins played together really well (3 can be a hard number at times), and Jane and Madeline really played together for the first time ever, as opposed to just being in the same place. It was really fun to watch. They dressed up in some of Jane's favorites, then played in Jane's bed and with her little dish set. Madeline is a really sweet girl, and I think it was really good for Jane to be the older friend, as opposed to her usual role of being the youngest around when we're with Jack's friends.

Yesterday, we started the day off with story time at the library. Several months ago, I got into a conversation with one of the women at the library only to discover that she is the one in charge of the children's programs and has many of her own children's books published and in every bookstore in Bangkok. We'd read her stuff, so it was fun to meet her and make the connection. She asked if I'd be willing to read for story time sometime, and so this was my week! We read a few silly books about ducks, water, and boats, then made a simple craft. It was really fun to be the one reading to the children, but I was a nerd and thought I was starting late, but really started early, and didn't realize it until later. Why no one there said anything is beyond me! Luckily, the craft went on for a while, so whoever wanted to participate was able to. I would love for them to ask me again, but after that, would you? I don't even have a cool British or Australian accent like all the other storytellers. The way I read one of the stories didn't even rhyme because of my American accent, but then how does it sound to only say one word with the accent. Dumb, I tell you. Jack says some words with British accents and even though it sounds just like all his British friends, it sounds silly when he only says one word with the accent. Like "mirror" pronounced "mirrah". He was completely convinced this was the only way to say this word.

Jack quickly plopped down on this beanbag with a book, completely content! I love that my children enjoy reading so much!

After the library, we went to Anutra's work to get our pictures taken for some advertisements they are doing at an education fair next weekend. It was funny to pretend we were in class while the camera is shooting away. Jack was not so excited about it, but Anutra wisely came prepared with chocolates to keep even my tired kids happy. We went out for lunch after with Anutra, Bird, and Faa (with her boyfriend) and Kung showed up to surprise the kids. Sorry, this picture really is not good.

Jane was particularly fond of Bird yesterday. Everytime he went out of sight (like to park the car), she was looking for him saying, "Khun Bird, Khun Bird". She would snuggle right up to him, or run into his arms, and made sure she got to sit by him while we ate. He was loving this, of course! Anutra got a really cute one of Jane kissing him on his cheek, but I missed it, dang it!

Jack hadn't seen Faa in a very long time, due to Faa's new job at a school 2 hours outside the city, and her new boyfriend. It took a bit, but he warmed right up to her again. We've missed her!

Kung was especially fond of Jane this time. We went for ice cream afterward, and Jane sat inside with Anutra and Bird, while the rest of us were on the opposite side of the window (see the reflection of Jack?). Kung had gone in to help Jane with her ice cream and was wiping her mouth at every bite, I thought this was hilarious because this is very typical of how kids are treated by their nannies here. I love Kung, and her pampering Jane like this is just fine, but can you imagine having someone do everything for your kids like this, all the time? Not that all nannies do, but it makes me laugh when I see Nannies following kids around the playground with every bite of food.

I guess you could call this our front yard. This is basically the grass by the lobby where we wait for Jack to come home on the bus, or hang out while we wait for a Taxi or tuk-tuk. It's nice to be out, but my goodness, it's getting hot! Some days I'm glad the sun sets here around 5pm (remember that our horizon is high rise buildings!).

Monday, I met a friend at the park (Nancy, who I met at the orphanage a year ago) to visit and play with the kids on the playground. There was also a family there, the Wood family, who we struck up a conversation with about 5 minutes before we needed to go. I found out they were from northern Idaho and visit Asia occasionally as Christian missionaries. They had just returned from a month in India and have a few weeks in Bangkok before heading home. We didn't get to visit much, but exchanged cards in case they needed anything. The whole way home I kept thinking about traveling around Asia like that with two children and how wearing that probably is. I really admired their dedication to serving the people of Asia. I decided to invite them over and hope they didn't think I was a nut case for doing it. They were so sweet to come all the way across the city to spend a Sunday evening with us, even when they had been feeling a little under the weather. Their children, James and Mary Ann, played so well with Jack and Jane, and Jeff and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit with Jon and Natalie. We wish them the best of luck as they continue with their efforts to spread the word throughout Asia.

Our bishop came over last night and called me to the Primary presidency. I was pretty sure they'd keep me in nursery for the entire 2 years we were here, so this was a big surprise. As fun as it always is to mix things up a bit, I'm a bit anxious to find out who will be taking care of "my kids" in the nursery, and I was a bit sad today to think that I will have to turn that over to someone else (is this a controlling side coming out of me?). I haven't been in Primary since Jeff and I were first married, so really, I think this will be a fun adventure for me. I was even more excited when I discovered I'd be serving with two incredible women who I can learn so much from. Hopefully we can continue what our incredible primary workers were doing before, and add a little something of our own!

Ever since we got here, people have told Jeff that he looks like a Thai pop star named Noy (I think that's his name, Thai friends, help me out!). Anutra even brought a picture over for us to see and insists they look alike. We think this is hilarious. He's since been on a new campaign for Pepsi Max and is now all over the city. What do you think? Does this guy look like Jeff? Is this why so many girls randomly tell Jeff he's so handsome on the train? Because he's even more handsome than this famous guy?

Maybe if we zoom in just a little, you can see the resemblance:

Sorry ladies, he's taken.

A good day

We had a few rough spots during this week, namely: Tuesday. It was not a great day. Jack and I were not on the same page. I think my kids are really just still recovering from the holidays, and I have realized that being back in school, as much as he loves it, has really worn Jack out. He's been WAY more tired this time around than ever before for some reason, and I don't think I've been aware of it enough. Anyway, in contrast to our rough day on Tuesday, Wednesday was extremely nice. Not too crazy, but still full of fun things, and most of all, each other. It was a nice day together, and not too unusual as far as things we saw and places we went, so I thought it would be a good one to document. The pace here is just so different in a way that's hard to explain (maybe just for me), but I don't want to forget it. Some days I really do just long for a car, fresh air, Target, or a guarantee that I can communicate easily if I need to. When I have days like this where I get to walk through the streets, see all the smiling people, talk with random and wonderful people in the park, play with my kids, and partake of the uniqueness of Bangkok, it makes me want to just soak it all in and never forget it. So, here's a typical (if you can ever call a day typical) day for us in Bangkok.

5:30 - I wake and head to 4^th floor gym, watching CNN all the time to follow the Michigan Primary.

7:05 – Back upstairs, wake up Jack for oatmeal (his favorite), and an orange he never finished peeling. I think he was more interested in using the orange peeler he discovered in the drawer yesterday.

7:10 – Jane wakes up pleasant, sits down to her new favorite, honey cornflakes.

7:15 – I get showered and dressed, not really getting ready because I know it's swim day.

7:35 – Jack's violin time. I was so proud of myself for reminding him to go to the bathroom before we started because this is always an issue as soon as he gets it under his chin.

7:36 – Jack needs to go #2. Lovely. I get Jane ready, Jeff's getting ready and everything's packed for the day.

7:55 – (really, it takes him FOREVER!) Jack's ready to practice, and possibly without a struggle. This has been a big issue lately, so it was nice to have Jeff as an audience this morning to help encourage. It's always a HUGE bonus when we can do this in the morning.

8:15 – Jeff's off to work (late, because he was helping with practicing), Jack dresses, brushes, and makes his bed (hallelujah!).

8:25 – We're out the door, down the elevator, and looking for our tuk-tuk. Not there. We head out for the street.

8:30 – Get a taxi, thank goodness, not easy this time of day!

8:37 – Arrive at Jack's school, greeted by the smiling staff, and the kids head for the playground. Jane climbs on the castle, while Jack shows off his new found skills on the monkey bars, plays with Scarlett, and digs in the sand box.

8:45 – Bell rings, kids run to classroom, but Jack lingers for Jane and I to walk him to the door. He's a bit hesitant, but anxious once Kazuya arrives to get seats together. Jane wishes she could go too!

8:50 – Jane and I set out for the park, about 1.5 km away. We buy some pineapple, yum.

9:15 – Arrive at Benjasiri park, Jane's thrilled to see other children playing with sand toys (of course, I didn't think to bring ours). And I get to eat my delicious pineapple.

9:25 – The little boys have hidden all their toys except the shovel and pail they have let Jane use, much to their Nannies' dismay. I visit with the Nannies a little and discover the boys are both from Canada and only speak French. Neither of the nannies speak French, but their English is good. They were very nice, and adored Jane.

9:45 – Jane and I swing on the very “not safe” swings and feed the birds the only thing I could find in my bag: fish strips. They love them, and Jane thinks this is hilarious.

10:05 – Time to head home, but I'm feeling lazy and don't want to haul the stroller and Jane up the stairs, so we decide to go through the mall.

10:10 – Maybe just a minute inside the bookstore.

10:45 – Worried that Jane's book, saying, “Maybe someday my dreams will come true” for the 30^th time in a row will drive everyone in the store nuts, I get what I need (not that book, no worries) and head out.

10:50 – Decide to walk home because Jane's in good spirits and we have time.

11:00 – Buy Pomelo from my favorite fruit truck on our soi, but find out (from her daughter) that my favorite Pomelo lady is not feeling well.

11:05 – Buy Som Tam for lunch later (this woman is another favorite, she always washes out the bowl especially for me so it's not too spicy!), and sticky rice for a snack for Jane.

11:15 – Arrive home, get in swimsuits and head around the corner for Jane's swim class.

11:30 – Jane and Pound (a new little boy) are the only ones in class today. I'm astonished people pay money and don't show up for classes!

12:15 – After Jane loving every second of her class and some extra play, we head back for a shower before Jack arrives on the bus.

12:45 – Jack gets home chatting away about Tae Kwon Do day and his new friend on the bus.

12:55 – We eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and I surprise Jack with my splurge on grapes with NO seeds (he's even more excited than I am), and he tells Jane and me all about school.

1:10 – Jane goes down for her nap after reading Cinderalla, her favorite.

1:20 – Because violin was done in the morning (yay!), we get to enjoy some extra time reading a book from school all about space. Jack finds out he's fascinated with gravity (should I be nervous about this one?).

1:50 – Jack goes into quiet time to play with his Spiderman Leap Pad book and to make paper money for his wallet.

2:00 – I get MY time to write emails, read blogs, tidy up the house, and read. Ahhhhhhh...

3:15 – Jack finishes quiet time and wants to play a computer game.

3:30 – Jane wakes up and asks to watch Sleeping Beauty. My favorite. We watch as I finish putting away the last of the Christmas décor, finally!

4:30 – Turn off the movie and get ready to leave.

5:00 – After Jane attempting #2 (at her request) for 30 minutes, I trust it isn't going to happen and we head out.

5:05 – Tuk-tuk is available, and he takes us to Sukhumvit road where Jane points out the elephant on the sidewalk waiting to impress the tourists. Always interesting, but very sad. Elephants shouldn't be in the city.

5:15 – I'm once again amazed at my kids capacity to climb stairs, stay with me in a crowd, and have SO much fun together (I had to ask them to stop hugging so we could move out of people's way!) as we go into the Emporium to enjoy the Lego Exhibit.

6:15 – Leave the Legos, much to Jack's dislike, to meet Jeff for dinner. Jack was quite taken with the construction pieces at one Lego table, and Jane loved shoving flowers, fruit, and guys in every Lego window and door she could find on the existing masterpieces.

6:20 – We eat at a food shop on the way home. Kids share khaw men gai, I order veggies and rice, and Jeff gets egg noodles. The smell of good food, sound of traffic, and chaos of motorcycles and trucks driving by an arms length away all melt into one great atmosphere.

6:45 – Head home in a truck taxi, and Jack suddenly notices that the moon is following us. Jane also finds this fascinating as they watch it all the way home, by laying their heads back on the seat of the truck.

7:00 – Traffic wasn't great, it would have been faster to walk!

7:15 – Kids are putting shoes away, settling in, and we're brushing teeth.

7:30 – More Cinderella for Jane, A special Daddy story for Jack, plenty of songs, and they're ready for bed.

7:50 – We're all happy to say Goodnight!

8:00 – I'm loving that my kids are the kind that need a lot of sleep.

8:15 - Jeff heads down to the gym. I clean up the house, then get to sit down at the computer to work on my Hong Kong video, send some emails, and write about my day, because it was a good one.

Here are some of the few photos from the week:

Does anyone else agree that Legos are the best toy ever? I love seeing my kids so engaged with these toys!

One day last week, I was feeling extra productive and had a few extra minutes and decided to take care of Jane's hair which has been driving me nuts. I cut it. Do I know how to cut hair? Nope. It's not the best (especially when parts flip out when the rest is flipping under), and it's shorter than I intended, but she's still darling, and it really doesn't drive me or her as nuts as it once did. So, mission accomplished? This time, yes, but I think next time I'll take her to someone that knows what she's doing and isn't feeling the "get everything done today" rush.

Thursday morning, I took Jane to an open house for a new branch of Jack's school that is opening up for little ones. It's like a "Little Gym" environment, but it's attached to their younger campus (for 1 1/2-3 yr. olds). After dropping Jack off I walked over with two friends and their kids and we were about 10 minutes late. BUT, we were the only ones there, so it was nice that it didn't matter! Jane, Brandon, and Isabella had a good time climbing, rolling, singing, and blowing bubbles together, and having the place all to themselves.

Since we borrowed "Sleeping Beauty" from a friend, the kids have loved it as much as I do. A few nights ago, I heard Jack and Jane laughing hysterically while they were in the shower. I went back to find them dancing around together, Jack carefully instructing Jane on how to hold her "dress" out with one hand so it twirled around with them. I was happy they kept the dancing going later when they actually had clothes on. Have I ever said how much I LOVE to watch my kids love each other?

I've had a few ask about why Jack's always wearing underpants. This kid won't sleep in clothes. He's got some of the coolest pajamas around, but he choses to wears them as costumes. He gets down to his underpants for naps and nighttime, so it's pretty common for him to be prancing around in just his underpants if he hasn't bothered to put his clothes back on after a nap, or if bedtime is getting near. I've decided it's not a battle worth fighting!

Jack and Jeff enjoying dinner.

Jack was so excited to see Hanni after the holidays and tell her how he went swimming in Hong Kong. He's really come a long way with the water this last term. He's getting more comfortable with swimming with his head down, and shocked us all by jumping right in to Hanni without hesitation. He can even paddle his way to the side with confidence now. I'm just happy he's finally learning to enjoy the water again! This is Hanni letting them each talk in the "microphone" (noodle) about what they saw at the bottom of the pool. I think Jack saw 500 moons or something.

Yes, another birthday party. It was Mikaila Lee's 2nd birthday party this week, and it was really nice (she's the short blond in the middle). We all just met at the park for a picnic and played on the toys. The kids were loving it, and I loved meeting some of the Lee's friends from the embassy. We know the Lee family from church. They just moved in a few months ago, and are from Idaho, but most recently from Germany. I've really enjoyed being with Rachel (not pictured), and it's been fun to get together for the kids and ourselves! Notice Jane coveting the shoes she just gave Mikaila!

Watching the moon on the way home.

Favorite moments of the week:

1. Jeff coming home from work and saying, "Happy Anniversary". He surprised me by buying Hairspray for me, which he's been trying to do since long before our Anniversary. We've been waiting for this to legally come out in English, and it finally did! We sat down and watched it that night, and he loved it too, and much more than he expected even after me talking it up! Definitely up there with my favorite musical, Singing in the Rain. Now, Jack has also fallen in love with it and is walking around singing all the songs. I can't get enough of it.

2. Sally came over last night after we put the kids to bed. Jeff and I got to go out for a quick Mexican dinner (Mmmmmmm...) and the best live music in Bangkok. Heather introduced us to a very classy part of town. Okay, maybe not classy. Alright, it was pretty much a part of town that gives Bangkok a bad reputation, but knowing how blissfully naive we are, she warned us to put our blinders on and head straight for the bar where Jim's band was playing. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as we were expecting, and it was worth it to see Jim do his thing again and be out together in a place without a kiddy menu. Leave it to Heather to inspire adventure! Gotta love this woman!

3. Jane and I went to Carrefour for a BIG shopping trip (meaning more intense than what 7-11 has to offer). Our usual Customer Service representative wasn't there, so I had to fill in our address myself for the delivery, something I haven't done for months. The nerve! Our regular delivery guy came, whom Jane loves, and he snapped a photo of Jane with his phone. A few hours later, our usual sweet girl from Customer service calls me to talk to Jane because she had seen her photo from the delivery guy and missed her. Really! She said she was worried that we moved back to the U.S. because she hadn't seen us in so long. Shocking, but very sweet!

Favorite Jack quotes as of late:

Sitting down to dinner, Jack randomly says, "let's all talk about things we love about Jane! I'll start. I love that she says, 'woopsh'!" (she says that instead of oops and we all love it) He proceeded to let us each have a turn and he just kept coming up with reasons why he loves his sister. Jeff and I were in heaven.

To Jeff tonight, "you know what I have? Strength! I'm the King of tough!"

In church today, another little boy gave Jack gum. I really don't like my children to have gum (yes, make a mental note everyone). We told him to put it in his pocket. He says, "I can't put it in my pocket, my pocket is full of cornflakes!". Sure enough, full of cornflakes it was.

If you're not sick of hearing about Hong Kong yet, this will probably do it. But, we thought some might enjoy a few more pictures. I think this is finally my closure on this wonderful vacation. So long, Hong Kong.