Getting back to blogging?

I've been on summer vacation for 3 weeks already and now I'm just getting to the computer.  While school's in session, I just take a bit of time to check email and facebook at lunch and not much time to actually be creative Online.  After school, we're busy playing on the playground, eating dinner, taking baths, and getting to bed so we can start the whole thing over the next day.  During our vacation, we've been busy swimming, checking out the dinosaurs, taking driving lessons, and just trying to stay cool.  And now I'm thinking I should update the blog.  We'll see how long this good intention lasts.

Happy Mother's Day

In honor of Mother's day, Kate learned a new song at school this past week.  Here she's teaching it to her big brother, (and then chasing him to try to kiss him afterward!)

While the video is cute, it's much better after you know the song.  It was playing in the background during their "performance", but here's the official YouTube link.  Unfortunately, it's all in Chinese but the message of the song is about being thankful for parents' guidance and support throughout life.  The song is beautiful even if you can't understand it and the video is touching as well.  

Very appropriate for Mother's Day!

Thanks for all you have done and continue to do for us, Mom.

As seen in Taiwan...

Several months ago, we made a trip to the Taipei zoo.  We saw lots of other animals, too, but this one inside an enclosure that was being rebuilt was the best picture from the day.  Can you tell what he's doing?

New Trick!

What do you do after nap?

Today Keanu brought a note home from school about swimming lessons offered in the afternoons during August. I wanted to know what he would miss at school if we signed him up for swimming lessons, so I asked "what do you do after your nap at school everyday?"

ummm, first I make my blanket little. (fold it)
Then I go downstairs and drink the rest of my water. (pause)
What do you do after that?
Then I go potty.
Then I wash my hands.
And then I eat something.
And I put my bowl back in my lunchbox.
Then I put my lunchbox in my backpack.
And my water bottle, too.
Then I go potty again. (pause)
And then?
Then I go play!

Gosh, I wonder if he'll have time to do all of that if he takes swimming lessons!

Hello, LA!

We're on our pilgrimage to the motherland and are enjoying LA for a few more hours. Here are some quotables from the first leg of our trip:

"Mommy, I want to go shopping."
- Kate, as we were pacing the airport waiting for our first flight. I guess she didn't think looking in the duty free shops was shopping.

"I want to fly my airplane!"
- Kate, as she was stuck sitting in her economy class seat instead of the captain's cabin. This was followed by tears and further attempts to fly the plane. She looked all over for the place to drive the plane. At least by the time we got to the second flight she realized her seat was acceptable and that she wouldn't be flying the plane.

"Where's the slide?"
- Kate, as she was looking around the airplane. The flight attendant told her it was stuck in the door, but that she hoped we wouldn't have to use it. This was somewhere around 39,000 feet.

"The plane is turning... Now we're going down."
- Keanu, from his aisle seat.

"And then we can walk to Grandma's house?"
-Keanu, when we arrived in LA and didn't go right to Grandma's house.

"What kind of plane will take us to Grandma's house? I think it's a green one."
- Keanu, when looking at all the different kind of airplanes in LA. I'm not sure where he got that idea since we didn't see any green ones there.

"When we get to Grandma's new house, I want to be the first one to go in."
- Keanu, in LA

"Mommy, where's my grandma? I want to see my grandma."
- Kate, in LA

Look, Mommy, my baby!