U is for Unicorn

Graham: "U is for Unicorn."

Me: "Yeah! Good Job!"

Graham: "U is for Unicorn going pee pee on the potty."

Update on the bike...

This past week Graham all of the sudden felt passionate about riding his bike...he's been riding it here and there and slowly got the hang of pedaling. Now he is on fire...well he was. We took it to the park this week. There is a little hill inbetween 2 parks across the street from us. I wasn't looking and apparently he decided to go for it. He was picking up speed and so I tried to run to catch up (Finley was in the ergo on me). Before I could get to him he panicked and jumped off and pulled the bike down on top of him...thus ending the passion for riding his bike (for now at least). He's totally fine. I'm sure it was actually really entertaining to watch the three of us.

On another note, this little lady got her first tooth this week and is all over the house in her walker...I just want to pause her.

Beijing-Temple Fair

For Chinese New Year we decided to head to Beijing to visit our good friends Andrew and Nicola or as Graham calls them "Andwoo and Icola". It was a fun trip, exhausting (anything with children is right?:) but so fun (and FREEZING!). We met Andrew and Nicola here in HK...they moved up to Beijing this last summer. They were kind enough to host us in their beautiful apartment, show us some sights and make us delicious food. It was so nice to chat and laugh. Since OJ and I have both been there before we didn't feel the pressure to "see" everything which was nice. Our other good friends from HK were also there so we met up with them and went to the Temple Fair. This "fair" only goes on during Chinese New Year.

Graham on the carousel.

Grinding something on the rock.

They had lots of games like this where you paid to get a bunch of rings and if you could toss the ring and it landed flat on the ground around the object then you won it. The game at the top of the picture was all trucks and cars. Graham of course desperately wanted one so Andrew and OJ combined their efforts and eventually won one for him.

They even had some acrobats...

They were selling all sorts of things...

Nicola bought honeycomb and these sesame cracker things...both of which were delicious.

oh the entertainment...there is one man under there. The man in the background played the drum while the other man "fought"...funny.

Nicola, April (holding Jesse, who is 2 weeks younger than Finley), and me holding Finley girl.

To be continued...more Beijing to come.

Lots of posts about our trip to Beijing are coming...here is a cute picture to hold you over.

We are doing well...just pluggin' along. The weather has been so nice for the last little while, we've even pulled out the shorts again (or maybe we never quite put them away, at any rate we're wearing them again :) OJ graduates in May from HKU so we are in the middle of figuring out where the next chapter of our life is going to take us. Decisions, decisions... I'm trying not to get my heart set on anything, that's hard though. The unknown and the waiting drives me bonkers. Good thing I have these two cute faces to keep me company everyday.

A little of him.

Graham has been saying/doing the funniest things lately. Here is my attempt to remember some of them.

*While sitting on my bed he grabs OJ's missionary set of scriptures (which have a picture of his parents at the beginning, and a picture of his grandparents at the end)

"Look Mom, I read Book of Mormon" he says.

"Cool" I say.

(He flips to the picture of OJ's grandparents)

"Who is that?" I ask.

"Grandma and Jesus" he answers.

*One morning I was reading on my bed. Graham came and got into bed next to me with his "Gordon" train. He gets under the covers puts his hands behind his head and says, "Ah, take a nap." I tuned him out and a little later I hear, "Ohhhhh, you so hungry." I look down and he has his shirt up and he is "feeding" his train.

* A couple of weeks ago we were sitting in Sacrament Meeting and OJ was whispering to Graham telling him that we were supposed to think about Jesus during the Sacrament. In a not so quiet voice Graham replies, "Where's Jesus? Where is he? Where did he go?". The people surrounding us had their heads down with their shoulders shaking with laughter.

* Graham loves to play at the park and he especially loves it if other children are there that he can play with. Since I don't speak chinese, and for the most part I don't know their names I usually refer to them as "kids". Well Graham has picked this up, so he will run after them yelling. " Hey kid, come here." or "Wait kid, wait." It doesn't matter who you are...your name is "kid" except he can't say his k's so it sounds like "Tid".

(Its especially funny when he says, "kitty cats")

*When Graham thinks something is really funny he laughs really hard and throws his head back, then shakes his head and says, "Oh gosh".

*Another morning I heard Finley wake up and I went to go grab her. When I came out Graham was sitting on the couch with his shirt up holding out his hands and says, "Here mom, I feed her." I explained to him that just Mom had milk to feed her. He then starts reaching around like he is looking for something. He looks up at me and says, "My nipple mom, where'd it go?" So I point out where it is and he laughs and says, "Oh, there it is." :)

*OJ was giving Graham a bath. He had the shower on and Graham says, "Play the harp, dad." He then "played" the harp on the strands of water and said, "bling, bling, bling". (No one taught him that, he came up with that one on his own)

This video is for Grandma's, Grandpa's, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and whoever else that wants to watch Finley in all of her smiling, cooing, laughing greatness. Sorry you may have to tilt your head, or the computer.

All I was doing is sshhhh "ing" her and she was extremely entertained. Such a happy girl.

an adventure of sorts...

I've realized I don't take very many pictures when we are out and about anymore. Probably for a few reasons...

1. We don't go "out and about" much anymore.

2. If we do, we are usually too busy going from point A to point B to take any pictures.

3. We've lived here long enough that I forget what may be "cool" or "interesting" to put on the blog.

So I present to you... our latest adventure. Getting Graham a bike.

Now maybe none of these pictures are "cool" or "interesting".

But I actually remembered my camera this time.

I know you are all dying with anticipation.

Let's get down to business...

Leaving our apartment. He's excited, can you tell?

They were just starting to put up Chinese New Year decorations. Its an exciting time of year I tell you. Its fun to learn about all the cultural things associated with the holiday BUT, mostly exciting for me because of all the time OJ gets off from school and work.

(in the taxi)

About 5 months ago OJ made Graham this chart to get a new bike. Graham really likes to "help" me around the house so, we thought why not let him earn stickers each time he helped and once he got so many he could get a bike. (He stares with envy every time he sees another kid with his bike.)

OJ checking out our options.

Across the street from the bike store. Most of these shops are lined up under apartment buildings that are above. The bus that you see is called a "mini bus". These buses have certain destinations and only fit 16 passengers but you can hail one wherever (you don't have to be at a bus stop) and you can tell it to stop whenever along the route. They are crazy, crazy drivers.

Graham trying out a bike...not quite right.

Testing the green one out.

Taking it to the back to be fitted just for him. The shrine you see in the photo is in just about every shop in some sort of variation (ie. bigger or smaller) usually dedicated to their ancestors or can also be dedicated to other chinese gods.

Graham trying to wait paitently.

OJ explained to the shop owner what Graham had done so he could earn a bike. He let Graham turn in his paper to "pay" for his bike.

Walking back to the taxi stand. He looks like a pro...right? Don't be fooled. He doesn't quite get it yet. :) So OJ pushed him to the taxi stand, which Graham loved.

We stopped at the park to practice. Finley was there too...she just happened to be in the carrier with whoever was taking pictures.

My favorite quote of the night.

OJ says "Hmmmmmm, I thought it would be a little more natural than that."

(Thinking that Graham would just hop on and know what to do. )