Elephants & Octopi in Samui

Having all 6 of us share a bungalow that was basically a room the size of a hotel room plus bathroom was just fine. The kids are a little older so they don't mess around for as long before falling asleep usually. We bribed them with a piece of gum- if they were quiet in the mornings they could have one after breakfast. They were all over it. Kennedy would read quietly to Kohen and Aly- it's one of my favorite things that they do. Bribery rocks.
Ander spent a good portion of the week in this carrier. He is the sweatiest baby even in cooler conditions so I was excited to find this Bjorn with lumbar support for me and made of this cool material that is breathable and helps with the sweating. You know the waffle material on running shoes? It's like that. Love it. Having Ander not lose half his body weight in water every time we are out? priceless.

A highlight of the trip was the Elephant Trek. The boys were on one and us girls on the other and we got to ride an elephant through the jungle. It was awesome. Not the most comfortable ride of your life but certainly up there in uniqueness. I think I was amazed/terrified by the elephants sheer strength the most. They would stop and put their leg on a tree about 5-6 inches around and they'd give it a little push and crack! the tree was down. They'd eat some leaves off of the fallen tree and then we'd move on leaving busted trees in our wake.
Another time a coconut fell and the trainer had the elephant step on it to crack it, then use his trunk to hand it up to the trainer who then proceeded to cut out pieces of coconut to feed to the elephant. The trainers did seem very at ease with the elephants and to have a relationship with them. I have seen one too many Animals Gone Wild to forget no matter what these are basically wild animals. Thankfully they were nothing but mellow for us. Before and after the children got to take turns feeding the elephants bananas- to feel their trunks is so creepy and cool- as long as there is antibacterial soap in the near vicinity.

Kohen's mind was blown when toward the end of the trek the trainer asked if he wanted to come sit up front. So next thing I know, my 5 year old son is having the time of his life steering around a 6 ton animal. He played the part well, speaking loudly but kindly and hilariously, "No, not that way silly guy, this way!" He reported on the awesomeness afterwards and finished by telling me the elephant's hair was just a little pokey but that was okay. You may want to enlarge the pic below to see his face if you are a gparent/aunt/uncle and want a closer look :)

Again, the food was something Nathan and I looked forward to every day. Still surprised about that actually. We walked to most places from Coco Palms, the evenings were balmy and gorgeous. Even when it rained. Keeping the kids contained until the food came each night was...special. But we kept the spills in the double digits and managed to only shatter one glass so I feel pretty good about that.
Okay, the "Monkey Show"- and I'm not talking about my children in the backseat of the taxi's. It started out like a good idea and in the end I was mortified we'd paid $ to encourage these poor monkey's lives and living conditions. We went in and bought the food you could feed all of the caged monkeys. These ^ babies had it down. They whine and cry at you like they are starving (could very well be) and break your heart. The conditions...let's just say PETA would not approve. I was ready to leave before the show even started but my children, oblivious to the monkey's plight, really enjoyed the "show".
There were only 6 other people there for the show besides our family. They took a turn letting anyone who wanted get a pic. I was super hesitant to let my spouse or children do this (after seeing the Oprah with the lady who got her face and hands eaten off by a chimp, wouldn't you be?!) but after a few others went without incident I could see my husband and son didn't care what overprotective mom had seen on tv and they went for it. The monkey looks scary but they'd actually get him up there and tell him to yawn to produce the look.

Even Kenna tried, I was outnumbered.
They had the little guys trained to shoot hoops, twirl a baton of fire (while singing the fur on his knees every time he twirled it) he burned his hand and dropped it once and I was ready to walk. Though the show lasted all of 20 minutes I had had enough of the shady place. On our way out the trainer guy insisted we all watch the monkey go up a palm and get coconuts down. It's taking the poor little guy a while, clear up there in these tall palms, all the while the trainers are shouting at him to "HURRY UP!!" He drops one and as they are still shouting he dropped a second one, which plunged right through the trainers tiled bathroom roof. It was awesome. I felt like it was just a little bit of justice jungle style.

We really did spend a lot of time swimming, we were perpetually pruned. It was great. The first half the ocean was really calm and we would go out and swim together and Nathan would dive down for shells. The water was warmer than the pool and very buoyant so you could stay in for a long time comfortably.
Nathan discovered this little octopus (or squid?) in a shell and we found several more "Squishy's" over the next day or so. They would change color and ink when we let them go- they were so cool we spent forever trying to get a picture of them. The video shows how cool they moved, try to ignore how sure I am it's a squid, I don't know what I'm talking about. Try pushing play and if it doesn't work click the part that moves as the video plays, and let me know if the videos are working for you.

Welcome to Kohsamui Thailand

One advantage of living on this side of the earth is that we are suddenly near many places we wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity of visiting. This year for our Christmas we decided to go to Kohsamui, a little island in Thailand. We stayed in our own quaint bungalow and had immediate access to the pool and beach where we spent much of our week.
Nathan and I are pretty sure Kennedy out did herself with this most recent "chuck the kid" picture that is a requisite for any vacation. Check out those lines!
After a day of traveling (one 3 hr flight to Bangkok and another hour to the island) we arrived late afternoon and wasted no time exploring the pool and the beach. We stayed at Coco Palms Resort and we found the accommodations perfect for our little family. The best part is how cheap they were.

So far Ander gets an A+ for traveling. He has been such a champ about messed up schedules and routines. I have to give a huge shout out to my friend Alina who gave me her bassinet when we moved from California. The bassinet part can actually fold up so I just packed it in a suitcase and then we would bring it out poolside with us and Ander would have somewhere to lay. You can lift up part of it to a sitting position so he could see what was going on, or we would lay it down and put up the shade and he would take his naps just a few feet away from where we were playing. It was the perfect thing to have, thanks Alina!

It was such a nice week in that we had no obligations or appointments. We did what we wanted when we wanted and we did it as a family. My favorite part was that we were able to just be together. I caught the above picture through a window as they sat having a conversation.

(I can't write a post about how awesome time with my family was w/o saying that it was real. As in, plenty of meltdowns from tired children and the occasional crying, whining and fighting. I write this in an effort to keep it real, for us as much as anyone. I tend to like to remember good times as purely good times when they are more accurately marbled with the realities of day to day living as a family).
I saw this lady above ^ fishing off our beach while we had breakfast. I thought she was eclectic and fascinating.
Confession: I had never really tried Thai food before. I lumped it all in under the oppressive "Asian" umbrella. A highlight of the trip was when I discovered I in fact love Thai food! Not even on the same playing field as Taiwan food, I am sorry to say. This place below where we ate one day for lunch had good food, however some of the art work had Nathan and I working hard to keep our children distracted from it. One of the things I am learning about traveling and living in different parts of the world is that you can't control everything your children may see (ie- 'immodest' statues, inappropriate advertising etc) . We aren't going to hide from this fact of life but we are learning (trial and error) how to use those types of things as teaching moments for our children.

Lot's of tailor places in Kohsamui, all sporting mannequins in their windows wearing sweet priest collared suits like from the early 90's, so radical. Nathan found this place particularly questionable, check out the second line below. Ahh well, service is overrated.

Okay, at this restaurant Kohen kept begging to have this coconut drink he saw a picture of in the menu. Food is also very inexpensive so we finally said, sure, have your creepy coconut drink. The ^ picture is of these two pretending to drink after they'd already tried the straight young coconut milk and didn't appreciate it's icky flavor or strong after taste. We decided to video Aly trying it for the first time. I present- Her Reaction:

You may have to click the little part that moves next to the 'play' button to get it to play. I have no idea why. Let me know if it continues not to play.

If you didn't catch what she says, I'll write it in the comments.

stay tuned for more on Thailand...

Kennedy at Christmas~

I caught this look when I was trying to make Kennedy smile for a pic and I asked if she thought she'd been good enough to get what she hoped from Santa...

Taiwan Christmas Pageant 2009

It can be difficult to feel the Christmas spirit when you live in a place that doesn't really celebrate it. The warm weather -though glorious- throws me off too. I never thought that I would actually miss the commercialization of Christmas but I've realized that all of those decorations starting mmm, October 1st, really help with anticipation.

The Christmas Pageant our Ward and community does every year is something everyone seemed to look forward to so I was excited when the weekend finally came. The first two shows on Saturday I helped with the make-up, Nathan was a Wise Man and the children were in the children's choir.

The stage is elaborate and the costumes make everything seem more realistic. There is an adult choir, a children's choir and a choir of Missionaries who all get the chance to sing.

Below is Aly with Benji, he's in our Ward and a sorta famous local I guess you could say. He was in China's version of American Idol and made it into the top ten before he was "cut", as they wouldn't allow a foreigner to win. For the pageant he sang a song backed up by the children's choir.

Sunday's two shows Nathan and I played the part of Mary and Joseph. The part of the Donkey was played by an old horse (he's blind in one eye, it's clouded over white and Kohen has included the horse's eye in his prayers ever since) that I ride and Nathan walks us through the crowd on our journey to Bethlehem.

Since being seriously "heavy with child" is still quite fresh in my memory, it was very sobering to imagine how terribly uncomfortable riding a Donkey all day in that state must have been. Playing Mary was very humbling and as I rode up to the stage the realization of what she faced: no comforts, no home, no extended family to support, literally no where to have her baby- all hit me and I struggled very hard not to just start crying in sympathy. I figured a bawling Mary wasn't what they were looking for so instead I focused on the task at hand- getting off of the donkey/horse without letting my baby bump fall down or my gown come up to reveal my 21st century jean shorts underneath.

There is narration and the choirs sing as we enter and then I sit on the steps with the horse while Nathan goes around the stage trying to find a place for us to stay and as you know, he is turned away by everyone.

This picture ^ is Nathan coming back and telling me he couldn't find anywhere to stay. You may think the look on my face is primo acting but really all Nathan did to incite such emotion was tell me, "I'm sorry but you have to have your baby in Taiwan". All genuine from there.

There are Roman soldiers in the cast and singing angels in the sky, Shepherds, Wise men- it really is quite the production and the audience was overcrowded each performance which is great. In the picture above you can see the Saturday Mary and Joseph played by Ben and Sally- they did great.

Everyone wondered if we were going to use Ander as baby Jesus but the show is actually fairly long and though he has a great temperament even he has his moments and you could bet one would've been in the middle of the show. So some sweet women from the Ward snuggled him up during the performances and a doll was cast in the role instead. Thank goodness because the doll was about 12 lbs lighter. It was an incredibly crazy busy weekend but it was fun and really helped me to feel that ever elusive True Christmas Spirit, perhaps more than I ever have before.

Aly Indian Dance

Aly recently had a Christmas program at her school. Each class had several song/dances to perform and may I humbly say, she killed it. Here is a short clip of her India one to validate.

Now I see where tuition goes, to all of these costumes! Quite the program.

Problem Solving @ It's Finest

One of Kohen's responsibilities after school is to vacuum around and under the kitchen table. This week he had a strange streak of accidentally whacking his head on the table (seriously, 3rd day in a row- thought for sure he must be teasing- nope.) Poor kid was crying with big 'ol tears running down his cheeks... shortly thereafter he found a solution.

Ms. Mischief aka AlyCat

AlyCat...We have a little song we like to sing about Aly at our house to the tune of Spider Man (or Spider Pig for a select few :>) It goes:

~AlyCat, AlyCat,

~No one knows just where she's at

~Mischief is her favorite game

~That's why Aly is her name!

She loves the song, sings it with us and proves it's lyrics to be accurate daily. Like the other day when she suddenly started crying during "naps"....
I went in her room to discover she had jammed ^ this into her ear canal and was now crying in pain. After a trip to the dr. we learned she had barely missed puncturing her ear drum and had scratched the inside canal area badly enough that they gave us antibiotic drops to keep it from getting infected.

~Mischief is her favorite game, that's why Aly is her name!

Christmas Card Blues

Every year one of the things I look forward to most is receiving Christmas Cards. This year, due to the added effort and pennies it may take to send one our way I understand if we get bumped off your list. But I'm not gonna lie, it's something that bums me out about living over here. Anyway, should you still need our address:

#37 Lane 338 DeXing E. Rd.

Taipei Taiwan 11150

I checked the postage and it is 98 cents now to send a letter. And yes, this is blatant solicitation as has been suggested :)

The Afore Promised Deets

So a blogging pet peeve of mine is when someone promises to blog all the juicy details or pictures and they never do. Cuz then I'm the boob for blog stalking waiting to see how some other couples sunset cruise was, trying to live vicariously just a little bit through someone else's fun getaway. Course, I will be following up on promised details that aren't that exciting but I'd hate to be a sort-of liar/definite slacker. (Note: I still love all my friends who have ever empty-blog-promised!)

Ander. This sweet boy, I'm tellin you what. When I took him to our Ped. in Boise at 7 weeks old he weighed 11 lbs 14 oz, a gain of nearly 4 lbs and he had grown 4 1/2 inches in length. This little guy is an over achiever on the growth charts since he's well above the 50% which is more than any of his siblings have ever been- Kennedy flat our refused to even make it onto the charts so I am definitely a proud Mama.

Okay the health stuff- the second opinion my Ped. gave me pretty much matched what the Chinese Dr. told me- however she was very thorough and said it in a way I'm used to hearing if that makes sense, I get her bedside manner. I also know and trust this Doctor. Anyway, Ander's heart valve has closed properly and his weird breathing is caused by a mild chest deformity (for lack of better word) that he will likely grow out of someday. I am ever so grateful for a healthy child. Truly.

In other baby news, Ander rolled over the day before Thanksgiving, has successfully taken his first bottle (had a look on his face like "now that's what I'm talkin about" as his dad fed it to him) and I can't hardly believe it but I think he may actually be teething. Lot's of drool and gnawing on his fists. What else could it be?
While I was gone Nathan literally was SuperDad. I mean, he did the girls' hair. I repeat, he did the girls' hair. He is the man. One Saturday I almost wished I was in Taiwan instead of Boise because Nathan and the kids went to the beach with our friends the Robinsons to go bike riding. Apparently a good time was had by all. Kohen was especially excited about riding a bike. He had a grand ol time but Nathan was laughing as he told me about what a goob Kohen was, always accidentally running into bushes and curbs etc. I asked- why was he doing that? and he showed me the picture below.
Explains a lot doesn't it?
I love these ^ kids.
While I was gone Nathan struggled to balance doing his job and mine. One day was particularly trying as he found out the night before that for the last day of Kennedy's swimming section of PE the parents were invited to come and watch or even get in the pool too. Of course that meant Nathan was getting wet.

So he had squeezed this new event into his schedule and as he headed to the school he first double parked like everyone else does and ran into a 7-11 to grab some $ from an ATM- only to come out and find the van missing. On the ground in chalk, in Chinese, was the # to where it had been towed. Amazingly Nathan was able to retrieve our towed van and still make it to the swimming in time. Only Nathan could pull off something like that.
This ^ is Kohen giving Ander a hardy handshake, cracking me up by literally saying, "Welcome back to Taiwan baby Ander!"
Since the handshake didn't totally dislocate his shoulder Ander was able to appreciate his rambunctious welcome home. And Kohen really sat there and chatted up his baby brother like they were two old men just catching up on life... where was my 'video' mode?!
Even after a full day of school I got this shot of Kenna's curls after I tried using some new curlers for the first time- not a good shot really, perhaps I should do a blog when I try it again next time. Notice I said *perhaps* so as not to eat the words I so boldly wrote at the beginning of this post.
And last but never least we have AlyRoo sitting next to Kohen at his Thanksgiving Feast. I mean, we've all heard "Stop picking your nose"- but how about "Stop licking your nose?"!!! Only my Aly.

Thanksgiving in Taiwan 2009

Over eat at Thanksgiving and you'll have as many chins as this little Pilgrim*! (*It is considered 'cute' for babies to have multiple chins- adults? not so much.)

What a weird Thanksgiving. Sunny, 85 degrees out, Nathan at work, no parades on TV, definitely no family around and most assuredly no delicious smells emanating from my kitchen. I spent most of the day in a bit of a funk but never letting myself fall all the way in since this was supposed to be the big day of giving thanks. Pretty much a crime to feel sorry for yourself on Thanksgiving, no? I think the residual jet lag I fought valiantly all week worked against my mood as well.

***~Thanksgiving this year was marked by a Taiwan first (and hopefully last): hitting my first pedestrian. That's right, I seriously did. A little digression if you will. Heretofore I was driving the smaller Toyota Previa around. What's a Previa? you may ask- a cruddier, cheaper version of the Sienna. The Honda Odyssey the leasing co. imported for us finally arrived so I am still adjusting to the wider vehicle. It's crucial I do this quickly in a place where every inch counts as you squeeze yourself down the narrow and congested streets.

Anyway, I was on my way to pick up Thanksgiving dinner and driving down a narrow street with parked cars lining both sides and some pedestrians walking on the street as well. I was going around them as usual when I suddenly heard a terrible "thump" and look to my right to see my side mirror turned in. I could barely believe what my mind was telling me- I had just hit that old guy walking along the road! Grandpa!!! Well, someone's grandpa anyway. Thankfully he was still laboring along (was he laboring before I hit him?!) and so I stopped and rolled down my window and when he got to it I asked him if he was okay and he kind of smiled sheepishly at me and waved his hand like 'no big deal'. It was either 'no big deal' or 'get the heck out of my country', it was hard to tell.

As I mentioned I bought our Thanksgiving meal this year from the catering company out of TAS. We knew I'd just be getting home from the U.S. and it would be an incredibly crazy week with Nathan so busy with work etc. The turkey we got looked just wonderful but some of the sides left something to be desired. Upon closer inspection we discovered the mashed potatoes were instant. Didn't they know it is an unforgivable crime to serve an Idahoan instant potatoes? Or does the crime lie with the Idahoan who actually paid for them???

Then we had the "cranberry sauce" that was still in the shape of the can it was plopped out of.

And what we lovingly referred to as the "crazy loaf" of Stuffing. Have a... slice?

And last but not least, the Pumpkin Pie that was brown with a hint of deep green. At least that one tasted good. We were pleased to have Nicole and her daughter Jadyn over to share our dinner though we missed Cody her husband who was out of town. Nicole whipped up some Stovetop stuffing real fast while Nathan made some authentic Mashers and green bean casserole. The turkey was quite good and the Henry Weinhards Rootbeer Nathan found at the import store didn't hurt anything either. By the end of the day I really was feeling better and grateful for the many blessings we have and the opportunity we are forced given to make new traditions.