Our Yuppie Life

Bella Goes to School

2012-01-27T18:21:00.000-08:00

Bella had her first day of school this week. She’s attending a parent/nanny run morning program at one of the mom’s homes three days a week. It was started a few years ago by a mother who had a child that was too shy to attend the school Addie goes to. Bella’s not the shy type so I wasn’t worried about her starting. In fact I couldn’t wait for her to have a more structured day with socialization with other children. The other moms were hesitant to have her start during a transitory period for the school and kept putting off her start day so it wouldn’t interupt anything. When we finally showed up for the first day, Bella walked right in like she owned the place. She started playing with the toys and introduced herself with her name during the morning song. She didn’t even turn to say goodbye. When I came to pick her up she was happy as a clam playing outside with the other little girls. The other moms were shocked at how easy it was to have Bella joing the school. I am very proud of my big girl attending school all by herself. The teachers say she participates during the lessons and plays well with others. There are a total of 5 little girls in the class which is really fun. She loves playing at school and is especially happy about her new backpack. Thanks to Aunt Rachel for such a thoughtful Christmas present. She loves wearing it!

On living at high altitude

2012-01-26T14:39:00.000-08:00

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is at roughly 7,700 feet above sea level. Essentially the city is on a large plateau. This is my first time living at a high altitude and I’ve learned a few things in just the few weeks we’ve been here.

I’m fat and old. Well, at least the altitude makes me feel that way. I am sucking wind pretty hard when I reach the top of our four flights of stairs. Going up and down during the day is all the exercise I need right now. It takes about a month to get acclimated to the new altitude. I can feel the stairs getting easier and easier as the weeks go on.

I’m starving. Our bodies work extra hard while moving around in the high altitude and I’m burning a ton more calories just living in this thin air. That makes me hungry all the time. Addie and Bella are hungry all the time too. I’ve never seen these children ask for as much food as they have in the past few weeks. Nursing Ashlynn is burning a ton of calories every day too. In the few weeks we’ve been living here I’ve lost enough of the baby weight to get back into a pair of jean shorts I bought while we were in New Zealand in October of 2010! WooHoo for getting my pre-baby body back. High altitude is kind of awesome in this way actually. Keeping enough healthy snacks on hand for the girls is kind of tough though.

I’m thirsty like a camel. It’s extremely easy to get dehydrated here. Maybe it’s a combination of being at a high altitude and at the equator at the same time. Whatever the reason, we have to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. We get headaches frequently in the evenings if we haven’t had enough. If the girls wake up with dry crinkly lips I know they haven’t had enough. I go through about three Nalgene bottles full of water in a 24 hour period and that’s probably still not enough.

I’m exhausted. Just for the same reasons I’m hungry all the time; I feel even more tired at the end of each day. Having three kids under the age of five has something to do with it too; but my body is working pretty hard to get oxygen where it needs to go let alone run after my little ones. I’ve noticed the entire family is crashing harder at night.

I can still bake. I was nervous about trying to bake at high altitudes but really, it’s not much trouble at all. I’ve made banana pineapple bread, brownies, and bread pudding so far (after much searching for the ingredients-and making some substitutions here and there) and everything has turned out great. I simply adjust the recipe a bit according to a high altitude baking chart I found online and BAM-yummy eats are still in our house. Justin isn’t completely thrilled about this because he wants that high altitude extra calorie burning factor to help him stay slim and trim. My baking doesn’t help but it sure tastes good.

The sun in intense. Spending even a short amount of time in the Addis Ababa sun gives the girls a pink tinge. The weather may not be hot and humid here but the sun is much more intense than we are used to. I am trying to load up on SPF for everyone.

We have a marathon runner in the making. Little Ashlynn will have the amazing lung capacity of an Ethiopian runner by the time we leave here. Summer Olympics 2030? Maybe!

Ashlynn Olivia Update

2012-01-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

Ashlynn is over 3 months old now. She's reaching out for objects I hold in front of her. If she grips them she can move it to her mouth to chew on. She's soothing her self with her thumb here and there when the pacifier falls out of her mouth and she's too tired to cry out for me to come put it back in. She's still a good nurser which is new for me. At this point with my other two I was pumping full time. I'm definitely getting more sleep this way since nursing her takes about 10 minutes or less and she's back to sleep. I'm not missing the middle of the night pumping sessions and then lying awake for another 30-40 minutes trying to fall back asleep afterwards. Nursing Ash is sweet. I like the convenience of it and mostly the closeness of it. It's nice to be forced to sit down and pause during my busy days. Sometimes I huff and puff about having to stop what I am doing to breast feed, but the moment I sit down with Ashlynn to nurse I feel happy and content. Everything else in the world can just wait! I have been trying to pump at least once a day to have a freezer supply in case I get a parasite which causes me to pump and dump during the medication. Fingers crossed this never happens and if it does hopefully not until my freezer is full of milk.

Ashlynn is a good sleeper at night. Some nights she nurses every 2-4 hours and other nights she sleeps a huge chunk. Last night she slept for 7 hours straight! Amazing. Since she's a good sleeper she's a pretty good napper and therefore she's a happy active baby. Every single day I have a moment when I look at Ashlynn and thank my lucky stars that I get to be a Mommy for the third time. She's such a precious little girl and I'm so blessed. When the day is long or something isn't going quite right it's nice to snuggle my warm soft baby and the world is right again.

Meet our staff

2012-01-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

Ethiopia, just like the Philippines, has its own way of life that we assume upon arrival. As diplomats in this country we have been assigned a compound to take care of and keep as our own for the next few years. With that, comes the need for some help around here.

Day guard/gardener: Teklu is a very kind and helpful man. He opens the gate for us during the day and screens visitors for us. He checks our water tanks and makes sure things are generally in working order. He is also an excellent gardener. He prunes, waters, plants, mows, and all the other sorts of gardening things. Because he is here every day, Addie and Bella have come to enjoy playing outside and watching/helping him with the gardening. Mostly that means he stops what he is doing and helps them pick flowers, track ants, or play tag. Lucy has also become fond of Teklu because he always plays fetch. (Justin would like to call him Virginia Teklu, after his alma mater). I really like Teklu, mostly because he is trustworthy and dependable. Plus Addie drew him a picture of herself, Bella and Ash in the garden with Teklu and he proudly displays it above the door to the guards room.

Housekeeper: Eneye (pronounced Neee-yay): Eneye is our housekeeper. I was a bit nervous during our interview because she speaks very little English. I figured I’d give it a go and so far it’s worked out smashingly. We have come up with lots of creative ways to communicate. I made a chart for the weekly housekeeping activities by drawing tiny little mop buckets and laundry baskets. She’s a sweet lady who has her own three year old daughter and I find that it helps to hire a mother. Her motherly instincts are right on. She does all the cleaning (which is no small feet since the house is so massive), laundry, dishes, washing of the produce, and she watches the girls here and there. Addie and Bella welcomed Eneye into our home day one. They asked if she was our new Yaya and I basically said “sure”. That was that and Addie and Bella pulled her up to the play room to show her their toys. Ashlynn is doing ok with Eneye. It’s only been two weeks and I’m pleased that Ash will let Eneye hold her at times when I am cooking or trying to help the other girls with something. I left Bella and Ash with Eneye while I picked Addie up from school. When I came home Ash was crying but not hysterically, so we are making progress. I love that Eneye has the baby hold and bounce down. That’s key for helping out around here. I am enjoying having a clean house again and Eneye is a very efficient housekeeper. She doesn’t do any of the cooking yet but I am hoping to teach her a few simple recipes that I can ask her to make from time to time. I also plan on helping her to start doing the grocery shopping. I’ve surprised her with a few of my cooking tricks. I imagine it’s strange to see my American style cooking compared to her Ethiopian style cooking. She giggled a bit when I asked her to shove the entire onion and handful of parsley inside the chicken’s backside for roasting. I think she found the idea of a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch rather odd. But she’s a good helper in the kitchen AND she’s caught on to the cloth diaper thing right away. She’s a keeper.

Driver: Zahlalem is a young driver that we’ve hired on a recommendation from a trusted source. He’s 25 and ambitious and finding it hard that a lot of the job of a personal driver is simply waiting for us to need to go somewhere ( I told him to bring a book and a pillow). He speaks perfect English, is college educated and friendly. He’s eager to run my errands and help with anything he can. I found him the other day coloring on the lawn with Addie and Bella. Like Techlu and Eneye, the girls have Zahlalem wrapped around their little fingers. The best thing about our driver is that he knows his way around Addis Ababa and he’s extremely cautious while driving. So cautious that I sometimes roll my eyes at how slow he goes over the potholes with our huge all terrain Kevlar tires. Zahlalem is pretty lucky because he gets to drive our awesome new jacked up Toyota 4 Runner. It makes sitting in traffic to and from school less painful for sure.

Daddy and his three girls

2012-01-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

I can't even begin to describe how lucky I am to have a wonderful husband who is also an amazing Dad.

My Ethiopian girls

2012-01-17T21:33:00.000-08:00

The girls are adjusting to Addis Ababa nicely. Adelaide started her 5 day/week preschool this week and loves it. She’s made friends and comes home tired. The best part about it is she doesn’t mope around the house bored anymore. Arabella is starting at a little parent run preschool program next week. It’s 3 mornings a week and there are 5 little kids her age attending. A teacher/mom runs it from her home so it will be a nice transition into school for Bella. I think she’s ready for the structure.

The girls seem to have made Ethiopia their home rather quickly. They are accustomed to having a housekeeper and driver. The guards are new to them (and us) but they’ve welcomed them into our little Ethiopian family. One of their favorite things to do is play tag outside and pick the flowers in the garden with our day guard/gardener. He’s so friendly with the girls and they love him. One afternoon I peaked outside and found them sticking little pink daisies in his hair.

I’ve had a few complaints from Addie and Bella about the food choices but I’ve been explaining that there are certain things that they need to start eating while in Ethiopia simply because there aren’t as many choices here. Luckily we’ve found a good chicken hot dog they like and they are enjoying the powdered milk we can get.

When I asked Adelaide what her favorite thing about Ethiopia is she said “sunny days and summer dresses”. She’s a summer girl for sure. When I asked Arabella the same questions she said “Airplane!”, I’m assuming the airplane ride over was her favorite part.

Ashlynn is an angel. She proved to be flexible on the airplane and slept most of the trip. It took her a few days of rough nights before she switched to the time zone but now she’s sleeping at night from 7:30PM to about 7:30AM. Don’t be fooled, she wakes every three to four hours at night to nurse. I’m not complaining though because that’s much better than every two hours. She’s happy and content and stuck to me like glue. Just the way a 3 month old should be. I love my baby girl.

Our Ethiopian Christmas

2012-01-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give my parents (Grammy and Grandpa), sister-in-law (Aunt Rachel), sister (Aunt Megan), and Aunt Mary K (Great Aunt Mary) a HUGE thank you from all of us for sending boxes to Ethiopia ahead of us so we had Christmas gifts and goodies waiting for us that first weekend we arrived. Ethiopian Christmas was celebrated on January 7^th here and we had a nice pile of boxes for our celebration. We opened up all the presents in the morning for our second Christmas and the girls loved it. It was so nice to be welcomed to our new home with wonderful things from our loved ones. The girls really loved the sock monkey (Bella named her Mommy Monkeyy) and quilt (Addie’s sleeping with it every night). All the gifts were a hit and I appreciate the practicality of many of them. The girls are getting lots of use out of their slippers and robes for right after bath when they are “frozen”, as Adelaide would say. Thank you to everyone for yoru generosity. It was nice to get a piece of home the first weekend we were in our new home.

Our new home

2012-01-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

A comfortable home is going to be key for our family in Ethiopia. I have a feeling we will be spending most of our time together in our home and if we venture out it will be to the rare playground or school function. Possibly playdates and dinner parties at other family’s homes. Our home is our sanctuary here.

We arrived at an off time in January. Not many homes were available because not many families were coming and going. It could have gone one of two ways. We receive the last crummy house that is a last resort to assign a family of five; or they locate something more appropriate for us and we end up with a palace. Luckily the later was the case.

It’s a three story, 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom, palatial home. The bottom floor is an open floor plan with double front doors into a huge entry way, formal living room, dinning room with built in china cabinets and a large functional kitchen. There is a den and powder room on the first floor as well. The second floor is a perfect set-up for the kids. Addie and Bella share one of the three bedrooms, the largest bedroom on this floor is the playroom and the third bedroom willbe a spare until Ashlynn is ready to move to her own space. On the second floor is a cozy family room where the TV is. The third floor is entirely the master suite with a large bathroom and immense walk in closet. Off the master suite is a sitting area that we’ve turned into the nursery. It’s a nice compromise. Ashlynn is in her own space but I don’t have to walk up and down two flights of stairs all night to nurse her.

There are balconies on the second and third floor. Large enough to put lounge chairs and have meals. We’ve been issued patio furniture with an umbrella for the second floor balcony because it’s huge enough to entertain outside. The windows in the home are worth mentioning. They are floor to ceiling and open for a nice breeze during the day. My favorite part of the home is the lovely garden we have out front on either side of the home within the walled compound. There is grass and flowering bushes and roses that climb the walls! I’ve been eyeing this gorgeous yellow roses as it’s bloomed each day. IT givesme a bit of The Secret Garden vibe. I’m in love! I’m also in love with the decorative moldings in the home. There i

s recessed track lighting in living room and master bedroom circling the rooms’ perimeters. Chandeliers hang in the formal living room, dinning room and the master bedroom. If I was a jerk like most the picky Americans on HGTV’s House Hunters, I’d say the chandelier in the master bedroom is “not really my style”. But I’m not because seriously, there is a chandelier in my master bedroom. I had a blanket hanging over the window in our bedroom in Virginia ghetto style to keep the light out when Ashlynn napped. I’m moving up people!

The view outside the windows is also worth mentioning. We look out onto the road and grassy fields. There is a fair amount of car traffic during the day. Possibly more foot traffic including shepherds herding their flocks of sheep, goats, and ox to and from pastures. I really love watching the Ethiopian school children walk home from school in flocks too. The younger kids get out early, while the teenagers come down the road in packs later in the day. At night we hear hyenas in the fields which makes all the dogs bark. The moon shines big and bright every night but not before a spectacular pink and orange sunset every evening.

There are some things about this house/compound that could fall into the not-so-awesome or interesting category depending on how optimistic I am at that moment. We have an “out-building”, I guess you could call it, where the laundry room is as well as a huge pantry to house our consumables. Right now the pantry has an ant/bug problem which is bad news for food storage. We are going to get that fixed before the shipment arrives. There is an empty room where our housekeeper could live and another storage closet where I see our Christmas decorations going. The day and night guards have a room and restroom. In the back of the house there is a creepy alley looking corridor where our water tanks are as well as a clothesline.

The entire compound is walled complete with barbed wire. The gate is always locked and guarded. Every window/sliding door has an outer layer of iron grates. The bathrooms have those gross stinky third world drains with leaking sewer gas. Screw water drainage, we tape those stinky holes up! There is one decent shower in the entire house and it’s not in the master bathroom. The master bathroom has a crummy Chinese shower that spurts hot water for a few seconds then switches back to freezing cold for a few seconds over and over until I’m fed up and hardly clean.

We have a water distiller in the kitchen that dispenses our clean drinking and cooking water. The water we bathe with or wash dishes with is not suitable for consumption. Giving a girls their bath in brown tinged water is a big wake up call. Justin and I are Nazis about not letting the girls put their hands or toys in their mouths while in the bath.

Ugh! Florescent lights...need I say more.

Besides the annoyance of having water deliveries for the tanks outside and the screech and grind of the pumps shooting the water up pipes to the second and third floors things are going well in the house. With a few more voltage converters we should be in business.

Across the street is a squatters village/shanty town. It’s not entirely awesome that we smell the smoke from their fires on the cooler mornings and evenings. It seems like a petty complaint when I’m sitting on the second floor balcony of our African palace. Now I really am a jerk American.I have a few before pictures of the house I took week one. It’s fun to see how the home evolves as the air freight and HHE shipments arrive.

Not entirely surprised

2012-01-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

We have a gorgeous fireplace in our formal living room that would be perfect for warming the bottom floor on the cold evenings. Only problem is that they built the second and third floors above the fireplace leaving it unusable. So sad but I'm not surprised.

Live from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2012-01-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

We have been in Ethiopia a little over a week now. It’s just starting to set in that Addis Ababa is home now. It’s frightening and comforting at the same time. It’s very hard to explain. I’ll try.

In the past six months we’ve moved fromour home in Manila, Philippines to America for our R&R for two months (basically vacation). In Auguest wemoved into a rental home in Virginia, had a baby, and now we’ve packed up and moved to Africa. That’s enough life changing events to get most people through a decade. We packed it in half a year. I’m exhausted.A big part of me feels comfort and relief in finallyarriving at our home here in Addis Ababa. We can settle in and be a family with normal family life stuff without the clutter of packing and moving and transition. At least for the next two and a half years that is. I can’t wait to get our personal belongings we packed up in Manila. Ashlynn needs a proper nursery with a changing table and a crib. I want to rock her in my rocking chair. I’m looking forward to having my kitchen back and my bath towels, our TV, my bed. Everything! Walking into our new concrete home with marble and wood floors, stinky bathroom drains, florescent lights, tiny kitchen sink and Embassy furniture was a strangely comforting homecoming. Like a much larger African version of our condo in Manila.
On the other hand, arriving in a foreign third world country, mostly unprepared for the first few hectic weeks is frightening. The new landscape, culture, language, food, safety issues etc, is all rather unnerving after a mostly hectic month in Virginia just trying to get to Ethiopia. It all happened so fast I feel like I didn’t get to give America a proper goodbye. I think I would have had one more block of the Cotswold cheddar with chives from TJs (they serve this cheese in heaven) and one more walk around the block breathing deeply the fresh air. I’d hug and kiss all my friends and family just one more time. Seeing everyone through Skype is terribly saddening. It’s just not the same as laughing together in person.
Being a stay-at-home mom in all this transition ispretty tough. This past week I stayed home with the girls in our new empty house, with no food, no communication, and no car. The hours passed terribly slow while we waited for Justin to come home from work with word about our internet service or this or that maintenance crew that would be out to the house for repairs. There were a few evenings when I burst into tears when he walked through the door. Trying to keep it together with all the stress just became unbearable

to deal with alone.
I don’t like to dwell on the bad so I am going to focus on the good. Things that I love about Addis Ababa, Ethiopia already:
1. The blue sunny skies. 2. The 70-75 degree mid day temp that gradually cools down in the evening and night. 3. The lack of city noise and light pollu

tion. When I exited the airport the night we arrived the first impression I had was of how quiet it was. 4. Our house. It’s spectacular. Three floors, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, marble and hardwood, tall ceilings, gorgeous decorative moldings, balconies on every floor. 5. Our garden. It’s small but well kept with flowers and grass. There are r

oses climbing the stone walls. 6. The girls smiling faces. Bella declared day two “I like my home!” and Addie says her favorite thing about Ethiopia is being able to wear her summer dresses. As long as that girl can wear her summer dresses she’s happy. And therefore, I’m happy.On a whole, my first week assessment is that Ethiopia is going to be a good home for us. I can see us being happy here. Not a bad state of mind to have 8 days in.

naughty in a cute way

2011-12-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

Arabella Jun is pure trouble and pure cuteness all wrapped into one. She's having a hard time listening and obeying right now and tantrums are a frequent affair BUT she is able to go use the restroom all on her own now without anyone to wipe her or help with her pants. She uses please and thank you all the time and says "I yuve you" to melt my heart.

Here we caught her sneaking sips of Justin's beer. She seems to like the super hopy IPAs just like her Dad. This girl is naughty in a cute way. We are going to loose some sleep over this girl.

It's a Christmas Miracle!

2011-12-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

Ashlynn Olivia slept for six whole hours last night. She didn't wake up to eat the entire time. When she did wake, she ate and was changed and went back to sleep until 6AM. Finally waking for the morning at 7:30AM Wow, this must be what it's like to have a baby who sleeps. I'm sold.

Oh, the other miracle is that we should be in the States for Christmas now since the guy at the passport issuance desk just laughed at Justin when he heard we were supposed to be in Ethiopia mid-December.

We also just heard that the house we've been assigned, while not in the neighborhood of the international school, is a newer home and will be move-in ready when we arrive. Yay for avoiding temporary housing!

I'm off to do some Christmas baking!

cloth diaper review

2011-12-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

Cloth diapers seem to be the new craze for uber cool moms. I jumped on the bandwagon quickly when I realized how much money it will save me from shipping diapers to Ethiopia. When I started doing the research I was completely overwhelmed with all the options and accessories. It's a far cry from the pre-folds and pins my Mom used on me! In the end, I followed some great recommendations from a mom friend in Manila.

I have Kissaluv's cotton fleece fitted diaper size 0 with Thirsties duo wraps (Velcro size 1) for Ashlynn now. When she reaches 12 lbs or so (pretty soon-holy cow!) I have bumGenius one size diapers (snaps).

I only have 9 Kissaluv's and 6 wraps to go with them. I use them during the day when we are going to be home. If we are going out or it's bedtime, I use disposable Up&Up diapers from Target. Cause here's the deal; cloth diapers are a ton of work! I definitely didn't anticipate being overwhelmed with the normal housework and mothering of three let alone remembering to rinse, wash and line dry the cloth diapers. You must change the Kissaluv's much more frequently than disposable diapers as well. They saturate much faster. I will say they do not leak, not an ounce. I've never had a cloth diaper blow out. The only urine leak I had with the cloth diaper was user error. I simply didn't make sure the wrap was in place correctly.

It doesn't make any sense to use these Kissaluv's at night time since they have to be changed so frequently. The goal is to keep Ashlynn asleep as long as possible and have only one or two, at the most, diaper changes a night. Disposables preform better for nigh time wear.

I am using the bumGenius diapers on Arabella for night time. I really love these diapers. They are very absorbent and the inner layer wicks away the wetness so they don't feel wet on the skin. I still find washing an inconvenience. They will be great for when Ashlynn is a little bigger and we are in Ethiopia without a Target down the road.

In conclusion, if you are a busy Mom of three or more kids I don't recommend adding cloth diapers to the list of things you have to do on a daily basis. Getting regular laundry washed is hard enough.

But, if you are living overseas with a house keeper who does your laundry I say go for it. It definitely saves money in the long run. Best yet, the environment wins.

Ashlynn at 7 weeks

2011-12-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

When I opened the blog and saw the picture of Ash I had posted on November 14 I was shocked at how much she's grown!

At her 6 week check up-which included her two month shots since we are leaving soon, she weighed 11 lbs 5 ounces and measured 22.5 inches tall. She's smiling and cooing and starting to space out her naps a bit. She loves looking at her sisters. She gave the Bumbo seat a go the other day and held her head up for a split second before her melon flopped back. She's not a huge fan of tummy time, which is new to me since my older two girls slept on their tummies and loved tummy time. She's the first of my girls to rub a bald ring on the back of her head from sleeping on her back so much.She's such a sweet baby. She has a calm temperament and can soothe herself. She's so chill that I was truly alarmed two days ago when she started screaming in the morning. Her tummy was tight and it was simply gas she hadn't burped out the night before but it was one of the first times she's cried out in that way.

favorites

2011-12-08T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite picture of my parents with their newest granddaughter. It's going in her nursery.

Megan

2011-12-08T12:17:00.000-08:00

My sister Megan is amazing. She's a wonderful aunt and sister. Having her with us for a week after Thanksgiving is like have two of myself here. Things run so smoothly. Needless to say I'm missing her this week. And not just because there was an extra someone available to wipe a tush! She's my best friend! We love you Megan.

Christmas festivities

2011-12-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

If I had the time, I'd be blogging like crazy because there are a million stories to be told about November and December. Stories about rats eating the electrical wires of the dishwasher, Grandpa and the Fire Department fiasco (just trying to be helpful), a stolen catalytic converter (shifty mechanics in the Philippines), falling mirrors (landlord), $616 spent during one trip to Trader Joes (consumables), dead rats stinking up the house (freakin disgusting)...the list goes on.

It's amazing that I haven't gone crazy in the last few weeks, getting a newborn interrupted 6 hours of sleep, trying to prepare for our move to Ethiopia while being Mom and hosting family during all this craziness. And seriously? Every time we are preparing to move overseas there are rodents involved.

On top of it all, it's Christmas time. My favorite time of the year. In Manila we would have had our tree and decorations up the week before Thanksgiving in following with their early and long holiday celebrations. I'm very sad that we will not be in America for Christmas this year.

We've been celebrating though. Every chance we get. My sweet husband brought home a little real Christmas tree for the girls to decorate when we found out our travel orders had been delayed and thus we are delayed leaving for Ethiopia. Now our leave date is up in the air. I know he brought this tree home for me just as much as it's for the kids. I desperately wanted to have a real tree for Christmas this year. The girls love this little tree. I have to admit it touches my heart too.So did the local community center's tree lighting celebration. Complete with Santa Claus arriving on a fire engine and Girl Scouts caroling. Driving around and seeing all the tacky Christmas lights on people's homes touches my heart too. Addie and Bella helped Kiki decorate her Christmas tree which is a dream come true for them since Kiki has an amazing collection of Hallmark ornaments. It was so much fun and made me miss unwrapping all our ornaments. I love rediscovering them every year and the memories it invokes. New memories were made at Kiki's house!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

We made so many wonderful memories with our family this Thanksgiving. My entire family flew to spend the holiday with us here in Virginia. My house was clean, the girls were happy and entertained by their aunties and grandparents and I had a moment to breathe, eat, shower and feel like a woman again. It was glorious. It was a Thanksgiving to remember. This photo was an attempt at our family Christmas card photo. Too bad the lighting was kind of funny!

I also really love these pictures of Arabella with her Aunt Emily and Ashlynn with two of her grandpas and her Great Grandma Mimi!

Ashlynn at 4 weeks

2011-11-14T11:20:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (coming all too fast this year); I am expressing my great appreciation for my youngest daughter's sweet temperament. Ashlynn is giving me so much to be thankful for. She's a beautiful baby girl and I adore everything about her. She smells sweet like milk and baby soap. She is warm and heavy in my arms. She puts this blanket of sleepy calm on me when she falls asleep on my chest.

I am extremely grateful that she likes her car seat and tends to fall asleep when we are driving; often staying asleep in her car seat long after we've reached our destination.

She is a good nurser, especially in the middle of the night. She took a bottle from her Father last night without any fuss. Hopefully she won't mind switching from bottle to breast here and there.

When she's well rested she falls asleep easily for her naps and stays asleep for a good long nap.

She isn't fussy unnecessarily.

She is soothed by a pacifier in the late evening hours when she tends to get restless and overtired.

She likes all the noise our family makes!

I am mostly thankful for the first real smiles she has given me in the last few days. Smiles that say "Hi Mom, you're the best!" There is nothing better than that.

ice skating

2011-11-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

Our weekends have been jam packed ever since we moved to Virginia in August. We have not had one lazy day yet. This weekend was no different. Kiki visited on Saturday and we went ice skating!

Neither of the girls have been ice skating before. They both experienced Disney on Ice the weekend prior (thanks to Kiki!) so they had an idea of what to do. Addie immediately put on her "ice skating outfit" when she found out our plans. Bella obediently put on her ice skates when we got to the rink and did two laps, one pushing a bucket; screaming the entire time. She was not a fan. We put her Crocs back on after this photo. Poor girl hated it.Addie on the other hand did well. She loved every minute of it and dusted off the ice when she fell. By the end of our time at the rink she was skating by her self!To top it off we met Santa and Mrs. Claus. Addie walked right up and gave Santa a bug and answered all his questions. Bella wanted nothing to do with Santa (other than a peak from afar) so the photo is incomplete but at least I got my oldest and youngest in a great photo!

late Halloween

2011-11-14T06:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not keeping up with the blog as well as I'd like to be doing. I blame it on our family of 5 status. Phew! The kids are kicking my butt on a daily basis.

Halloween was wonderful in our little American neighborhood. Auntie Brienne came over to hand out candy with us. The girls bounced around the house in anticipation of trick-or-treating when Justin got home from work. It reminded me of when I was a kid and I couldn't wait to get my costume on, light our pumpkins, and go out trick-or-treating with my Dad and sisters.

My one request for our first Halloween in America was a good picture of all three girls in their costumes.

Ashlynn didn't end up walking around with her sisters. She was happy once the lady bug costume was off and she was in my arms nursing and rocking again.

The pumpkin trick-or-treated for about ten houses and then declared that she was done. The angel on the other hand ran around with her Dad and the neighbor kids until bedtime.

Ashlynn's quilt

2011-11-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

Ashlynn received a gorgeous baby quilt from her Great Aunt Mary K just as Addie and Bella did. These quilts are well loved in our family. They go with us in our air freight shipments so we can always have them. They've come in handy with out cold fall nights lately.

Ashlynn's quilt is the first my Aunt has done in pastel baby colors. It's a beautiful blanket.

count down

2011-11-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

We knew all along that we would be bringing our new daughter into the world among some major transition for our family. The count down to moving to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia began the moment she was born. At 40 weeks pregnant I was torn between wanting Ashlynn to arrive already so I didn't have to be pregnant any longer, and her staying put so we as a family could stay put in America a little longer.We have roughly 5 weeks before we have to pack up and move to our new home in Africa and I'm panicking a little bit about all that needs to be done but cannot possibly done with a newborn, a two and a half year old and a four and a half year old.We knew that we wouldn't have much time in America to repatriate and enjoy being Americans. We knew that we probably wouldn't be allowed to stay at home with family for Christmas. We knew all these things and yet I am having a really hard time processing the upcoming move and all it's inevitable transitions for my children and myself. We've only gotten settled here in Virginia. I knew I'd feel this way and still it's hard.
5 weeks and counting.

more photos

2011-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Putting Justin's All Black's hoodie to good use as a back drop. Who says you need fancy props and settings? The natural sunlight was beautiful today.

Ashlynn at 2 weeks old

2011-10-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

Birth: 7 lbs 11 ounces 20 inches long
Day 2: 7 lbs 2 ounces
Day 5: 7 lbs 11 ounces
Day 14: 8 lbs 9 ounces 21.5 inches long

She's definitely growing!

sleeping angel

2011-10-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

Ashlynn sleeps like and angel during the day. Not so much at night. She's only 9 days old so I keep telling myself that hopefully I can nudge her schedule in the right direction soon. Right now she likes to sleep on or next to her Mommy at night and if I lay her down to sleep in her bassinet she starts squirming and wakes herself up. We had one night where she slept for three, two hour blocks in her bassinet and I had high hopes it would turn into a trend but so far it's just the exception to the rule (if you can have a rule in just 9 days). Right now I should be researching miracle under-eye concealer for the dark circles that are taking root by my eyes.

It's hard to complain (unless it's 3 AM-then it's easy) when my little angel is this sweet.

Ashlynn's first bath

2011-10-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

week one

2011-10-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7

Ashlynn's welcome party

2011-10-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

Our little girl is loved by many.

Our baby is born!

2011-10-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ashlynn Olivia was born on October 15th at 8:10 AM. She weighed 7lbs 11 ounces and was 20 inches long. The labor and delivery was a breeze compared to my other two girls. I'm secretly hoping Ashlynn's smooth and calm entry in the the world is an indicator of her temperament.

As you read in my last post the wait for her arrival was excruciating. Every day I felt more and more uncomfortable. In the middle of the night on Friday something just didn't feel right. I felt the first real contraction at about 12:45 AM on October 15. I came downstairs, ate a bowl of cereal and tracked the contractions on the computer. Immediately, intense contractions hit every two minutes about a minute long. I threw a load of laundry in the washer, made sure I had my camera bag by the door and went upstairs to wake Justin to get ready to go. We called the doctor and she told us to come to the hospital. I took a quick shower, realizing once I got in the water that I probably didn't have time to be taking a shower.

We waited for Brienne to arrive at the house to watch Addie and Bella and then we drove the few miles to Virginia Hospital center. We arrived around 2:30 AM. It was strangely reminiscent of Addie's birth, the nice thing was that we were veterans the third time around not first time parents.My water broke walking to the hospital room and my biting down on a kitchen towel during the contractions must have been an indicator to the nurses how far along this labor already was. The nurse confirmed I was 7 centimeters dilated. We were ushered into our labor and delivery room where they quickly got my IV going for the Group B strep antibiotics and fluids. The epidural was administered around 4AM. Thank the Lord! I tried to sleep some but as I reached 10 centimeters I could feel the pressure of the baby and it was tough to ignore the sensation to push. Even with the epidural I breathed deeply through the contractions. I was fully dilated at 7AM. We had to wait a bit for the antibiotics to have more time in my system and for the doctor to arrive.Dr. Amy Porter walked in the room at 8AM and grabbed the delivery table as the nurse got everything else ready. Justin and I were thrilled that the doctor very straight forwardly reminded me of my pushing techniques and gave me the green light to push at the next contraction. We'd been waiting for this moment for 10 months and it was so great to finally be meeting our daughter. Three pushes and 10 minutes later our beautiful little girl was placed on my chest. She didn't scream like her sisters but squeaked and squealed. After the nurses weighed and measured Ashlynn they brought her back to me. She immediately latched on to nurse. It was wonderful.Everything was a breeze. Ashlynn got a healthy apgar score of 8/9 and passed all her screens and tests. She nursed all day and night frantically trying to fill her belly. We requested an early release from the hospital to get our baby girl home so we only had to stay in the hospital for one night. My breast milk came in fast and once Ashlynn filled her belly she immediately started sleeping better. At her two day check-up with the pediatrician she was 7 lbs 2 ounces. At her five day check-up she was already back to her birth weight of 7 lbs 11 ounces which is wonderful. I have no doubt Ash will be covered in baby rolls in a few weeks.We are thrilled to have little Ashlynn Olivia home with us. It's wonderful to be a family of five. The 10 months of pregnancy was challenging, but the end result is that much sweeter. Ashlynn was definitely worth the wait.

39 weeks

2011-10-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

I'm more than just a little anxious for our third baby to arrive. I got caught up in the hype of everyone thinking she'd come early. The doctors even said the third baby often arrives early. I guess I've been ready for her arrival for a good three weeks now. Every week that I have to go back to the doctors or gymnastic class and hear "You're STILL pregnant?" is kind of rough. To be fair, my due date isn't until October 16 so technically she could still come "early". It's a bit annoying that neighbors or almost strangers act frustrated that I'm still pregnant. I should be the only one allowed to be annoyed that my baby has decided she's comfortable where she is. Am I right?

Three weeks ago I was extremely uncomfortable because I was always short of breath and having dizzy spells mostly because the baby was crowding my lung capacity. Once she dropped I immediately felt like I had more energy and oxygen to fuel my days. The only problem now is that the baby sits on my sciatic nerve and makes it tough to walk. Her movements are painful as well. I'm not sure what's better at this point having her in my lungs or between my legs. Bottom line is that Hokie Bird #3 is getting too big for the space inside.I'm still 4 cm dilated after three weeks at this point. Even after punishing myself with walking and lifting and not taking it easy. If anything I've been pushing myself a little too much at gymnastics class, preparing the house for our new baby's arrival, physically straining activities on the weekends. All with no luck in getting this baby to budge.

After getting over the mental let down of still being pregnant today, when I've literally been packing my toothbrush in my hospital bag every night now for two weeks, I am trying to see the upside to still having this baby in my belly.

The good news is that she's big and strong. Her heart rate is strong and she's moving all the time. Both Addie and Bella were born right at 40 weeks give or take a day or two and weighed over 8 lbs. They came out bright pink, screaming, and ready to nurse right away. Our new baby girl is probably going to follow suit and be a nice big healthy girl right from the start. The other positives I can see is that I get a bit more time with Bella as my baby. I've been savoring our time together alone when Addie is at school. When the baby arrives I won't have nearly the flexibility that I do now and I'm sure that I'll be too tired to play as much right away. My Mommy/Bella time has been priceless.

The last plus for the baby staying put is that we get to stay in America a tad longer. The moment she arrives, our countdown clock starts ticking to move to Ethiopia and right now that's just too much for me to handle.

I do have an end date scheduled. I will be induced on October 21 if the baby doesn't arrive on her own. It's longer to wait than I had hoped. 5 days past my due date sounds like torture right now but at least I know I won't be pregnant after that day. The waiting is excruciating!

*I guess I'm technically closer to 40 weeks now than 39 but the photos were taken on Sunday by Addie when we were apple picking. This one was taken the day before at the pumpkin patch. The girls are always hugging their little sister. Bella won't let Justin leave for work without kissing the baby. He just bends down and plants one on my belly and Bella giggles. It's pretty cute.

apple picking

2011-10-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

Along with every other yuppie family in Northern Virginia, we went apple picking Columbus Day weekend in Purcelville, VA. It was a tad warm to feel truly like fall but the girls were loving it in their summer clothing. Addie really got into the apple picking and climbed a few trees to get the good unreachable apples at the top. She then got a hold of my camera and snapped a few decent photos. One of my favorite is the one of Kiki in the blackberry bushes. Addie yelled "Kiki, stop right there" and then snapped the picture. Arabella was happy picking an apple and then immediately taking a bite out of it. I think she ate about three apples that day. I lugged Ashlynn around the entire time wishing she'd just arrive already. She's becoming much too comfortable on the inside. The trip was fun and in the process Justin and I decided that an old house in Purcelville, VA just might be where we end up after all our overseas jet setting and diplomat living. The country side was gorgeous and the old homes were full of character. Now we can just fantasize about it for the next few years. I was definitely picturing my teenage daughters with boots and buckets working at the apple orchards as their summer jobs during high school. We brought the apples home and I promptly made an apple pie that we ate a la mode. Not too shabby. Every day in America is pretty darn amazing. It's still not getting old.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

Justin and I love the Fall for all the obvious reasons. Football season, pumpkin flavored everything, Halloween, the leaves on the trees changing color. It's been a very long wait to experience Fall again in America with our girls. This weekend marked the first day of real Fall we've experienced as a family. It was a breezy 50 degrees, Justin made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, we all wore coats and boots and visited a real pumpkin patch; complete with corn maze, hayrides, slides, goat feeding, and apple cider. I road the extra bumpy hayride as a rather unorthodox way to jump start labor. We'll see how that worked. The girls loved the farm and animals. The big slides were a hit! The girls weren't thrilled about the cold wind and rain. They are tropical babies through and through. That red cheeked, freezing hands and nose feel was the most invigorating feeling in my opinion. My daughters disagree!

It's been a long wait to get pictures like these.

Cousins!

2011-09-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law has three adorable girls. This is one reason Justin and I had a good laugh when we learned that our third child would be a girl as well. What are the chances that one family would have 6 granddaughters and 0 grandsons between just two families? Rachel, Trey, and their sweet family live in Hawaii and we've waited for the day that we could unite all the girls and let them finally get some cousin play time.

Well the time has come! The girls and I made pinkalicious cupcakes as a welcome present for their cousins. We figured a little sugar might help with the severe jet lag from Hawaii. We aren't new to the extreme jet lag experience! Arabella sat out the decorating session to focus on licking the frosting off the beater. What? You don't cook in your panties and Crocs?The two eldest girls, Addie and Riley hit it off right away. It took about 10 minutes for them to figure one another out and then from there they needed a common interest. Addie packed some dress-up clothes and her tea set for day two of playing with Riley; that and her scooter so they could ride around Poppy's cul-de-sac together. Addie and Bella really had fun with baby Emrey. Seeing the tenderness they had with her made me even more excited for our new baby to arrive. It was so fun to finally see the children together and catch up with Rachel. We've missed them so much.

Preschool in America

2011-09-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

It's the second week of Adelaide's preschool experience in America. Above is her first day of school. Below is another day that she wanted me to photograph her carefully chosen outfit. I wish I was as cool as my daughter. I chose a community run/ parent co-op preschool system that is just three days a week for 3 hours each day. It's about a 3 minute drive from our house. After her all day, 5 day a week pre-k program in Manila; this preschool is very loose and more play oriented. Most the kids are 3 and she's easily the most mature 4 year old in the classroom so my goal to have it be a social growing experience if it wasn't going to push her academically, isn't really working out. She's enjoying the arts and crafts and the outdoor play time. Her teacher is really great too. I think the program will be fine knowing we're only going to be here for four months of school before moving her to the International school in Addis Ababa for the pre-k program there. The price is right on this program as well compared to some ridiculously priced preschool programs in Arlington, VA. But along with the low price tag comes a commitment for me to volunteer once a month in the classroom (hence parent co-op). This has proven to be challenging for two reasons; 1. Arabella 2. my huge pregnant belly! We're making it work though.I really wish Arabella could attend this preschool. She's definitely ready for the classroom and I have to beg her to give up her seat when it's time for us to leave Addie at school. A lot of this also stems from the connection Addie and Bella are cultivating as sisters. It's so sweet to see how close they've become. Hand holding is a must when we are walking anywhere and Bella asks me a million times "where's Addie?" "Addie at home?" "Addie?" when she and I have our three hours together when Addie's at school. Picking her sister up from school is Arabella's highlight of the day. Thank you to Auntie Brienne for the matching sparkly Hello Kitty t-shirts. Adorable!

35 weeks pregnant

2011-09-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

I definitely know how pregnant I am now. No more guessing at the month or week. Our baby girl is getting big and making me very uncomfortable. Sometimes at night when she wakes up and starts moving around I have to get out of bed and kind of rock her back to sleep by moving around. At this point she might as well be out and nursing and getting snuggles if she's going to be keeping me awake at night. My maternity support belt is a must right now. Lord help me if I forget to put it on. Yesterday, at the preschool open house a mom said I took the cake for my "fake pregnant belly" pregnancy. It's definitely in that freak show stage. Have a look.

checking in

2011-09-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

Life has been pretty busy for us lately. We quickly settled in to our rental home in Arlington. It's was nice to make it our home in such a short period of time. I guess that comes from moving often. We love the neighborhood. Last night all the girls who live in the homes around us made a huge hopscotch game in the street. Adelaide is in heaven with all the new kids. Preschool starts on Monday, we attended an open house and parent meeting last week. Addie told me she thought the class was too crowded and I have to agree. All the parents and siblings of the classmates made the open house feel chaotic. We weathered the hurricane with a short power outage and then this past week day after day of heavy rain that caused a power outage and flooded the basement. Not awesome but we are managing. Thank God our consumables haven't been purchased yet and stored down there.

The girls and I are loving the freedom of walking to the park or driving to the store during the day. We've visited every grocery store in the area just because we can.

I'm savoring every second we have in America! Taking over all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and shopping is wonderful. There are moments when I miss Cora and it's mostly when I realize that my expectations for myself to keep everything in order are way off base; especially this pregnant. After having things done a certain way for three years it's hard to realize that I can't possibly do it all by myself 9 months pregnant. It's a sad realization every time it comes to me. But you better believe I'm doing the best I can.

Here are some cute photos of the girls in our new place. We started baking again immediately!

growing belly

2011-08-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

around 6 months pregnant around 7 months pregnant
My OB in VA says the due date we are sticking to is October 16.

My blog holiday

2011-08-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

The last time I wrote on the blog was when we were packing up and shipping out of Manila. Our world has turned upside down since then. I’m now sitting at the counter of my little remodeled 1940’s rental home in Arlington, VA writing my first blog since we’ve moved back to the States after living overseas for three years.

I took a blog holiday. It was unintentional. I didn’t plan on not blogging about our two months of R&R (rest and recuperation) at home. It kind of just happened. Once we got over our extreme jet lag and started really seizing every day of R&R I just couldn’t sit down and regurgitate the experiences. They felt so real and at the same time so unreal to me. Every day was full of friends and family and American-ness and for the life of me I didn’t want to ruin the euphoria that came with repatriating in the US. Writing about it felt like I would be less in-the-moment. I just wanted to smell the fresh air and see the blue skies and taste the vibrant fresh flavors of food, all while being selfish with my feelings about it all.

For three years in the Philippines we relied on the computer and Internet to connect with everyone we loved and cared about while we were away. R&R was about being with these people face to face. No computer involved. It was so fantastic.

I know family and friends read our family blog to stay familiar with what our family is doing and I apologize that I left you in the dark for the last two plus months. I took tons of photos of all our adventures and the girls have grown so much. Justin says they look even more golden in America. I have to agree. I promise to get some of these photos up on the blog with time.I have to share, in detail, one moment for me which sums up my feelings about being in America after having lived in a third world country for three years. We spent the month of July in Washington State visiting my family. Every single day was pure bliss for me (and my folks I’m sure). One day during the week Justin and I decided to drive the girls to Estershort Park in Vancouver, WA to play at the playground. The park sits in a downtown Vancouer city block. It’s surrounded by mature shade trees and a spray-ground creek kids can splash around in. We let the girls run around and play for a good long while on the amazing play ground. We then decided to walk and pick up something being sold at one of the food carts for lunch and grab a seat on the lawn to listen to what looked to be a mid-day concert starting at the little outdoor pavilion. We found an open grassy spot next to a few other groups of moms and kids and layed out our beach towels. The girls munched on hot dogs and eventually a little local pop country band started playing. Justin brought back a huge waffle cone of homemade ice cream and we all passed it around for licks. The girls got up to dance as were most of the children in the park and I couldn’t help but just start to cry. Not little easily hid tears but big weapy sobs that my husband quickly noticed and immediately assumed something was wrong like I might have gone into early labor right then and there. I could barely get the statement “America is so wonderful” out without more blubbering sobs drawing the attention of strangers so instead I just sat there crying behind my sunglasses. What I wanted to express, but couldn’t find the words in the moment to say was that; this moment in time was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. I sat on the greenest grass I’ve ever seen under the clearest blue sky I remember, next to my amazingly wonderful husband, watching my two gorgeous daughters run around with ice cream on their lips and ketchup on their hands. The breeze was blowing, the music was playing, we were surrounded by people of all ages with their kids, dogs, and friends. Everyone was smiling and enjoying the summer sunshine and concert. Next to me a little girl pulled out a red vine, lifted it in to the air and took a bite from the end ripping it from the rest of the licorice. I felt (as I always do now days), big with pregnancy but so blessed to be breathing in the fresh air for my unborn daughter. It was a perfect American moment for me in the Pacific Northwest. I don’t think I’ve ever been moved to tears by something so mundane as an outdoor concert in a park. Maybe it was the fact that, to me, it looked as if the rest of the people sitting around us with their picnic baskets and blankets or lawn chairs did this every week in the summer. For them this was just another day. Just a last minute grab-the-kid-and-head-to-the-concert for something to do before nap-time kind of activity. That blissfull obliviousness to greatness made me sob just a little bit more. Justin rubbed my back understanding exactly what had me in tears without me really having to say so. I explained to my concerned four year old that Mommy had happy tears. Oh so happy tears.

So yes, we are home. It’s everything I hoped it would be and more. I don’t miss our life in the Philippines as I thought I really would. Some things were easier there (I just bleached my own toilet-necessary but not awesome) but I wouldn’t want to spend another moment in Manila’s poor air quality. I’m loving cooking for my family and meeting other American moms at the local park. I love driving down the streets Justin and I used to frequent together. Only now with out two daughters in the back seat and our third bouncing along in my belly. Home sweet home never made as much sense to me as it does right now.

Old Navy Fourth of July gear. I couldn't pass up the cheesy opportunity.

It's a Girl!

2011-06-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

We had our detailed congenital scan yesterday and found out the good news that we are having a third baby girl and that she's healthy and growing nicely. Watching her little hands and feet move were the sweetest thing. Even the third time around it brings tears to my eyes. She liked to have her hands up by her face for much of the scan. Addie did the same thing when she was tiny.

When the doctor moved the wand down underneath her legs to determine the sex he didn't even have to point out to us what we were looking at. She's definitely our little girl.

We are thrilled! Now we have to name her.

To Adelaide on her 4th birthday

2011-05-31T05:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Adelaide,

Happy fourth birthday beautiful girl. For weeks now you've been correcting your Dad and I when we tell people who ask that you are four. "I'm 3!" you say with determination. Finally, now you can say you are four and so can we.

Being your mom is a most humbling experience because you amaze me on a daily basis. When I look at you I am constantly reminded that you are my daughter and bits and parts of me are also in you, but as a whole you are a more spectacular human being than I ever could be. There are so many things about you that make me smile and make my heart melt. In what seems like four short years you have transformed from my newborn baby into a stunning little girl.

You are curious and innocent. I love your questions and your logic during arguments. You don't take answers on face value. You always ask additional deeper questions to understand just what I mean. I love that if a situation makes you nervous and I open the conversation by allowing you to ask me any question you like about what is in store for you; you fire away and I can instantaneously sense your anxiety fade away. I love that you don't let me just say "because I said so" or "just because". You require more information than that and I love to give you honest, age appropriate, real answers to your questions. You keep me on my toes and constantly thinking through my own actions to make sure they will be acceptable to you and in line with the type of person your father and I hope you will be. You force me to be my best self in your presence.

You're not typically a risk taker. You took weeks to finally go under the water in the pool this summer even then it was a careful measured decision to do so. You hate the movie theaters because it's going to be a new unknown movie you see there. It takes you a long time to become comfortable in new situations and really come out of your shell. That's why I'm so proud of how you opened yourself up to your preschool classmates and teachers this year. You formed true friendships, grew socially and tried new things. I love seeing you reach for a special handshake from one of the boys or exchange little gifts and hand written notes with your girl friends. I love the confident strong voice that you use now and seeing you joke and laugh and jump into a game. Now you shout out your farewells to your friends just as they shout to you. At the first of the year you wouldn't say a word!
The other day we were at your Father's boss' home for a dinner party and by the end of the night you were chumming it up in the game room with the older boys who were all playing video games and joking around. Seeing you confidently join them and participate in the fun made my heart sing. You're growing and changing and slowly reaching our of your comfort zone that is me, Dad, and Bella. I am so proud of you. Sometimes I look at you and have to remind myself that you are only four. Sometimes I see glimpses of you as a teenager and I have remember that you still need my help opening your water bottle or putting on your socks without toe wrinkles. Thank God I still have all this time to do these things for you and with you.

I love seeing your face after I've insisted that you keep trying to do it on your own. I'll show you the way to do it, then give you a chance to try again. The spark that ignites when you accomplish something new is electric. It's like you are starting to believe the idea that you really can do anything you want if you try hard enough.

You are an amazing big sister. I adore hearing you call your sister "little Bella bean" when you are playing or she has fallen and you are making sure she's alright. You show your sister tenderness and love that tells me the two of you will be good friends as you grow together. You can be a tad bossy when you start a game and she has decided not to fall in line (Bella never falls in line). Quickly, you adjust things so she can still be involved in her own way. As the oldest and the first child you will have more responsibilities and will always have to be a good model for your younger siblings. I have no doubt you will take on this role like a champ.

At school this year a good deal of time was spent learning about people who work and have roles within a community. A good deal of time was also spent on discovering yourself and your likes and dislikes. You were asked what you wanted to be when you grow up and your answer was always, without fail "a mommy"! At home I encouraged you to choose a profession along with becoming a mommy because that's an option you most likely will adopt when you grow up. You shot that idea down over and over even when the combinations were things like; ballerina and mommy or chef and mommy, even fashion designer and mommy or veterinarian and mommy. "No" you'd insist, "Only a mommy!" was your response. And you know, I understand the feeling darling girl. I'm a mommy and just a mommy and that is what you see me doing. You are going to be a fantastic mommy because the authenticity of your interactions with babies and your dolls is the sweetest thing I've seen. You hold and bounce your baby doll with the comfort of a seasoned mother. Right now at the age of four you have stated your motherhood claim and I love it.

Every year Adelaide, you grow more and more amazing. You're silly and funny and sweet. Every year you grow more so. We are navigating the parent child relationship together since you are our first daughter and so far I think it's going well. I only hope that as every year passes we can just grow closer and more in touch with one another. I can't imagine a day when I don't know what you've eaten for lunch or when you've fallen asleep for the night. I know that day will come when you are older and I'm so grateful that you still need me for all those things a child needs. I'm not ready for you to be exponentially bigger and more grown up. Day by day growing bigger is all this Mommy can take.

I love you precious girl. You are one of the lights that I hold in my heart and one of the reasons I think being a Mom is the best thing I will ever do in my life. Happy Fourth birthday! We have many more to celebrate together.

Love,
Mommy

Addie Rose turns 4 today!

2011-05-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Addie's birthday party came during a busy time for us. I've been crossing my fingers everything would come together for the big day. I love having parties for the girls. I love how excited they get and I wanted this party to be a little extra special since it's the last time Addie may see some of her friends before we move. Because we don't have our kitchen resources, I ordered a cake and had someone else come decorate. I wanted to take advantage of the rock bottom party rental and party planning prices here in the Philippines and there was no better time than now. We also had someone come for face painting! It was loads of fun and everyone had a good time. Amazingly enough between Cora and I and our measly embassy welcome kit kitchen items, we managed to pull off quite a spread of food for the parents and kids. Addie and Justin chose the iPod playlist. Bella begged for the balloons that were strung all over the house and thoroughly messed up her dress in record time. Here is the birthday girl with her best buds. These girls had to stick together this year at preschool.I can't believe how unbelievably unprepared we were for having so many 4-6 year old boys in our house. There were 6 girls at the party (that includes Bella and another toddler sibling). There were 11 boys and I swear they suddenly turned into wild animals when they all got together. It became apparent that we didn't have enough structured party games or activities to occupy the boys. The girls on the other hand were fine with a light dance party, our t-shirt designing craft and playing with Barbie dolls. The boys started drop kicking one another and wrestling. There was so much noise! Addie has a black eye from colliding with one of the boys and another boy beat her to blowing out her candle after we all sang "Happy Birthday" (I was especially peeved because it was an older sibling that I had made an exception to allow to the party-never again). I vowed it was the last time we invite the entire class for her birthday (especially when the class consists of 3 girls and 12 boys).

Addie didn't seem too bothered by the boy chaos. Most likely because she and her two little girl friends go to school every day with these rowdy boys. The teachers are much better at keeping things in order than we were. In the end,

The cake was delicious and gorgeous. The t-shirt designing craft was fun and different than anything we've seen at other parties and she loved opening all the gifts from her friends and grandparents. Mostly, she was the birthday girl for the day and loved every second of it.

Pack-Out

2011-05-28T23:28:00.000-07:00

I've avoided blogging about our pack-out mostly because we've been counting down to these dates for months now. It's been on my mind too much to want to write about. My to-do lists started as far back as February when I started going through all the closets and drawers to find items to give or throw away. Then came the lists for what stuff should go in what shipment. I'm a list kind of gal but I have a friend who made a flow chart diagram to use as her decision making authority for packing. It was pretty impressive.

It's not quite as simple as letting the moving company come in on the day of pack-out and just box it all up. For our family, it takes quite a bit of forethought into what we will need at different points during the next 8 months. There is three separate shipments.

1. Our large shipment contains the majority of our household and all the furniture. This shipment takes multiple days to pack and move. Everything going into this shipment will be loaded onto crates that will go by sea to a storage facility and then again by sea to a port in Africa. When we arrive in Addis Ababa in December 2011 this shipment will be allowed to start it's final voyage by air to Ethiopa for custom's approval. We should expect to see our things again sometime in February or March of 2012, aproximately 2-3 months after we arrive to our new home in Addis Ababa. It's a long time to be without our things. It's especially tough to settle into a new home while still waiting for everything to arrive.

2. Our small air freight shipment is 700 lbs. and will travel by air to the United States and wait to be received at our temporary housing in August 2011. This shipment must contain items that we will need for the final week in Manila when our large shipment has already been packed as well as things that we want to have for our four months of living in the States (August-December 2011). The tricky thing is that we will also have a 700 lb air freight shipment that will be packed in DC right before we move to Ethiopia. The items that we bring back to the States in this air freight shipment will also likely have to be in the air freight shipment to Africa. Thus, I have to think ahead to what we will need in our air freight shipment for Africa; which will get us through those 2 months in our new home in Addis Ababa before our large household shipment arrives. Throw in the fact that we are expecting a new baby in October and any of our baby things I want to use for the first four months of our third child's life, need to be in this 700 lb air freight shipment. Needless to say, we will be borrowing lots of things from friends and family while we are at home.

3. Our accompanied air baggage is essentially our luggage and items we can take on the airplane with us back to the States. These will be the only items we will have for the next 9 weeks until we get our air freight in August. The other tough thing is that all our important paper work and documents or valuables all have to come with us on the airplane. Most of it in our carry-on luggage. You can't trust putting your original Social Security cards and birth certificates in your checked luggage. Other random things that will go in our luggage is our address books, title to the car, shot records, valuable jewelry, the dog's health records. Everything important. The list goes on and on. Amazingly, we are planning to fit everyone's clothes and personal items in 5 suitcases and two small bags. One devoted to toys, books, fancy ball gowns, princess wands, sparkly shoes, night lights, white noise machines, and all of Bella's 37 must-have bedtime friends. Blankie, lovie, nana, and Bop Bop will go in on of our 4 carry-ons. Don't laugh when I tell you that we'll also be bringing two car seats a stroller and the dog on the plane with us too. I'm already scheming how to cut a hole in a pull-up diaper to put on Lucy's butt. Flying with the girls is tough enough, you better believe I will not be cleaning up after our dog too.

This past week we had movers in our house packing and moving our large sea shipment Tuesday through Thursday. They threatened to push some of the work into Friday but I pushed back some. Instead of the four packers we had on Tuesday and Wednesday; 9 guys arrived on Thursday to finish the job. We had roughly 6,400 lbs of stuff. I was most sad to see our mattress packed up knowing Justin and I won't sleep in our own bed again until 2012. I was also sad to see the toys go because so many of those things the girls use on a daily basis. I guess it will be like Christmas again when it all gets unpacked in Africa.
I thought I'd be more wistful about all of our things getting put in boxes and loaded onto crates to weather a long boat ride over the ocean. In the end I was relieved to see it all gone. After months preparing for pack-out it was finally over.

Tomorrow our air freight gets packed. This is the ugly pile of stuff that we will see again in August. When we separated out what went into our suitcases we have very little air freight. Probably half our allowable limit. This bodes well for the inevitable shopping and stuff-accumulation that will happen during the 6 months we are in the States.

We're ready to head home now. The house feels like a shell of our home now.

back home to Manila

2011-05-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

Sadly, our wonderful weekend came to an end today. Justin had to shower, shave and go to the office when we returned mid-day Tuesday. My break from the move is over and my anxiety level is a little higher knowing there is less time to get everything done.

It was totally worth it though. Every single moment watching my lovely children and amazing husband at the beach this weekend was worth it. I loved every second of it. It's going to be one of those weekends that we think back about with favor years from now.

Day 3 sand castles, sunsets and more beach

2011-05-17T01:45:00.001-07:00

Night beach walking (or dancing and twirling)

beach babes

2011-05-17T00:42:00.000-07:00

This weekend with the girls at the beach was practically a piece of cake compared to the times we've taken them places when they were younger. I can't believe how much easier it gets as they grow and Bella's only 2! We went to New Zealand in October and wow, what a huge difference 7 months makes. They both slept better and we worried less about what they would eat. Are my kids the only kids who don't eat much on vacation? I swear we feel like we are force feeding them when ever we are out of town. Anyway, I packed boxed milk for them and a few snacks but it was nice not to worry so much about food for them. We stretched bedtime each night and avoided major melt-downs for the most part!We didn't even need to bring diapers! Just a pull-up for bedtime! I love the freedom that comes from the girls getting older. I worry and stress less and as a result enjoy myself much more on vacation. It makes me a little sad that we are going to be starting all over with a newborn again in October. Lugging the breast pump and bottle brushes and a million diapers with us where ever we go. Traveling is tough with a baby. Mostly tough on Mom. It was amazing to experience the beach with my girls with the added freedom of them being 2 and 4. I can't imagine what it will be like when the kids are all older than diapers and sippy cups.

The girls are not babies anymore. They are my beach babes for sure!The Sea Wind has some beautiful tropical garden pools that Addie was curious about trying out. They hopped in and weren't swimming for 5 minutes before she said she wanted to go back to the beach!Who can blame her.

somewhere between 4 and 5 months pregnant

2011-05-17T00:22:00.000-07:00

I'm about 4 and a half months pregnant. I'm still squeezing my belly (and rear end) into my regular one piece swim suit. It think it may be time to get a maternity suit this go around. All in all it wasn't a bad place to be while four and a half months pregnant.

full speed ahead

2011-05-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

Arabella has one mode: Go! Fast! She ran right into the ocean without a care in the world. You can see she's refusing Justin's hand here. She wants zero help. I slipped her arm floaties on and she swam right around with her sister like it was the biggest pool in the world. The salt water in the nose, mouth and eyes was a bit of a shocker but she figured it out really quickly.

My little fish!The sun was scorching so we were all most comfortable in the water. We swam out to where Justin and I could barely touch and played, then swam back into where the girls could stand. I could have sat in that water all day watching the girls swim and play. That's basically what I did. That entire first afternoon we spent playing in the sand and water.When we got hungry we packed it up and walked down the beach for dinner at Nigi Nigi Noo Noos Too! Another one of our favs. The girls played in the sand. We had fresh seafood and watched the sunset. Not a bad first day.

Boracay Island one more time

2011-05-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

We'd been debating going to the beach for one last weekend while we are in the Philippines. Maybe a new beach, there are so many we never made it to. The sticker price of paying for four coast to coast US airline tickets for during our R&R was painful and we were getting so busy with our last few weekends getting filled with activities. There we were down to the last three weeks and nothing was planned. In our typical mode of operation Justin and I decided on Thursday to take a long weekend and spend it at our favorite beach in Boracay with the girls. We got some fairly decent airline ticket prices and called up our favorite resort, the Sea Wind, at Station 1 in Boracay and bam; beach weekend. I was looking forward to a few days where I could forget all the lists of things I need to do for the move. We decided it was mostly needed to remind us why we love the Philippines so much in our last few weeks of craziness while we get ready to move. My daily mantra was "get me out of this place" last week but the weekend at the beach with my family helped me to remember all the things I love about this country we've called home for the past three years. I am so thankful for the time we've had here to grow as a family. So thankful for the time I've been allowed to be at home with my children. The Philippines is a family place for me and this weekend was a great send-off for us. One last wonderful weekend at the beach. Because there really are no beaches like Boracay in the United States of America.

The girls woke up early with excitement to take the airplane to the beach. We were all ready for some sun and sand.Our little prop plane. Bella scoped out some restaurants for us to try when we got there. Addie said she wasn't nervous any longer about landing in the water. Her plugged ears were the new worry. The flight was less than an hour. We landed in Caticlan then took a banka boat ride to Boracay. The breeze was gorgeous on the boat. Addie and Bella got new shades and hats for the weekend. The wind was lulling Bella into a relaxed zone. I love the look on her face on my lap.When we arrived at Sea Wind we were a little early for check-in and decided to walk down the beach to Jonah's Fruit Shakes (our favorite place in Boracay) to start our beach weekend off right and stave off the lunch hunger. I knew we wouldn't be able to keep the girls out of the water and sure enough Addie and Bella were both wet and sandy within minutes. Bella drank her shake in her wet panties. Screw the straw Mom! This is faster. I feel like Jonah's should buy this photo for an advertisement. We couldn't wait to get to our room and change in to our swimming gear. That gorgeous white sand was begging for a sand castle.

to Bella on her second birthday

2011-05-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

My darling Arabella,
You have been in our lives for two years now. I remember your birth like it was yesterday. The memories are still vibrant in my mind and yet two whole years have passed. You aren't a baby any longer but a tiny little girl with a spirited personality. Every day you surprise us with something new you have accomplished. Most of the time we hear a big loud "NO" when we try to help you do something. Sure enough, if you try hard enough you can do it all by yourself. You are sweet as sugar and as spicy cayenne when you want to be. Most of the time you are a little bit of both. I'm not even a little bit sad that you are turning two. I adored you as an infant and as a one year old but you simply become more amazing with every month you grow. I am certain your two year old year will be even better than the last two.I love every little thing about you. I love the big blonde ringlet that forms in the back of your head and how your hair gets curlier when you get sweaty. I adore your smokey voice and how you pronounce your name as if it was a Spanish double L. I love how your chin appears more distinctly when you smile. I love your tiny little flat buns and your skinny strong legs that you gallop on when you and your sister skip down the side walk. I love your crazy little toenails that grow over the edges of your toes. I have to tackle you down to clip them. It's tough with those strong little legs of yours kicking. I love how your face lights up when you see me in the morning and you bounce with excitement to get in my arms. I love how you grab your sisters glass of milk along with your own, assuming she will want hers too. I love how you giggle when I say "Mommy loves Bella" at night when we are rocking before bed. I love how you bring a stuffed friend into my lap to read our bedtime stories and you tell your friend to "sit" and "stay". I love how fire engine sirens or backfiring cars spook you to tears and I have to snuggle you and explain everything is OK. I love how you really think sharks are animals that can crawl in the bedroom and under the covers to pinch your feet when you and your sister are hiding under the covers. I love that you say hello and wave to people we see on the street.You've taken to growling at people when you are mad just as if you were a dinosaur. I adore your stubborn streak even though it drives me mad because your father and I dread the manifestation of those tantrums in your future 16 year old self. We know we will be faced with a fearless strong daughter who will do amazing things. We are preparing ourselves for lots of sleepless nights worrying about you as you grow up.

I am so proud of you Arabella, you are such a smart and curious little girl. You share my heart with your big sister but that doesn't mean you get half. You get my entire heart because I am certain, as the sun rises every morning, that when you were born my heart doubled in size so I could love you and be your Mommy. I love you Bella. Happy Birthday Bean.
Love,
Mommy

somewhere between 3 and 4 months

2011-04-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you the difference between my third pregnancy and my first two. I have no idea how far along I am right at this moment. Justin reminded me the other day we should take a picture of my belly for the new baby and I had to roll around in my head how pregnant I was already.

I know I'm pregnant enough that I can't get any of the buttons done on my shorts or any zippers pulled up on my jeans. My belly band usage is in full force now. I know I am pregnant enough that I don't feel nauseous much any longer; only when I'm crazy hungry. I'm pregnant enough to need some of the back relief exercises I use as well as the little wedge pillow at night. I'm up every few hours at night to pee. My real maternity clothes still kind of hang on me. That's how pregnant I am right now.

I have a four month check up sometime in the first week of May and Bella's birthday is this Friday. That's as close as I'm going to get to pinpointing how far along this pregnancy is! My lack of following the days one by one doesn't in any way reflect my excitement level for this new baby. In fact, I love thinking about the little bundle in there without counting the days. I've got other stuff to count down to right now.

No Easter Bunny this year

2011-04-24T01:25:00.000-07:00

Adelaide started panicking the day before Easter about a big bunny stopping by our house to drop off eggs and candy. There were tears and pleading and lots of panicked looks when she'd hear a tap or a phantom knock on the door. It didn't help for us to explain that a cute little real-live bunny is the real Easter Bunny and not the big bobbled headed, over-sized costume Bunnies she has in her memory from last year. I threw the big guns at her; "If the Easter Bunny doesn't come to our house, you won't have any Easter candy." Her quick response sealed the deal; "But we already have enough candy in the pantry!" We promised her the Easter Bunny would not visit our house, even when she was asleep. She made us text him to be sure he would skip us.
I guess you could say we were off the hook. I hadn't dug out the Easter baskets from last year and half of all the plastic eggs were missing in this toy box or that one; so I avoided any Easter prep at all. We dyed bright colored eggs for the fun of watching them change color and then promptly put them in the refrigerator to sit for the next week or two before we throw them out or Cora takes them home to the kids in her neighborhood.

Grammy and Grandpa sent a box of Easter goodies and gifts the week prior so the Easter Bunny was kind of out of work at our house anyhow. Who needs the Easter Bunny when you have grandparents? The girls woke up to a nice little pile of jelly beans, art supplies, and cute socks (what is an Easter basket without cute girly socks?). They were happy as clams. Bella ate half of a chocolate Easter bunny WITH the foil still on as well as an entire bag of jelly beans before her breakfast. Addie painted ceramic magnets as we all watched Bambi! "Where's his Mommy?" was a frequent question that I had to answer without looking my daughter in the eye. The horrified look on her face was enough to bring me to a mess of hormonal tears.
In our typical fashion my husband and I got the girls dressed and ready for 10 o'clock Easter mass at our church only to drive by a packed parking lot, congregation, and sign that stated the Easter mass schedule was special and the next mass wasn't until 11 o'clock. U-turn back home for snacks. Five minutes into the 11 o'clock service Addie was scared of the glowing picture of the resurrected Jesus and asking when the service was going to be done. Bella wanted to check out the bathrooms. We somehow made it through communion and then high tailed it to our brunch reservations.

Easter brunch at the Peninsula Hotel is accompanied by a huge ballroom kids Easter extravaganza. On the way to the hotel we made the mistake of telling the girls we were on the way to an Easter party. Addie immediately starts panting in panic, afraid that the evil Easter Bunny or some other over sized big-headed character will be waiting there to haunt her. Justin tries to recover the situation by telling her we are going to the Easter Bunny's castle for lunch. She practically spins her wheels to go home instead of this party. She's questioning us incessantly the entire ride to the Peninsula. When we arrive, we tell her it's a hotel. Justin explains that the Easter Bunny's castle was a joke to which she replies; "Dad, why did you joke on me? I wasn't laughing, I was crying!".

We make it through our over priced buffet meal only having to pay for the adults, which was a relief since the children had two bites of cheese and a strawberry. Then we are off to the noisy Easter affair with too loud Lady Gaga playing. A pirate MC is at the mic and as quickly as we enter the ballroom the girls and I ushered into another room for an Easter egg hunt for the 1-3 year old kids. We grab baskets and then try to rush into the tiny room where 800 other toddlers are with their parents and Yaya's. We come out empty handed. Not an egg to be found. I guess it was a big joke to put 20 eggs in a room and then wish the 800 kids good luck.

In the end we missed out on some of the fun due to big lines and a little sister who was in desperate need of her nap. I made it up to Addie at home when I proved I can do better arm painting then any of those guys they hire for those parties. She agreed!Here are a few pictures from the Embassy Easter party that was two weeks ago.

the end is near

2011-04-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Our apartment is beginning to give me flash backs of our tiny little 950 sq ft townhouse in Arlington before we moved to the Philippines three years ago. Piles are starting, colorful sticky-notes are tacked on things, and empty diaper boxes are getting filled with winter clothes and baby items that I didn't think I'd have to see for a while longer. Even the suitcases are getting filled with maternity clothes and stuff. Lots and lots of lists are being made.
The movers come to survey the house next Wednesday and then ultimately pack up all our possessions on May 24th! It's exciting and stressful all at the same time. If you would have asked me 6 months ago how I felt about moving back to the States I would have gotten teary eyed and wistful about leaving the Philippines and our apartment we've called home for the past 3 years. I would have told you that I was dreading repatriating back to the US and all the logistics that come with that. I would have told you that I was sad to rip my children away from the only place they've ever called home.

I'm glad that I've had the past 6 months to prepare and mentally get ready to return home. I'm happy to say that I'm ready to say goodbye to Manila. I'm ready to have our next adventure in Africa, but mostly ready to have 6 months in America with our family and friends to familiarize ourselves with American life again as well as introduce our children to the country they come from.

I feel almost as if Manila is pushing us out; getting under my skin and grating on my nerves more and more. The oily layer of pollution I found covering our wedding quilt that hangs on the wall above our bed helped solidify my readiness to leave. That, and Addie's teacher contracting Dengue fever, the mystery bug bites on Bella's butt, and the horrendous smell of dried fish (the apartment unit below us re-fries for EVERY MEAL) that waifs up through the exhaust fan and permeates my home and churns my pregnant belly. These things all have me excited to breath in some fresh American air because if that's what's been collecting on the quilt above my bed, Lord knows what's going in my lungs all night.

I'm ready to stop scanning the kitchen and bathroom floors for cockroaches whenever I enter the room. I'm ready for incandescent light bulbs, flushing my toilet paper down the toilet, and cheap Tampons (although I could argue that I've had more months pregnant in the Philippines than not). I'm ready for courteous drivers and traffic laws that are enforced, blue skies, grassy spaces, and other Americans to chat with while in line at the grocery store.On the other hand, I'm very sad to leave Cora and Garry. They are like family. Yaya has been spoiling the girls a little and I see an extra fervor in her imaginary play with them. She's teary eyed when we mention how close the end is coming. Our two children are not the first kids she's cared for like they were her own and had to say goodbye to. She's debating whether or not to find a family without children next time to spare herself the heartbreak of kissing the child one last time as we head for the other side of the world, possibly never to see them again. She's a Saint for giving herself to families like she does and I honestly think there will be children that will miss out on her love if she chooses not to work with kids again. Right now I am sad to leave these people we love, not the Philippines.
Addie is struggling with the idea that she's saying goodbye to her friends. Many of which are headed to other countries or back to the States themselves. She's very concerned about her toys getting packed up and sent to Africa. She had lots of questions about what will come with us (Lucy? Of course.) and what will stay (that nasty bag of old used wooden kebab skewers I found in the pantry that Cora saved for God knows what reason? Of course not) and how everything will find us again. When I explained that a boat will take our things to our new home in Africa she processed that information and then determined that many of our things could not possibly fit on a boat. A boat the size of our apartment building my darling. A humongous boat! You will not leave anything important behind sweet girl.Pregnancy tends to focus my attention forward (about 40 weeks forward to be exact). It's been good timing to help me not dwell on the past few years and all that we will miss about our home here but instead get excited about the future for our growing family and all the new things we will experience. We cannot wait to welcome a new little one into our family and then promptly initiate him or her properly by forcing the impossible eyes-open infant passport photo right before hopping on a flight around the world! Cause that's the way we roll.

new furniture

2011-04-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I drew out some ideas for furniture and met with Mr. and Mrs. Cortez who have a lovely little furniture business in Pampanga. They helped to choose wood and stain and convinced us it really is better to have the entire piece solid mahogany. They delivered the finished product yesterday and we were more than pleased with the final product. I loved being able to tweak the dimensions and such on pieces that we'd seen in catalogs or online in the States. Amazingly, even at nice stores that charge too much like Pottery Barn and Ethan Allan most furniture is made with composite wood-and they charge more! It's definitely lighter but we wanted something solid.

I'm so happy to have a place for all the girls toys now. The drawers are big enough for Addie to get in! The best part about working with the Cortez family business is that we have friends who recommended them to us after spending months and months researching their kiln drying practices and making sure their standards would allow the wood to make the move back to a dryer climate in America without splitting. Our friend even drove to Pampanga to tour the Cortez family manufacturing site and get a demonstration of the wood drying procedures! Talk about thorough!

We felt like real grown ups sleeping in a real bed with a head board and a foot board. Look at us-movin on up!

Hello, it's me again

2011-04-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

I've been very very absent from the blog the past few weeks. My pregnancy has zapped all my energy and all my motivation. It takes every ounce of my will to take care of Addie and Bella all day long. By the time they are in bed I am ready to do the same. I think I need to up the iron intake like when I was pregnant with Addi and Bella. I feel like I want to sleep all day long.

Justin has been on other continents for two and half weeks out of the last four or five (I can't recall which now) so I've been flying solo, which isn't entirely solo when Cora is there to help out Monday through Friday, but as any other parent knows; when one parent is gone the children start getting clingy and behavior starts to dip a bit. We've been staying busy for the most part but after awhile the girls just want their Daddy! I think they could tell Mama's patience was wearing thin towards the end of this last trip.

I turned 31 last Thursday, which was marked my the girls and I baking a cake (Bella playing with the egg shells in the photo). Once my children entered my life the excitement of birthdays completely shifts to them. My birthday is hardly party worthy when I have two gorgeous girls to shower with love and excitement on their special days. All I need on my birthday is a homemade card from my daughters and a big hug and a kiss from my husband. Neither of which I received this year but honestly, no big deal. I got lots of love from my friends and family and being with my two favorite little blondies all day was pretty great. I wasn't going to make a cake initially, I thought I would wait until Justin got home but when I asked Addie if she was going to sing me "Happy Birthday" that morning she said she wanted to wait until birthday time later when we had cake. That's when I knew I wasn't going to get a Happy Birthday from her unless we had cake. Off to the kitchen I went. We ended up eating the poorly assembled (but delicious) cake and then had a dance party in the living room. I don't get too sentimental about my own birthdays. I recognize that in the big picture of life, I am still relatively young. Even though at 20 I could hardly picture myself at 30. I knew I would have a family but other than that I couldn't see that far into the future. So far I've only lived a year into my third decade and it's by far better than the previous one. I'm more comfortable in my skin, I am happy, and content and secure in my wonderful marriage. I couldn't be happier or more content in my role as mother to my two little girls. Then there is the third baby on the way. Pregnancy generally makes me feel alive and peaceful; this time is no exception. I'm very lucky and thrilled to be me right at this moment in my life. I'm not wishing to be younger and I'm not wishing away the years to come. This point in life is pretty wonderful. I know that later on down the road I will look back on my 30s as the time when we were growing as a family, moving around the world, cultivating Justin's career, and raising our young children with all our efforts and energy. I have a feeling this decade we will be busy and happy and tired and crazy; but mostly full of life at it's best moments. Normally, I don't give March 31, much thought every year. I probably gave it more thought this year since I was alone.

The great thing is that Justin returned home on Saturday to a very excited household of girls who welcomed him home with hugs and kisses. The girls didn't even let Justin take a shower in peace after his long flights. They literally stood there in the bathroom giggling with excitement as he washed off the earthy spicy smell of Africa and the middle east.
We celebrated my birthday on Sunday by going out to dinner and retrieving a huge stack of boxes that had been collected in Justin's office while he was away. Good things come to those who wait because Justin surprised me with a new camera lens for my Nikon. I am so excited to start learning to use it. My initial attempts are not quite perfect but I think with time I should be able to get some nice portraits of Addie and Bella.We have about 8 weeks left in Manila before we pack up and head back to the States. It's coming up very fast and I am starting to get very anxious about all the things I still need to do before we leave. I had all sorts of things I wanted to get done and most likely they will not all be completed. I guess I need to prioritize.

this is how we finger paint

2011-03-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

We marched straight to the bath tub after this artistic adventure.

pool weather

2011-03-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

We spent most of our afternoons in the pool this past week for Spring Break. Unfortunately, Bella has started another runny nose so we kept to the tiny blow-up pool on the balcony for Friday and Saturday. I can't get over Arabella's hair in a pony tail. Too cute.

Spring Break

2011-03-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

All the baby left in Arabella is quickly shedding away and a little girl has been uncovered (as I post a picture with her "nana" in her mouth). She's swimming and jumping and playing right along Addie and her friends who come to play during spring break this week.

We spent four hours at the swimming pool yesterday which is the perfect Monday to start off a week break from school. The best part about Spring Break is the absence of driving back and forth from our apartment to Seafront. I don't miss sitting in traffic for an hour for pick up

I love having Addie at home all day and so does Bella. Bella walks around saying "Addie, where are you?" if she is not in her immediate line of sight. Addie's a really great big sister and I'm always impressed when she includes her sister while playing with her friends from school. I'm certain she hasn't even considered excluding her little sister. For that I am very grateful.

Four more days of spring break and from the looks of the sunshine we will be at the pool this afternoon again!

32 years

2011-03-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my favorite person in the world. Every year just gets better and better. You are the center of our entire universe. We love you!
Justin and I were remembering Justin's 26th birthday when he took the day off on the 17th and spent the entire day at a Irish pub in Arlington with the guys drinking themselves into oblivion. A lot has happened between 26 and 32 and Justin had to agree that he'd take these two little cherubs and their handmade Happy Birthday sign over a day of beer any day.

Baby number 3 makes a family of 5

2011-03-15T23:44:00.000-07:00

We're having another baby! Due October 23, 2011. Please excuse my absence on the blog I have been neglectful but it's only because I feel more tired than I ever have felt before (besides the first 8 months of both girls lives-that was tired too).

I'm also sick with a sensitive stomach, nausea, food aversions (tons of those in the Philippines), vomiting, cravings (too bad no one can send me grapefruit-I just want a stinking grapefruit and maybe a box of saltines) the whole nine yards just the same as the first two pregnancies. I thought I might be spared for the third pregnancy (after paying my dues last two times) but sure enough right at 6 weeks I started to feel crummy. I just hope the next few weeks hurry by so I can start to feel a little normal albeit my growing belly (which also seems to expand faster and faster with every pregnancy).

Addie is excited and talks about having another little sister. Bella might have a rude awakening when her favorite Mommy lap starts to be overtaken with the next baby. Both girls will be exceptional big sisters. Whether they have a little bother or sister.

We are thrilled because we will be welcoming this baby into the world in America! No med-evac travel necessary, no rushing to get passports or saying goodbye to Daddy two weeks after the birth, no traveling alone around the world with an infant and two other kids. Hooray! We get to play house like a normal American family of five for a few months before our next post to Africa hits us. We are very blessed to be able to plan the next baby to arrive just at the perfect time. Perfect timing as in where we will be located. I'm guessing the timing of the birth coinciding with planning for two years in Africa will be slightly challenging; hardly perfect by any standard. I'm not one to make it easy on myself though.

I guess when life get's busy we just decide to throw another child in the mix! Yay for our little growing family of five!

trying to tire them out

2011-03-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

Addie sleeps so restlessly sometimes. It's so aggrevating on nights that Bella sleeps like a dream. I'm up every hour responding to bad dreams, coughing, requests for water from the ELDEST child. They usually alternate sleepless nights so if it isn't one it's the other.

My plan to knock them both out...afternoons at the pool until little Bella starts shivering and her lips turn purple. The poor thing can only take about 45 minutes in the pool now that all her baby blubber has shed away. Look at those skinny thighs now!

Bella barely lets me hold on to her and low and behold when I let go of her she sucks in a gallon of water but wants to immediately try again. She floated on her tummy with her chin above the water the other day.

planes, trains and automobiles

2011-03-07T16:56:00.001-08:00

I've never pushed gender specific toys in my house. I was a little girl who loved making mud piles with my Tonka trucks in dirt, but I also had a love affair with Barbie (still do). Adelaide seems to be joining the princess ranks without any help from us. She really loves dolls, her Barbies, dress-up, and anything pretty. Just this morning she admired herself in the mirror in her favorite pink dress for school and said to me "Mommy, when I wear my dress, I look like this (smiling in the mirror) and I think I look pretty." (LORD help us-she's not even 4). I of course explained to her that she's beautiful inside and out no matter what she's wearing; it's her heart that matters. She ran to pick out her fancy dress shoes and socks to match.

Arabella is a very different child with varying interests. She's still very young of course. On one hand she loves playing with her big sister (it's all about Addie); pushing doll strollers and rocking her baby dolls in her arms. She has also inherited a love for shoes from her mother and most of the time walks around in her panties and a pair of cool shoes. Nothing else. She is in love with Barney, Elmo and right now the big thing is Ernie from Sesame Street (Aunt Meg's favorite). Her real love is airplanes but she'll take trains or school buses too. We have a wooden train set that we got for Christmas which is probably my favorite toys to get out and build little cities with. Addie and I will build homes out of Duplos for her PlayMobil princesses that live next to the tracks. I love building bridges on the risers and letting the little trains stop to offload their cargo. Don't get me started about that little piece of track that twirls so the trains can change directions. I'm a total nerd about the train set.Yesterday Arabella's attention span reach great new lengths. We sat together for at least an hour playing with the train set. I've given up on the elaborate train tracks with overpasses and bridges and cargo stations for her. All she wants is a ramp so the trains can go up and down and a half circle of track. She's a bit of a bulldozer so I'm still reassembling the ramp and risers fifty trillion times in an hour. Towards the end of our hour she discovered that she can put the track together like a puzzle. She proceeded to build her own track until all the pieces were gone and I just undid what she had done to give her a new length of track to place at her end. She was in heaven.I love watching my daughters develop their own set of preferences. I love Addie's passionate stance on being a Mommy as what she wants to be when she grows up. And from the looks of how she bounces her baby doll on her hip she's going to be a pretty darn good one. I love that Bella can choose to love completely different things if she wants. Fighter pilot seems like a good future career path for this little girl right now. As long as the uniform is panties and shoes.

Daddy's girls

2011-03-06T15:26:00.001-08:00

My daughters are in LOVE with their father. And who wouldn't be? He always has creative silly games to play with them and both girls love to rough and tumble with Dad. Arabella is a Mommy's girl for the most part, but in the last few months she's realized just how awesome Daddy is to play with. Justin is delighted that our youngest daughter has jumped on the Dad band wagon just as whole heartedly as Addie has.

During an elaborate make-believe play session last week, Addie announced that she was marrying her Daddy. A girl's first true love is for her Father and I can see Bella going in the same direction as she wraps her little arms around his neck and buries her face in his neck for a long hug. Justin turns to butter and melts to the floor, but not before Bella gets a good hold of his finger and wraps herself completely around it.

the pools

2011-03-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

It was a gorgeous day on Sunday and the girls were itching to get wet so we filled up the little pool on the balcony. In the end, I took them to the real pool in the afternoon anyway. Both girls are wearing arm floats in the swimming pool but Arabella hasn't figured out that she needs to keep her head out of the water and her mouth shut. Every 5 minutes she's asking to go "pee pee" from all the water she swallows. She also jumps and propels herself in the water as if she thinks she's an Olympic swimmer already. She gets irritated I'm holding her and yet when I let go her little nose and mouth suck in another liter of pool water. Her fearlessness can be a bit unnerving around the water. On a number of occasions she's almost taken a step over the edge before I'm in the water to catch her. It should be a fun summer in the pool.

snapshots

2011-02-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

We had another busy weekend. I have to laugh that Justin is beyond exhausted at the end of every Saturday and Sunday with the kids. He juggles the girls, going to the gym, family outings, dinner, bedtime, date night or adult movie night at home (HA! I meant grown-up movie night like Inception over Toy Story 3). Days at home with the family require more physical stamina than his days in the office. Sunday he even took the kids to the park for an hour so I could do our taxes (thank you Turbotax and thank you sweet house that is our rental property right now). Justin is an awesome Dad and husband to put up with me, our two girls, a female dog, and our helper on a daily basis. That's a lot of estrogen to deal with.The girls are busy and cute as ever. Adelaide soared through another ballet class on Sunday. I caught her shrugging off another little girl who was tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention while teacher Alice was talking. She's so focused it's crazy. Luckily I caught her smiling and giggling along with the other girls too. As long as she gives me a big long tight hug before class to "squeeze the nerves out" she's fine.

Right now the world is her make believe oyster. Her imaginary games and worlds are amazingly detailed and layered. One minute I'm the queen with a thorn in my kitty paw, the next I'm the doctor checking her newborn baby's ears for fever. I love this stage where anything and everything can be a play thing.

Addie's extremely perceptive. She's always asking questions and making clever arguments about why things should be the way she wants them. We think she might make a good lawyer with all the rationalizing she does with us. It cracks me

Arabella is one clever little girl. She has tried to tick us out of giving her a bath at night by claiming she has to pee so she'll get taken out of the water and on the potty. The other night she upped her game by asking to brush her teeth while on the pot and then saying "night night" after done brushing. I guess she was hoping we didn't notice she still needed to be bathed. Our little Bean is so happy for the most part but still throws monumental tantrums. The worst are in the elevator as we hit our floor and she refuses to stand up; I'm holding the elevator doors, willing her to stand. It's insane.She's entirely obsessed with airplanes still. So much so that at dinner last night out for pizza she asked over and over for an airplane to play with (which I had forgotten at home). Justin knew we wouldn't get peace to eat until he took her upstairs to the Toy's R Us and bought a Matchbox car airplane. After their little errand, she gobbled down her meal while flying her little metal 747 in the air. Airplanes are the end all be all for this girl right now.

Arabella's discovered her elbows and that she can hold up her two fingers and count "1, 2". She's pretty remarkable. The countdown to leave Manila has begun. Justin and I are longing for the United States right now. Four months feels like a long wait now that the things about this country that used to be mildly annoying are now monumentally maddening. It might be best if we hole ourselves up in our condo for the next few months so we don't blow our top on some unassuming stranger who's just being completely Filipino. My husband quoted me on Facebook the other day after saying "every third person I see, I want to punch." We were at the park and a million things were bugging me; the Filipino shuffle on the sidewalks, the fried Bangus smell in the market, the squashed cockroaches under my feet, etc. It wasn't one of my finest moments.

12 more weeks.

Chatuchak weekend market

2011-02-24T19:17:00.000-08:00

You can't hit Bangkok without spending some time at the famous Chatuchak weekend market. It's immense. So huge that it would take numerous weekends to get through the entire thing.

Sunday we rode the apartment building's tuk tuk (Addie was in love with the tuk tuk)to the subway (Bella's turn to be in love)then a short walk to the very large and extremely confusing market to get some souvenirs. It was a very hot day and this was not a kid friendly activity so we really pushed the girls patience in the few hours we spent wandering the stalls. Bella was mad that she wasn't allowed to walk around and wander on her own.drinking Thai tea (this lady made the best Thai iced tea I've ever tasted)and checking out the sites.In the end we were all sweaty and hungry and ready for a cool ride on the subway back home.

Thai food

2011-02-24T19:01:00.000-08:00

The evening after our long day in Ayutthaya we let the girls play at the apartment building's amazing playground. It made me wish we could have an outdoor, covered play area like this in Manila. Sadly, I have never seen a playground as nice as this one in the Philippines. "Four more months" has become my mantra to keep me from screaming in frustration about this place lately.After a good hour running around the playground (how do they have the energy after a full morning in the sun with elephants and Buddha hunting?); we walked around the corner to a little outdoor Thai restaurant and ordered just about one of everything on the menu. Stir fried morning glory, panaang chicken, stir fry vegetables, larb gai, green curry, Thai iced tea all around and Singha for the guys. We stuffed ourselves. I took a picture of evidence.Bella got a sip of the Singha and just kept going back for more. Just another piece of evidence that this little girls is going to be a wild one. No screwed up pucker face at all. Just a big gulp and a sigh of deliciousness afterward. Uh oh! The girls are OBSESSED with elephants now. And who wouldn't be?

Ayutthaya

2011-02-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

After our elephant adventure we paid a small fee (50 Baht, which is like $1.50) to walk through the Ayutthaya Historical Park (1 hour drive north of Bangkok) and view the gorgeous old temple ruins. I couldn't believe we were allowed to walk where ever we wanted and wander as long as we liked. The girls climbed steps and inspected Buddhas. Addie collected flowers to put in their "criss cross applesauce" legs. She was so reverent about it. The temples were amazing along with all the ruin walls and pathways, Buddhas, and structures. It was extremely hot that day and we were getting ready for lunch so we all quickly melted into the ground. This was definitely the most historically beautiful place I've seen in SE Asia.Buddha AddieIce cream coma.

no more diapers

2011-02-23T00:03:00.000-08:00

I had to interrupt our Bangkok trip with the news of Arabella being potty trained. For the past few weeks she asks to do her business on the potty whether she's wearing a diaper or panties. While in Thailand we actually had to tell her it was OK to go in her diaper because we couldn't get to a potty at that moment. She stays dry in her panties all day and even when we are out and about playing etc. She still gets a diaper at bedtime and nap time but often wakes up to tell us she pee peed (not awesome). It's extremely impressive since she won't be two until the end of April and has basically potty trained herself. Yay for Arabella. She's such a big girl. And yay for us not having to change poopy diapers anymore.

elephant rides

2011-02-22T17:02:00.001-08:00

Two things we promised the girls we'd see in Thailand were elephants and palaces. Addie was excited about both until she saw in person how large the elephants were (and then she was a tad disappointed there wouldn't be any princesses in the palaces).

Adelaide had a breakdown of sorts that's pretty typical of our notoriously fearful and cautious three and a half year old. When the elephants trumpeted loudly she screamed horror movie style. In the end, I took her to the bathroom and we had a chat about how riding the elephants in Thailand was one of the reasons we took this trip this weekend and unfortunately sitting this one out was out of the question for her so the quicker she got on the elephant with her Dad the quicker she could get off again. Bella didn't have these apprehensions. She's still too young and for the most part seemed to think the elephants were pretty cool. The baby elephant especially. A short while into the elephant ride Addie loosened her grip on Justin and started to enjoy the lumbering ride. Bella sat with me on the elephant and I have to say it was a tad precarious at times trying to hold tightly onto her and snap a few photos with my other hand. When I get the awesome pictures Matt took I'll have to share those as well.The view from our ride It was steamy hot that day and the girls were pink in the cheeks and thirsty from the elephant rides. It was unlike any experience I had ever had. One we will have to remind our girls they had through pictures. Thailand just gets better and better.

blasting through Bangkok

2011-02-22T01:05:00.000-08:00

We spent the past long weekend in Bangkok, Thailand and fell in love with this country. I know this is terrible to say, and maybe it speaks to my short-timers syndrome I'm having about the last four months living in Manila; but Bangkok is everything Manila is not. We found Bangkok to be cleaner, less traffic, more organized, full of culture and history, and easy to navigate with the amazing Bangkok Transit System subway. Thai food has always been our favorite international cuisine so we tried to eat our way through the city. Thai food is beyond amazing when your in Thailand and it's just called food.

We arrived at the airport on Friday morning and Bella was in heaven with all the airplanes to watch. The Korean kids were in heaven with Addie and Bella to watch. The flight was rather uneventful. The girls were antsy but well behaved. Our host for the weekend was our good friend Matt who we've known since our college years. Matt was a wonderful host and guide. He picked us up in Bangkok and let us infiltrate his car, his apartment, and his life with our two children for the weekend and was extremely gracious about it. We couldn't have asked for a better family weekend getaway.Friday night we walked to the fashion district so Justin could get measured and fitted for some custom dress shirts and then grabbed some (Thai) food for dinner. We crashed early after our day of travels; eager for our first full day on Saturday in Thailand.

Lucy's Valentine

2011-02-13T21:56:00.001-08:00

Everyone needs a Valentine.- Adelaide Rose, age 3 3/4 years

love birds

2011-02-13T16:29:00.001-08:00

Happy St. Valentines Day

Our girls woke up to find their own sweet pair of love birds for Valentines Day. Addie claimed the pink bird as her own and named her Lisa. The red one got a chocolate croissant kiss from Bella.Addie chose her favorite pink dress, purple bow headband and sparkly shoes; "cause it's Valentines Day" for school today. She hand wrote her name on 18 of the 20 Valentines for her classmates and teachers this morning.

I feel really blessed to have three wonderful people to say "I love you" to and give a big hug and kiss. I won't lie, the kisses in return were pretty special too.

photo updates

2011-02-09T16:44:00.001-08:00

Addie's teachers have mentioned that she is coming out of her shell and really enjoying playing with her friends at school. She seems to play with a wide variety of kids every day. When I ask her who she enjoys playing with the most it varies from day to day. She has one little girlfriend who she claims is her best friend.

She's enjoying ballet quite a bit. The last time we went to class she burst into tears when we arrived at the studio. She was nervous so I asked her to hug me and squeeze all the nerves out. It seemed to work because she dried up her tears and marched right into class without me. She even hurried through her snack break to get back to Miss Alice before the rest of the class. I caught lots of smiles on her face that day at class! I think it's going well.

Arabella is still doing exceptionally well at potty training. She has immense control over her bladder at such a young age. I'm truly impressed. She says "go pee" and we walk to the potty and then she goes. Sometimes she even dribbles a little in her panties, stops herself and then tells me she needs to go. She spent the entire afternoon in panties without an accident yesterday.
Bella's going through a growth spurt. For the last few days she's slept in to 7:30 AM! She wakes up fully rested and giggling ready to start the day. She's much more of a morning person than her sister. Addie likes to lay around for an hour or so before she's even ready to eat breakfast. Bella starts her day running.

The girls are in love with Frosted Mini Wheat cereal with milk. Addie calls it "the white ones" and I often have to turn over the little mini wheat chunks in her bowl to prove to her there is frosting on them; just on the other side.
We've kicked up the healthy eating in our house. Dinners are always healthy but the girls seem to be eating more of it now. I've completely stopped buying snacks at the store and replaced them with homemade muffins, cookies, crackers, etc. It's awesome for the girls but I'd be lying if Justin and I didn't crave something to munch on in the evenings sometimes. My latest creation were sweet potato biscuits. These are barely sweet so I was tempted to drizzle a little icing on them but thought against it since the girls don't need extra sugar in their snacks.

The homemade ice cream machine has been life changing. I guess it's a trade off. We've given up store bought snacks but reintroduced ice cream at home. I'm totally OK with this. There is nothing better than mixing up some milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla; pouring it into the machine; turning it on; going to sing the girls to sleep; and coming back to homemade vanilla ice cream. So far I've tried strawberry, mango frozen yogurt, and the most adventurous so far-Chai tea brown sugar (which was super yummy).

Yesterday I did all the driving by myself since Garry had the day off. I am quite proud of this accomplishment since I had to get Addie to and from school with a number of errands in between. Running errands in this country is a challenge enough when you have a driver to get you around. One of my errands was to get myself to the Royal Thai Embassy which is in a neighborhood not to far from ours. I found the embassy without getting lost, parked and dropped off our paperwork to get our tourist Visas. We're going to Bangkok!!! The weekend prior we had ID photos taken of the girls. It was a fairly painless process. The only snafu was when Bella's picture was deemed unusable by the photo shop because her hair blended in with the white background. HA! They took another and adjusted the contrast on the photo. It's still barely visible. Thailand here we come!

Family Fun Day

2011-02-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

It was field day at Addie's preschool on Friday. The entire family attended to battle it out as the red team (the Water Warriors). Addie was still a tad overwhelmed by the activities but all in all participated in more events than she did last year.

She gets so pumped and excited in preparation for events like these and then when we get there and comes time to line up with her classmates for the relay race or to sing her team cheer she freezes and bursts into tears. It can be so frustrating to hear her made-up reasons for not wanting to join in but I have to remind myself that she's not yet four years old and she's shy and gets very apprehensive about new things. I recall feeling excited and tearful about joyous things like my birthday parties or school events. I guess Addie's taking after me in that area of her personality. She can get emotionally overwhelmed easily. Justin and I just wish her teachers and friends could see Addie as her spunky and outgoing self like she is at home. Anyway, we love her for all her quirky fearful tendencies. Maybe we'll be feeling blessed by her cautious demeanor when she's in her teens!Terribly scary tug-of-warOn another note, after the kids get a turn at the tug-of-war the parents compete. The red team won with Justin at the anchor position in the back. He was determined to win the title but sadly completely threw out his back in the process. He's been a mess all weekend. It sucks that we have to remind ourselves that we aren't 20 any longer!

food satisfaction

2011-01-31T22:37:00.000-08:00

In some kind of great universe mix-up the girls and I have colds again. Only it started with a rattly wet chest cough. The girls noses are running like faucets so Addie stayed home from school today. There energy wasn't affected so we decided to do some baking. I've reached my breaking point with store bought snack items and decided I will not be buying them for a while since it tends to be the only thing the girls want for snacks. Suddenly an apple is not considered a snack. I'm so tired of snack time and meal time for that matter.
Today we made cheese crackers with sunflower seeds for snack time. They are supper fun and easy to make. The recipe is from The Sneaky Chef (the original Deceptively Delicious). We used sharp cheddar cheese.I've been craving a good bagel with cream cheese lately so I broke down and made homemade bagels today. The recipe wasn't too difficult. The boiling step was surprisingly easy. Holy cow these bagels are wonderful. The inside is chewy, soft, and perfectly elastic. The outside has a nice outer crust. I made a few with sesame seeds just to test out how the toppings would bake. It's better for me to leave things plain to satisfy the girls taste buds. Addie and I both devoured a bagel straight from the oven with cream cheese smeared on it. Bella licked the cream cheese off and left the bagel.Lunch was a zen like experience today for me. Oh, how I have missed bagels. Once again, I might never buy bagels at the store. The homemade version is just so much better. I'm going to try whole wheat bagels next.

Batangas

2011-01-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we drove south of Manila to Batangas to celebrate with our driver, Garry, and his family. This city was the capital of the Philippines in 1572. We were welcomed warmly when we arrived and enjoyed seeing Ethan our God son and watching him slowly become comfortable with us over the afternoon. By the end of the day Justin was throwing him over is head to make him giggle. The entire neighborhood is Garry and his wife, Ellen's extended family. The party preparations were well under way when we arrived. We ate lunch, visited the biggest Catholic Church in Asia and played with the kids. It was a gorgeous breezy day in Batangas and a nice way to spend time with Garry and his family whom we have come to enjoy as good friends.
Ethan our God son and Garry's youngest son of four boys.Garry and the kids. He showed us around the city and introduced Justin to Quatro Ginebra (the local gin)Party preparations. All the cooking was done over open fire in the back yard. The amounts of food being made was staggering. They were expecting the entire barangay that evening for his sister and her family's farewell to Canada party.The biggest Catholic Church in Asia. It was gorgeous. Garry and Ellen were married here 11 years ago. He said the aisle was so long it took forever to walk to the alter.
The original church was build in 1575 and then the current structure was built in 1890. The littlest diplomats. Addie and Garry's third son Aldrin. He'll be turning 7 this May. Definitely the most adorable little boy in the Philippines. The day was great. Experiences like these force me to reflect on life in the Philippines. Garry and his family are warm, hospitable, and friendly people. They always open their home to us and we are so grateful for that.

It's almost completely impossible for us to get a genuinely authentic Filipino experience here because inevitably we are treated differently by their efforts to make us comfortable. We also find ourselves completely unfamiliar with real life in the Philippines. We make all sorts of mistakes like wearing our outdoor shoes inside the home and our children are clueless with the safety precautions required around fireside cooking. Addie stepped right in the pig waste trough. It's these little things that make it clear that we are ridiculously unequipped. We try to blend in but the extra attention and hospitality they show us (like dismissing our mistakes as no big deal over and over) seems to highlight our glaring differences. We don't want the extra attention. I'd prefer to sit with the other ladies and watch the children while business went on as normal but, we get the sense that it's as much of an out of the ordinary experience for them to have us in their home, as it is for us to be there.

These, as-close-to-authentic-as-we-are-going-to-get, Filipino experiences are what I am most grateful for during our time in this country. I've opened my heart and mind to the wonderfully happy people in this country this year and every time I do I am reminded how very lucky we are to have Garry (and Cora) in our lives. On the surface we may be as different as night and day but deep down our cores are the same. As Addie would say, we're all "just livin and livin".