Bloggin' Blahs...

by Amy

I've been in a blogging funk lately.  I haven't felt like there's been anything blog-worthy happening in my world, so I just couldn't come up with anything to say.  Finally, we went to the beach town last month, so I decided I could at least post some pictures for my dad to see.  But, he since has informed me that those pictures were nice, but now they're OLD!  So, we just got home from Hong Kong, so I promise to post some new pics soon....

I have not only been in a blogging funk lately, but it seems my whole life has been in a funk.  If my mom could see me lately, she'd say I've been frumpy.  As Brad and I were talking about it last night, I think there's been a combination of things that have affected my outlook on life.  One of the main factors has been the weather.  I've never really thought of myself as one who is affected by the weather, but I think it's played a huge role in my attitude over the last couple of months.  I don't mean to complain, but our skies have been gray for almost 2 months straight (maybe more, actually.)  Not cloudy gray where you can see cool designs in the sky, but heavy, low, solid pollution gray.  There have been many days that I could not see the store half a km away from my 13 story window. (I have no idea how to say that in miles - maybe half a km is 1/3 mile - I don't know.)  And, on top of that, the street in front of our apartment complex has been under construction since early June.  The gray skies of the last few months often gave way to rain which turned our "street" into a muddy swamp.  It was smelly, slimy and yucky - and couldn't be avoided if I needed to leave my apartment complex!

Thankfully, the Lord knew what I would need long before I did.  Back in February, when Sue bought her plane tickets to come visit us, we planned a trip to Hong Kong.  Right as I was at my breaking point, we got on an airplane and flew away....  After being in HK for a few days, seeing blue skies and big puffy clouds, the tension began to drain from my neck and shoulders.  I was able to laugh and have fun with my kids - outside!  I wasn't trying to hold back tears as I opened the curtains each morning.  It was a great, much needed break.  And, as we drove home from the airport, (through the thick, hazy pollution) I almost shed tears of relief when I saw that the mud was covered by concrete outside my house!  I'm sure that was arranged just for me by my loving Heavenly Father, who promises never to give me more than I can handle.  =)

Now that we're back to normal life here, I'm working hard to getting my heart and attitude back to normal as well.  I'm not there yet, but I'm closer than I was before our trip.  The Lord is faithful.  He will draw near to those that draw near to Him.  Thankfully, my joy isn't found in blue skies and clean streets!

Now, for all those who only read my blog to see pics, here's a preview of the HK post that's coming soon....

 

Vacation

by Amy

My idea of a vacation has definitely changed over the last few years.  I'm not sure if the change is due to having kids or living overseas (or some of both.)  I used to think of vacation as relaxing, sleeping late, reading a great book, doing a little shopping (Brad used to always let me pick something special to buy to remember our vacations by), and maybe getting in a little sightseeing.  Now when I plan a vacation I have two top priorities: 1. Fun things to do with kids.  2. Good Food!  (not necessarily in that order!)  Relaxing isn't on the radar screen anymore!

So, after having a good, but super busy summer, we decided it was time for a mini-vacation.  We packed up the kids and headed to the beach.  Our dear friends Kevin and Becky decided to come along for the fun!  We were on the train by 7:30 am one Tuesday morning earlier this month and were checking into our hotel by 11am.  We were there for two nights and almost 3 full days.  Four out of six of our lunch/dinner meals were Subway Sandwiches (Becky ate Subway 5/6 meals!).  It was lovely!  I miss lunch meat!  (Sometimes I can find Hormel ham here, but NEVER any Turkey!)  The other two meals we ate were at Papa John's Pizza with lovely bread sticks, and a pricey, but authentic Italian restaurant.  We also hit Starbucks a few times in between meals!

After eating Subway for lunch on Tuesday, we were off to the beach.  Keep in mind, I live in one of the most populated countries in the whole world!  On a Tuesday afternoon, this is what it looked like....

Imagine how crazy it is on the weekends!  I was thankful that my kids were not super tan and don't have black hair.  They weren't too hard to find!  Although you can't tell from this picture, the waves were pretty big.  There were several times that even Brad was knocked down by the crashing water.  It was fun watching my kids try to out-run the incoming waves.  Sometimes they were successful; sometimes they weren't!  They also had a great time digging in the sand.

Tuesday night our kids were wiped!  So after dinner, we put them down and headed to Kevin and Becky's room next door to watch a movie.  On Wednesday morning, I took the kids to Starbucks for breakfast while Brad watched a real, live baseball game on the TV.  Granted, it was a Yankees game, but he was still happy to watch!  Then, we hit the hotel pool for a couple of hours.  That afternoon, our family went back to the beach while Kevin and Becky took a nap and hung out at Starbucks (Vacation still equals relaxing in their world!).  After dinner (Subway again) we walked down to the boardwalk.  It's such a fun place to walk around at night.  Since it's dark, lot's of people can't tell we're foreigners, so we don't get stopped to take 1000 pictures!  We did snap a few shots of our own, though....

 Becky's recently been trying to overcome a drinking problem.  Just ignore the stains on her shirt!

Now, it's summer time, so obviously, summer = hot.  How do typical men here deal with the heat?  They hike up their shirts....

Thankfully, local women battle the heat by seeking shade under an umbrella.

After eating a late breakfast at McDs on Thursday morning, Brad took the boys swimming while I took Savannah to a local zoo.  The weather on Thursday was hot, overcast, and muggy, but since Savannah was dying to go to the zoo, we went!  It ended up being a sweet mother-daughter date!  She got to pet bunnies, ride a horse, and eat cotton candy.  We laughed a lot and had a great time together!  Then, we met up with everyone else just in time to enjoy one last frappuccino before heading to the train station to catch the 5:30 train home.  (Of course, we ate Subways on the train on our way home!)

It was a fun trip!  We were so thankful that Kevin and Becky came with us!  They love on our kids so much and just make everything more fun.  

Caramel and Chocolate -- What a Combo!

(Way better than fruit and fungus!!)

by Amy

I love to bake!  Thanks to my favorite Cake Mix Dr. cookbook, I've been come pretty bold when it comes to tweaking a recipe....  So the other day I even tweaked one of Cake Mix Dr recipes.  It was so yummy, I just have to share it with you!  (This is for you, RC!)

Nut-less Turtle Cake

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup instant chocolate pudding mix (half of a 3.4 oz box of mix)
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 cup melted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 eggs

Place all of the above ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Then pour HALF your batter in a greased 9x13 cake pan.  Bake for 12-15 minutes in an oven that's been pre-heated to 350 degrees.  You'll know it's done when it begins to puff around the edges, but the center is still soft.  While the cake bakes, place 14oz of vanilla caramels and 1 can of sweetened condensed milk in a small sauce pan.  Heat over low heat, stirring continually until fully melted.

When the cake's finished, pour most of the caramel mixture over the cake.  (Save back about half a cup or so.)  Then, sprinkle with one cup of chocolate chips.   Carefully pour the remaining cake mix on top of the chocolate chips, making sure that it reaches the edges.  Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes.

When the cake is finished baking, make a lovely chocolate ganache to pour on top.  Pour 3/8 of a cup of heavy whipping cream  in a small sauce pan an bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.  (This last time I warmed the cream in my microwave.  It worked fine, but if you do that, keep an eye on it as it began to boil earlier than I expected it to!)  Then, pour the hot cream over 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir until the chips are completely melted and the ganache is smooth.

Pour and spread the ganache on top of the cake, then drizzle with the remaining caramel sauce.  (You may need to re-heat the caramel sauce to make it pour-able.)   You can serve this cake warm or room temperature.  We like it along side a scoop of vanilla ice cream!  

If you like nuts, you could sprinkle the ganache/caramel with 2 cups of chopped pecans, toasted.

Enjoy!!
      

Fruit Fungus Anyone?

by Amy

So, the other day we had a sweet friend come over for lunch and to learn how to make chocolate chip cookies.  As is pretty normal here, she brought us a gift.  It was a box of what looks like little fruit cups.  The English on the box says, "White Thick and Frutifungus Soup."  Mmmmm!

Supposedly you pop a straw through the lid and drink it cold.  So, the other day at lunch I served it to my kids. (We didn't have any guests that day.  I've learned to avoid feeding my kids the "treats" friends bring in front of the giver!)  Alex took one sip and reported that it was pretty good.  But, after another sip, he asked for water and said he didn't want to drink the rest.  Peter and Savannah tried Alex's before opening their own cup -- their own cups never were opened!  Fungus and fruit....  that combo just didn't do it for us!

sidenote:  my precious house helper drank Alex's leftovers.  She loved it!  She took home a box full of 8 more that afternoon!    

Summertime Symmetry

by Amy

This summer, since our kids are not attending local schools, we can spend all day home schooling, instead of just 4 hours in the afternoon.  That has meant my kids get to spend extra time reading, playing educational games online, and doing other fun activities.  This past week I taught them about symmetry.  We had fun doing a different activity each day.  On the first day, after having some fun with a mirror, I had my kids paint on half a sheet of paper, then fold it so the wet paint could rub off on the clean half of of the paper.  This is what we got..

On another day, we pulled out LEGOS and used the block to create symmetrical walls.  Then, they thought it was extra fun to make something almost symmetrical and have someone else find the flaw.  Our third day, I gave them a sheet of graph paper and had them use markers to draw symmetrical designs. But, on the last day, we made butterflies!  I thought they turned out really well!  I gave each of the kids a butterfly and some foam pieces.  They could chose to use already cut shapes to to cut their own.  Here's the final result:

I'm so thankful to have this extra time with the kids in the summer!  This week we have friends from America visiting, so I'm not sure how much "extra" fun stuff we'll be able to do, but next week, we'll be back on track! Here's one more cute pic I snapped this morning!

Savannah's Day!

by Amy

I can hardly believe my daughter is eight years old!!! I remember exactly where I was when I found out I was pregnant (finally!). I remember how swollen my ankles got as I traveled to Louisville, Nashville, and Texas a month before she was born. I remember being 38 weeks along and going to a youth retreat at the YMCA camp in Estes Park and falling down because I slipped on some loose gravel. We ended up at the hospital just to make sure everything was still OK. Then, I remember holding her for the first time on July 12, 2002 (after working for over 15 hour to get her out!)

Although I could go on and on retracing Savannah's eight years of life, I won't. I'm afraid even her grandparents would get bored! So, we'll move on to this year's festivities! When we were in the States last year, I found a crown cake pan to use on Savannah's eighth birthday! So, that what we used. This year she asked for a yellow cake, not chocolate (crazy, if you ask me!) And, she wanted to help me ice it, until her hands grew tired of squeezing, that is!

I think it turned out OK. I prefer brighter, bolder colors, but this is OK too.

On the morning of her birthday, after eating coffee cake for breakfast, we opened a few gifts. Then, while the kids played, I packed a picnic lunch so we could head to a local swimming pool for the day. This pool is about as good as it gets here. It's outdoor, so the water's not freezing (like most hotel swimming pools here.) But, being outdoors means it's pretty dirty. (One pool was so cloudy that even though it was less than 3 feet deep, we couldn't find the goggles Peter dropped.) But, my kids don't seem to mind the dirt or hazy water! They love it! Savannah's favorite part is the big "speed slide."

They only turn the water on the slides for about 10 minutes every 2 hours, but Savannah was quick to run over there and slide as many times as she could in 10 minutes! Peter and Alex did it a few times too, but they definitely didn't love it as much as Savannah did. They preferred the smaller slides. These slides didn't have water running on them continually either, but when they came on, they usually stayed on for 20-30 minutes.
They enjoyed making a "train" on the way down, but all three kids' favorite way to ride down was....

Yes, my boys are each sitting on Brad's back, riding down the slide. Crazy! What a great daddy! After sliding they had fun trying to catch the ring or ball as Brad threw it and they jumped in.


I think we stayed there for over four hours. Clearly fun was had by all!

When we got home, we showered up and ate nachos for dinner - Savannah's choice. Then, we enjoyed birthday cake and opened a few more gifts. I praise the Lord for my dear Savannah Lea. She's growing into quite a godly young woman!

Love is in the Air....

by Amy

For the last several months, we’ve had a budding romance on our hands…. Actually, one has turned into two.... As I look back, I’m not exactly sure when it began, maybe around Christmas? I began to notice Alex and Emma often choosing to sit together; Alex would tell her how pretty her clothes were and hold her hand as we walked places together. Then, he began to make comments like, “Mom, I really like Emma….I like to protect Emma, like I’m her big brother….Emma’s pretty….” And, from what I understand, Rachel was hearing quite a few comments at her house as well! (At first Emma claimed she liked to sit close to Alex because he had warm skin! -- it's true, he's my little heater!)

Over the last few months, as Emma and her family were preparing to head back to the States, our families have been spending extra time together. You know, we gotta get the play time in while we can! About two months ago, Rachel and I took our kids to a play place and out to lunch. I began to notice that not only were Emma and Alex walking and sitting together, but Samantha was calling after Peter, asking him to hold her hand, and sit by her. It seems that while the girls were at home, Samantha wanted to write notes and color pictures for someone special like Emma was doing for Alex. So, naturally, she chose Peter. (Thankfully, Savannah is taken with helping Aunt Rachel watch one-year-old Abby, so it all works out.) Peter happily went along with it all.

I cannot even begin to explain how many times the four parents have sat back laughing so hard as we watch our kids together. I guess the fact that they're all between the ages 4 and 6 make this kind of behavior funny, not concerning. Give them a few more years, and we'd have to set up some serious boundaries!

So when Rachel took pictures at the birthday celebration, she got quite a few cute ones of our kiddos together. These will give you a glimpse of what we've been seeing over the last several months..
This is our favorite! She didn't even see Alex and Emma in the background as she snapped this shot of Peter and Samantha! What cuties!
While most of the other kids sat on one row together behind the parents, Alex and Emma decided to sit together in front of us.

Even when we went to the park with all the kids, our kids chose to play together. It was sweet seeing them all laugh so hard together!

I know it's a long way off, but if I could somehow sign on the dotted line right now to insure that these are the girls my boys would marry, I'd do it in a heartbeat!