The Buxton Bulletin

Our Thailand "Vacation"

2010-12-24T21:54:00.004+08:00

This is a very brief, bare-bones, description of our week. I just wanted to get something down before I forgot everything.

Day 1

Left our house at 5:30am by taxi to for our 9am flight to Bangkok. Busy at the airport but HKIA is so remarkably efficient it wasn't a problem. Sean made friends with two kids on the airplanes and Karla and I had Ajisen. (Never get a rice dish). Got to the gate with 15 min before boarding. Got a phone call from Kevin McCaughey, the Winston's did not know where Anika was! We prayed and waited, and then she arrived and we got on the plane. 2 hours uneventful flight, food was good, kids happy. Landed got our cars (Nice Toyota Camrys) drove a bit over two hours to the hotel. Place is beautiful. Jumped in the water swam a bit. Got food up to our room and got the kids to bed. phew.

Day 2

Sean coughed all night, runny nose, fever in the pm. Sean played on the playground then stayed in the hotel room the rest of the day. We were trying to get rid of this cold right away. Karla napped for a bit. Sean & Karla swam in the pool with the rest of the kids. I began feeling sick, a bit of a cough. Didn't feel like going into town with the rest of the group so dinner at Luna Lanai on the beach. Sami threw up at 11:30pm and 3:00am

Day 3

Started feeding Sami 3min feeds so to not upset her tummy. Worked til we did a bit one then threw up again 2am. Sean is feeling fine now - played all day with his friend on the playground, in the StarClub (made a shell mobile!) swam with Karla and group. I was in the room all day, high fever in the low 39C range. I came out for lunch but did not eat - stomach upset. 5:30 we took Sami to the nurse, she gave us electrolytes, Sami didn't keep 'em down. Threw up again. Started using White Noise on iphone to help sleep while an elaborate Indian wedding was going on in the hotel.

Day 4

Continuing with the 3min feeds worked so we continued although it meant Sami was up almost every hour during the night - 0ne 2.5 hour stretch - fine all morning til 3pm or so. She was asleep by 6:30. Sean was fine all day - played playground, pool with Liam and Anika. I went to the hospital early in the morning to get medicine. Temp at hospital 39.2C got antibiotics and all the other cheap meds that are thrown in at a Thai hospital then in bed. took the kids (sami and sean) for a walk on the real beach for about 1.5 hours so Karla could get her Thai massage. Sean found a goods slingshot branch and Karla and Sean decorated the palm frond Christmas tree.

Day 5

I was feeling better today we did some pool time and then headed out to do elephant riding at 2pm. Whole family went! Great ride. Sean loved it. Started the ride just about as Sami should be starting her nap. She cried for about the first 5-8min then fell asleep on the back of the elephant. If you have ever ridden and elephant you know how amazing that is! Got back to the hotel, cooled off in the room. Kids went down without puking! I had a massage before bed.

Day 6

Got up around early, as Sam was done sleeping. Sean & I went down to breakfast about 7 hung out at the table with Karla and Sam. Normal breakfast routine. Sean fully enjoying his Star Wars lego sticker book. Playground and StarClub for about 30min then back to the room for final pack and off to the checkout.

2hour drive - uneventful, no puking, although I felt like it a couple times, Sean just talking and entertaining his sister. Arrive at the airport, checkin go through customs, have lunch wait to board. Liam puked in his car about half way through the car ride to the airport

2 hour flight home - Liam puked in the plane. quick descent a cacophony of cries from kids whose ears hurt. Mostly from our group!

Samantha Joy is 6 months old

2010-12-14T22:34:00.002+08:00

As you know, I turned 6 months old on Dec. 10. I just went to the doctor today for my checkup and "jabs". I weigh 16.4 lbs, I'm 66 cm long and my head circumference is 43.5cm. I am still very chubby thanks to my healthy appetite. I drink milk every 3 - 4 hours in the day plus I get to eat rice cereal once or twice a day (about 2 tablespoons each time). Mom has plans for me to taste test all kinds of foods once we get back from our trip to Thailand next week.

Besides eating and napping, I spend my days busy rolling on the floor, jumping in my jumparoo, grabbing everything (especially Mom & Sean's hair - Dad doesn't have any, so I grab his nose instead), blowing bubbles and talking with my long tongue sticking out of my mouth. My favourite pastime is a tie between my nightly bath when I love to suck my toes, playing with my big brother (he is so hilarious... I love him and I watch him all the time), and being outdoors in any form: in the Bjorn, stroller, being carried, laid on a mat... I'm not picky. I just feel very calm outside... plus, that's where I get to see all kinds of people who talk to me and so I show off my smile for them. They love that! I am much more smiley now... you should SEE the attention I get!

Things I'm "working on" is sleeping through the night (Mom really wants me to sleep in Sean's room soon, so I have to make it until 6:00 am... right now I wake up around 5 or 5:30), and stretching out my awake times so I take fewer naps (another of Mom's ideas... doesn't she know that I am in charge?!?), and strengthening my lungs, especially around 3 or 4 a.m. (HA! that one is my idea! It's true, my cry is really a LOT stronger these days!).

Love & grabs & smiles & laughs & hugs & kisses,

Samantha Joy

1st CCCP

2010-12-10T22:29:00.007+08:00

Combined Classroom Christmas Party - Sean's first! Karla prepared our contribution the night before, I got cameras ready, we taxied over with Lora Drumm and the festivities began. All parents are there, so that's two classes 16 kids each = 32 kids + 64 parents, throw in some teachers and TA's and thats a full classroom! Fortunately parents and children were well behaved!

So we arrived and added our veggies to the heaping food table and got ready for the kids to come. The parents are all seated waiting expectantly and in come the kids with santa hats and smiles. Like Karla says there is not much cuter than a bunch of 4 year olds singing Christmas carols! They sang the hits, Jingle bells (in English and Chinese) but also current hits such as "We fish you a hairy Christ-Moose". We got heaps of video of course. We also had Ms Tsang take a picture of all four of us as today is Sam's 6month birthday!

After the Carols, kids got to make Christmas tree ornaments with their families and then lunch! Gifts seemed to be passing around too as kids distributed class gifts to all their classmates. We got some lunch and then DESSERT and Sean ate with his friend Kabir. I got a tour of the class from Sean and then had to head back to School. Just as I was about to leave who comes in the door but Santa (with real beard!) Sean was remarkably calm about it as most kids struggled to get as close as possible. I think he was a little unsure at first but Karla asked him later if he wanted to sit on Santa's lap and Sean said he did.

By this point Sean was looking pretty tired, and other kids were just going home with their parents so Karla opted for that and the three of them headed for home in a taxi.

After school we did our friday hike, this time into Chai Wan. We caught the bus home and had Tortilla's. Beautiful day, great hikers in this family. Sam content as can be in the Bjorn and Sean is now choosing the hike routes!

Early December

2010-12-07T22:26:00.003+08:00

10 days till we fly to Thailand. I mean who's counting? It is beautiful in Hong Kong right now, clear skies and temps around 19C. Today Sean had skating lessons and I ran over the mountain to Quarry Bay to join up with KS& S for curry in a hurry.

Sami is doing well, we have kinda, sorta figured out how to read her, which isn't bad causes its only been what, 6 months! We read her signals and put her down for naps and night-time without much fuss. She sleeps from about 7-8 til 4 or 5 each night which means we get a decent amount of sleep most nights if we go to bed early enough!

We have had some colds moving through the household over the last few weeks first Sean, then me and Sami. Karla hasn't really got it. Which is amazing to me. The amazing power of mom-ness! When she needs to be healthy she is. I remember when she used to get sick regularly but not since kids. Sami is the only one still sick now and you feel sorry for her with crusties around her nose every morning but she seems to be in good spirits for the most part.

Sami is much more aware now. She recognizes our voices and faces and gives the most beautiful smiles. Mostly they are for her brother but we sometimes get graced with them as well. Speaking of Sean he is growing up into a fine big brother. He enjoys school now and was very sad last week when he had to miss school due to illness. He missed the Space Project presentations that they had been working on and he missed a rocket (inflated, but 9 ft tall!) at his school. He is totally fascinated with space, partly STAR WARS but also planets, asteroids and comets. While watching Magic School Bus with friends over this week Sean informed everyone that the Giant Red Spot on Jupiter was a storm that had been going on for 400yrs! A quick check of Wikipedia shows he's right!

Our kids are amazing...

2010-11-29T19:28:00.003+08:00

November 29th

Christmas Begins!

It has been a pretty sleepless last few nights with Sean being sick and throwing up on Saturday and Sammi trying to-try new sleep plans! So Monday morning dawned bright and beautiful and slow. I was unsuspecting and off to work for a full week after Parent/Teacher Conferences and a Pro-D day last week. Karla had other plans.

Christmas Decorations!

She enlisted Sean as her willing helper and they were soon knee deep in snowflakes, wreathes, snowmen, Christmas trees and lights! I walked in after work to see a house festiv-ied! We have trees upstairs and downstairs, we even have a tree for our fish, although they have resisted the green and red transformation and are still gold.

Sean is sleeping downstairs without a cough tonight and Samantha is sleeping soundly. 26 days til Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-12T20:09:00.003+08:00

I began typing this with one hand so I could keep eating turkey pieces off the bone with my other hand - yum! Our twelfth year of marriage, but our very first turkey ever. It worked so well: Karla prepped and cooked, Chris carved and cleaned up, and we all ate it (and will be eating it for a week or two). Gravy, cranberry sauce (homemade), mashed potatoes, garlicky pumpkin, and stuffing rounded off our meal. No time or room for dessert, but plan to make individual pumpkin pies (in large muffin tins) sometime soon. We hoped to have our Canadian neighbours, Chris & Kathryn, over to share our thankfulness, but Samantha was feeling under the weather and we didn't want to pass her germs onto our friends' baby, Iris.

Hope you had a wonderful Canadian Thanksgiving, eh!

No more T-wheels

2010-09-14T22:55:00.002+08:00

Bought new training wheels for Sean about a week ago and hadn't gotten around to putting them on. Well, Sean and I did that job today, Sean helped with the wrench. Got the wheels on and Sean headed down the hill towards the guard house and on to the track. I noticed he was basically on two wheels the whole time.

So I raised up his t-wheels as much as they could go and he went around the track with Karla and Samantha (strolling). He came around again and we talked about how cool it would be to just ride on two wheels.

To make the long story short. I ran along beside him for about 5 steps and let him go and he was off! Two wheels, no training wheels, "just keep pedalling!"

Started riding a 2-wheel bike with no training wheels today, Sept 14th! Awesome. Video to come...

Sean's Presentation

2010-09-09T22:18:00.003+08:00

A short clip from a video that is posted in it's entirety on Mobile Me. Sean's homework for the past week was to put together a poster about his family. We got the pictures developed, Sean cut them out and pasted them on and he took it to school. Well, today we were invited to come see Sean present it to his classmates. He started extremely quiet, quieter than Karla and I had ever heard him. Then he gradually warmed to the idea of what he was doing and in the end it was splendid.

I laugh watching it again now!

Cannonball!

2010-08-31T22:25:00.003+08:00

Sean this weekend up at the high school pool. We go up most Sundays and recently he doesn't want to use his kickboard or any other "floaty". Last weekend Karla talked about him swimming half the length of the pool. Well this weekend he just swims everywhere! Jumping in is the new thing! He will do that for 10-15 times. So fun!

First Day of School for Sean!

2010-08-18T21:21:00.005+08:00

Yes... I know... it's been about 3 months since we updated this blog and the reason why is because we were a bit busy. We had a baby, a summer holiday in Canada and are already back to school/work full on. So, give us a little break and we'll try to catch you up! :o)

Let's start with today: Sean's first day of school! This consisted of waking up at 6 a.m., riding the bus (with his neighbours) at 7:15 a.m. and coming home at 2:30 p.m.! Yes, he's in the long program at HKIS in the R1 class (R1 = reception 1 = school for 4-yr-olds) and gets to do all kinds of big kid things like eat lunch at school, go to library, PE and Chinese classes, as well as play, listen to stories, rest after lunch (they all have a towel to lay out on the floor and rest with lights off - too cute) and play some more. Sean was pretty matter-of-fact about his day when asked all about it by his mom and dad, so we think it went well. Of course, we just want him to love school... since he'll be going for quite a few years!

Karla was teary-eyed as the bus drove away in the a.m., but quickly distracted herself by pushing Samantha Joy in the stroller into the park for a good walk/hike. Chris took a few photos of the event and then walked up his 200 steps to his office. A new school year... a new beginning... all very exciting!

Baby Buxton - Bday minus 1

2010-06-09T21:22:00.004+08:00

Today dawned wet and green,

The excitement was tangible like the humidity and Sean was out of Bed before Nana to help Daddy open the present for the day. Today was Career Structure D-day and it was with hopeful strokes that I brushed my teeth. Sean and entourage were off to playgroup and I was up the hill to work. Baby lay in waiting.

About 11am the massing moisture above made the decision to coalesce and the rains came. I heard it before I felt it and Karla, Mom, and Sean just made it to cover before the soaking began. Career Structure was no where to be seen. I began emailing to find its whereabouts around 11:30 by 12:30 Patrick (a fellow Science teacher) felt it was not going to happen today... A few more emails, some conversations with admin and more waiting it was 3:30 pm before we knew... and then it was done. Money in the bank, life returned, baby tomorrow.

Pizza for dinner
Mango for dessert
Rollerblading in the Middle School
Sleep.
Dreaming of baby names...

Pool Day @ Pao Yu Kong

2010-06-07T20:52:00.002+08:00

Another beautiful day in Hong Kong, nice and warm but not too warm and clear skies! I was back at work today but Karla, Nana and Sean got to go swimming at the public pool in Aberdeen! Owen, Elliot, Annika and their moms came along too! So when I came down from work at 12:30 they were just getting home. Lots of fun! Naps went long except for Nana who puttered.

I came home as they were getting up and Sean made brownies with Nana. After baking we were out onto the field with the kids for some soccer, tag and monkey in the middle.

Nana arrives~!

2010-06-06T20:22:00.000+08:00

I was up and out the door by 5:30am to head for the airport! I caught a ride with Jacques Villaneuve (Tai Tam to Central in 13 minutes!) and she was out in record time from the flight. We Airport Expressed it back to HKIS and came through the door just in time to be suprised by Sean popping up from behind the chesterfield to shout "Nana!"

It was too early for hiking so we got everyone out the door likity-split and off tto church! Youth worship team was awesome and Sean had a great last day of visiting Joseph in Egypt! Then in case 13 hours of travel and having been up for 31 hours wasn't enough we headed out for dim sum at the Metropole. Only once the last har gow was eaten, and the last jelly wobbled down Sean's throat did we take her to the... hospital to look at the baby buxton ultrasound. Nap time was later...

After nap Sean, Nana, and I traipsed up to Wellcome for a grocery shop, then a group dinner effort to produce veggie couscous, for Tai Tam barbeque on the field. We talked and the kids played. Karla wasn't feeling well and stayed inside on the chesterfield resting. Sean and I finished the night off with in a game of ultimate with the dads and kids. He didn't get down to bed til 9:00 Nana was shortly after.

Guangzhou Express to Xiamen

2010-04-10T20:48:00.002+08:00

When I got Sean up this morning, he rolled out of his "turtle" position and said "Train ride!" Yes today we were going on a train ride! We headed out about noon to Hung Hom Station to catch a 2:47 train to Guangzhou. So with all of us pulling our luggage we were excited to get on a TRAIN. The ride was pretty smooth, you are still in Hong Kong, most of the folks on the train are Hong Kongese and spitting is very rare.

Guanghzou is China. The station although efficient was packet with lots of folks traveling for grave sweeping. So the station was packed. When we arrived I headed out to do some reconnaissance and Sean and Karla watched the bags. I found where our train was and came to get them. We ended up eating KFC because we were not sure what the food options on the train would be. It being 7pm we wanted to get that part settled. So with no complaints from the "little man" we had chicken nuggets in the train station. I got bing hong cha and we picked up some fruit too.

We have our own cabin! It was great, 2 bunks and two bottom beds. Sean climbed up onto one of the bunks and said "this is where I am going to sleep!" So I rigged up some blankets to make a safe barrier and we read some books and it was bed time. We went out to the washroom and brushed teeth and Sean peed on the train track! Sean fell asleep immediately. Karla was soon after him and I watched videos on my iphone till about 11.

Morning I woke to watch the scenery pass by outside around 6 and counted 5 dams on the river we were following. Sean didn't wake till 8! The excitement tired him out.

2010-03-27T21:55:00.000+08:00

We did the Friday hike on Friday. It was great to get out of school! The boys were on their own this time so we did the catchment hike but we climbed down into the catchment channel and walked along the bottom. We quickly found fish and tadpoles! We had fun, rock climbing, walking on "train tracks" and running around the channel. Sean is really into running right now and he had some long runs. There is some construction going on with slope stabilization and we had to climb over some parts. We also have to climb into and out of the catchment and that is very exciting! Needless to say we got back home way after dinner time.

So Saturday morning we went back with nets to catch some fish and tadpoles for our aquarium. Sean caught most of the tadpoles but we worked together to catch the fish. You know "working together, like a team" as Sean likes to say.

2010-02-18T23:49:00.002+08:00

With the Olympics in full swing and Daddy checking his iphone every 5 minutes for score updates on Team Canada could there be a better time to learn to skate? Well Sean and Daddy headed off on another adventure this morning to find the roller blade store in Hong Kong! Its not like driving over to SportCheck here. There is only one place in Hong Kong to buy roller blades and its in Tin Hau a place we rarely go. So we headed out to find some "treasure"! (roller blades). We took a bus and a trolley bus and we walked so just three forms of transport and it was really easy to find. The man there was very helpful and we learned a lot about rollerblading in China. This shop is the only distributer to China. Almost all rollerblades are made in China but essentially all roller blades used in China come through this shop!

Anyway, found a great pair ("with lots of fancy stuff on them") tried them on and bought them. They are extendable and have four different lengths, and a buckle, a velcro strap and laces. So we bought them. We got some noodles for lunch, that is me, Sean, lightning mcqueen and Boost did (cars from CARS) got some lunch, then we took a taxi home.

NAP time...

Waking up from nap is one cheery little boy, who "watched somethin" on the DVD and then headed out to the garage with Dad to rollerblade. Well Dad held his hand and got him rolling around and pushing with his feet and well the video speaks for itself. That was after about 15 minutes! He kept skating with Chloe his baby sitter after Mom & Dad headed out for DateNight, smiling all the time...

Can't wait to here how it went in the morning!

CNY & Valentines Day

2010-02-14T22:49:00.006+08:00

two holidays in one... it was a bit overwhelming. I mean the Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday of the year for close to 2 billion people, almost 1/3 of the whole world. I mean they close Wellcome. So we ate Macanese food for lunch. It is also Valentines Day. I give Karla flowers every Saturday of the whole year so what do I do on Valentines Day, no flowers. I guess we are a little confused here in the Buxton house.

Karla lead worship for kids today, all 25 of them! Not a huge turnout to church on CNY day. It was alright Sean got to hangout with his friend Ryder and then we played some chess and foozeball in the youth room. We walked and bused (double decker!~) in the rain and then all of us had a two hour nap. It was much needed.

Well we got things right for dinner, heart shaped pancakes with fruits for toppings. After dinner Dad and Sean went up to the pool for a big energy sapper. He swam 4 lengths of the pool and then I gave him a rest and we played on the noodles for another 20min. The pool is nice and warm!

Oven mitts

2010-02-09T23:06:00.000+08:00

Do we need to say anything?

Saturday morning...

2010-02-06T23:35:00.000+08:00

Up early today for our trip to the Museum of Coastal Defense in Shau Kei Wan. Museums in Hong Kong are really quite good and this was supposed to be a great one. Its an old fort from the early nineteen hundreds that used to protect the eastern entrance to the harbour.

Anyway we were going to go with our friends Kevin McCaughey and his son Liam. So we headed down for buns, the usual routine, and then walked over to the coast. The museum doesn't open til 10 so we killed some time checking out the wholesale fish market. The market was all over by 9:30 but Sean and I walked around and checked out the boats. We ambled over to the museum and saw out in front some WWII era military vehicles. Well Sean was a bit taken aback by the huge cannons on these tanks and APVs. It took him a while to feel safe around them.

Anyway our friends arrived and we toodled through a very impressive fort for about 1.5 hours with some time on the computer games but lots of running around outside and chasing paper airplanes.

For lunch Sean and I stopped at a Shanghainese cafe for noodles and dumplings "potstickers" they call them. We ordered way to much as I normally do and then went home for naps...

Playtown & Hootenany

2010-01-31T20:07:00.004+08:00

Another work week AND yet another weekend of outings and playing have come to an end. Friday night was an easy hike over the catchment to Stanley. Sean is becoming an accomplished hiker and although our previous 1-hour hikes now take 2 hours, the difference is that Sean hikes nearly the entire way. As always, plenty of bugs, seeds, plants, and more to stop and observe along the way.

Saturday morning, we all three slept in until 7:30 - unheard of, but very welcome! Sean took Chris and his friend, Liam and dad Kevin to Playtown, an incredible indoor playground. Karla was able to catch up on her to-do list in a quiet house before the boys came home for naps. The afternoon was spent out on the field on the mats and riding his scooter while Daddy got lots of work done at school. After dinner, we returned to the field for a Race for Haiti sponsored by the freshmen class and all three Buxtons gladly biked, walked or ran around the track a few times to help raise money for the earthquake victims.

Sunday we ichatted with Nana & Papa, went to church, came home for lunch, napped and then went to Eliott's 2nd birthday party. The theme was "Hootenany" and a couple other families joined together in singing, playing instruments and the usual party playing and eating. It was so good to join Jeff & Robyn in thanking God for Eliott's two years and the time our families have grown together, too.

Going to bed, I am filled with gratitude for our family in Canada and the good friends God has placed around us. Amen!

Hike Night 22 Jan

2010-01-22T23:16:00.005+08:00

A busy day at school but out the door about 3:56. Sun is shining and I need to get outside. The house was quiet as I came in so I sat down to read. Not long after I heard a "Mommy, where are you?" from downstairs. We were out the door about 20minutes later after Sean and Dad watched a Dinosaur Train episode. Sean was not terribly keen but doing anything too soon after the nap is a 50/50 on whether he will love it or cry.

These hikes are pretty slow, it takes us an hour to get to the upper reservoir. But,its great to get outside and walk and talk and look for seeds and bugs. The lantern bugs were there but up high on the tree. We hiked up to Parkview and the clouds were coming our way, it was windy but just cool and by the time we reached the top we were ready for dinner. We catch a taxi at Parkview down to the HKFC and then walk a block or two to SUSHI one.

Sean was excited about the sushi train as well as the sushi. He eats all the california rolls, and today he discovered Edamame - soybeans in pods. Well he devoured this with lots of "beans are good for you" comments to let us know he likes them. We caught bus 40 home from Causeway Bay and by 9pm Sean was in bed asleep and we were watching Heros season one. Tomorrow is two birthday parties which means CAAAAKKEEEEE twice in one day!

Saturday with the boys.

2010-01-16T20:31:00.001+08:00

Saturday dawned chilly and grey but the Buxton Boys had some plans for today, give Mom some rest! So as she rolled over to go back to sleep we were pulling on pants and packing bags for a day out on the city. We skip breakfast and begin the "walk of eternity" with the birds chirping and the world to ourselves. There are not a lot of people up at TT Gardens at 7:20am on a Saturday.

Getting to the bus stop Sean goes to "call his mom" on the payphone and I watch for Bus 14, the double decker! We didn't have to wait long but we didn't get the front seats, so we went straight to the back of the top deck. Sean has become quite comfortable on the bus and he just checks out what is passing by as we head to Shau Kei Wan. Its shaping up to be a beautiful day, cool at about 16C, but blue skies fluffy clouds and wind.

Shau Kei Wan is the standard, buns, milk and more buns! It is not the healthiest breakfast but it sure is popular! Sean got a sweet red bean bun and I got a ham and spring onion one that I won't get again. Then milks and COCONUT BUNS! I type it that way because it is said that way along with ICE CREAMMM, and CAAAAKKE whenever he sees them in passing. We eat with the old guys and gals of Shau Kei Wan at one of the sitting out areas. We chat and they stare and then we go on our merry way.

Today our merry way was onto the MTR to head to Admiralty and Hong Kong Park. We were exploring today. We saw the Conservatory with its display of local plants, then we went to the aviary were we got to see all the cool colours of birds eating breakfast. By this time we were ready for a snack. I think it may be a Buxton male thing to eat constantly. Sean was getting a bit hyper by this point so we ran to the playground and did some dirt digging, some slide sliding, and some ladder climbing for about an hour.

Dad was getting a bit antsy/bored so he began enquirying about moving on to Hong Kong Botanical Gardens and Zoo. Turns out its just up some stairs, around a corner, down a street, across a bridge and you are there! So we did it. I had in mind lions and tigers and bears, oh my, but there was just no time. We had to get some food into us! So we stopped at a shop to refuel with water "waters good for us!" and got a foam airplane and spinny straw. Well I might as well have purchased Disneyland. We were completely (Sean) enthralled for the rest of the day. Which was good because we had to walk down to Central catch an MTR to Sai Wan Ho and eat noodles still! The ladies had a great time laughing at us as Sean brough out his tiger chopsticks and we muddled our way through ordering.

We had a great day and got back for 2pm bedtime.

Back to life...

2010-01-06T21:42:00.004+08:00

I was out in town on Friday night getting some stuff done and was really enjoying taking photos with my iphone. Here is one from the taxi stand at Times Square.

Well we have been back to school for 3 days now. Students are all stressed as they have Semester Exams starting Monday.

We have been having some huge decisions to make here regarding where we will have BuxtonBaby#2. Canada crazy expensive. If there are any complications at all it will cost $20-30,000! So we may have to do it in asia. We will pray and see if it becomes very clear.

We have been doing some winter cleaning, getting rid of anything that we don't use and that turns out to be quite a bit of books, toys, and did I say books?

Sean is happy to be back home and have all his friends back. He went to WiseKids today with Karla and the playgroup. 1.5 hours of playtime in this huge shop. It has a kitchen, an area for camping, lego, trains, etc... He loved it and Karla was totally impressed. When I came home he was very happy to be playing "on the field" with all the kids. Tonight we did a bike ride up to the high school parking lot that took us through three elevators!

I need to get something done for Career structure at least start my context which will be very similar for all six pieces of evidence.

Last beach...

2009-12-27T21:24:00.002+08:00

Well, we will fly out tomorrow. It was another beautiful day of beach in the morning. This time we took a van from Alta Vista de Boracay (which may have changed management overnight last night. Hopefully it increases the size of the pantry. There were only four options available on the menu last night and none of them include coconut, pineapple or french fries!) to Station 3 on White beach. It is the southern-most end of the beach and a fair 'mount quieter than up near D'mall (Tagalog for "the mall"). So we played in the sand, snorkelled had the traditional "shake break" and relaxed.

Oh, I need to break now for the food update. I have been neglecting this important part of a holiday blog, the food report. Today for breakfast we had the buffet at the hotel. There was french toast today instead of pancakes. Lunch was at an italian place Don vito or el divo or something like that. I had linguini carbonara, Karla had the greek salad, Tony the clubhouse on
"brown bread" and Ruth had a salad I believe. It was all very good. Oh and Sean had french fries, he was thrilled. Karla and Sean had gelato for dessert. Dinner was in our room. Room service, which is much quicker than ordering it from the restaurant. It is also only 10 pesos more expensive, ah the Alta Vista!

As for the rest of the day we caught the Van back to Alta Vista after picking up PB & J fixings for our trip back tomorrow. Sean got to wait for the bus with his friend Ambrose who doesn't really seem as keen on playing as Sean does. We had naps after getting back and then the pool was hyped for an afternoon activity but when Sean woke and we made it to the pool Ambrose was not there and Sean was devastated. After some serious crying we made it back to our hotel room and watched some TV a big deal for Sean. Dinner was enjoyed while watching Madagascar on the Alta Vista playroom's DVD player again (setup was much quicker!) Tony and Ruth shared their Purdy's hedgehogs which were amazing. I am at D'mall again typing the blog and trying to find a way to get to Kalibo in less than the 6 hours. That is the amount of time the front desk at Alta Vista is saying it will take us to get there.

By this time tomorrow we will be in Hong Kong. It's always good to go home...

Island Hopping...

2009-12-26T21:49:00.000+08:00

After having 12,988 vendors ask us "Sir, Island hopping?" the conditions were right and we booked our boat. The wind had decreased significantly over the last day or so and it was a relatively smooth water awaiting us as we arrived at Station one on White Beach for our tour. We booked through Alta Vista and I was a bit nervous about how that would work but once again talking to the manager everything is smooth.

We were picked up at the hotel and driven to the beach with our guide and owner of the company Salvae (not sure of the spelling of this name) it was of course a beautiful morning and we waited a bit for the boat to come by but it was thankfully covered because it was to be a scortcher of a day. We headed south along the lee side of the island getting a great view of the beach from the water. some nice coral exists at the south end of the island but we were heading to Crocodile Island, so named because it actually does kind of look like a crocodile. Heading around the south tip of the island we encountered some swell but it was head on and kind of fun.

The snorkelling site is actually in the lee of the island and was, as expected packed. Fortunately nobody here swims well so they all "snorkel" in constant contact with the boat. Tony, Karla, and I had a splendid time cruising the 2-4m water for about 45minutes. Salvae and the skipper took Ruth and Sean to the beach for some sand time and we snorkeled. It was better than I had expected, saw a school of batfish, an eel, lots of sargeant majors, and some expectant black fish that were so ready to be fed they nibbled our hands. Coral was okay in spots but will be destroyed eventually because it is just common practice to chuck anchors over the side onto the coral below. I know I am forgetting stuff but the fish life was good.

We swam to shore got the boat and headed to Crystal Cove a beach that you pay to come ashore on but offers nothing. Tony and I snorkeled in a strong current with some interesting coral and deeper cooler water. Current was pretty strong though and you had to watch were you were. Sean and the ladies quickly found out there was nothing redeeming about the island and we headed to our next stop. The wind and swell were at our back now and we had fun "surfing" some of the swell as we headed back west to the calm side of the island.

Last stop was right out in front of Diniwid beach at a place called Baling Hai. Some good coral there but the it is getting destroyed by anchors. I witnessed our boat anchor ripping up coral while we were there. Back for lunch to the hotel.

FOOD REPORT:

I had Mami - a philippino noodle soup which was great. Karla had veggie noodles, I forget what Ruth and Tony had but I am sure we can fill this in later.

After lunch we played at the pool til nap. Karla and I headed for D'mall for our second Date of the trip and Sean slept over at Gramma and Opa's. Karla and I had gelato and foot massages, with Karla getting a pedicure as well.

Christmas in Boracay

2009-12-25T22:19:00.002+08:00

I know it is not the most imaginative title but its 10:30pm. Awake at 6:30 as per the Buxton life, and opening the curtains to another beautiful morning, a Christmas morning! Sean watches a bit of cartoons as we all wake up. It's great he's three and the second day we were here he said something along the lines of "make it go to the next one mom I don't like the way it stops all the time!" He was of course referring to commercials, something he hadn't really seen up until watching kids shows here in Boracay!

The wind has toned down abit to about 14-15knots. It was beautiful sun and Sean and I explored the pool a bit before we headed down to White Beach for our main task of the day to get a family photo in front of the Boracay sand sculpture. Tried a couple things then pulled out the off camera flash, with wireless transmitter to fill in the shadows on our faces and I am okay with the results now. It was warm today and the "hike" down the beach drains us all. So we stop off at a "butterfly farm" at the Golf course and take a looksee. Sad, with a poor bat having his wings stretched out for the benefit of Korean tourists and the most unhealthy looking owl you've ever seen being handed about for photos. We were out of there pretty quick and Tony took us for lunch at the Golf Club House. Beautiful location overlooking the beach on the east (wind) side of the island. Had burgers and salads and then back to the Alta Vista. Finally we worked in some pool time and got Sean in the water with his boats. He had a blast and it was refreshing in the heat of the day. K & S did a nap and I went out to Puka Shell beach to scout out our Christmas Dinner.

Sean and I had followed a trail of bubbles to a family from Laos eating breakfast this morning. Sean got some bubbles and we mentioned Christmas dinner on the beach. They were interested so they decided to join us. They have a son about 5 that Sean was very keen on playing with. He is a geologist working in Laos and his family have joined them and are enjoying the expat lifestyle.

We headed down to the beach with food from Alta Vista and had dinner with Tony, Ruth, and Paul from Laos and his family. It was a beautiful night and the kids had a great time playing in the surf as the sun set and it got dark, all in about 30min like it does here in the tropics. K and S are in bed and I am writing this tomorrow we may do some island hopping for snorkelling and beach time.

Pizza, popcorn and DVD's!

2009-12-24T22:35:00.001+08:00

We spent most of the day today in the shade of the palms on White Beach. Sean, Tony and I were making a huge sand castle and enjoying the beautiful day. We did lunch on the beach and we attempted Sean napping there in the shade. Too many distractions...

We spent Christmas eve in our room ordering in Shakey's pizza and watching the Bee movie on the Hotel's DVD player (after we finally managed to wiggle the cables to put an image on the TV!) We finished the night off to Sean's delight with popcorn! Or as Sean would say POPCORNNN!!!

In bed by about 9:30 and sleeping soon after.

A new day a new beach...

2009-12-23T21:53:00.002+08:00

Well, Karla and I woke well rested and went to the next door hotel room around 7am to collect our son! Yes, Sean had a sleep-over at Opa and Gramma's! He was very excited and they did lots of fun stuff like make Christmas decorations. When we opened the doors to the balcony we were greeted with another beautiful day in paradise. The constant wind from the East/NorthEast keeps it cool and the sun was there for us again today. We met van der Waardes and headed to the buffet. I had purchased a map a day earlier and we were able to scope out a new beach closer to home for the day. Diniwid beach was it for the day.

Tricycles were the transport and the road was a bit rough towards the end but Sean loved it shouting out "we're offroadin!" as the bouncing began. The beach is beautiful and at 9am barely a soul there. Sean and I set out exploring and walked around the headland to see White beach in the distance then returned to a cluster of boulders of volcanic rock. We set up amongst the boulders and got to the tasks at hand. Tony and I went snorkeling and Sean, Karla and Ruth did the sandcastle bit. I went out with Karla's swim goggles and was completely unimpressed. It turns out it was because I couldn't see. I used Tony's mask and snorkel right afterwards and saw two eels, a nudibranch, lots of tunicates, cone shells, feather stars, a boxfish, christmas tree worm and had a great time.

People were ready for shakes at this time so we went and ordered some from the nearby bungalows. Expensive though 120pesos each. It took a while and Sean was fading so we packed up and walked around the headland heading for White beach and restaurants. Had some philippine fare and then back to the Alta Vista. Karla and Sean did a nap and I was off to Bulabog beach again to try my hand at sailing. Wind appeared strong and I headed out with a 6.5 and 103L but it wasn't enough so I traded up to 7.0 and 133L which was great but quickly too much, had some scary runs downwind and got some air and then in to go back to the 6.5. After about 15m the wind was done and I slogged in. Feels great to sail again. The muscle memory is there but the muscles did complain! I brought waffles home for dinner then Sean and I did the playroom. I am in dmall now after a massage and bloggin away...

Sleep-over/Date night

2009-12-22T22:21:00.000+08:00

Note: the photos are not mine but they are of the places described. They have been chosen for how well they represent what we saw that day. They will be replaced with CBuxton originals when I get a chance to upload to a computer.

The day dawned windier than we had seen so far. It is a beautiful sight with true blue skies and the golf course across the way from us. The hotel is situated up on the top of a hill on the north end of the island. You could clearly see there were more whitecaps on the ocean this morning. The buffet offered small suprises this morning but Sean was still thrilled to have red juice and pancakes for breakfast. We have sort of staked out a breakfast table and our morning ritual is predictable.

After brekkie we were off to explore the legendary White Beach and its fine, fine sand. We were not disappointed. It really is beautiful and the tide was just right for exposing a grand sandcastle playground. Sean was off to try the sand and I headed back to pick up all the stuff we had forgotten; water, playtoys, swim-shorts, and sunscreen! When I returned some beach chairs had been secured and Sean had been into the water already. We built sandcastles, enjoyed coconut shakes and played with the local kids as the breathtaking day unfolded. I tried some skimboarding... ouch, and took lots of pictures.

We had Mongolian bbq for lunch and then it was nap time! I napped with Sean, I don't know which of us fell asleep first, and Karla had a massage! Ruth had been kind enough to offer to watch Sean so that Karla and I could have a date. We were outta dodge as soon as the opportunity presented itself and we had a relaxing date, walking along the beach watching the setting sun, Mexican food for dinner and then back to our hotel to watch channels other than Disney! It was nice to be able to talk and listen without any other pressures, we are on vacation now...

First day, straight to sailing!

2009-12-21T22:43:00.000+08:00

I am typing this three days late so the details may be a bit fuzzy. We got up around 6:30 as normal and headed down to try the hotel buffet. The hotel is a nice spot but the service is a bit... dodgy. Breakfast was fine, and Sean is very excited about the PANCAKES! At breakfast Gramma, Opa, Karla and I decided that we would WALK to Puka beach for the morning. After consulting "the desk" we were told it was about a 15 m walk. Now to be fair they do have a 5m shuttle to the "private beach". We were going to WALK it. Well we set out and very quickly realized that the directions from "the desk" may be a bit of a problem. We were guessing and talking to people who did not understand us very well, very soon. We ended up at the gate to the Shangri-La's private beach getting a cushman ride down to this very exclusive resort, excited at the prospect that perhaps this outpost of civility and comfort was perhaps in an shared use agreement with our hotel. Well, I should have known better. We could enjoy the Shangri-La for only $70USD per person for the day. Instantly our place on the wealth scale was marked as we headed back out of the Shangri-la to a beach more within our price range!

Turns out our Puka beach was the other turn at the top of the hill and we met a Alta Vista driver shuttling people to the "private beach" and made the "15m walk" a bunch shorter. The beach is great, surf a little big for Sean but lots of fun was had digging a big whole and collecting shells. Sean was feeling a bit warm and fussy so we headed back to the hotel for naps.

The wind was blowing and Sean and Karla were napping so I was off to the beach. It is a kiting amphitheatre as you come to the beach. Probably 40-50 kites fill the sky like colourful birds diving and turning as the competing for swift prey. I quickly found a shop with windsurfing gear, not as easy to do as I thought as the beach is mostly kites, and got out on the water. I was using a 133L Starboard and a 7.0M sail and it was just right. I played for 90min and I had a blast. I can still jump and gybe but the hands and muscles are not use to this exercise! I had a lot of fun and was powered up just right for most of the time. I had a bit of front hand pressure towards the end as the wind picked up but it was fun and felt easy. The new equipment makes it easy. Closing the gap was not a thought and it all just fit. Lots of fun.

I got back showered and I hung out with Sean as the rest of the crew went into dmall for shopping and dinner. Sean and I watched TV and played games till everyone returned.

T'was the night before our Christmas...

2009-12-18T21:40:00.005+08:00

Well, the holidays have arrived... we sang carols in the morning as the students walked through the gate. Two school assemblies, homeroom lunches, and lots of well wishes and now we are on vacation. Time to go for a hike!

We got the boy up from his nap and got ready to go. Karla was feeling a bit of an upset tummy so she decided to pass on this trip so it would be Gramma, Opa, Sean and I off to the country park! The weather was a bit grey and its cold for Hong Kong, about 13C, but we were undaunted.

With Sean on my shoulders and his stick in my hand
I could tell it was the Jungle today just as I'd planned.
When out all around us, there arose a gentle chatter
T'was the birds talking to us as we were the matter.

Away to the top of the hill we were climbing
My family spotting bugs without even my priming.
Caterpillars and lantern bugs there were all about
Daddy looking closer for pictures no doubt.

When what to our exploring eye would come next
But a creek made for racing little sticks I expect.
So Sean was the quickest he won by a mile
That's how we tell it to get that great smile.

Back to the road we began to walk quickly.
the light it was dimming so footing was tricky
And giving a nod to the taxi in passing.
We sprang for our seats, cars behind us amassing.
But I heard Sean explain and yes he was right.
we are coming home now Mom, byebye Good night.

van der Waardes are here!

2009-12-16T21:24:00.004+08:00

Tony and Ruth arrived yesterday arriving in Hong Kong approximately... 8:27. Karla and Sean picked them up and brought them to Tai Tam via a luxurious rental van. When I got home from work Tony was out on the field with Sean playing hockey/soccer. It was a busy night for me with Interim Parent Night but we had a good visit before sleep called most to bed.

Today was a big event. Playgroup, was at our house. That means 7 kids and 6 moms with Karla, Tony and Ruth. Gramma and Opa are the kid experts though and they were a highlight with Opa reading stories and Gramma and Karla baking cookies with the help of some little hands. Karla was happy for the help as she is feeling a bit slower now with the the smallest Buxton growing within!

A first for today was Sean began, whistling. Yes, it is clearly whistling. He is really enjoying Gramma and Opa and will ask "I want to hold hands" if he feels the need. We had a great dinner out in Stanley and when we got back home Karla had a second birthday with gifts from Canada, of which one was a Muppets DVD! We watched one, turns out it was the Mana mana episode! Sean is talking about "being scared" and calling out but is not giving any reasons for what is scaring him. So we like good parents are ignoring him and telling him to go to sleep.

Note: Karla says - after we pray with him and sing Jesus loves me! Karla says Sean prayed "Dear God help me to be brave"

Finding the sunshine in Hong Kong

2009-12-12T20:43:00.003+08:00

Karla's Birthday began grey and early. Today we are off to Lantau Island the largest island in Hong Kong to have some beach time with friends. To catch the ferry we were out of the house by 8 and that meant birthday gifts and cereal! The weather report was for sun and 23C but it was bleak as we boarded the ferry. Our friends Kevin and Liam were coming to play with us today on the beach as Liam's mommy had to cancel last minute. Like most trips in Hong Kong we sample a variety of transportation modes. This trip has taxi, ferry, and bus. At 10am we are on Cheung Sha Beach and we are the only ones enjoying the sun warmed sand. We set up camp at the Stoep a South African restaurant and the kids are shoes off into the sand.

What follows is a leisurely Saturday as we watch the kids play and eat great food. Sean and Liam are totally occupied in the sand and toys. The weather is perfect and we finish the day with a walk down the beach to explore the rocks at the headland. Bus, fast ferry and taxi take us home to Tai Tam for naps.

Although Dad had bigger plans, once the cake arrives in the house the birthday girl calls "cake for dinner" and how can that be undone! So we eat cake and watch movies and call it a day. As I write this Karla is watching "Charlies Angels" and Sean is sleeping.

Take a look at photos from the day @ our photo site.

Happy Birthday Karla!

Its winter in Hong Kong

2009-12-08T22:39:00.005+08:00

Well winter means skating and Sean and Karla headed off today to go skating at Elements mall in Kowloon. They had the rink to themselves and they brought some friends, Ryder and his mom Susie were up for some skating as well.

I was busy this evening with our Fall Sports Banquet up in the HS gym. So I am writing this and then off to bed. Karla is there already.

Yesterday was date night and we headed out to the mall. Exciting I know!~ Karla got to checkout a craft store that's going out of business and after she was done she came and watched my hockey game. It worked out well as the game is at 8pm. Often games start at 11:30pm so being awake the next morning is as much a sporting event as the hockey game.

Cheung Chau

2009-12-06T18:30:00.002+08:00

The playgroup social calendar dictated this weekends trip to Cheung Chau which translates in cantonese to Long Island. We got lucky on the day as we popped our heads out of the MTR in Central to catch a ferry it was blue sky and a clear view across the harbour. We were early, almost unheard of, and we soon had our friends Jeff and Robyn, with their kids Owen and Elliot as well as Joe and Stacie with their kids Anika and Kylie passing through the turnstiles to board the ferry.

It's about a 30min. ferry ride to Cheung Chau and we enjoyed the trip. We watched the harbour pass by quickly and the kids were remarkably focused on the boat traffic as we sped to our destination. Chris was particularly impressed with the hydrofoils completely out of the water and almost "flying" past us. Arriving at the dock we disembarked got our bearings with the iphone (althought Robyn new exactly where to go!) and headed to the other side of the island where the beach is. We stopped for buns on the way and then the boys were off and running.

The beach was almost deserted and with the clear blue sky and beautiful sunshine we had a great day of digging, running, jumping and exploring ahead. A couple of times we came across bizarre looking polychaete worms that had been washed up on the beach. They were enough to capture the interest of all. After a while we took advantage of the playground as the kids played with some local boys and girls and a new play structure never before recorded in playgroup history. Soon tummies were rumbling and we were back into the village looking for food. We had an okay lunch next to the sea and then the highlight of the whole day... ice cream!

The trip back was uneventful and there were some heavy eyelids as we said goodbye to head back to Tai Tam. A great day!

Sean's day to take care of Mommy

2009-11-24T21:50:00.003+08:00

Karla was still feeling pretty sick today. She really got hit hard by some sort of bug the last few days. She spent most of the weekend in bed but today I had to go to work so it was Sean's turn to take care of Mommy. We had a little talk the night before and then this morning before work about it and Sean took it to heart. He helped Mom watch DVD's, he brought her tissues and he gave her kisses all while helping her put up the CHRISTMAS decorations! They made it up to the high school during the day to drop off Sean's HKIS application for next year! Yes, Sean will be starting school next year. Our first parent night is next Monday!

It was a busy day for Dad with school followed by meetings till 6 then a student dinner and hockey after everyone was asleep.

2009-11-22T22:56:00.002+08:00

Mom is not feeling well today, so Sean and I went to church without her this morning. Sean went to Kids Club and Dad to the service. I was glad we went it was a great sermon about God speaking to us and it spoke to me, and as Brett reminded us sometimes that's how God speaks to us! After church Sean and I went for "noodles" to a place right near to church. It's Vietnamese food and we love the noodles! We slurped 'em and used chopsticks, and even learned how you eat them right over top of the bowl! Then we headed back home on the MTR. We stopped and got ice cream for mom, and if you are buying ice cream with Sean you pretty much have to get ice cream for Sean. Sean knows that you can't eat on the bus so he showed remarkable control holding onto his ice cream and not eating it or spilling it till he got home. This made the "walk of eternity" extra long as we make our way from the bus stop to our house and Sean focused on eating ice cream. After nap Dad did some work and then we headed out to the mats before bed. The photo is of Sean's headlamp which we rigged up to hang over our heads in our mat fort.

Fall Hits Hong Kong

2009-11-16T20:51:00.003+08:00

Today we awoke to rain - continued from the night - and very cool weather (16 degrees at 8pm). Sean and Karla donned jeans, t-shirts and hoodies after breakfast and spent the morning with friends, Meg & Eli (aka "Silly Friend"), at their home in Big Wave Bay. It was wonderful to relax, play indoors, actually have a conversation over coffee, then play outdoors on the playground by the beach in the fresh air and cool breeze. Karla is being blessed by a few times like this lately where it's just been good for the soul to talk it out with another good friend/mommy.

Chris and Sean headed to the blue mats before and after dinner and enjoyed making and digging through a tower of mazes. Even Chris is wearing a thick hoodie, so, that fact together with how quickly the laundry dries, helps us know that fall has certainly arrived in Hong Kong! Goodbye humidity!

Hossacks come to town!

2009-11-14T21:44:00.005+08:00

Scott & Amy Hossack and their son Blake (age 2) got out to Tai Tam pretty early today and we got to hang out at our place before the TaiTam 7's & 10's Rugby Tournament started. We had originally planned on taking them to the beach but the weather predicted by HKO never materialized and we had a great day for rugby with lots of fans wearing jackets it was so cold! We caught up on the low-down in Shanghai while the kids played trains until Sean couldn't take it any longer he had to go outside!

We had a great day watching rugby and just hanging out with some good friends. HKIS girls were tournament champs and our boys came in 2nd to KGV. The kids played really well together and the field was bustling with lots of big boys and girls. Both Sean and Blake managed to avoid being hit by stray rugby balls or rugby players although there were a few close calls. Sean got to hang out with Kristin and her friends which was a big deal for him.

After the tournament we went for dinner to Fat Angelo's in Causeway Bay and ate entirely to much. Hugs were given and taken and we said goodbye for probably another year. Scott will take his team and family home to Shanghai in the morning.

Cool breeze, no cough or sneeze

2009-11-13T15:27:00.002+08:00

We're seeing how cheesy we can get with our titles!

This morning Sean gave Chris two little pieces of Lego he found and said, "Dad you can use these at work for if you want to build a rocket ship or something... " Makes me wonder what he thinks I do up at work all week!

Sean's cough strangely disappeared today and we were able to play with Owen & Eliott, riding bikes and hanging out outdoors. Our friends from Shanghai, the Hossacks, arrived later today than we thought, so we get to hang out tomorrow. Their little one, Blake is nearly 2. Scott, the dad, coaches rugby, so he has to coach his games, but is free for parts of the day. It will be fun to catch up!

So, we've enjoyed a very cool-weather day with sunshine and a gorgeous breeze. Can the cool weather actually be starting finally? It's nice to wear jeans for a few months of the year anyway... Chris would disagree!

Time for dinner and a quiet night before a full day of socializing/playing tomorrow. :o)

Sean is "cough, cough" sick...

2009-11-12T17:45:00.002+08:00

We spent today at home resting, drinking water, eating mango-banana yogurt popsicles, reading books, playing games and watching DVDs. Sean has no fever, but has a horrible sounding cough, so we couldn't play with our friends which made Sean "sad". He did well, though, and mom certainly had a nap when Sean did. :o)

Tomorrow, we hope to see some good friends from Shanghai who are here for a rugby tournament... if Sean isn't coughing too much, I guess.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-11-11T20:18:00.003+08:00

Today is Nana's Birthday and we are wishing her the best day of the year. Hopefully she will get some rest and relax with friends from Desert Trails! Meanwhile back in HK we have had a beautiful day with crystal blue skys and cooler temps. Karla is getting out of the house tonight to visit with Robyn and Dad is finishing up some marking. Sean has a bit of a cough and is in bed after playing hockey with Dad out on the field. He got a haircut today and is going to try some gel tomorrow...