We Are Nearing the End of 2021, WHAAAAAT

 There are moments, more and more so recently, where I find myself sitting back and marveling that I have three kids, two of whom are twins who are nearly two years old.  The last two years both seem to have passed by at a snail's pace and at warp speed.  What happened?  I don't know.  I don't know.

Our weekends are becoming more and more action packed, which is why it's getting harder and harder to find time to properly update everything we've been doing and to document all the developments of the kids.  

What I do know is that the moments are so sweet now, more and more so.  The kids look to each other to play, and find genuine enjoyment in each other's company.  Sometimes Lola is so upset because she just wants to be with her brothers, and is that not the sweetest thing?  

I have barely any time to spend with the boys (December has been one of the hardest work months for me in recent history, and it has been grueling) and when I do have time with them I spend it chugging coffee and squeezing them so tight and close and kissing them senseless that it's a wonder they don't squeal.  

It is utter chaos in our household sometimes.  

This is what I found on my computer upon re-opening it this evening, I mean how sweet is this??!  It's a love note from my daughter, is what it is.  She told me that these numbers represent the amount of days off that she has from school for winter break.... 

L0la py1k teo al dad mom 

 

Hjh 4566666666777777778888888888888888888800000000000111111111119999999999999999999995555555555555555566666666666666666666666676666667777777777y888888887777777777777777777777777777723

School, man.  I guess no matter how much you love school you will still always love a break.  Lola is off from SIS for the next two weeks, and Al and Teo from Fairchild as well. I had in mind all kinds of exciting plans for the holiday while we are essentially stuck in Hong Kong - including strawberry picking, Disney staycation, Ocean Park, a visit to Kadoorie farms, and just a lot of general hanging out - I'm really hopeful that I can squeeze all of this in in the week between Christmas and New Year's...

We are throwing a party for Al and Teo (they are turning TWO!!!! Did I mention this before already) and it is transportation themed and it will be at a very nice venue and I have hired a balloon twister and I am already excited for the cake and champagne (is this a party for adults or for kids?  Hmmm...) and it will be between Christmas and New Year's and it will be insane how many birthday cakes and other things we've done between the first of December and the first of January but that seems to be how things go in this household...

Lola, Fabulous at Four (and Always)

We had a party over two weeks ago to celebrate Lola turning four!  The party was at a lovely baking studio and the kids got to really enjoy baking (pizza and cupcakes), the outdoor patio, food and cake, and a face (and arm) painter.  Unfortunately we didn't have many good pictures without other kids in the shot, and we definitely neglected to even get a picture of us as a family!  It was so hectic.

I celebrated my birthday a little bit, by getting a massage at the American Club (check out that view, wow!), drinking champagne and eating hotpot, and getting beautiful flowers.

And while it wasn't exactly on the day, we also got to generally hang out and goof around like this, which was all I really wanted for my birthday anyway!

Happy Thanksgiving! And another Magical Disney Trip

Happy Thanksgiving!  And I have not one picture of the entire event.  We did our now long-term tradition of Peking ducks, coupled with brussels sprouts and bacon, string beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes.  We also didn't go around and say what we were each thankful for, which I'm hoping we can start implementing as a tradition when the kids get a little bit older.  For my part I'm so grateful for my family, especially for my parents, my sister, my husband, and my kids, and for all of those people who are not direct family members but who still form such an essential part of my small community, including our helpers, our children's teachers and tutors, and our friends and their children.  

Thanksgiving may have been overshadowed a bit this year though, as Lola went with her friend to Disney the day before and we have Lola's birthday party on Saturday...  it will be quite the celebratory week.

It so happened her school didn't have class except for a 30 minute Zoom session, so we made a day of it and Lola like the 21st century kid that she is "worked" while in full Elsa gear at Disneyland.  I thought a lot about bringing the boys but as they're still getting over a middle ear infection and still napping in the middle of the afternoon, it ended up being a very magical day just for Lola, mommy and daddy.  

A random weekday is definitely the right time to go, as Lola got to meet Jasmine, see Rapunzel, Belle, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, ride Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, the carousel, eat lunch, watch a Moana show, watch a Lion King show, ride the jungle cruise, ride the magic tea cups (twice), ride It's a Small World (twice), eat ice cream and popcorn, watch a Mickey Mouse Christmas show, ride Slinky the Dog, catch the parade, ride Orbitron AND pick out souvenirs, all before it was time to go home.  It was an action packed day!

Slinky the Dog was Lola's first (very gentle) roller coaster and it was just enough to scare her a bit (She kept asking for it to slow down) but also still be manageable and exciting enough that when it was over she promptly declared it "so fun!" and reassure us that she wasn't scared at all.  It was very sweet.  The whole day was such a treasure.

Phwoooooarg, Another Month that has Flown By

Hellooooo mid November!  I am so remiss in these blog posts, gah!  

In looking back at my old picture rolls, I have to laugh because there is such a marked change.  My pictures used to consist mostly of food, scenery, travel.  There were so, so, so many pictures that had no people in it. Now I take predominantly video instead of pictures, and there are so, so, so few pictures where there isn't a person (specifically, at least one kid) in it. 

But these guys, they're on the move, always, and so busy.  I can barely keep up.  It's no wonder they take up my entire camera roll.

The kids are so cute and entertaining and just full of personality.  Not a day goes by that we don't marvel at some new trick, occurrence, or something that just gives us such a barking laugh of delight.

Like Al and his  "no," said very politely but insistently.  It has a little inflection when he voices it, almost like a question, but not.  When this guy says no (no to lunch time, no to nap time, no to changing his diaper) he really means no.

Like Teo and his obsession with cream, vaseline, and lotion.  One of his favorite activities is to play with his lotion and lately, he will come and delicately and lovingly dab some on your face/neck/arm.  What a character.  

Like Lola and her funny mannerisms that we don't even know from where she picks them up.  The other day when playing Michael asked her why she wouldn't be the owner [of the property] and she demurred, saying "Oh no no, it's too much responsibility."  She also gets a kick out of sayings like "easy peasy!" and, most recently, "that's preposterous!"

 It's not quite "cold" yet here, but beautiful, sunny, dry weather.  Really amazing and lovely and everyone has been basking in it, though we've also been battling some coughs and runny noses.  Teo seems to have the weaker set of lungs and a more susceptible immune system, unfortunately.  He may be slightly asthmatic or at least be prone to respiratory tract infections.  They scared us a bit last month with some high, spiking fevers.  We thought it was finally over except it seems like he is congested and coming down with a cold again.

There was a couple of nights there where the boys got into a habit of sleeping in our beds and refused to go to sleep on their own properly anymore.  It was a very sad and awful night (I believe last Monday if memory serves) where we had to re-train the boys to sleep on their own.  It consisted of an hour of crying on Teo's part, and nearly double that on Al's part.  I needed earplugs and a mask and an alarm set for every thirty minutes to check on them.  It was horrible.  But then the next night we were back to normal and the boys were happy to go to sleep on their own again.  

As the boys are getting more active and stronger, they have more thoroughly enjoyed soft play areas and slides and playgrounds.  They are so fearless and Al in particular is so strong and matter of fact about it.  He will just pull himself up and keep going, no fear.  Teo is not as strong but he is adventurous and full of mischief.  

The two of them together are already proving to be a dynamic duo full of energy and mayhem.  They now look for each other and call each other's names, so that Al is always shouting "Teo, come" and Teo is always dragging his brother "Al, come."  If one gets sent to his room for a time out the other anxiously hovers around outside.  They are inconsolable at the moment of separation when (in the very rare event) they do different activities.  But then when it comes time to share toys or play together the two of them fight the hardest and immediately slapping and biting tendencies emerge.  During playgroup one morning I had the pleasure of witnessing Al introducing his brother during the name song.  It was so sweet.  I'm still trying to teach Al and Teo to report their own names, but it's almost like they spend so much of their day locating their other half that they haven't quite figured out their own names yet. 

I really just can't believe they're already nearly two.

This little girl knows she's about to have a birthday (and birthday party, and trip to Disneyland) so she has been planning and plotting and wishing and hoping for all kinds of presents.  She's smart enough to ask her aunties to take pictures to send to her parents... a digital wishlist, if you will!  I've been very busy planning out all the details of this little girls' birthday, from tracking down trolls-themed decorations, booking a venue, ordering a cake, procuring goodie bags, planning balloons... it's pretty intense, but made so delightful with anticipation of how much she will love everything.  

I really just can't believe she's already nearly four.