More Pictures - and a Blog Record!

I am still crazy busy but as you can tell things are easing up as I have had some more time to blog, leading to my first blogging record of 2021 - the most number of posts in a month (a whopping five!)!

I have been on a super-momma mission to schedule the kids with interesting, exciting, and fun experiences that are bonus gold stars if they are also educational or motivational.  My parents were laughing a couple of days ago because they get videos of the kids every day and they marveled at how busy they are.  Every day, an activity!  The kids have recently discovered and love boat rides in Aberdeen on old sampans, trampolines at Maggie and Rose, sand castles at the beach, the ferry boat at Hung Hom, Legoland, the Hong Kong Science Museum, music classes,  and just generally chill playdates with their classmates and playgroup buddies.  Lola is keeping me honest with 8:20 am swim classes on Sunday mornings at the SCAA.  I told my friends that I signed her up to this and took her to this swim class every weekend and they just shook their heads in a mixture of admiration and slack-jawed bewilderment.  I admit the urge to cut class this past Sunday was very, very strong.  

Lola has been very reluctant to go to school ever since Michael went back to the US - likely this is separation anxiety rearing its head and I am aware that more than ever I have to be consistent and patient and loving with her.  It's very hard.  I recently mused that the hardest part about Michael being gone is the inability to "tag out" during one of her temper tantrums or meltdowns - in the hardest, teeth-grittingest, I'm at the end of my rope help times, it's really helpful to be able to step aside and say "I need a break" or "I need to cool my head for a bit."  But I can't really do that now.  

I've recently discovered the errand hang but in the form of the nightcap hang?  This is going to sound crazy to folks who regularly have people over to their houses, like in normal countries like the US (pre- or post-Covid), but in Hong Kong you almost always hang out outside, like at a bar or restaurant.  And that's always nice and fun but it takes a lot of effort and time and recently I've discovered, while I don't like hanging out with friends to run errands (I am probably a bit too focused and hyper-productive when I actually set aside time to run errands - it usually consists of a mad caper around town crossing items off my list in the most efficient way possible while I cut across lanes of traffic and scamper around slow pedestrians) I do very much enjoy inviting (making) my friends come to my place, on a Tuesday/Thursday/Friday or Saturday, after the kids have gone to bed, for a nightcap. A glass of wine, some fruit, some dessert. You know. Just the chill.  It's easy because I don't have to leave the kids.  It's nice because it's quiet and we can just gab and talk and laugh and chill.  It's cheap. And have I mentioned it's easy?

So I was literally going to my phone to upload more pictures but due to an organizational issue I had these pictures in the wrong folder.  I thought, oh, maybe these are from early May?  No.  Nope.  These are from early April.  How is that possible?? I am beyond flabbergasted that these are from Easter.  Lola had a great time riding a Tesla on the rooftop of Lee Garden 2, though a little bit intimidated at first... and this is from when we went to the beach on April 4 with friends.

Ok so now onto pictures that are really from May!  Jeez...

The kids went on a lot of playdates....

They have gone to the playground and the park and gone on picnics (and sweated)...

They have Zoomed with their dad and with their grandparents (happily or reluctantly, depending)

Lola went to Ocean Park multiple times...so much so she got a great pic with the elusive (lazy?) panda

The boys went to American Club multiple times...

Al is so comfortable with the big slide he would throw himself down the slide if no one was there to stop him!

How cute is Teo?  In a rare instance where he was willing to wear the hat...

And where Al is wearing the hat... I swear they communicate with each other and take turns.

The kids went to Maggie and Rose to play...

Al took a liking to air hockey.... So of course Teo had to as well!

Lola attended KCS (here with her leaf fish project), and went to her French school (posing here in front of the building).

Lola is 3 going on 33, so of course here she is running errands between school and picking up her brothers from playgroup.  And yes, that is a cart with a tray full of sushi for lunch!!  Lola likes, in no particular order, sushi (salmon, tuna, roe), olives, shrimp, fish, caviar, pizza, ice cream, cucumber, tomatoes, candy/chocolate, and lately... I discovered... durian?!  Lola loves the stinky fruit!

The kids have gone to the museum.  This is the history museum, which might just be Lola's favorite.

Teo loves the jars of colorful candy.

And finally, they have gone to the library and the children's playroom there, although that is often now fully booked up because too many people know about it.  It's still nice to go to the library though.  Truly a library is one of my favorite places in the world.  I never cease to be in awe of the beauty and privilege of having SO. MANY. BOOKS. at your disposal.  Good books, decent books, awesome books, terrible books... wow!  Just think of the opportunity, and all of the lost worlds beckoning and waiting to be discovered!  I hope I pass my love for reading and literature on to my children.