Recap of Early June - Michael's Return and Dragon Boat Weekend

So I have been trying to blog for a long time but never managed to finish any post before the next set of activities slammed along!  Been too busy enjoying life to spend time catching up on recapping it!

Last I left off before my most recent update, it was the end of May and I was on the last dregs of my energy and bandwidth after a business trip to Singapore and nearing a month of parenting while Michael was in the U.S.

Lola had gotten her school's pet eagle again, which required a lot of photos and documentation. 

Lola went to aerial yoga class.

Al and Teo tried out taekwondo. And just generally loved on each other.  They truly are so sweet and kind, and bring so much joy and delight to everyone around them.

The kids went to a birthday party at MyGym on June 1.

Michael finally returned home on June 2, much to everyone's delight but probably no one's more than his!  We went to the town club for dinner and then to airport express in Central to get him. 

For the dragon boat long weekend which fell on June 10 this year, we went to South Lantau and did a staycation at a beach house. It was lovely. The weather was iffy but we managed to get a very good Saturday on the beach without rain. The kids loved having a new house to explore, and a big set of stairs to run up and down!

Lola read, Al learned how to boogie board and catch a wave, Teo ran around and played, I picked up shells. The kids drew pictures and explored. 

We barbecued, ate roasted marshmallows, built a fort out of pillows in the self appointed "kids club," watched a little bit of The Lady and the Tramp for movie night. 

Sunday dawned with slashing rain and downpours - after a little exploration in the morning, we called it after lunch when there was a bit of a break in the rain.  We headed back to Central via the fast ferry (whereas we had used the car on the way in but had to return it to the pier - because you need special plates to use a motor vehicle on Sputh Lantau).

This may be one of my favorite beaches and atmospheres in Hong Kong - just check out that last panoramic picture at dusk! 

As if that weren't enough adventure for the weekend, that Sunday night Lola and I went to see Sound of Music playing at Xiqu Theater in West Kowloon. We both dressed up (she definitely understands the power of accessories) and caught the very last show of their Hong Kong tour. 

It was phenomenal. The cast did a great job. I miss musical theater and am so glad, so grateful, they showed this production here!  Edelweiss felt particularly poignant when setting in the encore to this audience. After the show we happened upon the cast members, which was of extra interest to Lola given they were similarly aged. She was very obsessed with whether they needed to go to school while performing...

On Monday, the public holiday, we stayed indoors and just chilled.  The kids made tongyuan, sweet dough balls traditionally eaten for this holiday, but with Maltesers as the filling.  We went to our neighbor's apartment upstairs for a multi- dish feast. The dad there is always so creative and comes up with detailed, inventive games (marble run, STEM building, and this time, a magnetic marble pinball machine made out of magnetic tiles and taped railroad tracks and lego pieces) that always has the kids super excited and invigorated.  It was a great end to an action packed long weekend.