Spider Woman

Samantha has been on spring break this week so we have been doing lots of fun things. Monday we went and had pedicures with her friend Hali. The girls decided that they wanted ladybugs on their toes. Thankfully the nail techs around here are true artists so they painted Samantha's toes pink and then tiny white ladybugs on each of her toes. You can imagine how tiny they had to be considering the size of her little bitty toe nails. She LOVES them!

Then Tuesday we went rock climbing a local indoor place in one of the malls. It was fabulous. Samantha was a natural Spider Woman. She climbed strait up to the top no problem. Coming down was a little tricky but she managed. We are definitely going back and taking Daddy the next time. Got some cool pictures.

Check Up

Yesterday I went for my annual check up. One of the local hospitals has a Health Screening department that we heard was really nice. Kyle went a few weeks ago and I went yesterday. I was checked in and then escorted around to different "stations".

Colour Vision Test

Regular Vision Test

Blood Tests

Height/Weight

Blood Pressure

Urinalysis

Overall check with doctor

EKG

Digital Mammogram

Abdominal Ultrasound

Chest X-ray

Everything looked good and I go back tomorrow for the rest of my results. The crazy part about ALL of this is that it was $250 for everything! No insurance claims either. I think my copay for the mammogram could have been that in the states.

I guess paying $15 for a pack of bacon does eventually pay off.

Horseback Riding

This morning we took the girls to go horseback riding. There is a really nice equestrian center very close to our house and they do pony rides on Sunday mornings. Emily was galloping all over the house saying "giddy up" but of course when we got there she was too scared. She watched the from afar. Then there was brave Samantha. Who would have thought right? She was a little nervous at first but then jumped right on and had fun. Nice morning event.

Once we were back in the car Emily blew air through her lips and made a perfect horse noise. It was so freaking cute. Maybe not the next time but maybe after that, she will ride.

Gong Xi Fa Chi

Happy Chinese New Year or as Emily says "gong ci french fry". It is so cute. Both girls dressed up and had little parades and celebrations at school. Emily's school also had a lion dance which she can not stop talking about. They gave the kids oranges for good luck. We also took them to see a really cool acrobatic lion dance at one of the malls. Unbelievable. I wish we had the video camera. I posted a few lion dance photos from a ladies night party I attended. Not as impressive as some but still fun to watch.

They both looked adorable in their dresses!

Valentine's Day

Although they don't really celebrate Valentine's Day here, we had a small celebration. Kyle and the girls picked out some beautiful flowers and chocolates for me. And then the girls and I made Kyle a special dinner. Samantha set the table beautifully, including her homemade place cards. We had heart shape meatloaf and sprinkle decorated chocolate tart. Here are a few photos. Oh yes, and the girls wore their special red dresses for the occasion.

Disney

For months I have been planning a surprise trip to Disneyland in Hong Kong for the kids, my parents and us. My mom has been dying to take the kids and with us moving over here it has not worked out so well. We have had several friends go to Hong Kong and they said it is a much smaller park but for the little kids it is great.

To execute the surprise I wrapped up little mickey and minnie characters and tied a note around their necks that said "See you at Disneyland in Hong Kong". Then we gave them on Christmas Eve. The attached video is the reaction. My mom is priceless. The girls are excited but don't really know what they are in for. Anyway not much time to pack and finalize plans because we leave tomorrow morning!

In order to balance out all the kid mania we are going to the island of Macau first which is the Las Vegas of Asia. Kyle and I are excited about this part. We will stay at the Venetian for two nights and then go the Disney Hotel for three nights. We thought it would be a good time to get some gambling and drinking done while we have baby sitters. :)

Post pictures soon.

Emily's Birthday Part 2

Here are some more photos from Emily's birthday party (after our camera died).