La Patisserie

Here's a snapshot of Lucie and Fin on a playdate at Lucie's house this week.  Her mom sent me this photo and said, "Mum do not really had time to put it into the oven because Fin and Lucie eat it just like this...unbaked and with our fingertip!!!"  Estelle (Lucie's mom) cracks me up because her English is just so mediocre (though infinitely better than my French).



Parade

Finley goes to an international preschool called Sunshine House, and for a while they've been talking about different countries.  Her class is made up of kids from France, China, Italy, Australia, the UK, and who knows where else.  Last week we had the homework assignment of making our country's flag, and yesterday the kids all came to school in their "national costume" for a parade.  Dave was sweet enough to go out and get Finley a Native American costume that we sold her on by saying it was an Indian Princess dress.  However, she refused to put it on for the parade and at the last minute we whipped out an old Bull's tee shirt from my sister. 

Here she is behind her pal Max starting off the parade....

No clue what the hats are supposed to represent.... 

Quite a diverse group - this is Fin's class and one or two other classrooms as well. 

If you look closely, you can see Fin and her pal Lucie in the center of this photo. 

A Lull

We're about to get really busy, but had a low-key weekend filled with rain (no fun for the kids, but much-needed for our thirsty reservoir at Tai Tam Country Park).

Fin napped on the couch....

And I walked into her room one morning to find her asleep in the most odd position... 

Nolan became the creepy flasher in our building (he was diaper-free while battling his first nappy rash) 

I was reminded of why we never eat at the restaurant in our building's clubhouse.... 

And lastly, today was a beautiful day...so I made the most of my freedom (a.k.a. Carmelita) by playing tennis and then going for a beautiful and exhausting hike with my friend Kate. The big pay-off?  Amazing views at the top!

HK Botanical and Zoological Gardens

Last weekend, we took the kids up to the botanical gardens to burn off some energy.  It's a really pretty park right in the city, and it was a good way to spend an overcast afternoon.

Fin and I first visited this statue of King George right after we moved to HK.  Amazing how much she has grown in a year - http://kornwithak.blogspot.com/2010/03/out-and-about.html. 

We played on the swings for a bit.... 

...and then I proved how much more laid-back I am with kid #2 by letting him suck on the playground equipment. 

It was tasty. 

And then we kicked an Aussie brother and sister out of this clubhouse so we could claim it as our own. 

Maybe someday I'll actually get a nice pic of the two of them together.... 

Buddha's Birthday

Tuesday was Buddha's birthday (and Courtney's!!!) so we swam, played tennis and finished off the day with a quick stop at Turtle Cove Beach, which is about 1km from our home.

Nolan had no fear and crawled directly into the water with no sign of stopping....and he also loved the sand.

Cheap HK labor = 4 people cleaning the seaweed off of a tiny stretch of beach 

Playing on the sand with Fin... 

Go Cubbies! (This is actually the hat Fin wore to her first baseball game...a Cubs game my Dad took us to in 2009.) 

Lots Going On

May got off to a rough start.  Nolan got into a fight with a mozzie (that's how we say mosquito here) and lost.  His eye swelled up so badly that we had to go to the doctor....and it caused his "11 month" photo shoot to get postponed.

He could barely sit still long enough to have his pic taken, so this is all you get folks.  Eleven months old with a nearly healed eye and a new bruise on his head.  (Did I mention that he has no fear and is into EVERYTHING???) 

Dave turned 32 on May 6, so Finley and I made him cupcakes to celebrate! 

Seriously, the kid is CRAZY.  This is right before he tried to go over the side of the couch. 

So much for getting a pic of my kiddos together on Mother's Day. 

Today, we celebrated Mom's Day with our friends the Yeungs.  We packed up the kids and went to a really yummy brunch at the Grand Hyatt in the city.  Nolan was a trooper, but finally had to give in and rest his tired little head on the table so that we'd get the hint that it was time to wrap up and go home. 

Happy Mother's Day everyone!