From Pho to Granola

Beautiful Hands

2012-01-27T04:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got a manicure and pedicure. I did it because it only cost $12 for both and that included the tip. It's a luxury I never think of as important enough at home, but I love having my nails done.

The girl who did my mani/pedi was probably very close to my age I discovered while talking to her. She first did my toes before she started to work on my fingers. When I put my hand in hers she said, "You have beautiful hands."

I have always considered my fingers to be chubby and fat. Hardly beautiful. However, I have also been a little vain that I'm able to grow my finger nails longer than most people I know. So, I agreed with her and said, "Yes, I can grow long finger nails."

"No." she replied. You have a beautiful ring." She pointed to the diamond on my wedding ring. "And your hands are soft. You have never worked hard."

Now, had we been in the US I would have been sure to mention that I was raising two preschoolers who were incredibly full of energy. I was a stay-at-home-mom, of course I worked hard.

She didn't wait for me though. Instead she showed me her own hands and gently said, "You've never had to work in a field. You've never had to pick rice." There was no accusation- only soft spoken truth. I couldn't say anything to that- completely humbled.

The Drivers Here

2012-01-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

The one thing that I know we will definitely miss about Thailand is the Thais. Of course, every nation has its good and bad people, but overall I have found the Thais to be more genuine, trustworthy, happy and kind than anywhere else we have ever traveled.

This morning was a beautiful example. The girls and I were heading to the mall by ourselves for lunch and some errands. We walked over to the area where we commonly can find both tuk tuks and song taos. The men there recognized us right away. We agreed on a price of 100 baht for the trip and I pulled out a 1000 baht bill (about $30) and asked if they had change because I didn't have enough small bills to pay them. The tuk tuk driver took my bill and started walking up and down the street asking for change from people. In no other country would I have felt okay with him just walking off with my money. However, he did it so I didn't have to keep crossing the street with the girls. In the meantime, his brother pulled out two juice boxes from his truck and offered them to the girls. Then, he gently lifted them into the tuk tuk and kissed them both on their foreheads.

The guy came back unable to find change. "No problem, we go to the bank". He said. So, we drove out of the way for awhile to get change. He ran inside himself to do the errand and handed me back my change. There was no talk of costing more for the added distance or inconvenience. When we arrived at the mall I made sure to tip him. He was genuinely surprised and grateful for the tip, lifted the girls out of the tuk tuk carefully and was on his way.

Here is another example...We always agree on a price before any trip. We usually don't argue too much knowing that even though we are being charged the farang (foreign) rate, the people here are poor and bargaining over pennies seem silly. Twice, we have been handed back money at the destination from the tuk tuk driver because they feel that they have overcharged us. Each time we have just been floored.

Mr. San Franciscos

2012-01-25T00:42:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I was able to share a sweet part of my childhood with the kids- Swensen's Ice Cream.

Swensens was an ice cream parlor we used to have in Fort Collins. Many of the best memories of my youth were spent there. I would go every time my grandparents would come to visit. I very much associate their peppermint shakes with my Grandpa Lupe. I remember being there the time my sister bruised up my cousin pretty well. (Mom and Dad took us so that my cousin would forget to mention the incident to her parents.) We went with the guys from Guatemala who stayed at my house during World Youth Day in 1993. My high school boyfriend worked there along with many of my high school friends. It was a great date/hang out place. I remember having a great heart to heart there with my elderly neighbor after my parents had moved to New Mexico and I was in college. My room mate in college worked there too. Swensens was really a great part of my life growing up and I was so sad to see it go.

I was surprised when we got to Chiang Mai to find a number of Swensen's here. So, today I took the girls and they each got to try a Mr. San Francisco for the first time. They are sundaes that use whip cream, ice cream, a chocolate covered ice cream cone and maraschino cherries to look like clowns. It was kind of funny- sitting there with the girls and telling them stories about me eating a Mr. San Francisco as a little girl. Who would have guessed that it would take traveling half way around the world to share that childhood memory with them? I wish I had taken my camera to capture the moment!

The Umbrella Festival

2012-01-21T22:52:00.000-08:00

Friday (the day after the song tao adventure) was the opening day of the Umbrella Festival in nearby Bor Sang. The village is known throughout the country for it's beautiful umbrellas made out of handmade sa paper and bamboo. We had been to the village earlier to see the umbrella factory and were looking forward to the parade.

While we had been at the factory we had asked for the time and date of the event. We laughed at the laid back Thai answer of, "Sometime between 3 and 4pm." Just in case it did start earlier we made sure to leave our apartment at two and be there around 2:30pm.

Of course, once we got there the only sign that anything was to happen was a blocked off street. The street was mostly empty and all was business as usual in the tacky souvenir shops that lined the path. We asked at a few shops for the time of the parade and were told 5pm. We asked a few more people, just to make sure. After 3 people confirmed the 5pm time, we figured that was probably the right answer.

Around 5pm we ran into our driver who told us that they were now guessing that the parade would start at 6:30. We were a little bummed out. We had already been waiting for 2 1/2 hours. We were already getting tired and hungry and didn't see a "Western" restaurant although there were plenty of street food vendors around.

So, in one of our brillant parenting moments we went into 7eleven and bought bags of peanuts, potato chips, chocolate milk, and crackers for everyone to eat "dinner". Around 6pm people started to line the streets and we did too hoping that things would be starting soon.

6:15 and people started to hand out programs for the weekends events. (And yes, the program said that the parade would start at 5pm. No one seemed bothered though that they were already running 1 hour and 15 minutes behind.)

So, what time did the parade really start? 7:30 It was beautiful and exotic. We learned an important lesson about Thai time as well. And, if any of you ever find yourselves in Bor Sang for the umbrella festival, I should tell you- There really is no need to show up 5 hours early for the festivities.

Why We Love Thailand

2012-01-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

As you can see, the Thais, like the French have a very understated fashion sense. Here is a video of the ring vendor at the night market and the tuk tuk that brought us home.

The Chiang Mai Zoo and the Song Tao that Blew Up

2012-01-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

So, Thursday we went to the Chiang Mai Zoo. We weren't too sure what to expect but the girls were really looking forward to seeing the three pandas there. None of us had ever seen a panda before. They were a highlight of the day along with feeding string beans to a giraffe and playing on the playground. Overall the place was beautiful and it was a lot of fun.

(I do have to mention though that my pad thai at lunch was covered in tiny, dime sized, freeze dried shrimp. They were fully intact- eyeballs and everything.)

Not every zoo can boast about having a shooting range attached to it.

On our way home we took a taxi-truck home. They are called song taos. Usually they will charge people 20 baht (less than $1). They will pick up people who are going along their route and can get quite crowded with people. As foreigners we can rent the whole truck- without picking up others- for a nominal fee.

Well, it was graduation day at Chiang Mai University which is next door to the zoo. We were stuck in a horrible traffic jam and the song tao driver kept trying to find smaller side streets to avoid the traffic. However, it seemed like the smaller alleys were even more crammed with people. The day was hot and we were really just stuck. At one point we heard a loud boom come from under the hood of our song tao. Within seconds a huge smoke cloud came out from under the hood as well. We thought for sure that the driver would stop. However, he actually kept going and started driving further and further away from our destination. We had no idea where we were going, what was happening to the truck, and weren't sure if we were in danger or not.

Eventually the driver drove out to the super highway (quite a distance from the center of town- where we are staying.) He was going to have us wait in the truck while he tried to fix it. We opted instead to walk to a nearby restaurant and call another cab. In all, it was a memorable day!

A Thai Wife for Jamaica Man

2012-01-19T04:02:00.000-08:00

In the past, I've posted about Mark's odd souvenir from Jamaica- a wooden statue of a man smoking a pipe. Jamaica Man has become a beloved member of the family since having the girls. They enjoy decorating him for Tet and Christmas as well as dressing him with their jewelry and other accessories.

So, when we came to Thailand we came up with a silly idea. We have found a Thai wife for Jamaica Man!

Mr. Jamaica Man... we hope you aren't doing too poorly in the storage unit. We are happy to report that we think we may have found your perfect match and hope the two of you live happily ever after.

And the Winner Is...

2012-01-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

My Dad. He guessed March 11th and was the closest one.

We actually will be flying home starting at 11:50 pm on March 9th and getting home March 10th.

I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that the winner was one of my parents. Apparently, it was killing them that they didn't know the date yet and so they both did a lot of research before putting in their guesses. (Dad even looked up the airplane schedules.)

So, congratulations. Thanks to all of you who played along. It was fun to hear from so many of you. Of course, we look forward to seeing you all when we get home!

When Are We Coming Home?

2012-01-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

Mark just finished booking our flight back to Colorado. We thought of a silly game to play with all of you who have been following our blog. So, we are announcing the "Guess When the Kremers are Coming Home" Contest. . The person who is the closest will win their very own souvenir from Thailand. (We'll wait and see who it is, so we don't award something uber-girlie to a guy or something silly like that.) Besides, it will be fun for us to do a little special shopping for one of you.

Leave your guess in the comment section of this post. We'll announce the winner in 48 hours. Good luck. And remember, you can only book airline tickets 330 days in advance.

The Party Bus

2012-01-13T16:46:00.001-08:00

Life in Thailand is never dull. That definitely extends to their buses as well. The buses here have been spray painted with super bright colors and are decorated in unbelievable ways. The girls favorites are the buses with the Finding Nemo characters. While on the outside, many of them look "ghetto". They appear to be really nice inside and bring loads of Thai tourists around the country in comfort (and style!) Of course, each bus has the words "Long Live the King" written on their fronts. And no, they aren't talking about Elvis.

Vengeance is Ours!

2012-01-10T05:09:00.000-08:00

Here in Chiang Mai, things are mostly bilingual. If you are Thai, you are expected to know Thai and if you aren't, you are expected to know English. Usually I feel sorry for the non-English speaking tourists. There are tourists here from all over the world, Japan, Korea, Europe, Australia, North and South America. I'm sure it must be hard to be conversing with the natives when neither party is using their native language.

However, today at lunch I'm ashamed to say that Mark and I had evil pleasure while watching three French speaking women struggle to order lunch in English. I know- we're horrible. But after spending three months in France, it was just too fun to watch!

I'm Just Curious...

2012-01-09T06:41:00.000-08:00

This plaque had me perplexed. In a country that is 95% Buddhist, I'm wondering what the flowers are converting to (and converting from).

The Elephant Day

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today was the day Maria and Teresa were finally waiting for... in fact, we hyped it up so much that last night when asked what tomorrow brought Teresa actually thought it was Christmas. Nope, it was the elephant day.

We woke up early and had a car and driver take us to the Maesa Elephant Camp outside of Chiang Mai. Once there, we were able to buy some bananas and sugar cane and feed the elephants. Both kids were excited to see so many elephants there. Maria can usually spend her whole visit to the Denver Zoo watching the two elephants there. This was unreal! Teresa wasn't keen on feeding the elephants or getting too close but she definitely enjoyed watching them from a safe distance.

We then got to watch the Mahmots give them a bath in the river before the elephants heading up to the elephant show. In all honesty, the show was kind of slow and often just silly. The elephants did a few tricks and then played a short soccer game. They also painted. I was amazed at their eye hand coordination- better than two kiddos I know.

The hightlight though was taking a half hour elephant ride. Both girls loved it. At one point I was worried about falling off the dumb seat while trying to keep Teresa from falling out. But, we made it through unscathed and the girls loved it!

I always thought life was easier if you were blond

2012-01-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Chiang Mai, Thailand. After literally three days of travel, we finally made it out of France, through Switzerland and Germany and into Thailand. The flight here was over an impressive list of countries Americans have been taught to fear- much of the Middle East, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India, and Burma.

After the initial shock, we are starting to get into the spirit of adventure here and are loving much about this city so far. All of us having been loving the Thai food and glad to eat more like our family does at home. I smile when I hear the girls talk about wanting to eat the street food here because they recognize and love the smells- satays, peanut sauce, lemongrass, etc. The weather is a lot nicer than the rain and cold of Colmar. We have also loved the shopping! Prices here are incredibly cheap for the most part. The girls got cute outfits for $6, new shoes for $8. All of us have been adding to our wardrobes bit by bit only spending a few dollars at any given time.

One thing though that the girls are hating is the attention that Teresa has been receiving because of her blond hair. People are anxious to greet her, talk to her, and touch her hair because she is so exotic. All of the attention is not appreciated by her as she is usually shy of strangers. Maria isn't liking it very much either.

Yesterday we were walking through the crazy, crowded Sunday night market. The girls were both hungry and unfortunately, we can't trust most of the street food at these events. However, we found a waffle vendor and so we ordered waffles and planned to eat them on the street. We brought the girls over to a place out of the way of the flow of traffic and were ushered into a shoe store by a teenage girl. She wanted to play with Teresa. So, she offered to let us eat in her store and pulled out stools for us. While sitting, she started to play with Teresa's hair and french braided it. When she was done, Maria asked her to braid her hair too. We thought it was funny that this girl had no motivation to get us into the store to buy something- she simply wanted to talk to Teresa and play with her. I always thought the world treated blonds different- what confirmation!

Post from Mark: Our final week in France

2011-12-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

As we begin our last of twelve weeks in (mostly) France, we are certainly worn down. We went to seven different towns. Mark has worked full time for nine of those weeks. We have had two little girls to look after. We have relied on public transportation for eleven of the twelve weeks. (In fact when Kristi's parents mentioned our Subaru back home, we both were taken back for a moment trying to comprehend that we actually own a car!) There are things in the U.S. that we miss, like family and friends, the gym, and being able to understand the language around us. However, neither of us are ready to head home. We will miss the great wine; the stores being shut on Sundays and during lunch; the less-stressful life-style of the French. We will miss being in a country where a worker, no matter what their job, carries it out with pride and a sense of dignity. Respect is not based on salary here. We will also miss the "mom and pop" shops that strive to sell the perfect baguette and the complete and total attention one gets when being waited on in a store, or especially the post office.

We will certainly miss France. However, an American may only stay in the EU for 90 days. Therefore it is time for us to go. And in many ways this is the right time to go. We have not stayed long enough to despise all of the differences. We are spending the last twelve days celebrating Christmas days with Kristi's parents. We have survived almost two months of rain. It is now cold...

Ahhh Thailand... Warm weather, affordable food and lodging, healthier food, the "land of smiles" await us. We are excited about what experiences and wisdom Thailand will offer us. But for now, we will savor our last days in France, our time with Kristi's parents, the Christmas season, and a few more glasses of vin chaud (spiced, hot wine).

Post from Mark: You know your are being watched over when...

2011-12-13T12:43:00.001-08:00

Living life the way we have been for the past few months, there are countless times where things can (or possibly should) go wrong. Sometimes they are just minor things, but other times they can be more painful. Anyway, we have been on the receiving end of some extraordinary intervention for three consecutive days.

Example 1: We are in Lyon, France's second largest city, for the annual light festival. This draws millions of people. Extra trains are run between Paris and Lyon. Hotels are booked nine months in advance. After viewing some of the amazing lights, we stop at a sandwich shop to sit and eat. It is 8pm. We leave and head for the subway stop, but before we get to the long line for the subway, we see in the main square a really neat procession of Japanese lanterns. So we walk through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and watch for 15 minutes. As we are leaving the crowds and heading for the subway line, Maria says she doesn't have her blanket (that would be devastating for all four of us!). We know that there is no way to find it if she lost it in the crowded square, so we head straight for the sandwich shop. When we get there we see several adults sitting at our table. We stare all around them looking for Maria's blanket. Finally the security guard asks if we need help. He actually speaks a little English! We try to explain that we might have left her blanket at that table, and he actually understands. (For those who haven't been to France, English is not nearly as common as you would like it to be...) He goes on to ask the people at the table to move and we see Maria's blanket, wedged at the base of the chair closest to the wall. Anyone with kids knows what a relief that was!

Example 2: Next night in Lyon, we plan on going to the Basilica for 5pm mass. To get there requires us walking two blocks, taking a subway for one stop, and transferring to a funicular for a quick trip up a steep hill. Based on prior experiences, we conservatively estimate this will take us 30 minutes. Since we want some time to admire the Basilica prior to mass, we leave at 4pm. We get off the subway at 4:15, but then discover a very slow moving, several block-long line for the funicular. There is no way to walk up the hill with the girls. Kristi gets all stressed and asks one of the security guards if we can move up in line since we have kids (this actually does happen frequently in France) and are trying to get to mass. The answer is "no". At 4:40, we see a sign that says the wait from our spot s 25 minutes. That means we will be late. Just "how" late is the question... After I calmed down, I said that God will get us there when we need to be, and there is nothing more we can do. God knows we are trying to be at mass, and on time. So the line slowly moves and we board the funicular at 4:59. We arrive at the outside of the Basilica and see another huge line to get inside. Again, from past experiences we know that these are tourists and that there is a separate entrance for mass, but how to find this special entrance? Somehow through the crowds Kristi immediately spots a seminarian and he points us to a side door. As we walk to our pew from the side of the church, the priest is processing in. Perfect timing!

Example 3: After taking a 4 hour train ride from Lyon, we arrive at 4:30pm in Colmar. It is still light outside, but getting dark. It isn't very warm either. We have 3 suitcases, a carryon, two backpacks, and two little kids. We go to the taxi stand to get a ride to our apartment. The taxi driver laughs us off, saying it is very close and we should walk. We ask him directions and he basically says down this street and then go right. We are not very happy about this, but there are no other cabs... We start walking and follow the signs to city center. After 15 minutes, we ask two different people for directions. After a while we are in one of he Christmas markets (a shoulder-to-shoulder, barely moving crowd) with all of our stuff! We slowly walk but really don't know if we are even going in the right direction. We ask once more, and this time the guy confuses "left" with "right" so we walked (crawled) even more. After over an hour, we arrive at our apartment. The landlord is out of town, but had previously told us the code needed to enter the building and the other code to enter our apartment. We make it through the first door only to find a second door. This second door is mostly glass and is just before the steps, and is not the door to our actual apartment. It is locked. There is a key hole. We were never given keys nor told we needed keys. We pull on it. Nothing. We pull harder and I could see the door and the small wall section that is it locked to move forward, but still nothing. Panic time. Prayer time. While Kristi tries to call the landlord on our cell phone, I decided that if breaking the door is the only option, I would do that. It is now 6pm. I pull really hard a few times and just when I think the door is about to break, it opens. We eventually find out that this second door unlocks for 20 seconds after the code is entered on the first door. So you have to go through both sets of doors quickly. I go downstairs with Maria (and my cell phone) to test this out. Sure enough, that is what it takes. The funny thing is that I have tried several times since to open the door after 20 seconds and it doesn't give a bit. How did I ever force it open when I really needed to??? Divine intervention.

Fortunately, the last two days we haven't needed such obvious intervention!

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception

2011-12-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

Before leaving, I had a lot of interesting conversations with people regarding the lack of Catholicism in what used to be such a Catholic country. Overall, I would agree that the churches aren't as full as they seem to be back home, nor do the parishes seem to be as dynamic. I blame a lot of this on how the French government has taken away the service of the church, no more Catholic schools, hospitals, or places for the poor here. However, there are sometimes small signs that point to the fact that the Church is still very much alive yet. These posters have been put up all over the city. I've also noticed that at numerous florist shops a sign will post whose feast day it is. Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception to all of you!

The Feast of Saint Nicholas

2011-12-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Feast of Saint Nicholas. We braved the Parisian rush hour to head to the Champs Elysee. There, between the Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and other high end stores was a small tourist office for the Alsace region. This is where will be heading to on Sunday and is considered to be the magical place to celebrate Christmas in France.

A children's choir had trained in from Straussbourg that morning. While they were singing, St. Nicholas arrived with hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies bearing his image. He made a fantastic job of making sure that every child in the crowd received their sweet treats from him. The girls really enjoyed it, although unfortunately Maria was a little surprised that he looked more like a bishop than like Santa Claus. (Apparently the Veggie Tales movie about St. Nick didn't clear that up for her as she though St. Nick would look like a carrot.) Amazingly, the crowd wasn't too crazy and nothing about it was commercial- just perfect for starting off the Christmas season!

While there, Mark made a horribly funny remark. Our gym back in Colorado is a wonderful, cushy, over-the-top place. While we love the gym, we don't always appreciate the other patrons. Usually conversations sound like a "snob-off". Mark said, "I think you can now have something to beat everyone else's snobby stories- just tell them you took your kids to see St. Nick on the Champs Elysee." Maybe, we'll keep most of that story to ourselves when we get home.
After Saint Nicholas, we went over to the major department stores Printemps and Galleries Lafayette for their over the top Christmas decorations. Printemps had store windows with puppets who were supposed to represent various parts of the world. It was tres-Parisian. I don't think our American, style-lacking, minds could comprehend just how any of it had to do with Christmas (little Karl Lagerfelds, Harajuku girls and American airline stewardesses), but it was a lot of fun to see.

A few more photos

2011-12-02T09:27:00.001-08:00

I will get around to writing a real post soon. However, in the interim, here are a few funny photos from our first full day in Paris.

Advertising "Fast and Slow Food". These guys have made sure that they have all their bases covered!

What Maria wants for Christmas. Red velvet cat high heels at the Bon Marche. It just doesn't get any more elegant when you're four.

The Perfect Name

2011-12-01T23:51:00.001-08:00

Our last night in Montpellier we were walking around the city and came across the most perfect name for a store in France- "Closed". Really, it's rare that they are "Open".

Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

Many of you have written asking what we did for Thanksgiving this year. No, the French don't celebrate it. And while, the day before Thanksgiving I definitely was missing our families and friends, and the thought of a pumpkin spice latte, Thanksgiving outside of the US has been somewhat of a tradition for Mark and I.

In 2006 we celebrated Thanksgiving dinner in an Italian restaurant in one of the trendest hotels I have ever seen in Shanghai. 2007 saw us eating Thanksgiving dinner (McDonald's) on a train platform in Hiroshima, Japan. (That is one place to really learn the meaning of thankfulness for the life you lead!)

This year we meet up with some friends that we had meet years ago in Boulder. Marie is from France, but was living in Boulder where she meet the French-Canadian Troy. They now live in the French countryside outside of Montpellier.

After two months as our own little island, it was wonderful to be able to meet and converse with friends for an evening. We went to a wonderful Thai restaurant, and had good "Boulder" conversations- about politics, gluten-free diets and the general state of the world. It was fun to be able to compare and contrast Boulder to South France with people who could definitely see the pros and cons of both. While it may not have been a traditional Thanksgiving meal, it will be a high point of our time here in France, and a wonderful memory for holidays to come!

And here is a short video of Maria and Teresa"speaking French" with Troy.

A Lesson in French Economics

2011-11-28T04:09:00.000-08:00

At the wine festival in Montpellier. Don't worry, the girls tasted desserts- not wine (we aren't that bad of parents.)

Even after two months, we continue to be amazed at the high prices for nearly everything in France. Usually, we compare things in dollar to euro increments. However, we have found that things here can usually be compared to the cost of a bottle of French wine. For those of you back home, we've made a nifty comparison chart

1 donut costs the same as 1/2 bottle of French wine

1 can of root beer = 1 bottle

6 minutes of cell phone time = 1 bottle

1 smoothie = 2 bottles

1 thing of deodorant costs = 2 bottles (which might be why the Europeans don't seem to use it quite as much as we do back home.)

1 typical lunch (w/o wine) = 4 bottles

1 pair of men's shoes = 4 cases of wine

1 men's dress shirt = 2 cases of French wine

Import tax charged to send a box of your own used clothes to yourself in France = 3 cases (don't ship anything to France)

Of course, the wines we've been drinking mostly have been the inexpensive, over home-made dinner with two toddlers and knowing that Mark has to get back to work kinds of wine. It's still funny to us though to think of how much wine any given object costs.

Post from Mark- The Highs and Lows

2011-11-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

Our experiences yesterday struck me as being really representative of what it is like traveling and living overseas. We had been in Avignon for three weeks, in a nice, centrally-located apartment. Everything we needed - a daily market for fresh, inexpensive produce, large grocery store, bakery, eye-glass place to fix Maria's constantly broken glasses, electronics store to replace Mark's broken headset, playgrounds for the kids, discount department store to replace the kids clothes... - all within a couple of minutes walk. Then we took an hour train ride to stay in a new town (Montpellier) for the next ten days. When we arrived we were picked up at the train station by the landlords of our new apartment. They spoke very little English and the apartment although large and clean, did not appear to be stocked with basics such as TP and paper towels, nor many kitchen items such as a cutting knife. In addition, the apartment appeared to not be centrally located, but in a rather mediocre-looking suburban apartment zone. We were tired,it looked like it was about to rain, and it was Sunday, which means that the very few grocery stores that are open close by 12:30. It was 11:45. We were both thinking "why did we leave the nice setup we had in Avignon!!!".

We promptly headed out looking for food. We came to a sandwich shop that was out of sandwiches. They had three small pizzas so we bought them all. We then saw a small outdoor market, but most of the food for sale were the the smelly foods that we don't like - the strong cheeses, sausages, and seafood. We almost ran to a small grocery store that was closing in 2 minutes. Inside we just grabbed any item that looked familiar. We just needed something, anything, for lunch and dinner, to hold us over until Monday morning.

We came home, ate our cold pizzas and relaxed for a bit. A little while later we caught the tram to the city center and that is when our mood totally shifted. The main square was prettier perhaps than anything in Paris. There were many brassieres, creperies, and sandwich shops open. There was a large shopping mall - something we hadn't seen since home. There was a large and friendly tourist information center where we were able to be educated on the town. There was a large playground for the girls to run around. We ended up having smoothies, sandwiches, and pastries for dinner and after realizing how close the main square is to our apartment, walked home. On the way home, we discovered that our apartment is only a couple of blocks from the same large shopping mall we saw in the city center.

These few hours are so representative to what we constantly are experiencing by living overseas, and moving from place to place while doing so. There are plenty of moments that we have to ask "why in the world are we doing this???", but it seems like almost every one of those moments has been followed by a "this is so cool! I am really glad we are here having these new experiences". So after saying goodbye to Avignon - which we really loved, we are excited to be in the very clean and livable town of Montpellier, and are excited to spend the next ten days experiencing what it has to offer.

Hanging out with Saint Teresa

2011-11-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to mass. It happened to be a children's mass. There was a Carmelite sister who was in charge of the religious education for the children. When we saw her leading the choir, I pointed her out to Teresa and said, "Look, she is dressed like Saint Teresa of the Roses." (That's what we call St. Therese of Lisieux in our house since we have little Teresa Rose named after her.)

Teresa answered, "No mom, that is Saint Teresa of the Roses."

She and I went back and forth for a few moments before I let the issue go. Then, at communion time, all of the children were rounded up to receive a special blessing from the priest. The sister came up to Maria and Teresa and asked them to go up with her. The girls walked up to the front of the church holding on to her hands and smiling like crazy.
Teresa was so excited to be able to hang out with her namesake- Saint Teresa!

When I Grow Up...

2011-11-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here are a few wall hangings for sale a few doors down from our apartment. The middle one says, "When I grow up, I want to be a bureaucrat like Dad." Now, that's something you just wouldn't see in the United States... It makes me laugh every time I walk past it!

PS- Thanks Kyle for the correction, apparently it just says "I'll go to the office." Now that's just not as fun. Once again, my limited French gets things wrong... although sometimes it makes life more fun and interesting.

The Ugly American

2011-11-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the great follow up story to that last blog post. I should have made more of a mention in the last post that the two women involved were both French so it was far from an anti-American rudeness. But the American rudeness... well, I have witnessed that!

The next day after I was back at the playground with Maria and Teresa. Teresa was walking across a little rope bridge when another boy around her age ran over to her. He started to purposely shake the bridge, obviously just to bother her. She got really upset and yelled, "I speak English so you better stop it right now!" Lucky for him, he obliged.

Shopping

2011-11-11T05:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took Maria and Teresa to the playground. On the way back, Maria asked if we could stop in to a few stores. One that we visited was a high-end decorating place.

The lady behind the counter greeted us rather coldly when we entered. However, I looked around and quickly realized it was not a good place to take two preschoolers. Moments later, another woman came in with her school age daughter.

The worker greeted her in the same manner and then asked if there was something she was looking for. The woman said she was just looking. A few moments later she said, "How much is the pillow in the window?" To which the worker replied coldly, "You told me you were only here to look." That's customer service!

Maria's latest fashion statement

2011-11-08T06:02:00.000-08:00

A few days ago Maria got it into her head that she needed to dress more "French". Or, at least that's what I'm assuming happened. In any case, she thought she needed her own scarf. When she didn't have one, she decided to just use her pajama bottoms. Mark went to take a picture and she decided that she would even do the serious pose for the camera. Ah, so glad to see she's picking up on Avignon fashion... and I'm even more glad that it isn't the same Avignon fashion that Picasso saw...

WARNING- DON'T READ THIS IF YOU ARE A VEGETARIAN OR DON'T LIKE SEEING DEAD MEAT

2011-11-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

Spices from the spice stand. The purple in the front is lavender salt.

I read a book once that claimed that people either came to France because of the food, or they feel in love with the country because of the food. The author wrote about the whole experience as if it was really some seduction by a lover. Surprising, the author wasn't French, but that seems to be the attitude that many of them take. Food here is serious stuff. And, Provence seems to be the head quaters of the serious foodies. If that's the case, there really isn't any better place than the markets. We are a few blocks away from Avignon's market, Les Halles. So far, we have loved mostly everything from there. The vegetables seem to taste better, the bread is incredible, and the prices are more reasonable than elsewhere in the city.

The olive stand with all sorts of different olives, vinegars, and other aperitif foods.

You can actually see the mold grow on the cheese here. This has been the one place that we have learned to stop accepting free samples. Usually we have to find a trashcan or mouthwash out of the shop people's sight. Maria is bummed out that with 100's of kinds of cheese in France, cheddar and the powdery stuff for mac and cheese are not here.

I'm not sure why they include the heads of the chickens, ducks and rabbits. I suppose there are people here who do eat them (along with cow's head). We have been able to get into some excellent discussions with the kids about where food comes from. I'm surprised we don't have two vegetarians yet. They were especially grossed out with the cow.

Arles

2011-11-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

In front of Van Gogh's starry night cafe. (The original cafe was actually not yellow, but they painted it yellow later to capitalize on the tourists.

Greetings from Provence- the land of the wind and the sun. Only, since Wednesday, it has been the land of downpours and thunder. Hopefully it will be nice and we can venture out again soon.

Tuesday, we went to the town of Arles, a 17 minute train ride from Avignon. It's sort of pronounced "Arl" like a pirate, only not entirely. I however, had great fun repeating the name in my best pirate voice. Not exactly fitting in like a local here :)

Arles may be best known as the town where Van Gogh painted his sunflowers, had his yellow house and cut off his ear. It's also famous for its Roman ruins- both an arena and an amphitheater.

The girls dancing on an old Roman stage at the ampitheater. It's not every day you get to perform "an amazing show" on a stage constructed before Christ.

Just a cute picture that Mark took of Teresa while I got to go with Maria to the yuckiest bathroom in the Provence region... be glad you see Teresa and not the bathroom...

The girls at the arena. It is still used for French bull games. They tie a ribbon to the horns of a bull and then some men try to pull it off without getting gored. Sounds like fun!

The Things You Leave Behind

2011-10-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

I can tell that we are getting to be weary travelers. We have been in Europe now for only 4 weeks. However, before that we we in the condo in Estes Park so it has really been 10 weeks since we have had our home. Travel is one of those experiences that can be extremely exhilarating, as well as exhausting. The fact that everything is new and different brings about such a mixed bag of emotions.

A week ago, Mark and I were talking about what things we miss from home. Mark and I both miss the gym- being able to workout and having time to ourselves to unwind. (The daycare is nice too.) Mark misses Amazon and Netflix. I miss Starbucks. (He said that was pretty stupid- he hates coffee. I pointed out it's as stupid as Amazon and Netflix.) Also, I miss ziploc bags and garbage disposals. Maria definitely misses her toys and some of the comfort foods from home- peanut butter, cheddar cheese, mac and cheese, etc. (High quality foods, right?) I'm not sure if Teresa misses anything or not. She is always kind of clueless and still in that wonderful travel age before needed the bathroom every ten minutes, and having an opinion about everything under the sun.

Aside from the silly things, we also have really felt isolated in this little adventure. I had looked forward to our family becoming more reliant on each other. However, it is hard when the most simple of conversations (ordering food, going to the store, etc.) become a major task. We have come to appreciate the need to be around family and friends.

One month is hardly anything on an adventure like this. It would be the month that we would most expect culture shock and rough waters. But, so far, I think we are learning to appreciate what it is that we have back home.

The Trials of the Last Few Days

2011-10-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

We are raising "Good Catholic Girls". We asked Teresa to stand next to the Marian statue in the stairwell of the apartment. This is the angelic picture we got!

Walking up to the Palace of the Popes through a little picturesque alleyway.

And just because we take a picture every Sunday where we attend mass. Of course, an ugly church in France would still outshine most churches back home.

I have been slow to update the last few days even though we have come to a new city, Avignon. The reason was our living situation was kind of crazy... well, really crazy. We arrived to find a dusty apartment that was extremely run down and really non-functional. We stayed in a hotel, tried to fix it up, and ended up moving to a different place. So, three days later, we finally started our time in Avignon.

Aside from the kid's song, Avignon is best known for the place that the popes lived during the "Babylonian Exile". The pope found that the kings in Italy were getting to be too pushy, and moved here. Only moving back wasn't so easy after awhile and it's a whole messy part of Church history. However, the whole fiasco did create a beautiful tourist city for the four of us to enjoy. We spent today going to mass at a beautiful church, going to the food market, and then walking around the gardens behind the Pope's Palace. The kids got to enjoy the playground and all of us were able to enjoy walking around in the Provencal sun.

Tomorrow we are off to a Halloween party with a few other English speaking families. I think we are really looking forward to the opportunity to speak to someone and do something that isn't completely isolating or touristy.

Carcassonne

2011-10-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

We have been in Carcassonne for a week now. Carcassonne is a cute town that is definitely on the tourist circuit for many Europeans. It is most famous for it's old fortified city. The walls were first built by Gallo- Romans and were added to by many others throughout the medieval times. It is the largest fortified city in Europe and really does look like something out of a fairy tale. (Walt Disney fashioned Sleeping Beauty's castle from it.)

We have spent our week exploring it, as well as the "new" Bastide part of the town. (As it was constructed in the 12th century it's called new. Funny place, this Europe is.) We have toured the sites, although really most tourists just spend a few days here so we have already exhausted the sites.

So, our life is also busy trying to check off the everyday to-dos. It's funny, that most of my time is spent thinking about grocery shopping, laundry, and keeping the kids busy. Not too different from home, really.

Sometimes it all seems quite romantic. For instance, Saturday we bought most of our meal from the local farmers at the farmers market. We even bought spices from a man who had his spices laid out in simple cotton bags. It really felt like something straight out of the middle ages.

Sunday we attended mass at the beautiful Gothic church in the walled city. It was a beautiful place, with original stained glass windows. With the sights, the smell of incense, and the words of the mass it all seemed so timeless. Maria started to jump up and down a little bit and up came 600 years worth of dust. Really, I had never thought about Gothic dust until that moment.

Other times the day to day can be a challenge. Without a car, there is a lot of walking. We have to walk about 20 minutes each way for our groceries. The laundromat is about 10 minutes from here and not very romantic either. (I suppose they never really are, are they?)

First Impressions of France

2011-10-12T12:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we trained over to Carcassonne, France from Barcelona. It was supposed to be a four hour trip with a total of three trains. As we headed north, we were surprised to see that the landscape very much resembled Southern Colorado. It was kind of dry, and the Pyrennes looked a lot like the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to us.

After our second train, we arrived in Narbonne, France and were quite surprised to hear that our train to Carcassonne had been canceled due to a strike. We had to laugh. We had been surprised that in our two weeks in Paris last spring we had never encountered a strike. Yet, within an hour of being in France this trip, a strike had made our plans of continuing on, rather difficult.

Luckily, the French seem to be prepared for such things and a bus had been arranged for us. We only had to wait a few hours. So, we settled in to a lunch of croque monsiers, sandwiches de jabon, and Perrier --tres French.

At the station we also meet an older couple who appeared in their 80's. They had been completely robbed of all of their money while in Barcelona. The woman used a cane and both seemed surprisingly old to be traveling on their own. It made us glad that we were away from the big city and had gotten out with all of our belongings. It was kind of fun having another group to speak to- even if it was just for a few hours.

Once we arrived in Carcassonne, we were thrilled with our decision to visit here. The town is comprised of an old, medieval village as well as a more, working French town. It is cute, quaint and quiet- a much needed reprieve. We will be staying here for a total of two and a half weeks. I have already found my French to be appalling basic and am spending my free time trying to learn more. Hopefully by Christmas I will at least be able to apologize for my poor French!

Why you don't give an Asian preschooler a camera...

2011-10-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Before leaving, Mark and I had thought it would be a fantastic idea to buy Maria a cheap camera on ebay so that she could take her own pictures of things while on our trip. We were right- she has loved having her camera. However, in one sense Mark and I regret getting her one. She has enjoyed using it so much that we have needed to stop everywhere so that she can take her own pictures of things. We have been joking around that she has quite meet the stereotype about Asian tourists and cameras!

Looking through her treasured photos.

Having the rest of us pose for her at the Parc Guell.

And when there isn't anything else to take a picture of, you can always keep yourself busy with self portraits!

Gaudy Gaudi

2011-10-09T04:52:00.000-07:00

The rooftop of La Pederera

Parc Guell

Of course, the one thing that Barcelona is most known for is it's architecture designed by Antoni Gaudi. So far, we have visited three Gaudi sites; the Parc Guell, the Pedrera, and the Sagrada Famailia Church.

As a Catholic, I am of course, partial to any artist who has a strong spiritual element in their work. I do really like Gaudi. Some of it, granted is just plain gaudy (pun intended). I was most impressed with the Sagrada Familia. It really is impossible to describe and pictures can hardly do it justice.

I had visited the Sagrada Familia ten years ago when I was here. I remember that visit well since it was the only time I have ever wished for an umbrella while being inside of a church. It had rained that morning and they had yet to build the roof of the nave. Ten years later, it was remarkable what they had accomplished. There is now a roof, and some of the stained glass has been placed in it. The church is an odd mix of styles and architects. As a Catholic interested in art, there was something very encouraging to see about such a large, beautiful church being built in a country that is very much lacking it's spiritual grounding. I look forward to seeing what the church will be like when it is completed. I think they are predicting it to all be done in the year 2026.

Hola de Barcelona

2011-10-08T04:31:00.000-07:00

I'd like to apologize for being slow to start up our blog here in Barcelona. We've been having internet troubles and have been keeping to a remarkably busy schedule so there have been precious little opportunities when I've had both the time and the means to update.

The flight here went really rather smoothly. In fact, Mark and I commented that Teresa was the best behaved that she has ever been in her whole life. (Thanks to the Mickey Mouse cartoons that she saw about 10 times in a row on the long flight over.) In order to redeem her reputation though, she made sure to throw a big temper tantrum at the Parc Guell. (Just one more place to add to the list of world sites that she has thrown a temper tantrum in. It's an impressive list.)

As I said, we are keeping a very busy pace given that we have the girls and we are having a few problems adjusting to the different time zone. The first night here, the girls woke up at 2 am and were hungry. They thought it was fantastic to have a "party" at that time and we have had to squash subsequent parties. They have been adjusting better than Mark and I though. And just to remind us that we are in Spain, a huge party happened across the street on Wednesday evening. The gallery across the way threw an opening for its show. The current exhibitor wraps things up in aluminum foil. I suppose enough people thought him to be a genius given the large crowd. Or maybe, they came for the liquor and DJ. Anyway, it was around 3 am before things calmed down.
I was going to include some pictures but now the internet is running really slow again. I'll try again later. Hope you are all well!
Kristi

One Day More

2011-10-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we'll discover

What our God in heaven has in store.

One more dawn.

One more day.

One day more!

Recognize the lyrics to the musical "Les Miserables"? The song has been echoing in my head all day long since we have "One day more" until we leave on our trip. Of course, we have been reading many books, and seeing any movie to get a little cultural glimpse of France. It's impossible to ignore Victor Hugo!

Last night when I went to bed, I was thinking how things are going to change so quickly once we land. Reflecting on my day, I was thinking about how earlier I had lamented that I had been unable to go through the drive-through at Starbucks. Instead, I had to go in, give my order to an actual person, and have human contact. Funny how I look forward to this contact in Europe. I say that I'm excited to have things be simpler, slower and more personable. Yet, here, I am eager to avoid conversation in order to get home as quickly as possible.

I'm curious to see how Mark's and my expectations will be meet and also blown away. This is after all, what travel seems to be all about. Now, we are on to the hardest part about traveling- packing the suitcases. Next post will be from Barcelona!

The Thai Consulate

2011-09-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of our final trips to get things ready for the trip. Maria, Teresa and I went to the Thai Consulate in Denver to obtain our visas and then went to the Global Travel Health Clinic as Maria and I still needed one vaccine each before we left.

I felt like with the visit to the consulate, our trip was finally real and almost upon us. We've been preparing for that visit for a few months now. I especially was kind of excited since the only time that I had ever been in an embassy or a consulate was in the US embassy in Hanoi when we adopted Maria. Being at the embassy there, diffently had the feel of being back in the US. (Unfortunately, what it actually resembled was more of a US DMV feel, but all the same it was difinately not Vietnamese. For example, posters with American symbols were all over. Reading in English seemed like a special treat, even if the poster gave instructions as to what to do in case of needing to evacuate the country. Most importantly, the place had a very American feel to it in the order that reigned over the building. Lines to get through security- set times to meet with personnel- papers had to be presented in a certain order- not exactly the way that the Vietnamese get things done.)

So, anyway, I was excited to go into the consulate. I imagined it to have beautiful posters of smiling people with their hands pressed together. Perhaps there would be a few pictures of white elephants. At the very least, there would have to be one photograph of the Thai King. After all, every Thai restaurant has one, it would be unimaginable for a consulate not to have one.

I was obviously surprised to walk into an office building then that had a six inch flag of Thailand in the corner with a tiny plague that read "Thai Consulate". The largest picture in the room was a cowboy riding a bull. And the woman was blond and blue eyed. She was extremely helpful and nice though. It was far from the "other worldly" visit I had expected. It was probably better for the girls too that it was less formal than I had anticipated because Maria was full of questions about passports and visas and elephant rides through the jungle. We have the visas (hope they are legitimate ), we have our plane tickets, our train tickets, and our yellow vaccine cards. Let the adventure begin!

Elk, Elk and more Elk

2011-09-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Like I had mentioned earlier, one thing that Estes Park has in abundance is elk (along with caramel apples). We have been trying to take the girls out to Rocky Mountain National Park each evening because we are now in the midst of elk bugling season. It's always neat to watch them up there in the wild. Of course, the only way you are guaranteed to see them is to walk over to the golf course behind the condo where we are!
Here are a few pictures of the elk and the kids watching the elk. I sort have wished we had brought the camera with us last night though. It was the one time we didn't bring along the camera, and it was the closest and most interesting action we have seen. To begin, we had to be careful not to hit the two females and the male who were walking right through the middle of the tourist shops downtown. (I'm guessing they were looking for caramel apples.)

After that, we saw a fairly good sized herd outside of the entrance to the Park. There were three males who were all taking their turns trying to compete for the group. On the way home from that we had stopped once again to watch another large herd cross the street. As we were watching the male elk round them up like a herding dog, we were surprised to hear a loud bugling noise come from the other direction. I turned around in the car to look at the kids and all I could see out the back window was a lot of dark fur. Maria's window was rolled down and I freaked out thinking that the elk was only about a foot from our car. (Male elk aren't exactly known to be logical, calm creatures during the rut.). Of course, he really had no interest in us. As Teresa would say, "He just wanted his honeys.", and Maria kept saying "This is a special night, this is the most special night ever"

Teresa's Birthday

2011-09-18T15:33:00.001-07:00

Teresa's actual birthday was kind of a quiet day. That morning she and I headed into Boulder for a doctor's visit. While we were gone, Mark found that we had overlooked something pretty important for our trip so he and I both went into a bit of a panic trying to correct it. (More on that later.)

We had a small family dinner at what could possibly be called the worst restaurant in Estes Park although Teresa loved it because of the cinnamon chips in her kid's meal. Overall, it was a success in her eyes! After dinner we went downtown to get carmel apples in lieu of birthday cake. Mark and I have been rationing the family on carmel apples (they really make the best ones here in Estes Park). For the first time, each family member got to pick their own apple instead of sharing one apple among everyone. Of course, the girls got the ones with the most sugar! Happy Birthday Tesa Rosie Posie!

The Scottish Irish Festival

2011-09-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the biggest weekend that Estes Park has all year. It was the Scottish Irish Festival. If I remember right, this was the 35th year of the festival. People come from all over the nation and the world to celebrate their Scottish or Irish heritage. One of the highlights of the festival is a parade in which people march with their clans. It was really neat to see an American parade that wasn't dominate by politics, advertising, or cars. It was dominated however by bagpipes, kilts and cute dogs.

The Scottsmen

And a crazy Irish man :)

After the parade we went to the festival itself- for beer, irish creme, a dog show, and more bag pipes. The real highlight however, was the jousting competition. Unlike at other festivals, the men here joust for real. They wear suits of armor that weight around 150 lbs, run at each other at 20 mph and try to knock their opponents off of their horse. We were sitting in the third row and had fantastic seats to view the whole violent, gory sport. Maria was really having a hard time trying to figure out who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. Teresa was exhausted from not napping. Mark was content sipping on his irish creme and I kept wondering what I would tell the girls if we saw a man get killed while participating in such a crazy event.

One of the knights preparing for his turn to run at his opponent with a dangerous, pointy object, while on a horse.

Good family fun!

Teresa's Birthday Party

2011-09-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday we had Teresa's birthday party. She really won't be three until September 16th, but since we had both sets of grandparents here, we decided to go ahead and have the party. It was a great time with family- both sets of grandparents, her great aunt and uncle, and my cousins all came. What was lacking in other little kids was more than made up in attention from adults! She choose to eat Chipotle (little Colorado girl that she is) and to play at the park, and ride the little train in Loveland. Considering she feel asleep right away during the ride back up the mountain, it seems like she had a great time.

Some of the adults riding the train. Lucky them- they got to sit in an open car.

Mommy and Daddy got to sit in the caboose with the girls- a tight fit!

Her over the top outfit. A pink tutu, monkey cupcake shirt, princess crown, and Hello Kitty sparkly sunglasses. You can't see the pink cowboy boots under it all.

Playing with Kalina on the swings.

A Visit from the Grandparents!

2011-09-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Mark's parents are leaving this morning for home (St. Louis). We had a great visit with them. They were here for a week. The girls were able to read books and make crafts with Grandma Sue, go hiking with everyone, listen to a John Denver tribute concert with both sets of grandparents, and play miniature golf. The golf game was really unlike any sport I have ever seen. The girls threw the balls as if they were bowling while I was playing defensive golf, knocking them back on the course when they threw them my direction. I don't think we're raising the next Tiger Woods...

Teresa wearing her Nana's hat.

Maria loving the attention of two grandmas.

Do they look excited or what?

Storytime

Just 'cause it's a darn cute picture...

2011-09-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.
Ashley Smith

Estes Park

2011-08-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends! I'm sure a few of you have wondered how our move went. It was crazy and chaotic, but I suppose that is just the way moves are. We have settled in to my parents' condo in Estes Park. Things haven't been as carefree and laid back as we have thought, but little by little we are getting more ready to leave the country.

I think most of those who read my blog are either Colorado residents or Colorado natives, but for the few of you who don't know the area well- let me tell you a bit about Estes Park.

It's a small, tourist town right at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park. As summer is coming to an end, the tourists are starting to die down. However, in the coming weeks, the place will be completely packed as elk bugling season begins. The Park itself is overpopulated with elk. The other morning we woke up to see four elk walking across the parking lot- about 4 feet away from us. A concert was late starting in the park this week because they couldn't shoo off the herd of elk in time.

I think that Mark is enjoying having the mountains literally out of our back door. Yesterday we drove up to the top of Trail Ridge Road and showed the girls the glaciers. We had gone up in search of animals but had only found one chipmunk and two marmots.

Saturday he took Maria with him on a hike. (Teresa and I spent the morning shopping in town.) I wasn't sure how it was going to go since before she left, she asked me "Why do I have to deal with dad and the mountains today and you don't?" However, she loved it once she was up there. I've included some cute pics from their hike.

Learning to be a nature photographer- just like her daddy.

Elitch Gardens

2011-08-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Friday evening Mark's company had a company picnic at Elitch Gardens (Denver's amusement park). The girls had a wonderful time riding all of the kiddy rides. You can see the joy on their faces!

This Old House

2011-08-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, we did it! Our house is under contract, we have passed the negotiations, done the inspection, and are just waiting for closing. We will close on August 19th, just over two weeks away! We are so excited and grateful that we have been able to sell the house in what seems like almost perfect conditions. This is the first step to our adventure and packing up the house makes it finally feel real!

My parents have graciously allowed us to use their condominium in Estes Park between the time we sell the house and the time we leave to France (just over a month). Estes Park is the Colorado tourist spot right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. It will be beautiful in September and I know that Mark is especially excited to be so close to the part of Colorado that drew him here to begin with.

Of course, as I'm packing our belongings, nostalgia has already started to creep into my thoughts. It's sad to think of leaving the house that both of my babies came home to. I look at our living room and think of the spot where Teresa took her first steps. I look at the stairs and think of the girls racing down on their tummies to see who can hit the bottom first. (If you saw how many stairs our house has, you would see that this is quite a fun game.) I look in the girls' bedroom and think of our first night home with Maria and how Mark and I slept on her floor because we were so afraid of being away from her. This is the first house that I have owned, and the first house that was "Ours" instead of just "Mark's".

I also think of the moment when we got home after returning from Vietnam. I burst into tears when I realized the amount of space and the wealth we had. That was the moment that I knew that this house would always be too big for us, and that we could live on less. I look forward to smaller places, where our family is forced to be closer together, where we are less drawn into the material world.

None of this trip makes sense. It is absurd to be selling the house, foolish to be living abroad for nine months, crazy to do this now, with children. Yet, we are confident that this is what the Lord has in store for us. There must be a reason that we have gotten to this point. So, we are busy getting ready for this great adventure that God has planned for us!

Extra Ordinary Days

2011-07-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an extraordinary day. I mean that in the sense that it was extra challenging, extra emotional, extra difficult.

In the past, I have alluded to some of the challenges we have been facing with Maria. Wishing to respect her privacy, and that of our family's, I don't care to get in depth about what we have been facing. I do want to say though that I am starting to realize just the depth of her emotional brokenness. Months ago I thought that she was stubborn, crazy, manipulative, and selfish. Thankfully, Mark and I have been learning through counseling and parenting courses that the root of all of this is fright and overwhelm. Seeing her behavior in this light changes everything.

In the first 14 months of her life, she was taught that adults don't appear when needed, and the most basic of needs weren't guaranteed to be met. I have no blame for the caretakers and nannies at her orphanage. I am certain that they gave the children the best that they could under the circumstances. However, it was just not enough.

Even once she had a family, they looked funny, had huge noses, smelled funny, talked funny and didn't resemble any adult she had ever met before. Four months later add a crying, screaming newborn with food allergies into the mix. This would be too much for even the most emotionally healthy adult.

I heard it said at Mothers of Preschoolers one time that the Lord gives you the exact children you need to learn holiness. Some days, I can just throw up my hands and ask "Why me Lord?" But I can kind of see how this is transforming me. I used to be that adult at the grocery store who frowned down upon the lady with the bratty kids, or the family at church whose kids couldn't stay quiet. I was the teacher who couldn't handle the ADD child. I now see these kiddos and know that there might be so much more going on in their life and family dynamics that I could ever care to know. I do not know what their earliest days were like, if they were loved and feed, if family left them or died. It is not my place to judge!

I do wish in a sense that Maria's emotional disabilities were as easy to recognize as a child with a physical disability. I think it would be easier for me and for others to be reminded that she needs some special accommodations.

For now though we press on with love. We celebrate the good days and persevere through the bad ones knowing there is always the day after those extraordinary days.

Teresa

2011-06-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Teresa has had a few great quotes over the last few days.

In the beginning of June, we put the house up on the market. Although we've been having quite a bit of traffic, we haven't had an offer yet. Yesterday I was sitting on the porch with Teresa and she noticed the sign in the yard and the box with the flyers for the house. She asked me why they were there. I explained it was for people who were interested in buying our house.

"That's silly!" She laughed, "A house is too heavy to buy. They can't bring it to the check out."

This morning we went to the grocery store. On the way home she tried to list all the types of berries she could think of. She came up with a good list, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and libraries.

The Bolder Boulder

2011-05-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

As yesterday was Memorial Day and we live in Boulder County, there was only one way to celebrate. We did the Bolder Boulder. Mark and I had jogged it a few years back without the kids. This year, however we wanted to do it with them, especially not knowing if we are going to return to the area after our world adventure.

I walked with Maria on my back and Mark walked with Teresa. In true Bolder Boulder fashion, there were the professional runners, the hard-core Colorado health nuts, two slip-n-slides, an accordion player, a flock of flamingos, a group of teens dressed like Where's Waldo, belly dancers and three young guys dressed in nothing but speedos. Ah, Boulder in the summertime!

Teresa enjoyed the walk and watching everyone around us. Maria wasn't enjoying it so much although she did manage to eat through all of the snacks that we had brought. And she loved the sky divers coming into the stadium at the end of the event.

Of course, today I am sore and hurting. All we did was walk! But I guess that's what happens when you do a 10K with a monkey on your back.

Operators are Standing By...

2011-05-23T18:19:00.001-07:00

Need a good laugh? A funny joke? A silly story. Give us a call. Operators are standing by.

Some Levity

2011-05-16T20:19:00.001-07:00

Things have been pretty serious around our house recently. It seems like since January we have been going through a dark, ugly, hard time with Maria. And the ugliness is honestly more to do with my reaction to her than Maria herself. Thankfully, we are learning how to reexamine this life of ours and I feel like we are on the path to some great healing. The last few weeks have been looking up for sure! I haven't been blogging about any of this for two reasons. 1.) It's personal- too personal to share that. and 2.) It's depressing.

I've been waiting for something light and fun to share with all of you and today was the perfect story. Teresa is now over two and a half- years-old. One year ago Mark and I were certain that she was on the path to being potty trained. What fools! She really hasn't shown any interest at all in the whole thing. We have tried the M&M's, the Elmo panties, even piercing her ears like her big sister. But we have yet to find her currency regarding potty training.

Today though, things started to change. Maria decided that today was the day to start potty-training her. I didn't know anything about this and walked in on the girls in the bathroom. Teresa was sitting on the potty and Maria was there to coach her along. However, there was a little problem. Maria was so excited to get Teresa to use the potty that she had an accident herself. Right there. Holding Teresa's hand and standing in a puddle of pee. While Teresa sat on the potty and watched.

The Moment

2011-04-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you all today the exact moment when we first saw Maria. (Notice the look of panic on our faces.) What an incredible memory! Happy Adoption Day Maria Kim Dung. We are so glad to have you in our family. The Lord has brought the four of us together and we are glad to be your forever family!

That We May Be Called the Children of God

2011-04-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be the third anniversary of Maria officially joining our family. I thought that in honor of the occasion, I would share with you the testimony of her adoption story that I had been asked to share last year at our MOPS meeting. I'm sure many of you have heard all or parts of this story. However, I was glad to read it again today, to remind myself of the miracle and be affirmed in the craziness of motherhood.

For those of you who haven’t met me yet, I’m Kristi Kremer. I live in Louisville, CO with my husband Mark and our two daughters Maria and Teresa. I was asked to share with you today a little bit about our journey to Maria.

Maria is adopted from Vietnam. When Mark and I were still single, both of us had dreams of internationally adopting. So, a month after we were married in the fall of 2005 we attended our first adoption information meeting. In a matter of months, we had decided to adopt a little baby girl from Vietnam.

At that time the Vietnam program had just reopened to Americans and we were told that we could expect a girl in 6-9 months. Well, as newlyweds, that almost seemed too fast. So, we took our time with our paper work and home studies. Finally we had everything ready in April of 2006.

Like any other expecting couple we were ecstatic. We started working on the nursery, collecting clothes and reading all about child rearing. But, I was shocked at how so many of our friends and family didn’t share our enthusiasm. We were asked why we were adopting, and why not an American baby, in a way that was really more an accusation than a question. It was amazing how many really ugly things we were told when we announced the news of adoption to people we thought were wonderful Christians.

It was at that time that a great loneliness started in my soul. All around me my friends were celebrating their pregnancies and there were baby showers everywhere. It was hard that the same excitement wasn’t being shared with us. I was so jealous of them and their little babies. Six months past, and then nine months past, and we really weren’t moving any closer to getting a child. It seemed like each week the wait was predicted as longer and longer.

Eventually, Christmas past, then Vietnamese New Year, and we still heard nothing. Unbeknownst to us though, a few days after Tet, Vietnamese New Year, a young couple came into the Transportation Hospital in Hanoi. They were unwed and college students who were studying accounting nearby. The woman had done her best to conceal her pregnancy, even wrapping her stomach with cloth so that she could hide her growing baby bump. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with huge eyes and big Angelina Jolie lips. The doctor who delivered the child had one grown son of her own and for some reason feel in love with this baby. She called her husband to tell him she was going to adopt the child. He told her she was crazy. Now the doctor was in a dilemma, what was she going to tell the birth parents? They had already been told that she would care for the child. So, she called up her good friend who took the child to his house, bathed her and then delivered her to an orphanage in Hanoi. Within hours of her birth the baby was placed under the orphanage care where she was given a name, “Kim Dung”. The name means Golden Beauty and is considered to be one of the most auspicious and best names for a Vietnamese girl.

Back in Colorado we were still going nuts waiting. June came and we were shocked to find out that I was pregnant. What in the world was God thinking? Here we were expecting to adopt a child any day and I was pregnant? However, at our first ultra sound we were told that the baby’s heart had stopped. I then started to wait for my body to miscarry the fetus. After a horribly traumatic ordeal where I literally almost bleed to death, I was told that if I would ever get pregnant again I would have another miscarriage. And so we turned all of our hopes toward adoption and the child waiting for us on the other side of the world

On October 4, 2007 we were finally told the joyous news that we would be adopting little Kim Dung. We were told to start packing our bags. We would be leaving in a matter of weeks. I quit my job, took care of the last minute details in the nursery and got ready for the trip of a lifetime.

Within days we got another phone call. The US Embassy was suspecting adoption agencies in the south of the country of baby buying. The rules had changed regarding adoptions and everything was at a standstill. We cancelled our trip and were forced to wait some more. Only, this time we weren’t waiting for just anyone. We were waiting for a little girl who we now knew by name. Her picture covered our refrigerator and was etched into our minds.

That Christmas was honestly horrible. It was hard to be excited about the coming of a baby boy in Bethlehem when we had lost one baby a few months earlier and were waiting on receiving a 10 month old. The only reports out of Hanoi were that somewhere between 40-100 babies were dying in the orphanages due to the flu. No one had seen Kim Dung or had any word about her. Our biggest hope was that they would be so kind as to notify us if she did die.

That January we were in for another surprise, I was pregnant again. This time around we didn’t bother to get excited; after all we were told that I would only miscarry again. One month past, nothing happened. Second month, I was still pregnant. Finally I was out of the first trimester and we started to think, “Hey, maybe we really will have this baby.”

Since there still was no word from Vietnam, we decided to do something really crazy and take matters into our own hands. We spoke to our agency who agreed to allow us to fly over to Hanoi. Once there, we could visit Kim Dung in her orphanage and wait for the paper work to be processed while we were there. Mark’s company graciously agreed to allow him to work from the hotel in Hanoi. It seemed like things were finally looking up.

We arrived in Hanoi and within hours were taking to the orphanage director’s office. He informed us that in the eyes of the Vietnamese, Kim Dung was already our baby. We only had to wait on the official signature from the US Embassy and she would be legally ours. We were informed that because of all of this, rather than visiting her in the orphanage, we were free to just take her with us that day.

Imagine thinking that you would have weeks to slowly get to know your 14 month old child. Instead, we picked her up without having even a diaper. She was so tiny, incredibly skinny but had the biggest eyes and the longest fingers. I can’t even begin to tell you what it was like to gaze upon her for the first time.

Our first week with Maria was crazy, just like the first week with any new child is. It was filled with moments of panic at being new parents in a strange country and joy and delight in our new little girl.

That Friday we got an e-mail from the US Embassy. They had gone to Maria’s orphanage and found that she was missing from there. Her case was to be put on indefinite hold and our adoption was put into severe jeopardy. After many phone calls to top government officials we were told that we would have to return Maria to the orphanage. And so we did, and were back to the waiting game. Finally two weeks later, we got our approval to adopt her, and completed the adoption ceremony the next day. We finally flew home as a family on Mother’s Day of 2008. Four months later, our baby Teresa was born.

I wish that I could sit here and tell you all that the Lord is calling all of you to adopt, but that would be a lie. I really do think though that it’s an important conversation for Christian couples to have. Adoption is not for everyone, but I do think the Lord is calling more Christians to come forward and adopt.

At both of the girls’ baptisms Father Michael said that both girls have an incredible story. The story about how they came into our family really isn’t mine or theirs but rather the Lord’s. He had chosen things to happen in such a way that others would come to know and praise Him. Maria has taught me so much about the love the Lord has for me. As much as I longed for Maria, the Father longs for me even more. Just as a marvel at her adoption story, so should I realize that we have all been adopted into God’s family. 1 John 3:1 says “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.”

Some people have commented that we saved Maria. I don’t agree with that at all. She was never unwanted. At the moment of her birth, the doctor wanted her. Many families came to the orphanage pretending to be her parents. Other families from France asked to adopt her. Yet, circumstances happened in such a way that clearly tells me that God designed her for us and us for her. Just as it’s our call to teach her about the Lord, she is forcing Mark and I to grow in our trust and faith as well. Why, I don’t know but I’m sure that as the years pass, God will reveal that to us as well.

I am really grateful to the Steering Committee for asking me to share this story with you. Maria is not an easy child to parent. She has ADD, vision problems, emotional and behavior problems, is underweight and has sensory processing issues all related to her time in an institution. It is really easy for me to get caught up in the doctor’s appointment and labels and forget what a miracle it is that she was connected to us. And so I think that if there is one thing that I would encourage all of us to do as moms it would be to realize what a miracle each one of our child is and to give thanks to the Lord for bringing them into our lives.

The Whys and the Why-Nots

2011-04-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Now that I have let all of you into our crazy little plan I can bet that you are a member of one of two camps. The "Whys" and the "Why-Nots".

I say that because when we have told anyone, usually the questions follow in a very predictable order.

1.) What does Mark do again?

2.) What are you going to do with your house?

and

3.) Why there? Why now? Why not wait until the kids are older? Why leave home at all? etc or

Cool. Yeah, why not?

It's been really hard to defend this decision to those in the "Why" Camp without getting into unpleasant conversations about politics, lifestyle choices, our dreams for our kids etc without sounding argumentative, snobby, or idealistic. In truth, there will never be a good enough reason for the "Why" Camp.

On the other side of the coin, no explanation is needed for the "Why-Nots". I especially loved some recent conversations I had with our neighbors. Instead of the usual set of whys, one asked where in France we are going. Another sighed, and wished for the same for his family. It was nice to know that if we really are crazy, at least there are other crazies out there in the world.

This has not been a decision that Mark and I have taken lightly by any means. The amount of time researching our options, looking into visa requirements, and evaluating the effect this will have on the girls has been tremendous. In essence, this has been slowly thought-out, over a six year time. After thought and prayer, we feel like this is the right decision for all of us, and this is the right time. So with this carpe diem attitude, we will press on.

Final Answer

2011-04-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

How long ago did you talk to us about our travel plans? For those of you who we don't see often I'm sure that you are familiar with our plans to go to Hanoi. Some of you might be thinking we are going to Hong Kong, Udon Thani, Paris, Laos, Krabi or Libya. (We'll Libya would be ridiculous.)

Mark and I have finally made a plan for the next few months that we're ready to stick to. We have decided that we will be leaving to Europe in October. We will then take a slow little turn around Barcelona and Southern France. We hope to meet my parents in Colmar, France for Christmas and to enjoy all of the cute little Christmas markets.

From there, we'll head off to Vietnam where we will be staying for three months in Hanoi. We hope to be able to have a "home base" as well as a chance to take in a few weekend trips around Vietnam.

After that, we'll be heading back to Europe for another three months. This is the one part of the trip that we have yet to plan. But hey, let's not go crazy with planning!

So, all in all, this will be a nine month world trip. Now on to the little details- learning two new foreign languages, packing for a nine month stint (and carrying the luggage with us as we go), transferring money to overseas bank accounts, and having the kids start a lemonade stand to pay for the whole adventure.

Signs Your Child Has Sensory Processing Disorder

2011-04-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Maria with her face painted like a little bear from "Ten in the Bed".

Most of you know that Maria has Sensory Processing Disorder. This is likely due to the 14 months that she spent in the orphanage at Hanoi. I've been asked how she was diagnosed with this. Here is a checklist I have created for you parents out there. (Tongue in cheek of course.)

1. You're child may have sensory processing disorder if you have ever had to explain that Carmex is not meant to smear on your legs, diaper cream doesn't go in your hair, and shaving cream shouldn't be smashed between your toes. It may feel good, but that's not the recommended use for these products.

2. If you have ever seen water be extracted out of a piece of bread.

3. If your child has ever taken off their Christmas dress in the middle of Mass because it was scratchy.

4. If you've ever picked out an outfit with your eyes clothes so you can feel which one is the softest.

5. If you've seen your kid spin so much she throws up and then keeps spinning.

6. If you understand the phrase "I needed to play with the pencils because they were cold and I wanted to touch something cold."

7. If you've asked your child to put their clothes on in the freezer at Cost Co.

8. You have taken your child to the doctor because of a toe infection caused by the child eating their toe nails.

9. If you constantly get "death-grip" hugs and love them!

Yin and Yang, Silk and Marriage Proposals

2011-03-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that by now all of you who read my blog know that we will be going to Hanoi, Vietnam for a few months. We aren't certain yet but think we will probably be there from October to March. Mark's company has given us the fantastic opportunity to live there while Mark would telecommute. We are so excited to be going back there! The planning has already begun.

Of course, there are big things to plan for. Apartment searches, visas, immunizations. But my head has been busy with a lot of stupid little things too. I've already begun dreaming about the ca phe sua (the FANTASTIC Vietnamese coffee sweetened with condensed milk). There is really not a better caffeine and sugar buzz to be found anywhere else in the world. I can't wait to head back to my favorite silk shop to get some more purses and beautiful hand embroidered shirts. This time I won't be pregnant and can buy some tailor made pieces. I know that Mark is already looking forward to piles of dragon fruit, pineapples, and other tropical delights. He's planning on eating beef and passionfruit stir fry soon after we arrive. We're all looking forward to evening walks around Hoan Kiem Lake and the girls can't wait to see the Water Puppet Show. Amidst all of the gritty details of such a big change, these are the thoughts that keep us going and excited.

However, this week has also brought a harsh reminder of the other side of Vietnam. The side that is filled with desperate poverty, and forces people into desperate situations. One of Mark's co-workers sent an e-mail this week asking Mark if he knew of anyone looking for a bride. He has cousins in Vietnam who are extremely poor. They are willing to marry anyone in order to get out of their situation.

I've spent a lot of time this week thinking about these women and about H.'s family members back in Vietnam. As a developing country, Vietnam holds many contradictions for me, a white, upper-middle class American. I can live a life of luxury there. Food and labor is cheap. Although the French are no longer there as colonists, money has formed a new kind of colonization. Three years ago we were surprised to find Dolce and Gabana as well as Tiffany's in Saigon. Yet, outside of their doors, street children are there selling roses to the tourists.

Vietnam is a country of yin and yang. It's found in even the simplest ways. Noodle bowls combine soft and hard, sweet and sour. BMW's and water buffalos share the roads in the north of the country. Five star restaurants serve fine liquor next door to vendors selling snake wine made illegally in houses. We will be taking an American back to a country that considers her Vietnamese. She's a Viet Kieu (Vietnamese Foreigner.) Hopefully we will find what they would call "right balance" through this experience.

My Bossy Sister

2011-03-10T12:20:00.001-08:00

This past Tuesday Mark was at the gym and I was cleaning up our dinner dishes. The girls were pretending to play house. I was listening into their imaginative play.

"When I tell you to do something that means you need to do it." Maria informed Teresa. Teresa stared at her for a few minutes.

"When I tell you to shut up that means you need to be quiet." was her calm reply.

Pho to Granola hits the Beach

2011-03-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to Englewood, Florida to visit Mark's parents. They have a winter home there. It was wonderful to have a week of family vacation time. Of course, it was also nice to enjoy the warmth and sunshine of Florida. Today we have snow and freezing rain and are wistfully looking at our swimsuits.

This was the girl's first time visiting a beach. I had expected Maria to love it but was surprised at how very much Teresa enjoyed the sand and the waves. She's not the fearful little infant that she once was.
Wrestling an aligator... or at least a statue of an alligator.

Maria was excited to have the chance to pet a sting ray at the aquarium.
So, Florida has a lot of "older" tourists. They were all fawning over the girls and these two really hammed it up and posed for pictures for the older tourists. They sure know how to work a crowd.

Teresa enjoyed just rolling around in the sand on the beach. I'm not sure I've yet gotten all the sand out of her hair.

Showing off the touch-screen on the airplane. They stayed plenty busy flipping between stations and given the passengers in front of us whiplash.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi

2011-02-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all of you whether you celebrate Tet or not. As you know, Tet is undoubtedly one of the biggest holidays our family celebrates. This year, was no exception. The girls were so excited to have a party, Maria honestly didn't sleep the night before. She just kept waking up and asking when all of her friends would arrive. Teresa even broke out of her usual shy routine around strangers and was happy to show off for her friends and their parents. Our little "American" dressed like a Vietnamese.

Mark and I first started to celebrate Vietnamese New Year after we had visited Vietnam but before we adopted Maria. I love incorporating this holiday into our lives as it always is such a great spring-board for discussions with Maria about her birth family, country of origin, and adoption in general. Luckily, she is still at an age where she is open to these discussions. Of course, the questions she is asking are getting harder with time too.

Another reason I love to celebrate Tet is because it really forces me to spend some time learning more about Vietnam. I always am self-conscious about how we celebrate it, knowing that it will always have a unique, American spin on the event. This was especially difficult this year since it was the first time I went into Maria's classroom to share the holiday with her classmates. It felt like the blind leading the blind, but with lucky candy and li xi (lucky money envelopes) three and four-year-olds will go for any story you tell them.

Our "Vietnamese- American" in her ao dai. Maria is definitely becoming a little kid, and no longer my little baby girl.
Our whole family. Don't we look tired, or at least, I do. I was still doped up on my pain medication from the tonsillectomy.

And here is the video of our first ever dragon dance. I think this was one of the highlights of the party for most of the kiddos.

The Paradox of Faith

2011-02-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

This has been quite the month, and I had intended to write about our upcoming preparations for Tet. However, I had a tonsillectomy that went kind of crazy and I have spent most of my time doped up on Vicodin. Thankfully, I'm feeling better now and life is getting back to normal.

However, I did want to post today, because today is the anniversary of the due date of our little Faith. Many of you probably know that before Teresa or Maria came to us, I had a miscarriage. We have named the baby Faith, unsure if the child was a boy or girl. However, we thought the name was fitting during a time of so much chaos and uncertainty.

As time has past, my emotions about Faith have become even more confused and jumbled. Once Teresa was born, I was able to really appreciate and understand what I had never been able to experience with Faith. Yet, had Faith been born, it would have been impossible to have Teresa. (As she was born that September.) Also, we aren't sure if we would have been able to adopt Maria with a newborn already home.

What would this baby have looked like? What about their personality? I have so many questions and it is strange to think that I have shared an intimacy that only a mother/child can have. Yet, I still don't know this little person. Is this at all like the emotions of Maria's birthmother?

I am still confused about why all that happened did. I imagine we will never understand. I do know though that I am looking forward to one day meeting a sweet little soul in heaven.

I Know Where She Is (And Who She Is Too)

2011-01-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

On New Year's night Mark and I had let the girls stay up late watching "The Wizard of Oz". As I was watching the wicked old witch, the flying monkeys, and the wizard all I could think was, "Oh boy, we're going to be up with nightmares tonight." Sure enough, the girls went to bed and an hour and a half later I heard whimpers coming from Maria.

I scooped her up and brought her into the guest bed with me. When I laid down beside her she snuggled right into me and almost immediately fell back asleep. I tried my best to fall asleep too and not move around to wake her. My mind started to drift back to Christmas' past, especially three years before.

Three years ago, we had a referral for a little baby named Tran Thi Kim Dung. We had the most basic of information and fourteen pictures. Three years ago we had no information about how she was doing, who was taking care of her, about her health or habits. We had lost our hearts to a child who was completely unknown to us.

I started to think about some of the things I had worried about during that time. Was she hungry? Did she get enough to eat? I had to laugh as I thought about that one. Dinner had once again been a battle of wills. One look at the soup tonight and she had decided to go on a hunger strike.

Was she warm? Did she have enough clothes? Were the clothes clean? My mind again drifted back over the events of the day. That afternoon she had opened a Christmas gift from a friend and was delighted to find pajamas. She had promptly changed into the p.j.s and had decided to wear them for the rest of the day. At the gym, and around town she made sure to draw even more attention to her clothes by asking everyone if they liked her new pajamas. I had been pretty embarrassed by letting her out in them, but she was so proud of her outfit choice.

Was there anyone to rock her to sleep at night? To hold her when she was crying? To kiss away her owies? To smile at her and touch her? Guilt started to form in the pit of my stomach as I thought about all of the times recently I had engaged in a battle of wills with her. She can be a difficult child at times, and I don't always respond in the wisest, most loving ways.

I realize that three years ago I had envisioned a child who would love tutus and art museums, be girly and frilly and in essence, be a smaller, prettier, Vietnamese version of myself. Fourteen pictures and a medical exam leave a lot to the imagination. Three years ago I had no idea where she was, and if she was okay. But now, three years later I have had the privilege to love a real child with her own preferences, opinions, and stubborn sense of self. I get to clothe her, to bathe her, to feed her but she is still the same baby that she was back in Hanoi. For that, I am grateful.

We Did It!

2010-12-30T06:39:00.000-08:00

Tata reading "The Night Before Christmas" to the four little ones on Christmas Eve. The kids weren't all that interested.

Making our Gingerbread House. Apparently there were some structural problems. The roof started to collapse after only twenty minutes.
After visiting the living nativity in town, the girls decided that they wanted to dress like Mary. Deceptively sweet, aren't they?

As Teresa loves to say, "We did it!". Well, she usually says, "I did it." but I can change it around a bit. This was the first Christmas that none of the kids got really really sick. Two years ago Maria gorged herself on the Christmas Eve meal and proceeded to throw up the entire night. Last year, Teresa got the croup and was in the hospital for three days. This year was nice and quiet... well, except for the skunks.

The original plan for Christmas had been to drive to Santa Fe and spend Christmas at my grandparents house. We were going to be joined by my parents, my sister and her family, as well as our family who lives in Santa Fe. However, when my parents got to the house, they were woken up by the sounds and smells that only a skunk can provide. So far, the skunk people have discovered three skunks who were living in the basement. We aren't sure if there are more squatters. Apparently, skunks are social critters and in Santa Fe they have found 36 of them living under one poor soul's porch.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Does any one do anything special for New Year's that little children can participate in? I'm trying to think of ideas for the girls this year. We keep calling it "American New Year" around here to clarify that it's not Tet. Kind of funny!

Tis the Season

2010-12-14T10:26:00.000-08:00

This is the only picture from our visit to Santa that captures both girls smiling. (You'll note that Santa isn't to be seen, thus the smiles.)

Nana reading a bed time story to four squirmy monkeys.

Our family Christmas party turned looked like a daycare. Eight kids, and five adults can make for a wild party.

Decorating Christmas cookies.

Maria "painting" the turkey for Thanksgiving with Grandma Sue.

We had the chance to catch up with our sweet friends from Tennessee. "E" is from Maria's orphanage. Apparently cute as a button and full of energy came with the building.

Thanksgiving has long gone by. What a busy time of year this has been for us! As those of you who know me personally know, my grandfather passed away the week before Thanksgiving. The girls and I were able to see him in some of his last hours. It was a beautiful privilege and honor to be there and to celebrate his life with all of my family.
From Santa Fe we drove to St. Louis for Thanksgiving. Thank goodness we have such great little travelers! We had a lot of fun with Mark's family.
It seems like life has gone into full force now that we are back home. Preschool, MOPS, and every Christmas event imaginable has just worn us all out. We could use a snow day to catch our breath!
Here are a few random cute pics from the last month.

Finally Back on the Bloggy Bandwagon

2010-11-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

Whew! That was a long hiatus from writing. I'm not going to even attempt to fill in the blanks- I'll just pick up from today. It seems that with facebook I've become accustomed to writing a few sentences a day instead of an entire post. However, Mark and my family have been nagging me to start back up so we can remember all of the funny things that the girls do and say.

Speaking of which, last night Maria had been in bed for almost half an hour when she started to scream in a panic. I walked up there to find her trying to wiggle her way back into her sheets. We've been having a very dry fall though and there was a lot of static electricity that she was causing. She freaked out when she saw the sparks and told me, "My bottom is blinking." Poor kiddo.

PS- Look who got her ears pierced! That means she is potty trained.

We are still around... really

2010-07-21T06:49:00.001-07:00

Dance Party on the stairs

Making Tata a birthday cake. We spent the 4th of July in Estes Park with my parents. The girls LOVED it!

Why would you choose to watch Sesame Street on the couch when you can cram into the laundry basket with your sister?

Holy Cow! I have really dropped off the face of bloggy world, haven't I? This summer has just flown. I know, everyone says that. However, with Maria starting school and gymnastics, getting over jet lag and going through the culture shock of coming back to the US, and a few fun trips, things really have flown by. This Thursday, I will start three intensive weeks of work, so things will honestly only get crazier. Here are a few cute pics of my cuties.

Maria's First Day of School

2010-06-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Maria started preschool today. She was a little hesitant to be going without Teresa but once we walked in, she didn't seem too concerned at all. She hasn't given us a lot of details what her day was like. So far, we've been told that she swung on the swings, played with playdoh and painted. I also found some marker stains on her shirt. When I picked her up, she didn't want to leave, but she did fall asleep in the car on the way home so it seems like the first day was a success. She's excited to go back!
Mark tried a photo shoot with her before she left. After convincing her that we didn't want her to pose in front of the trash cans, she decided to really ham it up for the camera.

Filling in Some Gaps- The Procession of the Holy Blood

2010-05-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

Potifier and his wife talking to their slave, Joseph.

God banishing Adam and Eve from the garden.

Hands down, one of the most beautiful things we saw the entire trip with the Procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges. This festival is held once a year to react the story of the relic of the True Blood. Supposedly, in one of the Crusades, a vial was found that contained Christ's blood and was brought back to Bruges. The actual procession begins with the story of Adam and Eve and narrates a good part of the Old and New Testaments. Then, the story line jumps to the relic being found in Jerusalem and brought to Belgium.

It seems like most of the town was in the procession in some form or another. The whole thing lasted almost two hours and we were concerned about the girls' attention spans. However, they were fascinated.

Maria was really disturbed by the crucifixion and death of Jesus though. I think that we did a great job of talking about Jesus during Christmas, but didn't really bring the rest of the story home to her during Easter. In her mind, Jesus was still a little baby. Of course, seeing a person beat and carrying a cross is also far more impressionable than simply hearing the story. As our trip continued, she started to notice more crucifixes in churches and see the Passion narrative unfold in art museums and I think that in a lot of ways, this procession will give us a good place to jump off of when continuing to teach her about the Gospel.

Filling in Some Gaps- The Paris Mosque

2010-05-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Paris has the largest Islamic Mosque in Europe. Supposedly, you are supposed to enter only with a guided tour. I think that they were either intimidated of the girls or didn't have someone who could guide us in English because they simply allowed us to guide ourselves. The building was beautiful and Mark was thrilled to take pictures (as best as he could with Teresa hanging from him).

Filling in Some Gaps- Chartres

2010-05-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

One of our days in France was spent visiting the Cathedral in Chartres. Many people consider it to be the prettiest of all of Europe's Gothic Churches. We were especially looking forward to seeing it since we had seen it featured in one of our favorite documentaries earlier this year. However, we were in for a surprise when we arrived.

Unbeknowst to us, a huge pilgrimage of Catholic families had walked for three days from Paris to Chartres. Some had come pushing strollers with kids Maria and Teresa's ages. Some were pushing their children in wheel chairs. It was seriously a huge crowd and the large church couldn't even hold them all. Because of this, a large section of the church was blocked off for normal tourists like ourselves. It was a bummer to not see some of the art works we had been hoping to see. However, we were able to see the church as it was intended to be- a church for Christian pilgrims. And that, was beautiful in and of itself.

Our Last Day

2010-05-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

Eating "The Best Ice Cream in Paris". The girls make such a mess with ice cream!
This is the reality of two toddlers in an art museum. (Monet's Waterlilies are in the background.) Somehow I still have visions of teaching them art history one day.
Farewell Paris!

We have been kind of bummed all day today because tomorrow morning we will be on a plane back to the United States. After five weeks, we are exhausted. Our backs and legs ache from walking 4-8 hours with the girls on our backs every day. I have blisters on my feet and Mark's ankles are starting to hurt. The girls are tired from having late nap and bed times. We are all just kind of short tempered and worn out. But, we aren't really ready to head home. Some time on the beach, or maybe a town smaller than Paris would be nice, just not home.

That being said, we are so very grateful for this trip, and for this opportunity. The girls (and us) have been pushed beyond our comfort zones and everyone rose to the occasion. Mark and I feel that every trip is an opportunity to learn and so here are a few lessons we've gleaned over the past five weeks.

First, we have too much stuff. At home, we're worried about the house that holds our stuff, cleaning our stuff, or acquiring more stuff. That lesson seems funny coming from the town of the Champ Elysees and the origin of haute coutre stuff. But, if for some reason we had all of the stuff back home taken away from us we would have been sad at what we had lost, but we would have been fine living out of three suit cases. Once again, we are called to simplify and keep our focus on the things that are most important... the things that aren't things.

Along those lines, I think that I've been really challenged on my personal interactions. Five weeks with no time away from the kids has been a struggle at times but it was also nice to be able to focus more on each kid. Unfortunately, Mark and I agree that we didn't get to spend more quality time with each other because we were so focused on them.

It has been challenging and incredible to be forced to interact with so many Muslims and Arabs here. This has definitely forced us to recognize our own prejudices and fears given our society in the US. I'm glad that we especially had this opportunity in Amsterdam where the Holocaust is still remembered so strongly. It was humbling to remember what misconceptions can lead to and the importance of seeing every human in the light of dignity they deserve.

There are more lessons to reflect on and I'm sure I will share them soon. For now, here are some pictures of our last days in Paris.

This Place is Getting to the Girls

2010-05-23T12:26:00.000-07:00

We've been in Europe for a month now. I'm noticing small ways that all of us have been changed by the trip. I now use my thumb to make the number three. We can begin to think in meters. We're not fumbling around quite so much with finding the right coins when it's time to pay.

The girls are changing too. They no longer pretend to go to Target. Instead, tonight Maria and Teresa went to the bakery to buy bread. They didn't buy it at the grocery store because it's better from the baker. Usually they pretend to take a tram or subway when they pretend shop but tonight Maria splurged and hired Teresa the Taxi Driver to drive her around. Next we went to the museum. Maria told me that if I was really quiet I could have a piece of candy. I was good and got my reward!

Luxembourg Gardens

2010-05-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

We are constantly entertained in the subway stations by the over the top advertisements. Not only are they large, their quite obnoxious.
After abusing the kids yesterday at the museum we decided to make the day more kid friendly. We took them to Luxembourg Gardens for a picnic, carousel rides and pony rides. It was a beautiful day and the girls seemed to really have fun.

Sweet Picture

2010-05-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

These are the moments I had imagined about this trip. What a sweet picture of a sweet kid.

The Louvre

2010-05-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent four hours at the Louvre. Can you believe the girls (and Mark) held up that long? What troopers! What an awesome museum! It seems like everywhere I looked I stumbled upon another painting or sculpture and would tell Mark "Wow, that one's famous."

Here is Maria's summary of the museum for all of you.

1.) The sculptures all forgot to put on their shirts. And their pants were falling down. That's silly.

2.) I want Mama Daddy to buy me a hat with a halo on it too.

Teresa's thoughts were simply that it was hot and she was glad that we took a break at Mc Donalds so she could eat french fries. She is making a list of famous places to have little melt downs in. So far the list includes Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre. Overall though, the girls have been doing fantastic and have been really good travelers.

Mark has decided to take off for the rest of the time we'll be in Paris. This city is too cool to spend time working.

"Mama, what happened to his hair?"

2010-05-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

Check out this European style! Quite the hair cut. I wonder how much hairspray this guy uses. (And yes, that's really his hair, not a hat. We had to look twice too.)

I see Holland, I see France..

2010-05-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

Teresa seems to be thinking, "They expect me to eat this?"
Maria completely enjoyed her ice cream cone though.
We are staying so close to the Eiffel Tower. We see it while walking around our neighborhood every day. So far, we are loving Paris. The people here have been remarkably friendly to the girls and have just loved them. We are getting pretty worn out though from all of our travels.

My Life is Now Complete

2010-05-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we found the most wonderful thing yet in Bruges! Well, honestly, we found two wonderful things here.
First, we went to the Wednesday market and were impressed with beautiful flowers, fruit, cheese and other goodies. The girls were quite impressed with the pig heads on display. I suppose that's something we don't often see even at the Asian Supermarket. Our noses quickly led us to the most fantastic waffles we have ever had in our lives.
We did some more site seeing and then walked into a tiny little chocolate shop. The place was void of any signs listing the types of chocolate or the prices which made us nervous. However, the women were happy to help us find what we wanted and we were amazed to walk out with a box of 12 pieces for close to $6 dollars. Even more amazed were we when we came home and discovered that these were the smoothest, most melt in your mouth, you could eat a whole box and not even know it, chocolates ever. Really, life here is wonderful!

In Bruges

2010-05-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

We've been in Belgium since Monday. We left on a train that lost power mid-way to Brussels. Then, at the station we had a zillion little things go wrong. So, our expectations were extremely low as to what was in store for us. However, the town square of Brussels completely blew us away and after lunch, Belgium chocolates, and a Belgium waffle things really started to look up. We then headed to Bruges.

This place is a fairy tale! It's a medieval town that has been beautiful preserved, although it's completely touristy. Honestly, that's okay. It's still cute and quaint.
The girls (and us too) have completely fallen in love with all of the sweets here. We have had the best chocolate we have ever had, the best waffles we have ever had, and I have seen the most beautiful Flemish art I have ever seen in person.
Tomorrow is the town's biggest festival, the Procession of the Holy Blood. It has been miserably cold here and we are hoping that tomorrow will warm up a bit!

Random Photos

2010-05-06T22:39:00.000-07:00

Mark posing with a large bag of french fries. The dutch love french fries, especially with a giant glob of mayonnaise on them.
The girls loving on each other back at the apartment.
Teresa milking a "cow" at the Outdoor Folk Museum.
All dressed up in orange for Queens Day.

Dinner in a Synagogue

2010-05-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Last night we had one of the best dinners yet of our trip. In truth, it was only the second time we have gone out to dinner so almost anything could be better than pbj sandwiches or stuff from the deli. But, we headed over to a large restaurant that had middle eastern cuisine.

The restaurant had once been a Jewish synagogue. Amsterdam lost a lot of Jews during WWII and then after when people decided to live in America or Israel instead of returning home. So, the building still had the look of a synagogue but had also been changed quite a bit to look trendy, and was filled with flashing lights, Islamic art, and some strange decor that really can't be explained well.

Maria was especially thrilled to get ice cream. It came in a small plastic treasure chest. When it came her eyes welled up with tears she was so happy! I don't think I'd ever seen her react that way to ice cream before.

We had planned on going out of town again today but the weather is cold and rainy so I think we're stuck here in Amsterdam today.

The International Foods Market

2010-05-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

The other day we were walking back to the apartment when we found an International Foods Market. At home, we tend to shop a lot at international food markets. We peeked in the window and so an array of stir-frys, Mediterranean anti-pasti, and other unknown items. However, we had to laugh as we turned the corner and came face to face with a display of Aunt Jemima, Jello, and other American foods. We wandered our way inside and found Pace picante sauce and Mission tortillas.

On a separate note, yesterday we had a number of problems getting to and from an outdoor folk museum about an hour away. (Um, it should have been about an hour away.) Anyway, on our last train back to Amsterdam I was uncertain we were where we needed to be and so I asked someone if we were on the train to Amsterdam. A few minutes later Maria turned to the same lady and asked, "Excuse me, are we on a train to Europe?"

Pictures from the Garden

2010-04-30T10:58:00.001-07:00

Maria's Second Adoption Day Anniversary

2010-04-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Driving a Filipino bus at the Troppen Museum.

My apologies for not keeping up as much as I had intended to. It's been hard to update the blog since Mark is having to use the laptop for work. I am trying to write any opportunity I get. Pictures are also taking a long time to load on to blogger so that's why there has been a delay there.

So, yesterday we saw one of the coolest museums I have ever seen- The Troppen. It showcases a lot of the colonies that the Dutch had and highlights their cultures (language, dance, music, arts, etc.) The museum was displayed beautifully and the girls had a great time with a lot of their interactive exhibits. Maria could have spent the entire afternoon listening to the musical instruments from around the world.

Today we went to Koukenhof which was a trek out of Amsterdam. We took a tram, a train, and a bus there. The girls have been able to experience just about every mode of transportation possible. The place has beautiful gardens, mostly of tulips and is only open for a few weeks a year. It was also incredibly crowded.

One of the funniest things happened on the way back from there. Maria had a poopy diaper on the train back. She decided to announce the fact very loudly to everyone there. Then, we stood in line to use the bathroom on the train and she decided to ask everyone else in line if they had poopy too. I could have crawled into a hole!

Today is also Maria's second Adoption Day anniversary. What a day! She was sure testy today, but we were all pushed a little too hard and did a little too much today. Thanks for your get well wishes. I'm still a bit under the weather but am on the mend.

Tomorrow is the biggest party all year in Amsterdam- Queens Day. We still have no idea exactly what to expect but it's 8pm and we can already here the party starting down on the streets.

Photos (Finally)

2010-04-27T08:06:00.001-07:00

After a long day of sight seeing (coupled with jet lag.)

Last night I came down with a yucky case of strep throat. So, today our outings have been limited to the doctor and pharmacy (for me) and the grocery store and park (for Mark and the girls).

A Wrong Turn

2010-04-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

So far, we have hit the Van Gogh museum, been to the grocery store twice, seeing the Church of St. Nicholas, and the Church of Christ Hidden in the Attic.

The girls have been fairly great travelers so far. Maria does keep telling me that she wants to go home to get pink socks and her tricycle. I think it is killing her to see everyone else on bicycles and knowing that her's is at home. Teresa is hating the fact that she must shower instead of bathe here. Overall though, they haven't been too bad. In fact, I'd say that they've been fantastic, although we've been battling for the last two hours to get them to sleep so my perspective has been messed up for the day. I do hope that they are this easy when they are teenagers.

Today we went to the Central part of the city, saw St. Nicholas church and then realized that the Church of Christ Hidden in the Attic was close by. This church was actually in the attic of a wealthy house back when it was illegal to be Catholic in the Netherlands. People had to have mass in secret and so they built the church in the attic.

There is a small problem with the location of the church though, it's in what is now the Red Light District. We were trying to find it, got lost and decided to turn down a narrow alley to get back on to the main street. We were getting a little uncomfortable taking the girls past all sorts of sex shops. As we turned though, we realized our mistake- our little alley was actually a place for prostitutes to advertise by displaying themselves in the windows so costumers can see what they're getting. Less than 48 hours here and our kids have already received an Amsterdam education. Oops! Stay tuned for photos!(But not of the Red Light District.)

Our first day in Amsterdamy

2010-04-25T06:14:00.000-07:00

Maria has started calling Amsterdam "Amsterdamy" and so I thought I'd write about our Amsterdamy today.

First of all, in case anyone needs an under-water pogo stick, Skymall is currently selling them. I thought I'd mention that with Mother's Day and Graduation Season coming up.

We got in around 9am and were thrilled with the international terminal here in Amsterdam. It was an airport/train station/ mall. Really cool! Unfortunately, we won't be going back since we'll be flying out of Paris.

When we got to our hotel we had to wait a few hours for our place to be ready. We dropped off the luggage and then headed to a small cafe, played in a cute little park, and did some grocery shopping. We're exhausted now and just doing anything we can to force ourselves awake. The girls are going nuts, our patience and energy is low... I think it's going to be an early night for all of us!

Our first impressions have been that this place is quiet and calm. We'll see if that changes as we start to get into other areas of town and the more touristy things.

Sorry, but we have yet to take a picture and my brain is fried. More to come tomorrow.

Adios from Colorado

2010-04-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well, things are looking promising and we're planning on leaving early tomorrow morning. Next post will be from Amsterdam.

As I'm busy trying to finish the last minute things, I'll keep this short and leave you with a few random comments.

Teresa just learned how to open up a door all by herself. Darn it! So much for having a chance to baby-proof an area by simply closing the door with her.

It's snowing here. I sometime hate Colorado in the spring. We really have two seasons, snow and no snow.

I have the wooden shoe song from the Shirley Temple movie "Heidi" stuck in my head. I think it will be constantly in my mind as we travel through Holland.

Our Packing List

2010-04-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hmmm.... things aren't looking very promising with the volcano. Mark and I truly have a knack for combining high drama and international travel. We have never had an international trip go smoothly. Blizzards, military coups, changes in adoption regulations, typhoons, the flu, we've hit a whole range of problems. Of course, it would make sense that we'd be affected by the greatest mess in aviation history! At least it will make for a good story for grand kids, right?

On the lighter side, I'd thought I'd let you all get a glimpse of what's in our suitcases. I'm sure that you can find tons of sites on the internet for what to bring to Europe. Here's a few things on our list.

1.) Teresa's formula. She needs hypo-allergenic prescription only formula. You can't find this brand in Europe so we're taking over six cans with us. Ouch!

2.) Lollipops. Since the kids are too little for gum they can suck on them when we take off and land in the plane. Plus, sucking on a lollipop is hard to do when you're screaming. So, we'll have the two silent toddlers who are on a sugar rush.

3.) A slinky. We're going to be staying on the fifth floor in Amsterdam. I'm not sure, but I don't think there's an elevator. Most people would panic at this. We opted for a slinky.

4.) A laundry bag from the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo. This bag has been to Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis. It would only make sense to bring it to Europe too. We keep it in case we need a laundry bag. Only now, we don't want to use it because we would have to throw it out. Instead, we just take it around the world.

5.) Collapsible cups. Enough said.

8 Days to Go and Our Plans are Blowing Up

2010-04-16T08:21:00.001-07:00

Holy Smoke! We have 8 days until we are on a plane, heading off to Amsterdam.... hopefully. Eight days until the airlines are able to get back on track in Europe. We're so excited we could explode. (Have you enjoyed the dumb jokes so far?)
Honestly we're kind of getting nervous about the volcano in Iceland and what this means for us. Hopefully though, the volcano will stop, flights will resume to the Netherlands and we'll have no glitches. Otherwise, this whole thing could really blow up in our face!

Elmo Didn't Teach Me Well

2010-04-08T12:11:00.000-07:00

We recently rented "Elmo's Potty Time" from Netflix to help Maria with a little encouragement. After a few days, Mark and I just couldn't take it anymore! Talk about potty humor!!!
However, the other day I walked in on Maria trying to change her own diaper.
"Sorry Mama that I went pee in my diaper. Elmo didn't teach me well." she said.

One Cool Kid

2010-04-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Two Years Ago...

2010-04-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, Mark and I left for Asia. We took the long way to Vietnam, through Bangkok and Siem Reap, then on to Saigon and eventually Hanoi. This was the trip that turned our family of two into a family of three. April 1st 2008 we left our typical, suburban house, for this... Ronald McDonald doing a Thai wai.

Her Own Living Potato Head

2010-03-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

I just heard screaming coming from the play room. As usual, it was Teresa. I walked in to see Maria trying to push the Mr. Potato Head pieces into her ears.
"Maria Stop! You never put the pieces into Teresa's ears!"
"Okay Mom." She answered. And then proceeded to try to put them up Teresa's nose.

Happy Burpday Aunt Carrie!

2010-03-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today my little sister turns 27! Happy Birthday Carrie! Even though she is my "little" sister I've learned so much from her recently about motherhood. Carrie has two boys. N. is 2 and P. is a few weeks old! She handles them with grace, joy and wisdom that is beyond her years.

My two are very much in love with their aunt! Maria pretends to talk to her on the phone for hours. Yesterday I was locked out of the house but told Maria to get Mark to let me in. She told me that she was talking to Aunt Carrie and not to interrupt her when she was on the phone. I'd have to wait until she was done. Hmm... I'm glad "Aunt Carrie" didn't talk for much longer.

If they could just stay 12-18 months forever...

2010-03-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

Now that we've done it twice, I can honestly say 12-18 months is awesome! They are growing up from babyhood, a little independent but not bratty. They haven't hit the terrible twos (or threes). They are curious, funny, and growing in personality. Teresa turned 18 months old last week. Alas, we're gearing up for two. She has already started with the temper tantrums, the screaming, the opinions. If only they could be 14 months for forever!

Sisters

2010-03-19T12:54:00.001-07:00

Cool Like My Big Sister

2010-03-19T12:38:00.001-07:00

Apparently we never feed Maria enough. She must have been really hungry because she felt the need to eat her glasses. So, after chewing up the frames we had to buy her new ones. This meant that we got to go home with the old, broken frames. Teresa was thrilled. She finally got to wear her own glasses (the old ones). Now she is cool, like her big sister! I mean just look at the kid- she is one fashion queen!