Cheap Entertainment

We've almost managed to escape living on this side of town without any major construction projects right near our apartment - but just this past week they've started tearing down a building at the local high school which happens to be on our side of the apartment complex so now we've got what most people in the area have had - noise, dust and a bit of vibration... but we also have CHEAP ENTERTAINMENT for two little kids and a free-fun loving mom!!! We've been stopping to look as we've walked to the supermarket or 7-11, but today I purposely packed our lunches and we went to watch the big machines in action!!! One of the kids LOVED it... the other enjoyed her lunch and me taking pictures of her! I don't think this will be the last time we do lunch here!




We had prime seats right in front of the real estate office and the opening to the project... where else could you find such seats!!!

Okay, we enjoyed lunch there so much, a few days later I packed up breakfast!! Are we addicts or what?!?

With all this male machinery, what could possibly make Hunter cry so hysterically???

The naughty dog that snatched his breakfast sandwich right from his hand then slopped it up right in front of him as to rub it in!!! We've been talking about the 'naughty dog' ever since... and believe me, if we see that dog again I have half a mind to give it a good spank for making my son cry so hard...

Here's the view from our balcony while I'm hanging laundry... hanging laundry with all this going on outside - no wonder why we're sneezing a bit more lately!

To tell you the truth, I think I'm just as fascinated by these machines as Hunter is... I'm beginning to see how "Transformers" got their inspiration.

And as a side note, this little lovely girl brought her little headband to me this morning to put in her hair - it's the first time she's worn it without complaint or removal! How funny is that - she's not even 18months yet and she's got her own fashion sense! That's nuts!!!

We Are Thankful For................................

absolutely so much!!! Our home here, friends who are family, family who are friends, opportunities to learn and grow, work, church, travel opportunities, bikes, playgrounds, MRT elevators, newly flattened curbs/ramps, comfortable weather, the stroller raincover, delivered water, 7-11, the grocery man, Lin Xinsheng, generous neighbors, skype, Costco outings, Helena's predictable naps, Hunter's occasional naps, BSF, construction work nearby... the list goes on and on...

We celebrated Thanksgiving Day on Thursday with 2 celebrations! The "big party", as Hunter & I called it, was a lunch adaptation of traditional classics (you got it, turkey sandwiches) with the Playgroup friends... we had at least 12 women each with at least 1 child over for lunch!!! As we sat around eating, we told each other what we were thankful for regarding either Taiwan, our husbands or our children... it was fun to hear the comments around the room... but that's why I love Thanksgiving... it's a time to reflect and really adjust our attitudes towards gratefulness and what we have been blessed with rather than complacency or complaining. If only everyday were thanksgiving... well, actually, I don't think my "healthy lifestyle" can handle Thanksgiving every day... we did get our share of feasting in.

So celebration #2 was a buffet dinner at the American Club! New friends Andy & Christily invited us to join them for this festive occasion so we met up on the MRT and rode out together past the airport (if he had his way, Hunter would've stopped there and waited for us to finish dinner) and then enjoyed a pre-dinner brisk walk to the club. It was a delicious meal (though I must say I ate more fish than turkey) and good company... and even the kids were sitting still so we could actually talk. We didn't completely 'roll' home, but we did eat enough to make it feel like a holiday!

The Thanksgiving Crew!

Thanks, Andy & Christily, for a great evening... we really enjoyed it!

Bringing Home The Bacon

Well, Helena's starting to earn her keep around here with her modeling jobs... just kidding... she doesn't really make that much money for doing it, but it is something scheduled once in a while and it gets us out of the house to a different part of town. This photo shoot was at a bigger studio so Hunter came along. I was a bit nervous about managing both of them, but she was so busy either being photographed or being changed into the next set of clothes that she was pretty occupied... and Hunter... well, he always finds ways of keeping himself busy. Thankfully there was another boy Helena's age alternating with her so while Helena was on, Hunter was chatting with Leo. Overall, it was a smooth day and I was so relieved that the kids held it together throughout the bus rides as well! Well done, Helena & Hunter!!!

I guess I'd cry too in an outfit that made me look like a cow-girl...

or a clown?

But the Minnie Mouse look was actually kinda cute! This was the same designer that Hunter modelled for last year this time - the ridiculous "Rock n Roll" summer (for kids?!?!)... so yeah, we wouldn't be rushing to the shop to buy these but they make for cute photos.

So one thing Hunter found entertaining were the collection of make-up brushes. I ran one across his face (since he wouldn't really get that opportunity at home with my sporadic make-up wearing) and he got all tickly... we had to put them away because he thought they felt so funny.

Then halfway through the shoot he just jumped up to the piano like he knew what he was doing and began to pound out a few notes... it was loud, but kinda cool to see him so confidently setting about it. He especially liked it when Daphne Jie Jie came to play with him.

A Little Too Much Excitement

Last Thursday we went to the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Taipei Hyatt Hotel... it started out to be a very pleasant evening - the kids loved the choir, the tree, the crowds... but when the official lighting took place and the canons went off with balloons and streamers falling from the sky - both of the kids absolutely FREAKED OUT - screaming, crying, yelling in Chinese "I want to go outside" over and over... Who would've thought it'd be such a high tech production? Who would've thought they'd react quite like that... but they did get to get a little gift from Santa and Hunter even got to eat a candy so I think all's even now!

Clark Catch Up

For some reason I've just been slack in updating this blog... it could be because I've been busy trying to publish the first few years of the blog into a photo album... it could be because I've been doing my BSF homework during 'naptime'... it could be there hasn't been a whole lot to update about... NAW... it definitely isn't that - I'm leaning toward the fact that Hunter is not as predictible in his nap routine lately and is actually trying to make himself comfortable on the office floor while I do this now - I won't be here long!

On a non-rainy Saturday in November the kids and I went out to Marlin's school for my 4th school festival!!! It's hard to believe this will be my last... but it was a fun morning seeing her students and letting the kids get their pictures taken with those brave enough to ask in English (Marlin's the English teacher so there's some motivation there).

Hunter thought the "money" stickers would look better on Uncle Richard.

As with any well planned school fair, the military showed up with a bit of promotional material... Hunter found this guy interesting...

but Helena was downright scared!!!!

The kids & I had passed Outback Steakhouse several times through the month and saw they had an anniversary sale on steaks - $299NT for a sirloin steak meal - so I got Hunter to ask baba to take us out to steak. It was pretty cute hearing him say "Baba, I want steak!"... and you should've seen how excited we were all day preparing for our big steak dinner. Too bad Tony ended up working a bit later and we were pretty much finished with our meal by the time he arrived to join us... nonetheless, we all enjoyed our beef quota for the week!!!

Tony & I decided a while ago that we need to get out more - just the two of us! So we've sucked it up and found a couple of folks who can babysit for us and help out around the house a bit so we can have a "Date Night"... our first of such nights, however, we chose to spend with some friends from our cellgroup at a delicious Indian restaurant in Tien Mu...

Excited to be out of the house, Tony even prepared some entertainment for our group... Tony the Incredible Magician turned up and learned a few things from Richard & Edu about his delivery... Yes, I guess we do need to get out more!

In October, Hunter started hanging from the bars by himself... way to go! And now he slides down the pole like Fireman Sam or Uncle Matt - the tricky part is that I should be standing closer to him while he's showing off his new skills, but Helena has her own interests at the playground as well... so... hopefully he'll be okay!

We also try to get down to the putting green a couple of times a week down in our courtyard... Hunter loves his 'golpclups' Grandpa gave him and has already thrashed the carrying case and lost all the balls... so we use ping pong balls instead! He's even gotten the ball into the hole a few times, but most of the time I'm a bit nervous he's going to whack Mei mei in the face as he's a bit more like a baseball player.

She's lovely... she loves to get out there too and have a whack!!! She's more than just a pretty girl on the sidelines... that's for sure!

Speaking of whack... Helena had her first black eye in October... she tripped over me while we were playing on the floor and landed on a space station... bummer! Thankfully it missed her eye!!! And thankfully it was the week before her second photo shoot!

In the journey toward greater health, I borrowed my friend's juicer - Hunter was my assistant - and loved his job more than his product! But you can tell by his little green moustache that he did occasionally drink the healthy elixir!!!

We Love Torch Church

It's great to be part of a local church and we've been so grateful for ours - Torch Church!!! Over the past month or so we've also had a chance to really sow into the life of the church through several outlets. Though language barriers keep us from doing more, here's a glimpse of what we've been doing with the church lately.

It's been fun hosting the "Foreigners" Cellgroup at our place over the past year. Lately we're doing a series on Spiritual Disciplines (good idea, Seaside) and so it's been good to try to encourage/challenge each other to dig deeper spiritually even while being away from 'home'. The downside to being part of the 'foreigners' group is that people are always going back from where they came - so we will continue to say good-bye to dear friends, like Claire & Rich.

One of the cool things about hosting the group is that Hunter & Helena get to see their 'aunties & uncles' every fortnight and spend time with them in our home. Hunter loves Edu and thinks his guitar playing is SUPER COOL! I'm sure Edu loves having such a captive audience as well!

On Sunday, October 18, Tony had the privilege to speak to the bigger church community with the interpretation services of our good friend Rachel! It was a great message on how God sees us as holy through Jesus... Tony has heard much positive feedback about how God used this message in the lives of people in the congregation... and that's exactly what he wanted to see happen! Besides preaching in church, Tony has also done a couple of sessions with the youth leadership teams to share strategies for growth and development based on the Arise Church model in Wellington. This has already been a blessing to the team and the group - plus Tony got to reconnect a bit with friends in NZ while preparing so overall it's been a great opportunity to build God's house. And I even got to share with a parent's group on the practical topic of training your children to sleep well... we are so thankful to be part of this vibrant church!

Even Hunter's been involved... though I must tell you, about 10 seconds after this photo was snapped Hunter ran off the stage crying and waited, watching in the wings for the rest of the performance. The funny thing was about four days later while we were out and about around town, he went up on a stage and started singing the very song they sang in church...


So yes, we are truly grateful for our Torch Church family.

http://www.torchchurch.com/

City Slickers

I love living in Taipei! There is so much to do and see just minutes from our apartment! Besides the base level stimulation of living in a big city (think noise, people, pollution), I think the kids are getting some really interesting experiences spending their first few years in the big smoke! Here's a glimpse of what goes on in a span of a week...

One afternoon we met Cynthia & Hilo at the Huashang Culture Center to see an art exhibit called "The Starry Starry Night". Now of course we didn't really 'get it' per se, but the kids did enjoy the colors and sounds and the experience of walking/running through a gallery with some interesting installation pieces. Of all the pieces on display, though, Hunter was most impressed with this big screen display of the earth... looks like we'll be hitting the astronomical museum in the next month...

This was part of a piece that the kids particularly enjoyed because it was in a side room where they could run around a partition and look at people. I didn't say my kids were especially cultured yet, but hey... it's all about exposure, eh?!?

After a rainy weekend, when I asked Hunter what he wanted to do one day, he said in Chinese that he'd like to go to the zoo... I thought about it for a moment then said SURE - LET'S GO!!! So we made a couple phone calls, hopped on the bus and headed over to the Taipei Zoo.

New friends Anna & Tilly joined us on our spontaneous adventure that lasted only a couple of hours but what a great resource... all this within less than an hour's commute! We love it!!!

The next day we wanted to check out the Public Library's story time... it was a pretty well organized function, but my kids couldn't sit through more than 3 minutes of it...

instead they found themselves seats in the "Small World" and enjoyed the oversized books with our friends Ellie & Abram... what a great discovery!!! Hunter loves the books and Helena loves the chairs... we'll be back!

After a bit of 'contained' time, Kristie & I brought the kids over to Daan Park (the biggest park in the city) for some 'uncontained' time running all over the playground. Hunter & Ellie did pretty well considering we were bombarded by a group of school kids twice their age and size...

Hunter, of course, LOVED having all the big kids around and joined in their games as best as he could (and as best as they'd let him).

And these are just a few of the reasons why we love living here in Taipei... and I guess this would mean we're city slickers at heart... though we are looking forward to our camping trip in NZ in January!!!

Dress Up Party

We're not big fans of Halloween... at all... but when our impromptu games night fizzled, we decided to take the kids to at least see the other neighborhood kids downstairs at our building's dress up party. Of course we had to quickly put them into costumes (5 minutes to kick-off) so they could go trick-or-treating (why would we even tempt poor Hunter with all that junk that we ended up giving away to someone else anyway?) around the other apartments with the group. Though the kids did have fun with the other neighbors and it was good to mix & mingle a bit, It was a night of learning and remembering that we do have a responsibility to do our best to protect our children's eyes and minds from things that may cause fear. Good things to learn in a safe environment, eh. This parenting thing is full of lessons to be learned in all sorts of situations!

There were your standard princesses, Marvel superheros...

other characters...

and then there were our kids:

Helena, the Taiwanese princess...

and Hunter the hunter complete with duck calling whistle and his game.

Good thing we have good imaginations, eh!?!